MSI MS-7185 (v1.X) User Manual

K8N SLI Series

MS-7185 (v1.X) ATX Mainboard

English Version

G52-M7185X1

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 June 2005

Technical Support

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

Visit the MSI website for FAQ, technical guide, BIOS updates, driver updates,
and other information: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/service/faq/

faq/esc_faq_list.php

Contact our technical staff at: [e-mail]

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-7185

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................................................................................................1-5

Packing Checklist.................................................................................................1-6

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

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

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

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 939.............................................2-4

Installing AMD Athlon64 CPU Cooler Set....................................................2-5

Memory.................................................................................................................2-7

DIMM Module Combination...........................................................................2-7

Recommended Memory Combination List..................................................2-8

Installing DDR Modules................................................................................2-8

Power Supply......................................................................................................2-9

ATX 24-Pin System Power Connector: ATX1............................................2-9

ATX 4-Pin CPU Power Connector: JPW1...................................................2-9

ATX 4-Pin VGA Power Connector: PCIE_PW1..........................................2-9

Important Notification about Power Issue................................................2-10

Back Panel...........................................................................................................2-11

Mouse Connector (Green) / Keyboard Connector (Purple)...................2-11

IEEE1394 Port (Optional)...........................................................................2-11

Serial Port Connector................................................................................2-12

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

LAN (RJ-45) Jack.......................................................................................2-13

Audio Port Connectors..............................................................................2-13

Parallel Port Connector: LPT1...................................................................2-14

Connectors........................................................................................................2-15

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1..........................................................2-15

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1 / SFAN1 / SFAN2 / NBFAN1...........2-15

Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 / IDE2...........................................................2-16

viii

Serial ATA RAID Connectors: SATA1 / SATA2 / SATA3 / SATA4...........2-17

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1...........................................................2-18

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1......................................................2-18

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1..............................................2-19

CD-In Connector: JCD1.............................................................................2-19

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1 / JFP2......................................................2-19

D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1...............................................................2-20

IEEE 1394 Connector: J1394_1................................................................2-22

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1 / JUSB2 / JUSB3...................................2-23

Clear CMOS Button: SW1..........................................................................2-24

Button.................................................................................................................2-24

Slots....................................................................................................................2-25

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots.......................2-25

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots......................................2-25

PCI Interrupt Request Routing...................................................................2-26

NV SLI (Scalable Link Interface) Slot: PCI_E4.........................................2-26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advanced Chipset Features............................................................................3-10

Integrated Peripherals.......................................................................................3-14

Power Management Setup...............................................................................3-19

PNP/PCI Configurations.....................................................................................3-22

H/W Monitor.......................................................................................................3-24

Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-26

Load Optimized Defaults...................................................................................3-30

BIOS Setting Password.....................................................................................3-30

Chapter 4. Introduction to DigiCell.....................................................................4-1

Introduction to DigiCell..........................................................................................4-1

Main......................................................................................................................4-2

Introduction:.................................................................................................4-2

H/W Diagnostic.....................................................................................................4-4

Communication.....................................................................................................4-5

Software Access Point.......................................................................................4-6

Terminology..................................................................................................4-6

ix

Access Point Mode.....................................................................................4-7

WLAN Card Mode........................................................................................4-8

Live Update..........................................................................................................4-9

MEGA STICK.......................................................................................................4-10

Basic Function............................................................................................4-10

Non-Unicode programs supported...........................................................4-12

Core Center (for AMD K8 Processor)..............................................................4-14

Audio Speaker Setting......................................................................................4-16

Power on Agent.................................................................................................4-18

Power On...................................................................................................4-18

Power Off / Restart...................................................................................4-19

Auto Login..................................................................................................4-20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3D Audio Demo.............................................................................................B-9

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

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

Microphone Effect.....................................................................................B-12

Using 2-, 4-, 6- & 8- Channel Audio Function.................................................B-13

x

Getting Started

Chapter 1. Getting
Started

Getting Started

Thank you for purchasing the K8N SLI Series (MS-7185 v1.X), an
excellent ATX mainboard from MSI.

Based on the innovative nVIDIA® nForceTM4 SLI chipset for optimal
system efficiency, the K8N SLI Series mainboards accommodate the
advanced AMD® K8 Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 processors in Socket
939 and support up to four 144-bit DDR DIMMs (at 200, 266, 333, and
400 MHz) to provide the maximum of 4GB memory capacity.

1-1

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Mainboard Specifications

CPU

† Supports Socket 939 for AMD K8 AthlonTM 64 X2 Dual-Core / AthlonTM 64 FX /

AthlonTM 64 processors

† Supports up to Athlon64 4200+ or higher CPU

(For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/pro­gram/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php)

Chipset

† nVIDIA nForce4 SLI

- HyperTransport link to AMD K8 AthlonTM 64 X2 Dual-Core / AthlonTM 64 FX /
AthlonTM 64 CPU

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

- Supports 2 PCI Express x16/ x1 interface

- Two independent SATA controllers, for four drives

- Dual Ultra ATA 133/100/66 IDE controllers

- Supports high-speed USB2.0 ports

- IEEE802.3 nVIDIA MAC for 1000BASE-T

Main Memory

† Supports dual channel, eight memory banks DDR 266/333/400, using four 184-pin

DDR DIMMs

† Supports a maximum memory size up to 4GB
† Supports 2.5v DDR SDRAM DIMM

(For the updated supporting memory modules, please visit http://www.msi.com
tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php.)

.

Slots

† Three 32-bit/33MHz Master PCI Bus slots, including one orange slot which sup-

ports 2 master for MSI special PCI function card (ex. wireless LAN and bluetooth
combo card)

† Two PCI Express x1 slots (PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant)
† Two PCI Express x16 slots support normal or SLI mode by auto detection or

software configuration (PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant)
SLI mode - Primary PCI _ E slot is compatible with PCI Express x 8

Secondary PCI_E slot is compatible with PCI Express x 8

non-SLI mode - Primary PCI_E slot is compatible with PCI Express x 16

HDD Interface

† Dual IDE controllers on the nVIDIA® nForceTM4 SLI chipset

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

operation modes

- Can connect up to 4 IDE devices

† Two independent SATA controllers on the nVIDIA® nForceTM4 SLI chipset

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

Secondary PCI_E slot is compatible with PCI Express x 1

1-2

Getting Started

NV RAID (Software)

† Supports up to 4 SATA and 4 PATA133 Hard drives

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

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

Onboard Peripherals

† 1 floppy port supports 1 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 parallel port supports SPP/EPP/ECP mode
† 1 RJ-45 LAN jack (with LEDs)
† 10 USB ports (6 on the front and 4 on the rear)
† 2 IEEE 1394 ports (1 on front and 1 on rear
† 1 Audio jack (5-in-1), coaxial/fiber SPDIF out
† 1 IrDA pinheader
† 1 D-Bracket2 pinheader
† 1 CD-In pinheader

Onboard LAN

† nVIDIA MAC for 1000BASE-T
† Marvell PHY 88E1111 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet

Onboard Audio

† Realtek ALC850 8-channel codec

- 8-ch DA connector with 48 KHz rate

- Compliant with AC97 2.3 specifications

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

- Meets Microsoft WHQL / WLP 2.0 audio requirement

Onboard IEEE 1394

† VIA VT6307 IEEE 1394 controller

BIOS

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

devices and expansion cards of the board automatically

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

records your mainboard specifications

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

Dimension

† ATX Form Factor (30.5 cm X 24.5 cm)

Mounting

† 9 mounting holes

1-3

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Reminds You...

