ASUS M2N-PLUS SLI User Manual

M2N-Plus SLI

Vista Edition

Motherboard

E3166

Second Edition V2
April 2007

Copyright © 2007 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.

ii

Contents

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

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

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

M2N-Plus SLI Vista Editionspecications summary ............................... xi

Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

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

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

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

1.3.2 ASUS AI Lifestyle features ..............................................

1.3.3 ASUS Special features ...................................................

1.3.4 ASUS features and the supporting OS ...........................

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-1

2.2 Motherboard overview .................................................................

2.2.1 Placement direction ........................................................

2.2.2 Screw holes ....................................................................

2.2.3 Motherboard layout .........................................................

2.2.4 Layout contents ...............................................................

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ...................................................

2.3.1 Installing the CPU ...........................................................

2.3.2 Installing the heatsink and fan ........................................

2.4 System memory .........................................................................

2.4.1 Overview ........................................................................

2.4.2 Memory congurations ...................................................

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM ..........................................................

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................

2.5 Expansion slots ..........................................................................

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card .........................................

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card .....................................

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ...................................................

2.5.4 PCI slots ........................................................................

2.5.5 PCI Express x1 slots .....................................................

2.5.6 PCI Express x16 slots ...................................................

1-1

1-2

1-2

1-4

1-5

1-6

2-2

2-2

2-2

2-3

2-4

2-6

2-6

2-8

2-11

2-11

2-11

2-13

2-13

2-17

2-17

2-17

2-18

2-18

2-18

2-19

iii

Contents

2.6 Jumper ........................................................................................ 2-20

2.7 Connectors .................................................................................

2.7.1 Rear panel connectors ..................................................

2.7.2 Internal connectors .......................................................

Chapter 3: Powering up

3.1 Starting up for the rst time ........................................................ 3-1

3.2 Turning off the computer .............................................................

3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function ....................................

3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch ..............................

Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 4-1

4.1.1 ASUS Update utility ........................................................

4.1.2 Creating a bootable oppy disk .......................................

4.1.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility ...................................................

4.1.4 Updating the BIOS ..........................................................

4.1.5 Saving the current BIOS le ............................................

4.1.6 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ......................................

4.2 BIOS setup program ..................................................................

4.2.1 BIOS menu screen .........................................................

4.2.2 Menu bar ........................................................................

4.2.3 Legend bar ....................................................................

4.2.4 Menu items ...................................................................

4.2.5 Sub-menu items ............................................................

4.2.6 Conguration elds .......................................................

4.2.7 Pop-up window .............................................................

4.2.8 General help .................................................................

4.3 Main menu ..................................................................................

4.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx] .................................................

4.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] .......................................

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

4.3.4 Primary/Secondary IDE Master/Slave ..........................

4.3.5 SATA1~4 .......................................................................

4.3.6 HDD SMART Monitoring [Disabled] ..............................

4.3.7 Installed Memory [xxx MB] ............................................

4.3.8 Usable Memory [XXX MB] ..............................................

2-22

2-22

2-24

3-2

3-2

3-2

4-1

4-4

4-5

4-6

4-8

4-9

4-10

4-11

4-11

4-12

4-12

4-12

4-12

4-13

4-13

4-14

4-14

4-14

4-14

4-15

4-17

4-18

4-18

-18

iv

Contents

4.4 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 4-19

4.4.1 JumperFree Conguration ............................................

4.4.2 CPU Conguration ........................................................

4.4.3 PCIPnP .........................................................................

4.4.4 Onboard Device Conguration ......................................

4.4.5 SLI Conguration ..........................................................

4.5 Power menu ................................................................................

4.5.1 ACPI Suspend Type [S1&S3]

4.5.2 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled] ....................................... 4-29

4.5.3 APM Conguration ........................................................

4.5.4 Hardware Monitor .........................................................

4.6 Boot menu ..................................................................................

4.6.1 Boot Device Priority ......................................................

4.6.2 Removable Drives .........................................................

4.6.3 Hard Disk Drives ...........................................................

4.6.4 CDROM Drives .............................................................

4.6.5 Boot Settings Conguration .........................................

4.6.6 Security .........................................................................

4.7 Tools menu .................................................................................

4.7.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ..........................................................

