EVGA 780I SLI User Manual

User Guide

EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

EVGA

nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

Table of Contents

Before You Begin… .....................................................................................................ix

Parts NOT in the Kit.................................................................................................ix

Intentions of the Kit ...................................................................................................x

EVGA nForce 780i Motherboard..................................................................................1

Motherboard Specifications...................................................................................... 1

Unpacking and Parts Descriptions...............................................................................4

Unpacking ................................................................................................................ 4

Equipment................................................................................................................ 4

EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard.......................................................................5

Hardware Installation ....................................................................................................9

Safety Instructions.................................................................................................... 9

Preparing the Motherboard.................................................................................... 10

Installing the CPU .............................................................................................. 10

Installing the CPU Fan....................................................................................... 11

Installing Memory DIMMs................................................................................... 11

Installing the Motherboard...................................................................................... 12

Installing the I/O Shield...................................................................................... 12

Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis.......................................................13

Connecting Cables and Setting Switches.............................................................. 13

Power Connections............................................................................................ 14

24-pin ATX Power (PWR1)............................................................................ 15

8-pin ATX 12V Power (PWR2)....................................................................... 16

Connecting IDE Hard Disk Drives...................................................................... 16

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

Connecting Serial ATA Cables .......................................................................... 18

Connecting Internal Headers ............................................................................. 19

Front Panel Header........................................................................................19

IEEE 1394a.................................................................................................... 20

USB Headers ................................................................................................. 21

Audio.................................................................................................................. 22

Fan Connections................................................................................................ 23

COM1................................................................................................................. 24

FDD Connector ..................................................................................................25

Expansion Slots ................................................................................................. 25

PCI Slots ........................................................................................................ 25

PCI Express x1 Slot.......................................................................................26

PCI Express x16 Slots ................................................................................... 26

Jumper Settings.....................................................................................................27

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Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS.................................................................... 27

Configuring the BIOS..................................................................................................29

Enter BIOS Setup................................................................................................... 30

Main Menu.............................................................................................................. 30

Standard CMOS Features Menu ........................................................................... 33

Date and Time.................................................................................................... 34

IDE Channel and SATA Channel.......................................................................34

Drive A................................................................................................................ 37

Halt On............................................................................................................... 37

Memory .............................................................................................................. 38

Advanced BIOS Features ...................................................................................... 39

Removable Device Priority.................................................................................40

nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

Hard Disk Boot Priority.......................................................................................40

Network Boot Priority ......................................................................................... 40

CPU Internal Cache...........................................................................................40

Quick Power On Self Test..................................................................................41

First/Second/Third Boot Device.........................................................................41

Boot Other Device..............................................................................................41

Boot Up NumLock Status...................................................................................42

Security Option................................................................................................... 43

APIC Mode......................................................................................................... 43

MPS Version Control For OS............................................................................. 43

Full Screen LOGO Show.................................................................................... 43

Advanced Chipset Features...................................................................................44

System Clocks ................................................................................................... 45

Frequency Settings........................................................................................46

HT Multiplier................................................................................................... 47

Spread Spectrum...........................................................................................47

FSB & Memory Config ....................................................................................... 48

CPU Configuration.............................................................................................53

System Voltages................................................................................................55

NVMEM Memory Test........................................................................................57

Load Timing/Voltage Set.................................................................................... 57

Save Timing/Voltage Set.................................................................................... 58

System BIOS Cacheable ................................................................................... 58

HPET Function...................................................................................................58

Integrated Peripherals Menu.................................................................................. 59

IDE Function Setup............................................................................................ 60

RAID Config .......................................................................................................61

USB Config......................................................................................................... 61

MAC Config........................................................................................................ 62

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

IEEE1394 controller...........................................................................................62

HD Audio............................................................................................................ 62

IDE HDD Block Mode......................................................................................... 62

Onboard FDC Controller.................................................................................... 62

Onboard Serial Port 1 ........................................................................................ 63

Power Management Setup Menu .......................................................................... 63

ACPI Function.................................................................................................... 64

ACPI Suspend Type........................................................................................... 64

Soft-Off by PBNT ............................................................................................... 64

WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off................................................................................ 64

Power On by Alarm............................................................................................ 64

POWER ON Function ........................................................................................ 65

PnP/PCI Configuration Menu................................................................................. 66

Init Display First.................................................................................................. 67

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Reset Configuration Data...................................................................................67

Resources Controlled By ................................................................................... 67

IRQ Resources................................................................................................... 68

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop..................................................................................... 68

Maximum Payload Size...................................................................................... 68

System Monitor Menu............................................................................................69

Dynamic Fan Control ......................................................................................... 70

Installing Drivers and Software ..................................................................................72

Driver Installation ................................................................................................... 73

Using the NVIDIA Software........................................................................................74

NVIDIA Performance Group of NVIDIA Control Panel .......................................... 75

Device Settings ..................................................................................................76

nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

Current Hardware Settings............................................................................. 77

Dynamic BIOS Access....................................................................................... 84

View System Information ................................................................................... 85

Profile Policies.................................................................................................... 86

Manage Your System BIOS............................................................................... 87

NVIDIA System Monitor.........................................................................................88

Appendix A. POST Codes for Tritium Platform...........................................................94

Appendix B. Configuring an SLI Configuration ........................................................ 104

SLI Connector......................................................................................................104

ForceWare Driver.................................................................................................105

Enabling 3-Way SLI ......................................................................................... 107

Verifying 3-way SLI is Active................................................................................109

Index......................................................................................................................... 110

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

List of Figures

Figure 1. EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard Layout.......................................... 7

Figure 2. Chassis Backpanel Connectors ............................................................. 7

Figure 3. Power Supply Connectors....................................................................14

Figure 4. PWR1 Motherboard Connector............................................................ 15

Figure 5. BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu..................................................31

Figure 6. Standard CMOS Features Menu.......................................................... 33

Figure 7. Advanced BIOS Features Menu........................................................... 39

Figure 8. Advanced Chipset Features................................................................. 44

Figure 9. System Clocks Menu............................................................................ 45

EVGA

Figure 10. FSB & Memory Config Menu................................................................ 48

Figure 11. CPU Configuration Menu ..................................................................... 53

Figure 12. System Voltages Menu ........................................................................ 55

Figure 13. Integrated Peripherals Menu................................................................ 59

Figure 14. Power Management Setup Menu......................................................... 63

Figure 15. PnP/PCI Configuration Menu...............................................................66

Figure 16. System Monitor Menu .......................................................................... 69

Figure 31. 3-way NVIDIA SLI connector (600-10732-0000-000) .......................105

Figure 18. Windows Vista Device Manager.........................................................106

Figure 19. NVIDIA Control Panel, Set SLI Configuration....................................107

Figure 20. SLI Visual Indicators Operating in 3DMark2006................................108

viii

Parts NOT in the Kit

This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new EVGA nForce® 780i SLI motherboard. However, it does not contain the following items that must be purchased separately to make the motherboard functional.

 Intel microprocessor:

Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo Pentium EE, Pentium D, Pentium

 Cooling fan for the microprocessor  System memory support:

Supports dual channel DDR2 533/667/800, and up to 1200 MHz SLI-Ready Memory. Supports up to 8 GBs DDR2 memory.

 Graphics Card

This motherboard supports 3-way SLI with three x16 PCI Express slots.

 Power Supply

The power supply requirement is dependent upon the power and the number of the GPUs you install. If you are going to SLI two graphics cards, you are going to require more power. As a rule, for one GPU you need a minimum of a 350 W power supply. If you have two GPUs in an SLI configuration, you will need a minimum of a 500 W power supply. If you have three GPUs in an SLI configuration, you will need a minimum of a 1000 W power supply. To calculate the power you are going to require for your specific configuration, go to www.slizone.com

nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

Before You Begin…

These instructions tell you how to install each of the parts listed so you can have a functioning motherboard. As you go through the installation instructions, we are assuming you have purchased the necessary parts.

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

Intentions of the Kit

This kit provides you with the motherboard and all connecting cables necessary to install the motherboard into a PC case. If you are building a PC, you will use most of the cables provided in the kit. If however, you are replacing a motherboard, you will not need many of the cables.

When replacing a motherboard in a PC case, you will need to reinstall an operating system even though the current drives have an operating system.

EVGA

EVGA nForce 780i

Thank you for buying the EVGA NFORCE 780i SLI Motherboard. This motherboard offers the tools and performance PC users’ demand. When combined with two or three SLI-Ready NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, you get innovative NVIDIA SLI Technology for enhanced system performance.

Motherboard Specifications

 Size

ATX form factor of 12 inch x 9.6 inch

 Microprocessor support

Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, Pentium D, Pentium

 Operating systems:

Supports Windows XP 32bit/64bit and Windows Vista 32bit/64bit

 Contains NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI MCP and SPP  System Memory support

Supports dual channel JEDEC DDR2-800 and SLI-Ready memory up to 1200 MHz. Supports up to 8 GBs of DDR2 memory.

 Ten USB 2.0 Ports

¾ Supports hot plug ¾ Ten USB 2.0 ports (six rear panel ports, four onboard USB headers) ¾ Supports wake-up from S1 and S3 mode ¾ Supports USB 2.0 protocol up to 480 Mbps transmission rate

Motherboard

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

 Onboard Serial ATA II

¾ 300MBps data transfer rate ¾ Six Serial ATA II connectors ¾ NVIDIA MediaShield RAID with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID

0+1, RAID 5, and JBOD

¾ Supports hot plug and NCQ (Native Command Queuing )

 Onboard LAN

¾ Dual LAN interface built-in onboard ¾ Supports 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec Ethernet

 Onboard 1394

¾ Support hot plug ¾ Two 1394a ports (one rear panel port, one onboard header) with rate of

transmission at 400 Mbps

 Onboard Audio

¾ Azalia High-Definition audio ¾ Supports 8-channel audio ¾ Supports S/PDIF output ¾ Supports Jack-Sensing function

 Triple PCI Express x16 Support

¾ 2 x16 PCI Express 2.0 ¾ 1 x16 PCI Express 1.0 ¾ Supports 4 GB/sec (8 GB/sec concurrent) bandwidth ¾ Low power consumption and power management features

 Green Function

¾ Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) ¾ Supports S0 (normal), S1 (power on suspend), S3 (suspend to RAM), S4

(Suspend to disk - depends on OS), and S5 (soft - off)

 Expansion Slots

¾ Two PCI slots ¾ One PCI Express x1 slot ¾ Three PCI Express x16 Graphics slots

EVGA

nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

Unpacking

The EVGA nForce 780i SLI motherboard comes with all the necessary cables for adding a motherboard to a new chassis. If you are replacing a motherboard, you may not need many of these cables.

Be sure to inspect each piece of equipment shipped in the packing box. If anything is missing or damaged, contact your reseller.

All parts shipped in this kit are RoHS-compliant (lead-free) parts.

Unpacking and

Parts Descriptions

Equipment

The following equipment is included in the EVGA nForce 780i SLI motherboard box. (Accessories may vary between models, see product package)

EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard This PCI Express motherboard contains the

NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI SPP and MCP and is SLI-ready.

I/O Shield

Installs in the chassis to block radio frequency transmissions, protect internet components from dust and foreign objects and aids in proper airflow within the chassis.

Floppy Cable Used to attach a floppy drive to the

motherboard.

nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

2-Port SATA Power Cable (Qty Three)

1394 Cable Provides two additional 1394 ports to either

the front or back panels of the chassis. USB 2.0 4-Port Cable

Provides four additional USB ports to either the front or back panels of the chassis.

SATA Signal Cable (Qty Six) Used to support the Serial ATA protocol and

each one connects a single drive to the motherboard

Comm2 Bracket Cable

IDE-ATA 133 HDD Cable

EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

The EVGA nForce 780i SLI motherboard with the NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI SPP and MCP processors is a PCI Express, SLI-ready motherboard. Figure 1 shows the motherboard and Figures 2 shows the back panel connectors.

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

510 8

516

22 25

EVGA

1. CPU Socket 11. USB headers 21. SPDIF connector

2. NVIDIA SPP with Active fan 12. Motherboard battery 22. PCI slots

3. CPU fan connector 13. Fan connector 23. PCI Express x16 slots (SLI)

4. DDR DIMM Slots 0 - 3 14. Serial connector 24. 1394a connector

5. 24-pin ATX Power Connector 15. Front panel connector 25. PCI Express x1 slot

6. IDE Connector 16. Jumper 26. Backpanel connectors (Figure 2)

7. Serial-ATA (SATA) connectors 17. Power button 27. Heat dissipater

8. FDD connector 18. Reset Button 28. 8-pin ATX_12V power connector

9. NVIDIA MCP (passive heat sink) 19. Azalia HD Audio Header 29 MCP/SPP fan connector

nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

10. Serial-ATA (SATA) connectors 20. FP Audio connector

Figure 1. EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard Layout

1. PS/2 Mouse Port

2. PS/2 Keyboard Port

3. 1394a (Firewire) Port

4. USB 2.0 ports (SIX)

5. SPDIF output

6. Port 2-Channel 4-Channel 6-Channel/8-Channel Blue Line-In Line-In Line-In Green Line-Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Pink Mic In Mic In Mic In Orange Center/Subwoofer Black Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Grey

7. Lan Port with LEDs to indicate status.

• Yellow/Light Up/Blink = 10 Mbps/Link/Activity

• Yellow and Green/Light Up/Blink = 100 Mbps/link/Activity

• Green/Light Up/Blink = 1000 Mbps/Link/Activity

Figure 2. Chassis Backpanel Connectors

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

EVGA

This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The topics covered in this section are:

 Preparing the motherboard

¾ Installing the CPU ¾ Installing the CPU fan ¾ Installing the memory

 Installing the motherboard  Connecting cables and setting switches

Safety Instructions

Hardware Installation

To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock, and injury, always follows basic safety precautions.

Remember to remove power from your computer by disconnecting the AC main source before removing or installing any equipment from/to the computer chassis.

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

Preparing the Motherboard

The motherboard shipped in the box does not contain a CPU or memory. You need to purchase these to complete this installation.

Installing the CPU

Be very careful when handling the CPU. Make sure not to bend or break any pins on the back. Hold the processor only by the edges and do not touch the bottom of the processor.

Use the following procedure to install the CPU onto the motherboard.

1. Unhook the socket lever by pushing down and

away from the socket.

2. Lift the load plate. There is a protective socket

cover on the load plate to protect the socket when there is no CPU installed.

EVGA

3. Remove the protective socket cover from the load plate.

4. Remove the processor from its protective cover,

making sure you hold it only by the edges. It is a good idea to save the cover so that whenever you remove the CPU, you have a safe place to store it.

5. Align the notches in the processor with the

notches on the socket.

6. Lower the processor straight down into the socket

with out tilting or sliding it into the socket

Align notches with

notches on the CPU

Hardware Installation

Note: Make sure the CPU is fully seated and level in the

socket.

7. Close the load plate over the CPU and press down

while you close and engage the socket lever.

Installing the CPU Fan

There are many different fan types that can be used with this motherboard. Follow the instruction that came with you fan assembly. Be sure that the fan orientation is correct for your chassis type and your fan assembly.

Installing Memory DIMMs

Your new motherboard has four 1.8V 240-pin slots for DDR2 memory. These slots support 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB DDR2 memory modules. They also support dual channel DDR2 memory technology up to 10.7GB/s. There must be at least one memory bank populated to ensure normal operation. Use the following the recommendations for installing memory. (See Figure 1 on page 7 for the location of the memory slots.)

 One DIMM: Install into slot 0. You can install the DIMM into any slot,

however, slot 0 is preferred.

 Two DIMMs: Install into either slots 0 and 1 or 2 and 3. The idea is to not

have the DIMMs in adjacent slots.

 Four DIMMS: Install into slots 0, 1, 2, and 3.

DIMM Slot 0

DIMM Slot 2

DIMM Slot 1 DIMM Slot 3

Card-edge

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

Use the following procedure to install memory DIMMs. Note that there is only one gap near the center of the DIMM slot. This slot matches the slot on the memory DIMM to ensure the component is installed properly.

1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the module clips outward.

2. Align the memory module to the DIMM slot, and insert the module

vertically into the DIMM slot. The plastic clips at both sides of the DIMM slot automatically lock the DIMM into the connector.

Installing the Motherboard

The sequence of installing the motherboard into the chassis depends on the chassis you are using and if you are replacing an existing motherboard or working with an empty chassis. Determine if it would be easier to make all the connections prior to this step or to secure the motherboard and then make all the connections. It is normally easier to secure the motherboard first.

Use the following procedure to install the I/O shield and secure the motherboard into the chassis.

EVGA

Note: Be sure that the CPU fan assembly has enough clearance for the chassis

covers to lock into place and for the expansion cards. Also make sure the CPU Fan assembly is aligned with the vents on the covers.

Installing the I/O Shield

The motherboard kit comes with an I/O shield that is used to block radio frequency transmissions, protects internal components from dust and foreign objects, and promotes correct airflow within the chassis.

Before installing the motherboard, install the I/O shield from the inside of the chassis. Press the I/O shield into place and make sure it fits securely. If the I/O shield does not fit into the chassis, you would need to obtain the proper size from the chassis supplier.

Hardware Installation

Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis

Most computer chassis have a base with mounting studs or spacers to allow the mother board to be secured to the chassis and help to prevent short circuits. If there are studs that do not align with a mounting hole on the motherboard, it is recommended that you remove that stud to prevent the possibility of a short circuit. In most cases, it is recommended to secure the motherboard using a minimum of nine (9) spacers.

1. Carefully place the motherboard onto the studs/spacers located inside the

chassis.

2. Align the mounting holes with the studs/spacers.

3. Align the connectors to the I/O shield.

4. Ensure that the fan assembly is aligned with the chassis vents according to

the fan assembly instruction.

