Msi P35D3 Platinum Series user Manual

P35D3 Platinum Series

MS-7356 (v1.X) Mainboard

G52-73561X3

i

Copyright Notice

The material in this document is the intellectual property of MICRO-STAR

INTERNATIONAL. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no

guarantee is given as to the correctness of its contents. Our products are under

continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice.

Trademarks

All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DualNet, and nForce are registered trademarks or trade-

marks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

AMD, Athlon™ , Athlon™ XP, Thoroughbred™, and Duron™ are registered trade-

marks 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/Vista 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 P35 D3 Platinum June 2007

Technical Support

If a problem arises with your system and no solution can be obtained from the user’ s

manual, please contact your place of purchase or local distributor. Alternatively,

please try the following help resources for further guidance.

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

func=faqIndex

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

ii

Safety Instructions

1. Always read the safety instructions carefully.

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

3. Keep this equipment away from humidity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

User’s Manual.

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

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

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

iii

FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This equipment has been

tested and found to comply

with the limits for a Class B

digital device, pursuant to Part

15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection

against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,

uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accor-

dance 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-7356

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

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

may cause undesired operation.

iv

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement

v

vi

vii

CONTENTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Packing Checklist.................................................................................................1-4

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

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

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

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

Power Supply.....................................................................................................2-11

Back Panel..........................................................................................................2-12

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

Jumper................................................................................................................2-21

Button.................................................................................................................2-22

Slots....................................................................................................................2-23

LED Status Indicators........................................................................................2-25

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

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

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

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

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

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

Power Management Setup...............................................................................3-14

PNP/PCI Configurations.....................................................................................3-17

H/W Monitor........................................................................................................3-19

Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-20

Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults.................................................................3-26

BIOS Setting Password.....................................................................................3-27

Appendix A Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio..................................................A-1

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

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

Hardware Setup................................................................................................A-19

viii

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

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

Main......................................................................................................................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 Intel ICH9R SATA RAID.....................................................................C-1

ICH9R Introduction...............................................................................................C-2

BIOS Configuration..............................................................................................C-3

Installing Driver....................................................................................................C-9

Installing Software............................................................................................C-11

RAID Migration Instructions...............................................................................C-15

Degraded RAID Array........................................................................................C-22

ix

Getting Started

Chapter 1

Getting Started

Thank you for choosing the P35D3 Platinum Series (MS­7356 v1.X) ATX mainboard. The P35D3 Platinum Series
mainboards are based on Intel® P35 & ICH9R chipsets
for optimal system efficiency. Designed to fit the advanced

Intel® Core 2 Quad/Core 2 Duo/Pentium/Celeron
LGA775 processor, the P35D3 Platinum Series deliver a

high performance and professional desktop platform
solution.

1-1

MS-7356 Mainboard

Mainboard Specifications

Processor Support

- Supports Intel® Core 2 Quad/Core 2 Duo based processors in
LGA775 package.

- Supports Intel® Yorkfield, Wolfdale in the LGA775 package.

(For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://global.

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

Supported FSB

- 1333/ 1066/ 800 MHz

Chipset

- North Bridge: Intel® P35 chipset

- South Bridge: Intel® ICH9R chipset

Memory Support

- DDR3 1066/800 SDRAM (8GB Max)

- 4 DDR3 DIMMs (240pin / 1.5V)

(For more information on compatible components, please visit

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

LAN

- Supports PCIE LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Realtek 8111B

Audio (optional)

- Chip integrated by Realtek® ALC888/ALC888T

- Flexible 8-channel audio with jack sensing

- Compliant with Azalia 1.0 Spec

- Meet Microsoft Vista Premium spec

- Support VoIP Card (only for ALC888T)

IDE

- 1 IDE port by Marvell 88SE6111

- Supports Ultra DMA 66/100/133 mode

- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation mode

SATA

- 4 SATAII ports plus 2 eSATA by ICH9R

- 1 SATA II port by Marvell 88SE6111

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

RAID

- Supports Intel Martix Storage Technology (AHCI + RAID 0/1/5/10)
by ICH9R

1394

- Supports 1394 by VIA VT6308

FDD

- 1 floppy port

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

1-2

Getting Started

Connectors

Back panel

- 1 PS/2 mouse port

- 1 PS/2 keyboard port

- 2 eSATA ports (support Command Based Port Multipliers)

- 6 USB 2.0 Ports

- 1 LAN jack (10/100/1000)

- 6 flexible audio jacks

- 1 1394 port

- 1 Optical S/PDIF-Out

On-Board Pinheaders / Connectors

- 3 USB 2.0 pinheaders

- 1 1394 pinheader

- 1 chasis intrusion connector

- 1 SPDIF-out pinheader

- 1 CD-in connector

- 2 H/W OC pinheaders (optional)

- 1 front audio pinheader

- 1 serial pinheader

Slots

- 1 PCI Express x16 slot

- 2 PCI Express x1 slots

- 1 PCI Express x4 slot

- 2 PCI slots

- Support 3.3V/ 5V PCI bus Interface

Form Factor

- ATX (30.5cm X 24.5cm)

Mounting

- 9 mounting holes

1-3

MS-7356 Mainboard

IMM

1

IMM

3

IMM

2

IMM

4

Intel

PCI_E3

I/O Chip

CPUFAN1

SYSFAN3

J1394_1

JSPDIF2

IDE1

PCI_E4

JSLIC1

(optional)