4.8 Exit menu ....................................................................................

........................................ 4-29

4-19

4-21

4-24

4-24

4-28

4-29

4-30

4-32

4-34

4-34

4-35

4-35

4-35

4-36

4-37

4-39

4-39

4-40

Chapter 5: Software support

5.1 Installing an operating system ................................................... 5-1

5.2 Support CD information ..............................................................

5.2.1 Running the support CD .................................................

5.2.2 Drivers menu ...................................................................

5.2.3 Utilities menu ..................................................................

5.2.4 Make Disk menu .............................................................

5.2.5 Manual menu ..................................................................

5.2.6 ASUS Contact information ..............................................

5.2.7 Other information ............................................................

5.3 Software information ...................................................................

5.3.1 ASUS MyLogo2™ ...........................................................

5.3.2 Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology ..........................................

5.3.3 C-Media CM6501 audio utility .......................................

5-1

5-1

5-2

5-3

5-5

5-6

5-6

5-7

5-9

5-9

5-11

5-13

v

Contents

5.3.4 ASUS PC Probe II ......................................................... 5-16

5.3.5 ASUS AI Gear ...............................................................

5.3.6 ASUS AI Nap ................................................................

5.3.7 AI Remote .....................................................................

®

5.4 Windows

5.4.1 ASAP (ASUS Accelerated Propeller) ....................5-32

5.5 RAID congurations .................................................................. 5-33

5.5.1 Installing hard disks ......................................................

5.5.2 NVIDIA

5.6 Creating a RAID driver disk .......................................................

Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support

6.1 Overview ....................................................................................... 6-1

6.2 Dual graphics card setup ............................................................

6.2.1 Installing SLI-ready graphics cards .................................

6.2.2 Installing the device drivers .............................................

6.2.3 Enabling the multi-GPU feature in Windows

Vista feature ............................................................. 5-32

®

RAID congurations........................................ 5-35

® ...............................

5-22

5-23

5-24

5-34

5-42

6-2

6-2

6-5

6-5

vi

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 modications

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.

vii

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 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.

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 qualied

service technician or your retailer.

viii

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

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring

the motherboard.

How this guide is organized

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: Hardware information

This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform
when installing system components. It includes description of the switches,
jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.

• Chapter 3: Powering up

This chapter describes the power up sequence and ways of shutting down
the system.

• Chapter 4: 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 5: Software support

This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the
motherboard package.

®

• Chapter 6: NVIDIA

This chapter tells how to install SLI-ready PCI Express graphics cards.

SLI™ technology support

Where to nd more information

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

1. ASUS websites

The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and
software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.

2. Optional documentation

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.

ix

Conventions used in this guide

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

DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself

when trying to complete a task.

CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components

when trying to complete a task.

IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a

task.

NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a

task.

Typography

Bold text 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 M2NPLUSV.bin

x

M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition

specications summary

CPU Socket AM2 for AMD Athlon™ 64 FX / AMD Athlon™ 64 X2

Chipset NVIDIA® nForce® 500 SLI™ MCP

System bus 2000 / 1600 MT/s

Memory Dual-channel memory architecture

Expansion slots 2 x PCI Express™ x16 slots with NVIDIA® SLI™ support

Scalable Link Interface
(SLI™)

Storage NVIDIA® nForce® 500 SLI™ MCP supports:

LAN NVIDIA® nForce® 500 SLI™ MCP built-in Gigabit MAC

Audio C-Media Superior Quality Audio 7.1 channel CODEC

IEEE 1394a VIA 1394 controller supports 2 x 1394a ports

USB 2.0 Supports up to 8 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (four at mid-board,

/ AMD Athlon 64™ / AMD Sempron™ processors
Supports AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology
AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32-bit and
64-bit computing
AMD Live!™ ready

- 4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support unbufferred
ECC/non-ECC DDR2 800/667/533 MHz memory
modules

- Supports up to 8 GB system memory

at x8, x8 speed
2 x PCI Express™ x1 slots
2 x PCI 2.2 slots

Supports two identical NVIDIA® SLI™-ready graphics
cards, both at x8 mode
ASUS two-slot thermal design

- 2 x IDE connectors for four Ultra DMA133/100/66/33
devices

- 4 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s connectors support four
Serial ATA devices

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

congurations spanning across Serial ATA drives

with external Attansic PHY

- Supports TCP/IP Acceleration

(Vista-ready)

- Supports S/PDIF Out interface

four on the rear panel)

(continued on the next page)

xi

M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition

specications summary

ASUS AI Lifestyle
features

Overclocking features AI Overclocking (intelligent CPU frequency tuner)

Special features ASUS EZ DIY:

Rear panel I/O ports 1 x PS/2 keyboard port (purple)

Internal connectors 2 x USB 2.0 connectors support four additional USB 2.0

ASUS AI Lifestyle Vista Edition features:

