ASUS P7F-M WS User Manual

P7F-M WS

Motherboard

E5027

First Edition V1
September 2009

Copyright © 2009 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted,
transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means,
except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission
of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless
such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the

product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS
DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,
LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),
EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY
DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR
INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND
SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY
OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL,
INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or

copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the
owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.

ii

Contents

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

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

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

Typography .................................................................................................. x

P7F-M WS specications summary .......................................................... xi

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-3

1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-3

1.3 Serial number label ...................................................................... 1-4

1.4 Special features ............................................................................ 1-4

1.4.1 Product highlights ........................................................... 1-4

1.4.2 Innovative ASUS features ............................................... 1-6

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-3

2.2 Motherboard overview ................................................................. 2-4

2.2.1 Placement direction ........................................................ 2-4

2.2.2 Screw holes .................................................................... 2-4

2.2.3 Motherboard layout ......................................................... 2-5

2.2.4 Layout contents ............................................................... 2-6

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................... 2-8

2.3.1 Installing the CPU ........................................................... 2-8

2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan ...............................2-11

2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan ......................... 2-12

2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-13

2.4.1 Overview ....................................................................... 2-13

2.4.2 Memory Congurations ................................................. 2-13

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 2-14

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 2-14

2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-15

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card ......................................... 2-15

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ..................................... 2-15

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ................................................... 2-16

2.5.4 PCI Express x16 slot (x16 link) ..................................... 2-17

2.5.5 PCI Express x8 slot (x4 link) or MIO support ............... 2-17

iii

Contents

2.5.6 PCI slots ........................................................................ 2-17

2.5.7 Connect Thermal sensor cable ..................................... 2-18

2.5.8 Installing the audio card ................................................ 2-18

2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-19

2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-22

2.7.1 Rear panel connectors .................................................. 2-22

2.7.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 2-24

2.8 G.P. Diagnosis card installation (optional) .............................. 2-29

2.8.1 G.P. Diagnosis card layout ............................................ 2-29

2.8.2 Installing G.P. Diagnosis card ....................................... 2-29

2.8.3 G.P. Diagnosis card check codes.................................. 2-30

Chapter 3: Powering up

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

3.2 Powering off the computer .......................................................... 3-4

3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function .................................... 3-4

3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch .............................. 3-4

Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 4-3

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

4.1.2 BUPDATER utility............................................................ 4-4

4.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ...................................... 4-6

4.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................... 4-7

4.2.1 BIOS menu screen .......................................................... 4-8

4.2.2 Menu bar ......................................................................... 4-8

4.2.3 Navigation keys ............................................................... 4-8

4.2.4 Menu items ..................................................................... 4-9

4.2.5 Sub-menu items .............................................................. 4-9

4.2.6 Conguration elds ......................................................... 4-9

4.2.7 Pop-up window ............................................................... 4-9

4.2.8 Scroll bar ......................................................................... 4-9

4.2.9 General help ................................................................... 4-9

4.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 4-10

4.3.1 System Time ................................................................. 4-10

4.3.2 System Date ................................................................. 4-10

iv

Contents

4.3.3 SATA1—6 .......................................................................4-11

4.3.4 Storage Conguration ................................................... 4-13

4.3.5 AHCI Conguration ....................................................... 4-14

4.3.6 System Information ....................................................... 4-15

4.4 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 4-16

4.4.1 CPU Conguration ........................................................ 4-16

4.4.2 Chipset .......................................................................... 4-20

4.4.3 Onboard Devices Conguration .................................... 4-22

4.4.4 USB Conguration ........................................................ 4-23

4.4.5 PCIPnP ......................................................................... 4-24

4.4.6 ACPI Conguration ....................................................... 4-25

4.4.7 Event Log Conguration ............................................... 4-28

4.4.8 Intel VT-d Conguration ................................................ 4-28

4.4.9 SR-IOV Supprted .......................................................... 4-28

4.5 Power menu ................................................................................ 4-29

4.5.1 EuP Ready .................................................................... 4-29

4.5.2 APM Conguration ........................................................ 4-29

4.5.3 Hardware Monitor ......................................................... 4-31

4.6 Boot menu .................................................................................. 4-32

4.6.1 Boot Device Priority ...................................................... 4-32

4.6.2 Boot Settings Conguration .......................................... 4-33

4.6.3 Security ......................................................................... 4-34

4.7 Tools menu ................................................................................. 4-36

4.7.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 .......................................................... 4-36

4.8 Exit menu .................................................................................... 4-37

Chapter 5: RAID conguration

5.1 Setting up RAID ............................................................................ 5-3

5.1.1 RAID denitions .............................................................. 5-3

5.1.2 Installing hard disk drives ................................................ 5-4

5.1.3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS ........................................ 5-4

5.2 Intel® Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM Utility ................... 5-5

5.2.1 Creating a RAID set ........................................................ 5-6

5.2.2 Creating a Recovery set ................................................. 5-7

5.2.3 Deleting a RAID set ........................................................ 5-9

v

Contents

5.2.4 Resetting disks to Non-RAID ........................................ 5-10

5.2.5 Recovery Volume Options .............................................5-11

5.2.6 Exiting the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager .................... 5-12

5.2.7 Rebuilding the RAID ..................................................... 5-12

5.2.8 Setting the Boot array in the BIOS Setup Utility ............ 5-14

Chapter 6: Driver installation

6.1 RAID driver installation ............................................................... 6-3

6.1.1 Creating a RAID driver disk ............................................ 6-3

6.1.2 Installing the RAID controller driver ................................ 6-5

6.2 Intel® chipset device installation ................................................ 6-8

6.3 LAN driver installation ............................................................... 6-10

6.4 Management applications and utilities installation ................ 6-13

6.4.1 Running the support DVD ............................................. 6-13

6.4.2 Drivers menu ................................................................. 6-13

6.4.3 Utilities menu ................................................................ 6-14

6.4.4 Make disk menu ............................................................ 6-14

6.4.5 Contact information ....................................................... 6-14

Appendix: Reference information

A.1 P7F-M WS block diagram ............................................................A-3

vi

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

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

•

This device may not cause harmful interference, and

•

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

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

•

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

•

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

•

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

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

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

to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

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

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

REACH

Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction

of Chemicals) regulatory framework, we published the chemical substances in our
products at ASUS REACH website at http://green.asus.com/english/REACH.htm.

vii

Safety information

Electrical safety

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

electrical outlet before relocating the system.

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

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

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

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

• If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a
qualied service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety

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

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

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

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

• Place the product on a stable surface.

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

service technician or your retailer.

viii

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

About this guide

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

the motherboard.

How this guide is organized

This user guide contains the following parts:

• Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

• Chapter 2: Hardware information

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

• Chapter 3: Powering up

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

• Chapter 4: BIOS setup

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

• Chapter 5: RAID conguration

This chapter provides instructions for setting up, creating, and conguring

RAID sets using the available utilities.

• Chapter 6: Driver installation

This chapter provides instructions for installing the necessary drivers for
different system components.

• Appendix: Reference information

This appendix includes additional information that you may refer to when

conguring the motherboard.

Where to nd more information

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

1. ASUS websites

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

2. Optional documentation

Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty

yers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not

part of the standard package.

ix

Conventions used in this guide

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

DANGER/WARNING:

when trying to complete a task.

CAUTION:

when trying to complete a task.

IMPORTANT:

task.

NOTE:

task.

Information to prevent damage to the components

Tips and additional information to help you complete a

Information to prevent injury to yourself

Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a

Typography

Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select.

Italics Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.

<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater­ than sign means that you must press the
enclosed key.

Example: <Enter> means that you must press
the Enter or Return key.

<Key1+Key2+Key3> If you must press two or more keys
simultaneously, the key names are linked with
a plus sign (+).

Example: <Ctrl+Alt+D>

Command

exactly as shown, then supply the required
item or value enclosed in brackets.

