ASUS E2234 User Manual

Motherboard

P5NSLI

Series

P5NSLI
P5NSLI/WiFi

ii

E2234

First Edition
August 2006

Copyright © 2006 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,

transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form
or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the
express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or
altered, unless such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2)
the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE
LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE
OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR
ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED
FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME
WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY
ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR
INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS
AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered
trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or
explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.

iii

Contents

Notices ................................................................................................vii

Safety information .............................................................................viii

About this guide .................................................................................. ix

How this guide is organized ..................................................... ix

Where to nd more information .............................................. ix

Conventions used in this guide ................................................. x

Typography ............................................................................... x

P5NLI and P5NSLI/WiFi specications summary ................................. xi

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 Welcome! .............................................................................. 1-2

1.2 Package contents .................................................................

1-2

1.3 Special features ....................................................................

1-3

1.3.1 Product highlights ...................................................

1-3

1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features .......................................

1-5

1.4 Before you proceed ..............................................................

1-7

1.5 Motherboard overview ..........................................................

1-8

1.5.1 Placement direction ................................................

1-8

1.5.2 Screw holes .............................................................

1-8

1.5.3 Motherboard layout ................................................

1-9

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ............................................

1-10

1.6.1 Installing the CPU ..................................................

1-10

1.6.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan .......................

1-13

1.6.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan ...................

1-15

1.7 System memory ..................................................................

1-17

1.7.1 Overview ...............................................................

1-17

1.7.2 Memory congurations .........................................

1-17

1.7.3 Installing a DIMM ...................................................

1-20

1.7.4 Removing a DIMM ..................................................

1-20

1.8 Expansion slots ...................................................................

1-21

1.8.1 Installing an expansion card ..................................

1-21

1.8.2 Conguring an expansion card ..............................

1-21

1.8.3 Interrupt assignments ...........................................

1-22

1.8.4 PCI slots ................................................................

1-23

1.8.5 PCI Express x1 slot ...............................................

1-23

iv

Contents

1.8.6 Two PCI Express x16 slots .................................... 1-24

1.9 Jumpers ..............................................................................

1-25

1.10 Connectors .........................................................................

1-27

1.10.1 Rear panel connectors ..........................................

1-27

1.10.2 Internal connectors ...............................................

1-28

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ........................................ 2-2

2.1.1 Creating a bootable oppy disk ..............................

2-2

2.1.2 Updating the BIOS ...................................................

2-3

2.1.3 Saving the current BIOS le ....................................

2-5

2.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility ................................

2-6

2.1.5 ASUS EZ Flash utility ...............................................

2-8

2.1.6 ASUS Update utility ................................................

2-9

2.2 BIOS setup program ............................................................

2-12

2.2.1 BIOS menu screen .................................................

2-13

2.2.2 Menu bar ...............................................................

2-13

2.2.3 Legend bar ............................................................

2-14

2.2.4 Menu items ...........................................................

2-14

2.2.5 Sub-menu items ....................................................

2-14

2.2.6 Conguration elds ...............................................

2-14

2.2.7 Pop-up window ......................................................

2-15

2.2.8 General help ..........................................................

2-15

2.3 Main menu ...........................................................................

2-16

2.3.1 System Time ........................................................

2-16

2.3.2 System Date .......................................................

2-16

2.3.3 Legacy Diskette A ..............................................

2-16

2.3.4 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave .............

2-17

2.3.5 SATA 1-4 ..............................................................

2-19

2.3.6 HDD SMART Monitoring .........................................

2-20

2.3.7 Installed Memory ...................................................

2-20

2.3.8 Usable Memory ......................................................

2-20

2.4 Advanced menu ..................................................................

2-21

2.4.1 JumperFree Conguration .....................................

2-21

2.4.2 LAN Cable Status ..................................................

2-26

v

Contents

2.4.3 CPU Conguration ................................................. 2-27

2.4.4 Chipset ..................................................................

2-28

2.4.5 PCIPnP ...................................................................

2-30

2.4.6 Onboard Devices Conguration .............................

2-30

2.4.7 USB Conguration .................................................

2-34

2.5 Power menu ........................................................................

2-35

2.5.1 ACPI Suspend Type .............................................

2-35

2.5.2 ACPI APIC Support ..............................................

2-35

2.5.3 APM Conguration ................................................

2-36

2.5.4 Hardware Monitor ..................................................

2-38

2.6 Boot menu ..........................................................................

2-39

2.6.1 Boot Device Priority ..............................................

2-39

2.6.2 Removable Drives ..................................................

2-40

2.6.3 Hard Disk Drives ....................................................

2-40

2.6.4 CDROM Drives .......................................................

2-41

2.6.5 Boot Settings Conguration ................................

2-41

2.6.6 Security .................................................................

2-43

2.7 Tools menu .........................................................................

2-45

2.7.1 ASUS Music Alarm .................................................

2-45

2.7.2 ASUS O.C. Prole ..................................................

2-47

2.7.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ....................................................

2-49

2.8 Exit menu ............................................................................

2-50

Chpater 3:Software Support

3.1 Installing an operating system .............................................. 3-2

3.2 Support CD information ........................................................

3-2

3.2.1 Runninig the support CD .........................................

3-2

3.2.2 Drivers menu ...........................................................

3-3

3.2.3 Utilities menu ..........................................................

3-4

3.2.4 Make Disk menu ......................................................

3-5

3.2.5 Manuals menu .........................................................

3-6

3.2.6 ASUS Contact information ......................................

3-7

3.3 Software information ............................................................

3-8

3.3.1 ASUS Music Alarm ...................................................

3-8

3.4 NVIDIA

®

SLI™ technology ...................................................... 3-8

3.4.1 Requirements ........................................................

3-11

vi

3.4.2 Dual graphics card setup ...................................... 3-12

Appendix: CPU features

A.1 Intel® EM64T ........................................................................ A-1

A.2 Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology (EIST) ...................

A-1

A.2.1 System requirements ..............................................

A-1

A.2.2 Using the EIST .........................................................

A-2

A.3 Intel

®

Hyper-Threading Technology ...................................... A-3

vii

Notices

Fed era l C omm uni cat ion s C omm issio n Stat e m ent

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:

•

This device may not cause harmful interference, and

•

This device must accept any interference received including interference
that may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits
are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference
in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with

manufacturer’s instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio

communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will
not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct
the interference by one or more of the following measures:

•

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

•

Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to
which the receiver is connected.

•

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Cana d i an D e p artm e n t o f Comm u n icat i o ns S t atem e n t

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise
emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference
Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics
card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes

or modications to this unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate

this equipment.

viii

Safety information

Elec t r ical s afet y

•

To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from
the electrical outlet before relocating the system.

•

When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that
the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal
cables are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the
existing system before you add a device.

•

Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard,
ensure that all power cables are unplugged.

•

Seek professional assistance before using an adpater or extension
cord. These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.

•

Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your
area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you
are using, contact your local power company.

•

If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact
a qualied service technician or your retailer.

Oper a t ion s a fety

•

Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully
read all the manuals that came with the package.

•

Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected
and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage,
contact your dealer immediately.

•

To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.

•

Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the
product in any area where it may become wet.

•

Place the product on a stable surface.

•

If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a

qualied service technician or your retailer.

The symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product
(electrical and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal
waste. Please check local regulations for disposal of electronic products.

ix

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need when installing and

conguring the motherboard.

How t h is g u i de i s org a n ized

This guide contains the following parts:

• Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new

technology it supports.

• Chapter 2: BIOS setup
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS

Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also
provided.

• Chapter 3: Software support
This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes

with the motherboard package.

Wher e to f i n d mo r e in f o rmat i o n

Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product
and software updates.

1. A S U S websites
The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware

and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.

2. O p t i o nal docu m e n t ation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as

warranty yers, that may have been added by your dealer. These

documents are not part of the standard package.

x

Conv e n tion s used i n t h i s gu i d e

To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the
following symbols used throughout this manual.

Typo g r aphy

Bold t e x t Indicates a menu or an item to select.

Italics

Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.

<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than

sign means that you must press the enclosed
key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press
the Enter or Return key.

<Key1>+<Key2>+<Key3> If you must press two or more keys

simultaneously, the key names are linked with
a plus sign (+).
Example: <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<D>

Command

Means that you must type the command

exactly as shown, then supply the required
item or value enclosed in brackets.
Example: At the DOS prompt, type the
command line:

awdash P5NSLI.BIN

DANGE R / W A RNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself

when trying to complete a task.

CAUTI O N : Information to prevent damage to the components

when trying to complete a task.

NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a

task.

I

MPORT A N T : Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a

task.

xi

P5NSLI and P5NSLI/WiFi specications summary

(continued on the next page)

CPU

Chipset

Front Side Bus

Memory

Expansion slots

Scalable L ink
Interface (SLI™)

AI Audio

Storage

Gigabit LA N

USB

LGA775 socket for Intel® Core™ 2/Intel® Pentium D/
Intel

®

Pentium® 4/Intel® Celeron® processors
Compatible with Intel® PCG 05B/05A/06B processors
Supports Intel® Enhanced Memory 64 Technology (EM64T)
Supports Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology (EIST)
Supports Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology

North Bridge: NVIDIA® C19 SLI
South Bridge: NVIDIA® MCP 51

1066/800/533 MHz

Dual-channel memory architecture
4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support unbufferred non-ECC
DDR2-667/DDR2-533 memory modules
Supports up to 16 GB system memory

2 x PCI Express x16 slots with Scalable Link Interface
(SLI™) support
3 x PCI Express x1 slots
2 x PCI slots

SLI™ mode supports:

- 2 x identical SLI™-ready PCI Express x16 graphics cards

(Note: In SLI mode, the PCI Express x16 slots work at the
bandwidth of PCI Express x8. The combined bandwidth of
these maintain the bandwidth of PCI Express x16.)

Single card mode supports (default):

- 1 x PCI Express x16 graphics card on the rst slot

(blue)

- 1 x PCI Express x1 card on the second slot (black)
ASUS EZ Selector
ASUS Two-slot thermal design

ADI® AD1986A SouldMAX 6-channel CODEC
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port
Supports Audio Sensing and Enumeration Technology

NVIDIA® MCP 51chipset supports:

- 2 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33

- 4 x Serial ATA 3Gb/s devices

- RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5 and JBOD

conguration

Marvell 88E8001 PCI Gigabit LAN controller
Supports AI NET2 network diagnosis before entering OS

Supports up to 8 USB 2.0 ports (P5NSLI model only)
Supports up to 7 USB 2.0 ports (P5NSLI/WiFi model only)

xii

Intelligent overclocking tool:

- ASUS AI Overclocking (Intelligent CPU Frequency
Tuner)
Precision Tweaker supports:

- vDIMM voltage: 4-step DRAM voltage control

- vCore voltage: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.0125 V
Stepless Frequency Selection (SFS):

- FSB tuning from 133MHz to 400 MHz at 1MHz
increment;

- memory tuning from 533 MHz to 1200MHz at
1MHz increment;

- PCI-E tuning from 100 to 150MHz at 1 MHz
increment
Overclocking Protection:

- ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)

ASUS Q-Fan
ASUS Q-Connector
ASUS Fanless Design
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2
ASUS MyLogo2
ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS O.C. Prole
ASUS Music Alarm

4 MB Flash ROM, Award BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, SM BIOS 2.3,
WfM2.0, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS2

ATX power supply (with 24-pin and 4-pin 12V plugs)
ATX 12V 2.0 compliant

1 x Parallel port
1 x Serial port
1 x LAN (RJ-45) ports
USB 2.0 ports (5 ports on P5NSLI/WiFi; 4 ports on P5NSLI)
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Out port
1 x Wireless LAN antenna activity LED (P5NSLI/WiFi model
only)
1 x Wireless LAN antenna port (P5NSLI/WiFi model only)
1 x PS/2 keyboard port (purple)
1 x PS/2 mouse port (green)
6-channel audio ports

(continued on the next page)

Overclocki ng
features

Special fe atures

BIOS featu res

Power Requ irement

Rear panel

P5NSLI and P5NSLI/WiFi specications summary

xiii

Internal c onnectors

Manageabil ity

Support CD
contents

Form Facto r

1 x Floppy disk drive connector
2 x IDE connectors
4 x Serial ATA connectors
1 x 24-pin ATX power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12 V power connector
2 x USB connectors for additional four USB 2.0 ports
(1 USB connector on WiFi model)
1 x S/PDIF connector
2 x Internal audio connectors (CD, AUX)
1 x Chassis intrusion connector
1 x Front panel audio connector
1 x SLI selector card connector
CPU, Chassis, Power fan connectors
System panel connector

WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE, RPL

Device drivers
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS Update
NV RIS (Remote Installation Service)
NV RAID
Microsoft® DirectX 9.0c
Anti-Virus Utility (OEM version)
Adobe Acrobat Reader v7.0
ASUS Music Alarm

ATX form factor: 12 in x 9 in (30.5 cm x 22.9 cm)

* The USB8 is used for WiFi modual in P5NSLI/WiFi model.

* Specications are subject to change without notice.

P5NSLI and P5NSLI/WiFi specications summary

xiv

1

Product

introduction

This chapter describes the motherboard
features and the new technologies
it supports.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® P5NSLI or ASUS® P5NSLI/WiFi motherboard!

The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies,
making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards!

Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it,
check the items in your package with the list below.

1.2 Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

Motherboar d P5NSLI P5NSLI
WiFi

Cables Serial ATA and power cables for 2

devices

1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cables

40-conductor IDE cable

Floppy disk drive cable

Accessories I/O shield

Wireless LAN antenna

-

1 x EZ Selector card

1 x SLI soft bridge

1 X 2-port USB module

Application CD ASUS motherboard support CD

Documentation User guide

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-3

1.3 Special features

1.3. 1 P r o duc t high l i ghts

LGA775 Intel® Core™2 Processor R e a d y

This motherboard supports the latest Intel® Core™2 processor in the
LGA775 package. With the new Intel® Core™ microarchitecture technology
and 1066 / 800 /533 MHz FSB, Intel® Core™2 processor is one of the most

powerful and energy efcient CPU in the world.

NVIDIA® nForce™ 570 SLI™ I n t e l® Edition

Get the power of NVIDIA® nForce™ 570 SLI™ for Intel® platforms! High
performance NVIDIA® nForce™ 570 SLI™ MCPs provide features designed
with the gamer in mind. It delivers comprehensive features for advanced PC
security, reliable PC storage, SLI™ technology, PCI Express bus architecture
and dual DDR2 memory technology. NVIDIA® nForce™ 570 SLI™ offers Intel®
enthusiasts stable, reliable, compatible plaftform support for ultimate PC
performance.

Intel® Dual-Core Technol o g y C P U s u p p o r t

The motherboard supports dual-core processors containing two physical
CPU cores with dedicated L2 caches to meet demands for more powerful
processing.

Intel® EM64T

The motherboard supports Intel® processors with the Intel® EM64T
(Extended Memory 64 Technology). The Intel® EM64T feature allows your
computer to run on 64-bit operating systems and access larger amounts of

system memory for faster and more efcient computing.

Enhanced Intel Spe e d S t e p® Technology (EIST)

The Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology (EIST) intelligently manages
the CPU resources by automatically adjusting the CPU voltage and core
frequency depending on the CPU loading and system speed or power
requirement.

Gigabit LAN

The Marvell Gigabit LAN controller delivers transfer speeds up to ten times
faster than conventional 10/100 Ethernet connections. Gigabit LAN is
the networking standard for the early future and is ideal for handling large
amounts of data such as video, audio, and voice.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction

DDR2 memory suppor t

The motherboard supports DDR2 memory which features data transfer rates
of 667 MHz or 533 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the
latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel
DDR2 architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost
system performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidths of up to

10.7 GB/s. See pages 1-17 to 1-20 for details.

Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s technology and SATA on the go

This motherboard supports the next-generation hard drives based on

the Serial ATA (SATA) 3Gb/s storage specication, delivering enhanced

scalability and doubling the bus bandwidth for high-speed data retrieval and
saves. See pages 1-30, and 2-19 for details.

PCI Express™ inter f a c e

The motherboard fully supports PCI Express, the latest I/O interconnect
technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point
serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by
carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible

with existing PCI specications. See pages 1-23 and 1-24 for details.

High Definition Au d i o

The onboard 6-channel High Denition audio CODEC enables high-quality
ADI AD1986A audio CODEC, which automatically detects and identies
what types of peripherals are plugged into the audio I/O jacks and noties

users of inappropriate connection. See page 1-27 for details.

S/PDIF digital sou n d r e a d y

The motherboard supports the S/PDIF technology through the S/PDIF
interfaces on the rear panel and at midboard. The S/PDIF technology
turns your computer into a high-end entertainment system with digital
connectivity to powerful audio and speaker systems. See page 1-28 for
details.

USB 2.0 technology

The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0

specication, dramatically increasing the connection speed from the

12 Mbps bandwidth on USB 1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is
backward compatible with USB 1.1. See pages 1-24 and 1-31 for details.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-5

1.3. 2 I n n ova t i ve A S U S fe a t ures

Precision Tweaker

This feature allows you to ne tune the CPU/memory voltage and gradually

increase the memory Front Side Bus (FSB) and PCI Express frequency at
1MHz increment to achieve maximum system performance.

AI NET 2

AI NET 2 is a BIOS-based diagnostic tool that detects and reports Ethernet
cable faults and shorts. With this utility, you can easily monitor the
condition of the Ethernet cable(s) connected to the Marvell LAN (RJ-45)
port. During the bootup process, AI NET 2 immediately diagnoses the LAN
cable and reports shorts and faults up to 100 meters at 1 meter accuracy.
See pages 2-26 for details.

Fanless Design

Cooling fans, though a popular thermal solution, also come with noise and

malfunction likelyhood. ASUS Motherboard’s fansless concept is specically

created to provide a cool environment without all the baggage.

ASUS has devoted special efforts to address the thermal issues across the
motherboard, and most notably the areas that reside the CPU, power, VGA,
Northbridge and Southbridge. The heat sinks and strategic board layout

were tailor made to dissipate heat in the most efcient manner.

ASUS Two-slot ther m a l d e s i g n

The motherboard is designed with two PCI Express x1 slots placed between

the PCI Express x16 slots allowing an increase in airow between the two

PCI Express x16 graphics cards. This special design permits more room for
ventilation thus lowering the overall system temperature.

CrashFree BIOS 2

This feature allows you to restore the original BIOS data from the support CD
in case when the BIOS codes and data are corrupted. This protection eliminates
the need to buy a replacement ROM chip. See page 2-6 for details.

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction

ASUS MyLogo2™

This new feature present in the motherboard allows you to personalize and
add style to your system with customizable boot logos. See page 2-42 for
details.

ASUS EZ Flash 2

EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply press the predened

hotkey to launch the utility and update the BIOS without entering the OS.
Update your BIOS easily without preparing a bootable diskette or using an

OS-based ash utility. See page 2-8 and 2-49 for details.

C.P.R. (CPU Parame t e r R e c a l l )

The C.P.R. feature of the motherboard BIOS allows automatic re-setting to
the BIOS default settings in case the system hangs due to overclocking.
When the system hangs due to overclocking, C.P.R. eliminates the need
to open the system chassis and clear the RTC data. Simply shut down and
reboot the system, and the BIOS automatically restores the CPU default
setting for each parameter.

ASUS Q-Connector

ASUS Q-Connector allows you to easily connect or disconnect the chassis
front panel cables to the motherboard. This unique module eliminates the
trouble of connecting the system panel cables one at a time and avoiding
wrong cable connections. See page 1-36 for details.

ASUS O.C. Profile

The motherboard features the ASUS O.C. Prole that allows users to

conveniently store or load multiple BIOS settings. The BIOS settings can be

stored in the CMOS or a separate le, giving users freedom to share and

distribute their favorite settings. See page 2-47 and 2-48 for details.

ASUS Music Alarm

Wake up to the music of your choice instead of the irritating sound of
an alarm clock. The ASUS Music Alarm gives you a personal wake-up call
with your favorite CD music when system is off. See page 3-8 to 3-10 for
details.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-7

Onboard LED

The motherboard comes with a standby power LED. The green LED
lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft­off mode. This is a reminder that you should shut down the system
and unplug the power cable before removing or plugging in any
motherboard component. The illustration below shows the location of
the onboard LED.

1.4 Before you proceed

Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard
components or change any motherboard settings.

• Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any
component.

• Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or to
a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling
components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity.

• Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.

• Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded
antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component.

• Before you install or remove any component, ensure
that the ATX power supply is switched off or the power cord is
detached from the power supply. Failure to do so may cause severe
damage to the motherboard, peripherals, and/or components.

SB_PWR

ON

Standby

Power

OFF

Powered

Off

P5NSLI Onboard LED

R

1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.5 Motherboard overview

Before you install the motherboard, study the conguration of your chassis
to ensure that the motherboard ts into it.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the
motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage
motherboard components.

Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.

1.5. 1 P l a cem e n t di r e ctio n

When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the
chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the
rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image below.

1.5. 2 S c r ew h o les

Place six (6) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the
motherboard to the chassis.

P5NSLI

R

Place this side towards
the rear of the chassis

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-9

1.5. 3 M o t her b o ard l a yout

nVidia Crush19

MCP51

PCIEX1_3

PCIEX16_1

PCIEX1_1

PCIEX1_2

PCIEX16_2

PCI1

PCI2

SEC_IDE

PRI_IDE

CD

AUX

P5NSLI

SLI_CON

Marvell

4Mb Flash

ROM

AD1986A

SATA1

SATA2

SATA3

SATA4

SB_PWR

CHASSIS

PS/2KBMS
T:Mouse
B:Keyboard

SPDIF_O1

COM1

USB12

LAN_USB34

22.9cm (9.0in)

30.5cm (12in)

R

USB7

LGA775

CR2032 3V

Lithium Cell

CMOS Power

DDR2 DIMM_A1 (

64

bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_A

2

(

64

bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_

B

1 (

64

bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_

B2

(

64

bit,240-pin module)

EATXPWR

FLOPPY

PANEL

USB56

USBPW2

CLRTC

PWR_FAN

AAFP

SPDIF_OUT

ATX12V

CHA_FAN

USB78

USBPW1

KBPWR

CPU_FAN

PARALLEL PORT

Below:Mic In

Center:Line Out

Top:Line In

USB78_WFG

Super I/O

The USB78_WFG module and USB7 port are available to P5NSLI/WiFi
model only. These items are greyed out in the given motherboard layout.

1-10 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA775 socket designed for
the Intel® Core™2, Intel® Pentium® D, Intel® Pentium® 4 and Intel® Celeron®
processors in the 775-land package.

•

Install a chassis fan with at least a speed of 2400 rpm and 8 CFM
turnrate when using a dual-core CPU to ensure system stability.
Overheating can permanently damage the system and/or CPU.

• Upon purchase of the motherboard, make sure that the PnP cap is
on the socket and the socket contacts are not bent. Contact your
retailer immediately if the PnP cap is missing, or if you see any
damage to the PnP cap/socket contacts/motherboard components.
ASUS will shoulder the cost of repair only if the damage is shipment/
transit-related.

•

Keep the cap after installing the motherboard. ASUS will process
Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) requests only if the
motherboard comes with the cap on the LGA775 socket.

• The product warranty does not cover damage to the socket contacts
resulting from incorrect CPU installation/removal, or misplacement/
loss/incorrect removal of the PnP cap.

1.6. 1 I n s tal l i ng t h e CPU

To install a CPU:

1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.

Before installing the CPU, make sure that the cam box is facing towards
you and the load lever is on your left.

R

P5NSLI CPU Socket 775

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-11

2. Press the load lever with your thumb (A), then move it to the left (B)
until it is released from the retention tab.

Retention tab

Load lever

This side of the socket
box should face you.

PnP cap

A

B

To prevent damage to the socket pins, do not remove the PnP cap
unless you are installing a CPU.

3. Lift the load lever in the direction
of the arrow to a 135º angle.

4. Lift the load plate with your

thumb and forenger to a 100º

angle (A), then push the PnP cap
from the load plate window to
remove (B).

5. Position the CPU over
the socket, making sure
that the gold triangle
is on the bottom-left
corner of the socket.
The socket alignment

key should t into the

CPU notch.

CPU notch

Gold triangle mark

Load plate

A

B

Alignment key

1-12 Chapter 1: Product introduction

The CPU ts in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU

into the socket to prevent bending the connectors on the socket and
damaging the CPU!

6. Close the load plate (A), then
push the load lever (B) until it
snaps into the retention tab.

A

B

The motherboard supports Intel® Pentium® 4 LGA775 processors with
the Intel® Enhanced Memory 64 Technology (EM64T), Enhanced Intel
SpeedStep® Technology (EIST), and Hyper-Threading Technology.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-13

Fastener

Motherboard hole

1.6. 2 I n s tal l i ng t h e CPU h eats i n k a n d fan

Intel® LGA775 processors require a specially designed heatsink and fan
assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition and performance.

To install the CPU heatsink and fan:

1. Place the heatsink on top of the
installed CPU, making sure that
the four fasteners match the
holes on the motherboard.

Narrow end
of the groove

•

When you buy a boxed Intel® processor, the package includes the
CPU fan and heatsink assembly. If y ou buy a CPU separately,
make sure that you use only Intel®-certified multi-directional
heatsink a nd fan.

•

Your Intel® LGA775 processor heatsink and fan assembly comes in a
push-pin design and requires no tool to install.

•

If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, make
sure that you have properly applied Thermal Interface Material to
the CPU heatsink or CPU before you install the heatsink and fan
assembly.

Make sure that you have installed the motherboard to the chassis before
you install the CPU fan and heatsink assembly.

Make sure to orient each fastener with the narrow end of the groove
pointing outward. (The photo shows the groove shaded for emphasis.)

Orient the heatsink and fan
assembly such that the CPU
fan cable is closest to the
CPU fan connector.

1-14 Chapter 1: Product introduction

3. Connect the CPU fan cable to the connector on the motherboard
labeled CPU_FAN.

2. Push down two fasteners at
a time in a diagonal sequence
to secure the heatsink and fan
assembly in place.

B

B

A

A

A

A

B

B

• Do not forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware
monitoring errors can occur if you fail to plug this connector.

• The retention module of some third-party CPU heatsink and fan
can interfere with chipset components at the bottom of the board.
Before purchasing a separate CPU heatsink and fan, make sure that
it will not interfere with the chipset components.

R

CPU_FAN

GND
CPU FAN PWR
CPU FAN IN
CPU FAN PW

M

P5NSLI CPU Fan Connectors

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-15

1.6. 3 U n i nst a l ling t he C P U hea t s ink a nd f a n

To uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan:

1. Disconnect the CPU fan cable
from the connector on the
motherboard.

2. Rotate each fastener
counterclockwise.

3. Pull up two fasteners at a
time in a diagonal sequence to
disengage the heatsink and fan
assembly from the motherboard.

