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 owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.
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ii
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Contents
Notices ............................................................................................... vii
Safety information ............................................................................ viii
About this guide ................................................................................. ix
N4L-VM DH specifications summary ................................................... xi
5.5Creating a RAID driver disk ................................................. 5-42
vivi
vi
vivi
Notices
Federal Communications Commission StatementFederal Communications Commission Statement
Federal Communications Commission Statement
Federal Communications Commission StatementFederal 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
modifications 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 StatementCanadian Department of Communications Statement
Canadian Department of Communications Statement
Canadian Department of Communications StatementCanadian 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 CanadianThis class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
This class B digital apparatus complies with CanadianThis class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
ICES-003.ICES-003.
ICES-003.
ICES-003.ICES-003.
viivii
vii
viivii
Safety information
Electrical safetyElectrical safety
Electrical safety
Electrical safetyElectrical 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 fix it by yourself. Contact a
qualified service technician or your retailer.
Operation safetyOperation safety
Operation safety
Operation safetyOperation 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 qualified
service technician or your retailer.
viiiviii
viii
viiiviii
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and
configuring the motherboard.
How this guide is organizedHow this guide is organized
How this guide is organized
How this guide is organizedHow this guide is organized
Note: Refer to www.asus.com for the latest memory Qualified Vendors
List (QVL).
1 x PCI Express™ x16 slot
1 x PCI Express™ x1 slot
2 x PCI slots
Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
StorageStorage
Storage
StorageStorage
AI AudioAI Audio
AI Audio
AI AudioAI Audio
LANLAN
LAN
LANLAN
IEEE 1394aIEEE 1394a
IEEE 1394a
IEEE 1394aIEEE 1394a
®
Intel
ICH7-M (DH) Southbridge supports:
- 1 x Ultra DMA 100 connector for two devices
- 2 x Serial ATA devices with RAID 0, RAID 1, and
Intel® Matrix Storage configuration
JMicron® Serial ATA controller supports:
- 1 x Internal Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s
- 1 x External Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s (SATA On-the-Go)
- RAID O, RAID 1 configuration
Note: Do not remove/unplug External SATA device when running under
RAID mode .
Realtek® ALC882M 8-channel CODEC
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port
1 x Optical S/PDIF out port
Supports Jack Sensing, Retasking, and Enumeration
Technology
Supports Multi-Streaming
Intel® 82573L Gigabit LAN controller (Vidalia)
TI 1394a controller supports:
- 2 x IEEE 1394a connectors at 400 Mbps speed
(1 at midboard, 1 on the rear panel)
USBUSB
USB
USBUSB
Supports up to 8 USB 2.0 ports
(continued on the next page)
xixi
xi
xixi
N4L-VM DH specifications summary
ASUS SpecialASUS Special
ASUS Special
ASUS SpecialASUS Special
featuresfeatures
features
featuresfeatures
Rear panelRear panel
Rear panel
Rear panelRear panel
InternalInternal
Internal
InternalInternal
connectorsconnectors
connectors
connectorsconnectors
ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)
ASUS MyLogo
ASUS Q-Fan
ASUS EZ Flash
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2
1 x VGA port
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x IEEE 1394a port
1 x External Serial ATA port
1 x Optical S/PDIF Out port
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Out port
1 x PS/2 keyboard port (purple)
1 x PS/2 mouse port (green)
8-channel audio ports
1 x 24-pin ATX power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12 V power connector
2 x USB connectors for 4 additional USB 2.0 ports
1 x CD audio in connector
1 x Chassis intrusion connector
1 x LPT connector
1 x Serial (COM1) connector
1 x Game connector
1 x CPU fan connector
1 x Chassis fan connector
1 x Front panel audio connector
1 x SPDIF In/Out connector
1 x TV Out connector
System panel connector
BIOS featuresBIOS features
BIOS features
BIOS featuresBIOS features
ManageabilityManageability
Manageability
ManageabilityManageability
Support CDSupport CD
Support CD
Support CDSupport CD
contentscontents
contents
contentscontents
Form FactorForm Factor
Form Factor
Form FactorForm Factor
*Specifications are subject to change without notice.
xiixii
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8 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI, WfM2.0,
ACPI 2.0a, SM BIOS 2.3
PXE, WOR by Ring, WOL/WOR by PME, WO USB,
WO KB/MS
Device drivers
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS LiveUpdate
Anti-Virus Utility
Intervideo® WinDVD® Suite
uATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in (24.5 cm x 24.5 cm)
This chapter describes the motherboard
features and the new technologies
it supports.
