Asus P5NT WS User Manual

P5NT WS

Motherboard

E2945

First Edition V1
January 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

P5NT WS speci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 ....................................................

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 ASUS Stack Cool 2 .........................................................

2.2.4 Motherboard layout .........................................................

2.2.5 Layout contents ...............................................................

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

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

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

2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU 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 slot .........................................................................

1-1

1-2

1-2

1-4

1-5

2-2

2-2

2-2

2-3

2-4

2-5

2-7

2-8

2-10

2-12

-14

2-14

2-15

2-16

2-16

2-17

2-17

2-17

2-18

2-19

iii

Contents

2.5.5 PCI Express x1 slots ..................................................... 2-19

2.5.6 PCI-X slot ......................................................................

2.5.7 PCI Express x16 slots ...................................................

2.6 Jumpers ......................................................................................

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 2 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 .................................................................

4.3.2 System Date .................................................................

4.3.3 Language ......................................................................

2-19

2-19

2-20

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

iv

Contents

4.3.4 Legacy Diskette A ......................................................... 4-14

4.3.5 Primary IDE Master/Slave .............................................

4.3.6

4.3.7 HDD SMART Monitoring ...............................................

4.3.8 Installed Memory ...........................................................

4.3.9 Usable Memory .............................................................

4.4 Advanced menu .........................................................................

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

4.4.2 AI NET2 ........................................................................

4.4.3 CPU Conguration ........................................................

4.4.4 Chipset ..........................................................................

4.4.5 PCIPnP .........................................................................

4.4.6 Onboard Device Conguration ......................................

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

4.5.1 ACPI Suspend Type .....................................................

4.5.2 ACPI APIC Support .......................................................

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

4.6.5 Security .........................................................................

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

4.7.1 ASUS Music Alarm ........................................................

4.7.2 ASUS O.C. Prole .........................................................

4.7.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ..........................................................

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

SATA1/2/3/4/5/6 ..............................................................................4-17

4-15

4-18

4-18

4-18

4-19

4-19

4-23

4-23

4-24

4-27

4-28

4-31

4-31

4-31

4-32

4-34

4-36

4-36

4-37

4-37

4-38

4-39

4-41

4-41

4-42

4-44

4-45

Chapter 5: Software support

v

Contents

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

5.2 Support DVD information ............................................................

5.2.1 Running the Support DVD ..............................................

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

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

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

5.2.5 Manuals menu ................................................................

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

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

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

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

5.3.2 Audio congurations ......................................................

5.3.3 ASUS PC Probe II .........................................................

5.3.4 ASUS Music Alarm ........................................................

5.3.5 ASUS AI Suite ...............................................................

5.3.6 ASUS AI Gear ...............................................................

5.3.7 ASUS AI Nap ................................................................

5.3.8 ASUS AI N.O.S. ............................................................

5.3.9 ASUS Q-Fan .................................................................

5.3.10 ASUS AI Booster ...........................................................

5.4 RAID congurations ..................................................................

5.4.1 RAID denitions ............................................................

®

5.4.2 NVIDIA

5.5 Creating a RAID driver disk .......................................................

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

5-1

5-1

5-2

5-3

5-5

5-6

5-6

5-7

5-9

5-9

5-11

5-16

5-22

5-25

5-27

5-28

5-29

5-30

5-31

5-32

5-32

5-40

Chapter 6: NVIDIA® dual graphics technology support

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

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

6.2.1 Installing dual graphics cards ..........................................

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

6.2.3 Enabling the multi-GPU feature in Windows

vi

®

................. 6-5

6-2

6-2

6-5

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 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
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 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. Descriptions of the BIOS items are also provided.

• Chapter 5: Software support

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

®

• Chapter 6: NVIDIA

This chapter tells how to install PCI Express graphics cards.

dual graphics 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:

format A:/S

x

P5NT WS specications summary

CPU LGA775 socket for Intel® Core™2 Extreme / Core™2

Duo / Pentium® Extreme / Pentium® D / Pentium® 4 /
Celeron® D Processors
Intel® Quad-core CPU Ready
Compatible with Intel® 06/05B/05A processors

Note: Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com for the Intel® CPU support
list.

Chipset NVIDIA® Dual PCI-E x16 Graphics Chipset

Front Side Bus 1333 / 1066 / 800 / 533 MHz

Memory Dual-channel memory architecture

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

- Supports up to 8 GB system memory

Note: Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com for the latest Qualied

Vendors List (QVL).

Expansion slots 3 x PCI Express™ x16 slots at x8, x8, x16, or x16, x1,x16

speed
2 x PCI Express™ x1 slots
1 x PCI-X slot
1 x PCI 2.2 slot

Storage/RAID Southbridge supports:

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

- 6 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s

- NVIDIA® MediaShield™ RAID supports RAID 0, 1,
0+1, 5 and JBOD conguration across Serial ATA
drives

LAN NVIDIA® built-in dual Gigabit MAC with external Marvell

88E1116 PHY

- Supports NVIDIA® DualNet® Technology

(continued on the next page)

xi

P5NT WS specications summary

High Denition Audio Realtek ALC888 8-channel High Denition Audio CODEC

IEEE 1394 VIA6308S controller supports:

USB Supports up to 10 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (6 at mid-board, 4

ASUS Exclusive
Overclocking features

ASUS Unique features ASUS EZ DIY:

Rear panel 1 x PS/2 Keyboard port (purple)

- Supports Jack-Sensing, Multi-streaming and
Jack-Retasking
Coaxial, Optical S/PDIF out

- 2 x IEEE 1394a connectors

on the rear panel)

Intelligent overclocking tools:

- AI NOS™ (Non-delay Overclocking System)

- AI Overclocking (intelligent CPU frequency tuner)

- AI Booster

- O.C. Prole

Overclocking protection:

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

- Q-Connector

- ASUS Crashfree BIOS2

- ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS MyLogo 2
Q-Fan 2

1 x PS/2 Mouse (green)
1 x parallel port
1 x Optical S/PDIF Output port
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output port
2 x LAN (RJ45) port
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
1 x Antenna jack (only for WiFi edition)
1 x WiFi-AP Solo LED indicator (only for WiFi edition)
8-Channel audio ports

(continued on the next page)

xii

P5NT WS specications summary

Internal connectors 1 x Floppy disk drive connector

BIOS features 8 Mb AWARD BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS

Manageability WOL by PME, WOR by PME, Chasis Intrusion, PXE

Accessories 1 x SLI bridge

Support DVD contents Drivers

Form factor ATX form factor: 12 in x 9.6 in (30.5 cm x 24.5 cm)

1 x IDE connector for 2 devices
6 x Serial ATA connectors
3 x USB 2.0 connectors support six additional USB 2.0
ports
1 x Serial port (COM) connector
1 x Chassis intrusion connector
1 x EZ Plug connector
1 x 24-pin ATX power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x CD audio in connector
2 x IEEE 1394a connectors
6 x Fan connectors: 1 x CPU / 1 x Power / 4 x Chassis
System panel connector

2.3, Multi-Language BIOS

1 x ASUS Q-connector Kit (USB, 1394, system panel;
Retail version only)
1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
1 x Floppy disk drive cable
6 x SATA cables
3 x SATA power cables for six devices
1 x USB2.0 module
1 x IEEE1394a module
User’s manual

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

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

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 P5NT WS

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® P5NT WS motherboard!

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

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

1.2 Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

Motherboard ASUS P5NT WS motherboard

I/O modules 1 x 2-port IEEE 1394a module
1 x 2-port USB 2.0 module

Cables 3 x Serial ATA power cables
6 x Serial ATA signal cables
1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable
1 x Floppy disk drive cable

Accessories I/O shield
1 x 3-in-1 ASUS Q-Connector Kit
(USB, IEEE 1394, system panel; Retail version only)
1 x ASUS SLI Bridge

Application DVD ASUS motherboard support DVD

Documentation User guide

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

ASUS P5NT WS 1-1

1.3 Special features

1.3.1 Product highlights

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.

Intel® Core™2 / Quad-core Processor Ready

This motherboard supports the latest Intel® Core™2 processor in the LGA775
package. With the new Intel® Core™ microarchitecture technology and 1066 /

800 MHz FSB, the Intel® Core™2 is one of the most powerful and energy efcient

CPUs in the world. This motherboard also supports the latest Intel® Quad-core
processor, which is excellent for multi-tasking, multi-media and enthusiastic

gamers with 1066 / 800 MHz FSB. See page 2-7 for details.

NVIDIA® nForce® Dual PCI Express™ x16 Graphics chipset

The NVIDIA® Dual PCI Express™ x16 chipset allows two graphics processing
units (GPUs) in a single system. It’s designed for enthusiast, extreme overclocking

capability, ultimate gaming performance. It’s denitely one of the fastest platform in

the world. See Chapter 6 for details. The NVIDIA® PCI Express™ x16 chipset also
supports six (6) Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s devices, dual PCI Express™ x16 slots at full
x16, x16 mode, and up to 10 USB 2.0 ports.

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 2-14 for details.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

Serial ATA II technology

The motherboard fully supports the Serial ATA II 3.0 Gb/s technology through
the Serial ATA interfaces and the NVIDIA® chipset. The Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s

specication 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

exible cables with lower pin count and reduced voltage required. See page 2-26

for details.

The NVIDIA® MediaShield™ RAID controller integrated in the NVIDIA® chipset

allows RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, and JBOD congurations for six SATA

3.0 Gb/s connectors. See pages 2-26 and 5-32 for details.

IEEE 1394a support

The IEEE 1394a interface provides high speed digital interface for audio/video
appliances such as digital television, digital video camcorders, storage peripherals
& other PC portable devices. See page 2-28 for details.

S/PDIF digital sound ready

This motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio
systems via coaxial and optical S/PDIF-out (SONY/PHILIPS Digital Interface) jacks.
It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and keeps the
best signal quality. See pages 2-22 and 2-23 for details.

Dual Gigabit LAN solution

The motherboard comes with dual Gigabit LAN controllers to provide the total
solution for your networking needs. These network controllers provide faster data

bandwidth for your wired or wireless Internet, LAN, and le sharing requirements.

See page 2-22 for details.

ASUS P5NT WS 1-3

1.3.2 ASUS AI Lifestyle features

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.

Advanced thermal design

Stack Cool 2

Stack Cool 2 is a fan-less and zero-noise cooling solution offered exclusively

by ASUS. It effectively transfers heat generated by the critical components
to the other side of the specially designed PCB (printed circuit board) for
effective heat dissipation. See page 2-3 for details.

8 Phase Power Design

ASUS 8-Phase Power Design keeps CPU and power module away from
suffering risk of high power stress, which makes CPU lifetime much longer

and system more stable. Furthermore, It provides high efciency operation

to generate less heat than conventional power solutions and consequently
achieve cool system environment. With this strong power pump, this
motherboard is made for overclocking.

Fanless Design: Heat-pipe Thermal solution

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

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

created to provide a cool environment without all the baggage.

The heat pipe, heat sinks and strategic board layout were tailor made to

dissipate heat in the most efcient manner.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

ASUS EZ DIY

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 2-34 for details.

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 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 launch this tool and

update BIOS from a USB ash disk before entering the OS. You can update
your BIOS only in a few clicks without preparing an additional oppy diskette
or using an OS-based ash utility. See pages 4-5 and 4-44 for details.

1.3.3 ASUS special features

ASUS O.C. Prole

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

store or load multiple BIOS settings. The BIOS settings can be stored in the

CMOS or a separate le, giving users freedom to share and distribute their favorite

overclocking settings. See page 4-42 for details.

ASUS Multi-language BIOS

The multi-language BIOS allows you to select the language of your choice from the

available options. The localized BIOS menus allow easier and faster conguration.

See page 4-14 for details.

ASUS P5NT WS 1-5

AI NOS™

Applications such as 3D games and video editing demand a huge chunk of
system resource. Inject "nitrous oxide" into your CPU! The patented AI NOS™
(Non-delay Overclocking System) technology intelligently detects system load
and automatically boosts performance for the most demanding tasks. Unlike other
dynamic overclocking techniques, AI NOS™ reacts much faster to satisfy your
unending need for speeds. See page 5-29 for details.

AI Gear

AI Gear allows users to choose from four modes to adjust CPU, FSB speed and

Vcore voltage, minimizing noise and power consumption. Users can choose the

mode that best suits their needs. See page 5-27 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 5-28 for details.

C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)

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

ASUS 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 for details.

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

2-7

2-14

2-17

2-20

2-21

ASUS P5NT WS

2.1 Before you proceed

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS 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.

• 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.

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 P5NT WS 2-1

P5NT WS

®

2.2 Motherboard overview

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

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

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 nine (9) 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

2.2.3 ASUS Stack Cool 2

The motherboard comes with the ASUS Stack Cool 2 cooling solution that lowers
the temperature of critical heat generating components. The motherboard uses
a special design on the printed circuit board (PCB) to dissipate heat that critical
components generate.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-3

PANEL

P5NT WS

®

CHASSIS

24.5cm (9.6in)

CPU_FAN

DDR2 DIMM_B1 (64 bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_A1 (64 bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_A2 (64 bit,240-pin module)

DDR2 DIMM_B2 (64 bit,240-pin module)

CHA_FAN1

FLOPPY

Super

I/O

8Mb

BIOS

PCIEX16_1

PCI1

CLRTC

USB78

SB_PWR

EATXPWR

CR2032 3V
Lithium Cell

CMOS Power

ATX12V

LGA775

30.5cm (12.0in)

PCIEX1_1

PCIEX16_2

PCIEX16_3

PCIX_1

SATA34 SATA56

NVIDIA

®

MCP55PXE

NVIDIA

®

C55

VIA

VT6308S

Marvell

88E1116

PWR_FAN

LAN2_USB34

PS/2KBMS

T: Mouse
B: Keyboard

PARALLEL PORT

SPDIF_O

SPDIF_O2

LAN1_USB12

ESATA

AUDIO

USB56IE1394_2IE1394_1

SATA2

PRI_IDE

COM1

PCIEX1_2

Marvell

88E1116

TPM

PCIX_SPEED

CD

EZ_PLUG

CHA_FAN3

CHA_FAN4

NEC

720404

SATA1

AAFP

ALC888

CHA_FAN2

2.2.4 Motherboard layout

2-4 Chapter 2: Hardware information

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

• The Antenna jack and the WiFi-AP Solo LED indicator are only for the WiFi
edition.

• The USB910 port does not exist for the WiFi edition.

2.2.5 Layout contents

Slots Page

1. DDR2 DIMM slots 2-14

2. PCI slot

3. PCI-X slot

4. PCI Express x1 slots

5. PCI Express x16 slots

Jumper Page

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

2. PCI-X Speed setting (6-pin PCIX_SPEED)

Rear panel connectors Page

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

2. Parallel port

3. LAN 1 (RJ-45) port.

4. LAN 2 (RJ-45) port

5.

6

7.

8.

9. Antenna jack (Only for WiFi edition)

10. WiFi-AP Solo LED indicator (Only for WiFi edition)

11.

12.

13.

14.

15. External SATA port

16. Optical S/PDIF Out port

17.

18. PS/2 keyboard port (purple)

Rear Speaker Out port (black) 2-22

Center/Subwoofer port (orange) 2-22

Line In port (light blue) 2-22

Line Out port (lime) 2-22

Microphone port (pink) 2-23

Side Speaker Out port (gray) 2-23

USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2 2-23

USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4 2-23

Coaxial S/PDIF Out port 2-23

2-19

2-19

2-19

2-19

2-21

2-22

2-22

2-22

2-23

2-23

2-23

2-23

2-23

ASUS P5NT WS 2-5

Internal connectors Page

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

2. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE

3. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1-6

4. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB 78, USB910

5. Internal audio connector (4-pin CD)

6. IEEE 1394a port connectors (10-1 pin IE1394_1; 10-1 pin

IE1394_2)

7. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1)

8. CPU, chassis, and power fan connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN, 3-pin CHA_FAN1~4, 3-pin PWR_FAN)

9. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS) 2-30

10. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 2 x 4-pin ATX12V,
4-pin EZ_PLUG)

11. TPM connector (20-1 pin TPM) 2-32

12. 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 PWR)

• Reset button (2-pin RESET)

ASUS Q-connector (system panel)

) 2-25

) 2-26

) 2-27

2-27

2-28

2-28

2-29

2-30

2-33

2-34

2-6 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA775 socket designed for the
Intel® Quad-core / Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Duo / Pentium® Extreme / Pentium®
D/ Pentium® 4 and Celeron® D processors.

• Make sure that all power cables are unplugged before installing the CPU.

• Connect the chassis fan cable to the CHA_FAN1 connector to ensure
system stability.

•

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

•

Keep the cap after installing the motherboard. ASUS will process Return

Merchandise Authorization (RMA) requests only if the motherboard comes

with the cap on the LGA775 socket.

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

ASUS P5NT WS 2-7

2.3.1 Installing the CPU

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS CPU Socket 775

To install a CPU:

1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.

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

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

Retention tab

A

Load lever

B

This side of the socket box
should face you.

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

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

2-8 Chapter 2: Hardware information

PnP cap

4. Lift the load plate with your thumb

and forenger to a 100º angle (A),

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

Alignment key

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

socket then t the socket

alignment key into the
CPU notch.

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!

CPU notch

Gold triangle mark

B

A

Load plate

6. Close the load plate (A), then

A

push the load lever (B) until it
snaps into the retention tab.

7. If installing a dual-core CPU,
connect the chassis fan cable

B

to the CHA_FAN1 connector to
ensure system stability.

The motherboard supports Intel® LGA775 processors with the Intel® Enhanced
Memory 64 Technology (EM64T), Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology
(EIST), and Hyper-Threading Technology. Refer to the Appendix for more
information on these CPU features.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-9

2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan

The Intel® LGA775 processor requires a specially designed heatsink and fan
assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition and performance.

•

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

®

• Your Intel
and requires no tool to install.

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

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

To install the CPU heatsink and fan:

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

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

LGA775 heatsink and fan assembly comes in a push-pin design

Motherboard hole

Narrow end
of the groove

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

2-10 Chapter 2: Hardware information

Fastener

2. Push down two fasteners at a time in

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS CPU fan connector

CPU_FAN

GND

CPU FAN PWR

CPU FAN IN

CPU FAN PWM

a diagonal sequence to secure the
heatsink and fan assembly in place.

