Asus P5N-VM WS User Manual

P5N-VM WS

Motherboard

E4201

First Edition September 2008

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.

Contents ...................................................................................................... iii

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

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

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

P5N-VM WS specications ....................................................................... xi

Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

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

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

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

1.3.2 ASUS special features ................................................... 1-3

Chapter 2: Hardware information

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

2.2 Motherboard overview ................................................................. 2-2

2.2.1 Motherboard layout ......................................................... 2-2

2.2.2 Layout contents ............................................................... 2-3

2.2.3 Placement direction ........................................................ 2-4

2.2.4 Screw holes .................................................................... 2-4

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................... 2-5

2.3.1 Installing the CPU ........................................................... 2-6

2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan ................................ 2-9

2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan ......................... 2-10

2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-11

2.4.1 Overview ........................................................................2-11

2.4.2 Memory congurations .................................................. 2-12

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 2-16

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 2-16

2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-17

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card ......................................... 2-17

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ..................................... 2-17

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ................................................... 2-18

2.5.4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot ............................................... 2-19

2.5.5 PCI Express x4 slot ....................................................... 2-19

2.5.6 PCI Express x1 slot ....................................................... 2-19

iii

Contents

2.5.7 PCI slots ........................................................................ 2-19

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

2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-21

2.7.1 Rear panel connectors .................................................. 2-21

2.7.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 2-23

2.8 Starting up for the rst time ...................................................... 2-30

2.9 Turning off the computer ........................................................... 2-31

2.9.1 Using the OS shut down function .................................. 2-31

2.9.2 Using the dual function power switch ............................ 2-31

Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 3-1

3.1.1 ASUS Update utility ........................................................ 3-1

3.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility ................................................... 3-4

3.1.3 Creating a bootable oppy disk ....................................... 3-5

3.1.4 AFUDOS utility ................................................................ 3-6

3.1.5 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ...................................... 3-8

3.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................... 3-9

3.2.1 BIOS menu screen ........................................................ 3-10

3.2.2 Menu bar ....................................................................... 3-10

3.2.3 Navigation keys ............................................................. 3-10

3.2.4 Menu items ....................................................................3-11

3.2.5 Sub-menu items .............................................................3-11

3.2.6 Conguration elds ........................................................3-11

3.2.7 Pop-up window ..............................................................3-11

3.2.8 Scroll bar ........................................................................3-11

3.2.9 General help ..................................................................3-11

3.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 3-12

3.3.1 System Time ................................................................. 3-12

3.3.2 System Date ................................................................. 3-12

3.3.3 Language ...................................................................... 3-12

3.3.4 SATA 1–4 .........................................................................................3-13

3.3.5 IDE Conguration .......................................................... 3-14

3.3.6 System Information ....................................................... 3-16

3.4 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 3-17

3.4.1 CPU Conguration ........................................................ 3-17

Contents

3.4.2 Chipset .......................................................................... 3-19

3.4.3 OnBoard Devices Conguration ................................... 3-21

3.4.4 USB Conguration ........................................................ 3-22

3.5 Power menu ................................................................................ 3-23

3.5.1 Suspend Mode .............................................................. 3-23

3.5.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume ........................................ 3-23

3.5.3 ACPI 2.0 Support .......................................................... 3-23

3.5.4 ACPI APIC Support ....................................................... 3-23

3.5.5 APM Conguration ........................................................ 3-24

3.5.6 Hardware Monitor ......................................................... 3-25

3.6 Boot menu .................................................................................. 3-26

3.6.1 Boot Device Priority ...................................................... 3-26

3.6.2 Boot Settings Conguration .......................................... 3-27

3.6.3 Security ......................................................................... 3-28

3.7 Tools menu ................................................................................. 3-30

3.7.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 .......................................................... 3-30

3.7.2 Ai Net 2 ......................................................................... 3-31

3.8 Exit menu .................................................................................... 3-32

Chapter 4: Software support

4.1 Installing an operating system ................................................... 4-1

4.2 Support DVD information ............................................................ 4-1

4.2.1 Running the support DVD ............................................... 4-1

4.2.2 Drivers menu ................................................................... 4-2

4.2.3 Utilities menu .................................................................. 4-3

4.2.4 Make Disk menu ............................................................. 4-4

4.2.5 Manual menu .................................................................. 4-5

4.2.6 ASUS Contact information .............................................. 4-5

4.2.7 Other information ............................................................ 4-6

4.3 Software information ................................................................... 4-8

4.3.1 ASUS MyLogo2™ ........................................................... 4-8

4.3.2 ASUS PC Probe II ......................................................... 4-10

4.3.3 SoundMAX® High Denition Audio utility ....................... 4-16

4.4 RAID congurations .................................................................. 4-23

4.4.1 RAID denitions ............................................................ 4-23

4.4.2 NVIDIA® RAID congurations........................................ 4-24

Contents

4.5 RAID driver installation ............................................................. 4-31

4.5.1 Creating a RAID driver disk without entering the OS .... 4-31

4.5.2 Creating a RAID driver disk in Windows®...................... 4-31

4.5.3 Installing the RAID controller driver .............................. 4-32

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

•

This device may not cause harmful interference, and

•

This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio

frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s

instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

•

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

•

Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

•

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is

required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modications

to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance

could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

vii

Safety information

Electrical safety

•

To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the

electrical outlet before relocating the system.

•

When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.

•

Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all power cables are unplugged.

•

Seek professional assistance before using an adpater or extension cord. These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.

•

Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power company.

•

If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied

service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety

•

Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package.

•

Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.

•

To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.

•

Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area where it may become wet.

•

Place the product on a stable surface.

•

If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied

service technician or your retailer.

viii

This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical, electronic equipment and mercury-containing button cell battery) 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: BIOS setup

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

• Chapter 4: Software support

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

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.

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 connected with a plus sign (+).

Example: <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<D>

Command Means that you must type the command exactly as

shown.

Example: At the DOS prompt, type the command line:

afudos /iP5NVMWS.ROM

P5N-VM WS specications

CPU LGA775 socket for Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme /

Chipset NVIDIA® Quadro FX470

System bus 1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz with EM64T

Memory Dual-channel memory architecture

Expansion slots 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot (x16 link)

VGA Integrated Quadro FX470

Storage NVIDIA® Quadro FX470

LAN 2 x Realtek® RTL8111C Gigabit LAN controllers

High Denition audio ADI® 1988B 8-channel High-Denition Audio CODEC

USB 12 x USB 2.0 ports (6 ports at mid-board, 6 ports at back

Core™ 2 Quad / Core™ 2 Duo / Pentium® dual-core / Celeron® dual-core / Celeron® processors Compatible with Intel® 05B/05A/06 processors Intel® 45nm multi-core CPU support * Refer to www.asus.com for Intel® CPU support list

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

- Supports up to 8 GB system memory

1 x PCIe x4 slot (x1 link) for SAS, 1 x PCIe x1 slot (x1 link)

1 x PCI 32-bit / 33MHz slot

Quadro NVIEW support for Quad Display OpenGL 2.1 and DX10 support

- 6 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s ports

- NVIDIA® MediaShield™ RAID supports RAID 0, 1,™ RAID supports RAID 0, 1, RAID supports RAID 0, 1,RAID 0, 1,

0+1, 5 and JBOD conguration across SATA drives

Optional SAS Controller add-on card Optional 1: SASsaby 1064E PCIe 4-port SAS card

- Supports LSI® Integrated RAID 0, 1, and 1E Optional 2: SASsaby M PCIe 4-port SAS card

- Supports Hardware RAID 0, 1, 10 and 5

- Supports teaming function

- Supports Jack-Sensing, Multi-Streaming, and Jack-Supports Jack-Sensing, Multi-Streaming, and Jack Retasking Technology

- Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out ports at back I/O

panel)

(continued on the next page)

P5N-VM WS specications

ASUS Unique Features ASUS Workstation Features:

Other Features ASUS MyLogo 2

Internal connectors 3 x USB connectors support six additional USB ports

Rear panel connectors 1 x PS/2 keyboard / mouse combo port

BIOS features 8 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.0, WfM2.0,

Manageability WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE, AI NET 2, Chassis

Support DVD contents Drivers

Form factor uATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

- ASUS SASsaby cards support

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution:

- ASUS Fanless Design: Cool Thermal Solution

ASUS EZ DIY:

- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

- ASUS EZ Flash 2

- ASUS Q-Shield

Multi-language BIOS

6 x Serial ATA connectors 1 x CPU fan connector with PWM control 4 x Chassis fan connectors 1 x TPM connector 1 x Chassis intrusion connector 1 x Front panel audio connector 1 x CD audio in connector 1 x 20-pin ATX power connector 1 x 4-pin ATX +12 V power connector 1 x 24-pin panel connector

2 x LAN (RJ-45) ports 1 x S/PDIF Out port (Coaxial + Optical) 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 8-channel audio ports 2 x DVI-I ports

- Upper: Single Link with max. resolution up to 1920 x 1200

- Lower: Dual Link with max. resolution up to 2560 x 1600

SMBIOS 2.3, ACPI 2.0a

Intrusion, BIOS ash utility under DOS

ASUS PC Probe II Anti-virus software Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 Microsoft Direct X ver 9.0C

xii

This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it supports.

Chapter 1: Product

introduction

Chapter summary

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

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

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

ASUS P5N-VM WS

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® P5N-VM 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 P5N-VM WS

Accessories 1 x ASUS Q-Shidle (I/O shield)

Application DVD ASUS motherboard support DVD

Documentation User guide

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

ASUS P5N-VM 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 Extreme / Core™ 2 Quad / Core™2 Duo Processor Support

This motherboard supports the latest Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme / Core™ 2 Quad / Core™ 2 Duo processors in the LGA775 package. It is excellent for multi-tasking,

multi-media and enthusiastic gamers with 1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz FSB. The Intel®

Core™ 2 series processor is one of the most powerful CPUs in the world. This motherboard also supports Intel® CPUs in the new 45nm manufacturing process.

NVIDIA® Quadro FX470 chipset

It is the rst integrated Quadro chipset used to build on Intel LGA775 motherboard.

It supports Intel® CPU Front Side Bus interface with Hyper-Threading up to

1333MT/s (333 MHz bus clock), 128-bit dual-channel DDR2-800 (2 DIMMs per

channel), and dual-DVI-I interface with integrated HDCP key. AHCI SATA controller is integrated with support up to six drives at 1.5Gbps or 3.0 Gbps speeds, which

users can congure RAID0, 1, 0+1, 5 and JBOD in NVIDIA® MediaShield™ RAID.

PCIe 2.0

This motherboard supports the latest PCIe 2.0 device for twice the current speed and bandwidth. This enhances system performance while still providing backward compatibility to PCIe 1.0 devices. See page page 2-19 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 page 2-21 and 2-22 for details.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

Dual Gigabit LAN solution

The integrated dual Gigabit LAN design allows a PC to serve as a network

gateway for managing trafc between two separate networks. This capability

ensures rapid transfer of data from WAN to LAN without any added arbitration or latency. See page 2-21 for details.

High Denition Audio

Enjoy high-end sound quality on your PC! The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High

Denition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio output, jack-sensing feature, retasking functions and multi-

streaming technology that simultaneously sends different audio streams to different destinations. You can now talk to your partners on the headphone while playing multi-channel network games. See page 2-22 for details.

1.3.2 ASUS special features

ASUS Workstation Features

ASUS Workstation features provide complete support to system maintenance and storage technology.

ASUS SASsaby cards support

This motherboard is fully compatible with ASUS SASsaby cards (optional). Faster, safer and more stable, SAS will provide users with a better choice for storage expansion and upgrade needs.

ASUS EZ DIY

ASUS EZ DIY feature collection provides you easy ways to install computer components, update the BIOS or back up your favorite settings.

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

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

from a USB ash disk containing the BIOS le. See page 3-8 for details.

ASUS P5N-VM WS 1-3

ASUS EZ Flash 2

EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply press the predened

hotkey to launch the utility and update the BIOS without entering the OS. Update your BIOS easily without preparing a bootable diskette or using an

OS-based ash utility. See page 3-4 for details.

ASUS Q-Shield

The specially designed ASUS Q-Shield provides conductivity to best protect your motherboard against static electricity damage and shields it against

Electronic Magnetic Interference (EMI). Without the usual "ngers" present,

this new design is convenient and safe to install.

ASUS MyLogo2™

This feature allows you to convert your favorite photo into a 256-color boot logo for a more colorful and vivid image on your screen. See page 4-8 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 setup menu helps you congure your system

easier and faster. See page 3-12 for details.

1-4 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.

Hardware

information