EVGA 122-M2-NF59-AX User Manual

USER’S MANUAL

FOR

EVGA NFORCE 590 SLI

MOTHERBOARD

MODELS: 122-M2-NF59-AX

Notice:
Specifications and information contained in this documentation are

furnished for informational use only, and are subject to change at any
time without notice, and should no t be constru ed as a commi tmen t b y the
manufacturer.

This manual covers the following motherboards from EVGA CORP.
122-M2-NF59-AX

CPU SUPPORT

The 122-M2-NF59-AX motherboard will support the following AMD AM2 CPUs:

• Athlon 64 FX

• Athlon 64 X2 (Dual Core)

• Athlon 64

• Sempron

122-M2-NF59 MANUAL - REV 1.0 - REV DATE 23 AUG 2006

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction to nForce 590 Motherboards 4

Motherboard Features 4

Special Features of the Motherboard 5

Specifications 6

Layout Diagram and Jumper Settings 7

Jumpers, Connectors, Headers, and Sock ets 8

Hardware Installation 09

Hardware Installation Steps 09

Checking The Motherboard Jumper Settin gs 09

Clearing the CMOS RAM 09

Keyboard Power On Function 10

USB Power On Function 10

Installing The CPU 10

Glossary of Terms 10

About AMD Athlon64 AM2 CPUs 11

Installing Memory 12

Memory Installation Diagrams 13

Expansion Cards 14

Procedure For Expansion Card Installati on 15

Assigning IRQs For Expansion Cards 15

Interrupt Request Table 15

PCI-Express Slots 15

Diagram of PCI-Express Slot Locations and Functions 16

Table of Standard IRQ Assignments 16

SLI Bridge Installation For NVIDIA SLI Cards (SLI Version Only) 17

Connectors and Headers 19

Connector Locations 19

Starting Up Your Computer 28

Beep Code Table 28

BIOS 29

Introducing BIOS 29

Entering BIOS Setup 29

Standard CMOS Features 30

Advanced BIOS Features 32

Advanced Chipset Features 33

System Clocks 34

System Voltages 35

System Monitor 41

Values and Descriptions 42

Nvidia Networking Guide 43

Configuring FirstPacket 44

Enabling FirstPacket 44

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

Nvidia Networking Guide (continued)

Configuring TCP/IP Acceleration 45

Configuring Teaming 46

MediaShield RAID Manager 46

Create RAID Arrays 47

Nvidia nTune 5.0 53

Starting nTune 53

Adjust Motherboard Settings 54

Adjust GPU Settings 55

Dynamic BIOS Access 56

Tune System 56

View System Information 57

Nvidia Monitor 29

Driver Installation 59
RAID Installation
APPENDIX 1 - POST CODES 61

Quick Debug POST Codes 61

Boot Block POST Codes 62

APPENDIX 2 - TRADEMARKS AND NOTICES 64

Copyrights, Trademarks, and Notices 64

FCC Compliance Statement 64

APPENDIX 3 - CONTACTING SUPPORT AND OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION 65

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Introduction of nFo r c e 59 0 Motherboards
Motherboard Features

Motherboards based on NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI x16 technology support the
innovative 64-bit AMD Athlon64 FX and dual core multi-tasking Athlon64 X2
processors with HyperTransport Technology. The SLI x16 version of the
motherboard series delivers leading-edge performance with both of the benefits
from 64-bit multi-tasking dual core AMD processors and NVIDIA Scalable Link
Interface (SLI) Technology with the latest Dual PCI-Express for NVIDIA Dual
Graphic Processing Unit ready platform. Utilizing the 64-bit multi-tasking socket
AM2 solution and dual channel DDR2 800, memory size expandable to 8.0GB,
this motherboard series meets the demands of computing in the future.

The NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI chipset offers ULTRA ATA 133 and Serial ATA
RAID 0, 1, 0+1 functions to accelerate hard disk drives and guarantee data
security without failure in advanced computing applications.

The motherboard provides dual Gigabit LAN by using two NVIDIA Giga-LAN
controllers both supporting 10M/100M/1Gbps data transfer rate and full duplex
or half duplex transportation. The embedded 8-channel AC’97 CODEC is fully
compatible with Sound Blaster Pro
quality and complete software compatibility.

TM

standards and offers you home cinema

Two 16X PCI-Express graphics slots deliver up to 4Gbyte/sec data transfer rate
at each relative direction which is fully compatible with the latest NVIDIA SLI
Technology. And, two PCI-Express x1 slots offers expandability for future PCI­E devices at 512Mbyte/sec concurrently, over 3.5 times more bandwidth than
PCI at 133Mbyte/sec, tackling the most demanding multimedia tasks.

The embedded USB controller has the capability to support up to 10 USB 2.0
ports, delivering 480Mb/s bandwidth each and the embedded Firewire
controller allows connection and use of IEE1394 compliant devices.

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Special Features of the Motherboard
CPU Thermal Throttling Technology

To prevent increasing heat from damaging the CPU or causing accidental
shutdown while under high workloads, the CPU Thermal Throttling Technology
will force the CPU to enter an idle mode from 87.5% to 12.5% according to
preset CPU operating temperatures in the BIOS (from 40
system senses the CPU operating temperature reaching the preset value, the
CPU operating bandwidth will be decreased to the preset idle percentage
allowing the processor to cool down. When in throttling mode, a beeper sound

can be optionally selected to indicate it has reduced the CPU performance. (for

detailed settings, please read the BIOS PDF located on the CD)

Debug Port
The embedded Hardware Debug Port offers you a real-time visual system for
monitoring of your hardware. The embedded Debug Port will turn you into a
well trained hardware professional, allowing you to diagnose many hardware
issues. (For details please refer to Appendix A)

CPU Smart Fan
It’s never been a good idea to improve system performance by sacrificing
acoustics. The CPU Smart Fan Noise Management System is the answer to
control those noise levels. The system will automatically increase the fan speed
when the CPU operating load is high, and after the CPU returns to normal
operating condition, the system will slow the fan speed down to allow for a
silent operating environment.

○

to 90○). When the

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Specifications

Spec Description

Design ATX form factor 6 layers PCB size: 30.5 x 24.4cm
Chipset NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI X16 Technology
CPU Socket AM2

Memory Sockets Four 240-pin DIMM slots

Expansion Slots PCI-Express x16 slot x 2

Supports 64bit AMD Athlon64 Socket AM2 processors
Athlon 64 FX/ Athlon 64 X2/ Athlon 64/ and AM2 Sempron

Support Dual-Channel DDR2 533/667/800
Supports up to 8GB DDR2 memory

PCI-Express x1 slot x 1
PCI-Express x4 slot x 1
32 bit PCI slots x 2

Integrated IDE and
Serial ATA RAID

One PCI IDE controller support PCI Bus Mastering, ATA PIO/DMA and the
ULTRA DMA 33/66/100/133 functions that deliver the data transfer rate up to
133 MB/s; Six Serial ATA ports provide 300 MB/sec data transfer rate for six
Serial ATA Devices and offer RAID 0, 1, 0+1 functions

LAN Integrated dual 10Mb/100Mb/ 1Gb /s NVIDIA LAN’s

8CH-Audio

8-channel AC’97 Digital HD Audio controller integrated
SPDIF-In/ SPDIF-Out Optical support

BIOS Award 4MB Flash ROM

Multi I/O PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse connectors

Serial port x1
USB2.0 port x 6
Audio connector (Line-in, Line-out, MIC/ 8CH Audio)
IEEE 1394a/b Firewire Support
S/PDIF Out 1x Optical

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Layout Diagram & Jumper Settings

1

2

3

4

1. PS/2 Mouse Port
This port is used to connect a PS/2 mouse

2. PS/2 Keyboard Port
This port is used to connect a PS/2 keyboard

3. IEEE1394b Port
This port is used to connect a 1394b device

4. USB 2.0 Ports
The six ports are used to connect USB 2.0 devices

5. LAN Ports
The left LED is no function (always off).
The right LED function sees below table

5

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JUMPERS, CONNECTORS, HEADERS, AND SOCKETS

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Hardware Installation
Hardware Installation Steps

Before using your computer, please complete the following steps:

1. Check motherboard jumper settings

2. Install CPU and Fan

3. Install System Memory (DIMM)

4. Install Expansion cards

5. Connect IDE and Floppy cables, Front /Back Panel cables

6. Connect ATX Power cable

7. Power-On and Load Standard Default BIOS Settings

8. Reboot

9. Install Operating System

10. Install Motherboard Drivers and Utilities

Checking the Motherboard’s Jumper Settings
CMOS RAM Clear (3-pin) : JBAT

A battery must be used to retain the motherboard configuration in CMOS RAM
short 1-2 pins of JBAT to store the CMOS data.

To clear the CMOS, follow the procedure below:

1. Turn off the system and unplug the AC power

2. Remove the ATX power cable from the ATX power connector

3. Locate JBAT and short pins 2-3 for a few seconds

4. Return JBAT to its normal setting by shorting pins 1-2

5. Connect the ATX power cable back to the ATX power connector

13

JBAT

1-2 closed Normal

CMOS RAM Clear Setting

13

JBAT

2-3 closed Clear CMOS

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Install CPU
Glossary
Chipset (or core logic) - one or more integrated circuits which control the

interfaces between the system processor, RAM, I/O devises, and adapter
cards.

Processor slot/socket - the slot or socket used to mount the system processor
on the motherboard.

Slot (PCI-E, PCI, RAM) - the slots used to mount adapter cards and system
RAM.

PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect - a high speed interface for video
cards, sound cards, network interface cards, and modems; runs at 33MHz.

PCI-Express- Peripheral Component Interconnect Express- a high speed
interface for video cards, sound cards, network interface cards, and modems.

Serial Port - a low speed interface typically used for mouse and external
modems.

Parallel Port - a low speed interface typically used for printers.
PS/2 - a low speed interface used for mouse and keyboards.

USB - Universal Serial Bus - a medium speed interface typically used for

mouse, keyboards, scanners, and some digital cameras.
Sound (interface) - the interface between the sound card or integrated sound

connectors and speakers, MIC, game controllers, and MIDI sound devices.

LAN (interface) - Local Area Network - the interface to your local area network.
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) - the program logic used to boot up a

computer and establish the relationship between the various components.
Driver - software, which defines the characteristics of a device for use

by another device or other software.
Processor - the "central processing unit" (CPU); the principal integrated circuit

used for doing the "computing" in "personal computer"
Front Side Bus Frequency - the working frequency of the motherboard, which

is generated by the clock generator for CPU, DRAM and PCI BUS.
CPU L2 Cache - the flash memory inside the CPU, normal it depend on CPU

type.

About AMD Ath lon6 4 A M2 CPUs

This motherboard provides an AM2 socket surface mount, Zero Insertion Force
(ZIF) socket, referred to as the mPGA940 socket supporting AMD Athlon64
processors in the AM2 package utilizing Flip-Chip Pin Grid Array technology.

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The CPU that you use with the motherboard should have a cooling FAN
attached to prevent overheating. If this is not the case, then purchase the
correct cooling FAN before you turn on your system. To install a CPU, locate
the ZIF socket and open it by first pulling the lever sideways away from the
socket then upward to a 90-degree angle. Insert the CPU with the correct
orientation as shown on the previous page. The notched corner should point
toward the end of the lever. Because the CPU has a corner pin for two of the
four corners, the CPU will only fit in the orientation as shown.

When you put the CPU into the ZIF socket. No force is required to insert the
CPU. Press the lever to Locate position slightly without any extra force.

Install Memory

This motherboard provides four 240-pin DDR2 DUAL INLINE MEMORY
MODULES (DIMM) slots for DDR2 memory expansion available from minimum
memory size of 256MB to maximum memory size of 8.0GB DDR SDRAM.

Valid Memory Configurations

Generally, installing DDR2 SDRAM modules to your motherboard is very
easy, you can refer to the following page to see what a 240-Pin DDR2 module
looks like.

Golden Arrow

Socket AM 2

CPU ZIF mPGAB Socket

WARNING! Be sure that there is sufficient air circulation across

the processor’s heatsink and CPU cooling FAN is
working correctly, otherwise it may cause the
processor and motherboard to overheat and
damage your system, you may install an auxiliary
cooling FAN, if necessary.

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Bank 184-Pin DIMM PCS Total Memory

Bank 0, 1 (DIMM1) DDR2 533/667/800

DDR2 SDRAM Module

Bank 2, 3 (DIMM2) DDR2 533/667/800

DDR2 SDRAM Module

Bank 4, 5 (DIMM3) DDR2 533/667/800

DDR2 SDRAM Module

Bank 6,7 (DIMM4) DDR2 533/667/800

DDR2 SDRAM Module

Total System Memory (Max. 8.0GB) 4 256MB~2.0GB

X1 256MB~2.0GB

X1 256MB~2.0GB

X1 256MB~2.0GB

X1 256MB~2.0GB

For Dual Channel Memory

Dual channel only operates when 2 DIMM Modules are plugged into either

DIMM1 & DIMM3 or DIMM2 & DIMM4, or four DIMM Modules are

plugged into DIMM1~DIMM4.

DIMM1 & DIMM3, or DIMM2 & DIMM4 must be the same type, same size, and

same frequency for dual channel to function.

Note: Place Memory DIMM’s into matching color slots for Dual Channel.

Computer will not boot if RAM is in 3 and 4 only.

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Expansion Cards

WARNING! Turn off your system power when adding or removing

Procedure For Expansion Card Installation

Read the documentation for your expansion card and make any necessary
hardware or software setting for your expansion card such as jumpers.

Remove your computer’s cover and the bracket plate on the slot you intend to
use.

expansion cards or other system components. Failure
to do so may cause severe damage to both your
motherboard and expansion cards.

• Align the card’s connectors and press firmly.

• Secure the card on the slot with the screen you remove above.

• Replace the computer system’s cover.

• Set up the BIOS if necessary.

• Install the necessary software driver for your expansion card.

Assigning IRQs For Expansion Card

Some expansion cards need an IRQ to operate. Generally, an IRQ must be
exclusively assigned. In a standard design, there are 16 IRQs available but
most of them are already in use. The following table will show you the default
assignment of IRQs.

If should be noted that in most modern Plug and Play Operating Systems, that
IRQ assignment is handled by the computer itself automatically. This automatic
assignment is generally very effective and you should only have to resort to
manual assignment in the most extreme cases.

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Interrupt Request Table For This Motherboard

Interrupt requests are shared as shown in the table below:

INT A INT B INT C INT D INT E INT F INT G INT H

Slot 1 X

Slot 2 X

Slot 3 X

Onboard USB 1 X

Onboard USB 2 X

AC97/MC97 X

IMPORTANT! If using PCI cards on shared slots, make sure that

the drivers support “Shared IRQ” or that the cards
don’t need IRQ assignments. Con flicts will arise
between the two PCI groups that will make the
system unstable or cards inoperable.

PCI-Express Slots

This motherboard provides two PCI-Express slots intended for Graphics (Two
symmetrical PCI-Express x16 graphics slots deliver up to 4Gbyte/sec data
transfer rate at each relative direction which is fully compatible with the latest
NVIDIA SLI Technology [SLI version only]. There is also a x1 PCI-Express slot

and a x4 PCI-Express slot. Fully compliant to the PCI-Express Base Specifica-
tion revision 1.0a , supporting PCI-Express VGA cards, and other PCI-Express

devices.

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

16x PCI-E

1x PCI-E

4x PCI-E

16x PCI-E

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Standard Interrupt Assignments

IRQ Priority Standard function

0 N/A System Timer
1 N/A Keyboard Controller

2 N/A Programmable Interrupt
3 * 8 Communications Port (COM2)
4 * 9 Communications Port (COM1)
5 * 6 Sound Card (sometimes LPT2)
6 * 11 Floppy Disk Controller
7 * 7 Printer Port (LPT1)

8 N/A System CMOS/Real Time Clock
9 * 10 ACPI Mode when enabled

10 * 3 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
11 * 2 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
12 * 4 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port

13 N/A Numeric Data Processor

14 * 5 Primary IDE Channel
15 * 1 Secondary IDE Channel

* These IRQs are usually available for PCI devices.

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SLI Bridge for NVIDIA SLI Supported VGA Cards

In order to activate the NVIDIA SLI technology (SLI version only), you have to
install the included SLI Bridge for your NVIDIA SLI Supported VGA Cards
before you can activate the advanced multi-GPU functions.

STEP 1 - Install your NVIDIA SLI Supported VGA Cards in the PCI-E x8 slots
located on the left and right, leaving the center PCI-E slot vacant.

STEP 2 - Prepare to install the SLI Bridge with your NVIDIA SLI Supported
VGA Cards

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STEP 3 - Be careful with the pins as to not damage the adapter or graphics
cards during installation.

STEP 4 - Plug the SLI Bridge adapter onto both of the NVIDIA SLI Supported
VGA Cards

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Connectors and Headers
Connectors

Power Connector (24-pin block) : ATXPWR

ATX Power Supply connector. This is a newly defined 24-pin connector that
usually comes with an ATX case. The ATX Power Supply allows you to use soft
power on momentary switch that connects from the front panel switch to 2-pins
Power On jumper pole on the motherboard. When the power switch on the
back of the ATX power supply is turned on, the full power will not come into the
system board until the front panel switch is momentarily pressed. Press this
switch again to turn off the power to the system board.

We recommend that you use an ATX 12V Specification 2.0-compliant power
supply unit (PSU) with a minimum of 350W power rating. This type has both 24­pin and the 4-pin power plugs needed.

If you intend to use a PSU with 20-pin and 4-pin power plugs, make sure that
the 20-pin power plug can provide at least 15A on +12V and the power supply
unit has a minimum power rating of 350W. The system may become unstable
or may not boot up if the power is inadequate.

PIN ROW1 ROW2

1 3.3V 3.3V
2 3.3V -12V
3 GND GND
4 5V Soft Power On
5 GND GND
6 5V GND
7 GND GND
8 Power OK -5V
9 +5V (for Soft Logic) +5V
10 +12V +5V
11 +12V +5V
12 +3V GND

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ATX 12V Power Connector (8-pin block) : ATX12V

This is a newly defined 8-pin connector that usually comes with the ATX Power
Supply. The ATX Power Supply which fully supports the extra 12V voltage to
maintain system power consumption. Without this connector the system will
become unstable because the power supply can not provide sufficient current
for all the system components

PS/2 Mouse & PS/2 Keyboard Connector: KB

The connectors for PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 Mouse.

LAN Port connector: UL1

This connector is standard RJ45 connector for Ethernet connections.

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LAN Port connector: UL2

This connector is standard RJ45 connector for Ethernet connections.

Audio Line-In, Lin-Out, MIC, Surrback, Surround, CEN/LEF Connector : J1

This Connector has 6 audio jacks for LINE-OUT, LINE-IN, MIC, Surrback, Sur­round, CEN/LEF

Line-in (BLUE) Audio input to sound chip
Line-out (GREEN) Audio output to speaker
MIC (PINK) Microphone Connector
Surrback (ORANGE) Rear speaker out
CEN/LEF (BLACKNESS) Center/Subwoofer speaker out
Surround (GRAY) Side speaker out

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