B

A

A

A

B

B

A

B

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

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

ASUS P5NT WS 2-11

2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan

To uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan:

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

2. Rotate each fastener
counterclockwise.

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

A

B

A

A

B

B

A

B

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

2-12 Chapter 2: Hardware information

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

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

Narrow end of the groove

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

ASUS P5NT WS 2-13

2.4 System memory

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS 240-pin DDR2 DIMM sockets

DIMM_A2

DIMM_A1

DIMM_B2

DIMM_B1

2.4.1 Overview

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

2-14 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.4.2 Memory congurations

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

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

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

• Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum
compatibility, we recommend that you obtain memory modules from the
same vendor. Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com for the latest DDR2

Qualied Vendors List.

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

• The motherboard can support up to 8 GB on the operating system listed
below. You may install a maximum of 2 GB DIMMs on each slot.

32-bit 64-bit

Windows® 2000 Advanced
Server

Windows® Server 2003
Enterprise Edition

Windows® Server 2003
Standard x64 Edition

Windows® XP Professional x64
Edition

Windows® Server 2003
Enterprise x64 Edition

Visit the ASUS website for the latest DDR2-800/667/533 MHz QVL.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-15

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM

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

To install a DIMM:

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

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

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

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

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

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

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM

To remove a DIMM:

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

2

3

1

DDR2 DIMM notch

1

Unlocked retaining clip

2

Support the DIMM lightly with

your ngers when pressing the

retaining clips. The DIMM might

get damaged when it ips out with

extra force.

1

DDR2 DIMM notch

1

2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.

2-16 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.5 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.

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card

To install an expansion card:

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

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

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

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

completely seated on the slot.

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

6. Replace the system cover.

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card

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

1. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any. See
Chapter 4 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.

When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support “Share

IRQ” or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Otherwise, conicts will

arise between the two PCI groups, making the system unstable and the card
inoperable. Refer to the table on the next page for details.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-17

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments

IRQ Standard function

0 System timer
1 Standard 101/102-key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard
4 Communications Port (COM1)*
6 Standard oppy disk controller
8 System CMOS/real-time clock
9 Microsoft ACPI-compliant system
9 NVIDIA nForce networking controller #3

9 NVIDIA nForce networking controller #4
10 NVIDIA nForce PCI system management
11 Mass storage controller
12 PS/2 compatible mouse port
13 Numeric data processor
14 Primary IDE channel
16 NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT
19 VIA OHCI compliant IEEE 1394 host controller
20 NVIDIA nForce 590/570/550 Serial ATA controller
20 NVIDIA network bus enumerator
21 NVIDIA network bus enumerator
22 Standard OpenHCD USB host controller
22 NVIDIA nForce 590/570/550 Serial ATA controller
23 Standard Enhanced PCI to USB host controller
23 NVIDIA nForce 590/570/550 Serial ATA controller

IRQ assignments for this motherboard

PCIEx16_1 – – – – shared – – –
PCIEx16_2 – – – – – shared – –
PCIEx16_3 – – – – shared – – –
PCIEx1_1 – – – – – shared – –
PCIEx1_2 shared – – – – – – –

PCI Slot – shared – – – – – –
USB 1.1 – shared – – – – – –
USB 2.0 – – shared – – – – –
LAN_1 – shared – – – – – –
LAN_2 – shared – – – – – –
PATA shared – – – – – – –
SATA_1 – shared – – – – – –
SATA_2 – – shared – – – – –
SATA_3 – – – used – – – –
SATA_RAID – shared – – – – – –
1394 – shared – – – – – –
Audio – – shared – – – – –

A B C D E F G H

2-18 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.5.4 PCI slot

The PCI slot supports cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other

cards that comply with PCI specications. Refer to the gure below for the location

of the slots.

2.5.5 PCI Express x1 slots

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

cards that comply with the PCI Express specications. Refer to the gure below for

the location of the slots.

2.5.6 PCI-X slot

The PCI-X slot supports cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and

other cards that comply with PCI-X 1.0 specications. Refer to the gure below for

the location of the slots.

2.5.7 PCI Express x16 slots

This motherboard has three PCI Express x16 slots that support PCI Express x16

graphic cards complying with the PCI Express specications. Refer to the gure

below for the location of the slots.

PCI slot

PCI Express x 16 slot (blue)

PCIX slot

PCI Express x 16 slot (black)

PCI Express x 1 slot

PCI Express x 16 slot (blue)

PCI Express x 1 slot

ASUS P5NT WS 2-19

2.6 Jumpers

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS Clear RTC RAM

CLRTC

Normal Clear RTC

(Default)

1 2 2 3

1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC)

You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup
parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data.

To erase the RTC RAM:

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

2. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3 to enable the CLRTC
function.

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

4. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to
re-enter data.

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

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

2-20 Chapter 2: Hardware information

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS PCI-X Speed setting

PCIX_SPEED

AUTO by PCI-X Card

(Default)

Force PCI-X 133MHz Force PCI-X 100MHz

1 1 1

2. PCI-X Speed setting (6-pin PCIX_SPEED)

This jumper allows you to set the PCI-X slot’s maximum frequency
capability.

1~2: the slots will have 133 MHZ capability whether you install one or two
cards.

3~4: the slots will have 100 MHZ capability whether you install one or two
cards.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-21

13

4 6

15

1

18217 16 14

3 5 7 8

1112

10

9

2.7 Connectors

2.7.1 Rear panel connectors

1. PS/2 mouse port (green).

2. Parallel port.

This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer, a scanner, or other

This port is for a PS/2 mouse.

devices.

3. LAN 1 (RJ-45) port.

Supported by Marvell® 88E1116 Gigabit LAN controller,
this port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a
network hub. Refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications.

4. LAN 2 (RJ-45) port.

Supported by the Ma rvell® 88E1116 Gigabit LAN
controller, this port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network
(LAN) through a network hub. Refer to the table below for the LAN port LED
indications.

LAN port LED indications

LED

LAN port

SPEED

LED

Activity/Link Speed LED

Status Description Status Description

OFF No link OFF 10 Mbps connection

ORANGE Linked ORANGE 100 Mbps connection

BLINKING Data activity GREEN 1 Gbps connection

5. Rear Speaker Out port (black).

This port connects the rear speakers in a

ACT/LINK

4-channel, 6-channel, or 8-channel audio conguration.

6. Center/Subwoofer port (orange).

This port connects the center/subwoofer

speakers.

7. Line In port (light blue).

other audio sources.

8. Line Out port (lime).

This port connects the tape, CD, DVD player, or

This port connects a headphone or a speaker. In

4-channel, 6-channel, and 8-channel conguration, the function of this port

becomes Front Speaker Out.

2-22 Chapter 2: Hardware information

9. Antenna jack (Only for WiFi edition).

This port is on the onboard wireless
LAN module that allows you to set up a wireless network and exchange
information with other wireless devices without tangling cables and wires.
Connect the moveable omni-directional antenna to this jack.

10. WIFI-AP Solo LED indicator (Only for WiFi edtion).

The WIFI-AP Solo
comes with a green data transmission LED (AIR). Refer to the ASUS WiFi-AP
Solo user guide.

11. Microphone port (pink).

12. Side Speaker Out port (gray).

This port connects a microphone.

This port connects the side speakers in an

8-channel audio conguration.

Refer to the audio conguration table below for the function of the audio ports in
2, 4, 6, or 8-channel conguration.

Audio 2, 4, 6, or 8-channel conguration

Port Headset

2-channel

Light Blue Line In Line In Line In Line In

Lime Line Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out

Pink Mic In Mic In Mic In Mic In

Gray – – – Side Speaker Out

Black – Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out

Orange – – Center/Subwoofer Center/Subwoofer

13. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2.

4-channel 6-channel 8-channel

These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports

are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

14. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4.

These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports

are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

15. External SATA port

. This port connects to an external SATA box or a Serial

ATA port multiplier.

The external SATA port supports
exte r n a l Se rial ATA 3 . 0 Gb / s
devices. Longer cables support
hi ghe r p o wer req uir eme n ts to
del iver signal up to two me ters
away, and enables improved hot­swap function.

16. Optical S/PDIF Out port

. This port connects an external audio output device

via an optical S/PDIF cable.

17. Coaxial S/PDIF Out port.

This port connects an external audio output device

via an coaxial S/PDIF cable.

18. PS/2 keyboard port (purple)

. This port is for a PS/2 keyboard.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-23

2.7.2 Internal connectors

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS Floppy disk drive connector

NOTE: Orient the red markings on

the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1.

PIN 1

FLOPPY

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

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

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

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

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

2-24 Chapter 2: Hardware information

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS IDE connector

NOTE: Orient the red markings

(usually zigzag) on the IDE
ribbon cable to PIN 1.

PRI_IDE

2. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE)

The onboard IDE connector is for the Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable.
There are three connectors on each Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable:
blue, black, and gray. Connect the blue connector to the motherboard’s IDE

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

Drive jumper setting Mode of

Cable connector

device(s)

Single device Cable-Select or Master - Black

Two devices Cable-Select Master

Black

Slave Gray

Master Master Black or gray

Slave Slave

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

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

ASUS P5NT WS 2-25

If any d evice jumper is set a s “Cable-Select, ” make sure all other devi ce
jumpers have the same setting.

3. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1-6)

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS SATA connectors

SATA1

GND

RSATA_TXP1

RSATA_TXN1

GND

RSATA_RXP1

RSATA_RXN1

GND

SATA2

GND

RSATA_TXP2

RSATA_TXN2

GND

RSATA_RXP2

RSATA_RXN2

GND

SATA3

SATA4

SATA5

SATA6

GND

RSATA_TXP3

RSATA_TXN3

GND

RSATA_RXP3

RSATA_RXN3

GND

GND

RSATA_TXP5

RSATA_TXN5

GND

RSATA_RXP5

RSATA_RXN5

GND

GND

RSATA_TXP4

RSATA_TXN4

GND

RSATA_RXP4

RSATA_RXN4

GND

GND

RSATA_TXP6

RSATA_TXN6

GND

RSATA_RXP6

RSATA_RXN6

GND

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

If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can create a RAID 0, RAID

1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, or JBOD conguration with the onboard NVIDIA

MediaShield™ RAID controller.

The RAID function of these connectors is set to [Disabled] by default. If you
intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these connectors, enable the RAID
Enabled item under the Serial-ATA Conguration sub-menu in the BIOS. See

section “4.4.6 Onboard Device Conguration” for details.

®

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

Right-angle side

Connect the right-angle side of SATA
signal cable to the SATA device, or
connect the right-angle side of the
SATA cable to the onboard SATA port

to avoid mechanical conict with huge

graphics cards.

2-26 Chapter 2: Hardware information

4. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB78, USB910)

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS USB 2.0 connectors

USB56

USB910

1

NC

GND

USB_P6+

USB_P6-

USB+5V

GND

USB_P5+

USB_P5-

USB+5V

USB+5V

USB_P6-

USB_P6+

GND

NC

USB+5V

USB_P5-

USB_P5+

GND

1

USB78

USB+5V

USB_P8-

USB_P8+

GND

NC

USB+5V

USB_P7-

USB_P7+

GND

1

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS Internal audio connector

CD

(black)

Right Audio Channel

Left Audio Channel

Ground

Ground

These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable
to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the
back of the system chassis. These USB connectors comply with USB 2.0

specication that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed.

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

You can connect the USB cable to ASUS Q-Connector (USB, blue) rst, and

then install the Q-Connector (USB) to the USB connector onboard.

The USB910 port does not exist for the WiFi edition.

5. Internal audio connector Int(4-pin CD [Black])

This connector allows you to receive a stereo audio input from sound source
such as a CD-ROM, TV tuner, MPEG card or modem.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-27

6. IEEE 1394a port connector (10-1 pin IE1394_1; 10-1 pin IE1394_2)

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS IEEE 1394 connectors

IE1394_2

PIN1

GND

+12V

TPB2-

GND

TPA2-

+12V

TPB2+

GND

TPA2+

IE1394_1

PIN1

GND

+12V

TPB1-

GND

TPA1-

+12V

TPB1+

GND

TPA1+

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS COM port connector

PIN 1

COM1

The connectors are for IEEE 1394a ports. Connect the IEEE 1394a module
cable to any of the connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the
back of the system chassis.

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

You can connect the 1394 cable to ASUS Q-Connector (1394, red) rst, and

then install the Q-Connector (1394) to the 1394 connector onboard.

7. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1)

This connector is for a serial (COM) port. Connect the serial port module
cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot opening at the back
of the system chassis.

2-28 Chapter 2: Hardware information

The Serial (COM) port module is purchased separately.

8. CPU, chassis, and power connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN, 3-pin CHA_FAN1~4, 3-pin PWR_FAN)

The fan connectors support cooling fans of 1A~2.2A (26.4 W max.) at +12V.
Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making
su re that the black wire of eac h c able matche s t he ground pin of the
connector.

DO NOT forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Insufcient air
ow inside the system may damage the motherboard components. These are

not jumpers! DO NOT place jumper caps on the fan connectors!

• Only the CHA_FAN1 connector supports the ASUS Q-FAN 2 feature.

• If you install two VGA cards, we recommend that you plug the rear chassis
fan cable to the motherboard connector labeled CHA_FAN1 or CHA_FAN2
for better themal environment.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-29

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

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS Chassis intrusion connector

CHASSIS

+5VSB_MB

Chassis Signal

GND

(Default)

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS ATX power connectors

EATXPWR

ATX12V

+3 Volts

+3 Volts

Ground

+5 Volts

+5 Volts

Ground

Ground

Power OK

+5V Standby

+12 Volts

-5 Volts

+5 Volts

+3 Volts

-12 Volts

Ground

Ground
Ground
PSON#

Ground

+5 Volts

+12 Volts

+3 Volts

+5 Volts

Ground

GND +12V DC

GND +12V DC

GND +12V DC

GND +12V DC

EZ_PLUG

+5V

EZ_DET

GND

+12V

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

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

10. ATX power connectors
(24-pin EATXPWR, 2 x 4-pin ATX12V, 4-pin EZ_PLUG)

These connectors are for ATX power supply plugs. The power supply plugs

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

• Make sure to remove the cap on the ATX12V connector before connecting
an 8-pin EPS +12V power plug.

• Use only either a 4-pin ATX12V or an 8-pin EPS +12V power plug for the
ATX12V connector.

2-30 Chapter 2: Hardware information

•

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

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

and provides a minimum power of 550 W.

• Do not forget to connect the 4-pin/8pin EATX12V power plug; otherwise,

the system will not boot.

• Make sure to connect the EZ Plug™ when using PCI Express graphics

cards and a 20-pin ATX power supply unit; otherwise, the system may

become unstable.

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

a system with more power-consuming devices. The system may become
unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate.

• If you want to use two high-end PCI Express x16 cards, use a PSU with
500 W to 600 W power or above to ensure the system stability.

• The ATX 12 V Specication 2.0-compliant (500 W) PSU has been tested to
support the motherboard power requirement with the following conguration:

Normal Loading

CPU PSC 3.73G 1066

DDR800 1GB*2

VGA Nvidia 7800GTX*2

SATA-HD SATA*4

ESATA-HD 1

IDE-HD 1

CD-ROM 1

USB 2

PCI 1

• If you want to use two EN7950GX2 graphics cards, visit the NVIDIA website

(www.nvidia.com) for the qualied PSU vendor list.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-31

11. TPM connector (20-1 pin TPM) [Optional])

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS TPM connector

TPM

CK_33M_TPM

LFRAMEn

LRESETn

LAD3

+3.3V

LAD0

+3.3VXGND

LPC_PD#

GND

smb_clk_main

smb_data_main

LAD2

LAD1

GND

X

SERIRQ

X

X

This connector supports a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) system, which can

securely store keys, digital certicates, passwords, and data. A TPM system

also helps enhance network security, protects digital identities, and ensures
platform integrity.

The TPM module is purchased separately.

2-32 Chapter 2: Hardware information

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

P5NT WS

®

P5NT WS System panel connector

*

Requires an ATX power supply.

PANEL

PLED-

PWR

+5V

Speaker

Ground

RESET

Ground

Reset

Ground

Ground

PWR

PLED+

IDE_LED-

IDE_LED+

IDE_LED

PLED SPEAKER

This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.

•

System power LED (2-pin PLED)

This 2-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power
LED cable to this connector. The system power LED lights up when you turn
on the system power, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode.

•

Hard disk drive activity LED (2-pin IDE_LED)

This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD Activity

LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or ashes when data is

read from or written to the HDD.

•

System warning speaker (4-pin SPEAKER)

This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning speaker. The
speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings.

•

ATX power button/soft-off button (2-pin PWR)

This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power button
turns the system on or puts the system in sleep or soft-off mode depending
on the BIOS settings. Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds
while the system is ON turns the system OFF.

•

Reset button (2-pin RESET)

This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for system
reboot without turning off the system power.

ASUS P5NT WS 2-33

ASUS Q-Connector (system panel)

You can use the ASUS Q-Connector to connect/disconnect chassis front
panel cables in a few steps. Refer to the instructions below to install the ASUS
Q-Connector.

1. Connect the front panel cables to the
ASUS Q-Connector.

Refer to the labels on the Q-Connector

to know the detailed pin denitions, then

match them to the respective front panel
cable labels.

2. Install the ASUS Q-Connector to the
system panel connector, making sure
the orientation matches the labels on the
motherboard.

3. The front panel functions are now enabled.

The gure shows the Q-Connector properly

installed on the motherboard.

2-34 Chapter 2: Hardware information

This chapter describes the power up
sequence, the vocal POST messages,
and ways of shutting down the system.

Powering up

3

Chapter summary

3

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

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

3-2

ASUS P5NT WS

3.1 Starting up for the rst time

1. After making all the connections, replace the system case cover.

2. Be sure that all switches are off.

3. Connect the power cord to the power connector at the back of the system
chassis.

4. Connect the power cord to a power outlet that is equipped with a surge
protector.

5. Turn on the devices in the following order:

a. Monitor

b. External SCSI devices (starting with the last device on the chain)

c. System power

6. After applying power, the system power LED on the system front panel case
lights up. For systems with ATX power supplies, the system LED lights up
when you press the ATX power button. If your monitor complies with “green”
standards or if it has a “power standby” feature, the monitor LED may light up
or switch between orange and green after the system LED turns on.

The system then runs the power-on self tests or POST. While the tests are

running, the BIOS beeps or additional messages appear on the screen.
If you do not see anything within 30 seconds from the time you turned on
the power, the system may have failed a power-on test. Check the jumper
settings and connections or call your retailer for assistance.

7. At power on, hold down the <Delete> key to enter the BIOS Setup. Follow the
instructions in Chapter 4.

ASUS P5NT WS 3-1

3.2 Turning off the computer

3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function

If you are using Windows® 2000:

1. Click the Start button then click Shut Down.

2. Make sure that the Shut Down option button is selected, then click the OK
button to shut down the computer.

®

3. The power supply should turn off after Windows

If you are using Windows® XP:

1. Click the Start button then select Turn Off Computer.

2. Click the Turn Off button to shut down the computer.

3. The power supply should turn off after Windows

If you are using Windows® Vista:

1. Click the Start button then select ShutDown.

2. The power supply should turn off after Windows

3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch

While the system is ON, pressing the power switch for less than four seconds puts
the system to sleep mode or to soft-off mode, depending on the BIOS setting.
Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds lets the system enter the
soft-off mode regardless of the BIOS setting. Refer to section 4.5 Power Menu in
Chapter 4 for details.

shuts down.

®

shuts down.

®

shuts down.

3-2 Chapter 3: Powering up

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

BIOS setup

4

Chapter summary

4

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

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

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

4.4 Advanced menu .........................................................................

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

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

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

4.8 Exit menu .................................................................................... 4-44

4-9

4-13

4-18

4-30

4-35

4-40

ASUS P5NT WS

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS

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

1.

ASUS Update (Updates the BIOS in Windows® environment.)

ASUS EZ Flash 2 (Updates the BIOS in DOS using a oppy disk or a USB

2.

ash disk.)

Award BIOS Flash Utility (Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a bootable

3.

oppy disk.)

Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities.

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

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

4.1.1 ASUS Update utility

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

• Save the current BIOS le

• Download the latest BIOS le from the Internet

• Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS le

• Update the BIOS directly from the Internet, and

• View the BIOS version information.

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

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

Installing ASUS Update

To install ASUS Update:

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

2. Click the Utilities tab, then click Install ASUS Update VX.XX.XX. See page
5-3 for the Utilities screen menu.

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

ASUS P5NT WS 4-1

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

Updating the BIOS through the Internet

To update the BIOS through the Internet:

1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows

> Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update
main window appears.

®

desktop by clicking Start

2. Select Update BIOS from the

Internet option from the drop-down
menu, then click Next.

4-2 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

3. Select the ASUS FTP site nearest

you to avoid network trafc, or

click Auto Select. Click Next.

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

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

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

Updating the BIOS through a BIOS le

To update the BIOS through a BIOS le:

1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows
> Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update
main window appears.

2. Select Update BIOS from a le

option from the drop-down menu,
then click Next.

®

desktop by clicking Start

3. Locate the BIOS le from the Open

window, then click Open.

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

ASUS P5NT WS 4-3

4.1.2 Creating a bootable oppy disk

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

DOS environment

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

format

b. At the DOS prompt, type

Windows® XP environment

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

b. Click

Start from the Windows® desktop, then select My Computer.

c. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon.

d. Click File from the menu, then select

Disk window appears.

e. Select

Create an MS-DOS startup disk from the format options eld,

then click Start.

Windows® 2000 environment

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

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

®

b. Insert the Windows

c. Click

Start, then select Run.

2000 CD to the optical drive.

d. From the Open eld, type

D:\bootdisk\makeboot a:

assuming that D: is your optical drive.

e. Press <Enter>, then follow screen instructions to continue.

A:/S then press <Enter>.

Format. A Format 3 1/2 Floppy

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

disk.

4-4 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility

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

through the long process of booting from a oppy disk and using a DOS-based

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

To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2:

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

the motherboard.

2. Save the BIOS le to a oppy disk, then restart the system.

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

(1) Insert the oppy disk/USB ash disk that contains the BIOS le to

the oppy disk drive or the USB port.

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

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility B318

FLASH TYPE: Winbond W39V080A 8Mb LPC

Current ROM Update ROM

BOARD: P5NT WS
VER: 0111
DATE: 11/30/2006

PATH: A:\

A

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

Note

[Enter] Select [S] Save [ESC]Exit
[Tab]Switch [Up/Down/Home/End] Move

(2) Enter BIOS setup program. Go to the Tools menu to select EZ

Flash 2 and press <Enter> to enable it.

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

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

4. When the correct BIOS le is found, EZ Flash 2 performs the BIOS update

process and automatically reboots the system when down.

• This function can support devices such as USB ash disk, hard disk,
or oppy disk with FAT32/16/12 format only.

• DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to
prevent system boot failure!

ASUS P5NT WS 4-5

4.1.4 Updating the BIOS

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

1. Download the latest BIOS le from the ASUS web site. Rename the le to
P5NT-WS.BIN and save it to a oppy disk, CD ROM or a USB ash disk in

FAT 16/12 format.

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

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

3. Boot the system in DOS mode using the bootable oppy disk, CD ROM or a
USB ash disk you created earlier.

4. Under the DOS mode,
use <X:> (X stands for
the name of the disk
assignment) to switch to

the folder of oppy disk,
CD ROM or USB ash

disk you saved the BIOS

leand AwardBIOS Flash

Utility.

5. At the prompt, type

awdash then press

<Enter>. The Award BIOS
Flash Utility screen appears.

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.17

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

For C55XEMCP55PXE-P5NT-WS DATE:11/30/2006
Flash Type - Winbond W39V080A (8Mb)

File Name to Program:

Message: Please input File Name!

4-6 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

6. Type the BIOS le name in

the File Name to Program

eld, then press <Enter>.

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.17

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

For C55XEMCP55PXE-P5NT-WS DATE:11/30/2006
Flash Type - Winbond W39V080A (8Mb)

File Name to Program: P5NT-WS.bin

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

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

following screen appears.

8. The utility veries the BIOS
le in the oppy disk, CD
ROM or a USB ash disk
and starts ashing the
BIOS le.

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.17

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

For C55XEMCP55PXE-P5NT-WS DATE:11/30/2006
Flash Type - Winbond W39V080A (8Mb)

File Name to Program: P5NT-WS.bin

Programming Flash Memory - OFE00 OK

Write OK No Update Write Fail

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

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

9. The utility displays a
Flashing Complete
message indicating that
you have successfully

ashed the BIOS le.

Remove the disk then
press <F1> to restart the

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.17

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

For C55XEMCP55PXE-P5NT-WS DATE:11/30/2006
Flash Type - Winbond W39V080A (8Mb)

File Name to Program: P5NT-WS.bin
Flashing Complete

Press <F1> to Continue

system.

Write OK No Update Write Fail

F1

Reset

ASUS P5NT WS 4-7

4.1.5 Saving the current BIOS le

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

process.

Make sure that the oppy disk, CD ROM or a USB ash disk has enough disk
space to save the le.

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

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

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

current BIOS le. The

following screen appears.

3. Type a lename for the
current BIOS le in the
Save current BIOS as eld,

then press <Enter>.

4. The utility saves the

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

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.17

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

For C55XEMCP55PXE-P5NT-WS DATE:11/30/2006
Flash Type - Winbond W39V080A (8Mb)

File Name to Program: 0111.bin

Save current BIOS as:

Message:

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.17

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

For C55XEMCP55PXE-P5NT-WS DATE:11/30/2006
Flash Type - Winbond W39V080A (8Mb)

File Name to Program: 0111.bin
Checksum: 810DH
Save current BIOS as: old.bin

Message: Please Wait!

AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.17

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved

For C55XEMCP55PXE-P5NT-WS DATE:11/30/2006
Flash Type - Winbond W39V080A (8Mb)

File Name to Program: 0110.bin
Now Backup System BIOS to

File!

Message: Please Wait!

4-8 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1.6 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility

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

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

• Prepare the motherboard support DVD or the oppy disk containing

the updated motherboard BIOS before using this utility.

• Make sure that you rename the original or updatedd BIOS le in the

oppy disk to P5NT-WS.BIN.

Recovering the BIOS from the support DVD

To recover the BIOS from the support DVD:

1. Turn on the system.

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

3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks the DVD

for the BIOS le.

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

BIOS ROM checksum error,
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...

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

BIOS le.

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

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

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

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

ASUS P5NT WS 4-9

4.2 BIOS setup program

This motherboard supports a programmable Low-Pin Count (LPC) chip that you
can update using the provided utility described in section “4.1 Managing and
updating your BIOS.”

Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconguring
your system, or prompted to“Run Setup.” This section explains how to congure

your system using this utility.

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

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

security password feature or change the power management settings. This

requires you to recongure your system using the BIOS Setup program so that the
computer can recognize these changes and record them in the CMOS RAM of the

LPC chip.

The LPC chip on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you start up the
computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program. Press

<Del> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to enter the Setup utility; otherwise,

POST continues with its test routines.