1. Please note that the companion MSI Driver/Utility CD supports this
mainboard with Windows 2000/XP system drivers ONLY.

2. To create a bootable RAID volume for a Windows 2000
environment, Microsoft’s Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) is
required. As the end user cannot boot without SP4, a combination
installation CD must be created before attempting to install the
operating system onto the bootable RAID volume.
To create the combination installation CD, please refer to the
following website:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/
servicepacks/sp4/HFdeploy.htm

1-4

BIOS

BATT

IDE 1IDE 2FDD 1ATX1

DIMM4DIMM3DIMM2DIMM

1

JCI1

JIR1

SFAN1

PCI_E2

PCIE_PW1

Top: Mouse

nVIDIA

Bottom: Keyboard

Top:
Parallel Port

Bottom:
COM A
1394 Port
SPDIF

Top: LAN Jack
Bottom: USB Ports

USB Ports

T:

Line-In

M:

Line-Out

B:

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

LED1

Getting Started

Mainboard Layout

JPW1

88E1111

CPUFAN1

PCI_E1

J1394_1

VIA

VT6307

PCI_E3

PCI_E5

PCI_E4

nForce4 SLI

PCI1

ALC850

JAUD1

JCD1

PCI2

PCI3

JDB1

SFAN2

JUSB2

+

JUSB3

JUSB1

K8N SLI Series (MS-7185 v1.X) ATX Mainboard

NBFAN1

SATA2

SATA1
SATA4
SATA3

SW1

JFP2

JFP1

1-5

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Packing Checklist

MSI Mainboard

SLI Switch Card

Standard Cable for

Floppy Disk

MSI Driver/Utility CD

SATA RAID Driver Disk

SLI Bridge Card

Standard Cable for

IDE Devices

SATA Cable/

Power Cable (Optional)

D-Bracket 2

(Optional)

1394 Cable

(Optional)

Back IO Shield

1-6

* The pictures are for refer­ence only. Your packing
contents may vary depend­ing on the model you
purchased.

User’ s Guide

Hardware Setup

Chapter 2. Hardware
Setup

Hardware Setup

This chapter provides you with the information about hardware setup
procedures. While doing the installation, be careful in holding the
components and follow the installation procedures. For some
components, if you install in the wrong orientation, the components
will not work properly.

Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components.
Static electricity may damage the components.

2-1

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Quick Components Guide

PCIE_PW1,
JPW1, p.2-9

CPUFAN1,
SFAN1, p.2-15

DDR DIMMs, p.2-7

JCI1, p.2-19

I/O Ports,

p.2-11

PCI Express
Slots, p.2-25

J1394_1,

p.2-22

PCI Slots,

p.2-25

JAUD1, p.2-18

JCD1, p.2-19

JDB1, p.2-20

SFAN2, p.2-15

JUSB1/2/3, p.2-23

JFP1, p.2-19

ATX1, p.2-9

JIR1, p.2-18

FDD1, p.2-15

IDE1/2,

p.2-16

NBFAN1,

p.2-15

SATA1/2/
3/4, p.2-17

SW1, p.2-24

JFP2, p.2-19

2-2

Hardware Setup

Central Processing Unit: CPU

The mainboard supports AMD® Athlon64/ Athlon64 FX processors. The mainboard
uses a CPU socket called Socket-939 for easy CPU installation. When you are install­ing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan attached on
the top to prevent overheating. If you do not have the heat sink and cooling fan,
contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the computer.
For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/program/
products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php.

MSI Reminds You...

Overheating

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

Replacing the CPU

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

Overclocking

This motherboard 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-7185 ATX Mainboard

Gold arrow

Gold Arrow

Gold Arrow

Correct CPU placement

O

Incorrect CPU placement

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 939

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

Open Lever

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

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

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

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.

Sliding

Plate

90 degree

Press down
the CPU

Close the lever

2-4

Hardware Setup

Installing AMD Athlon64 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.

MSI Reminds You...

Mainboard photos shown in this section are for demonstration of the
cooler installation for Socket 939 CPUs only. The appearance of
your mainboard may vary depending on the model you purchase.

1.Detach the shield off the
backplate’s paster.

2.Turn over the mainboard, and install
the backplate to the proper position.

3.Turn over the mainboard again, and
place the mainboard on the flat
surface. Locate the two screw
holes of the mainboard.

4.Align the retention mechanism and
the backplate.

Fix the retention mechanism and
the backplate with two screws.

retention mechanism

2-5

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

5.Position the cooling set onto the
retention mechanism.

Hook one end of the clip to hook
first, and then press down the
other end of the clip to fasten the
cooling set on the top of the
retention mechanism.

6.Locate the Fix Lever, Safety Hook
and the Fixed Bolt.

Lift up the intensive fixed lever.

Safety Hook

7.Fasten down the lever.

8.Make sure the safety hook com­pletely clasps the fixed bolt of the
retention mechanism.

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

2-6

Fixed Lever

MSI Reminds You...

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

Fixed Bolt

Hardware Setup

Memory

The mainboard provides 4 slots for 184-pin DDR DIMM (Double In-Line Memory Module)
modules and supports the memory size up to 4GB. You can install DDR 266/333/400
modules on the DDR DIMM slots (DIMM 1~4).
For the updated supporting memory modules, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/
program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php.

DIMM1~DIMM4

(from left to right)

DIMM Module Combination

Install at least one DIMM module on the slots. Each DIMM slot supports up to a maximum
size of 1GB. Users can install either single- or double-sided modules to meet their
own needs. Users may install memory modules of different type and density on
different-channel DDR DIMMs. However, memory modules of the same type and
density are required while using dual-channel DDR, or instability may happen.

BLUE Slots BLACK Slots

DIMM1 (CH A) DIMM2 (CH B) DIMM3 (CH A)DIMM4 (CH B) Mode
128MB~1GB Single Channel

128MB~1GB Single Channel
128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB Single Channel
128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB Dual Channel

128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB Dual Channel
128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB Dual Channel

MSI Reminds You...

- The system operates ONLY when the DDR modules are installed in
accordance with the above-mentioned memory population rules.

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

- To enable successful system boot-up, always insert the memory
modules into the Channel A slots (DIMM1 or DIMM3) first.

- This mainboard DO NOT support the memory module installed
with more than 18 pieces of IC (integrated circuit).

- Do not support three memory modules.

2-7

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Recommended Memory Combination List

DIMM Slots

Green Green

DIMM1

S

-

D

-

S

D

S

D D

Purple

DIMM2 DIMM3 DIMM4

- -

-

-

-

-

-

S

S

-

D
S

D

-

- -

- - D

S
D

S

D

S

D

S: Single Side D: Double Side

Purple

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

D

S

D

Max Speed

DDR 400
DDR 400

DDR 400
DDR 400
DDR 400
DDR 333

DDR 400
DDR 400

DDR 400
DDR 400
DDR 333

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.

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

Volt

2-8

Notch

Hardware Setup

Power Supply

The mainboard supports ATX power supply for the power system. Before inserting
the power supply connector, always make sure that all components are installed
properly to ensure that no damage will be caused.

