ASUS K8N-VM User Manual

K8N-VM

Motherboard

E226 4

Firs t E diti o n Octo b e r 200 5

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, modiﬁed or altered, unless such repair, modiﬁcation 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 identiﬁcation or explanation and to the ownersʼ beneﬁt, without intent to infringe.

Contents

Notices ................................................................................................ vi

Safety information ............................................................................. vii

k8N-VM speciﬁcations summary ........................................................viii

Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

1.2 Package contents ................................................................. 1-2

1.3 Special features .................................................................... 1-2

1.3.1 Product highlights ................................................... 1-2

1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features ...................................... 1-4

1.4 Before you proceed .............................................................. 1-5

1.5 Motherboard overview .......................................................... 1-6

1.5.1 Motherboard layout ................................................ 1-6

1.5.2 Placement direction ................................................ 1-7

1.5.3 Screw holes ............................................................. 1-7

1.5.4 Layout contents ..................................................... 1-8

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) .............................................. 1-9

1.7 System memory .................................................................. 1-11

1.7.1 Overview ............................................................... 1-11

1.7.2 Memory conﬁgurations .........................................1-11

1.7.3 Installing a DIMM ...................................................1-12

1.7.4 Removing a DIMM .................................................. 1-12

1.8 Expansion slots ................................................................... 1-13

1.8.1 Installing an expansion card .................................. 1-13

1.8.2 Conﬁguring an expansion card .............................. 1-13

1.8.3 PCI slots ................................................................ 1-15

1.8.4 PCI Express x1 slot ............................................... 1-15

1.8.5 PCI Express x16 slot ............................................. 1-15

1.9 Jumpers .............................................................................. 1-16

1.10 Connectors .........................................................................1-19

1.10.1 Rear panel connectors .......................................... 1-19

1.10.2 Internal connectors ............................................... 1-20

iii

Contents

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

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

2.1.1 Creating a bootable ﬂoppy disk .............................. 2-2

2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash utility ............................................... 2-3

2.1.3 AFUDOS utility ........................................................ 2-4

2.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility ................................ 2-6

2.1.5 ASUS Update utility ................................................ 2-8

2.2 BIOS setup program ............................................................ 2-11

2.2.1 BIOS menu screen ................................................. 2-12

2.2.2 Menu bar ............................................................... 2-12

2.2.3 Navigation keys .....................................................2-12

2.2.4 Menu items ........................................................... 2-13

2.2.5 Sub-menu items .................................................... 2-13

2.2.6 Conﬁguration ﬁelds ............................................... 2-13

2.2.7 Pop-up window ...................................................... 2-13

2.2.8 Scroll bar ............................................................... 2-13

2.2.9 General help .......................................................... 2-13

2.3 Main menu ........................................................................... 2-14

2.3.1 System Time ......................................................... 2-14

2.3.2 System Date ......................................................... 2-14

2.3.3 Legacy Diskette A ...............................................2-14

2.3.4 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave;

First and Second SATA ......................................... 2-15

2.3.5 IDE Conﬁguration .................................................. 2-16

2.3.6 System Information .............................................. 2-17

2.4 Advanced menu .................................................................. 2-18

2.4.1 AMD Cool ʻnʼ Quiet Conﬁguration .........................2-18

2.4.2 JumperFree Conﬁguration ..................................... 2-19

2.4.3 CPU Conﬁguration ................................................. 2-20

2.4.4 Chipset ................................................................. 2-20

2.4.5 Onboard Devices Conﬁguration .............................2-27

2.4.6 PCI PnP .................................................................. 2-28

2.4.7 USB Conﬁguration ................................................. 2-29

Contents

2.5 Power menu ........................................................................ 2-30

2.5.1 Suspend Mode ...................................................... 2-30

2.5.2 ACPI 2.0 Support ................................................. 2-30

2.5.3 ACPI APIC Support ................................................ 2-30

2.5.4 APM Conﬁguration ................................................2-31

2.5.5 Hardware Monitor .................................................. 2-32

2.6 Boot menu .......................................................................... 2-34

2.6.1 Boot Device Priority .............................................. 2-34

2.6.2 Boot Settings Conﬁguration ................................. 2-35

2.6.3 Security ................................................................. 2-36

2.7 Exit menu ............................................................................ 2-38

Chapter 3: Software support

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

3.2 Support CD information ........................................................ 3-2

3.2.1 Running the support CD .......................................... 3-2

3.2.2 Drivers menu ........................................................... 3-3

3.2.3 Utilities menu .......................................................... 3-4

3.2.4 Manual menu ........................................................... 3-5

3.2.5 ASUS Contact information ...................................... 3-6

Notices

Fed er al Co mm un ica ti on s C om mi ssi on S tat em en t

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 manufacturerʼs 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.

The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modiﬁcations to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the userʼs authority to operate this equipment.

Can ad ia n D ep ar tme nt o f C om mu nic at io ns St at eme nt

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.

Safety information

Ele c tr i cal sa f ety

•

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 adapter 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 fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.

Ope r at i on s af e ty

•

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 qualified service technician or your retailer.

vii

K8N-VM speciﬁcations summary

CPU

Chipset

Front Side Bus

Memory

Expansion slots

Graphics

Storage

High Definition Audio

LAN

USB

Special features

Accessories

Socket 754 for AMD Athlon™ 64/ Sempron processors Supports AMD 64 architecture that enables simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit architecture Supports AMD Cool ʻnʼ Quiet™ Technology

Northbridge: NVIDIA® GeForce 6100 Southbridge: NVIDIA® nForce 410

1600 MT/s

2 x 184-pin DIMM sockets support up to 2 GB of unbufferred ECC/non-ECC 400/333/266 MHz DDR memory modules

1 x PCI Express™ x16 slot for discrete graphic card 1 x PCI Express™ x1 slot 2 x PCI slots

Integrated in the NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6100 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

NVIDIA® nForce 410 media and communications processor (MCP) supports:

- 2 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 interfaces for four (4) hard disk drives

- 2 x Serial ATA I/Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s hard disk drives support RAID 0 and RAID 1 conﬁguration NVIDIA® MediaShield storage management technology

ADI AD1986A 5.1-channel High Deﬁnition Audio CODEC Supports Jack Sensing technology S/PDIF out interface

Integrated 10/100 Mb MAC with Realtek® ALC8201CL external PHY

Supports up to 8 USB 2.0 ports

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 ASUS EZ Flash ASUS MyLogo2™

1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable 1 x SATA cable 1 x SATA power cable 1 x FDD cable I/O Shield User manual

viii

(continued on the next page)

K8N-VM speciﬁcations summary

BIOS features

Rear panel

Internal connectors

Power Requirement

Form Factor

Manageability

Support CD contents

4 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, ACPI

2.0a, SM BIOS 2.3

1 x Parallel port 1 x LAN (RJ-45) port 4 x USB 2.0 ports 1 x VGA 1 x PS/2 keyboard port 1 x PS/2 mouse port 1 x Serial port

5.1 channel audio I/O ports

1 x Front panel audio connector 1 x CD in audio connector 1 x CPU fan connectors 1 x S/PDIF Out connector 2 x USB 2.0 connectors for four additional USB 2.0 ports 24-pin ATX power connector 4-pin x ATX 12V power connector

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

Micro-ATX: 9.6 in. x 7.6 in. (24.5cm x 19.3cm)

WfM2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME

Device drivers ASUS PC Probe II AMD Cool ʻnʼQuiet™ utility ASUS Live Update utility Anti-virus software (OEM version)

*Speciﬁcations are subject to change without notice.

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

introduction

Product

1.1 Welcome!

T h a n k y o u f o r b u y i n g a n A S U S

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.

K 8 N - VM m ot h e r b o a r d !

1.2 Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

Motherboard ASUS K8N-VM motherboard

Cables 1 x Serial ATA signal cable 1 x Serial ATA power cable 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable 1 x Floppy disk drive cable

Accessories I/O shield

Application CD ASUS motherboard support CD

Documentation User guide

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

1.3 Special features

1.3 .1 Pro du ct hi gh li ght s

Lat e st pro c es s or t ec h nol o gy

The motherboard supports AMD Athlon™ 64 and AMD Sempron™ desktop processors. The AMD Athlon™ 64 is based on AMDʼs 64-bit architecture, which represents the landmark introduction of the industryʼs ﬁrst x8664 technology. This processor provides a dramatic leap forward in compatibility, performance, investment protection, and reduced total cost of ownership and development.

The AMD Sempron™ is a 32-bit processor that provides the performance needs of value-conscious buyers. This processor is designed to deliver best-in-class performance for everyday computing. See page 1-9 for details.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction

PCI Ex p res s ™ i nte r fa 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 speciﬁcations. See page 1-15 for details.

Ser i al ATA II tec h no l ogy

The motherboard supports the Serial ATA 3 Gb/s technology through the Serial ATA interfaces. The Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s speciﬁcation provides twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new features, including Native Command Queueing (NCQ), and Power Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm. Serial ATA allows for thinner, more ﬂexible cables with lower pin count, reduced voltage requirement. See page 1-22 for details.

The Hot Swap function is supported only in RAID mode.

S/P D IF dig i ta l so u nd rea d y

The motherboard supports the S/PDIF Out function 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 1-23 for details.

USB 2.0 te c hno log y

The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 speciﬁcation, 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 1-17, 1-19 and 1-23 for details.

ASUS K8N-VM 1-3

1.3 .2 Inn ov at ive A SU S f ea tu res

ASU S E Z Fl a sh BIO S

With the ASUS EZ Flash, you can easily update the system BIOS even before loading the operating system. No need to use a DOS-based utility or boot from a ﬂoppy disk. See page 2-3 for details.

ASU S C r ash F re e BI O S 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.

ASU S M y Log o 2™

This feature allows you to personalize and add style to your system with customizable boot logos. See page 2-35 for details.

C.P . R. (CP U P a ram e te r Re c al 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.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.4 Before you proceed

K8N-VM Onboard LED

SB_PWR

Standby

Power

OFF

Powered

Off

K8N-VM

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 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.

Onboard LED

The motherboard comes with a standby power LED that lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft-off 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.

ASUS K8N-VM/PVG 1-5

1.5 Motherboard overview

Socket 754

nVidia GeForce 6100

DDR DIMM1 (64 bit, 184-pin module)

DDR DIMM2 (64 bit, 184-pin module)

ATX12V

4Mb Flash ROM

PCIEX1_1

PCIEX16

PCI1

PCI2

Realtek

Audio

CR2032 3V Lithium Cell

CMOS Powe

Super I/O

EATXPWR

nVidia nForce 410

SEC_IDE

SATA1

SATA2

FLOPPY

CPU_FAN

KBPWR

PS/2

T: Mouse B: Keyboard

COM1

PARALLEL PORT

VGA

Below:Mic In

Center:Line Out

Top:Line In

RJ-45

Top:

USB3 USB4

Bottom:

USB1 USB2

SPDIF_OUT

AAFP

USB56

USB78

PANEL

CLRTC

USBPW5678

SB_PWR

USBPW1234

PRI_IDE

19.3cm (7.6in)

24.5cm (9.6in)

K8N-VM

1.5 .1 Mot he rb oar d la you t

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction

K8N-VM

1.5 .2 Pla ce me nt di re cti on

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 .3 Scr ew h ole s

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

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

Pla c e this s i d e tow a r d s the r e ar of t h e cha s s i s

ASUS K8N-VM/PVG 1-7

1.5 .4 Lay ou t con te nt s

Slots Page

1. PCI 1-15

2. PCI-E x 1 1-15

3. PCI-E x 16 1-15

Jumpers Page

1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC) 1-16

2. USB Device wake-up (3-pin USBPW12, USBPW34, USBPW56, USBPW78) 1-17

3. Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR) 1-18

Rear panel connectors Page

1. PS/2 mouse port (green) 1-19

2. Parallel port 1-19

3. LAN (RJ-45) port 1-19

4. Line In port (light blue) 1-19

5. Line Out port (lime) 1-19

6. Microphone port (pink) 1-19

7. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4 1-20

8. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2 1-20

9. Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port 1-20

10. Serial port 1-20

14. PS/2 keyboard port (purple) 1-20

Internal connectors Page

1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY) 1-20

2. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE, SEC_IDE) 1-21

3. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA2) 1-22

4. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT) 1-23

5. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB78) 1-23

6. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP) 1-24

7. Internal audio connector (4-pin CD) 1-24

8. ATX power connectors (24-pin ATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V) 1-25

9. System panel connector (20-1 pin PANEL) 1-26 System power LED (Green 3-pin PLED)

Hard disk drive activity LED (Red 2-pin IDE_LED) System warning speaker (Orange 4-pin SPEAKER) ATX power button/soft-off button (Yellow 2-pin PWRSW) Reset button (Blue 2-pin RESET)

1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

K8N-VM CPU Socket 754

K8N-VM

The motherboard comes with a surface mount 754-pin Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket designed for the AMD Athlon™ 64 and Sempron processor.

The 128-bit-wide data paths of these processors can run applications faster than processors with only 32-bit or 64-bit wide data paths.

Take note of the marked corner (with gold triangle) on the CPU. This mark should match a speciﬁc corner on the socket to ensure correct installation.

Gold triangle

Ins t al l ing th e CP U

Follow these steps to install a CPU.

1. Locate the 754-pin ZIF socket on the motherboard.

2. Unlock the socket by pressing the lever sideways, then lift it up to a 90°-100° angle.

ASUS K8N-VM/PVG 1-9

Soc k e t Leve r

Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to 90°-100° angle, otherwise the CPU does not ﬁt in completely.

3. Position the CPU above the

K8N-VM CPU Fan Connector

CPU_FAN

GND

Rotation

+12V

K8N-VM

socket such that the CPU corner with the gold triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle.

4. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it ﬁts in place.

Sma l l trian g l e

Gol d t riang l e

The CPU ﬁts only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the CPU!

5. When the CPU is in place, push down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked.

6. Install a CPU heatsink and fan following the instructions that came with the heatsink package.

7. Connect the CPU fan cable to the CPU_FAN connector on the motherboard.

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

1-10 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.7 System memory

K8N-VM 184-pin DDR DIMM Sockets

DIMM1

DIMM2

K8N-VM

1.7 .1 Ove rv ie w

The motherboard comes with four 184-pin Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets.

The following ﬁgure illustrates the location of the sockets:

1.7 .2 Mem or y con fi gu rat io ns

You may install 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, and 1 GB unbuffered ECC/non-ECC DDR DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the memory conﬁgurations in this section.

•

Installing DDR DIMMs other than the recommended conﬁgurations may cause memory sizing error or system boot failure. Use any of the recommended conﬁgurations on the next page.

•

Install only identical (the same type and size) DDR DIMM pairs for dual channel.

•

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

• Due to chipset limitation, this motherboard does not support DIMM modules with less than or equal to 128 Mb memory chips.

Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for the latest DDR 400 Qualiﬁed Vendors List.

ASUS K8N-VM/PVG 1-11

1.7 .3 Ins ta ll ing a D IM M

Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the components.

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.

A DDR DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it ﬁts in only one direction. DO NOT force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM.

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

DDR D I MM no t c h

Loc k e d Reta i n i ng Cl i p

1.7 .4 Rem ov in g a D IM M

To remove a DIMM:

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

Support the DIMM lightly with your ﬁngers when pressing the retaining clips. The DIMM might get damaged when it ﬂips out with extra force.

DDR D I MM no t c h

2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.

1-12 Chapter 1: Product introduction

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.

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.

1.8 .1 Ins ta ll ing a n ex p an si on ca rd

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 ﬁrmly 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 Con fi gu rin g an e x pa ns io n c ar d

After installing the expansion card, conﬁgure 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.

ASUS K8N-VM/PVG 1-13

Sta n da r d i n te r rup t a s sig n me n ts

IRQ Priority Standard Function

0 1 System Timer 1 2 Keyboard Controller 2 – Re-direct to IRQ#9 3 11 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 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

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

IRQ as s ign m en t s f o r t his mo t her b oa r d

A B C D

PCI slot 1 — — used — PCI slot 2 — — — used

When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support “Share IRQ” or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments; otherwise, conﬂicts will arise between the two PCI groups, making the system unstable and the card inoperable.

1-14 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.8 .3 PCI s lo ts

The PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI speciﬁcations. The ﬁgure shows a LAN card installed on a PCI slot.

1.8 .4 PCI E xp res s x1 sl ot

This motherboard supports PCI Express x1 network cards, SCSI cards and other cards that comply with the PCI Express speciﬁcations. The following ﬁgure shows a network card installed on the PCI Express x1 slot.

1.8 .5 PCI E xp res s x1 6 s lo t

This motherboard has supports PCI Express x16 graphic cards that comply with PCI Express speciﬁcations. The ﬁgure shows a graphics card installed on the PCI Express x16 slot.

ASUS K8N-VM 1-15

+ 57 hidden pages

ASUS K8N-VM User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual