Msi K9N2 Diamond Series user Manual

K9N2 Diamond Series

MS-7375 (v1.X) Mainboard

G52-73751X1

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

V1.0 First release for PCB 1.X March 2008

Technical Support

If a problem arises with your system and no solution can be obtained from the user’ s
manual, please contact your place of purchase or local distributor. Alternatively,
please try the following help resources for further guidance.

Visit the MSI website for FAQ, technical guide, BIOS updates, driver updates,
and other information: http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?

func=faqIndex

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

ii

Safety Instructions

1. Always read the safety instructions carefully.

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

3. Keep this equipment away from humidity.

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

5. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equip­ment from overheating. DO NOT COVER THE OPENINGS.

6. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V be­fore connecting the equipment to the power inlet.

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

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

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

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

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

† The power cord or plug is damaged.
† Liquid has penetrated into the equipment.
† The equipment has been exposed to moisture.
† The equipment has not work well or you can not get it work according to

User’s Manual.

† The equipment has dropped and damaged.
† The equipment has obvious sign of breakage.

12. DO NOT LEAVE THIS EQUIPMENT IN AN ENVIRONMENT UNCONDITIONED, STOR­AGE TEMPERATURE ABOVE 600 C (1400F), IT MAY DAMAGE THE EQUIPMENT.

CAUTION: Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.
Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the
manufacturer.

iii

FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This equipment has been
tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part
15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in 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-7375

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:

(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that

may cause undesired operation.

iv

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement

v

vi

vii

CONTENTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Button.................................................................................................................2-17

Slots....................................................................................................................2-18

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

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

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

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

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

Integrated Peripherals........................................................................................3-11

Power Management Setup...............................................................................3-13

H/W Monitor........................................................................................................3-16

BIOS Setting Password.....................................................................................3-17

Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-18

USER SETTINGS................................................................................................3-22

Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults.................................................................3-23

Appendix A X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card.................................................................A-1

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

Hardware Installation..........................................................................................A-4

Installing the Creative Audio Driver....................................................................A-7

viii

Software Configuration......................................................................................A-9

Appendix B nVidia RAID.........................................................................................B-1

Introduction..........................................................................................................B-2

RAID Configuraiton..............................................................................................B-3

Installing Driver....................................................................................................B-7

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation.............................................................................B-8

Using theNVMediaShield Software..................................................................B-11

Appendix C JMicron RAID Introduction............................................................C-1

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

JMicron RAID BIOS Utility....................................................................................C-3

Installing Driver..................................................................................................C-11

JMicron Raid Configurer....................................................................................C-13

Appendix D Dual Core Center..............................................................................D-1

Activating Dual Core Center...............................................................................D-2

Main......................................................................................................................D-3

DOT(Dyanmic OverClocking)..............................................................................D-5

E (Efficiency).......................................................................................................D-6

Clock.....................................................................................................................D-7

Voltage.................................................................................................................D-8

FAN Speed...........................................................................................................D-9

Temperature.......................................................................................................D-10

User Profile........................................................................................................D-11

ix

Getting Started

Chapter 1

Getting Started

Thank you for choosing the K9N2 Diamond Series (MS­7375 v1.X) ATX mainboard. The K9N2 Diamond Series
mainboards are based on NVIDIA® nForce780a SLI
single chipset for optimal system efficiency. Designed
to fit the advanced AMD® Phenom/ Athlon/ Sempron
series in Socket AM2/ AM2+, the K9N2 Diamond Series
deliver a high performance and professional desktop
platform solution.

1-1

MS-7375 Mainboard

Mainboard Specifications

Processor Support

- AMD® Phenom/ Athlon/ Sempron series processors in AM2/ AM2+
package

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

(For the latest information about CPU, please visit

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

Supported FSB

- AM2 CPU supports Hyper Transport 1.0/ 2.0

- AM2+ CPU supports Hyper Transport 3.0

Chipset

- NVIDIA® nForce 780a SLI single chipset

Memory Support

- DDR2 1066/ 800/ 667 DRAM (8GB Max)

- 4 DDR2 DIMMs (240pin / 1.8V)

(For more information on compatible components, please visit

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

LAN

- Supports 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet Dual LAN by Realtek 8211BL/
8111C

1394

- Transfer rate is up to 400Mbps

- Controlled by VIA VT6308P

Audio
Creative® X-Fi Xtreme H/W Audio Card MSI Edition(MS-4132)

- 24-bit / 96KHz audio quality

- 100dB SNR clarity

- Up to 7.1 CH EAX 5.0 Surround Sound

IDE

- 2 IDE ports (one by nForce 780a SLI, one by JMB363)

- Supports Ultra DMA 66/100/133 mode

- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation mode

SATA

- 6 SATAII ports by nForce 780a SLI

- 2 ESATA (External-SATA) ports by JMB363 (back panel)

- Supports storage and data transfers at up to 3 Gb/s

RAID

- SATA1~6 support RAID 0/ 1/ 0+1/ 5 or JBOD mode

- 2 ESATA (External-SATA) ports support RAID 0/ 1 mode

1-2

Getting Started

Floppy

- 1 floppy port

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

Connectors

Back panel

- 1 PS/2 mouse port

- 1 PS/2 keyboard port

- 1 1394 port

- 1 DVI-D port

- 2 LAN jacks

- 4 USB 2.0 ports

- 2 ESATA ports

On-Board Pinheaders

- 3 USB 2.0 pinheaders

- 1 1394 pinheader

- 1 Serial port pinheader

- 1 TPM Module pinheader

- 1 Chassis Intrusion pinheader

TPM

- Supports TPM

Slots

- 3 PCI Express x16 slots compatible with PCIE 2.0 specification

a. support 3-Way SLI, these three PCIE x16 lanes will configure to

x16/ x8/ x8

b. if you intend to install two expansion cards, please install one

into the mazarine slot and one into the first bule slot, these
three PCIE x16 lanes will configure to x16/ x16/ x0 .

- 1 PCI Express x 1 slot

- 2 PCI slots

Form Factor

- ATX (30.5cm X 24.4 cm)

Mounting

- 9 mounting holes

1-3

MS-7375 Mainboard

PCI2

PCI1

PCI_E1

PCI_E3

PCI_E4

PCI_E2

FDD 1

JUSB1

JMB363

RTL8211BL

SYSFAN3IDE1ATX1

Mainboard Layout

Top : mouse
Bottom:
keyboard

Top: DVI-D port
Bottom:
1394 port

Top: LAN Jack
Bottom: USB ports

Top: LAN Jack
Bottom: USB ports

JPW1

e-SATA ports

SYSFAN1

CPUFAN

RTL8111C

nFroce

BATT

+

SYSFAN2

IDE 2

J1394_1

200

POWER CLR_CMOS

RESET

JFP1 JFP2

K9N2 Diamond Series (MS-7375 v1.X)

ATX Mainboard

VIA

VT6308P

DIMM1

nFroce

780a SLI

JCI1

I/O

Chip

DIMM3

DIMM2

DIMM4

SATA6

SATA3/4

SATA5

SATA1/2

JTPM1

JCOM1

JUS B2

JUSB3

SYSFAN4

1-4

Packing Checklist

Getting Started

MSI motherboard

Power Cable

Floppy Cable

MSI Driver/Utility CD

SATA Cable

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

(optional)

3-Way SLI bridge cables

(1 long, 2 short)

IDE Cable

1394+USB Bracket

(Optional)

DVI-D to HDMI

connector

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

Back IO Shield

User’ s Guide

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-7375 Mainboard

Quick Components Guide

Back Panel
I/O, p.2-10

PCI Express
slots, p.2-18

PCI Slots,

p.2-24

SYSFAN2,

p.2-13

JPW1, p.2-8

CPU, p.2-3

CPUFAN, p.2-13

DDR2 DIMMs,

p.2-6

IDE1, p.2-11

ATX1, p.2-8

SYSFAN3,

p.2-13

SATA, p.2-12

JTPM1, p.2-15

JUSB1~3, p.2-14

JCOM1, p.2-13

JCI1, p.2-14

2-2

IDE2, p.2-11

SYSFAN1, p.2-13

JFP1, p.2-16

J1394_1, p.2-15

POWER/RESET/CLR_CMOS, p.2-17

JFP2, p.2-16

SYSFAN4, p.2-13

FDD1, p.2-12

Hardware Setup

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The mainboard supports AMD® Phenom/ Athlon/ Sempron processors in Socket
AM2/ AM2+. The Socket AM2/ AM2+ offer a easy CPU installation. When you are
installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan
attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not have the heat sink and
cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the
computer.
For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://global.msi.com.tw/index.

php?func=cpuform

Important

Overheating

Overheating will seriously damage the CPU and system. Always make sure
the cooling fan can work properly to protect the CPU from overheating. Make
sure that you apply an even layer of thermal paste (or thermal tape) between
the CPU and the heatsink to enhance heat dissipation.

Replacing the CPU

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.

Overclocking

This mainboard is designed to support overclocking. However, please make
sure your components are able to tolerate such abnormal setting, while
doing overclocking. Any attempt to operate beyond product specifications is
not recommended. We do not guarantee the damages or risks caused

by inadequate operation or beyond product specifications.

2-3

MS-7375 Mainboard

Open the lever

Gold arrow

Gold arrow

Gold arrow

Correct CPU

O

Incorrect CPU

the lever

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket AM2/ AM2+

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

Sliding

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 on the
CPU. The gold arrow should point
as shown in the picture. The CPU
can only fit in the correct
orientation.Lower the CPU down
onto the socket.

the plate

90 degree

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.

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

Press down
the CPU

placement

placement

Close

Hardware Setup

Installing 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

1. Read the CPU status in BIOS (Chapter 3).

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

1.Position the cooling set onto the re­tention mechanism.

Hook one end of the clip to hook
first.

3.Fasten down the lever.

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

Fixed Lever

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

2-5

MS-7375 Mainboard

1

2

Installed

Memory

These DIMM slots are used for installing memory modules.
For more information on compatible components, please visit http://global.msi.com.

tw/index.php?func=testreport

DDR2

240-pin, 1.8V

64x2=128 pin56x2=112 pin

Dual-Channel Memory Population Rules

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

DIMM1
DIMM2

DIMM3
DIMM4

DIMM1
DIMM2
DIMM3
DIMM4

Empty

Important

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

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

-To enable successful system boot-up, always insert the memory modules
into the DIMM1 first.

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

2-6

Hardware Setup

Installing Memory Modules

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

2. Insert the memory module vertically into the DIMM slot. Then push it in until the
golden finger on the memory module is deeply inserted in the DIMM slot. The plastic
clip at each side of the DIMM slot will automatically close when the memory module
is properly seated.

Important

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

3. Manually check if the memory module has been locked in place by the DIMM slot
clips at the sides.

Volt

Notch

2-7

MS-7375 Mainboard

Power Supply

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: ATX1

This connector allows you to connect an ATX 24-pin power supply.
To connect the ATX 24-pin power supply, make sure the plug of the
power supply is inserted in the proper orientation and the pins are
aligned. Then push down the power supply firmly into the connector.

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

Pin Definition

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

ATX1

12

24

13

1

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 13

pin 12

ATX 8-pin Power Connector: JPW1

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

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND
2 GND
3 GND
4 GND

PIN SIGNAL

5 +12V
6 +12V
7 +12V
8 +12V

2-8

8 5

4

JPW1

1

Hardware Setup

Important

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

2. Power supply of 450 watts (and above) is highly recommended for system
stability.

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 all power connectors on
the mianboard (shown in figure 2) before the 1st installation or during system up­grade procedure.

Unplug the AC power cable

Figure 1:

Figure 2: Unplug all the power connectors

2-9

MS-7375 Mainboard

Back Panel

Mouse

Keyboard

DVI-D Port

1394 Port

LAN

USB Port

LAN

ESATA Port

USB Port

Mouse/Keyboard

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

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

1394 Port
The IEEE1394 port on the back panel provides connection to IEEE1394 devices.

LAN
The standard RJ-45 LAN jack is for connection to

Green/ OrangeYellow

the Local Area Network (LAN). You can connect a
network cable to it.

LED Color LED State condition

Off LAN link is not established.

Left Yellow 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.

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

ESATA Port
This ESATA (External-Serial ATA) port is used to connect the external SATA device.
You can also use the optional external SATA cable to connect SATA device and
ESATA port.

2-10

Hardware Setup

Connectors

IDE Connector: IDE1 / IDE2

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

IDE1

IDE2

IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector)

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

IDE2 (Secondary IDE Connector)
IDE2 can also connect a Master and a Slave drive.

Important

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

2-11

MS-7375 Mainboard

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

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

FDD1

Serial ATA Connector: SATA1~6

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

SATA6

SATA5

SATA3/4

SATA1/2

Important

1. SATA5 & SATA6 support AHCI mode only.

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

2-12

Hardware Setup

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN, SYSFAN1/ 2/ 3/ 4

The fan power connectors support system cooling fan with +12V. When connecting
the wire to the connectors, always note that the red wire is the positive and should
be connected to the +12V; the black wire is Ground and should be connected to GND.
If the mainboard has a System Hardware Monitor chipset on-board, you must use a
specially designed fan with speed sensor to take advantage of the CPU fan control.

GND
+12V
SENSOR
CONTROL

CPUFAN

+12V

Sensor

SYSFAN1/2

GND

GND

+12V

NC

SYSFAN3

+12V

NC

SYSFAN4

GND

Important

1.Please refer to the recommended CPU fans at processor’s official website
or consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.

2.CPUFAN supports fan control. You can install Dual Core Center utility
that will automatically control the CPU fan speed according to the actual
CPU temperature.

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

Serial Port Connector: JCOM1

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

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 DCD Data Carry Detect

2
1

9

JCOM1

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

2-13

MS-7375 Mainboard

Front USB Connector: JUSB1/ JUSB2/ JUSB3

This connector, compliant with Intel® I/O Connectivity Design Guide, is ideal for con­necting high-speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras,

MP3 players, printers, modems and the like.

910

12

JUSB1 / 2/ 3

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC 2 VCC
3 USB0- 4 USB1­5 USB0+ 6 USB1+
7 GND 8 GND
9 Key (no pin) 10 NC

Pin Definition

USB 2.0 Bracket

Important

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

Chassis Intrusion Connector: JCI1

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

1

CINTRU

2-14

GND

JCI1

Hardware Setup

IEEE1394 Connector: J1394_1

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

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

2

1

J1394_1

10
9

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

IEEE1394 Bracket

TPM Module Connector: JTPM1

This connector connects to a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) module (optional). Please
refer to the TPM security platform manual for more details and usages.

2
1

14
13

JTPM1

Pin Signal Description Pin Signal Description
1 LCLK LPC clock 2 3V_STB 3V standby power
3 LRST# LPC reset 4 VCC3 3.3V power
5 LAD0 LPC address & data pin0 6 SIRQ Serial IRQ
7 LAD1 LPC address & data pin1 8 VCC5 5V power
9 LAD2 LPC address & data pin2 10 KEY No pin
11 LAD3 LPC address & data pin3 12 GND Ground
13 LFRAME# LPC Frame 14 GND Ground

2-15

MS-7375 Mainboard

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1, JFP2

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

Power

Power

Switch

LED

+

-

-

+

-

Reset
Switch

10

9

2

JFP1

1

+

HDD
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.

2-16

Speaker

+

­+

-

Power
LED

8

7

JFP2

2
1

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

Button

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

Clear CMOS Button: CLR_CMOS

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 button to clear data. Press the button to clear the data.

CLR_CMOS

Important

Make sure that you power off the system before clearing CMOS data.

Reset Button: RESET

This reset button is used to reset the system. Press the button to reset the system.

RESET

Power Button: POWER

This power button is used to turn-on or turn-off the system. Press the button to turn­on or turn-off the system.

POWER

2-17

MS-7375 Mainboard

Slots

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots

The PCI Express slot supports the PCI Express interface expansion card.
The PCI Express 2.0 x 16 supports up to 8.0 GB/s transfer rate.
The PCI Express 2.0 x 8 supports up to 4.0 GB/s transfer rate.
The PCI Express x 1 supports up to 250 MB/s transfer rate.

Mazarine PCI Express x16 Slot (PCI_E2 )

PCI Express x 1 Slot (PCI_E1)

Blue PCI Express x 16 Slots (PCI_E3/ PCI_E4)

Important

1. To use these three PCIE x16 slots, please refer to the keys below:
a. support 3-Way SLI, these three PCIE x16 lanes will configure to x16/ x8/

x8.

b. if you intend to install two expansion cards, please install one into the

mazarine slot and one into the first bule slot, and these three PCIE x16
lanes will configure to x16/ x16/ x0.

c. If you intend to install only ONE x16 graphics card, please install this

graphics card in mazarine PCIE x16 (PCI_E2) slot to run full x16 speed.

2. When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug the
power supply first. Meanwhile, read the documentation for the expansion
card to configure any necessary hardware or software settings for the ex­pansion card, such as jumpers, switches or BIOS configuration.

2-18

Hardware Setup

NVIDIA 3-Way SLI Technology

NVIDIA 3-Way SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology allows three GPUs to run in
sequence within a system to achieve up to triple the performance of a single graph­ics card. To utilize this technology, the three GPU cards must be connected by 3-Way
SLI bridge cables. Please refer to the following illustrations for enabling the 3-Way
SLI technology.

3-Way SLI bridge
short cable

3-Way SLI bridge
long cable

Important

Before you configure the 3-Way SLI platform hardware, please make sure that:

1. The three graphics cards have to support 3-Way SLI technology and they
are of the same brand and specifications;

2. The 3-Way SLI platform requires specific power supply requirement
which provide the minimum 1000W peak power to support the needs of
three graphics cards in the system;

3. The 3-Way SLI platform also requires a chassis that meet the qualifictions
for running 3-way SLI.

4. To visit the NVIDIA official website and find the GPUs, power supply and
chassis that should be approved for 3-Way SLI.

2-19

MS-7375 Mainboard

1.Installing three graphics cards which support 3-Way SLI technology on PCI Ex­press x16 slots. After three cards installed, SLI Bridge cables are required to
connect the golden fingers on the top of these three graphics cards (fig.1). Please
note that although you have installed three graphics cards, only the video outputs
on the first card (which be installed in PCI_E2 slot) will work. Hence, you only need
to connect a monitor to the first PCI Express card.

2-20

Fig.1 3-Way SLI Bridge cables connection

Hardware Setup

Important

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

2.If you wish to use 2-way SLI, you must install the two graphics cards in one
mazarine PCIE x16 slot (PCI_E2) and the first blue PCIE x16 slot
(PCI_E3). Then, connect two graphics cards together using the 2 SLI bridge
short cables (Fig.2). And remember to enable the SLI technology function
as the following step 2 & step 3.

3.3-Way SLI technology supports Windows® Vista only.

Fig.2 2-Way SLI Bridge cables connection

2-21

MS-7375 Mainboard

2.After the hardware installation is completed, power on the system and install the
NVIDIA SLI driver. Reboot the system, a NVIDIA Control Panel will be provided
for Multi-GPU control. Right click on windows desktop and select NVIDIA Control

Panel. Go to 3D Settings --> Set SLI configuration and check Enable SLI technol­ogy (recommended). Then press Apply. (concerning the details of multi-GPU

settings, please refer to your graphics card manual).

Check the box

3.Go to 3D Settings on the top menu options, and check the Show SLI Visual
Indicators. It will show the SLI x3 lable and a scaling bar in fullscreen 3D
applications.

Important

If you want to quit the SLI function, make sure that you disable the "SLI
technology" function.

2-22

Hardware Setup

NVIDIA Hybrid SLI Technology

Hybrid SLI technology, based on NVIDIA’s industry-leading SLI technology, delivers
multi-GPU benefits when an NVIDIA mainboard GPU is combined with an NVIDIA
discrete GPU.

Enabling Hybrid SLI Technology

Power off the system and install the NVIDIA SLI graphic card that supports Hybrid SLI
technology. After then, power on the system and install the “NVIDIA hSLI Driver”
which supports Windows Vista only. Restart the system and wait for the Hybrid
Icon to show in the system tray. The hybrid icon indicates that the system is in
Performance mode and that GeForce Boost is enabled. The chipset will share the
rendering load with the graphic card and boost the performance of the graphic card.

Click on the Hybrid Icon in the System tray can select the Hybird mode. The Hybrid
modes are listed below.

Hybrid-Performance Mode - The hybrid mode where the discrete GPU (dGPU)
and mainboard GPU (mGPU) are simultaneously active and working collaboratively to
provide higher performance (GeForce Boost)

Hybrid-Power Mode - The hybrid mode where the dGPU completely shut off and
mGPU renders and drives the display (HybridPower).

Important

Please note that although you have installed the graphics card in the PCI
Express slot, only the onboard video outputs (which be embedded in back
panel of mainboard) will work. Hence, you only need to connect a monitor to
the onboard video output.

2-23

MS-7375 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 Y# INT Z# INT W# INT X#
PCI Slot 2 INT Z# INT W# INT X# INT Y#

Important

When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug the
power supply first. Meanwhile, read the documentation for the expansion card
to configure any necessary hardware or software settings for the expansion
card, such as jumpers, switches or BIOS configuration.

2-24

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-7375 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

A7375NMS V1.0 021308 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.
021308 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 sub­menu. 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-7375 Mainboard

The Main Menu

Standard CMOS Features

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

Advanced BIOS Features

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

Integrated Peripherals

Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals.

Power Management Setup

Use this menu to specify your settings for power management.

H/W Monitor

This entry shows your PC health status.

BIOS Setting Password

Use this menu to set the password for BIOS.

Cell Menu

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

USER SETTINGS

Use this menu to save or load settings.

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.

Save & Exit Setup

Save changes to CMOS and exit setup.

Exit Without Saving

Abandon all changes and exit setup.

3-5

MS-7375 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.

Time (HH:MM:SS)

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

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/ Slave & SATA 1~4 & E-SATA1/2

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

Device/ Vender/ Size

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

BIOS. Read-only.

3-6

BIOS Setup

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

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave, SATA1~4 & E-SATA1/2 are ap­pearing when you connect the HD devices to the IDE/ SATA/ E-SATA connec­tor on the mainboard.

Floppy Drive A

This item allows you to set the type of floppy drives installed. Available options:
[None], [360K, 5.25 in.], [1.2M, 5.25 in.], [720K, 3.5 in.], [1.44M, 3.5 in.], [2.88M, 3.5 in.].

System Information

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

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

3-7

MS-7375 Mainboard

Advanced BIOS Features

Full Screen Logo Display

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

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

Quick Booting

Setting the item to [Enabled] allows the system to boot within 10 seconds since it will
skip some check items.

Boot Up Num-Lock LED

This setting is to set the Num Lock status when the system is powered on. Setting to
[On] will turn on the Num Lock key when the system is powered on. Setting to [Off]
will allow users to use the arrow keys on the numeric keypad.

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.

3-8

BIOS Setup

Primary Graphic’s Adapter

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

PCI Latency Timer

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

CPU Feature

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

SVM Support (for AM2+ CPU only)

This item is used to enable or disable the AMD SVM (Secure Virtual Machine)
mode.

Chipset Feature

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

HPET

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

Hybrid SLI support

This item is used to enable or disable the NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology.

On-Chip VGA

This item is used to enable or disable the on-chip VGA.

VGA Share Memory Size

The system shares memory to the on-chip VGA. This setting controls the exact
memory size shared to the on-chip VGA.

3-9

MS-7375 Mainboard

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 first/ second/ third boot device where BIOS
attempts to load the disk operating system.

Boot From Other Device

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

Trusted Computing

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

TCG/TPM SUPPORT

This setting allows you to enable/ disable the TCG/TPM.

3-10

Integrated Peripherals

USB Controller

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

BIOS Setup

USB Device Legacy Support

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

Onboard LAN Controller

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

LAN Option ROM

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

Onboard 2nd LAN Controller

This item is used to enable/disable the onboard 2nd LAN controller.

LAN Option ROM

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

Onboard IEEE1394 Controller

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

Extra RAID/IDE Controller

This item allows you to enable/disable the extra RAID/IDE JMB363 controller(IDE2, E­SATA1 and E-SATA2).

3-11

MS-7375 Mainboard

RAID Mode

This item allows you to enable/ disable the RAID function for extra RAID/ IDE controller.
Select [RAID] will enable RAID.

On-Chip ATA Devices

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

On-Chip IDE Controller

This item allows you to enable/ disable the IDE controller.

PCI IDE BusMaster

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

On-Chip SATA Controller

This item allows you to enable/ disable the SATA controller.

RAID mode select

Setting this option to [RAID] activates the following fields, and use the following
fields to enable RAID for SATA hard disks.

SATA 1/2/3/4/5/6

These items are used to enable RAID for SATA 1/2/3/4/5/6.

I/O Devices

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

COM Port 1

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

3-12

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 2000/
XP, select [Enabled].

ACPI Standby State

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

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

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

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.

3-13

MS-7375 Mainboard

Power Button Function

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

[Power On/Off]The power button functions as normal power on/ 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

Wake Up 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.

Wake Up Event By

Setting to [BIOS] activates the following fields, and use the following fields to set
the wake up events. Setting to [OS], the wake up events will be defined by OS.

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 Keyboard

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

Resume From S3 By PS/2 Mouse

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

Resume By PCI Device (PME#)

When set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the
power saving modes through any event on PME (Power Management Event).

3-14

BIOS Setup

Resume By PCI-E Device

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

Resume By Onbaord LAN

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

3-15

MS-7375 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.

CPU Smart FAN Target

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

CPU Min. FAN Speed (%)

When you set a FAN target in “ CPU Smart FAN Target”, this item will appear. This
item allows you to select how percentage of minimum speed limit for the CPU fan.

SYS FAN1 Control

This item is used to specify the percentage of SYSFAN1 speed.

---- PC Health Status ---­ CPU/ System Temperature, CPU FAN/ SYS FAN1/ SYS FAN2 Speed, CPU

Vcore, 3.3V, 5V, 12V

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

3-16

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.

3-17

MS-7375 Mainboard

Cell Menu

Important

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

Current CPU/ DRAM Frequency

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

D.O.T Control

D.O.T. (Dynamic Overclocking Technology) is the automatic overclocking function,
included in the MSITM’s newly developed CoreCell
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:

3-18

TM

Technology. It is designed to

BIOS Setup

[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.

AMD Cool’n’Quiet

The Cool’ n’ Quiet technology can effectively and dynamically lower CPU speed and
power consumption.

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 AMD
Cool’n’Quiet, and set this item to
“Enable.”

2.Enter Windows, and select [Start]->
[Settings]->[Control Pannel]->[Power
Options]. Enter Power Options Prop-

erties tag, and select Minimal Power
Management under Power schemes.

3-19

MS-7375 Mainboard

Adjust CPU FSB Frequency (MHz)

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

Adjust CPU Ratio

This item is used to adjust CPU clock multiplier (ratio). It is available only when the
processor supports this function.

Adjusted CPU Frequency (MHz)

This item shows the adjusted CPU frequency. Read only.

Advance DRAM Configuration

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

DRAM Timing Mode

Selects whether DRAM timing is controlled by the SPD (Serial Presence Detect)
EEPROM on the DRAM module. Setting to [Auto] enables DRAM timings and the
following related items to be determined by BIOS based on the configurations on
the SPD. Selecting [Manual] allows users to configure the DRAM timings and the
following related items manually.

Bank Interleave

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

1T/2T Memory Timing

When the Memory Timings is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This field
controls the SDRAM command rate. Selecting [1T] makes SDRAM signal control­ler to run at 1T (T=clock cycles) rate. Selecting [2T] makes SDRAM signal con­troller run at 2T rate.

SoftWare Memory Hole

In order to improve performance, certain space in memory can be reserved for
ISA peripherals. This memory must be mapped into the memory space below
16MB. When this area is reserved, it cannot be cached.

DCT Unganged Mode (For AM2+ CPU only)

This mainboard supports dual-channel DRAM mode. When this is enabled, you
can set different DRAM timing for these two channels. This item will appear
when you install the CPU which supports unganged mode.

3-20

BIOS Setup

SLI-Ready Memory

Setting the item to [Auto] upgrades the memory module performance automati­cally when you install a pair of EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles)-enabled
memory modules.

FSB/DRAM Ratio

This setting controls the ratio of CPU FSB Clock & DRAM Frequency to enable the CPU
FSB & DRAM to run at different frequency combinations (non-synchronous overclocking).
Please note that the setting options vary according to the CPU FSB Clock preset.

Adjust PCI-E Frequency (MHz)

This field allows you to select the PCI Express frequency (in MHz).

Adjusted DRAM Frequency (MHz)

This item shows the adjusted DRAM frequency. Read only.

HT Configuration

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

SB to AM2 FreqAuto

Selecting [Disabled] allows users to configure the frequency (from SB to CPU)
and the following related items manually.

SB to AM2 Freq

This field selects the frequency from SB to CPU.

SB to AM2 Link

This field selects the bandwidth from SB to CPU.

Auto Disabled PCI Frequency

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

CPU Voltage (V)

This item allows you to increase the CPU voltage.

DRAM Voltage (V)

Adjusting the voltage can increase the memory speed.

3-21

MS-7375 Mainboard

NB Voltage (V)

Adjust the North Bridge chipset voltage.

HT Link Voltage (V)

Adjust the Hyper-Transport link voltage.

Spread Spectrum

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

Important

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

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

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

3-22

BIOS Setup

USER SETTINGS

Save Settings 1/2

Select this item and press “Enter” to save any changes you have made to your
current settings.

Load Settings 1/2

Select this item and press “Enter” to load settings from the store.

3-23

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

Appendix A

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

The X-Fi Xtreme Audio card is powered by Creative
CA0110 Audio chip. It supports up to 8-channel & SPDIF
audio effect and allows users to attach 2, 4, 6, or 8
speakers for better surround sound effect. This manual
will tell you about the specifications of the card, how to
install it to a mainboard, how to connect 2, 4, 6, or 8
speakers to it, and to operate 2-, 4-, 6-, or 8-channel
audio function.

A-1

MS-7375 Mainboard

JSPDO1

CREATIVE

CA0110-IBG LF

Introduction

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card is powered by Creative CA0110 Digital Audio Controller.
This card provides advanced audio functions by offering a comprehensive suite of
software applications. The advanced tools and amazing features provided will
allow you to experience a full array of exciting activities, such as listening to
effects enhanced music, watching a multi-channel movie, playing the latest game
or recording a high quality audio track.

JAUD1

A K M

A K 4359V F

Features

High Definition Audio Quality

- 144-pin LQFP ASIC with 64 audio channel playback at independent sample rates

- 24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog inputs at 96kHz sample rate

- 24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources at 96kHz to analog 7.1
speaker output

- 16-bit and 24-bit recording with sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32,

44.1, 48 and 96kHz

- SPDIF output up to 24-bit resolution at selectable sampling rate of 44.1, 48 or
96kHz

EAX® ADVANCED HD™ Audio Technology

- User-selectable EAX ADVANCED HD MUSIC presets, pre-configurable modes
simulating various acoustic environments

- Optimized settings for headphones, stereo, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 speakers

- Creative Multi-Speaker Surround™ (CMSS®) technology transforms all stereo
audio into 7.1 multi-channel playback

A-2

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

Realistic Wave-Table Synthesis

- 64-Voice polyphony and multi-timbral capability

- 128 GM & GS compatible instruments and 10 drum kits

- 2MB or 4MB GM SoundFont Bank included

Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit Input/Output

- Line level out (Front/ Side/ Rear/ Centre/ Subwoofer) or Headphone out

- Line In / Microphone In

- S/PDIF In and S/PDIF Out

- Auxiliary Audio in

Works with the Following Standards

- Windows® XP SP2 and Vista

- Sound Blaster MIDI and General MIDI

- Microsoft® DirectSound®, DirectSound 3D & derivatives

- Plug and Play

- Sound Blaster PCI

- EAX® ADVANCED HD™

- EAX

- PCI 2.3 compliant

- AC97 compliant

Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit Audio Performance

- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted) = 100 dB (2V)

- Frequency Response at -3 dBr = <10 Hz to 40 kHz

A-3

MS-7375 Mainboard

Hardware Installation

Installing the Card

The interface of X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card is PCI-E x1. You can install it to the PCI-E x1
slot. Follow the steps below to install the card, then you can activate the advanced
function and enjoy the audio effect.

