MSI K9AG Neo2-Digital User Manual

K9AG Neo2-Digital

MS-7368 (v1.X) Mainboard

G52-73681X1

i

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

Revision Revision History Date

V1.0 First Release May 2007

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://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?

func=faqIndex

Contact our technical staff at: http://support.msi.com.tw/

ii

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 equip­ment from overheating. DO NOT COVER THE OPENINGS.

6. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V be­fore 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, STOR­AGE 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.

iii

FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This equipment has been

tested and found to comply

with the limits for a Class B

digital device, pursuant to Part

15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection

against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,

uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accor-

dance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.

However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular

installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television

reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is

encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the measures listed

below.

† Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
† Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
† Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to

which the receiver is connected.

† Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help.

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-7368

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.

iv

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement

v

vi

vii

CONTENTS

Copyright Notice..............................................................................................................ii

Trademarks.......................................................................................................................ii

Revision History..............................................................................................................ii

Technical Support...........................................................................................................ii

Safety Instructions.........................................................................................................iii

FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement........................................................iv

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement....................................v

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

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

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

Packing Checklist.................................................................................................1-5

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

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

CPU (Central Processing Unit)............................................................................2-3

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

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

Back Panel............................................................................................................2-9

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

Jumpers..............................................................................................................2-18

Slots....................................................................................................................2-19

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

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

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

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

Advanced BIOS Features...................................................................................3-9

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

Power Management Setup...............................................................................3-14

PNP/PCI Configurations.....................................................................................3-17

H/W Monitor........................................................................................................3-19

Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-20

Load Optimized Defaults...................................................................................3-23

BIOS Setting Password.....................................................................................3-24

Appendix A Realtek ALC888 Audio....................................................................A-1

Installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver................................................................A-2

Software Configuration......................................................................................A-4

Hardware Setup................................................................................................A-19

viii

Appendix B AMD SATA RAID.................................................................................B-1

RAID Configuration..............................................................................................B-2

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

Installing the RAID Driver Under Windows (for Non-bootable RAID Array)....B-9

Appendix C Dual Core Center.............................................................................C-1

Activating Dual Core Center...............................................................................C-2

Main......................................................................................................................C-3

DOT(Dynamic Over Clocking).............................................................................C-5

Clock.....................................................................................................................C-6

Voltage.................................................................................................................C-7

FAN Speed...........................................................................................................C-8

Temperature.........................................................................................................C-9

User Profile........................................................................................................C-10

ix

Getting Started

Chapter 1

Getting Started

Thank you for choosing the K9AG Neo2-Digital Series
(MS-7368v1.X) ATX mainboard. The K9AG Neo2-Digital
Series mainboards are based on AMD® 690G & SB600
chipsets for optimal system efficiency. Designed to fit
the advanced AMD® Athlon 64 X2/ Athlon 64 /
Sempron AM2 processor, the K9AG Neo2-Digital
Series deliver a high performance and professional
desktop platform solution.

1-1

MS-7368 Mainboard

Mainboard Specifications

Processor Support

- Supports AMD® Athlon64 / Athlon64x2 / Sempron AM2 processors.

- Supports 4 pin CPU Fan Pin-Header with Fan Speed Control

- Supports up to 5000+ and higher CPU
(For the latest information about CPU, please visit

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=cpuform

Supported FSB

- 1000/800/600/400/200 MHz

Chipset

- North Bridge: AMD® 690G chipset

- South Bridge: AMD® SB600 chipset

Memory Support

- DDR2 800/667/533 DRAM (8GB Max)

- 4 DDR2 DIMMs (240pin / 1.8V)
(For more information on compatible components, please visit

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=testreport)

LAN (Optional)

- Supports PCI Express LAN 10/100/1000 Mbps Fast Ethernet by
Realtek® 8111B

1394 (Optional)

- Supports 2 IEEE1394 ports, transfer rate is up to 400Mbps

- Controlled by VIA VT6308P (optional)

Audio

- Chip integrated by Realtek® ALC888

- Flexible 8-channel audio with jack sensing

- Compliant with Azalia 1.0 spec

IDE

- 1 IDE port by AMD® SB600

- Supports Ultra DMA 66/100/133 mode

- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation modes

SATA

- Supports 4 SATA II devices by AMD® SB600

- Supports storage and data transfers at up to 300MB/s

RAID

- Supports RAID 0, 1 and 0+1 mode by AMD® SB600

1-2

Getting Started

Floppy

- 1 floppy port

- Supports 1 FDD with 360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB and 2.88MB

Connectors

Back panel

- 1 PS/2 mouse port

- 1 PS/2 keyboard port

- 1 HDMI port

- 1 VGA port

- 1 DVI port

- 1 1394 port (optional)

- 4 USB 2.0 Ports

- 1 LAN jack

- 6 flexible audio jacks

On-Board Pinheaders

- 3 USB 2.0 pinheaders

- 1 1394 pinheader (optional)

- 1 Front Panel Audio pinheader

- 1 CD-in connector

- 1 S/PDIF-Out pinheader (optional, for HDMI graphics card only)

- 4 Serial ATA ports

- 1 serial port pinheader

Slots

- 1 PCI Express x16 slot

- 2 PCI Express x1 slots

- 3 PCI slots

Form Factor

- ATX (30.5cm X 21.0 cm)

Mounting

- 6 mounting holes

1-3

MS-7368 Mainboard

BATT

JFP2

PCI _EX1

PCI _EX3

PCI _EX2

PCI1

PCI2

PCI3

JCI1

JCD1

JFP1

JUSB2

JUSB1

JUSB3

JBAT1

ATX

1

690G

SB600

J1394_1 (optional)

Mainboard Layout

Top: Mouse
Bottom: Keyboard

HDMI Port

Top: VGA Port
Bottom: DVI Port

Top: IEEE1394 Port (optional)
Bottom: USB Ports

Top: LAN Jack
Bottom: USB Ports

T:

Line-In

M:

Line-Out

B:

Mic
T: RS-Out
M: CS-Out
B: SS-Out

J1

J2

JPW1

SYSFAN1

AMD

CPUFAN1

DIMM2

DIMM1

DIMM4

DIMM3

1-4

JAUD1

JCOM1

+

JSPD1

SYSFAN2

FDD1

K9AG Neo2-Digital Series

(MS-7368 v1.X) ATX Mainboard

VIA
VT6308P
(optional)

AMD

IDE1

SATA1

SATA2

SAT A3

SATA4

Packing Checklist

Getting Started

MSI motherboard

Power Cable

MSI Driver/Utility CD

Standard Cable for

IDE Devices

SATA Cable (Optional)

User’s Guide

* The pictures are for reference only and may vary from the packing contents of the
product you purchased.

1-5

MS-7368 Mainboard

1-6

Hardware Setup

Chapter 2

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-7368 Mainboard

Quick Components Guide

SYSFAN1, p.2-13

JPW1, p.2-18

J1/J2, p.2-18

Back Panel
I/O, p.2-9

CPUFAN1, p.2-13

DDR2 DIMMs, p.2-6

CPU Socket,

p.2-3

PCI Express
slot, p.2-19

JCI1, p.2-12
JCD1, p.2-12

PCI Express
slots, p.2-19

JSPD1, p.2-17
JAUD1, p.2-13

PCI Slots,

p.2-19

JCOM1, p.2-16

FDD1, p.2-11

SYSFAN2,

p.2-13

ATX1, p.2-8

IDE1, p.2-11

JBAT1, p.2-18
SATA1~4,

p.2-12

JUSB1~3,

p.2-15

JFP1, p.2-14

JFP2, p.2-14

J1394_1, p.2-16

2-2

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Hardware Setup

The mainboard supports AMD
mainboard uses a CPU socket called Socket AM2 (940-pin) for easy CPU installation.

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 have the

heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before
turning on the computer.
For the latest information about CPU, please visit

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=cpuform

®

Athlon64 / Athlon64x2 / Sempron AM2 processors. The

Important

1. Overheating will seriously damage the CPU and system. Always make
sure the cooling fan can work properly to protect the CPU from overheating.

2. Make sure that you apply an even layer of heat sink paste (or thermal tape)
between the CPU and the heatsink to enhance heat dissipation.

3. While replacing the CPU, always turn off the ATX power supply or unplug
the power supply’s power cord from the grounded outlet first to ensure the
safety of CPU.

2-3

MS-7368 Mainboard

Gold arrow

Gold arrow

Gold arrow

Correct CPU placement

O

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket AM2

1.Please turn off the power and
unplug the power cord before
installing the CPU.

Open Lever

2.Pull the lever sideways away
from the socket. Make sure to
raise the lever up to a 90-de­gree angle.

3.Look for the gold arrow of the
CPU. The gold arrow should
point as shown in the picture.
The CPU can only fit in the cor­rect orientation.

4.If the CPU is correctly installed,
the pins should be completely
embedded into the socket and
can not be seen. Please note
that any violation of the correct
installation procedures may
cause permanent damages to
your mainboard.

Sliding

Plate

90 degree

5. Press the CPU down firmly into
the socket and close the lever.
As the CPU is likely to move while
the lever is being closed, al­ways close the lever with your
fingers pressing tightly on top of
the CPU to make sure the CPU is
properly and completely embed­ded into the socket.

2-4

Hardware Setup

Installing AMD Socket AM2 CPU Cooler Set

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 have the

heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before
turning on the computer.

Important

Mainboard photos shown in this section are for demonstration of the cooler
installation for Socket AM2 CPUs only. The appearance of your mainboard
may vary depending on the model you purchase.

1.Position the cooling set onto the re­tention mechanism.

Hook one end of the clip to hook
first.

3.Fasten down the lever.

2. Then press down the other end of
the clip to fasten the cooling set on
the top of the retention mechanism.
Locate the Fix Lever and lift up it .

Fixed Lever

4.Attach the CPU Fan cable to the CPU
fan connector on the mainboard.

* While disconnecting the Safety Hook from the fixed bolt, it is necessary to
keep an eye on your fingers, because once the Safety Hook is disconnected
from the fixed bolt, the fixed lever will spring back instantly.

2-5

MS-7368 Mainboard

1

2

Empty

Installed

3

Memory

These DIMM slots are used for installing memory modules.

For more information on compatible components, please visit

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=testreport

DDR2

240-pin, 1.8V

64x2=128 pin 56x2=112 pin

Single-Channel: All DIMMs in GREEN
Dual-Channel: Channel A in GREEN; Channel B in ORANGE

Dual-Channel mode Population Rule

In Dual-Channel mode, the memory modules can transmit and receive data with two
data bus lines simultaneously. Enabling Dual-Channel mode can enhance the system
performance. Please refer to the following illustrations for population rules under
Dual-Channel mode.

DIMM2
DIMM1
DIMM4
DIMM3

DIMM2
DIMM1
DIMM4
DIMM3

DIMM2
DIMM1
DIMM4
DIMM3

2-6

Hardware Setup

Installing Memory Modules

1. The memory module has only one notch on the center and will only fit in the right
orientation.

2. Insert the memory module vertically into the DIMM slot. Then push it in until the
golden finger on the memory module is deeply inserted in the DIMM slot.

Important

You can barely see the golden finger if the memory module is properly inserted
in the DIMM slot.

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

Volt

Notch

Important

-DDR2 memory modules are not interchangeable with DDR and the DDR2
standard is not backwards compatible. You should always install DDR2
memory modules in the DDR2 DIMM slots.

-In Dual-Channel mode, make sure that you install memory modules of the
same type and density in different channel DIMM slots.

-To enable successful system boot-up, always insert the memory modules

into the DIMM1 first.

- Due to the chipset resource deployment, the system density will only be
detected up to 7+GB (not full 8GB) when each DIMM is installed with a 2GB
memory module.

2-7

MS-7368 Mainboard

Power Supply

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: ATX1

This connector allows you to connect an ATX 24-pin power supply.
To connect the ATX 24-pin 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.

You may use the 20-pin ATX power supply as you like. If you’d like
to use the 20-pin ATX power supply, please plug your power sup­ply along with pin 1 & pin 13 (refer to the image at the right hand).
There is also a foolproof design on pin 11, 12, 23 & 24 to avoid
wrong installation.

Pin Definition

ATX1

13 1

24

PIN SIGNAL

1 +3.3V

2 +3.3V

3 GND

4 +5V

5 GND

6 +5V

7 GND

8 PWR OK

9 5VSB

10 +12V

12

11 +12V

12 +3.3V

PIN SIGNAL

13 +3.3V

14 -12V

15 GND

16 PS-ON#

17 GND

18 GND

19 GND

20 Res

21 +5V

22 +5V

23 +5V

24 GND

pin 13

pin 12

ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1

This 12V power connector JPW1 is used to provide power to the CPU.

JPW1 Pin Definition

JPW1

4

2
13

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND

2 GND

3 12V

4 12V

Important

1. Maker sure that all the connectors are connected to proper ATX power sup­plies to ensure stable operation of the mainboard.

2. Power supply of 350 watts (and above) is highly recommended for system
stability.

2-8

Back Panel

Hardware Setup

Mic

RS-Out

CS-Out

SS-Out

Mouse

Keyboard

HDMI
Port

VGA Port

DVI Port

1394 Port
(optional)

USB Ports

L-In

LAN

L-Out

Mouse/Keyboard

The standard PS/2® mouse/keyboard DIN connector is for a PS/2® mouse/keyboard.

HDMI Port

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is an all-digital audio/video interface
capable of transmitting uncompressed streams. HDMI supports all TV format, includ­ing standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a
single cable.

VGA Port

The DB15-pin female connector is provided for monitor.

DVI Port

The DVI (Digital Visual Interface) connector allows you to connect a LCD monitor. It
provides a high-speed digital interconnection between the computer and its display
device. To connect an LCD monitor, simply plug your monitor cable into the DVI
connector, and make sure that the other end of the cable is properly connected to
your monitor (refer to your monitor manual for more information.)

1394 Port (optional)

The IEEE1394 port on the back panel provides connection to IEEE1394 devices.

LAN

The standard RJ-45 jack is for connection
to single Local Area Network (LAN). You
can connect a network cable to it.

LED Color LED State condition

Off LAN link is not established.

Left Orange On (steady state) LAN link is established.

On (brighter & pulsing)The computer is communicating with another computer on the LAN.

Green Off 10 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Right On 100 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Orange On 1000 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Link IndicatorActivity Indicator

2-9

MS-7368 Mainboard

USB Port

The USB (Universal Serial Bus) port is for attaching USB devices such as keyboard,
mouse, or other USB-compatible devices.

Audio Ports

These audio connectors are used for audio devices. You can differentiate the color
of the audio jacks for different audio sound effects.

Line-In (Blue) - Line In, is used for external CD player, tapeplayer or other

audio devices.

Line-Out (Green) - Line Out, is a connector for speakers or headphones.
Mic (Pink) - Mic, is a connector for microphones.
RS-Out (Black) - Rear-Surround Out in 4/ 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode.
CS-Out (Orange) - Center/ Subwoofer Out in 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode.
SS-Out (Gray) - Side-Surround Out 7.1 channel mode.

2-10

Hardware Setup

Connectors

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

This connector supports 360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB or 2.88MB floppy disk drive.

FDD1

IDE Connector: IDE1

This connector supports IDE hard disk drives, optical disk drives and other IDE devices.

IDE1

Important

If you install two IDE devices on the same cable, you must configure the
drives separately to master / slave mode by setting jumpers. Refer to IDE
device’s documentation supplied by the vendors for jumper setting
instructions.

2-11

MS-7368 Mainboard

Serial ATA Connector: SATA1/ SATA2/ SATA3/ SATA4

This connector is a high-speed Serial ATA interface port. Each connector can con­nect to one Serial ATA device.

SATA1

SATA2

SATA3

SATA4

Important

Please do not fold the Serial ATA cable into 90-degree angle. Otherwise,
data loss may occur during transmission.

Chassis Intrusion Connector: JCI1

This connector connects to the chassis intrusion switch cable. If the chassis is
opened, the chassis intrusion mechanism will be activated. The system will record
this status and show a warning message on the screen. To clear the warning, you
must enter the BIOS utility and clear the record.

1

CINTRU

2

GND

JCI1

CD-In Connector: JCD1

This connector is provided for external audio input.

2-12

GND

JCD1

RL

Hardware Setup

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1, SYSFAN2

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 on-board, you must use a
specially designed fan with speed sensor to take advantage of the CPU fan control.

Control

SENSOR +12V

CPUFAN1

GND

GND

SYSFAN1

+12V

SENSOR

GND SENSOR

+12V

SYSFAN2

Important

1.Please refer to the recommended CPU fans at AMD® official website or
consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.

2.Always consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.

3. Fan/heatsink with 3 or 4 pins are both available for CPUFAN1.

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

This connector allows you to connect the front panel audio and is compliant with
Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.

2
1

10

9

JAUD1

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 MIC_L Microphone - Left channel

2 GND Ground

3 MIC_R Microphone - Right channel

4 PRESENCE# Active low signal-signals BIOS that a High Definition Audio dongle

5 LINE out_R Analog Port - Right channel

6 MIC_JD Jack detection return from front panel microphone JACK1

7 Front_JD Jack detection sense line from the High Definition Audio CODEC

8 NC No control

9 LINE out_L Analog Port - Left channel

10 LINEout_JD Jack detection return from front panel JACK2

HD Audio Pin Definition

is connected to the analog header. PRESENCE# = 0 when a

High Definition Audio dongle is connected

jack detection resistor network

2-13

MS-7368 Mainboard

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1, JFP2

These connectors are for electrical connection to the front panel switches and LEDs.
The JFP1 is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.

HDD
LED

-

-

+

+

1
2

-

+

Power
LED

JFP2

Power LED

7
8

+

Speaker

Reset
Switch

1
2

-

+

-

JFP1

9

10

Power
Switch

JFP1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 HD_LED + Hard disk LED pull-up

2 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up

3 HD_LED - Hard disk active LED

4 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up

5 RST_SW - Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND

6 PWR_SW + Power Switch high reference pull-up

7 RST_SW + Reset Switch high reference pull-up

8 PWR_SW - Power Switch low reference pull-down to GND

9 RSVD_DNU Reserved. Do not use.

JFP2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 GND Ground

2 SPK- Speaker-

3 SLED Suspend LED

4 BUZ+ Buzzer+

5 PLED Power LED

6 BUZ- Buzzer-

7 NC No connection

8 SPK+ Speaker+

2-14

Hardware Setup

Front USB Connector: JUSB1 / JUSB2 / JUSB3

This connector, compliant with Intel® I/O Connectivity Design Guide, is ideal for con-

necting high-speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras,

MP3 players, printers, modems and the like.

Pin Definition

10 9

1 2

JUSB1/2/3

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC 2 VCC

3 USB0- 4 USB1-

5 USB0+ 6 USB1+

7 GND 8 GND

9 Key (no pin) 10 USBOC

USB 2.0 Bracket

(Optional)

Important

Note that the pins of VCC and GND must be connected correctly to avoid
possible damage.

2-15

MS-7368 Mainboard

IEEE1394 Connector: J1394_1(Optional)

This connector allows you to connect the IEEE1394 device via an optional IEEE1394
bracket.

Pin Definition

9

J1394_1

1

2 10

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 TPA+ 2 TPA-

3 Ground 4 Ground

5 TPB+ 6 TPB-

7 Cable power 8 Cable power

9 Key (no pin) 10 Ground

IEEE1394 Bracket (Optional)

Serial Port Connector: JCOM1

This connector is a 16550A high speed communication port that sends/receives 16
bytes FIFOs. You can attach a serial device.

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 DCD Data Carry Detect

JCOM1

2
1 9

2-16

2 SIN Serial In or Receive Data
3 SOUT Serial Out or Transmit Data
4 DTR Data Terminal Ready
5 GND Ground
6 DSR Data Set Ready
7 RTS Request To Send
8 CTS Clear To Send
9 RI Ring Indicate

Hardware Setup

S/PDIF-Out Connector: JSPD1 (Optional, for HDMI graphics card
only)

This connector is used to connect S/PDIF (Sony & Philips Digital Interconnect Format)
interface for audio transmission to the HDMI graphics card.

JSPD1

VCC

SPDFO

GND

2-17

MS-7368 Mainboard

C1C1A1A1B1

B1

C1C1A1A1B1

B1

Jumpers

Clear CMOS Jumper: JBAT1

There is a CMOS RAM onboard that has a power supply from an 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,
set the jumper to clear data.

1 3

1 3

JBAT1

1

Keep Data

Clear Data

Important

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.

Select DVI Port / HDMI Port Jumper: J1, J2

The DVI port shares the same controller with the HDMI port. These jumpers allow you
to enable the deivce installed on it.

J1

J2

J1

J2

2-18

Enable the DVI port. Disable the HDMI port.

Enable the HDMI port. Disable the DVI port.

Hardware Setup

Slots

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slot

The PCI Express slot supports the PCI Express interface expansion card.
The PCI Express x 16 slot supports up to 4.0 GB/s transfer rate.
The PCI Express x 1 slot supports up to 250 MB/s transfer rate.

PCI Express x1 Slot

PCI Express x16 Slot

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slot

The PCI slot supports LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other add-on cards that
comply with PCI specifications.

32-bit PCI Slot

Important

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

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:

Order 1 Order 2 Order 3 Order 4

PCI Slot 1 INT A# INT B# INT C# INT D#

PCI Slot 2 INT B# INT C# INT D# INT A#

PCI Slot 3 INT C# INT D# INT A# INT B#

2-19

MS-7368 Mainboard

2-20

BIOS Setup

Chapter 3

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 booting up, and requests you to run SETUP.

² You want to change the default settings for cus-

tomized features.

3-1

MS-7368 Mainboard

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.

Important

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 latest 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:

A7368AMS V1.0 041607 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 A = AMD.
7th - 8th digit refers to the customer as MS = all standard customers.
V1.1 refers to the BIOS version.
122506 refers to the date this BIOS was released.

3-2

Control Keys

<↑> 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

<Enter> Select the item
<Esc> Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu from a

<+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes
<-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes
<F6> Load Optimized Defaults
<F10> Save all the CMOS changes and exit

BIOS Setup

submenu

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

arrow 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 can be launched from this field. A sub-menu
contains additional options for a field parameter. You

can use arrow 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 the <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-7368 Mainboard

The Main 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 AMI® special enhanced features.

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.

Cell Menu

Use this menu to specify your settings for frequency/voltage control and overclocking.

Load Optimized Defaults

Use this menu to load the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifi­cally for optimal performance of the mainboard.

3-4

BIOS Setting Password

Use this menu to set the password for BIOS.

Save & Exit Setup

Save changes to CMOS and exit setup.

Exit Without Saving

Abandon all changes and exit setup.

BIOS Setup

3-5

MS-7368 Mainboard

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 (MM:DD:YY)

This allows you to set the system to the date that you want (usually the current date).
The format is <day><month> <date> <year>.

day Day of the week, from Sun to Sat, determined by

BIOS. Read-only.

month The month from Jan. through Dec.
date The date from 1 to 31 can be keyed by numeric function keys.
year The year can be adjusted by users.

Time (HH:MM:SS)

This allows you to set the system time that you want (usually the current time). The
time format is <hour> <minute> <second>.

IDE Primary Master/ Slave, SATA 1/2/3/4

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

3-6

BIOS Setup

Device/Vendor/Size

These 3 items show the information about the specified item. Read-only.

LBA/Large Mode

This item allows you to enable or disable the LBA (Logical Block Address, the
logical block size in hard disk) mode.

DMA Mode

This item allows you to enable or disable the DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode.

Hard Disk S.M.A.R.T.

This allows you to activate the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis & Reporting
Technology) capability for the hard disks. S.M.A.R.T is a utility that monitors your
disk status to predict hard disk failure. This gives you an opportunity to move
data from a hard disk that is going to fail to a safe place before the hard disk
becomes offline.

Important

IDE Primary Master/ Slave, SATA 1/2/3/4 are appearing when you

connect the HD devices to the IDE/ SATA connector on the mainboard.

Floppy A

This item allows you to set the type of the floppy drives installed. Available options:
[Disabled], [360 KB, 5

1/2

”].

1/4

”], [1.2 MB, 5

1/4

”], [720 KB, 3

1/2

”], [1.44 MB, 3

1/2

”], [2.88 MB, 3

3-7

MS-7368 Mainboard

System Information

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

CPU Type, CPUID/MicroCode, CPU Frequency, BIOS Version, Physical

Memory, Usage Memory, Cache Size

This sub-menu shows the CPU information, BIOS version and memory status of
your system (read only).

3-8

Advanced BIOS Features

BIOS Setup

Full Screen LOGO Display

This item enables you to show the company logo on the bootup screen. Settings are:

[Enabled] Shows a still image (logo) on the full screen at boot.
[Disabled] Shows the POST messages at boot.

Quick Booting

Setting the item to [Enabled] allows the system to boot within 5 seconds since it will
skip some check items.

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.

Boot Sector Protection

This function protects the BIOS from accidental corruption by unauthorized users or
computer viruses. When enabled, the BIOS’ data cannot be changed when attempt­ing to update the BIOS with a Flash utility. To successfully update the BIOS, you’ll
need to disable this Flash BIOS Protection function.
You should enable this function at all times. The only time when you need to disable
it is when you want to update the BIOS. After updating the BIOS, you should immedi­ately re-enable it to protect it against viruses.

3-9

MS-7368 Mainboard

IOAPIC 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.

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.

Chipset Feature

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

HPET

The HPET (High Precision Event Timers) is a component that is part of the chipset.
You can to enable it, and will provide you with the means to get to it via the
various ACPI methods.

VGA Share Memory

The system shares memory to the onboard VGA card. This setting controls the
exact memory size shared to the VGA card.

On-Chip VGA

This setting allows you to enable or disable the on-chip VGA function.

Boot Sequence

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

3-10

BIOS Setup

1st/ 2nd/ 3rd Boot Device

The items allow you to set the first/ second/ third boot device where BIOS
attempts to load the disk operating system.

Boot From Other Device

Setting the option to [Yes] allows the system to try to boot from other device. if
the system fails to boot from the 1st/ 2nd/ 3rd boot device.

3-11

MS-7368 Mainboard

Integrated Peripherals

USB Controller

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

USB Device Legacy Support

Set to [Enabled] if you need to use any USB 1.1/2.0 device in the operating system
that does not support or have any USB 1.1/2.0 driver installed, such as DOS and SCO
Unix. Set to [Disabled] only if you want to use any USB device other than the USB
mouse.

Onboard LAN Controller

This item is used to enable/disable the onboard LAN controller.

LAN Option ROM

This item is used to decide whether to invoke the Boot ROM of the LAN controller.

Onboard IEEE1394 Controller

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

HD Audio Controller

This setting is used to enable/disable the onboard audio controller.

Onboard E-SATA Option ROM

This item is used to decide whether to invoke the Option ROM of the E-SATA controller.

3-12

BIOS Setup

On-Chip ATA Devices

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

PCI IDE BusMaster

This item allows you to enable/ disable BIOS to used PCI busmastering for
reading/ writing to IDE drives.

On-Chip SATA Controller

This setting is used to specify the operating mode for SATA devices.

RAID Mode

This item is available for you to enable/disable the onboard IDE RAID function.

I/O Devices Configuration

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

COM Port 1

This item specifies the base I/O port addresses of the onboard Serial Port 1
(COM 1). Selecting [Auto] allows AMIBIOS to automatically determine the correct
base I/O port address.

3-13

MS-7368 Mainboard

Power Management Setup

Important

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 2000/
XP, select [Enabled].

ACPI Standby State

This item specifies the power saving modes for ACPI function. If your operating
system supports ACPI, such as Windows 2000/ XP , you can choose to enter the
Standby mode in S1(POS) or S3(STR) fashion through the setting of this field. Set­tings are:

[S1/POS] The S1 sleep mode is a low power state. In this state, no

system context is lost (CPU or chipset) and hardware main­tains all system context.

[S3/STR] The S3 sleep mode is a lower power state where the in

formation of system configuration and open applications/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.

3-14

BIOS Setup

Suspend Time Out (Minute)

If system activity is not detected for the length of time specified in this field, all
devices except CPU will be shut off.

Power Button Function

This feature allows users to configure the Power Button function. Settings are:

[Power Off] The power button functions as a normal power-on/-off button.
[Suspend] When you press the power button, the computer enters the

suspend/sleep mode, but if the button is pressed for more
than four seconds, the computer is turned off.

Restore On AC Power Loss

This setting specifies whether your system will reboot after a power failure or
interrupt occurs. Available settings are:

[OFF] Leaves the computer in the power off state.
[ON] Leaves the computer in the power on state.
[Last State] Restores the system to the previous status before power

failure or interrupt occurred.

Wakeup Event Setup

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

Resume From S3 By USB Device

The item allows the activity of the USB device to wake up the system from S3
(Suspend to RAM) sleep state.

Resume From S3 By PS/2 KB

This setting determines whether the system will be awakened from what power
saving modes when input signal of the PS/2 keyboard is detected.

Resume From S3 By PS/2 Mouse

This setting determines whether the system will be awakened from what power
saving modes when input signal of the PS/2 mouse is detected.

Resume By PCI Device (PME#)

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).

3-15

MS-7368 Mainboard

Resume By PCI-E Device

When set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the
power saving modes through any event on PCIE device.

Resume By RTC Alarm

The field is used to enable or disable the feature of booting up the system on a
scheduled time/date.

3-16

BIOS Setup

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.

Primary Video Controller

This setting specifies which graphics card is your primary graphics adapter.

PCI Latency Timer

This item controls how long each PCI device can hold the bus before another takes
over. When set to higher values, every PCI device can conduct transactions for a
longer time and thus improve the effective PCI bandwidth. For better PCI performance,
you should set the item to higher values.

PCI Slot 1/ 2/ 3 IRQ

These items specify the IRQ line for each PCI slot.

3-17

MS-7368 Mainboard

IRQ Resource Setup

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

IRQ 3/4/5/7/9/10/11/14/15

These items specify the bus where the specified IRQ line is used.
The settings determine if AMIBIOS should remove an IRQ from the pool of avail­able IRQs passed to devices that are configurable by the system BIOS. The
available IRQ pool is determined by reading the ESCD NVRAM. If more IRQs must
be removed from the IRQ pool, the end user can use these settings to reserve
the IRQ by assigning an [Reserved] setting to it. Onboard I/O is configured by
AMIBIOS. All IRQs used by onboard I/O are configured as [Available]. If all IRQs
are set to [Reserved], and IRQ 14/15 are allocated to the onboard PCI IDE, IRQ 9
will still be available for PCI and PnP devices.

Important

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.

3-18

H/W Monitor

BIOS Setup

Chassis Intrusion

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.

CPU Smart FAN Target

The mainboard provides the Smart Fan function which can control the CPU fan speed
automatically depending on the current temperature to keep it within a specific range.
You can select a fan target value here. If the current CPU fan temperature reaches to
the target value, the smart fan function will be activated. It provides several sections
to speed up for cooling down automatically.

PC Health Status

CPU/ System Temperature, CPU FAN/ SYS FAN 1 FAN Speed, CPU Vcore,

3.3VCC, 5V, 12V, 3.3VSB

These items display the current status of all of the monitored hardware devices/
components such as CPU voltage, temperatures and all fans’ speeds.

3-19

MS-7368 Mainboard

Cell Menu

Important

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

Current CPU Clock, Current DDR Memory Frequency

These two items show the current clocks of CPU & DDR memory frequency. Read­only.

AMD 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.

Adjust CPU FSB Frequency

This item allows you to select the CPU Front Side Bus clock frequency (in MHz).
Select the number between [200]~[500] for desired frequency.

Processor Frequency Multiplier

This item allows you to set the CPU frequency ratio.

Adjusted CPU Frequency

It shows the adjusted CPU frequency (FSB x Ratio). Read-only.

3-20

BIOS Setup

Advance DRAM Configuration

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

DRAM Timing

The value in this field depends on performance parameters of the installed
memory chips (DRAM). Do not change the value from the factory setting unless
you install new memory that has a different performance rating than the original
DRAMs.

CAS# Latency (Tcl)

When the DRAM Timing 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. Smaller clocks increase sys­tem performance while bigger clocks provide more stable system performance.

Min RAS# Active Time (Tras)

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

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

RAS# Precharge Time (Trp)

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

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, refresh may be incomplete and DRAM may fail to retain
data. This item applies only when synchronous DRAM is installed in the system.

RAS# to CAS# Delay (Trcd)

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

allows you to set the number of cycles for a timing delay between the CAS and
RAS strobe signals, used when DRAM is written to, read from or refreshed.
Fast speed offers faster performance while slow speed offers more stable
performance.

3-21

MS-7368 Mainboard

FSB/Memory Ratio

This setting control the ratio of CPU FSB / DRAM Clock Ratio to enable the CPU &
DRAM to run at different frequency combinations. Please note that the setting options
vary according to the CPU FSB Clock preset.

Adjusted DDR Memory Frequency

It shows the adjusted DDR memory frequency. Read only.

Auto Disable PCI Frequency

When set to [Enabled], the system will remove (turn off) clocks from any empty PCI
slots to minimize the electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Processor/ Memory Voltage (V)

These items allow you to adjust the processor/ memory voltage. Adjusting the voltage
can increase the speed. Any changes made to this setting may cause a stability
issue, so changing the voltage for long-term purpose is NOT recommended.

Spread Spectrum

When the motherboard’s clock generator pulses, the extreme values (spikes) of the
pulses creates EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). The Spread Spectrum function
reduces the EMI generated by modulating the pulses so that the spikes of the pulses
are reduced to flatter curves. If you do not have any EMI issue, leave the setting at
Disabled for optimal system stability and performance. But if you are plagued by EMI,
set to Enabled for EMI reduction. Remember to disable Spread Spectrum if you are
overclocking because even a slight jitter can introduce a temporary boost in clock
speed which may just cause your overclocked processore to lock up.

Important

1.If you do not have any EMI problem, leave the setting at [Disabled] for
optimal system stability and performance. But if you are plagued by EMI,
select the value of Spread Spectrum for EMI reduction.

2.The greater the Spread Spectrum value is, the greater the EMI is reduced,
and the system will become less stable. For the most suitable Spread
Spectrum value, please consult your local EMI regulation.

3.Remember to disable Spread Spectrum if you are overclocking because
even a slight jitter can introduce a temporary boost in clock speed which
may just cause your overclocked processor to lock up.

3-22

BIOS Setup

Load Optimized Defaults

This options on themain menu allow users to restore all of the BIOS settings to the
Optimized values. The Optimized Defaults are the default values set by the mainboard
manufacturer specifically for optimal performance of the mainboard.

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

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

3-23

MS-7368 Mainboard

BIOS Setting Password

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

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

3-24

Realtek ALC888 Audio

Appendix A

Realtek ALC888 Audio

The Realtek ALC888 provides 10-channel DAC that si­multaneously supports 7.1 sound playback and 2 chan­nels of independent stereo sound output (multiple
streaming) through the Front-Out-Left and Front-Out­Right channels.

A-1

MS-7368 Mainboard

Installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver

You need to install the driver for Realtek ALC888 codec to function properly before
you can get access to 2-, 4-, 6-, 8- channel or 7.1+2 channel audio operations.
Follow the procedures described below to install the drivers for different operating
systems.

Installation for Windows 2000/XP

For Windows® 2000, you must install Windows® 2000 Service Pack4 or later before
installing the driver. For Windows® XP, you must install Windows® XP Service Pack1
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 application CD into the CD-ROM drive. The setup screen will auto-

matically appear.

2. Click Realtek HD Audio Driver.

a

Click here

Important

The HD Audio Configuration software utility is under continuous update

to enhance audio applications. Hence, the program screens shown here in
this section may be slightly different from the latest software utility and shall
be held for reference only.

A-2

Realtek ALC888 Audio

3. Click Next to install the Realtek High Definition Audio Driver.

4. Click Finish to restart the system.

Click here

Select this
option

Click here

A-3

MS-7368 Mainboard

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 HD Audio Configuration. It is also available to enable the
audio driver by clicking the Azalia HD Sound Effect Manager from the Control
Panel.

Double click

a

A-4

Realtek ALC888 Audio

Sound Effect

Here you can select a sound effect you like from the Environment list.

Environment Simulation

You will be able to enjoy different sound experience by pulling down the arrow,
totally 23 kinds of sound effect will be shown for selection. Realtek HD Audio Sound
Manager also provides five popular settings “Stone Corridor”, “Bathroom”, “Sewer
pipe”, “Arena” and “Audio Corridor” for quick enjoyment.

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 Set-
ting” button to remove a preset EQ setting.

There are also other pre-set equalizer models for you to choose by clicking “Others”
under the Equalizer part.

A-5

MS-7368 Mainboard

Equalizer Selection

Equalizer frees users from default settings; users may create their owned preferred
settings by utilizing this tool.

10 bands of equalizer, ranging from 100Hz to 16KHz.

Save

The settings are saved
permanently for future
use

Enable / Disable

To disable, you can tem­porarily stop the sound
effect without losing the
settings

Delete

To delete the pre-saved settings which are created from previous steps.

Reset

10 bands of equalizer
would go back to the de­fault setting

Load

Whenever you would like to
use preload settings, simply
click this, the whole list will
be shown for your selection.

a

A-6

Realtek ALC888 Audio

Frequently Used Equalizer Setting

Realtek recognizes the needs that you might have. By leveraging our long experience
at audio field, Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager provides you certain optimized equal­izer settings that are frequently used for your quick enjoyment.

[How to Use It]
Other than the buttons “Pop” “Live” “Club” & “Rock” shown on the page, to pull down

the arrow in “Others”, you will find more optimized settings available to you.

Karaoke Mode

Karaoke mode brings Karaoke fun back home. Simply using the music you usually
play, Karaoke mode can help you eliminate the vocal of the song or adjust the key to
accommodate your range.

1.Vocal Cancellation: Single click on “Voice Cancellation” , the vocal of the song would
be eliminated, while the background music is still in place, and you can be that
singer!

2.Key Adjustment: Using “Up / Down Arrow” to find a key which better fits your vocal
range.

Remove the
human voice

Raise the key

Lower the key

A-7

MS-7368 Mainboard

Mixer

In the Mixer part, you may adjust the volumes of the rear and front panels individually.

1. Adjust Volume

You can adjust the volume of the speakers that you pluged in front or rear panel by

select the Realtek HD Audio rear output or Realtek HD Audio front output

items.

Important

Before set up, please make sure the playback devices are well plugged in the

jacks on the rear or front panel. The Realtek HD Audio front output item

will appear after you pluging the speakers into the jacks on the front panel.

2. Multi-Stream Function

ALC888 supports an outstanding feature called Multi-Stream, which means you may
play different audio sources simultaneously and let them output respectively from the
indicated real panel or front panel. This feature is very helpful when 2 people are
using the same computer together for different purposes.

Click the button and the Mixer ToolBox menu will appear. Then check the Enable

playback multi-streaming and click OK to save the setup.

Important

You have to plug audio device into the jacks on the rear and front panel first
before enable the multi-stream function.

a

A-8

Realtek ALC888 Audio

When you are playing the first audio source (for example: use Windows Media
Player to play DVD/VCD), the output will be played from the rear panel, which is the
default setting.

Then you must to select the Realtek HD Audio 2nd output from the scroll list
first, and use a different program to play the second audio source (for example: use

Winamp to play MP3 files). You will find that the second audio source (MP3 music) will
come out from the Line-Out audio jack of Front Panel.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

3. Playback control

Tool Mute

Playback device

This function is to let you freely decide which ports to

output the sound. And this is essential when multi-

streaming playback enabled.

- Realtek HD Audio Output

- Realtek HD Audio 2nd Output

Mute

You may choose to mute single or multiple volume controls or to completely mute
sound output.

Tool

- Show the following volume controls

This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.

- Advanced controls

- Enable playback multi-streaming
With this function, you will be able to have an audio chat with your friends via
headphone (stream 1 from front panel) while still have music (stream 2 from back
panel) in play. At any given period, you can have maximum 2 streams operating
simultaneously.

a

A-10

4. Recording control

Realtek ALC888 Audio

Tool Mute

Recording device

-Realtek HDA Primary input

-Mic in at front panel (Green)

Mute

You may choose to mute single or multiple volume controls or to completely mute
sound input.

Tool

- Show the following volume controls

This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.

- Enable recording multi-streaming

Important

ALC888 allows you to record the CD, Line, Mic and Stereo Mix channels
simultaneously, frees you from mixing efforts. At any given period, you may
choose 1 of the following 4 channels to record.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

Audio I/O

In this tab, you can easily configure your multi-channel audio function and speakers.
You can choose 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 7.1-Speaker Output

a

Speaker Configuration:

1. Plug the speakers in the corresponding jack.

2. Dialogue “connected device” will pop up for your selection. Please select the
device you have plugged in.

- If the device is being plugged into the correct jack, you will be able to find the icon
beside the jack changed to the one that is same as your device.

- If not correct, Realtek HD Audio Manager will guide you to plug the device into the
correct jack.

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Realtek ALC888 Audio

Connector Settings

Click to access connector settings.

Disable front panel jack detection (option)

Find no function on front panel jacks? Please check if front jacks on your system are
so-called AC’97 jacks. If so, please check this item to disable front panel jack detection.

Mute rear panel output when front headphone plugged in.

Enable auto popup dialogue, when device has been plugged in

Once this item checked, the dialog “Connected device” would automatically pop up
when device plugged in.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

S/PDIF (optional, for HDMI graphics card only)

Short for Sony/Philips Digital Interface, a standard audio file transfer format. S/PDIF
allows the transfer of digital audio signals from one device to another without having
to be converted first to an analog format. Maintaining the viability of a digital signal
prevents the quality of the signal from degrading when it is converted to analog.

a

Output Sampling Rate

44.1KHz: This is recommend while playing CD.
48KHz: This is recommended while playing DVD or Dolby.
96KHz: This is recommended while playing DVD-Audio.
192KHz: This is recommended while playing High quality Audio.

Output Source

No S/PDIF out: There will no S/PDIF out.
Output digital audio source: The digital audio format (such as .wav, .mp3, .midi etc)
will come out through S/PDIF-Out.

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Realtek ALC888 Audio

Test Speakers

You can 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 speakers

with good ones. Or you may click the auto test button to test the sounds of

each speaker automatically.

Center

Front Left

Side Left

Rear Left

Front Right

Side Right

Subwoofer

Rear Right

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MS-7368 Mainboard

Microphone

In this tab you may set the function of the microphone. Select the Noise Suppres­sion to remove the possible noise during recording, or select Acoustic Echo Can­cellation to cancel the acoustic echo druing recording.

Acoustic Echo Cancellation prevents playback sound from being recorded by

microphone together with your sound. For example, you might have chance to use
VOIP function through Internet with your friends. The voice of your friend will come
out from speakers (playback). However, the voice of your friend might also be
recorded into your microphone then go back to your friend through Internet. In that
case, your friend will hear his/her own voice again. With AEC(Acoustic Echo
Cancellation) enabled at your side, your friend can enjoy the benefit with less echo.

a

A-16

Realtek ALC888 Audio

3D Audio Demo

In this tab you may adjust your 3D positional audio before playing 3D audio applica­tions like gaming. You may also select different environment to choose the most
suitable environment you like.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

Information

In this tab it provides some information about this HD Audio Configuration utility,
including Audio Driver Version, DirectX Version, Audio Controller & Audio Codec. You

may also select the language of this utility by choosing from the Language list.

Also there is a selection Show icon in system tray . Switch it on and an icon
will show in the system tray. Right-click on the icon and the Audio Accessories

dialogue box will appear which provides several multimedia features for you to take
advantage of.

a

A-18

Realtek ALC888 Audio

Hardware Setup

Connecting the Speakers

When you have set the Multi-Channel Audio Function mode properly in the software
utility, connect your speakers to the correct phone jacks in accordance with the
setting in software utility.

n 2-Channel Mode for Stereo-Speaker Output

Refer to the following diagram and caption for the function of each phone jack on the
back panel when 2-Channel Mode is selected.

Back Panel

1

2

3

1 Line In

2 Line Out (Front channels)

3 MIC

4 Line Out (Rear surround channels, but no functioning in this mode)

5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode)

6 Line Out (Side surround channels, but no functioning in this mode)

4

5

6

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MS-7368 Mainboard

n 4-Channel Mode for 4-Speaker Output

Back Panel

4-Channel Analog Audio Output

1

2

3

4

5

6

a

1 Line In

2 Line Out (Front channels)

3 MIC

4 Line Out (Rear surround channels)

5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode)

6 Line Out (Side surround channels, but no functioning in this mode)

A-20

n 6-Channel Mode for 6-Speaker Output

Back Panel

Realtek ALC888 Audio

6-Channel Analog Audio Output

1

2

4

5

3

6

1 Line In

2 Line Out (Front channels)

3 MIC

4 Line Out (Rear surround channels)

5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)

6 Line Out (Side surround channels, but no functioning in this mode)

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MS-7368 Mainboard

n 8-Channel Mode for 8-Speaker Output

8-Channel Analog Audio Output

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Line In

2 Line Out (Front channels)

3 MIC

4 Line Out (Rear surround channels)

5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)

6 Line Out (Side channels)

Important

To enable 7.1 channel audio-out function on Vista operating system, you have to
install the Realtek Audio Driver. Or, the mainboard will support 5.1 channel
audio-out only.

a

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AMD SATA RAID

Appendix B

AMD SATA RAID

AMD south bridge SB600 integrate SATA host control­ler that supports four SATAII ports and RAID function
for performance and reliability.
SATA RAID provides support for RAID 0 (Striping), RAID
1 (Mirroring), RAID 0+1 (Striping & Mirroring). RAID 0
greatly improves hard disk I/O performance by
concurrently striping data across multiple drives. RAID
1 makes sure data is not lost if a drive fails as data is
simultaneously written to two drives. Drives configured
for RAID Striping are said to form a RAID 0 set, while
drives configured for RAID Mirroring are said to form a
RAID 1 set. RAID 0+1 is implemented as a mirrored
array whose segments are RAID 0 arrays. RAID 0+1
has same fault tolerance as mirroring and reduces
overhead by striping. It needs at least four drives to
form a RAID 0+1.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

RAID Configuration

Creating and deleting RAID set and performing other RAID setting up operations are
done in the RAID BIOS. During bootup, a screen similar to the one below will appear
for about few seconds. Press <Ctrl-F> to enter the FastBuild utility.

Important

Be sure to set the OnChip SATA Type to “RAID” in BIOS (the path is :
Integrated Peripherals => IDE Devices Configuration => OnChip SATA
Type) before configuring the RAID BIOS.

The Fast Build Utility menu screen will appear. The Main Menu is used to choose the
operation to be performed.

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AMD SATA RAID

View Drives Assignments

This window displays the model number, capacities and assignment of the drives
physically attached to the SATA host adapter.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

Define LD (Creating RAID)

The selection of the RAID configuration should be based upon factors including
performance, data security, and the number of drives available. It is best to carefully
consider the long-term role of the system and plan the data storage strategy. RAID
sets can be created either automatically, or to allow the greatest flexibility, manually.

1. Press 2 on the Main Menu screen to enter the Define LD Menu.

2. Press the arrow keys to highlight an logical drive number you want to define

and press Enter to select it.

and press Enter to select it.

3. On the next screen, use the space key to choose a RAID mode (RAID 0/ 1/

0+1) and use the arrow key to move to the Drives Assignments window.

• Initialize logical drive, zero the disk drives. RAID 1 or 10 only.

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AMD SATA RAID

• Stripe Block Size, the default 64KB is best for most applications. RAID 0 or
10 only.

• Gigabyte Boundary, allows use of slightly smaller replacement drives.

• Cache Mode, WriteThru or WriteBack.

4. On the Drives Assignments window, use the arrow key to choose the hard

drives which you want to make part of the LD, use the space key to change
the assignment to “Y”. Then press [Ctrl+Y] to save the configuration.

5. A message will show up on the bottom, press any key to save the configuration

or press [Ctrl-Y] to allocate the RAID capacity manually.

Important

6. The LD creation is done, the screen shows the LD information as below.

1. The default capacity is the full capacity of the selected hard drives.

2. If you allocate the first LD capacity manually, you can create second LD

with remaining capacity of the selected hard drives.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

Press ESC key to the main screen.

7. Press ESC key to exit the utility, a message “System is going to REBOOT! Are

You Sure?” will display, answer “Y” to exit it and the system will reboot.

B-6

AMD SATA RAID

Delete LD (Deleting RAID)

1. Select “Delete LD” on the main screen.

2. Choose a LD No you want to delete and press “Del” or “Alt+D” delete the RAID
set.

3. On the next screen, a message will display to inform you, press “Ctrl+Y” to
delete the RAID set or other key to abort it. Press “Ctrl+Y” to complete the
deletion.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array)

1. After you complete the RAID BIOS setup, boot from the Windows CD, and the
Windows XP Setup program starts.

2. Press F6 and wait for the Windows Setup screen to appear.

Important

Please follow the instruction below to make an AMD SATA RAID driver for
yourself.

1.Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2.Click the “Browse CD” on the Setup screen.

3.Copy all the contents in the :
for Windows XP driver CD

\AMD\AMDDrv\SBDrv\RAID

for Windows Vista driver CD

\ChipSet\AMD\Packages\Drivers\SBDrv\SB6xx\RAID\x86 and
\ChipSet\AMD\Packages\Drivers\SBDrv\SB6xx\RAID\x64 to a

formatted floppy disk.

4.The driver disk for AMD SATA RAID controller is done.

3. Insert the floppy that contains the RAID driver,Press the “S” key to select “Specify
Additional Device”.

4. For Windows Vista:
During the Operating system installation, after selecting the location to install
Vista click on “Load Driver” button to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver.

5. When prompted, insert the floppy disk or media (Floppy, CD/DVD Or USB) and
press Enter.

6. You should be shown a list of available SCSI Adapters.

7. Select “AMD AHCI Compatible RAID Controller -x86 platform” when the
system is 32-bit version or “ AMD AHCI Compatible RAID Controller -x64
platform” when the system is 64-bit version and then press ENTER.

8. The next screen should confirm that you have selected the AMD RAID controller.
Press ENTER again to continue.

9. You have successfully installed the AMD RAID driver, and Windows setup should
continue.

10.Leave the disk in the floppy drive until the system reboots itself. Windows setup
will need to copy the files from the floppy again after the RAID volume is formatted,
and Windows setup starts copying files.

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AMD SATA RAID

Installing the RAID Driver Under Windows
(for Non-bootable RAID Array)

1. Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2. The CD will auto-run and the setup screen will appear.

3. Under the Driver tab, click on AMD System Driver. The AMD System Driver

includes AMD RAID Driver.

4. The driver will be automatically installed.

Important

You must install the RAID driver to enable RAID.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

B-10

Dual Core Center

Appendix C

Dual Core Center

Dual CoreCenter, the most useful and powerful utility
that MSI has spent much research and efforts to
develop, helps users to monitor or configure the hard­ware status of MSI Mainboard & MSI Graphics card in
windows, such as CPU/GPU clock, voltage, fan speed
and temperature.
Before you install the Dual CoreCenter, please make
sure the system has meet the following requirements:

1. Intel Pentium4 / Celeron, AMD Athlon XP/ Sempron or
compatible CPU with PCI Express slot.

2. 256MB system memory.

3. CD-ROM drive for software installation.

4. Operation system: Windows XP.

5. DotNet Frame Work 2.0

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MS-7368 Mainboard

Activating Dual Core Center

Once you have your Dual Core Center installed (locate the setup source file in the

setup CD accompanying with your mainboard, path: Utility --> MSI Utility --> Dual
Core Center), it will have an icon in the system tray, a short cut icon on the

desktop, and a short cut path in your “Start-up” menu. You may double-click on each
icon to enable Dual Core Center.

short-cut icon in the system tray

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short-cut path in the start-up menu
(path: Start-->Programs-->MSI-->
DualCoreCenter-->DualCoreCenter)

Dual Core Center

Main

Before using this utility, we have to remind you: only when installing the MSI V044
(V044 has to install with the version 8.26 or newer driver)/ V046 or V060 graphics
card can activate the full function of this utility. If you install a graphics card of other
brand, only hardware status of the MSI mainboard would be available.

Introduction:

Click each button appearing above to enter sub-menu to make further configuration
or to execute the function.

MB

Click MB button to read current CPU temperature, FSB and CPU clock of
mainboard will show below.

VGA

Click VGA button to read current GPU temperature, GPU clock and memory
clock of graphics card will show below.

DOT

Click DOT button to enable or disable the Dynamic Overclocking Technology.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

AV/ Game/ Office/ Silence/ Cool

MSI provides five common settings for different environments. The settings
had been set to optimal values to reach better performance in each
environment. Click the button you need.

Important

Before clicking the AV/ Game/ Office/ Silence or Cool button, select Smooth
mode or Sharp mode to decide whether you want the system to reach the
optimal values smoothly or quickly.

Sharp mode Smooth mode

Clock

In this sub-menu, you can adjust and monitor the clocks of MB and graphics

card.

Voltage

In this sub-menu, you can adjust and monitor the voltages of MB and graphics

card.

FAN Speed

In this sub-menu, you can adjust and monitor the fan speeds of MB and

graphics card.

Temperature

In this sub-menu, you can monitor the temperatures of MB and graphics card.

User Profile

In this sub-menu, you can set the values of clock, voltage and fan speed by

your need and save them in a profile. You can save 3 profiles for further use.

Important

Click on the icon , the clock, voltage, fan, and temperature buttons will
appear beside the icon.

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Dual Core Center

DOT (Dynamic Over Clocking)

Dynamic Overclocking Technology is an automatic overclocking function, included in
the MSITM’s newly developed Dual CoreCenter Technology. It is designed to detect the
loading of CPU/ GPU while running programs, and to over-clock automatically. When
the motherboard detects that the loading of CPU is exceed the default threshold for a
time, it will speed up the CPU and fan automatically to make the system run smoother
and faster. When the graphics card detects that the loading of GPU is exceed the
default threshold for a time, it will speed up the GPU, memory, fan and voltage
automatically to make the system run smoother and faster. When the CPU/ GPU is
temporarily suspending or staying in low loading balance, it will restore the default
settings instead. Usually the Dynamic Overclocking Technology will be powered only
when users' PC runs huge amount of data, like 3D games or video process, and the
motherboard/ graphicd card need to be boosted up to enhance the overall performance.
There will be several selections when you click the DOT rate button (include increase
rate and decrease rate buttons), to select the DOT level, then you have to
click the DOT button to apply the DOT function.

DOT FSB-UP
Rate button

DOT FSB-DOWN
Rate button

Important

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 overclock regularly first. If you find the PC
appears to be unstable or reboot incidentally, it's better to lower the level of
overclocking options. By the way, if you need to conduct overclocking
manually, please do not to apply the DOT function.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

Clock

In the Clock sub-menu, you can see clock status (including FSB/ CPU clock of

mainboard and GPU/ memory clock of graphics card) of your system. And you can
select desired value for overclocking. There will be several items for you to select for
overclocking after you click button. You can click the plus sign button
to increase the clock, or click the minus sign button to decrease the clock. And
finally, click the Apply button to apply the values adjusted. If you do not want to apply
the adjustments, click the Cancel button to cancel. Or click the Default button to
restore the default values.

On the underside, it shows the graphs of the clocks. Only the curves of the item
which the button is lit up with red color will be shown.

Important

In the user profile, clicking the Save button can save the changes to it. In the

default profile, the Save button is not available.

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Dual Core Center

Voltage

In the Voltage sub-menu, you can see voltage status (including Vcore, memory, GPU

voltage... etc.) of your system, and you can select desired value for overclocking. It
will show several items to select for overclocking after you click the button.
You can click the plus sign button to increase the voltage, or click the minus sign
button to decrease. And finally, click the Apply button to apply the adjustments.
If you do not want to apply the adjustments, click the Cancel button to cancel. Or click
the Default button to restore the default values.

I

On the underside, it shows the graphs of the voltages. Only the curves of the item
which the button is lit up with red color will be shown.

Important

In the user profile, clicking the Save button can save the changes to it. In the

default profile, the Save button is not available.

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MS-7368 Mainboard

FAN Speed

In the FAN Speed sub-menu, you can read fan status of your system. Select higher

speed for better cooling effect. There are several sections for you to change the fan
speed to a section after clicking button. Click the plus sign button to
increase the fan speed to a section, or click the minus sign button to decrease.
Or click the Default button to restore the default values.

On the underside, it shows the graphs of the fan speed. Only the curves of the item
which the button is lit up with red color will be shown.

Important

1. When you set the fan speed manually, please make sure to disabled the
“CPU Smart FAN Target” item in the BIOS.

2. In the user profile, clicking the Save button can save the changes to it. In

the default profile, the Save button is not available.

C-8

Dual Core Center

Temperature

In the Temperature sub-menu, you can see temperature status of your system.

On the underside, it shows the graphs of the temperatures. Only the curves of the
item which the button is lit up with red color will be shown.

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