Biostar TForce4 SLI Owner's Manual

Biostar T-Series TForce4 SLI

FCC Information and Copyright

This eq uipment has been tested and fo und to comply with t he limits of a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. T hes e limits are designed to provide reasonable protection agai nst harmful inter ferenc e in a residential i nstallation. This e quipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to r adio 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 warr anties o f merchan tability or fitness for any purpose. F urther t he v endor reserves t he right to revise this pu blication and to make changes to the co ntents here witho ut o bligation to notify any party before hand.

Duplication of this p ublication, in part or in whole, is not allowed without firs t obtai ning the vendor’s a pprov al in writing.

The content o f t his user’s manual is s ubject to be changed witho ut notice a nd we will not be responsible for any mistakes foun d i n t his user ’s m anual . A ll t he bran d and pr oduct names are trademarks of t heir res pective companies .

PACKAG E CHECKL IST

FDD Cable x 1 HDD Cable x 2 SPDIF Cable x 1 User’s Manual x 1 Overcloc k Guide x 1 Serial ATA Cable x 4 BRI-2 SLI Bridge x 1 Retention Bracket x 1 Fully Setup Driver CD x 1 SATA RAID Driver Disk x 1 Rear I/O Panel for ATX Case x 1 SLI-NF4 Selector Card x 1 (pre-installed) USB 2.0 Cable x 1 (optional) IEEE 1394A Cable x 1 (optional) Serial ATA Power Switch Cable x 4 (optional) Free gift

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PACKAGE CHECK LIS T ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................I

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 MOTHERBOARD FEATURES...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 LAYOUT AND COMPONENTS......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2

CHAPTER 2: HARDWARE INSTALLATIONS .................................................................................................................................... 3

2.1 CPU ASSEMBLY.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3

A. Centr al Pr ocessi ng U nit (CPU) ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3

B. About FAN Headers .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3

2.2 SYSTE M MEMORY...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

A. DDR Module s........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................4

B. Memory Space......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................4

C. DDR Installation Notice.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................4

D. Know your CP U Vers ion ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................4

2.3 PERIPHERALS...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5

A. Card and I/O Slots: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5

B. Connecto rs and Hea ders: ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6

CHAPTER 3: NVIDIA S LI FUNCTION..............................................................................................................................................12

3.1 RE QUIREMENTS.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12

3.2 PLACING THE SLI-N F4 SELECTOR CARD.............................................................................................................................................................................................................12

3.3 THINGS TO NOTIC E...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................13

3.4 INSTA LLING SLI-READY GRAPHICS CARDS..........................................................................................................................................................................................................13

3.5 ENA BLING MULTI-GPU FEATURE IN WINDOWS..................................................................................................................................................................................................14

CHAPTER 4: NVIDIA RAID FUNCTIONS.........................................................................................................................................15

4.1 OPERATION SYSTE M..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................15

4.2 RAID ARRAYS...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................15

4.3 HOW RAID WORK S...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1 5

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CHAPTER 5: USEFUL HELP............................................................................................................................................................18

5.1 AWARD BIOS BEEP CODE........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................18

5.2 EXTRA INFORMATION...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................18

A. BIOS Update.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................18

B. CPU Overheated.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................18

5.3 TROUBLESHOOTING..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................19

GERMAN ........................................................................................................................................................................................20

FRENCH .........................................................................................................................................................................................21

ITALIAN .........................................................................................................................................................................................22

SPANISH.........................................................................................................................................................................................23

PORTUGUESE................................................................................................................................................................................24

POLAND .........................................................................................................................................................................................25

RUSSIAN.........................................................................................................................................................................................26

ARABIC ..........................................................................................................................................................................................27

JAPANESE ......................................................................................................................................................................................28

iii

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Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 MO THERBOARD FEATU RES

CPU

Supports Socket 939. Supports AMD Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 /Athlon 64 X2 processors. AMD 64 architecture enables simultaneous 32 and 64 bit computing. Supports HyperT ransport and AMD Cool’n’Qui et Technology.

Chipset

NVIDIA nForce4 SLI, s upports:

 Supports NVIDIA Firewall.  Supports Gigabit Ethernet.  Supports NVIDIA nTune Utility.  Supports NVIDIA Secure Networking Processor.

Operating S ystem s

Supports Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Note: Does not support Windows 98SE and Wi ndows ME.

