Asus P5Q-EM User Manual

P5Q-EM

Motherboard

E3726

First Edition V1
July 2008

Copyright © 2008 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

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

Notices ......................................................................................................... vi

Safety information ..................................................................................... vii

About this guide ....................................................................................... viii

P5Q-EM specications summary ............................................................... x

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-2

1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-2

1.3 Special features ............................................................................ 1-3

1.3.1 Product highlights ........................................................... 1-3

1.3.2 ASUS unique features .................................................... 1-5

1.3.3 ASUS Intelligent Performance & Overclocking features . 1-7

1.4 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 1-9

1.5 Motherboard overview ............................................................... 1-10

1.5.1 Motherboard layout ....................................................... 1-10

1.5.2 Layout contents ..............................................................1-11

1.5.3 Placement direction ...................................................... 1-12

1.5.4 Screw holes .................................................................. 1-12

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................. 1-13

1.6.1 Installing the CPU ......................................................... 1-14

1.6.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan .............................. 1-17

1.6.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan ......................... 1-18

1.7 System memory ......................................................................... 1-19

1.7.1 Overview ....................................................................... 1-19

1.7.2 Memory congurations .................................................. 1-20

1.7.3 Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 1-24

1.7.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 1-24

1.8 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 1-25

1.8.1 Installing an expansion card ......................................... 1-25

1.8.2 Conguring an expansion card ..................................... 1-25

1.8.3 Interrupt assignments ................................................... 1-26

1.8.4 PCI slot ......................................................................... 1-27

1.8.5 PCI Express x1 slots ..................................................... 1-27

1.8.6 PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot ............................................... 1-27

1.9 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 1-28

iii

Contents

1.10 Connectors ................................................................................. 1-30

1.10.1 Rear panel connectors .................................................. 1-30

1.10.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 1-34

1.11 Starting up for the rst time ...................................................... 1-45

1.12 Turning off the computer ........................................................... 1-46

1.12.1 Using the OS shut down function .................................. 1-46

1.12.2 Using the dual function power switch ............................ 1-46

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 2-2

2.1.1 ASUS Update utility ........................................................ 2-2

2.1.2 Creating a bootable oppy disk ....................................... 2-5

2.1.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility ................................................... 2-6

2.1.4 AFUDOS utility ................................................................ 2-7

2.1.5 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ...................................... 2-9

2.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................. 2-10

2.2.1 BIOS menu screen .........................................................2-11

2.2.2 Menu bar ........................................................................2-11

2.2.3 Navigation keys ..............................................................2-11

2.2.4 Menu items ................................................................... 2-12

2.2.5 Sub-menu items ............................................................ 2-12

2.2.6 Conguration elds ....................................................... 2-12

2.2.7 Pop-up window ............................................................. 2-12

2.2.8 Scroll bar ....................................................................... 2-12

2.2.9 General help ................................................................. 2-12

2.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 2-13

2.3.1 System Time ................................................................. 2-13

2.3.2 System Date ................................................................. 2-13

2.3.3 Legacy Diskette A ........................................................ 2-13

2.3.4 SATA 1–6 ...................................................................... 2-14

2.3.5 Storage Conguration ................................................... 2-15

2.3.6 AHCI Conguration ....................................................... 2-16

2.3.7 System Information ....................................................... 2-17

2.4 Ai Tweaker menu ........................................................................ 2-18

2.4.1 Congure System performance Settings ...................... 2-18

2.5 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 2-25

iv

Contents

2.5.1 CPU Conguration ........................................................ 2-25

2.5.2 Chipset .......................................................................... 2-27

2.5.3 Onboard Devices Conguration .................................... 2-28

2.5.4 USB Conguration ........................................................ 2-29

2.5.5 PCIPnP ......................................................................... 2-30

2.6 Power menu ................................................................................ 2-31

2.6.1 Suspend Mode .............................................................. 2-31

2.6.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume ........................................ 2-31

2.6.3 ACPI 2.0 Support .......................................................... 2-31

2.6.4 ACPI APIC Support ....................................................... 2-31

2.6.5 APM Conguration ........................................................ 2-32

2.6.6 Hardware Monitor ......................................................... 2-33

2.7 Boot menu .................................................................................. 2-35

2.7.1 Boot Device Priority ...................................................... 2-35

2.7.2 Boot Settings Conguration .......................................... 2-36

2.7.3 Security ......................................................................... 2-37

2.8 Tools menu ................................................................................. 2-39

2.8.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 .......................................................... 2-39

2.8.2 Express Gate ................................................................ 2-40

2.8.3 ASUS O.C. Prole ......................................................... 2-41

2.8.4 AI Net 2 ......................................................................... 2-42

2.9 Exit menu .................................................................................... 2-43

Chapter 3: Software support

3.1 Installing an operating system ................................................... 3-2

3.2 Support DVD information ............................................................ 3-2

3.2.1 Running the support DVD ............................................... 3-2

3.2.2 Drivers menu ................................................................... 3-3

3.2.3 Utilities menu .................................................................. 3-4

3.2.4 Make disk menu .............................................................. 3-6

3.2.5 Manual menu .................................................................. 3-7

3.2.6 ASUS Contact information .............................................. 3-7

3.2.7 Other information ............................................................ 3-8

3.3 ASUS Express Gate ................................................................... 3-10

3.4 Creating a RAID driver disk ....................................................... 3-19

3.4.1 Creating a RAID driver disk without entering the OS .... 3-19

3.4.2 Creating a RAID driver disk in Windows®...................... 3-19

v

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

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

•

This device may not cause harmful interference, and

•

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

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:

•

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

•

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

•

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

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

required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or 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.

vi

Safety information

Electrical safety

•

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

electrical outlet before relocating the system.

•

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

•

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

•

Seek professional assistance before using an 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.

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.

vii

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. It also 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 2: 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 3: 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.

viii

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 /iP5QEM.ROM

ix

P5Q-EM specications summary

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

Chipset Intel® G45 / ICH10R with Intel® Fast Memory Access

System bus 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz

Memory Dual-channel memory architecture

VGA Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD integrated

Expansion slots 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot

Storage Southbridge

LAN Realtek® 8111C PCIe Gigabit LAN controller featuring

Audio Realtek® ALC1200 8-channel High-Denition Audio codec

IEEE 1394 Agere L-FW3227 controller supports 2 x IEEE 1394a ports

USB 12 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (6 at mid-board, 6 at back panel)

/ Core™2 Duo / Pentium® dual-core / Celeron® dual­ core / Celeron® processors
Compatible with Intel® 05B/05A/06 processors
Supports Intel® 45nm multi-core CPUs

TechnologyTechnology

- 4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support unbuffered
non-ECC DDR2 1066(O.C.)/800/667MHz memory
modulesmodules

- Supports up to 16 GB system memory
*When installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more,
Windows® 32-bit operation system may only recognize
less than 3GB. Hence, a total installed memory of less
than 3 GB is recommended.
**Refer to www.asus.com or this user manual for the

Memory QVL (Qualied Vendors Lists).

Multi-VGA output support: HDMI, DVI-D, and RGB

- HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz

- DVI with max. resolution 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz

- RGB with max. resolution 2048 x 1536 @ 75 Hz

Maximum shared memory of 1849 MB
Supports Microsoft® DirectX®10, OpenGL®2.1,
Pixel Shader 4.0

2 x PCIe x1 slot
1 x PCI slot

- 6 x Serial ATA 3 Gb/s ports

- Intel® Matrix Storage Technology supports RAID 0, 1,
5, 10
Marvell® 6102 controller

- 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices

AI NET2

- Supports Jack-detection, Multi-streaming

- ASUS Noise Filtering

(one at midboard; one at back panel)

(continued on the next page)

x

P5Q-EM specications summary

ASUS Unique features ASUS Power Saving solution:

Other features ASUS MyLogo 2™

ASUS Exclusive
Overclocking features

Rear panel connectors 1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse combo port

- ASUS EPU-4 Engine

- AI Nap

ASUS Express Gate

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution:

- ASUS Fanless Design

- ASUS Fan Xpert

ASUS Crystal Sound:

- ASUS Noise Filtering

ASUS EZ DIY:

- ASUS Q-Connector

- ASUS O.C. Prole

- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

- ASUS EZ Flash 2

Precision Tweaker 2:

- vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.00625V
increment

- vDIMM: 45-step DRAM voltage control

- vChipset (N.B.): 30-step chipset voltage control

- vCPU PLL: 35-step CPU PLL voltage control

- vFSB Termination: 25-step reference voltage control

SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)

- FSB tuning from 200MHz up to 800MHz at 1MHz
increment

- PCI Express frequency tuning from 100MHz up to
180MHz at 1MHz increment

Overclocking Protection:

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

1 x Optical S/PDIF Out port
1 x D-Sub port
1 x DVI port
1 x HDMI port
1 x IEEE1394a
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
8-channel audio ports

(continued on the next page)

xi

P5Q-EM specications summary

Internal connectors 3 x USB connectors support 6 additional USB ports

BIOS features 8 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0,

Manageability WOL by PME, WOR by PME, WOR by Ring, ChassisChassis

Support DVD contents Drivers

Form factor uATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in (24.4 cm x 24.4 cm)

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

1 x Floppy disk drive connector
1 x IDE connector
6 x SATA connectors
1 x CPU / 1 x Chassis / 1 x Power fan connectors
1 x IEEE1394a connector
1 x COM connector
1 x S/PDIF Out header
1 x Chassis intrusion connector
1 x Front panel audio connector
1 x CD audio in connector
24-pin ATX power connector
4-pin ATX 12 V power connector
System panel connector (Q-Connector)

SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 2.0a, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3,
ASUS EZ Flash 2

Intrusion, PXE

ASUS Express Gate
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS Update
ASUS AI Suite
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
Image-Editing Suite

xii

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

introduction

Product

1

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® P5Q-EM 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 P5Q-EM

Cables 3 x SATA signal cablesSATA signal cables
2 x SATA power cables for 3 devices
1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable
1 x Floppy disk drive cable

Accessories 1 x I/O Shield
1 x eSATA module
1 x ASUS Q-Connector Kit (USB, 1394, system

panel; Retail version only)

Application DVD ASUS motherboard support DVD

Documentation User guide

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

1-2 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

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/packagings 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 processors in LGA775
package. It can also support Intel® 45nm multi-core CPUs. With new Intel® Core™

microarchitecture technology and 1600/1333/1066/800MHz FSB, Intel
processor is one of the most powerful and energy efcient CPUs in the world.

Intel G45 Chipset

The Intel® G45 Express Chipset is the latest chipset designed to support dual­channel DDR2 800/667 architecture, 1333/1066/800 FSB (Front Side Bus), PCIe

2.0, and multi-core CPUs. It provides digital home entertainment of full 1080p high-

denition video playback, including Blu-ray disc movies, with the next-generation

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD. The Intel® G45 Express Chipset

delivers optimized 3D graphics performance and support for Microsoft DirectX

10, Shader Model 4.0 and OpenGL 2.1. It especially includes Intel® Fast Memory

Access technology that signicantly optimizes the use of available memory

bandwidth and reduces the latency of the memory accesses.

®

Core™2

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 1-27 for details.See page 1-27 for details.