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

x

Means that you must type the command

format A:/S

P7F-M WS specications summary

Model Name P7F-M WS
Processor Support / System Bus

Core Logic
Form Factor
ASUS Features Fan Speed Control

Rack Ready (Rack and
Pedestal dual use)

Memory Total Slots

Capacity

Memory Type

Memory Size

Expansion Slots
(follow SSI
Loacation #)

Storage SATA Controller

Networking LAN
Onboard I/O

Connectors

Total PCI/PCI-X/PCI-E
Slots

Slot Loacation 4
Slot Loacation 5
Slot Loacation 6
Slot Loacation 7

PSU Connector

USB Connectors
Fan Header
TPM header

1 * Socket LGA1156
Quad Core Intel Xeon 3400 series Server

Processor
Quad Core Intel Core i7-800 series Desktop
Processor
Quad Core Intel Core i5-700 series Desktop
Processor
Dual Core 32nm CPU design Ready

Intel® 3420 PCH
mATX, 9.6" * 9.6"
V
V

4 (RDIMM/UDIMM)
Maximum up to 32GB (RDIMM)

Maximum up to 16GB (UDIMM)
Desktop Processor do not support RDIMM &
ECC UDIMM

DDR3 800/1066/1333 Reg DIMM / Unbuffered
DIMM with ECC/ non ECC

1 GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB (RDIMM)
1 GB, 2GB, 4GB (UDIMM)

4

1 * PCI 32bit/33 MHz
1 * PCI 32bit/33 MHz

1 * PCI-E x16 (Gen2 x16 Link)
1 * PCI-E x8 (x4 Link) or MIO support
Intel® 3420:

6* SATA2 300MB/s ports­Intel Matrix Storage utility supports software
RAID 0, 1, 10 & 5 (Windows)

2 * Intel 82574L
24-pin ATX power connector + 8-pin ATX 12V

power connector (24-pin + 4-pin power supply
supported)

2 (support 4 USB port)
5* 4pin
20-1 pin TPM header

Refer to

2.3 Central Processing Unit

for more information on CPU.

xi

P7F-M WS specications summary

Rear I/O
Connectors

Monitoring CPU Temperature

Environment

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

External Serial Port
External USB Port
RJ-45
PS/2 KB/Mouse

FAN RPM

1
2
2
1
V
V

Operation temperature: 10℃—35℃
Non operation temperature: -40℃—70℃

Non operation humidity: 20%—90%
(Non condensing)

xii

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

Product

introduction

1

Chapter summary

1

1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-3

1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-3

1.3 Serial number label ...................................................................... 1-4

1.4 Special features ............................................................................ 1-4

ASUS P7F-M WS

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® P7F-M WS motherboard!

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

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

1.2 Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

Cables SATA data cable
Accessories IO shield
Card ASUS MIO audio card
Application CD Support CD
Documentation User Guide

Packing Qty.

Items Description

ASUS MIO audio card

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

Discrete 8 channel audio card provides the clearest high quality
sounds

Standard Gift Box
Pack

P7F-M WS P7F-M WS

6 -­1 1
1 -­1 1
1 1

1 pcs per carton 10 pcs per carton

Standard Bulk Pack

ASUS P7F-M WS 1-3

1.3 Serial number label

Before requesting support from the ASUS Technical Support team, you must take
note of the motherboard's serial number containing 13 characters

shown as the gure below. With the correct serial number of the product, ASUS

Technical Support team members can then offer a quicker and satisfying solution
to your problems.

xxS1xxxxxxxxx

P7F-M WS

xxS1xxxxxxxxx

Made

in

China

合格

1.4 Special features

1.4.1 Product highlights

Intel® LGA1156 Xeon 3400 Processor Ready

This motherboard supports the latest Intel® Xeon 3400 processors in LGA1156
package, which has memory and PCI Express controller integrated to support
2-channel (4 DIMMs) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes, providing great
graphics performance. Intel® Xeon 3400 processor is one of the most powerful and

energy efcient CPU in the world.

Intel Turbo Boost

Intel® Turbo Boost opportunistically and automatically allows the processor to
run faster than the marked frequency if the processor is operating below power,
temperature and current limits. This technology increases performance of both
multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

Intel Hyper Threading

The thread-level parallelism on each processor makes more efcient use of the

processor resources, higher processing throughout and improved performance on
today's multi-threaded software.

Intel® EM64T

The motherboard supports Intel® processors with the Intel® EM64T (Extended
Memory 64 Technology). The Intel® EM64T feature allows your computer to run on
64-bit operating systems and access larger amounts of system memory for faster

and more efcient computing.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction

DDR3 memory support

The P7F-M WS supports UDIMM and RDIMM DDR3 memory that features data
transfer rates of 1333/1066 MHZ to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of
server and workstation applications. The 2-channel DDR3 architecture boosts
system performance, eliminating bottlenecks. Furthermore, the supply voltage for
the memory is reduced from 1.8 V for DDR2 to just 1.5V for DDR3. This voltage
reduction limits the power consumption and heat generation of DDR3 which makes
it an ideal memory solution.

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.

82574L LAN Solution

The motherboard comes with dual Gigabit LAN controllers and ports which provide
a total solution for your networking needs. The onboard Intel 82574L Gigabit LAN
controllers use the PCI Express interface and could achieve network throughput
close to Gigabit bandwidth.

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST)

The Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST) intelligently manages the
CPU resources by automatically adjusting the CPU voltage and core frequency
depending on the CPU loading and system speed or power requirement.

Serial ATA II technology

The motherboard supports the Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s technology through the Serial

ATA interface and Intel 3420 chipset. The Serial ATA II specication provides

twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new
features, including Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Power Management (PM)

Implementation Algorithm, and Hot Swap. Serial ATA allows thinner, more exible

cables with lower pin count and reduced voltage requirements.

USB 2.0 technology

The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 specication,
dramatically increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB

1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1.

ASUS P7F-M WS 1-5

Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring

The CPU temperature is monitored to prevent overheating and damage. The
system fan rotations per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection.
The chip monitors the voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical
components.

100% Japan-made Conductive Polymer Capacitors

This motherboard uses all high-quality conductive polymer capacitors (2000hrs)
onboard for durability, improved lifespan, and enhanced thermal capacity.

1.4.2 Innovative ASUS features

ASUS MIO Audio card

Enjoy high-end sound quality! The ASUS MIO audio card is a discrete 8-channel

high denition audio (High Denition Audio previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC

enable clearest high quality audio output, jack-sensing feature, retasking functions,
and multi-streaming technology that simultaneously send different audio streams to
different destinations.

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

Hardware

information

2

Chapter summary

2

2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-3

2.2 Motherboard overview ................................................................. 2-4

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................... 2-8

2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-13

2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-15

2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-19

2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-22

2.8 G.P. Diagnosis card installation (optional) .............................. 2-29

ASUS P7F-M WS

2.1 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 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

Standby Power 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 P7F-M WS 2-3

2.2 Motherboard overview

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

To optimize the motherboard features, we highly recommend that you install it in an

ATX 1.1 compliant chassis.

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

2.2.1 Placement direction

When installing the motherboard, ensure that you place it into the chassis in the
correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis
as indicated in the image below.

2.2.2 Screw holes

Place 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

2-4 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.2.3 Motherboard layout

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-5

2.2.4 Layout contents

Slots/Soocket Page

1. CPU sockets 2-8

2. DDR3 sockets 2-13

3. PCI Express x16 slot (x16 link) 2-17

4. PCI Express x8 slot (x4 link) or MIO support 2-17

5. PCI slots 2-17

Jumpers Page

1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC1)

2. CPU Fan and Chassis Fan control setting
(3-pin CPUFAN_SEL1, CHAFAN_SEL1)

3. LAN controller setting (3-pin LAN_SW1, LAN_SW2)

4. Force BIOS recovery setting (3-pin RECOVERY1)

Rear panel connectors Page

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

2. PS/2 keyboard port (purple) 2-22

3. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2 2-22

4. Serial (COM1) port 2-22

5. LAN 1 (RJ-45) port 2-22

6. LAN 2 (RJ-45) port 2-22

7. Line In port (light blue) 2-23

8. Line Out port (lime) 2-23

9. Microophone port (pink) 2-23

10. Cener/Subwoofer port (orange) 2-23

11. Rear Speaker Out port (black) 2-23

12. Side Speaker Out port (gray) 2-23

13. Optical S/PDIF Out port 2-23

14. Coaxial S/PDIF Out port 2-23

2-19

2-20

2-20

2-21

2-6 Chapter 2: Hardware information

Internal connectors Page

1. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1–4 [Red],
7-pin SATA5–6 [Black])

2. USB connector (10-1 pin USB34, USB56)

3. Thermal sensor cable connectors (3-pin TR1)

4. CPU, front and rear fan connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN1, FRNT_FAN1–3, REAR_FAN1)

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

6. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR1, 8-pin EATX12V1)

7. System panel connector (20-1 pin PANEL1)

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

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

2-24

2-24

2-25

2-25

2-26

2-26

2-27

2-28

2-28

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-7

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

A

B

The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA1156 socket designed for the
Intel® Xeon 3400 series Processors.

