MSI MS-7325 User Manual

K9N4 SLI Series

MS-7325 (V1.X) Mainboard

G52-73251X1

The material in this document is the intellectual property of MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no

guarantee is given as to the correctness of its contents. Our products are under continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice.

Trademarks

All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DualNet, and nForce are registered trademarks or trade-

marks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. AMD, Athlon™ , Athlon™ XP, Thoroughbred™, and Duron™ are registered trademarks of AMD Corporation. Intel® and Pentium® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. PS/2 and OS®/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Windows® 95/98/2000/NT/XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Netware® is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. Award® is a registered trademark of Phoenix Technologies Ltd. AMI® is a registered trademark of American Megatrends Inc.

Revision History

Revision Revision History Date

V1.0 First release for PCB 1.X October 2006

Technical Support

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

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

faq/esc_faq_list.php

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

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 service personnel:

† The power cord or plug is damaged. † Liquid has penetrated into the equipment. † The equipment has been exposed to moisture. † The equipment does 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-7325

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.

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement

vii

CONTENTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 2. Hardware Setep..................................................................................2-1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: JPWR1......................................................2-8

ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1/ PCIE_PW1.........................................2-8

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

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

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

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

ATA133 Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1/ IDE2..............................................2-12

Serial ATA Connectors: SATA1~SATA4...................................................2-13

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1, NBFAN1 & SYSFAN2..2-14

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

Aux Line-In Connector: JCD1...................................................................2-14

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

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

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

SPDIF-Out Connector: JSPDO1 (Optional, for HDMI graphics card only).....

2-16

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1/ JFP2.......................................................2-17

viii

D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1...............................................................2-18

Button.................................................................................................................2-19

Clear CMOS Button : SW1.........................................................................2-19

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

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots.......................2-20

NV SLI Technology....................................................................................2-21

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots......................................2-23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-21

Load Optimized Defaults...................................................................................3-27

BIOS Setting Password.....................................................................................3-28

Appendix A. Realtek ALC850 Audio...................................................................A-1

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

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

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

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

Speaker Configuration................................................................................A-7

3D Audio Demo.............................................................................................A-9

General.......................................................................................................A-10

SPDIF...........................................................................................................A-11

Hardware Setup................................................................................................A-12

Appendix B. Dual Core Center.............................................................................B-1

Activating Dual Core Center...............................................................................B-2

Main......................................................................................................................B-3

Introduction:.................................................................................................B-3

DOT (Dynamic OverClocking).............................................................................B-5

Clock.....................................................................................................................B-6

Voltage.................................................................................................................B-7

FAN Speed...........................................................................................................B-8

Temperature.........................................................................................................B-9

User Profile........................................................................................................B-10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation.............................................................................C-9

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

Array)...........................................................................................................C-9

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

RAID Drives Management..................................................................................C-12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

nVidia Utility Installaion........................................................................................D-5

Getting Started

Chapter 1

Getting Started

Thank you for choosing the K9N4 SLI Series (MS-7325 v1.X) ATX mainboard. The K9N4 SLI Series mainboards are based on nVidia® nForce500 SLI chipsets for optimal system efficiency. Designed to fit the advanced AMD® Athlon 64 X2/ Athlon 64 & Sempron processor, the K9N4 SLI Series deliver a high performance and professional desktop platform solution.

1-1

MS-7325 Mainboard

Mainboard Specifications

Processor Support

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

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

Supported FSB

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

Chipset

- nVidia® nForce500 SLI chipset

Memory Support

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

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

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

LAN

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

Audio

- Controlled by Realtek ALC850

- Supports 7.1 channels audio out

- Compliant with AC’97 Rev 2.3 Spec

IDE

- 2 IDE ports

- Supports Ultra DMA 66/100/133 mode

- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation mode

SATA

- 4 SATA II ports

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

RAID

- SATA1~4 supports RAID 0/ 1/ 0+1/ 5 or JBOD mode

Floppy

- 1 floppy port

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

1-2

Getting Started

Connectors

Back panel

- 1 PS/2 mouse port

- 1 PS/2 keyboard port.

- 1 Serial port

- 1 Parallel port supporting SPP/EPP/ECP mode

- 4 USB 2.0 Ports.

