MSI K8N Master2-FAR User Manual

K8N Master2-FAR

MS-9620 (v1.X) Workstation Board

English Version

G52-S9620X1

i

Manual Rev: 1.0

Release Date: May 2005

FCC-A Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class A digital

device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide

reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated

in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio

frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction

manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this

equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case

the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

Notice 1

The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for

compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Notice 2

Shielded interface cables and A.C. power cord, if any, must be used in order to

comply with the emission limits.

VOIR LA NOTICE D’ INSTALLATION AVANT DE RACCORDER AU RESEAU.

Micro-Star International

MS-9620

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the

following two conditions:

(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and

(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that

may cause undesired operation.

ii

Copyright Notice

The material in this document is the intellectual property of MICRO-STAR

INTERNATIONAL. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no

guarantee is given as to the correctness of its contents. Our products are under

continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice.

Trademarks

All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DualNet, and nForce are registered trademarks or trade-

marks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

AMD, Athlon™ , Athlon™ XP, Thoroughbred™, and Duron™ are registered trade-

marks of AMD Corporation.

Intel® and Pentium® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.

PS/2 and OS®/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines

Corporation.

Windows® 95/98/2000/NT/XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Netware® is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.

Award® is a registered trademark of Phoenix Technologies Ltd.

AMI® is a registered trademark of American Megatrends Inc.

Revision History

RevisionRevision HistoryDate

V1.0First releaseMay 2005

Technical Support

If a problem arises with your system and no solution can be obtained from the user’ s

manual, please contact your place of purchase or local distributor. Alternatively,

please try the following help resources for further guidance.

Visit the MSI website for FAQ, technical guide, BIOS updates, driver updates,

and other information: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/service/faq/

faq/esc_faq_list.php

Contact our technical staff at: [e-mail]

iii

Safety Instructions

1.Always read the safety instructions carefully.

2.Keep this User’s Manual for future reference.

3.Keep this equipment away from humidity.

4.Lay this equipment on a reliable flat surface before setting it up.

5.The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equip-

ment from overheating. DO NOT COVER THE OPENINGS.

6.Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V be-

fore connecting the equipment to the power inlet.

7.Place the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place

anything over the power cord.

8.Always Unplug the Power Cord before inserting any add-on card or module.

9.All cautions and warnings on the equipment should be noted.

10.Never pour any liquid into the opening that could damage or cause electrical

shock.

11.If any of the following situations arises, get the equipment checked by a service

personnel:

† The power cord or plug is damaged.

† Liquid has penetrated into the equipment.

† The equipment has been exposed to moisture.

† The equipment has not work well or you can not get it work according to

User’s Manual.

† The equipment has dropped and damaged.

† The equipment has obvious sign of breakage.

12. DO NOT LEAVE THIS EQUIPMENT IN AN ENVIRONMENT UNCONDITIONED, STOR-

AGE TEMPERATURE ABOVE 600 C (1400F), IT MAY DAMAGE THE EQUIPMENT.

CAUTION: Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.

Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the

manufacturer.

To protect the global environment and as an environmentalist, MSI

must remind you that...

Under the European Union ("EU") Directive on Waste Electrical and

Electronic Equipment, Directive 2002/96/EC, which takes effect on

August 13, 2005, products of "electrical and electronic equipment"

cannot be discarded as municipal waste anymore and manufactur-

such products at the end of their useful life. MSI will comply with the product take

back requirements at the end of life of MSI-branded products that are sold into the EU.

You can return these products to local collection points.

ers of covered electronic equipment will be obligated to take back

iv

CONTENTS

FCC-A Radio Frequency Interference Statement.........................................................ii

Copyright Notice.............................................................................................................iii

Trademarks......................................................................................................................iii

Revision History.............................................................................................................iii

Technical Support..........................................................................................................iii

Safety Instructions.........................................................................................................iv

Chapter 1. Getting Started....................................................................................1-1

Mainboard Specifications...................................................................................1-2

Mainboard Layout................................................................................................1-4

MSI Special Features..........................................................................................1-5

Core Center..................................................................................................1-5

Chapter 2. Hardware Setup..................................................................................2-1

Quick Components Guide....................................................................................2-2

Central Processing Unit: CPU..............................................................................2-3

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 940.............................................2-4

Installing AMD OpteronTM DP CPU Cooling System...................................2-5

Memory.................................................................................................................2-6

Installing DDR Modules................................................................................2-6

Memory Population Rules............................................................................2-7

DDR Cooling Fan..........................................................................................2-7

Power Supply......................................................................................................2-8

SSI 24-Pin System Power Connector: JPWR1..........................................2-8

SSI 8-Pin CPU Power Connector: JPWR2..................................................2-8

SSI 4-Pin VGA Power Connector: JPWR3.................................................2-8

Important Notification about Power Issue..................................................2-9

Back Panel..........................................................................................................2-10

Mouse Connector (Green) / Keyboard Connector (Purple)..................2-10

IEEE1394 Port (Optional)..........................................................................2-10

Serial Port Connector.................................................................................2-11

USB Connectors.........................................................................................2-11

LAN (RJ-45) Jacks.....................................................................................2-12

Audio Port Connectors..............................................................................2-12

Parallel Port Connector: LPT1...................................................................2-13

Connectors........................................................................................................2-14

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1..........................................................2-14

Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 / IDE2...........................................................2-14

v

Serial ATA RAID Connectors: SATA1 / SATA2 / SATA3 / SATA4...........2-15

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1...........................................................2-16

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1......................................................2-16

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1..............................................2-17

CD-In Connector: JCD1.............................................................................2-17

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1 / JFP2......................................................2-17

Fan Power Connectors: C_FAN1/2, S_FAN1/2, CK_FAN......................2-18

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1 / J1394_2............................................2-18

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1 / JUSB2 / JUSB3...................................2-19

Jumper................................................................................................................2-20

Clear CMOS Jumper: JBAT1.....................................................................2-20

BIOS Flash Jumper: JBIOS1......................................................................2-21

BIOS Boot Block Jumper: JBL...................................................................2-21

Slots....................................................................................................................2-22

PCI Interrupt Request Routing...................................................................2-23

NV SLI (Scalable Link Interface) Connector: PCI_E4..............................2-23

Chapter 3. BIOS Setup............................................................................................3-1

Entering Setup.....................................................................................................3-2

Control Keys................................................................................................3-2

Getting Help..................................................................................................3-3

The Main Menu.....................................................................................................3-4

Standard CMOS Features...................................................................................3-6

Advanced BIOS Features...................................................................................3-8

Advanced Chipset Features.............................................................................3-11

Integrated Peripherals.......................................................................................3-12

Power Management Setup...............................................................................3-18

PNP/PCI Configurations.....................................................................................3-20

H/W Monitor.......................................................................................................3-22

Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-24

Load Fail-Safe/Optimized Defaults..................................................................3-31

Set Supervisor/User Password.......................................................................3-32

Appendix A: nVIDIA RAID Introduction..............................................................A-1

Introduction..........................................................................................................A-2

System Requirement...................................................................................A-2

RAID Arrays.................................................................................................A-2

Summary of RAID Configurations...............................................................A-2

Basic Configuration Instructions................................................................A-3

Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS.......................................................................A-3

vi

RAID Configuration..............................................................................................A-3

Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows..............................A-7

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation.............................................................................A-7

Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array)................................A-8

Initializing and Using the Disk Array.........................................................A-10

RAID Drives Management..................................................................................A-12

Viewing RAID Array Configurations........................................................A-12

Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk...................................................................A-14

Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array.............................................................A-20

Appendix B: Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function..........................B-1

Installing the Audio Driver...................................................................................B-2

Installation for Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP..............................................B-2

Software Configuration......................................................................................B-4

Sound Effect................................................................................................B-5

Speaker Configuration................................................................................B-7

HRTF Demo...................................................................................................B-9

General.......................................................................................................B-10

SPDIF...........................................................................................................B-11

Using 2-, 4-, 6- & 8- Channel Audio Function.................................................B-12

vii

Getting Started

Chapter 1. Getting

Started

Getting Started

Thank you for purchasing the K8N Master2-FAR (MS-9620 v1.X), an

excellent ATX workstation board from MSI.

Based on the innovative nVIDIA

system efficiency, the K8N Master2-FAR mainboard accommodates

dual latest AMD Opteron

ramic micro PGA package, and supports up to six 144-bit DDR regis-

tered ECC DIMMs (at 200, 266, 333, and 400 MHz) to provide the

maximum of 12GB memory capacity.

In the entry-level and mid-range market segment, this mainboard can

provide a high-performance solution for today’s front-end and gen-

eral purpose server/workstation, as well as in the future.

®

TM

DP processors in the 940-pin lidded ce-

nForce

TM

4 Pro chipsets for optimal

1-1

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Mainboard Specifications

CPU

†Supports dual Socket 940 for AMD Opteron

TM

processors, from 1.4 ~ 3.6 GHz

(For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.

com.tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php)

Chipset

†nVIDIA

®

nForceTM4 Pro

- HyperTransport link to the AMD OpteronTM CPU

- Supports dual-channel DDR266/333/400 memory

- Supports PCI Express x16/ x8/ x4/ x1 interface

- Two independent SATA II controllers, for four drives

- Dual Ultra ATA 133/100/66 IDE controllers

- Supports high-speed USB2.0 ports

Main Memory

†144-bit DDR at 200/266/333/400 MHz

†Supports six 184-pin DDR DIMMs up to 12GB

†Supports interleaving memory within DIMMs

†ChipKill ECC allows continuous correction of 4-bit errors in a failed x 4 memory

device

(For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.

com.tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php)

Slots

†One 32-bit/33 MHz PCI slot (in orange, also can work as a communications slot)

†One PCI Express x4 slot

†Two PCI Express x16 slots for graphics cards (SLI mode supported)

- 2nd PCI Express x16 slot (PCI_E3) is compatible with PCI Express x 1

HDD Interface

†Dual IDE controllers on the nVIDIA

®

nForceTM4 Pro chipset

- Provides IDE HDD/CD-ROM with PIO, Bus Master and Ultra DMA 133/100/66

operation modes

- Can connect up to 4 IDE devices

†Two independent SATA controllers on the nVIDIA

®

nForceTM4 Pro chipset

- NV RAID supports 4 SATA II ports with up to 300MB/s transfer rate

NV RAID (Software)

†Supports up to 4 SATA and 2 PATA133 Hard drives

-RAID 0 or 1, 0+1, JBOD supported

-RAID function available for PATA133+SATA H/D or 4 SATA H/D drives

Onboard Peripherals

†1 floppy port supports two FDDs with 360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB, and 2.88MB

†1 PS/2 keyboard port

†1 PS/2 mouse port

†1 serial port

†1 parallel port supports SPP/EPP/ECP mode

1-2

Getting Started

†2 RJ-45 ports (with LEDs)

†10 USB ports (6 on the front and 4 on the rear)

†3 IEEE 1394 ports (2 on front and 1 on rear)

Onboard LAN

†1st LAN supports 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Marvell 88E1111 PHY

†2nd PCI LAN supports 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Broadcom BCM5788

Onboard Audio

†Realtek ALC850 8-channel codec

- 8-CH DA connector with 48 KHz rate

- Compliant with AC97 2.3 specifications

- Meets perfomace requirement for audio on PC 97/2001 system

- Meets Microsoft WHQL / WLP 2.0 audio requirement

Onboard IEEE 1394

†VIA VT6306 IEEE 1394 controller

Power Management Features

†Wake up on LAN (WOL), wake up on PCI

†RTC alarm and wake up

†Wake up on keyboard/mouse/USB from S1 & S3

†Supports ACPI S1, S3, S4, S5 function

System Management

†SMBus (I2C)

†Temperature, voltage, and fan monitors

BIOS

†The mainboard BIOS provides “Plug & Play” BIOS which detects the peripheral

devices and expansion cards of the board automatically

†The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) function which

records your mainboard specifications

†Supports boot from LAN, USB Device 1.1 & 2.0, and SATA HDD

Dimension

†ATX Form Factor (30.4 cm X 25.4 cm)

Mounting

†9 mounting holes

MSI Reminds You...