B

A

B

A

A

A

B

B

4. Carefully remove the heatsink
and fan assembly from the
motherboard.

1-16 Chapter 1: Product introduction

5. Rotate each fastener clockwise
to ensure correct orientation
when reinstalling.

The narrow end of the
groove should point outward
after resetting. (The photo
shows the groove shaded for
emphasis.)

Narrow end of the groove

Refer to the documentation in the boxed or stand-alone CPU fan package
for detailed information on CPU fan installation.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-17

1.7 System memory

1.7. 1 O v e rvi e w

The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2) Dual Inline
Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets.

A DDR2 module has the same physical dimensions as a DDR DIMM but has
a 240-pin footprint compared to the 184-pin DDR DIMM. DDR2 DIMMs are
notched differently to prevent installation on a DDR DIMM socket.

The gure illustrates the location of the DDR2 DIMM sockets:

Cha nne l Soc ket s

Channel A DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2
Channel B DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2

1.7. 2 M e m ory c onfi g u rati o n s

You may install 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB and 2 GB unbuffered non-ECC DDR2
DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.

• For dual-channel conguration, the total size of memory module(s)

installed per channel must be the same
(DIMM_A1 + DIMM_A2 = DIMM_B1 + DIMM_B2).

• Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum
compatibility, it is recommended that you obtain memory modules from

the same vendor. Refer to the DDR2 Qualied Vendors List on the next

page for details.

• Due to chipset resource allocation, the system may detect less than 8
GB system memory when you installed four 2 GB DDR2 memory modules.

• If you install four 1GB memory modules, the system may only recognize
less than 3 GB because the address space is reserved for other critical
functions. This limitation appears on Windows® XP 32-bit operation
system which does not support Physical Address Extension (PAE).

• If you install Windows

®

XP 32-bit operation system, a total memory of

less than 3GB is recommended.

R

P5NSLI 240-pin DDR2 DIMM Sockets

DIMM_A2

DIMM_A1

DIMM_B2

DIMM_B1

112 pins

128 pins

1-18 Chapter 1: Product introduction

Notes on m emory limitations

The motherboard can support up to 16 GB on the operating systems
listed below. You may install a maximum of 2 GB DIMMs on each slot, but

only DDR2-533 2 GB density modules are available for this conguration.

32- bit 64- bit

Windows® 2000 Advanced Server Windows® Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition
Windows® Server 2003 Enterprise Edition Windows® XP Professional x64 Edition
Windows

®

Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition

Qualified Vendors L i s t s ( Q V L )

512MB Kingston E5108AE-GE-E N/A SS KVR667D2N5/512 • • •

1024MB Kingston E5108AE-GE-E N/A DS KVR667D2N5/1G • •

512MB Kingston E5108AE-6E-E N/A SS KVR667D2N5/512 • • •

1024MB Kingston E5108AE-6E-E N/A DS KVR667D2N5/1G • •

512MB Kingston E5108AE-6E-E N/A SS KVR667D2E5/512 • • •

256MB Samsung K4T56083QF-ZCE6 N/A SS M378T3253FZ0-CE6 • • •

512MB Samsung K4T56083QF-ZCE6 N/A DS M378T6453FZ0-CE6 • • •

256MB Samsung K4T51163QC-ZCE6 N/A SS M378T3354CZ0-CE6 • • •

512MB Samsung ZCE6K4T51083QC N/A SS M378T6553CZ0-CE6 • • •

1024MB Samsung ZCE6K4T51083QC N/A DS M378T2953CZ0-CE6 • •

512MB MICRON 4VB41D9CZM N/A DS MT16HTF6464AY-667B4 • • •

256MB MICRON 5FB42D9DPN N/A SS MT8HTF3264AY-667B6 • • •

256MB Inneon HYB18T512160AF-3S N/A SS HYS64T32000HU-3S-A • • •

512MB Inneon HYB18T512800AF3S N/A SS HYS64T64000HU-3S-A • • •

1024MB Inneon HYB18T512800AF3S N/A DS HYS64T128020HU-3S-A • •

512MB Hynix HY5PS12821AFP-Y5 N/A SS HYMP564U64AP8-Y5 • •

1024MB Hynix HY5PS12821AFP-Y5 N/A DS HYMP512U64AP8-Y5 • •

512MB Hynix HY5PS12821AFP-Y4 N/A SS HYMP564U64AP8-Y4 • • •

1024MB Hynix HY5PS12821AFP-Y4 N/A DS HYMP512U64AP8-Y4 • •

256MB ELPIDA E2508AB-GE-E N/A SS EBE25UC8ABFA-6E-E • • •

512MB ELPIDA E5108AE-GE-E N/A SS EBE51UD8AEFA-6E-E • • •

512MB crucial Heat-Sink Package N/A DS BL6464AA664.16FB • • •

1024MB crucial Heat-Sink Package N/A DS BL12864AA664.16FA • •

512MB crucial Heat-Sink Package N/A DS BL6464AL664.16FB •

512MB TwinMOS E5108AE-GE-E N/A SS 8G-25JK5-EBT •

512MB KINGMAX E5108AE-6E-E N/A SS KLCC28F-A8EB5 •

1024MB KINGMAX E5108AE-6E-E N/A DS KLCD48F-A8EB5 • •

512MB GEIL Heat-Sink Package N/A SS GX21GB5300UDC • • •

512MB GEIL Heat-Sink Package N/A SS GX21GB5300DC • •

256MB NANYA NT5TU32M16AG-3C N/A SS NT256T64UH4A0FY-3C • • •

512MB NANYA NT5TU64M8AE-3C N/A SS NT512T64U88A0BY-3C • • •

512MB WINTEC 4UAI2D9CRZ N/A SS 39127282 • •

1024MB WINTEC 4WAIID9CWX N/A DS 39137282 • •

512MB Apacer E5108AE-6E-E N/A SS 78.91092.420 • • •

1024MB Apacer E5108AE-6E-E N/A DS 78.01092.420 • •

512MB A-DATA E5108AE-6E-E N/A SS M20EL5G3H3160B1C0Z • • •

512MB MDT 18D51280D-30518 N/A SS M512-667-8 • •

1024MB MDT 18D51280D-30528 N/A DS M924-667-16 •

Siz e Vendor Chip N o. Bra nd Side(s) Par t N o. A B C

DIMM support

DDR2 with 667 MHz ca p a b i l i t y

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-19

Side(s): SS - Single-sided DS - Double-sided

DIMM support:

A - Supports one module inserted into either slot, in Single-channel memory conguration.

B - Supports one pair of modules inserted into either the yellow slots or the black slots as

one pair of Dual-channel memory conguration.

C - Supports two pairs of modules inserted into the yellow and black slots as two pairs of

Dual-channel memory conguration.

256MB Kingston E5116AB-5C-E N/A SS KVR533D2N4/256 • • •

512MB Kingston HY5PS56821F-C4 N/A DS KVR533D2N4/512 • • •

1024MB Kingston D6408TE7BL-37 N/A DS KVR533D2N4/1G • •

512MB Samsung K4T51083QB-GCD5 N/A SS M378T6553BG0-CD5 • •

256MB Samsung K4T56083QF-GCD5 N/A SS M378T3253FG0-CD5 • • •

512MB Samsung K4T56083QF-GCD5 N/A DS M378T6453FG0-CD5 • • •

512MB MICRON 4FBIID9BQM N/A DS MT16HTF6464AG-53EB2 • • •

256MB MICRON 4FBIID9CHM N/A SS MT8HTF3264AY-53EB3 • • •

512MB MICRON 4FBIID9CHM N/A DS MT16HTF6464AY-53EB2 • • •

512MB Inneon HYB18T512800AC37 N/A SS HYS64T64000GU-3.7-A • • •

256MB Inneon HYB18T512160AF-3.7 N/A SS HYS64T32000HU-3.7-A • • •

512MB Inneon HYB18T512800AF37 N/A SS HYS64T64000HU-3.7-A • • •

256MB Inneon HYB18T512800AF37 N/A DS HYS64T128020HU-3.7-A • •

2048MB Inneon HYB18T1G800AF-3.7 N/A DS HYS64T256020HU-3.7-A •

256MB Inneon HYB18T5121608BF-3.7 N/A SS HYS64T32000HU-3.7-B • • •

512MB Inneon HYB18T512800BF37 N/A SS HYS64T64000HU-3.7-B • • •

1024MB Inneon HYB18T512800BF37 N/A DS HYS64T128020HU-3.7-B • •

512MB Hynix HY5PS12821F-C4 N/A SS HYMP564U648-C4 • • •

1024MB Hynix HY5PS12821F-C4 N/A DS HYMP512U648-C4 • •

512MB Hynix HY5PS12821AFP-C3 N/A SS HYMP564U64AP8-C3 • • •

1024MB Hynix HY5PS12821AFP-C3 N/A DS HYMP512U64AP8-C3 • •

512MB ELPIDA E5108AB-5C-E N/A SS EBE51UD8ABFA-5C • • •

512MB ELPIDA E5108AB-5C-E N/A SS EBE51UD8ABFA-5C-E • • •

256MB Apacer E5116AB-5C-E N/A SS 78.81077.420 • • •

256MB crucial Heat-Sink Package N/A SS BL3264AA53V.8FB • •

512MB crucial Heat-Sink Package N/A DS BL6464AA53V.16FB • • •

256MB KINGMAX K4T56083QF-GCD5 N/A SS KLBB68K-38SP4 • • •

1024MB KINGMAX E5108AB-5C-E N/A DS KLBD48F-A8EP4 • •

512MB KINGMAX E5108AB-5C-E N/A SS KLBC28F-A8EP4 •

256MB KINGMAX KKE388A4IA-37 N/A SS KLBB68F-38KP4 • •

512MB KINGMAX KKEA88A4IA-37 N/A SS KLBC28F-A8KP4 • • •

256MB KINGMAX E5116AB-5C-E N/A SS KLBB68F-36EP4 • • •

512MB KINGMAX E5108AE-5C-E N/A SS KLBC28F-A8EB4 • •

1024MB KINGMAX E5108AE-5C-E N/A DS KLBD48F-A8EB4 •

512MB Transcend K4T51083QB-GCD5 N/A SS TS64MLQ64V5J • • •

1024MB Transcend K4T51083QB-GCD5 N/A DS TS128MLQ64V5J •

Siz e Ven dor Chip N o. B ran d Side(s) Part No. A B C

DIMM support

DDR2-533

Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for the latest QVL.

1-20 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.7. 3 I n s tal l i ng a D IMM

Unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other
system components. Failure to do so can cause severe damage to both
the motherboard and the components.

To install a DIMM:

1. Unlock a DIMM socket by
pressing the retaining clips
outward.

2. Align a DIMM on the socket
such that the notch on the
DIMM matches the break on
the socket.

3. Firmly insert the DIMM into
the socket until the retaining
clips snap back in place and
the DIMM is properly seated.

1.7. 4 R e m ovi n g a D I M M

Follow these steps to remove a DIMM.

1. Simultaneously press the retaining
clips outward to unlock the DIMM.

2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.

• A DDR2 DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it ts in only one

direction. Do not force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the
DIMM.

• The DDR2 DIMM sockets do not support DDR DIMMs. DO not install
DDR DIMMs to the DDR2 DIMM sockets.

Unlocked retaining clip

Support the DIMM lightly with

your ngers when pressing

the retaining clips. The DIMM
might get damaged when it

ips out with extra force.

1

2

1

DDR2 DIMM notch

DDR2 DIMM notch

1

2

3

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-21

1.8 Expansion slots

In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following
sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support.

1.8. 1 I n s tal l i ng a n expa n s ion c ard

To install an expansion card:

1. Before installing the expansion card, read the documentation that
came with it and make the necessary hardware settings for the card.

2. Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installed
in a chassis).

3. Remove the bracket opposite the slot that you intend to use. Keep
the screw for later use.

4. Align the card connector with the slot and press rmly until the card is

completely seated on the slot.

5. Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier.

6. Replace the system cover.

1.8. 2 C o n fig u r ing a n exp a nsio n card

After installing the expansion card, congure the it by adjusting the

software settings.

1. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any.
See Chapter 2 for information on BIOS setup.

2. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page.

3. Install the software drivers for the expansion card.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing
expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and
damage motherboard components.

When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support
“Share IRQ” or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Otherwise,

conicts will arise between the two PCI groups, making the system

unstable and the card inoperable. Refer to the table on the next page for
details.

1-22 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.8. 3 I n t err u p t as s i gnme n t s

* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.

IRQ assignments f o r t h i s m o t h e r b o a r d

A B C D E F G H

PCI Express x16 slot 1 — — — — shared — — —
PCI Express x16 slot 2 — — — — — — used —
PCI Express x1 slot 1 — — — — shared — — —
PCI Express x1 slot 2 — — — — — used — —
PCI Express x1 slot 3 — — — — — — — used
PCI slot 1 shared — — — — — — —
PCI slot 2 — shared — — — — — —
Onboard USB1.0 controller 1 shared — — — — — — —
Onboard USB1.0 controller 2 — shared — — — — — —
Onboard USB2.0 controller — — shared — — — — —
Onboard LAN — — shared — — — — —
Onboard IDE controller — — — — shared — — —
Onboard SATA controller shared — — — — — — —
Onboard Audio controller shared — — — — — — —

Standard interru p t a s s i g n m e n t s

IRQ Priority Standard Function

0 1 System Timer
1 2 Keyboard Controller
2 — Re-direct to IRQ#9
4 12 Communications Port (COM1)*
5 13 IRQ holder for PCI steering*

6 14 Floppy Disk Controller
7 15 Printer Port (LPT1)*
8 3 System CMOS/Real Time Clock
9 4 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
10 5 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
11 6 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
12 7 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port*
13 8 Numeric Data Processor
14 9 Primary IDE Channel
15 10 Secondary IDE Channel

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-23

1.8. 4 P C I sl o t s

The PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and

other cards that comply with PCI specications. The gure shows a LAN

card installed on a PCI slot.