- 1 LAN jack

- 6 audio jacks

On-Board Pinheaders

- 1 D-Bracket 2 pinheader

- 1 IrDA pinheader

- 3 USB 2.0 pinheaders

- 1 SPDIF-Out pinheader

Slots

- 2 PCI Express x 16 slots, compatible with PCI Express x 8 speed (Support SLI technology)

- 2 PCI Express x 1 slots

- 2 PCI slots, support 3.3V/ 5V PCI bus Interface

Form Factor

- ATX (30.5 cm X 24.5 cm)

Mounting

- 9 mounting holes

1-3

MS-7325 Mainboard

BATT

IDE1IDE

DIMM1DIMM3DIMM2DIMM

SYSFAN2

VSC8601

nForce500 SLI

FDD1JIR

JCI1

Winbond

BIOS

Mainboard Layout

Top : mouse Bottom: keyboard

Top : Parallel Port

Bottom: Com Port

USB ports

Top: LAN Jack Bottom: USB ports

Line-In

Line-Out

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

PCIE_PW1

PCI_E1

JPW1

JPWR1

SYSFAN1

CPUFAN1

I/O

1-4

ALC850

JAUD1

PCI_E2

PCI_E3

PCI_E4

PCI1

PCI2

JSPDO1

JCD1

JDB1

K9N4 SLI Series

(MS-7325 v1.X) ATX Mainboard

Nvidia

SATA3

JFP2

JUSB2 JUSB1 JUSB3 JFP1

SATA4

SW1

NBFAN1

SATA1

SATA2

Packing Checklist

Getting Started

MSI motherboard

Power Cable

Back IO Shield

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

MSI Driver/Utility CD

SATA Cable

D-Bracket 2

(Optional)

SLI Video Link Card

Standard Cable for

IDE Devices (Optional)

User’ s Guide

1-5

Hardware Setup

Chapter 2

Hardware Setup

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

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

2-1

MS-7325 Mainboard

Quick Components Guide

Back Panel I/O, p.2-10

PCIE_PW1,

p.2-8

PCI Express slots, p.2-20

PCI Slots,

p.2-23

JAUD1,

p.2-15

CPUFAN1,

p.2-14

JPWR1,

p.2-8

JCD1, p.2-14

JPW1,

p.2-8

SYSFAN2,

p.2-14

CPU, p.2-3

JDB1, p.2-18

SYSFAN1,

p.2-14

DDRII DIMMs, p.2-6

JCI1, p.2-14

JUSB1~3, p.2-16

JIR1, p.2-15

FDD1, p.2-12

IDE1/2, p.2-12

NBFAN1, p.2-14 SATA1~4,

p.2-13

SW1, p.2-19

JFP2, p.2-17 JFP1, p.2-17

2-2

JSPDO1,

p.2-16

Hardware Setup

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The mainboard supports AMD® Athlon64/ X2 & Sempron processors. The mainboard uses a CPU socket called Socket AM2 for easy CPU installation. When you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not have the heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the computer. For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/program/ products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php

Important

1. Overheating will seriously damage the CPU and system. Always make

sure the cooling fan can work properly to protect the CPU from overheating.

2. Make sure that you apply an even layer of heat sink paste (or thermal tape)

between the CPU and the heatsink to enhance heat dissipation.

3. While replacing the CPU, always turn off the ATX power supply or unplug

the power supply’s power cord from the grounded outlet first to ensure the safety of CPU.

2-3

MS-7325 Mainboard

Gold arrow

Correct CPU placement

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket AM2

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

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

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

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

Sliding

Plate

Open Lever

90 degree

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

2-4

Hardware Setup

Installing AMD Socket AM2 CPU Cooler Set

When you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not have the

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

Important

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

1.Position the cooling set onto the retention mechanism.

Hook one end of the clip to hook first.

3.Fasten down the lever.

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

Fixed Lever

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

2-5

MS-7325 Mainboard

Memory

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

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

program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php

DDRII

240-pin, 1.8V

64x2=128 pin56x2=112 pin

Dual-Channel Memory Population Rules

DIMM3 DIMM4 DIMM1 DIMM2

2-6

Hardware Setup

Installing DDRII Modules

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

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

Important

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

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

Volt

Notch

Important

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

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

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

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

2-7

MS-7325 Mainboard

Power Supply

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: JPWR1

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

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

JPWR1

PIN SIGNAL

1 +3.3V 2 +3.3V 3 GND 4 +5V 5 GND 6 +5V 7 GND 8 PWR OK 9 5VSB 10 +12V

11 +12V 12 +3.3V

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

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

pin 13

pin 12

ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1/ PCIE_PW1

This 12V power connector JPW1 is used to provide power to the CPU. This 12V power connector PCIE_PW1 is used to provide power to stable the operation of graphics card.

JPW1

3 4

JPW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND 2 GND 3 12V 4 12V

PCIE_PW1

PCIE_PW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 5V 2 GND 3 GND 4 12V

Important

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

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

2-8

Hardware Setup

Important Notification about Power Issue

NForce chipset is very sensitive to ESD (Electrostatic Discharge), therefore this issue mostly happens while the users intensively swap memory modules under S5 (power-off) states, and the power code is plugged while installing modules. Due to several pins are very sensitive to ESD, so this kind of memory-replacement actions might cause system chipset unable to boot. Please follow the following solution to avoid this situation.