To create a bootable RAID volume for a Windows 2000 environment,

Microsoft’s Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) is required. As the

end user cannot boot without SP4, a combination installation CD must

be created before attempting to install the operating system onto the

bootable RAID volume.

To create the combination installation CD, please refer to the follow-

ing website:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/servicepacks/

sp4/HFdeploy.htm

1-3

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

BIOS

JUSB2

JUSB3

JFP2

JFP1

IDE2

IDE1

SATA3

SATA1

SATA4

SATA2

JBAT1

C_FAN1

C_FAN2

S_FAN2

CoreCell

nVIDIA

nForce4 Pro

JBIOS1

Mainboard Layout

Top: Mouse

Bottom: Keyboard

Top:

Parallel Port

Bottom:

COM Port

1394 Port

SPDIF Out

T: LAN Jack

B: USB Ports

T: LAN Jack

B: USB Ports

T:

Line-In

M:

Line-Out

B:

Mic

T: RS-Out

M: CS

-Out

B: SPDIF Out

BATT

+

JAUD1

JCD1

ALC850

PCIE1

PCI1

FDD1

JCI1

88E1111-RCJ

JPWR3

JPWR2

PCI_E3

JBL

PCI_E1

JIR1

PCI_E4

J1394_2J1394_1

JPWR1

JLPC1

JUSB1

DDR1

DDR2

DDR3

DDR4

DDR5

DDR6

MSI

S_FAN1

CK_FAN

K8N Master2-FAR (MS-9620 v1.X) ATX Workstation Board

1-4

Getting Started

MSI Special Features

Core Center

The Core Center is a new utility you can find in the CD-ROM disk. The utility is just like

your PC doctor that can detect, view and adjust the PC hardware and system status

during real time operation. In the left side it shows the current system status, including

the Vcore, 3.3V, +5V and 12V. In the right side it shows the current PC hardware

status such as the CPU & system temperatures and all fans speeds.

When you click the red triangles in the left and right sides, two sub-menus will open

for users to overclock, overspec or to adjust the thresholds of system to send out the

warning messages. If you click the Core Center button on the top, a screen pops up

for you to choose the “ Auto mode” or “User mode” of CPU fan. You may adjust the

speeds of CPU fans and system fan here.

1-5

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Left-side: Current system status

In the left sub-menu, you can configure the settings of FSB, Vcore, Memory Voltage

and AGP Voltage by clicking the radio button in front of each item and make it available

(the radio button will be lit as yellow when selected), use the “+” and “-” buttons to

adjust, then click “ok” to apply the changes. Then you can click Save to save the

desired FSB you just configured.

Also you may click Auto to start testing the maximal CPU overclocking value, The

CPU FSB will automatically increase the testing value until the PC reboots. Or you may

click Default to restore the default values.

Right-side: PC hardware status during real time operation

In the right sub-menu, here you can configure the PC hardware status such as CPU

& system temperatures and fan speeds. You may use the scroll bars to adjust each

item, then click “ok” to apply the changes. The values you set for the temperatures

are the maximum thresholds for the system for warnings, and the value for fan

speeds are the minimum thresholds.

Top-side: User mode/Auto mode

Here you may adjust the CPU fan speed. If you choose User mode, you may adjust

the CPU fan speed in 8 different modes, from Stop to Full speed.

MSI Reminds You...

Items shown on Core Center may vary depending on your system status.

1-6

Hardware Setup

Chapter 2. Hardware

Setup

Hardware Setup

This chapter provides you with the information about hardware setup

procedures. While doing the installation, be careful in holding the

components and follow the installation procedures. For some

components, if you install in the wrong orientation, the components

will not work properly.

Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components.

Static electricity may damage the components.

2-1

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Quick Components Guide

I/O Ports,

p.2-10

JPWR3, p.2-8

JCI1, p.2-17

S_FAN2, p.2-18

JCD1, p.2-17

JBL, p.2-21

JIR1, p.2-16

JAUD1, p.2-16

JPWR1/2, p.2-8

C_FAN2,

p.2-18

C_FAN1, p.2-18

DDR DIMMs, p.2-6

CPU1/2, p.2-3

IDE1/2, p.2-14

S_FAN1,

CK_FAN, p.2-18

JBAT1, p.2-20

SATA2/

SATA1/

SATA4/

SATA3, p.2-15

JBIOS1,

p.2-21

2-2

FDD1, p.2-14

J1394_1/2,

p.2-18

JUSB1/2,

p.2-19

PCI/PCI Express

Slots, p.2-22

JUSB3,

p.2-19

JFP1/2, p.2-17

Hardware Setup

Central Processing Unit: CPU

The mainboard supports Single/Dual AMD® Opteron™ DP processor(s). The

mainboard uses two CPU sockets called Socket 940 for easy CPU installation. You

can install SINGLE or DUAL CPUs on the mainboard to meet your own needs. Keep

the following points in mind before installing CPU(s):

1. If SINGLE CPU is intended, always install the CPU on the CPU1 socket.

CPU1

CPU2

2. To install DUAL CPUs on the board, you must use the same type of CPUs

running at the same frequency.

For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.com.

tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php .

WARNING!

As processor technology pushes to faster speeds and higher performance, thermal

management becomes increasingly crucial when building computer systems. Main-

taining the proper thermal environment is key to reliable operation. As such, the

processor must be maintained in the specified thermal requirements.

Thermal Issue for CPU

2-3

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

X

O

S

Close

Press down

Cut edge

Corner marking

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 940

1. Make sure that the computer is

turned off, and the power cord dis-

connected before installing the CPU.

2. Pull the lever sideways away

from the socket, and raise it up to a

90-degree angle.

3. Locate the cut edge of the CPU.

When the CPU is installed into the

socket, this cut edge should be

aligned with the corner marking an

arrow on the Socket 940.

Please note that the CPU can only fit

in a correct orientation, DO NOT use

force to install the CPU into the

socket.

4. Place the CPU onto the socket and

press it down firmly into the socket.

The pins of the CPU should be em-

bedded into the socket completely.

Open Lever

e

t

a

l

P

g

n

i

d

i

l

an arrow

the CPU

Lever

5. Close the lever to secure the CPU.

Do not close the lever until the CPU’s

pins are fully inserted; otherwise,

the pins may be damaged.

2-4

Hardware Setup

Installing AMD OpteronTM DP CPU Cooling System

When you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a

cooling fan attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not find the

heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before

turning on the computer.

MSI Reminds You...

Please refer to the recommended CPU fans at AMD® official website

or consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.

reference figure

MSI Reminds You...

Overheating

Overheating will seriously damage the CPU and system. Always make

sure the cooling fan can work properly to protect the CPU from

overheating.

Replacing the CPU

While replacing the CPU, always turn off the power supply or unplug

the power supply’s power cord from grounded outlet first to ensure the

safety of CPU.

2-5

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Memory

The mainboard provides 6 slots for 184-pin DDR SDRAM DIMM

(Double In-Line Memory Module) modules and supports up to 12GB memory size. You

can install DDR266/333/400 modules on the DDR DIMM slots.

For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.com.

tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php .

DDR 1 2 3 4 5 6

Installing DDR Modules

1. The DDR DIMM has only one notch on the center of module. The module will only fit

in the right orientation.

2. Insert the DIMM memory module vertically into the DIMM slot. Then push it in until the

golden finger on the memory module is deeply inserted in the socket.

MSI Reminds You...

You can barely see the golden finger if the module is properly inserted

in the socket.

3. The plastic clip at each side of the DIMM slot will automatically close.

Volt

Notch

2-6

Hardware Setup

Memory Population Rules

The mainboard supports DDR266/333/400 memory interface.

Each DIMM slot supports up to a maximum size of 2GB. Users can install either single-

or double-sided modules depending on their needs.

Memory modules can be installed in any combination as follows:

SlotMemory module population rules (Single channel - 64 bits)

DDR 1InstallInstall InstallInstall

DDR 2

DDR 3InstallInstallInstall Install

DDR 4

DDR 5InstallInstall Install Install

DDR 6

SlotMemory module population rules (Dual channel - 128 bits)

DDR 1InstallInstallInstall Install

DDR 2InstallInstallInstall Install

DDR 3InstallInstall InstallInstall

DDR 4InstallInstall InstallInstall

DDR 5InstallInstall Install Install

DDR 6InstallInstall Install Install

MSI Reminds You...

Make sure that you install memory modules of the same type and

density on DDR DIMMs.

DDR Cooling Fan

To protect the system from overheating, make sure that you install MSI’s proprietary

DDR cooling fan (patent pending) before the system memory reaches 2GB or beyond.

This DDR cooling fan will help to dissipate heat produced by DDR memory modules,

which in return contributes to system stability during overclocking.

Connect to the 4-pin power

connector on the system

power supply

2-7

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Power Supply

The mainboard supports SSI power supply for the power system. Before inserting

the power supply connector, always make sure that all components are installed

properly to ensure that no damage will be caused.

SSI 24-Pin System Power Connector: JPWR1

This connector allows you to connect to an SSI power supply. To connect to the SSI

power supply, make sure the plug of the power supply is inserted in the proper

orientation and the pins are aligned. Then push down the power supply firmly into the

connector.

SSI 8-Pin CPU Power Connector: JPWR2

This connector provides 12V power output to the CPUs.

SSI 4-Pin VGA Power Connector: JPWR3

Make sure to connect this connector with a 12V power supply to ensure stable

operation of the graphics card.

JPWR1

24

12

JPWR1 Pin Definition

PINSIGNAL

1+3.3V

2+3.3V

3GND

4+5V

5GND

6+5V

7GND

8PWR OK

95VSB

10+12V

11+12V

12+3.3V

PINSIGNAL

13+3.3V

14-12V

15GND

16PS-ON#

17GND

18GND

19GND

203VSB

21+5V

22+5V

23+5V

24GND

13

1

PINSIGNAL

1GND

2GND

3GND

4GND

4

3

JPWR3

JPWR2

1

5

8

4

JPWR2 Pin Definition

PINSIGNAL

5+12V

6+12V

7+12V

8+12V

JPWR3 Pin Definition

PINSIGNAL

2

1GND

1

2GND

312V

412V

2-8

MSI Reminds You...

1. Maker sure that all three connectors are connected to proper SSI

power supplies to ensure stable operation of the mainboard.

2. Power supply of 600watts (and above) is highly recommended for

system stability.

3. SSI 12V power connection should be greater than 18A.

4. For this model, you must use a power supply that comes with a -5V

pin supply.

Hardware Setup

Important Notification about Power Issue

NForce chipset is very sensitive to ESD (Electrostatic Discharge), therefore this issue

mostly happens while the users intensively swap memory modules under S5 (power-

off) states, and the power code is plugged while installing modules. Due to several

pins are very sensitive to ESD, so this kind of memory-replacement actions might

cause system chipset unable to boot. Please follow the following solution to avoid

this situation.

Unplug the AC power cable (shown in figure 1) or unplug the JPWR1/JPWR2/ JPWR3

power connectors (shown in figure 2 & figure 3) before the 1st installation or during

system upgrade procedure.

Figure 1:

Figure 3:

Unplug the power connector

Figure 2:

Unplug the AC power cable

Unplug the power connector

MSI Reminds You...

Mainboard photos shown in this section are for demonstration only.

The appearance of your mainboard may vary depending on the model

you purchase.

2-9

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Back Panel

L-In

RS-Out

Mouse

Keyboard

COM Port

Parallel

1394 Port

SPDIF

Out

(Coaxial)

Mouse Connector (Green) / Keyboard Connector (Purple)

The mainboard provides a standard PS/2® mouse/keyboard mini DIN connector for

attaching a PS/2® mouse/keyboard. You can plug a PS/2® mouse/keyboard directly

into this connector. The connector location and pin assignments are as follows:

LAN

USB Ports

LAN

L-Out

Mic

CS-Out

SPDIF Out

(Optical)

6

4

2

PS/2 Mouse / Keyboard

(6-pin Female)

5

3

1

PINSIGNALDESCRIPTION

1Mouse/Keyboard DataMouse/Keyboard data

2NCNo connection

3GNDGround

4VCC+5V

5Mouse/Keyboard ClockMouse/Keyboard clock

6NCNo connection

Pin Definition

IEEE1394 Port (Optional)

The back panel provides one standard IEEE 1394 port. The IEEE1394 high-speed

serial bus complements USB by providing enhanced PC connectivity for a wide range

of devices, including consumer electronics audio/video (A/V) appliances, storage

peripherals, other PCs, and portable devices.

IEEE1394 Port

2-10

Hardware Setup

Serial Port Connector

The mainboard offers one 9-pin male DIN connector as the serial port. The port is a

16550A high speed communication port that sends/receives 16 bytes FIFOs. You can

attach a serial mouse or other serial devices directly to the connector.

Pin Definition

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9

9-Pin Male DIN Connector

PINSIGNALDESCRIPTION

1DCDData Carry Detect

2SINSerial In or Receive Data

3SOUTSerial Out or Transmit Data

4DTRData Terminal Ready

5GNDGround

6DSRData Set Ready

7RTSRequest To Send

8CTSClear To Send

9RIRing Indicate

USB Connectors

The rear panel provides four OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) Universal Serial

Bus roots for attaching USB devices such as keyboard, mouse or other USB-compat-

ible devices. You can plug the USB device directly into the connector.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

USB Ports

USB Port Description

PINSIGNALDESCRIPTION

1VCC+5V

2-Data 0Negative Data Channel 0

3+Data0Positive Data Channel 0

4GNDGround

5VCC+5V

6-Data 1Negative Data Channel 1

7+Data 1Positive Data Channel 1

8GNDGround

2-11

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

LAN (RJ-45) Jacks

The mainboard provides 2 standard RJ-45 jacks for connection to single Local Area

Network (LAN). This Giga-bit LAN enables data to be transferred at 1000, 100 or

10Mbps. You can connect a network cable to either LAN jack.

Giga-bit LAN Pin Definition

PINSIGNALDESCRIPTION

1D0PDifferential Pair 0+

2D0NDifferential Pair 0-

3D1PDifferential Pair 1+

RJ-45 LAN Jack

4D2PDifferential Pair 2+

5D2NDifferential Pair 2-

6D1NDifferential Pair 1-

7D3PDifferential Pair 3+

8D3NDifferential Pair 3-

Audio Port Connectors

The left 3 audio jacks are 2-channel mode for stereo speaker output. Line Out is a

connector for Speakers or Headphones. Line In is used for external CD player, Tape

player, or other audio devices. Mic is a connector for microphones.

However, there is an advanced audio application provided by Realtek ALC850 to

offer support for 7.1-channel audio operation and can turn rear audio connectors

from 2-channel to 4-/5.1-/7.1 channel audio.

2-12

Line In

Line Out

MIC

S/PDIF Out-Coaxial

Rear Speaker Out

(in 7.1CH / 6CH)

Center/Subwoofer

Speaker Out

( in 7.1CH / 6CH)

S/PDIF Out-Optical

(in 7.1CH / 6CH)

Hardware Setup

Parallel Port Connector: LPT1

The mainboard provides a 25-pin female centronic connector as LPT. A parallel port

is a standard printer port that supports Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) and Extended

Capabilities Parallel Port (ECP) mode.

131

25

14

Pin Definition

PINSIGNALDESCRIPTION

1STROBEStrobe

2DATA0Data0

3DATA1Data1

4DATA2Data2

5DATA3Data3

6DATA4Data4

7DATA5Data5

8DATA6Data6

9DATA7Data7

10ACK#Acknowledge

11BUSYBusy

12PEPaper End

13SELECTSelect

14AUTO FEED#Automatic Feed

15ERR#Error

16INIT#Initialize Printer

17SLIN#Select In

18GNDGround

19GNDGround

20GNDGround

21GNDGround

22GNDGround

23GNDGround

24GNDGround

25GNDGround

2-13

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Connectors

The mainboard provides connectors to connect to FDD, IDE HDD, case, LAN, USB

Ports, CPU/system power supply fans, ... and etc.

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

The mainboard provides a standard floppy disk drive connector that supports 360K,

720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk types.

FDD1

Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 / IDE2

The mainboard provides a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133

controller that supports PIO mode 0 ~ 4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133

function. You can connect up to four hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, 120MB floppy

disk drive (reserved for future BIOS), and other devices.

IDE1

IDE2

IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector)

The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1. IDE1 can connect a

Master and a Slave drive. You must configure second hard drive to Slave

mode by setting the jumper accordingly.

IDE2 (Secondary IDE Connector)

IDE2 can also connect a Master and a Slave drive.

MSI Reminds You...

If you install two hard disks on cable, you must configure the second

drive to Slave mode by setting its jumper. Refer to the hard disk docu-

mentation supplied by hard disk vendors for jumper setting instructions.

2-14

Hardware Setup

Serial ATA RAID Connectors: SATA1 / SATA2 / SATA3 / SATA4

The nVIDIA nForceTM4 Pro provides a hybrid solution that combines four independent

SATA ports for support of up to four Serial ATA (Serial ATA RAID) drives and utilizes

nVIDIA Serial ATA software RAID to support RAID levels 0, 1, 0+1, and JBOD for easy

management of the storage subsystems. These connectors support 2nd generation

serial ATA data rates of 300 MB/s and are fully compliant with Serial ATA II specifications.

7

1

SATA2

SATA1

SATA4

SATA3

SATA1/2/3/4 Pin Definition

PINSIGNALPINSIGNAL

1GND2TXP

3TXN4GND

5RXN6RXP

7GND

Take out the dust cover and connect

to the hard disk devices

Optional Serial ATA cable

Connect to SATA1/2/3/4

MSI Reminds You...

Please do not fold the Serial ATA cable into 90-degree angle. Otherwise,

the loss of data may occur during transmission.

2-15

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1

The connector allows you to connect to IrDA Infrared module. You must configure the

setting through the BIOS setup to use the IR function. JIR1 is compliant with Intel

Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.

Pin Definition

PinSignal

1NC

2NC

3VCC5

4GND

5IRTX

6IRRX

2

1

JIR1

6

5

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

The JAUD1 front panel audio connector allows you to connect to the front panel

audio and is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.

JAUD1

2

1

10

9

®

2-16

Pin Definition

PINSIGNALDESCRIPTION

1AUD_MICFront panel microphone input signal

2AUD_GNDGround used by analog audio circuits

3AUD_MIC_BIASMicrophone power

4AUD_VCCFiltered +5V used by analog audio circuits

5AUD_FPOUT_RRight channel audio signal to front panel

6AUD_RET_RRight channel audio signal return from front panel

7HP_ONReserved for future use to control headphone amplifier

8KEYNo pin

9AUD_FPOUT_LLeft channel audio signal to front panel

10AUD_RET_LLeft channel audio signal return from front panel

MSI Reminds You...

If you don’t want to connect to the front audio header,

pins 5 & 6, 9 & 10 have to be jumpered in order to have

signal output directed to the rear audio ports. Otherwise,

the Line-Out connector on the back panel will not

function.

6

10

5

9

Hardware Setup

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1

This connector is connected to a 2-pin chassis switch. If the chassis is opened, the

switch will be short. The system will record this status and show a warning mes-

sage on the screen. To clear the warning, you must enter the BIOS utility and clear the

record.

CINTRU

GND

1

2

JCI1

CD-In Connector: JCD1

The connector is for CD-ROM audio connector.

L

GND

R

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1 / JFP2

The mainboard provides two front panel connectors for electrical connection to the

front panel switches and LEDs. The JFP1 is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O

Connectivity Design Guide.

JFP1 Pin Definition

PINSIGNALDESCRIPTION

JCD1

1HD_LED_PHard disk LED pull-up

2FP PWR/SLPMSG LED pull-up

3HD_LED_NHard disk active LED

4FP PWR/SLPMSG LED pull-up

10

5RST_SW_NReset Switch low reference pull-down to GND

9

6PWR_SW_PPower Switch high reference pull-up

7RST_SW_PReset Switch high reference pull-up

8PWR_SW_NPower Switch low reference pull-down to GND

9RSVD_DNUReserved. Do not use.

JFP2 Pin Definition

8

7

PINSIGNALPINSIGNAL

1GND2SPK-

3SLED4BUZ+

5PLED6BUZ-

7NC8SPK+

JFP1

JFP2

2

1

Power

LED

HDD

LED

2

1

Power

Switch

Reset

Switch

Speaker

Power

LED

2-17

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Fan Power Connectors: C_FAN1/2, S_FAN1/2, CK_FAN

The fan power connectors support system cooling fan with +12V. When connecting

the wire to the connectors, always note that the red wire is the positive and should

be connected to the +12V; the black wire is Ground and should be connected to GND.

If the mainboard has a System Hardware Monitor chipset onboard, you must use a

specially designed fan with speed sensor to take advantage of the CPU fan control.

+12V

SENSOR

GND

C_FAN1

NC

+12V

GND

CK_FAN

C_FAN2

GND

+12V

SENSOR

SENSOR

+12V

GND

S_FAN1/2

MSI Reminds You...

Please refer to the recommended CPU fans at AMD® official website

or consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1 / J1394_2

The mainboard provides two 1394 pin headers that allow you to connect IEEE 1394

ports via an external IEEE1394 bracket.

2

1

10

9

J1394_1/ J1394_2

Foolproof Design

(the 1394 pinheader in GREEN color)

2-18

Pin Definition

PINSIGNALPINSIGNAL

1TPA+2TPA-

3Ground4Ground

5TPB+6TPB-

7Cable power8Cable power

9Key (no pin)10Ground

IEEE1394 Bracket

(Optional)

Hardware Setup

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1 / JUSB2 / JUSB3

The mainboard provides three standard USB 2.0 pin headers JUSB1 & JUSB2 &

JUSB3. USB 2.0 technology increases data transfer rate up to a maximum throughput

of 480Mbps, which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1, and is ideal for connecting high-

speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, MP3 players,

printers, modems and the like.

Pin Definition

PINSIGNALPINSIGNAL

2 10

1

JUSB1, JUSB2, JUSB3

(USB 2.0)

Connect to JUSB1, JUSB2, or JUSB3

(the USB pinheader in YELLOW color)

9

1VCC2VCC

3USB0-4USB1-

5USB0+6USB1+

7GND8GND

9Key (no pin)10USBOC

USB 2.0 Bracket

(Optional)

MSI Reminds You...

Note that the pins of VCC and GND must be connected correctly to

avoid possible damage.

2-19

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Jumper

The motherboard provides the following jumpers for you to set the computer’s function.

This section will explain how to change your motherboard’s function through the use

of jumpers.

Clear CMOS Jumper: JBAT1

There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external battery to keep

the data of system configuration. With the CMOS RAM, the system can automatically

boot OS every time it is turned on. If you want to clear the system configuration, use

the JBAT1 (Clear CMOS Jumper ) to clear data.

1

JBAT1

1

3

1

3

Clear DataKeep Data

MSI Reminds You...

You can clear CMOS by shorting 2-3 pin while the system is off. Then

return to 1-2 pin position. Avoid clearing the CMOS while the system is

on; it will damage the mainboard.

2-20

Hardware Setup

BIOS Flash Jumper: JBIOS1

This jumper is used to enable/disable the BIOS flash. When you intend to update the

BIOS code, uncap this jumper first. Under normal operation, we suggest that you

disable the BIOS flash by capping the JBIOS1 jumper to protect the system BIOS from

virus infection.

BIOS Boot Block Jumper: JBL

A "boot block" program is included as part of the system BIOS to recover the system

from a situation when the BIOS code is incorrect/corrupted or needs to be updated.

When the BIOS code is corrupted or needs to be updated, you have to at first enable

the boot block by shorting 1-2 pin of the JBL jumper. Then the boot block will try to

recover the BIOS code, usually by reading it from a specially-prepared floppy disk.

(Note that you also have to uncap the JBIOS1 jumper to enable BIOS flash in

the meantime.)

Under normal operation, we suggest that you disable the boot block by shorting 2-3

pin of the JBL jumper to protect the boot block from virus infection.

JBIOS1

1

JBL

1

Enable Boot Block

Enable BIOS FlashDisable BIOS Flash

1

Disable Boot Block

2-21

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Slots

The mainboard provides two PCI Express x16 slots, one PCI Express x4 slot, and one

32-bit PCI bus slot.

PCI_E1: PCI Express x16 slot

(4GB/s)

PCI_E4: NV SLI (Scalable Link

Interface) connector

PCI_E3: PCI Express x16 slot

(4GB/s)

PCIE1: PCI Express x4 slot (1GB/s)

PCI1: 32-bit/33MHz PCI slot, 3.3V de-

vice only (in orange color, reserved

as a communications slot)

MSI Reminds You...

1. When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you

unplug the power supply first. Meanwhile, read the documentation

for the expansion card to configure any necessary hardware or

software settings for the expansion card, such as jumpers, switches

or BIOS configuration.

2. The VGA card(s) will work only when the SLI Switch Card is

properly installed onboard. In other words, you have to install

the SLI Switch Card under all circumstances even when you do not

intend to use the SLI function.

2-22

Hardware Setup

PCI Interrupt Request Routing

The IRQ, acronym of interrupt request line and pronounced I-R-Q, are hardware lines

over which devices can send interrupt signals to the microprocessor. The PCI IRQ

pins are typically connected to the PCI bus pins as follows:

DEVICEICH INT PinIDSELCLOCKREQ & GNT

5788 Gigabit LANINT C#AD22PCICLK00

VIA6306 IEEE1394INT D#AD23PCICLK11

PCI 1INT A/B/C/D#AD24PCICLK22

NV SLI (Scalable Link Interface) Connector: PCI_E4

NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology allows two GPUs to run in tandem

within a system to achieve up to twice the performance of a single graphics card. To

utilize this technology, the two GPU cards must be

connected by an SLI bridge card.

You can find an SLI switch card on the mainboard

configured to non-SLI mode by default (fig.1).

SLI Switch Card

If you intend to use the SLI interface for better graphics performance, please refer to

the following instructions.

1. Turn the latch either right or left to loosen the SLI switch card (refer to fig.2).

Turn the latch to

loosen the card

MSI Reminds You...

Make sure that you power off the system before removing the SLI

switch card.

Fig.1

Fig.2

SLI Bridge Card

non-SLI mode

2-23

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

2. Remove the SLI switch card. Flip it over to the other side (SLI mode side) and

insert it slantwise (at 45-degree angle) into the NV SLI connector (fig.3).

3. Press down the SLI switch card and secure it with the latch (fig.4). Before

installing or removing an NV SLI module, make sure that you unplug the power

supply first.

Turn the latch to

fix the card

4. After configuring the switch card to SLI mode, you can now install two

graphics cards on PCI Express x16 slots. With two cards installed, an SLI

bridge card is required to connect the atop golden fingers of these two graph-

ics cards (fig.5). Please note that although you have installed two graphics

cards, only the video outputs on the first card will work. Hence, you only need

to connect a monitor to the first PCI Express card.

SLI mode

Fig.3

Fig.4

2-24

SLI bridge

card

Fig.5

MSI Reminds You...

1. Mainboard photos shown in this section are for demonstration only.

The appearance of your mainboard may vary depending on the

model you purchase.

2. If you intend to install only ONE x16 graphics card, make sure

that:a. your graphics card is Installed on the PCI_E1 slot;

b. the SLI switch card is set to non-SLI mode.

3. If you intend to install TWO x16 graphics cards, make sure that:

a. these two graphics cards are of the same brand and

specifications;

b. the SLI switch card is set to SLI mode.

Hardware Setup

5. After the hardware installation is completed, restart the system and install

the NV SLI driver/utility. A configuration panel will be provided for Multi-GPU

control. Check the Enable multi-GPU box to enable the SLI function for the

onboard graphics cards (concerning the details of multi-GPU settings, please

refer to your graphics card manual) .

Check the box

6. Restart your system and a pop-up will show in the system tray confirming

that Multi-GPU has been enabled.

MSI Reminds You...

If you want to remove one graphics card and quit the SLI function, make

sure that you reset the SLI switch card (SLI mode to non-SLI mode) and

disable the "MultiGPU" function.

2-25

BIOS Setup

Chapter 3. BIOS Setup

BIOS Setup

This chapter provides information on the BIOS Setup program and

allows you to configure the system for optimum use. You may need

to run the Setup program when:

² An error message appears on the screen during the system boot-

ing up, and requests you to run SETUP.

² You want to change the default settings for customized features.

MSI Reminds You...

1. The items under each BIOS category described in this chapter

are under continuous update for better system performance.

Therefore, the description may be slightly different from the lat-

est BIOS and should be held for reference only.

2. Upon boot-up, the 1st line appearing after the memory count is

the BIOS version. It is usually in the format:

W9620NMS V1.0 150305 where:

1st digit refers to BIOS maker as A = AMI, W = AWARD,

and P = PHOENIX.

2nd - 5th digit refers to the model number.

6th digit refers to the chipset as I = Intel, N = nVidia, and V = VIA.

7th - 8th digit refers to the customer as MS = all standard

customers.

V1.0 refers to the BIOS version.

150305 refers to the date this BIOS was released.

3-1

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Restore the previous CMOS value from CMOS, only for

Entering Setup

Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test) process.

When the message below appears on the screen, press <DEL> key to enter Setup.

Press DEL to enter SETUP

If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter Setup,

restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button. You may

also restart the system by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete> keys.

Control Keys

3-2

<↑>

<↓>

<←>

<→>

<Enter> Select the item

<Esc> Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu

<+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes

<-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes

<F1> General help, only for Status Page Setup Menu and

<F5>

<F7> Load Optimized defaults

<F10> Save all the CMOS changes and exit

Move to the previous item

Move to the next item

Move to the item in the left hand

Move to the item in the right hand

from a submenu

Option Page Setup Menu

Option Page Setup Menu

BIOS Setup

Getting Help

After entering the Setup menu, the first menu you will see is the Main Menu.

Main Menu

The main menu lists the setup functions you can make changes to. You can use the

control keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the item. The on-line description of the highlighted setup

function is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Sub-Menu

If you find a right pointer symbol (as shown in the right view) appears to the left of

certain fields that means a sub-menu containing

additional options can be launched from this field.

You can use control keys ( ↑↓ ) to highlight the

field and press <Enter> to call up the sub-menu.

Then you can use the control keys to enter values

and move from field to field within a sub-menu. If

you want to return to the main menu, just press

<Esc >.

General Help <F1>

The BIOS setup program provides a General Help screen. You can call up this screen

from any menu by simply pressing <F1>. The Help screen lists the appropriate keys

to use and the possible selections for the highlighted item. Press <Esc> to exit the

Help screen.

3-3

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

The Main Menu

Once you enter Phoenix-Award WorkstationBIOS CMOS Setup Utility, the Main Menu

will appear on the screen. The Main Menu allows you to select from several setup

functions and two exit choices. Use arrow keys to select among the items and press

<Enter> to accept or enter the sub-menu.

Standard CMOS Features

Use this menu for basic system configurations, such as time, date etc.

Advanced BIOS Features

Use this menu to setup the items of AWARD® special enhanced features.

Advanced Chipset Features

Use this menu to change the values in the chipset registers and optimize your system’s

performance.

Integrated Peripherals

Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals.

Power Management Setup

Use this menu to specify your settings for power management.

PNP/PCI Configurations

This entry appears if your system supports PnP/PCI.

H/W Monitor

This entry shows your PC health status.

3-4

BIOS Setup

Cell Menu

Use this menu to specify your settings for CPU/AGP frequency/voltage control and

overclocking.

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Use this menu to load the default values set by the BIOS vendor for stable system

performance.

Load Optimized Defaults

Use this menu to load the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifi-

cally for optimal performance of the mainboard.

Set Supervisor Password

Use this menu to set Supervisor Password.

Set User Password

Use this menu to set User Password.

Save & Exit Setup

Save changes to CMOS and exit setup.

Exit Without Saving

Abandon all changes and exit setup.

3-5

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Standard CMOS Features

The items in Standard CMOS Features Menu includes some basic setup items. Use

the arrow keys to highlight the item and then use the <PgUp> or <PgDn> keys to select

the value you want in each item.

Date

This allows you to set the system to the date that you want (usually the current date).

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

dayDay of the week, from Sun to Sat, determined by

monthThe month from Jan. through Dec.

dateThe date from 1 to 31 can be keyed by numeric

yearThe year can be adjusted by users.

BIOS. Read-only.

function keys.

Time

This allows you to set the system time that you want (usually the current time). The

time format is <hour> <minute> <second>.

IDE Channel 0/1 Master/Slave, IDE Channel 2/3/4/5 Master

Press PgUp/<+> or PgDn/<-> to select [Manual], [None] or [Auto] type. Note that the

specifications of your drive must match with the drive table. The hard disk will not

work properly if you enter improper information for this category. If your hard disk

drive type is not matched or listed, you can use [Manual] to define your own drive

type manually.

If you select [Manual], related information is asked to be entered to the following

items. Enter the information directly from the keyboard. This information should be

3-6

BIOS Setup

provided in the documentation from your hard disk vendor or the system manufacturer.

Access ModeThe settings are CHS, LBA, Large, Auto.

CapacityThe formatted size of the storage device.

CylinderNumber of cylinders.

HeadNumber of heads.

PrecompWrite precompensation.

Landing ZoneCylinder location of the landing zone.

SectorNumber of sectors.

Drive A

This item allows you to set the type of floppy drive installed. Available options: [None],

[360K, 5.25 in.], [1.2M, 5.25 in.], [720K, 3.5 in.], [1.44M, 3.5 in.], [2.88M, 3.5 in.].

Halt On

The setting determines whether the system will stop if an error is detected at boot.

Available options are:

[All Errors]The system stops when any error is detected.

[No Errors]The system doesn’t stop for any detected error.

[All, But Keyboard]The system doesn’t stop for a keyboard error.

[All, But Diskette]The system doesn’t stop for a disk error.

[All, But Disk/Key]The system doesn’t stop for either a disk or a key-

Base Memory/Extended Memory/Total Memory

The items show the memory status of your system (read only).

board error.

3-7

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Advanced BIOS Features

Removable Device Priority

This feature allows you to specify the priority of removable devices.

Hard Disk Boot Priority

This feature allows you to specify the hard disk boot priority. Press <Enter> to enter

the sub-menu. Then you may use the arrow keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the desired device,

then press <+>, <-> or <PageUp>, <PageDown> key to move it up/down in this hard

disk boot priority list.

Virus Warning

The item is to set the Virus Warning feature for IDE Hard Disk boot sector protection.

If the function is enabled and any attempt to write data into this area is made, BIOS

will display a warning message on screen and beep. Settings: [Disabled] and [Enabled].

CPU Internal Cache

The item allows you to turn on or off CPU’s internal (L1) cache. Settings: [Enabled]

and [Disabled].

External Cache

The item allows you to turn on or off CPU’s external (L2) cache. Settings: [Enabled]

and [Disabled].

Quick Boot

Setting the item to [Enabled] allows the system to boot within 5 seconds since it will

skip some check items. Available options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-8

BIOS Setup

1st/2nd/3rd Boot Device

The items allow you to set the sequence of boot devices where BIOS attempts to load

the disk operating system.

MSI Reminds You...

Available settings for “1st/2nd/3rd Boot Device” vary depending on the

bootable devices you have installed. For example, if you did not install

a floppy drive, the setting “Floppy” does not show up.

Boot Other Device

Setting the option to [Enabled] allows the system to try to boot from other device if the

system fails to boot from the 1st/2nd/3rd boot device.

Seek Floppy

Setting to [Enabled] will make BIOS seek floppy drive A: before booting the system.

Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Boot Up Num-Lock LED

This setting is to set the Num Lock status when the system is powered on. Setting to

[On] will turn on the Num Lock key when the system is powered on. Setting to [Off]

will allow users to use the arrow keys on the numeric keypad. Setting options: [On],

[Off].

Gate A20 Option

This item is to set the Gate A20 status. A20 refers to the first 64KB of extended

memory. When the default value [Fast] is selected, the Gate A20 is controlled by

Port92 or chipset specific method resulting in faster system performance. When

[Normal] is selected, A20 is controlled by a keyboard controller or chipset hardware.

Typematic Rate Setting

This item is used to enable or disable the typematic rate setting including Typematic

Rate & Typematic Delay.

Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec)

After Typematic Rate Setting is enabled, this item allows you to set the rate

(characters/second) at which the keys are accelerated. Settings: [6], [8], [10], [12],

[15], [20], [24], [30].

Typematic Delay (Msec)

This item allows you to select the delay between when the key was first pressed

and when the acceleration begins. Settings: [250], [500], [750], [1000].

APIC Function

This field is used to enable or disable the APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt

Controller). Due to compliance with PC2001 design guide, the system is able to run in

APIC mode. Enabling APIC mode will expand available IRQ resources for the system.

Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-9

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

MPS Table Version

This field allows you to select which MPS (Multi-Processor Specification) version to

be used for the operating system. You need to select the MPS version supported by

your operating system. To find out which version to use, consult the vendor of your

operating system. Setting options: [1.4], [1.1].

Boot OS/2 for DRAM > 64MB

This allows you to run the OS/2® operating system with DRAM larger than 64MB.

Setting options: [Yes], [No].

Small Logo(EPA) Display

This item enables you to show the EPA logo (brand specific graphics) on the bootup

screen. Settings are:

[Disabled]Shows the normal POST screen at boot.

[Enabled]Shows a still image (EPA logo) on the screen at boot.

3-10

BIOS Setup

Advanced Chipset Features

System BIOS Cacheable

Selecting [Enabled] allows caching of the system BIOS ROM at F0000h-FFFFFh,

resulting in better system performance. However, if any program writes to this

memory area, a system error may result. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-11

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Integrated Peripherals

IDE Function Setup

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

OnChip IDE Channel 0/1

The integrated peripheral controller contains an IDE interface with support for

two IDE channels. Choose [Enabled] to activate each channel separately.

Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Primary/Secondary Master/Slave PIO

The four IDE PIO (Programmed Input/Output) fields let you set a PIO mode (0-4)

for each of the four IDE devices that the onboard IDE interface supports. Modes

3-12

BIOS Setup

0 through 4 provide successively increased performance. In [Auto] mode, the

system automatically determines the best mode for each device. The settings

are: [Auto], [Mode 0], [Mode 1], [Mode 2], [Mode 3], [Mode 4].

Primary/Secondary Master/Slave UDMA

Ultra DMA/33 implementation is possible only if your IDE hard drive supports it

and the operating environment includes a DMA driver (Windows 95 OSR2 or a

third-party IDE bus master driver). If your hard drive and your system software

both support Ultra DMA/33, Ultra DMA/66 and Ultra DMA/100 select Auto to

enable BIOS support. The settings are: [Auto], [Disabled].

IDE DMA Transfer Access

This item is used to enable or disable the DMA transfer function of the IDE Hard

Drive. The settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Serial-ATA 1/2

This item is used to enable or disable onchip SATA controller. The settings are:

[Enabled], [Disabled].

IDE Prefetch Mode

The onboard IDE drive interfaces support IDE prefetching, for faster drive

accesses. When you install a primary and/or secondary add-in IDE interface,

set this option to [Disabled] if the interface does not support prefetching. The

settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].

IDE HDD Block Mode

Block mode is also called block transfer, multiple commands, or multiple sector

read/write. If your IDE hard drive supports block mode (most new drives do),

select Enabled for automatic detection of the optimal number of block read/

write per sector the drive can support. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

nVidia RAID Config

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

3-13

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

RAID Enable

This item is used to enable/disable the onchip RAID function. When you set to

enable and the following fields will be selectabled. Setting options: [Enabled],

[Disabled].

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave RAID

This feature allows users to enable or disable the RAID function for each IDE

hard disk drive. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

SATA1/2 Primary/Secondary RAID

This feature allows users to enable or disable the RAID function for each SATA

hard disk drive. The settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Onboard Device

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

OnChip USB

This setting allows you to enable/disable the onboard USB controller. Selecting

[V1.1+V2.0] enables the system to support both USB 1.1 and 2.0 spec. Setting

options: [Disabled], [V1.1], [V1.1+V2.0].

USB Memory Type

This setting specifies the USB memory type. Setting options: [SHADOW], [Base

Memory(640K)].

USB Keyboard/Mouse Support

Select [Enabled] if you need to use a USB-interfaced keyboard or mouse in the

operating system. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-14

BIOS Setup

AC97 Audio

[Auto] allows the mainboard to detect whether an audio device is used. If an

audio device is detected, the onboard AC’97 (Audio Codec’97) controller will be

enabled; if not, it is disabled. Disable the controller if you want to use other

controller cards to connect an audio device. Settings: [Auto], [Disabled].

nVidia MAC LAN

Setting to [Auto] allows the BIOS to auto-detect the nVIDIA LAN controller and

enable it. Setting options: [Auto] and [Disabled].

MAC Media Interface

This setting specifies the MAC media interface. Setting options: [Pin Strap], [MII],

[RGMII].

OnBoard VIA 1394

This item allows you to enable/disable the onboard IEEE1394 controller. The

settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Onboard I/O Chip Setup

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

Onboard FDC Controller

Select [Enabled] if your system has a floppy disk controller (FDD) installed on

the system board and you wish to use it. If you install add-on FDC or the system

has no floppy drive, select [Disabled] in this field. The settings are: [Enabled],

[Disabled].

Onboard Serial Port 1

Select an address and corresponding interrupt for the first serial port. The

settings are: [3F8/IRQ4], [2E8/IRQ3], [3E8/IRQ4], [2F8/IRQ3], [Disabled], [Auto].

3-15

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

IR Function Select

This setting allows you to specify the operation mode for serial port 2. Setting

options: [IrDA], [ASKIR], [Disabled].

[Disabled]IR function Disabled

[IrDA]IrDA-compliant Serial Infrared Port

[ASKIR]Amplitude Shift Keyed Infrared Port

RxD, TxD Active

This setting controls the receiving and transmitting speed of the IR peripheral in

use. Setting options: [Hi,Hi], [Hi,Lo], [Lo,Hi], [Lo,Lo].

IR Transmission Delay

This setting determines whether the IR transmission rate will be delayed while

converting to receiving mode. Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

UR2 Duplex Mode

This setting controls the operating mode of IR transmission/reception. Setting

options: [Full], [Half]. Under [Full] Duplex mode, synchronous, bi-directional trans-

mission/reception is allowed. Under [Half] Duplex mode, only asynchronous, bi-

directional transmission/reception is allowed.

Onboard Parallel Port

There is a built-in parallel port on the on-board Super I/O chipset that provides

Standard, ECP, and EPP features. It has the following options:

[Disabled]

[3BC/IRQ7]Line Printer port 0

[278/IRQ5]Line Printer port 2

[378/IRQ7]Line Printer port 1UART Mode Select

Parallel Port Mode

[SPP]Standard Parallel Port

[EPP]Enhanced Parallel Port

[ECP]Extended Capability Port

[ECP + EPP]Extended Capability Port + Enhanced Parallel Port

To operate the onboard parallel port as Standard Parallel Port only, choose

[SPP]. To operate the onboard parallel port in the EPP mode simultaneously,

choose [EPP]. By choosing [ECP], the onboard parallel port will operate in ECP

mode only. Choosing [ECP + EPP] will allow the onboard parallel port to support

both the ECP and EPP modes simultaneously.

EPP Mode Select

The onboard parallel port is EPP Spec. compliant, so after the user chooses the

onboard parallel port with the EPP function, the following message will be

displayed on the screen: “EPP Mode Select.” At this time either [EPP 1.7] spec or

[EPP 1.9] spec can be chosen.

3-16

BIOS Setup

ECP Mode Use DMA

The ECP mode has to use the DMA channel, so choose the onboard parallel port

with the ECP feature. After selecting it, the following message will appear: “ ECP

Mode Use DMA.” At this time, the user can choose between DMA channel [3] or

[1].

3-17

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Power Management Setup

MSI Reminds You...

S3-related functions described in this section are available only when

your BIOS supports S3 sleep mode.

ACPI Function

This item is to activate the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Management

Interface) Function. If your operating system is ACPI-aware, such as Windows 98SE/

2000/ME, select [Enabled]. Settings: [Enabled] and [Disabled].

Sleep State

This item specifies the power saving modes for ACPI function. If your operating

system supports ACPI, such as Windows 98SE, Windows ME and Windows 2000,

you can choose to enter the Standby mode in S1(POS) or S3(STR) fashion through

the setting of this field. Options are:

[S1 (POS)]The S1 sleep mode is a low power state. In this state,

no system context is lost (CPU or chipset) and hard-

ware maintains all system context.

[S3 (STR)]The S3 sleep mode is a lower power state where the

in formation of system configuration and open appli-

cations/files is saved to main memory that remains

powered while most other hardware components turn

off to save energy. The information stored in memory

will be used to restore the system when a “wake up”

event occurs.

[Auto]The system will decide when to enter S1 or S3 state.

3-18

BIOS Setup

Power Management

This item is used to select the degree (or type) of power saving. There are three

options for power management:

[Min Saving]Minimum Power Management. Suspend Mode=1 Hour

[Max Saving]Maximum Power Management. Suspend Mode=1 Min

[User Define]Allows end users to configure each mode separately.

Video Off Method

This determines the manner in which the monitor is blanked.

[V/H SYNC+Blank]This selection will cause the system to turn off the

[Blank Screen]This option only writes blanks to the video buffer.

[DPMS Support]Initial display power management signalling.

Soft-Off by PBTN

This feature allows users to configure the power button function. Settings are:

[Instant-Off]The power button functions as a normal power-on/-

[By HardWare]When you press the power button, the computer

WOL (PME#) From Soft-Off

When set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the

power saving modes through any event on PME (Power Management Event). Settings:

[Enabled], [Disabled].

vertical and horizontal synchronization ports and write

blanks to the video buffer.

off button.

enters the suspend/sleep mode, but if the button is

pressed for more than four seconds, the computer is

turned off.

Power-On by Alarm

The field is used to enable or disable the feature of booting up the system on a

scheduled time/date. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Day of Month Alarm

The field specifies the date for Power-On by Alarm. Settings: [0]~[31].

Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm

The field specifies the time for Power-On by Alarm. Format is <hour><minute>

<second>.

S3 wake up by PS2/Keyboard, S3 wake up by PS2/Mouse

These fields allow the activity of the PS2 (keyboard and mouse) to wake up the

system from S3 sleep state. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-19

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

PNP/PCI Configurations

This section describes configuring the PCI bus system and PnP (Plug & Play) feature.

PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is a system which allows I/O devices to

operate at speeds nearing the speed the CPU itself uses when communicating with

its special components. This section covers some very technical items and it is

strongly recommended that only experienced users should make any changes to the

default settings.

Init Display First

This item specifies which graphic card is your primary graphics adapter. Settings:

[First PCIE], [PCI Slot].

Reset Configuration Data

Normally, you leave this field [Disabled]. Select [Enabled] to reset Extended System

Configuration Data (ESCD) when you exit Setup if you have installed a new add-on

and the system reconfiguration has caused such a serious conflict that the operating

system cannot boot. Setting options: [Enabled] and [Disabled].

Resources Controlled By

The Award Plug and Play BIOS has the capacity to automatically configure all of the

boot and Plug and Play compatible devices. However, this capability means abso-

lutely nothing unless you are using a Plug and Play operating system such as Win-

dows® 95/98. If you set this field to [Manual], choose specific resources by going into

each of the sub menu that follows this field (a sub menu is preceded by a “ }”). The

settings are: [Auto (ESCD)], [Manual].

IRQ Resources

The items are adjustable only when Resources Controlled By is set to [Manual].

3-20

BIOS Setup

Press <Enter> and you will enter the sub-menu of the items. IRQ Resources list IRQ

3/4/5/7/9/10/11/12/14/15 for users to set each IRQ a type depending on the type of

device using the IRQ. Settings are:

[PCI Device]For Plug & Play compatible devices designed for PCI bus

[Reserved]The IRQ will be reserved for further request.

MSI Reminds You...

IRQ (Interrupt Request) lines are system resources allocated to I/O

devices. When an I/O device needs to gain attention of the operating

system, it signals this by causing an IRQ to occur. After receiving the

signal, when the operating system is ready, the system will interrupt

itself and perform the service required by the I/O device.

** PCI Express relative items **

Maximum Payload Size

This item allows you to set the PCI Express Maximum payload size per time. Settings:

[4096], [128], [256], [512], [1024], [2048].

architecture.

3-21

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

H/W Monitor

This section shows the status of your CPU, fan, overall system status, etc. Monitor

function is available only if there is hardware monitoring mechanism onboard.

Chassis Intrusion Detect

The field enables or disables the feature of recording the chassis intrusion status

and issuing a warning message if the chassis is once opened. To clear the warning

message, set the field to [Reset]. The setting of the field will automatically return to

[Enabled] later. Setting options: [Enabled], [Reset], [Disabled].

Smart CPU1/CPU2 Fan Target

System Temperature with CPU Temperature with CPU Fan. The BIOS povides the

Smart Fan system which can control the fan speed automatically depending on the

current temperature to keep it with in a specific range. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Smart CPU1/CPU2 Fan Tolerance

You can select a fan tolerance value here for the specific range for the Smart CPU

Fan items. If the current temperatures of CPU fan reach to the maximum threshold

(the temperatures set in the Smart CPU Fan plus the tolerance values you set

here), the fans will speed up for cooling down. On the contrary if the current tem-

peratures reach to the minimum threshold (the set temperatures minus the tolerance

values), the fans will slow down to keep the temperatures stable.

Smart SYSTEM Fan Target

The BIOS povides the Smart Fan system which can control the system fan speed

automatically depending on the current temperature to keep it within a specific range.

Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-22

BIOS Setup

Smart SYSTEM Fan Tolerance

You can select a fan tolerance value here for the specific range for the Smart

SYSTEM Fan items. If the current temperatures of system fans reach to the maxi-

mum threshold (the temperatures set in the Smart SYSTEM Fan plus the tolerance

values you set here), the fans will speed up for cooling down. On the contrary if the

current temperatures reach to the minimum threshold (the set temperatures minus the

tolerance values), the fans will slow down to keep the temperatures stable.

PC Health Status

Press <Enter> and the following sub-menu appears.

CPU1/CPU2/System Temperature, CPU1/CPU2/System Fan Speed, CPU1/

CPU2/Chipset Vcore, DRAM Voltage, +5.0V, Battery, +5VSB

These items display the current status of all of the monitored hardware devices/

components such as CPU voltage, temperatures and all fans’ speeds.

3-23

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Cell Menu

The items in Cell Menu include some important settings of CPU, AGP, DRAM and

overclocking functions.

MSI Reminds You...

Change these settings only if you are familiar with the chipset.

Current CPU / DDR Clock

These two items show the current clocks of CPU & DDR. Read-only.

DRAM Configuration

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears.

3-24

BIOS Setup

Timing Mode

This field has the capacity to automatically detect all of the DRAM timing. If you

set this field to [Manual], the following fields will be selectable. The settings are:

[Auto], [Manual].

Memclock index value (Mhz)

When it is set to [Manual] in Timing Mode, user can place an artificial memory

clock on the system. Please note that memory is prevented from running faster

than this frequency.

CAS# Latency (Tcl)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable.This controls

the CAS latency, which determines the timing delay (in clock cycles) before

SDRAM starts a read command after receiving it. Settings: [Auto], [CL2.0],

[CL=2.5], [CL=3.0]. [CL=2.0] increases the system performance the most while

[CL=3.0] provides the most stable performance.

Min RAS# Active Time (Tras)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This setting

determines the time RAS takes to read from and write to a memory cell. Setting

options: [Auto], [5T], [6T], [7T], [8T], [9T], [10T], [11T], [12T], [13T], [14T], [15 T].

RAS# to CAS# delay (Trcd)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. When DRAM

is refreshed, both rows and columns are addressed separately. This setup

item allows you to determine the timing of the transition from RAS (row address

strobe) to CAS (column address strobe). The less the clock cycles, the faster

the DRAM performance. Setting options: [Auto], [2T], [3T], [4T], [5T], [6T], [7T].

3-25

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Row Precharge Time (Trp)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This item

controls the number of cycles for Row Address Strobe (RAS) to be allowed to

precharge. If insufficient time is allowed for the RAS to accumulate its charge

before DRAM refresh, refreshing may be incomplete and DRAM may fail to

retain data. This item applies only when synchronous DRAM is installed in the

system. Available settings: [Auto], [2T], [3T], [4T], [5T], [6T], [7T].

Bottom of 32-bit [ 31:24] IO

When the User Config mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This field

specifies the memory which could be remapped to another address higher than

00E0. (This item only activities in 64-bit OS) The settings are: [0000~00E0].

Node Memory Interleaving

Interleave memory blocks across Processor Nodes. BIOS will AUTO detect the

capability of Memory System. Options: [Disabled], [AUTO].

Node Interleaving Interlock

This setting controls the node interlock times. Options: [At least not], [All present

are].

H/W memory hole Remapping

This field enables hardware to remap the physical memory to the address

higher than 00E0. (This item only activities in 64-bit OS.) Setting options:

[Disabled], [Enabled].

H/W memory hole interlock

This setting controls the hardware memory hole interlock times. Options: [At

least not], [All present are].

MTRR Mapping Mode

This setting controls the MTRR mapping mode. To install the WinXP64, this

setting should be set to [Continuous]. Setting options: [Continuous], [Discrete].

DRAM ECC Feature Control

If all memory in the system supports ECC, enabling this will initial scrub dram and

enable system requests to dram to be checked and/or corrected. Options:

[Enabled], [Disabled].

ECC memory interlock

This setting controls the ECC memory interlock times. Options: [At least not], [All

present are].

ECC MCE enable

This setting enables/disables the ECC MCE function. Options: [Enabled],

[Disabled].

3-26

BIOS Setup

Chip-Kill mode enable

This item allows you to enable/disable Chip-Kill ECC on Nodes with all x4 ECC

capable dimms. Options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

ECC Redirection

Enable Scrubber to correct errors detected in DRAM during normal CPU re-

quests (foreground scrubbing). Options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

DRAM background scrubber

This feature sets the rate of BACKGROUND scrubbing for DRAM. (In addition to

normal ECC scrubbing from system requests.) Options: [Disabled], [1.31 ms],

[2.62 ms], [5.24 ms], [10.49 ms], [20.97 ms], [42.0 ms], [84.0 ms]. Note: BACK-

GROUND agent works independently of CPU requests and bus masters,

but cannot be enabled without first enabling DRAM ECC.

L2 cache background scrubber

This feature sets the rate of background scrubbing for L2 cache lines.Options:

[Disabled], [40 ns], [80 ns], [160 ns], [320 ns], [640 ns], [1.28 us], [2.56 us].

DCache background scrubber

This feature sets the rate of background scrubbing for DCACHE lines.Options:

[Disabled], [40 ns], [80 ns], [160 ns], [320 ns], [640 ns], [1.28 us], [2.56 us].

High Performance Mode

This field allows you to select the DDR timing setting. Setting to [Optimized] enables

Adjust DDR Memory Frequency automatically to be determined by SPD. Selecting

[Manual] allows users to configure these fields manually. Setting options: [Optimized],

[Manual].

Aggressive timing

This item allows you to enable or disable the memory clock. When [Enabled] is selected,

the timing delay of memory will be shorten to increase the performance. Setting

options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Dynamic Overclocking

Dynamic Overclocking Technology is the automatic overclocking function, included in

the MSITM’s newly developed CoreCell

TM

Technology. It is designed to detect the load

balance of CPU while running programs, and to adjust the best CPU frequency

automatically. When the motherboard detects CPU is running programs, it will speed

up CPU automatically to make the program run smoothly and faster. When the CPU is

temporarily suspending or staying in the low load balance, it will restore the default

settings instead. Usually the Dynamic Overclocking Technology will be powered only

when users' PC need to run huge amount of data like 3D games or the video process,

and the CPU frequency need to be boosted up to enhance the overall performance.

Setting options:

[Disabled]Disable Dynamic Overclocking function.

[Private]1st level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 1%.

[Sergeant]2nd level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 3%.

[Captain]3rd level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 5%.

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MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

[Colonel]4th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 7%.

[General]5th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 9%.

[Commander] 6th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 11%.

MSI Reminds You...

Even though the Dynamic Overclocking Technology is more stable

than manual overclocking, basically, it is still risky. We suggest user

to make sure that your CPU can afford to overclocking regularly first.

If you find the PC appears to be unstable or reboot incidentally, it's

better to disable the Dynamic Overclocking or to lower the level of

overclocking options. By the way, if you need to conduct overclocking

manually, you also need to disable the D.O.T Ranger first.

NV/ATI Speed Up

This setting disables/enables the following chipset speed-up functions.

NV4X Memory Speed Up(%)

This setting increases the memory speed of the NV4X chipset as a way to enhance

system performance.

NV4X Core Speed Up(%)

This setting increases the core speed of the NV4X chipset as a way to enhance

system performance.

Add NV4X Memory CLK(Mhz)

This setting speeds up the memory clock of the NV4X chipset as a way to enhance

system performance.

Add NV4X Core CLK(Mhz)

This setting speeds up the core clock of the NV4X chipset as a way to enhance

system performance.

Adjust CPU FSB Frequency

This item allows you to select the CPU Front Side Bus clock frequency (in MHz).

Select the number between [200]~[400] for needed frequency.

HT Frequency

This setting specifies the maximum operating frequency of the link’s transmitter clock.

Setting options: [1x], [1.5x], [2x], [2.5x], [3x], [4x], [5x].

HT Width

This field allows you to set the HT Width between CPU & Chip.↑ mark means Chip to

CPU HT Width. And ↓ mark means CPU to Chip HT Width. Setting options: [ ↓ 8 ↑ 8], [

↓ 16 ↑ 8], [↓ 8 ↑16], [ ↓16 ↑16].

CPU Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the CPU Spread Spectrum feature. When

3-28

BIOS Setup

overclocking the CPU, always set it to [Disabled]. Setting options: [Center Spread],

[Disabled].

SATA Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the SATA Spread Spectrum feature. Setting

options: [Disabled], [Down Spread].

PCIE Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the CPU Spread Spectrum feature. When

overclocking the CPU, always set it to [Disabled]. Setting options: [Disabled], [Down

Spread].

PCIE Clock

This item allows you to select the PCIE Bus clock frequency (in MHz). Select the

number between [100]~[145] for needed frequency.

SSE/ SSE2 Instructions

This setting disables/enables the SSE/SSE2 Instructions. The Streaming SIMD Exten-

sions (SSE) were introduced in the Pentium III processor. The SSE extensions con-

sist of a new set of instructions and a new set of registers. These instructions and

registers are designed to allow Single-Instruction Multiple-Data (SIMD) computations

to be made on single-precision floating-point numbers.

The Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2) were introduced in the Pentium 4 and Intel

Xeon processors. They consist of a new set of instructions that operate on the XXM

and MXCSR registers and perform SIMD operations on double-precision floating-

point values and on integer values. Several of these new SSE/SSE2 instructions also

operate in the MMX registers. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Cool’n’Quiet

This feature is especially designed for AMD Athlon processor, which provides a CPU

temperature detecting function to prevent your CPU’s from overheating due to the

heavy working loading. Setting options: [Disabled], [Auto].

MSI Reminds You...

For the purpose of ensuring the stability of Cool'n'Quiet function, it is

always recommended to have the memories plugged in DIMM1.

Hammer Fid Control

This item lets you adjust the CPU ratio. Setting to [Startup] enables the CPU running at

the fastest speed which is detected by system. Setting options are: [Startup], [x4]~

[x11].

Hammer Vid Control

This item lets you adjust the CPU VID. Setting to [Startup] enables the CPU running at

the default VID which is detected by system. Setting options are: [Startup], [0.825V],

[0.850V], [0.875V],~, [1.550V].

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MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

CPU Voltage

This feature allows you to trim the voltage of CPU.

Memory Voltage

Adjusting the DDR voltage can increase the DDR speed. Any changes made to this

setting may cause a stability issue, so changing the DDR voltage for long-term

purpose is NOT recommended.

NF4 Voltage

NF4 voltage is adjustable in the field.

MSI Reminds You...

The settings shown in different color in CPU Voltage, Memory Volt-

age and AGP Voltage help to verify if your setting is proper for your

system.

Gray:Default setting.

Yellow:High performance setting.

Red:Not recommended setting and the system may be

Changing CPU Voltage, Memory Voltage and AGP Voltage may

result in the instability of the system; therefore, it is NOT recom-

mended to change the default setting for long-term usage.

PCI Clock Auto Detect

This option allows you to enable/disable the feature of auto detecting the clock

frequency of the installed PCI bus. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

unstable.

3-30

BIOS Setup

Load Fail-Safe/Optimized Defaults

The two options on the main menu allow users to restore all of the BIOS settings to

the default Fail-Safe or Optimized values. The Optimized Defaults are the default

values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifically for optimal performance of the

mainboard. The Fail-Safe Defaults are the default values set by the BIOS vendor for

stable system performance.

When you select Load Fail-Safe Defaults, a message as below appears:

Pressing Y loads the BIOS default values for the most stable, minimal system

performance.

When you select Load Optimized Defaults, a message as below appears:

Pressing Y loads the default factory settings for optimal system performance.

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MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Set Supervisor/User Password

When you select this function, a message as below will appear on the screen:

Type the password, up to eight characters in length, and press <Enter>. The pass-

word typed now will replace any previously set password from CMOS memory. You

will be prompted to confirm the password. Retype the password and press <Enter>.

You may also press <Esc> to abort the selection and not enter a password.

To clear a set password, just press <Enter> when you are prompted to enter the

password. A message will show up confirming the password will be disabled. Once

the password is disabled, the system will boot and you can enter Setup without

entering any password.

When a password has been set, you will be prompted to enter it every time you try

to enter Setup. This prevents an unauthorized person from changing any part of your

system configuration.

Additionally, when a password is enabled, you can also have BIOS to request a

password each time the system is booted. This would prevent unauthorized use of

your computer. The setting to determine when the password prompt is required is the

Security Option of the Advanced BIOS Feature menu. If the Security Option is

set to [System], the password is required both at boot and at entry to Setup. If set to

[Setup], password prompt only occurs when you try to enter Setup.

3-32

MSI Reminds You...

About Supervisor Password & User Password:

Supervisor password:Can enter and change the settings of the

setup menu.

User password:Can only enter but do not have the right to

change the settings of the setup menu.

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Appendix A: nVIDIA RAID Introduction

NVIDIA brings Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) technology—which is

used by the world’s leading businesses— to the common PC desktop. This technol-

ogy uses multiple drives to either increase total disk space or to offer data protection.

For all levels, RAID techniques optimize storage solutions by using multiple disks

grouped together and treating them as a single storage resource.

A-1

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Introduction

System Requirement

Operating System Support

NVRAID supports the following operating systems:

Windows XP Home Edition

Windows XP Professional Edition

Windows 2000 Professional

RAID Arrays

NVRAID supports the following types of RAID arrays described in this section:

RAID 0: RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves the disk read and write

times for many applications.

RAID 1: RAID 1 defines techniques for mirroring data.

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

Spanning (JBOD): JBOD provides a method for combining drives of differentsizes

into one large disk.

Summary of RAID Configurations

Array Uses Advantages Drawbacks # Hard

RAID 0 Non-critical data

RAID 1 Small databases or any

RAID 0+1 Critical data requiring

JBOD Combining odd size

requiring high

performance.

other small capacity

environment requiring

fault tolerance.

high performance.

drives into one big drive

High data throughput. No fault tolerance. multiple None

100% data

redundancy.

Optimized for both

100% data

redundancy and

performance.

Allows spare disks.

Combines and uses

the capacity of odd

size drives.

Requires 2 drives for

the storage space of 1

drive.

Requires 2 drives for

the storage space of 1

drive—the same as

RAID level 1.

Decreases

performance because

of the difficulty in

using drives

concurrently or to

optimize drives for

different uses.

Disks

2 Yes

4+ Yes

Multiple No

Fault

Tolerance

MSI Reminds You...

Please note that the companion MSI Driver/Utility CD supports this

mainboard with Windows 2000/XP system drivers ONLY. Hence,

users cannot install OS, either WinME or Win98, in their SATA hard

drives.

A-2

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

RAID Configuration

Basic Configuration Instructions

The following are the basic steps for configuring NVRAID:

Non-Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (Check p.

3-17 for details.)

2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and

Mirroring (RAID 0+1), or Spanning (JBOD) and create the desired RAID array.

3. Enter the Windows OS, run the Windows nForce Setup application and install the

RAID software. (Check p.A-7 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (Check p.

3-17 for details.)

2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and

Mirroring (RAID 0+1), or Spanning (JBOD) and create the desired RAID array.

3. Boot from the Windows CD, use the floppy disk that has the RAID driver to copy

and install the nForce RAID software. (Check p.A-7 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS

Be sure to enable the IDE RAID or SATA RAID items in SATA Devices Configura-

tion of Integrated Peripherals in BIOS (refer to p.3-17 for details) before config-

uring the NVRAID BIOS. After that press F10 to save the configuration and exit. The

PC will reboot right away. Then enter the RAID BIOS Setup by pressing F10 when

prompted, and follow the procedures described below to set up the NVRAID BIOS.

NVRAID BIOS setup lets you choose the RAID array type and which hard drives you

want to make part of the array.

Entering the RAID BIOS Setup

1. After rebooting your PC, wait until you

see the RAID software prompting you

to press F10. The RAID prompt ap-

pears as part of the system POST and

boot process prior to loading the OS.

2. Press F10, and the NVIDIA RAID Utility

--- Define a New Array window will

appear.

The default RAID Mode is set to Mir-

roring and Striping Block is set to

Optimal.

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MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Understanding the “Define a New Array” Window

Use the Define a New Array window to

• Select the RAID Mode

• Set up the Striping Block

• Specify which disks to use for the RAID Array

Depending on the platform used, the system can have one or more channels. In a

typical system there is usually one controller and multiple channels, and each chan-

nel has a slave and a master.

The channel/controller/master/slave status of each hard disk is given in the Loc

(location) columns of the Free Disks and Array Disks lists.

In the example above, 1.0.M means the hard drive is attached to Channel 1, Controller

0, and the drive is set to Master. The following is a list of all possible combinations:

Parallel ATA

0.0.MChannel 0, controller 0, Master

0.0.SChannel 0, controller 0, Slave

0.1.MChannel 0, controller 1, Master

0.1.SChannel 0, controller 1, Slave

Serial ATA

1.0.MChannel 1, controller 0, Master

1.1.MChannel 1, controller 1, Master

2.0.MChannel 2, controller 0, Master

2.1.MChannel 2, controller 1, Master

MSI Reminds You...

There is no such thing as Slave drive in Serial ATA. All drives are

considered to be Master since there is a one to one connection

between the drive and the controller.

A-4

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Using the Define a New Array Window

If necessary, press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is

highlighted.

• Selecting the RAID Mode

By default, this is set to [Mirroring]. To change to a different RAID mode, press the

down arrow key until the mode that you want appears in the RAID Mode box—either

[Mirroring], [Striping], [Spanning], or [Stripe Mirroring].

• Selecting the Striping Block Size

Striping Block size is given in kilobytes, and affects how data is arranged on the

disk. It is recommended to leave this value at the default [Optimal], which is 32KB, but

the

values can be between [4 KB] and [128 KB].

• Assigning the Disks

The disks that you enabled from the RAID Config BIOS setup page appear in the Free

Disks block. These are the drives that are available for use as RAID array disks.

To designate a free disk to be used as a RAID array disk,

1. Tab to the Free Disks section. The first disk in the list is selected.

2. Move it from the Free Disks block to the Array Disks block by pressing the right

arrow key (-->). The first disk in the list is moved, and the next disk in the list is

selected and ready to be moved.

3. Continue pressing the right-arrow key (<-- ) until all the disks that you want to use

as RAID array disks appear in the Array Disks block.

It shows that two disks have been assigned as RAID1 array disks in the figure

above.

- Define a New Array -

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MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Completing the RAID BIOS Setup

1.After assigning your RAID array disks, press F7. The Clear disk data prompt

appears.

2.Press Y if you want to wipe out all the data from the RAID array, otherwise press

N. You must choose Yes if the drives were previously used as RAID drives.

The Array List window appears, where you can review the RAID arrays that you

have set up.

3. Use the arrow keys to select the array that you want to set up, then press Enter.

The Array Detail window appears.

4. If you want to mark this disk as empty and wipe out all its contents then press C.

5. At the prompt, press Y to wipe out all the data, otherwise press N.

6.Press Enter again to go back to the previous window and then press Ctrl-X to

exit the RAID setup. Now that the RAID setup has been configured from the RAID

BIOS, the next step is to configure and load NVRAID drivers under Windows, as

explained in “Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows” on pA-7.

A-6

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation

Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows

(for Non-bootable RAID Array)

The existing Windows IDE Parallel ATA driver (as well as the Serial ATA driver if SATA

is enabled) must be upgraded to use the NVIDIA IDE Parallel ATA driver (as well as the

NV Serial ATA driver if SATA is enabled).

This section describes how to run the setup application and install the RAID software

which will upgrade the Windows IDE driver and install the RAID software.

1.Start the nForce Setup program to open the NVIDIA Windows nForce Drivers page.

2.Select the modules that you want to install. Make sure that the “NVIDIA IDE Driver”

is selected.

3.Click Next and then follow the instructions.

4.After the installation is completed, be sure to reboot the PC.

5.After the reboot, initialize the newly created array. See “ Initializing and Using the

Disk Array” on pA-10.

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MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array)

1. After you complete the RAID BIOS setup, boot from the Windows CD, and the

Windows Setup program starts.

2. Press F6 and wait for the Windows Setup screen to appear.

3. Specify the NVIDIA drivers:

(1)Insert the floppy that has the RAID driver, press S, then press Enter. The

Windows Setup screen appears as below:

MSI Reminds You...

Please follow the instruction below to make an nVIDIA RAID driver for

yourself.

1.Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2.Ignore the Setup screen and use “Explorer” to browse the CD.

3.Copy all the contents (excluding the subfolders) in the

\\nVidia\System\CK804\IDE\WinXP or

\\nVidia\System\CK804\IDE\Win2K to a formatted floppy disk.

4.The driver disk for nVIDIA RAID driver is done.

(2)Select “NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER” and then press Enter.

(3)Press S again at the Specify Devices screen, then press Enter.

(4)Select “NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller” and then press Enter. The follow-

ing Windows Setup screen appears listing both drivers:

A-8

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

4.Press Enter to continue with Windows XP Installation. Be sure to leave the floppy

disk inserted in the floppy drive until the blue screen portion of Windows XP

installation is completed, then take out the floppy.

5.Follow the instructions on how to install Windows XP. During the GUI portion of the

install you might be prompted to click Yes to install the RAID driver. Click Yes as

many times as needed in order to finish the installation. This will not be an issue

with a signed driver.

MSI Reminds You...

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

A-9

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Initializing and Using the Disk Array

The RAID array is now ready to be initialized under Windows.

1.Launch Computer Management by clicking “Start” --> “Settings” --> “Control Panel”

--> “Switch to Classic View” then open the “Administrative Tools” folder and

double click on “Computer Management”.

2.Click “Disk Management” (under the “Storage” section). The Initialize and Convert

Disk Wizards appears.

3.Click Next. The Select Disks to Initialize window appears. The disks listed depend

on how many arrays you have configured.

4.Click Next. The Select Disks to Convert window appears.

A-10

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

5.Check the disk in the list if you want to make the array a dynamic disk, then click

Next. The Completing the Initialize and Convert Disk Wizard window appears.

6.Click Finish. The “Computer Management” window appears.

The actual disks listed will depend on your system, and the unallocated partition is

the total combined storage of two hard disks. You must format the unallocated

disk space in order to use it.

7.Format the unallocated disk space. Right click “Unallocated space”, select “New

Partition…” and follow the wizard. After the drive has been formatted, it is ready

for use.

A-11

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

RAID Drives Management

There is an application called NVRAIDMAN which helps you perform the following

tasks of nVDIA RAID.

• Viewing RAID Array Configurations

View an array configuration (mirrored, striped, mirror-striped, JBOD, or any sup-

ported combination)

• Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk

• View free and/or dedicated free disks

• Designate a free disk to a particular array

• Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array

• Rebuild a broken mirrored array

• Watch the progress of rebuilding an array

Viewing RAID Array Configurations

To view your RAID configuration from Windows, launch the NVRAID Management

utility by double-clicking NvRaidMan.exe (the default location of NvRaidMan.exe is

in \\nVidia\System\CK804\IDE\WinXP\raidtool or

\\nVidia\System\CK804\IDE\Win2K\raidtool of the setup CD accompanied with your

mainboard).

The RAID configuration information appears in the right-side pane, as shown below.

MSI Reminds You...

The information in the figures in this part may very from what it is shown

in your system.

NVRAID Mirrored Array

The figure below shows an example of a two hard drive mirrored array using iden-

tical 55.90 GB IDE hard drives (ST360015A), where one drive is configured as

Master and the other drive is configured as Slave. The total hard disk space used is

55.90 GB. (1.1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes)

A-12

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

NVRAID Striped Array

The figure below shows an example of a two hard drive striped array using identical

55.90 GB IDE hard drives (ST360015A), where one drive is configured as Master

and the other drive is configured as Slave. The total disk space used is 111.80 GB.

NVRAID Striped Mirror Array

The figure below shows an example of a four hard drive stripe-mirrored array. The

total disk space used is 111.80 GB.

NVRAID Spanning (JBOD) Array

The figure below shows an example of a two hard drive spanning array. The total

disk space used is 111.80 GB.

NVRAID Mirrored Array and a Striped Array

The figure below shows an example of a two hard drive mirrored array as well as a

two hard drive striped array.

A-13

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk

You can designate a hard drive to be used as a spare drive for a RAID 1 or RAID 0+1

array2. The spare drive can take over for a failed disk. NVRAID supports two types

of spare drives:

• Free Disk

A free disk is a disk that is not part of any RAID array, but can be used by any

available RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 array that requires a particular disk when one of its

disks crashes or becomes unusable. The process is automatic and doesn’t require

any user interaction.

For example, if you have a system with four hard disks where one disk is used to

boot the OS, two hard drives are set up in a mirrored array, and a fourth hard disk is

set up as a free disk, then if one of the mirrored array drives fails, the free disk will

be automatically assigned to the mirrored array to be used instead of the failed disk.

• Dedicated Disk

A dedicated free disk is a disk that is assigned to a RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 array and that

disk is used by that array only when needed, for example during a system crash

where a RAID mirrored drive is broken. The dedicated disk can be used only by the

array that it is assigned to and not by any other array, unlike a free disk which can be

used by any available RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 array.

Assigning a Free Disk

To mark a disk as free, or not a part of any array,

1. Enter the system BIOS setup and make sure that the drive that you want to mark as

free is RAID enabled.

2. Enter the RAID BIOS and make sure that the drive is not part of any array (if one

exists).

3. Boot into Windows and run the NVRAIDMAN program. The drive appears under the

Free Disk section. The figure below shows an example of the NVRAIDMAN display

if you have a mirror array and one free disk.

A-14

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Assigning a Dedicated Disk

To mark a disk as dedicated, or reserve it for use by a specific array,

Step 1: Mark the Disk as a Free Disk

1. Enter the system BIOS setup and make sure that the drive that you want to mark as

free is RAID enabled.

2. Enter the RAID BIOS and make sure that the drive is not part of any array (if one

exists).

3. Boot into Windows and run the NVRAIDMAN program. The drive appears under the

Free Disk section.

Step 2: Dedicate the Free Disk to an Array

While running NVRAIDMAN, dedicate the free disk to an array using one of the

following two methods:

• Method 1: Select a free disk and then assign it to an array.

• Method 2: Select an array and then assign a free disk to it.

Both methods are equally simple ways of accomplishing the same task.

Method 1: Select a free disk and then assign it to an array.

1. Right click one of the available disks under the Free Disk section. The pop-up menu

appears.

2. Select Designate Spare from the menu to launch the Spare Disk Allocation Wizard.

A-15

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

3. Click Next.

The RAID Array Selection page appears.

4. From the RAID Array Selection page, select one of the arrays from the list.

This is the array to which you want to allocate the dedicated free disk.

Note: There is only one array created on the system.

5. Click Next.

The Completing the NVIDIA Spare Disk Allocation page appears.

6. Click Finish.

As shown in figure below, the ST380023AS drive is now a dedicated free disk in the

mirrored array. If a system crash occurs that causes any of the two ST360015A

drives to fail, the ST380023AS hard drive will take over and be used in the newly

formed mirrored array.

Once a dedicated disk has been assigned to a particular array, it can be removed at

any time. To remove the disk, right click on the dedicated disk and select the option to

remove it.

A-16

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Method 2: Select an array and then assign a free disk to it.

1. Right click on the array to which you want to assign a dedicated free disk. The pop-

up menu appears.

2. Select Designate Spare from the menu to launch the Spare Disk Allocation Wizard.

3. Click Next. The Free Disk Selection page appears.

4. From the Free Disk Selection page, select one of the disks from the list. Please note

that there can be more than one disk to choose from.

A-17

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

5. Click Next. The Completing the NVIDIA Spare Disk Allocation page appears.

6. Click Finish.

You have now assigned a dedicated free disk to a mirrored array.

Once a dedicated disk has been assigned to a particular array, it can be removed at

any time. To remove the disk, right click on the dedicated disk and select the option to

remove it.

A-18

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Example of Dedicating a Free Disk in a RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 Array

You can also assign a dedicated free disk to a RAID 1 or a RAID 0+1 array, using the

same process.

1. Right-click either the free disk that you want to dedicate to an array, the array type,

or the array drives as shown in the figure below. Then click Designate Spare to

launch the Spare Disk Allocation Wizard.

2. Click Designate Spare and then follow the instructions in the Wizard. The figure

below shows an example of a RAID 1 array that has one spare disk dedicated to it.

Once a dedicated disk has been assigned to a particular array, it can be removed at

any time. To remove the disk, right click on the dedicated disk and select the option to

remove it.

A-19

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array

Rebuilding is the process of recovering data from one hard drive to another. All data

is copied from one hard drive to another and then the data is synchronized between

the two hard drives. This only applies to RAID 1 array as well as a RAID 0+1 array.

Rebuilding Instructions

After creating a mirrored array, you can rebuild the array using the following steps:

1. Go to Windows and run the NVRAID Management utility. The figure below shows

an example of a system with one mirrored array.

2. Right-click on Mirroring. The popup menu appears.

3. From the popup menu, click Rebuild Array. The NVIDIA Rebuild Array Wizard

appears.

A-20

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

4. Click Next. The Disk Selection page appears.

5. Select the drive that you want to rebuild by clicking it from the list, then click Next.

The Completing the NVIDIA Rebuild Array page appears.

6. Click Finish. The array rebuilding starts after a few seconds, and a small pop-up

message appears towards the bottom right corner of the screen as shown in the

figure below.

During the rebuilding process, the NVRAID Management utility screen shows the

status under the System Tasks and Details sections.

A-21

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

More About Rebuilding Arrays

• Rebuilding Occurs in the Background

The rebuilding process is very slow (it can take up to a day) and occurs in the

background so as not to affect the performance of the system.

• Rebuilding Applies Only to RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 Arrays

Rebuilding an array works only when using RAID1 and/or RAID 0+1. Rebuilding does

not apply to RAID 0 and JBOD arrays.

• You Can Use Any Available Free Disk

You can rebuild a mirrored array using any available Free Disk or Dedicated Disk.

For example, the figure below shows a mirrored array using 34.48 GB HD while

having two Free Disks each 55.90 GB large.

To use one of these available free disks to rebuild your array, follow the same steps

as explained in “ Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array” on p.A-20, except when prompted

to select a disk, choose one of the two available free disks.

A-22

Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function

Appendix B: Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Chan-

nel Audio Function

The mainboard is equipped with Realtek ALC850 chip, which provides support for 8-

channel audio output, including 2 Front, 2 Rear, 1 Center and 1 Subwoofer channel.

ALC850 allows the board to attach 2, 4, 6 or 8 speakers for better surround sound

effect. The section will tell you how to install and use 2-, 4-, 6- or 8-channel audio

function on the board.

B-1

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Installing the Audio Driver

You need to install the driver for Realtek ALC850 codec to function properly before

you can get access to 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio operations. Follow the procedures

described below to install the drivers for different operating systems.

Installation for Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP

For Windows® 2000, you must install Windows® 2000 Service Pack2 or later before

installing the driver.

The following illustrations are based on Windows® XP environment and could look

slightly different if you install the drivers in different operating systems.

1.Insert the companion CD into the CD-ROM drive. The setup screen will

automatically appear.

2.Click Realtek AC97 Audio Drivers.

B-2

Click here

MSI Reminds You...

The AC97 Audio Configuration software utility is under

continuous update to enhance audio applications. Hence, the program

screens shown here in this appendix may be slightly different from the

latest software utility and shall be held for reference only.

Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function

3.Click Next to install the AC’97 Audio software.

4.Click Finish to restart the system.

Click here

Click here

Select this

option

B-3

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Software Configuration

After installing the audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio

feature now. Click the audio icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner

of the screen to activate the AC97 Audio Configuration. It is also available to

enable the audio driver by clicking the Sound Effect Manager from the Control

Panel.

B-4

Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function

Sound Effect

Here you can select a sound effect you like from the Environment list.

Edit

You may also edit the properties for an environment as you wish by clicking the “Edit”

button, then just scroll the bar in the bottom for each property to adjust.

B-5

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

You may choose the provided sound effects, and the equalizer will adjust

automatically. If you like, you may also load an equalizer setting or make an new

equalizer setting to save as an new one by using the “ Load EQ Setting” and “Save

Preset” button, click “Reset EQ Setting” button to use the default value, or click

“Delete EQ Setting” button to remove a preset EQ setting.

There are also other pre-set equalizer models for you to choose by clicking “Oth-

ers” under the Equalizer part.

Load EQ Setting

Reset EQ Setting

EQ Setting On/Off

Save Preset

Delete EQ

Setting

Here it provides the Karaoke function which will automatically remove human voice

(lyrics) and leave melody for you to sing the song. You may use the “up arrow” and

“down arrow” button to raise/lower the key, and press the lower button to remove

the human voice.

Raise the key

Remove the

human voice

Lower the key

B-6

Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function

Speaker Configuration

In this tab, you can easily configure your multi-channel audio function and speakers.

1. First you have to select the audio configuration below which is identical to

the audio jack on your mainboard. In this model it uses Realtek ALC850

codec which supports 8-channel S/PDIF, therefore you should choose 8CH-

S/PDIF (Optical & Coaxial).

2

1

3

2. Select a desired multi-channel operation here.

a.Headphone for the common headphone

b.2CH Speaker for Stereo-Speaker Output

c.4CH Speaker for 4-Speaker Output

d.6CH Speaker for 5.1-Speaker Output

e.8CH Speaker for 8-Speaker Output

B-7

MS-9620 ATX Workstation Board

Select the speaker by clicking it to test its functionality. The one you select will

light up and make testing sound. If any speaker fails to make sound, then check

whether the cable is inserted firmly to the connector or replace the bad speak-

ers with good ones. Or you may click the “Auto Test” button to test the

sounds of each speaker automatically.

Center

Front Left

Subwoofer

Side Left

Rear Left

3. While you are testing the speakers in 8-Channel / 6-Channel Mode, if the

sound coming from the center speaker and subwoofer is swapped, you

should select Swap Center/Subwoofer Output to readjust these two

channels.

Front Right

Side Right

Rear Right

B-8