Serial ATA 3 Gb/s technology

This motherboard supports hard drives based on the Serial ATA (SATA) 3 Gb/s

storage specication, delivering enhanced scalability and doubling the bus

bandwidth for high-speed data retrieval and saves. The onboard Intel® ICH10R

allows RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 congurations for six SATA

connectors. See page 1-36 for details.See page 1-36 for details.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-3

HDMI/DVI/D-Sub Interface

HDMI (High-Denition Multimedia Interface) is a set of digital video standards that

delivers multi-channel audio and uncompressed digital video through a single
cable for full HD 1080p visuals. Supporting HDCP copy protection such as HD
DVD and Blu-ray Discs, HDMI provides you with the highest-quality home theater
experience. DVI (Digital Visual Interface) provides high quality visuals for digital
display devices like LCD monitors. See page 1-31 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 pages 1-30 and 1-38 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 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 1-30 for details.See page 1-30 for details.

S/PDIF digital sound ready

This motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio
systems via the coaxial (mid-board) and optical S/PDIF (SONY-PHILIPS Digital
Interface) Out interface. It allows digital audio transferring without converting it to
analog format, and therefore well preserves signal quality. See pages 1-32 and
1-40 for details.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

1.3.2 ASUS unique features

ASUS Express Gate

Taking only 5 seconds to go online from bootup, Express Gate is the one-stop

gateway to instant fun! It’s a unique motherboard built-in OS. You can utilize the

most popular Instant Messengers (IM) like MSN, Skype, Google talk, QQ, and
Yahoo! Messenger to keep in touch with friends, or quickly check on the weather
and e-mails just before leaving your house. What’s more, the user-friendly picture
manager lets you view your pictures without entering Windows at any time! See
pages 3-10 to 3-18 for details.

The actual boot time depends on the system conguration.

ASUS Power Saving Solution

ASUS Power Saving solution intelligently and automatically provides balanced
computing power and energy consumption.

ASUS EPU-4 Engine

The new ASUS EPU—the world’s rst power saving engine, has been

upgraded to a new 4-engine version, which provides total system power
savings by detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power
in real-time. With auto phase switching for components (which includes
the CPU, VGA card, hard drives, and CPU cooler/system fan), the EPU
automatically provides the most appropriate power usage via intelligent
acceleration and overclocking—helping save power and money.

AI Nap

With AI Nap, the system can continue running at minimum power and noise
when you are temporarily away. To wake the system and return to the OS
environment, simply click the mouse or press a key.

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution

ASUS Quiet Thermal solution makes system more stable and enhances the
overclocking capability.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-5

Fan Xpert

ASUS Fan Xpert intelligently allows users to adjust both the CPU and chassis
fan speed according to different ambient temperature, which is caused
by different climate conditions in different geographic regions and system

loading. Built-in variety of useful proles offer exible controls of fan speed to

achieve a quiet and cool environment.

ASUS Crystal Sound

This feature can enhance speech-centric applications like Skype, online game,
video conference and recording.

Noise Filtering

This feature detects repetitive and stationary noises (non-voice signals) like
computer fans, air conditioners, and other background noises then eliminates
it in the incoming audio stream while recording.

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 Q-Connector

ASUS Q-Connector allows you to easily connect or disconnect the chassis
front panel cables to the motherboard. This unique module eliminates the
trouble of connecting the system panel cables one at a time and avoiding
wrong cable connections. See page 1-44 for details.See page 1-44 for details.

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 settings. See page 2-41 for details.See page 2-41 for details.

ASUS EZ Flash 2

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

hotkey to launch the utility and update the BIOS without entering the OS.
Update your BIOS easily without preparing a bootable diskette or using an
OS-based ash utility. See pages 2-6 and 2-39 for details.See pages 2-6 and 2-39 for details.

1-6 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

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

USB ash disk containing the BIOS le. See page 2-9 for details.

ASUS MyLogo 2™

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.

1.3.3 ASUS Intelligent Performance & Overclocking features

AI Booster

The ASUS AI Booster allows you to overclock the CPU speed in Windows
environment without the hassle of booting the BIOS.

Precision Tweaker 2

Allows the user to adjust the NB Voltage, FSB termination Voltage, CPU PLL

Voltage and the DRAM Voltage in 0.02v steps to netune voltages to achieve the
most precise setting for the ultimate customized overclocking conguration.

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 P5Q-EM 1-7

1-8 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

1.4 Before you proceed

Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components
or change any motherboard settings.

• Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any
component.

• Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or a metal
object, such as the power supply case, before handling components to
avoid damaging them due to static electricity.

• Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.

• Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic
pad or in the bag that came with the component.

• Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the ATX power
supply is switched off or the power cord is detached from the power
supply. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard,
peripherals, and/or components.

Onboard LED

The motherboard comes with a standby power LED. 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 P5Q-EM 1-9

1.5 Motherboard overview

1.5.1 Motherboard layout

Refer to

1.10 Connectors

internal connectors.

1-10 Chapter 1: Product introduction

for more information about rear panel connectors and

1.5.2 Layout contents

Connectors/Jumpers/Slots Page

1. Keyboard power (3-pin PS2_USBPW56) 1-29

2. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V) 1-42

3. LGA775 CPU Socket 1-14

4. DDR2 DIMM slots 1-19

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

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

7. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1) 1-38

8. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_EIDE) 1-35

9. ICH10R Serial ATA connectors [red] (7-pin SATA1-6) 1-36

10. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC) 1-28

11. System panel connector (20-8 pin PANEL) 1-43

12. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS) 1-40

13. Onboard LED (SB_PWR) 1-9

14. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB78; USB910; USB1112) 1-37

15. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW1-4; USB7-10; USB1112) 1-29

16. IEEE 1394a port connector (10-1 pin IE1394_2) 1-38

17. Optical drive audio connector (4-pin CD) 1-41

18. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP) 1-41

19. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT) 1-40

1-39

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-11

1.5.3 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.

1.5.4 Screw holes

Place eight (8) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard
to the chassis.

DO NOT overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.

Place this side towards

the rear of the chassis

1-12 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

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

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

• If installing a dual-core CPU, connect the chassis fan cable to the
CHA_FAN1 connector to ensure system stability.

• Due to the chipset limitation, we recommend you use FSB 800MHz CPU or

above.

• 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 P5Q-EM 1-13

1.6.1 Installing the CPU

To install a CPU:

1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.

Before installing the CPU, make sure that the cam 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.

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.

4. Lift the load plate with your thumb

and forenger to a 100º angle (4A),

then push the PnP cap from the
load plate window to remove (4B).

Retention tab

A

B

Load lever

PnP cap

Load plate

4B

4A

3

1-14 Chapter 1: Product introduction

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.

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!

6. Apply several drops of thermal
paste to the exposed area of the
CPU that the heatsink will be in
contact with, ensuring that it is
spread in an even thin layer.

Some heatsinks come with pre­applied thermal paste. If so,
skip this step.

The Thermal Interface Material is toxic and inedible. If it gets into your eyes
or touches your skin, ensure to wash it off immediately, and seek professional
medical help.

Gold
triangle
mark

Alignment key

To prevent contaminating the paste, DO NOT spread the paste with your nger

directly.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-15

7. Close the load plate (A), then push
the load lever (B) until it snaps into
the retention tab.

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.

A

B

1-16 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.6.2 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® LGA775 heatsink and fan assembly comes in a push-pin design
and requires no tool to install.

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

If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, ensure that the
Thermal Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU heatsink or CPU
before you install the heatsink and fan 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.

B

A

B

2. Push down two fasteners at a time in
a diagonal sequence to secure the

A

heatsink and fan assembly in place.

A

B

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-17

B

1

A

1

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

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.

1.6.3 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.

B

A

B

3. Pull up two fasteners at a time in a
diagonal sequence to disengage the

A

heatsink and fan assembly from the
motherboard.

A

B

B

A

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

1-18 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.7 System memory

1.7.1 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

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-19

1.7.2 Memory congurations

You may install 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, and 4 GB non-ECC, unbuffered, DDR2
DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.

• Due to chipset behavior, to obtain memory frequency higher than DDR2
800, you can manually adjust

2.4 Ai Tweaker menu

• You may install varying memory sizes in Channel A and Channel B. The
system maps the total size of the lower-sized channel for the dual-channel
conguration. Any excess memory from the higher-sized channel is then

mapped for single-channel operation.

• It is recommended to install the memory modules from the yellow slots for
better overclocking capability.

• Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum
compatibility, it is recommended that you obtain memory modules from the
same vendor.

• When installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more, Windows® 32-bit

operation system may only recognize less than 3GB. Hence, a total

installed memory of less than 3 GB is recommended.

• This motherboard does not support memory modules made up of 256 Mb
chips.

• Due to chipset limitation, this motherboard can only support up to 16 GB
on the operating systems listed below. You may install a maximum of 4 GB
DIMMs on each slot.

DRAM Frequency

for details.

in BIOS settings. Refer to

64-bit

Windows® XP Professional x64 Edition

®

Windows

• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its SPD. Under
the default state, some memory modules for overclocking may operate at a
lower frequency than the vendor-marked value. To operate at the vendor­marked or at a higher frequency, see section
manual memory frequency adjustment.

• The memory modules may require a better cooling system to work stably
under full loading (4 DIMMs) or overclocking setting.

1-20 Chapter 1: Product introduction

Vista x64 Edition

2.4 Ai Tweaker menu

for

P5Q-EM Motherboard Qualied Vendors Lists (QVL)
DDR2-1066MHz capability

5-5-5-15 •

DIMM support
A* B* C*

•

Vendor Part No. Size

A-DATA ADQYE1B16 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package 5 •

Apacer

Apacer

CORSAIR

CORSAIR

G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 •
G.SKILL F2-8500CL5S-1GBPK
GEIL GB22GB8500C5DC 1024MB SS GL2L128M88BA25AB 5-5-5-15 • •
GEIL GE24GB1066C5QC 4096MB(Kit of 4) SS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •
GEIL GB24GB8500C5DC 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS GL2L128M88BA25AB 5-5-5-15 • • •
GEIL
GEIL GE24GB1066C5DC 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package N/A •
GEIL GX24GB8500C5UDC 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •
Hynix HYMP564U64FP8-G7 512MB SS HY5PS12821FFP-G7 7 •
Hynix HYMP 512U64FP8-G7 1024MB DS HY5PS12821FFP-G7 7 •
Kingston KHX8500D2/ 512 512MB SS Heat-Sink Package N/A • •
Kingston KHX8500D2K2/1G 1024MB(Kit of 2) SS Heat-Sink Package N/A • •
Kingston KVR1066D2N7/ 512 512MB SS E5108AJBG -1J-E N/A •
Kingston KVR1066D2N7/1G 1024MB DS E5108AJBG -1J-E N/A • •
MICRON MT8HTF12864AY-1GAE1 1024MB SS D9JKH 7 •

OCZ

OCZ OCZ2RPR10664GK 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package N/A •
Qimonda HYS64T64000EU-19F-C 512MB SS HYB18T 512800CF19F 6 •
Qimonda HYS64T128020EU-1.9-C 1024MB DS HYB18T 512800CF19 7 •
Transcend TX1066QLU-2GK 2048MB(Kit of 2) SS Heat-Sink Package 5 • • •

Box P/N:CH.02GAF.C0KK2
(78.0AG9S.9KF)

BoxP/N:CH.04GAF.F0KK2
(78.AAGAL.9KF)

Box P/N:TWIN2X2048-8500C5D
(CM2X1024-8500C5D)(EPP)

Box P/N:TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF
(CM2X2048-8500C5D)(EPP)

GB24GB8500C5QC

Box P/N:OCZ2N10662GK
(OCZ2N10662GK)(EPP)