Unplug the AC power cable (shown in figure 1) or unplug the JPWR1/ PCIE_PW1 & JPW1 power connectors (shown in figure 2 & figure 3) before the 1st installation or during system upgrade procedure.

Unplug the JPWR1 power conn.

Figure 2:

Unplug the AC power cable

Figure 1:

Figure 3:

Unplug the JPW1/ PCIE_PW1

power connectors

2-9

MS-7325 Mainboard

Back Panel

RS-Out

L-In

Mouse

Keyboard

Parallel Port

Serial Port

USB Ports

Mouse/Keyboard Connector

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

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

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

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

LAN

L-Out

Mic

Link IndicatorActivity Indicator

CS-Out

SS-Out

LED Color LED State condition

Off LAN link is not established.

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

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

Green Off 10 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Right On 100 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Orange On 1000 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

2-10

Hardware Setup

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

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

Blue audio jack - Line In, is used for external CD player, tapeplayer or

other audio devices.

Green audio jack - Line Out, is a connector for speakers or headphones. Pink audio jack - Mic In, is a connector for microphones. Black audio jack - Rear-Surround Out in 4/ 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode. Orange audio jack - Center/ Subwoofer Out in 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode. Gray audio jack - Side-Surround Out in 7.1 channel mode.

2-11

MS-7325 Mainboard

Connectors

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

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

FDD1

ATA133 Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1/ IDE2

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

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

IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector) The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1. IDE1 can connect a Master and a Slave drive. You must configure the 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.

Important

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

2-12

Hardware Setup

Serial ATA Connectors: SATA1~SATA4

SATA1~SATA4 are high-speed SATAII interface ports. Each supports data rates of 300 MB/s and is fully compliant with Serial ATA specifications. Each Serial ATA connector can connect to 1 hard disk device.

SATA4SATA3

SATA1

SATA2

Serial ATA cable

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

Connect to SATA connector

Important

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

2-13

MS-7325 Mainboard

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1, NBFAN1 & SYSFAN2

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

GND

+12V

SENSOR

Control

CPUFAN1

GND +12V

SENSOR

SYSFAN1

+1 2V

GND

SYSFAN2

GND +12V SENSOR

NBFAN1

Important

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

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

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

4.CPUFAN1 supports fan control. You can setup it in H/W Monitor of BIOS

Setup.

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1

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

C I

JCI1

Aux Line-In Connector: JCD1

The connector is for TV/ DVD add-on card with Line-in connector.

JCD1

2-14

GND

Hardware Setup

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

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

JAUD1

2 1

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

Important

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.

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.

JIR1

Pin Definition

Pin Signal

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

2-15

MS-7325 Mainboard

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1, JUSB2 & JUSB3

The mainboard provides USB 2.0 pinheaders (optional USB 2.0 bracket available) that are compliant with Intel® I/O Connectivity Design Guide. USB 2.0 technology increases data transfer rate up to a maximum throughput of 480Mbps, which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1, and is ideal for connecting high-speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras , MP3 players , printers, modems and the like.

Pin Definition

JUSB1/2/3

2 1

Connected to USB connector

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

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

USB 2.0 Bracket

(Optional)

Important

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

SPDIF-Out Connector: JSPDO1 (Optional, for HDMI graphics card only)

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

SPDIFO GND

JSPDO1

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Hardware Setup

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.

Power

LED

Switch

JFP1

HDD LED

JFP1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 HD_LED + Hard disk LED pull-up 2 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up 3 HD_LED - Hard disk active LED 4 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up 5 RST_SW - Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND 6 PWR_SW - Power Switch high reference pull-down to GND 7 RST_SW + Reset Switch high reference pull-up 8 PWR_SW + Power Switch low reference pull-up 9 RSVD_DNU Reserved. Do not use.

Reset Switch

10 9

Speaker

JFP2

2 1

Power LED

8 7

JFP2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

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

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MS-7325 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 specs. It integrates four LEDs and allows users to identify system problems through 16 various combinations of LED signals.

Connected to

DBR1

DBR2

DBR3

DBR4

NC 9

JDB1

D-Bracket™ 2

(Optional)

DBG1

DBG3

DBG2

Red

LED Signal

1 2 3 4

DBG4

Key (no-pin)

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.

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...)

Connected to USB connector

Green

Description

LED Signal

1 2 3 4

Description

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.

LEDs

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1 2 3 4

Testing RTC (Real Time Clock)

1 2 3 4

Operating System Booting

Hardware Setup

Button

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

Clear CMOS Button : SW1

There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external battery to keep the system configuration data. With the CMOS RAM, the system can automatically boot OS every time it is turned on. If you want to clear the system configuration, use the SW1 (Clear CMOS Button) to clear data. Press the button to clear the data.

SW1

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Slots

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots

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

PCI Express x16 Slot

( compatible with

PCIExpress x 8 speed only)

PCI Express x1 Slot

Important

1. When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug the

power supply first. Meanwhile, read the documentation for the expansion card to configure any necessary hardware or software settings for the ex pansion card, such as jumpers, switches or BIOS configuration.

2. The mainboard supports SLI technology with two PCI Express X 16 slots.

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Hardware Setup

NV SLI Technology

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 Video Link card.

SLI Video Link Card

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

1.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 (refer to the picture below). 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 Video Link Card

Important

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

2. If you intend to install TWO x16 graphics cards for SLI, make sure that, these two graphics cards are of the same brand and specifications.

3. If you intend to install one PCIE x16 graphics card, please always install it into the PCI_E1 slot to ensure the performance of graphics card

4. Make sure that you connect an adequate power supply to the PCIE_PW1 connector (or to the power connection on the graphics card) to ensure stable operation of the graphics card.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

2. 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

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

Important

If you want to remove one graphics card and quit the SLI function, make sure the "MultiGPU" function is disabled.

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Hardware Setup

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots

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

32-bit PCI Slot

PCI Interrupt Request Routing

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

Order 1 Order 2 Order 3 Order 4 PCI Slot 1 INT Y# INT Z# INT W# INT X# PCI Slot 2 INT Z# INT W# INT X# INT Y#

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Chapter 3

BIOS Setup

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

² An error message appears on the screen during the

system booting up, and requests you to run SETUP.

² You want to change the default settings for cus-

tomized features.

BIOS Setup

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Entering Setup

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

Press DEL to enter SETUP

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

Important

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

2.Upon boot-up, the 1st line appearing after the memory count is the BIOS version. It is usually in the format:

3-2

A7325NMS V1.0 102006 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. 102006 refers to the date this BIOS was released.

BIOS Setup

Control Keys

<↑> Move to the previous item <↓> Move to the next item <←> Move to the item in the left hand < →> Move to the item in the right hand

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

submenu

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

Getting Help

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

Main Menu

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

Sub-Menu

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

General Help <F1>

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

The Main Menu

Standard CMOS Features

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

Advanced BIOS Features

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

Advanced Chipset Features

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

Integrated Peripherals

Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals.

Power Management Features

Use this menu to specify your settings for power management.

PNP/PCI Configurations

This entry appears if your system supports PnP/PCI.

H/W Monitor

This entry shows your PC health status.

Cell Menu

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

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BIOS Setup

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.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Standard CMOS Features

The items in Standard CMOS Features Menu includes some basic setup items. Use the arrow keys to highlight the item and then use the <PgUp> or <PgDn> keys to select the value you want in each item.

Date (MM:DD:YY)

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

day Day of the week, from Sun to Sat, determined by month The month from Jan. through Dec.

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

Time (HH:MM:SS)

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

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

ary Channel

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

BIOS. Read-only.

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BIOS Setup

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

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

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

Type

Define the HDD parameters.

LBA/Large Mode

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

DMA Mode

Select DMA Mode.

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

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

Important

Primary/ Secondary IDE Master/ Slave, Serial-ATA 1/ 2 Primary/ Secondary Channel are appearing when you connect the HD devices to

the IDE/ SATA connector on the mainboard.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Floppy Drive A

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

Halt On

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

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

System Information

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

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

3-8

BIOS Setup

Advanced BIOS Features

Quick Boot

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

Full Screen LOGO Display

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

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

Boot Sector Protection

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

Boot to OS/2

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

Boot Up Num Lock LED

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

IOAPIC Function

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

Boot Sequence

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

1st/2nd Device

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

Hard Disk Drives

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

Removable Drives

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

CD/DVD Drives

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

Other Drives

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

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Advanced Chipset Features

Hyper Transport nFocre500 SLI Configuration

NF500 to AM2 (CPU) Freq Auto

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

BIOS Setup

NF500 to AM2 (CPU) LinkWidth

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Integrated Peripherals

USB Controller

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

USB Device Legacy Support

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

Onboard Audio Controller

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

Onboard LAN Controller

These items are used to enable/disable the onboard LAN controller.

Onboard LAN Option ROM

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

I/O Device Configuration

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

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BIOS Setup

Onboard Floppy Controller

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

COM Port 1

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

IR Function

This setting allows you to enable or disable the IR function.