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

the rst two failed.

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

• The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most conditions
to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes unstable after
changing any BIOS settings, load the default settings to ensure system
compatibility and stability. Select the Load Default Settings item under the
Exit Menu. See section “4.8 Exit Menu.”

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

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

this motherboard.

4-10 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.2.1 BIOS menu screen

Conguration eldsMenu items

General helpMenu bar

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time 15 : 30 : 36
System Date Sat, Jan 21 2006
Language [English]

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

Primary IDE Master [ST321122A]
Primary IDE Slave [ASUS CDS520/A]
SATA1 [None]
SATA2 [None]
SATA3 [None]
SATA4 [None]
SATA5 [None]
SATA6 [None]

HDD SMART Monitoring [Disabled]

Installed Memory 512MB
Usable Memory 511MB

F1:Help
ESC: Exit

↑↓

→←

Sub-menu items

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Change the day, month,
year and century.

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Legend bar

4.2.2 Menu bar

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

Main For changing the basic system conguration

Advanced For changing the advanced system settings

Power For changing the advanced power management (APM)

conguration

Boot For changing the system boot conguration

Tools For conguring options for special functions

Exit For selecting the exit options and loading default

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

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

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

ASUS P5NT WS 4-11

4.2.3 Legend bar

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

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

sub‑menu
Left or Right arrow Selects the menu item to the left or right

Up or Down arrow Moves the highlight up or down between elds
Page Down or – (minus) Scrolls backward through the values for the highlighted eld
Page Up or + (plus) Scrolls forward through the values for the highlighted eld
<Enter> Brings up a selection menu for the highlighted eld

<F10> Saves changes and exit

4.2.4 Menu items

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

For example, selecting Main shows the Main menu items.

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

4.2.5 Sub-menu items

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

4.2.6 Conguration elds

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

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

Refer to “4.2.7 Pop-up window.”

4-12 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.2.7 Pop-up window

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

conguration options for that item.

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time 15 : 30 : 36
System Date Thu, Apr 6 2006
Language [English]

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

Primary IDE Master [ST321122A]
Primary IDE Slave [ASUS CDS520/A]
SATA1 [None]
SATA2 [None]
SATA3 [None]
SATA4 [None]
SATA5 [None]
SATA6 [None]

HDD SMART Monitoring [Disabled]

Installed Memory 512MB

Usable Memory 512MB

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Legacy Diskette A:

Disabled ..... [ ]

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

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

↑↓ :Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Species the capacity and

physical size of diskette
drive A.

Pop-up menu

4.2.8 General help

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

ASUS P5NT WS 4-13

4.3 Main menu

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

Refer to section “4.2.1 BIOS menu screen” for information on the menu screen
items and how to navigate through them.

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time 15 : 30 : 36
System Date Sat, Jan 21 2006
Language [English]

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

Primary IDE Master [ST321122A]
Primary IDE Slave [ASUS CDS520/A]
SATA1 [None]
SATA2 [None]
SATA3 [None]
SATA4 [None]
SATA5 [None]
SATA6 [None]

HDD SMART Monitoring [Disabled]

Installed Memory 512MB
Usable Memory 511MB

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Item Specic Help

Change the day, month,
year and century.

Select Menu

4.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx]

Allows you to set the system time.

4.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx]

Allows you to set the system date.

4.3.3 Language [English]

Allows you to choose the BIOS language version from the options. Conguration

options: [English] [French] [Deutsch] [Chinese (Trad.)] [Chinese (Simp.)]
[Japanese]

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

Sets the type of oppy drive installed.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

4-14 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.3.5 Primary IDE Master/Slave

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

Main

Primary IDE Master

PIO Mode [Auto]
UDMA Mode [Auto]

Primary IDE Master [Auto]
Access Mode [Auto]

Capacity 82 GB

Cylinder 39420
Head 16
Sector 255
Transfer Mode UDMA 5

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Item Specic Help

Set a PIO mode for IDE
device. Mode0 through 4
for successive increase in
performance.

Select Menu

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

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

system.

PIO Mode [Auto]

Sets the PIO mode for the IDE device.

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

UDMA Mode [Auto]

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

Primary IDE Master/Slave [Auto]

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

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

system, the setup BIOS may detect incorrect parameters. Select [Manual] to
manually enter the IDE hard disk drive parameters. If no drive is installed select

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

ASUS P5NT WS 4-15

Access Mode [Auto]

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

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

Before attempting to congure a hard disk drive, make sure you have the
correct conguration information supplied by the drive manufacturer. Incorrect
settings may cause the system to fail to recognize the installed hard disk.

Capacity

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

Cylinder

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

Head

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

Sector

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

Transfer Mode

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

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

4-16 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.3.6 SATA1/2/3/4/5/6

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

Main

Extended IDE Drive [Auto]
Access Mode [Auto]

Capacity 0 MB

Cylinder 0
Head 0
Landing Zone 0
Sector 0

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

SATA1

Item Specic Help

Selects the type of xed

disk connected to the
system.

Select Menu

The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items (Capacity,
Cylinder, Head, Landing Zone and Sector). These values are not user-

congurable. These items show 0 if no SATA device is installed in the system.

Extended IDE Drive [Auto]

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

Access Mode [Auto]

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

Before attempting to congure a hard disk drive, make sure you have the
correct conguration information supplied by the drive manufacturer. Incorrect
settings may cause the system to fail to recognize the installed hard disk.

Capacity

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

Cylinder

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

ASUS P5NT WS 4-17

Head

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

Landing Zone

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

Sector

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

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

4.3.7 HDD SMART Monitoring [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the HDD Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting

Technology (SMART) feature. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4.3.8 Installed Memory [xxx MB]

Shows the size of installed memory.

4.3.9 Usable Memory [XXX MB]

Shows the size of usable memory.

4-18 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.4 Advanced menu

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

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

eld values can cause the system to malfunction.

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

JumperFree Conguration

AI NET2

CPU Conguration

Chipset
PCIPnP

Onboard Device Conguration
USB Conguration

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to set.

4.4.1 JumperFree Conguration

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

AI Tuning [Auto]

x Overclock Options Disabled
x N.O.S. Mode Auto
x N.O.S.
x N.O.S. Overclock 3%
x System Clocks
x FSB & Memory Config

Advanced Voltage Control

x SLI-Ready Memory Not Detected

Sensitivity Normal

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

JumperFree Conguration

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to select

overclock prole

F1:Help
ESC: Exit

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

↑↓

: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

→←

ASUS P5NT WS 4-19

AI Tuning [Auto]

Allows selection of CPU overclocking options to achieve desired CPU internal

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

Manual Allows you to individually set overclocking parameters.

Auto Loads the optimal settings for the system.

Standard Loads the standard settings for the system.

AI Overclock Loads overclocking proles with optimal parameters for stability when

overclocking.

AI N.O.S. The ASUS Non-delay Overclocking System feature intelligently
determines the system load and automatically boosts the performance
for the most demanding tasks.

The following item becomes user-congurable when you set AI Tuning to
[AI Overclocking].

Overclock Options [Disabled]

Allows you to set the overclocking options.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Overclock 5%] [Overclock 10%] [Overclock 15%]
[Overclock 20%]

The following item becomes user-congurable when you set AI Tuning to

[AI N.O.S.]

N.O.S. Mode [Auto]

Allows you to set the Non-delay Overclocking System mode.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Manual]

The following items become user-congurable when you set N.O.S. Mode to

[Manual].

N.O.S. Sensitivity [Normal]

Allows you to select the Non-delay Overclocking System sensitivity.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Manual]

N.O.S. Overclock [3%]

Allows you to set the overclocking ratio.

Conguration options: [Overclock 3%] [Overclock 5%] [Overclock 8%] [Overclock
10%]

The following items become user-congurable when you set AI Tuning to

[Manual].

4-20 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

System Clocks

Advanced

NB PCIEX16 Frequency [Auto]
SB PCIEX16 Frequency [Auto]
SPP<->MCP Ref Clock, MHz [Auto]

NB PCIEX16 Frequency/SB PCIEX16 Frequency [Auto]

Allows you to set the NB/SB PCIEX16 overclocking frequency. Use the <+> and <->
keys to adjust the frequency. The values range from 100 to 200.

SPP<->MCP Ref Clock, MHz [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [200.0 MHz] [200.5 MHz] [201.0 MHz]...[500.0 MHz]

Phoenix-AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

System Clocks

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Set C55 PCIE Overclock

FSB & Memory Config

Extreme Tweaker

FSB - Memory Clock Mode [Auto]

x FSB - Memory Ratio Auto
x FSB (QDR), MHz Auto
Actual FSB (QDR), MHz 800.0
x MEM (DDR), MHz Linked
Actual MEM (DDR), MHz 667

F1:Help
ESC: Exit

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

↑↓

: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

→←

FSB - Memory Clock Mode [Auto]

Allows you to set the memory clock mode.
Configuration options: [Auto] [Linked] [Unlinked]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

FSB & Memory Cong

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

System clock mode

[Optimal]
Set FSB and memory speed
automatically.

[Linked]
Enter FSB Speed manually.
Memory Speed changes
proportionally.

The following items become user-congurable when you set the FSB-Memory

Clock Mode item to [Linked].