SYSFAN5

JCASE1

Mainboard Layout

Top : mouse
Bottom:
keyboard

Top :
USB Ports

Bottom:

Top : LAN jack
Bottom:
USB ports

eSATA ports

T:

Line-In

M:

Line-Out

B:

Mic

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

JPW1

JPW2

SYSFAN1

SYSFAN2

PCI_E1

P35

1
X
T
A

4
N
A
F
S
Y
S

1-4

JCOM1

Codec

JAUD1

PCI_E2

)

l
a
n

2

1

o

B

i

B

t

J

J

p
o
(

PCI 1

PCI 2

JCD_IN1

P35D3 Platinum Series

(MS-7356 v1.X) ATX Mainboard

FDD1

D

l

e

R

t

9

n

I

H

C

I

BATT

+

JUSB3 JUSB2 JUSB1

D

D

D

4

3

A

A

T

T

A

A

S

S

6

5

A

A

T

T

A

A

S

S

SATA7

SW1

JFP2 JFP1

Packing Checklist

Getting Started

MSI motherboard

Power Cable

Floppy Cable

MSI Driver/Utility CD

SATA Cable

external SATA Cable

(Optional)

Back IO Shield

IDE Cable

1394 Bracket (Optional)

User’ s Guide

and Quick Guide

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

ATX Extender (Optional)

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-7356 Mainboard

Quick Components Guide

JPW2,
p.2-11

JPW1,
p.2-11

Back Panel,
p.2-12

SYSFAN1,
p.2-16

SYSFAN2,
p.2-16

PCI_E,
p.2-23

JCOM1,
p.2-20

PCI,
p.2-23

CPU, p.2-3

CPUFAN,

p.2-16

SYSFAN5,
p.2-16

DDR3,
p.2-7

ATX1,
p.2-11

SYSFAN4,
p.2-16

JB1,JB2,
p.2-21

JCASE1,
p.2-16

IDE1,
p.2-14

SATA3~7,
p.2-15
SW1,
p.2-22

JFP1,2,
p.2-18

2-2

JAUD1,
p.2-19

JCD-IN1,
p.2-19

JSLIC1,
p.2-15

JSPDIF2,
p.2-17

FDD1,
p.2-14

J1394_1,
p.2-17

SYSFAN3,
p.2-16

JUSB1~3,
p.2-20

Hardware Setup

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

When you are installing the CPU, make sure to install the cooler to prevent
overheating. If you do not have the CPU cooler, consult your dealer before turning

on the computer.
For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?

func=cpuform

Important

Overheating

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

Replaceing the CPU

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

Overclocking

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

by inadequate operation or beyond product specifications.

Introduction to LGA 775 CPU

The pin-pad side of LGA 775
CPU.

Alignment Key Alignment Key

Yellow triangle is the Pin 1 indicator

The surface of LGA 775 CPU.
Remember to apply some ther­mal paste on it for better heat
dispersion.

Yellow triangle is the Pin 1 indicator

2-3

MS-7356 Mainboard

CPU & Cooler Installation

When you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a cooler attached on
the top to prevent overheating. Meanwhile, do not forget to apply some thermal

paste on CPU before installing the heat sink/cooler fan for better heat dispersion.
Follow the steps below to install the CPU & cooler correctly. Wrong installation will
cause the damage of your CPU & mainboard.

1.The CPU socket has a plastic cap on
it to protect the contact from damage.
Before you install the CPU, always
cover it to protect the socket pin.

3.The pins of socket reveal.

2.Remove the cap from lever hinge
side (as the arrow shows).

4.Open the load lever.

Important

1.Confirm if your CPU cooler is firmly installed before turning on your system.

2. Do not touch the CPU socket pins to avoid damaging.

3. The availability of the CPU land side cover depends on your CPU packing.

2-4

Hardware Setup

5.Lift the load lever up and open the
load plate.

7.Visually inspect if the CPU is
seated well into the socket. If not,
take out the CPU with pure vertical
motion and reinstall.

6.After confirming the CPU direction
for correct mating, put down the
CPU in the socket housing frame.
Be sure to grasp on the edge of
the CPU base. Note that the align­ment keys are matched.

alignment

key

8.Cover the load plate onto the
package.

2-5

MS-7356 Mainboard

9.Press down the load lever lightly
onto the load plate, and then se­cure the lever with the hook under
retention tab.

11.Press the four hooks down to fas-

ten the cooler. Then rotate the lock­ing switch (refer to the correct di­rection marked on it) to lock the
hooks.

locking

switch

10. Align the holes on the mainboard
with the heatsink. Push down the
cooler until its four clips get
wedged into the holes of the
mainboard.

12.Turn over the mainboard to con­firm that the clip-ends are cor­rectly inserted.

Important

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

2. Whenever CPU is not installed, always protect your CPU socket pin with the
plastic cap covered (shown in Figure 1) to avoid damaging.