Dimensions

ATX Form Factor: 29.4cm (L) x 24.35cm (W)

S yst em Memo r y

Supports Dual Channel DDR. Supports DDR333 and DDR400. Maximum memory space is 4GB, s upporting 4 DIMM sockets.

Seri al ATA

nForc e4 SLI supports SATA 2.0 specifi cation, with data transfer rates up to

3Gb/s.

Super I/ O

Chip: ITE IT 8712F. Environment Control initiatives,

 H/W Monitor  Fan Speed Controller  ITE's "Smart Guardian" function

IDE

2 on-board connectors support 4 IDE disk drives . Supports PIO mode 0-4, Block Mode and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 bus master

mode.

AC’97 Audio Sound Codec

Chip: ALC850, supports 8 channels audio output.

IEEE 1394A C hip

Chip: VIA VT6307, supports 2 ports with transfer up to 400Mb/s.

Gigabit Ethern et LAN

NVIDIA Gigabit MAC + VIT ESSE Gigabit PHY VSC8201. Supports ACPI power management.

Supports NVIDIA StreamT hru technology

 Isochronous controller paired with Hyper T ransport results in fastest

networking performance.

Securit y

NVIDIA Fi rewall technology

 Native firewal l s olution protects the PC from intruders by filteri ng

unauthorized traffic.

NVIDIA R AID Technology

RAID 0 dis k striping for highest system and application performance. RAID 1 dis k mirroring support for fault tolerance

Support for both SATA and ATA-133 disk controller standards.

RAID 0+1 disk striping and mirroring for highest performance with fault

tolerance.

Internal On-board Slots and Connectors

Normal Mode PCI-Express slots:

- One PCI-Express x16 slot: PEX16-1.

- Three PCI-Express x1 slots: PEX16-2, PEX1-1 and PEX1-2.

SLI Mode PCI-Express slots:

- Two PCI-Express x8 slots: PEX16-1 and PEX16-2.

- Two PCI-Express x1 slots: PEX1-1 and PEX1-2.

No tice: Normal Mo de and SLI M ode are sw itched by SLI-NF4 s e lector card. (Please re ad Ch apter 3 for detai l informati on. )

One SPDIF-Out connector. One CD-ROM audio-in connector. Two Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 IDE connectors. Three PCI slots. Four SATA II ports.

Back Pan e l I/ O Connectors and Ports

1 Printer Port. 1 RJ-45 LAN jack. 1 PS/2 Mouse Port. 1 PS/2 Keyboard Port. 1 1394A Firewire Port. 1 Serial Port. (COM2 is optional.) 4 USB 2.0 Ports. 6 audio ports support 8 channels audio-out facilities.

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1.2 LAYOUT AND COMPONENTS

JCI1

JATXPW R1

JD DR_ 0V> 3V

JSFAN2

JC FAN1

CP U1

Socket 9 39

DIMM3

DIMM1

DIMM4

DIMM2

IDE1

IDE2

JSATA2

JSATA1

nFo rce4 SLI

JSATA4

JSATA 3

JS FAN1

J NBFAN 1

JC MO S1

JU SB3 JU SB2

JU SB1 J1 39 4 A1

IEEE 1394

Chip

BAT1

PWRSW

RST SW

FDD1

LED_DIMM LED_

JUSBV1

BIOS

JPANEL1

5SB

LED_ D1

LED_ D2

JATXP WR2

JKBMSV1

JKB MS 1

JP RNT 1

JC OM 1

Note: ■ represents the 1st pin.

JCOM2

( Opti ona l)

J1394_USB1

J1394 _USBV1

JUSBLAN1

JPEXPWR1

JAUDI O2

E ARP HO N EJ AC K1

SLI1

PEX16-1

PEX1-1

PE X1 6- 2

PEX1-2

JSP DIF _O UT

J1394P WR1

PCI1 PCI3PCI2

Giga LAN

JC DIN1

Codec

Super I/ O

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Chapter 2: Hardw are Installations

2.1 CPU ASSEMBL Y

A. Centra l Pro c essing Unit (C PU)

Step 1:

Remove the socket protection cap.

Step 2:

Pull the socket locking lever out from the socket and then raise the lever up to a 90-degree angle.

Step 3:

Look for the triangular cut edge on socket, and the golden dot on CPU should point towards this triangular cut edge. The CPU will fit only in the correct orientation.