5. Secure the motherboard with a minimum of eight-to-ten screws.

Connecting Cables and Setting Switches

This section takes you through all the connections and switch settings necessary on the motherboard. This will include:

 Power Connections

¾ 24-pin ATX power ( ¾ 8-pin ATX 12V power (

 Internal Headers

¾ Front panel ¾ IEEE 1394a ¾ USB Headers ¾ Audio ¾ Speaker ¾ COM

 FDD

PWR1)

PWR2)

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

 IDE  Serial ATA II  Chassis Fans  Rear panel USB 2.0 Adapter  Expansion slots  CMOS jumper settings

See Figure 1 on page 7 to locate the connectors and jumpers referenced in the following procedure.

Power Connections

To support 3-way SLI, this motherboard has the following specific power supply requirements:

 Minimum 1000 W peak power  Six PCI-E power connectors configured in either of the following

configurations (see Figure 3):

¾ Four 6-pin (3x2) and two 8-pin (4x2) PCI-E power connectors

¾ Six 6-pin (3x2) PCI-E power connectors

EVGA

8-pin (4x2) PCT-E Connector 6-pin (3x2) PCI-E connector

Figure 3. Power Supply Connectors

Hardware Installation

Make sure you have enough power to cover all the expansion cards you will be installing. To determine what you power requirements are for your specific configuration or a certified power supply vendor, refer to

www.slizone.com.

24-pin ATX Power (PWR1)

PWR1 is the main power supply connector located along the edge of the board

next to the DIMM slots. Make sure that the power supply cable and pins are properly aligned with the connector on the motherboard. Firmly plug the power supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure.

PWR1 connector Plug power cable from system power supply to PWR1

Board edge

Figure 4. PWR1 Motherboard Connector Table 1. PWR1 Pin Assignments

Connector Pin Signal Pin Signal

24 13

12 1

1 +3.3V 13 +3.3V 2 +3.3V 14 -12V 3 GND 15 GND 4 +5V 16 PS_ON 5 GND 17 GND 6 +5V 18 GND 7 GND 19 GND 8 PWROK 20 RSVD 9 +5V_AUX 21 +5V 10 +12V 22 +5V 11 +12V 23 +5V 12 +3.3V 24 GND

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

8-pin ATX 12V Power (PWR2)

PWR2, the 8-pin ATX 12V power connection, is used to provide power to the

CPU. Align the pins to the connector and press firmly until seated.

Backpanel connector

12V

8 4

Connecting IDE Hard Disk Drives

The IDE connector supports Ultra ATA 133/100/66 IDE hard disk drives.

1. Connect the blue connector (the cable end with a single connector) to the

motherboard.

2. Connect the black connector (the cable with the two closely spaced black

and gray connectors) to the Ultra ATA master device.

3. Connect the gray connector to a slave device.

GND

EVGA

If you install two hard disk drives, you must configure the second drive as a slave device by setting its jumper accordingly. Refer to the hard disk documentation for the jumper settings.

Hardware Installation

Note: If an ATA-66/100 disk drive and a disk drive using any other IDE transfer

protocol are attached to the same cable, the maximum transfer rate between the drives may be reduced to that of the slowest drive.

780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard

Connecting Serial ATA Cables

The Serial ATA II connector is used to connect the Serial ATA II device to the motherboard. These connectors support the thin Serial ATA II cables for primary storage devices. The current Serial ATA II interface allows up to 300MB/s data transfer rate.

There are six serial ATA connectors on the motherboard that support RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 0+1 and JBOD configurations.

SATA 1 (bottom) SATA 2 (top)

Connect the locking cable end to the motherboard connector. Connect the end without the lock to the drive.

SATA 3 SATA 4 SATA 6

SATA 5

GND GND GND TX+ RX+ TX- TX-

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Hardware Installation

Connecting Internal Headers

Front Panel Header

The front panel header on this motherboard is one connector used to connect the following four cables (see Table 2 for pin definitions):

 PWRLED

Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two pins of the connector. The Power LED indicates the system’s status. When the system is in S0 status, the LED is on. When the system is in S1, S3, S4, S5 status, the LED is off.

Note: Some chassis do not have all four cables. Be sure to match the name on the

connectors to the corresponding pins.

PWRSW

PWRLED

910

RESET

HD_LED

No ConnectBlank

 PWRSW

Attach the power button cable from the case to these two pins. Pressing the power button on the front panel turns the system on and off rather than using the power supply button.

 HD_LED

Attach the hard disk drive indicator LED cable to these two pins. The HDD indicator LED indicates the activity status of the hard disks.

 RESET

Attach the Reset switch cable from the front panel of the case to these two pins. The system restarts when the

RESET switch is pressed.

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