Intel GA-N680SLI-DQ6 User Manual

GA-N680SLI-DQ6

Intel® Core Intel® Core

2 Extreme quad-core / Core

2 Extreme dual-core / Core Intel® Pentium® Processor Extreme Edition / Intel® Pentium® D / Pentium® 4 LGA775 Processor Motherboard

User's Manual

Rev. 2001

12ME-N680DQ6-2001R

2 Quad /

2 Duo /

* The WEEE marking on the product indicates this product must not be disposed of with user's other household waste

and must be handed over to a designated collection point for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment!!

* The WEEE marking applies only in European Union's member states.

May. 08, 2007

GA-N680SLI-DQ6

Motherboard

May. 08, 2007

Motherboard

GA-N680SLI-DQ6

The trademarks mentioned in the manual are legally registered to their respective companies.

Notice

The written content provided with this product is the property of Gigabyte.

No part of this manual may be reproduced, copied, translated, or transmitted in any form or by any

means without Gigabyte's prior written permission. Specifications and features are subject to

change without prior notice.

Product Manual Classification

In order to assist in the use of this product, Gigabyte has categorized the user manual in the

following:

 For quick installation, please refer to the "Hardware Installation Guide" included with the

product.

 For detailed product information and specifications, please carefully read the

"Product User Manual".

 For detailed information related to Gigabyte's unique features, please go to "Technology

Guide" section on Gigabyte's website to read or download the information you need.

For more product details, please click onto Gigabyte's website at www.gigabyte.com.tw

Table of Contents

Item Checklist ................................................................................................................. 6

Optional Accessories ...................................................................................................... 6

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard Layout ......................................................................... 7

Block Diagram ................................................................................................................ 8

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation ..................................................................................... 9

1-1 Considerations Prior to Installation .................................................................... 9

1-2 Feature Summary .......................................................................................... 10

1-3 Installation of the CPU and CPU Cooler ....................................................... 13

1-3-1 Installation of the CPU ......................................................................................... 13

1-3-2 Installation of the CPU Cooler ............................................................................ 14

1-4 Installation of Memory .................................................................................... 15

1-5 Installation of Expansion Cards ...................................................................... 17

1-6 Connecting the e-SATA Cable Kit ................................................................... 18

1-7 Setup of SLI (Scalable Link Interface) Configuration ....................................... 19

1-8 I/O Back Panel Introduction ........................................................................... 22

1-9 Connectors Introduction .................................................................................. 23

Chapter 2 BIOS Setup ................................................................................................ 35

The Main Menu (For example: BIOS Ver. : FAa) ..................................................... 37

2-1 Standard CMOS Features ............................................................................. 39

2-2 Advanced BIOS Features.............................................................................. 41

2-3 Integrated Peripherals ..................................................................................... 43

2-4 Power Management Setup ............................................................................. 49

2-5 PnP/PCI Configurations................................................................................. 51

2-6 PC Health Status ........................................................................................... 52

2-7 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.) ....................................................................... 54

2-8 Load Fail-Safe Defaults ................................................................................... 57

2-9 Load Optimized Defaults ................................................................................. 57

2-10 Set Supervisor/User Password ..................................................................... 58

2-11 Save & Exit Setup......................................................................................... 59

2-12 Exit Without Saving ....................................................................................... 59

- 4 -

Chapter 3 Drivers Installation ...................................................................................... 61

3-1 Install Chipset Drivers .................................................................................... 61

3-2 Software Applications ..................................................................................... 62

3-3 Driver CD Information .................................................................................... 62

3-4 Hardware Information ..................................................................................... 63

3-5 Contact Us ..................................................................................................... 63

Chapter 4 Appendix ................................................................................................... 65

4-1 Unique Software Utilities ................................................................................ 65

4-1-1 EasyTune 5 Introduction ..................................................................................... 65

4-1-2 Xpress Recovery2 Introduction ......................................................................... 66

4-1-3 Flash BIOS Method Introduction ........................................................................ 68

4-1-4 Configuring SATA Hard Drive(s) ........................................................................ 75

A. nVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI Southbridge ........................................................................ 75

B. GIGABYTE SATA2 Controller ...................................................................................... 85

4-1-5 2- / 4- / 6- / 8- Channel Audio Function Introduction ...................................... 97

4-1-6 Windows Vista ReadyBoost ............................................................................ 104

4-2 Troubleshooting ............................................................................................. 105

- 5 -

Item Checklist

IDE Cable x 1, FDD Cable x 1

SATA 3Gb/s Cable x 4

I/O Shield

e-SATA Cable x 2

SLI Bridge (GC-SLICON6) x 1

Retention Bracket x 1

* The items listed above are for reference only, and are subject to change without notice.

Optional Accessories

 2 Ports USB 2.0 Cable (Part Number: 12CR1-1UB030-51/R)

 4 Ports USB 2.0 Cable (Part Number: 12CR1-1UB030-21/R)

 2 Ports IEEE 1394 Cable (Part Number: 12CF1-1IE008-01R)

 2 Ports SATA Power Cable (Part Number: 12CF1-2SERPW-01R)

 S/PDIF-IN Cable (Part Number: 12CR1-1SPDIN-01R)

- 6 -

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard Layout

OPTICAL

R_1394

KB_MS

COMA

USB_LAN1

USB_LAN2

DUAL_LAN

AUDIO

Marvell 88E8052

Marvell 88E8056

CODEC

CD_IN

F_AUDIO

Marvell 88E1116

NB_FAN

Marvell 88E1116

PCIE_16_1

PCI1

PCIE_8

PCI2

ATX_12V_2X

PCIE_1

LGA775

nVIDIA

nForce 680i SLI

Northbridge

PCIE_12V

CPU_FAN

GA-N680SLI-DQ6

DDRII1

nVIDIA

nForce 680i SLI

Southbridge

DDRII2

DDRII3

SATAII0

IT8718

BACKUP BIOS

MAIN BIOS

IDE

DDRII4

SATAII2

PWR_FAN

ATX

SYS_FAN

SATAII3

FDD

SATAII4

SATAII5

SPDIF_IN

TSB43AB23

F1_1394

PCI3

F2_1394

PCIE_16_2

TPM

LPT

GSATAII1-0

- 7 -

GIGABYTE SATA2

GSATAII1-1

GIGABYTE SATA2

GSATAII2-0

GSATAII2-1

PWR_LED

F_USB3

CLR_CMOS

F_USB1

F_USB2

BATTERY

F_PANEL

SATAII1

Block Diagram

PCIe CLK

(100 MHz)

PCI Express x16

CPU CLK+/-(333/266/200/133 MHz)

LGA775

Processor

Host Interface

DDRII 800/667/533 MHz DIMM

Marvell

88E8052

PCI Express Bus

4 SATA 3Gb/s

PCI Bus

3 PCI

PCI CLK

(33 MHz)

LAN

RJ45

LAN2

LAN1

TSB43AB23

LAN

RJ45

Marvell

88E8056

GIGABYTE SATA2 x 2

RJ45

3 IEEE1394a

Surround Speaker Out

nVIDIA

nForce 680i SLI

Northbridge

nVIDIA

nForce 680i SLI

Marvell

88E1116 x 2

Southbridge

LPC BUS

CODEC

Line-In

SPDIF In

10 USB

Ports

SPDIF Out

PCI Express x8

MIC

Line-Out

Side Speaker Out

Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out

Dual Channel Memory

1 PCI Express x1

PCIe CLK (100 MHz)

6 SATA 3Gb/s

ATA33/66/100/133 IDE Channel

IT8718

PCI Express x16

Floppy

LPT Port

COM Port

PS/2 KB/Mouse

Dual BIOS

- 8 -

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

1-1 Considerations Prior to Installation

Preparing Your Computer

The motherboard contains numerous delicate electronic circuits and components which can become damaged as a result of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Thus, prior to installation, please follow the instructions below:

1. Please turn off the computer and unplug its power cord.

2. When handling the motherboard, avoid touching any metal leads or connectors.

3. It is best to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) cuff when handling electronic components

(CPU, RAM).

4. Prior to installing the electronic components, please have these items on top of an antistatic pad or

within a electrostatic shielding container.

5. Please verify that the power supply is switched off before unplugging the power supply connector

from the motherboard.

Installation Notices

1. Prior to installation, please do not remove the stickers on the motherboard. These stickers are required

for warranty validation.

2. Prior to the installation of the motherboard or any hardware, please first carefully read the information

in the provided manual.

3. Before using the product, please verify that all cables and power connectors are connected.

4. To prevent damage to the motherboard, please do not allow screws to come in contact with the

motherboard circuit or its components.

5. Please make sure there are no leftover screws or metal components placed on the motherboard or

within the computer casing.

6. Please do not place the computer system on an uneven surface.

7. Turning on the computer power during the installation process can lead to damage to system

components as well as physical harm to the user.

8. If you are uncertain about any installation steps or have a problem related to the use of the product,

please consult a certified computer technician.

English

Instances of Non-Warranty

1. Damage due to natural disaster, accident or human cause.

2. Damage as a result of violating the conditions recommended in the user manual.

3. Damage due to improper installation.

4. Damage due to use of uncertified components.

5. Damage due to use exceeding the permitted parameters.

6. Product determined to be an unofficial Gigabyte product.

Hardware Installation- 9 -

English

1-2 Feature Summary

CPU  LGA775 for Intel® Core

2 Extreme quad-core / Core CoreTM 2 Quad / CoreTM 2 Duo / Pentium® processor Extreme Edition / Pentium® D / Pentium® 4 / Celeron® D

 L2 cache varies with CPU Front Side Bus  Supports 1333/1066/800/533 MHz FSB Chipset  nVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI

(Northbridge: C55XE, Southbridge: MCP55P)

LAN  Onboard Marvell 88E8052/88E8056 chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)

 2 Onboard Marvell 88E1116 phy (10/100/1000 Mbit) Audio  Onboard Realtek ALC888 DD chip

 Supports High Definition Audio

 Supports 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 channel audio

 Supports DTS (dts NEO : PC) function

 Supports Dolby Digital Live

 Supports S/PDIF In/Out connection

 Supports CD In connection IEEE 1394  Onboard T.I. TSB43AB23 chip

 3 IEEE 1394a ports

Storage  nVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI Southbridge

- 1 FDD connector supported by I/O controller, allowing connection of 1 FDD device

- 1 IDE connector with Ultra DMA-33, ATA-66/100/133 support, allowing connection of 2 IDE devices

- 6 SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATAII0, SATAII1, SATAII2, SATAII3, SATAII4, SATAII5), allowing connection of 6 SATA 3Gb/s devices

- Supports data RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5 and JBOD for Serial ATA

 GIGABYTE SATA2 x 2 Controller

- 4 SATA 3Gb/s connectors (GSATAII1-0, GSATAII1-1, GSATAII2-0, GSATAII2-1), allowing connection of 4 SATA 3Gb/s devices

- Supports data RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD for Serial ATA

O.S Support  Microsoft Windows 2000/XP Memory  4 DDRII DIMM memory slots (supports up to 8 GB memory)

 Supports dual channel DDRII 800/667/533 unbuffered DIMMs  Supports 1.8V DDRII DIMMs  Supports ECC type DRAM

Expanstion Slots  2 PCI Express x16 slots

 1 PCI Express x8 slot  1 PCI Express x1 slot  3 PCI slots

2 Extreme dual-core /

(Note 1)

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 10 -

Internal Connectors  1 24-pin ATX power connector

 1 8-pin ATX 12V power connector  1 4-pin PCIe 12V power connector  1 floppy connector  1 IDE connector  10 SATA 3Gb/s connectors  1 CPU fan connector  1 system fan connector  1 power fan connector  1 North Bridge fan connector  1 front panel connector  1 front audio connector  1 CD In connector  1 S/PDIF In connector  3 USB 2.0/1.1 connectors for additional 6 ports by cables  2 IEEE 1394a connectors for additional 2 ports by cables  1 TPM connector  1 LPT connector  1 power LED connector  1 Chassis Intrusion connector

Rear Panel I/O  1 PS/2 keyboard port

 1 PS/2 mouse port  1 serial port  1 IEEE 1394a port  1 S/PDIF out port (optical)  4 RJ-45 port  4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports  6 audio jacks (Line In / Line Out / MIC In / Surround Speaker Out (Rear

Speaker Out) / Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out / Side Speaker Out) I/O Control  IT8718 chip Hardware Monitor  System voltage detection

 CPU / System temperature detection  CPU / System / Power fan speed detection  CPU warning temperature  CPU / System / Power fan failure warning  CPU / System smart fan control

BIOS  2 4 Mbit flash ROM

 Use of licensed AWARD BIOS  Supports Dual BIOS  PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.3, ACPI 1.0b

English

Hardware Installation- 11 -

English

Additional Features  Supports @BIOS

 Supports Download Center  Supports Q-Flash  Supports EasyTune

(Note 2)

 Supports Xpress Install  Supports Xpress Recovery2  Supports Xpress BIOS Rescue

Bundle Software  Norton Internet Security (OEM revision) Overclocking  Over Voltage via BIOS (CPU, DDRII, NB/PCIE, SB/PCIE, FSB,

HT-Link, SB Standby)

- CPU Voltage : Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.025V

(Note 3)

- DDRII Voltage : Adjustable DDRII voltage at 0.025V (Adjustable range from 0.025V to 0.775V)

- NB/PCIE Voltage : Adjustable PCIe voltage at 0.05V (Adjustable range from 0.05V to 0.20V)

- SB/PCIE Voltage : Adjustable PCIe voltage at 0.05V (Adjustable range from 0.05V to 0.55V)

- FSB Voltage : Adjustable FSB voltage at 0.05V (Adjustable range from 0.05V to 0.35V)

- HT-Link Voltage : Adjustable HT-Link voltage at 0.05V (Adjustable range from 0.05V to 0.35V)

- SB Standby Voltage : Adjustable SB Standby voltage at 0.10V (Adjustable range from 0.10V to 0.20V)

 Over Clock via BIOS (CPU, DDRII, PCIE)

- PCI Express x16 Clock: Allows 1 MHz increment from 100 MHz to 150 MHz

- PCI Express x8 Clock: Allows 1 MHz increment from 100 MHz to 150 MHz

- Adjustable CPU, DDRII frequencies

Form Factor  ATX form factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm

(Note 1) To use a DDR II 800/667 memory module on the motherboard, you must install a 1333/1066/

800 MHz FSB processor. (Note 2) EasyTune functions may vary depending on different motherboards. (Note 3) The adjustable range is dependent on CPUs.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 12 -

1-3 Installation of the CPU and CPU Cooler

Before installing the CPU, please comply with the following conditions:

1. Please make sure that the motherboard supports the CPU.

2. Please take note of the one indented corner of the CPU. If you install the CPU in the wrong direction, the CPU will not insert properly. If this occurs, please change the insert direction of the CPU.

3. Please add an even layer of heat sink paste between the CPU and CPU cooler.

4. Please make sure the CPU cooler is installed on the CPU prior to system use, otherwise overheating and permanent damage of the CPU may occur.

5. Please set the CPU host frequency in accordance with the processor specifications. It is not recommended that the system bus frequency be set beyond hardware specifications since it does not meet the required standards for the peripherals. If you wish to set the frequency beyond the proper specifications, please do so according to your hardware specifications including the CPU, graphics card, memory, hard drive, etc.

HT functionality requirement content :

Enabling the functionality of Hyper-Threading Technology for your computer system requires all of the following platform components:

- CPU: An Intel® Pentium 4 Processor with HT Technology

- Chipset: An Intel® Chipset that supports HT Technology

- BIOS: A BIOS that supports HT Technology and has it enabled

- OS: An operation system that has optimizations for HT Technology

1-3-1 Installation of the CPU

Metal Lever

Fig. 1 Gently lift the metal lever located on the CPU socket to the upright position.

