Biostar A760GE, A780GE, A785GE Owner's Manual

A780GE/A760GE/A785GE Setup Manual

FCC Information and Copyright

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of 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 the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. There is no guarantee
that interference will not occur in a particular installation.

The vendor makes no representations or warranties with respect to the
contents here and specially disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability
or fitness for any purpose. Further the vendor reserves the right to revise this
publication and to make changes to the contents here without obligation to
notify any party beforehand.

Duplication of this publication, in part or in whole, is not allowed without first
obtaining the vendor’s approval in writing.

The content of this user’s manual is subject to be changed without notice and
we will not be responsible for any mistakes found in this user’s manual. All the
brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................ 1

1.1 Before You Start ................................................................................ 1

1.2 Package Checklist............................................................................. 1

1.3 Motherboard Features...................................................................... 2

1.4 Rear Panel Connectors ..................................................................... 3

1.5 Motherboard Layout......................................................................... 4

Chapter 2: Hardware Installation ............................................. 5

2.1 Installing Central Processing Unit (CPU)....................................... 5

2.2 FAN Headers...................................................................................... 7

2.3 Installing System Memory ................................................................ 8

2.4 Connectors and Slots....................................................................... 10

Chapter 3: Headers & Jumpers Setup .................................. 13

3.1 How to Setup Jumpers .................................................................... 13

3.2 Detail Settings.................................................................................. 13

Chapter 4: RAID Functions ..................................................... 18

4.1 Operating System............................................................................ 18

4.2 Raid Arrays...................................................................................... 18

4.3 How RAID Works............................................................................. 18

Chapter 5: Useful Help ............................................................ 21

5.1 Driver Installation Note.................................................................. 21

5.2 Software............................................................................................ 22

5.3 Extra Information............................................................................ 26

5.4 AMI BIOS Beep Code....................................................................... 28

5.5 Troubleshooting............................................................................... 29

Appendix: SPEC In Other Languages ...................................... 30

German.................................................................................................................. 30

French .................................................................................................................... 32

Italian ..................................................................................................................... 34

Spanish ................................................................................................................... 36

Portuguese ............................................................................................................ 38

Polish...................................................................................................................... 40

Russian ................................................................................................................... 42

Arabic..................................................................................................................... 44

Japane se ................................................................................................................ 46

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

A780GE/A760GE/A785GE

1.1 B

EFORE YOU START

Thank you for choosing our product. Before you start installing the
motherboard, please make sure you follow the instructions below:

 Prepare a dry and stable working environment with

sufficient lighting.

 Always disconnect the computer from power outlet

before operation.

 Before you take the motherboard out from anti-static

bag, ground yourself properly by touching any safely
grounded appliance, or use grounded wrist strap to
remove the static charge.

 Avoid touching the components on motherboard or the

rear side of the board unless necessary. Hold the board
on the edge, do not try to bend or flex the board.

 Do not leave any unfastened small parts inside the

case after installation. Loose parts will cause short
circuits which may damage the equipment.

 Keep the computer from dangerous area, such as heat

source, humid air and water.

 The operating temperatures of the computer should be

0 to 45 degrees Celsius.

1.2 PACKAGE CHECKLIST

HDD Cable X 1
Serial ATA Cable X 1
Rear I/O Panel for ATX Case X 1
Installation Guide X 1
Fully Setup Driver CD X 1 (full version manual files inside)
FDD Cable X 1 (optional)
USB 2.0 Cable X1 (optional)
Serial ATA Power Cable X 1 (optional)

Note: The package contents may be different due to area or your motherboard version.