1.8. 5 P C I Ex p r ess x 1 slo t

This motherboard supports PCI Express x1 network cards, SCSI cards and

other cards that comply with the PCI Express specications. The gure

shows a network card installed on the PCI Express x1 slot.

1-24 Chapter 1: Product introduction

PCI Express x16 slo t c o n f i g u r a t i o n s

1.8. 6 T w o PC I Expr e s s x1 6 slot s

This motherboard supports one PCI
Express x16 graphics card or two
SLI-ready PCI Express x16 graphic
cards that comply with the PCI

Express specications. The gure

shows a graphics card installed on
the PCI Express x16 slot.

• In Single Card mode, only the PCI Express blue slot can be used for
PCI Express x16 graphics cards.

• In SLI mode, the PCI Express x16 slots work at the bandwidth of
PCI Express x8. The combined bandwidth of these maintain the
bandwidth of PCI Express x16.

• See the table below for possible PCI Express card congurations.

Install a rear chassis fan to the chassis (CHA_FAN) connector when using
two graphics cards for better thermal environment. See page 1-32 for
details.

EZ Selector setting PCIEX16_1 (blue) slot PCIEX16_2 (black) slot

Card Type Speed Card Type Speed

Single Video Card Qualied PCIe x16 x16 Qualied RAID or x1
graphics card LAN card

SLI mode Qualied SLI-ready x8 Qualied SLI-ready x8

Dual Video graphics cards graphics card
Cards

Multi-monitor,

Qualied PCIe x16 x8 Qualied PCIe x8, x4,

RAID or LAN

graphics card graphics card, x2, x1

setup

RAID or LAN card

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-25

1.9 Jumpers

1. C l e a r RTC RAM ( C L RTC)
This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in

CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system
setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard
button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include
system setup information such as system passwords.

To erase the RTC RAM:

1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord.

2. Remove the onboard battery.

3. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3. Keep the

cap on pins 2-3 for about 5~10 seconds, then move the cap back
to pins 1-2.

4. Re-install the battery.

5. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer.

6. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS

setup to re-enter data.

Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC
jumper default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure!

• Make sure to re-enter your previous BIOS settings after you clear the
CMOS.

• You do not need to clear the RTC when the system hangs due to
overclocking. For system failure due to overclocking, use the C.P.R.
(CPU Parameter Recall) feature. Shut down and reboot the system so
the BIOS can automatically reset parameter settings to default values.

P5NSLI Clear RTC RAM

CLRTC

Normal

(Default)

1

2

Clear CMOS

2

3

R

1-26 Chapter 1: Product introduction

2. U S B d evice wa k e - up (3-pi n U S BPW1, US B P W 2 )
Set these jumpers to +5V to wake up the computer from S1 sleep

mode (CPU stopped, DRAM refreshed, system running in low power
mode) using the connected USB devices. Set to +5VSB to wake up
from S3 and S4 sleep modes (no power to CPU, DRAM in slow refresh,
power supply in reduced power mode).

• The USB device wake-up feature requires a power supply that can
provide 500mA on the +5VSB lead for each USB port; otherwise,
the system would not power up.

• The total current consumed must NOT exceed the power supply
capability (+5VSB) whether under normal condition or in sleep mode.

3. K e y b o ard powe r ( 3 -pin KBP W R )
This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard wake-up

feature. Set this jumper to pins 2-3 (+5VSB) to wake up the computer
when you press a key on the keyboard (the default is the Space Bar).
This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A
on the +5VSB lead, and a corresponding setting in the BIOS.

(Default)

+5V

+5VSB

KBPWR

1

2

3

2

P5NSLI Keyboard Power Setting

R

3
2

2

1

+5V

(Default)

+5VSB

USBPW1

+5V

(Default)

+5VSB

USBPW2

3
2

2

1

P5NSLI USB Device Wake Up

R

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-27

1.10 Connectors

1.10 . 1 Rear p anel c onne c t ors

1. P S / 2 mouse po r t ( green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse.

2. P a r a l lel port . This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer, a scanner,
or other devices.

3. LAN ( R J - 4 5) port. Supported by Marvell® Gigabit LAN
controller, this port allows Gigabit connection to a Local
Area Network (LAN) through a network hub.

Refer to the audio conguration table below for the function of the audio
ports in 2, 4, or 6-channel conguration.

Audio 2, 4, or 6-ch a n n e l c o n f i g u r a t i o n

Light Blue Line In Rear Speaker Out Surround
Lime Line Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out
Pink Mic In Mic In Center/Bass

Port Headset 4-channel 6-channel
2-channel

8

3

4

5

6

1

12

2

11 91014 13

7

SPEED

LED

ACTIVITY/

LINK LED

LAN port

* Blinking

4. L i n e In port ( l i g ht blue) . This port connects the tape, CD, DVD
player, or other audio sources.

5. L i n e Out port ( l i me). This port connects a headphone or a

speaker. In 4-channel, and 6-channel conguration, the function of this

port becomes Front Speaker Out.

6. M i c r o phone po r t ( pink). This port connects a microphone.

OFF OFF Soft-off Mode
Orange* OFF During Power ON/OFF or 10Mbps connection
Orange* Orange 100Mbps connection
Orange* Green 1Gbps connection

Activity/Link LED Speed LED Description

1-28 Chapter 1: Product introduction

8. W i r e l ess LAN a n t e nna port (P5NSLI/WiFi model only). This port
connects to the optional dipolar antenna for the onboard WiFi-g™
wireless solution.

9. U S B 2.0 port 7 (P5NSLI/WiFi model only). This 4-pin Universal
Serial Bus (USB) ports is available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

10. U S B 2.0 po r t s 3 and 4. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus
(USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

11. U S B 2.0 po r t s 1 and 2 . These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB)
ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

12. S e rial por t . This port connects a mouse, modem, or other devices

that conform with serial specication.

13. C o axial S/ P D I F Out por t . This port connects an external audio
output device via a coaxial S/PDIF cable.

14. P S /2 keybo a r d port (pu r p l e ). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard.

1.10 . 2 Inte r n al c o n nect o r s

1. F l o p p y disk d r i v e connect o r ( 34-1 pi n F L OPPY)

This connector is for the provided oppy disk drive (FDD) signal cable.

Insert one end of the cable to this connector, then connect the other

end to the signal connector at the back of the oppy disk drive.

Pin 5 on the connector is removed to prevent incorrect cable connection
when using a FDD cable with a covered Pin 5.

R

FLOPPY

NOTE: Orient the red markings on
the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1.

PIN 1

P5NSLI Floppy Disk Drive Connector

7. W i r e less LAN a c t ivity LE D (P5NSLI/WiFi model only). The wireless
LAN module comes with an activity LED. Refer to the table below for
the LED indications.

ON The wireless LAN module is on but has no data activity
OFF The wireless LAN module is off
Flashing The wireless LAN module is transmitting or receiving data or both.

The wireless LAN module is scanning for available access point or another
wireless device

Status Description

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-29

PIN1

PIN1

R

P5NSLI IDE Connectors

SEC_IDE

PRI_IDE

NOTE: Orient the red markings
(usually zigzag) on the IDE
ribbon cable to PIN 1.

2. I D E c onnector ( 4 0-1 pin P R I _ IDE)
The onboard IDE connector is for the Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal

cable. There are three connectors on each Ultra DMA 133/100/66
signal cable: blue, black, and gray. Connect the blue connector to the

motherboard’s IDE connector, then select one of the following modes
to congure your device.

• Pin 20 on the IDE connector is removed to match the covered hole
on the Ultra DMA cable connector. This prevents incorrect insertion
when you connect the IDE cable.

• Use the 80-conductor IDE cable for Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE
devices.

If any device jumper is set as “Cable-Select,” make sure all other device
jumpers have the same setting.

Drive jumper setting Mode of

device(s)

Cable connector

Single device Cable-Select or Master - Black

Two devices Cable-Select Master

Black

Slave Gray

Master Master Black or gray

Slave Slave

1-30 Chapter 1: Product introduction

3. S e r i a l ATA co n n e c tors (7- p i n SATA1 [ r e d ] , SATA2 [ r e d ],
SATA3 [ r e d], SATA 4 [ r ed])

These connectors are for the Serial ATA signal cables for Serial ATA
hard disk and optical disk drives.

• These connectors are Disabled by default. If you intend to create
a Serial ATA RAID set using these connectors, enable the First,
Second, Third or Fourth SATA Master RAID items in Adva n ced >
Onb o a rd D e vice s Con f i gura t ion > NVRA I D Co n figu r a tion

of the BIOS. See section “2.4.6 Onboard Devices Conguration” on

page 2-30 for details.

These connectors support Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Power
Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm, Hot Swap and smart setup.

4. A u d i o connect o r s (4-pin C D , A UX)
These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound

sources such as a CD-ROM, TV-tuner, or MPEG card.

R

SATA3SATA1

GND
RSATA_TXP1
RSATA_TXN1

GND
RSATA_RXP1
RSATA_RXN1

GND

SATA4SATA2

P5NSLI SATA Connectors

R

CD(Black)

Right Audio Channel

Left Audio Channel

Ground

Ground

P5NSLI Internal Audio Connectors

AUX(White)

Right Audio Channel

Left Audio Channel

Ground

Ground

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-31

5. U S B c onnector s ( 10-1 pin U S B 56, USB7 8 )
These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module

cable to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot
opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB connectors

comply with USB 2.0 specication that supports up to 480 Mbps

connection speed.

Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will
damage the motherboard!

On WiFi model, the onboard WiFi and the rear panel USB7 port use the
USB78 connector.

R

USB56

P5NSLI USB 2.0 Connectors

USB+5V

USB_P7-

USB_P7+

GND

USB+5V

USB_P8-

USB_P8+

GND

NC

1

USB78

USB+5V

USB_P7-

USB_P7+

GND

USB+5V

USB_P8

USB_P8

GND

NC

1

1-32 Chapter 1: Product introduction

7. C P U , Power an d C h assis Fa n c o nnectors
(4-pi n C P U_FAN, 3 - p i n PWR_FAN , 3 - pin CHA_ F A N )

The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350 mA ~ 2000 mA (24
W max.) or a total of 1 A ~ 3.48 A (41.76 W max.) at +12V. Connect
the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making
sure that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the
connector.

Only the CPU_FAN connector support the ASUS Q-Fan feature.

Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors.

Insufcient air ow inside the system may damage the motherboard

components. These are not jumpers! Do not place jumper caps on the
fan connectors!

6. A z a l i a Analog F r o nt Panel ( 1 0 -1 pin A A F P )
This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module

that supports legacy AC ‘97 audio standard. Connect one end of the

front panel audio I/O module cable to this connector.

R

P5NSLI Analog Front Panel Connector

AAFP

Azalia

compliant definition

SENSE2_RETUR

PORT1 L

PORT2 R

PORT2 L

SENSE1_RETUR

SENSE_SEND

PORT1 R

PRESENCE#

GND

Legacy AC’97-complian

t

pin definition

NC

MIC2_L

Line out_R

NC

NC

MIC2_R

NC

AGND

R

CPU_FAN

PWR_FAN

GND

Rotation

+12V

GND
CPU FAN PWR
CPU FAN IN
CPU FAN PWM

CHA_FAN

GND

Rotation

+12V

P5NSLI Fan Connectors

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-33

9. A TX p ower connec tors (24-p i n E ATXPWR, 4 - p i n ATX12V )
These connectors are for ATX power supply plugs. The power supply

plugs are designed to t these connectors in only one orientation.
Find the proper orientation and push down rmly until the connectors
completely t.

8. C h a s s is intru s i o n connect o r ( 4-1 pin C H A SSIS)
This connector is for a chassis-mounted intrusion detection sensor

or switch. Connect one end of the chassis intrusion sensor or switch
cable to this connector. The chassis intrusion sensor or switch sends
a high-level signal to this connector when a chassis component
is removed or replaced. The signal is then generated as a chassis
intrusion event.

By default, the pins labeled “Chassis Signal” and “Ground” are shorted
with a jumper cap. Remove the jumper caps only when you intend to
use the chassis intrusion detection feature.

R

P5NSLI Chassis Intrusion Connectors

CHASSIS

+5VSB_MB

Chassis Signal

GND

(Default)

R

EATXPWR

P5NSLI ATX Power Connectors

+3 Volts

+3 Volts

Ground

+5 Volts

+5 Volts

Ground

Ground

Power OK

+5V Standby

+12 Volts

-5 Volts

+5 Volts

+3 Volts

-12 Volt

s

Ground

Ground
Ground
PSON#

Ground

+5 Volts

+12 Volts

+3 Volts

+5 Volts

Ground

ATX12V

+12V DC

GND

GND

+12V DC

1-34 Chapter 1: Product introduction

•

For a fully congured system, we recommend that you use a power

supply unit (PSU) that complies with ATX 12 V Specication 2.0 (or

later version) and provides a minimum power of 400 W.