1. Turn off your computer and disconnect the power cord.

2. Open and remove the case of the computer.

3. Find an empty PCI-E x1 slot. Or you can also install it to PCI-E x4, or x16 slot, only

the speed remains x1.

4. Remove the bracket which may obstruct the PCI-E x1 slot.

5. Gently but firmly install the X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card to the PCI-E slot and secure

the card bracket with a screw.

6. Replace and secure the case. Reconnect the power cord to the computer.

Select Audio Controller

If your mainboard integrates audio function or an audio card installed, after installing
the X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card and its driver, there will be two audio controllers available
on your system. Either one can be selected and used at a time. Please follow the
steps below to select and operate.

1. Go to Control Panel, double click on the Sound and Audio Devices.

2. Select Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio in the Default Device drop-down

menus of Audio and Voice tags.

3. Click OK button to save settings and close the window.

4. If you need to use the function of another audio controller, select the correspond-

ing option.

A-4

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

Connecting the Speakers

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

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

2-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 S/PDIF Out-Optical
2 MIC & Line-In
3 Line Out (Front channels)
4 No function
5 No function
6 No function

1

2

3

4

5

6

n 4-Channel Mode for 4-Speaker Output

1

Refer to the diagram and caption for the function
of each jack on the back panel when 4-Channel
Mode is selected.

2

3

4-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 S/PDIF Out-Optical

4

2 MIC & Line-In
3 Line Out (Front channels)

5

4 No function
5 No function

6

6 Line Out (Rear channels)

A-5

MS-7375 Mainboard

n 6-Channel Mode for 6-Speaker Output
Refer to the diagram and caption for the function
of each jack on the back panel when 6-Channel
Mode is selected.

6-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 S/PDIF Out-Optical
2 MIC & Line-In
3 Line Out (Front channels)
4 No function
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)
6 Line Out (Rear channels)

n 8-Channel Mode for 8-Speaker Output
Refer to the diagram and caption for the function

1

of each jack on the back panel when 8-Channel
Mode is selected.

2

1

2

3

4

5

6

A-6

3

8-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 S/PDIF Out-Optical

4

2 MIC & Line-In
3 Line Out (Front channels)

5

4 Line Out (Side channels)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)

6

6 Line Out (Rear channels)

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

Installing the Creative Audio Driver

You need to install the driver for Creative CA0110 to function properly before you can
get access to 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel and SPDIF audio operations. Follow the proce­dures below to install the drivers for Windows 2000/ XP/ VISTA operating system.

Installation for Windows XP/ VISTA

Install Windows® XP Service Pack 1 for Windows® XP before installing the driver.
The following illustrations are based on Windows® XP environment and could look

slightly different if you install the drivers in Windows® Vista.

1. Insert the Creative audio driver CD into the CD-ROM drive. The setup screen will
automatically show on the screen as below.

2. Click Next to go to next page.

Important

The screens shown in this chapter may be slightly different from the latest
software utility and shall be held for reference only.

A-7

MS-7375 Mainboard

3. Select your region from the list .

4. Select the language that you need from the list .

5. On the next page, click Install to start the installation and follow the setup instruc­tions to complete.

6. Finally, you have to restart the system after the installation is done .

A-8

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

Software Configuration

After installing the creative audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8­channel and the SPDIF audio features. Double click on the creative volume control
audio icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner of the screen to activate
the Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Applications, simply click on each icon to enter
the configuration screen. Or you can move the mouse cursor to the top of screen and
a Creative MediaSource Go quick start bar will float on the desktop, simply click on
each icon to enter the configuration screen.

Creative MediaSource Go quick start bar

Creative volume control icon

A-9

MS-7375 Mainboard

Creative MediaSource Go! Launcher

Click on the Creative MediaSource Go! Launcher icon to enter its configuraton
screen.

Creatvie MediaSource Go! Launcher consists of various tabs such as Programs,
Product Settings, Product Support and Companion Products. In each tab,
you can access different applications, called Tasks. For more information and usage
details on each Task, please refer to its online Help (simply click on the “ ?” button to
get the online help information).

click on this button to get the online help information

A-10

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

Soundfont Bank Manager

Click on the SOUNDFONT® BANK MANAGER icon to enter its configuraton screen.

With SoundFont Bank Manager (SFBM), you can:

click on this button to get the online help information

- Load SoundFont banks

Replace the default sounds on your computer with the high-quality sound of a
SoundFont bank.

- Adjust SoundFont cache memory

Allocate SoundFont cache memory according to your needs, to better utilize the
memory resources of yout computer.

- Audition presets on your computer

The virtual keyboard in SFBM allows you to audition presets quickly on your computer.
You can also audition presets from an external MIDI device, such as a MIDI keyboard.

- Edit SoundFont banks

Perfrom simple editing tasks like creating new SoundFont banks, and copying pre­sets from one SoundFont to another.

For more information and usage details on each Task, please refer to its online Help
(simply click on the “?” button to get the online help information).

Important

SFBM is compatible with SoundFont 1.0, 2.0, and 2.1 file formats.

A-11

MS-7375 Mainboard

Creative MediaSourceTM Play/ Organizer

Click on the Creative MediaSourceTM Play/ Organizer icon to enter its configuraton
screen.

Creative MediaSourceTM Player/ Oraganizer is your digital music center for playing ,
creating, organizing and transferring digital music. This is your ultimate all-in-one
digital entertainment software.
With Creative MediaSourceTM Player/ Oraganizer, you can:

click on this button to get the online help information

- Clean up and convert your vinyl records and cassette tapes to digital formats with

the integrated recorder.

- Rip CDs and create high quality digital audio files (up to 320 kbps for WMA).

- Use the Super Rip feature on your audio CDs to get superior quality audio tracks

enhanced with X-Fi Cystalizer, X-Fi CMSS-3D Surround and X-Fi CMSS-3D
Headphone effects.

- Burn personalized MP3 and audio CDs with a CD-writer, and print your own CD

covers.

- Organize your digital music collection with a powerful, easy to use music library.

- Search for tracks with an advanced Find feature that searches as your type.

- Transfer tracks and files seamlessly to and from your digital audio players with

AudioSync and SmartFit.

- Automatically generate playlists from your music library, based on your preferences,

with Smart Playlist.

- Rate each track (up to 5 stars) to automatically generate playlists of songs you like/

dislike, with Smart Playlist.

- Play Copy ControlTM CDs.

- Use Smart Crossfade to enjoy continuous audio. Smart Crossfade uses crossfading

and beatmatching to link tracks together.

- Add cover art to audio files.

Some features and options are available only with selected products.

For more information and usage details on each Task, please refer to its online Help
(simply click on the “?” button to get the online help information).

A-12

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

Entertainment Mode Console

Click on the Entertainment Mode icon to enter its configuraton screen.

In Entertainment Mode, you audio device is optimized for movie soundtrack and music
playback.
You can configure Entertainment Mode settings in the Entertainment Mode consloe.
With the Entertainment Mode console, you can:

click on this button to get the online help information

- Adjust master volume or speaker volume, bass and treble levels.

- Adjust volume mixer settings.

- Configure playback settings for your speakers or headphones.

- Adjust equalizer settings.

- Enable environment effects.

- Enable multichannel upmixing.

- Enable virtual surround sound.

- Enhance detail and impact of audio with X-FiTM Crystalizer

TM.

Some choices are different for selected audio devices.

For more information and usage details on each Task, please refer to its online Help
(simply click on the “?” button to get the online help information).

A-13

MS-7375 Mainboard

The following table lists the function of each control on the main interface.

Close button - Click on this button to close the Entertainment Mode console.
Minimize button - Click on this button to minimize the Entertainment Mode

window to the task bar.
Help button - Click on this button to read information about the Entertainment

Mode console. Select Help Contents to display the online Help. Click the
Contents tab and select a topic, or click on the Search tab and search for a
specific topic by entering a keyword.

Volume control - Turn this knob to adjust master volume or speaker
volume.

Mute button - Click on this button to mute the master volume or speaker
volume.

Default button - Click on this button to revert all the settings in Entertain­ment Mode to the default.

Main Display button - Click on this button to revert to the main
display. This button disappears when you are in the main display.

Speaker button - Click on this button to show speaker settings.

A-14

Jack Sensing button - Click on this button to show the jacks connected.
(Available only in Windows Vista.)

EAX Effects button - Click on this button to display EAX Effects settings.

X-Fi CMSS-3D button - Click on this button to show X-Fi CMSS-3D settings.

X-Fi Crystalizer button - Click on this button to show X-Fi Crystalizer settings.

EQ button - Click on this button to show EQ settings.

Mixer button - Click on this button to show volume mixer settings.

Performance button - Click on this button to show sampling rate and bit
depth settings. (Available in Windows XP and Windows 2000.)

X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card

Speaker & Headphone

Click on the speaker button to enter its configuration screen.

Here you can adjust your speakers configuration. Select the type of your speaker
system, and adjust the volume and cuff frequency for your subwoofer.

This is the main application to use for the following tasks:

- Designating the number and configuration of speakers to use => select the

speakers type that you connected.

- Testing your speakers => click on the Channel or Noise button to test the speakers.

For more information and usage details on MIXER, refer to its online Help (click on the
“?” button).

A-15

MS-7375 Mainboard

X-Fi CMSS-3D

Click on the X-Fi CMSS-3D button to enter its configuration screen.

Creative MultiSpeaker Surround (CMSS) 3D makes ordinary two-channel (Left and
Right Stereo) sound seem to surround you, even through only two speakers. For
users with 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 multichannel speaker systems, CMSS can also simulate
surround sound from ordinary stereo. This is useful for watching DVDs and VCDs,
which contain only stereo soundtracks, or listening to CDs with two-channel audio.
To enable the CMSS 3D configuration mean by check the Enable X-Fi CMSS-3D
Virtual item. Then you can select CMSS for multichannel audio enhancement on 4/4.
1, 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 speaker systems.

Important

To enable the X-Fi CMSS-3D Virtual item when you want to use 4/ 5.1/ 7.
1 channel audio-out.
The multichannel upmix depends on your speakers and the speaker
settings. For example, if you want to upmix to 5.1 channels, make sure you
have connected 5.1-channel speakers to audio jacks, and have selected
the 5.1 speaker option in your speakers & headphone setup.

A-16

Appendix B

nVidia RAID

NVIDIA brings Redundant Array of Independent Disks
(RAID) technology—which is used by the world’s lead­ing businesses—to the common PC desktop. This tech­nology uses multiple drives to either increase total disk
space or to offer data protection. For all levels, RAID
techniques optimize storage solutions by using multiple
disks grouped together and treating them as a single
storage resource.

nVidia RAID

B-1

MS-7375 Mainboard

Introduction

System Requirement

Operating System Support

NVRAID supports the following operating systems:

Windows XP, Windows Vista

RAID Arrays

NVRAID supports the following types of RAID arrays described in this section:
RAID 0: RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves the disk read and write
times for many applications.
RAID 1: RAID 1 defines techniques for mirroring data.
RAID 0+1: RAID 0+1 combines the techniques used in RAID 0 and RAID 1 arrays.
RAID 5: RAID 5 defines techniques for parity data.
Spanning (JBOD): JBOD provides a method for combining drives of different sizes
into one large disk

Summary of RAID Configurations

Array Uses Advantages Drawbacks # Hard

RAID 0 Non-critical data

RAID 1 Small databases or any

RAID 0+1 Critical data requiring

RAID 5 Critical data and

requiring high
performance.

other small capacity
environment requiring
fault tolerance.

high performance.

reasonable level of
performance.

High data throughput. No fault tolerance. multiple None

100% data
redundancy.

Optimized for both
100% data
redundancy and
performance.
Allows spare disks.

Fault tolerance and
better utilization of
disk space.

Requires 2 drives for
the storage space of 1
drive.

Requires 2 drives for
the storage space of 1
drive—the same as
RAID level 1.

Decreased write
performance due to
parity calculations.
Requires at least
three drives.

Disks

2 Yes

4+ Yes

3+ Yes

Fault
Tolerance

JBOD Combining odd size

drives into one big drive

Combines and uses
the capacity of odd
size drives.

Decreases
performance because
of the difficulty in
using drives
concurrently or to
optimize drives for
different uses.

Multiple No

B-2

nVidia RAID

RAID Configuration

Basic Configuration Instructions

The following are the basic steps for configuring NVRAID:

Non-Bootable RAID Array

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

bios section for details.)

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

Mirroring (RAID 0+1), RAID 5 or JBOD and create the desired RAID array.

3. Enter the Windows OS, run the Windows nForce Setup application and install the

RAID software. (Check B-8 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Bootable RAID Array

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

bios section for details.)

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

Mirroring (RAID 0+1), RAID 5 or JBOD and create the desired RAID array.

3. Boot from the Windows CD, use the floppy disk that has the RAID driver to copy

and install the nForce RAID software. (Check p.B-7 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS

Be sure to enable the RAID function in SATA Channel of Integrated Peripherals
in BIOS before configuring the NVRAID BIOS. After that press F10 to save the con­figuration and exit. The PC will reboot right away. Then enter the RAID BIOS Setup by
pressing F10 when prompted, and follow the procedures described below to set up
the NVRAID BIOS.
NVRAID BIOS setup lets you choose the RAID array type and which hard drives you
want to make part of the array.

Entering the RAID BIOS Setup

1. After rebooting your PC, wait until you
see the RAID software prompting you
to press F10. The RAID prompt appears
as part of the system POST and boot
process prior to loading the OS.

2. Press F10, and the NVIDIA RAID Utility

--- Define a New Array window will
appear.
The default RAID Mode is set to Mir-

roring and Striping Block is set to
Optimal.

B-3

MS-7375 Mainboard

Understanding the “Define a New Array” Window

Use the Define a New Array window to

• Select the RAID Mode

• Set up the Striping Block

• Specify which disks to use for the RAID Array

The SATA ports are called channels and they are associated with adapters. The first
digit in the Location field defines the adapter that the port is associated with. The 2nd
digit defines the channel.

0 . 1

Channel
Adapter

In the example above, 1.0 means the hard drive is attached to Adapter 1, Channel 0.
The following is a list of all possible combinations:

Serial ATA

0.0 Adapter 0, Channel 0 (SATA1)

0.1 Adapter 0, Channel 1 (SATA2)

0.2 Adapter 0, Channel 3 (SATA3)

0.3 Adapter 0, Channel 4 (SATA4)

Important

There is no such thing as Slave drive in Serial ATA. All drives are considered
to be Master since there is a one to one connection between the drive and the
controller.

B-4

nVidia RAID

Using the Define a New Array Window

If necessary, press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is
highlighted.

• Selecting the RAID Mode

By default, this is set to [Mirroring]. To change to a different RAID mode, press the
down arrow key until the mode that you want appears in the RAID Mode box—either
[Mirroring], [Striping], [RAID5], [Spanning], or [Stripe Mirroring].

• Selecting the Striping Block Size

Striping Block size is given in kilobytes, and affects how data is arranged on the

disk. It is recommended to leave this value at the default [Optimal], which is 32KB, but
the values can be between [4 KB] and [128 KB].

• Assigning the Disks

The disks that you enabled from the RAID Config BIOS setup page appear in the Free
Disks block. These are the drives that are available for use as RAID array disks.

To designate a free disk to be used as a RAID array disk,

1. Tab to the Free Disks section. The first disk in the list is selected.

2. Move it from the Free Disks block to the Array Disks block by pressing the right

arrow key (-->). The first disk in the list is moved, and the next disk in the list is
selected and ready to be moved.

3. Continue pressing the right-arrow key (--> ) until all the disks that you want to use

as RAID array disks appear in the Array Disks block.