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Motherboard Manual

1.3 MOTHERBOARD FEATURES

A780GE/A760GE A785GE

CPU

FSB

Chipset

Super I/O

Main
Memory

Graphics

IDE

SATA II

LAN

Sound

Socket AM2+
AMD Sempron / Athlon / Athlon II / Phenom /
Phenom II processors
AMD 64 Architecture enables 32 and 64 b it
computing
Supports Hyper Transport 3.0 and Cool=n=Quiet
(Max imum Watt: 95W)
Support HyperTransport 3.0

Supports up to 5.2 GT/s Bandwidth
AMD 780G / 760G
AMD SB710

ITE 8718F

Prov ides the mos t co mmonly us ed legacy Supe r

I/O functionality

Low Pin Count Interface

En viro nm en t Co nt rol in it iatives

H/W Mon ito r

ITE's "S mart Guard ian " funct ion

DDR2 DIMM Slots x 2

Max Memory Capacity 8GB

Each DIMM supports 256MB/512MB/

1GB/2GB/4GB DDR2

Dual Channel Mode DDR2 me mory mo du le

Supports DDR2 533 / 667 / 800

Supports DDR2 1066 (for AM2+/AM3 CP U only)

Register ed D IMM and ECC DIMM is not

supported

Integrated in AMD 780G / 760G Chipset

Max S hared V ideo Memor y is 512MB

DX10/HDCP (780G ONLY) support

Int eg r at ed IDE Co ntro ller

Ultra DMA 33 / 66 / 100 / 133 Bus Master Mode

supports PIO Mode 0~4,

Integrated Serial ATA Controller

Data transfer rates up to 3 Gb/s

SATA Vers io n 2 .0 spe c if ic at ion co mp liant

Realtek RTL 8111DL

10 / 100 /1000 Mb/s auto negotiation

Half / Full duplex capability

ALC662

5.1 channels audio out

High Definition Audio

Socket AM2+
AMD Sempron / Athlon / Athlon II / Phenom /
Phenom II processors
AMD 64 Architecture enables 32 and 64 b it
computing
Supports Hyper Transport 3.0 and Cool=n=Quiet
(Max imum Watt: 95W)
Support HyperTransport 3.0

Supports up to 4.4 GT/s Bandwidth
AMD 785G
AMD SB710

ITE 8718F

Prov ides the most commo nly us ed legacy Super

I/O functionality

Low Pin Count Interface

En viro nm en t Co nt rol in it iatives

H/W Mon ito r

ITE's "S mart Guard ian " funct ion

DDR2 DIMM Slots x 2

Max Memory Capacity 8GB

Each DIMM supports 256MB/512MB/

1GB/2GB/4GB DDR2

Dual Channel Mode DDR2 me mory mo du le

Supports DDR2 533 / 667 / 800

Supports DDR2 1066 (for AM2+/AM3 CP U only)

Register ed D IMM and ECC DIMM is not

supported

Integrated in AMD 785G Chipset

Max S hared V ideo Memor y is 512MB

HDCP support

Int eg r at ed IDE Co ntro ller

Ultra DMA 33 / 66 / 100 / 133 Bus Master Mode

supports PIO Mode 0~4,

Integrated Serial ATA Controller

Data transfer rates up to 3 Gb/s

SATA Vers io n 2 .0 spe c if ic at ion co mp liant

Realtek RTL 8111DL

10 / 100 /1000 Mb/s auto negotiation

Half / Full duplex capability

ALC662

5.1 channels audio out

High Definition Audio

2

A780GE/A760GE/A785GE

A780GE/A760GE A785GE

Slots

On Board
Connector

Back Panel
I/O

Board Size 200 mm(W) x 244 mm(L) 200 mm(W) x 244 mm(L)
Special
Features

OS Support

PCI Express Gen2 x16 slot x1 PCI Express Gen2 x16 slot x1
PCI slot x2 PC I slot x 2
Floppy Connector x1 Floppy Connector x1
IDE Con n ecto r x1 IDE Con n ecto r x1
SATA Connector x4 SATA Connector x4
Front Panel Connector x1 Front Panel Connector x1
Front Audio Connector x1 Front Audio Connector x1
S/PDIF Out Connector x1 S/PDIF Out Connector x1
CPU Fan Header x1 CPU Fan Header x1
System Fan Header x1 System Fan Header x1
CMOS clear Header x1 CMOS clear Header x1
USB Connector x2 USB Connector x2
Power Connector (24pin) x1 Power Connector (24p in) x1
Power Connector (4pin) x1 Power Connector (4pin) x1
Printer Po rt Connecto r x 1 Printer Port Connector x1
Serial port Connector x1 Serial port Connector x1
PS/2 Keyboard x1
PS/2 Mous e x1
DVI port x1
VGA port x1
LAN port x1
USB Port x4
Audio Jack x3

RAID 0 / 1 / 1+0 support RAID 0 / 1 / 1+0 support

Windows XP / Vista 32 / 64
Biostar reserves the right to add or remove
support for any OS With or without notice.