• Upon purchase of the motherboard, ensure 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 LGA1156 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.

2.3.1 Installing the CPU

To install a CPU:

1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.

Before installing the CPU, ensure that the socket box is facing toward you and
the load lever is on your left.

2. Press the load lever with your

Load lever

thumb (A), and then move it to the
right (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.

2-8 Chapter 2: Hardware information

Retention tab

3. Lift the load lever in the direction
of the arrow until the load plate is
completely lifted.

4. Remove the PnP cap from the CPU
socket.

Load plate

PnP cap

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

and then t the socket alignment

CPU notches

keys into the CPU notches.

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!

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-9

Gold

triangle

mark

Alignment keys

C

B

A

6. Apply some Thermal Interface
Material 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. DO NOT eat it.
If it gets into your eyes or touches
your skin, wash it off immediately,
and seek professional medical
help.

7. Close the load plate (A), and then
push down the load lever (B),
ensuring that the front edge of the
load plate slides under the retention
knob (C).

8. Insert the load lever under the
retention tab.

2-10 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan

The Intel® LGA1156 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, ensure that you use
only Intel®-certied multi-directional heatsink and fan.

• Your Intel® LGA1156 heatsink and fan assembly comes in a push-pin
design and requires no tool to install.

• Use an LGA1156-compatible CPU heatsink and fan assembly only. The
LGA1156 socket is incompatible with the LGA775 and LGA1366 sockets in

size and dimension.

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.

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

To install the CPU heatsink and fan:

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

B

A

B

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

A

the heatsink and fan assembly in
place.

A

B

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-11

B

1

A

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

1

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.

2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU

heatsink and fan

To uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan:

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

2. Rotate each fastener
counterclockwise.

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

B

A

B

A

A

B

B

A

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

2-12 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.4 System memory

2.4.1 Overview

The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) Dual Inline Memory
Modules (DIMM) sockets.

A DDR3 module has the same physical dimensions as a DDR2 DIMM but is
notched differently to prevent installation on a DDR2 DIMM socket. DDR3 modules
are developed for better performance with less power consumption.

The gure illustrates the location of the DDR3 DIMM sockets:

2.4.2 Memory Congurations

You may install 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB Registerd, or 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB
Unbuffered with ECC/Non-ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the

memory congurations in this section.

RDIMM*
DIMM Slot

Per Channel

2 1 Registered DDR3 ECC 1333 Single Rank, Dual Rank
2 1 Registered DDR3 ECC 1066 Quad Rank
2 2 Registered DDR3 ECC 1333 Single Rank, Dual Rank
2 2 Registered DDR3 ECC 800** Quad Rank

UDIMM
DIMM Slot

Per Channel

2 1 Unbuffered DDR3 1333 Single Rank, Dual Rank
2 2 Unbuffered DDR3 1333 Single Rank, Dual Rank

*Support Low Voltage DIMMs; **Down from 1066 or 1333 MHz DIMM

DIMM Populated
per Channel

DIMM Populated
per Channel

DIMM Type Speed Rank per DIMM

DIMM Type Speed Rank per DIMM

• Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum
compatibility, it is recommended that you obtain memory modules from the
same vendor. DO NOT combine RDIMM and UDIMM.

• The motherboard supports x8 DRAM Only and x4 & x16 DRAM are not
supported

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-13

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM

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

To install a DIMM:

1. Press the retaining clips outward
to unlock a DIMM socket.

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

1

matches the break on the socket.

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

• A DDR3 DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it ts in only one direction. DO

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

• The DDR3 DIMM sockets do not support DDR and DDR2 DIMMs. DO NOT
install DDR or DDR2 DIMMs to the DDR3 DIMM sockets.

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM

To remove a DIMM:

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

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

3

DDR3 DIMM notch

1

Unlocked retaining clip

2

DDR3 DIMM notch

1

1

2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.

2-14 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.5 Expansion slots

In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following subsections
describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support.

Ensure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards.
Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard
components.

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card

To install an expansion card:

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

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

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

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

completely seated on the slot.

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

6. Replace the system cover.

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card

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

settings.

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

2. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page.

3. Install the software drivers for the expansion card.

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

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

arise between the two PCI groups, making the system unstable and the card
inoperable.

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-15

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments

Standard Interrupt assignments

IRQ Priority Standard function

0 1 System Timer

1 2 Keyboard Controller

2 - Programmable Interrupt

3* 11 --

4* 12 Communications Port (COM1)

5* 13 --

6 14 --

7* 15 --

8 3 System CMOS/Real Time Clock

9* 4 ACPI Mode when used

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 Primary IDE Channel

15* 10 Secondary IDE Channel

* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.

2-16 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.5.4 PCI Express x16 slot (x16 link)

The onboard PCI Express x16 slot provides one x16 link to CPU. This slot supports
VGA cards and various server class high performance add-on cards.

2.5.5 PCI Express x8 slot (x4 link) or MIO support

This slot supports PCI Express cards that comply with the PCI Express

specications. This slot also supports a MIO (Media Input Output) audio card,

which offers great sound quality to complement the robust video power. Install
the bundled audio card on this slot only, otherwise the audio card may not work

properly. Refer to the gure below for the location of the slot.

2.5.6 PCI slots

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

comply with PCI 2.3 specications.

PCI_2 slot

PCI_1 slot

PCI Express x16 slot (x16 link)

PCI Express x8 slot with MIO support (x4 link)

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-17

2.5.7 Connect Thermal sensor cable

Follow the steps below to connect the thermal sensor cable to the connector on
your motherboard.

1. Locate the TR1 connector on the
motherboard.

2. Connect the thermal sensor cable to
the connector.

3. Place the other end of the thermal sensor cable to the device you would like
to monitor temperature.

2.5.8 Installing the audio card

1. Locate the PCI Express x8 slot on
the motherboard.

2. Align the card connector with the

slot and press rmly until the card

sits on the slot completely.

2-18 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.6 Jumpers

1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC1)

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 the computer turns on automatically.

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.

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-19

2. CPU Fan and Chassis Fan control setting
(3-pin CPUFAN_SEL1, CHAFAN_SEL1)

These jumpers allow you to switch for fan pin selection. The CPUFAN_SEL1
jumper is for the CPU fan control and the CHAFAN_SEL1 jumper is for the
front fans and rear fans control. Set to pins 1–2 when using 4-pin fans or pins
2–3 when using 3-pin fans.

• If you use a 4-pin fan but set the jumper to pin 2-3, the fan you installed
may not work.

• If you use a 3-pin fan but set the jumper for a 4-pin fan, the fan control will
not work and the fan you installed will always run at full speed.

3. LAN controller setting (3-pin LAN_SW1, LAN_SW2)

These jumpers allow you to enable or disable the onboard Intel

®

Intel
82574LGigabit LAN controllers. Set to pins 1-2 to activate the Gigabit LAN
feature.

2-20 Chapter 2: Hardware information

4. Force BIOS recovery setting (3-pin RECOVERY1)

This jumper allows you to quickly update or recover the BIOS settings when it
becomes corrupted.

To update the BIOS:

1. Set the jumper to pins 2–3.

2. Insert the USB ash that contains the original or latest BIOS and turn on

the system to recover or update the BIOS.

3. Shut down the system.

4. Set the jumper back to pins 1–2.

5. Turn on the system.

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-21

2.7 Connectors

2.7.1 Rear panel connectors

1. PS/2 mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse.

2. PS/2 keyboard port (purple). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard.

3. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports

are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

4. Serial (COM1) port. This 9-pin communication port is for pointing devices or

other serial devices.