It shows that two disks have been assigned as RAID1 array disks in the figure
above.

- Define a New Array -

B-5

MS-7375 Mainboard

Completing the RAID BIOS Setup

1.After assigning your RAID array disks, press F7. The Clear disk data prompt
appears.

2.Press Y if you want to wipe out all the data from the RAID array, otherwise press
N. You must choose Yes if the drives were previously used as RAID drives.
The Array List window appears, where you can review the RAID arrays that you
have set up.

3. Use the arrow keys to select the array that you want to set up, then press Enter.
The Array Detail window appears.

4. If you want to mark this disk as empty and wipe out all its contents then press C.

5. At the prompt, press Y to wipe out all the data, otherwise press N.

6.Press Enter again to go back to the previous window and then press Ctrl+X to
exit the RAID setup. Now that the RAID setup has been configured from the RAID
BIOS, the next step is to configure and load NVRAID drivers under Windows, as
explained in “Installing the NVIDIA MediaShield Software Under Windows” on B-8.

B-6

nVidia RAID

Installing Driver

Install Driver in Windows Vista / XP

† New Windows Vista/ XP Installation

For Windows XP:

1. When you start installing Windows XP, you may encounter a message stating,
“Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices
installed in your system”. If this is the case, then you are already in the right
place and are ready to supply the driver. If this is not the case, then press F6
when prompted at the beginning of Windows setup.

2. Press the “ S” key to select “Specify Additional Device”.

3. You should be prompted to insert a floppy disk containing the NVIDIA RAID
driver into the A: drive,and then press ENTER.

Important

Please follow the instruction below to make an “NVIDIA RAID Driver” for
yourself.
a. Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive.
b. Click the “Browse CD” on the Setup screen.
c.Copy all the contents in the

\\nVidia\System\MCP72\IDE\WinXP\Sataraid\Floppy to a formatted floppy
disk.
\\chipset\nVidia\Vista32\MCP72\IDE\WinVista\Sataraid to a medium
(floppy disk/ CD/DVD or USB).

d.The driver diskette for NVIDIA RAID Controller is done.

4. You should be shown a list of available NVRAID Adapaters.

5. Select the “NVIDIA RAID Driver” and press ENTER.

6. Press “S” again at the Specify Devices screen, then press ENTER.

7. Select “NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller” and then press ENTER.

8. Press Enter to continue with Windows XP Installation. Be sure to leave the
floppy disk inserted in the floppy drive until the blue screen portion of Win­dows XP installation is completed, then take out the floppy.

9. Follow the instructions on how to install Windows XP. After Windows XP is
completely installed, it is recommended that you install the the RAID manage­ment tool.

For Windows Vista:

During the operating system installation, after selecting the location to install
Windows Vista, please click on the “ Load Driver” button to load RAID driver.
Please refer the Important notice above to make a RAID Driver medium. And
then, follow the instructions to complete the whole installation.

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

B-7

MS-7375 Mainboard

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation

Installing the NVIDIA MediaShield Software Under Windows
(for Non-bootable RAID Array)

The existing Windows Serial ATA driver must be upgraded to use the NVIDIA Serial
ATA driver.
This section describes how to run the setup application and install the RAID software
which will upgrade the Windows SATA driver and install the RAID software.

1.Start the NVIDIA nForce Drivers installation program to open the NVIDIA Windows
nForce Drivers page.

2.Select the NVIDIA MediaShield.

3.Click Next and then follow the instructions.

4.After the installation is completed, be sure to reboot the PC.

5.After the reboot, initialize the newly created array.

B-8

nVidia RAID

Initializing and Using the Disk Array

The RAID array is now ready to be initialized under Windows.

1.Launch Computer Management by clicking “Start” --> “Settings” --> “Control Panel”

then open the “ Administrative Tools” folder and double click on “Computer
Management”.

2.Click “Disk Management” (under the “ Storage” section). The Initialize and Convert

Disk Wizards appears.

3.Click Next. The Select Disks to Initialize window appears. The disks listed depend

on how many arrays you have configured.

4.Click Next. The Select Disks to Convert window appears.

B-9

MS-7375 Mainboard

5.Check the disk in the list if you want to make the array a dynamic disk, then click

Next. The Completing the Initialize and Convert Disk Wizard window appears.

6.Click Finish. The “Computer Management” window appears.

The actual disks listed will depend on your system, and the unallocated partition is
the total combined storage of two hard disks. You must format the unallocated
disk space in order to use it.

7.Format the unallocated disk space. Right click “Unallocated space”, select “New

Partition…” and follow the wizard. After the drive has been formatted, it is ready
for use.

B-10

nVidia RAID

Using the NVMediaShield Software

Accessing the Storage Page

To access the NVIDIA Control Panel Storage page:

1.Click Star-> Programs-> NVIDIA Corporation-> NVIDIA Control Panel-> Storage.

2.The NVIDIA Control Panel - Storage page appears.

B-11

MS-7375 Mainboard

Using the Storage Page

From the Storage page, you can accomplish the following tasks:

• Create an Array

• Delete an Array

• Rebuild an Array

• Synchronize an Array

• Designate a Spare Disk

• Remove a Spare

• Migrate an Array

• View Storage Information

Create an Array

This option is available only if there are free disks that are RAID-enabled.
Click Create array to start the Create Array Wizard and then follow the instructions.
You can press F1 to access the online help that walks you through the Wizard with
step-by-step instructions.

Delete an Array

This option is available only if RAID arrays have been created.
Click Delete array to start the Delete Array Wizard and then follow instructions.
You can press F1 to access the online help that walks you through the Wizard with
step-by-step instructions.

Rebuild an Array

About Rebuilding

Rebuilding is the process of restoring data to a hard drive from other drives in the
array. For example, if you have a three disk RAID 5 array and one of the drives fails,
you will need to replace the failed drive with a new one, and rebuild the array to re­generate the lost data on the newly added drive.
Rebuilding applies only to fault-tolerant arrays such as RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID 5
Arrays.

Instructions

Click Rebuild array to start the Rebuild Create Array Wizard and then follow the
instructions.
You can press F1 to access the online help that walks you through the Wizard with
step-by-step instructions.
The rebuilding process takes some time to complete, and occurs in the background
so as not to affect the performance of the system.

Synchronize an Array

Synchronizing an array will force a rebuild of redundancy or parity. The operation
applies to any fault-tolerant array such as RAID 1, 0+1 and RAID 5.
Click Synchronize array to start the Synchronize Array Wizard and then follow
instructions.
You can press F1 to access the online help that walks you through the Wizard with
step-by-step instructions.

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nVidia RAID

Designate a Spare Disk

About Spare Disks

You can designate a hard drive to be used as a spare drive for a RAID 1, RAID 0+1
or RAID 5 array2. The spare drive can take over for a failed disk. MediaShield RAID
supports two types of spare drives:

Free Disk

A free disk is a disk that is not part of any RAID array, but can be used by any
available RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID 5 array that requires another disk when one of
its disks crashes or becomes unusable. The process is automatic and requires no
user interaction.
Example: A system may have four hard disks where one disk is used to boot the OS,
two hard drives are set up in a mirrored array, and a fourth hard disk is set up as a
free disk. If one of the mirrored array drives fails, the free disk will be assigned
automatically to the mirrored array to replace the failed disk.

Dedicated Disk

A dedicated free disk is a disk that is assigned to a RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID 5 array.
The dedicated disk is used by that array only when needed - for example, during a
system crash where a RAID mirrored drive is broken. The dedicated disk can be
used only by the array that it is assigned to and not by any other array, unlike a free
disk which can be used by any available RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID 5 array.
To mark a disk as dedicated (reserve it for use by a specific array), you must have
at least one free disk and you must also have at least two RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID
5 arrays created.

Requirements for Designating a Spare Disk

The Designate Spare option on the Storage page appears only if all the following
conditions are met.

• There must be at least two fault tolerant arrays already created.

• There must be at least one free disk with capacity equal to or greater than the

smallest disk in the given fault tolerant array.
For example, if a mirror array is created with disk capacities of 40 GB and 80
GB, there should be at least one free disk available of capacity equal to or
greater than 40GB to be used as a spare disk for that array.

Instructions

Click Designate spare to start the Designate Spare Wizard and then follow
instructions.
You can press F1 to access the online help that walks you through the Wizard with
step-by-step instructions.

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MS-7375 Mainboard

Remove a Spare

The Remove spare option appears only if you have a a RAID array with a spare disk
allocated to it.
Click Remove spare to start the Remove Spare Wizard and then follow the
instructions.
You can press F1 to access the online help that walks you through the Wizard with
step-by-step instructions.

Migrate an Array

In a traditional RAID environment, when a user wants to change the current state of
a disk or a current array to a new RAID configuration, the process of reconfiguring
the new array involves multiple steps. The user must back up the data, delete the
array, re-boot the PC, and then reconfigure the new array.
MediaShield RAID allows the end user to change the current state of the disk or array
to another with a one-step process called "Migrating". This section describes the
NVIDIA Migrating process and explains how to use Migrating to convert from one
RAID array type to another.

General Migrating Requirements

• The new array capacity must be equal to or greater than the previous array.
For example, it is possible to migrate from a RAID 1 array to a RAID 0 array as
long as the RAID 0 array is the same size as (or larger than) the RAID 1 array.

• The number of disks in the new array cannot be less than the number of disks in
the original array.

• You cannot migrate

- To or from a JBOD (Spanning) array

- From RAID 1 to RAID 1

- From RAID 0+1 to RAID 1

- From RAID 5 to 1

Migrating to an Array Larger Than 2 TB

Your disks must be partitioned using the GUID partition table (GPT) if you
plan to migrate to an array with greater than 2 TB storage.

If your original array is not a GPT disk and you expand your array’s capacity using the
migration feature to over 2 TB, you will not be able to access the additional storage
above 2 TB in the new array. To use the additional storage in this situation, back up
your data, repartition the array using GPT, then restore your data to the new volume.

Important

Be sure to make the volume dynamic if you plan to have more than four
partitions.

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nVidia RAID

Specific Migrating Requirements

The following table lists the disk requirements for a new RAID array for various
migrating combinations.

From To New Array Disk Requirements

m > n
Number of disks in the new array must be greater than the original array.
m =2, n =1
RAID 1 array must include two disks, converted from a one disk RAID 0
array.
m >= 2 x n
Number of RAID 0+1 disks must be equal to or greater than twice the
number of RAID 0 disks.

m >= 3
m >= n2

Number of RAID 0 disks must be equal to or greater than half the number
of RAID 0+1 disks.

** Not a valid combination **

** Not a valid combination **

m >= 2 x (n -1) ; where m is an even number of disks.
m >= n

RAID 0

RAID 1

RAID 0+1

RAID 5

Instructions

RAID 0

RAID 1

RAID 0+1

RAID5 m >= n+1
RAID 0 No additional restrictions.
RAID 1 ** Not a valid combination **
RAID 0+1 No additional restrictions.
RAID 5

RAID 0

RAID 1
RAID 0+1 ** Not a valid combination **
RAID 5 m >= (n/2 + 1)
RAID 0 m >= n - 1
RAID 1
RAID 0+1
RAID 5

Click Migrate array to start the Migrate Array Wizard and then follow instructions.
You can press F1 to access the online help that walks you through the Wizard with
step-by-step instructions.

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MS-7375 Mainboard

View Storage Information

• You can use the Storage page to view the following storage information about
the hard drives in your system:

- Which RAID arrays are set up

- The process state of each array

- Which drives are configured for each RAID array in your system

- Which drives are designated as free disks

-Information about each drive, such as size and model

• You can also launch various Wizards-such as the Create Array Wizard, Delete
Array, and Migrate Array Wizard-from the list of links in the Related tasks
section of the side menu.

Instructions

Click View Storage Configuration to open the associated page.

The View Storage Configuration page provides the following information:

• Name: Indicates the RAID array type and drive model information

• Status: Indicates the process state of the array.

For example, "Healthy", "Rebuilding", "Initializing", "Synchronizing", or "Upgrad­ing"

• Capacity: Indicates the size of each hard drive.
For example, "250 GB"

• Channel: Indicates the adapter and channel (SATA port) information for each
hard drive.
For example, "1.0." means the hard drive is attached to Adapter 1, Channel 0.

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JMicron RAID

Appendix C

JMicron RAID Introduction

This appendix will assist users in configuring and
enabling RAID functionality on platforms
The JMicron RAID solution supports RAID level 0
(striping), RAID level 1 (mirroring), RAID level 10
(striping and mirroring) and JBOD (Concatenate).

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MS-7375 Mainboard

Introduction

JMicron JMB363 offers RAID level 0 (Striping), RAID level 1 (Mirroring and Duplexing),
RAID level 10 (A Stripe of Mirrors) and JBOD (Concatenate).

RAID 0 breaks the data into blocks which are written to separate hard drives. Spreading
the hard drive I/O load across independent channels greatly improves I/O performance.
RAID 1 provides data redundancy by mirroring data between the hard drives and
provides enhanced read performance. RAID 10 Not one of the original RAID levels,
multiple RAID 1 mirrors are created, and a RAID 0 stripe is created over these. JBOD
provides a method for combining drives of different sizes into one large disk.

Important

1. And this mainboard supports RAID 0/ RAID 1 or JBOD mode only.

2. The least number of hard drives for RAID 0, RAID 1 or JBOD mode is 2.

3. All the information/ volumes/ pictures listed in your system might differ
from the illustrations in this appendix.

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JMicron RAID

JMicron RAID BIOS Utility

Be sure to set RAID mode for the JMicron 36x ATA Controller in BIOS before
configuring the JMicron BIOS utility. After that, save the configuration and exit. During
boot up (POST), press CTRL+J to enter the JMicron BIOS RAID utility.

The RAID Utility menu screen will be displayed. A brief description of each section is
presented below.

Main Menu

Cerate RAID Disk Drive - Create a new legacy RAID set.
Delete RAID Disk Drive - Delete a legacy RAID set.
Revert HDD to Non-RAID - Revert an existed-RAID HDD to non-RAID.
Solve Mirror Conflict - Sovle a mirror conflict.
Rebuild Mirror Drive - Rebuild data, when RAID 1 or RAID 10 data mirroring is lost.
Save And Exit Setup - Save all settings and exit the BIOS utility.
Exit Without Saving - Exit the BIOS utiltiy without any saving.

Hard Disk Driver List

The menu shows the model number and capacities of the drives physically
attached to the SATAII & PATA ports.

RAID Disk Driver List

The menu shows the current configuration of RAID set.

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MS-7375 Mainboard

Creating RAID set

1. Select “Create RAID Disk Drive” . Then press <Enter>.

2. Then in the Name field, specify a RAID set name and then press the <Enter> to go
to the next field.

3. Choose a 0-Striped, a 1-Mirror, or a JBOD-Concatenate combination set and then
press <Enter> to go to the next step.

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JMicron RAID

4. In the Hard Disk Disk List menu, use <Space> key to select the disks you want
to create for the RAID set, then click <Enter> key to finish selection.

5. Then select the block value (stripe value) for the RAID array by using the “upper
arrow” or “down arrow” keys to scroll through the available values, and pressing
the <Enter> key to select and advance to the next field. The available values range
from 4KB to 128 KB. The default and typical value for RAID 0 is 128KB. (This field
only available for RAID 0 mode.)

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MS-7375 Mainboard

6. Then select the capacity of the RAID set in the Size field. The default value is the
maximum capacity of the selected disks. Then press <Enter> to the Confirm Crea­tion field.

7. The Creation field will display a message to ask you to confirm the creation. Then
press <Y> key to proceed with the RAID set creation.

8. Then the following screen appears to indicate that the creation is finished.

9. Go to the Save And Exit Setup field and press <Enter>, a message will display to
ask you to confirm the setup. Then press <Y> key to save the setting and exit the
BIOS utility.

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JMicron RAID

Deleting RAID set

1. Select “Delete RAID Disk Drive”. Then press <Enter>.

2. In the RAID Disk Driver List menu, use <Space> key to select the RAID set you
want to delete. Then press <Del> key.

3. Press “Y” to accept the deletion when a deletion message is appeared.

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