- AI Remote

- ASAP (ASUS Accelerated Propeller)

- TPM Support (the module is purchased separately)

- AP Trigger
*ASUS AI Remote, AP Trigger, and TPM run with both
Windows® Vista and XP
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution:

- ASUS AI Gear

- ASUS AI Nap

Stepless Frequency Selection (SFS) allows FSB tuning
from 200 MHz up to 400 MHz at 1 MHz increment
ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)
Adjustable FSB/DDR2 ratio. Fixed PCI/PCIe frequencies

- ASUS Q-Connector

- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

- ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS Q-Fan 2
ASUS MyLogo2

1 x PS/2 mouse port (green)
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
1 x IEEE 1394a port
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
1 x S/PDIF Out port
1 x Parallel port (printer port)
1 x COM port
8-channel audio ports

ports
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
2 x IDE connector for four devices
4 x Serial ATA connectors
1 x CPU / 1 x Chassis / 1 x Power fan connectors
1 x IEEE 1394a connector
1 x S/PDIF Out connector
Front panel audio connector
CD audio in
24-pin ATX power connector
4-pin ATX 12 V power connector
System panel connector

(continued on the next page)

xii

M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition

specications summary

BIOS features 4 Mb BIOS ROM, AWARD BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.0, WfM2.0,

Manageability WOL by PME, WOR by PME, Chassis intrusion, PXE

Accessories 1 x SLI bridge

Support CD Drivers

Form factor ATX form factor: 12 in x 8.6 in (30.5 cm x 21.8 cm)

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

SM BIOS 2.3

1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
2 x SATA cables
1 x SATA power cable for 2 devices
1 x I/O shield
1 x ASUS Q-Connector kit (USB, system panel; Retail
version only)
AI Remote (Retail version only)
User’s manual

ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS Update
NVIDIA® MediaShield™ RAID
Anti-virus software (OEM version)

xiii

xiv

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

Product

1

introduction

Chapter summary

1

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

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

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

1-1

1-2

ASUS M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition motherboard!

The motherboard delivers a host of new features and the 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.

Motherboard ASUS M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition

Cables 2 x Serial ATA cables
1 x Serial ATA power cables for two devices
1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable
1 x Floppy disk drive cable

Accessories I/O shield
ASUS SLI™ Bridge
1 x ASUS Q-Connector Kit (USB, System panel;
Retail version only)
AI Remote (Retail version only)

Application CD ASUS motherboard support CD

Documentation User guide

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

ASUS M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition 1-1

1.3 Special features

1.3.1 Product highlights

Latest processor technology

The motherboard comes with a 940-pin AM2 socket that supports AMD Athlon™
64 X2/Athlon™ 64/Athlon™ 64 FX/Sempron™ processor. With an integrated low­latency high-bandwidth memory controller and a highly scalable HyperTransport™
technology-based system bus, the motherboard provides a powerful platform for

your diverse computing needs, increased ofce productivity, and enhanced digital

media experience. See page 2-6 for details.

NVIDIA® Scalable Link Interface (SLI™)

The NVIDIA® Scalable Link Interface (SLI™) technology allows two graphics
processing units (GPUs) in a single system. This technology takes advantage of
the PCI Express™ bus architecture and features intelligent hardware and software
solutions that allows multiple GPUs to work together and achieve exceptional
graphics performance.

NVIDIA nForce

NVIDIA nForce
a complete range of solutions for AMD-based discrete platforms. Performance
enhancing features include NVIDIA® LinkBoost™ technology to automatically
increase the bus speed and NVIDIA® SLI™ technology for scalable graphics
performance.

®

500 SLI™

®

500 SLI™ media and communication processors (MCPs) deliver

AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology

The motherboard supports the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology that dynamically
and automatically changes the CPU speed, voltage and amount of power
depending on the task the CPU performs. See page 4-24.

DDR2 memory support

The motherboard supports DDR2 memory that features data transfer rates of

800/667/533 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 page 2-11 and 2-12 for details.

Serial ATA 3Gb/s RAID

The motherboard supports the next-generation Serial ATA hard drives based on the

SATA 3Gb/s storage specication. The onboard NVIDIA nForce® 500 SLI™ MCP

allows RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, and JBOD. See page 2-25.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction

PCI Express™ interface

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 page 2-18 and 2-19 for details.

Gigabit LAN

The motherboard comes with a Gigabit LAN controller built into the NVIDIA
nForce™ 500 SLI™ chipset to meet your growing networking needs. The controller
uses the PCI Express segment to provide faster data bandwidth for your Internet,

LAN, and le sharing requirements. See page 2-22 for details.

