MSI K9N User Manual

K9N Platinum Series

MS-7250 (V1.X) Mainboard

G52-72501X2

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 trade­marks 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

V1.1 First release for K9N Platinum April 2006

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: 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 accor­dance 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-7250

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

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket AM2............................................2-4

Installing AMD Socket AM2 CPU Cooler Set...............................................2-5

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

Dual-Channel Memory Population Rules....................................................2-6

Installing DDRII Modules...............................................................................2-7

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

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: PWR1........................................................2-8

ATX 12V Power Connector: PWR3/ PWR2................................................2-8

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

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

Connectors........................................................................................................2-12

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1..........................................................2-12

ATA133 Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1.......................................................2-12

Serial ATA II Connectors: SATA1~SATA6................................................2-13

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1 & NBFAN1.....................2-14

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1..............................................2-14

CD-In Connector: JCD1.............................................................................2-14

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1......................................................2-15

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1...........................................................2-15

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1, JUSB2 & JUSB3...................................2-16

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1..............................................................2-17

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1/JFP2........................................................2-18

D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1...............................................................2-19

viii

Button.................................................................................................................2-20

Clear CMOS Button: SW2..........................................................................2-20

Slots....................................................................................................................2-20

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots.......................2-21

PCI Interrupt Request Routing...................................................................2-22

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

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

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

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

General Help <F1>.......................................................................................3-3

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

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

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

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

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

Power Management Setup...............................................................................3-15

PNP/PCI Configurations.....................................................................................3-18

H/W Monitor........................................................................................................3-20

Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-22

Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults.................................................................3-28

BIOS Setting Password.....................................................................................3-29

Appendix A Introduction to DigiCell.................................................................A-1

Activating DigiCell................................................................................................A-2

Main......................................................................................................................A-3

Introduction:.................................................................................................A-3

H/W Diagnostic.....................................................................................................A-5

Communication.....................................................................................................A-6

Software Access Point.......................................................................................A-7

Terminology..................................................................................................A-7

Access Point Mode.....................................................................................A-8

WLAN Card Mode........................................................................................A-9

Live Update........................................................................................................A-10

MEGA STICK.......................................................................................................A-11

Basic Function............................................................................................A-11

Non-Unicode programs supported...........................................................A-13

Core Center........................................................................................................A-15

Power On Agent........................................................................................A-17

Power Off / Restart...................................................................................A-18

Start With....................................................................................................A-18

ix

Auto Login..................................................................................................A-19

Appendix B Realtek ALC883 Audio....................................................................B-1

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

Installation for Windows 2000/XP..............................................................B-2

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

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

Mixer.............................................................................................................B-8

Audio I/O.....................................................................................................B-12

Microphone................................................................................................B-16

3D Audio Demo...........................................................................................B-17

Information.................................................................................................B-18

Hardware Setup................................................................................................B-19

Appendix C nVidia RAID........................................................................................C-1

Introduction.........................................................................................................C-2

System Requirement...................................................................................C-2

RAID Arrays.................................................................................................C-2

Summary of RAID Configurations...............................................................C-2

RAID Configuration..............................................................................................C-3

Basic Configuration Instructions................................................................C-3

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

Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array)................................C-7

NVIDIA IDE Drive/ RAID Utility Installation...........................................................C-9

Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows..............................C-9

(for Non-bootable RAID Array)...................................................................C-9

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

NVRAID Management Utility..............................................................................C-12

Viewing RAID Array Configurations........................................................C-12

Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk...................................................................C-13

Morphing From One RAID Array to Another............................................C-17

Hot Plug Array............................................................................................C-18

Initializing a RAID Array.............................................................................C-19

Rebuilding a RAID Array............................................................................C-22

Synchronizing a RAID Array.....................................................................C-25

Appendix D nVidia System Driver.....................................................................D-1

nVidia System Driver Installation........................................................................D-2

NVIDIA System Driver..................................................................................D-2

nVidia Utility Installaion........................................................................................D-4

x

Getting Started

Chapter 1

Getting Started

Thank you for choosing the K9N Platinum Series (MS­7250 v1.X) ATX mainboard. The K9N Platinum Series
mainboards are based on nVIDIA® nForce 570 chipsets
for optimal system efficiency. Designed to fit the ad­vanced AMD® Athlon 64 X2/ Athlon 64/ Athlon FX
processor, the K9N Platinum Series deliver a high per­formance and professional desktop platform solution.

1-1

MS-7250 Mainboard

Mainboard Specifications

Processor Support

- AMD® Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64, Athlon FX and Sempronin the
socket AM2 package.
(For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.

com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.
php)

Supported FSB

- HyperTransport supporting speed up to 1GHz (2000MT/s)

Chipset

- nVIDIA® nForce 570 chipset (MCP55Ultra)

Memory Support

- DDRII 533/667/800 SDRAM (8GB Max)

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

/www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/
pro_mbd_trp_list.php)

LAN

- Supports Dual LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Vitesse VSC8601

IEEE 1394

- Chip integrated by VIA VT 6307

- Transfer rate is up to 400Mbps

Audio

- Chip integrated by Realtek® ALC883

- Flexible 8-channel audio with jack sensing

- Compliant with Azalia 1.0 Spec

IDE

- 1 IDE port by nForce 570

- Supports Ultra DMA 66/100/133 mode

- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation mode

SATA

- 6 SATA II ports by nForce 570

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

RAID

- SATA1~6 supports RAID 0/ 1/ 0+1 or RAID 5 mode by nForce 570

Floppy

- 1 floppy port

- Supports 1 FDD with 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88Mbytes

1-2

Getting Started

Connectors

Back panel

- 1 PS/2 mouse port

- 1 PS/2 keyboard port.

- 1 serial port

- 1 parallel port supporting SPP/EPP/ECP mode

- 1 IEEE 1394 port

- 1 Coaxial SPDIF-out port

- 4 USB 2.0 Ports.

- 2 LAN jacks (10/100/1000) by Vitesse VSC8601

- 5 flexible audio jacks.

- 1 Optical SPDIF-out jack.

On-Board Pinheaders

- 1 D-Bracket 2 pinheader

- 1 IrDA pinheader

- 3 USB 2.0 pinheaders

- 1 IEEE 1394 pinheader.