5. LAN 1 (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.

6. LAN 2 (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

LED

LAN port

SPEED

LED

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

2-22 Chapter 2: Hardware information

ACT/LINK

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. Center/Subwoofer port (orange).

This port connects a microphone.

This port connects the center/subwoofer

speakers.

11. Rear Speaker Out port (black).

This port connects the rear speakers in a

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

12. Side Speaker Out port (gray).

This port connects the side speakers in an

8-channel audio conguration.

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

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

Port

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 Ou Rear Speaker Out

Gray – – – Side Speaker Out

Headset
2-channel

4-channel 6-channel 8-channel

13. Optical S/PDIF Out port.

This port connects an external audio output device

via an optical S/PDIF cable.

14. Coaxial S/PDIF Out port.

This port connects an external audio output device

via a coaxial S/PDIF cable.

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-23

2.7.2 Internal connectors

1. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1–4 [Red], 7-pin SATA5–6 [Black])

Supported by the Intel® 3420 chipset, these connectors are for the Serial ATA
signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk drives that allows up to 3Gb/s of data
transfer rate.

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

RAID 10, or RAID 5 conguration.

• The actual data transfer rate depends on the speed of Serial ATA hard disks
installed.

• The SATA connectors do not support SATA cables with latch.

2. USB connector (10-1 pin USB34, USB56)

These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cables to
connectors USB34 and USB56, then install the modules 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.

2-24 Chapter 2: Hardware information

3. Thermal sensor cable connectors (3-pin TR1)

This connector is for temperature monitoring. Connect the thermal sensor
cable to this connector and place the other end to the device, which you want
to monitor temperature.

4. CPU, front and rear fan connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN1, FRNT_FAN1–3, REAR_FAN1)

The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350 mA–740 mA (8.88 W max.)
or a total of 1.75 A–3.7 A (44.4 W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to
the fan connectors on the motherboard, ensuring 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!

• All fans feature the ASUS Fan Speed Control technology.

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-25

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

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

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

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

6. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR1, 8-pin EATX12V1)

These connectors are for an 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.

• DO NOT forget to connect the 24+8-pin power plugs; otherwise, the system

will not boot up.

• 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.

• This motherboard supports ATX2.0 PSU or later version.

• Ensure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least the minimum
power required by your system.

2-26 Chapter 2: Hardware information

7. System panel connector (20-pin PANEL1)

This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.

1. System power LED (3-pin PLED)

This 3-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.

2. Message LED (2-pin MLED)

This 2-pin connector is for the message LED cable that connects to
the front message LED. The message LED is controlled by Hardware
monitor to indicate an abnormal event occurance.

3. 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.

4. Hard disk drive activity LED (2-pin HDDLED)

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.

5. 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.

6. 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 P7F-M WS 2-27

8. 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.

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

These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources
such as a CD-ROM, TV tuner, or MPEG card.

2-28 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.8 G.P. Diagnosis card installation (optional)

2.8.1 G.P. Diagnosis card layout

LED 0 and 1

Power Switch. Press

to turn ON or OFF the

2.8.2 Installing G.P. Diagnosis card

1. Locate the TPM connector (20-1 pin TPM) on the motherboard.

computer.

Reset Button.

Press to restart the

computer.

Card connector

Ensure to turn off the power supply unit before installing the diagnosis card to

avoid electrical shock hazard.

2. With the LEDs of the diagnosis
card facing to the PCI slots, align
the card connector with the TPM

connector and press rmly until

the card sits on the connector
completely.

ASUS P7F-M WS 2-29

2.8.3 G.P. Diagnosis card check codes

Initiate chip

D0

Enable IO device for bootlock

D1

Check and wake up system

D2

Prepare system for memory detection

D3

and sizing

Memory test

D4

Copy BIOS from ROM to RAM

D5

Early CPU initiation

C0

Wake up AP

C5

Initiate KBC8042

0A

Detect PS2 mouse

0B

Detect PS2 keyboard

0C

Initiate VGA BIOS

2A

USB initiation

38

Detect system RAM

52

Detect IDE

75

Initiate option ROM

78

Show post error

85

Enter BIOS setup

87

BIOS boot menu

A4

OS in PIC mode

AC

OS in APIC mode

AA

S1

01

S3

03

S4

04

S5

05

Resume from S1

10

Resume from S3

30

Resume from S4

40

Leave BIOS and pass control to OS

00

2-30 Chapter 2: Hardware information

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

Powering up

3

Chapter summary

3

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

3.2 Turning off the computer ............................................................. 3-4

ASUS P7F-M WS

3.1 Starting up for the rst time

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

2. Be sure that all switches are off.

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

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

5. Turn on the devices in the following order:

a. Monitor

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

c. System power

6. After applying power, the system power LED on the system front panel case
lights up. For systems with SSI power supplies, the system LED lights up
when you press the SSI 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-test or POST. While the tests are

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

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

ASUS P7F-M WS 3-3

3.2 Powering off the computer

3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function

If you are using Windows® 2003 Server:

1. Click the

2. Select
box.

3. Select

4. Ensure that the

5. Select shutdown option from the list box.

6. If necessary, key in comments.

7. Click OK.

button then click

Start

Shut Down

Shutdown Event Tracker

from the

Planned

What do you want the computer to do?

check box is checked.

Shut Down

.

.

list

3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch

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

4.5 Power Menu

in

3-4 Chapter 3: Powering up

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

BIOS setup

4

Chapter summary

4

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 4-3

4.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................... 4-7

4.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 4-10

4.4 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 4-16

4.5 Power menu ................................................................................ 4-29

4.6 Boot menu .................................................................................. 4-32

4.7 Tools menu ................................................................................. 4-36

4.8 Exit menu .................................................................................... 4-37

ASUS P7F-M WS

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS

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

1. ASUS EZ Flash 2

2. BUPDATER utility

(Updates the BIOS using a USB ash disk.)

(Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a bootable USB

ash disk drive.)

3. ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

(To recover the BIOS using a bootable USB ash

disk drive 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 USB ash

disk drive in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original
motherboard BIOS using the BUPDATER utility.

4.1.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility

The ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to use
a DOS-based utility.

Before you start using this utility, download the latest BIOS from the ASUS
website at www.asus.com.

To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2

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

2. Enter the BIOS setup program. Go to the
and press <Enter> to enable it.
Or, press <Alt> + <F2> during the POST to enable EZ Flash 2.

menu to select

Tools

EZ Flash 2

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility V4.06

FLASH TYPE: MXIC 25L1605A

Current ROM

BOARD: P7F-M WS
VER: 0202
DATE: 08/24/2009

PATH: A:\

A:

Note

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

Update ROM

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-3

3. Press <Tab> to switch between drives until the correct BIOS le is

found. When 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 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!

Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and
stability. Select the Load Setup Defaults item under the Exit menu. See
section 4.8 Exit Menu for details.

4.1.2 BUPDATER utility

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

The BUPDATER utility allows you to update the BIOS le in DOS environment
using a bootable USB ash disk drive with the updated BIOS le.

Updating the BIOS le

To update the BIOS le using the BUPDATER utility:

1. Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com and download the latest BIOS le
for the motherboard. Save the BIOS le to a bootable USB ash disk drive. USB ash disk drive..

2. Copy the BUPDATER utility (BUPDATER.exe) from the ASUS support
website at support.asus.com to a bootable USB ash disk drive. USB ash disk drive..

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

BUPDATER /i[lename].ROM

where [lename] is the latest or the original BIOS le on the bootable USB USB
ash disk drive, then press <Enter>., then press <Enter>.

A:\>BUPDATER /i[le name].ROM

4-4 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

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

ASUSTek BIOS Update for DOS V1.06 (09/08/04)

FLASH TYPE: MXIC 25L1605A

Current ROM

BOARD: P7F-M WS
VER: 0205
DATE: 07/23/2009

PATH:

WARNING! Do not turn off power during ash BIOS

Note

Writing BIOS:

Update ROM

BOARD: P7F-M WS
VER: 0206
DATE: 08/10/2009

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.

The BIOS update is nished! Please restart your system.