®

IEEE 1394a support

The IEEE 1394a interface provides high-speed and exible PC connectivity to

a wide range of peripherals and devices compliant to the IEEE 1394a standard.
The IEEE 1394a interface allows up to 400 Mbps transfer rates through simple,
low-cost, high-bandwidth asynchronous (real-time) data interfacing between
computers, peripherals, and consumer electronic devices such as camcorders,
VCRs, printers, TVs, and digital cameras. See page 2-22 and 2-27 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 page 2-23 and 2-27 for details.

C-Media Superior Quality Audio

C-Media CM6501 onboard 8-channel superior audio CODEC transfers audio signal
over USB bus and is Microsoft Vista-ready. See page 5-13 to 5-15 for details.

S/PDIF digital sound ready

The motherboard supports the S/PDIF technology through the S/PDIF interfaces
on the rear panel. The S/PDIF technology turns your computer into a high-end
entertainment system with digital connectivity to powerful audio and speaker
systems. See page 2-23 and 2-30 for details.

This function can only work under C-Media ofcial driver.

ASUS M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition 1-3

1.3.2 ASUS AI Lifestyle features

AI Remote

The revolutionary AI Remote gives you unprecedented control from the comfort of
your couch. With just a touch of the button, you can quickly do your usual computer
activities such as turn ON/OFF your PC, launch your favorite applications by
enabling AP Trigger function, or control AI Gear and AI Nap. The AI Remote also
gives you the comfort of a traditional remote on media player. Have an AI Remote
in your hand and do more with your PC from a distance! See page 5-24 for details.

ASAP (ASUS Accelerated Propeller)

ASAP gets you to your destination ASAP. ASAP supports the Windows®
ReadyBoost™ technology which improves system performance under Windows

Vista. Enjoy greater efciency and get more productivity out of your system. See

page 5-32 for details.

AP Trigger

The AP Trigger allows you to quickly boot or resume directly into media or into
your favorite applications. With just a touch of the button on the AI Remote

controller, you can quickly turn on your PC and launch predened applications

simultaneously!

TPM Support

This motherboard supports the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), which provides
you with enhanced data protection via high-level encryption/decryption and
ensures platform integrity. The TPM meets the Windows® Vista BitLocker™ Drive
Encryption hardware requirement for a more secure working environment. See
page 2-30 and 4-38 for details.

®

The TPM module is purchased separately. Use the ASUS TPM module ONLY.

AI Gear

AI Gear allows users to choose from four modes to adjust CPU and Vcore voltage,

minimizing noise and power consumption. Users can choose the mode that best

suits their needs. See page 5-22 for details.

AI Nap

With AI Nap, the system can continue running at minimum power and noise
when the user is temporarily away. To wake the system and return to the OS
environment, simply click the mouse or press a key. See page 5-23 for details.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.3.3 ASUS Special features

Fanless Design

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

malfunction likelihood. ASUS motherboard’s fanless 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, Northbridge and Southbridge. The heatsinks

and strategic board layout are tailor made to dissipate heat in the most efcient

manner.

ASUS Q-Fan 2 technology

The ASUS Q-Fan technology smartly adjusts the CPU and chassis fan speeds

according to the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efcient operation. See

page 4-32 and 4-33 for details.

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 5-9 and 5-10 for

details.

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 allows users to restore corrupted BIOS data from a

USB ash disk containing the BIOS le. This utility saves users the cost and hassle

of buying a replacement BIOS chip. See page 4-9 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 4-5 for details.

ASUS Q-Connector

The ASUS Q-Connector allows you to connect or disconnect chassis front panel
cables in one easy step with one complete module. This unique adapter eliminates
the trouble of plugging in one cable at a time, making connection quick and
accurate. See page 2-33 for details.

ASUS M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition 1-5

Green ASUS

This motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union’s Restriction

on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). This is in line with the ASUS vision

of creating environment-friendly and recyclable products/packaging to safeguard

consumers’ health while minimizing the impact on the environment.

1.3.4 ASUS features and the supporting OS

Refer to the following table for the OS that supports ASUS features.

Win 2000 XP 32bit XP 64bit Vista 32bit Vista 64bit

AI Remote v v v v

AP Trigger v v v v

ASAP Function as USB Flash only v v

AI Gear v v v v v

AI Nap v v v v v

PC Probe II v v v v v

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction

This chapter lists the hardware setup
procedures that you have to perform
when installing system components. It
includes description of the jumpers and
connectors on the motherboard.

information

Hardware

2

Chapter summary

2

2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-1

2.2 Motherboard overview .................................................................

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ...................................................

