Biostar N68S3 Owner's Manual

MCP6P3/N68S3 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 ................................... 14

3.1 HowtoSetupJumpers ..................................................................... 14

3.2 DetailSettings...................................................................................14

Chapter 4: RAID Functions ................................................... 19

4.1 OperationSystem .............................................................................19

4.2 RaidArrays........................................................................................19

4.3 HowRAIDWorks ..............................................................................19

Chapter 5: Useful Help.......................................................... 23

5.1 DriverInstallationNote .................................................................... 23

5.2 AwardBIOSBeepCode ....................................................................24

5.3 ExtraInformation .............................................................................25

5.4 Troubleshooting................................................................................27

Appendix: SPEC In Other Languages .................................... 28

German...................................................................................................................28

French ....................................................................................................................30

Italian .....................................................................................................................32

Spanish................................................................................................................... 34

Portuguese ............................................................................................................ 36

Polish......................................................................................................................38

Russian...................................................................................................................40

Arabic ..................................................................................................................... 42

Japanese ................................................................................................................ 44

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

MCP6P3/N68S3

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

 IDE Cable X 1(optional)
 Serial ATA Cable X 2
 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)
 Serial ATA Power Cable X 1 (optional)
 USB 2.0 Cable X1 (optional)
 S/PDIF out Cable X 1 (optional)

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

1

Motherboard Manual

1.3 MOTHERBOARDFEATURES

Socket AM3

CPU

FSB

Chipset

Super I/O

Main

Memory

Graphics

IDE Integrated IDE Controller

SATA II Integrated Serial ATA Controller

LAN Realtek RTL 8201CL

Sound ALC662 / VT1708B

Slots

On Board

Connector

AMD Phenom II/ Athlon II processors

(Maximum Watt: 95W)

Support HyperTransport 2.0

Supports up to 2.0 GT/s Bandwidth

GeForce 6150 SE/nForce 430 (MCP6P3)

GeForce 7025/nForce 630a (N68S3)

ITE 8718F

Provides the most commonly used legacy

Super I/O functionality.

Low Pin Count Interface

DDR3 DIMM Slots x 2

Max Memory Capacity 8GB

Each DIMM supports 512MB/

1GB/2GB/4GB DDR3

GeForce 6150 SE/nForce 430 (MCP6P3)

GeForce 7025/nForce 630a (N68S3)

PCI Slot x2 Supports PCI expansion cards

PCI Express x16 Slot x1 Supports PCI-E x16 expansion cards

Floppy Connector x1 Each connector supports 2 Floppy drives

Printer Port Connector x1 Each connector supports 1 Printer port

IDE Connector x1 Each connector supports 2 IDE device

SATA Connector x4 Each connector supports 1 SATA device

Front Panel Connector x1 Supports front panel facilities

SPEC

AMD 64 Architecture enables 32 and 64 bit computing

Supports Hyper Transport 2.0

Environment Control initiatives,

H/W Monitor

Fan Speed Controller

ITE's "Smart Guardian" function

Dual Channel Mode DDR3 memory module

Supports DDR3 800 / 1066 / 1333

Registered DIMM and ECC DIMM is not supported

Max Shared Video Memory is 512MB (under OS)

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

supports PIO Mode 0~4,

Data transfer rates up to 3 Gb/s.

SATA Version 2.0 specification compliant.

10 / 100 Mb/s auto negotiation

Half / Full duplex capability

5.1 channels audio out

High Definition Audio

2

SPEC

Back Panel

I/O

Board Size 190 mm(W) x 244 mm(L)

Special

Features

OS Support Windows XP / Vista / 7

Front Audio Connector x1 Supports front panel audio function

S/PDIF out Connector x1 Supports digital audio out function

CPU Fan Header x1 CPU Fan power supply (with Smart Fan function)

System Fan Header x1 System Fan Power supply

CMOS clear Header x1 Restore CMOS data to factory default

USB Connector x2 Each connector supports 2 front panel USB ports

Power Connector (24pin) x1 Connects to Power supply

Power Connector (4pin) x1 Connects to Power supply

PS/2 Keyboard x1

PS/2 Mouse x1

VGA port x1

Serial Port x1

LAN port x1

USB Port x4

Audio Jack x3

RAID 0 / 1 / 0+1 / 5 support

MCP6P3/N68S3

Connects to PS/2 Keyboard

Connects to PS/2 Mouse

Connect to D-SUB monitor

Provide RS-232 Serial connection

Connect to RJ-45 ethernet cable

Connect to USB devices

Provide Audio-In/Out and microphone connection

BIOSTAR reserves the right to add or remove support

for any OS With or without notice.



1.4 R

PS/2
Mouse

PS/2
Keyboard

EARPANELCONNECTORS

COM1 VGA

USBX2USBX2

LAN

Line In /
Surround

Line Out

Mic In 1/
Bass/ Center

3

Motherboard Manual

1.5 MOTHERBOARDLAYOUT

KBMS1

COM1

VGA1

USB1

RJ 45USB 1

AUDIO1

F_AUDIO1

JKB_PWR

LAN

BAT1

ATXPWR2

JUSBV1

ATXPWR1

PEX16_1

PCI1

GeFor ce

6150 SE/7025

nForce

430/630a

CPU_FAN1

Socket AM3

DDR3_A1

DDR3_B1

IDE1

JUSBV2

F_USB2

F_USB1

BIOS

JCMOS 1

SATA4SATA2

4

Note: represents the 1■

Codec

JSPDIFOUT1

JPRINT 1

PCI2

st

pin.

FDD1

Super I/O

SATA1 SATA3

SYS_FAN1

PANE L1

CHAPTER 2: HARDWARE INSTALLATION

5

MCP6P3/N68S3

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.

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.

6

MCP6P3/N68S3

1

7

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

4

SYS_FAN1: System Fan Header

13

Pin

Assignment

1 Ground
2 +12V
3

FAN RPM rate
sense

4Smart Fan

Control (By Fan)

Pin

Assignment

1 Ground
2 +12V
3FAN RPM

rate sense

Note:

CPU_FAN1 supports 4-pin head connector. SYS_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.

Motherboard Manual

2.3 INSTALLINGSYSTEMMEMORY

A. Memory Modules

DDR3_A1

DDR3_B1

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

MCP6P3/N68S3

B. Memory Capacity

DIMM Socket

Location

DDR3_A1 512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB

DDR3_B1 512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB

DDR3 Module

Total Memory

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 O X

Disabled X O

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)

DDR3_A1

DDR3_B1

9

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. This connector supports the
provided floppy drive ribbon cables.

IDE1: IDE/ATAPI 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.

The IDE connector can connect a master and a slave drive, so you can connect
up to two drives.

234

10

3

4

0

2

9

1

SATA1~SATA4: Serial ATA Connectors

147

The motherboard has a PCI to SATA Controller with 4 channels SATA interface.

ATXPWR1: ATX Power Source Connector

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

SATA2

SATA4

SATA1 SATA3

MCP6P3/N68S3

Pin

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

Assignment

13

24

Pin Assignment Pin Assignment

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

1

12

11

Motherboard Manual

ATXPWR2: ATX Power Source Connector

Connecting this connector provides +12V to CPU power circuit.

1

2

4

3

Pin

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

Note:

Before you power on the system, please make sure that both ATXPWR1 and ATXPWR2
connectors have been plugged-in.

PCI-EX16: PCI-Express x16 Slot

- PCI-Express 1.0a compliant.

- Maximum theoretical realized bandwidth of 4GB/s simultaneously per

direction, for an aggregate of 8GB/s totally.

- PCI-Express supports a raw bit-rate of 2.5GB/s on the data pins.

- 2X bandwidth over the traditional PCI architecture.

Assignment

12

PCI-EX16

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.

MCP6P3/N68S3

PCI1

PCI2

13