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

2-6

Hardware Setup

1

2

3

Empty

Installed

Memory

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

tw/index.php?func=testreport

DDR3

240-pin, 1.5V

72x2=144 pin 48x2=96 pin

Single-Channel: All DIMMs in SKYBLUE

Dual-Channel: Channel A inSKYBLUE; Channel B in PINK

Dual-Channel mode Population Rule

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

DIMM1

DIMM2

DIMM3

DIMM4

DIMM1

DIMM2

DIMM3

DIMM4

DIMM1

DIMM2

DIMM3

DIMM4

2-7

MS-7356 Mainboard

Installing Memory Modules

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

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

Important

You can barely see the golden finger if the memory 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

-DDR3 memory modules are not interchangeable with DDR/DDR2 and the
DDR3 standard is not backwards compatible. You should always install DDR3
memory modules in the DDR3 DIMM slots.

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

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

2-8

Hardware Setup

We recommend that you to use the available DDR3 memory modules as below.

DDR3 800

Memory Slot

1 2 3 4

v v

v v

v v

v v
v v

v v

Nanya

Nanya
Qimonda
Qimonda

Hynix
Hynix

Model Size

NT512C64B88A0NY-AD.0706.X1.TW v v v v
(Nanya NT5C864M8AN-AD)
NT1GC64B8HA0NY-AD.0706.X1.TW v v v v
(Nanya NT5C864M8AN-AD)
IMSH51U03A1F1C-08E v v v v
(Qimonda IDSH51-O3A1F1C-08E)
IMSH1GU13A1F1C-08E v v v v
(Qimonda IDSH51-O3A1F1C-08E)
HYMT112U64ZNF8-S6 AA v v v v
(Hynix HY5TQ1G831ZN)
HYMT125U64ZNF8-S6 AA v v v v
(Hynix HY5TQ1G831ZN)

512MB

1GB

512MB

1GB
1GB
2GB

DDR3 1066

Memory Slot

1 2 3 4

v v

v v

v v

v v
v v
v v
v v
v v
v v
v v

v v

Elpida

Elpida
Samsung
Qimonda
Qimonda

Kingston

Geil

Elpida
Qimonda

Corsair

Micron

Model Size

EBJ11UD8BAFA-AC-E v v v v
(Elpida J5308BASE)
EBJ51UD8BAFA-AC-E v v v v
(Elpida J5308BASE)
M378B2873CZ0-CF8 v v v v
(Samsung K4B1G0846C)
IMSH1GU13A1F1C-10F v v v v
(Qimonda IDSH51-Q3A1F1C-10F)
IMSH51U03A1F1C-10G v v v v
(Qimonda IDSH51-03A1F1C-10G)
KVR1066D3N7/512 v v
(Elpida J5308BASE-AC-E)
G31GB1066C6DC v v
(Elpida J5308BASE-AC-E)
EBJ11UD8AAFA-AE-E v v
(Elpida J5308AA-AE-E)
IMSH1GU13A1F1C-10G v v
(Qimonda IDSH51-03A1F1C-10G)
CM3X1024-1066C7 v v

MT4JTF6464AY-1G1BZES v v
(7IBI Z9HXV)

1GB

512MB

1GB

1GB
512MB
512MB

512MB

1GB

1GB

1GB
512MB

2-9

MS-7356 Mainboard

DDR3 1333 (Overclock)

TwinMOS

Qimonda
Samsung

8HCBJU-ED v v
(Elpida J5308BASE-DG-E)
IMSH1GU13A1F1C-13G v v
(Qimonda IDSH51-Q3A1F1C-13G)
M378B2873CZ0-CG9 v v v v
(K4B1G0846C-ZCF8)

Model Size

512MB

1GB

1GB

Memory Slot

1 2 3 4

v v
v v

v v

2-10

Power Supply

Hardware Setup

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: ATX1

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

You may use the 20-pin ATX power supply as you like. If you’d like
to use the 20-pin ATX power supply, please plug your power sup­ply along with pin 1 & pin 13 (refer to the image at the right hand).

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

13 +3.3V

14 -12V

15 GND

16 PS-ON#

17 GND

18 GND

19 GND

20 Res

21 +5V

22 +5V

23 +5V

24 GND

ATX1

13

24

1

12

PIN SIGNAL

1 +3.3V

2 +3.3V

3 GND

4 +5V

5 GND

6 +5V

7 GND

8 PWR OK

9 5VSB

10 +12V

11 +12V

12 +3.3V

pin 13

pin 12

ATX 12V and 5V/12V Power Connectors: JPW1 / JPW2

The JPW1 12V power connector is used to provide power to the CPU. And the JPW2
5V/12V power connector is used to provide power to the PCIEX16 graphics card.

5

8

JPW1

1

4

Pin Definition

PINSIGNAL

1 GND

2 GND

3 GND

4 GND

PINSIGNAL

5 +12V

6 +12V

7 +12V

8 +12V

JPW2

1

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 5V

2 GND

3 GND

4 12V

Important

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

2. Power supply of 350 watts (and above) is highly recommended for system
stability.

3. ATX 12V power connection should be greater than 18A.

4. If the JPW1 connector too closes the heatpipe and plug inconveniently. You
could use the bundled ATX Extender to increase connector height. It can
prevent the power cable to touch the heatpipe as well.

2-11

MS-7356 Mainboard

Back Panel

Mouse

USB Ports

LAN

L-In

RS-Out

eSATA Port

Keyboard

1394
Port

Optical
S/PDIF
Out

USB Ports Mic

L-Out

CS-Out

SS-Out

Mouse/Keyboard

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

1394 Port

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

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

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

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

LED Color LED State Condition

Off LAN link is not established.

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

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

Green Off 10 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Right On 100 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Orange On 1000 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

2-12

Green / OrangeYellow

Hardware Setup

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

eSATA Port
The eSATA port is for attaching the eSATA external hard drive.

Line-In (Blue) - Line In is used for external CD player, tapeplayer or

other audio devices.

Line-Out (Green) - Line Out, is a connector for speakers or headphones.
Mic (Pink) - Mic, is a connector for microphones.
RS-Out (Black) - Rear-Surround Out in 4/ 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode.
CS-Out (Orange) - Center/ Subwoofer Out in 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode.
SS-Out (Gray) - Side-Surround Out 7.1 channel mode.

2-13

MS-7356 Mainboard

Connectors

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

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

FDD1

IDE Connector: IDE1

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

IDE1

Important

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

2-14

Hardware Setup

Serial ATA Connector: SATA3 ~ SATA7

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

SATA3SATA4

SATA5SATA6

SATA3~6 supported by ICH9R

SATA7
supported by Marvell 88SE6111

Important

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

VoIP Card Connector: JSLIC1 (Only for ALC888T)

This connector connects to the VoIP card. Please refer to the instruction of the VoIP
card.

JSLIC1

2

1

22

21

2-15

MS-7356 Mainboard

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN, SYSFAN1~5

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

+1 2V

SE NSOR

CONTROL

CPUFAN

GND

+1 2V

SE NSOR

GND

SYSFAN1/2

+1 2V

NC

GND

SYSFAN4

NC

+12V

GND

SYSFAN3

NC

+1 2V

GND

SYSFAN5

Important

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

2.CPUFAN / SYSFAN1 / SYSFAN2 supports fan control. You can adjust fan
speed in H/W Monitor menu of BIOS and install Dual Core Center utility
that will automatically control the CPU fan speed according to the actual
CPU temperature.

3. Fan cooler set with 3 or 4 pins power connector are both available for

CPUFAN.

Chassis Intrusion Connector: JCASE1

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

2-16

CINTRU

GND

JCASE1

1

2

Hardware Setup

IEEE1394 Connector: J1394_1

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

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

2

1

J1394_1

10
9

1 TPA+ 2 TPA-

3 Ground 4 Ground

5 TPB+ 6 TPB-

7 Cable power 8 Cable power

9 Key (no pin) 10 Ground

IEEE1394 Bracket (Optional)

S/PDIF-Out Connector: JSPDIF2

This connector is used to connect S/PDIF (Sony & Philips Digital Interconnect Format)
interface for digital audio transmission.

JSPDIF2

VCC

S/PDIF Bracket (Optional)

GND

SPDIF

2-17

MS-7356 Mainboard

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1, JFP2

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

Power
Switch++

Power
LED

10

-

JFP1

2

1

9

+

Reset

-

Switch

-

HDD
LED

Speaker

+

-

JFP2

8

­+

2

7

Power
LED

1

JFP1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 HD_LED + Hard disk LED pull-up

2 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up

3 HD_LED - Hard disk active LED

4 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up

5 RST_SW - Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND

6 PWR_SW + Power Switch high reference pull-up

7 RST_SW + Reset Switch high reference pull-up

8 PWR_SW - Power Switch low reference pull-down to GND

9 RSVD_DNU Reserved. Do not use.

JFP2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 GND Ground

2 SPK- Speaker-

3 SLED Suspend LED

4 BUZ+ Buzzer+

5 PLED Power LED

6 BUZ- Buzzer-

7 NC No connection

8 SPK+ Speaker+

2-18

Hardware Setup

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

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

2
1

10

9

JAUD1

HD Audio Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 MIC_L Microphone - Left channel

2 GND Ground

3 MIC_R Microphone - Right channel

4 PRESENCE# Active low signal-signals BIOS that a High Definition Audio dongle

5 LINE out_R Analog Port - Right channel

6 MIC_JD Jack detection return from front panel microphone JACK1

7 Front_JD Jack detection sense line from the High Definition Audio CODEC

8 NC No control

9 LINE out_L Analog Port - Left channel

10 LINEout_JD Jack detection return from front panel JACK2

is connected to the analog header. PRESENCE# = 0 when a

High Definition Audio dongle is connected

jack detection resistor network

CD-In Connector: JCD_IN1

This connector is provided for external audio input.

JCD_IN1

L

GND

R

2-19

MS-7356 Mainboard

Front USB Connector: JUSB1 ~ 3

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

MP3 players, printers, modems and the like.

Pin Definition

JUSB1~3

2
1

10

9

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC 2 VCC

3 USB0- 4 USB1-

5 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.

Serial Port Connector: JCOM 1

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

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

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

2-20

JCOM1

2
1 9

Hardware Setup

Jumper

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

Hardware Overclock FSB Jumpers: JB1, JB2 (optional)

You can overclock the FSB to increase the processor frequency by changing the
jumpers JB1 and JB2. Follow the instructions below to set the FSB.

1

JB1 JB2

1

3

200 MHz

1

3

266 MHz

1

3

333 MHz

Important

1.Make sure that you power off the system before changing the jumpers

2.Please notice that any overclocking behavior is not recommended and
guaranteed

3.The overclocking ability may be affected according to the devices (such as
CPU and memory modules) you are using.

