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, modied or
altered, unless such repair, modication 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 identication or
explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
ii
Contents
Notices ................................................................................................ vi
Safety information ..............................................................................vii
2.7 Tools menu ......................................................................... 2-33
2.7.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 .................................................... 2-33
2.8 Exit menu ............................................................................ 2-34
v
Notices
Federal Communications Commission Statement
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.
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics
card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes
or modications to this unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate
this equipment.
Canadian Department of Communications Statement
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.
vi
Safety information
Electrical safety
•
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 x it by yourself. Contact a
qualied service technician or your retailer.
Operation safety
•
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
qualied 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.
vii
M2N-MX specications summary
CPU
Chipset
Front Side Bus
Memory
Expansion slots
Graphics
Storage
High Denition Audio
LAN
USB
Support AMD socket AM2 for AMD Athlon™ 64/
Athlon™ FX/Athlon™ X2/Sempron processors
AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32-bit and
64-bit computing
Supports AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology
NVIDIA® nForce 430/GeForce6100
2000/1600 MT/s
Dual-channel memory architecture
4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support up to 4 GB of
unbufferred/non-ECC 800/667/533 MHz
DDR2 memory modules
1 x PCI Express™ x16 slot
1 x PCI Express™ x1 slot
2 x PCI slots
Integrated in the NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6100 Graphics
Processing Unit (GPU)
High denition video processing with maximum
resolution of 1920 x 1440 x 32bpp pixels (@75Hz)
NVIDIA® nForce™430 media and communications
processor (MCP) supports:
- 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100 interfaces for two (2) hard
disk drives
- 4 x Serial ATA 3 Gb/s hard disk drives Supports
RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, JBOD
SoundMAX® ADI AD1986A 6 channels CODEC
Supports Jack-Sensing & Enumeration technology
S/PDIF OUT interface
ATTANSIC Gigabit LAN PHY
Supports up to 10 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
viii
(continued on the next page)
M2N-MX specications summary
Manageability
Special features
BIOS features
Rear panel
Internal Connector
Power Requirement
Form Factor
Support CD contents
ASUS Q-Fan
ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2
ASUS EZ Flash
ASUS MyLogo2™
Stepless Frequency Selection (SFS) allows FSB tuning
from 200 MHz to 230 MHz at 1 MHz increment
Note: ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 and ASUS EZ Flash 2 only
support VGA/RGB output.
4 Mb Flash ROM, Award BIOS,Green, PnP, DMI, Wfm2.0,
ACPI v 2.0a, SM BIOS v 2.3
1 x Parallel port
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x VGA port
1 x COM1 port
1 x PS/2 keyboard port
1 x PS/2 mouse port
6-channel audio ports
1 x 10-pin Azalia Analog Front panel connector
1 x CD audio in connector
1 x CPU fan connector
1 x Chassis fan connectors
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
1 x S/PDIF Out connector
1 x PRI_IDE connectors
4 x Serial ATA connectors
3 x USB 2.0 connectors for 6 additional USB 2.0 ports
1 x 24-pin ATX power connector
1 x 4-pin x ATX 12V power connector
1 x System panel connector
ATX power supply (with 24-pin and 4-pin 12 V plugs)
ATX 12 V 2.0 compliant
uATX: 9.6 in. x 8.8 in.
Device drivers
ASUS PC Probe II
AMD Cool ‘n’Quiet™ utility
ASUS Live Update utility
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
*Specications are subject to change without notice.
ix
x
This chapter describes the motherboard
features and the new technologies
it supports.
introduction
Product
1
1.1 Special features
1. 1. 1 Pr od uc t hi g hl ig ht s
Lat es t p ro ce s so r t ec hn o lo gy
The motherboard supports AMD socket AM2 single-core Athlon 64/
Sempron and dual-core Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX processors with
2MB/1MB/512KB L2 cache, which is based on 64-bit architecture. It
features 2000/1600 MT/s HyperTransport Bus, dual-channel un-buffered
DDR2 800 memory support and AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Technology. See page
1-9 for details.
AMD C oo l ‘ n’ Qu ie t T ec h no lo gy
The motherboard supports the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Technology, which
monitors system operation and automatically adjusts CPU voltage and
frequency for a cool and quiet operating environment.
NVI DI A® Ge Fo rc e ™ 61 0 0 GP U
and N VI D IA® nF or ce ™ 4 30 MC P c hi ps e ts
The NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6100 graphics processing unit (GPU) Northbridge
supports Microsoft® DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0, and PCI Express
interface.
The NVIDIA® nForce™ 430 media and communications processor (MCP)
Southbridge delivers NVIDIA® Gigabit and NVIDIA® MediaShield storage
The motherboard supports DDR2 memory which features data transfer
rates of 800MHz/667 MHz/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 12.8 GB/s. See pages 1-13 to
1-16 for details.
1-2Chap t e r 1 : Pr o d u c t in t r o d u ctio n
PCI E xp r es s™ in te r fa ce
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 specications. See page 1-20 for details.
Ser ia l A TA 3 G b/ s t ec hn o lo gy
The motherboard supports next-generation SATA hard drives based on
the new SATA 3Gb/s storage specication. The onboard NVIDIA
Gb 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.
USB 2 .0 te ch n ol og y
The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
specication, 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 1-28 for details.
Hig h De f in it i on A u di o
SoundMAX is the highest performing, most reliable and user-friendly PC
audio solution for business professionals, audiophiles, musicians, and
gamers. Hear crystal-clear quality from all your audio - MP3 playback, home
theatre, advanced gaming, VOIP and more, and never worry - SoundMAX
high-denition audio is there to enhance your experience!