ATX 24-Pin System Power Connector: ATX1

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

ATX1

12

24

1

13

ATX1 Pin Definition

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 SIGNAL

13 +3.3V
14 -12V
15 GND
16 PS-ON#
17 GND
18 GND
19 GND
20 3VSB
21 +5V
22 +5V
23 +5V
24 GND

ATX 4-Pin CPU Power Connector: JPW1

This connector provides 12V power output to the CPUs.

ATX 4-Pin VGA Power Connector: PCIE_PW1

This connector is designed to connect 12V power supply for add-on PCI Express
graphics card(s). If users fail to connect this connector with an adequate power
supply, the alert LED (LED1) will glow.

PCIE_PW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

12

1 5V
2 GND
3 GND
4 +12V

2-9

3 4
1

JPW1

JPW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

2

1 GND
2 GND
3 12V
4 12V

PCIE_PW1

34

LED1

MSI Reminds You...

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

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

3. ATX 12V power connection should be greater than 20A.

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

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 (power­off) 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 or unplug the power connectors (as shown below)
before the 1st installation or during system upgrade procedure.

Unplug the AC power cable Unplug the power connector

2-10

Unplug power connectors

MSI Reminds You...

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

Hardware Setup

Back Panel

L-In

RS-Out

Mouse

Keyboard

COM Port

Parallel

1394 Port

SPDIF
Out
(Coaxial)

Mouse Connector (Green) / Keyboard Connector (Purple)

The mainboard provides a standard PS/2® mouse/keyboard mini DIN connector for
attaching a PS/2® mouse/keyboard. You can plug a PS/2® mouse/keyboard directly
into this connector. The connector location and pin assignments are as follows:

LAN

USB Ports

L-Out

Mic

CS-Out
SPDIF Out
(Optical)

6

4

2

PS/2 Mouse / Keyboard

(6-pin Female)

5

3

1

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 Mouse/Keyboard Data Mouse/Keyboard data
2 NC No connection
3 GND Ground
4 VCC +5V
5 Mouse/Keyboard Clock Mouse/Keyboard clock
6 NC No connection

Pin Definition

IEEE1394 Port (Optional)

The back panel provides one standard IEEE 1394 port. The IEEE1394 high-speed
serial bus complements USB by providing enhanced PC connectivity for a wide range
of devices, including consumer electronics audio/video (A/V) appliances, storage
peripherals, other PCs, and portable devices.

IEEE1394 Port

2-11

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Serial Port Connector

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

Pin Definition

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9

9-Pin Male DIN Connector

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 Connectors

The rear panel provides four OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) Universal Serial
Bus roots for attaching USB devices such as keyboard, mouse or other USB-compat­ible devices. You can plug the USB device directly into the connector.

2-12

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

Hardware Setup

LAN (RJ-45) Jack

The mainboard provides 1 standard RJ-45 jack for connection to single Local Area
Network (LAN). This Gigabit LAN enables data to be transferred at 1000, 100 or
10Mbps. You can connect a network cable to it.

Giga-bit LAN Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 D0P Differential Pair 0+
2 D0N Differential Pair 0­3 D1P Differential Pair 1+

RJ-45 LAN Jack

4 D2P Differential Pair 2+
5 D2N Differential Pair 2­6 D1N Differential Pair 1­7 D3P Differential Pair 3+
8 D3N Differential Pair 3-

Audio Port Connectors

The left 3 audio jacks are 2-channel mode for stereo speaker output. Line Out is a
connector for Speakers or Headphones. Line In is used for external CD player, Tape
player, or other audio devices. Mic is a connector for microphones.
However, there is an advanced audio application provided by Realtek ALC850 to
offer support for 7.1-channel audio operation and can turn rear audio connectors
from 2-channel to 4-/5.1-/7.1 channel audio.

Line In

(in 7.1CH)

Line Out

MIC

S/PDIF Out-Coaxial

Rear Speaker Out

(in 7.1CH / 6CH / 4CH)

Center/Subwoofer

Speaker Out

( in 7.1CH / 6CH)

S/PDIF Out-Optical

(in 7.1CH / 6CH)

2-13

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Parallel Port Connector: LPT1

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

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

2-14

Hardware Setup

Connectors

The mainboard provides connectors to connect to FDD, IDE HDD, case, LAN, USB
Ports, CPU/system power supply fans, ... and etc.

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

The mainboard provides a standard floppy disk drive connector that supports 360K,
720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk types.

FDD1

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1 / SFAN1 / SFAN2 / NBFAN1

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

+1 2V

GND

SFAN2

NC

GND
+12V
SENSOR

NBFAN1

GND

+12V

SENSOR

CPUFAN1

SFAN1

GND
+12V
SENSOR

MSI Reminds You...

1.CPUFAN1 supports fan control. You can install Core Center utility

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

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

2-15

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 / IDE2

The mainboard provides a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE and Ultra DMA 66/100/133 control­ler that supports PIO mode 0 ~ 4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 66/100/133 function. You
can connect up to four hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, 120MB floppy disk drive
(reserved for future BIOS), and other devices.

IDE2 IDE1

IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector)

The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1. IDE1 can connect a
Master and a Slave drive. You must configure second hard drive to Slave
mode by setting the jumper accordingly.

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

MSI Reminds You...

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

2-16

Hardware Setup

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

The nVIDIA nForceTM4 SLI provides a hybrid solution that combines four independent
SATA ports for support of up to four Serial ATA (Serial ATA RAID) drives and utilizes
nVIDIA Serial ATA software RAID to support RAID levels 0, 1, 0+1, and JBOD for easy
management of the storage subsystems. These connectors support 2nd generation
serial ATA data rates of 300 MB/s and are fully compliant with Serial ATA II specifications.

7

1

SATA2

SATA1

SATA4

SATA3

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

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

Connect to SATA1/2/3/4

MSI Reminds You...

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

2-17

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1

The connector allows you to connect to IrDA Infrared module. You must configure the
setting through the BIOS setup to use the IR function. JIR1 is compliant with Intel
Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.

Pin Definition

JIR1

6

2

5

1

Pin Signal

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

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

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

JAUD1

2
1

10

9

®

2-18

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

MSI Reminds You...

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

6

10

5

9

Hardware Setup

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1

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

CINTRU

GND

2
1

JCI1

CD-In Connector: JCD1

The connector is for CD-ROM audio connector.

JCD1

R

L

GND

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1 / JFP2

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

JFP1

JFP2

2
1

Power
LED

HDD
LED

2
1

Power
Switch

Reset
Switch

Speaker

Power
LED

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

10

5 RST_SW_N Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND

9

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.

JFP2 Pin Definition

8
7

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 GND 2 SPK­3 SLED 4 BUZ+
5 PLED 6 BUZ-

7 NC 8 SPK+

2-19

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1

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

2

1 9

10

JDB1

Connect to JDB1

D-Bracket™ 2

(Optional)

Pin Definition

Pin Signal

1 DBG1 (high for green color)
2 DBR1 (high for red color)
3 DBG2 (high for green color)
4 DBR2 (high for red color)
5 DBG3 (high for green color)
6 DBR3 (high for red color)
7 DBG4 (high for green color)
8 DBR4 (high for red color)
9 Key
10 NC

Connected to JUSB1/2/3

Red

D-Bracket™ 2

1 2
3 4

2-20

1 2
3 4

LEDs

Green

Description

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

Early Chipset Initialization

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

Operating System Booting

Hardware Setup

1 2
3 4

Decompressing BIOS image to RAM for fast booting.