The motherboard comes with a 479-pin, surface-mount, Zero Insertion
Force (ZIF) mPGA479M socket designed for the Intel
®
Core™ Duo and Core
™
Solo processors. Built on Intel® 65-nanometer process technology with
copper interconnect, the Intel® Core™ Duo processor delivers breakthrough
dual-core performance and enhanced media experience with low power
consumption. The Intel® Core™ Duo processor utilizes the latest package
technologies for a thinner, lighter design without compromising
performance. See page 2-6 for details.
IntelIntel
Intel
IntelIntel
®
Dual-Core Technology CPU support Dual-Core Technology CPU support
Dual-Core Technology CPU support
Dual-Core Technology CPU support Dual-Core Technology CPU support
The motherboard supports dual-core processors containing two physical
CPU cores with dedicated L2 caches to meet demands for more powerful
processing. See page 2-6 for details.
IntelIntel
Intel
IntelIntel
®
945GM/Intel 945GM/Intel
945GM/Intel
945GM/Intel 945GM/Intel
The Intel
®®
®
®®
945GM Memory Controller Hub (MCH) and the Intel
®
ICH7-M (DH) chipset ICH7-M (DH) chipset
ICH7-M (DH) chipset
ICH7-M (DH) chipset ICH7-M (DH) chipset
®®
®
®®
ICH7-M
(DH) I/O controller hub provide the vital interfaces for the motherboard.
®®
®
The Intel
®®
945GM is the latest chipset designed to support the Intel®
Core™ family processor in the 479-ball Micro FCPGA package to deliver
enhanced performance at low power consumption. The chipset supports
high-bandwidth interfaces such as PCI Express, Serial ATA, and USB 2.0.
The chipset also features the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950, an
integrated graphics engine for enhanced 3D, 2D, and video capabilities.
IntelIntel
Intel
IntelIntel
Intel
®
Viiv™ Technology support Viiv™ Technology support
Viiv™ Technology support
Viiv™ Technology support Viiv™ Technology support
®®
®
®®
Viiv™ Technology transforms your PC into an entertainment center,
allowing you to enjoy and share digital multi-media content like never
®®
®
before. With Intel
®®
Viiv™ Technology-based computers, you can record,
playback, organize, and edit digital media content easily. Enjoy the
entertainment experience even more with sharp graphics, flawless video
playback, and support for up to 7.1 channel surround sound. To enable
®®
®
®®
Intel
called
You also need to install the Intel
Viiv™ Technology, make sure you enable the Quick Resume function
Energy LakeEnergy Lake
Energy Lake in the BIOS. Refer to the BIOS screen on page 4-29.
The motherboard supports DDR2 memory that 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 2-10 to 2-14 for details.
Dual RAID solution Dual RAID solution
Dual RAID solution
Dual RAID solution Dual RAID solution
Onboard RAID controllers provide the motherboard with dual-RAID
functionality that allows you to select the best RAID solution using Serial
ATA devices.
The Intel
®
ICH7-M (DH) Southbridge allows RAID 0, RAID 1, and Intel
®®
®
®®
Matrix
Storage configuration with two Serial ATA connectors. See pages 2-27 and
5-28.
The Jmicron
®
JMB363 Serial ATA controller supports one internal and one
external Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s devices with RAID 0 and RAID 1 configuration.
See pages 2-28 and 5-36 for details.
Gigabit LAN solution Gigabit LAN solution
Gigabit LAN solution
Gigabit LAN solution Gigabit LAN solution
The motherboard comes with the Intel® 82573L Gigabit LAN controller to
provide the total solution for your networking needs. This network
controller uses the PCI Express segment to provide faster data bandwidth
for your wired or wireless Internet, LAN, and file sharing requirements. See
page 2-24 for details.
PCI Express™ interface PCI Express™ interface
PCI Express™ interface
PCI Express™ interface 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 specifications. See page 2-18 for details.
S/PDIF digital sound ready S/PDIF digital sound ready
S/PDIF digital sound ready
S/PDIF digital sound ready S/PDIF digital sound ready
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 2-35 for details.
ASUS N4L-VM DHASUS N4L-VM DH
ASUS N4L-VM DH
ASUS N4L-VM DHASUS N4L-VM DH
1-31-3
1-3
1-31-3
8-channel High Definition Audio 8-channel High Definition Audio
8-channel High Definition Audio
8-channel High Definition Audio 8-channel High Definition Audio
Onboard is the Realtek® ALC882M High Definition Audio 8-channel audio
CODEC. This CODEC is fully-compliant with Intel
®
High Definition Audio
standard (192 KHz, 24-bit audio). With the CODEC, audio ports, and S/PDIF
interfaces, you can connect your computer to home theater decoders to
produce crystal-clear digital audio.