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] Line Printer port 0 [278] Line Printer port 2 [378] Line Printer port 1

Parallel Port Mode

[Normal] Stardand Parallel Port [EPP] Enhanced Parallel Port [ECP] Extended Capability Port [ECP + EPP] Extended Capability Port + Enhanced Parallel Port

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

Parallel Port IRQ

This item allows you to set parallel port IRQ.

IDE Devices Configuration

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

PCI IDE BusMaster

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

On-Chip IDE Controller

This item allows you to enable/ disable IDE Controller.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

SATA Devices Configuration

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

Serial-ATA 0/ 1

These items allow users to enable or disable the SATA controllers. S

nVidia RAID Controller

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

SATA 0/ SATA 1 Primary/ Secondary Channel

When the nVidia RAID Controller sets to “Enable”, these items will appear. These items allow users to enable or disable the RAID function for each SATA hard disk drive.

3-14

Power Management Setup

Important

BIOS Setup

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

ACPI Function

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

ACPI Standby State

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

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

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

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

formation of system configuration and open applications/files is saved to main memory that remains powered while most other hardware components turn off to save energy. The information stored in memory will be used to restore the system when a “wake up ” event occurs.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Re-Call VGA BIOS From S3

When ACPI Standby State is set to [S3/STR], users can select the options in this field. Selecting [Yes] allows BIOS to call VGABIOS to initialize the VGA card when system wakes up (resumes) from S3 sleep state. The system resume time is shortened when you disable the function, but system will need an VGA driver to initialize the VGA card. Therefore, if the VGA driver of the card does not support the initialization feature, the display may work abnormally or not function after resuming from S3.

Power Button Function

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

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

Restore On AC Power Loss

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

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

Wakeup Event Setup

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

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

or interrupt occurred.

Resume From S3 By PS/2 KB

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

Resume From S3 By PS/2 MS

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

Resume by PCI Device (PME#)

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

3-16

BIOS Setup

Resume by PCIE Device

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

Resume by RTC Alarm

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

PNP/PCI Configurations

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

Primary Graphics Adapter

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

PCI Latency Timer

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

PCI Slot 1/2 IRQ

These items specify the IRQ line for each PCI slot.

IRQ Resource Setup

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

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BIOS Setup

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

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

Important

IRQ (Interrupt Request) lines are system resources allocated to I/O devices. When an I/O device needs to gain attention of the operating system, it signals this by causing an IRQ to occur. After receiving the signal, when the operating system is ready, the system will interrupt itself and perform the service required by the I/O device.

DMA Resource Setup

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

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

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

H/W Monitor

Chassis Intrusion

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

CPU FAN PIN Select

This item is available for you to choose the CPU fan pin number of your system. Be sure to select the correct pin number identical to the pin of the CPU fan you purchase.

Smart FAN Target

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

System/ CPU Temperature, SYS FAN/ CPU FAN/ NB FAN Speed, CPU

Vcore, +12.0V, +5.0V, +3.3V,

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

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BIOS Setup

Cell Menu

Cool’n’Quiet

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

Important

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

1.Run BIOS Setup, and select Cell Menu. Under Cell Menu, find Cool ’ n’Quiet, and set this item to “Enable.”

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

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Important

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

Current CPU Clock/ FSB Multiplier/ Memory Speed/ CPU Voltage

These items show the current CPU Clock/ FSB Multiplier/ Memory Speed/ CPU Voltage. Read-only.

Adjust Extra CPU Voltage (V)

This item allows you to overclock the CPU voltage.

CPU Frequency (MHz)

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

CPU Dynamic OverClocking

Dynamic Overclocking Technology is the automatic overclocking function, included in the MSITM’s newly developed CoreCell balance of CPU while running programs, and to adjust the best CPU frequency automatically. When the motherboard detects CPU is running programs, it will speed up CPU automatically to make the program run smoothly and faster. When the CPU is temporarily suspending or staying in the low load balance, it will restore the default settings instead. Usually the Dynamic Overclocking Technology will be powered only when users' PC need to run huge amount of data like 3D games or the video process, and the CPU frequency need to be boosted up to enhance the overall performance. Settings are:

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

Technology. It is designed to detect the load

Important

Even though the Dynamic Overclocking Technology is more stable than manual overclocking, basically, it is still risky. We suggest user to make sure that your CPU can afford to overclocking regularly first. If you find the PC appears to be unstable or reboot incidentally, it's better to disable the Dynamic Overclocking or to lower the level of overclocking options. By the way, if you need to conduct overclocking manually, you also need to disable the Dynamic OverClocking first.

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BIOS Setup

CPU Frequency Configuration

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

Adjust CPU Ratio

This item allows you to set the CPU ratio.

CPU Voltage

This item allows you to set the CPU voltage.