• Do not forget to connect the 4-pin ATX +12 V power plug;
otherwise, the system will not boot.

• Use of a PSU with a higher power output is recommended when

conguring a system with more power-consuming devices. The

system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is
inadequate. See Table 2 for details.

Power supply requi r e m e n t s

Loading

Components/Peripherals Heavy Normal Light

Intel® LGA775 CPU type Intel Pentium EE Intel Pentium D Intel Pentium 4
PCIe™ x16 graphics cards 6800 Ultra x2 6800GT x2 6600GT x2
DDR DIMMs 4 2 2
HDD 4 2 2
Optical drive (DVD/CD-RW) 2 2 1
PCIe™ x 1 card 1 0 0
PCI cards 3 2 1
USB devices 6 4 3
Required +12V current > 25A > 20A > 17A
Required wattage >= 500W >= 400W >= 350W

10. A S US EZ se l e c t or card c o n n ector (1 4 4 - p in SLI_C O N )
This connector is for the ASUS proprietary ASUS EZ selector card that

allows you to set the SLI mode to either Single Video card or Dual
Video cards.

The EZ Selector card is set to Single Video Card by default.

R

P5NSLI EZ Selector Card Connector

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-35

11. S y stem pan e l c onnector ( 2 0 -pin PAN E L )

This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.

The sytem panel connector is color-coded for easy connection. Refer to
the connector description below for details.

•

Syste m p o wer LED ( 3 - p in PLED)
This 3-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis

power LED cable to this connector. The system power LED lights up
when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the system is in
sleep mode.

•

Hard d i s k drive a c t i v ity LED ( 2 - p in IDE_L E D )
This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD

Activity LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or ashes

when data is read from or written to the HDD.

•

Syste m w a rning sp e a k e r (4-pin S P E AKER)
This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning
speaker. The speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings.

•

ATX p o w e r button/ s o f t -off but t o n (2-pin P W R )
This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power
button turns the system on or puts the system in sleep or soft-off
mode depending on the BIOS settings. Pressing the power switch for
more than four seconds while the system is ON turns the system OFF.

•

Reset b u t ton (2-p i n R ESET)
This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for
system reboot without turning off the system power.

R

* Requires an ATX power supply.

PLED-

PWR

+5V

Speaker

PLED

Ground

RESET

Ground

Reset

Ground

Ground

PLED+

IDELED

+5V

IDE_LED

PWRSW

SPEAKER

PANEL

P5NSLI System Panel Connector

1-36 Chapter 1: Product introduction

Q-Connector (syste m p a n e l )

You can use ASUS Q-Connector to connect / disconnect chassis front

panel cables by only a few steps. Directions below shows how to
install ASUS Q-Connector.

Step2.

Properly install the ASUS Q-Connector to

the System panel connctor.

Step1.

Connect correct front panel to ASUS

Q-Connector rst. You can refer to the

marking on Q-Connector itself to know

the detail pin denition.

Step3.

Front panel functions are enabled.

2

BIOS setup

This chapter tells how to change
the system settings through the BIOS
Setup menus. Detailed descriptions
of the BIOS parameters are also
provided.

2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS

The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup.

1.

Award B I O S Flash U t i l ity (Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a

bootable oppy disk.)

2.

ASUS C r a s hFree BI O S 2 (Updates the BIOS using a bootable oppy

disk or the motherboard support CD when the BIOS le fails or gets

corrupted.)

3.

ASUS E Z F lash 2 (Updates the BIOS using a oppy disk, USB Flash,
or the motherboard support CD during POST.)

4.

ASUS U p d a te (Updates the BIOS in Windows® environment.)

Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities.

2.1. 1 C r e ati n g a b o o tabl e flop p y di s k

1. Do either one of the following to create a bootable oppy disk.

DOS environment

a. Insert a 1.44MB oppy disk into the drive.

b. At the DOS prompt, type

format

A:/S

then press <Enter>.

Windows® XP environment

a. Insert a 1.44 MB oppy disk to the oppy disk drive.

b. Click

Start from the Windows® desktop, then select My Computer.
c. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon.
d. Click

File from the menu, then select Fo r m a t . A Format 3 1 / 2

Flopp y D i sk window appears.

e. Select

Creat e a n MS-DOS s t a r tup disk from the format

options eld, then click Start.

Windows® 2000 environment

To create a set of boot disks for Windows® 2000:

a. Insert a formatted, high density 1.44 MB oppy disk into the drive.

b. Insert the Windows

®

2000 CD to the optical drive.

Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS le to a bootable oppy

disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original
motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AwardBIOS Flash utilities.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-3

c. Click Sta r t , then select R u n .

d. From the Open eld, type

D:\bootdisk\makeboot a:

assuming that D: is your optical drive.
e. Press <Enter>, then follow screen instructions to continue.

2. Copy the original or the latest motherboard BIOS le to the bootable
oppy disk.

2.1. 2 U p d ati n g the B IOS

The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) can be updated using the AwardBIOS
Flash Utility. Follow these instructions to update the BIOS using this utility.

1. Download the latest BIOS le from the ASUS web site. Rename the le
to P5NSL I . B I N and save it to a oppy disk.

Save only the updated BIOS le in the oppy disk to avoid loading the
wrong BIOS le.

2. Copy the AwardBIOS Flash Utility (awdash.exe) from the Software
folder of the support CD to the oppy disk with the latest BIOS le.

3. Boot the system in DOS mode using the bootable oppy disk you

created earlier.

4. When the

A:> appears, replace the bootable oppy disk with the

oppy disk containing the new BIOS le and the Award BIOS Flash

Utility.

5. At the prompt, type
awdfl a s h then press
<Enter>. The Award
BIOS Flash Utility screen
appears.

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.08

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Message: Please input File Name!

For NF-KC804-P5NSLI-00 DATE: 09/25/2005
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V

File Name to Program:

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

6. Type the BIOS le name

in the File N a m e to
Progr a m eld, then
press <Enter>.

7. Press <N> when the utility prompts you to save the current BIOS le.

The following screen appears.

8. The utility veries the
BIOS le in the oppy
disk and starts ashing
the BIOS le.

Do not turn off or reset the system during the ashing process!

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.08

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Warning: Don’t Turn Off Power Or Reset System!

For NF-KC804-P5NSLI-00 DATE: 03/25/2005
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V

File Name to Program: P5NSLI.bin

Program Flashing Memory - OFE00 OK

Write OK No Update Write Fail

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.08

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

For NF-KC804-P5NSLI-00 DATE: 03/25/2005
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V

File Name to Program: P5NSLI.bin

Message: Do You Want To Save Bios (Y/N)

9. The utility displays a
Flash i n g Complete
message indicating that
you have successfully

ashed the BIOS le.
Remove the oppy disk

then press <F1> to
restart the system.

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.08

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

F1

Reset

For NF-KC804-P5NSLI-00 DATE: 03/25/2005
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V

File Name to Program: P5NSLI.bin
Flashing Complete

Press <F1> to Continue

Write OK No Update Write Fail

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-5

3. Type a lename for the
current BIOS le in the

Save c u r r ent BIOS
as eld, then press
<Enter>.

4. The utility saves the

current BIOS le to the
oppy disk, then returns
to the BIOS ashing

process.

2.1. 3 S a v ing t he c u r rent B IOS f i le

You can use the AwardBIOS Flash Utility to save the current BIOS le. You
can load the current BIOS le when the BIOS le gets corrupted during the
ashing process.

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.08

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Message:

For NF-KC804-P5NSLI-00 DATE: 03/25/2005
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V

File Name to Program: 1001.bin

Save current BIOS as:

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.08

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Message: Please Wait!

For NF-KC804-P5NSLI-00 DATE: 03/25/2005
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V

File Name to Program: 1001.bin
Checksum: DAD6H
Save current BIOS as: old.bin

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.08

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Message: Please Wait!

For NF-KC804-P5NSLI-00 DATE: 03/25/2005
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V

File Name to Program: 1001.bin
Now Backup System BIOS to

File!

To save the current BIOS le using the AwardBIOS Flash Utility:

1. Follow steps 1 to 6 of
the previous section.

2. Press <Y> when the
utility prompts you
to save the current

BIOS le. The following

screen appears.

Make sure that the oppy disk has enough disk space to save the le.

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.1. 4 A S U S C r a shFr e e BIO S 2 ut i l ity

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to

restore the BIOS le when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating
process. You can update a corrupted BIOS le using the motherboard
support CD or the oppy disk that contains the updated BIOS le.

Prepare the motherboard support CD or the oppy disk containing the

updated motherboard BIOS before using this utility.

Recovering the BIO S f r o m t h e s u p p o r t CD

To recover the BIOS from the support CD:

1. Turn on the system.

2. Insert the motherboard support CD to the optical drive.

3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks

the CD for the BIOS le.

4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.

DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing
so can cause system boot failure!

Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0
Copyright (c) 2000, Award Software, Inc.

BIOS ROM checksum error
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...
Found CDROM, try to Boot from it... Pass

When found, the utility reads the BIOS le and starts ashing the

corrupted BIOS le.

Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0
Copyright (c) 2000, Award Software, Inc.

BIOS ROM checksum error
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-7

The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this
motherboard. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the

latest BIOS le.

Recovering the BIO S f r o m a f l o p p y d i s k

To recover the BIOS from the oppy disk:

1. Remove any CD from the optical drive, then turn on the system.

2. Insert the oppy disk with the original or updated BIOS le to the
oppy disk drive.

3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks

the optical drive for the original or updated BIOS le.

4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.

DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing
so can cause system boot failure!

When no CD is found, the utility automatically checks the oppy disk

for the original or updated BIOS le. The utility then updates the
corrupted BIOS le.

Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0
Copyright (c) 2000, Award Software, Inc.

BIOS ROM checksum error
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...
Found CDROM, try to Boot from it... Fail

Detecting oppy drive A media...

Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0
Copyright (c) 2000, Award Software, Inc.

BIOS ROM checksum error
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...

2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2:

1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS

le for the motherboard.

2. Save the BIOS le to a oppy disk or a USB ash disk, then restart the

system.

2.1. 5 A S U S E Z Flas h 2 ut i l ity

The ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS without having

to go through the long process of booting from a oppy disk and using

a DOS-based utility. The EZ Flash 2 utility is built-in the BIOS chip so it is
accessible by pressing <Alt> + <F2> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST).

(2) Enter BIOS setup program. Go to the

Tools menu to select EZ

Flash2 and press <Enter> to enable it.

You can switch between drives by pressing <Tab> before the

correct le is found. Then press <Enter>.

3. You can launch the EZ Flash 2 by two methods.
(1)

Insert the oppy disk / USB ash disk that contains the BIOS le
to the oppy disk drive or the USB port.

Press <Alt> + <F2> during POST to display the following.

• This function can support devices such as USB ash disk, or oppy

disk with FAT 32/16 format only.

• Do not shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to
prevent system boot failure!

4. When the correct BIOS file is found, EZ Flash 2 performs the BIOS
update process and automatically reboots the system when done.

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility V3.00

Current ROM

Update ROM

A:

Note

[Enter] Select or Load [B] Backup [ESC] Exit

[Tab] Switch [Up/Down/Home/End] Move

FLASH TYPE: MXIC 25L8005

PATH: A:\

BOARD: P5NSLI
VER: 0144 [0000]
DATE: 05/20/06

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-9

Installing ASUS Upd a t e

To install ASUS Update:

1. Place the support CD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears.

2. Click the Utilities tab, then click Install ASUS Update VX.XX.XX. See
page 3-4 for the Utilities screen menu.

3. The ASUS Update utility is copied to your system.

2.1. 6 A S U S Up d a te u t ilit y

The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update
the motherboard BIOS in Windows® environment. The ASUS Update utility
allows you to:

• Save the current BIOS le

• Download the latest BIOS le from the Internet

• Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS le

• Update the BIOS directly from the Internet, and

• View the BIOS version information.

This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard
package.

ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network
or an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Quit all Windows® applications before you update the BIOS using this
utility.

2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

3. Select the ASUS FTP site
nearest you to avoid network
trafc, or click Auto S e l e c t.
Click Next.

Updating the BIOS t h r o u g h t h e I n t e r n e t

To update the BIOS through the Internet:

1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows

®

desktop by clicking
Start > P rograms > A S US > ASU S U p d ate > AS U S U pdate. The
ASUS Update main window appears.

2. Select Updat e B I OS from
the I n t e r net option from the
drop-down menu, then click
Next.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-11

Updating the BIOS t h r o u g h a B I O S f i l e

To update the BIOS through a BIOS le:

1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows

®

desktop by clicking
Start > P rograms > A SUS > AS U S U pdate > A S U SUpdate. The
ASUS Update main window appears.

2. Select

Updat e B I OS from a
file option from the drop-down
menu, then click Next.

4. From the FTP site, select the
BIOS version that you wish to
download. Click Next.

5. Follow the screen instructions to
complete the update process.

3. Locate the BIOS le from the Open window, then click Op e n .

4. Follow the screen instructions to
complete the update process.

The ASUS Update utility is
capable of updating itself
through the Internet. Always
update the utility to avail all
its features.

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.2 BIOS setup program

This motherboard supports a programmable Low-Pin Count (LPC) chip
that you can update using the provided utility described in section “2.1
Managing and updating your BIOS.”

Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard,

reconguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section
explains how to congure your system using this utility.

Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you can change

the conguration of your computer in the future. For example, you can

enable the security password feature or change the power management

settings. This requires you to recongure your system using the BIOS Setup

program so that the computer can recognize these changes and record
them in the CMOS RAM of the LPC chip.

The LPC chip on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you start
up the computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this
program. Press <Del> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to enter the
Setup utility; otherwise, POST continues with its test routines.

If you wish to enter Setup after POST, restart the system by pressing
<Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del>, or by pressing the reset button on the system
chassis. You can also restart by turning the system off and then back on.

Do this last option only if the rst two failed.

The Setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible. Being
a menu-driven program, it lets you scroll through the various sub-menus
and make your selections from the available options using the navigation
keys.

• The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most
conditions to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes
unstable after changing any BIOS settings, load the default settings
to ensure system compatibility and stability. Select the Load Default
Settings item under the Exit Menu. See section “2.8 Exit Menu.”

• The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference
purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your
screen.

• Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS

le for this motherboard and .

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-13

2.2. 2 M e n u b a r

The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:

Main For changing the basic system conguration
Advan c e d For changing the advanced system settings
Power For changing the advanced power management (APM)

conguration

Boot For changing the system boot conguration
Exit For selecting the exit options and loading default settings

To select an item on the menu bar, press the right or left arrow key on the
keyboard until the desired item is highlighted.

2.2. 1 B I O S m e n u sc r e en

• The BIOS setup screens shown in this chapter are for reference
purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your
screen.

• Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS
information.

Legend barSub-menu items

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Change the day, month,
year and century.

General helpMenu bar Conguration eldsMenu items

System Time 15 : 30 : 36
System Date Wed, Nov 5 2004

Legacy Diskette A: [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

Primary IDE Master [ST321122A]
Primary IDE Slave [ASUS CDS520/A]
Secondary IDE Master [None]
Secondary IDE Slave [None]
SATA 1 [None]
SATA 2 [None]
SATA 3 [None]
SATA 4 [None]

HDD SMART Monitoring [Disabled]

Installed Memory 256MB
Usable Memory 256MB

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.2. 4 M e n u i t e ms

The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specic items for that

menu. For example, selecting Main shows the Main menu items.

The other items (Advanced, Power, Boot, and Exit) on the menu bar have
their respective menu items.

2.2. 5 S u b -me n u ite m s

A solid triangle before each item on any menu screen means that the
iteam has a sub-menu. To display the sub-menu, select the item and press
<Enter>.

2.2. 6 C o n fig u r atio n fiel d s

These elds show the values for the menu items. If an item is
user-congurable, you can change the value of the eld opposite the item.
You cannot select an item that is not user-congurable.

A congurable eld is enclosed in brackets, and is highlighted when
selected. To change the value of a eld, select it then press <Enter> to

display a list of options. Refer to “2.2.7 Pop-up window.”

2.2. 3 L e g end b ar

At the bottom of the Setup screen is a legend bar. The keys in the legend
bar allow you to navigate through the various setup menus. The following
table lists the keys found in the legend bar with their corresponding
functions.

Navigation Key Function

<F1> Displays the General Help screen
<F5> Loads setup default values
<Esc> Exits the BIOS setup or returns to the main menu from a

sub-menu
Left or Ri ght arrow Selects the menu item to the left or right
Up or Down arrow Moves the highlight up or down between elds
Page Down or – (minus) Scrolls backward through the values for the highlighted

eld

Page Up or + (plus) Scrolls forward through the values for the highlighted eld
<Enter> Brings up a selection menu for the highlighted eld

<F10> Saves changes and exit

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-15

2.2. 7 P o p -up w indo w

Select a menu item then press <Enter> to display a pop-up window with

the conguration options for that item.

2.2. 8 G e n era l help

At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the
selected item.

Pop-up menu

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Species the capacity and
physical size of diskette
drive A.

System Time 15 : 30 : 36
System Date Wed, Nov 5 2004

Legacy Diskette A: [1.4M, 3.5 in.]

Primary IDE Maste`r [ST32112A]
Primary IDE Slave [ASUS CDS520/A]
Secondary IDE Master [None]
Secondary IDE Slave [None]
SATA 1 [None]
SATA 2 [None]
SATA 3 [None]
SATA 4 [None]

HDD SMART Monitoring [Disabled]

Installed Memory 256MB

Legacy Diskette A:

Disabled ..... [ ]

720K , 3.5 in. ..... [ ]

1.44M, 3.5 in. ..... [ ]

↑↓

:Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Change the day, month,
year and century.

System Time 15 : 30 : 36
System Date Wed, Nov 5 2004

Legacy Diskette A: [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

Primary IDE Master [ST321122A]
Primary IDE Slave [ASUS CDS520/A]
Secondary IDE Master [None]
Secondary IDE Slave [None]
SATA 1 [None]
SATA 2 [None]
SATA 3 [None]
SATA 4 [None]

HDD SMART Monitoring [Disabled]

Installed Memory 256MB
Usable Memory 256MB

2.3 Main menu

When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears,
giving you an overview of the basic system information.

2.3. 1 S y s tem T ime [ x x:xx : x xxx]

Allows you to set the system time.

2.3. 2 S y s tem D ate [ D ay x x / xx/x x x x]

Allows you to set the system date.

2.3. 3 L e g acy D iske t t e A [ 1 .44M , 3.5 i n .]

Sets the type of oppy drive installed. Conguration options: [Disabled]

[720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

Refer to section “2.2.1 BIOS menu screen” for information on the menu
screen items and how to navigate through them.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-17

Before attempting to congure a hard disk drive, make sure you have
the correct conguration information supplied by the drive manufacturer.

Incorrect settings may cause the system to fail to recognize the installed
hard disk.

2.3. 4 P r i mar y and S e cond a r y ID E Mas t e r/Sl a v e

While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of IDE
devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each IDE device. Select a device
item then press <Enter> to display the IDE device information.

The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items
(Capacity, Cylinder, Head, Sector and Transfer Mode). These values are not

user-congurable. These items show N/A if no IDE device is installed in the

system.

Primary IDE Master / S l a v e [ A u t o ] ;
Secondary IDE Mast e r / S l a v e [ A u t o ]

Select [Auto] to automatically detect an IDE hard disk drive. If automatic

detection is successful, the BIOS automatically lls in the correct values
for the remaining elds on this sub-menu. If the hard disk was already

formatted on a previous system, the setup BIOS may detect incorrect
parameters. Select [Manual] to manually enter the IDE hard disk drive
parameters. If no drive is installed select [None].

Conguration options: [None] [Auto] [Manual]

Access Mode [Auto]

The default [Auto] allows automatic detection of an IDE hard disk drive.
Select [CHS] for this item if you set the IDE Primary Master/Slave to

[Manual]. Conguration options: [CHS] [LBA] [Large] [Auto]

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to
select

Primary IDE Master

Primary IDE Master [Auto]
Access Mode [Auto]

Capacity xxxxx MB

Cylinder xxxxx
Head xx
Sector xx

PIO Mode [Auto]
UDMA Mode [Auto]

Transfer Mode xxxxxxx

2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Capacity

Displays the auto-detected hard disk capacity. This item is not congurable.

Cylinder

Shows the number of the hard disk cylinders. This item is not congurable.

Head

Shows the number of the hard disk read/write heads. This item is not

congurable.

Sector

Shows the number of sectors per track. This item is not congurable.

PIO Mode [Auto]

Sets the PIO mode for the IDE device.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Mode 0] [Mode 1] [Mode 2] [Mode 3] [Mode 4]

UDMA Mode [Auto]

Disables or sets the UDMA mode. Conguration options: [Disable] [Auto]

Transfer Mode

Shows the Transfer mode. This item is not congurable.

After entering the IDE hard disk drive information into BIOS, use a disk
utility, such as FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives.
This is necessary so that you can write or read data from the hard disk.
Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to
active.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-19

2.3. 5 S A T A1, S ATA2 , SATA 3 , SATA 4

While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of Serial
ATA devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each SATA device. Select a
device item then press <Enter> to display the SATA device information.

The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items
(Capacity, Cylinder, Head, Precomp, Landing Zone and Sector). These

values are not user-congurable. These items show 0 if no SATA device is

installed in the system.

Extended IDE Drive [ A u t o ]

Selects the type of xed disk connected to the system.
Conguration options: [None] [Auto]

Access Mode [Auto]

Sets the sector addressing mode. Conguration options: [Large] [Auto]

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to
select

Primary IDE Master

Extended IDE Drive [Auto]

Access Mode [Auto]

Capacity xxxxx MB

Cylinder xxxxx
Head xx
Precomp xx
Landing Zone xx
Sector xx

Before attempting to congure a hard disk drive, make sure you have
the correct conguration information supplied by the drive manufacturer.

Incorrect settings may cause the system to fail to recognize the installed
hard disk.

Capacity

Displays the auto-detected hard disk capacity. This item is not congurable.

Cylinder

Shows the number of the hard disk cylinders. This item is not congurable.

Head

Shows the number of the hard disk read/write heads. This item is not

congurable.

2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Precomp

Shows the number of precomp per track. This item is not congurable.

Landing Zone

Shows the number of landing zone per track. This item is not congurable.

Sector

Shows the number of sectors per track. This item is not congurable.

After entering the IDE hard disk drive information into BIOS, use a disk
utility, such as FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives.
This is necessary so that you can write or read data from the hard disk.
Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to
active.

2.3. 6 H D D SM A R T Mo n i tori n g [Di s a ble d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the HDD Self-Monitoring Analysis and
Reporting Technology (SMART) feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2.3. 7 I n s tal l e d Me m o ry

Shows the size of installed memory.

2.3. 8 U s a ble M emor y

Shows the size of usable memory.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-21

2.4 Advanced menu

The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU
and other system devices.

Take caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items.

Incorrect eld values can cause the system to malfunction.

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press Enter to Set

JumperFree Conguration
LAN Cable Status

CPU Conguration
Chipset
PCIPnP
Onboard Device Conguration
USB Conguration

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

2.4. 1 J u m per F r ee C o n figu r a tion

AI Tuning [Auto]

Allows selection of CPU overclocking options to achieve desired CPU

internal frequency. Selct either one of the preset overclocking conguration

options:

Manual Allows you to individually set overclocking parameters.
Auto Loads the optimal settings for the system.
Standard Loads the standard settings for the system.

AI Overclock Loads overclocking proles with optimal parameters for

stability when overclocking.

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

DRAM timing and control

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

JumperFree Conguration

AI Tuning [Auto]

x Overclock Options Disabled
x Frequency Control
x Spread Spectrum Control
x Voltage Control

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

The Overclock Options item is user-congurable only when the AI Tuning

is set to [AI Overclock].

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to Set.

Frequency Control

PCIE Frequency (MHz) [100]

System Clock Mode [Auto]
New FSB Speed (QDR) Auto
Current FSB Speed (QDR) 800.0 MHz
Target FSB Speed (QDR) 800.0 MHz

x New MEM Speed (DDR) Auto
Current MEM Speed (DDR) 533.3 MHz
Target MEM Speed (DDR) 533.3 MHz

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

Frequency Control

This sub-menu allows you to set CPU, PCI Express, and memory related elds.
Set the AI Tuning to Manual, if you want to congure this item.

PCIE Frequency [100]

Allows you to set the PCI Express frequency. Key-in a decimal value

between 100-150 MHz. Conguration options: [100MHz] [101MHz] ~

[150MHz]

Overclock Options [ D i s a b l e ]

Allows you to disable or set the oveclocking options.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Overclock 5%] [Overclock 10%]
[Overclock 15%] [Overclock 20%] [FSB 960/800] [FSB 1280/800]

[FSB 1000/667] [FSB 1333/667] [FSB 1200/800]

Selecting a very high PCIE frequency may cause the system to become
unstable! If this happens, revert to the default setting.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-23

System Clock Mode [Auto]

Sets the system clock mode. The default setting [Auto], automatically
sets the FSB and memory speeds. Set to [CPU Precision Tweaker]
if you want to set the FSB at 1MHz increment with the memory
frequency adjusting accordingly, setting to [CPU/MEM manual-mode]
allows you to manually input the CPU and memory frequency. When
set to [MEM Precision Tweaker], you can manually set the memory
frequency.

Conguration options: [Auto] [CPU Precision Tweaker] [CPU/MEM

manual-mode] [MEM Precision Tweaker]

New FSB Speed (QDR) [800]

Allows you to key-in new FSB speed. The conguration options vary

depending on the CPU installed.

The New FSB Speed (QDR) item is user-congurable only when the

System Clock Mode is set to [CPU Precision Tweaker] or
[CPU/MEM manual-mode].

Current FSB Speed (QDR)

Displays the current FSB speed.

Target FSB Speed (QDR)

Displays the target FSB speed.

New MEM Speed (DDR)

Allows you to key-in new memory speed. The conguration options

vary depending on the DDR2 memory installed.

The New MEM Speed (QDR) item is user-congurable only when the

System Clock Mode is set to [MEM Precision Tweaker] or
[CPU/MEM manual-mode].

Current MEM Speed (QDR)

Displays the current MEM speed.

Target MEM Speed (QDR)

Displays the target MEM speed.

2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Spread Spectrum Co n t r o l

This sub-menu allows you to set the CPU, PCI Express, Serial ATA, and
Lightning Data Transport (LDT) clock generator spread spectrum. The
spread spectrum is used to dynamically change the system frequency to
minimize problems with electromagnetic interference (EMI). Set the AI

Tuning to [Manual], if you want to congure this item.

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to set.