Slots

- 1 PCI Express x 16 slot (PCI_E1)

- 1 PCI Express Lite slot (PCI_E4, compatible with PCI Express x 1)

- 2 PCI Express x 1 slots

- 3 PCI slots, support 3.3V/ 5V PCI bus Interface, includes one
orange slot which supports 2 master for MSI special PCI function
card (ex. wireless LAN and bluetooth combo card.).

Form Factor

- ATX (24.5 cm X 30.5 cm)

Mounting

- 9 mounting holes

1-3

MS-7250 Mainboard

ALC883

VT6307

nvidia

MCP55Ultra

BIOS

JCD1

SW2

NBFAN1

J1394_1

Winbond

Mainboard Layout

Top : mouse
Bottom: keyboard

Top : Parallel Port
Bottom:

COM A
1394 Port
SPDIF

T: LAN jack
B: USB ports

PWR2

PCI _E2

PCI _E3

PCI _E4

PCI 1

PCI 2

PCI 3

PWR3

CPUFAN1

SYSFAN1

T: LAN jack
B: USB ports

T:

Line-In

M:

Line-Out

B:

Mic

T:RS-Out
M:CS

-Out

B:SPDIF Out

JAUD1

LAN

Chip

LAN
Chip

PCI _E1

JUSB3

VIA

JUSB2

I/O

JCI1

JIR1

FDD1

PWR1

IDE1

DIMM3

DIMM4

DIMM1

DIMM2

SATA5 SATA6

SATA1

SATA2

SATA3

SATA4

JLPC1

BATT

JFP2

+

JFP1

JUSB1

JDB1

K9N Platinum Series

(MS-7250 v1.X) ATX Mainboard

1-4

Packing Checklist

Getting Started

MSI motherboard

Power Cable

Round Cable of

Floppy Disk

MSI Driver/Utility CD

SATA Cable

D-Bracket 2

(Optional)

SATA RAID Driver

Diskette (optional)

Round Cable of

IDE Devices

IEEE1394-Bracket

(Optional)

User’ s Guide

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

Back IO Shield

1-5

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-7250 Mainboard

Quick Components Guide

PWR2,
p.2-8

CPUFAN1,

p.2-14

PWR3,

p.2-8

CPU, p.2-3

SYSFAN1,

p.2-14

DDRII DIMMs, p.2-6

JIR1, p.2-15

JCI1, p.2-14

Back Panel
I/O, p.2-10

PCIE Slots,

p.2-21

PCI Slots,

p.2-22

JAUD1,

p.2-15

JCD1, p.2-14

J1394_1, p.2-17

JUSB1~3, p.2-16

JFP2, p.2-18

JDB1, p.2-19

FDD1, p.2-12

PWR1, p.2-8

IDE1, p.2-12

NBFAN1,

p.2-14

SATA1~6,

p.2-13

SW2, p.2-20

JFP1, p.2-18

2-2

Hardware Setup

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The mainboard supports AMD® Athlon64 X2/ Athlon64 & Athlon FX processors. The
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://www.msi.com.tw/program/
products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php.

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-7250 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.

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

Open Lever

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.

* 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. 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.

2-5

MS-7250 Mainboard

1

2

3

Memory

The mainboard provides four 240-pin non-ECC DDRII DIMMs and supports up to 8GB
system memory.

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

program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php

DDRII

240-pin, 1.8V

64x2=128 pin56x2=112 pin

Dual-Channel Memory Population Rules

DIMM3
DIMM4
DIMM1
DIMM2

DIMM3
DIMM4
DIMM1
DIMM2

DIMM3
DIMM4
DIMM1
DIMM2

2-6

Hardware Setup

Installing DDRII Modules

1. The memory module has only one notch on the center and 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.

Important

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

Important

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

-In dual-channel mode, make sure that you install memory modules of the
same type and density in differentchannel DDR DIMMs.

-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 an 2GB
memory module.

2-7

MS-7250 Mainboard

Power Supply

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: PWR1

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.

12

PWR1

1

24

13

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
11 +12V
12 +3.3V

Pin Definition

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: PWR3/ PWR2

This 12V power connector PWR3 is used to provide power to the CPU. This 12V
power connector PWR3 is used to provide power to stable the operation of graphics
card.

PWR3

3 4
1

PWR3 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND
2 GND

2

3 12V
4 12V

PWR2

1

PWR2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 5V
2 GND
3 GND
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

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 PWR1/ PWR2 & PWR3
power connectors (shown in figure 2 & figure 3) before the 1st installation or during
system upgrade procedure.

Unplug the PWR1 power conn.

Figure 2:

Unplug the AC power cable

Figure 1:

Figure 3:

Unplug the PWR2/ PWR3 power

conn.

2-9

MS-7250 Mainboard

Back Panel

RS-Out

L-In

Mouse

Keyboard

Parallel Port

Serial Port

1394

Port

S/PDIF­Out

LAN

USB Ports

Mouse/Keyboard Connector

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

Parallel Port Connector
A parallel port is a standard printer port that supports Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)
and Extended Capabilities Parallel Port (ECP) mode.

Serial Port Connector
The serial port is a 16550A high speed communications port that sends/ receives 16
bytes FIFOs. You can attach a serial mouse or other serial devices directly to the
connector.

Coaxial S/PDIF-Out connector
This SPDIF (Sony & Philips Digital Interconnect Format) connector is provided for
digital audio transmission to external speakers through a coaxial cable.

IEEE 1394 Port
The 1394 port on the back panel provides connection to 1394 devices.

LAN

L-Out

Mic

CS-Out
S/PDIF-

Out

LAN (RJ-45) Jack
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.

2-10

Link IndicatorActivity Indicator

Hardware Setup

USB Connectors
The OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) Universal Serial Bus root is for attaching
USB devices such as keyboard, mouse, or other USB-compatible devices.

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

This SPDIF (Sony & Philips Digital Interconnect Format) connector is provided for
digital audio transmission to external speakers through a fiber cable.

Green audio jack - Line Out, is a connector for speakers or headphones.
Blue audio jack - Line In / Side-Surround Out in 7.1 channel mode, is used

for external CD player, tapeplayer or other audio
devices.

Pink audio jack - Mic In, is a connector for microphones.
Orange audio jack - Center/ Subwoofer Out in 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode.
Black audio jack - Rear-Surround Out in 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode.

Optical S/PDIF-Out connector

2-11

MS-7250 Mainboard

Connectors

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

This standard FDD connector supports 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy
disk types.

FDD1

ATA133 Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1

The mainboard has a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE and Ultra DMA 66/100/133
controller that provides PIO mode 0~4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 66/
100/133 function. You can connect hard disk drives, CD-ROM and other
IDE devices.

The Ultra ATA133 interface boosts data transfer rates between the
computer and the hard drive up to 133 megabytes (MB) per second. The
new interface is one-third faster than earlier record-breaking Ultra ATA/
100 technology and is backwards compatible with the existing Ultra ATA
interface.

IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector)
IDE1 can connect a Master and a Slave drive. You must configure the
second hard drive to Slave mode by setting the jumper accordingly.

IDE1

Important

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 documentation
supplied by hard disk vendors for jumper setting instructions.

2-12

Hardware Setup

Serial ATA II Connectors: SATA1~SATA6

SATA1~SATA6 are high-speed SATAII interface ports. Each supports data rates of
300 MB/s and is fully compliant with Serial ATA specifications. Each Serial ATA con­nector can connect to 1 hard disk device.

SATA5

7

SATA2SATA1

SATA6

1

SATA3

1

7

SATA4

Serial ATA cable

Connect to SATA connector

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 GND 2 TXP
3 TXN 4 GND

1

5 RXN 6 RXP
7 GND

7

Take out the dust cover
and connect to the hard
disk devices

Important

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

2-13

MS-7250 Mainboard

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1 & NBFAN1

The fan power connectors support system cooling fan with +12V. When connecting
the wire to the connectors, always take 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

GND

CPUFAN1

SENSOR

+12V

GND

SYSFAN1

NC

+12V

GND

NBFAN1

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. Please note
that only install 4 pins FAN/heatsing support Smart FAN.

4.CPUFAN1 supports fan control. You can install Core Center utility that will

automatically control the CPU fan speed according to the actual CPU
temperature.

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1

This connector connects 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 mes­sage on the screen. To clear the warning, you must enter the BIOS utility and clear the
record.

CINTRU

1

GND

2

JCI1

CD-In Connector: JCD1

This connector is provided for CD-ROM audio.

JCD1

R

L

GND

2-14

Hardware Setup

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

The JAUD1 front panel audio 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

JAUD1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 PORT 1L Analog Port 1 - Left channel
2 GND Ground
3 PORT 1R Analog Port 1 - Right channel
4 PRESENCE# Active low signal - signals BIOS that a High Definition Audio

5 PORT 2R Analog Port 2 - Right channel
6 SENSE1_RETIRN Jack detection return from front panel JACK1
7 SENSE_SEND Jack detection sense line from the High Definition Audio CODEC

8 KEY Connector Key
9 PORT 2L Analog Port 2 - Left channel
10 SENSE2_RETIRN Jack detection return from front panel JACK2

dongle is connected to the analog header. PRESENCE# = 0
when a High Definition Audio dongle is connected.

jack detection resistor network

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

Pin Signal

1 NC
2 NC
3 VCC5
4 GND
5 IRTX
6 IRRX

5
6

JIR1

1
2

®

2-15

MS-7250 Mainboard

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1, JUSB2 & JUSB3

The mainboard provides USB 2.0 pinheaders (optional USB 2.0 bracket available) that
are compliant with Intel® I/O Connectivity Design Guide. 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

JUSB1/2/3

2
1

Connected to JUSB1/2 or 3

10

9

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC 2 VCC
3 USB0- 4 USB1­5 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.

2-16

Hardware Setup

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1

The mainboard provides IEEE1394 pinheader that allow you to connect IEEE 1394
ports via an external IEEE1394 bracket (optional).

9
10

J1394_1

Connected to J1394_1

Foolproof

design

1

2

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 TPA+ 2 TPA­3 Ground 4 Ground
5 TPB+ 6 TPB­7 Cable power 8 Cable power
9 Key (no pin) 10 Ground

IEEE1394 Bracket (Optional)

2-17

MS-7250 Mainboard

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

910

-

Power
Switch++

Power
LED

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.

+

Reset

-

Switch

-

HDD
LED

2

1

2-18

Speaker

-

+

-

+

JFP2

2
1

Power
LED

8

7

JFP2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 GND Ground
2 SPK- Speaker­3 SLED Suspend LED
4 BUZ+ Buzzer+
5 PLED Power LED
6 BUZ- Buzzer­7 NC No connection
8 SPK+ Speaker+

Hardware Setup

D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1

The mainboard comes with a JDB1 connector for you to connect to D-Bracket™ 2. D­Bracket™ 2 is an external USB Bracket that supports both USB1.1 & 2.0 specs. It
integrates four LEDs and allows users to identify system problems through 16 vari­ous combinations of LED signals.

(

N
o
p

i

n

D

D

D

Red

D

B

B

B

B

G

G

G

1

4

3

D

D

D

B

B

B

R

R

R

4

2

3

Connected to

G
1

JDB1

1

2 10

D
B
R
1

System Power ON
The D-LED will hang here if the
processor is damaged or not in­stalled properly.

Early Chipset Initialization

Memory Detection Test
Testing onboard memory size. The
D-LED will hang if the memory mod­ule is damaged or not installed
properly.

Connected to JUSB1/2/3

Green

Description

)

K
e
y

9

N
C

LED Signal

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

D-Bracket™ 2

(Optional)

1 2
3 4

DescriptionLED Signal

Initializing Video Interface
This will start detecting CPU clock,
checking type of video onboard. Then,
detect and initialize the video adapter.

BIOS Sign On
This will start showing information
about logo, processor brand name,
etc...

Testing Base and Extended Memory
Testing base memory from 240K to
640K and extended memory above
1MB using various patterns.

LEDs

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

Decompressing BIOS image to RAM
for fast booting.

Initializing Keyboard Controller.

Testing VGA BIOS
This will start writing VGA sign-on
message to the screen.

Processor Initialization
This will show information regarding
the processor (like brand name, sys­tem bus, etc...)

Testing RTC (Real Time Clock)

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

Assign Resources to all ISA.

Initializing Hard Drive Controller
This will initialize IDE drive and
controller.

Initializing Floppy Drive Controller
This will initialize Floppy Drive and
controller.

Boot Attempt
This will set low stack and boot via
INT 19h.

Operating System Booting

2-19

MS-7250 Mainboard

Button

The motherboard provides the following button for you to set the computer’s function.
This section will explain how to change your motherboard’s function through the use
of button.

Clear CMOS Button: SW2

There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external battery to
keep the system configuration data. 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 SW2 (Clear CMOS Button) to clear data. Press the button in the middle of the
connector top side to clear the data:

SW2

2-20

Hardware Setup

Slots

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots

PCI Express architecture provides a high performance I/O infrastructure for Desktop
Platforms with transfer rates starting at 2.5 Giga transfers per second over a PCI
Express x1 lane for Gigabit Ethernet, TV Tuners, 1394 controllers, and general pur­pose I/O. Also, desktop platforms with PCI Express Architecture will be designed to
deliver highest performance in video, graphics, multimedia and other sophisticated
applications. Moreover, PCI Express architecture provides a high performance graphics
infrastructure for Desktop Platforms doubling the capability of existing AGP 8x de­signs with transfer rates of 4.0 GB/s over a PCI Express x16 lane for graphics
controllers, while PCI Express x1 supports transfer rate of 250 MB/s.

PCI Express x16 Slot

PCI Express x1 Slot

PCI Express Lite Slot
(Yellow, supports PCIE X 1
transfer rate)

Important

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 ex
pansion card, such as jumpers, switches or BIOS configuration.

2. PCI Express Lite slot supports dual displays with nVIDIA graphics card.

2-21

MS-7250 Mainboard

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots

The PCI slots support LAN cards, SCSI cards, USB cards, and other add-on cards
that comply with PCI specifications. At 32 bits and 33 MHz, it yields a throughput rate
of 133 MBps.

32-bit PCI Slot

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 E# INT F# INT G# INT H#
PCI Slot 2 INT F# INT G# INT H# INT E#
PCI Slot 3 INT G# INT H# INT E# INT F#

2-22

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.

BIOS Setup

3-1

MS-7250 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:

3-2

A7250NMS V1.0 031506 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.
031506 refers to the date this BIOS was released.

BIOS Setup

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

submenu

<+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes
<-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes
<F6> Load Optimized Defaults
<F7> Load Fail-Safe Defaults
<F10> Save all the CMOS changes and exit

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-7250 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.

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.

Cell Menu

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

3-4

BIOS Setup

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 specifi­cally for optimal performance of the mainboard.

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.

3-5

MS-7250 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
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.

BIOS. Read-only.

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>.

Primary IDE Master/ Slave, Serial-ATA 0/1/2 Primary/ Secondary Channel

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

3-6

BIOS Setup

Device/ Vender/ Size/ LBA Mode/ Block Mode/ PIO Mode/ Async DMA/

Ultra DMA/ S.M.A.R.T.

It will showing the device information that you connected to the IDE/SATA
connector.

LBA/Large Mode

This allows you to enable or disable the LBA Mode. Setting to Auto enables LBA
mode if the device supports it and the devices is not already formatted with LBA
mode disabled.

DMA Mode

Select DMA 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

Primary IDE Master/ Slave, Serial-ATA 0/ 1/ 2 Primary/ Secondary
Channel 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 floppy drives installed.

3-7

MS-7250 Mainboard

Halt On

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

[No Errors] The system doesn’t stop for any detected error.
[All, But Keyboard] The system doesn’t stop for a keyboard error.

System Information

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

Usage Memory/ BIOS Version

These items show the CPU information, BIOS version and memory status of your
system (read only).

3-8

BIOS Setup

Advanced BIOS Features

Quick Boot

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

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.

Boot Sector Protection

This item allows you to choose the virus warning feature for IDE Hard Disk boot
sector protection. If this function is enabled and someone attempt to write date into
this area, BIOS will shows a warning message on screen and alarm beep.

Boot To OS/2

This allows you to run the OS/2® operating system with DRAM larger than 64MB.
When you choose [No], you cannot run the OS/2® operating system with DRAM
larger than 64MB. But it is possible if you choose [Yes].

Boot Up NumLock 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.

3-9

MS-7250 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.

Boot Sequence

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

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.

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.

Hard Disk Drives

This feature allows you to specify the hard disk boot priority.

Removable Drives

This feature allows you to specify the removable device boot priority.

CD/DVD Drives

This feature allows you to specify the CD/DVD device boot priority.

Other Drives

This feature allows you to specify the other device boot priority.

3-10

Advanced Chipset Features

Hyper Transport MCP55 Configuration

MCP55 (SB) to AM2 (CPU) Freq. Auto

[Enabled] Auto Detect HT frequency.
[Disabled] Manual to setting HT frequency.

BIOS Setup

MCP55 (SB) to AM2 (CPU) Frequency

When the MCP55 (SB) to AM2 (CPU) Freq. Auto set to Disabled, the item will
appear. This item allows you to select the frequency from South Bridge to CPU.

MCP55 (SB) to AM2 (CPU) LinkWidth

This item allows you to select the HT width from SB to CPU.

3-11

MS-7250 Mainboard

Integrated Peripherals

USB / 2.0 Controller

This setting allows you to enable/disable the onboard USB 1.1/ 2.0 controller.

USB Device Legacy Support

Select [Enabled] if you need to use a USB-interfaced device in the operating system.

Onboard Devices Configuration

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

Onboard IEEE1394 Controller

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

Onboard Audio Controller

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

Onboard MAC LAN0/ LAN1 Controller

These items are used to enable/disable the onboard MAC LAN0/ LAN1 controller.

3-12

BIOS Setup

I/O Device Configuration

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

Onboard Floppy 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.

COM Port 1

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

IR Function Select

This setting allows you to specify the operation mode for serial port. Settings
are:

[Disabled] RS-232C Serial Port
[Enabled] IrDA-compliant Serial Infrared Port

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:

Parallel Port Mode

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.

Parallel Port IRQ

This item allows you to set parallel port IRQ.

[Disabled]
[3BC] Line Printer port 0
[278] Line Printer port 2
[378] Line Printer port 1

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

3-13

MS-7250 Mainboard

IDE Devices Configuration

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 IDE Controller

This item allows you to enable/ disable IDE Controller.

SATA Devices Configuration

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

Serial-ATA 0/ 1/ 2

These items allow users to enable or disable the SATA 0/ 1/ 2controller.

nVidia RAID Setup

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

nVidia RAID Function

This item is used to enable/disable the nVidia RAID function.

SATA 0/ 1/ 2 Primary/ Secondary Channel

These itemsallow users to enable or disable the RAID function for each SATA
hard disk drive.

3-14

Power Management Setup

Important

BIOS Setup

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].

ACPI Standby State

This item specifies the power saving modes for ACPI function. If your operating
system supports ACPI, such as Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000 , 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

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

[Auto]

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

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.

3-15

MS-7250 Mainboard

Power Button Function

This feature sets the function of the power button. Settings are:

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

Restore On AC Power Loss

This item specifies whether your system will reboot after a power failure or interrupt
occurs. Settings are:

[Off] Always leaves the computer in the power off state.
[On] Always leaves the computer in the power on state.
[Last State] Restores the system to the status before power failure

Wakeup Event Setup

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

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

or interrupt occurred.

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 controls how the PS/2 keyboard is able to power on the system. If you
choose Specific Key, the power button on the case will not function anymore
and you must type the password to power on the system.

Resume From S3 by PS/2 MS

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 MAC LAN

An input signal on modem awakens the system from a soft off state.

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).

3-16

BIOS Setup

Resume by PCIE 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.

3-17

MS-7250 Mainboard

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 Graphics Adapter

This setting specifies which graphics card is your primary graphics adapter. Settings
are:

[PCIE -> PCI] The system initializes the PCI Express graphics card first.
[PCI -> PCIE] The system initializes the PCI graphics card first.

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.

3-18

BIOS Setup

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.

DMA Resource Setup

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

DMA Channel 0/1/3/5/6/7

The settings determine if AMIBIOS should remove a DMA (Direct Memory Access)
from the available DMAs passed to devices that are configurable by the system
BIOS. The available DMA pool is determined by reading the ESCD NVRAM. If more
DMAs must be removed from the pool, the end user can reserve the DMA.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

H/W Monitor

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.

CPUFAN Mode Setting

This field allows you to set the CPU fan mode. Settings are: [Disabled], [Thermal
Cruise], [Step Smart Fan].

CPU Step Smart Fan Low/ High Temp

When the CPUFAN Mode Setting set to the “ Step Smart Fan”, this item will
apear. The mainboard provides another Smart Fan system which can control the
fan speed automatically depending on the current temperature to keep it within a
specific step. In these items you can set the low and high tempertures, and the
values between are the range of the steps.

CPU Fan Tolerance Value

When the CPUFAN Mode Setting set to the “Step Smart Fan”, this item will
apear. The Fan tolerance value will decide the intervals of the steps from low
temperature to high temperature. The fan speed will increase at higher steps
and decrease at lower steps according to the steps.

Current Smart Fan Step

This item shows how many steps between the low and high temperatures.
Read only.

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BIOS Setup

Each Step Increase Fan Output

This item shows the percentage for the CPU fan speed to increase or decrease
between two steps. Read only.

CPU Fan TargetTemp Value

When the CPUFAN Mode Setting set to the “Thermal Cruise” this item will
appear. The mainboard provides the Smart Fan system which can control the
fan speed automatically depending on the current temperature to keep it with in
a specific range.

CPU Fan Tolerance Value

When the CPUFAN Mode Setting set to the “ Thermal Cruise” this item will
appear. You can select a fan tolerance value here for the specific range for the
“CPU Fan TargetTemp. Value” item. If the current temperature of the fan reaches
to the maximum threshold (the temperatures set in the “ CPU Fan TargetTemp.
Value” plus the tolerance values you set here), the fan will speed up for cooling
down. On the contrary, if the current temperature reaches to the minimum
threshold (the set temperatures minus the tolerance value), the fan will slow
down to keep the temperature stable.

System/ CPU Temperature, CPUFAN Speed, CPU Vcore, +12.0V, +5.0V,,

+3.3V,

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

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Cell Menu

Important

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

Current CPU Clock/ FSB Mulitiplier/ Memory Speed/ Voltage

These items show the current clocks of CPU and Memory speed. Read-only.

Cool’n’Quiet

This feature is especially desiged for AMD processor, which provides a CPU tem­perature detecting function to prevent your CPU’s from overheading due to the heavy
working loading.

Important

For the purpose of ensuring the stability of Cool'n'Quiet function, it is always
recommended to have the memories plugged in DIMM1.

Adjust CPU Voltage (V)

This item allows you to adjust the voltage of CPU Vcore. Note that changing CPU
Vcore could result in unstable system; therefore, it is not recommended to change
the default setting for long-term purpose. The default value is the value of Proces-
sor Voltage.

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BIOS Setup

CPU Frequency (MHz)

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

CPU 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.
Settings are:

[Disabled] Disable Dynamic Overclocking.
[Private] 1st level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 1%.
[Sergeant] 2nd level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 3%.
[Captain] 3rd level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 5%.
[Colonel] 4th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 7%.
[General] 5th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 10%.
[Commander] 6th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 15%.

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 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 Dynamic OverClocking first.

CPU Frequency Configuration

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

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MS-7250 Mainboard

FID/VID Change

Setting to Manual allows you to set the CPU ratio and voltage manually. Setting
options: [Auto], [Manaul].

Processor Frequency Multiplier

This item allows you to set the CPU ratio.

Processor Voltage

This item allows you to set the CPU voltage.

Memclock Mode

Select the DRAM frequency programming method. If set to “Auto”, the DRAM speed
will be based on SPDs. If set to “Limit”, the DRAM speed will not exceed the specified
value. If set to “ Manual”, the DRAM speed specified will be programmed regardless of
SPD.

Adjust DDR 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.

Important

The settings shown in different color in CPU Voltage and DDR 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 unstable.

Changing CPU Voltage and DDR Voltage may result in the instability of the
system; therefore, it is NOT recommended to change the default setting for
long-term usage.

Memory Configuration

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

3-24

BIOS Setup

MCT 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.

CAS Latency (TCL)

When the MCT 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.

Min RAS# Active Time (TRAS)

When the MCT 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.

Row Precharge Time (TRP)

When the MCT 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.

RAS# to CAS# delay (TRCD)

When the MCT 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.

Row to Row delay (TRRD)

When the MCT Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Speci­fies the active-to-active delay of different banks.

Row cycle time (TRC)

When the MCT Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. The row
cycle time determines the minimum number of clock cycles a memory row takes
to complete a full cycle, from row activation up to the precharging of the active
row.

Row refresh Cycle time (TRFC)

When the MCT Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Auto­refresh -active to RAS#-active or RAS# auto-refresh.

Read to Write delay (TRWT)

When the MCT Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This is
not a DRAM-specified timing parameter, but must be considered due to routing
latencies on the clock forwarded bus. It is counted from the first address bus
slot that was not associated with part of the read burst.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Bank Interleaveing

This field selects 2-bank or 4-bank interleave for the installed SDRAM. Disable
the function if 16MB SDRAM is installed.

SoftWare Memory hole

Enable Memory Remapping Around Memory Hole

PCIE Frequency (MHz)

This item allows you to select the PCI Express frequency (in MHz) and overclock the
processor by adjusting the PCI Express frequency to a higher frequency.

Spread Spectrum Configuration

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

CPU/LDT Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the CPU/LDT Spread Spectrum feature.
When overclocking the CPU, always set it to [Disabled].

PCIE Spread Spectrum

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

SATA Spread Spectrum

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

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.

3-26

BIOS Setup

CPU Clock Overclocking

The CPU Frequency (MHz)/ CPU Dynamic OverClocking / Processor Fre­quency Multiplier are the items for you to overclock the CPU and the Memory.

Please refer to the descriptions of these fields for more information.

Important

1.CPU Speed = CPU Frequency (MHz) * Processor Frequency Multiplier

2.This motherboard supports overclocking greatly. However, please make
sure your peripherals and components are bearable for some special
settings. Any operation that exceeds product specification is not
recommended. Any risk or damge resulting from improper operation will
not be under our product warranty.

Two ways to save your system from failed overclocking...

Reboot

1. Press the Power button to reboot the system three times. Please note that, to

avoid electric current to affect other devices or components, we suggest an
interval of more than 10 seconds among the reboot actions.

2. At the fourth reboot, BIOS will determine that the previous overclocking is failed

and restore the default settings automatically. Please press any key to boot the
system normally when the following message appears on screen.

Warning !!! The previous performance of overclocking is failed,
and the system is restored to the defaults setting.
Please press any key to continue...

Clear CMOS

- Please refer to “chapter 2” for more information about how to clear CMOS data.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

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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BIOS Setup

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.

3-29

Introduction to DigiCell

Appendix A

Introduction to DigiCell

DigiCell, the most useful and powerful utility that MSI
has spent much research and efforts to develop, helps
users to monitor and configure all the integrated pe­ripherals of the system, such as audio program, power
management, MP3 files management and communica­tion / 802.11g WLAN settings. Moreover, with this unique
utility, you will be able to activate the MSI well-known
features, Live Update and Core Center, which makes it
easier to update the BIOS/drivers online, and to monitor
the system hardware status (CPU/Fan temperature and
speed) or to overclock the CPU/memory.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Activating DigiCell

Once you have your DigiCell installed (locate the setup source file in the setup CD
accompanying with your mainboard, path: Utility --> MSI Utility --> MSI DigiCell), 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 DigiCell.

short-cut icon in the system tray

A-2

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

Introduction to DigiCell

Main

Before using this utility, it is required to have all the integrated peripherals/cards (LAN
card, Wireless LAN card, MegaStick... etc.) and all the necessary drivers (onboard
LAN driver, audio driver, CoreCenter, Live Update... etc.) installed correctly.

The icon representing each item will be lit up if it is inserted/installed correctly and
properly. Otherwise, the icon will remain gray and user is not able to view the
functionality/connection of that item.

Introduction:

Click on each icon appearing above to enter the sub-menu to make further configuration.

MSI

Click on this button to link to MSI website:
http://www.msi.com.tw.

Quick Guide

Click on this button and the quick guide of DigiCell will be displayed for you
to review.

H/W Diagnostic

In this sub-menu, it provides the information of each DigiCell button for you to
check if the representing peripherals/cards/drivers are correctly installed.

Comm.

In this sub-menu, you can see the configuration details for communication
products, including the status, strength, speed and channel of the connec­tion of the Ethernet LAN & Wireless LAN.

Software Access Point

In this sub-menu, you can change your connection mode to different ones,
and configure the advanced settings for each mode, such as the authentica­tion encryption... etc.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Live Update

You can take advantage of Live Update to detect and update BIOS and
drivers online.

Core Center

You can take advantage of Core Center to monitor the health status of your
system and to overclock under Windows OS if your system supports
overclocking function.

MEGA STICK

If you have your MEGA STICK connected to your system, this icon will be lit
up. Click this blue icon to turn DigiCell into a MP3 player, and then you can load
media files from your MEGA STICK or the system, and edit the preferred
playlist.

Audio Speaker Setting

In this sub-menu, you can configure and test the multi-channel audio function,
speakers, sound effect and environment.

Power on Agent

In this sub-menu, you can configure date, time and auto-executed programs
of the power-on, power-off and restarting features.

Important

Click on back button in every sub-menu and it will bring you back to the
main menu.

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Introduction to DigiCell

H/W Diagnostic

In the H/W Diagnostic sub-menu, you can see the information, status and note of
each DigiCell. You may double check the connection and installation of the item
marked as gray.

You may also click on the Mail to MSI button to send your questions or suggestions
to MSI’s technical support staff.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Communication

In the Communication sub-menu, you can see the status of all the LAN / WLAN /
Bluetooth on the screen if the hardware is installed. The first icon indicates the
onboard LAN on your system, the second icon indicates the wireless LAN status,
and the third one is the information about the bluetooth on your system. Click on each
item for details.

A-6

This icon indicates the information and connection status of onboard LAN,
which is read-only.

The second icon indicates the wireless connection. You may click this icon
to configure the advanced settings in the WLAN Card Mode dialogue box.
Please note that it is only available when the Software Access Point is
set to WLAN Card Mode.

The third icon indicates the connection using bluetooth devices. If your
system is connected to the bluetooth device, the icon will light up.

Introduction to DigiCell

Software Access Point

In the Software Access Point sub-menu, you can see the communication status on
your system and choose the desired software access point mode by clicking on the
desired icon, in which the default settings are configured for your usage. The default
software access point mode is set to WLAN Card Mode. For more advanced
security settings and channels switching, click on “Setting” button to enter its sub­menu.