Memclock Mode

Setting to Auto, the system will auto detect the memory clock. Setting to Manual, the “Memory Value” item will appear and allows you to select the memory clock.

Memory Value

This item allows you to select the memory clock.

Adjust DDR Voltage (V)

Adjusting the DDR2 voltage can increase the DDR speed.

Memory Configuration

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

MCT Timing Mode

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

CAS# Latency (TCL)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets 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.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Min RAS# Active Time (TRAS)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This setting determines the time RAS takes to read from and write to a memory cell.

RAS# Precharge Time (TRP)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This item controls the number of cycles for Row Address Strobe (RAS) to be allowed to precharge. If insufficient time is allowed for the RAS to accumulate its charge before DRAM refresh, refreshing may be incomplete and DRAM may fail to retain data. This item applies only when synchronous DRAM is installed in the system.

RAS# to CAS# Delay (TRCD)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. When DRAM is refreshed, both rows and columns are addressed separately. This setup item allows you to determine the timing of the transition from RAS (row address strobe) to CAS (column address strobe). The less the clock cycles, the faster the DRAM performance.

ROW to ROW Delay (TRRD)

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

ROW Cycle Time (TRC)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets 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.

Bank Interleaveing

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

Enable Clock to All DIMMs

Enable unused clocks to all DIMMs even memory DIMMs are not populated.

1T/2T Timing Mode

This field controls the SDRAM command rate. Selecting [1T] makes SDRAM signal controller to run at 1T (T=clock cycles) rate. Selecting [2T] makes SDRAM signal controller run at 2T rate.

SoftWare Memory hole

Enable Memory Remapping Around Memory Hole.

Adjust Chipset Voltage

Allows to adjust the chipset voltage.

3-24

BIOS Setup

Important

The settings shown in different color in Adjust chipset Voltage item helps to verify if your setting is proper for your system.

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

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

PCIE Frequency (MHz)

This item allows you to select the PCIE frequency (in MHz).

Spread Spectrum Configuration

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

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].

PCIE / LDT / SATA Spread Spectrum

These settings are used to enable or disable the PCIE/ LDT (HT Bus multiplier)/ SATA Spread Spectrum feature.

Important

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

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

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

CPU and Memory Clock Overclocking

The CPU Frequency / CPU Dynamic OverClocking / Adjust CPU Ratio/ Memory Clock are the items for you to overclock the CPU and the Memory. Please refer to the

descriptions of these fields for more information.

Important

1.CPU Speed = CPU Frequency * CPU Ratio

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

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

Reboot

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

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

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

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

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

Clear CMOS

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

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BIOS Setup

Load Optimized Defaults

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

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

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

BIOS Setting Password

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

Type the password, up to six characters in length, and press <Enter>. The password typed now will replace any previously set password from CMOS memory. You will be prompted to confirm the password. Retype the password and press <Enter>. You may also press <Esc> to abort the selection and not enter a password. To clear a set password, just press <Enter> when you are prompted to enter the password. A message will show up confirming the password will be disabled. Once the password is disabled, the system will boot and you can enter Setup without entering any password. When a password has been set, you will be prompted to enter it every time you try to enter Setup. This prevents an unauthorized person from changing any part of your system configuration.

3-28

Realtek ALC850 Audio

Appendix A

Realtek ALC850 Audio

The Realtek ALC850 supports 8-channel audio output, including 2 Front, 2 Rear, 1 Center and 1 Subwoofer channel. It enables connection to 2, 4, 6 or 8 speakers for better surround sound effect. This section tells you how to install and use 2-, 4-, 6- or 8-channel audio function on the board.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Installing the Audio Driver

You need to install the driver for Realtek ALC850 codec to function properly before you can get access to 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio operations. Follow the procedures described below to install the drivers for different operating systems.

Installation for Windows 2000/XP

For Windows® 2000, you must install Windows® 2000 Service Pack2 or later before installing the driver. The following illustrations are based on Windows® XP environment and could look slightly different if you install the drivers in different operating systems.

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

2. Click Realtek AC97 Audio Drivers.

Click here

Important

The AC97 Audio Configuration software utility is under continuous update to enhance audio applications. Hence, the program screens shown

here in this appendix may be slightly different from the latest software utility and shall be held for reference only.

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3. Click Next to install the AC’97 Audio software.

4. Click Finish to restart the system.

Realtek ALC850 Audio

Click here

Select this option

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Software Configuration

After installing the audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio feature now. Click the audio icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner

of the screen to activate the AC97 Audio Configuration. It is also available to enable the audio driver by clicking the Sound Effect Manager from the Control Panel.