PS/2 Keyboard x1

PS/2 Mous e x1

DVI port x1

VGA port x1

LAN port x1

USB Port x4

Audio Jack x3

Windows XP / Vista 32 / 64

Biostar reserves the right to add or remove

support for any OS With or without notice.

1.4 R

EAR PANEL CONNECTORS

PS/2
Mou se

PS/2
Keyboard

VGA

DVI-D

LAN

Line In/
Surr ound

Line Out

Mic In 1/
Bass/ Center

USB X2USBX2

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Motherboard Manual

1.5 MOTHERBOARD LAYOUT

KBMS1

VGA1

DVI1

USB1

RJ45USB1

AUDIO1

JUSBV1

SPDIF1

LAN

ATXPWR2

BAT1

PEX16_1

AMD

780G/
760G/

785G

Socket AM 2+

DIMMA1

CPU_FAN1

ATXPWR1

DIMMB1

IDE1

SATA4

SATA3

BIOS

4

Super I/O

Codec

F_AUDIO1

Note: represents the 1■

F_COM1 F_PRINT1

PCI 1

PCI 2

st

pin.

FDD1

AMD

SB710

F_USB2

F_USB1 SYS_FAN1

JUSBV2

JCMO S1

SATA2

SATA1

PAN EL 1

A780GE/A760GE/A785GE

CHAPTER 2: HARDWARE INSTALLATION

2.1 I

NSTALLING CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)

Step 1: Pull the lever toward direction A from the socket and then raise the

lever up to a 90-degree angle.

Step 2: Look for the white triangle on socket, and the gold triangle on

CPU should point towards this white triangle. The CPU will fit only
in the correct orientation.

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Motherboard Manual

Step 3: Hold the CPU down firmly, and then close the lever toward direct

B to complete the installation.

Step 4: Put the CPU Fan on the CPU and buckle it. Connect the CPU

FAN power cable to the CPU_FAN1. This completes the
installation.

Note: Please update the BIOS to the latest version while using AM2+/AM3 CPUs. Due to the latest

CPU transition, you may encounter the situation that the new system failed to boot while
using new AM2+/AM3 CPUs. In this case, please install one standard AM2 CPU to boot your
system, and update the latest BIOS from our website for AM2+/AM3 CPUs support.

6

A780GE/A760GE/A785GE

2.2 FAN HEADERS

These fan headers support cooling-fans built in the computer. The fan
cable and connector may be different according to the fan manufacturer.
Connect the fan cable to the connector while matching the black wire to
pin#1.

CPU_FAN1: CPU Fan Header

41

SYS_FAN1: System Fan Header

Pin

Assignment

1 Ground
2 +12V
3

FAN RPM r at e
sense

4 Smart Fan

Control (By Fan)

Pin

Assignment

1 Ground
2 +12V
3 FAN RPM rate

sense

13

Note:

The CPU_FAN1 supports 4-pin head connector. The S YS_FAN1 supports 3-pin head
connector. When connecting with wires onto connectors, please note that the red wire is
the positive and should be connected to pin#2, and the black wire is Ground and should
be connected to GND.

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Motherboard Manual

2.3 INSTALLING SYSTEM MEMORY

A. Memory Modules

DIMMB1

DIMMA1

1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the retaining clips outward. Align a
DIMM on the slot such that the notch on the DIMM matches the
break on the Slot.

2. Insert the DIMM vertically and firmly into the slot until the retaining
chip snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated.