2-21

MS-7356 Mainboard

Button

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

Clear CMOS Button: 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 button to clear data. Press the button to clear the data.

SW1

Important

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

2-22

Hardware Setup

Slots

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slot

The PCI Express slot supports the PCI Express interface expansion card.
The PCI Express x 16 slot supports up to 4.0 GB/s transfer rate.
The PCI Express x 4 slot supports up to 1.0 GB/s transfer rate.
The PCI Express x 1 slot supports up to 250 MB/s transfer rate.

PCI Express x16 Slot

PCIE_1

PCIE_2

Share 4 PCIE

PCIE_3

PCIE_4 (Yellow)

channels

Important

The PCIE_2 and the PCIE_3 slots share 4 PCIE channels with the PCIE_4
slot. If you want to use PCIE_2, PCIE_3 and PCIE_4 at the same time, you need
to select the speed of the PCIE_4 slot in BIOS setup. Please refer to Chapter
3 BIOS Setup - Cell Menu - PCIEx4 Speed Controller.

2-23

MS-7356 Mainboard

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slot

The PCI slot supports LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other add-on cards that
comply with PCI specifications.

32-bit PCI Slot

Important

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

PCI Interrupt Request Routing

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

Order 1 Order 2 Order 3 Order 4

PCI Slot 1 INT A# INT B# INT C# INT D#

PCI Slot 2 INT B# INT C# INT D# INT A#

2-24

LED Status Indicators

LED2

LED1

LED10

LED11

LED12

LED13

LED14

LED15

LED16

Hardware Setup

LED9
LED8
LED7
LED6
LED5
LED4
LED3

Name Status

LED1 Lights when system is power-on.

LED2 Lights when system is on standby mode.

LED11 Lights when PCI_E1 slot is functional.

LED12 Lights when PCI_E2 slot is functional.

LED13 Lights when PCI_E3 slot is functional.

LED14 Lights when PCI_E4 slot is functional.

LED15 Lights when PCI1 slot is functional.

LED16 Lights when PCI2 slot is functional.

2-25

MS-7356 Mainboard

LED 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

These four LEDs allow users to identify system problems through 16 various combi­nations of LED signals.

Red

LED Signal

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

LED10
LED9
LED8
LED7
LED6
LED5
LED4
LED3

Green

Description

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

Early Chipset Initialization

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

Decompressing BIOS image to RAM
for fast booting.

Initializing Keyboard Controller.

Group4

Group3

Group2

Group1

LED Signal

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

Group4
Group3
Group2
Group1

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.

2-26

Group4

Testing VGA BIOS

Group3

This will start writing VGA sign-on

Group2

message to the screen.

Group1

Processor Initialization

Group4

This will show information regarding

Group3
Group2

the processor (like brand name, sys-

Group1

tem bus, etc...)

Group4
Group3

Testing RTC (Real Time Clock)

Group2
Group1

Initializing Floppy Drive Controller

Group4
Group3

This will initialize Floppy Drive and

Group2

controller.

Group1

Boot Attempt

Group4
Group3

This will set low stack and boot via

Group2

INT 19h.

Group1

Group4
Group3

Operating System Booting

Group2
Group1

Chapter 3

BIOS Setup

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

² An error message appears on the screen during the

system booting up, and requests you to run SETUP.

² You want to change the default settings for cus-

tomized features.

BIOS Setup

3-1

MS-7356 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

A7356IMS V1.0 030807 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.
V1.1 refers to the BIOS version.
030807 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.

3-3

MS-7356 Mainboard

The Main Menu

Standard CMOS Features

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

Advanced BIOS Features

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

Integrated Peripherals

Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals.

Power Management Setup

Use this menu to specify your settings for power management.

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.

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Use this menu to load the default values set by the BIOS vendor for stable system
performance.

3-4

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.

3-5

MS-7356 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>.

SATA1~6

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

BIOS. Read-only.

3-6

BIOS Setup

Device / Vender / Size

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

LBA/Large Mode

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

DMA Mode

Select DMA Mode.

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

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

Important

Serial-ATA 1/2/3/4/5/6 Channel are appearing when you connect the HD
devices to the IDE/ SATA connector on the mainboard.

Floppy A

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

3-7

MS-7356 Mainboard

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

Boot Sector Protection

This function protects the BIOS from accidental corruption by unauthorized users or
computer viruses. When enabled, the BIOS’ data cannot be changed when attempt­ing to update the BIOS with a Flash utility. To successfully update the BIOS, you’ll
need to disable this Flash BIOS Protection function.
You should enable this function at all times. The only time when you need to disable
it is when you want to update the BIOS. After updating the BIOS, you should immedi­ately re-enable it to protect it against viruses.

Full Screen LOGO Display

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

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

Quick Booting

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

Boot Up Num-Lock LED

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

IOAPIC Function

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

3-9

MS-7356 Mainboard

MPS Table Version

This field allows you to select which MPS (Multi-Processor Specification) version to
be used for the operating system. You need to select the MPS version supported by
your operating system. To find out which version to use, consult the vendor of your
operating system.

CPU Feature

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

Hyper-Threading Technology

This field appears only when the CPU supports Hyper-Threading. The proces­sor uses Hyper-Threading technology to increase transaction rates and re­duces end-user response times. The technology treats the two cores inside the
processor as two logical processors that can execute instructions
simultaneously. In this way, the system performance is highly improved. If you
disable the function, the processor will use only one core to execute the
instructions.

Execute Bit Support

Intel's Execute Disable Bit functionality can prevent certain classes of malicious
"buffer overflow" attacks when combined with a supporting operating system.
This functionality allows the processor to classify areas in memory by where
application code can execute and where it cannot. When a malicious worm
attempts to insert code in the buffer, the processor disables code execution,
preventing damage or worm propagation.

Set Limit CPUID MaxVal to 3

The Max CPUID Value Limit is designed to limit the listed speed of the processor
to older operating systems.

Chipset Feature

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

3-10

BIOS Setup

HPET

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

Boot Sequence

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

1st/ 2nd/ 3rd Boot Device

The items allow you to set the first/ second/ third boot device where BIOS
attempts to load the disk operating system.

Boot From Other Device

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

3-11

MS-7356 Mainboard

Integrated Peripherals

USB Controller

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

USB Device Legacy Support

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

Onboard LAN Controller

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

LAN Option ROM

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

Onboard IEEE1394 Controller

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

Extra IDE Controller

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

HD Audio Controller

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

On-Chip ATA Devices

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

3-12

BIOS Setup

PCI IDE BusMaster

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

Oc-Chip SATA Controller

These items allow users to enable or disable the SATA controller.

RAID Mode

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

AHCI Devices Group

Press <Enter> to enter the AHCI settings sub-menu. The submenu displays the
status of auto detection of IDE devices.

AHCI Port0~5

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu. These submenu allow users to select
the type of devices connected to the system.

I/O Device Configuration

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

COM Port 1

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

3-13

MS-7356 Mainboard

Power Management Setup

Important

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

ACPI Function

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

ACPI Standby State

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

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

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

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

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

3-14

BIOS Setup

Re-Call VGA BIOS From S3

When ACPI Standby State is set to [S3], 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.

Suspend Time Out (Minute)

If system activity is not detected for the length of time specified in this field, all
devices except CPU will be shut off.

Power Button Function

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

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

Restore On AC Power Loss

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

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

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

or interrupt occurred.

Wakeup Event Setup

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

Resume From S3 By USB Device

The item allows the activity of the USB device to wake up the system from S3
(Suspend to RAM) sleep state.

Resume From S3 By PS/2 Keyboard

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

3-15

MS-7356 Mainboard

Resume From S3 By PS/2 Mouse

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

Resume by PCI Device (PME#)

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

Resume by PCI-E Device

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

Resume by RTC Alarm

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

3-16

BIOS Setup

PNP/PCI Configurations

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

Primary Graphic’s Adapter

This 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.

3-17

MS-7356 Mainboard

IRQ Resource Setup

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

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

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

Important

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

3-18

BIOS Setup

H/W Monitor

Chassis Intrusion

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

CPU Smart FAN Target

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

CPU Min.FAN speed(%)

This item allows users to select how percentage of minimum speed limit for the CPU
fan.

SYS FAN1/2 Control

This item allows users to select how percentage of speed for the SYS FAN1.

PC Health Status

CPU/ System Temperature, CPU FAN/ SYS FAN1/ SYS FAN2 Speed, CPU

Vcore, 3.3V, 5V, 12V, 5V SB

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

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MS-7356 Mainboard

Cell Menu

Important

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

Current CPU / DRAM Frequency

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

D.O.T Control

This item allows users to select either/both of CPU and PCIE to be controlled under D.
O.T. The D.O.T. (Dynamic Overclocking Technology) is an automatic overclocking
function, included in the MSITM’s newly developed Dual CoreCell
designed to detect the load balance of CPU and PCIE while running programs, and to
adjust the best frequency automatically. When the motherboard detects system is

3-20

TM

Technology. It is

BIOS Setup

running programs, it will speed up automatically to make the program run smoothly
and faster. When the system 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 and PCIE frequency need to be
boosted up to enhance the overall performance.

CPU D.O.T3 step1/2/3 setting

Due to D.O.T can detect the CPU loading and increase the frequency with 3
overclocking steps. These items allow users to select the speed up range of each
step.

PCIE D.O.T3 step1/2/3 setting

Due to D.O.T can detect the PCIE loading and increase the frequency with 3
overclocking steps. These items allow users to select the speed up range of each
step.

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 / memory modules 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.

Intel EIST

The Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology allows you to set the performance level of
the microprocessor whether the computer is running on battery or AC power. This
field will appear after you installed the CPU which support speedstep technology.

Adjust CPU FSB Frequency

This item allows you to set the CPU FSB frequency (in MHz).

Adjust CPU Ratio

This field appears only when the CPU supports this function. It is adjustable only
when Intel EIST sets to [Disable]. This item allows you to set the CPU ratio.

Adjusted CPU Frequency

It shows the adjusted CPU frequency (FSB x Ratio). Read-only.

Advance DRAM Configuration

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

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MS-7356 Mainboard

Configuration DRAM Timing by SPD

Setting to [Enabled] enables DRAM CAS# Latency automatically to be determined
by BIOS based on the configurations on the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) EEPROM
on the DRAM module.

DRAM CAS# Latency

When the Configuration DRAM Timing by SPD sets to [Disabled], 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.

DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay

When the Configuration DRAM Timing by SPD sets to [Disabled], 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.

DRAM RAS# Precharge

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

DRAM TRFC

When the Configuration DRAM Timing by SPD sets to [Disabled], the field is
adjustable. This setting determines the time RFC takes to read from and write to
a memory cell.

DRAM TWR

When the Configuration DRAM Timing by SPD sets to [Disabled], the field is
adjustable. Minimum time interval between end of write data burst and the start
of a precharge command. Allows sense amplifiers to restore data to cells.

DRAM TWTR

When the Configuration DRAM Timing by SPD sets to [Disabled], the field is
adjustable. Minimum time interval between the end of write data burst and the

3-22

BIOS Setup

start of a column-read command. It allows I/O gating to overdrive sense amplifiers
before read command starts.

DRAM TRRD

When the Configuration DRAM Timing by SPD sets to [Disabled], the field is
adjustable. Specifies the active-to-active delay of different banks. Time interval
between a read and a precharge command.

DRAM TRTP

When the Configuration DRAM Timing by SPD sets to [Disabled], the field is
adjustable. Time interval between a read and a precharge command.

FSB/Memory Ratio

This item will allow you to adjust the FSB/Ratio of the memory.

Adjusted DDR Memory Frequency

It shows the adjusted DDR Memory frequency. Read-only.

PCIEx4 Speed Controller

This item will allow you to select the PCIEx4 speed.Settings are:

[Auto] The output speed depends on the device installed on PCIEx4 slot.
[4X] The output speed keeps on 4X. In this mode, PCI_E2 and PCI_E3 are

[2X] The output speed keeps on 2X. In this mode, you may use PCI_E2,

not able to function.

PCI_E3 and PCI_E4 simultaneously, please note that the output speed
on PCI_E4 in only with 2X.

Adjust PCIE Frequency

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

Auto Disable DIMM/PCI Frequency

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

CPU Voltage / Momory Voltage / VTT FSB Voltage / NB Voltage / SB I/O

Power / SB Core Power

These items dispaly the power status of CPU, Memory, FSB and chipset. Read-only.

Spread Spectrum

When the motherboard’s clock generator pulses, the extreme values (spikes) of the
pulses create EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). The Spread Spectrum function
reduces the EMI generated by modulating the pulses so that the spikes of the pulses
are reduced to flatter curves. 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,
set to Enabled for EMI reduction. 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-7356 Mainboard

Important

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

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

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

3-24

BIOS Setup

CPU and Memory Clock Overclocking

The D.O.T Control, Adjust CPU FSB Frequency, Adjust CPU Ratio, FSB/Memory
Ratio 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,

Press any key exclude "DEL" to enter SETUP.......

Clear CMOS

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

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MS-7356 Mainboard

Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults

The two options on the main menu allow users to restore all of the BIOS settings to
the default Fail-Safe or Optimized values. The Optimized Defaults are the default
values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifically for optimal performance of the
mainboard. The Fail-Safe Defaults are the default values set by the BIOS vendor for
stable system performance.

When you select Load Fail-Safe Defaults, a message as below appears:

Pressing Y loads the BIOS default values for the most stable, minimal system
performance.

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

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

3-26

BIOS Setup

BIOS Setting Password

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

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

3-27

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

Appendix A

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T
Audio

The Realtek ALC888/ALC888T provides 10-channel DAC
that simultaneously supports 7.1 sound playback and 2
channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple
streaming) through the Front-Out-Left and Front-Out­Right channels.

A-1

MS-7356 Mainboard

Installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver

You need to install the driver for Realtek ALC888/ALC888T codec to function properly
before you can get access to 2-, 4-, 6-, 8- channel or 7.1+2 channel audio operations.
Follow the procedures described below to install the drivers for different operating
systems.

Installation for Windows 2000/XP/Vista

For Windows® 2000, you must install Windows® 2000 Service Pack4 or later before
installing the driver. For Windows® XP, you must install Windows® XP Service Pack1
or later before installing the driver.
The following illustrations are based on Windows® XP environment and could look
slightly different if you install the drivers in different operating systems.

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

2. Click Realtek HD Audio Driver.

Click here

Important

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

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

a

A-2

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

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

Click here

4. Click Finish to restart the system.

Click here

Select this
option

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MS-7356 Mainboard

Software Configuration

After installing the audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio

feature now. Click the audio icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner of
the screen to activate the HD Audio Configuration. It is also available to enable the

audio driver by clicking the Realtek HD Audio Manager from the Control Panel.

Double click

a

A-4

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

Sound Effect

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

Environment Simulation

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

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

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

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MS-7356 Mainboard

Equalizer Selection

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

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

Save

The settings are saved
permanently for future
use

Enable / Disable

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

Delete

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

a

A-6

Reset

10 bands of equalizer
would go back to the de­fault setting

Load

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

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

Frequently Used Equalizer Setting

Realtek recognizes the needs that you might have. By leveraging our long experience
at audio field, Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager provides you certain optimized equal­izer settings that are frequently used for your quick enjoyment.

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

Karaoke Mode

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

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

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

Raise the key

Remove the
human voice

Lower the key

A-7

MS-7356 Mainboard

Mixer

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

1. Adjust Volume

You can adjust the volume of the speakers that you pluged in front or rear panel by
select the Realtek HD Audio rear output or Realtek HD Audio front output
items.

Important

Before set up, please make sure the playback devices are well plugged in the
jacks on the rear or front panel. The Realtek HD Audio front output item
will appear after you pluging the speakers into the jacks on the front panel.

2. Multi-Stream Function

ALC888 supports an outstanding feature called Multi-Stream, which means you may
play different audio sources simultaneously and let them output respectively from the
indicated real panel or front panel. This feature is very helpful when 2 people are
using the same computer together for different purposes.

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

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

Important

You have to plug audio device into the jacks on the rear and front panel first
before enable the multi-stream function.

a

A-8

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

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

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

A-9

MS-7356 Mainboard

3. Playback control

Playback device

Tool Mute

This function is to let you freely decide which ports to

output the sound. And this is essential when multi-

streaming playback enabled.

- Realtek HD Audio Rear Output

- Realtek HD Audio Front Output

Mute

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

Tool

- Show the following volume controls

This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.

- Advanced controls

- Enable playback multi-streaming
With this function, you will be able to have an audio chat with your friends via
headphone (stream 1 from front panel) while still have music (stream 2 from back
panel) in play. At any given period, you can have maximum 2 streams operating
simultaneously.

a

A-10

4. Recording control

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

Tool Mute

Recording device

-Back Line in/Mic, Front Lin in

-Realtek HD Audio Input

Mute

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

Tool

- Show the following volume controls

This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.

- Enable recording multi-streaming

Important

ALC888/ALC888T allows you to record the CD, Line, Mic and Stereo Mix
channels simultaneously, frees you from mixing efforts. At any given period,
you may choose 1 of the following 4 channels to record.

A-11

MS-7356 Mainboard

Audio I/O

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

a. Headphone for the common headphone

b. 2CH Speaker for Stereo-Speaker Output

c. 4CH Speaker for 4-Speaker Output

d. 6CH Speaker for 5.1-Speaker Output

e. 8CH Speaker for 7.1-Speaker Output

Speaker Configuration:

1. Plug the speakers in the corresponding jack.

2. Dialogue “connected device” will pop up for your selection. Please select the
device you have plugged in.

- If the device is being plugged into the correct jack, you will be able to find the icon
beside the jack changed to the one that is same as your device.

- If not correct, Realtek HD Audio Manager will guide you to plug the device into the
correct jack.

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A-12

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

Connector Settings

Click to access connector settings.

Disable front panel jack detection (option)

Find no function on front panel jacks? Please check if front jacks on your system are
so-called AC’97 jacks. If so, please check this item to disable front panel jack detection.

Mute rear panel output when front headphone plugged in.

Enable auto popup dialogue, when device has been plugged in

Once this item checked, the dialog “Connected device” would automatically pop up
when device plugged in.

A-13

MS-7356 Mainboard

S/PDIF

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

Output Sampling Rate

44.1KHz: This is recommend while playing CD.
48KHz: This is recommended while playing DVD or Dolby.
96KHz: This is recommended while playing DVD-Audio.
192KHz: This is recommended while playing High quality Audio.

Output Source

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

a

A-14

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

Test Speakers

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

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

each speaker automatically.

Center

Front Left

Side Left

Rear Left

Front Right

Side Right

Subwoofer

Rear Right

A-15

MS-7356 Mainboard

Microphone

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

Acoustic Echo Cancellation prevents playback sound from being recorded by

microphone together with your sound. For example, you might have chance to use
VOIP function through Internet with your friends. The voice of your friend will come
out from speakers (playback). However, the voice of your friend might also be
recorded into your microphone then go back to your friend through Internet. In that
case, your friend will hear his/her own voice again. With AEC(Acoustic Echo
Cancellation) enabled at your side, your friend can enjoy the benefit with less echo.

a

A-16

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T 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.

A-17

MS-7356 Mainboard

Information

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

Also there is a selection Show icon in system tray. Switch it on and an icon

will show in the system tray. Right-click on the icon and the Audio Accessories
dialogue box will appear which provides several multimedia features for you to take
advantage of.

a

A-18

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

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.

1 Line In

2 Line Out (Front channels)

3 MIC

4 No function

5 No function

6 No function

1

2

3

4

5

6

A-19

MS-7356 Mainboard

n 4-Channel Mode for 4-Speaker Output

4-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In

2 Line Out (Front channels)

3 MIC

4 Line Out (Rear channels)

5 No function

6 No function

1

2

3

4

5

6

a

A-20

Realtek ALC888/ALC888T Audio

n 6-Channel Mode for 6-Speaker Output

1

2

3

6-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In

2 Line Out (Front channels)

3 MIC

4 Line Out (Rear channels)

5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)

6 No function

4

5

6

A-21

MS-7356 Mainboard

n 8-Channel Mode for 8-Speaker Output

1

2

3

8-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In

2 Line Out (Front channels)

3 MIC

4 Line Out (Rear channels)

5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)

6 Line Out (Side channels)

4

5

6

Important

To enable 7.1 channel audio-out function on Vista operating system, you have to
install the Realtek Audio Driver. Or, the mainboard will support 5.1 channel
audio-out only.

a

A-22

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-7356 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.

MB

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.

B-3

MS-7356 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.

B-4

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.

B-5

MS-7356 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.

I

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.

B-7

MS-7356 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
“CPU 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.

B-8

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.

B-9

MS-7356 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.

B-10

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