C:\>

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-5

4.1.3 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 a USB ash drive that contains the updated
BIOS le.

Prepare a USB ash drive containing the updated motherboard BIOS before

using this utility.

Recovering the BIOS from a USB ash drive

To recover the BIOS from a USB ash drive:

1. Insert the USB ash drive with the original or updated BIOS le to one USB

port on the system.

2. The utility will automatically recover the BIOS. It resets the system when the

BIOS recovery nished.

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

The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this motherboard.

Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com to download the latest BIOS le.

4-6 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.2 BIOS setup program

This motherboard supports a programmable Low-Pin Count (Firmware) chip that
you can update using the provided utility described in section

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

Firmware chip.

The Firmware 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.

4.1 Managing and

• 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
Exit Menu. See section

• 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.

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-7

4.8 Exit Menu

Load Setup Defaults

.

item under the

4.2.1 BIOS menu screen

Menu bar

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time [13:44:30]
System Date [Wed, 08/05/2009]

SATA 1 : [ST3160812AS]
SATA 2 : [Not Detected]
SATA 3 : [Not Detected]
SATA 4 : [Not Detected]
SATA 5 : [Not Detected]
SATA 6 : [Not Detected]

Storage Conguration

System Information

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, 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 system Date.

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Navigation keys

4.2.2 Menu bar

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

Main For changing the basic system conguration

Advanced For changing the advanced system settings

Power For changing the advanced power management (APM)

conguration

Boot For changing the system boot conguration

For conguring options for special functions

Tools

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.

4.2.3 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 differ from one screen to another.

4-8 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.2.4 Menu items

The highlighted item on the

menu bar displays the specic

items for that menu. For
example, selecting Main shows
the Main menu items.

System Time [11:17:09]
System Date [Wed 08/05/2009]

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

Date.

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

Main menu items

4.2.5 Sub-menu items

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

4.2.6 Conguration elds

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

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

Refer to 4.2.7 Pop-up window.

4.2.7 Pop-up window

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

conguration options for that item.

4.2.8 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

4.2.9 General help

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

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-9

4.3 Main menu

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

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

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time [13:44:30]
System Date [Wed, 08/05/2009]

SATA 1 : [ST3160812AS]
SATA 2 : [Not Detected]
SATA 3 : [Not Detected]
SATA 4 : [Not Detected]
SATA 5 : [Not Detected]
SATA 6 : [Not Detected]

Storage Conguration

System Information

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

4.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx]

Allows you to set the system time.

4.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx]

Allows you to set the system date.

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

select a eld.

Use [+] or [-] to

congure system Date.

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

4-10 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.3.3 SATA1—6

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

Main

SATA1

Device :Hard Disk
Vendor :xxxxxxxxx
Size :xx.xGB
LBA Mode :Supported
Block Mode:16Sectors
PIO Mode :4
Async DMA :MultiWord DMA-2
Ultra DMA :Ultra DMA-6
S.M.A.R.T.: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.

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

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

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

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

Type [Auto]

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

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

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]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-11

DMA Mode [Auto]

Sets 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]

4-12 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.3.4 Storage Conguration

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

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

congure the item.

Main

Storage Conguration

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

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

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

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 RAID sets with LSI MegaRAID utility, or Intel® Matrix
Storage Technology from the Serial ATA hard disk drives, set this item to
[RAID].

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Options

Disabled
Compatible
Enhanced

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

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]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-13

4.3.5 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

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

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guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Select the type
of device connected
to the system.

4-14 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.3.6 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

BIOS Version :0202
BIOS Build Date :08/24/09

Processor

Type :Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X3440 @

2.53GHz

Speed :2533MHz

System Memory

Usable Size : 504MB

System Memory Information

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, 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

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

System Memory Information

Displays system memory information.

Main

System Memory Information

Speed DDR3 800

DIMM_A1 512 MB, 1R, 800
DIMM_A2 N/A
DIMM_B1 512 MB, 1R, 800
DIMM_B2 N/A

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-15

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

4.4 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 Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

CPU Conguration

Chipset

Onboard Device Conguration
USB Conguration

PCIPnP

ACPI Conguration
Event Log Conguration

Intel VT-d [Disabled]
SR-IOV Supported [Disabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, 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

4.4.1 CPU Conguration

The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS
automatically detects. Some items may not appear if your CPU does not support
the related functions.

Advanced

Congure advanced CPU settings

Module Version:01.04

Manufacturer:Intel
Brand String:Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X3440
Frequency :2.53GHz
BCLK Speed :133MHz
Cache L1 :128 KB
Cache L2 :1024 KB
Cache L3 :8192 KB
Ratio Status:Unlocked (Min:09, Max:19)
Ratio Actual Value :19
CPUID :106E5

Ratio CMOS Setting: [Auto]
C1E Support [Enabled]
Hardware Prefetcher [Enabled]
Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch [Enabled]
Max CPUID Value Limit [Disabled]
Intel(R) Virtualization Tech [Enabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, 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

4-16 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Scroll down for more items.

Advanced

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

CPU TM Function [Enabled]
Execute-Disable Bit Capability [Enabled]
Intel(R) HT Technology [Enabled]
Active Processor Cores [All]
A20M [Disabled]
Intel(R) SpeedStep(TM) Tech [Enabled]
Intel(R) TurboMode Tech [Enabled]
Intel(R) C-STATE Tech [Enabled]
C3 State [ACPI C2]
C6 State [Enabled]
C State package limit setting [Auto]
C1 Auto Demotion [Enabled]
C3 Auto Demotion [Enabled]

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

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

Ratio CMOS Setting [Auto]

Allows you to adjust the ratio between CPU Core Clock and BCLK Frequency. Use
the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the value.

Conguration options: [Auto] [0.90] [10.0] [11.0] [12.0] [13.0] [14.0] [15.0] [16.0] [17.0]

[18.0] [19.0] [20.0]

C1E Support [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable Enhanced Halt State support.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Hardware Prefetcher [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Hardware Prefetcher function.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch function.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Max CPUID Value Limit [Disabled]

Setting this item to [Enabled] allows legacy operating systems to boot even without
support for CPUs with extended CPUID functions.

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]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-17

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 Capability [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]

Intel(R) HT Technology [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Intel Hyper-Threading Technology function.
When disabled, only one thread per activated core is enabled.

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

Active Processor Cores [All]

Allows you to choose the number of CPU cores to activate in each processor

package.Conguration options: [All] [1] [2]

A20M [Disabled]

Legacy OSes and APs may need A20M enabled.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

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) TurboMode Tech [Enabled]

Turbo mode allows processor cores to run faster than marked frequency in specic
condition.Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Intel(R) C-STATE Tech [Enabled]

The Intel® C-State Technology allows the CPU to save more power under idle
mode. Enable this item only when you install a C-State Technology-supported

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

The following items appear only when you

item to [Enabled].

set the

Intel(R) C-STATE Tech

C3 State [ACPI C2]

Allows you to select Nehalem C state action.

Conguratiton options: [Disabled] [ACPI C2] [ACPI C3]

4-18 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

C6 State [Enabled]

Allows you to select Nehalem C state action.

Conguratiton options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

C State package limit setting [Auto]

We recommend that you set this item to [Auto] for BIOS to automatically detect the
C-State mode supported by your CPU.

Conguration options: [Auto] [C1] [C3] [C6]

C1 Auto Demotion [Enabled]

When this item is enabled, the CPU will conditionally demote C3/C6 requests to C1
based on the uncore auto-demote information.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

C3 Auto Demotion [Enabled]

When this item is enabled, the CPU will conditionally demote C6 requests to C3
based on the uncore auto-demote information.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-19

4.4.2 Chipset

The Chipset conguration menu allows you to change advanced chipset settings.

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

Advanced

Advanced Chipset Settings

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

Uncore Conguration

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

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Congure CPU Bridge

features.