ASUS M 2 N - MX 1-3
1. 1. 2 In no va ti ve AS US f ea tur es
ASU S Cr a sh Fr e e BI O S 2
This feature allows you to restore the original BIOS data from the support
CD or oppy disk in case when the BIOS codes and data are corrupted. This
protection eliminates the need to buy a replacement BIOS chip. See page
2-6 for details.
ASU S EZ Fl as h 2
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 oppy disk. See page 2-3 for details.
ASU S Q- F an t e ch no l og y
The ASUS Q-Fan technology smartly adjusts the fan speeds according to
the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efcient operation.
See page 2-31 for details.
1-4Chap t e r 1 : Pr o d u c t in t r o d u ctio n
1.2 Before you proceed
M2N-MX
R
M2N-MX Onboard LED
SB_PWR
ON
Standby
Power
OFF
Powered
Off
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 M2N-MX1-5
22.4cm (8.8in)
DDR2 DIMM_A1 (128 bit,240-pin module)
DDR2 DIMM_B1 (128 bit,240-pin module)
DDR2 DIMM_A2 (128 bit,240-pin module)
DDR2 DIMM_B2 (128 bit,240-pin module)
EATXPWR
PRI_IDE
FLOPPY
Socket M2
PWR_FAN
SATA3
SATA1
SATA4
SATA2
NVIDIA MCP61G
M2N-MX
24.5cm (9.6in
)
PANEL
USB78
USB910
USB56
PCI2
PCI1
PCIEX1_1
PCIEX16
CR2032 3V
Lithium Cell
CMOS Power
R
SB_PWR
SPDIF_O
AAFP
CPU_FAN
4Mb BIOS
Super I/O
AD1986A
ATTANSIC
F001
CD
PS2_USB_PWR
ATX12V
PS/2KBMS
T: Mouse
B: Keyboard
PARALLEL
POR
T
AUDIO
LAN_USB34
USB12
VGACOM1
CLRTC
1.3 Motherboard overview
1. 3. 1 Mo th er bo ar d l ay ou t
1-6Chapter 1: Product introduction
M2N-MX
R
1. 3. 2 Pl ac em en t d ir ec ti 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. 3. 3 Sc re w ho les
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.
Plac e t h i s s i d e t o w a r d s
the r e a r o f t h e c h a s s i s
ASUS M2N-MX1-7
1.4 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
M2N-MX
R
M2N-MX CPU Socket M2
The motherboard comes with a 940-pin AM2 socket designed for the AMD
Athlon™ 64 X2/Athlon™ 64/Athlon™ FX/Sempron™ processor.
The AM2 socket has a different pinout from the 940-pin socket designed
for the AMD Opteron™ processor. Make sure you use a CPU is designed
for the AM2 socket. 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!
1.4 .1 Ins ta ll i ng t h e CP U
To install a CPU.
1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.
2. Unlock the socket by pressing the
lever sideways, then lift it up to a
90°-100° angle.
Sock e t l e v e r
Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to 90°-100° angle, otherwise
the CPU does not t in completely.
1-8Chapter 1: Product introduction
3. Position the CPU above the
M2N-MX
R
M2N-MX Fan Connectors
CPU_FAN
GND
CPU FAN PWR
CPU FAN IN
CPU FAN PWM
PWR_FAN
GND
Rotation
+12V
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 ts in place.
Smal l t riangle
Gold t r i a n g l e
The CPU ts 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.
ASUS M2N-MX1-9
Do not forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring
errors can occur if you fail to plug this connector.
1. 4. 2 In st al li ng th e he at s in k an d f an
The AMD Athlon™ 64 X2/Athlon™ 64/Athlon™ FX/Sempron™ processor
require a specially designed heatsink and fan assembly to ensure optimum
thermal condition and performance.
Make sure that you use only qualied heatsink and fan assembly.
Follow these steps to install the CPU heatsink and fan.
1. Place the heatsink on top of the installed CPU, making sure that the
heatsink ts properly on the retention module base.
• The retention module base is already installed on the motherboard
upon purchase.
• You do not have to remove the retention module base when
installing the CPU or installing other motherboard components.
• If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, make
sure that a Thermal Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU
heatsink or CPU before you install the heatsink and fan assembly.
CPU F a n
CPU H e a t s i n k
Rete n t i o n M o d u l e B a s e
Rete n t i o n b r a c k e t l o c kRete n t i o n b r a c k e t
Your boxed CPU heatsink and fan assembly should come with installation
instructions for the CPU, heatsink, and the retention mechanism. If the
instructions in this section do not match the CPU documentation, follow
the latter.
1-10Chapter 1: Product introduction
2. Attach one end of the retention bracket to the retention module base.
3. Align the other end of the retention bracket (near the retention
bracket lock) to the retention module base. A clicking sound denotes
that the retention bracket is in place.
Make sure that the fan and
heatsink assembly perfectly
ts the retention mechanism
module base; otherwise, you
cannot snap the retention
bracket in place.
4. Push down the retention bracket lock on the retention mechanism to
secure the heatsink and fan to the module base.
ASUS M2N-MX1-11
1.5 System memory
M2N-MX
R
M2N-MX 240-pin DDR2 DIMM Sockets
DIMM_B1
DIMM_A2
DIMM_B2
DIMM_A1
112 Pins128 Pins
1. 5. 1 Ov er vi ew
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:
Channel Sockets
Channel A DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2
Channel B DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2
1. 5. 2 Me mo ry c on f ig ur at io n s
You may install 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB unbuffered/non-ECC
DDR2 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.