Initializing Keyboard Controller.

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

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

Testing RTC (Real Time Clock)

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

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

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

Assign Resources to all ISA.

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

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

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

2-21

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

IEEE 1394 Connector: J1394_1

The mainboard provides one 1394 pinheader that allows you to connect IEEE 1394
ports via an external IEEE1394 bracket.

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

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

IEEE1394 Bracket (Optional)

2

1

9

10

J1394_1

Connected to J1394_1 (the 1394
pinheader in GREEN color)

2-22

Foolproof

design

Hardware Setup

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1 / JUSB2 / JUSB3

The mainboard provides three standard USB 2.0 pin headers JUSB1 & JUSB2 &
JUSB3. USB 2.0 technology increases data transfer rate up to a maximum throughput
of 480Mbps, which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1, and is ideal for connecting high­speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, MP3 players,

printers, modems and the like.

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

2 10

1

JUSB1, JUSB2, JUSB3

(USB 2.0)

Connect to JUSB1, JUSB2, or JUSB3
(the USB pinheader in YELLOW color)

9

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

USB 2.0 Bracket

(Optional)

MSI Reminds You...

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

2-23

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Button

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

Clear CMOS Button: SW1

CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor and is more specifi­cally referred to as CMOS RAM. It is a tiny 64-byte region of memory that, owing to
battery power, retains system configuration data when the PC is shut off. With the
CMOS RAM, the system can automatically boot OS every time it is turned on. If you
want to clear the system configuration, press the SW1 button to have the data
erased.

SW1

2-24

MSI Reminds You...

You can clear CMOS by pressing this button while the system is off.
Avoid clearing CMOS while the system is on; it will damage the
mainboard.

Hardware Setup

Slots

The motherboard provides two PCI Express x1 slots, two PCI Express x16 slots, and
three 32-bit 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 Slots

2-25

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

PCI Interrupt Request Routing

The IRQ, acronym of interrupt request line and pronounced I-R-Q, are hardware lines
over which devices can send interrupt signals to the microprocessor. The PCI IRQ
pins are typically connected to the PCI bus pins as follows:

Order 1 Order 2 Order 3 Order 4
PCI Slot 1 INT A# INT B# INT C# INT D#
PCI Slot 2 INT B# INT C# INT D# INT A#
PCI Slot 3 INT C# INT D# INT A# INT B#

NV SLI (Scalable Link Interface) Slot: PCI_E4

NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology allows two GPUs to run in tandem
within a system to achieve up to twice the performance of a single graphics card. To
utilize this technology, the two GPU cards must be
connected by an SLI bridge card.

You can find an SLI switch card on the mainboard
configured to non-SLI mode by default.

SLI Switch Card

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

1. Push the retaining clips (on the sides of the SLI slot) outwards to release the
SLI switch card.

MSI Reminds You...

Make sure that you unplug the power supply before removing the SLI
switch card.

SLI Bridge Card

non-SLI mode

2-26

Hardware Setup

2. Remove the SLI switch card. Flip it over to the other side (SLI mode side) and
insert it slantwise (at 45-degree angle) into the SLI slot.

SLI mode

3. Press down the SLI switch card. The retaining clips (on the sides of the SLI
slot) will automatically lock onto the notches in the ends of the card. The card
should securely fit into the slot. Before installing or removing the SLI switch
card, make sure that you unplug the power supply first.

4. After configuring the switch card to SLI mode, you can now install two
graphics cards on PCI Express x16 slots. With two cards installed, an SLI
bridge card is required to connect the atop golden fingers of these two
graphics cards. Please note that although you have installed two graphics
cards, only the video outputs on the first card will work. Hence, you only
need to connect a monitor to the first PCI Express card.

SLI bridge
card

MSI Reminds You...

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

2. If you intend to install only ONE x16 graphics card, make sure
that:a. your graphics card is Installed on the PCI_E1 slot;

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

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

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

specifications;

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

2-27

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

5. After the hardware installation is completed, restart the system and install
the NV SLI driver/utility. A configuration panel will be provided for Multi-GPU
control. Check the Enable multi-GPU box to enable the SLI function for the
onboard graphics cards (concerning the details of multi-GPU settings, please
refer to your graphics card manual) .

Check the box

6. Restart your system and a pop-up will show in the system tray confirming
that Multi-GPU has been enabled.

MSI Reminds You...

1. If you want to remove one graphics card and quit the SLI function,
make sure that you reset the SLI switch card (SLI mode to non-SLI
mode) and disable the "MultiGPU" function.

2. The onboard PCIE_PW1 VGA power connector (p.2-9) is designed
to connect 12V power supply for add-on PCI Express graphics card
(s). Make sure that you connect an adequate power supply to this
PCIE_PW1 connector (or to the power connection on the graphics
card) to ensure stable operation of the graphics card.

2-28

BIOS Setup

Chapter 3. BIOS Setup

BIOS Setup

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

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

ing up, and requests you to run SETUP.

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

MSI Reminds You...

1. The items under each BIOS category described in this chapter
are under continuous update for better system performance.
Therefore, the description may be slightly different from the 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:

W7185NMS V1.0 150305 where:

1st digit refers to BIOS maker as A = AMI, W = AWARD,
and P = PHOENIX.
2nd - 5th digit refers to the model number.
6th digit refers to the chipset as I = Intel, N = nVidia, and V = VIA.
7th - 8th digit refers to the customer as MS = all standard
customers.
V1.0 refers to the BIOS version.
150305 refers to the date this BIOS was released.

3-1

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Restore the previous CMOS value from CMOS, only for

Entering Setup

Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test) process.
When the message below appears on the screen, press <DEL> key to enter Setup.

Press DEL to enter SETUP

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

Control Keys

3-2

<↑>
<↓>
<←>
<→>
<Enter> Select the item
<Esc> Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu

<+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes
<-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes
<F1> General help, only for Status Page Setup Menu and

<F5>

<F7> Load Optimized defaults
<F10> Save all the CMOS changes and exit

Move to the previous item
Move to the next item
Move to the item in the left hand
Move to the item in the right hand

from a submenu

Option Page Setup Menu

Option Page Setup Menu

BIOS Setup

Getting Help

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

Main Menu

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

Sub-Menu

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

General Help <F1>

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

3-3

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

The Main Menu

Once you enter Phoenix-Award® BIOS CMOS Setup Utility, the Main Menu will appear
on the screen. The Main Menu allows you to select from twelve setup functions and
two exit choices. Use arrow keys to select among the items and press <Enter> to
accept or enter the sub-menu.

Standard CMOS Features

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

Advanced BIOS Features

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

Advanced Chipset Features

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

Integrated Peripherals

Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals.

Power Management Setup

Use this menu to specify your settings for power management.

PNP/PCI Configurations

This entry appears if your system supports PnP/PCI.

H/W Monitor

This entry shows your PC health status.

3-4

BIOS Setup

Cell Menu

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

Load Optimized Defaults

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

BIOS Setting Password

Use this menu to set the password for BIOS.

Save & Exit Setup

Save changes to CMOS and exit setup.