2048MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 •

4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • •

1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A •

4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 •

1024MB DS

4096MB(Kit of 4) DS

2048MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • •

SS/

Chip No. CL

DS

Heat-Sink Package

GL2L128M88BA25AB 5-5-5-15

P5Q-EM Motherboard Qualied Vendors Lists (QVL)
DDR2-800MHz capability

Vendor Part No. Size

A-DATA M2OAD6H3J4171Q1E52 2048MB DS AD20908A8A-25EG N/A • • •
Apacer 78.01GA0.9K5 1024MB SS AM4B5808CQJS8E N/A • • •
Apacer 78.91G9I.9K5 512MB SS AM4B5708JQJS8E N/A • •
Apacer 78.A1GA0.9K4 2048MB DS AM4B5808CQJS8E 5 • •

CORSAIR

CORSAIR

CORSAIR

CORSAIR CM2X1024-6400C4 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 4 •
Crucial BL12864AA804.16FD3 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 4 • • •
Crucial BL12864AA804.16FD 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 4 • •
Crucial BL12864AL804.16FD3 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 4 • • •
ELPIDA EBE10EE8ABFA-8E-E 1024MB SS E1108AB-8E-E(ECC) 5 • • •
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-1GBNQ 1024MB(Kit of 2) SS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • •
G.SKILL F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • • •
G.SKILL F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • • •
G.SKILL F2-6400CL4D-4GBPK 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 4 • • •
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • •
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5 • •
G.SKILL F2-6400CL6D-4GBMQ 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 6 • •
G.SKILL F2-6400CL6D-8GBNQ 8192MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 6-6-6-18 • • •
G.SKILL F2-6400PHU2-2GBNR 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • • •
GEIL GB22GB6400C4DC 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS GL2L64M088BA30EB N/A • • •

Box P/N:TWIN2X4096-6400C5
(CM2X2048-6400C5)

BoxP/N:TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX
(CM2X2048-6400C4DHX)

BoxP/N:TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX
(CM2X2048-6400C5DHX)

4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • • •

4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 4-4-4-12 • • •

4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • •

SS/

Chip No. CL

DS

(continued on the next page)

DIMM support
A* B* C*

• •

•

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-21

GEIL GB22GB6400C5DC 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS GL2L64M088BA30EB 5-5-5-15 • • •
GEIL GB24GB6400C4DC 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS GL2L128M88BA25AB 4-4-4-12 • • •
GEIL GB24GB6400C4QC 4096MB(Kit of 4) DS GL2L64M088BA30EB N/A • • •
GEIL GB24GB6400C5DC 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS GL2L128M88BA25AB 5-5-5-15 • • •
GEIL
GEIL GB28GB6400C4QC 8192MB(Kit of 4) DS GL2L128M88BA25AB N/A • • •
GEIL GB28GB6400C5QC 8192MB(Kit of 4) DS GL2L128M88BA25AB N/A • • •
GEIL GE22GB800C4DC 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 4-4-4-12 • • •
GEIL
GEIL GE24GB800C4DC DDR2 800 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package 4-4-4-12 • • •
GEIL GE24GB800C4QC 4096MB(Kit of 4) DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • • •
GEIL GE24GB800C5DC 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •
GEIL GE24GB800C5QC
GEIL GE28GB800C4QC 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package 4-4-4-12 • • •
GEIL GE28GB800C5QC 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •
GEIL GX22GB6400C4USC 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package 4-4-4-12 • • •
GEIL GX22GB6400DC 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •
GEIL GX22GB6400LX 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •
GEIL GX22GB6400UDC 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 4-4-4-12 • • •
GEIL GX24GB6400DC 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •
Hynix HYMP564U64CP8-S5 512MB SS HY5PS12821CFP-S5 5-5-5 • • •
Hynix HYMP 512U64CP8-S5 1024MB DS HY5PS12821CFP-S5 5-5-5 • • •
KINGMAX KLDC28F-A8KI5 512MB SS KKA8FEIBF-HJK-25A N/A • • •
KINGMAX KLDD48F-ABKI5 1024MB DS KKA8FEIBF-HJK-25A N/A • • •
KINGMAX KLDE88F-B8KB5 2048MB DS KKB8FFBXF-CFA-25A N/A • • •
KINGSTON KHX6400D2/ 512 512MB SS Heat-Sink Package N/A • •
KINGSTON KHX6400D2ULK2/1G 1024MB(Kit of 2) SS Heat-Sink Package N/A •
KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/ 512 512MB SS E5108AJBG-8E-E N/A • •
KINGSTON KVR800D2N6/ 512 512MB SS E5108AJBG-8E-E 1.8 • •
KINGSTON KHX6400D2/2G 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A •
KINGSTON KHX6400D2LL/1G 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 4-4-4-12 • • •
KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/1G 1024MB DS E5108AJBG-8E-E N/A • • •
KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/1G 1024MB DS E5108AJBG-8E-E N/A • • •
KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/1G 1024MB DS V59C1 512804QBF25 N/A • • •
KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/2G 2048MB DS E1108ACBG-8E-E N/A • •
KINGSTON KVR800D2N6/1G 1024MB DS E5108AJBG-8E-E 1.8 • • •
KINGSTON N/A 4096MB DS E2108ABSE-8G-E N/A •
NANYA NT 512T64U880BY-25C 512MB SS NT5TU64M8BE-25C 5 • • •
NANYA NT1GT64U8HB0BY-25C 1024MB DS NT5TU64M8BE-25C 5 • • •
NANYA NT1GT64U8HCOBY-25D 1024MB DS NT5TU64M8CE-25D N/A • • •
NANYA NT2GT64U8HC0BY-AC 2048MB DS NT5TU128M8CE-AC 5 • •
OCZ OCZ2FX800C32GK 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • • •
OCZ OCZ2G8002GK 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A •
OCZ OCZ2P8004GK 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-4-4 • • •
OCZ OCZ2P800R22GK 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 4 • • •
OCZ OCZ2T8002GK 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • •
PSC AL8E8F73C-8E1 2048MB DS A3R1GE3CFF734MAA0E 5 • • •
Qimonda HYS64T256020EU-2.5-C2 2048MB DS HYB18T1G800C2F-2.5 6 • • •
Qimonda HYS64T256020EU-25F-C2 2048MB DS HYB18T1G800C2F-25F 5 • •
SAMSUNG M378T2863QZS-CF7 1024MB SS K4T1G084QQ 6 • • •
SAMSUNG M378T6553GZS-CF7 512MB SS K4T51083QG 6 • • •
SAMSUNG M391T2863QZ3-CF7 1024MB SS K4T1G084QQ(ECC) 6 • • •
SAMSUNG M378T2953GZ3-CF7 1024MB DS K4T51083QG 6 • • •
SAMSUNG M378T5263AZ3-CF7 4096MB DS K4T2G084QA-HCF7 6 • • •
SAMSUNG M378T5663QZ3-CF7 2048MB DS K4T1G084QQ(ECC) 6 • • •
SAMSUNG M391T5663QZ3-CF7 2048MB DS K4T1G084QQ 6 • • •
Super Talent T800UA12C4 512MB SS Heat-Sink Package N/A • • •
Super Talent T800UB1GC4 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package N/A • • •
Transcend JM800QLU-1G 1024MB SS TQ243ECF8 5 • • •
Transcend JM800QLJ-1G 1024MB DS TQ123PJF8 5 • •
Transcend JM800QLU-2G 2048MB DS TQ243PCF8 5 • • •

GB24GB6400C5QC 4096MB(Kit of 2)

GE22GB800C5DC 2048MB(Kit of 2)

4096MB(Kit of 4)

GL2L64M088BA30EB N/A

DS

DS Heat-Sink Package

DS Heat-Sink Package

5-5-5-15

5-5-5-15

• •

• •

• •

•

•

•

1-22 Chapter 1: Product introduction

P5Q-EM Motherboard Qualied Vendors Lists (QVL)
DDR2-667MHz capability

Vendor Part No. Size

Apacer 78.01G9O.9K5 1024MB SS AM4B5808CQJS7E N/A • • •

Apacer 78.91G92.9K5 512MB SS AM4B5708JQJS7E N/A • • •

Apacer 78.A1G9O.9K4 2048MB DS AM4B5808CQJS7E N/A • • •

CORSAIR VS 512MB667D2 512MB SS 64M8CFEG N/A •

CORSAIR VS1GB667D2 1024MB DS 64M8CFEG N/A • • •

crucial

crucial BL12864AA663.16FD2 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 3 • • •

crucial BL12864AA663.16FD 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 3 • • •

crucial BL12864AL664.16FD 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 3 •

ELPIDA EBE51UD8AEFA-6E-E 512MB SS E5108AE-6E-E 5 • •

G.SKILL F2-5300CL5D-4GBMQ 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •

G.SKILL

GEIL GX21GB5300SX 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 3-4-4-8 •

GEIL GX22GB5300LX 2048MB DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •

GEIL GX24GB5300LDC 4096MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 • • •

Hynix HYMP112U64CP8-Y5 1024MB SS HY5PS1G831CFP-Y5 5 • • •

Hynix HYMP 512U64CP8-Y5 1024MB DS HY5PS12821CFP-Y5 5 •

KINGSTON KVR667D2N5/ 512 512MB SS D6408TEBGGL3U 5 • •

KINGSTON KVR667D2E5/1G 1024MB DS E5108AGBG-6E-E(ECC) N/A • •

KINGSTON KVR667D2E5/2G 2048MB DS D9HNL(ECC) N/A • • •

KINGSTON KVR667D2N5/1G 1024MB DS E5108AGBG-6E-E N/A • • •

KINGSTON KVR667D2N5/1G 1024MB DS E5108AJBG-8E-E N/A • • •

KINGSTON KVR667D2N5/1G 1024MB DS HY5PS12821CFP-Y5 N/A • • •

KINGSTON KVR667D2N5/2G 2048MB DS E1108AB-6E-E N/A • •

KINGSTON KVR667D2N5/2G 2048MB DS HY5PS1G831CFP-Y5 N/A • • •

NANYA NT 512T64U88B0BY-3C 512MB SS NT5TU64M8BE-3C 5 • •

NANYA NT2GT64U8HB0JY-3C 2048MB DS NT5TU128M8BJ-3C 5 • • •

PSC AL7E8E63J-6E1 1024MB DS A3R12E3JFF719A9T02 5 • • •

Qimonda HYS64T256020EU-3S-C2 2048MB DS HYB18T1GB00C2F-3S 555-12 • • •

SAMSUNG M378T6553EZS-CE6 512MB SS K4T51083QE 5 • • •

SAMSUNG M378T2953EZ3-CE6 1024MB DS K4T51083QE 5 • • •

SAMSUNG M378T5263AZ3-CE6 4096MB DS K4T2G084QA-HCE6 5 • • •

Super Talent T6UA 512C5 512MB SS Heat-Sink Package 5 • • •

Super Talent T6UB1GC5 1024MB DS Heat-Sink Package 5 • • •

Transcend JM667QLU-1G 1024MB SS TQ243ECF8 5 • •

Transcend JM667QLU-2G 2048MB DS TQ243ECF8 5 • • •

TwinMOS 8D-23JK5M2ETP 512MB SS TMM6208G8M30C 5 • •

BL6464AA663.8FD

F2-5400PHU2-2GBNT 2048MB(Kit of 2)

512MB SS

SS/

Chip No. CL

DS

Heat-Sink Package 3

D264M8GCF 5-5-5-15

DS

DIMM support

A* B* C*

• •

• •

•

SS - Single-sided / DS - Double-sided
DIMM support:

• A*: Supports one module inserted in any slot as Single-channel

memory conguration.

• B*: Supports one pair of modules inserted into either the yellow slots

or the black slots as one pair of Dual-channel memory conguration.

• C*: Supports four modules inserted into both the yellow and black slots

as two pairs of Dual-channel memory conguration.

Visit the ASUS website for the latest DDR2-1066/800/667MHz QVL.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-23

1.7.3 Installing a DIMM

Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or
other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both
the motherboard and the components.

To install a DIMM

1. Unlock a DDR2 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.

Unlocked retaining clip

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.

1

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

Locked Retaining Clip

1.7.4 Removing a DIMM

To remove a DIMM

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

1

2

DDR2 DIMM notch

1

2

1

DDR2 DIMM notch

Support the DIMM lightly with your ngers when pressing the retaining clips.
The DIMM might get damaged when it ips out with extra force.

2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.

1-24 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.8 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.

1.8.1 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.

1.8.2 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 3 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 P5Q-EM 1-25

1.8.3 Interrupt assignments

IRQ Priority Standard function

0 1 System timer
1 2 Keyboard controller
2
3 11 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
4 12 Communications port (COM1)*
5 13 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
6 14 Floppy disk controller
7 15 IRQ holder for PCI steering*

8 3 System CMOS/Real Time Clock

9 4 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
10 5 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
11 6 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
12 7 PS/2 compatible mouse port*
13 8 Numeric data processor
14 9 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
15 10 IRQ holder for PCI steering*

* These IRQs are usually available for PCI devices.

IRQ assignments for this motherboard

1394 (FW3227) – – – shared – – – –
LAN (8111C) – shared – – – – – –
Marvell 6102 shared – – – – – – –
PCIEX16_1 shared – – – – – – –
PCIEX1_1 shared – – – – – – –
PCIEX1_2 – shared – – – – – –
PCI1 shared – – – – – – –
USB controller 1 – – – – – – – used
USB controller 2 – – – shared – – – –
USB controller 3 – – shared – – – – –
USB controller 4 shared – – – – – – –
USB controller 5 shared – – – – – –
USB controller 6 – – – – – used – –
USB 2.0 controller 1 – – – – – – – shared
USB 2.0 controller 2 – – shared – – – – –
SATA controller 1 – – shared – – – – –
SATA controller 2 – – – shared – – – –

– Re-direct to IRQ#9

A B C D E F G H

1-26 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.8.4 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 slot.

1.8.5 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.

1.8.6 PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot

This motherboard has a PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot that supports PCI Express 2.0

x16 graphics cards complying with the PCI Express specications. Refer to the
gure below for the location of the slot.

PCI slot

PCIe x1 slot

PCIe 2.0 x16 slot

PCIe x1 slot

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-27

1.9 Jumpers

1. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC)

This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS.
You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters
by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard button cell battery
powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup information such
as system passwords.

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. Keep the cap on
pins 2-3 for about 5–10 seconds, then move the cap back to pins 1-2.

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.

Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC jumper
default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure!

• If the steps above do not help, remove the onboard battery and move
the jumper again to clear the CMOS RTC RAM data. After the CMOS
clearance, reinstall the battery.

• 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.

• Due to the chipset behavior, AC power off is required to enable C.P.R.
function. You must turn off and on the power supply or unplug and plug the
power cord before rebooting the system.

1-28 Chapter 1: Product introduction

2. Keyboard power (3-pin PS2_USBPW56)

This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard and USB port 5-6

wake-up feature. When you set this jumper to pins 2-3 (+5VSB), you can
wake up the computer by pressing a key on the keyboard (the default is
the Space Bar) or using a USB device. This feature requires an ATX power
supply that can supply at least 1A on the +5VSB lead, and a corresponding
setting in the BIOS. The USBPW56 jumper is for the internal USB connectors
that you can connect to additional USB ports.

3. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW1-4; USB7-10; USB1112)

Set these jumpers to +5V to wake up the computer from S1 sleep mode

(CPU stopped, DRAM refreshed, system running in low power mode) using
the connected USB devices. Set to +5VSB to wake up from S3 and S4 sleep
modes (no power to CPU, DRAM in slow refresh, power supply in reduced
power mode).

The USBPW1-4 jumper is for the rear USB ports. The USBPW7-10 and

USBPW1112 jumpers are for the internal USB connectors that you can
connect to additional USB ports.

• The USB device wake-up feature requires a power supply that can
provide 500mA on the +5VSB lead for each USB port; otherwise,
the system would not power up.

• The total current consumed must NOT exceed the power supply
capability (+5VSB) whether under normal condition or in sleep mode.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-29

1.10 Connectors

1.10.1 Rear panel connectors

1. PS/2 keyboard / mouse combo port.

This port is for a PS/2 keyboard or

mouse.

2. IEEE 1394a port.

This 6-pin IEEE 1394a port provides high-speed
connectivity for audio/video devices, storage peripherals, PCs, or portable
devices.

3. Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port.

This 15-pin port is for a VGA monitor

or other VGA-compatible devices.

4. LAN (RJ-45) port.

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

Activity/Link LED Speed LED

Status Description Status Description

OFF No link OFF 10 Mbps connection

GREEN Linked ORANGE 100 Mbps connection

BLINKING Data activity GREEN 1 Gbps connection

5. Center/Subwoofer port (orange).

This port connects the center/subwoofer

ACT/LINK

speakers.

6. Rear Speaker Out port (black).

This port connects the rear speakers in a

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

7. Line In port (light blue).

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

other audio sources.

8. Line Out port (lime).

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.

9. Microphone port (pink).

10. Side Speaker Out port (gray).

This port connects a microphone.

This port connects the side speakers in an

8-channel audio conguration.

LED

LAN port

SPEED

LED

1-30 Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

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

Orange – – Center/Subwoofer Center/Subwoofer

Black – Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out

Gray – – – Side Speaker Out

Headset
2-channel

4-channel 6-channel 8-channel

11. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2.

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

available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

12. DVI-D Out port.

This port is for any DVI-D compatible device and is HDCP
compliant allowing playback of HD DVD, Blu-Ray and other protected
content.

• This motherboard comes with multiple VGA output that features desktop
extension on two monitors. You can connect two monitors to any two of the
onboard VGA, DVI-D, and HDMI ports. Note that DVI-D/HDMI dual output
works in OS environment only and that during POST or BIOS setup, only
DVI-D output is valid.

• DVI-D cannot be converted to output RGB Signal to CRT and is not
compatible with DVI-I.

• To play HD DVD or Blu-Ray Disc, make sure to use an HDCP compliant
monitor.

13. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4.

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

available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

14. HDMI Out port.

This port is for a high-denition multimedia interface (HDMI)

connector.

• This motherboard comes with multiple VGA output that features desktop
extension on two monitors. You can connect two monitors to any two of the
onboard VGA, DVI-D, and HDMI ports. Note that DVI-D/HDMI dual output
works in OS environment only and that during POST or BIOS setup, only
DVI-D output is valid.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-31

• Due to the Intel® VGA driver issue, the Windows® Display Settings menu
may offer some resolution options that your monitor does not support.
When you set a resolution not supported by your monitor, it will black out. If
this happens, wait 15 seconds for the system to return to its original setting
or restart the system and press F8 to enter Safe Mode. In Safe Mode,
change the display setting to 800 x 600, and then restart the system to
adjust the monitor resolution from the Windows® Display Settings menu.

• Due to the Intel® driver issue, some monitor resolution settings will
lead to monitor overscan or underscan. Refer to the next page for the
troubleshooting on monitor overscan/underscan problem

• Playback of HD DVD and Blu-Ray Discs
The speed and bandwidth of the CPU/Memory, DVD player, and drivers will

affect the playback quality. Following is a conguration example for your

reference. Using the CPU/Memory of higher speed and bandwidth with the
higher-version DVD player and drivers will upgrade the playback quality.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz

DIMM: DDR2-800 1GB
Playback software - CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra v8.0 1730.05

• To play HD DVD or Blu-Ray Disc, make sure to use an HDCP compliant
monitor.

• You can only play HD DVD or Blu-Ray Disc under Windows® Vista™ OS.

15. Optical S/PDIF Out port.

This port connects an external audio output device

via an optical S/PDIF cable.

16. USB 2.0 ports 5 and 6.

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

available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

1-32 Chapter 1: Product introduction

Troubleshooting on monitor overscan/underscan problem

1. Install

Intel Graphics Accelerator Driver

DVD.

2. From the Windows® notication area,
double-click the

Media Accelerator Driver
Graphics Properties

3. Click

Display Settings

select a
Click

Apply

4. Or you can click

Options
Horizontal

and then click

Intel(R) Graphics

icon and click

.

and

Screen Resolution

.

.

Aspect Ratio

(if available). Move the

and

Apply

Vertical

.

sliders

from the motherboard support

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-33

1.10.2 Internal connectors

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.

1-34 Chapter 1: Product introduction

2. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_EIDE)

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

Single device Cable-Select or Master - Black

Cable-Select

Two devices

• 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.

If any device jumper is set as “Cable-Select,” make sure all other device
jumpers have the same setting.

Master Master

Slave Slave

Mode of
device(s)

Master Black

Slave Gray

Cable connector

Black or gray

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-35

3. ICH10R Serial ATA connectors [red] (7-pin SATA1-6)

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

If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can create a RAID 0, 1, 5,

and 10 conguration with the Intel® Matrix Storage Technology through the

onboard Intel® ICH10R RAID controller.

•

These connectors are set to Standard IDE mode by default. In Standard
IDE mode, you can connect Serial ATA boot/data hard disk drives to these
connectors. If you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these
connectors, set the Congure SATA as item in the BIOS to [RAID]. See
section 2.3.5 Storage Conguration for details.

• Before creating a RAID set, refer to the manual bundled in the motherboard
support DVD.

•

You must install the Windows® XP/Vista Service Pack before using Serial
ATA hard disk drives. The Serial ATA RAID feature (RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10) is
available only if you are using Windows® XP/Vista.

•

When using hot-plug and NCQ, set the Congure SATA as in the BIOS to
[AHCI]. See section 2.3.5 Storage Conguration for details.

Connect the right-angle side of SATA
signal cable to SATA device. Or you may
connect the right-angle side of SATA
cable to the onboard SATA port to avoid

mechanical conict with huge graphics

cards.

1-36 Chapter 1: Product introduction

right angle side

The bundled eSATA module
allows you to add an eSATA port
on the back of your chassis. To
install the eSATA module, connect
the SATA cable connector to
any of the onboard SATA 1–6
connectors and then screw the
bracket to the chassis.

SATA cable connector

We highly recommend that you connect this
eSATA port to an eSATA external hard disk
drive using an
NOT connect the eSATA port to a SATA hard
disk drive using a eSATA to SATA cable.

eSATA to eSATA cable

. DO

eSATA port

eSATA cable connector

Bracket

4. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB78; USB910; USB1112)

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!

If your chassis supports front panel USB ports, you can attach a front panel
USB cable to these connectors. Connect the USB cable to ASUS Q-Connector

(USB, blue) rst, and then install the Q-Connector (USB) to the USB connector

onboard.

The USB module cable is purchased separately.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-37

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

This connector is for a IEEE 1394a port. Connect the IEEE 1394a module
cable to this connector, 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 attach a FireWire/1394 cable to this connector if your chassis suppots
the front panel IEEE1394 port. Connect the 1394 cable to ASUS Q-Connector

(1394, red) rst, and then install the Q-Connector (1394) to the 1394 connector

onboard.

The IEEE 1394a module cable is purchased separately.

6. 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.

The serial port module is purchased separately.

1-38 Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350 mA–2000 mA (24 W max.)
or a total of 1 A–7 A (84 W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan–7 A (84 W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan7 A (84 W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan
connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each
cable matches the 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 CPU_FAN and CHA_FAN 1 connectors support the ASUS Fan Xpert
feature.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-39

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

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.

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

This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF)
port(s).

The S/PDIF out cable is purchased separately.

1-40 Chapter 1: Product introduction

10. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)

This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module that
supports either HD Audio or legacy AC`97 audio standard. Connect one end
of the front panel audio I/O module cable to this connector.

• We recommend that you connect a high-denition front panel audio
module to this connector to avail of the motherboard’s high-denition audio

capability.

• If you want to connect a high-denition front panel audio module to this

connector, make sure that the Front Panel Type item in the BIOS is set
to [HD Audio]. If you want to connect an AC' 97 front panel audio module
to this connector, set the item to [AC97]. Refer to 2.5.3 Onboard Devices
Conguration for details.

11. Optical drive audio connector (4-pin CD)

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

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-41

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

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.

• 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 400 W.

• Do not forget to connect the 4-pin ATX12V power plug; otherwise, the

system will not boot.

• 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 are uncertain about the minimum power supply requirement for your
system, refer to the Recommended Power Supply Wattage Calculator
at http://support.asus.com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PSCalculator.
aspx?SLanguage=en-us for details.

1-42 Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

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 PWRSW)

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 P5Q-EM 1-43

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 Q­Connector.

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.

1-44 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.11 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 (see BIOS beep codes table below) 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.

BIOS Beep Description

One short beep VGA detected

One continuous beep followed by two
short beeps then a pause (repeated)
One continuous beep followed by three
short beeps

One continuous beep followed by four
short beeps

Quick boot set to disabled
No keyboard detected
No memory detected

No VGA detected

Hardware component failure

7. At power on, hold down the <Delete> key to enter the BIOS Setup. Follow the
instructions in Chapter 2.

ASUS P5Q-EM 1-45

1.12 Turning off the computer

1.12.1 Using the OS shut down function

If you are using Windows® Vista:

1. Click the Start button and then select Shut Down.

2. The power supply should turn off after Windows® shuts down.

If you are using Windows® XP:

1. Click the Start button and 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® shuts down.

1.12.2 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 2.6 Power Menu for
details.

1-46 Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2

2.1 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.)

2. ASUS EZ Flash 2 (Updates the BIOS using a oppy disk or USB ash disk.)

3. ASUS AFUDOS (Updates the BIOS using a bootable oppy disk)

4. ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 (Updates the BIOS using a bootable oppy disk,

USB ash disk or the motherboard support DVD when the BIOS le fails or

gets corrupted.)

Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities.

Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS le to a bootable oppy disk or
USB ash disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the

original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AFUDOS utilities.

2.1.1 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.

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

2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

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® desktop by clicking Start
> Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update
main window appears.

2. Select Update BIOS from the
Internet option from the drop-down
menu, then click Next.

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-3

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® desktop by clicking Start
> 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.

3. Locate the BIOS le from the Open

window, then click Open.

4. Follow the screen instructions to

P5QEM.ROM

complete the update process.

P5QEM

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.1.2 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.

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 Format. A Format 3 1/2 Floppy

Disk window appears.

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

then click Start.

Windows® Vista environment

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

drive.

b. Click Start from the Windows® desktop, then select Computer.

c. Right-click Floppy Disk Drive then click Format to display the Format 3

1/2 Floppy dialog box.

d. Select the Create an MS-DOS startup disk check box.

e. Click Start.

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

disk.

format

A:/S then press <Enter>.

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-5

2.1.3 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 or a USB ash 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 V3.25

FLASH TYPE: EON 25P/F80

Current ROM

BOARD: P5Q-EM
VER: 0138
DATE: 07/07/2008

PATH: A:\

A:

Update ROM

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

Note

[Enter] Select or Load [Tab] Switch [V] Drive Info
[Up/Down/Home/End] Move [B] Backup [Esc] Exit

(2) Enter BIOS setup program. Go to the Tools menu to select EZ Flash2

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 done.

• This function can support devices such as a USB ash disk or a oppy disk

with FAT 32/16 format and single partition only.

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

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.1.4 AFUDOS utility

The AFUDOS utility allows you to update the BIOS le in DOS environment using
a bootable oppy disk with the updated BIOS le. This utility also allows you to
copy the current BIOS le that you can use as backup when the BIOS fails or gets

corrupted during the updating process.

Copying the current BIOS

To copy the current BIOS le using the AFUDOS utility

• Make sure that the oppy disk is not write-protected and has at least
1024KB free space to save the le.

• The succeeding BIOS screens are for reference only. The actual BIOS
screen displays may not be same as shown.

1. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support DVD to

the bootable oppy disk you created earlier.

2. Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type:

afudos /o[lename]

where the [lename] is any user-assigned lename not more than eight
alphanumeric characters for the main lename and three alphanumeric

characters for the extension name.

A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.rom

Main lename Extension name

3. Press <Enter>. The utility copies the current BIOS le to the oppy disk.

A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.rom

AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(02.11.24BB))

Copyright (C) 2002 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reading ash ..... done

Write to le...... ok

A:\>

The utility returns to the DOS prompt after copying the current BIOS le.

Updating the BIOS le

To update the BIOS le using the AFUDOS utility:

1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) and download the latest BIOS le for
the motherboard. Save the BIOS le to a bootable oppy disk.

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-7

Write the BIOS lename on a piece of paper. You need to type the exact BIOS
lename at the DOS prompt.

2. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support DVD to

the bootable oppy disk you created earlier.

3. Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type:

afudos /i[lename]

where [lename] is the latest or the original BIOS le on the bootable oppy

disk.

A:\>afudos /iP5QEM.ROM

4. The utility veries the le and starts updating the BIOS.

A:\>afudos /iP5QEM.ROM

AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(02.11.24BB))

Copyright (C) 2002 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved.

WARNING!! Do not turn off power during ash BIOS

Reading le ....... done

Reading ash ...... done

Advance Check ......

Erasing ash ...... done

Writing ash ...... 0x0008CC00 (9%)

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

5. The utility returns to the DOS prompt after the BIOS update process is
completed. Reboot the system from the hard disk drive.

A:\>afudos /iP5QEM.ROM

AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(02.11.24BB))

Copyright (C) 2002 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved.

WARNING!! Do not turn off power during ash BIOS

Reading le ....... done

Reading ash ...... done

Advance Check ......

Erasing ash ...... done

Writing ash ...... done

Verifying ash .... done

Please restart your computer

A:\>

2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.1.5 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 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, the oppy disk,
or the USB ash disk that contains the updated BIOS le.

• Prepare the motherboard support DVD, the oppy disk or the USB ash

disk containing the updated motherboard BIOS before using this utility.

• If you use a SATA optical drive, always connect the SATA cable to the

SATA1/2/3/4 connector; otherwise, the utility will not function.

• Ensure that you rename the original or updated BIOS le in the oppy disk

or USB ash disk to P5QEM.ROM.

• If you connect your display to the onboard HDMI connector, the monitor
will not show and the system will beep twice while CrashFree BIOS 3 is
working. Wait for a few minutes and then reboot the system. The display
will show after the system restarts.

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.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for oppy...

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

BIOS le.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for oppy...

Floppy found!

Reading le “P5QVM.ROM”. Completed.
Start ashing...

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

Recovering the BIOS from the USB ash disk

To recover the BIOS from the USB ash disk:

1. Insert the USB ash disk that contains BIOS le to the USB port.

2. Turn on the system.

3. The utility will automatically checks the devices for the BIOS le When found,
the utility reads the BIOS le and starts ashing the corrupted BIOS le.

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

• Only the USB ash disk with FAT 32/16 format and single partition can
support ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3. The device size should be smaller than

8GB.

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

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-9

2.2 BIOS setup program

This motherboard supports a programmable rmware chip that you can update

using the provided utility described in section 2.1 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

SPI chip.

The rmware 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 Setup Defaults item under the
Exit Menu. See section 2.9 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.

2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.2.1 BIOS menu screen

Menu bar

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time [11:55:25]
System Date [Tue 07/15/2008]
Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 2.5 in.]

SATA1 [Not Detected]
SATA2 [Not Detected]
SATA3 [Not Detected]
SATA4 [Not Detected]
SATA5 [Not Detected]
SATA6 [Not Detected]

Storage Conguration
System InformationSystem Information

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Sub-menu items

Conguration eldsMenu items

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

General help

Use [ENTER], [TAB]
or [SHIFT-TAB] to

select a eld.

Use [+] or [-]

to congure the

System Time.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Field

Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Navigation keys

2.2.2 Menu bar

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

Main For changing the basic system conguration

Ai Tweaker For changing the overclocking settings

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.

2.2.3 Navigation keys

At the bottom right corner of a menu screen are the navigation keys for that
particular menu. Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu and change
the settings.

The navigation keys may differ from one screen to another.

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-11

2.2.4 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.

System Time [11:56:54]
System Date [Tue 07/15/2008]
Floppy Diskette A [1.44M, 2.5 in.]

SATA1 [Not Detected]
SATA2 [Not Detected]
SATA3 [Not Detected]
SATA4 [Not Detected]
SATA5 [Not Detected]
SATA6 [Not Detected]

Storage Conguration
System Information

Use [ENTER], [TAB], or
[SHIFT-TAB] to select

a eld.

Use [+] or [-] to

congure system Time.

2.2.5 Sub-menu items

Main menu items

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

2.2.6 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 2.2.7 Pop-up window.

2.2.7 Pop-up window

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

conguration options for that item.

2.2.8 Scroll bar

A scroll bar appears on the right side of a
menu screen when there are items that do
not t on the screen. Press the
Up/Down arrow keys or <Page Up> /<Page
Down> keys to display the other items on
the screen.

Pop-up window

Scroll bar

2.2.9 General help

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

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.3 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 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen for information on the menu screen
items and how to navigate through them.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time [11:55:25]
System Date [Tue 07/15/2008]
Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 2.5 in.]

SATA1 [Not Detected]
SATA2 [Not Detected]
SATA3 [Not Detected]
SATA4 [Not Detected]
SATA5 [Not Detected]
SATA6 [Not Detected]

Storage Conguration
System InformationSystem Information

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Use [ENTER], [TAB]
or [SHIFT-TAB] to

select a eld.

Use [+] or [-] to

congure System Time.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Field

Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

2.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx]

Allows you to set the system time.

2.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx]

Allows you to set the system date.

2.3.3 Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 2.5 in.]

Sets the type of oppy drive installed.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [720K , 2.5 in.] [1.44M, 2.5 in.]

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-13

2.3.4 SATA 1–6

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

SATA 1

Device : Hard Disk
Vendor : WDC WD800JD-00LSA0
Size : 80.0GB
LBA Mode : Supported
Block Mode : 16Sectors
PIO Mode : 4
Async DMA : MultiWord DMA-2
Ultra DMA : Ultra DMA-5
SMART Monitoring: Supported

Type [Auto]
LBA/Large Mode [Auto]
Block(Multi-Sector Transfer)M [Auto]
PIO Mode [Auto]
DMA Mode [Auto]
SMART Monitoring [Auto]
32Bit Data Transfer [Enabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items (Device,

Vendor, Size, LBA Mode, Block Mode, PIO Mode, Async DMA, Ultra DMA, and
SMART monitoring). These values are not user-congurable. These items show

N/A if no IDE device is installed in the system.

Type [Auto]

Selects the type of IDE drive. Setting to [Auto] allows automatic selection of the

appropriate IDE device type. Select [CDROM] if you are specically conguring a

CD-ROM drive. Select [ARMD] (ATAPI Removable Media Device) if your device is
either a ZIP, LS-120, or MO drive.

Conguration options: [Not Installed] [Auto] [CDROM] [ARMD]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Select the type of
device connected to
the system.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Option

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

LBA/Large Mode [Auto]

Enables or disables the LBA mode. Setting to [Auto] enables the LBA mode if the
device supports this mode, and if the device was not previously formatted with LBA
mode disabled.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

Block (Multi-Sector Transfer) M [Auto]

Enables or disables data multi-sectors transfers. When set to [Auto], the data
transfer from and to the device occurs multiple sectors at a time if the device
supports multi-sector transfer feature. When set to [Disabled], the data transfer
from and to the device occurs one sector at a time.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

PIO Mode [Auto]

Allows you to select the data transfer mode.

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

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

DMA Mode [Auto]

Selects the DMA mode.

Conguration options: [Auto] [SWDMA0] [SWDMA1] [SWDMA2] [MWDMA0]

[MWDMA1] [MWDMA2] [UDMA0] [UDMA1] [UDMA2] [UDMA3] [UDMA4] [UDMA5]

SMART Monitoring [Auto]

Sets the Smart Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled]

32Bit Data Transfer [Enabled]

Enables or disables 32-bit data transfer.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2.3.5 Storage Conguration

The items in this menu allow you to set or change the congurations for the SATA

devices installed in the system. Select an item then press <Enter> if you want to

congure the item.

Main

Storage Conguration

SATA Conguraton [Enhanced]
Congure SATA as [IDE]

Hard Disk Write Protect [Disabled]
IDE Detect Time Out (Sec) [35]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Options

Disabled
Compatible
Enhanced

SATA Conguration [Enhanced]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Compatible] [Enhanced]

Configure SATA as [IDE]

Sets the conguration for the Serial ATA connectors supported by the
Southbridge chip. Conguration options: [IDE] [RAID] [AHCI]

• If you want to use the Serial ATA hard disk drives as Parallel ATA physical
storage devices, keep the default setting [IDE].

• If you want the Serial ATA hard disk drives to use the Advanced Host
Controller Interface (AHCI), set this item to [AHCI]. The AHCI allows
the onboard storage driver to enable advanced Serial ATA features that
increases storage performance on random workloads by allowing the drive

to internally optimize the order of commands.

• If you want to create a RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, or the Intel

Matrix Storage Technology conguration from the Serial ATA hard disk

drives, set this item to [RAID].

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-15

®

Hard Disk Write Protect [Disabled]

Disables or enables device write protection. This will be effective only if the device
is accessed through BIOS.

Conguration option: [Disabled] [Enabled]

IDE Detect Time Out (Sec) [35]

Selects the time out value for detecting ATA/ATAPI devices.

Conguration options: [0] [5] [10] [15] [20] [25] [30] [35]

2.3.6 AHCI Conguration

This menu is the section for AHCI conguration. It appears only when you set the

item Congure SATA as from the sub-menu of SATA Conguration to [AHCI].

Main

AHCI Settings

AHCI CD/DVD Boot Time out [35]

SATA Port1 [Not Detected]
SATA Port2 [Not Detected]
SATA Port3 [Not Detected]
SATA Port4 [Not Detected]
SATA Port5 [Not Detected]
SATA Port6 [Not Detected]

AHCI CD/DVD Boot Time out [35]

Selects the boot time out value for ACHI CD/DVD devices.
Congifuration options: [0] [5] [10] [15] [20] [25] [30] [35]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Some SATA CD/DVD in
AHCI mode need to
wait ready longer.

SATA Port1–6 [XXXX]

Displays the status of auto-detection of SATA devices.

Main

SATA Port1

Device :Not Detected

SATA Port1 [Auto]
SMART Monitoring [Enabled]

SATA Port1 [Auto]

Allows you to select the type of device connected to the system.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Not Installed]

SMART Monitoring [Enabled]

Allows you to set the Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology.

Congration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Select the type
of devices connected
to the system.

2.3.7 System Information

This menu gives you an overview of the general system specications. The BIOS

automatically detects the items in this menu.

Main

Bios Information

Version : 0131
Build Date : 07/14/08

Processor

Type : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6750 @

2.66GHz
Speed : 2666MHz
Count : 1

System Memory

Installed Size : 2048MB
Usable Size : 2048MB

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Bios Information

Displays the auto-detected BIOS information.

Processor

Displays the auto-detected CPU specication.

System Memory

Displays the auto-detected system memory.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Select Screen

Select Item
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-17

2.4 Ai Tweaker menu

The Ai Tweaker menu items allow you to congure overclocking-related items.

Take caution when changing the settings of the Ai Tweaker menu items.

Incorrect eld values can cause the system to malfunction.

The default values of the following items vary depending on the CPU and
memory modules you install on the motherboard.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Congure System Performance Settings

Ai Overclock Tuner [Auto]
CPU Ratio Setting [Auto]
FSB Strap to North Bridge [Auto]
DRAM Frequency [Auto]
DRAM Timing Control [Auto]

1st Information : 5-5-5-15-3-44-5-3
2nd Information : 8-3-5-4-6-4-6
3rd Information : 13-5-1-6-6

DRAM Static Read Control [Auto]
DRAM Read Training [Auto]
MEM. OC Charger [Auto
Ai Clock Twister [Auto]
Ai Transaction Booster [Auto]

C/P : B1 B2 B3 B4
LVL : 12 12 12 12

******** Please key in numbers directly! ********

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Manual
Auto

Select Screen

Select Item
Enter Go to Sub Screen
+- Change Option
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Scroll down to display the following items:

CPU Voltage [Auto]
CPU PLL Voltage [Auto]
FSB Termination Voltage [Auto]
DRAM Voltage [Auto]
NB Voltage [Auto]
PCIE SATA Voltage [Auto]

*************************************************

Load-Line Calibration [Auto]
CPU GTL Reference [Auto]
CPU Spread Spectrum [Auto]
PCIE Spread Spectrum [Auto]
CPU Clock Skew [Auto]
NB Clock Skew [Auto]
CPU Margin Enhancement [Optimized]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Options

2.4.1 Congure System performance Settings

Ai Overclock Tuner [Auto]

Allows selection of CPU overclocking options to achieve desired CPU internal

frequency. Select 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.

2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

CPU Ratio Setting [Auto]

Allows you to adjust the ratio between CPU Core Clock and FSB Frequency. Use
the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the value. The values may vary depending on the

CPU installed. Conguration options: [Auto] [06.0] [07.0]–[XX.X]

The following two items appear only when you set the Ai Overclock Tuner item
to [Manual].

FSB Frequency [XXX]

Displays the frequency sent by the clock generator to the system bus and PCI bus.
The value of this item is auto-detected by the BIOS. Use the <+> and <-> keys to
adjust the frequency. You can also type the desired frequency using the numeric
keypad. The values range from 200 to 800. Refer to the table below for the correct
Front Side Bus and CPU External Frequency settings.

FSB/CPU External Frequency Synchronization

Front Side Bus FSB 1600 FSB 1333 FSB 1066 FSB 800
CPU External Frequency 400 MHz 333 MHz 266 MHz 200 MHz

PCIE Frequency [Auto]

Allows you to set the PCI Express frequency. Use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust
the frequency or type the desired frequency using the numeric keypad. The valuesype the desired frequency using the numeric keypad. The values. The values
range from 100 to 180.

FSB Strap to North Bridge [Auto]

When set to [Auto], the FSB Strap will be adjusted automatically by FSB
Frequency and DRAM Frequency.

Congifuration options: [Auto] [200 MHz] [266 MHz] [333 MHz] [400 MHz]

DRAM Frequency [Auto]

Allows you to set the DDR2 operating frequency.

Conguration options: [Auto] [DDR2-667 MHz] [DDR2-800 MHz] [DDR2-1002MHz]
[DDR2-1111MHz]MHz]]

• Due to chipset behavior, to obtain memory frequency higher than DDR2

800, you can manually adjust DRAM Frequency.

• The following table shows the variation ofThe following table shows the variation of DRAM Frequency conguration
options according to FSB Frequency settings.

FSB

1600 • • • • •
1333 • • • • •
1066 • • • •

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-19

Auto 667 800 960 1002 1064 1111 1200

800 • • •

DRAM Frequency (MHz)

Selecting a very high DRAM frequency may cause the system to become
unstable! If this happens, revert to the default setting.

DRAM Timing Control [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [Manual]

• The following sub-items apprear only when you set the DRAM Timing
Control item to [Manual].

• The conguration options for some of the following items vary depending

on the DIMMs you install on the motherboard.

1st Information : 5-5-5-15-3-44-5-3 (These values are auto-detected)

CAS# Latency [5 DRAM Clocks]

Conguration options: [3 DRAM Clocks] [4 DRAM Clocks]–[11 DRAM Clocks]–[11 DRAM Clocks][11 DRAM Clocks]

DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay [5 DRAM Clocks]

Conguration options: [3 DRAM Clocks] [4 DRAM Clocks]–[17 DRAM Clocks]

[18 DRAM Clocks]

DRAM RAS# Precharge Time [5 DRAM Clocks]

Conguration options: [3 DRAM Clocks] [4 DRAM Clocks]–[17 DRAM Clocks]

[18 DRAM Clocks]

DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge Time [15 DRAM Clocks]

Conguration options: [3 DRAM Clocks] [4 DRAM Clocks]–[17 DRAM Clocks]

[18 DRAM Clocks]

RAS# to RAS# Delay [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

Row Refresh Cycle Time [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [20 DRAM Clocks] [25 DRAM Clocks]
[30 DRAM Clocks] [35 DRAM Clocks]–[80 DRAM Clocks] [85 DRAM Clocks]–[80 DRAM Clocks] [85 DRAM Clocks][80 DRAM Clocks] [85 DRAM Clocks][85 DRAM Clocks]
[105 DRAM Clocks] [132 DRAM Clocks]

Write Recovery Time [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

Read to Precharge Time [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

2nd Information : 8-3-5-4-6-4-6 (These values are auto-detected)

READ to WRITE Delay(S/D) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

WRITE to READ Delay(S) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

WRITE to READ Delay(D) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

READ To READ Delay(S) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

READ To READ Delay(D) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

WRITE To WRITE Delay(S) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

WRITE To WRITE Delay(D) [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

3rd Information : 13-5-1-6-6 (These values are auto-detected)

WRITE to PRE Delay [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[31 DRAM Clocks]

READ to PRE Delay [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

PRE to PRE Delay [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[3 DRAM Clocks]

ALL PRE to ACT Delay [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

ALL PRE to REF Delay [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1 DRAM Clocks]–[15 DRAM Clocks]

DRAM Static Read Control [Auto]

Adjusting this item might enhance DRAM overclocking ability.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled]

DRAM Read Training [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled]

MEM. OC Charger [Auto]

Enable this item to increase DRAM overclockability.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled]

Ai Clock Twister [Auto]

Allows you to set the DRAM performance. Set this item to [Light] or [Lighter]
to enhance DRAM compatibility, or [Strong] or [Stronger] to accelerate DRAM
performance.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Lighter] [Light] [Moderate] [Strong] [Stronger]

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-21

Ai Transaction Booster [Auto]

Allows you to set the system performance.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Manual]

The following two sub-items appear only when you set the Ai Transaction
Booster item to [Manual].

Common Performance Level [05]

Set this item to a higher level for better compatibility or a lower level for
better performance. Use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the value or type theype the
desired value using the numeric keypad. The values range from  to �.. The values range from  to �.

Pull-In of CHA/B PH–5 [Disabled]

Set this item to [Enabled] to apply enhancement on DRAM Channel A and B,
Phase  to 5. The number of phases is determined by DRAM frequency and
FSB strap. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following six items are adjusted by typing the desired values using the
numeric keypad and press the <Enter> key. You can also use the <+> and <->
keys to adjust the value. To restore the default setting, type [auto] using the
keyboard and press the <Enter> key.

CPU Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to set the CPU VCore voltage. The values range from 0.85000V to
.60000V with a 0.00625V interval.

Refer to the CPU documentation before setting the CPU voltage. Setting a high
CPU voltage may damage the CPU permanently, and setting a low voltage may
make the system unstable.

CPU PLL Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to set the CPU PLL voltage. The values range from .50V to 2.20V with
a 0.02V interval.

FSB Termination Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to set the front side bus termination voltage. The values range from
.20V to .70V with a 0.02V interval.

DRAM Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to set the memory voltage. The values range from .80V to 2.70V with
a 0.02V interval.

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

NB Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to set the North Bridge voltage. The values range from 1.10V to 1.70V
with a 0.02V interval.

• Setting the CPU PLL Voltage, FSB Termination Voltage, DRAM Voltage and
NB Voltage items to a high level may damage the chipset, memory module
and CPU permanently. Proceed with caution.

• Values of the CPU PLL Voltage, FSB Termination Voltage, DRAM
Voltage and NB Voltage items are labeled in different colors, indicating the
risk levels of high voltage settings. Refer to the table below for details.

• The system may need better cooling system to work stably under high
voltage settings.

Blue Yellow Purple Red

CPU PLL Voltage 1.50V–1.78V 1.80V–2.00V 2.02V–2.20V N/A

FSB Termination Voltage 1.20V–1.38V 1.40V–1.70V N/A N/A

DRAM Voltage 1.80V–1.98V 2.00V–2.20V 2.22V–2.40V 2.42V–2.70V

NB Voltage 1.10V–1.26V 1.28V–1.40V 1.42V–1.58V 1.60V–1.70V

PCIE SATA Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to set the PCI Express SATA voltage. The values range from 1.50V to

1.80V with a 0.10V interval.

Load-Line Calibration [Auto]

Allows you to select the CPU Load-Line mode. Set to [Disabled] to follow Intel

specications, or to [Enabled] to improve CPU VDroop directly.
Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled]

CPU GTL Reference [Auto]

Allows you to enable or set the CPU GTL voltage reference. Setting a high CPU
voltage may damage the components permanently, and setting a low voltage may
make the system unstable.

Conguration options: [Auto] [0.65x] [0.63x] [0.61x]

CPU Spread Spectrum [Auto]

Set to [Disabled] to enhance FSB overclocking ability or [Auto] for EMI control.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

PCIE Spread Spectrum [Auto]

Set to [Disabled] to enhance PCIE overclocking ability or [Auto] for EMI control.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-23

CPU Clock Skew [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [Normal] [Delay 100ps] [Delay 200ps]–[Delay 1500ps]

NB Clock Skew [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [Normal] [Delay 100ps] [Delay 200ps]–[Delay 1500ps]

CPU Margin Enhancement [Optimized]

Conguration options: [Optimized] [Compatible] [Performance Mode]

2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.5 Advanced menu

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

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

eld values can cause the system to malfunction.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

CPU Conguration

Chipset

Onboard Devices Conguration
USB Conguration

PCIPnP

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Congure CPU.

Select Screen

Select Item
Enter Go to Sub Screen
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

2.5.1 CPU Conguration

The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS
automatically detects.

The items shown in this screen may vary with CPU model.

Advanced

Congure advanced CPU settings

Manufacturer:Intel
Brand String:Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6750 @

2.66GHz
Frequency :2.66GHz
FSB Speed :1333 MHz
Cache L1 :64 KB
Cache L2 :4096 KB
Ratio Status: Unlocked (Min:06, Max:08)
Ratio Actual Value:8
CPUID :6FB

CPU Ratio Setting [Auto]
C1E Support [Enabled]
Intel(R) Virtualization Tech [Enabled]
CPU TM Function [Enabled]
Execute-Disable Bit [Enabled]
Intel(R) SpeedStep(TM) Tech [Enabled]
Intel(R) C-STATE Tech [Enabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Sets the ratio between
CPU Core Clock and the
FSB Frequency.
NOTE: If an invalid
ratio is set in CMOS
then actual and
setpoint values may
differ.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Option

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-25

CPU Ratio Setting [Auto]

Allows you to adjust the ratio between CPU Core Clock and FSB Frequency. Use
the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the value. The values may vary depending on theThe values may vary depending on the

CPU installed. Conguration options: [Auto] [06.0] [07.0]–[XX.X]

C1E Support [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable Enhanced Halt State support.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Intel(R) Virtualization Tech [Enabled]

The Intel® Virtualization Technology allows a hardware platform to run multiple
operating systems separately and simultaneously, enabling one system to virtually
function as several systems.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

CPU TM Function [Enabled]

This function enables the overheated CPU to throttle the clock speed to cool down.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Execute-Disable Bit [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the No-Execution Page Protection Technology.

Setting this item to [Disabled] forces the XD feature ag to always return to zero
(0). Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following items appear only when you set the CPU Ratio SettingRatio Setting item to
[Auto].

Intel(R) SpeedStep (TM) Tech [Enabled]

When set to [Disabled], the CPU runs at its default speed. When set to [Enabled],
the CPU speed is controlled by the operating system.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Intel(R) C-STATE Tech [Enabled]

Allows you enable or disable the Intel® C-STATE Technology. When enabled, the
CPU idle is set to C2/C3/C4.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.5.2 Chipset

The Chipset menu allows you to change the advanced chipset settings. Select an
item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

Advanced

Advanced Chipset Settings

WARMING: Setting wrong values in below sections
may cause system to malfunction.

North Bridge Conguration

North Bridge Conguration

Advanced

North Bridge Chipset Conguration

Memory Remap Feature [Enabled]

Initiate Graphic Adapter [PEG/IGD]
IGD Graphics Mode Select [Enabled, 32MB]

GTT Graphics Memory Select [No VT mode, 2MB]

PAVP Function [Disabled]

DVMT Memory [256MB]

Memory Remap Feature [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the remapping of the overlapped PCI memory
above the total physical memory. Enable this option only when you install

64-bit operating system. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Initiate Graphic Adapter [PEG/IGD]

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

Conguration options: [IGD] [PCI/IGD] [PCI/PEG] [PEG/IGD] [PEG/PCI]

IGD Graphics Mode Select [Enabled, 32MB]

Allows you to select the amount of system memory used by the internal
graphics device.

Conguration options: [Enabled, 32MB] [Enabled, 64MB] [Enabled, 128MB]

GTT Graphics Memory Size [No VT mode, 2MB]

This item is not available.

PAVP Function [Disabled]

Allows you to set the GMCH Protected Audio Video Path (PAVP) BIOS

support. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Lite Mode] [Paranoid]

DVMT Memory [256MB]

Conguration options: [128MB] [256MB] [Maximum DVMT]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Congure North Bridge

features.

ENABLE: Allow
remapping of
overlapped PCI memory
above the total
physical memory.

DISABLE: Do not allow
remapping of memory.

The [Maximum DVMT] option appears only when you install DIMM modules
more than 1 GB.

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-27

This motherboard supports Intel® DVMT 5.0 Technology whose maximum

graphics memory size in total varies with the system memory size in total and

the operating system. Refer to the following table for details.

System Memory

Maximum Total Graphics Memory

Windows® XP Windows® Vista™

1GB to < 1.5GB 512MB 552MB

1GB to < 2GB 768MB 808MB
2GB to < 3GB 1024MB 1320MB
3GB to < 4GB — 1832MB

4GB and above — 1849MB

2.5.3 Onboard Devices Conguration

Advanced

Onboard Devices Conguration

High Denition Audio [Enabled]

SPDIF Mode Setting [HDMI Output]
Front Panel Type [HD Audio]
Agere 1394 Controller [Enabled]
Marvell IDE Controller [Enabled]
RealTek LAN Controller [Enabled]
RealTek LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]

Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

High Denition Audio [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the High Denition Audio controller. The following

two items appear only when you set this item to [Enabled].

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

SPDIF Mode Setting [HDMI Output]

Allows you to set the digital audio connector (SPDIF) mode to SPDIF or
HDMI depending on the device you use.

Conguration options: [HDMI Output] [SPDIF Output]

Front Panel Type [HD Audio]

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]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Enable or Disable

High Denition Audio

Controller

Select Screen

Select Item
+- Change Option
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Agere 1394 Controller [Enabled]

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

2-28 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Marvell IDE Controller [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onboard Marvell IDE controller.

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

RealTek LAN Controller [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onboard RealTek LAN port.

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

RealTek LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]

This item appears only when you enable the previous item.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

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]

2.5.4 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 Conguration

USB Devices Enabled:

None

USB Functions [Enabled]
USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled]
USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]
BIOS EHCI Hand-off [Enabled]
Legacy USB Support [Auto]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Disabled
Enabled

Options

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Option

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

The USB Devices Enabled item shows the auto-detected values. If no USB
device is detected, the item shows None.

USB Functions [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the USB Host Controllers.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following items appear only when you set USB Functions to [Enabled].

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-29

USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the USB 2.0 controller.

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]

Allows you to set the USB 2.0 controller mode to HiSpeed (480 Mbps) or

FullSpeed (12 Mbps). Conguration options: [FullSpeed] [HiSpeed]

The USB 2.0 Controller Mode item appears only when you enable the USB

2.0 Controller.

BIOS EHCI Hand-off [Enabled]

Allows you to enable the support for operating systems without an EHCI hand-off

feature. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Legacy USB Support [Auto]

Allows you to enable or disable the support for legacy USB devices. Setting to
[Auto] allows the system to detect the presence of USB devices at startup. If
detected, the USB controller legacy mode is enabled. If no USB device is detected,
the legacy USB support is disabled.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto]

2.5.5 PCIPnP

The PCIPnP menu items allow you to change the advanced settings for PCI/PnP
devices.

Advanced

Advanced PCI/PnP Settings

WARNING: Setting wrong values in below sections
may cause system to malfunction.

Plug And Play O/S [No]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

NO: lets the BIOS

congure all the

devices in the system.
YES: lets the
operating system
congure Plug and
Play (PnP) devices not
required for boot if
your system has a Plug
and Play operating
system.

Plug And Play O/S [No]

When set to [NO], 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]

2-30 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.6 Power menu

The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced
Power Management (APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the

conguration options.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Suspend Mode [Auto]
Repost Video on S3 Resume [No]
ACPI 2.0 Support [Disabled]
ACPI APIC Support [Enabled]

APM Conguration

Hardware Monitor

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

2.6.1 Suspend Mode [Auto]

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

to be used for system suspend.

Conguration options: [S1 (POS) Only] [S3 Only] [Auto]

2.6.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume [No]

Determines whether to invoke VGA BIOS POST on S3/STR resume.

Conguration options: [No] [Yes]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Select the ACPI state
used for System
Suspend.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Option

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

2.6.3 ACPI 2.0 Support [Disabled]

Add additional tables as per ACPI 2.0 specications.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2.6.4 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface

(ACPI) support in the Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC). When
set to [Enabled], the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the RSDT pointer list.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-31

2.6.5 APM Conguration

Power

APM Conguration

Restore on AC Power Loss [Power Off]

Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled]
Power On By External Modems [Disabled]
Power On By PCI Devices [Disabled] [Disabled]
Power On By PCIE Devices [Disabled]
Power On By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled] PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Restore On AC Power Loss [Power Off]

When set to [Power Off], the system goes into off state after an AC power loss.
When set to [Power On], the system goes on after an AC power loss. When set to
[Last State], the system goes into either off or on state, whatever the system state
was before the AC power loss.

Conguration options: [Power Off] [Power On] [Last State]

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 RTC Alarm Date/ RTC Alarm Hour/ RTC Alarm

Minute/ RTC Alarm Second will become user-congurable with set values.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

<Enter> to select
whether or not to
restart the system
after AC power loss.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Option

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Power On By External Modems [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.

Power On By PCI Devices [Disabled]

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

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power On By PCIE Devices [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the PCIE devices to generate a wake event.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-32 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Power On 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]

2.6.6 Hardware Monitor

Power

Hardware Monitor

CPU Temperature [47ºC/116.5ºF]
MB Temperature [32ºC/89.5ºF]

CPU Fan Speed [4500RPM]
CPU Q-Fan Control [Enabled]

CPU Fan Prole [Standard]

Chassis Fan 1 Speed [N/A]
Chassis Q-Fan Control [Disabled]

Power Fan Speed [N/A]

CPU Voltage [ 1.304V]

3.3V Voltage [ 2.248V]
5V Voltage [ 5.112V]
12V Voltage [12.096V]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

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

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

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

CPU Temperature

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Field

F1 General Help

F10 Save and Exit

ESC Exit

CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU
fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the

motherboard, the eld shows [N/A].

CPU Q-Fan Control [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the CPU Q-fan control feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following item appears only when you enable the CPU Q-Fan Control item.

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-33

CPU Fan Profile [Standard]

Allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the ASUS Q-Fan.
When set to [Standard], the CPU fan automatically adjusts depending on

the CPU temperature. Set this item to [Silent] to minimize fan speed for

quiet CPU fan operation, or [Turbo] to achieve maximum CPU fan speed.

Conguration options: [Standard] [Silent] [Turbo]

Chassis Fan 1 Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the chassis
fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the

motherboard, the eld shows [N/A].

Chassis Q-Fan Control [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Chassis Q-fan control feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following item appears only when you enable the Chassis Q-Fan Control
item.

Chassis Fan Profile [Standard]

Allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the ASUS Q-Fan.
When set to [Standard], the chassis fan automatically adjusts depending

on the chassis temperature. Set this item to [Silent] to minimize fan speed

for quiet chassis fan operation, or [Turbo] to achieve maximum chassis fan

speed. Conguration options: [Standard] [Silent] [Turbo]

Power Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the power
fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the

motherboard, the eld shows [N/A].

CPU Voltage, 3.3V Voltage, 5V Voltage, 12V Voltage

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through
the onboard voltage regulators. Select [Ignored] if you do not want to detect this
item.

2-34 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.7 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 Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Boot Settings

Boot Device Priority

Boot Settings Conguration

Security

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Species the Boot

Device Priority
sequence.

A virtual oppy disk

drive (Floppy Drive B:
) may appear when you
set the CD-ROM drive

as the rst boot

device.

Select Screen

Select Item
Enter Go to Sub Screen
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

2.7.1 Boot Device Priority

Boot

Boot Device Priority

1st Boot Device [1st FLOPPY DRIVE]
2nd Boot Device [Hard Drive]
3rd Boot Device [ATAPI CD-ROM]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

1st ~ xxth Boot Device [xxx Drive]

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: [1st FLOPPY DRIVE] [Hard Drive] [ATAPI CD-ROM]

[Disabled]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Species the boot

sequence from the
available devices.

A device enclosed in
parenthesis has been
disabled in the
corresponding type
menu.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Option

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-35

2.7.2 Boot Settings Conguration

Boot

Boot Settings Conguration

Quick Boot [Enabled]
Full Screen Logo [Enabled]
AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]
Bootup Num-Lock [On]
Wait for ‘F1’ if Error [Enabled]
Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display [Enabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Quick Boot [Enabled]

Enabling this item allows the BIOS to skip some power on self tests (POST) while
booting to decrease the time needed to boot the system. When set to [Disabled],

BIOS performs all the POST items. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Full Screen Logo [Enabled]

This allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Set this item to [Enabled] to use the ASUS MyLogo 2™ feature.

AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]

Sets the display mode for option ROM.

Conguration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Current]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Allows BIOS to skip
certain tests while
booting. This will
decrease the time
needed to boot the
system.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Option

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Bootup Num-Lock [On]

Allows you to select the power-on state for the NumLock.

Conguration options: [Off] [On]

Wait for ‘F1’ If Error [Enabled]

When set to [Enabled], the system waits for the <F1> key to be pressed when error

occurs. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display [Enabled]

When set to [Enabled], the system displays the message “Press DEL to run Setup”

during POST. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-36 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.7.3 Security

The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings. Select

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

Boot

Security Settings

Supervisor Password : Not Installed
User Password : Not Installed

Change Supervisor Password
Change User Password

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Change Supervisor Password

Select this item to set or change the supervisor password. The Supervisor
Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set

a password, this item shows Installed.

To set a Supervisor Password:

1. Select the Change Supervisor Password item and press <Enter>.

2. From the password box, type a password composed of at least six letters
and/or numbers, then press <Enter>.

3. Conrm the password when prompted.

The message “Password Installed” appears after you successfully set your
password.

To change the supervisor password, follow the same steps as in setting a user
password.

To clear the supervisor password, select the Change Supervisor Password then
press <Enter>. The message “Password Uninstalled” appears.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

<Enter> to change
password.
<Enter> again to
disabled password.

Select Screen

Select Item
Enter Change
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

If you forget your BIOS password, you can clear it by erasing the CMOS Real
Time Clock (RTC) RAM. See section 1.9 Jumpers for information on how to
erase the RTC RAM.

After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to
change other security settings.

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-37

Boot

Security Settings

Supervisor Password : Installed
User Password : Installed

Change Supervisor Password
User Access Level [Full Access]
Change User Password
Clear User Password
Password Check [Setup]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

<Enter> to change
password.
<Enter> again to
disabled password.

User Access Level [Full Access]

This item allows you to select the access restriction to the Setup items.

Conguration options: [No Access] [View Only] [Limited] [Full Access]

[No Access] prevents user access to the Setup utility.

[View Only] allows access but does not allow change to any eld.

[Limited] allows changes only to selected elds, such as Date and Time.

[Full Access] allows viewing and changing all the elds in the Setup utility.

Change User Password

Select this item to set or change the user password. The User Password item on
top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a password, this
item shows Installed.

To set a User Password

1. Select the Change User Password item and press <Enter>.

2. On the password box that appears, type a password composed of at least six
letters and/or numbers, then press <Enter>.

3. Conrm the password when prompted.

The message “Password Installed” appears after you set your password
successfully.

To change the user password, follow the same steps as in setting a user password.

Clear User Password

Select this item to clear the user password.

Password Check [Setup]

When set to [Setup], BIOS checks for user password when accessing the Setup
utility. When set to [Always], BIOS checks for user password both when accessing
Setup and booting the system.

Conguration options: [Setup] [Always]

2-38 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.8 Tools menu

The Tools menu items allow you to congure options for special functions. Select

an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

ASUS EZ Flash 2

Express Gate [Enabled]
Enter OS Timer [10 Seconds]
Reset User Data [No]

ASUS O.C. Prole
AI Net 2

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

2.8.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2

Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2. When you press <Enter>, a conrmation

message appears. Use the left/right arrow key to select between [Yes] or [No],

then press <Enter> to conrm your choice. Please see section 2.1.3 ASUS EZ
Flash 2 utility for details.

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility V3.25

FLASH TYPE: EON 25P/F80

Current ROM

BOARD: P5Q-EM
VER: 0138
DATE: 07/07/2008

PATH: A:\

A:

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

Press ENTER to run
the utility to select
and update BIOS.
This utility doesn't
support :

1.NTFS format

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Field

Enter Go to Sub Screen
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Update ROM

Note

[Enter] Select or Load [Tab] Switch [V] Drive Info
[Up/Down/Home/End] Move [B] Backup [Esc] Exit

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-39

2.8.2 Express Gate

Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Express Gate feature. The ASUS
Express Gate feature is a unique instant-on environment that provides quick
access to the Internet browser and Skype.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled][Enabled]

Enter OS Timer [10 Seconds]

Sets countdown duration that the system waits at the Express Gate’s rst

screen before starting Windows or other installed OS. Choose [Prompt User]

to stay at the rst screen of Express Gate for user action.
Conguration options: [Prompt User] [1 second] [3 seconds] [5 seconds]

[10 seconds] [15 seconds] [20 seconds] [30 seconds]

Reset User Data [No]

Allows you to clear Express Gate’s user data.

Conguration options: [No] [Reset]

When setting this item to [Reset], make sure to save the setting to the BIOS
so that the user data will be cleared the next time you enter the Express
Gate. User data includes the Express Gate’s settings as well as any personal
information stored by the web browser (bookmarks, cookies, browsing
history, etc.). This is useful in the rare case where corrupt settings prevent
the Express Gate environment from launching properly.

The rst time wizard will run again when you enter the Express Gate

environment after clearing its settings.

2-40 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.8.3 ASUS O.C. Prole

This item allows you to store or load multiple BIOS settings.

Tools

O.C. PROFILE Conguration

O.C. Prole 1 Status : Not Installed
O.C. Prole 2 Status : Not Installed

Save to Prole 1
Load from Prole 1

Save to Prole 2
Load from Prole 2

Start O.C. Prole

Save to Prole 1/2

Allows you to save the current BIOS le to the BIOS Flash. Press <Enter> to save
the le.

Load from Prole 1/2

Allows you to load the previous BIOS settings saved in the BIOS Flash. Press

<Enter> to load the le.

Start O.C. Prole

Allows you to run the utility to save and load CMOS. Press <Enter> to run the
utility.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

ASUSTek O.C. Prole Utility V1.25

Save BIOS settings

to Prole 1

Current CMOS

BOARD: P5Q-EM
VER: 0138
DATE: 07/07/2008

PATH: A:\

A:

Note

[Enter] Select or Load [Tab] Switch [V] Drive Info

[Up/Down/Home/End] Move [B] Backup [Esc] Exit

Restore CMOS

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

• This function can support devices such as a USB ash disk or a oppy disk

with FAT 32/16 format and single partition only.

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

ASUS P5Q-EM 2-41

2.8.4 AI Net 2

Tools

AI NET 2
Pair Status Length

Check Realtek LAN cable [Disabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Check Realtek LAN Cable [Disabled]

Enables or disables checking of the Marvell LAN cable during the Power-On

Self-Test (POST). Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Realtek Check LAN
cable during POST.

It will take 3 to 10
seconds to diagnose
LAN cable.

Select Screen

Select Item

+- Change Field

Enter Go to Sub Screen
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

2-42 Chapter 2: BIOS setup