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

Uncore Conguration

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

Advanced

CPU Bridge Chipset Conguration

Uncore Conguration

CPU REVISION :B0

IMC : ClarksField
Current CSI Frequency :6.400GT
Current Memory Frequency :1066 Mhz

Memory Remap Feature [Enabled]

PCI MMIO Allocation: 4GB To 3072MB

CSI Links Speed [Full-Speed]

DRAM Frequency [Auto]
CSI Frequency [Auto]

Congure DRAM Timing by SPD [Enabled]

DRAM Margin Ranks [Disabled]
Memory Frequency [Auto]

MRC Serial Debug Message Level [Disabled]
Memory Mode [Independent]
Demand Scrubbing [Disabled]

Memory ECC Function [Enabled]
Patrol Scrubbing [Disabled]

Double Rate Refresh [Auto]
Throttling - Closed Loop [Disabled]

Page Policy [Closed]
Throttling - Open Loop [Disabled]

Adaptive Page [Disabled]
Data Scramble [Enabled]
Memory Thermal Throttling [Disabled]

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

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

To transition the CSI

ENABLE: Allow
links to full-speed

remapping of
or leave them in

overlapped PCI memory
slow-mode.

above the total
physical memory.

DISABLE: Do not allow
remapping of memory.

←→ Select Screen

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

↑↓ Select Item

+- Change Option

+- Change Option
F1 General Help

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit

F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

ESC Exit

Memory Remap Feature [Enabled]

Setting this item to [Enabled] allows you to remapp the overlapped PCI memory

above the total physical memory. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

DRAM Frequency [Auto]

You may allow the system to detect DDR3 memory frequency via SPD or designate

a specic frequency.
Conguration options: [Auto] [800 MHz] [1066 MHz] [1333 MHz]

Refer to the memory AVL on ASUS website at www.asus.com.

4-20 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Congure DRAM Timing by SPD [Enabled]

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

The olowing 10 items appear when you set Congure DRAM Timing by SPD to

[Disabled].

DRAM tCL [7]

Conguration options: [3]—[15]

DRAM tRAS [20]

Conguration options: [9]—[63]

DRAM tRP [7]

Conguration options: [3]—[15]

DRAM tRCD [7]

Conguration options: [3]—[15]

DRAM tWR [8]

Conguration options: [3]—[31]

DRAM tRFC [59]

Conguration options: [15]—[255]

DRAM tWTR [4]

Conguration options: [4]—[31]

DRAM tRRD [4]

Conguration options: [4]—[15]

DRAM tRTP [4]

Conguration options: [4]—[15]

DRAM tFAW [20]

Conguration options: [15]—[63]

DRAM Margin Ranks [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

MRC Serial Debug Message Level [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Minimum] [Maximum] [Test]

Memory ECC Function [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable Memory ECC fucntion.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-21

Double Rate Refresh [Auto]

Allows you to enable or disable Double Rate Refresh.

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

Page Poilcy [Closed]

Conguration options: [Closed] [Open]

Adaptive Page [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Data Scramble [Enabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Memory Thermal Throttling [Disabled]

Setting this item to [CLTT] to Closed Loop Thermal Throttling and [OLTT] to Open

Loop Thermal Throttling. Conguration options: [CLTT] [OLTT] [Disabled] [Auto]

4.4.3 Onboard Devices Conguration

The Onboard Devices Conguration menu items allow you to change the advanced

settings for onboard devices.

Take caution when changing the settings of the Onboard Devices Conguration
menu items. Incorrect eld values can cause the system to malfunction.

Advanced

Onboard Devices Conguration

HDA Controller [Enabled]
OnBoard LAN1 Boot ROM [PXE]
OnBoard LAN2 Boot ROM [PXE]
Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]
Interrupt 19 Capture [Enabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Options

Enabled
Disabled

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

HDA Controller [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the High Denition Audio controller.
Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

4-22 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Onboard LAN1/2 Boot ROM [PXE]

Allows you to congure the onboard LAN1/2 boot mode.
Conguration: [Disabled] [PXE] [iSCSI]

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]

Interrupt 19 Capture [Enabled]

When set to [Enabled], this function allows the option ROMs to trap Interrupt 19.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4.4.4 USB Conguration

Advanced

USB Conguration

Module Version - 2.24.5-13.4

USB Devices Enabled:

2 Hubs

USB Functions [Enabled]
Legacy USB Support [Auto]

BIOS EHCI Hand-off [Enabled]

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

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Options

Disabled
Enabled

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

USB Functions [Enabled]

Allows you to enabled or disable the USB function.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Legacy USB Support [Auto]

Allows you to enable or disable 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]

BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled]

Enables or disables the BIOS EHCI hand-off support.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-23

4.4.5 PCIPnP

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

Take caution when changing the settings of the PCI/PnP Conguration menu
items. Incorrect eld values can cause the system to malfunction.

Advanced

Advanced PCI/PnP Settings

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

Plug And Play O/S [No]

PCI Option ROM Scan Order [Bus 0 First]
Onboard Option ROM Priority [Normal]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

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.

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

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]

PCI Option ROM Scan Order [Bus 0 First]

Allows you to select the PCI option ROM scanning order. The scanning of the
option ROM will start from the lowest bus, device, fucntion number if you set this

item to [Bus 0 First]; the scanning starts from the highest bus, device, function

number if you set this item to [Bus N First].

Conguration options: [Bus 0 First] [Bus N First]

Onboard Option ROM Priority [Normal]

Allows you to select the onboard option ROM priority.

Conguration options: [Normal] [High]

4-24 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.4.6 ACPI Conguration

Advanced

ACPI Settings

General ACPI Conguration
Advanced ACPI Conguration
Chipset ACPI Conguration

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

General ACPI Conguration

Advanced

General ACPI Conguration

Suspend Mode [Auto]
Repost Video on S3 Resume [No]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced ACPI

Conguration

settings.

Use this section to

congure additional

ACPI options.

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

Select the ACPI state
used for System
Suspend.

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]

Repost Video on S3 Resume [No]

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

Conguration options: [No] [Yes]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-25

Advanced ACPI Conguration

Advanced

Advanced ACPI Conguration

ACPI 2.0 Support [Enabled]
ACPI APIC support [Enabled]
BIOS-->AML ACPI table [Enabled]
Headless mode [Disabled]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Add additional tables
as per ACPI 2.0

specications.

ACPI 2.0 Support [Enabled]

Species the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI) version
supported. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

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]

BIOS-->AML ACPI table [Enabled]

Allows you to include the BIOS-->AML exchange table pointer to (X)RSDT pointer

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

Headless mode [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Headless operation mode through ACPI.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-26 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Chipset ACPI Conguration

Advanced

South Bridge ACPI Conguration

Energy Lake Feature [Disabled]
APIC ACPI SCI IRQ [Disabled]
High Performance Event Timer [Enabled]
HPET Memory Address [FED00000h]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Enabled
Disabled

Options

Energy Lake Feature [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Energy Lake feature.

Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

We do not recommend you enable this feature.

APIC ACPI SCI IRQ [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the APIC ACPI SCI IRQ feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

High Performance Event Timer [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the High Performance Event Timer feature.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

HPET Memory Address [FED00000h]

Conguration options: [FED00000h] [FED01000h] [FED02000h] [FED03000h]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-27

4.4.7 Event Log Conguration

Main Advanced

Event Logging details

View Event Log
Mark all event as read
Clear Event Log

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

View all unread events
on the Event Log.

View Event Log

Press <Enter> to read all the unread event log.

Mark all events as read

Press <Enter> to mark all the events as read.

Clear Event Log

Press <Enter> to clear all events on the event log.

4.4.8 Intel VT-d Conguration [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O.
Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4.4.9 SR-IOV Supprted [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-28 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.5 Power menu

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

EuP [Disabled]

APM Conguration

Hardware Monitor

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Include ACPI APIC
table pointer to
RSDT pointer list.

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

4.5.1 EuP Ready [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the Energy Using Products (EuP) Ready function.
[Enabled] Allows BIOS to switch off some power at S5 state to get system

ready for the EuP requirement. When set to [Enabled], power for
WOL, WO_USB, audio and onboard LEDs will be switched off at
S5 state.

4.5.2 APM Conguration

Power

APM Conguration

Restore on AC Power Loss [Last State]
Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled]
Power On By External Modems [Disalbed]
Power On By PCI Devices [Disabled]
Power On By PCIE Devices [Disabled]
Power On By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled] PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]
Power On By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled] PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]

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

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

Restore On AC Power Loss [Last State]

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

state was before the AC power loss.