Step 4:

Hold the CPU down firmly, and then lower the lever to locked position to complete the installation.

Step 5: Put the CPU Fan and heatsink assembly on the CPU and buckle it on the

retention frame. Connect the CPU FAN power cable into the JCFAN1. This compl etes the installation.

B. About FAN Headers

CPU FAN Power Head er: JCFAN1 S yst em Fan Po wer H eader s: J SFAN1/ JSFAN 2

North Bridge Fan Powe r Header: JNBFAN1

JCFAN1JSFAN2

1313

JNBFAN1 JSFAN1

Note:

JCFAN1 reserves s ystem cooling fan with Smart Fan Control utilities. It supports 3 pin head connector. When connecting with wires onto connectors, please note that the red wire is the

posi tive and should be c onnected to pin#2, and the bl ack wire is G round and should be connected to GND.

JCFAN1:

Pin Assignment

1 Ground 2 Smart Fan Cont rol 3 F AN RPM rate

JSF AN2:

Pin Assignment

1 Ground 2 + 12V 3 Ground

JNBF AN1/JSF AN 1:

Pin Assignment

1 Ground

2 + 12V 3 F an RPM r ate

sens e

Sens e

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2.2 SYSTEM MEMORY

DIMM1

DIMM2

DIM M4

DIM M3

A. DDR Modules

1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the retaini ng 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 snaps back in place and the DIMM is properly s eated.

Notes:

To re move the DDR modules , push the ejector tabs at both sides of the slot outw ard at the same time, and pull the modules out vertic ally.

B. Mem o ry Space

DIMM So cket L ocat io n DDR Module Total Memory Size

DIMM1 128MB /25 6MB /512M B/1GB *1 DIMM2 128MB /25 6MB /512M B/1GB *1

DIMM3 128MB /25 6MB /512M B/1GB *1 DIMM4 128MB /25 6MB /512M B/1GB *1

Max is 4 GB.

C . D D R In sta l lation No ti c e

For AMD K8 939 CPU launched before Rev. E, (see the table below to know

your CPU version) please follow the tabl e below to install your DDR memory

module, or the system may not boot up or may not function properly. “SS” represents Single Side DDR memory module. “DS” represents Double Side DDR memory module. Star sign “*” represents l eave the DIMM socket empty.

DIMM1 SS/DS * SS/DS * SS/DS DIMM2 * * S S/DS * SS/DS

DIMM3 * SS/DS * SS/DS SS/DS DIMM4 * * * SS/ DS SS/ DS

D. Know you r CPU Version

AMD Athlon 64 Proces sor Ordering Part Number Example

ADA 3200 A E P 5 AP

AMD Athlon



64 Pro cessor P art Def inition

Part Definition Revision Part Definition Revision

AP Rev C0 BN Rev E4 AR Rev CG BP Rev E3 AS Rev CG BO Rev E3

AW Rev CG BY Rev E6

AX Rev CG BW Rev E6 AZ Rev CG

BI Rev D0

Part Defini ti on: A P = Re v C 0 (see Tabl e 1)

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2.3 PERIPHERAL S

A. Card and I/O Slots:

Floppy Di sk Connector: FDD1

The motherboard provides a s tandard floppy disk connector that supports 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk types. This connector supports the provided floppy drive ri bbon cables.

Hard D isk C onnectors: IDE 1/IDE 2

The motherboard has two 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE Controllers that provide PIO Mode 0~4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 functionality. It has two HDD connectors IDE1 (primary) and IDE2 (secondary). The IDE connectors can connect a master and a slave drive, so you can connect up to four hard disk drives. The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1.

IDE2

IDE1

39 40

Peripheral Component Inter connect Slots: PCI1~PCI3

This motherboard is equipped with 3 standard PCI slots. PCI stands for Peripheral Component Interconnec t, and it is a bus standard for expansion cards. T his PCI s lot is desi gnated as 32 bits .

PCI1

PCI2

PCI3

PCI-Expre ss Slot s: PEX16-1/PEX16-2/ PEX1-1/PEX1-2

PEX16 -1 (Normal Mo de):

- PCI Express 1.0a compliant.

- Maximum bandwidth is up to 4GB/s per direction.

PEX16-1/PEX1-1/PEX1-2 (Normal Mode):

- PCI Express 1.0a compliant.

- Maximum bandwidth is up to 250MB/s per direction.

PEX1 6-1 /PEX16 -2 (SLI Mode):

- PCI Express 1.0a compliant.

- Maximum bandwidth is up to 2GB/s per direction.

PEX16- 1

PEX 1-1

PEX1-2

PEX16-2

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B. Conn ectors and Headers:

How to se tup J umpers

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

Pin ope ned Pin close d Pin1-2 cl osed

ATX P ower Sourc e Connec tor: JATXPWR1

JATXPWR1 allows user to connect 24-pin power connector on the ATX power supply.

12413

Pin Assignment

1 + 3.3V 2 + 3.3V 3 Ground 4 + 5V 5 Ground

6 + 5V 7 Ground 8 PW _OK 9 St andby

Volt age+5V 10 + 12V 11 + 12V 12 Detect 13 + 3.3V 14 -12V

15 Ground 16 PS_ON 17 Ground 18 Ground 19 Ground 20 -5V 21 + 5V 22 + 5V 23 + 5V

24 Gr ound

ATX P ower Sourc e Connec tor: JATXPWR2

By connecting JATXPWR2, it will provide +12V to CPU power circuit.

Assi gn ment

1 +12V 2 +12V 3 Gr ound 4 Gr ound

PCI-Express x16 Slot Power Source Conne ctor: JPEXPWR1

When SLI mode is enabled, please plug in this PEX power source connector to make sure the s ystem is working under a stable environment. Please read Chapter 5 for detail information.

+12V Ground Ground

VCC

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Power Sourc e Heade r for PS/2 Ke yboard/Mouse: JKBMSV1

Pin 1-2 Close: +5V for PS/2 keyboard and mouse. Pin 2-3 Close: PS/2 keyboard and mouse are powered with +5V standby voltage.

Pin 1-2 Close (def ault)

Pin 2-3 Close

Note: In order to support this f unct io n

“Power-o n system via keyboard an d mouse” , “JKBMSV1” jump er cap shoul d be placed o n Pin 2- 3.

Power Sourc e Heade rs for USB Ports at Bac k Panel: J1394_USBV1

Pin 1-2 Close: +5V for USB ports at J1394_USB1 and JUSBLAN1. Pin 2-3 Close: USB ports at J1394_USB1 and JUSBLAN1 are powered with +5V

standby voltage.

Pin 1-2 Close (def ault)

Pin 2-3 Close

Note:

In order to support this f unct io n “Power-o n system via USB device,” J1394 _USBV1 jumper cap should be place d on Pin 2- 3 individ ually.

Front Panel Audio-out Heade r: JAUDIO2

This connector will allow user to c onnect with the front audio output headers on the PC case. It will dis able the output on back panel audio connectors.

Pin Assignment

1 MI C-in/

2 Gr ound 3 St ereo MI C-in L

4 Audio p ower 5 Right line-o ut /

6 Right line-o ut /

7 Reserve d 8 Key

9 Left line- o ut/

10 Left line-out/

11 Right li ne- i n

12 Right li ne- i n

13 Lef t line-i n (opt io nal) 14 Lef t line-i n (opt io nal)

St ereo MI C-in R

Speaker -o ut Right .

Speaker -o ut Right

Speaker -o ut Lef t

(option al)

CD-ROM Audio-in Con nector: JCDIN1

This connector allows us er to connect the audio source from a variety of devices, like CD-ROM, DVD-R OM, PCI sound card, PCI T V tuner card etc.

Assi gn ment

1 Left c hannel inp ut 2 Gr ound 3 Gr ound 4 Right cha nne l inp ut

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Digital Audio-out Co nnector: JSPDIF_OUT

This connector allows us ers to connect the PCI bracket SPDIF output header.

1 +5V 2 SPDIF OUT

3 Gr ound

Assi gn ment

Power Sourc e Heade r for 1394 Chip: J1394PWR1

Pi n 1- 2 Clo se:

+3.3V for 1394 chipset (def ault ) .

Pi n 2- 3 Clo se:

+3.3V SB f or 1394 chipset.

Power Sourc e Heade r for USB Ports at Front Panel: JUSBV1

Pin 1-2 Close: +5V for USB ports at front panel. Pin 2-3 Close: USB ports at front panel are powered with +5V standby voltage.

Pin 1- 2 Cl ose (defa ult)

Pin 2- 3 Cl ose

Note:

In order to support this f unct io n “Power-o n system via USB device,” JUSBV1 jumper cap should be place d on Pin 2- 3 individ ually.

Header for 1394A Firewire Port at Front Panel: J1394A1

This header allows us er to c onnect the front 1394 port for digital image devices.

210

Assi gn ment

1 A+ 2 A3 Gr ound 4 Gr ound 5 B+ 6 B7 +12v

8 +12V 9 Key

10 Gr ound

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Headers for USB Ports at Front Panel: JUSB1~JU SB3

This connector allows us er to connect additional USB c ables at PC front panel, and also can be connected with internal USB devices , like USB card reader.

JUSB1

JUSB3

Assi gn ment

1 +5V (f used) 2 +5V (f used) 3 USB4 USB5 USB+

6 USB+ 7 Gr ound 8 Gr ound 9 Key

10 NC

JUSB2

210

Case Open Header: JCI1

This connector allows s ystem to monitor PC case open status. If the signal has been triggered, i t will record to the CMOS and show the message on next boot-up.

Assi gn ment

1 Case op en signal 2 Gr ound

Clear CMOS Header: JCMOS1

By placing the jumper on pin 2-3, it allows user to restore the BIOS safe setting and the CMOS data, pleas e carefully follow the procedures to avoid damaging the

motherboard.

Pin 1- 2 Cl ose: Normal Oper ation (d efault).

Pin 2- 3 Cl ose: Clear CMO S dat a.

Clea r CMOS Procedures:※

1. Remove AC power line.

2. Set the jumper to “Pin 2-3 Close”.

3. Wait for five seconds .

4. Set the jumper to “Pin 1-2 Close”.

5. Power on the AC.

6. Reset your desired password or clear the CMOS data.

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JPANEL1: Header f or Front Panel Facilities

This 24-pin connector includes Power-on, Reset, HDD LED, Power LED, Sleep button, speaker and IrDA Connection. It allows user to connect the PC case’s front panel switch functions.

Pin Assignment Function Pin Assignment Function

1 +5V 2 Sleep contr ol 3 N/A 4 Ground

5 N/ A 6 N/ A N/ A 7 Speaker

9 HDD LED ( + ) 10 Power LED (+ ) 11 HDD LED (-) 13 Gr ound 14 Power button

15 Reset cont rol 17 N/A 18 Key 19 N/A 20 Key

21 +5V 22 Gr ound 23 IRTX

Speaker Conn ect or

Hard driv e LED

Reset button

IrDA Conn ect or

8 Power LED (+)

12 Power LED (-)

16 Gr ound

24 IRRX

Sleep b utt on

Power LED

Power-on but ton

IrDA Conn ect or

Serial ATA Co nnec tors: JSAT A1~J SATA4

The motherboard has an SATA Controller in nForce4 SLI with 4 channels SATA interface; it satisfies the SATA 2.0 spec with transfer rate of 3.0 Gb/s.

JS AT A11J SAT A2

7 4

J SA TA 3 J SAT A4

Assi gn ment

1 Gr ound 2 TX+ 3 TX4 Gr ound

5 RX6 RX+ 7 Gr ound

Header for Memory Voltage Overc locking: JDDR_OV>3V

When processing Memory Voltage Overclocking, please place the jumper to pin1-2 Closed. The Default setting is Pin 2-3 Clos ed.

Pin 1- 2 Cl ose: Memory volt age O verclock i ng.

Pin 2- 3 Cl ose: Normal status (def a ult ).

Note:

1. When “JDDR_OV> 3V” jumper c ap is plac ed on Pi n 2-3, memory volt ag e can b e manua lly adjust ed u nder CMOS set up.

2. When “JDDR_OV> 3V” jumper c ap is plac ed on Pi n 1-2, memory volt ag e wil l be fixe d at 3.3V automatical ly, and can’t be adjust e d under COMS set up.

3. Bef ore sett ing memory volt a ge overcl ockin g, pleas e ensure that your DD R supp ort s up to 3V. (Consult i ng your DDR suppli er)

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On-Board LED Indicators

There are 4 LED indicators on the motherboard to show system status .

DIMM

LED LED_5SB

LED_D1

LED

LED_D1 and LED_D2:

These 2 LED indicate system power on diagnostics. Please refer to the table below for different messages:

LED_D1 LE D_D2 Messag e

ON ON Normal ON OFF Memory Error

OFF ON VGA Error OF F OFF Abnormal: CPU / Chips et error .

LED_DIMM:

This LED indicates the voltage of memory is activated normally.

On-Board Buttons

There are 2 on-board buttons.

RS T SW 2

PSRSW 1

PWRSW:

This is an on-board Power Switch button.

RSTS W:

This is an on-board Reset button.

LED_5SB:

This LED indicates the system is ready for Power-on.

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Chapte r 3: NVIDIA SLI Function

3.1 REQUIREMENTS

Only W indows X P supports SLI (Dual Vi deo) functi on. T wo identical SLI-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA certified. T he graphics card driver should support NVIDIA SLI technology. T he power supply unit must provide at least the minimum power required by the

system, or the system will be uns table.

3.2 PLACIN G T HE SLI-NF4 SEL ECTOR CARD

T here is a pre-installed SLI-NF4 selec tor card on the motherboard. The default

setting is Normal Mode, only supports single graphics card.

To use two graphics cards , firstly, you have to set the selector card to SLI Mode,

to support dual video cards.

Step 1: Push the retention clips outward to release SLI-NF4 selector card.

Step 2: Pull the selector card out of the slot.

Step 3: Invert the selector card and insert the edge labeled “SLI MODE”.

Step 4: Push down the selector card until the retention clips snap into place.

○1 Insert the card with a

degree about 45

○2 Push the selector card

downward.

Notice: Make sure to ins ert the card into the slot completely.

○2 pull out the

selector card

○

about 45

lift.

degree

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3.3 THINGS TO NOTICE

Normal Mode:

 Only PEX16-1 slot supports PCI-Express x16 interface graphics card

function.

 PEX16-2, PEX1-1 and PEX1-2 slots provide PCI-Express x1 interface

expansion card function.

SLI M ode :

 Use BRI-2 connec tor to l ink two SLI-ready PCI-E x16 interface graphics

cards.

 PEX16-1 and PEX16-2 slots provide PCI-E x8 data transfer rate.  PEX1-1 and PEX1-2 slots provide PCI-Express x1 interface expansion

card function.

 Coordinate with graphics card driver to set Dual Video function.

3.4 INSTALLING SLI-READY GRAPHICS CARDS

Step 1 : Make sure th e SLI- NF4 selector card is pla ced at SLI Mode.

Step 2: Prepare two g raphics cards with PCI-E x16 interface.

Step 3: Insert the first one graphics card into the yellow slot (PEX16-1).

Step 4: Insert the second graphics card into the white slot (PEX16-2).

Step 5: Connect a 4- pin ATX power cable to PEX power connector (JPEXPWR1), this will ensure the stabilization of yo ur system.

No tice:

When und er SLI mode, ple ase make sur e the pow er supply is at leas t 500W (and a bove).

Step 6: Insert the SLI Bridge (BRI-2) connector on the gold-fingers on each g ra phi cs ca r d.

Front view Side view

Gold-fing ers on two graph ics

Step 7: To securely fix the connector between two graphics cards, a retention bracket must be installed.

PEX 16-1

PEX 16-2

Step 7-1: Remove any of the bracket cover between the two graphics card s.

Step 7-2: Align and insert the retention bracket into the slot and then fix it with a screw.

Notice:

1. Make sure the retention bracket supports the SLI Bridge (BRI-2) f irmly.

2. Retention bracket i s opti onal

Notice: Make sure both the graphics cards are seated into slots completely.

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3.5 ENABLING MULTI-GPU FEATURE IN WINDOWS

After the graphics cards are installed, enable the Multi-GPU feature in NVIDIA nView properties.

Ste p 1 :

Click NVIDIA Settings icon on the Windows taskbar.

Ste p 2 :

Select nView Proper ties in nView Desktop Manager pop-up menu.

Ste p 3 :

Click Properties icon in Desktop Management tab to display Display Properties dialog box.

Ste p 4 :

Click Advanced icon in Settings tab.

Step 5: Select NVIDIA GeForce tab, and then click on

Multi-GPU item on the left dialog box.

Ste p 6 :

Check b efore Enable SLI multi- GPU item, and click on OK to complete the setting.

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Chapte r 4: NVIDIA RAID Functions

4.1 OPERATION SYSTEM

Supports Windows XP Home/Professional Edition, and Windows 2000

Professional.

4.2 RAID ARRAYS

NVRAID supports the following types of RAID arrays:

RAID 0 : RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves disk read and write times for many applications.

RAID 1 : RAID 1 defi nes techniques for mirrorin g dat a.

RAID 0 +1: R AID 0+1 combines the techniques used in RAID 0 and R AID 1.

Spanning (JBOD): JBOD provides a method for combining drives of different sizes in to one large disk.

4.3 HOW RAID WO RKS

RAID 0:

The contro ller “stripes” data across mu ltiple drives in a RAID 0 array system. It breaks up a large file in to smaller blocks and performs disk reads an d writes across multiple driv es in parallel. The s ize o f each b lo ck is determined by the strip e size parameter, which you set during the creation of the RAID set based on the system environment. This technique reduces ov erall disk access time and offers high bandwid th.

Features and Benefits

 Drives: Mi nimum 1, and maximum is up to 6 or 8. Depending on the platform.  Uses: Intended for non-criti cal data requiring high data throughput, or any

environment that does not require fault tolerance.

 B enefits: provides increased data throughput, especial ly for large files. No

capacity loss penalty for parity.

 Drawbacks: Does not deliver any fault tolerance. If any drive in the array fails,

all data is lost.

 Fa ult Tole ranc e: No.

Blo ck 1

Block 3 Block 5

Block 2 Bl ock 4

Bl ock 6

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Biostar T-Series TForce4 SLI

RAID 1:

Every read an d write is actu ally carri ed out in parallel across 2 d is k drives in a R AID 1 array system. The mirrored (backup) copy of the data can reside on the same disk or on a

second redundant drive in the array. RAID 1 provides a hot-standby copy of data if the activ e volume or drive is co rrupt ed or beco mes u navailab le becau se of a hardware failu re.

RAID techniques can be app lied for high -availability so lutions, o r as a fo rm o f auto matic back up that elimin ates tedious manu al backup s to more expen sive an d less reliable media.

Features and Benefits

 Drives: Minimum 2, and maximum is 2.  Uses: RAID 1 is ideal for s mall databases or any other application that

requires fault tolerance and minimal capacity.

 Benefits : Provides 100% data redundancy. Should one drive fail, the

controller s witches to the other drive.

 Drawbacks: Requires 2 drives for the storage space of one drive.

Performance is impaired during drive rebuilds.

 Fault Tolerance: Yes .

Blo ck 1 Block 2 Block 3

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3

RAID 0+1:

RAID 0 driv es can b e mirro red using RAID 1 techniques. Resulting in a RAID 0 +1 solu tio n for improved performan ce plus resilien cy.

Features and Benefits

- Drives: Minimum 4, and maximum is 6 or 8, depending on the platform.

- Benefits : Optimizes for both fault tolerance and performance, allowing for

automatic redundancy. May be simultaneously used with other RAID levels in an array, and allows for spare disks.

- Drawbacks: Requires twice the available disk space for data redundancy, the same as RAID level 1.

- Fault Tolerance: Yes .

Block 1 Block 3 Block 5

Block 2 Block 4

Block 6

Block 1 Block 3 Block 5

Block 2 Block 4

Block 6

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Biostar T-Series TForce4 SLI

Spanning (JB OD):

JB OD stands for “Ju st a Bun ch of Dis ks”. Each driv e is acces sed as if it were on a standard SCSI host bus adapter. This is useful when a single drive configuration is needed,

bu t it offers no sp eed improvement or fault tolerance.

Features and Benefits

- Uses: JBOD works best if you have odd sized drives and you want to combine them to make one big drive.

- Be nefits: JBOD provides the abili ty to combine odd size drives using all of the capacity of the drives.

- Drawbacks: Decreas es performance because of the difficulty in using drives concurrently.

- Fault Toler anc e: Ye s .

Single Logical

Drive

Disk 1: 40GB Disk 2: 80GB

Disk 3: 40GB

Disk 4: 120GB

※ For more detailed setup information, please refer to the Driver CD, or go to

http://www.nvidia.com/page /pg_20011106217193.html to download NVIDIA nForce

Tutorial Flash.

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