2.4 System memory .........................................................................

2.5 Expansion slots ..........................................................................

2.6 Jumper ........................................................................................

2.7 Connectors .................................................................................

2-2

2-6

2-11

2-17

2-20

2-22

ASUS M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition

2.1 Before you proceed

M2N-PLUS SLI

®

M2N-PLUS SLI 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 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.

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 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-Plus SLI Vista Edition

2-1

2.2 Motherboard overview

M2N-PLUS SLI

®

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.

2.2.1 Placement direction

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.

2.2.2 Screw holes

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.

Place this side towards

the rear of the chassis

2-2 Chapter 2: Hardware information

M2N-PLUS SLI

®

24.5cm (9.6in)

30.5cm (12.0in)

DDR2 DIMM_A2 (64 bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_A1 (64 bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_B1 (64 bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_B2 (64 bit,240-pin module)

Super

I/O

4Mb

BIOS

PCIEX16_1

PCIEX1_1

PCI1

EATXPWR

CR2032 3V
Lithium Cell

CMOS Power

PCIEX16_2

PCIEX1_2

NVIDIA

nForce® 500SLI™

PCI2

Socket AM2

PANEL

FP_AUDIO

CHASSIS

CPU_FAN

IE1394_2

FLOPPY

CD

CLRTC

USB56

SB_PWR

SEC_EIDE

TPM

SATA1

CHA_FAN

LAN1_USB12

SPDIF_O1

PARALLEL PORT

COM1

PS/2KBMS
T: Mouse

B: Keyboard

1394_USB34

AUDIO2

AUDIO1

SPDIF_OUT

VIA

VT6308P

SATA3

SATA2 SATA4

USBPW56
USBPW78

USB78

ASAP

USBPW12

USBPW34

KBPWR

ATX12V

PRI_EIDE

CPU_FAN

PWR_FAN

2.2.3 Motherboard layout

Refer to 2.7 Connectors for more information about rear panel connectors and

ASUS M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition

internal connectors.

2-3

2.2.4 Layout contents

Slots Page

1. DDR2 DIMM slots 2-11

2. PCI slots

3. PCI Express x 1 slot

4. PCI Express x16 slots 2-19

Jumper Page

1. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC) 2-20

2. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW12, USBPW34, USBPW56,
USBPW78)

3. Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR)

Rear panel connectors Page

1. PS/2 mouse port (green) 2-22

2. Parallel port

3. IEEE 1394a port

4. LAN (RJ-45) port.

5. Rear Speaker Out port (black)

6. Side Speaker Out port (gray)

7. Line In port (light blue)

8. Line Out port (lime)

9. Microphone port (pink)

10. Center/Subwoofer port (orange)

11. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2, 3 and 4

12. Serial port (COM port)

13. Coaxial S/PDIF Out port

14 PS/2 keyboard port (purple)

2-18

2-18

2-21

2-21

2-22

2-22

2-22

2-22

2-22

2-22

2-22

2-23

2-23

2-23

2-23

2-23

2-23

2-4 Chapter 2: Hardware information

Internal connectors Page

1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY) 2-24

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

®

3. NVIDIA

nForce® 500 SLI Southbridge Serial ATA connectors

2-24

2-25

(7-pin SATA1 [red], SATA2 [red], SATA3 [red], SATA4 [red])

4. CPU, chassis, and power fan connectors

2-26

(4-pin CPU_FAN, 3-pin PWR_FAN, 3-pin CHA_FAN )

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

6. IEEE 1394a port connector (10-1 pin IE1394_2)

7. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS)

8. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V)

9. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin FP_AUDIO)

10. Internal audio connector (4-pin CD)

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

12. TPM connector (20-1 pin TPM)

13. System panel connector (20-8-pin PANEL)

•

•

•

•

•

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

2-27

2-27

2-28

2-28

2-29

2-29

2-30

2-30

2-31

ASUS M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition

2-5

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

M2N-PLUS SLI

®

M2N-PLUS SLI CPU Socket AM2

The motherboard comes with a 940-pin AM2 socket designed for the Athlon™ 64
X2/Athlon™ 64/Athlon™ 64FX/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 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!

2.3.1 Installing the CPU

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
90º angle.

Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to a 90º angle; otherwise, the CPU

2-6 Chapter 2: Hardware information

will not t in completely.

Socket lever