A-4

Realtek ALC850 Audio

Sound Effect

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

You may also edit the properties for an environment as you wish by clicking the “Edit” button, then just scroll the bar in the bottom for each property to adjust.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

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

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

Load EQ Setting

Reset EQ Setting

EQ Setting On/Off

Save Preset

Delete EQ Setting

Here it provides the Karaoke function which will automatically remove human voice (lyrics) and leave melody for you to sing the song. You may use the “ up arrow” and “down arrow” button to raise/lower the key, and press the lower button to remove the human voice.

Raise the key

Remove the human voice

Lower the key

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Realtek ALC850 Audio

Speaker Configuration

In this tab, you can easily configure your multi-channel audio function and speakers.

1. First you have to select the audio configuration below which is identical to the audio jack on your mainboard. In this model it uses Realtek ALC850 codec which supports 8-channel, therefore you should choose 8CH audio

out.

2. Select a desired multi-channel operation here.

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Select the speaker by clicking it to test its functionality. The one you select will light up and make testing sound. If any speaker fails to make sound, then check whether the cable is inserted firmly to the connector or replace the bad speakers with good ones. Or you may click the “Auto Test ” button to test the sounds of each speaker automatically.

Center

Front Left

Subwoofer

Side Left

Rear Left

3. While you are testing the speakers in 8-Channel / 6-Channel Mode, if the sound coming from the center speaker and subwoofer is swapped, you should select Swap Center/Subwoofer Output to readjust these two channels.

Front Right

Side Right

Rear Right

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Realtek ALC850 Audio

3D Audio Demo

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

General

In this tab it provides some information about this AC97 Audio Configuration utility, including Audio Driver Version, DirectX Version, Audio Controller & AC97 Codec. You may also select the language of this utility by choosing from the Language list.

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

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

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Realtek ALC850 Audio

SPDIF

In this tab it provides options about SPDIF-Out for you to configure.

† No Output: With this option, there is no S/PDIF output signal while playing analog

and digital audio.

† Output digital only: With this option, only digital audio will be allowed to play via

SPDIF out while playing analog and digital audio.

† Output digital and analog: With this option, both digital and analog audio will be

allowed to play via SPDIF out while playing analog and digital audio.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Hardware Setup

Connecting the Speakers

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

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

Back Panel

1 Line In 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear surround channels, but no functioning in this mode) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode) 6 Line Out (Side surround channels, but no functioning in this mode)

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n 4-Channel Mode for 4-Speaker Output

Back Panel

Realtek ALC850 Audio

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

4-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear surround channels) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode) 6 Line Out (Side surround channels, but no functioning in this mode)

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MS-7325 Mainboard

n 6-Channel Mode for 6-Speaker Output

Back Panel

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

6-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear surround channels) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel) 6 Line Out (Side surround channels, but no functioning in this mode)

subwoofer-channel Line Out connector.

A-14

n 8-Channel Mode for 8-Speaker Output

Realtek ALC850 Audio

8-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear surround channels) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel) 6 Line Out (Side channels)

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

A-15

Dual Core Center

Appendix B

Dual Core Center

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

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

2. 256MB system memory.

3. CD-ROM drive for software installation.

4. Operation system: Windows XP.

5. DotNet Frame Work 2.0

B-1

MS-7325 Mainboard

Activating Dual Core Center

Once you have your Dual Core Center installed (locate the setup source file in the setup CD accompanying with your mainboard, path: Utility --> MSI Utility --> Dual Core Center), it will have an icon in the system tray, a short cut icon on the desktop, and a short cut path in your “Start-up” menu. You may double-click on each icon to enable Dual Core Center.

short-cut icon in the system tray

B-2

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

Dual Core Center

Main

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

Introduction:

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

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

VGA

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

DOT

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

AV/ Game/ Office/ Silence/ Cool

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

Important

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

Sharp mode Smooth mode

Clock

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

card.

Voltage

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

card.

FAN Speed

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

graphics card.

Temperature

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

User Profile

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

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

Important

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

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Dual Core Center

DOT (Dynamic OverClocking)

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

DOT FSB-UP Rate button

DOT FSB-DOWN Rate button

Important

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Clock

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

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

Important

In the user profile, clicking the Save button can save the changes to it. In the default profile, the Save button is not available.

B-6

Voltage

Dual Core Center

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

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

Important

In the user profile, clicking the Save button can save the changes to it. In the default profile, the Save button is not available.

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MS-7325 Mainboard

FAN Speed

In the FAN Speed sub-menu, you can read fan status of your system. Select higher speed for better cooling effect. There are several sections for you to change the fan speed to a section after clicking button. Click the plus sign button to increase the fan speed to a section, or click the minus sign button to decrease. Or click the Default button to restore the default values.