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-29

Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables RTC to generate a wake event.
[Enabled] When set to [Enabled], the items RTC Alarm Date (Days) / System

Time will become user-congurable with set values.

Power On By External Modems [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables to power up the computer when the external modem

receives a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode.

[Enabled] The computer could be powered up when the external modem

receives a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode.

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]

[Disabled] Disables the PME to wake up from S5 by PCI devices.
[Enabled] Allows you to turn on the system through a PCI LAN or modem

card. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at
least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

Power On By PCIE Devices [Disabled]

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

[Disabled] Disables the PCIE devices to generate a wake event.
[Enabled] Enables the PCIE devices to generate a wake event.

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]

Power On By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the Power On by a PS/2 mouse.
[Enabled] Enables the Power On by a PS/2 mouse. This feature requires an

ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

4-30 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.5.3 Hardware Monitor

Power

Hardware Monitor

CPU Temperature(PECI) [35ºC/ 94ºF]
MB Temperature [30ºC/ 86ºF]

TR1 Temperature [N/A ]

CPU Fan1 Speed [1577RPM]
FRNT FAN1 Speed [N/A]
FRNT FAN2 Speed [N/A]
FRNT FAN3 Speed [N/A]
REAR FAN1 Speed [N/A]
Fan Speed Control [Generic Mode]
VCORE [ 1.052V]
+3.3V [ 3.246V]
+5V [ 5.196V]
+12V [12.000V]
VBAT [ 3.126V]
+3VSB [ 3.198V]
+1.5V [ 1.504V]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

CPU1 Temperature(PECI)

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

CPU/MB/TR1 Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF]

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

CPU Fan1; FRNT FAN1–3 Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]
REAR FAN1 Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the speed of
CPU fans, front fans, and rear fans in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not

connected to the motherboard, the eld shows [N/A].

Fan Speed Control [Generic Mode]

Allows you to congure the ASUS Smart Fan feature that smartly adjusts the fan
speeds for more efcient system operation.
Conguration options: [Full Speed Mode] [High Density Mode] [Generic Mode]

[Whisper Mode]

VCORE1, +3.3V, +5V, +12V, VBAT, +3VSB, +1.5V

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.

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-31

4.6 Boot menu

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

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Boot Settings

Boot Device Priority

Boot Settings Conguration

Security

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

4.6.1 Boot Device Priority

Boot

Boot Device Priority

1st Boot Device [Removable Dev.]
2nd Boot Device [ATAPI CD-ROM]
3rd Boot Device [Hard Drive]
4th Boot Device [Network:IBA GE Slo]
5th Boot Device [Network:IBA GE Slo]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

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

Species the Boot

Device Priority
sequence.

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

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.

1st—xxth Boot Device [XXXXXXX]

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: [xxxxx Drive] [Disabled]

4-32 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.6.2 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 1985-2009, 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]

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 MyLogo2™ feature.

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

AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]

Allows you to set the display mode for Options ROM.

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

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]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-33

4.6.3 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 1985-2009, 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
disable 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 2.6 Jumpers for information on how to
erase the RTC RAM.

4-34 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

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

Boot

Supervisor Password : Installed
User Password : Not Installed

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

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

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

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]

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-35

4.7 Tools menu

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

an item then press <Enter> to display the submenu.

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

ASUS EZ Flash 2

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

4.7.1 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. Check section 4.1.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2
utility for details.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Press ENTER to run
the utility to select
and update BIOS.
This uitlity supports

1. FAT 12/16/32 (r/w)

2. NTFS (read only)

3. CD-DISC (read only)

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

4-36 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.8 Exit menu

The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values for the
BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items.

Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Exit Options

Exit & Save Changes
Exit & Discard Changes
Discard Changes

Load Setup Defaults

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

Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options
from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit.

Exit & Save Changes

Once you are nished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit

menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. An onboard
backup battery sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even when the PC is turned

off. When you select this option, a conrmation window appears. Select Ok to save

changes and exit.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Exit system setup
after saving the
changes.

F10 key can be used
for this operation.

←→ Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item

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

If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes, the
program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save your changes
before exiting. Press <Enter> to save the changes while exiting.

Exit & Discard Changes

Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the

Setup program. If you made changes to elds other than System Date, System
Time, and Password, the BIOS asks for a conrmation before exiting.

Discard Changes

This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the

previously saved values. After selecting this option, a conrmation appears. Select

YES to discard any changes and load the previously saved values.

Load Setup Defaults

This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the

Setup menus. When you select this option or if you press <F5>, a conrmation

window appears. Select Ok to load default values. Select

Exit & Save Changes

make other changes before saving the values to the non-volatile RAM.

ASUS P7F-M WS 4-37

or

4-38 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

This chapter provides instructions for

setting up, creating, and conguring RAID

sets using the available utilities.

RAID

conguration

5

Chapter summary

5

5.1 Setting up RAID ............................................................................ 5-3

5.2 Intel® Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM Utility ................... 5-5

ASUS P7F-M WS

5.1 Setting up RAID

The motherboard comes with the Intel® 3420 chipset that allows you to congure
Serial ATA hard disk drives as RAID sets. The motherboard supports the following

RAID congurations: RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10 and RAID 5.

• You must install Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or later versions before using
Serial ATA hard disk drives. The Serial ATA RAID feature is available only if
you are using Windows® XP SP2 or later versions.

• A RAID array with the total capacity over 2TB cannot be set as a boot disk.
A RAID array over 2TB can only be set as a data disk only.

• If you want to install a Windows® operating system to a hard disk drive
included in a RAID set, you have to create a RAID driver disk and load the
RAID driver during OS installation. Refer to section

driver disk

for details.

5.1.1 RAID denitions

(Data striping)

RAID 0

data in parallel, interleaved stacks. Two hard disks perform the same work as a
single drive but at a sustained data transfer rate, double that of a single disk alone,
thus improving data access and storage. Use of two new identical hard disk drives
is required for this setup.

(Data mirroring)

RAID 1

drive to a second drive. If one drive fails, the disk array management software
directs all applications to the surviving drive as it contains a complete copy of

the data in the other drive. This RAID conguration provides data protection and

increases fault tolerance to the entire system. Use two new drives or use an
existing drive and a new drive for this setup. The new drive must be of the same

size or larger than the existing drive.

RAID 10

is data striping and data mirroring combined without parity (redundancy

data) having to be calculated and written. With the RAID 10 conguration you get
all the benets of both RAID 0 and RAID 1 congurations. Use four new hard disk

drives or use an existing drive and three new drives for this setup.

stripes both data and parity information across three or more hard disk

RAID 5

drives. Among the advantages of RAID 5 conguration include better HDD
performance, fault tolerance, and higher storage capacity. The RAID 5 conguration

is best suited for transaction processing, relational database applications,
enterprise resource planning, and other business systems. Use a minimum of three
identical hard disk drives for this setup.

optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and write

copies and maintains an identical image of data from one

6.1 Creating a RAID

ASUS P7F-M WS 5-3

5.1.2 Installing hard disk drives

The motherboard supports Serial ATA hard disk drives. For optimal performance,
install identical drives of the same model and capacity when creating a disk array.

To install the SATA hard disks for a RAID conguration:

1. Install the SATA hard disks into the drive bays.

2. Connect the SATA signal cables.

3. Connect a SATA power cable to the power connector on each drive.

5.1.3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS

You must enable the RAID function in the BIOS Setup before creating RAID set(s)
using SATA HDDs. To do this:

1. Enter the BIOS Setup during POST.

2. Go to the Main menu > Storage Conguration, and then press <Enter>.

3. Set the Congure SATA as item to [RAID].

4. Save your changes, and then exit the BIOS Setup.

Refer to Chapter 4 for details on entering and navigating through the BIOS
Setup.

Due to chipset limitation, when set any of SATA ports to RAID mode, all SATA
ports run at RAID mode together.

5-4 Chapter 5: RAID conguration

5.2 Intel® Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM Utility

The Intel® Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM utility allows you to create RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 10 (RAID 1+0), and RAID 5 set(s) from Serial ATA hard disk drives
that are connected to the Serial ATA connectors supported by the Southbridge.