FSB - Memory Ratio [Auto]

Configuration options: [Auto] [1:1] [5:4] [3:2] [Sync Mode]

FSB (QDR), MHz [800]

Use the numeric keypad to enter a new value or use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust
the frequency. The values range from 533 to 3000.

The following items become user-congurable when you set the FSB-Memory

Clock Mode item to [Unlinked].

ASUS P5NT WS 4-21

FSB (QDR), MHz [800]

Use the numeric keypad to enter a new value or use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust
the frequency. The values range from 533 to 3000.

MEM (DDR), MHz [667]

Use the numeric keypad to enter a new value or use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust
the frequency. The values range from 400 to 2600.

Advanced Voltage Control

Advanced

VCore Voltage [Auto]
Memory Voltage [Auto]
NB Core Voltage [Auto]
SB Core Voltage [Auto]
NB <-> SB HT Voltage [Auto]
CPU VTT Voltage [Auto]
SB Standby Voltage [Auto]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced Voltage Control

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Set CPU VID to desired
voltage, but it will cause
other CPU power management
feature such as C1E, EIST,
and TM2 fail to control
CPU VID. Select [Auto] to
let CPU VID keep original
value.

VCore Voltage [Auto]

Configuration options: [Auto] [1.70000V] [1.69375V] [1.68750V]...[0.93125V]

Memory Voltage [Auto]

Configuration options: [Auto] [1.800V] [1.825V] [1.850V] [1.875V]... [2.575V]

NB Voltage [Auto]

Configuration options: [1.20V] [1.25V] [1.30V] [1.35V]...[1.55V]

SB Voltage [Auto]

Configuration options: [Auto] [1.500V] [1.525V] [1.550V] [1.575V]... [1.750V]

NB <-> SB HT Voltage [Auto]

Configuration options: [Auto] [1.20V] [1.25V] [1.30V] [1.35V]... [1.55V]

CPU VTT Voltage [Auto]

Configuration options: [Auto] [1.20V] [1.30V] [1.40V] [1.50V]

SB Standby Voltage [Auto]

Configuration options: [Auto] [1.50V] [1.60V] [1.70V] [1.80V]

SLI-Ready Memory [Disabled]

Allows you to select the SPD prole for SLI-Ready memory modules. The
conguration options may vary depending on the type of module you installed.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [CPUOC 0%] [CPUOC 1%] [CPUOC 2%]
[CPUOC 3%] [CPUOC 4%] [CPUOC 5%] [CPUOC MAX]

4-22 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.4.2 AI NET2

Advanced

POST Check LAN Cable [Disabled]
POST Check LAN2 Cable [Disabled]

Pair Status Length

LAN1(1-2) Open N/A
LAN1(3-6) Open N/A
LAN1(4-5) Open N/A
LAN1(7-8) Open N/A

LAN2(1-2) Open N/A
LAN2(3-6) Open N/A
LAN2(4-5) Open N/A
LAN2(7-8) Open N/A

F1:Help
ESC: Exit

↑↓

→←

Phoenix-AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

AI NET2

: Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Enable or Disable LAN
cable check during POST.

POST Check LAN Cable [Disabled]
POST Check LAN2 Cable [Disabled]

Enables or disables checking of the LAN/LAN2 cable during the Power-On
Self-Test (POST). Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4.4.3 CPU Conguration

This sub-menu allows you to adjust the CPU-related items. Select an item, then
press <Enter> to edit.

Advanced

CPU Type Genuine Intel(R) CPU

CPU Speed 3.20GHz
Cache RAM 1024K

CPU Multiplier [16]
CPU Internal Thermal Control [Disabled]

Limit CPUID MaxVal [Disabled]
Hyper-Threading Technology [Enabled]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

CPU Conguration

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

CPU Multiplier [16]

Use the numeric keypad to enter a new value or use the <+> and <-> keys to
adjust the value. The values range from 6 to 50.

CPU Internal Thermal Control [Disabled]

Allows you to disable or set to auto the CPU Internal Thermal Control function.
When set to [Auto], the BIOS automatically checks the CPU’s capability to enable
TM or TM2 support. In TM mode, the CPU power consumption is reduced. In TM2

mode, the CPU core ratio and VID are reduced. Conguration options: [Auto]

[Disabled]

ASUS P5NT WS 4-23

The following item appears only when you installed an Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU
that supports the Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology (EIST).

Intel(R) SpeedStep Technology [Automatic]

Allows you to use the Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology. When set to
[Automatic], you can adjust the system power settings in the operating system to
use the EIST feature.

Set this item to [Disabled] if you do not want to use the EIST.

Conguration options: [Automatic] [Disabled]

• Refer to the Appendix for details on how to use the EIST feature.

• The motherboard comes with a BIOS le that supports EIST.

Limit CPUID MaxVal [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Hyper-Threading Technology [Enabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4.4.4 Chipset

Advanced

Memory Timing Setting
SLI Broadcast Aperture [Disabled]
LDT Frequency [5x]
NVIDIA GPU Ex [Disabled]
PCIEX16_2 Mode [Auto]

Spread Spectrum Control
LinkBoost [Auto]

F1:Help
ESC: Exit

↑↓

→←

Phoenix-AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Chipset

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

: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

4-24 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Memory Timing Setting

Advanced

tCL (CAS Latency) [Auto]
tRCD [Auto]
tRP [Auto]
tRAS [Auto]
Command Per Clock (CMD) [Auto]

** Advanced Memory Settings **

tRRD [Auto]
tRC [Auto]
tWR [Auto]
tWTR [Auto]
tREF [Auto]
tRD [Auto]
tRFC [Auto]
Async Latency [Auto]

F1:Help
ESC: Exit

↑↓

→←

tCL (CAS Latency) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

tRCD [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

tRP [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

tRAS [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]...[31]

Command Per Clock (CMD) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 clock] [2 clock]

tRRD [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]...[15]

tRC [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]...[31]

tWR [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

tWTR [Auto]

Configuration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]...[15]

tREF [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2]

tRD [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]...[15]

tRFC [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]...[127]

Phoenix-AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Memory Timing Setting

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

: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

ASUS P5NT WS 4-25

Async Latency [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1.00nS] [1.25nS] [1.50nS] [1.75nS] [2.00nS]
[2.25nS] [2.50nS]

SLI Broadcast Aperture [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

LDT Frequency [5x]

Conguration options: [1x] [2x] [3x]...[8x]

NVIDIA GPU Ex [Disabled]

Enables or disables the NVIDIA® GPU Ex function. This function requires the
NVIDIA® ForceWare Graphics Driver with NVIDIA® Ex support.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

PCIEX16_2 Mode [Auto]

Allows you to select the link mode of the PCIEX16_2 slot.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Force x1]

Spread Spectrum Control

Advanced

CPU Spread Spectrum [Auto]
PCIE Spread Spectrum [Auto]
MCP PCIE Spread Spectrum [Auto]
SATA Spread Spectrum [Disabled]
LDT Spread Spectrum [Auto]

CPU Spread Spectrum [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

PCIE Spread Spectrum [Auto]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

MCP PCIE Spread Spectrum [Auto]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

SATA Spread Spectrum [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

LDT Spread Spectrum [Auto]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Spread Spectrum Control

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

LinkBoost [Auto]

Enables or disables guaranteed higher clocks with certied GPUs.
Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] [Auto]

4-26 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.4.5 PCIPnP

Advanced

Plug & Play O/S [No]
Primary Display Adapter [PCI]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

PCIPnP

Item Specic Help

Select Yes if you are using
a Plug and Play capable
operating system. Select
No if you need the BIOS to

congure non-boot devices.

Select Menu

Plug & Play O/S [No]

When set to [No], the BIOS congures all the devices in the system. When set to

[Yes] and if you install a Plug and Play operating system, the operating system

congures the Plug and Play devices not required for boot. Conguration options:

[No] [Yes]

Primary Display Adapter [PCI]

Allows you to select which graphics controller to use as the primary boot device.

Conguration options: [PCI] [PCI-E]

ASUS P5NT WS 4-27

4.4.6 Onboard Device Conguration

Advanced

Onboard Device Conguration

IDE Function Setup

Serial-ATA Conguration

HD Audio [Auto]
Front Panel Support Type [AC97]
Onboard 1st nVidia LAN [Enabled]
Onboard 2nd nVidia LAN [Enabled]
Onboard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]
Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]
Parallel Port Address [378/IRQ7]
Parallel Port Mode [EPP]

x ECP Mode Use DMA 3

Silicon SATAII Controller [Enabled]
Silicon SATAII Option ROM [Disabled]
Onboard 1394 [Enabled]

F1:Help
ESC: Exit

↑↓

→←

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

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

: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

IDE Function Setup

This sub-menu contains IDE function-related items. Select an item then press
<Enter> to edit.

Advanced

OnChip IDE Channel0 [Enabled]
IDE DMA transfer access [Enabled]
IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled]

OnChip IDE Channel0 [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onchip IDE channel 0 controller .

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

IDE DMA transfer access [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the IDE DMA transfer access.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the IDE PIO read prefetch mode.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

IDE Function Setup

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

4-28 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Serial-ATA Conguration

This sub-menu allows you to change Serial ATA settings. Select an item then press
<Enter> to edit.