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

Important

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

2. In the user profile, clicking the Save button can save the changes to it. In the default profile, the Save button is not available.

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Dual Core Center

Temperature

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

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

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MS-7325 Mainboard

User Profile

In the User Profile sub-menu, click the setting button that besides the user profile bar, and the next screen will appear.

Here you can define the clock/ fan speed/ voltage by your need, click the button to choose a value quickly, or click the plus / minus sign button to increase/ decrease the value.

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Dual Core Center

Use the draw bar to set the max system temperature. When the system temperature exceeds the threshold you defined, the system will pop up a warning message and shut down the system. Use the draw bar to set the minimal fan speed. When the fan speed is lower than the threshold you defined, the system will pop up a warning message.

After setting all values you need, you can change the user profile name in the box then click the save button to save all changes in a profile.

Finally, you can choose the user profile by click the button in the left side and click the Apply button to load the user profile.

B-11

Appendix C

nVidia RAID

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

nVidia RAID

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MS-7325 Mainboard

Introduction

System Requirement

Operating System Support

NVRAID supports the following operating systems:

Windows XP

RAID Arrays

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

Summary of RAID Configurations

Array Uses Advantages Drawbacks # Hard

RAID 0 Non-critical data

RAID 1 Small databases or any

RAID 0+1 Critical data requiring

RAID 5 Critical data and

requiring high performance.

other small capacity environment requiring fault tolerance.

high performance.

reasonable level of performance.

High data throughput. No fault tolerance. multiple None

100% data redundancy.

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

Fault tolerance and better utilization of disk space.

Requires 2 drives for the storage space of 1 drive.

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

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

Disks

2 Yes

4+ Yes

3+ Yes

Fault Tolerance

JBOD Combining odd size

drives into one big drive

Combines and uses the capacity of odd size drives.

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

Multiple No

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nVidia RAID

RAID Configuration

Basic Configuration Instructions

The following are the basic steps for configuring NVRAID:

Non-Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (To enable the OnChip RAID Controller and SATA0/ SATA1 Primary/ Secondary Chan- nel in SATA Devices Configuration of Integrated Peripherals in BIOS.)

2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and Mirroring (RAID 0+1), RAID 5 or JBOD and create the desired RAID array.

3. Enter the Windows OS, run the Windows nForce Setup application and install the RAID software. (Check p.C-9 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Bootable RAID Array

2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and Mirroring (RAID 0+1), RAID 5 or JBOD and create the desired RAID array.

3. Boot from the Windows CD, use the floppy disk that has the RAID driver to copy and install the nForce RAID software. (Check p.C-7 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS

Be sure to enable the OnChip RAID Controller and SATA0/ SATA1 Primary/ Secondary Channel in SATA Devices Configuration of Integrated Peripher-

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

Entering the RAID BIOS Setup

1. After rebooting your PC, wait until

you see the RAID software prompting you to press F10. The RAID prompt appears as part of the system POST and boot process prior to loading the OS.

2. Press F10, and the NVIDIA RAID

Utility --- Define a New Array window will appear. The default RAID Mode is set to Mirroring and Striping Block is set to Optimal.

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MS-7325 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 Controller 1, Channel 0, and the drive is set to Master. The following is a list of all possible combinations:

Serial ATA

1.0.M Controller 1, Channel 0, Master (SATA1)

1.1.M Controller 1, Channel 1, Master (SATA2)

2.0.M Controller 2, Channel 0, Master (SATA3)

2.1.M Controller 2, Channel 1, Master (SATA4)

Important

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

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nVidia RAID

Using the Define a New Array Window

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

• Selecting the RAID Mode

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

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

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

• Assigning the Disks

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

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

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

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

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

selected and ready to be moved.

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

as RAID array disks appear in the Array Disks block.

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

- Define a New Array -

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MS-7325 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.C-9.

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nVidia RAID

Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array)

1. After you complete the RAID BIOS setup, boot from the Windows CD, and the

Windows Setup program starts.

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

3. Specify the NVIDIA drivers:

(1)Insert the floppy that has the RAID driver, press S, then press Enter. The

Windows Setup screen appears as below:

Important

Please follow the instruction below to make an nVIDIA Serial ATA RAID driver for yourself.

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

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

3.Copy all the contents in the :\\nVidia \System \CK804 \IDE \Win XP or Win2K \SATARAID to a formatted floppy disk.

4.The driver disk for nVIDIA RAID controller is done.

(2)Select “NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER” and then press Enter. (3)Press S again at the Specify Devices screen, then press Enter. (4)Select “NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller” and then press Enter. The follow-

ing Windows Setup screen appears listing both drivers:

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MS-7325 Mainboard

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

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

Important

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

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MSI MS-7325 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual