MSI Midas 915GM User Manual

Midas 915GM

User’s Guide

Read the Safety Instruction before using the
computer. If you have any question, Please
ask the Professional Technician.

G52-B6403X1

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 when the equipment
is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance
with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to
cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct
the interference at his own expense.

Notice 1

The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible
for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Notice 2

Shielded interface cables and AC. power cord, if any, must be used in order to
comply with the emission limits.

VOIR LA NOTICE D’ INSTALLATION AVANT DE RACCORDER AU

Micro-Star International

Midas 915GM

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

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

(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.

ii

Trademarks

All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
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 November 2005

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.

iii

Safety Instructions

1. Always read the safety instructions carefully.

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

3. Keep this equipment away from humidity.

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

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

6. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 115/
230V 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. This product is not intended for installed by user, any installation should
be conducted by service personnel.

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 unconditioned environment with stor
age temperature above 600 C (1400F). Extreme heat may damage the
equipment.

13. This product can be operated at an ambient temperature 35 degree
centigrate.

14. Input Rating: 100~127 Vac, 50~60Hz, 6.0A 200~240Vac, 50~60Hz, 3.0A.

15. Caution: CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT / KLASSE 1 LASER APPARAT,
when DVD/CD-ROM was provided.

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

manufacturer.

iv

WEEE Statement

v

vi

vii

CONTENTS

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

1.1 System Specifications..................................................................1-2

1.2 System Configuration....................................................................1-4

1.3 Thermal Solution............................................................................1-7

Chapter 2. Introducing Mainboard...........................................................2-1

2.1 Mainboard Layout.......................................................................2-2

2.2 CPU................................................................................................2-3

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

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

DDR Population Rules.................................................................2-7

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

SSI 24-Pin System Power Connector: ATX1.............................2-8

SSI 8-pin CPU Power Connector: JPW1...................................2-8

2.5 Front Panel.....................................................................................2-9

Audio Ports..............................................................................2-9

USB Ports................................................................................2-9

2.6 Rear Panel...................................................................................2-10

Serial Port.................................................................................2-10

USB Ports................................................................................2-10

Mouse/Keyboard Connectors................................................2-11

Audio Ports...............................................................................2-11

RJ-45 LAN Jack........................................................................2-12

VGA Port..................................................................................2-12

Parallel Port...............................................................................2-13

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

IDE Connector: IDE1................................................................2-14

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

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

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

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

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

Front Panel Connector: JFP1...................................................2-17

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1........................2-18

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

Serial Port Header: COM2 .......................................................2-19

Front USB Connectors: F_USB1, F_USB2...............................2-19

viii

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

Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS1........................................2-20

GMCH Voltage Jumper: J3.......................................................2-20

FSB Frequency Jumpers: J4, J5.............................................2-21

CPU VCCA Jumper: J6..............................................................2-21

2.9 Slot...............................................................................................2-22

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots.......2-22

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots.......................2-22

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

Chapter 3. System Assembly....................................................................3-1

3.1 Overview.......................................................................................3-2

Installation Tools.........................................................................3-2

Screws.......................................................................................3-2

Checking the Items.....................................................................3-3

3.2 Installation Procedures.................................................................3-4

1. Removing Cover, Drive Cage................................................3-4

2. Installing Memory Modules.....................................................3-5

3. Installing CPU..........................................................................3-6

4. Installing CPU Cooler..............................................................3-7

5. Installing HDD..........................................................................3-8

6. Installing FDD and Optical Drive............................................3-9

7. Restoring Chassis Cover.....................................................3-11

8. Adjusting ODD Button Key...................................................3-12

Chapter 4. BIOS Setup...................................................................................4-1

Entering Setup.................................................................................4-2

Control Keys............................................................................4-2

Getting Help..............................................................................4-3

General Help <F1>....................................................................4-3

The Menu Bar...................................................................................4-4

Main...................................................................................................4-5

Advanced..........................................................................................4-6

Security...........................................................................................4-16

Server..............................................................................................4-17

Boot..................................................................................................4-19

Exit..................................................................................................4-20

Chapter 5. Introduction to Audio: Realtek ALC880................................5-1

Installing the Realtek Audio Driver.....................................................5-2

Installation for Windows 2000/XP.............................................5-2

ix

Software Configuration.....................................................................5-4

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

Mixer...........................................................................................5-8

Audio I/O...................................................................................5-13

Microphone...............................................................................5-18

3D Audio Demo.........................................................................5-19

Information................................................................................5-20

Using 2-, 4-, 6- & 8- Channel Audio Function.................................5-22

x

1

Getting Started

Congratulations for purchasing Midas
915GM (MS-6403) barebone. Midas barebone is
your best Slim PC choice. With the fantastic ap­pearance and small form factor, it can easily be
set anywhere. The feature packed platform also
gives you an exciting PC experience.

1.1 System Specifications

CPU

† Supports Intel® Pentium® M Dothan/Celeron M processor in 478-pin mi-

cro FCPGA package
† Up to 2MB L2 cache
(For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/pro­gram/products/slim_pc/slm/pro_slm_cpu_support.php)

Chipset

† Intel® 915GM Northbridge

- Supports 400 and 533 MHz Intel® NetBurst micro-architecture bus

- PCI Express external graphics support

- Supports DDR333 or DDR-II 400/533 memory interface

- Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 900 with ADD2
interface support

† Intel® ICH6 Southbridge

- Direct connection to GMCH via Direct Media Interface

- Supports one-channel Ultra ATA 100 bus Master IDE controller

- Two-port Serial ATA controller

- Support for up to eight USB 2.0 ports

- Intel® High Definition Audio interface

Main Memory

† Supports up to two 184-pin 333MHz non-ECC DDR DIMMs or two 240-

pin 400/533MHz non-ECC DDR-II DIMMs

† Supports up to 2GB

Slots

† Two 32-bit/33MHz PCI slots (support 3.3V/5V PCI bus interface)
† One PCI Express x1 slot (PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant)
† One PCI Express x16 slot (PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant)

HDD Interface

† One IDE controller on the ICH6 chipset provides IDE HDD/CD-ROM with PIO,

Bus Master and Ultra DMA66/100 operation modes

† ICH6 chipset supports 4 Serial ATA 150 ports

Onboard Peripherals

† 1 floppy port supports one FDD with 360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB, and 2.

88MB

† 1 PS/2 keyboard port
† 1 PS/2 mouse port
† 1 serial port & 1 serial pinheader
† 1 VGA port
† 1 parallel port supports SPP/EPP/ECP mode
† 2 RJ-45 ports (with LEDs)
† 8 USB ports (4 on the front and 4 on the rear)

1-2

Chapter 1 - Getting Started

† 2 IEEE 1394 pinheaders
† 1 Line-In / Line-Out / MIC-In / Rear Speaker Out / Center-Subwoofer

Speaker Out / optical SPDIF-Out audio port

Onboard LAN

† 2 Marvell 88E8053 Gigabit Ethernet controllers

Onboard Audio

† High Definition Audio interface integrated in ICH6 / ICH6R
† Realtek ALC880 8-channel codec

- 8-CH DA connector with 48 KHz rate

- Compliant with AC97 2.3 specifications

- Meets perfomace requirement for audio on PC97/2001 system

- Meets Microsoft WHQL / WLP 2.0 audio requirement

Onboard IEEE 1394

† VIA VT6307 IEEE 1394 controller

Power Management Features

† Wake up on LAN (WOL), wake up on PCI
† RTC alarm and wake up
† Wake up on keyboard/mouse/USB from S1
† Supports ACPI S1, S3, S4, S5 function

System Management

† SMBus (I2C)
† Temperature, voltage, and fan monitors

BIOS

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

eral devices and expansion cards of the board automatically

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

which records your mainboard specifications

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

Dimension

† Micro ATX Form Factor: 24.5 cm (W) x 24.5 cm (L)

Mounting

† 8 mounting holes

1-3

1.2 System Configuration

Front View

1.2 x USB 2.0 Ports

2.Mic-in (pink), Line-out (green)

3.HDD LED

4.Power LED

5.Power Switch

6.FDD (optional)

7.Optical Drive (optional)

8.Optical Drive Eject/
Close Button

1-4

Rear View

Chapter 1 - Getting Started

1. PS/2 Mouse 10. PCI Slots

2. PS/2 Keyboard 11. AC Input Voltage Selector

3. Serial Port 12. Parallel Port

4. VGA Port 13. RJ-45 LAN Jack

5. 4 x USB 2.0 Ports 14. Line-in

6. Line-out 15. RS-out

7. Mic-in 16. CS-out

8. SPDIF-out 17. Chassis Locks

9. PCI Express x16 Slot 18. Power Jack

1-5

Chassis Design

† Dimension: 335mm (H) x 98mm (W) x 363mm (D)
† Minimized screw structure
† Detachable bay housing

† Multiple ventilation holes

1. CPU Fan Ventilation Hole 5. System Ventilation Hole

2. CPU Fan Ventilation Hole 6. System Ventilation Hole

3. System Fan Ventilation Hole 7. Front I/O Release Button

4. Power Supply Ventilation Hole

1-6

Chapter 1 - Getting Started

1.3 Thermal Solution

To prevent the system from overheating, we have adopted a specially

designed CPU cooler and multiple ventilation holes for better cooling effects.

Power
Supply Fan

Power
Supply

Ventilation Hole

Ventilation
Hole

System
Fan

Ventilation
Hole

front panel

1-7

System Air Flow Direction

Power
Supply
Fan

Power
Supply

System Fan

front panel

After the installation is completed, please keep
other objects away from the ventilation hole at
least 2.5cm and above. Do not block the venti­lation hole.

1-8

2

Mainboard Hardware

This chapter tells you how to install the CPU,
memory modules, and expansion cards, as well as
how to setup the jumpers on the mainboard. Also, it
provides the instructions on connecting the periph­eral devices, such as the mouse, keyboard, etc.

While doing the installation, be careful in hold­ing the components and follow the installation
procedures.

2.1 Mainboard Layout

BATT

FDD 1IDE

1

ATX1

Winbond

W83627THF

BIOSJ1J3

SATA1

CLR_CMOS1

Top: Mouse
Bottom: Keyboard

Top :
Parallel Port

Bottom:
COM
VGA Port

DIMM4
DIMM3

DIMM2
DIMM1

JLPC1

JCI1

COM2

J6J4J5

JPW1

USB Ports

LAN Jacks

T:

Line-In

M:

Line-Out

B:

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

VIA

VT6307

ALC880

Intel

915GM

PCI _E1

PCI 2

PCI 3

Intel

ICH6

JCD1

PCI 1

JAUD1

J1394_1

J1394_2

+

F_USB2

F_USB1

Midas 915GM(MS-9625 v1.X) M-ATX Mainboard

CPUFAN1

SYSFAN1

SATA4

SATA3
SATA2

JFP1

2-2

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

2.2 CPU

The mainboard supports Intel® Pentium® M Dothan/Celeron M proc­essor in the 478 pin package. The mainboard uses a CPU socket called mPGA478
for easy CPU installation. When you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU

has a heat sink and a cooling fan attached on the top to prevent
overheating.

(For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/pro­gram/products/slim_pc/slm/pro_slm_cpu_support.php)

MSI Reminds You...

Overheating

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

2-3

CPU & Cooler Set Installation

1. Loose the screw on the CPU socket with a tank screwdriver in clockwise

direction.

2. Place the CPU on top of the socket. Make sure to align the gold arrow on the

CPU with the arrow key on the socket.

4. On the front end of the CPU socket is a

locking mechanism designed into the form
of a screw. Make sure that you actuate
or deactuate this mechanism with a
screwdriver before and after installing
the CPU.

3. Push the CPU down until its
pins securely fit into the socket.

5. Lift up the levers on both sides.

2-4

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

5. Mount the cooler set (fan & heatsink
bundled) on top of the CPU and fit it
into the retention mechanism.

6. Secure the levers to lock the cooler
set.

7. Connect the fan power cable from
the mounted fan to the 3-pin fan
power connector on the board.

2-5

2.3 Memory

The mainboard supports up to 2GB of DDR333 (two 184-pin 333MHz
non-ECC DDR DIMMs) or DDR-II 400/533 (two 240-pin 400/533MHz non-ECC
DDR-II DIMMs) system memory. Please note that only one type of memory (all
DDR or all DDR-II, no mixture allowed) can be used at one time.

(For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.
com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php.)

DIMM4 (DDR-II 400/533)
DIMM3 (DDR-II 400/533)

DIMM2 (DDR333)
DIMM1 (DDR333)

Installing DDR Modules

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

only fit in the right orientation.

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

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

MSI Reminds You...

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

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

Volt

Notch

2-6

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

Memory Population Rules

This mainboard supports DDR333 (DIMM1 & DIMM2) or DDR-II 400/533
(DIMM3 & DIMM4) memory interface.

Each DIMM slot supports up to a maximum size of 1GB. Users can install
either single- or double-sided modules depending on their needs. Please note
that only one type of memory (all DDR or all DDR-II, no mixture allowed) can be
used at one time.

Slot Memory Module Total Memory

DIMM1 or DIMM3 S/D 64MB~1GB
DIMM2 or DIMM4 S/D 64MB~1GB

Maximum System Memory Supported 64MB~2GB

S: Single Side D: Double Side

MSI Reminds You...

Make sure that you install memory modules of the same type and
density on DDR DIMMs.

2-7

2.4 Power Supply

The mainboard supports SSI power supply for the power system. Be­fore inserting the power supply connector, always make sure that all compo-

nents are installed properly to ensure that no damage will be caused.

SSI 24-Pin System Power Connector: ATX1

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

You may use the 20-pin ATX power supply or 24-pin SSI power supply
as you like. If you’d like to use the 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.

SSI 8-Pin CPU Power Connector: JPW1

This connector provides 12V power output to the CPU.

24

13

ATX1

ATX1 Pin Definition

1

12

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 NC

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

4
3

2
1

JPW1

JPW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND
2 GND
3 12V
4 12V

2-8

2.5 Front Panel

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

USB Ports

Line-outMic-in

Audio Ports

These audio ports allow you to connect front audio devices.

MIC-in

Line-out

USB Ports

The mainboard provides a UHCI (Universal Host Controller Interface)
Universal Serial Bus root for attaching USB devices such as keyboard, mouse or

other USB-compatible devices. You can plug the USB devices directly into these
connectors.

USB Port Description

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 VCC +5V
2 -Data 0 Negative Data Channel 0
3 +Data0 Positive Data Channel 0
4 GND Ground
5 VCC +5V
6 -Data 1 Negative Data Channel 1
7 +Data 1 Positive Data Channel 1
8 GND Ground

2-9

2.6 Rear Panel

The Rear Panel provides the following connectors:

Mouse

Keyboard

COM Port

Parallel

VGA Port

USB Ports

L-In

LAN

L-Out

Mic

RS-Out

CS-Out
SPDIF Out
(Optical)

Serial Port

The mainboard offers one 9-pin male DIN connectors as serial port. The

port is 16550A high speed communication port that send/receive 16 bytes FIFOs.
You can attach a serial mouse or other serial devices directly to the connector.

Serial Port Pin Definition

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9

9-Pin Male DIN Connector

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 DCD Data Carry Detect
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

USB Ports

The mainboard provides a UHCI (Universal Host Controller Interface)
Universal Serial Bus root for attaching USB devices such as keyboard, mouse or

other USB-compatible devices. You can plug the USB device directly into the
connector. The mainboard supports USB1.1 & 2.0 devices.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

USB Ports

USB Port Description

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 VCC +5V
2 -Data 0 Negative Data Channel 0
3 +Data0 Positive Data Channel 0
4 GND Ground
5 VCC +5V
6 -Data 1 Negative Data Channel 1
7 +Data 1 Positive Data Channel 1
8 GND Ground

2-10

Mouse/Keyboard Connectors

The mainboard provides two standard PS/2® mini DIN connectors for
attaching PS/2® mouse and keyboard.

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

PS/2 Mouse (6-pin Female)

6

4

5

3

2

1

1 Mouse DATA Mouse DATA
2 NC No connection
3 GND Ground
4 VCC +5V
5 Mouse Clock Mouse clock
6 NC No connection

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

Mouse Pin Definition

6

4

2

PS/2 Keyboard (6-pin Female)

5

3

1

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 Keyboard DATA Keyboard DATA
2 NC No connection
3 GND Ground
4 VCC +5V
5 Keyboard Clock Keyboard clock
6 NC No connection

Keyboard Pin Definition

Audio Port Connectors

The left 3 audio jacks are 2-channel mode for stereo speaker output.
Line Out is a connector for Speakers or Headphones. Line In is used for
external CD player, Tape player, or other audio devices. Mic is a connector for
microphones.

However, there is an advanced audio application provided by Realtek
ALC880 to offer support for 7.1-channel audio operation and can turn rear
audio connectors from 2-channel to 4-/5.1-/7.1 channel audio.

Line In

(in 7.1CH)

Line Out

MIC

Rear Speaker Out

(in 7.1CH / 6CH / 4CH)

Center/Subwoofer

Speaker Out

( in 7.1CH / 6CH)

S/PDIF Out-Optical

(in 7.1CH / 6CH)

2-11

RJ-45 LAN Jack

The mainboard provides two standard RJ-45 jacks for connection to
Local Area Network (LAN). You can connect a network cable to the LAN jack.

This LAN enables data to be transferred at 100 or 10Mbps.

10/100Mbps LAN Jack Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 TDP Transmit Differential Pair
2 TDN Transmit Differential Pair
3 RDP Receive Differential Pair

8 1

RJ45 LAN Jack

4 NC Not Used
5 NC Not Used
6 RDN Receive Differential Pair
7 NC Not Used
8 NC Not Used

VGA Port

The mainboard provides one DB 15-pin female connector to connect a
VGA monitor.

5 1

15 11

DB 15-Pin Female Connector

VGA Port Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 Red
2 Green
3 Blue
4 Not used
5 Ground
6 Ground
7 Ground
8 Ground
9 Power
10 Ground
11 Not used
12 SDA
13 Horizontal Sync
14 Vertical Sync
15 SCL

2-12

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

Parallel Port

The mainboard provides a 25-pin female centronic connector as LPT. A
parallel port is a standard printer port that supports Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)
and Extended Capabilities Parallel Port (ECP) mode.

13 1

25

14

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 STROBE Strobe
2 DATA0 Data0
3 DATA1 Data1
4 DATA2 Data2
5 DATA3 Data3
6 DATA4 Data4
7 DATA5 Data5
8 DATA6 Data6
9 DATA7 Data7
10 ACK# Acknowledge
11 BUSY Busy
12 PE Paper End
13 SELECT Select
14 AUTO FEED# Automatic Feed
15 ERR# Error
16 INIT# Initialize Printer
17 SLIN# Select In
18 GND Ground
19 GND Ground
20 GND Ground
21 GND Ground
22 GND Ground
23 GND Ground
24 GND Ground
25 GND Ground

2-13

2.7 Connectors

.

Hard Disk Connector: IDE1

The mainboard provides a one-channel Ultra ATA 100 bus Master IDE
controller that supports PIO mode 0 ~ 4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 33/66/100
function. You can connect up to two hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, 120MB
floppy disk drive (reserved for future BIOS), and other devices.

IDE1

IDE1 Definition

IDE VDMA Controller RAID ATAPI

1 66/100 Intel ICH6 N/A Yes

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

MSI Reminds You...

If you install two hard disks on cable, you must configure the
second drive to Slave mode by setting its jumper. Refer to the hard
disk documentation supplied by hard disk vendors for jumper
setting instructions.

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

The mainboard provides a standard floppy disk drive connector that sup-

ports 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk types.

FDD1

2-14

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

Serial ATA Connectors: SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4

This mainboard provides four high-speed Serial ATA interface ports.
Each supports 1st generation serial ATA data rates of 150 MB/s and is fully
compliant with Serial ATA 1.0 specifications. Each Serial ATA connector can
connect to 1 hard disk device.

71

SATA4

SATA3

SATA2

SATA1

Optional Serial ATA cable

SATA1/2/3/4 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 GND 2 TXP
3 TXN 4 GND

5 RXN 6 RXP
7 GND

MSI Reminds You...

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

Connect to SATA1/2/3/4

2-15

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

The JAUD1 front panel audio connector allows you to connect to the
front panel audio and is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design
Guide.

JAUD1

9

10

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 AUD_MIC Front panel microphone input signal
2 AUD_GND Ground used by analog audio circuits
3 AUD_MIC_BIAS Microphone power
4 AUD_VCC Filtered +5V used by analog audio circuits
5 AUD_FPOUT_R Right channel audio signal to front panel
6 AUD_RET_R Right channel audio signal return from front panel
7 HP_ON Reserved for future use to control headphone amplifier
8 KEY No pin
9 AUD_FPOUT_L Left channel audio signal to front panel
10 AUD_RET_L Left channel audio signal return from front panel

1
2

MSI Reminds You...

If you don’t want to connect to the front audio header,
pins 5 & 6, 9 & 10 have to be jumpered in order to
have signal output directed to the rear audio ports.
Otherwise, the Line-Out connector on the back panel
will not function.

2-16

9

5

10

6

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1

This connector is connected to a 2-pin chassis switch. If the chassis is
opened, the switch will be short. The system will record this status and show a
warning message on the screen. To clear the warning, you must enter the BIOS
utility and clear the record.

JCI1

CD-In Connector: JCD1

The connector is for CD-ROM audio connector.

JCD1

R

GND

L

Front Panel Connector: JFP1

The mainboard provides one front panel connector for electrical con­nection to the front panel switches and LEDs. The JFP1 is compliant with Intel
Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.

JFP1

2

1
HDD
LED

Reset
Switch

9

JFP1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 HD_LED_P Hard disk LED pull-up
2 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up
3 HD_LED_N Hard disk active LED
4 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up
5 RST_SW_N Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND
6 PWR_SW_P Power Switch high reference pull-up
7 RST_SW_P Reset Switch high reference pull-up
8 PWR_SW_N Power Switch low reference pull-down to GND
9 RSVD_DNU Reserved. Do not use.

Power
LED

Power
Switch

10

®

2-17

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1

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

GND
+12V
SENSOR

CPUFAN1

SYSFAN1

GND

+12V

SENSOR

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1, J1394_2

The mainboard provides two 1394 pin headers that allow you to connect
IEEE 1394 ports via an external IEEE1394 bracket.

Pin Definition

1 9

2 10

J1394_1/J1394_2

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

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

Foolproof Design

IEEE1394

Bracket

2-18

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

Serial Port Header: COM2

The mainboard offers one 9-pin header as serial port. The port is a
16550A high speed communication port that sends/receives 16 bytes FIFOs.
You can attach a serial mouse or other serial device directly to it.

Pin Definition

COM2

2
1 9

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 DCD Data Carry Detect
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

Front USB Connectors: F_USB1, F_USB2

The mainboard provides two standard USB 2.0 pinheaders. USB 2.0
technology increases data transfer rate up to a maximum throughput of 480Mbps,
which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1, and is ideal for connecting high-speed
USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, MP3 players,

printers, modems and the like.

Pin Definition

F_USB1/F_USB2

2
1

MSI Reminds You...

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

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC 2 VCC
3 USB0- 4 USB1-

10

9

5 USB0+ 6 USB1+
7 GND 8 GND
9 Key (no pin) 10 USBOC

2-19

2.8 Jumper

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

Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS1

There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external
battery to keep the data of system configuration. With the CMOS RAM, the
system can automatically boot OS every time it is turned on. If you want to clear
the system configuration, use this jumper to clear data.

1

3

1

CLR_CMOS1

1

3

Clear DataKeep Data

MSI Reminds You...

You can clear CMOS by shorting 2-3 pin while the system is off.
Then return to 1-2 pin position. Avoid clearing the CMOS while the
system is on; it will damage the mainboard.

GMCH Voltage Jumper: J3

This jumper is used to adjust the voltage of the Intel 915GM GMCH
(Graphics and Memory Controller Hub) as a way to enhance graphics
performance.

1

J3

1

Short Pin #1-2

1

Short Pin #2-3

(Auto Detect)

} 1.05V for add-on VGA card
} 1.05V for onboard Intel 915GM

GMCH (lower performance)

(1.05V)

} 1.05V for add-on VGA card
} 1.5V for onboard Intel 915GM

GMCH (higher performance)

2-20

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

FSB Frequency Jumpers: J4, J5

These two jumpers specify the FSB frequency of the onboard CPU. To
ensure system stability, make sure that these jumpers are properly set to corre-

spond with your CPU’s FSB frequency.

Dothan B

Dothan A

FSB400

Dothan A

FSB533

J4

1

1

J5

3

1

J4

3

1

J4

3

1

J4

3

1

J5

3

1

J5

3

1

J5

CPU VCCA Jumper: J6

This jumper controls the CPU VCCA supply voltage.

J6

3

1

1

VCCA = 1.5VVCCA = 1.8V

3

1

2-21

2.9 Slot

The motherboard provides one PCI Express x1 slot, one PCI Express x16
slot, and two 32-bit/33MHz PCI slots.

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots

The PCI Express slots support high-bandwidth, low pin count, and serial
interconnect technology. You can insert the expansion cards to meet your needs.
When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug the
power supply first.

PCI Express architecture provides a high performance I/O infrastructure
for Desktop Platforms with transfer rates starting at 2.5 Giga transfers per
second over a PCI Express x1 lane for Gigabit Ethernet, TV Tuners, 1394
controllers, and general purpose I/O. Also, desktop platforms with PCI Express
Architecture will be designed to deliver highest performance in video, graphics,
multimedia and other sophisticated applications. Moreover, PCI Express archi­tecture provides a high performance graphics infrastructure for Desktop Plat­forms doubling the capability of existing AGP 8x designs with transfer rates of 4.
0 GB/s over a PCI Express x16 lane for graphics controllers, while PCI Express
x1 supports transfer rate of 250 MB/s.

PCI Express x16 slot

PCI Express x1 slot

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots

The PCI slots allow you to insert the expansion cards to meet your
needs. When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug
the power supply first. Meanwhile, read the documentation for the expansion
card to make any necessary hardware or software settings for the expansion

card, such as jumpers, switches or BIOS configuration.

PCI Slot

2-22

Chapter 2 - Mainboard Hardware

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:

DEVICE ICH INT Pin IDSEL CLOCK REQ & GNT

PCI Slot 1 INT# B/C/D/A AD17 PCICLK0 1/2
PCI Slot 2 INT# A/B/C/D AD16 PCICLK1 0
VT6307 IEEE 1394 INT# F AD25 PCICLK2 3

2-23

3

Chapter 3 - System Assembly

System Assembly

This chapter provides you with the instal­lation procedures of this barebone. It is use­ful for you to read the information of mainboard
setup before assembling the whole system.

3-1

3.1 Overview

The built-in mainboard is designed for Midas barebone only. Except the
mainboard, the built-in components of the barebone include power supply. In
this chapter we’ll show you how to install CPU, FDD, HDD, CD-ROM and CPU
Cooler.

Installation Tools

Screw Driver

Gloves

Screws

Two types of screws are used in assembling the barebone: round-

headed screw, hexagonal screw with washer.

Round-headed screw: This type of screw is used to attach
the HDD to the HDD tray.

Round-headed screw with washer: The screw is used to
fasten the FDD, optical drive to the drives cage and the front
cage.

3-2

Checking the Items

Before assembling your system, please check the items listed below for

basic system operation.

Chapter 3 - System Assembly

CPU (Optional)

IDE or SATA HDD (Optional) Optical Drive (Optional)

Rubber Foot

CPU Cooler

DDR/DDRII SDRAM (Optional)

3-3

3.2 Installation Procedures

1. Removing Cover, Drive Cage

Push the lock brackets inwards to
unlock the chassis cover.

Remove the chassis cover.

Use a screw driver to unscrew the
drive cage.

Pull the drive cage to release it
from the chassis.

3-4

2. Installing Memory Modules

Locate the DIMM slots and press down the
plastic clips towards both sides.

Insert the DIMM vertically into the slot
until the golden finger on the memory
module is deeply inserted in the socket.

Chapter 3 - System Assembly

Note: The DIMM has only one notch
on the center of module. It will only
fit in the right direction.

3-5

3. Installing CPU

Loose the screw on the CPU socket with a
tank screwdriver in clockwise direction.

Place the CPU on top of the socket. Make
sure to align the gold arrow on the CPU with
the arrow key on the socket.

Push the CPU down until its pins securely fit
into the socket.

Note: Make sure the pins are com­pletely embedded into the socket. The

CPU can only fit in the correct direction.

On the front end of the CPU socket is a locking
mechanism designed into the form of a screw.
Make sure that you actuate or deactuate this
mechanism with a screwdriver before and af­ter installing the CPU.

3-6

4. Installing CPU Cooler

Lift up the levers on both sides.

Mount the cooler set (fan & heatsink
bundled) on top of the CPU and fit it
into the retention mechanism.

Chapter 3 - System Assembly

Secure the levers to lock the cooler set.
Connect the fan power cable from the
mounted fan to the 3-pin fan power con­nector on the board.

3-7

5. Installing HDD

Press the HDD lever to the left to
release the HDD cage.

Pull the HDD tray forwards to re­move it from the drive cage.

Put the HDD in the HDD tray and
use 4 screws to fix it on both
sides.

Put the HDD tray back to
secure it on the drive cage.

3-8

6. Installing FDD and Optical Drive

Press the FDD tray lever to release the
FDD lock and push the FDD inwards to
fix it.

Use 2 screws to secure the FDD in the
FDD tray.

Chapter 3 - System Assembly

Insert the optical drive into the drive
cage.

Use 2 screws to secure the optical
drive in the tray.

3-9

Connect the cables and the power cords
to the HDD and the optical drive.

Note: If you are using a Serial ATA
HDD, please connect it to the SATA
cable.

Connect the cable and the power cord to
the FDD.

Slide the drive cage back into the
chassis. Be careful to align the tenon and
the notch.

Use 3 screws to secure the drive cage.

3-10

7. Restoring Chassis Cover

Restore the chassis cover.

Push the lock brackets outwards to
lock the chassis cover.

Chapter 3 - System Assembly

Attach the rubber foots to the under
side (horizontal type).

Horizontal type

Put the PC on four foots or lay on the
rubber foots.

Horizontal type

Tower type

3-11

8. Adjust the ODD Button Key

If you found the Optical Drive’s eject button
doesn’t work after completing the assem-
bly of the system, you can adjust the ODD
button key inside the front panel. The instal­lation procedures are as follows:

Remove the front panel and find the ODD
button key inside.

Lift up the key with a tack screwdriver.

Depends on your optical drive, you can

1. change the position to the middle, or

2. Change the position to the right.

3-12

4

BIOS Setup

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

This chapter provides information on the BIOS
Setup program and allows you to configure the
system for optimum use. You may need to run
the Setup program when:

² An error message appears on the

screen during the system boot up, and
requests you to run SETUP.

² You want to change the default set-

tings for customized features.

4-1

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 <F1> key to enter Setup.

Press F1 to enter SETUP

If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter Setup,
restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button. You may also
restart the system by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete> keys.

Control Keys

<↑> 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

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

Setup Menu

<F5> Load Previous Values
<F6> Load Fail-Safe Defaults
<F7> Load Optimized Defaults

<F10> Save to CMOS and Exit

4-2

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

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

Main Menu

The main menu lists the setup functions you can make changes to. You can use the
control keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the item. The on-line description of the highlighted setup
function is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Sub-Menu

If you find a right pointer symbol (as shown in the
right view) appears to the left of certain field that
means a sub-menu containing additional options
can be launched from this field. You can use control
keys ( ↑↓ ) to highlight the field and press <Enter>
to call up the sub-menu. Then you can use the
control keys to enter values and move from field
to field within a sub-menu. If you want to return to
the main menu, just press <Esc >.

General Help <F1>

The BIOS setup program provides a General Help screen. You can call up this screen
from any menu by simply pressing <F1>. The Help screen lists the appropriate keys to
use and the possible selections for the highlighted item. Press <Esc> to exit the Help
screen.

MSI Reminds You...

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.

4-3

The Menu Bar

Once you enter Phoenix-AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility, the Main Menu will ap­pear on the screen. On the Main Menu screen, you will see basic BIOS settings
including system time & date, and the setup categories the BIOS supplies. Use Arrow
keys to move among the items and menus, and make changes to the settings.

Main

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

Advanced

Use this menu to set up the items of special enhanced features available on your
system’s chipset.

Security

Use this menu to set Supervisor and User Passwords.

Server

This entry shows your system summary.

Boot

Use this menu to specify the priority of boot devices.

Exit

This menu allows you to load the BIOS default values or factory default settings into the
BIOS and exit the BIOS setup utility with or without changes.

4-4

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

Main

The items inside the Main menu are for basic system information and configuration.
Each item includes none, one or more setup items. Use the Up/Down arrow keys or
<Tab> to highlight the item or field you want to modify and use the <+> or <-> key to
switch to the value you prefer.

Date (mm:dd:yy)

The date format is <Day>, <Month> <Date> <Year>.

Time (hh:mm:ss)

The time format is <Hour> <Minute> <Second>.

IDE Channel 0/1/2/3 Master/Slave

These fields show the information of the installed IDE devices. (Read-only)

Drive A

This item allows you to set the type of floppy drives installed.

Base/Extended/Total Memory

The three items show the memory status of the system. (Read-only)

4-5

Advanced

Items in the menu are divided into several sub-menus. Each sub-menu provides more
settings. To enter the sub-menu, highligh the sub-menu you want to configure and
press <Enter>.

Advanced Chipset Features

The sub-menu is used to configure chipset features for optimal system performance.

4-6

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

DRAM Timing Selectable

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

CAS Latency Time

This controls the timing delay (in clock cycles) before SDRAM starts a read
command after receiving it. Settings: [1.5], [2], [2.5] (clocks). [1.5] (clocks) in­creases the system performance the most while [2.5] (clocks) provides the most
stable performance.

DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay

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

DRAM RAS# Precharge

This item controls the number of cycles for Row Address Strobe (RAS) to be
allowed to precharge. If insufficient time is allowed for the RAS to accumulate its
charge before DRAM refresh, refresh may be incomplete and DRAM may fail to
retain data. This item applies only when synchronous DRAM is installed in the
system.

Precharge Delay (tRAS)

The field specifies the idle cycles before precharging an idle bank.

System Memory Frequency

Use this item to configure the clock frequency of the installed DRAMs.

PEG/OnChip VGA Control

Use this feature to enable or disable the onboard VGA controller.

4-7

Integrated Peripherals

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

OnChip IDE Device

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

On-Chip Serial ATA

This setting specifies the function of the on-chip SATA controller.

[Disabled] Disable SATA controller
[Enhanced Mode] Enable both SATA and PATA, max. 6 IDE

[SATA Only] SATA operates in legacy mode

drives supported

4-8

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

PATA IDE Mode / SATA Port

These settings show the modes of the PATA & SATA ports.

Onboard Device

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

Onboard LAN 1, Onboard LAN 2, PCI-E X1 Slot

These settings control the onboard LAN 1, LAN 2, and PCI-Express X1 slot
controllers. Please note that when onboard LAN 1 is set to [Disabled], onboard
LAN 2 and PCI-Express X1 slot will be disabled as well.

PCI Slot 1, PCI Slot 2

These settings disable/enable the specified PCI devices.

PCI-E Compliancy Mode

This setting specifies the PCI-Express compliancy mode.

USB Controller

This setting is used to enable/disable the onboard USB controller. Setting
options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

USB 2.0 Controller

This setting is used to enable/disable the onboard USB 2.0 controller. Setting
options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

USB Keyboard/Mouse Support

Set to [Enabled] if your need to use a USB-interfaced keyboard/mouse in the
operating system that does not support or have any USB driver installed, such
as DOS and SCO Unix.

4-9

Azalia/AC97 Audio Select

Azalia is the codename of “High Definition Audio.” This setting allows users to
disable/enable the High Definition Audio interface integrated in ICH6 / ICH6R
southbridge.

Onboard 1394 Device

This setting is used to enable/disable the onboard IEEE 1394 controller. Setting
options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

Super IO Device

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

Onboard FDC Controller

Select [Enabled] if your system has a floppy disk controller (FDD) installed on
the system board and you wish to use it. If you install add-on FDC or the
system has no floppy drive, select [Disabled] in this field. The settings are:
[Enabled] and [Disabled].

Onboard Serial Port 1 / 2

Select an address and corresponding interrupt for Serial Port 1/2. The settings
are: [3F8/IRQ4], [2E8/IRQ3], [3E8/IRQ4], [2F8/IRQ3], [Disabled], [Auto].

Onboard Parallel Port

This specifies the I/O port address and IRQ of the onboard parallel port.
Settings: [378/IRQ7], [278/IRQ5], [3BC/IRQ7], [Disabled].

Parallel Port Mode

This setting specifies the parallel port mode.

4-10

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

SPP: Standard Parallel Port
EPP: Enhanced Parallel Port
ECP: Extended Capability Port

Setting options: [SPP], [EPP], [ECP], [ECP+EPP], [Normal].

EPP Mode Select

The onboard parallel port is EPP Spec. compliant, so after the user chooses
the onboard parallel port with the EPP function, the following message will be
displayed on the screen: “EPP Mode Select.” At this time either [EPP 1.7] spec
or [EPP 1.9] spec can be chosen.

ECP Mode Use DMA

The ECP mode has to use the DMA channel, so choose the onboard parallel
port with the ECP feature. After selecting it, the following message will appear:
“ECP Mode Use DMA.” At this time, the user can choose between DMA chan­nel [3] or [1].

PWRON After PWR-Fail

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

[Off] Leaves the computer in the power off state.
[On] Reboots the computer.
[Former-Sts] Restores the system to the status before power

failure or interrupt occurs.

Power Management Setup

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

4-11

ACPI Function

This item is to activate the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Manage­ment Interface) Function. If your operating system is ACPI-aware, such as Win­dows 98SE/2000/ME, select [Enabled]. Settings: [Enabled] and [Disabled].

ACPI Suspend Type

This item specifies the power saving modes for ACPI function. If your operating
system supports ACPI, such as Windows 98SE, Windows ME and Windows
2000, you can choose to enter the Standby mode in S1 (POS) or S3 (STR) fashion
through the setting of this field. Options are:

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

no system context is lost (CPU or chipset) and hard­ware maintains all system context.

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

information 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.

USB KB Wake-Up from S3

This setting allows you to enter “Any Key” (max. 8 numbers) to wake up the
system from S3 state. Settings are: [Hot Key] and [Disabled].

Soft-Off by PWR-BTTN

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

[Instant-Off] The power button functions as a normal power-on/-off button.
[Delay 4 Sec.]When you press the power button, the computer enters the

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

Wake-Up by PCI Card

When it is set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be powered on by
the PCI card. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Resume By Alarm

When [Enabled], your can set the date and time at which the RTC (real-time
clock) alarm awakens the system from suspend mode. Setting options: [Disabled],
[Enabled].

Date (of Month) Alarm

When Resume By Alarm is set to [Enabled], the field specifies the month for
Resume By Alarm. Settings: [NA], [1]-[12].

Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm

You can choose what hour, minute and second the system will boot up.

4-12

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

PC Health Status

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

Current System/CPU Temperature, System Fan1/CPU Fan1 Speed, Vcore,
VCC3, VCC_DDR, 12V, VCC (V), VBAT (V), 5VSB (V) (Read only)

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

CPU Feature

Press <Enter> to view the settings of the onboard CPU(s).

4-13

Delay Prior to Thermal

When the CPU temperature reaches a factory preset level, a thermal monitoring
mechanism will be enabled following the appropriate timing delay specified in
this field. With the thermal monitoring enabled, clock modulation controlled by
the processor’s internal thermal sensor is also activated to keep the processor
within allowable temperature limit.

APIC Mode

This field is used to enable or disable the APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt
Controller). Due to compliance with PC2001 design guide, the system is able to
run in APIC mode. Enabling APIC mode will expand available IRQ resources for the
system. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

MPS Version Control For OS

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. Settings: [1.4], [1.1].

Boot Up NumLock Status

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

Chassis Intrusion Detect

The field enables or disables the feature of recording the chassis intrusion status and
issuing a warning message if the chassis is once opened. The setting of the field will
automatically return to [Enabled] later. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Auto Detect PCI Clk

This item is used to auto detect the PCI slots. When set to [Enabled], the system will
remove (turn off) clocks from empty PCI slots to minimize the electromagnetic interfer­ence (EMI). Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Spread Spectrum

When the motherboard’s clock generator pulses, the extreme values (spikes) of the
pulses creates EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). The Spread Spectrum function
reduces the EMI generated by modulating the pulses so that the spikes of the pulses
are reduced to flatter curves.

CPU Clock

MSI Reminds You...

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.

4-14

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

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.

This item specifies the clock frequency of the CPU host bus (FSB) for overclocking
purposes.

4-15

Security

This section lets you set security passwords to control access to the system at boot
time and/or when entering the BIOS setup program.

Set Supervisor Password

Use this menu to set Supervisor Password.

Set User Password

Use this menu to set User Password.

Security Option

This specifies the type of BIOS password protection that is implemented. Settings are
described below:

Option Description

[Setup] The password prompt appears only when end users try to run Setup.

[System] A password prompt appears every time when the computer is powered on or when end users

try to run Setup.

4-16

Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

Server

This section shows the overall hardware specifications of your system.

System Summary

Press <Enter> to view the hardware specifications of your system.

4-17

Small Logo(EPA) Show

This item enables you to show the EPA logo (brand specific graphics) on the bootup
screen. Settings are:

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

Halt On

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

[All Errors] The system stops when any error is detected.
[No Errors] The system doesn’t stop for any detected error.
[All, But Keyboard] The system doesn’t stop for a keyboard error.
[All, But Diskette] The system doesn’t stop for a disk error.
[All, But Disk/Key] The system doesn’t stop for either a disk or a keyboard

error.

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Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup

Boot

Use this menu to arrange and specify the priority of the devices from which the BIOS
will attempt to boot the Operating System.

Removable Device Priority, Hard Disk Boot Priority, CD-ROM Boot Priority

These settings allow users to set the priority of the specified devices. First press
<Enter> to enter the sub-menu. Then you may use the arrow keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the
desired device, then press <+>, <-> or <PageUp>, <PageDown> key to move it up/
down in the priority list.

First Boot Device, Second Boot Device, Third Boot Device

The items allow you to set the sequence of boot devices where BIOS attempts to load
the disk operating system.

Boot Other Device

Setting the option to [Enabled] allows the system to try to boot from other device if the
system fails to boot from the first/second/third boot device.

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Exit

The following sections describe each of the options on this menu. Note that <Esc>
does not exit this menu. You must select one of the items from the menu or menu bar to
exit.

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.

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

5

Introduction to Audio:

Realtek ALC880

5.1 Installing the Realtek Audio
Driver

5.2 Software Configuration

5.3 Using 2/4/6/8 Channel Audio
Function

5-1

Installing the Realtek Audio Driver

You need to install the driver for Realtek ALC880 codec to function properly before
you can get access to 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio operations. Follow the proce­dures described below to install the drivers for different operating systems.

Installation for Windows 2000/XP

For Windows® 2000, you must install Windows® 2000 Service Pack4 or later before
installing the driver. And for Windows® XP, you must install Windows® XP Service
Pack1 or later before installing the driver.

The following illustrations are based on Windows® XP environment and could look
slightly different if you install the drivers in different operating systems.

1. Insert the companion CD into the CD-ROM drive. The setup screen will auto­matically appear.

2. Click Realtek Audio Driver.

Click here

MSI Reminds You...

The Audio Configuration software utility is under continuous
update to enhance audio application. Hence, the program screens
shown here in this appendix may be slightly different from the latest
software utility and shall be held for reference only.

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

3. Click Finish to restart the system.

Select this
option

Click here

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Software Configuration

After installing the audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio
feature now. Click the audio icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner of
the screen to activate the HD Audio Configuration. It is also available to enable the

audio driver by clicking the Azalia HD Sound Effect Manager from the Control
Panel.

Double click

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

Sound Effect

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

Load EQ Setting

Reset EQ Setting

EQ Setting On/Off

Save Preset

Delete EQ
Setting

You may choose the provided sound effects, and the equalizer will adjust automatically.
If you like, you may also load an equalizer setting or make an new equalizer setting to
save as an new one by using the “Load EQ Setting” and “Save Preset” button,
click “Reset EQ Setting” button to use the default value, or click “Delete EQ Set-
ting” button to remove a preset EQ setting.

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

Environment Simulation

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

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Equalizer Selection

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

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

Save

The settings are
saved permanently for
future use

Enable / Disable

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

Reset

10 bands of equalizer
would go back to the
default setting

Load

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

Delete

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

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

Frequently Used Equalizer Setting

Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager provides you certain optimized equalizer settings
that are frequently used for your quick enjoyment.

[How to Use It]
Other than the buttons “Pop” “Live” “Club” & “Rock” shown on the page, to pull down
the arrow in “Others” , you will find more optimized settings available to you.

Karaoke Mode

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

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

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

Remove the
human voice

Raise the key

Lower the key

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Mixer

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

1. Playback

You can adjust the volume of the speakers.

MSI Reminds You...

Before set up, please make sure the playback devices are well plugged
in the jacks on the rear or front panel.

2. Multi-Stream Function

ALC880 supports an outstanding feature called Multi-Stream, which means you may
play different audio sources simultaneously and let them output respectively from the
indicated real panel or front panel. This feature is very helpful when 2 people are
using the same computer together for different purposes.

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

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

MSI Reminds You...

We strongly recommend that you plug the speakers into the audio jacks
on the back & front panels before enabling the multi-stream function.

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

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

Then you must to select the Realtek HD Audio front output from the scroll list
first, and use a different program to play the second audio source (for example: use
Winamp to play MP3 files). You will find that the second audio source (MP3 music) will
come out from the Line-Out audio jack of Front Panel.