Advanced

Serial-ATA Controller [Enabled]
RAID Enabled [Disabled]

x SATA1 RAID Disabled
x SATA2 RAID Disabled
x SATA3 RAID Disabled
x SATA4 RAID Disabled
x SATA5 RAID Disabled
x SATA6 RAID Disabled

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Serial-ATA Conguration

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Serial-ATA Controller [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onboard Serial ATA controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

RAID Enabled [Disabled]

Enables or disables the onboard RAID controller. When set to [Enabled], the

succeeding items become user-congurable.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

SATA1/2/3/4/5/6 [Disabled]

Enables or disables the RAID function of the rst to sixth SATA master drive.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

HD Audio [Auto]

Allows you to disable or set the High-Denition audio function.
Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

Front Panel Support Type [AC97]

Allows you to set the front panel audio connector (AAFP) mode to legacy AC`97

or high-denition audio depending on the audio standard that the front panel audio
module supports. Conguration options: [AC97] [HD Audio]

Onboard 1st/2nd Nvidia LAN [Enabled]

Enables or disables the onboard NVIDIA® LAN controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

OnBoard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN boot ROM.

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]

Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4] [2F8/IRQ3] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3]

[Auto]

ASUS P5NT WS 4-29

Parallel Port Address [378/IRQ7]

Allows you to select the Parallel Port addresses.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [378/IRQ7] [278/IRQ5] [3BC/IRQ7]

Parallel Port Mode [EPP]

Allows you to select the Parallel Port mode.

Conguration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [Bi-Directional]

The following item becomes user-congurable when the Parallel Port Mode is

set to [ECP] or [Bi-Directional].

ECP Mode Use DMA [3]

Conguration options: [1] [3]

Silicon SATAII Controller [Enabled]

Allows you to disable or enable the function of the extended SATAII controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Silicon SATAII option ROM [Disabled]

Allows you to disable or enable the extended SATAII option ROM.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Onboard 1394 [Enabled]

Allows you to disable or enable the onboard 1394 device support.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

USB Conguration

The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features. Select an

item then press <Enter> to display the conguration options.

Advanced

USB Controller [Enabled]
USB Legacy support [Enabled]
USB2.0 Controller [Enabled]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

USB Conguration

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Enable or Disable
USB 1.1 and 2.0
Controller.

USB Controller [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onchip USB controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

USB Legacy Support [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable support for USB devices on legacy operating

systems (OS). Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the USB 2.0 controller.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-30 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.5 Power menu

The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced

Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI) and the Advanced Power Management
(APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conguration options.

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

ACPI Suspend Type [S1&S3]

x ACPI APIC support Enabled

APM Conguration

Hardware Monitor

F1:Help
ESC: Exit

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

↑↓

: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

→←

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Item Specic Help

Select the ACPI state used
for System Suspend.

Select Menu

4.5.1 ACPI Suspend Type [S1&S3]

Allows you to select the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI) state

to be used for system suspend.

Conguration options: [S1(POS)] [S3(STR)] [S1&S3]

4.5.2 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface
(ACPI) support in the Application-Specic Integrated Circuit (ASIC). When set

to Enabled, the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the RSDT pointer list.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P5NT WS 4-31

4.5.3 APM Conguration

Power

Restore on AC Power Loss [Power-Off]

PWR Button < 4 secs [Instant-Off]
Power Up On PCI/PCIE Devices [Disabled]
Power On By External Modems [Disabled]
USB Resume from S5 [Disabled]

Power On by RTC Alarm [Disabled]

x Date (of Month)Alarm 0
x Alarm Time(hh:mm) 0 : 0 : 0

HPET Support [Enabled]
Power Up By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]
Power Up By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

APM Conguration

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to select
whether or not to restart
the system after AC power
loss

Restore on AC Power Loss [Power-Off]

Allows you to enable or disable the Restore on AC Power Loss function.

Conguration options: [Power-Off] [Power-On]

PWR Button < 4 secs [Instant-Off]

Allows you to set the event after the power button is pressed for more than 4

seconds. Conguration options: [Suspend] [Instant-Off]

Power Up On PCI/PCIE Devices [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the PME to wake up from S5 by PCI/PCIE devices

& NV Onboard LAN. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power On By External Modem [Disabled]

This allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the computer
when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and

applications are fully running. Thus, connection cannot be made on the rst

try. Turning an external modem off and then back on while the computer is off

causes an initialization string that turns the system power on.

USB Resume from S5 [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the support of USB keyboard or mouse resumption

from S5. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-32 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable RTC to generate a wake event. When this item
is set to [Enabled], the items Date (of Month) Alarm and Alarm Time (hh:mm:ss)

items become user-congurable with set values.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Date (of Month) Alarm [XX]

To set the date of alarm, highlight this item and press <Enter> to display the Date

of Month Alarm pop-up menu. Key-in a value within the specied range then press
<Enter>. Value ‘0’ means everyday. Conguration options: [Min=0] [Max=31].

Alarm Time (hh:mm:ss) [ X: X: X]

To set the time of alarm:

1. Highlight this item and press <Enter> to display a pop-up menu for the hour

eld.

2. Key-in a value (Min=0, Max=23), then press <Enter>.

3. Press <TAB> to move to the minutes eld then press <Enter>.

4. Key-in a minute value (Min=0, Max=59), then press <Enter>.

5. Press <TAB> to move to the seconds eld then press <Enter>.

6. Key-in a second value (Min=0, Max=59), then press <Enter>.

HPET Support [Enabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power Up By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to use the PS/2 mouse to turn on
the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on

the +5VSB lead. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power Up By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]

Allows you to disable the Power On by PS/2 keyboard function or set specic keys

on the PS/2 keyboard to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power
supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Space Bar] [Ctrl-ESC] [Power Key]

ASUS P5NT WS 4-33

4.5.4 Hardware Monitor

The items in this sub-menu displays the hardware monitor values automatically
detected by the BIOS. It also allows you to change CPU Q-Fan feature-related

parameters. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conguration options.

Power

Voltage Monitor

CPU_FAN Type [PWM Mode]
Vcore Voltage [ 1.31V]

3.3V Voltage [ 3.05V]
5V Voltage [ 4.67V]
12V Voltage [ 11.32V]

CPU Temperature 72ºC

M/B Temperature 33ºC
CPU Fan Speed 4272 RPM
CHA_FAN1 Speed 0 RPM
CHA_FAN2 Speed 5314 RPM
PWR_FAN Speed 0 RPM

CPU_FAN Control [Duty-Cycle Mode]
CPU_FAN Duty Cycle [100%]

x CPU_FAN Prole Silent

CHA_FAN Control [Duty-Cycle Mode]
CHA_FAN Duty Cycle [100%]
CPU Fan Speed Warning [600 RPM]

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

CPU_FAN Type [PWM Mode]

Conguration options: [PWM Mode] [DC Mode]

VCORE Voltage, 3.3V Voltage, 5V Voltage, 12V Voltage

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through
the onboard voltage regulators.

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Voltage Monitor

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Press [Enter] to set.

CPU Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF]
MB Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the
motherboard and CPU temperatures. Select [Disabled] if you do not wish to
display the detected temperatures.

CPU Fan Speed
CHA _FAN1/2 Speed
PWR_FAN Speed

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU,
Chassis, and Power fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If any of the fans

is not connected to the motherboard, the eld shows 0. These items are not
user-congurable.

4-34 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

CPU/CHA Fan Control [Duty-Cycle Mode]

Allows you to select the CPU/Chassis fan control mode.

Conguration options: [Duty-Cycle Mode] [Q-FAN Mode]

CPU_FAN/CHA_FAN Duty Cycle [100%]

Allows you to set the CPU fan duty cycle. When the CPU_FAN/CHA_FAN Control

item is set to [Q-FAN Mode], these item are not user-congurable.
Conguration options: [60%] [70%] [80%] [90%] [100%]

CHA_Fan Prole [Silent]

Allows you to set the fan duty cycle. When the CHA_Fan Control item is set to

[Q-FAN Mode], this item is user-congurable.
Conguration options: [60%] [70%] [80%] [90%] [100%]

CPU Fan Speed warning [600 RPM]

Allows you to set the CPU fan warning speed function, which gives off a warning
when the CPU fan speed is too low. If you set this item to [Disabled], the system
will not warn you even if no fan is installed or if the fan is not functioning properly.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [600 RPM] [1200 RPM] [1600 RPM]

ASUS P5NT WS 4-35

4.6 Boot menu

The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item
then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Boot Device Priority
Removable Drives
Hard Disk Drives

Boot Settings Conguration

Security

F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults
ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Select SubMenu F10: Save and Exit

4.6.1 Boot Device Priority

Boot

1st Boot Device [Removable]
2nd Boot Device [Hard Disk]
3rd Boot Device [CDROM]
4th Boot Device [Disabled]

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Boot Device Priority

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Select Boot Device
Priority

Select Menu

Item Specic Help

Select Your Boot
Device Priority

1st ~ 4th Boot Device [Removable]

These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available devices.
The number of device items that appears on the screen depends on the number of
devices installed in the system.

Conguration options: [Removable] [Hard Disk] [CDROM] [Disabled]

4-36 Chapter 4: BIOS setup