To enter the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager option ROM utility:

1. Install all the Serial ATA hard disk drives.

2. Turn on the system.

3. During POST, press <Ctrl+I> to display the utility main menu.

Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v8.9.0.1023 PCH-D wRAID5

Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

1. Create RAID Volume 3. Reset Disks to Non-RAID

2. Delete RAID Volume 4. Recovery Volume Options

RAID Volumes: * = Data is Encrypted

None dened.

Physical Disks:
Port Drive Model Serial # Size Type/Status(Vol ID)
0 ST3160812AS 9LS0HJA4 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk
1 ST3160812AS 9LS0F4HL 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk
2 ST3160812AS 3LS0JYL8 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk
3 ST3160812AS 9LS0BJ5H 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk

[↑↓]-Select [ESC]-Exit [ENTER]-Select Menu

[ MAIN MENU ]

5. Exit

[ DISK/VOLUME INFORMATION ]

The navigation keys at the bottom of the screen allow you to move through

the menus and select the menu options.

The RAID BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference only and
may not exactly match the items on your screen.

ASUS P7F-M WS 5-5

5.2.1 Creating a RAID set

To create a RAID set

1. From the utility main menu, select
<Enter>. The following screen appears.

Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v8.9.0.1023 PCH-D wRAID5

Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Name: Volume0
RAID Level: RAID0(Stripe)
Disks: Select Disks
Strip Size: 128KB
Capacity: 0.0 GB
Sync: N/A
Create Volume

1. Create RAID Volume

[ CREATE VOLUME MENU ]

[ HELP ]

and press

Enter a unique volume name that has no special characters and is

[↑↓]Change [TAB]-Next [ESC]-Previous Menu [ENTER]-Select

16 characters or less.

2. Enter a name for the RAID set and press <Enter>.

3. When the

RAID Level

item is selected, press the up/down arrow key to select

a RAID level to create, and then press <Enter>.

4. When the
you want to include in the RAID set. The

Port Drive Model Serial # Size Status

0 ST3160812AS 9LS0HJA4 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk

1 ST3160812AS 9LS0F4HL 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk
2 ST3160812AS 3LS0JYL8 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk
3 ST3160812AS 9LS0BJ5H 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk

[↑↓]-Prev/Next [SPACE]-SelectDisk [ENTER]-Done

item is selected, press <Enter> to select the hard disk drives

Disks

SELECT DISKS

[ SELECT DISKS ]

Select 2 to 6 disks to use in creating the volume.

screen appears.

5. Use the up/down arrow key to select a drive, and then press <Space>
to select. A small triangle marks the selected drive. Press <Enter> after
completing your selection.

5-6 Chapter 5: RAID conguration

6. Use the up/down arrow key to select the stripe size for the RAID array (for
RAID 0, 10 and 5 only), and then press <Enter>. The available stripe size

values range from 4 KB to 128 KB. The following are typical values:
RAID 0: 128KB
RAID 10: 64KB
RAID 5: 64KB

We recommend a lower stripe size for server systems, and a higher stripe size

for multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video editing.

7. When the

Capacity

item is selected, enter the RAID volume capacity that you
want and press <Enter>. The default value indicates the maximum allowed
capacity.

8. When the

Create Volume

item is selected, press <Enter>. The following

warning message appears.

WARNING: ALL DATA ON SELECTED DISKS WILL BE LOST.

Are you sure you want to create this volume? (Y/N):

9. Press <Y> to create the RAID volume and return to the main menu, or <N> to
go back to the

CREATE VOLUME

menu.

5.2.2 Creating a Recovery set

To create a recovery set

1. From the utility main menu, select

1. Create RAID Volume

<Enter>. The following screen appears.

Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v8.9.0.1023 PCH-D wRAID5

Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

[ CREATE VOLUME MENU ]

Name: Volume0
RAID Level: RAID0(Stripe)
Disks: Select Disks
Strip Size: 128KB
Capacity: 0.0 GB
Sync: N/A
Create Volume

[ HELP ]

and press

Enter a unique volume name that has no special characters and is

[↑↓]Change [TAB]-Next [ESC]-Previous Menu [ENTER]-Select

16 characters or less.

ASUS P7F-M WS 5-7

2. Enter a name for the recovery set and press <Enter>.

3. When the

Recovery

4. When the

RAID Level

, and then press <Enter>.

Disks

you want to include in the recovery set. The

item is selected, press the up/down arrow key to select

item is selected, press <Enter> to select the hard disk drives

SELECT DISKS

screen appears.

Port Drive Model Serial # Size Status

0 ST3160812AS 9LS0HJA4 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk

1 ST3160812AS 9LS0F4HL 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk
2 ST3160812AS 3LS0JYL8 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk
3 ST3160812AS 9LS0BJ5H 149.0GB Non-RAID Disk

Select 1 Master and 1 Recovery disk to create volume.

[↑↓]-Prev/Next [TAB]-(M)aster [SPACE]-(R)ecovery [ENTER]-Done

[ SELECT DISKS ]

5. Use the up/down arrow key to select a drive, press <TAB> to select a Master
disk, and then press <SPACE> to select a Recovery disk. A small triangle
marks the selected drive. Press <Enter> after completing your selection.

6. When the

item is selected, use the up/down arrow key to select a sync

Sync

option that you want and press <Enter>.

7. When the

Create Volume

item is selected, press <Enter>. The following

warning message appears.

WARNING: ALL DATA ON SELECTED DISKS WILL BE LOST.

Are you sure you want to create this volume? (Y/N):

8. Press <Y> to create the recovery set and return to the main menu, or <N> to
go back to the

If a recovery set is created, you cannot add more RAID sets even when you
have more non-RAID disks installed in your system.

CREATE VOLUME

menu.

5-8 Chapter 5: RAID conguration

5.2.3 Deleting a RAID set

Take caution when deleting a RAID set. You will lose all data on the hard disk
drives when you delete a RAID set.

To delete a RAID set

1. From the utility main menu, select

2. Delete RAID Volume

and press

<Enter>. The following screen appears.

Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v8.9.0.1023 PCH-D wRAID5

Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Name Level Drives Capacity Status Bootable

Volume0 RAID0(Stripe) 2 298.0GB Normal Yes

Deleting a volume will reset the disks to non-RAID.

(This does not apply to Recovery volumes)

[↑↓]-Select [ESC]-Previous Menu [DEL]-Delete Volume

[ DELETE VOLUME MENU ]

[ HELP ]

WARNING: ALL DISK DATA WILL BE DELETED.

2. Use the up/down arrow key to select the RAID set you want to delete, and
then press <Del>. The following warning message appears.

[ DELETE VOLUME VERIFICATION ]

ALL DATA IN THE VOLUME WILL BE LOST!

(This does not apply to Recovery volumes)

Are you sure you want to delete volume “Volume0”? (Y/N):

3. Press <Y> to delete the RAID set and return to the utility main menu, or press
<N> to return to the

DELETE VOLUME

ASUS P7F-M WS 5-9

menu.

5.2.4 Resetting disks to Non-RAID

Take caution before you reset a RAID volume hard disk drive to non-RAID.
Resetting a RAID volume hard disk drive deletes all internal RAID structure on
the drive.

To reset a RAID set hard disk drive

1. From the utility main menu, select

3. Reset Disks to Non-RAID

and press

<Enter>. The following screen appears.

Resetting RAID disk will remove its RAID structures
and revert it to a non-RAID disk.

WARNING: Resetting a disk causes all data on the disk to be lost.

(This does not apply to Recovery volumes)

Port Drive Model Serial # Size Status

0 ST3160812AS 9LS0HJA4 149.0GB Member Disk

1 ST3160812AS 9LS0F4HL 149.0GB Member Disk

Select the disks that should be reset.

[↑↓]-Previous/Next [SPACE]-Selects [ENTER]-Selection Complete

[ RESET RAID DATA ]

2. Use the up/down arrow key to select the RAID set drive(s) you want to reset,
and then press <Space> to select.

3. Press <Enter> to reset the RAID set drive(s). A conrmation message

appears.

4. Press <Y> to reset the drive(s) or press <N> to return to the utility main
menu.

5-10 Chapter 5: RAID conguration