Terminology

Here are the introduction of WLAN / AP communication terminology.

WEP Key

In the wireless network environment, the administrator can set up password
(Network Key) to protect the network from being attacked or unauthorized
access. When building the network, you can set up 4 sets of WEP keys,
which can be 5 characters (10 hex-adecimal digital) or 13 characters (26
hex-adecimal digital) and specify one of them to use.

Ad-hoc Mode

An Ad-hoc network is a local area network or other small network, especially
one with wireless or temporary plug-in connections, in which some of the
network devices are part of the network only for the duration of a communi­cations session. Users in the network can share files, print to a shared
printer, and access the Internet with a shared modem. In this kind of network,
new devices can be quickly added; however, users can only communicate
with other wireless LAN computers that are in this wireless LAN workgroup,
and are within range.

Infrastructure Mode

The difference between Infrastructure network and Ad-hoc network is that
the former one includes an Access Point. In an Infrastructure network, the
Access Point can manage the bandwidth to maximize bandwidth utilization.
Additionally, the Access Point enables users on a wireless LAN to access an
existing wired network, allowing wireless users to take advantage of the
wired networks resources, such as Internet, email, file transfer, and printer
sharing. The scale and range of the Infrastructure networking are larger and
wider than that of the Ad-hoc networking.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Access Point Mode

Click on “Setting” button of the Access Point Mode and the following screen will
display.

IP Sharing

Click on this icon to enable/disable the IP sharing. The default of this setting is disabled.

Disabled Enabled

Enabling/disabling IP sharing depends on the different situation. For example:

1.If your family and you are getting on Internet at home with multi computers, and
your ISP only provides one IP for you, you may need to enable IP Sharing
function in order to use this one IP to get on Internet with multi computers
simultaneously.

2.If you are getting on Internet in office, usually the LAN card will automatically get
the IP this computer uses. In this case you don’t have to enablethis function.

SSID

Means Service Set Identifier, a unique name shared among all points in a wireless
network. It must be identical for all points in the network. Then the card will be able
to connect to an access point with the same SSID.

Channel

Specifies the operating radio frequency channel in Infrastructure mode , which
should be set to an available one (ex: with less traffic to ensure the stable and better
connection).

Associated Client List

This option is to display information of stations that are currently associated to your
wireless gateway.

Association Control

This option allows you to control which PC can connect to the wireless LAN. If you

A-8

Introduction to DigiCell

enable this feature, only PCs with MAC address located in Association Control List
can connect to the wireless LAN.

MAC Address

MAC stands for Media Access Control. A MAC address is the hardware address of
a device connected to a network.

Security

This option allows you to enable/disable the authentication function.

Authentication

Open: Communicates the key across the network.
Shared: Devices must have identical WEP settings to communicate.

WLAN Card Mode

Click on “ Setting” button of the WLAN Card Mode for the WEP status of your APs.
If the AP you are selecting (the highlighted one) is not encrypted (Disabled shown in

the Encryption column), the screen will display as below. You can click “Connect”
to make connection to that AP, click “Cancel ” to close this dialogue box, or click
“Refresh” button to update the available WLAN connections.

If the network you are selecting is encrypted (WEP shown in the Encryption column),
the screen will display as below. You need to enter the correct WEP key defined by
AP in the specified WEP Key 1~4 fields to make the connection.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Live Update

Click on the Live Update icon in the main menu and the Live Update program will be
enabled.

The Live Update 3™ is a tool used to detect and update your BIOS/
drivers/VGA BIOS/VGA Driver/Utility online so that you don’t need to
search for the correct BIOS/driver version throughout the whole
Web site. To use the function, you need to install the “ MSI Live
Update 3” application. After the installation, the “MSI Live Update 3”
icon (as shown on the right) will appear on the screen.
Double click the “ MSI Live Update 3” icon, and the following screen
will appear:

Several buttons are placed on the left column of the screen. Click the desired button
to start the update process.

Live BIOS – Updates the BIOS online.
Live Driver – Updates the drivers online.
Live VGA BIOS – Updates the VGA BIOS online.
Live VGA Driver – Updates the VGA driver online.
Live Utility – Updates the utilities online.

If the product you purchased does not support any of the functions listed above, a
“sorry” message is displayed. For more information on the update instructions, insert
the companion CD and refer to the “ Live Update Guide” under the “ Manual” Tab.

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Introduction to DigiCell

MEGA STICK

In the MEGA STICK sub-menu, you can configure the settings of MSI MEGA STICK
and the media files (*.m3u, *.mp3, *.wav, *.cda, *.wma) on your system.

Basic Function

Here you can edit your own play list with the buttons “load”, “save”, “delete”,
“shuttle”, “repeat” & “print”.

Load To load media files or the playlist of mp3 files (*.m3u) on your system or
Save To save a loaded playlist of mp3 files (*.m3u) on your system or on
Delete Click on the media files in the Play List: field and use “ Delete” button

Shuffle To play the media file in the Play List: in a random order.
Repeat To repeat the selected files in the Play List:.
Print This button has 2 functions:

on your MEGA STICK.
your MEGA STICK.
to remove the media file from the play list. You may remove multi media

files simultaneously by using “Ctrl” to select multi files.

1.To print out the details of current play list through your printer with
the following information:
Song title --- Song length --- Singer name

2.To save the details of current play list and save the file in the plain
text file format in the \\Program files\MSI\DigiCell\MyMusic.txt for
your reference. The MyMusic.txt file is with the following information:
Song title --- Song length --- Singer name

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MS-7250 Mainboard

There is also a toolbar for you to execute some basic function, like play, stop, pause,
previous/next song, song info and volume adjust. There is also a scroll bar on the top
for you to forward/rewind.

previous

stop

Right-click on the MP3 file and choose “ Info”, a MP3 Info dialogue
will pop up to show the information of the file, including the title, artist,
album, release year and others. You may also add your own comment
in the comment field. Then click “Save” to save the change, click
“Cancel” to discard the change, or click “Remove” to remove all
this information.

pause

play

next

forward/rewind
bar

song’s information

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Introduction to DigiCell

Non-Unicode programs supported

If you are using an operating system in European languages, and you’ d like to play the
media files in MEGA STICK with East-Asian languages (such as Chinese, Japanese...
etc.), it is possible that the file names display incorrectly.
However, you can install the Supplemental Language Support provided by
Microsoft to solve this problem. You need to have your Microsoft Setup CD prepared
in the CD-ROM. The system will start to install the necessary components after the
settings are configured here. Follow the steps described below.

1.Go to [Control Panel] and choose [Regional and Languages Options].

2.Go to the [Languages] tab and enable the check box of [Install files for East
Asian languages]. A dialogue box will pop up to remind you the above selection
is chosen.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

3. Then go to the [Advanced] tab and select the language you want to be
supported (the language of the filename in the MegaStick) from the drop-

down list in the [Language for non-Unicode programs], then click [Apply]. The
system will install the necessary components from your Microsoft Setup CD
immediately.

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Introduction to DigiCell

Core Center

Click on the Core Center icon in the main menu and the Core Center program will
be enabled.

Cool’n’Quiet

This utility provides a CPU temperature detection function called Cool’n’Quiet .
Cool’n’Quiet is a special feature designed only for AMD® Athlon64 processor, and

with Cool’n’Quiet, the system will be capable of detecting the temperature of the
CPU according to the CPU’s working loading. When the CPU temperature climbs up to
a certain degree, the speed of the system cooling fan will be risen automatically. On
the other hand, the speed of the system cooling fan will slow down instantly when
the CPU temperature descends to its normal degree.

Here the current system status (including Vcore, 3.3V, +5V and 12V) and the current
PC hardware status (such as the CPU & system temperatures and all fans speeds)
are shown on the left and right sides for you to monitor.

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.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

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 lighted 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.

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 warnings, and the values for fan speeds
are the minimum thresholds.

Center-side: Cool’n’Quiet / User 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 High Speed to Low speed. If you
choose Cool’n’ Quiet, the system will automatically configure an optimal setting for
you.

Important

To ensure that Cool’n’Quiet function
is activated and will be working
properly, it is required to double con­firm that:

1.Run BIOS Setup, and select Cell

Menu. Under Cell Menu, find
Cool’n’Quiet, and set this item

to [Enable].

2.Enter Windows, and select

[Start]->[Settings]->[Control
Pannel]->[Power Options]. Enter
Power Options Properties tag,
and select Minimal Power Man-
agement under Power schemes.

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Introduction to DigiCell

Power On Agent

In the Power on Agent sub-menu, you can configure setting of power-on, power­off and restarting status.

In the screen below, you can set the date, time, start-up programs respectively for
power-on, power-off and restarting.

Power On

Here are the available settings for Power On function:

Date Use the drop-down list to select the date for power-on.
Time Use the arrow keys to select the hour/minute/second for power-on,

power-off and restarting. Then click “Apply ” to save the changes. As
you click “Apply”, the following dialogue will appear to show you the
next power-on schedule, and the system will start to count down to
restart. Click “OK” to restart the computer right away or click “Later”
to restart your computer later.

Important

Please note that the new setting will not take effect until you restart your
computer.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Power Off / Restart

You may configure the time (in the format hh:mm:ss) for the next power-off / restart.

Start With

Use the button “+Add” to add the start-up programs
as DigiCell is activated next time. For example, you
may like to have Outlook activated or a specified
website linked when you get to the office every
morning.
Step 1: Click on the Program: field and click “>>”

button to browse for the path of Outlook or

Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on “OK” to apply the setting.
Step 3: For specified file or specified website, you

may enter the file name with the complete

path or the website link in the Parameters: field.

add the desired
start-with program

To activate Outlook as
DigiCell is enabled next
time

Of course you may use the button “-Delete” to remove the added programs, or you
can right-click on the selected program and click Delete.

To activate a specified
website as DigiCell is ena­bled next time

delete the added program

Important

You can also enable the Every turn on function, which will enable the
specified program(s) and file(s) every time the DigiCell utility runs.

A-18

Introduction to DigiCell

Auto Login

Since the Power On function allows the system to power on automatically, you may
have to enable this Auto Login function in the following situations:

1.If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, and you need to
enter your user name & password everytime when you boot up your computer.

2.If there are multi users using the same computer and you’ d like to power on the
computer automatically with one specific user.

Enable Auto Login

Enable this setting if you want to use the Auto Login feature. It supports the
following operating systems: Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

Default User Name

It is only available for Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

--If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, please enter your
login user name in this field.

--If you are using a computer with multi users (for Windows XP operating system),
please enter the user name you’d like to auto power-on in this field.

Default Password

It is only available for Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

--If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, please enter your
login password in this field.

--If you are using a computer with multi-users (for Windows XP operating system),
please enter the password for the user name you’d like to auto power-on in
this field.

A-19

Realtek ALC883 Audio

Appendix B

Realtek ALC883 Audio

The Realtek ALC883 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.

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MS-7250 Mainboard

Installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver

You need to install the driver for Realtek ALC883 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 auto­matically appear.

2. Click Realtek HD Audio Driver .

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.

B-2

Click here

Realtek ALC883 Audio

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

Click here

4. Click Finish to restart the system.

Click here

Select this
option

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MS-7250 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 Realtek HD Audio Manager from the Control Panel.

Double click

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Realtek ALC883 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.

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MS-7250 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.

B-6

Realtek ALC883 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.

Raise the key

Remove the
human voice

Lower the key

B-7

MS-7250 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

ALC883 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

If you use AC97 front panel, the device have to be plugged into the jacks on
the panel before enable the multi-stream function.

B-8

Realtek ALC883 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 front 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.

B-9

MS-7250 Mainboard

3. Playback control

Playback device

Tool Mute

This function is to let you freely decide which ports to
output the sound. And this is essential when multi­streaming playback enabled.

- Realtek HD Audio Rear Output

- Realtek HD Audio Front 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.

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4. Recording control

Realtek ALC883 Audio

Tool Mute

Recording device

-Back Line in/Mic, Front Lin in

-Realtek HD Audio Input

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

ALC883 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-7250 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

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.

B-12

Realtek ALC883 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 not automatically pop
up when device plugged in.

B-13

MS-7250 Mainboard

S/PDIF

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.

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

Output digital audio source: The digital audio format (such as .wav, .mp3,.midi etc)
will come out through S/PDIF-Out.
S/PDIF-in to S/PDIF -out pass though mode: The data from S/PDIF-In can be real­ time played from S/PDIF-Out.

B-14

Realtek ALC883 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

B-15