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3. Playback control

Tool Mute

Playback device

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

Mute

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

Tool

Show the following volume control
This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed, total 13 items

to be chosen.
Advanced controls

Enable playback multi-streaming
With this function, you will be able to have an audio chat with your friends via head-

phone (stream 1 from front panel) while still have music (stream 2 from back panel) in
play. At any given period, you can have maximum 2 streams operating simultaneously.

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4. Recording control

Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

Tool

Recording device

Back Line In/Mic, Front Line In
Realtek HD Audio Digital Input

Tool

Show the following volume controls
This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.

Advanced controls.
Advanced control is a “Microphone Boost” icon.
Once this item is checked, you will find “advanced” icon beside “Front Pink In” & “Mic

Volume”. With this, the input signal into “Front Pink In” & “Mic Volume” will be
strengthen.

Enable recording multi-streaming
At any given period, you can have maximum 2 streams operating simultaneously.

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5. Recording

If you want to use microphone to record, usually the microphone is connected to the
MIC jack (the pink one) in the rear panel. You can start recording in this case. If you’d
like to connect your microphone to the front audio panel.

You may control the microphone volume by Mic Volume or front mic-in on the
mixer.

MSI Reminds You...

Only the speakers that plugged into the Line-Out jack (the green ne)
on the back panel will be functional when you intend to listen to the
audio that has been recorded from the microphone.

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

Audio I/O

In this tab, you can easily configure your multi-channel audio function and speakers.
You can choose a desired multi-channel operation here.

a. Headphone for the common headphone
b. 2CH Speaker for Stereo-Speaker Output
c. 4CH Speaker for 4-Speaker Output
d. 6CH Speaker for 5.1-Speaker Output
e. 8CH Speaker for 8-Speaker Output (default setting)

Realtek HD Audio Manager frees you from default speaker settings. Different from
before, for each jack, they are not limited to perform certain functions. Instead, now
each jack is able to be chosen to perform either output (i.e. playback) function or input
(i.e. Recording) function, we call this “Retasking”.

Audio I/O aims to help you set jacks right. Moreover, other than blue to blue, pink to pink,
the way that you used to do, Audio I/O would guide you to other right jacks that can also
serve as microphone / speaker / headphone.

Speaker Configuration
Step 1: Plug in the device in any available jack.
Step 2: Dialogue “connected device” will pop up for your selection. Please select the

device you are trying to plug in.
If the device is being plugged into the correct jack, you will be able to find the icon

beside the jack changed to the one that is same as your device.
If not correct, Realtek HD Audio Manager will guide you to plug the device into the

correct jack.

1

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Correct Message

Assume to plug a headphone in the Green jack at back panel. The icon beside
green jack become visible and the dialogue “ connected device” pops up.
Check the headphone, then click OK. As soon as OK is clicked, the icon
beside green jack becomes “headphone” as your selection.

Error Message

Assume to plug a headphone in the Blue jack at back panel. The icon beside
Blue jack becomes visible and the dialogue “connected device” pops up (the
default setting of blue jack is “Line-in”. Check the headphone anyway, then
click OK. You should notice the icon beside blue jack remains the same
without any change and the error message pops.

Pop-screen check list

2CH Speakers configutaion - check the Front Speaker Out anyway.
4CH Speakers configuration - check the Front Speaker Out & Rear Speaker

Out anyway.

6CH Speakers configuraion - check the Front Speaker Out / Rear Speaker

Out & Center/ Subwoofer Speaker out

anyway.
8CH Speakers configuraion - check the Front Speaker Out / Rear Speaker

Out / Center/Subwoofer Speaker out & Side

Speaker Out anyway.

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

Global Connector Settings

Click to access global connector settings.

1. Enable auto popup dialogue, when device has been plugged in

Once this item is checked, the dialog “Connected device” would not automatically
pop up when device is plugged in.

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S/PDIF

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

1. Output Sampling Rate

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

2. Output Source

Output digital audio source: The digital audio format (such as .wav, .mp3,.midi etc)
will come out through S/PDIF-Out.

S/PDIF-in to S/PDIF -out pass though mode: The data from S/PDIF-In can be real-time
played from S/PDIF-Out.

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

Test Speakers

You can select the speaker by clicking it to test its functionality. The one you select
will light up and make testing sound. If any speaker fails to make sound, then check
whether the cable is inserted firmly to the connector or replace the bad speakers

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

Center

Front Left

Side Left

Rear Left

Front Right

Side Right

Subwoofer

Rear Right

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Microphone

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

Also, please use the drop-down list to choose the recording source from Realtek
HDA Primary input, Mic at front panel (Pink) or Disable.

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

3D Audio Demo

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

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Information

In this tab it provides some information about this HD Audio Configuration utility,
including Audio Driver Version, DirectX Version, Audio Controller & Audio Codec. You
may also select the language of this utility by choosing from the Language list.

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

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

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

4. In AC97 setting, both microphone and headphone on the front panel are fixed.

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Using 2-, 4-, 6- & 8- Channel Audio Function

Connecting the Speakers

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

n 2-Channel Mode for Stereo-Speaker Output

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

Back Panel

1

2

3

1 Line In
2 Line Out (Front channels)
3 MIC
4 Line Out (Rear channels, but no functioning in this mode)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode)
6 Optical SPDIF Out (in 7.1CH / 5.1CH)

4

5

6

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

n 4-Channel Mode for 4-Speaker Output

Back Panel

1

2

3

4-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In
2 Line Out (Front channels)
3 MIC
4 Line Out (Rear channels)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode)
6 Optical SPDIF Out (in 7.1CH / 5.1CH)

4

5

6

Description:
Connect two speakers to back
panel’ s Line Out connector and
two speakers to the real-chan­nel Line Out connector.

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n 6-Channel Mode for 6-Speaker Output

Back Panel

1

2

3

6-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In
2 Line Out (Front channels)
3 MIC
4 Line Out (Rear channels)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)
6 Optical SPDIF Out (in 7.1CH / 5.1CH)

4

5

6

Description:
Connect two speakers to back
panel’ s Line Out connector, two
speakers to the rear-channel
and two speakers to the cen­ter/subwoofer-channel Line Out
connectors.

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Chapter 5 - Introduction to Realtek ALC 880

n 8-Channel Mode for 8-Speaker Output

Back Panel

1

2

3

8-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line Out (Side channels)
2 Line Out (Front channels)
3 MIC
4 Line Out (Rear channels)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)
6 Optical SPDIF Out (in 7.1CH / 5.1CH)

4

5

6

Description:
Connect two speakers to back
panel’s Line Out connector, two
speakers to the rear-channel,
two speakers to the center/
subwoofer-channel Line Out
connectors, and two speakers
to the side-channel Line Out
connectors.

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