English

Fig. 2 Remove the plastic covering on the CPU socket.

Fig. 3 Notice the small gold colored triangle located on the edge of the CPU socket. Align the indented corner of the

CPU with the triangle and gently insert the CPU into position. (Grasping the CPU firmly between your thumb and forefinger, carefully place it into the socket in a straight and downwards motion. Avoid twisting or bending motions that might cause damage to the CPU during installation.)

Fig. 4 Once the CPU is properly inserted, please replace the load plate and push the metal lever back into its original position.

Hardware Installation- 13 -

1-3-2 Installation of the CPU Cooler

Male Push Pin

English

Fig.1 Please apply an even layer of CPU cooler paste on the surface of the installed CPU.

Fig. 3 Place the CPU cooler atop the CPU and make sure the push pins aim to the pin hole on the motherboard.Pressing down the push pins diagonally.

The top of Female Push Pin

Female Push Pin

Fig. 2 (Turning the push pin along the direction of arrow is to remove the CPU cooler, on the contrary, is to install.) Please note the direction of arrow sign on the male push pin doesn't face inwards before installation. (This instruction is only for Intel boxed fan)

Fig. 4 Please make sure the Male and Female push pin are joined closely. (for detailed installation instructions, please refer to the CPU cooler installation section of the user manual)

Fig. 5 Please check the back of motherboard after installing. If the push pin is inserted as the picture, the installation is complete.

The CPU cooler may adhere to the CPU as a result of hardening of the heat paste. To prevent such an occurrence, it is suggested that either thermal tape rather than heat paste be used for heat dissipation or using extreme care when removing the CPU cooler.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 14 -

Fig. 6 Finally, please attach the power connector of the CPU cooler to the CPU fan header located on the motherboard.

1-4 Installation of Memory

Before installing the memory modules, please comply with the following conditions:

1. Please make sure that the memory used is supported by the motherboard. It is recommended that memory of similar capacity, specifications and brand be used.

2. Before installing or removing memory modules, please make sure that the computer power is switched off to prevent hardware damage.

3. Memory modules have a foolproof insertion design. A memory module can be installed in only one direction. If you are unable to insert the module, please switch the direction.

The motherboard supports DDRII memory modules, whereby BIOS will automatically detect memory capacity and specifications. Memory modules are designed so that they can be inserted only in one direction. The memory capacity used can differ with each slot.

Notch

DDRII

English

Fig.1 The DIMM socket has a notch, so the DIMM memory module can only fit in one direction. Insert the DIMM memory module vertically into the DIMM socket. Then push it down.

Fig.2 Close the plastic clip at both edges of the DIMM sockets to lock the DIMM module. Reverse the installation steps when you wish to remove the DIMM module.

Hardware Installation- 15 -

English

Dual Channel Memory Configuration

The GA-N680SLI-DQ6 supports the Dual Channel Technology. After operating the Dual Channel Technology, the bandwidth of memory bus will double.

The GA-N680SLI-DQ6 includes 4 DIMM sockets, and each Channel has two DIMM sockets as following:

Channel 0 : DDRII1, DDRII2

Channel 1 : DDRII3, DDRII4 If you want to operate the Dual Channel Technology, please note the following explanations due to the limitation of chipset specifications.

1. Dual Channel mode will not be enabled if only one DDRII memory module is installed.

2. To enable Dual Channel mode with two or four memory modules (it is recommended to use memory modules of identical brand, size, chips, and speed), you must install them into DIMM sockets of the same color.

The following is a Dual Channel Memory configuration table: (DS: Double Side, SS: Single Side, "--": Empty)

DDRII1 DDRII2 DDRII3 DDRII4

2 memory modules

4 memory modules

If two memory modules are to be used to achieve Dual Channel mode, we recommend installing them in DDRII1 and DDRII3 DIMM sockets.

DS/SS - - DS/SS - -

- - DS/SS - - DS/SS

DS/SS DS/SS DS/SS DS/SS

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 16 -

1-5 Installation of Expansion Cards

To install your expansion card, follow the steps below.

1. Disconnect your system from its power source and read the expansion card's installation manual before installing the expansion card in the computer.

2. Remove your computer's chassis cover, screws and slot bracket from the computer. Ground yourself to prevent damage to your computer resulting from Electrostatic discharge (ESD).

3. Press the expansion card firmly into the expansion slot in the motherboard.

4. Make sure the metal contacts on the card are fully seated in the slot.

5. Replace the screw to secure the slot bracket of the expansion card.

6. Replace your computer's chassis cover.

7. Power on the computer, if necessary, configure required settings for the expansion card in system BIOS Setup.

8. Install related driver in the operating system.

For example: Installing a PCI Express x16 VGA card:

To install the VGA card: Please align the VGA card with the PCI Express x16 slot and press down on the card. Make sure the VGA card is locked by the small white drawable bar.

To remove the VGA card: When you try to uninstall the VGA card on the PCI Express x16 slot, you can press the latch as the picture to the left shows to release the card.

English

The motherboard includes a PCIE_12V power connector, which provides extra power to the onboard PCI Express x16 slot. When installing two graphics cards, please connect the power cable from the power supply to this connector.

Hardware Installation- 17 -

English

1-6 Connecting the e-SATA Cable Kit

The e-SATA cable kit allows you to connect external SATA device(s) to your system by expanding the internal SATA port(s) to the chassis back panel.

• Turn off your system and the power switch on the power supply before installing or removing the SATA bracket and SATA power cable to prevent damage to hardware.

• Insert the SATA signal cable and SATA power cable securely into the corresponding connectors when installing.

SATA Bracket

SATA Signal Cable SATA Power Cable

The e-SATA cable kit includes one SATA bracket,

e-SATA

Connector

Power

Connector

e-SATA

Connector

one SATA signal cable, and one SATA power cable.

Follow the steps below to install the e-SATA cable kit:

Step 1: Locate one free PCI slot and secure the SATA bracket to the chassis back panel with a screw.

Step 3: Connect the power cable from the bracket to the power supply.

Step 5: Connect the other ends of the SATA signal cable and SATA power cable to your SATA devices. For SATA device in external enclosure, you only need to connect the SATA signal cable. Before connecting the SATA signal cable, make sure to turn off the power of the external enclosure.

Step 2: Connect the SATA cable from the bracket to the SATA port on your motherboard.

Step 4: Plug one end of the SATA signal cable into the e-SATA connector on the bracket. Then attach the SATA power cable to the power connector on the bracket.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 18 -

1-7 Setup of SLI (Scalable Link Interface) Configuration

nVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI offers blistering graphics performance with the ability to bridge two NVIDIA SLIready PCI ExpressTM graphics cards! The SLI design takes advantage of the increased bandwidth of the PCI ExpressTM bus architecture, features hardware and software innovations within NVIDIA GPU (graphics processing unit) and the nVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI chipset. Together, the NVIDIA SLI technologies work seamlessly to allow two graphics cards to operate in parallel and share the work and deliver heart-pounding PC performance. This section introduces steps to configure an SLI system on the GA-N680SLI-DQ6 motherboard.

Before you begin--

The exact power requirements will depend on your overall system configurations. You need a power supply that can provide sufficient and stable power to your system and the two SLI graphics cards. Please refer to the table below to check recommended power for different systems.

System configuration System A System B

Processors Intel QX6700 Intel X6800

PCIE x16 video cards 2±iNVIDIA 6800 Ultra cards 2±iNVIDIA 6600 GT cards

DDR memory modules 4 DIMMs 2 DIMMs

Hard drives/Optical drives 4 hard drives + 2 optical drives 1 hard drives + 1 optical drives

Expansion cards 1 PCIE x1 card + 2 PCI cards 0

USB devices 10 4

IEEE 1394 devices 1 0

Required +12V current 25A or above 20A or above

Power supply requirement 500W or above 350W or above

English

If you wish to enable the SLI function, install two SLI-ready graphics cards into the PCIE_16_1 and PCIE_16_2 slots. (It is recommended to use graphics cards of identical brand and chips. For example: GIGABYTE GV-NX76T256D-RH). If you want to set up a single graphics card system, we recommend installing the graphics card on the PCIE_16_1 slot to ensure better display performance.

Hardware Installation- 19 -

English

Connecting Two Graphics Cards:

Step 1: Observe the steps in "1-5 Installation of Expansion Cards"

and install two SLI-ready graphics cards of the same model to the PCIE_16_1 and PCIE_16_2 slots.

Step 2: Insert the SLI bridge (the GC-SLICON6) to the SLI gold

edge connector on top of both cards. Make sure the two mini female slots on the bridge connector securely fit onto the SLI gold edge connetors of both cards.

Female slots on the bridge

connector

Gold edge connector on the top

of graphics card

Step 3: In order to securely fix the bridge connector beween the

two cards, you must install the retention bracket included with the motherboard and secure the retention bracket to the chassis back panel with a screw.

place this part on the top of

the bridge connector.

retention bracket

Step 4: Plug the display cable into the graphics card which on

the PCIE_16_1 slot

(Note)

(Note) If you want to enable the SLI function, you must plug the display cable into the graphics card

which on the PCIE_16_1 slot.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 20 -

Graphics Card Driver Setting:

Step 1: After installing graphics card driver in operating system,

right-click the NVIDIA icon in your system tray and then select NVIDIA Display. The NVIDIA control panel will appear.

Step 2: Select SLI multi-GPU from the side menu and then

select the Enable SLI multi-GPU checkbox in the SLI multi-GPU dialog box. System will restart after you click Apply. Then the SLI configuration is completed.

English

Hardware Installation- 21 -

English

1-8 I/O Back Panel Introduction

PS/2 Keyboard and PS/2 Mouse Connector

To install a PS/2 port keyboard and mouse, plug the mouse to the upper port (green) and the keyboard to the lower port (purple).

COMA

Connects to serial-based mouse or data processing devices.

OPTICAL

The S/PDIF optical output port is capable of providing digital audio to external speakers or compressed AC3 data to an external Dolby Digital Decoder via an optical cable.

IEEE 1394 Port (4 Pins Connector)

Serial interface standard set by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which has features like high speed, high bandwidth and hot plug.

LAN Port

The provided Internet connection is Gigabit Ethernet , providing data transfer speeds of 10/100/ 1000 Mbps.

USB Port

Before you connect your device(s) into USB connector(s), please make sure your device(s) such as USB keyboard, mouse, scanner, zip, speaker...etc. have a standard USB interface. Also make sure your OS supports USB controller. If your OS does not support USB controller, please contact OS vendor for possible patch or driver upgrade. For more information please contact your OS or device(s) vendors.

Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out

The default Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out jack. Center/Subwoofer speakers can be connected to Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out jack.

Surround Speaker Out (Rear Speaker Out)

The default Surround Speaker Out (Rear Speaker Out) jack. Rear surround speakers can be connected to Surround Speaker Out (Rear Speaker Out) jack.

Side Speaker Out

The default Side Speaker Out jack. Surround side speakers can be connected to Side Speaker Out jack.

Line In

The default Line In jack. Devices like CD-ROM, walkman etc. can be connected to Line In jack.

Line Out (Front Speaker Out)

The default Line Out (Front Speaker Out) jack. Stereo speakers, earphone or front surround speakers can be connected to Line Out (Front Speaker Out) jack.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 22 -

MIC In

The default MIC In jack. Microphone must be connected to MIC In jack.

In addition to the default speakers settings, the ~ audio jacks can be reconfigured to perform different functions via the audio software. Only microphones still MUST be connected to the default Mic In jack ( ). Please refer to the 2-/4-/6-/8- channel audio setup steps for detailed software configuration information.

1-9 Connectors Introduction

422

English

1) ATX_12V_2X

2) ATX (Power Connector)

3) PCIE_12V

4) CPU_FAN

5) SYS_FAN

6) PWR_FAN

7) NB_FAN

8) FDD

9) IDE

10) SATAII0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

11) GSATAII1-0 / GSATAII1-1 / GSATAII2-0 /

GSATAII2-1

8 9

18 23

12) PWR_LED

13) BATTERY

14) F_PANEL

15) F_AUDIO

16) CD_IN

17) SPDIF_IN

18) F_USB1 / F_USB2 / F_USB3

19) F1_1394 / F2_1394

20) LPT

21) TPM

22) C I

23) CLR_CMOS

Hardware Installation- 23 -

English

1/2) ATX_12V_2X / ATX (Power Connector)

With the use of the power connector, the power supply can supply enough stable power to all the components on the motherboard. Before connecting the power connector, please make sure that all components and devices are properly installed. Align the power connector with its proper location on the motherboard and connect tightly. The ATX 12V (2x4-pin) power connector mainly supplies power to the CPU. If the ATX 12V (2x4) power connector is not connected, the system will not start. If you wish to install a power supply that provides ATX 12V (2x2-pin) power connector, please connect the ATX 12V power connector to the Pin 3, 4, 7, 8 of the onboard ATX_12V_2X power connector according to the pin definitions. Important Use of a power supply providing an ATX 12V (2x4-pin) power connector is recommended by processor manufacturer when using Intel® Pentium® Extreme Edition series processors (130W or greater). Caution! Please use a power supply that is able to handle the system voltage requirements. It is recommended that a power supply that can withstand high power consumption be used (400W or greater). If a power supply is used that does not provide the required power, the result can lead to an unstable system or a system that is unable to start. If you use a power supply that provides a 24-pin ATX or 2x4 pin ATX 12V power connector, please remove the small cover on the power connector on the motherboard before plugging in the power cord; otherwise, please do not remove it.

Pin No. Definition

ATX_12V_2X

1 GND

2 GND

3 GND

4 GND

5 +12V

6 +12V

7 +12V

8 +12V

131

ATX

Pin No. Definition

1 3.3V

2 3.3V

3 GND

4 +5V

5 GND

6 +5V

7 GND

8 Power Good

9 5V SB(stand by +5V)

10 +12V

11 +12V(Only for 24-pin ATX)

12 3.3V(Only for 24-pin ATX)

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 24 -

Pin No. Definition

13 3.3V

14 -12V

15 GND

16 PS_ON(soft On/Off)

17 GND

18 GND

19 GND

20 -5V

21 +5V

22 +5V

23 +5V (Only for 24-pin ATX)

24 GND(Only for 24-pin ATX)

3) PCIE_12V (Power Connector)

This power connector provides extra power to the onboard PCI Express x16 slot. When installing two graphics cards, please connect the power cable from the power supply to this connector, or system instability may occur.

English

PIin No. Definition

1NC

2 GND

3 GND

4 +12V

4/5/6) CPU_FAN / SYS_FAN / PWR_FAN (Cooler Fan Power Connector)

The cooler fan power connector supplies a +12V power voltage via a 3-pin/4-pin(CPU_FAN/ SYS_FAN) power connector and possesses a foolproof connection design. Most coolers are designed with color-coded power connector wires. A red power connector wire indicates a positive connection and requires a +12V power voltage. The black connector wire is the ground wire (GND). Remember to connect the CPU/system/power fan cable to the CPU_FAN/SYS_FAN/PWR_FAN connector to prevent CPU damage or system hanging caused by overheating.

CPU_FAN / SYS_FAN :

Pin No. Definition

1 GND

2 +12V / Speed Control

CPU_FAN / SYS_FAN

3 Sense

4 Speed Control

PWR_FAN

PWR_FAN :

Pin No. Definition

1 GND

2 +12V

3 Sense

Hardware Installation- 25 -

English

7) NB_FAN (North Bridge Fan Header)

Connect the North Bridge fan cable to this header. The fan header has a foolproof insertion design. When connecting a fan cable, be sure to connect it in the correct orientation. Most fans are designed with color-coded power connector wires. A red power connector wire indicates a positive connection and requires a +12V voltage. The black connector wire is the ground wire.

Pin No. Definition

1 GND

2 +12V

3NC

8) FDD (Floppy Connector)

The FDD connector is used to connect the FDD cable while the other end of the cable connects to the FDD drive. The types of FDD drives supported are: 360 KB, 720 KB, 1.2 MB, 1.44 MB and

2.88 MB. Before attaching the FDD cable, please take note of the foolproof groove in the FDD connector.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 26 -

9) IDE (IDE Connector)

An IDE device connects to the computer via an IDE connector. One IDE connector can connect to one IDE cable, and the single IDE cable can then connect to two IDE devices (hard drive or optical drive). If you wish to connect two IDE devices, please set the jumper on one IDE device as Master and the other as Slave (for information on settings, please refer to the instructions located on the IDE device). Before attaching the IDE cable, please take note of the foolproof groove in the IDE connector.

English

10) SATAII0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 (SATA 3Gb/s Connector, Controlled by nVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI

Southbridge)

SATA 3Gb/s can provide up to 300 MB/s transfer rate. Please refer to the BIOS setting for the SATA 3Gb/s and install the proper driver in order to work properly.

SATAII5

SATAII4

SATAII0

SATAII1

SATAII3

SATAII2

Pin No. Definition

1 GND

2TXP

3 TXN

4 GND

5 RXN

6 RXP

7 GND

Hardware Installation- 27 -

English

11) GSATAII1-0 / GSATAII1-1 / GSATAII2-0 / GSATAII2-1 (SATA 3Gb/s Connector, Controlled

by GIGABYTE SATA2)

SATA 3Gb/s can provide up to 300 MB/s transfer rate. Please refer to the BIOS setting for the SATA 3Gb/s and install the proper driver in order to work properly.

Pin No. Definition

1 GND

2TXP

3 TXN

4 GND

5 RXN

6 RXP

7 GND

12) PWR_LED

The PWR_LED connector is connected with the system power indicator to indicate whether the system is on/off. It will blink when the system enters suspend mode(S1).

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 28 -

Pin No. Definition

1 MPD+

2 MPD-

3 MPD-

13) BATTERY

Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.

Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the

manufacturer.

Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions.

If you want to erase CMOS...

1. Turn off the computer and unplug the power cord.

2. Gently take out the battery and put it aside for about one minute.

(Or you can use a metal object to connect the positive and negative

pins in the battery holder to make them short for five seconds.)

3. Re-install the battery.

4. Plug the power cord in and turn on the computer.

14) F_PANEL (Front Panel Jumper)

Please connect the power LED, PC speaker, reset switch and power switch etc. of your chassis front panel to the F_PANEL connector according to the pin assignment below.

Message LED/

Power/

Sleep LED

2 1

MSG+

HD+

Switch

MSG-

HD-

Power

PW+

PW-

RES+

RES-

Speaker Connector

SPEAK+

SPEAK-

English

Reset Switch

IDE Hard Disk Active LED

MSG (Message LED/Power/Sleep LED) Pin 1: LED anode(+) (Yellow) Pin 2: LED cathode(-) PW (Power Switch) Open: Normal (Red) Cl ose: Pow er O n/Of f SPEAK (Speaker Connector) Pin 1: Power (Amber) Pin 2- Pin 3: NC

Pin 4: Data(-) HD (IDE Hard Disk Active LED) Pin 1: LED anode(+) (Blue) Pin 2: LED cathode(-) RES (Reset Switch) Open: Normal (Green) Close: Reset Hardware System NC ( Purple) NC

Hardware Installation- 29 -

English

15) F_AUDIO (Front Audio Connector)

This connector supports either HD (High Definition) or AC97 front panel audio module. If you wish to use the front audio function, connect the front panel audio module to this connector. Check the pin assignments carefully while you connect the front panel audio module. Incorrect connection between the module and connector will make the audio device unable to work or even damage it. For optional front panel audio module, please contact your chassis manufacturer.

910

HD Audio:

Pin No. Definition

1 MIC2_L

2 GND

3 MIC2_R

4 -ACZ_DET

5 LINE2_R

6 FSENSE1

7 FAUDIO_JD

8 No Pin

9 LINE2_L

10 FSENSE2

By default, the audio driver is configured to support HD Audio. To connect an AC97 front panel audio module to this connector, please refer to the instructions on page 101 about the software settings.

AC'97 Audio:

Pin No. Definition

1 MIC

2 GND

3 MIC Power

4NC

5 Line Out (R)

6NC

7NC

8 No Pin

9 Line Out (L)

10 NC

16) CD_IN (CD IN Connector)

Connect CD-ROM or DVD-ROM audio out to the connector.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 30 -

Pin No. Definition

1 CD-L

2 GND

3 GND

4 CD-R

17) SPDIF_IN (S/PDIF In Connector)

Use S/PDIF IN feature only when your device has digital output function. Be careful with the polarity of the SPDIF_IN connector. Check the pin assignment carefully while you connect the S/PDIF cable, incorrect connection between the cable and connector will make the device unable to work or even damage it. For optional S/PDIF cable, please contact your local dealer.

Pin No. Definition

1 Power

2 SPDIFI

3 GND

18) F_ USB1 / F_USB2 / F_USB3 (Front USB Connector)

Be careful with the polarity of the front USB connector. Check the pin assignment carefully while you connect the front USB cable, incorrect connection between the cable and connector will make the device unable to work or even damage it. For optional front USB cable, please contact your local dealer.

English

910

Pin No. Definition

1 Power (5V)

2 Power (5V)

3 USB DX-

4 USB DY-

5 USB DX+

6 USB DY+

7 GND

8 GND

9 No Pin

10 NC

Hardware Installation- 31 -

English

19) F1_1394 / F2_1394 (Front IEEE 1394 Connector)

Serial interface standard set by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which has features like high speed, high bandwidth and hot plug. Be careful with the polarity of the IEEE 1394 connector. Check the pin assignment carefully while you connect the IEEE 1394 cable, incorrect connection between the cable and connector will make the device unable to work or even damage it. For optional IEEE 1394 cable, please contact your local dealer.

Pin No. Definition

1TPA+

2TPA-

3 GND

4 GND

5 TPB+

6 TPB-

7 Power (12V)

8 Power (12V)

9 No Pin

10 GND

20) LPT Connector

The LPT connector allows connection of a printer, scanner and other peripheral devices.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 32 -

Pin No. Definition

1 STB-

2 AFD-

3 PD0

4 ERR-

5 PD1

6 INIT-

7 PD2

8 SLIN-

9 PD3

10 GND

11 PD4

12 GND

13 PD5

Pin No. Definition

14 GND

15 PD6

16 GND

17 PD7

18 GND

19 ACK-

20 GND

21 BUSY

22 GND

23 PE

24 No Pin

25 SLCT

26 GND

21) TPM Connector (Trusted Platform Module)

Please contact your nearest dealer for optional TPM cable.

English

Pin No. Definition

1 LCLK

2 GND

3 LFRAME

4 No Pin

5 LRESET

6 VCC5

7 LAD3

8 LAD2

9 VCC3

10 LAD1

Pin No. Definition

11 LAD0

12 GND

13 RSVO

14 RSV1

15 SB3V

16 SERIRQ

17 GND

18 CLKRUN

19 LPCPD

20 RSV2

22) CI (Chassis Intrusion, Case Open)

This 2-pin connector allows your system to detect if the chassis cover is removed. You can check the "Case Opened" status in BIOS Setup.

Pin No. Definition

1 Signal

2 GND

Hardware Installation- 33 -

English

23) CLR_CMOS (Clear CMOS)

You may clear the CMOS data to its default values by this header. To clear CMOS, temporarily short the two pins. Default doesn't include the jumper to avoid improper use of this header.

Open: Normal

Short: Clear CMOS

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 34 -

Chapter 2 BIOS Setup

BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) includes a CMOS SETUP utility which allows user to configure required settings or to activate certain system features. The CMOS SETUP saves the configuration in the CMOS SRAM of the motherboard. When the power is turned off, the battery on the motherboard supplies the necessary power to the CMOS SRAM. When the power is turned on, pressing the <Del> button during the BIOS POST (Power-On Self Test) will take you to the CMOS SETUP screen. You can enter the BIOS setup screen by pressing "Ctrl + F1". If you wish to upgrade to a new BIOS, either Gigabyte's Q-Flash or @BIOS utility can be used. Q-Flash allows the user to quickly and easily update or backup BIOS without entering the operating system. @BIOS is a Windows-based utility that does not require users to boot to DOS before upgrading BIOS but directly download and update BIOS from the Internet.

CONTROL KEYS

< > < > < > < > Move to select item <Enter> Select Item <Esc> Main Menu - Quit and not save changes into CMOS Status Page Setup Menu

and Option Page Setup Menu - Exit current page and return to Main Menu <Page Up> Increase the numeric value or make changes <Page Down> Decrease the numeric value or make changes <F1> General help, only for Status Page Setup Menu and Option Page Setup Menu <F2> Item Help <F5> Restore the previous CMOS value from CMOS, only for Option Page Setup

Menu <F6> Load the fail-safe default CMOS value from BIOS default table <F7> Load the Optimized Defaults <F8> Dual BIOS/Q-Flash utility <F9> System Information <F10> Save all the CMOS changes, only for Main Menu <F11> Save CMOS to BIOS - CMOS Profiles <F12> Load CMOS from BIOS - CMOS Profiles

English

Main Menu

The on-line description of the highlighted setup function is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Status Page Setup Menu / Option Page Setup Menu

Press F1 to pop up a small help window that describes the appropriate keys to use and the possible selections for the highlighted item. To exit the Help Window press <Esc>.

Because BIOS flashing is potentially risky, please do it with caution and avoid inadequate operation that may result in system malfunction.

BIOS Setup- 35 -

English

Startup Screen:

<TAB>:POST Screen <DEL>:BIOS Setup/Dual BIOS <F9>:XpressRecovery2 <F12>:Boot Menu <End>: Qflash

<TAB> : POST Screen

Press the TAB key to see BIOS POST screen.

(To show the BIOS POST screen at system startup, refer to the instructions on the Full Screen LOGO Show item on page 42.)

<DEL> : BIOS Setup/Dual BIOS

Press the DELETE key to enter BIOS Setup program.

<F9> : Xpress Recovery2

Press the F9 key to enter the Xpress Recovery2 screen.

<F12> : Boot Menu

Press the F12 key to enter Boot Menu to select the first boot device.

<End> : Qflash

Press the End key to enter Q-Flash utility.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 36 -

The Main Menu (For example: BIOS Ver. : FAa)

Once you enter Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility, the Main Menu (as figure below) will appear on the screen. Use arrow keys to select among the items and press <Enter> to accept or enter the sub-menu.

 Standard CMOS Features

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

ESC: Quit : Select Item F11: Save CMOS to BIOS

F8: Dual BIOS/Q-Flash F10: Save & Exit Setup F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Time, Date, Hard Disk Type...

1. If you don’t find the settings you want, press "Ctrl+F1" to access advanced options.

2. Select the Load Optimized Defaults item in the BIOS Setup when somehow the system is not stable as usual. This action makes the system reset to the default settings for stability.

3. The BIOS Setup menus described in this chapter are for reference only and may differ from the exact settings for your motherboard.

BIOS Setting Recovery

 F11 : Save CMOS to BIOS

This function allows you to make a record of the current CMOS settings as a profile. You can create up to 8 profiles (Profile 1-8) and give each of them a name.

 F12 : Load CMOS from BIOS

If your system becomes unstable and you load the default BIOS settings, you can use this function to reload the CMOS settings with a CMOS settings profile created before, without the hassles of resetting the CMOS configurations.

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

English



 Standard CMOS Features



This setup page includes all the items in standard compatible BIOS.



 Advanced BIOS Features



This setup page includes all the items of Award special enhanced features.



 Integrated Peripherals



This setup page includes all onboard peripherals.



 Power Management Setup



This setup page includes all the items of Green function features.



 PnP/PCI Configuration



This setup page includes all the configurations of PCI & PnP ISA resources.



 PC Health Status



This setup page is the System auto detect Temperature, voltage, fan, speed.

BIOS Setup- 37 -

English



 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)



This setup page is control CPU clock and frequency ratio.



 Load Fail-Safe Defaults



Fail-Safe Defaults indicates the value of the system parameters which the system would be in safe configuration.



 Load Optimized Defaults



Optimized Defaults indicates the value of the system parameters which the system would be in best performance configuration.



 Set Supervisor Password



Change, set, or disable password. It allows you to limit access to the system and Setup, or just to Setup.



 Set User Password



Change, set, or disable password. It allows you to limit access to the system.



 Save & Exit Setup



Save CMOS value settings to CMOS and exit setup.



 Exit Without Saving



Abandon all CMOS value changes and exit setup.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 38 -

2-1 Standard CMOS Features

Date (mm:dd:yy) Fri, Apr 20 2007 Time (hh:mm:ss) 22:31:24

 IDE Channel 0 Master [None]  IDE Channel 0 Slave [None]  IDE Channel 2 Master [None]  IDE Channel 3 Master [None]  IDE Channel 4 Master [None]  IDE Channel 5 Master [None]  IDE Channel 6 Master [None]  IDE Channel 7 Master [None]

Drive A [1.44M, 3.5"] Floppy 3 Mode Support [Disabled]

Halt On [All, But Keyboard]

Base Memory 1664K Extended Memory 511M

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Date

The date format is <week>, <month>, <day>, <year>.

Week The week, from Sun to Sat, determined by the BIOS and is display-only Month The month, Jan. Through Dec. Day The day, from 1 to 31 (or the maximum allowed in the month) Year The year, from 2000 through 2099

Time

The times format in <hour> <minute> <second>. The time is calculated base on the 24-hour militarytime clock. For example, 1 p.m. is 13:0:0.

IDE Channel 0 Master, Slave

IDE HDD Auto-Detection

Press "Enter" to select this option for automatic device detection.

IDE Device Setup. You can use one of three methods:

• Auto Allows BIOS to automatically detect IDE/SATA devices during POST(default)

• None Select this if no IDE/SATA devices are used and the system will skip the

automatic detection step and allow for faster system start up.

• Manual User can manually input the correct settings.

Access Mode Use this to set the access mode for the hard drive. The four options are:

CHS/LBA/Large/Auto(default:Auto)

IDE Channel 2/3/4/5/6/7 Master

IDE HDD Auto-Detection

Press "Enter" to select this option for automatic device detection.

Extended IDE Drive. You can use one of two methods:

• Auto Allows BIOS to automatically detect IDE/SATA devices during POST(default)

• None Select this if no IDE/SATA devices are used and the system will skip the

automatic detection step and allow for faster system start up.

Standard CMOS Features

Item Help Menu Level

English

BIOS Setup- 39 -

English

Access Mode Use this to set the access mode for the hard drive. The two options are:

Large/Auto(default:Auto) Capacity Capacity of currectly installed hard drive. Cylinder Number of cylinders

Head Number of heads Precomp Write precomp Landing Zone Landing zone Sector Number of sectors

Drive A

The category identifies the types of floppy disk drive A that has been installed in the computer.

None No floppy drive installed. 360K, 5.25" 5.25 inch PC-type standard drive; 360 K byte capacity.

1.2M, 5.25" 5.25 inch AT-type high-density drive; 1.2 M byte capacity. (3.5 inch when 3 Mode is Enabled).

720K, 3.5" 3.5 inch double-sided drive; 720 K byte capacity.

1.44M, 3.5" 3.5 inch double-sided drive; 1.44 M byte capacity.

2.88M, 3.5" 3.5 inch double-sided drive; 2.88 M byte capacity.

Floppy 3 Mode Support (for Japan Area)

Disabled Normal Floppy Drive. (Default value) Drive A Drive A is 3 mode Floppy Drive.

Halt on

The category determines whether the computer will stop if an error is detected during power up.

No Errors The system boot will not stop for any error that may be detected and you

will be prompted.

All Errors Whenever the BIOS detects a non-fatal error the system will be stopped. All, But Keyboard The system boot will not stop for a keyboard error; it will stop for all other

errors. (Default value)

All, But Diskette The system boot will not stop for a disk error; it will stop for all other errors. All, But Disk/Key The system boot will not stop for a keyboard or disk error; it will stop for all

other errors.

Memory

The category is display-only which is determined by POST (Power On Self Test) of the BIOS.

Base Memory

The POST of the BIOS will determine the amount of base (or conventional) memory installed in the system. The value of the base memory is typically 512 K for systems with 512 K memory installed on the motherboard, or 640 K for systems with 640 K or more memory installed on the motherboard.

Extended Memory

The BIOS determines how much extended memory is present during the POST. This is the amount of memory located above 1 MB in the CPU's memory address map.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 40 -

2-2 Advanced BIOS Features

 Hard Disk Boot Priority [Press Enter]

First Boot Device [Floppy] Second Boot Device [Hard Disk] Third Boot Device [CDROM] Password Check [Setup] HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability [Disabled] CPU Hyper-Threading Limit CPUID Max. to 3 No-Execute Memory Protect CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) CPU EIST Function Virtualization Technology Full Screen LOGO Show [Enabled] Init Display First [PEG]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

(Note)

Hard Disk Boot Priority

Select boot sequence for onboard(or add-on cards) SCSI, RAID, etc. Use < > or < > to select a device, then press<+> to move it up, or <-> to move it down the list. Press <ESC> to exit this menu.

First / Second / Third Boot Device

Floppy Select your boot device priority by Floppy. LS120 Select your boot device priority by LS120. Hard Disk Select your boot device priority by Hard Disk. CDROM Select your boot device priority by CDROM. ZIP Select your boot device priority by ZIP. USB-FDD Select your boot device priority by USB-FDD. USB-ZIP Select your boot device priority by USB-ZIP. USB-CDROM Select your boot device priority by USB-CDROM. USB-HDD Select your boot device priority by USB-HDD. Legacy LAN Select your boot device priority by Legacy LAN. Disabled Disable this function.

Password Check

Setup The system will boot but will not access to Setup page if the correct

password is not entered at the prompt. (Default value)

System The system will not boot and will not access to Setup page if the correct

password is not entered at the prompt.

Advanced BIOS Features

(Note)

[Enabled] [Disabled] [Enabled] [Enabled] [Enabled] [Enabled] [Enabled]

Item Help Menu Level

English

(Note) This item will show up when you install a processor that supports this function.

BIOS Setup- 41 -

English

HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability

This feature allows your hard disk to report read/write errors and to issue warnings when thirdparty hardware monitor utility is installed.

Enabled Enable HDD S.M.A.R.T. capability. Disabled Disable HDD S.M.A.R.T. capability. (Default value)

CPU Hyper-Threading

(Note)

Enabled Enable CPU Hyper Threading Feature. Please note that this feature is only

working for operating system with multi processors mode supported. (Default value)

Disabled Disable CPU Hyper Threading.

Limit CPUID Max. to 3

(Note)

Enabled Limit CPUID Maximum value to 3 when use older OS like NT4. Disabled Disable CPUID Limit for windows XP. (Default value)

No-Execute Memory Protect

(Note)

Enabled Enable No-Execute Memory Protect function. (Default value) Disabled Disable No-Execute Memory Protect function.

CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)

(Note)

Enabled Enable CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) function. (Default value) Disabled Disable CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) function.

CPU Thermal Monitor 2 (TM2)

(Note)

Enabled Enable CPU Thermal Monitor 2 (TM2) function. (Default value) Disabled Disable CPU Thermal Monitor 2 (TM2) function.

CPU EIST Function

(Note)

Enabled Enable CPU EIST function. (Default value) Disabled Disable CPU EIST function.

Virtualization Technology

(Note)

Enabled Enable Virtualization Technology function. (Default value) Disabled Disable Virtualization Technology function.

Full Screen LOGO Show

Enabled Show full screen logo at system startup. (Default value) Disabled Disable this function. If you wish to see BIOS POST screen, set this item to

"Disabled".

Init Display First

This feature allows you to select the first initiation of the monitor display from which card when you install a PCI card and a PCI Express VGA card on the motherboard.

PCI Set Init Display First to PCI VGA card. PEG Set Init Display First to PCI Express VGA card (the PCIE_16_1 slot).

(Default value) PEG(Slot2) Set Init Display First to PCI Express VGA card (the PCIE_8 slot). PEG(Slot3) Set Init Display First to PCI Express VGA card (the PCIE_16_2 slot).

(Note) This item will show up when you install a processor that supports this function.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 42 -

2-3 Integrated Peripherals

On-Chip IDE Channel0 [Enabled] IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled] NV Serial-ATA Controller [All Enabled]

 Serial-ATA RAID Config [Press Enter]

Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 [Enabled] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 Mode [IDE] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 [Enabled] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 Mode [IDE] On-Chip MAC Lan [Auto] On-Chip MAC1 Lan [Auto]

 On-Chip SMART LAN [Press Enter]

Onboard LAN1 Controller [Enabled] Onboard LAN2 Controller [Enabled] Onboard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled] Onboard Audio Function [Auto] On-Chip USB [V1.1+V2.0] USB Keyboard Support [Disabled] USB Mouse Support [Disabled] Onboard 1394 [Enabled]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Integrated Peripherals

Item Help Menu Level

English

Legacy USB storage detect [Enabled] Onboard Serial Port 1 [3F8/IRQ4] Onboard Parallel Port [378/IRQ7] Parallel Port Mode [SPP]

x ECP Mode Use DMA 3

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Integrated Peripherals

Item Help Menu Level

BIOS Setup- 43 -

English

On-Chip IDE Channel0

Enabled Enable onboard 1st channel IDE port. (Default value)

Disabled Disable onboard 1st channel IDE port.

IDE Prefetch Mode

Enabled Enable IDE data buffer to enhance HDD transfer speed. (Default value)

Disabled Disable IDE data buffer for the system stability.

NV Serial-ATA Controller

All Enabled Enable NV Serial-ATA Controller function. (Default value) SATA-1 Enable NV SATA-1 function. SATA-1+2 Enable NV SATA-1+2 function Disabled Disable this function.

Serial-ATA RAID Config

NV SATA RAID function [Disabled]

x NV SATA 1 Primary RAID Enabled x NV SATA 1 Secondary RAID Enabled x NV SATA 2 Primary RAID Enabled x NV SATA 2 Secondary RAID Enabled x NV SATA 3 Primary RAID Enabled x NV SATA 3 Secondary RAID Enabled

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Serial-ATA RAID Config

Item Help Menu Level

NV SATA RAID function

Enabled Enable NV SATA RAID function. Disabled Disable NV SATA RAID function. (Default value)

NV SATA 1 Primary RAID

Enabled Enable NV SATA 1 primary RAID function. Disabled Disable this function. (Default value)

NV SATA 1 Secondary RAID

Enabled Enable NV SATA 1 secondary RAID function. Disabled Disable this function. (Default value)

NV SATA 2 Primary RAID

Enabled Enable NV SATA 2 primary RAID function. Disabled Disable this function. (Default value)

NV SATA 2 Secondary RAID

Enabled Enable NV SATA 2 secondary RAID function. Disabled Disable this function. (Default value)

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 44 -

NV SATA 3 Primary RAID

Enabled Enable NV SATA 3 primary RAID function. Disabled Disable this function. (Default value)

NV SATA 3 Secondary RAID

Enabled Enable NV SATA 3 secondary RAID function. Disabled Disable this function. (Default value)

Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 (GSATAII1-0 / GSATAII1-1 connectors)

Enabled Enable onboard SATA-II ctrl1 function. (Default value) Disabled Disable onboard SATA-II ctrl1 function.

Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 Mode

This function allows users to decide the operating mode of the SATA-II Ctrl1 (GSATAII1-0 / GSATAII1-1) ports controlled by the Gigabyte SATA2 controller.

IDE Set the SATA-II Ctrl1 channel to IDE mode. (Default value) AHCI Set the SATA-II Ctrl1 channel to AHCI mode. Advanced Host Controller Inteface

(AHCI) is an interface specification that allows the storage driver to enable advanced Serial ATA features such as Native Command Queuing and hot plug. For more details about AHCI, please visit Intel's website.

RAID Set the SATA-II Ctrl1 channel to RAID mode.

Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 (GSATAII2-0 / GSATAII2-1 connectors)

Enabled Enable onboard SATA-II ctrl2 function. (Default value) Disabled Disable onboard SATA-II ctrl2 function.

Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 Mode

This function allows users to decide the operating mode of the SATA-II Ctrl2 (GSATAII2-0 / GSATAII2-1) ports controlled by thete Gigabyte SATA2 controller.

IDE Set the SATA-II Ctrl2 channel to IDE mode. (Default value) AHCI Set the SATA-II Ctrl2 channel to AHCI mode. Advanced Host Controller Inteface

RAID Set the SATA-II Ctrl2 channel to RAID mode.

On-Chip MAC Lan (LAN1)

Auto Auto-detect onboard LAN chip function. (Default value) Disabled Disable onboard LAN chip function.

On-Chip MAC1 Lan (LAN2)

Auto Auto-detect onboard LAN1 chip function. (Default value) Disabled Disable onboard LAN1 chip function.

English

BIOS Setup- 45 -

English

On-Chip SMART LAN (LAN Cable Diagnostic Function) (For LAN1/LAN2)

Start detecting at Port 0.

Pair1-2 Status = Normal / Length = N/A

Pair3-6 Status = Normal / Length = N/A

Pair4-5 Status = Normal / Length = N/A

Pair7-8 Status = Normal / Length = N/A

Start detecting at Port 1.

Pair1-2 Status = Normal / Length = N/A

Pair3-6 Status = Normal / Length = N/A

Pair4-5 Status = Normal / Length = N/A

Pair7-8 Status = Normal / Length = N/A

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

This motherboard incorporates cable diagnostic feature designed to detect the status of the attached LAN cable. This feature will detect cabling issue and report the approximate distance to the fault or short. Refer to the following information for diagnosing your LAN cable:

When LAN Cable Is Functioning Normally...

1. If no cable problem is detected on the LAN cable connected to a Gigabit hub, the Status fields of Pair 1-2, Pair 3-6, Pair 4-5, and Pair 7-8 will show Normal and the Length fields will show

N/A, as shown in the figure above.

2. If no cable problem is detected on the LAN cable connected to a 10/100 Mbps hub, the Status fields of Pair 1-2 and Pair 3-6 will show Normal and the Length fields will show N/A. However, because Pair 4-5 and Pair 7-8 are not used in a 10/100 Mbps environment, their Status fields will show Short or Open, and the length shown is the approximate length of the attached LAN cable.

SMART LAN

Item Help Menu Level

When a Cable Problem Occurs...

If a cable problem occurs on a specified pair of wires, the Status field will show Short or Open and the length shown will be the approximate distance to the fault or short. For example, if it shows Pair1-2 Status = Short / Length = 1.6m, it means that a fault or short might occur at about 1.6m on Pair 1-2.

When No LAN Cable Is Attached... If no LAN cable is attached to the motherboard, the Status fields of all four pairs of wires will show Open.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 46 -

Onboard LAN1 Controller (The upper LAN connector of the back panel Dual LAN connectors)

Enabled Enable onboard LAN1 controller function. (Default value) Disabled Disable onboard LAN1 controller function.

Onboard LAN2 Controller (The lower LAN connector of the back panel Dual LAN connectors)

Enabled Enable onboard LAN2 controller function. (Default value) Disabled Disable onboard LAN2 controller function.

Onboard LAN Boot ROM

This function decide whether to invoke the boot ROM of the onboard LAN chip.

Enabled Enable this function. Disabled Disable this function. (Default value)

Onboard Audio Function

Auto Auto-detect onboard audio function. (Default value) Disabled Disable this function.

On-Chip USB

V1.1+V2.0 Enable the USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 controllers. (Default value) V1.1 Enable only the USB 1.1 controller. Disabled Disable the onboard USB controller.

USB Keyboard Support

Enabled Enable USB keyboard support. Disabled Disable USB keyboard support. (Default value)

USB Mouse Support

Enabled Enable USB mouse support. Disabled Disable USB mouse support. (Default value)

Onboard 1394

Enabled Enable onboard IEEE 1394 function. (Default value) Disabled Disable this function.

Legacy USB storage detect

This option allows users to decide whether to detect USB storage devices, including USB flash drives and USB hard drives during POST.

Enabled BIOS will scan all USB storage devices. (Default value) Disabled Disable this function.

Onboard Serial Port 1

Auto BIOS will automatically setup the port 1 address. 3F8/IRQ4 Enable onboard Serial port 1 and address is 3F8/IRQ4. (Default value) 2F8/IRQ3 Enable onboard Serial port 1 and address is 2F8/IRQ3. 3E8/IRQ4 Enable onboard Serial port 1 and address is 3E8/IRQ4. 2E8/IRQ3 Enable onboard Serial port 1 and address is 2E8/IRQ3. Disabled Disable onboard Serial port 1.

English

BIOS Setup- 47 -

English

Onboard Parallel Port

Disabled Disable onboard LPT port. 378/IRQ7 Enable onboard LPT port and address is 378/IRQ7. (Default value) 278/IRQ5 Enable onboard LPT port and address is 278/IRQ5. 3BC/IRQ7 Enable onboard LPT port and address is 3BC/IRQ7.

Parallel Port Mode

SPP Using Parallel port as Standard Parallel Port. (Default value) EPP Using Parallel port as Enhanced Parallel Port. ECP Using Parallel port as Extended Capabilities Port. ECP+EPP Using Parallel port as ECP & EPP mode.

ECP Mode Use DMA

This option is available only when Parallel Port Mode is set to ECP or ECP+EPP.

3 Set ECP Mode Use DMA to 3. (Default value) 1 Set ECP Mode Use DMA to 1.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 48 -

2-4 Power Management Setup

ACPI Suspend Type [S1(POS)] Soft-Off by Power button [Instant-Off] PME Event Wake Up [Enabled] Modem Ring On [Enabled] USB Resume from Suspend [Disabled]

Power-On by Alarm [Disabled]

x Day of Month Alarm Everyday x Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm 0 : 0 : 0

HPET Support

Power On By Mouse [Disabled]

Power On By Keyboard [Disabled]

x KB Power ON Password Enter

AC Back Function [Soft-Off]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

(Note)

ACPI Suspend Type

S1(POS) Set ACPI suspend type to S1/POS(Power On Suspend). (Default value) S3(STR) Set ACPI suspend type to S3/STR(Suspend To RAM).

Soft-Off by Power button

Instant-Off Press power button then Power off instantly. (Default value) Delay 4 Sec. Press power button 4 seconds to Power off. Enter suspend if button is pressed

less than 4 seconds.

PME Event Wake Up

Disabled Disable this function. Enabled Enable PME Event Wake up. (Default value)

Modem Ring On

An incoming call via modem can awake the system from any suspend state.

Disabled Disable this function. Enabled Enable Modem Ring On function. (Default value)

USB Resume from Suspend

Disabled Disable this function. (Default value) Enabled Enable USB device wake up system from suspend mode.

Power-On by Alarm

You can enable the "Power-On by Alarm" item and key in Date/Time to power on system.

Disabled Disable this function. (Default value) Enabled Enable alarm function to POWER ON system.

If Power-On by Alarm is Enabled.

Day of Month Alarm : Everyday, 1~31 Time (hh: mm: ss) Alarm : (0~23) : (0~59) : (0~59)

Power Management Setup

[Enabled]

Item Help Menu Level

English

(Note) Supported on Vista operating system only.

BIOS Setup- 49 -

English

HPET Support

Disabled Disable this function. Enabled Enable support for High Precision Event Timer (HPET) funtion. (Default value)

(Note)

Power On By Mouse

Disabled Disable this function. (Default value) Double-Click Double click on PS/2 mouse left button to power on the system.

Power On By Keyboard

Disabled Disable this function. (Default value) Keyboard 98 If your keyboard have "POWER Key" button, you can press the key to power

on the system. Any KEY Press any key to power on the system. Password Enter from 1 to 5 characters to set the Keyboard Power On Password.

KB Power ON Password

When "Power On by Keyboard" is set to Password, you can set the password here.

Enter Input password (from 1 to 5 characters) and press Enter to set the Keyboard

Power On password.

AC Back Function

Soft-Off When AC-power back to the system, the system will be in "Off" state.

(Default value) Full-On When AC-power back to the system, the system always in "On" state.

(Note) Supported on Vista operating system only.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 50 -

2-5 PnP/PCI Configurations

PCI 1 IRQ Assignment [Auto] PCI 2 IRQ Assignment [Auto] PCI 3 IRQ Assignment [Auto]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

PCI 1 IRQ Assignment

Auto Auto assign IRQ to PCI 1. (Default value) 3,4,5,7,9,10,11,12,14,15 Set IRQ 3,4,5,7,9,10,11,12,14,15 to PCI 1.

PCI 2 IRQ Assignment

Auto Auto assign IRQ to PCI 2. (Default value) 3,4,5,7,9,10,11,12,14,15 Set IRQ 3,4,5,7,9,10,11,12,14,15 to PCI 2.

PCI 3 IRQ Assignment

Auto Auto assign IRQ to PCI 3. (Default value) 3,4,5,7,9,10,11,12,14,15 Set IRQ 3,4,5,7,9,10,11,12,14,15 to PCI 3.

PnP/PCI Configurations

Item Help

Menu Level

English

BIOS Setup- 51 -

English

2-6 PC Health Status

Reset Case Open Status [Disabled]

Case Opened Yes Vcore OK DDR2 1.8V OK +3.3V OK +12V OK Current System Temperature 32oC Current CPU Temperature 45oC Current CPU FAN Speed 3245 RPM Current SYSTEM FAN Speed 0 RPM Current POWER FAN Speed 0 RPM

CPU Warning Temperature [Disabled] CPU FAN Fail Warning [Disabled] SYSTEM FAN Fail Warning [Disabled] POWER FAN Fail Warning [Disabled] CPU Smart FAN Control [Enabled] CPU Smart FAN Mode [Auto] System Smart FAN Control [Enabled]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Reset Case Open Status

Disabled Don't reset case open status. (Default value) Enabled Clear case open status at next boot.

Case Opened

If the case is closed, Case Opened will show "No." If the case is opened, Case Opened will show "Yes." If you want to reset Case Opened value, enable Reset Case Open Status and save the change to CMOS, and then your computer will restart.

Current Voltage(V) Vcore / DDR2 1.8V / +3.3V / +12V

Detect system's voltage status automatically.

Current System/CPU Temperature

Detect system/CPU temperature automatically.

Current CPU/SYSTEM/POWER FAN Speed (RPM)

Detect CPU/system/power fan speed status automatically.

CPU Warning Temperature

60oC / 140oF Monitor CPU temperature at 60oC / 140oF. 70oC / 158oF Monitor CPU temperature at 70oC / 158oF. 80oC / 176oF Monitor CPU temperature at 80oC / 176oF. 90oC / 194oF Monitor CPU temperature at 90oC / 194oF. Disabled Disable this function. (Default value)

CPU/SYSTEM/POWER FAN Fail Warning

Disabled Disable CPU/system/power fan fail warning function. (Default value) Enabled Enable CPU/system/power fan fail warning function.

PC Health Status

Item Help

Menu Level 

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 52 -

CPU Smart FAN Control

Disabled Disable this function. Enabled When this function is enabled, CPU fan will run at different speed depending

(Note)

on CPU temperature. Users can adjust the fan speed with Easy Tune based on their requirements. (Default value)

CPU Smart FAN Mode

This option is available only when CPU Smart FAN Control is enabled.

Auto BIOS autodetects the type of CPU fan you installed and sets the optimal

CPU Smart FAN control mode for it. (Default value) Voltage Set to Voltage when you use a CPU fan with a 3-pin fan power cable. PWM Set to PWM when you use a CPU fan with a 4-pin fan power cable.

System Smart FAN Control

Disabled Disable this function. (Default value) Enabled When this function is enabled, system fan will run at different speed depend-

ing on system temperature. Users can adjust the fan speed with Easy Tune

based on their requirements.

English

(Note) Whether the CPU Smart FAN Control function is supported will depend on the CPU you install.

BIOS Setup- 53 -

English

2-7 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

 System Clock Setting [Press Enter]

Robust Graphics Booster [Auto] CPU Clock Ratio

******** System Voltage Optimized ********

System Voltage Control [Manual] DDR2 Voltage Control [Normal] NB/PCIE Voltage [Normal] SB/PCIE Voltage [Normal] FSB Voltage Control [Normal] HT-Link Voltage [Normal] SB Standby Voltage [Normal] CPU Voltage Control [Normal]

Normal CPU Vcore 1.40000V

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

(Note)

Incorrectly using these features may result in system instability or corruption. Doing a overclock or overvoltage on CPU, chipsets and memory modules may result in damages or shortened life expectancy to these components. Please be aware that the M.I.T. menu items are for power users only.

System Clock Setting

SLI-Ready Memory [Disable] Disable

FSB-Memory Clock Mode [Auto]

x FSB-Memory Ratio Auto x CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) Auto 133.3

Actual CPU Clock (Mhz) 133.3

x Memory Frequency (Mhz) Auto 800.0

Actual Memory Clock (Mhz) 800.0

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

[16X]

System Clock Setting

Item Help

Menu Level

Item Help

Menu Level

PCIE x16 Slot 1 Clock (Mhz) [Auto] 100

PCIE x8 Clock (Mhz) [Auto] 100

PCIE x16 Slot 2 Clock (Mhz) [Auto] 100

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

(Note) This item will show up when you install a processor that supports this function.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 54 -

SLI-Ready Memory

Allows you to use SLI-ready memory. The option is configurable only when SLI-ready memory is used. Options: Disable, CPUOC 0%~CPUOC 5%, CPUOC MAX and Expert

FSB-Memory Clock Mode

Auto BIOS will automatically setup the FSB-Memory Clock Mode. (Default value) Linked Set FSB-Memory Clock Mode to Linked. Unlinked Set FSB-Memory Clock Mode to Unlinked.

FSB-Memory Ratio

This option is available only when FSB-Memory Clock Mode is Linked.

Auto BIOS will automatically setup the FSB-Memory Ratio. (Default value) 1:1 Set FSB-Memory Ratio to 1:1. 5:4 Set FSB-Memory Ratio to 5:4. 3:2 Set FSB-Memory Ratio to 3:2. Sync Mode Set FSB-Memory Ratio to Sync Mode.

CPU Host Frequency

This option is available only when FSB-Memory Clock Mode is Linked or Unlinked.

100 ~ 650 Set CPU Host Frequency from 100 MHz to 650 MHz. The actual range depends on the CPU you install. If you use a 533 MHz FSB processor, please set CPU Host Frequency to 133 MHz. If you use an 800 MHz FSB processor, please set CPU Host Frequency to 200 MHz. If you use a 1066 MHz FSB processor, please set CPU Host Frequency to 266 MHz. If you use a 1333 MHz FSB processor, please set CPU Host Frequency to 333 MHz.

Actual CPU Clock (Mhz)

The values depend on CPU Host Frequency setting.

Memory Frequency (Mhz)

This option is available only when FSB-Memory Clock Mode is Unlinked.

400 ~ 1400 Set Memory Frequency from 400 MHz to 1400 MHz.

Actual Memory Clock (Mhz)

The values depend on Memory Frequency setting.

PCIE x16 Slot 1 Clock (Mhz)

Auto BIOS will automatically setup the PCIE x16 Slot 1 Clock. (Default value)

100 ~ 150 Set PCIE x16 Slot 1 Clock from 100 Mhz to 150 Mhz.

PCIe x8 Clock (Mhz)

Auto BIOS will automatically setup the PCIE x8 Clock. (Default value)

100 ~ 150 Set PCIE x8 Clock from 100 Mhz to 150 Mhz.

PCIE x16 Slot 2 Clock (Mhz)

Auto BIOS will automatically setup the PCIE x16 Slot 2 Clock. (Default value)

100 ~ 150 Set PCIE x16 Slot 2 Clock from 100 Mhz to 150 Mhz.

English

BIOS Setup- 55 -

English

Robust Graphics Booster

Select the options can enhance the VGA graphics card bandwidth to get higher performance.

Auto Set Robust Graphics Booster to Auto. (Default value)

Fast Set Robust Graphics Booster to Fast.

Turbo Set Robust Graphics Booster to Turbo.

CPU Clock Ratio

This setup option will automatically assign by CPU detection. The option will display "Locked" and read only if the CPU ratio is not changeable.

(Note)

System Voltage Control

Determines whether to manually set the system voltages. Auto lets BIOS automatically set the system voltages as required. Manual allows all voltage control items below to be configurable. (Default: Manual)

DDR2 Voltage Control

Please note that by overclocking your system through the increase of the DDR2 voltage, damage to the memory may occur.

Supports adjustable DDR2 voltage from 1.825V to 2.575V. (Default value: Normal)

NB/PCIE Voltage

Set the voltage settings for Northbridge, its PCI Express bus voltage.

Normal Set NB/PCIE voltage to Normal. (Default value)

+0.05V~+0.20V Set NB/PCIE voltage to +0.05V~+0.20V.

SB/PCIE Voltage

Set the voltage settings for Southbridge, its PCI Express bus voltage.

Normal Supply SB/PCIE voltage as Chipset requires. (Default value)

+0.05V~+0.55V Set SB/PCIE voltage to +0.05V~+0.55V.

FSB Voltage Control

Normal Supply FSB voltage as FSB required. (Default value)

+0.05V ~ +0.35V Increase FSB voltrage by 0.05V to 0.35V.

HT-Link Voltage

Set the voltage settings for the HT-Link between Southbridge and Northbridge.

Normal Supply HT-Link voltage as HT-Link requires. (Default value)

+0.05V~+0.35V Set HT-Link voltage to +0.05V~+0.35V.

SB Standby Voltage

Set the Southbridge standby voltage.

Normal Supply standby voltage as Southbridge requires. (Default value)

+0.10V~+0.20V Set Southbridge standby voltage to +0.10V~+0.20V.

CPU Voltage Control

Supports adjustable CPU vcore. The adjustable range is dependent on CPUs. (Default value: Normal) Please note that by overclocking your system through the increase of the CPU voltage, damage to the CPU or decrease in the CPU life expectancy may occur.

Normal CPU Vcore

Display your CPU's normal voltage.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 56 -

2-8 Load Fail-Safe Defaults

 Standard CMOS Features

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

ESC: Quit : Select Item F11: Save CMOS to BIOS

F8: Dual BIOS/Q-Flash F10: Save & Exit Setup F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Load Fail-Safe Defaults (Y/N)? N

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

Fail-Safe defaults contain the most appropriate values of the system parameters that allow minimum system performance.

2-9 Load Optimized Defaults

 Standard CMOS Features

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

ESC: Quit : Select Item F11: Save CMOS to BIOS

F8: Dual BIOS/Q-Flash F10: Save & Exit Setup F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Load Optimized Defaults (Y/N)? N

Load Optimized Defaults

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

English

Selecting this field loads the factory defaults for BIOS and Chipset Features which the system automatically detects.

BIOS Setup- 57 -

English

2-10 Set Supervisor/User Password

 Standard CMOS Features

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

ESC: Quit : Select Item F11: Save CMOS to BIOS

F8: Dual BIOS/Q-Flash F10: Save & Exit Setup F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Enter Password:

Change/Set/Disable Password

When you select this function, the following message will appear at the center of the screen to assist you in creating a password. Type the password, up to eight characters, and press <Enter>. You will be asked to confirm the password. Type the password again and press <Enter>. You may also press <Esc> to abort the selection and not enter a password. To disable password, just press <Enter> when you are prompted to enter password. A message "PASSWORD DISABLED" will appear to confirm the password being disabled. Once the password is disabled, the system will boot and you can enter Setup freely. The BIOS Setup program allows you to specify two separate passwords: SUPERVISOR PASSWORD and a USER PASSWORD. When disabled, anyone may access all BIOS Setup program function. When enabled, the Supervisor password is required for entering the BIOS Setup program and having full configuration fields, the User password is required to access only basic items. If you select "System" at "Password Check" in Advance BIOS Features Menu, you will be prompted for the password every time the system is rebooted or any time you try to enter Setup Menu. If you select "Setup" at "Password Check" in Advance BIOS Features Menu, you will be prompted only when you try to enter Setup.

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 58 -

2-11 Save & Exit Setup

 Standard CMOS Features

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

ESC: Quit : Select Item F11: Save CMOS to BIOS

F8: Dual BIOS/Q-Flash F10: Save & Exit Setup F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Save to CMOS and EXIT (Y/N)? Y

Save Data to CMOS

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

Type "Y" will quit the Setup Utility and save the user setup value to RTC CMOS. Type "N" will return to Setup Utility.

2-12 Exit Without Saving

 Standard CMOS Features

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

ESC: Quit : Select Item F11: Save CMOS to BIOS

F8: Dual BIOS/Q-Flash F10: Save & Exit Setup F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Quit Without Saving (Y/N)? N

Abandon all Data

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

English

Type "Y" will quit the Setup Utility without saving to RTC CMOS. Type "N" will return to Setup Utility.

BIOS Setup- 59 -

English

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 60 -

Chapter 3Drivers Installation

Pictures below are shown in Windows XP. Insert the driver CD-title that came with your motherboard into your CD-ROM drive, the driver CD-title will auto start and show the installation guide. If not, please double click the CD-ROM device icon in "My computer", and execute the Run.exe.

3-1 Install Chipset Drivers

After insert the driver CD, "Xpress Install" will scan automatically the system and then list all the drivers that recommended to install. Please pick the item that you want and press "install" followed the item; or you can press "Xpress Install" to install all items defaulted.

English

Some device drivers will restart your system automatically. After restarting your system the "Xpress Install" will continue to install other drivers. System will reboot automatically after install the drivers, afterward you can install others application.

For USB2.0 driver support under Windows XP operating system, please use Windows Service Pack. After install Windows Service Pack, it will show a question mark "?" in "Universal Serial Bus controller" under "Device Manager". Please remove the question mark and restart the system (System will auto-detect the right USB2.0 driver).

Drivers Installation- 61 -

English

3-2 Software Applications

This page displays all the tools that Gigabyte developed and some free software, you can choose anyone you want and press "install" to install them.

3-3 Driver CD Information

This page lists the contents of software and drivers in this CD-title.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 62 -

3-4 Hardware Information

This page lists all device you have for this motherboard.

3-5 Contact Us

Please see the last page for details.

English

Drivers Installation- 63 -

English

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 64 -

Chapter 4 Appendix

4-1 Unique Software Utilities

(Not all model support these Unique Software Utilities, please check your MB features.)

4-1-1 EasyTune 5 Introduction

EasyTune 5 presents the most convenient Windows based system performance enhancement and manageability utility. Featuring several powerful yet easy to use tools such as 1) Overclocking for enhancing system performance, 2) C.I.A. and M.I.B. for special enhancement for CPU and Memory, 3) Smart-Fan control for managing fan speed control of both CPU cooling fan and North-Bridge Chipset cooling fan, 4) PC health for monitoring system status.

User Interface Overview

(Note)

English

Button / Display Description

1. Overclocking Enters the Overclocking setting page

2. C.I.A. and M.I.B. Enters the C.I.A. and M.I.B. setting page

3. Smart-Fan Enters the Smart-Fan setting page

4. PC Health Enters the PC Health setting page

5. GO Confirmation and Execution button

6. "Easy Mode" & "Advance Mode" Toggles between Easy and Advance Mode

7. Display screen Display panel of CPU frequency

8. Function display LEDs Shows the current functions status

9. GIGABYTE Logo Log on to GIGABYTE website

10. Help button Display EasyTuneTM 5 Help file

11. Exit or Minimize button Quit or Minimize EasyTuneTM 5 software

(Note) EasyTune 5 functions may vary depending on different motherboards.

Appendix- 65 -

English

4-1-2 Xpress Recovery2 Introduction

Xpress Recovery2 is designed to provide quick backup and restoration of hard disk data. Supporting Microsoft operating systems including Windows XP/2000/NT/98/Me and DOS, and file systems including FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS, Xpress Recovery2 is able to back up data

on hard disks on PATA and SATA IDE controllers. After Xpress Recovery2 is executed from CD-ROM for the first time, it will stay permanent in your hard disk. If you wish to run Xpress Recovery2 later, you can simply press F9 during system bootup to enter Xpress Recovery2 without the CD-ROM.

System requirements:

1. Intel x86 platforms

2. At least 64M bytes of system memory

3. VESA-supported VGA cards

How to use the Xpress Recovery2

Initial access by booting from CD-ROM and subsequent access by pressing the F9 key: Steps: After entering BIOS Setup, go to Advanced BIOS Feature and set to boot from CD-ROM. Save

the settings and exit the BIOS Setup. Insert the provided driver CD into your CD-ROM drive. Upon system restart, the message which says "Boot from CD/DVD:" will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen. Press any key to enter Xpress Recovery2. After the steps above are completed, subsequent access to Xpress Recovery2 can be made by simply pressing the <F9> key during system power-on.

. . Boot from CD/DVD:

Press any key to startup XpressRecovery2.....

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 FAa . . . .

<DEL>:BIOS Setup/Dual BIOS <F9>: Xpress Recovery2 <F12>: Boot Menu <End>: Qflash 4/12/2007-NF68-6A61IG01C-00

Boot from CD/DVD:

<F9>: Xpress Recovery2

1. If you have already entered Xpress Recovery2 by booting from the CD-ROM, you can enter Xpress Recovery2 by pressing the <F9> key in the future.

2. System storage capacity and the reading/writing speed of the hard disk will affect the data backup speed.

3. It is recommended that Xpress Recovery2 be immediately installed once you complete installations of OS and all required drivers as well as software.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 66 -

The Main Screen of Xpress Recovery2

1. RESTORE:

Restore the backed-up data to your hard disk. (This button will not appear if there is no backup file.)

2. BACKUP:

Back up data from hard disk.

3. REMOVE:

Remove previously-created backup files to release disk space. (This button will not appear if there is no backup file.)

4. REBOOT:

Exit the main screen and restart the system.

Limitations:

1. Not compatible to Xpress Recovery.

2. For the use of Xpress Recovery2, a primary partition must be reserved.

3. Xpress Recovery2 will store the backup file at the end of the hard disk, so free space available on the hard disk for the backup file must be allocated in advance. (A minimum 4GB is recommended but the actual space is dependent on the size of the data to be backed up)

4. Capable of backing up hard disks installed with Windows operating systems including DOS and Windows XP/2000/NT/9x/Me.

5. USB hard disks are currently not supported.

6. Does not support RAID/AHCI (class code 0104/0106) hard disks.

7. Capable of backing up and restoring only the first physical hard disk.

Hard disks detection sequence is as follows:

a. PATA IDE primary channel b. PATA IDE secondary channel c. SATA IDE channel 1 d. SATA IDE channel 2 e. SATA IDE channel 3 f. SATA IDE channel 4

Precautions:

1. When using hard disks with more than 128 GB under Windows 2000, be sure to execute the EnableBigLba.exe program from the driver CD before data backup.

2. It is normal that data backup takes longer time than data restoration.

3. Xpress Recovery2 is compliant with the GPL regulations.

4. On a few motherboards based on Nvidia chipsets, BIOS update is required for Xpress Recovery2 to correctly identify RAID and SATA IDE mode. Please contact your motherboard manufacturer.

English

Appendix- 67 -

English

4-1-3 Flash BIOS Method Introduction

A. What is Dual BIOS Technology ?

Dual BIOS means that there are two system BIOS (ROM) on the motherboard, one is the Main BIOS and the other is Backup BIOS.

Under the normal circumstances, the system works on the Main BIOS. If the Main BIOS is corrupted or damaged, the Backup BIOS can take over while the system is powered on. This means that your PC will still be able to run stably as if nothing has happened in your BIOS.

B. How to use Dual BIOS and Q-Flash Utility?

a. After power on the computer, pressing <Del> immediately during POST (Power On Self Test) it will allow you to enter Award BIOS CMOS SETUP, then press <F8> to enter Dual BIOS / Q-Flash utility.

 Standard CMOS Features

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

ESC: Quit : Select Item F11: Save CMOS to BIOS

F8: Dual BIOS/Q-Flash F10: Save & Exit Setup F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Time, Date, Hard Disk Type...

b. Dual BIOS / Q-Flash Programming Utility

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

Boot From................................................. Main Bios

Main ROM Type/Size............................... SST 49LF004A 512K

Backup ROM Type/Size........................... SST 49LF004A 512K

Wide Range Protection Disable

PgDn/PgUp: Modify : Move ESC: Reset F10: Power Off

Dual BIOS Utility V2.02

Boot From Main Bios

Auto Recovery Enable

Halt On Error Disable

Keep DMI Data Enable

Copy Main ROM Data to Backup

Load Default Settings

Save Settings to CMOS

Q-Flash Utility

Update Main BIOS from Drive

Update Backup BIOS from Drive

Save Main BIOS to Drive

Save Backup BIOS to Drive

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 68 -

c. Dual BIOS Item explanation:

Wide Range Protection: Disable(Default), Enable

Status 1: If any failure (ex. Update ESCD failure, checksum error or reset? occurs in the Main BIOS, just before the Operating System is loaded and after the power is on, and that the Wide Range Protection is set to "Enable", the PC will boot from Backup BIOS automatically. Status 2: If the ROM BIOS on peripherals cards(ex. SCSI Cards, LAN Cards,..) emits signals to request restart of the system after the user make any alteration on it, the boot up BIOS will not be changed to the Backup BIOS.

Boot From : Main BIOS(Default), Backup BIOS

Status 1:

The user can set to boot from Main BIOS or Backup BIOS.

Status 2:

If one of the Main BIOS or the Backup BIOS fails, this item "Boot From : Main BIOS(Default)" will become gray and will not be changed by user.

Auto Recovery : Enable(Default), Disable

When one of the Main BIOS or Backup BIOS occurs checksum failure, the working BIOS will automatically recover the BIOS of checksum failure. (In the Power Management Setup of the BIOS Setting, if ACPI Suspend Type is set to Suspend to RAM, the Auto Recovery will be set to Enable automatically.) (If you want to enter the BIOS setting, please press "Del" key when the boot screen appears.)

Halt On Error : Disable(Default), Enable

If the BIOS occurs a checksum error or the Main BIOS occurs a WIDE RANGE PROTECTION error and Halt On Error set to Enable, the PC will show messages on the boot screen, and the system will pause and wait for the user's instruction.

If Auto Recovery :Disable, it will show <or the other key to continue.> If Auto Recovery :Enable, it will show <or the other key to Auto Recover.>

Keep DMI Data : Enable(Default), Disable

Enable: The DMI data won't be replaced by flashing new BIOS.(recommend) Disable: The DMI data will be replaced by flashing new BIOS.

Copy Main ROM Data to Backup

(If you boot from Backup ROM, this item will change to Copy Backup ROM Data to Main) Auto recovery message:

BIOS Recovery: Main to Backup

The means that the Main BIOS works normally and could automatically recover the Backup BIOS.

BIOS Recovery: Backup to Main

The means that the Backup BIOS works normally and could automatically recover the Main BIOS. (This auto recovery utility is set by system automatically and can’t be changed by user.)

Load Default Settings

Load dual BIOS default value.

Save Settings to CMOS

Save revised setting.

English

Appendix- 69 -

English

Method 1 : Q-Flash

Q-FlashTM is a BIOS update tool that allows the user to update BIOS without entering operating systems like MS-DOS or Windows.Embedded in the BIOS, the Q-FlashTM tool frees you from the hassles of

going through complicated BIOS flashing process.

Before Use:

Follow the steps below before using Q-Flash to update BIOS:

1. From GIGABYTE's website, download the latest compressed BIOS update file that matches your motherboard model

2. Extract the downloaded BIOS files and save the new BIOS file (e.g. N680SDQ6.F1) to your floppy diskor hard disk. Note: Q-Flash only supports hard disks or flash drives using FAT32/16/12 file system.

3. Restart the system. During BIOS POST, press the End key to enter Q-Flash. NOTE: Press the End key to enter Q-Flash if you wish to use hard drives in RAID/AHCI mode or hard drives attached to the independent IDE/SATA controller.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 FAa . . . .

<DEL>:BIOS Setup/Dual BIOS <F9>: Xpress Recovery2 <F12>: Boot Menu <End>: Qflash 4/12/2007-NF68-6A61IG01C-00

<End>: Qflash

Because BIOS flashing is potentially risky, please do it with caution and avoid inadequate operation that may result in system malfunction.

Updating the BIOS

Step 1: a. In the Dual BIOS / Q-Flash menu, use the UP or DOWN ARROW key to select Update Main BIOS

from Drive and press ENTER.

If you wish to back up the current BIOS file, use the Save Main BIOS to Drive function.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 70 -

b. Select the floppy drive or hard drive where the BIOS file is saved, such as "Floppy A" and

press ENTER.

English

Boot From................................................. Main Bios

Main ROM Type/Size............................... SST 49LF004A 512K

Backup ROM Type/Size........................... SST 49LF004A 512K

Wide Range Protection Disable

Floppy A <Drive> HDD 0-0 <Drive>

Total size : 0 Free size : 0 F5 : Refresh DEL : Delete

PgDn/PgUp: Modify : Move ESC: Reset F10: Power Off

Dual BIOS Utility V2.02

Boot From Main Bios

Auto Recovery Enable

Keep DMI Data Enable

0 file(s) found

Halt On Error Disable

Copy Main ROM Data to Backup

Load Default Settings

Save Settings to CMOS

Q-Flash Utility

Update Main BIOS from Drive

Update Backup BIOS from Drive

Save Main BIOS to Drive

Save Backup BIOS to Drive

c. Select the BIOS file and press ENTER.

Make sure again the BIOS file matches your motherboard model.

Step 2: The process of system reading the BIOS file from the floppy disk is displayed on the screen.

When the message "Are you sure to update BIOS?" appears, press ENTER. The BIOS update will begin and the current process will be displayed.

1. Do not turn off or restart the system when the system is reading/updating the BIOS.

2. Do not remove the floppy disk or hard drive/USB drive when the system is updating the BIOS.

Step 3: When the update process is complete, press any key to return to the Dual BIOS / Q-Flash main

menu.

Boot From................................................. Main Bios

Main ROM Type/Size............................... SST 49LF004A 512K

Backup ROM Type/Size........................... SST 49LF004A 512K

Wide Range Protection Disable

PgDn/PgUp: Modify : Move ESC: Reset F10: Power Off

Dual BIOS Utility V2.02

Boot From Main Bios

Auto Recovery Enable

Halt On Error Disable

Keep DMI Data Enable

!! Copy BIOS completed - Pass !!

Copy Main ROM Data to Backup

Please press any key to continue

Load Default Settings

Save Settings to CMOS

Q-Flash Utility

Update Main BIOS from Drive

Update Backup BIOS from Drive

Save Main BIOS to Drive

Save Backup BIOS to Drive

Appendix- 71 -

Step 4: Press ESC and then ENTER to exit Dual BIOS / Q-Flash and the system will restart. As the

system reboots, you will see the new BIOS version during POST.

English

Step 5: As the system reboots, press DELETE to enter BIOS Setup. Select Load Optimized De-

faults and press ENTER to load BIOS defaults. System will re-detect all peripherals devices

after BIOS update, so we recommend that you reload BIOS defaults.

 Standard CMOS Features

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

 MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)

ESC: Quit : Select Item F11: Save CMOS to BIOS

F8: Dual BIOS/Q-Flash F10: Save & Exit Setup F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Load Optimized Defaults (Y/N)? Y

Load Optimized Defaults

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

Press Y to load BIOS defaults

Step 6: Select Save & Exit Setup and then press Y to save settings to CMOS and exit BIOS Setup.

When the system restarts, the whole update process is complete.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 72 -

Method 2 : @BIOSTM Utility

If you do not have a DOS startup disk, we recommend that you use the new @BIOS utility. @BIOS allows users to update their BIOS under Windows. Just select the desired @BIOS server to download the latest version of BIOS.

Fig 1. Installing the @BIOS utility Fig 2. Installation Complete and Run @BIOS

Click Sart/ Programs/ GIGABYTE/@BIOS

Select @BIOS item than click Install

Fig 3. The @BIOS Utility Fig 4. Select the desired @BIOS server

English

Click "3"

Click "Update New BIOS"

1. Methods and steps:

I. Update BIOS through Internet

a. Click "Internet Update" icon b. Click "Update New BIOS" icon c. Select @BIOSTM sever d. Select the exact model name on your motherboard e. System will automatically download and update the BIOS.

II. Update BIOS NOT through Internet:

a. Do not click "Internet Update" icon b. Click "Update New BIOS" c. Please select "All Files" in dialog box while opening the old file. d. Please search for BIOS unzip file, downloading from internet or any other methods (such

as: N680SDQ6.F1).

e. Complete update process following the instruction.

Appendix- 73 -

English

III. Save BIOS In the very beginning, there is "Save Current BIOS" icon shown in dialog box. It means to save the current BIOS version.

IV. Check out supported motherboard and Flash ROM: In the very beginning, there is "About this program" icon shown in dialog box. It can help you check out which kind of motherboard and which brand of Flash ROM are supported.

2. Note:

I. In method I, if it shows two or more motherboard's model names to be selected, please make

sure your motherboard's model name again. Selecting wrong model name will cause the system unbooted.

II. In method II, be sure that motherboard's model name in BIOS unzip file are the same as your

motherboard's. Otherwise, your system won't boot.

III. In method I, if the BIOS file you need cannot be found in @BIOSTM server, please go onto

Gigabyte's web site for downloading and updating it according to method II. IV. Please note that any interruption during updating will cause system unbooted. V. Do not use @BIOS and C.O.M. (Corporate Online Management) at the same time.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 74 -

4-1-4 Configuring SATA Hard Drive(s)

To configure SATA hard drive(s), follow the steps below:

(1) Install SATA hard drive(s) in your system.

(2) Configure SATA controller mode and boot sequence in BIOS Setup.

(3) Configure RAID set in RAID BIOS.

(4) Make a floppy disk containing the SATA controller driver.

(5) Install the SATA controller driver during OS installation.

(Note 1)

(Note 1), (Note 2)

Before you begin

Please prepare: (a) At least two SATA hard drives (to ensure optimal performance, it is recommended that you use two

hard drives with identical model and capacity). If you do not want to create RAID, you may prepare only one hard drive.

(b) An empty formatted floppy disk. (c) Windows XP/2000 setup disk. (d) Driver CD for your motherboard.

A. nVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI Southbridge

(1) Installing SATA hard drive(s) in your computer

Attach one end of the SATA signal cable to the rear of the SATA hard drive and the other end to available SATA port(s) on the motherboard. If there are more than one SATA controller on your motherboard, refer to the connectors introduction section of the user's manual to identify the SATA controller for the connectors. (For example, on the GA-N680SLI-DQ6 motherboard, the SATAII0, SATAII1, SATAII2, SATAII3, SATAII4 and SATAII5 connectors are supported by the nVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI Southbridge.) Then connect the power connector from your power supply to the hard drive.

English

(Note 1) Required for setting up RAID array. (Note 2) Required when the SATA controller is set to AHCI Mode(Only for GIGABYTE SATA2

Controller).

Appendix- 75 -

English

(2) Configuring SATA controller mode and boot sequence in BIOS Setup

Make sure to configure the SATA controller mode correctly in system BIOS Setup and set the first boot device. Step 1: Turn on your computer and press Del to enter BIOS Setup during POST (Power-On Self Test). In the example in Figure 1, make sure that NV Serial-ATA Controller under the Integrated Peripherals menu is enabled. If you wish to create RAID array, press ENTER on the Serial-ATA RAID Config item to enter the submenu .

On-Chip IDE Channel0 [Enabled] IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled] NV Serial-ATA Controller [All Enabled]

 Serial-ATA RAID Config [Press Enter]

Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 [Enabled] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 Mode [IDE] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 [Enabled] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 Mode [IDE] On-Chip MAC Lan [Auto] On-Chip MAC1 Lan [Auto]

 On-Chip SMART LAN [Press Enter]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

To set up a RAID array, ensure that NV SATA RAID function is enabled (Figure 2), otherwise leave it disabled. Then enable the SATA channels with hard disks that you want to use for RAID (for example, NV SATA1 Primary RAID controls the SATAII0 connector and NV SATA 1 Secondary RAID controls the SATAII1 connector) (Figure 2).

NV SATA RAID function [Enabled] NV SATA 1 Primary RAID [Enabled] NV SATA 1 Secondary RAID [Enabled] NV SATA 2 Primary RAID [Disabled] NV SATA 2 Secondary RAID [Disabled] NV SATA 3 Primary RAID [Disabled] NV SATA 3 Secondary RAID [Disabled]

Integrated Peripherals

Figure 1

Serial-ATA RAID Config

Item Help Menu Level

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Figure 2

The BIOS Setup menus described in this section may not show the exact settings for your motherboard. The actual BIOS Setup menu options you will see shall depend on the motherboard you have and the BIOS version.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 76 -

Step 2: Set First Boot Device under the Advanced BIOS Features menu to CDROM to boot from CD-ROM after system restarts (Figure 3).

 Hard Disk Boot Priority [Press Enter]

First Boot Device [CDROM] Second Boot Device [Hard Disk] Third Boot Device [CDROM] Password Check [Setup] HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability [Disabled] CPU Hyper-Threading [Enabled] Limit CPUID Max. to 3 [Disabled] No-Execute Memory Protect [Enabled] CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) [Enabled] CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) [Enabled] CPU EIST Function [Enabled] Virtualization Technology [Enabled] Full Screen LOGO Show [Enabled] Init Display First [PEG]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Advanced BIOS Features

Item Help Menu Level

Figure 3

Step 3: Save and exit BIOS Setup.

English

Appendix- 77 -

English

(3) Configuring RAID set in RAID BIOS

Enter the RAID BIOS setup utility to configure a RAID array. Skip this step if you do not want to create RAID.

Step 1: After the POST memory test begins and before the operating system boot begins, look for a message which says "Press F10 to enter RAID setup utility" (Figure 4). Hit the F10 key to enter the RAID BIOS setup utility.

Detecting array ...

Press F10 to enter RAID setup utility ...

Figure 4

Step 2: The Define a New Array screen is the first option screen when you enter the NVIDIA RAID setup utility. (Figure 5). You can press the TAB key to highlight through options.

Step 3: In the RAID Mode field, use the UP or DOWN ARROW key to select a RAID mode. The supported RAID modes include Mirroring (default), Striping, Stripe Mirroring, Spanning and RAID 5. The following is an example of RAID 0 array creation.

Step 4: If RAID 0 (Striping) is selected, you can manually set the striping block size. In the Striping Block field, use the UP or DOWN ARROW key to set the Striping Block size. The KB is the standard unit of Striping Block size. We recommend you leaving it to the default setting--Optimal (64K). The size range is from 4K to 128K.

MediaShield Utility Nov 2 2006

- Define a New Array -

RAID Mode: Striping Striping Block: Optimal

Free Disks Port Disk Model Capacity

1 ST3120026AS 111.79GB 2 ST3120026AS 111.79GB

[ESC] Quit [F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [

[

Array Disks Port Disk Model Capacity



] Add





] Del



Figure 5

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 78 -



] Select [ENTER] Popup



Step 5: Next, select the hard drives which you wish to be included in the disk array. The Free Disks section displays the information about the currently installed SATA hard drives. Press the TAB key to move to the Free Disks section. Select the target hard drives using the UP or DOWN ARROW key and use the RIGHT ARROW key to add the hard drives to the Array Disks section (Figure 6).

MediaShield Utility Nov 2 2006

- Define a New Array -

RAID Mode: Striping Striping Block: Optimal

English

Free Disks Port Disk Model Capacity

[

[ESC] Quit [F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [

Array Disks Port Disk Model Capacity

1 ST3120026AS 111.79GB



] Add





] Del



2 ST3120026AS 111.79GB



] Select [ENTER] Popup



Figure 6

Step 6: Press F7 after selecting the target hard disks. A message which says "Clear disk data?" will appear (Figure 7). If you are sure to clear the data in the selected hard drives, press Y. (If the hard drives contain previously created RAID array, you need to press Y to clear the data from the hard drives.)

MediaShield Utility Nov 2 2006

- Define a New Array -

RAID Mode: Striping Striping Block: Optimal

Free Disks Port Disk Model Capacity

Clear disk data ?

[Y] YES [N] NO

[

[Y] YES [N] NO

[

Array Disks Port Disk Model Capacity

1.0.M ST3120026AS 111.79GB



] Add





] Del



1.1.M ST3120026AS 111.79GB

[ESC] Quit [F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [

Figure 7



] Select [ENTER] Popup



Appendix- 79 -

English

After that, the Array List screen displaying the RAID array you created will appear (Figure 8). (Note: BBS stands for BIOS Boot Specification. This indicates that the boot device is defined in the BIOS.)

MediaShield Utility Nov 2 2006

- Array List -

Boot Status Vendor Array Model Name

BBS Healthy NVIDIA STRIPE 223.57G

[Ctrl-X] Exit [



] Select [B] Set Boot [N] New Array [ENTER] Detail



Figure 8

To read more information about the RAID array, press ENTER to enter the Array Detail screen (Figure

9), where you should see detailed information about RAID mode, disk block size, disk model name, and disk capacity, etc.

Array 1: NVIDIA STRIPE 233.57G

- Array Detail -

RAID Mode: Striping Striping Width : 2 Striping Block: 64K

Port Index Disk Model Capacity

1.1 0 ST3120026AS 111.79GB

1.0 1 ST3120026AS 111.79GB

[R] Rebuild [D] Delete [C] Clear Disk [ENTER] Return

Figure 9

To delete the array, press D in the Array Detail screen. When the "Delete this array?" message appears, press Y to confirm or N to cancel. Press ENTER to return to the Array List screen.

To exit the Nvidia RAID utility, press ESC in the main menu or Ctrl+X in the Array List screen.

Now, you can proceed to install the SATA controller driver and operating system.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 80 -

(4) Making a SATA Driver Disk

To install operating system onto RAID disks successfully, you need to install the SATA RAID driver during OS installation. Without the driver, the hard disk may not be recognized during the Windows setup process. Skip this step if you do not want to create RAID. First of all, copy the driver for the SATA controller from the motherboard driver CD-ROM to a floppy disk. See the instructions below about how to copy the driver in MS-DOS mode formatted floppy disk.

Step 1: Insert the prepared startup disk and motherboard driver CD-ROM in your system. Boot from the startup disk. Once at the A:\> prompt, change to the CD-ROM drive (example: D:\>). At the D:\> prompt, type the following two commands. Press ENTER after each command (Figure 10):

cd bootdrv

Step 2: When the controller menu (Figure 11) appears, remove the startup disk and insert the blank formatted disk. Select the controller driver by pressing the corresponding letter from the menu. For example, from the menu in Figure 11, press G to select (G) NVIDIA nFORCE 600 Series Raid (XP) if you wish to install Windows XP (32-bit). Your system will then automatically zip and transfer this driver file to the floppy disk. Press 0 to exit when finished.

(Note)

. Prepare a startup disk that has CD-ROM support and a blank

English

Figure 10 Figure 11

(Note) For users without a startup disk: Use an alternative system and insert the GIGABYTE motherboard driver CD-ROM. From the CD-ROM drive folder, double click the MENU.exe file in the BootDrv folder (Figure 12). A command prompt window will open similar to that in Figure 11.

Figure 12

Appendix- 81 -

English

(5) Installing SATA controller driver during OS installation

Now that you have prepared the SATA driver disk and configured BIOS settings, you are ready to install Windows 2000/XP onto your SATA hard drive with the SATA driver. The following is an example of Windows XP installation.

Step 1: Restart your system to boot from the Windows 2000/XP Setup disk and press F6 as soon as you see the "Press F6 if you need to install a 3rd party SCSI or RAID driver" message (Figure 13). After pressing F6, there will be a few moments of some files being loaded before you see the next screen.

Windows Setup

Press F6 if you need to install a 3rd party SCSI or RAID driver.

Figure 13

Step 2: When a screen similar to that below appears, insert the floppy disk containing the SATA driver and press S (Figure 14).

Windows Setup

Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed in your system, or you have chosen to manually specify an adapter. Currently, Setup will load support for the following mass storage devices(s)

<none>

* To specify additional SCSI adapters, CD-ROM drives, or special

disk controllers for use with Windows, including those for which you have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer, press S.

* If you do not have any device support disks from a mass storage

device manufacturer, or do not want to specify additional mass storage devices for use with Windows, press ENTER.

S=Specify Additional Device ENTER=Continue F3=Exit

Figure 14

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 82 -

Step 3: If Setup correctly recognizes the driver in the floppy disk, a controller menu similar to Figure 15 below will appear. Use the ARROW keys to select NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER (Figure 15) and press ENTER. Later, when a screen similar to Figure 16 appears, you must press S to select additional driver. The screen will return to previous screen as shown in Figure 15. Select NVIDIA nForce Storage Controller and press ENTER.

Windows Setup

You have chosen to configure a SCSI Adapter for use with Windows, using a device support disk provided by an adapter manufacturer.

Select the SCSI Adapter you want from the following list, or press ESC to return to the previous screen.

NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER (required) NVIDIA nForce Storage Controller (required)

ENTER=Select F3=Exit

Figure 15

Windows Setup

Setup will load support for the following mass storage device(s):

NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER (required)

* To specify additional SCSI adapters, CD-ROM drives, or special

disk controllers for use with Windows, including those for which you have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer, press S.

* If you do not have any device support disks from a mass storage

device manufacturer, or do not want to specify additional mass storage devices for use with Windows, press ENTER.

English

S=Specify Additional Device Enter=Continue F3=Exit

Figure 16

If a message appears saying one or some file(s) cannot be found, please check the floppy disk or copy the correct SATA driver again from the motherboard driver CD.

Appendix- 83 -

English

Step 4: When the next screen (Figure 17) appears, press ENTER to continue the SATA driver installation from the floppy disk.

Windows Setup

Setup will load support for the following mass storage device(s):

NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER (required) NVIDIA nForce Storage Controller (required)

* To specify additional SCSI adapters, CD-ROM drives, or special

disk controllers for use with Windows, including those for which you have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer, press S.

* If you do not have any device support disks from a mass storage

device manufacturer, or do not want to specify additional mass storage devices for use with Windows, press ENTER.

S=Specify Additional Device ENTER=Continue F3=Exit

Figure 17

After the SATA controller driver installation is completed, you can proceed with the Windows 2000/XP installation.

WindowsXP Professional Setup

Welcome to Setup. This port of the Setup program prepares Microsoft(R) Windows (R) XP to run on your computer.

To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

Enter= Continue R=Repair F3=Exit

Figure 18

(Note: Each time you add a new hard drive to a RAID array, the RAID driver will have to be installed under Windows once for that hard drive. After that, the driver will not have to be installed.)

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 84 -

B. GIGABYTE SATA2 Controller

(1) Installing SATA hard drive(s) in your computer

Attach one end of the SATA signal cable to the rear of the SATA hard drive and the other end to available SATA port(s) on the motherboard. If there are more than one SATA controller on your motherboard, refer to the connectors introduction section of the user's manual to identify the SATA controller for the connectors. (For example, on the GA-N680SLI-DQ6 motherboard, the GSATAII0, GSATAII1, GSATAII2 and GSATAII3 connectors are supported by the GIGABYTE SATA2 controller.) Then connect the power connector from your power supply to the hard drive.

(2) Configuring SATA controller mode and boot sequence in BIOS Setup

Make sure to configure the SATA controller mode correctly in system BIOS Setup and set the first boot devce.

Step 1: Turn on your computer and press Del to enter BIOS Setup during POST (Power-On Self Test). In BIOS Setup, go to Integrated Periperals, ensure that the Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 or Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 is enabled. Then set Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 Mode or Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 Mode to RAID before configuring RAID. If you do not want to create RAID, set this item to IDE or AHCI, depending on your need (Figure 1).

On-Chip IDE Channel0 [Enabled] IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled] NV Serial-ATA Controller [All Enabled]

 Serial-ATA RAID Config [Press Enter]

Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 [Enabled] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 Mode [RAID] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 [Enabled] Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 Mode [RAID] On-Chip MAC Lan [Auto] On-Chip MAC1 Lan [Auto]

 On-Chip SMART LAN [Press Enter]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Integrated Peripherals

Item Help Menu Level

English

Figure 1

Appendix- 85 -

English

Step 2: To boot from Windows installation CD-ROM disk, set First Boot Device under the Advanced BIOS Features menu to CDROM (Figure 2).

 Hard Disk Boot Priority [Press Enter]

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults

Advanced BIOS Features

Item Help Menu Level

Figure 2

Step 3: Save and exit BIOS Setup.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 86 -

(3) Configuring RAID array in RAID BIOS

Enter the RAID BIOS setup utility to configure a RAID array. Skip this step if you do not want to create RAID.

Step 1: After the POST memory test begins and before the operating system boot begins, look for a message which says "Press <Ctrl-G> to enter RAID Setup Utility" (Figure 3). Press CTRL+ G to enter the GIGABYTE SATA2 RAID BIOS setup utility.

HDD0 : ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID HDD1 : ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID

Press <Ctrl-G> to enter RAID Setup Utility ...

Figure 3

In the main screen of the GIGABYTE SATA2 RAID BIOS utility (Figure 4), use the UP or DOWN ARROW key to highlight through choices. Highlight the item that you wish to execute and press ENTER.

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Main Menu ]

Create RAID Disk Drive

Delete RAID Disk Drive Revert HDD to Non-RAID Solve Mirror Conflict Rebuild Mirror Drive Save And Exit Setup Exit Without Saving

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID

English

[TAB]-Switch Window []-Select ITEM [ENTER]-Action [ESC]-Exit

Figure 4

Note: In the main screen, you can select a hard disk in the Hard Disk Drive List block and press ENTER. This allows you to check detailed information about the selected hard disk.

Appendix- 87 -

English

A. Create Array:

In the main screen, press ENTER on the Create RAID Disk Drive item. Then the RAID creation screen appears (Figure 5).

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Create New RAID ]

Name: GRAID_ Level: 0-Stripe Disks: Select Disk Block: 128 KB Size: 240 GB

Confirm Creation

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

[]-Move Cursor [DEL,BS]-Delete Character [ENTER]-Next [ESC]-Abort

In the RAID creation screen, the Create New RAID block displays all the items that need to be set for creating an array (Figure 5). The following procedure uses RAID 0 creation as an example.

Steps:

1. Enter Array Name: Under the Name item, enter an array name with 1~16 letters (letters cannot be

special characters) and press ENTER.

2. Select RAID Mode: Under the Level item, use UP or DOWN ARROW key to select RAID 0 (Stripe),

RAID 1 (Mirror), or JBOD (Figure 6). Then press ENTER to move onto the next step.

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Create New RAID ]

Name: GRAID Level: 0-Stripe Disks: Select Disk Block: 128 KB Size: 240 GB

Confirm Creation

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID

[ Help ]

Enter RAID Name

Enter a string between 1 to 16 characters in length for the created RAID drive to be identified by system BIOS or OS.

Figure 5

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID

[ Help ]

Select RAID Level

RAID 0 - Data striped for performance RAID 1 - Data mirrored for redundancy JBOD - Data concatenated for huge

temporarily disk required

[]-Switch RAID Level [ENTER]-Next [ESC]-Abort

Figure 6

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 88 -

3. Assign Array Disks: After RAID mode is selected, RAID BIOS automatically assigns the two hard

disks installed as the RAID disks.

4. Set Block Size (only for RAID 0): Under the Block item, use the UP or DOWN ARROW key to

select the block size (Figure 7), ranging from 4K to 128K. Press ENTER when finished.

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Create New RAID ]

Name: GRAID Level: 0-Stripe Disks: Select Disk Block: 128 KB Size: 240 GB

Confirm Creation

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

[]-Switch RAID Block Size [ENTER]-Next [ESC]-Abort

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status

 HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID  HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID

[ Help ]

Setting Stripe Block

Select a stripe size which will be used to divide data from/to seperate RAID members. The following are typical values:

RAID 0-128KB

Figure 7

5. Set Array Size: Under the Size item, type the size of the array (Figure 8), and press ENTER.

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Create New RAID ]

Name: GRAID Level: 0-Stripe Disks: Select Disk Block: 128 KB Size: 240 GB

Confirm Creation

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status

 HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID  HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID

[ Help ]

Setting RAID Capacity

Enter the RAID capacity. The default value indicates the maximum capacity determined by the selected members. If less than the maximum capacity is chosen, the remaining capacity would be no used.

English

[]-Switch Unit [DEL,BS]-Delete Number [ENTER]-Next [ESC]-Abort

Figure 8

Appendix- 89 -

English

6. Confirm Creation: After all of the items are configured, the selection bar automatically jumps to the Confirm Creation item. When prompted to confirm your selections (Figure 9), press Y to confirm

or N to abort.

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Create New RAID ]

Name: GRAID Level: 0-Stripe Disks: Select Disk Block: 128 KB Size: 240 GB

Confirm Creation

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

[]-Switch Unit [DEL,BS]-Delete Number [ENTER]-Next [ESC]-Abort

Create RAID on the select HDD(Y/N)?Y

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status

 HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID  HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB Non-RAID

[ Help ]

CONFIRM RAID CREATION

ALL DATA ON THE SELECTED HARD DISK WILL BE LOST WHEN EXIT WITH SAVING

Figure 9

When finished, the new RAID array will be displayed in the RAID Disk Drive List block (Figure 10).

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Main Menu ]

Create RAID Disk Drive

Delete RAID Disk Drive Revert HDD to Non-RAID Solve Mirror Conflict Rebuild Mirror Drive Save And Exit Setup Exit Without Saving

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

Model Name RAID Level Capacity Status Memb ers(HD Dx)

RDD0: GRAID 0-Stripe 240 GB Normal 01

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB RAID Inside HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB RAID Inside

[TAB]-Switch Window []-Select RAID [ENTER]-Action [ESC]-Exit

Figure 10

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 90 -

To check more detailed information about the array, use the TAB key while in the Main Menu block to move the selection bar to the RAID Disk Drive List block. Select the array and press ENTER. A small window displaying the array information will appear in the center of the screen (Figure 11).

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Main Menu ]

Create RAID Disk Drive Delete RAID Disk Drive Revert HDD to Non-RAID Solve Mirror Conflict Rebuild Mirror Drive Save And Exit Setup Exit Without Saving

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

Model Name RAID Level Capacity Status Memb ers(HD Dx)

RDD0: GRAID 0-Stripe 240 GB Normal 01

[TAB]-Switch Window []-Select RAID [ENTER]-Detail [ESC]-Exit

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB RAID Inside HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB RAID Inside

[ RAID Information ]

Name: JRAID

Level: 0-Stripe

Block: 128KB

Capacity: 240GB

Members: HDD 01

Status: Normal

Figure 11

After configuring the RAID array, select the Save And Exit Setup item in the main screen to save your settings if you wish to exit the RAID BIOS utility, then press Y (Figure 12).

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Main Menu ]

Create RAID Disk Drive Delete RAID Disk Drive Revert HDD to Non-RAID Solve Mirror Conflict Rebuild Mirror Drive

Save And Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

Model Name RAID Level Capacity Status Memb ers(HD Dx)

RDD0: GRAID 0-Stripe 240 GB Normal 01

Save to Disk & Exit (Y/N)?Y

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB RAID Inside HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB RAID Inside

English

[TAB]-Switch Window []-Select ITEM [ENTER]-Action [ESC]-Exit

Figure 12

Appendix- 91 -

English

B. Delete Array:

To delete the array, select Delete RAID Disk Drive in the main menu and press ENTER. The selection bar will move to the RAID Disk Drive List block. Press the SPACEBAR on the array to be deleted; a small triangle will appear to mark the selected array (Figure 13). Press Del.

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Main Menu ]

Create RAID Disk Drive

Delete RAID Disk Drive

Revert HDD to Non-RAID Solve Mirror Conflict Rebuild Mirror Drive Save And Exit Setup Exit Without Saving

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

Model Name RAID Level Capacity Status Memb ers(HD Dx)

 RDD0: GRAID 0-Stripe 240 GB Normal 01

[]-Select RAID [SPACE]-Mark Delete [DEL]-Confirm [ESC]-Abort

Press Y to confirm yes to the following message (Figure 14) or N to cancel.

GIGABYTE Technology Corp. PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.59

[ Main Menu ]

Create RAID Disk Drive

Delete RAID Disk Drive

Revert HDD to Non-RAID Solve Mirror Conflict Rebuild Mirror Drive Save And Exit Setup Exit Without Saving

[ RAID Disk Drive List ]

Model Name RAID Level Capacity Status Memb ers(HD Dx)

 RDD0: GRAID 0-Stripe 240 GB Normal 01

ALL DATA ON THE RAID WILL LOST!! ARE YOU SURE TO DELETE (Y/N)? N

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB Inside HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB Inside

Figure 13

[ Hard Disk Drive List ]

Mode Name Available Type/Status HDD0: ST3120026AS 120 GB Inside HDD1: ST3120026AS 120 GB Inside

[]-Select RAID [SPACE]-Mark Delete [DEL]-Confirm [ESC]-Abort

Figure 14

Now, you can proceed to install the SATA controller driver and operating system.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 92 -

(4) Making a SATA Driver Disk (Required for AHCI and RAID Mode)

To install operating system onto a serial ATA hard disk successfully, you need to install the SATA controller driver during OS installation. Without the driver, the hard disk may not be recognized during the Windows setup process. First of all, copy the driver for the SATA controller from the motherboard driver CD-ROM to a floppy disk. See the instructions below about how to copy the driver in MS-DOS

(Note 1)

mode

cd bootdrv

Step 2: When the controller menu (Figure 16) appears, remove the startup disk and insert the blank formatted disk. Select the controller driver by pressing the corresponding letter from the menu. For example, from the menu in Figure 16, press I to select I) GIGABYTE 32Bit SATA-RAID Driver for Windows operating system the floppy disk. Press 0 to exit when finished.

. Prepare a startup disk that has CD-ROM support and a blank formatted floppy disk.

(Note 2)

. Your system will then automatically zip and transfer this driver file to

English

Figure 15 Figure 16

(Note 1) For users without a startup disk:

Use an alternative system and insert the GIGABYTE motherboard driver CD-ROM. From the CD-ROM drive folder, double click the MENU.exe file in the BootDrv folder (Figure 17). A command prompt window will open similar to that in Figure 16.

Figure 17

(Note 2) For 64-bit Windows Operating System, please select GIGABYTE 64Bit SATA-RAID Driver .

Appendix- 93 -

English

(5) Installing SATA controller driver during OS installation

(Required for AHCI and RAID Mode)

Step 1: Restart your system to boot from the Windows 2000/XP Setup disk and press F6 as soon as you see the "Press F6 if you need to install a 3rd party SCSI or RAID driver" message (Figure 18). After pressing F6, there will be a few moments of some files being loaded before you see the next screen.

Windows Setup

Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver.

Figure 18

Step 2: When a screen similar to that below appears, insert the floppy disk containing the SATA driver and press S (Figure 19).

Windows Setup

<none>

* To specify additional SCSI adapters, CD-ROM drives, or special

disk controllers for use with Windows, including those for which you have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer, press S.

* If you do not have any device support disks from a mass storage

device manufacturer, or do not want to specify additional mass storage devices for use with Windows, press ENTER.

S=Specify Additional Device ENTER=Continue F3=Exit

Figure 19

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 94 -

Step 3: When Setup correctly recognizes the driver in the floppy disk, a controller menu similar to Figure 20 below will appear. Use the ARROW keys to select one of the items displayed depending on the operating system to be installed. For example, select GIGABYTE GBB363 RAID Controller (Windows

2K/XP/2003)

(Note)

if you wish to install Windows XP (32-Bit). Then press ENTER.

Windows Setup

You have chosen to configure a SCSI Adapter for use with Windows, using a device support disk provided by an adapter manufacturer.

Select the SCSI Adapter you want from the following list, or press ESC to return to the previous screen.

GIGABYTE GBB363 RAID Controller (Windows 2K/XP/2003) GIGABYTE GBB363 AHCI Controller (Windows 2K/XP/2003) GIGABYTE GBB360 RAID Controller (Windows 2K/XP/2003) GIGABYTE GBB360 AHCI Controller (Windows 2K/XP/2003)

ENTER=Select F3=Exit

Figure 20

If a message appears saying one or some file(s) cannot be found, please check the floppy disk or copy the correct SATA driver again from the motherboard driver CD.

Step 4: When the next screen (Figure 21) appears, press ENTER to continue the SATA driver installation from the floppy disk.

Windows Setup

Setup will load support for the following mass storage device(s):

GIGABYTE GBB363 RAID Controller (Windows 2K/XP/2003)

* To specify additional SCSI adapters, CD-ROM drives, or special

disk controllers for use with Windows, including those for which you have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer, press S.

* If you do not have any device support disks from a mass storage

device manufacturer, or do not want to specify additional mass storage devices for use with Windows, press ENTER.

English

S=Specify Additional Device ENTER=Continue F3=Exit

Figure 21

(Note) If you set the Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 Mode or Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 Mode item in BIOS

Setup to AHCI mode, please select GIGABYTE GBB363 AHCI Controller (Windows 2K/ XP/ 2003).

Appendix- 95 -

English

Step 5: After the SATA controller driver installation is completed, you can proceed with the Windows XP installation.

WindowsXP Professional Setup

Welcome to Setup. This port of the Setup program prepares Microsoft(R) Windows (R) XP to run on your computer.

To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

Enter= Continue R=Repair F3=Exit

Figure 22

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 96 -

4-1-5 2- / 4- / 6- / 8- Channel Audio Function

Introduction

The default speaker settings for the 6 audio jacks are as shown in the picture to the right. The jack retasking capability supported by HD Audio allows users to change the function for each audio jack by the audio software provided. For example, if a rear speaker is plugged into the center/subwoofer speaker out jack, you can change the center/ subwoofer speaker out jack to fucntion as a rear speaker out jack via the audio software.Please follow the steps to install the function. (Following pictures are in Windows XP)

Note that if you wish to connect a microphone, you MUST connect it to the default Mic In jack for the microphone to work correctly.

HD Audio

With multiple built-in high quality digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that support audio output at up to 192 kHz/24-bit quality and multi-streaming applications, HD Audio is able to handle multiple audio streams (in and out) simultaneously. Multi-channel audio experiences have become a reality so you can, for instance, listen to MP3 music, have an Internet chat, make a telephone call over the Internet, and etc. all at the same time.

Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out

Rear Speaker Out

Side Speaker Out

Line In

Line Out (Front Speaker Out)

Mic In

English

Stereo Speakers Connection and Settings:

We recommend that you use the speaker with amplifier to acquire the best sound effect if the stereo output is applied.

STEP 1 : After installation of the audio driver, you should find an Audio Manager icon in your system tray (you can also find the icon in Control Panel). Doubleclick the icon to open the Audio Control Panel.

Appendix- 97 -

English

STEP 2: In the Audio Control Panel, click the Audio I/O tab. In the upper left list, click 2CH Speaker.

STEP 3: After a speaker or headphone is plugged into the rear Line Out jack, a small window will pop up and ask you what type of equipment is connected. Choose Headphone or Line Out depending on the device connected and click OK. The 2-channel audio setup is completed.

4 Channel Audio Setup

STEP 2: In the Audio Control Panel, click the Audio I/O tab. In the upper left list, click 4CH Speaker.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 98 -

STEP 3: After plugging in 4-channel speakers to the rear speaker jacks, a small window will pop up and ask you what type of equipment is connected. Choose a device depending on the type of speaker connected (4-channel audio consists of Front Speaker Out (Line Out) and Rear Speaker Out) and then click OK. The 4-channel audio setup is completed.

6 Channel Audio Setup

STEP 2: In the Audio Control Panel, click the Audio I/O tab. In the upper left list, click 6CH Speaker.

English

STEP 3: After plugging in 6-channel speakers to the rear speaker jacks, a small window will pop up and ask you what type of equipment is connected. Choose a device depending on the type of speaker connected (6-channel audio consists of Front Speaker Out (Line Out), Rear Speaker Out, and Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out) then click OK. The 6-channel audio setup is completed.

Appendix- 99 -

English

8 Channel Audio Setup

STEP 2: In the Audio Control Panel, click the Audio I/O tab. In the upper left list, click 8CH Speaker.

STEP 3: After plugging in 8-channel speakers to the rear speaker jacks, a small window will pop up and ask you what type of equipment is connected. Choose a device depending on the type of speaker connected (8-channel audio consists of Front Speaker Out (Line Out), Rear Speaker Out, Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out, and Side Speaker Out) then click OK. The 8-channel audio setup is completed.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard - 100 -

Intel GA-N680SLI-DQ6 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual