ECS X48T-A User Manual
Preface
Copyright
This publication, including all photographs, illustrations and software, is protected
under international copyright laws, with all rights reserved. Neither this manual, nor
any of the material contained herein, may be reproduced without written consent of
the author.
Version 1.0A
Disclaimer
The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The manufacturer makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and
specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose. The manufacturer reserves the right to revise this publication and
to make changes from time to time in the content hereof without obligation of the
manufacturer to notify any person of such revision or changes.
Trademark Recognition
Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
MMX, Pentium, Pentium-II, Pentium-III, Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation.
Other product names used in this manual are the properties of their respective
owners and are acknowledged.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
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 the 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 the receiver
• Connect the equipment onto 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
Shielded interconnect cables and a shielded AC power cable must be employed with
this equipment to ensure compliance with the pertinent RF emission limits governing
this device. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the system’s manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Preface
ii
Declaration of Conformity
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful interference, and
• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation
Canadian Department of Communications
This class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interferencecausing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Réglement sur
le matériel brouilieur du Canada.
About the Manual
The manual consists of the following:
Chapter 1
Introducing the Motherboard
Chapter 2
Installing the Motherboard
Chapter 3
Using BIOS
Chapter 4
Using the Motherboard Software
Chapter 5
ATI Crossf ireX
Chapter 6
Intel® Matrix Storage Manager
RAID Configurations
TM
T echnology Support
Preface
Describes features of the
motherboard.
Go to
Describes installation of
motherboard components.
Go to
Provides information on using the BIOS Setup Utility.
Go to
Describes the motherboard
software
Go to
Describes the ATI
CrossfireXTM Technology
Go to
Describes the Intel
Storage Manager RAID Configurations
Go to
H
H
H
H
H
H
page 1
page 7
page 25
page 45
page 51
®
Matrix
page 55
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ABLE OF CONTENTSABLE OF CONTENTS
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ABLE OF CONTENTSABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface i
Chapter 1 1
Introducing the Motherboard 1
Introduction.....................................................................................1
Feature..............................................................................................2
Specifications...................................................................................4
Motherboard Components............................................................5
iii
Chapter 2
Installing the Motherboard 7
Safety Precautions...........................................................................7
Choosing a Computer Case............................................................7
Installing the Motherboard in a Case...........................................7
Checking Jumper Settings..............................................................8
Setting Jumpers.......................................................................8
Checking Jumper Settings.......................................................9
Jumper Settings.......................................................................9
Installing Hardware..................................................................10
Installing the Processor.........................................................10
Installing Memory Modules..................................................12
Expansion Slots.....................................................................15
Connecting Optional Devices................................................17
Installing a Hard Disk Drive/CD-ROM/SATA Hard Drive...19
Installing a Floppy Diskette Drive........................................20
Connecting I/O Devices................................................................21
Connecting Case Components....................................................22
Front Panel Header...............................................................24
Chapter 3 25
Using BIOS 25
About the Setup Utility ........................ ......................................... 25
The Standard Configuration..................................................25
Entering the Setup Utility......................................................25
Using BIOS......................................................................................26
Standard CMOS Setup...........................................................27
Advanced Setup.....................................................................30
Advanced Chi pset Setup.........................................................32
Integrated Peripherals...........................................................33
7 7
7
7 7
iv
Power Ma nagement Setup.................................................34
PCI/PnP Setup...................................................................35
PC Health Status...............................................................36
M.I.B (MB Intelligent BIOS)..............................................39
Load Default Settings........................................................42
Supervisor Password........................................................42
User Password..................................................................4
Save & Exit Setup..............................................................43
Exit Without Saving............................................................43
Updating the BIOS..............................................................44
3
Chapter 4
45 45
45
45 45
Using the Motherboard Software 45
About the Software CD-ROM......................................................45
Auto-installing under W indows XP/Vista..................................45
Running Setup....................................................................46
Manual Installation........................................................................50
Utility Software Reference............................................................50
Chapter 5
51 51
51
51 51
A TI CrossFireX™ Technology Support 51
Requirements..................................................................................51
Installing a single graphics card..................................................51
Installing CrossFireX™ graphics cards......................................52
The Catalyst™ Control Center Dialog Box.................................54
View....................................................................................54
To Enable CrossFireX™...................................................54
Chapter 6
55 55
55
55 55
Intel® Matrix Storage Ma nager RAID Configurations 55
Before creating a RAID set...........................................................55
Entering Intel® Matrix Storage M a nager RAID BIOS utility ....56
Creating a RAID set.......................................................................57
Deleting a RAID set.......................................................................59
Resetting disks to Non-RAID......................................................60
Exiting Setup...................................................................................60
Chapter 1
Introducing the Motherboard
Introduction
Thank you for choosing the X48T-A motherboard. This motherboard is a high
performance, enhanced function motherboard designed to support the LGA775 socket
®
Yorkfield/Wolfdale/CoreTM 2 Extreme/Core
Intel
for high-end business or personal desktop markets.
The motherboard incorporates the Intel
Southbridge (SB) chipsets.
quency of 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz using a scalable FSB Vcc_CPU. The memory
controller supports DDR3 memory DIMM frequencies of 1600/1333/1066/800. It
supports four DDR3 sockets with up to maximum memory of 8 GB. DDR3 Maximum
memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s in dual-channel symmetric mode assuming DDR3
1600 MHz. High resolution graphics via two PCI Express slots, intended for Graphics
Interface, is fully compliant to the PCI Express Base Specification revision 2.0. It
supports the ATI CrossFireX
cards.
The ICH9-R Southbridge supports two PCI slots which are PCI v2.3 compliant. In
addition, two PCI Express x1 slots are supported, fully compliant to the PCI Express
Base Specification, Revision 1.1. It implements an EHCI compliant interface that
provides 480 Mb/s bandwidth for twelve USB 2.0 ports (six USB ports and three USB
headers support additional six USB ports). The Southbridge integrates a Serial ATA
host controller, supporting six SATA ports with maximum transfer rate up to 3.0 Gb/
s each. It supports Intel® Matrix Storage Technology, providing both AHCI and RAID
0, 1, 5 and 10 configuration.
The motherboard is equipped with advanced full set of I/O ports in the rear panel,
including PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors, COM, one RCA SPDIFI port, one
RCA SPDIFO port, one optical SPDIFO port, one ESATA port, six USB ports, two
LAN ports and audio jacks for microphone, line-in and 6-ch line-out. Additionally,
one Heat pipe heat sink is supported for NB & CPU heat dissipation.
The Northbridge supports a Front Side Bus (FSB) fre-
TM
Technology that allows you to install GPU graphics
TM
2 Quad/CoreTM 2 Duo processors
X48 Northbridge (NB) and Intel ICH9-R
1
Introducing the Motherboard
2
Feature
Processor
The motherboard uses an LGA775 type of Intel® Yorkfield/Wolfdale/CoreTM 2
Extreme/Core
• Accommodates Intel® Yorkfield/Wolfdale/CoreTM 2 Extreme/Core
• Supports a system bus (FSB) of 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz
TM
Quad/Core
2 Quad/CoreTM 2 Duo that carries the following features:
TM
2 Duo processors
TM
2
Chipset
The X48 Northbridge (NB) and ICH9-R Southbridge (SB) chipsets are based on
an innovative and scalable architecture with proven reliability and performance.
X48 (NB)
ICH9-R
(SB)
• Supports 36-bit host bus addressing, allowing the CPU to
access the entire 64 GB of the memory address space
• 2 GB/s point-to-point Direct Media Interface (DMI) to ICH9 (1
GB/s each direction)
• Supports 512 Mb and 1 Gb DDR3 DRAM technologies for
x8 and x16 devices
• Two, 16-lane PCI Express ports intended for external device attach, compliant to the PCI Express* Base Specification revision 2.0
• Enhanced DMA Controller , interrupt controller, a nd timer func-
tions
• Compliant with PCI v2.3 specification
• Integrated SATA 3.0 Gb/s Host Controller
• Supports up to twelve USB 2.0 ports
• Integrated Gigabit LAN Controller
• Supports Intel® Matrix Storage Technology, providing both
AHCI and RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 configuration
Memory
• Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066/800 DDR3 SDRAM with Dual-channel architecture
• Accommodates four unbuffered DIMMs
• Up to 2 GB per DIMM with maximum memory size up to 8 GB
Audio
• Compliant with Intel High Definition Audio Codec
• 8-channel audio CODEC
Onboard LAN (Optional)
• Intel Giga LAN Controller
• Realtek Giga LAN Controller
Introducing the Motherboard
Expansion Options
The motherboard comes with the following expansion options:
• Two PCI Express x16 slots for Graphic Interface
• Two PCI Express x1 slots
• Two 32-bit PCI v2.3 compliant slots
• One 40-pin IDE connector that supports two IDE devices
• One floppy disk drive interface
• Six 7-pin SATA connectors
Integrated I/O
The motherboard has a full set of I/O ports and connectors:
• Two PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard
• One Heat pipe heat sink for NB & CPU heat dissipation
• One Serial port
• One RCA SPDIFI port
• One RCA SPDIFO port
• One optical SPDIFO port
• One ESATA port
• Six USB ports
• Two LAN ports
• Audio jacks for microphone, line-in and 6-ch line-out
BIOS Firmware
This motherboard uses AMI BIOS that enables users to configure many system
features including the following:
• Power management
• Wake-up alarms
• CPU parameters
• CPU and memory timing
• ECS M.I.B. BIOS
The firmware can also be used to set parameters for different processor clock
speeds.
3
1. Some hardware specifications and software items are subject to change
without prior notice.
2. Due to chipset limitation, we recommend that motherboard be operated in the ambiance between 0 and 50 °C.
Introducing the Motherboard
4
Specifications
CPU
Chipset
Memory
Expansion
Slots
Storage
Audio
Dual Giga LAN
Heat Pipe
Rear Panel I/O
Internal I/O
Connectors &
Headers
System BIOS
Form Factor • ATX Size, 305mm x 244mm
• LGA775 socket for latest Intel® Yorkfield/Wolfdale/CoreTM 2
Extreme/Core
• FSB 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz
• Intel X48 & ICH9R
• North Bridge: Intel X48
• South Bridge: Intel ICH9R
• Dual-channel DDR3 memory architecture
• 4 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM socket support up to 8 GB
• Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066/800 DDR3 SD RAM
• XMP DDR3
• 2 x PCI Express Gen 2.0 x16 slots
• 2 x PCI Express x1 slot
• 2 x PCI slots
• Support by Intel ICH9R
• 6 x Serial ATAII devices
• Supports RAID0, 1, 5, 10
• Support by JMicron® JMB361
• 2 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 device
• 4 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM socket support up to 8 GB
• 1 x e-SATAII 3.0 Gb/s device
• Realtek ALC 888S supports 8-channel HD audio
• Intel 82566DC GigaLAN Controller
• Realtek 811 1B PCIE GigaLAN Controller
• 1 x ECS QooT echII Heat Pipe
• 1 x PS/2 keyboard & PS/2 mouse connectors
• 6 x USB ports
• 1 x e-SATA port
• 1 x COM port
• 2 x RJ45 LAN connectors
• 1 x Audio port (1 Line in, 4 x Line out, 1 Optical SPDIF Out)
• 1 x RCA SPDIF Out connector (Orange)
• 1 x RCA SPDIF In connector (Yellow)
• 1 x 24-pin ATX Power Supply connector & 8-pin 12V connector
• 1 x IDE connector
• 6 x Serial ATA connectors
• 3 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 6 USB ports
• 1 x Clear CMOS header
• 1 x Front panel header
• 1 x Front panel audio header
• 1 x CD_in header
• 1 x IrDA for SIR header
• 1 x BUZZER
• CPUFAN/SYSFAN connectors
• AMI BIOS with 16Mb SPI ROM
• Supports Plug and Play 1.0A, APM 1.2, Multi Boot, DMI
• Supports ACPI revision 1.0 specification
TM
2 Quad/CoreTM 2 Duo porcessors
Introducing the Motherboard
Motherboard Components
®
Table of Motherboard Components
LABEL COMPONENTS
LGA775 socket for Intel
1. CPU Socket
1600FSB/Yorkfield/Wolfdale/Core
Extreme/Core
TM
2 Quad/Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo
2. DDR3_1~4 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM slots
3. CPU_FAN
4. ATX_POWER
5. FDD
6. SATA1~6
7. F_PANEL
8. F_USB1~3
9. CLR_CMOS
10. IR
CPU cooling fan connector
Standard 24-pin ATX power connector
Floppy Disk Drive connector
Serial ATA connectors
Front panel switch/LED header
Front Panel USB headers
Clear CMOS jumper
Infrared Header
11. IDE Primary IDE connector
12. CD_IN
13. F_AUDIO
14. PCI1~2
15. PCIEX16
PCIEX16_C
16. PCIE1~2
17. ATX4P1
Analog audio input connector
Front Panel Audio header
32-bit add-on card slots
PCI Express slots for graphics interface
32-bit add-on card slots
Auxiliary power connector for graphics card
18. ATX12V 8-pin +12V power connector
19. SYS_FAN System cooling fan connector
This concludes Chapter 1. The next chapter explains how to install the motherboard.
Yorkfield XE
TM
2
Introducing the Motherboard
5
6
Memo
Introducing the Motherboard
Chapter 2
Installing the Motherboard
Safety Precautions
• Follow these safety precautions when installing the motherboard
• Wear a grounding strap attached to a grounded device to avoid damage from static electricity
• Discharge static electricity by touching the metal case of a safely
grounded object before working on the motherboard
• Leave components in the static-proof bags they came in
• Hold all circuit boards by the edges. Do not bend circuit boards
Choosing a Computer Case
There are many types of computer cases on the market. The motherboard complies
with the specifications for the ATX system case. First, some features on the
motherboard are implemented by cabling connectors on the motherboard to indicators and switches on the system case. Make sure that your case supports all the
features required. Secondly, this motherboard supports one floppy diskette drive and
two enhanced IDE drives. Make sure that your case has sufficient power and space for
all drives that you intend to install.
Most cases have a choice of I/O templates in the rear panel. Make sure that the I/O
template in the case matches the I/O ports installed on the rear edge of the
motherboard.
This motherboard carries an ATX form factor of 305 x 244 mm. Choose a case that
accommodates this form factor.
7
Installing the Motherboard in a Case
Refer to the following illustration and instructions for installing the motherboard in
a case.
Most system cases have mounting brackets installed in the case, which correspond
the holes in the motherboard. Place the motherboard over the mounting brackets
and secure the motherboard onto the mounting brackets with screws.
Ensure that your case has an I/O template that supports the I/O ports and expansion
slots on your motherboard.
Installing the Motherboard
8
Do not over-tighten the screws as this can stress the motherboard.
Checking Jumper Settings
This section explains how to set jumpers for correct configuration of the motherboard.
Setting Jumpers
Use the motherboard jumpers to set system configuration options. Jumpers with
more than one pin are numbered. When setting the jumpers, ensure that the jumper
caps are placed on the correct pins.
The illustrations show a 2-pin jumper. When
the jumper cap is placed on both pins, the
jumper is SHORT. If you remove the jumper
cap, or place the jumper cap on just one pin,
the jumper is OPEN.
This illustration shows a 3-pin jumper. Pins
1 and 2 are SHORT.
SHORT OPEN
Installing the Motherboard
Checking Jumper Settings
The following illustration shows the location of the motherboard jumpers. Pin 1 is
labeled.
9
Jumper Settings
Jumper
CLR_CMOS
To avoid the system unstability after clearing CMOS, we recommend users
to enter the main BIOS setting page to “Load Default Settings” and then
“Save Changes and Exit”.
Type
Description Setting (default)
1-2: NORMAL
3-pin
Clear CMOS
2-3: CLEAR CMOS
Before clearing the
CMOS, make sure to
turn off the system.
Installing the Motherboard
1
CLR_CMOS
10
Installing Hardware
Installing the Processor
Caution: When installing a CPU heatsink and cooling fan make sure that
you DO NOT scratch the motherboard or any of the surface-mount resistors with the clip of the cooling fan. If the clip of the cooling fan scrapes
across the motherboard, you may cause serious damage to the motherboard
or its components.
On most motherboards, there are small surface-mount resistors near the
processor socket, which may be damaged if the cooling fan is carelessly
installed.
Avoid using cooling fans with sharp edges on the fan casing and the clips.
Also, install the cooling fan in a well-lit work area so that you can clearly
see the motherboard and processor socket.
Before installing the Processor
This motherboard automatically determines the CPU clock frequency and system bus
frequency for the processor. You may be able to change the settings in the system
Setup Utility. We strongly recommend that you do not over-clock processors or
other components to run faster than their rated speed.
Warning:
1. Over-clocking components can adversely affect the reliability of the
system and introduce errors into your system. Over-clocking can permanently damage the motherboard by generating excess heat in components
that are run beyond the rated limits.
2. Always remove the AC power by unplugging the power cord from the
power outlet before installing or removing the motherboard or other
hardware components.
This motherboard has an LGA775 socket. When choosing a processor, consider the
performance requirements of the system. Performance is based on the processor
design, the clock speed and system bus frequency of the processor, and the quantity
of internal cache memory and external cache memory.
Installing the Motherboard
CPU Installation Procedure
The following illustration shows CPU installation components.
A. Read and follow the instructions shown
on the sticker on the CPU cap.
B. Unload the cap
· Use thumb & forefinger to hold the
lifting tab of the cap.
· Lift the cap up and remove the cap
completely from the socket.
C. Open the load plate
· Use thumb & forefinger to hold the
hook of the lever, pushing down and
pulling aside unlock it.
· Lift up the lever.
· Use thumb to open the load plate. Be
careful not to touch the contacts.
D. Install the CPU on the socket
· Orientate CPU package to the socket.
Make sure you match triangle marker
to pin 1 location.
E. Close the load plate
· Slightly push down the load plate onto
the tongue side, and hook the lever.
· CPU is locked completely .
11
F. Apply thermal grease on top of the CPU.
G. Fasten the cooling fan supporting base
onto the CPU socket on the motherboard.
H. Make sure the CPU fan is plugged to the
CPU fan connector. Please refer to the
CPU cooling fan user’s manual for more
detail installation procedure.
1. To achieve better airflow rates and heat dissipation, we suggest that
you use a high quality fan with 3800 rpm at least. CPU fan and
heatsink installation procedures may vary with the type of CPU fan/
heatsink supplied. The form and size of fan/heatsink may also vary.
2. DO NOT remove the CPU cap from the socket before installing a
CPU.
3. Return Material Authorization (RMA) requests will be accepted
only if the motherboard comes with the cap on the LGA775 socket.
Installing the Motherboard
12
Installing Memory Modules
This motherboard accommodates four memory modules. It can support four 240-pin
DDR3 1600/1333/1066/800. The total memory capacity is 8 GB.
DDR3 SDRAM memory module table
Memory module Memory Bus
DDR3 800 400 MHz
DDR3 1066 533 MHz
DDR3 1333 667 MHz
DDR3 1600 800 MHz
You must install at least one module in any of the four slots. Each module can be
installed with 2 GB of memory; total memory capacity is 8 GB.
The four DDR3 memory sockets (DDR3_1, DDR3_2, DDR3_3, DDR3_4) are divided into two channels and each channel has two memory sockets as following:
Channel A: DDR3_1, DDR3_2
ff
Channel B: DDR3_3, DDR3_4
ff
Do not remove any memory module from its antistatic packaging
until you are ready to install it on the motherboard. Handle the
modules only by their edges. Do not touch the components or metal
parts. Always wear a grounding strap when you handle the modules.
Since the model supports one 1600 MHz XMP memory module on
each channel, we can only plug two 1600 MHz XMP memory modules on the motherboard.
Installing the Motherboard
Installation Procedure
Refer to the following to install the memory modules.
1 This motherboard supports unbuffered DDR3 SDRAM .
2 Push the latches on each side of the DIMM slot down.
3 Align the memory module with the slot. The DIMM slots are keyed with
notches and the DIMMs are keyed with cutouts so that they can only be
installed correctly.
4 Check that the cutouts on the DIMM module edge connector match the
notches in the DIMM slot.
5 Install the DIMM module into the slot and press it firmly down until it
seats correctly. The slot latches are levered upwards and latch on to
the edges of the DIMM.
6 Install any remaining DIMM modules.
13
Installing the Motherboard
14
Ta ble A: DDR3 (me mory module) QVL (Qualified V endor List)
The following DDR3 1600/1333/1066/800 memory modules have been tested and
qualified for use with this motherboard.
Type
DDR3 800
Size Vendor Module Name
512 MB
1 GB
512 MB
DDR3 1066
1GB
2 GB
DDR3 1333 1GB
DDR3 1600 1GB
Nanya
HYNIX HY5TQ1G831ZN F-S6
Aeneon AEH93R10F 0737
Apacer
ELPIDA
Hynix HYMT164U64ZNF6-G8 AA
Kingston
A-data M3OSS 3H3I3120B5 Z/Boxed
Aeneon AEH93R10F 0737
C orsair C M3X1024-1066C7/Boxed
H ynix HY5TQ1G831ZNFP-G8
Kingston
Micron 7U D22D9JNL
H ynix HY5TQ1G831ZNFP-G8
Corsair
Qimonda 0734 IDSH51-03A1F1D
Kingston KHX 13 000 D3LL/1G
0649 NT5CB64M8AN-25D
0650 NT5CB64M8AN-BE
Qimonda IDSH51-03A1F1C-
10F
PC 3-8500U-7-00-AP
J53088ASE-AC-E
ELPIDA J5308BASE-AC-E
07090W093
J5308BASE-AC-E
07090W063
C M3X1024-1333C9/Boxed
C M3X1024-
1333C 9 DHX/Boxed
Installing the Motherboard
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