8

A780GE/A760GE/A785GE

B. Memory Capacity

DIMM Socket

Location

DIMMA1 256MB/512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB

DIMMB1 256MB/512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB

DDR2 Module

Total M em ory

Size

Max is 8GB.

C. Dual Channel Memory installation

Please refer to the following requirements to activate Dual Channel function:

Install memory module of the same density in pairs, shown in the table

Dual Channel Status

Disabled X O

Disabled O X

Enabled O O

(O means memory installed, X means memory not installed.)

The DRAM bus width of the memory module must be the same (x8 or
x16)

DIMMA1

DIMMB1

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Motherboard Manual

133

2.4 CONNECTORS AND SLOTS

FDD1: Floppy Disk Connector

The motherboard provides a standard floppy disk connector that supports 360K,
720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk types.

IDE1: Hard Disk Connector

The motherboard has a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE Controller that provides PIO
Mode 0~4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 functionality.

234

3940

SATA1~SATA6: Serial ATA Connectors

The motherboard has a PCI to SATA Controller with 6 channels SATA interface,
it satisfies the SATA 2.0 spec and with transfer rate of 3.0Gb/s.

10

SATA4
SATA3

SATA2
SATA1

21

147

Pin

Assignment

1 Ground
2 TX+
3 TX­4 Ground
5 RX­6 RX+
7 Ground

A780GE/A760GE/A785GE

1

2

ATXP W R1: AT X Power Source Connector

This connector allows user to connect 24-pin power connector on the AT X
power supply.

12

1

Pin Assignment Pin Assignm ent

13 +3.3V 1 +3.3V
14 -12V 2 +3.3V
15 Ground 3 Ground
16 PS_ON 4 +5V
17 Ground 5 Ground
18 Ground 6 +5V
19 Ground 7 Ground
20 NC 8 PW_OK
21 +5V 9 Standby Voltage+5V
22 +5V 10 +12V
23 +5V 11 +12V
24 Ground 12 +3.3V

24

13

ATXP W R2: AT X Power Source Connector

Connecting this connector will provide +12V to CPU power circuit.

Pin

34

1 +12V
2 +12V
3 Ground
4 Ground

Assignment

Note:

Before power on the system, please make sure that both JATXPWR1 and JATXPWR2
connectors have been plugged-in.

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Motherboard Manual

PEX16_1: PCI-Express Gen2 x16 Slot

- PCI-Express 2.0 compliant.

- Maximum theoretical realized bandwidth of 8GB/s simultaneously per

direction, for an aggregate of 16GB/s totally.

PCI1~PCI2: Peripheral Component Interconnect Slots

This motherboard is equipped with 2 standard PCI slots. PCI stands for
Peripheral Component Interconnect, and it is a bus standard for expansion
cards. This PCI slot is designated as 32 bits.

PEX16_1

12

PCI1

PCI2

A780GE/A760GE/A785GE

CHAPTER 3: HEADERS & JUMPERS SETUP

3.1 H

OW TO SETUP JUMPERS

The illustration shows how to set up jumpers. When the jumper cap is
placed on pins, the jumper is “close”, if not, that means the jumper is
“open”.

Pin opened Pin closed Pin1-2 closed

3.2 DETAIL SETTINGS

PANEL1: Front Panel Header

This 16-pin connector includes Power-on, Reset, HDD LED, Power LED, and
speaker connection. It allows user to connect the PC case’s front panel switch
functions.

PWR_LED

On/Off

-

SPK

++

HLED

16

8

-

+

RST

9
1

Pin Assignment Function Pin Assignment Function

1 +5V 9 N/A
2 N/A 10 N/A
3 N/ A 11 N/A N/A
4 Speaker
5 HDD LED (+) 13 Power LED (+)
6 HDD LED (-)
7 Ground 15 Power button
8 Reset control

Speaker
Connector

Hard drive
LED

Reset button

12 Power LED (+)

14 Power LED (-)

16 Ground

N/A

Power LED

Power-on button

13