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Spread Spectrum Control

CPU Spread Spectrum [Disabled]

PCIE Spread Spectrum [Down Spread]
LDT Spread Spectrum [Center Spread]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

CPU Spread Spectrum [Center Spread]

Disables or sets the CPU clock generator spread spectrum. The default
setting [Center Spread] allows a dynamic CPU frequency change of

-0.25% to +0.25%. The [Down Spread] setting allows a dynamic CPU
frequency change of -0.5% to 0.0%. Setting to [0.5%++ Spread]
allows dynamic frequency changes from -0.5% to +0.5%.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Center Spread] [Down Spread]
[0.5%++ Spread]

PCIE Spread Spectrum [Down Spread]

Disables or sets the PCI Express clock generator spread spectrum. The
default setting [Down Spread] allows a dynamic PCI Express frequency

change of -0.5% to 0.0%.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Down Spread]

LDT Spread Spectrum [Center Spread]

Disables or sets the Lightning Data Transport (LDT) clock generator
spread spectrum. The default setting [Center Spread] allows a

dynamic LDT frequency change of -0.25% to +0.25%.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Center Spread] [Down Spread]

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-25

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to set.

Voltage Control

DRAM Voltage [Auto]

Chipset Core Voltage [+1.4V]
CPU Termination Voltage [1.25V]
VCore Voltage [Auto]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

DRAM Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to set the DRAM operating voltage. Set to Auto for safe mode.

Conguration options: [Auto] [+1.800V] [+1.900V] [+2.000V]

[+2.100V]

Chipset Core Voltage [+1.4V]

Allows you to set the chipset core voltage.

Conguration options: [+1.4V] [+1.5V]

CPU Termination Voltage [1.25V]

Allows you to set the CPU termination voltage.

Conguration options: [1.25V] [1.35V]

Refer to the DDR2 documentation before setting the memory voltage.
Setting a very high memory voltage may damage the memory module(s)!

Voltage Control

This sub-menu allows you to set the system operating voltages. Set the AI

Tuning to [Manual], if you want to congure this item.

2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

VCore Voltage [Auto]

Sets the operating VCore voltage. Conguration options: [Auto]

[1.6000V] [1.5875V] [1.5750V] [1.5625V] [1.5500V] [1.5375V]
[1.5250V] [1.5125V] [1.5000V] [1.4875V] [1.4750V] [1.4625V]
[1.4500V] [1.4375V] [1.4250V] [1.4125V] [1.4000V] [1.3875V]
[1.3750V] [1.3625V] [1.3500V] [1.3375V] [1.3250V] [1.3125V]
[1.3000V] [1.2875V] [1.2750V] [1.2625V] [1.2500V] [1.2375V]
[1.2250V] [1.2125V] [1.2000V] [1.1875V] [1.1750V] [1.1625V]
[1.1500V] [1.1375V] [1.1250V] [1.1125V] [1.1000V] [1.0875V]
[1.0750V] [1.0625V] [1.0500V] [1.0375V] [1.0250V] [1.0125V]
[1.0000V] [0.9875V] [0.9750V] [0.9625V] [0.9500V] [0.9375V]
[0.9250V] [0.9125V] [0.9000V] [0.8875V] [0.8750V] [0.8625V]
[0.8500V] [0.8375V]

2.4. 2 L A N Ca b l e St a t us

The items in this menu displays the status of the Local Area Network (LAN)
cable.

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Check LAN cable during
POST.

JumperFree Conguration

AI NET2 [Disabled]

Pair Status Length

LAN1(1-2) Open N/A
LAN1(3-4) Open N/A
LAN1(5-6) Open N/A
LAN1(7-8) Open N/A

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

AI NET2 [Disabled]

Enables or disables AI NET2 feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-27

2.4. 3 C P U Co n f igur a t ion

CPU Clock Ratio [9X]

Allows you to adjust the CPU clock ratio from 6 to 9.
Conguration options: [6X] [7X] [8X] [9X]

CPU Internal Thermal Control [Auto]

Enables or disables the CPU Internal Thermal Control feature.

Congurable options: [Auto] [Disabled]

TM2 Bus Ratio, VID

Displays the Thermal Monitor Bus Ratio and Voltage ID.

Limit CPUID MaxVal [Disabled]

Enables or disables the CPU ID maximum value limit.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Enhanced C1 (C1E) [Auto]

When set to [Auto], the BIOS automatically check the CPU’s capability

to enable the C1E support. In C1E mode, the CPU power consumption
is lower when idle. This item appears only when you install a processor
with Enhanced C1E feature.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

Excute Disable Bit [Enabled]

When disabled, the processor forces the XD feature ag to always
return 0. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

DRAM timing and
control

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

CPU Conguration

CPU Type Intel Pentium(R) 4

CPU Speed 3.80GHz
Cache RAM 2048K

CPU Clock Ratio [9X]
CPU Internal Thermal Control [Auto]

X TM2 Bus Ratio 14X
X TM2 Bus VID 1.2000V

Limit CPUID MaxVal [Disabled]
Enhanced C1 (C1E) [Auto]
Execute Disable Bit [Enabled]
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep(tm)Tech. [Auto]
Hyper-Threading Technology [Enabled]
Virtualization Technology [Enabled]

2-28 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.4. 4 C h i pse t

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to set.

Chipset

LDT Frequency [4x]

Memory Timing Conguration

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

LDT Frequency [4x]

Sets the Lightning Data Transport (LDT) frequency multiplier.

Conguration options: [1x] [2x] [3x] [4x] [5x] [3.5x]

Memory Timing Conf i g u r a t i o n

This sub-menu allows you to set the memory timing conguration. Set the
Memory Timings to [Manual], if you want to congure this item.

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep(tm) Tech. [Auto]

Allows you to use the Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology. When
set to [Auto], you can adjust the system power settings in the
operation system to use the EIST feature. Set this item to [Disabled]
if you do not want to use the EIST.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

Hyper-Threading Technology [Enabled]

Enables or disables the Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology feature.
This item appears only when you install a Hyper-Treading CPU.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Virtualization Technology [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable Virtualization Technology.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-29

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Select [Expert] to
enter timings manually

CPU/Memory Conguration

Memory Timings [Auto]

x T(CAS) Auto
x T(RCD) Auto
x T(RP) Auto
x T(RAS) Auto
x T(RC) Auto
x Addressing Mode Auto

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

Memory Timings [Auto]

Allows you to set the memory timing parameters. The default setting

[Auto], automatically congures the memory timings. Set to [Manual]

if you want to input the memory timings manually.

T (CAS) [Auto]

Controls the latency between the SDRAM read command and the time
the data actually becomes available.

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

T (RCD) [Auto]

Sets the RAS-to-CAS delay timing.

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

T (RP) [Auto]

Sets the row-precharge delay timing.

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

T (RAS) [Auto]

Sets the row-active delay timing.

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] ~ [31]

T (RC) [Auto]

Sets the row cycle timing.

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] ~ [31]

Addressing Mode [Auto]

Allows you to enable two-clock addressing.

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 clock] [2 clock]

2-30 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

PCIPnP

Primiary Display Adaptor [PCI]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

2.4. 5 PC I P nP

Primary Display Ad a p t o r [ P C I ]

Allows you to set which graphics controller to use as primary boot device.

Conguration options: [PCI] [PCI-E]

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Onboard Device Conguration

IDE Function Setup

NVRAID Conguration

Onboard Marvell LAN [Enabled]
Onboard Marvell LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]
HD Audio [Enabled]
Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]
Parallel Port Address [378/IRQ7]
Parallel Port Mode [ECP+EPP]
ECP Mode Use DMA [3]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

2.4. 6 On b o ard D e vic e s Con f i gura t i on

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-31

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Disable/Enable OnChip
IDE Channel0

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

IDE Function Setup

This sub-menu contains IDE function-related items. Select an item then
press <Enter> to edit.

IDE Function Setup

OnChip IDE Channel0 [Enabled]
OnChip IDE Channel1 [Enabled]
IDE DMA transfer access [Enabled]
SATA Port 1, 2 [Enabled]
SATA DMA transfer [Enabled]
SATA Port 3, 4 [Enabled]
SATA2 DMA transfer [Enabled]
IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled]

OnChip IDE Channel0 [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onchip IDE channel 0 controller .

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

OnChip IDE Channel1 [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onchip IDE channel 1 controller .

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

IDE DMA transfer access [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the IDE DMA transfer access.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

SATA Port 1, 2 [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the SATA 1 and 2 ports.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

SATA DMA transfer [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the SATA DMA transfer access.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

SATA Port 3, 4 [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the SATA 3 and 4 ports.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-32 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

NVRAID Configurati o n

This sub-menu contains NVRAID function-related items. Select an item then
press <Enter> to edit.

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Disable/Enable NVIDIA
RAID feature.

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

NVRAID Conguration

RAID Enabled [Disabled]

x SATA1 RAID Disabled
x SATA2 RAID Disabled
x SATA3 RAID Disabled
x SATA4 RAID Disabled

SATA2 DMA transfer [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the SATA2 DMA transfer access.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the IDE prefetch mode.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

RAID Enabled [Disabled]

Enables or disables the onboard RAID controller. When Enabled, the

succeeding items becomes user-congurable.
Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4 RAID [Disabled]

Enables or disables the RAID function of the SATA1, SATA2, SATA3 or

SATA4 master drive. Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

Onboard Marvell LA N [ E n a b l e d ]

Enables or disables the onboard NVIDIA® Gigabit LAN controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

OnBoard Marvell LA N B o o t R O M [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the onboard NVIDIA® LAN boot ROM.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-33

HD Audio [Enabled]

Allows you to disable or enabled the onboard HD audio controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Serial Port1 Addre s s [ 3 F 8 / I R Q 4 ]

Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4] [2F8/IRQ3] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/

IRQ3] [Auto]

Parallel Port Addr e s s [ 3 7 8 / I R Q 7 ]

Allows you to select the Parallel Port base addresses.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [378/IRQ7] [278/IRQ5] [3BC/IRQ7]

Parallel Port Mode [ E C P + E P P ]

Allows you to select the Parallel Port mode.

Conguration options: [SPP] [EPP] [ECP] [ECP+EPP]

ECP Mode Use DMA [ 3 ]

Allows selection of ECP Mode. Conguration options: [1] [3]

2-34 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

USB Conguration

USB Controller [Enabled]
USB2.0 Controller [Enabled]
USB Legacy support [Enabled]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced

2.4. 7 U S B Co n f igur a t ion

The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features.

Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conguration options.

USB Controller [En a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the onchip USB controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

USB 2.0 Controller [ E n a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the USB 2.0 controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

USB Legacy Support [ E n a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable support for USB devices on legacy operating

systems (OS). Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-35

2.5 Power menu

The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced

Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI) and the Advanced Power

Management (APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the

conguration options.

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Select the ACPI state
used for System
Suspend.

ACPI Suspend Type [S1&S3]
ACPI APIC support [Enabled]

APM Conguration
Hardware Monitor

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

2.5. 1 A C P I S u s pend T ype [ S 1&S3 ]

Allows you to select the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface

(ACPI) state to be used for system suspend.

Conguration options: [S1 (POS)] [S3(STR)] [S1&S3]

2.5. 2 A C P I A P I C Su p p ort [ E nabl e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Conguration and Power
Interface (ACPI) support in the Application-Specic Integrated Circuit

(ASIC). When set to Enabled, the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the

RSDT pointer list. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-36 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.5. 3 A P M Co n f igur a t ion

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [ENTER] to
select whether or not
to restart the system
after AC power loss.

APM Conguration

Restore on AC Power Loss [Disabled]

HDD Down In Suspend [Disabled]
PWR Button < 4 secs [Instant-Off]
Power On By PCI Devices [Disabled]
Power On By External Modems [Disabled]

Power-On by RTC Alarm [Disabled]

x Date (of Month) Alarm 0
x Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm 0 :0 : 0
Power Up By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]
Power Up By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Power

Restore on AC Powe r L o s s [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the Restore on AC Power Loss function.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

HDD Down In Suspe n d [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the HDD Down In Suspend feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

PWR Button < 4 sec s [ I n s t a n t - O f f ]

Allows you to set the event after the power button is pressed for more

than 4 seconds. Conguration options: [Suspend] [Instant-Off]

Power On By PCI De v i c e s [ D i s a b l e d ]

When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to turn on the system
through a PCI LAN or modem card. This feature requires an ATX power
supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power On By Extern a l M o d e m s [ D i s a b l e d ]

This allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the
computer when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in

Soft-off mode. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and
applications are fully running. Thus, connection cannot be made on the

rst try. Turning an external modem off and then back on while the

computer is off causes an initialization string that turns the system
power on.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-37

Power On By RTC Al a r m [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable RTC to generate a wake event. When this
item is set to Enabled, the items Date of Month Alarm and Time (hh:mm:ss)

Alarm items become user-congurable with set values.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Date (of Month) Al a r m [ D i s a b l e d ]

To set the date of alarm, highlight this item and press <Enter> to display

the Day of Month Alarm pop-up menu. Key-in a value within the specied
range then press <Enter>. Conguration options: [Min=0] [Max=31]

Time (hh:mm:ss) Al a r m [ D i s a b l e d ]

To set the time of alarm:

1. Highlight this item and press <Enter> to display a pop-up menu for the

hour eld.

2. Key-in a value (Min=0, Max=23), then press <Enter>.

3. Press <TAB> to move to the minutes eld then press <Enter>.

4. Key-in a minute value (Min=0, Max=59), then press <Enter>.

5. Press <TAB> to move to the seconds eld then press <Enter>.

6. Key-in a value (Min=0, Max=59), then press <Enter>.

Power Up By PS/2 Mo u s e [ D i s a b l e d ]

When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to use the PS/2 mouse
to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that
provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power On By PS/2 K e y b o a r d [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to disable the Power On by PS/2 keyboard function or set

specic keys on the PS/2 keyboard to turn on the system. This feature

requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Space Bar] [Ctrl-ESC] [Power Key]

2-38 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.5. 4 H a r dwa r e Mon i t or

The items in this sub-menu displays the hardware monitor values
automatically detected by the BIOS. It also allows you to change CPU Q-Fan
feature-related parameters. Select an item then press <Enter> to display

the conguration options.

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to
enable or disable

Hardware Monitor

Q-Fan Controller [Disabled]
Vcore Voltage 1.50V

3.3V Voltage 3.31V
5V Voltage 4.94V
12V Voltage 11.26V

CPU Temperature 48ºC

M/B Temperature 38ºC
CPU FAN Speed 4962 RPM
PWR FAN Speed 0 RPM
CHA FAN1 Speed 0 RPM

CPU Fan Speed warning [800 RPM]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Power

Q-Fan Controller [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Q-Fan feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

VCORE Voltage, +12V V o l t a g e , 3 . 3 V V o l t a g e, 5VCC
Voltage

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output
through the onboard voltage regulators. These items can be set to ignored.

CPU Temperature, M / B T e m p e r a t u r e

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the

motherboard and CPU temperatures. These items are not user-congurable.

CPU Fan Speed, PWR F a n S p e e d , C H A F a n Speed

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU,
Power, and Chassis fan speeds in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is

not connected to the motherboard, the eld shows 0. These items are not
user-congurable.

CPU Fan Speed warn i n g [ 8 0 0 R P M ]

Allows you to set the CPU fan warning speed.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [800 RPM] [1200 RPM] [1600 RPM]

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-39

2.6 Boot menu

The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select
an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Boot Device Priority

Removable Drives

Hard Disk Drives

CDROM Drives

Boot Settings Conguration

Security

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

2.6. 1 B o o t D e v ice P r iori t y

1st ~ xxth Boot Dev i c e [ R e m o v a b l e ]

These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available
devices. The number of device items that appears on the screen depends
on the number of devices installed in the system.

Conguration options: [Removable] [Hard Disk] [CDROM] [Legacy LAN]

[Disabled]

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Select your boot
device priority

Boot Device Priority

1st Boot Device [Removable]
2nd Boot Device [Hard Disk]
3rd Boot Device [CDROM]
4th Boot Device [Disabled]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Power

2-40 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.6. 2 R e m ova b l e Dr i v es

1. Floppy Disks

Allows you to assign a removable drive attached to the system.

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Use <↑> or <↓> to
select a device, then
press <+> to move it
up, or <-> to move it
down the list. Press
<ESC> to exit this
menu.

Removable Drives

1. Floppy Disks

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Boot

2.6. 3 H a r d D i s k Dr i v es

1. 1st Master: XXXX X X X X X

Allows you to assign hard disk drives attached to the system.

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Use <↑> or <↓> to
select a device, then
press <+> to move it
up, or <-> to move it
down the list. Press
<ESC> to exit this
menu.

Hard Disk Drives

1. 1st Master: XXXXXXXXX

2. Bootable Add-in Cards

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Boot

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-41

2.6. 5 B o o t S e t ting s Conf i g urat i o n

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to
enable or disable.

Boot Settings Conguration

Case Open Warning [Enabled]

Quick Boot [Enabled]

Boot Up Floppy Seek [Disabled]
Bootup Num-Lock [On]
Typematic Rate Setting [Disabled]

x Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) 6
x Typematic Delay (Msec) 250

Full Screen LOGO [Enabled]
Halt On [All, But Keyboard]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Boot

Case Open Warning [ E n a b l e d ]

Enables or disables the chassis open status feature. Setting to Enabled,
clears the chassis open status. Refer to section “1.10.2 Internal connectors”

for setting details. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Quick Boot [Enable d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the system quick boot feature.
When Enabled, the system skips certain tests while booting.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2.6. 4 C D R OM D r ives

1. 1st Slave: XXXXX X X X X

Allows you to assign optical drives attached to the system.

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Use <↑> or <↓> to
select a device, then
press <+> to move it
up, or <-> to move it
down the list. Press
<ESC> to exit this
menu.

CDROM Drives

1. 1st Slave: XXXXXXXXX

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Boot

2-42 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

The items Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) and Typema tic Delay (Msec)

becomes user-congurable only when the item Typematic Rate Setting is

enabled.

Boot Up Floppy See k [ D i s a b l e d ]

Enable this item to allow the BIOS to check a oppy drive during POST.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Bootup Num-Lock [O n ]

Allows you to select the power-on state for the NumLock.

Conguration options: [Off] [On]

Typematic Rate Set t i n g [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to set the keystroke rate. Enable this item to congure the

Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) and the Typema t i c Delay (M s e c ) .

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Typematic Rate (Ch a r s / S e c ) [ 6 ]

Allows you to select the rate at which a character repeats when you hold a

key. Conguration options: [6] [8] [10] [12] [15] [20] [24] [30]

Typematic Delay (M s e c ) [ 2 5 0 ]

Allows you to set the delay before keystrokes begin to repeat.

Conguration options: [250] [500] [750] [1000]

Full Screen LOGO [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Make sure that the above item is set to [Enabled] if you want to use the
ASUS MyLogo2™ feature.

Halt On [All, But K e y b o a r d ]

Allows you to error report type.

Conguration options: [All Errors] [No Errors] [All, But Keyboard]

[All, But Diskette] [All, But Disk/Key]

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-43

2.6. 6 S e c uri t y

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Supervisor password
controls full access,
<Enter> to change
password.

Boot Settings Conguration

Supervisor Password Clear
User Password Clear
Password Check [Setup]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Boot

Supervisor Passwor d
User Password

These elds allow you to set passwords:

To set a password:

1. Select an item then press <Enter>.

2. Type in a password using a combination of a maximum of eight (8)
alpha-numeric characters, then press <Enter>.

3. When prompted, conrm the password by typing the exact characters
again, then press <Enter>. The password eld setting is changed to

[Set].

To clear the password:

1. Select the password eld and press <Enter> twice. The following

message appears:

PASSWORD DISABLED !!!
Press any key to continue...

2. Press any key to continue. The password eld setting is changed to

Clear.

2-44 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

A note about passwords

The Supervisor password is required to enter the BIOS Setup program
preventing unauthorized access. The User password is required to
boot the system preventing unauthorized use.

Forgot your password?

If you forget your password, you can clear it by erasing the CMOS
Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. The RAM data containing the password
information is powered by the onboard button cell battery. If you
need to erase the CMOS RAM, refer to section “1.9 Jumpers” for
instructions.

Password Check

This eld requires you to enter the password before entering the BIOS

setup or the system. Select [Setup] to require the password before
entering the BIOS Setup. Select [System] to require the password before
entering the system.

Conguration options: [Setup] [System]

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-45

The succeeding items become user-congurable when you enable the

ASUS Music Alarm.

2.7 Tools menu

The Tools menu items allow you to congure options for special functions.

Select an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

ASUS Music Alarm
ASUS O.C. Prole

ASUS EZ Flash 2

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

2.7. 1 A S U S M u s ic A l a rm

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to select.

ASUS Music Alarm

ASUS Music Alarm [Disabled]
x Alarm Date: Sunday Enabled

x Monday Enabled
x Tuesday Enabled
x Wednesday Enabled
x Thursday Enabled
x Friday Enabled
x Saturday Enabled
x Alarm Time (hh:mm) 0 : 0
x Audio CD Drive Primary IDE Master
x Detect CD Enter
x Starting Track N/A
x Repeat Track Disabled
x Length 10 Mins
x Volume 16

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Tools

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

ASUS Music Alarm [ D i s a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Music Alarm function.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-46 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Alarm Date: Sunday / M o n d a y / T u e s d a y / W e d n esday/
Thursday/Friday/Sa t u r d a y [ E n a b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the alarm for a particular day.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Alarm Time (hh:mm) 0 : 0

Allows you to set the alarm time. Press <Tab> to select the eld, then
use <+> or <-> to change the value. Conguration options: [Disabled]

[Enabled]

Audio CD Drive [P r i m a r y I D E M a s t e r ]

Allows you to select the connection conguration of the optical storage
device from which the alarm music will play from. Conguration options:

[Primary IDE Master] [Primary IDE Slave]

Detect CD

Press <Enter> to search the CD track number.

Starting Track

Allows you to choose the starting track from the CD from which you would
like the alarm music to play.

Repeat Track [Disa b l e d ]

Allows you to enable or disable the repeat track function.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Single] [All]

Length [10 Mins]

Allows you to set the length of the music alarm.

Conguration options: [10 Mins] [20 Mins] [30 Mins] [1 Hour]

Volume [16]

Allows you to set the volume level of the music alarm.

Conguration options: [01] ~ [32]

• Only the IDE ATAPI devices from the chipset can support the Music
Alarm function.

• When Music Alarm is enabled, the system needs standby power.
Make sure that the power cord is plugged to a power source.

• You can also set the alarm time from the operating system using the
ASUS Music Alarm utility. See section “3.3.1 ASUS Music Alarm” for
details.

• ASUS Music Alarm supports audio CDs only.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-47

2.7. 2 A S U S O . C . Pr o f ile

This item allows you to store or load multiple BIOS settings.

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to select.

ASUS BIOS Prole

Load BIOS Prole
Save BIOS Prole

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Tools

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Load BIOS Prole from
Prole 1.

Load BIOS Prole

Load from Prole 1
Load from Prole 2
Load from File

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Tools

Load BIOS Profile

Load from Profile 1 / 2

Allows you to load the previous BIOS settings saved in the BIOS Flash.

Press <Enter> to load the le.

Load from File

Allows you to load the previous BIOS le saved in the hard disk, oppy disk,
or USB ash disk with a FAT32/16/12 format.
To load the BIOS le:

1. Insert the storage device that contains the “xxx.CMO” BIOS prole.

2. Turn on the system.

3. Enter BIOS setup program. Go to

Tools then select Load from File

and press <Enter>.

4. Press <Tab> to select the drive with the BIOS prole then press
<Enter>to load le.

5. Follow message screen when loading is nished.

Update only a BIOS le coming from the same memory/CPU
conguration and BIOS version.

2-48 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Save current BIOS Prole
to Prole 1.

Save BIOS Prole

Save to Prole 1
Save to Prole 2
Save to File

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Tools

Save BIOS Profile

Save to Profile 1/ 2

Allows you to save the current BIOS le to the BIOS Flash. Press <Enter> to
save the le.

Save to File

Allows you to save the current BIOS le to the hard disk, a oppy, or USB
ash disk with a FAT32/16/12 format.

To save the BIOS le:

1. Insert the storage device with at least xxMB of available storage
space.

2. Turn on the system.

3. Enter the BIOS setup program. Go to

Tool then select Save to File and

press <Enter>.

4. Press <Tab> to select the drive with the BIOS prole then press
<Enter>to load le.

5. Follow message screen when loading is nished. A pop-up message will
inform you when the saving process is nished.

The BIOS le will be saved as “xxx.CMO“.

ASUSTek O.C. Prole Utility B311

BOARD: P5NSLI
VER: 0144 [0000]
DATE: 05/20/06

Current CMOS

Update CMOS

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

PATH: C:\M2N320C

A:

C:

Note

[Enter] Select [Y] Yes [N/Eec] No [Left/Right]: Switch

WINDOWS <DIR>

M2N32 <DIR>
DOCUME"1 <DIR>
PROGRA"1 <DIR>
SYSTEM"1 <DIR>
M2NSLI <DIR>
RECYCLED <DIR>
TEST_REB <DIR>
BOOTFONT.BIN

213830 2001-09-05 20:00:00

CMOS backup is done! Press any key to Exit.

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-49

2.7. 3 A S U S E Z Flas h 2

Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2. Press <Enter> to start EZ Flash 2 then

from the conrmation screen, use the left or right arrows to select [Yes] or

[No] then press <Enter>.

The following screen appears if you select [Yes]. Follow screen instructions

to ash the BIOS.

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility V3.00

Current ROM

Update ROM

A:

Note

[Enter] Select or Load [B] Backup [ESC] Exit

[Tab] Switch [Up/Down/Home/End] Move

FLASH TYPE: MXIC 25L8005

PATH: A:\

BOARD: P5NSLI
VER: 0144 [0000]
DATE: 05/20/06

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

2-50 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Main Advanced Power Boot Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

This option save data
to CMOS and exiting
the setup menu.

Exit & Save Changes
Exit & Discard Changes
Load Setup Default
Discard Changes

F1:Help

↑↓

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults

ESC: Exit

→←

: Select Menu Enter: Select Sub-menu F10: Save and Exit

2.8 Exit menu

The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values
for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items.

Exit & Save Change s

Once you are nished making your selections, choose this option from the

Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM.
An onboard backup battery sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even

when the PC is turned off. When you select this option, a conrmation

window appears. Select Yes to save changes and exit.

Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the
options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit.

Exit & Discard Ch a n g e s

Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you

made to the Setup program. If you made changes to elds other than
System Date, System Time, and Password, the BIOS asks for a conrmation

before exiting.

If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes,
the program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save
your changes before exiting. Press <Enter> to save the changes while
exiting.