®
The Realtek
transforming your computer’s digital audio contents into real-time Dolby
ALC882M CODEC comes with an AC-3 encoder capable of
®
Digital stream. This digital stream passes through the S/PDIF out interfaces
to an AC-3 decoder for 7.1-channel feedback.
®
The Realtek
ALC882M CODEC comes with a software application that
features jack detection to monitor the plugging status of each jack,
impedance sensing to determine audio device classes, and pre-defined
equalization for various audio devices. See pages 2-24, 2-25, and 5-11 for
details.
Theater-level audioTheater-level audio
Theater-level audio
Theater-level audioTheater-level audio
®®
®
(designed for Dolby(designed for Dolby
(designed for Dolby
(designed for Dolby(designed for Dolby
®®
Master Studio) Master Studio)
Master Studio)
Master Studio) Master Studio)
This motherboard offers theater-level 7.1 surround sound and audio
specifications higher than that of DVD. Enjoy true home theater experience
with the following advanced sound technologies: Dolby IIX, Dolby
Headphone, Dolby Virtual Speaker, and Dolby Digital Live. See page 5-16
for details.
IEEE 1394a support IEEE 1394a support
IEEE 1394a support
IEEE 1394a support IEEE 1394a support
The IEEE 1394a interface provides high-speed and flexible 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 2-24 for details.
USB 2.0 technology USB 2.0 technology
USB 2.0 technology
USB 2.0 technology USB 2.0 technology
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 2-25 and 2-29 for details.
Serial ATA II and SATA-On-The-Go Serial ATA II and SATA-On-The-Go
Serial ATA II and SATA-On-The-Go
Serial ATA II and SATA-On-The-Go Serial ATA II and SATA-On-The-Go
The motherboard supports the Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s technology through the
JMicron Serial ATA interfaces. The Serial ATA 3 Gb/s specification provides
twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new
features, including Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Power Management
(PM) Implementation Algorithm, and Hot Swap. Serial ATA allows thinner,
more flexible cables with lower pin count and reduced voltage requirements.
Leveraging these Serial ATA II 3Gb/s features is the SATA-On-The-Go. This
external port on the rear panel I/O provides smart setup, hot-plug and
support for up to 16 devices with port-multiplier functions. See pages 2-25
and 2-26 for details.
ASUS Q-Fan technology ASUS Q-Fan technology
ASUS Q-Fan technology
ASUS Q-Fan technology ASUS Q-Fan technology
ASUS Special featuresASUS Special features
ASUS Special features
ASUS Special featuresASUS Special features
The ASUS Q-Fan technology smartly adjusts the CPU fan speeds according
to the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efficient operation. See
page 4-32 for details.
ASUS MyLogo™ ASUS MyLogo™
ASUS MyLogo™
ASUS MyLogo™ ASUS MyLogo™
This feature allows you to personalize and add style to your system with
customizable boot logos. See page 5-9 for details.
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.
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
2.1Before you proceed .............................................................. 2-1
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, ensureBefore you install or remove any component, ensure
•
Before you install or remove any component, ensure
Before you install or remove any component, ensureBefore you install or remove any component, ensure
that the ATX power supply is switched off or thethat the ATX power supply is switched off or the
that the ATX power supply is switched off or the
that the ATX power supply is switched off or thethat the ATX power supply is switched off or the
power cord is detached from the power supply. power cord is detached from the power supply.
power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure
power cord is detached from the power supply. power cord is detached from the power supply.
to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals,
and/or components.
Onboard LEDOnboard LED
Onboard LED
Onboard LEDOnboard 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.
N4L-VM DH
®
N4L-VM DH Onboard LED
ON
Standby
Power
SB_PWR
OFF
Powere
Off
ASUS N4L-VM DHASUS N4L-VM DH
ASUS N4L-VM DH
ASUS N4L-VM DHASUS N4L-VM DH
2-12-1
2-1
2-12-1
2.2Motherboard overview
Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis
to ensure that the motherboard fits 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.
2.2.12.2.1
2.2.1
2.2.12.2.1
Placement directionPlacement direction
Placement direction
Placement directionPlacement 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.
2.2.22.2.2
2.2.2
2.2.22.2.2
Screw holesScrew holes
Screw holes
Screw holesScrew holes
Place eight (8) 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 towardsPlace this side towards
Place this side towards
Place this side towardsPlace this side towards
the rear of the chassisthe rear of the chassis
the rear of the chassis
the rear of the chassisthe rear of the chassis
N4L-VM DH
®
2-22-2
2-2
2-22-2
Chapter 2: Hardware informationChapter 2: Hardware information
Chapter 2: Hardware information
Chapter 2: Hardware informationChapter 2: Hardware information