Exit Without Saving

Abandon all changes and exit setup.

3-5

MS-7185 ATX 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

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
year The year can be adjusted by users.

BIOS. Read-only.

function keys.

Time

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

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave

Press PgUp/<+> or PgDn/<-> to select [Manual], [None] or [Auto] type. Note that the
specifications of your drive must match with the drive table. The hard disk will not
work properly if you enter improper information for this category. If your hard disk
drive type is not matched or listed, you can use [Manual] to define your own drive
type manually.

If you select [Manual], related information is asked to be entered to the following
items. Enter the information directly from the keyboard. This information should be

3-6

BIOS Setup

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

Access Mode The settings are CHS, LBA, Large, Auto.
Capacity The formatted size of the storage device.
Cylinder Number of cylinders.
Head Number of heads.
Precomp Write precompensation.
Landing Zone Cylinder location of the landing zone.
Sector Number of sectors.

Floppy Drive A

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

Halt On

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

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

System Information

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

board error.

CPU Type/BIOS Version/System Memory/Total Memory

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

3-7

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Advanced BIOS Features

Quick Booting

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

Boot To OS/2

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

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.
Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

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. Settings: [1.4], [1.1].

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.

3-8

BIOS Setup

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

[System] A password prompt appears every time when the computer is

Boot Sequence

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

Setup.

powered on or when end users try to run Setup.

1st/2nd/3rd Boot Device

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

Boot From Other Device

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

Hard Disk Boot Priority

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu. Then you may use the arrow keys ( ↑↓ )
to select the desired device, then press <+>, <-> or <PageUp>, <PageDown>
key to move it up/down in this hard disk boot priority list.

3-9

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Advanced Chipset Features

DRAM Configuration

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

Timing Mode

This field has the capacity to automatically detect all of the DRAM timing. If you
set this field to [Manual], the following fields will be selectable. The settings are:
[Auto], [Manual].

3-10

BIOS Setup

Memclock index value (Mhz)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], user can place an artificial memory
clock on the system. Please note that memory is prevented from running faster
than this frequency. Setting options: [100], [120], [133], [140], [150], [166], [180]
[200].

CAS# Latency (Tcl)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable.This controls
the CAS latency, which determines the timing delay (in clock cycles) before
SDRAM starts a read command after receiving it. Settings: [Auto], [CL=2.0],
[CL=2.5], [CL=3.0]. [CL=2.0] increases the system performance the most while
[CL=3.0] provides the most stable performance.

Min RAS# Active Time (Tras)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This setting
determines the time RAS takes to read from and write to a memory cell. Setting
options: [Auto], [5T], [6T], [7T], [8T], [9T], [10T], [11T], [12T], [13T], [14T], [15T].

RAS# to CAS# delay (Trcd)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. When DRAM
is refreshed, both rows and columns are addressed separately. This setup
item allows you to determine the timing of the transition from RAS (row address
strobe) to CAS (column address strobe). The less the clock cycles, the faster
the DRAM performance. Setting options: [Auto], [2T], [3T], [4T], [5T], [6T], [7T].

Row Precharge Time (Trp)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This item
controls the number of cycles for Row Address Strobe (RAS) to be allowed to
precharge. If insufficient time is allowed for the RAS to accumulate its charge
before DRAM refresh, refreshing may be incomplete and DRAM may fail to
retain data. This item applies only when synchronous DRAM is installed in the
system. Available settings: [Auto], [2T], [3T], [4T], [5T], [6T], [7T].

Row to Row delay (Trrd)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Specifies the
active-to-active delay of different banks. Available settings: [Auto], [2T], [3T],
[4T].

Row cycle time (Trc)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. The row
cycle time determines the minimum number of clock cycles a memory row takes
to complete a full cycle, from row activation up to the precharging of the active
row. Available settings: [Auto], [7T]~[22T].

Row refresh cyc time (Trfc)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Auto-refresh

-active to RAS#-active or RAS# auto-refresh. Available settings: [Auto], [9T],
[10T] ~ [24T].

3-11

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Read to Write time (Trwt)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This is not a
DRAM-specified timing parameter, but must be considered due to routing laten­cies on the clock forwarded bus. It is counted from the first address bus slot
that was not associated with part of the read burst. Available settings: [Auto],
[1T], [2T], [3T], [4T], [5T].

Write recovery time (Twr)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. It specifies
the amount of delay (in clock cycles) that must elapse after the completion of a
valid write operation, before an active bank can be precharged. This delay is
required to guarantee that data in the write buffers can be written to the
memory cells before precharge occurs. Available settings: [Auto], [2T], [3T].

Write to Read delay (Twtr)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This item
controls the Write Data In to Read Command Delay memory timing. This consti­tutes the minimum number of clock cycles that must occur between the last
valid write operation and the next read command to the same internal bank of
the DDR device. Available settings: [Auto], [1T], [2T].

Refresh period (Tref)

When the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Specifies the
refresh rate of the DIMM requiring the most frequent refresh. Available settings:
[Auto], [1x1552], [1x2064], [1x2592], [1x3120], [1x3632], [1x4128], [1x4672],
[2x1552], [2x2064], [2x2592], [2x3120], [2x3632], [2x4128], [2x4672], [4x1552],
[4x2064], [4x2592], [4x3120], [4x3632], [4x4128], [4x4672], [128].

User Config mode

This field has the capacity to automatically detect all of the following 4 fields
default value.. If you set this field to [Manual], the following fields will be selectable.
The settings are: [Auto], [Manual].

Bottom of 32-bit [ 31:24] IO

When the User Config mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This field
specifies the memory which could be remapped to another address higher than
00E0. (This item only activities in 64-bit OS) The settings are: [0000~00E0].

1T/ 2T Memory Timing

When the User Config mode 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. Setting options: [1T], [2T].

Read Preamble value

When the User Config mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. The time
prior to the max-read DQS-return when the DQS receiver should be turned on.

3-12

BIOS Setup

This is specified in units of 0.5ns. The controller needs to know when to enbale
its DQS receiver in anticipation of the DRAM DQS driver truning on for a read.
The controller will disable its DQS receiver until the read preamble time and then
enable its DQS receiver while the DRAM asserts DQS. Setting options: [2ns], [2.
5ns], [3ns], [3.5ns], [4ns], [4.5ns], [5ns], [5.5ns], [6ns], [6.5ns], [7ns], [7.5ns],
[8ns], [8.5ns], [9ns], [9.5ns].

Async Latency value

When the User Config mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This field
should be loaded with 4-bit value equal to the maximum asynchronous latency
in the DRAM read round-trip loop. Setting options: [2ns], [3ns], [4ns], [5ns],
[6ns], [7ns], [8ns], [9ns], [10ns], [11ns].

S/W memory hole Remapping

This field enables software to remap the physical memory to the address higher
than 00E0. (This item only activities in 64-bit OS) Setting options: [Disabled],
[Enabled].

MTRR Mapping Mode

This setting controls the MTRR mapping mode. To install the WinXP64, this
setting should be set to [Continuous]. Setting options: [Continuous], [Discrete].

SLI Broadcast Aperture

When this setting is set to [Enabled], BIOS will reserve 255 MB memory space to
increase system performance during SLI operation.

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MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Integrated Peripherals

USB Controller

This setting allows you to enable/disable the onboard USB controller. Selecting [V1.
1+V2.0] enables the system to support both USB 1.1 and 2.0 spec. Setting options:
[Disabled], [V1.1], [V1.1+V2.0].

USB KB/Storage Support

Select [Enabled] if you need to use a USB-interfaced keyboard or storage device in
the operating system. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

nVidia MAC LAN

This setting controls the onboard LAN controller. Setting options: [Auto], [Disabled].

nVidia MAC LAN ROM

This setting is used to enable/disable the onboard LAN Option ROM. Setting options:
[Enabled], [Disabled].

Onboard IEEE1394 Controller

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

Marvell GigaBit LAN

Setting to [Enabled] allows the BIOS to detect the Marvell LAN controller and enable
it. Setting options: [Enabled] and [Disabled].

Marvell GigaBit LAN ROM

This setting controls the onboard Marvell LAN Boot ROM. Setting options: [Enabled],
[Disabled].

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BIOS Setup

AC97 Controller

[Auto] allows the mainboard to detect whether an audio device is used. If an audio
device is detected, the onboard AC’97 (Audio Codec’97) controller will be enabled; if
not, it is disabled. Disable the controller if you want to use other controller cards to
connect an audio device. The settings are: [Auto], [Disabled].

I/O Device Configuration

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

Onboard FDC Controller

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

COM Port 1

Select an address and corresponding interrupt for the first serial port. The
settings are: [3F8/IRQ4], [2E8/IRQ3], [3E8/IRQ4], [2F8/IRQ3], [Disabled], [Auto].

IR Function Select

This setting allows you to specify the operation mode for serial port 2. Setting
options: [IrDA], [ASKIR], [Disable].

RxD, TxD Active

This setting controls the receiving and transmitting speed of the IR peripheral in
use. Setting options: [Hi,Hi], [Hi,Lo], [Lo,Hi], [Lo,Lo].

IR Transmission Delay

This setting determines whether the IR transmission rate will be delayed while
converting to receiving mode. Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

[Disable] RS-232C Serial Port
[IrDA] IrDA-compliant Serial Infrared Port
[ASKIR] Amplitude Shift Keyed Infrared Port

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MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

UR2 Duplex Mode

This setting controls the operating mode of IR transmission/reception. Setting
options: [Full], [Half]. Under [Full] Duplex mode, synchronous, bi-directional trans­mission/reception is allowed. Under [Half] Duplex mode, only asynchronous, bi­directional transmission/reception is allowed.

Use IR Pins

Please consult your IR peripheral documentation to select the correct setting of
the TxD and RxD signals. Setting options: [RxD2/TxD2], [IR-Rx2Tx2].

Parallel Port

There is a built-in parallel port on the on-board Super I/O chipset that provides
Standard, ECP, and EPP features. It has the following options:

[Disabled]
[3BC/IRQ7] Line Printer port 0
[278/IRQ5] Line Printer port 2
[378/IRQ7] Line Printer port 1

Parallel Port Mode

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

SPP/EPP/ECP/ECP+EPP

To operate the onboard parallel port as Standard Parallel Port only, choose
[SPP]. To operate the onboard parallel port in the EPP mode simultaneously,
choose [EPP]. By choosing [ECP], the onboard parallel port will operate in
ECP mode only. Choosing [ECP + EPP] will allow the onboard parallel port to
support both the ECP and EPP modes simultaneously. Choose [Normal] to
use Standard Parallel Port + Bi-Directional Mode simultaneously.

EPP Mode Select

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

ECP Mode Use DMA

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

3-16

BIOS Setup

IDE Devices Configuration

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

OnChip IDE Channel 0/1

The integrated peripheral controller contains an IDE interface with support for
two IDE channels. Choose [Enabled] to activate each channel separately.
Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

IDE DMA Transfer Access

This item is used to enable or disable the DMA transfer function of the IDE Hard
Drive. The settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].

SATA1/SATA2 & SATA3/SATA4

This item is used to enable or disable onchip SATA controller. The settings are:
[Enabled], [Disabled].

nVidia RAID Config

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

3-17

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

RAID Enable

This item is used to enable/disable the onchip RAID function. When you set to
enable and the following fields will be selectabled. Setting options: [Enabled],
[Disabled].

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave RAID

This feature allows users to enable or disable the RAID function for each IDE
hard disk drive. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

SATA 1/2/3/4 RAID

This feature allows users to enable or disable the RAID function for each SATA
hard disk drive. The settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-18

BIOS Setup

Power Management Setup

MSI Reminds You...

S3-related functions described in this section are available only when
your BIOS supports S3 sleep mode.

ACPI Standby State

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

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

Video Off Method

This determines the manner in which the monitor is blanked.

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

[Blank Screen] This option only writes blanks to the video buffer.
[DPMS Support] Initial display power management signalling.

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.

vertical and horizontal synchronization ports and write
blanks to the video buffer.

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MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Power Button Function

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

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

Restore On AC Power Loss

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

Resume S3 by PS2/Keyboard, Resume S3 by PS2/Mouse

These fields allow the activity of the PS2 (keyboard and mouse) to wake up the
system from S3 sleep state. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

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).
Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Resume By RTC Alarm

The field is used to enable or disable the feature of booting up the system on a
scheduled time/date. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

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BIOS Setup

Date

The field specifies the date for Resume By RTC Alarm. Settings: [0]~[31].

HH:MM:SS

The field specifies the time for Resume By RTC Alarm. Format is <hour>
<minute><second>.

3-21

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

PNP/PCI Configurations

This section describes configuring the PCI bus system and PnP (Plug & Play) feature.
PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is a system which allows I/O devices to
operate at speeds nearing the speed the CPU itself uses when communicating with
its special components. This section covers some very technical items and it is
strongly recommended that only experienced users should make any changes to the
default settings.

Primary Graphic’s Adapter

This item specifies which graphic card is your primary graphics adapter. Settings:
[First PCIE], [PCI Slot].

Resource Controlled By

The Award Plug and Play BIOS has the capacity to automatically configure all of the
boot and Plug and Play compatible devices. However, this capability means abso­lutely nothing unless you are using a Plug and Play operating system such as Win­dows® 95/98. If you set this field to [Manual], choose specific resources by going into
each of the sub menu that follows this field (a sub menu is preceded by a “ }” ). The
settings are: [Auto (ESCD)], [Manual].

IRQ Resources

The items are adjustable only when Resources Controlled By is set to [Manual].
Press <Enter> and you will enter the sub-menu of the items. IRQ Resources list IRQ
3/4/5/7/9/10/11/12/14/15 for users to set each IRQ a type depending on the type of
device using the IRQ. Settings are:

[PCI Device] For Plug & Play compatible devices designed for PCI bus
[Reserved] The IRQ will be reserved for further request.

architecture.

3-22

BIOS Setup

** PCI Express relative items **
Maximum Payload Size

This item allows you to set the PCI Express Maximum payload size per time. Settings:
[4096], [128], [256], [512], [1024], [2048].

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MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

H/W Monitor

This section shows the status of your CPU, fan, overall system status, etc. Monitor
function is available only if there is hardware monitoring mechanism onboard.

Chassis Intrusion Detect

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

Smart CPU Fan Target

System Temperature with CPU Temperature with CPU Fan. The BIOS povides the
Smart Fan system which can control the fan speed automatically depending on the
current temperature to keep it with in a specific range. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-24

BIOS Setup

PC Health Status

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

Current System/CPU Temperature, System/CPU/Northbridge Fan Speed,
CPU Vcore, +3.3V, +12.0V, +5.0V, Battery, +5VSB

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

3-25

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Cell Menu

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

MSI Reminds You...

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

Current CPU / DDR Clock

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

High Performance Mode

This field allows you to select the DDR timing setting. Setting to [Optimized] enables
Adjust DDR Memory Frequency automatically to be determined by SPD. Selecting
[Manual] allows users to configure these fields manually. Setting options: [Optimized],
[Manual].

Aggressive timing

This item allows you to enable or disable the memory clock. When [Enabled] is selected,
the timing delay of memory will be shorten to increase the performance. Setting
options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Dynamic Overclocking

Dynamic Overclocking Technology is the automatic overclocking function, included in
the MSITM’s newly developed CoreCell
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

TM

Technology. It is designed to detect the load

3-26

BIOS Setup

up CPU automatically to make the program run smoothly and faster. When the CPU is
temporarily suspending or staying in the low load balance, it will restore the default
settings instead. Usually the Dynamic Overclocking Technology will be powered only
when users' PC need to run huge amount of data like 3D games or the video process,
and the CPU frequency need to be boosted up to enhance the overall performance.
Setting options:

[Disabled] Disable Dynamic Overclocking function.
[Private] 1st level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 1%.
[Sergeant] 2nd level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 3%.
[Captain] 3rd level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 5%.
[Colonel] 4th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 7%.
[General] 5th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 9%.
[Commander] 6th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 11%.

MSI Reminds You...

Even though the Dynamic Overclocking Technology is more stable
than manual overclocking, basically, it is still risky. We suggest user
to make sure that your CPU can afford to overclocking regularly first.
If you find the PC appears to be unstable or reboot incidentally, it's
better to disable the Dynamic Overclocking or to lower the level of
overclocking options. By the way, if you need to conduct overclocking
manually, you also need to disable the D.O.T Ranger first.

Adjust CPU FSB Frequency

This item allows you to select the CPU Front Side Bus clock frequency (in MHz).
Select the number between [200]~[400] for needed frequency.

HT Frequency

This setting specifies the maximum operating frequency of the link’s transmitter clock.
Setting options: [1x], [1.5x], [2x], [2.5x], [3x], [4x], [5x].

HT Width

This field allows you to set the HT Width between CPU & Chip.↑ mark means Chip to
CPU HT Width. And ↓ mark means CPU to Chip HT Width. Setting options: [ ↓ 8 ↑ 8], [
↓ 16 ↑ 8], [↓ 8 ↑16], [ ↓16 ↑16].

CPU Spread Spectrum

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

SATA Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the SATA Spread Spectrum feature. When
overclocking the CPU, always set it to [Disabled]. Setting options: [Disabled], [Down
Spread].

3-27

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

PCIE Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the PCI Express Spread Spectrum feature.
When overclocking the CPU, always set it to [Disabled]. Setting options: [Disabled],
[Down Spread].

PCIE Clock

This item allows you to select the PCIE Bus clock frequency (in MHz). Select the
number between [100]~[145] for needed frequency.

SSE/ SSE2 Instructions

This setting disables/enables the SSE/SSE2 Instructions. The Streaming SIMD Exten­sions (SSE) were introduced in the Pentium III processor. The SSE extensions con­sist of a new set of instructions and a new set of registers. These instructions and
registers are designed to allow Single-Instruction Multiple-Data (SIMD) computations
to be made on single-precision floating-point numbers.
The Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2) were introduced in the Pentium 4 and Intel
Xeon processors. They consist of a new set of instructions that operate on the XXM
and MXCSR registers and perform SIMD operations on double-precision floating­point values and on integer values.Several of these new SSE/SSE2 instructions also
operate in the MMX registers. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Cool’n’Quiet

This feature is especially designed for AMD Athlon processor, which provides a CPU
temperature detecting function to prevent your CPU’s from overheating due to the
heavy working loading. Setting options: [Disabled], [Auto].

MSI Reminds You...

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

Adjust CPU Ratio

This item lets you adjust the CPU ratio. Setting to [Startup] enables the CPU running at
the fastest speed which is detected by system. Setting options are: [Startup], [x4]~
[x25].

Adjust CPU VID

This item lets you adjust the CPU VID. Setting to [Startup] enables the CPU running at
the default VID which is detected by system. Setting options are: [Startup], [0.825V],
[0.850V],[0.875V],~, [1.550V].

Extra CPU Voltage

This feature allows you to add extra voltage to the CPU. Setting options are: [By CPU
VID], [Over VID 3.3%], [Over VID 6.6%],[Over VID 8.3%].

CPU Voltage

This setting shows the voltage of the CPU.

3-28

BIOS Setup

Memory Voltage

Adjusting the DDR voltage can increase the DDR speed. Any changes made to this
setting may cause a stability issue, so changing the DDR voltage for long-term
purpose is NOT recommended. Setting options: [Auto], [2.50V] ~ [2.85V].

NF4 Voltage

NF4 voltage is adjustable in the field. Setting options: [1.50V] ~ [1.85V].

MSI Reminds You...

The settings shown in different color in CPU Voltage, Memory Volt-
age and NF4 Voltage help to verify if your setting is proper for your

system.

Gray: Default setting.
Yellow:High performance setting.
Red: Not recommended setting and the system may be

Changing CPU Voltage, Memory Voltage and NF4 Voltage may
result in the instability of the system; therefore, it is NOT recom­mended to change the default setting for long-term usage.

unstable.

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MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Load Optimized Defaults

The Optimized Defaults are the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer
specifically for optimal performance of the mainboard.

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

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

BIOS Setting Password

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

Type the password, up to 8 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.

3-30

Introduction to DigiCell

Chapter 4. Introduction to DigiCell

Chapter 2. Hardware Setup

Introduction to DigiCell

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

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

--> MSI Utility --> MSI DigiCell), it will have an icon in the
system tray, a short cut icon on the desktop, and a short cut path in

your “Start-up” menu. You may double-click on each icon to enable
DigiCell.

short-cut icon in the system tray

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

4-1

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Main

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

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

Introduction:

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

MSI

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

Quick Guide

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

H/W Diagnostic

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

Comm.

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

Software Access Point

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

4-2

Introduction to DigiCell

Live Update

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

Core Center

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

MEGA STICK

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

Audio Speaker Setting

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

Power on Agent

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

MSI Reminds You...

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

4-3

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

H/W Diagnostic

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

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

4-4

Introduction to DigiCell

Communication

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

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

The second icon indicates the wireless connection. You may click this icon
to configure the advanced settings in the WLAN Card Mode dialogue box
(see the image on p.4-8). Please note that it is only available when the
Software Access Point is set to WLAN Card Mode.

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

4-5

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Software Access Point

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

Terminology

Here are the introduction of WLAN / AP communication terminology.

WEP Key

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

Ad-hoc Mode

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

Infrastructure Mode

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

4-6

Introduction to DigiCell

Access Point Mode

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

IP Sharing

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

Disabled. Enabled.

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

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

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

SSID

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

Channel

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

Associated Client List

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

Association Control

This option allows you to control which PC can connect to the wireless LAN. If you
enable this feature, only PCs with MAC address located in Association Control List

4-7

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

can connect to the wireless LAN.

MAC Address

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

Security

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

Authentication

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

MSI Feature

WLAN Card Mode

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

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

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

4-8

Introduction to DigiCell

Live Update

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

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

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

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

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

4-9

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

MEGA STICK

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

Basic Function

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4-10

Introduction to DigiCell

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

previous

pause

next

forward/rewind
bar

song’s informationstop

play

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

4-11

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Non-Unicode programs supported

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

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

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

4-12

Introduction to DigiCell

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

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

4-13

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Core Center (for AMD K8 Processor)

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

Cool’n’Quiet

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

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

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

When you click the red triangles in the left and right sides, two sub-menus will open
for users to overclock, overspec or to adjust the thresholds of system to send out the
warning messages.

4-14

Introduction to DigiCell

Left-side: Current system status

In the left sub-menu, you can configure the settings of FSB, PCI-E, CPU Voltage, and
Memory Voltage by clicking the radio button in front of each item and make it available
(the radio button will be lighted as yellow when selected), use the “ +” and “ -” buttons
to adjust and set the desired values, then click “OK” to apply the changes. Then you
can click “Save” to save the desired FSB you just configured.

Also you may click “ Auto” to start testing the maximum CPU overclocking value. The
CPU FSB will automatically increase the testing value until the PC reboots. Or you may
click “Default ” to restore the default values.

Right-side: PC hardware status during real time operation

In the right sub-menu, here you can configure the PC hardware status such as CPU
& system temperatures and fan speeds. You may use the scroll bars to adjust each
item, then click “OK” to apply the changes. The values you set for the temperatures
are the maximum thresholds for the system warnings, and the values for fan speeds
are the minimum thresholds.

Center-side: Cool’n’Quiet / User mode

Here you may adjust the CPU fan speed. If you choose User mode, you may adjust
the CPU fan speed in 8 different modes, from High Speed to Low speed. If you
choose Cool’n’ Quiet, the system will automatically configure an optimal setting for
you.

MSI Reminds You...

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

1.Run BIOS Setup, and se­lect Cell Menu. Under Cell

Menu, find Cool’n’Quiet
Support, and set this item

to “Enable.”

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

4-15

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Audio Speaker Setting

In the Audio Speaker Setting sub-menu, you can configure the multi-channel audio
operation, perform speaker test, and choose the environment you prefer while en­joying the music.

You can scroll the bar of each equalizer to regulate the current playing digital sound
source. Also you may click on the “ on” button to enable/disable the equalizer function.
Once the equalizer function is enabled, you can choose several preset equalizers
for your preference. You may also right-click anywhere to execute this function.
After you have chosen one equalizer, it will be indicated next to the “on ” button in
yellow.

The Environment setting lets you select the environment you like, such as

Cave or Convert Hall .

4-16

Introduction to DigiCell

Click on the “Speaker test ” button and the following dialogue box will appear:

In this Speaker Configuration dialogue box, select the audio configuration which
is identical to the audio jack on your mainboard. Once the correct audio configuration
is selected, click “Apply” to save the changes. Then the following screen will
appear. In this Speaker Configuration dialogue box, first select the correct item
from the Speaker mode drop-down list, and then click on each connected speaker
to ensure if Headphone, 2-, 4-, 5.1-, or 7.1- channel audio operation is working
properly. 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.

Center

Front Left

Main Side Left

Rear Left

Front Right

Main Side Right

Rear Right

Subwoofer

4-17

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Power on Agent

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

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

Power On

Here are the available settings for Power On function:

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

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

4-18

MSI Reminds You...

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

Introduction to DigiCell

Power Off / Restart

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

Start With

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

” button to browse for the path of Out-

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

you may enter the file name with the com-

plete path or the website link in the Parameters: field.

add the desired start­with program

To activate Outlook as DigiCell
is enabled next time

To activate a specified website
as DigiCell is enabled next time

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

delete the added program

MSI Reminds You...

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

4-19

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Auto Login

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

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

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

Enable Auto Login

Enable this setting if you want to use the Auto Login feature. It supports the
following operating systems: Win9X, Windows ME, Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

Default User Name

It is only available for Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

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

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

Default Password

It is only available for Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

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

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

4-20

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Appendix A: nVIDIA RAID Introduction

NVIDIA brings Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) technology—which is
used by the world’s leading businesses— to the common PC desktop. This 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.

A-1

MS-7185 ATX Mainboard

Introduction

System Requirement

Operating System Support

NVRAID supports the following operating systems:

Windows XP Home Edition
Windows XP Professional Edition
Windows 2000 Professional

RAID Arrays

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

Summary of RAID Configurations

Array Uses Advantages Drawbacks # Hard

RAID 0 Non-critical data

RAID 1 Small databases or any

RAID 0+1 Critical data requiring

JBOD Combining odd size

requiring high
performance.

other small capacity
environment requiring
fault tolerance.

high performance.

drives into one big drive

High data throughput. No fault tolerance. multiple None

100% data
redundancy.

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

Combines and uses
the capacity of odd
size drives.

Requires 2 drives for
the storage space of 1
drive.

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

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

Disks

2 Yes

4+ Yes

Multiple No

Fault
Tolerance

MSI Reminds You...

Please note that the companion MSI Driver/Utility CD supports this
mainboard with Windows 2000/XP system drivers ONLY. Hence,
users cannot install OS, either WinME or Win98, in their SATA hard
drives.

A-2

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

RAID Configuration

Basic Configuration Instructions

The following are the basic steps for configuring NVRAID:

Non-Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (Check p.
3-17 for details.)

2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and
Mirroring (RAID 0+1), or Spanning (JBOD) and create the desired RAID array.

3. Enter the Windows OS, run the Windows nForce Setup application and install the
RAID software. (Check p.A-7 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (Check p.
3-17 for details.)

2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and
Mirroring (RAID 0+1), or Spanning (JBOD) and create the desired RAID array.

3. Boot from the Windows CD, use the floppy disk that has the RAID driver to copy
and install the nForce RAID software. (Check p.A-8 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS

Be sure to enable the IDE RAID or SATA RAID items in nVidia RAID Config of
Integrated Peripherals in BIOS (refer to p.3-17 for details) 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.

A-3

MS-7185 ATX 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

Depending on the platform used, the system can have one or more channels. In a
typical system there is usually one controller and multiple channels, and each chan­nel has a slave and a master.
The channel/controller/master/slave status of each hard disk is given in the Loc
(location) columns of the Free Disks and Array Disks lists.

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

Parallel ATA

0.0.M Channel 0, controller 0, Master

0.0.S Channel 0, controller 0, Slave

0.1.M Channel 0, controller 1, Master

0.1.S Channel 0, controller 1, Slave

Serial ATA

1.0.M Channel 1, controller 0, Master

1.1.M Channel 1, controller 1, Master

2.0.M Channel 2, controller 0, Master

2.1.M Channel 2, controller 1, Master

MSI Reminds You...

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

A-4

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Using the Define a New Array Window

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

• Selecting the RAID Mode

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

• Selecting the Striping Block Size

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

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

• Assigning the Disks

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

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

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

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

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

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

as RAID array disks appear in the Array Disks block.

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

A-5

MS-7185 ATX 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 RAID Software Under Windows” on p.A-7.

A-6