NVIDIA nF590 User Manual

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User’User’

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nVidianVidia

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or or

TRADEMARK

All products and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

These specifications are subject to change without notice.

nF590 SLI MCP nF590 SLI MCP

nF590 SLI MCP

nF590 SLI MCP nF590 SLI MCP

AMD SocAMD Soc

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AM2 (940-pin) AM2 (940-pin)

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AM2 (940-pin) AM2 (940-pin)

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Manual Revision 1.0

September 28, 2006

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES:

THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE

DESCRIPTION ON THE FACE OF THE MANUFACTURER LIMITED

WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER EXPRESSLY EXCLUDES ALL

OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING ITS

PRODUCTS; INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF

MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR

NONINFRINGEMENT. THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES SHALL

APPLY TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED UNDER LOCAL LAWS IN THE

COUNTRY PURCHASED IN WHICH LOCAL LAWS DO NOT ALLOW OR

LIMIT THE EXCLUSION OF THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES.

HANDLING PROCEDURES:

Static electricity can severely damage your equipment. Handle the mainboard and any other device in your system with extreme care and avoid unnecessary contact with system components on the mainboard. Always work on an antistatic surface to avoid possible damage to the mainboard from static discharge. Always have the power supply unplugged and powered off when inserting and removing devices within the computer chassis. The Manufacturer assumes no responsibility for any damage to the mainboard that results from failure to follow instruction or failure to observe safety precautions.

CAUTION

The mainboard is subject to damage by static electricity.

Always observe the handling procedures.

Post Port Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of some basic POST Codes, possible problems and solutions. For more detailed information about POST Codes, refer to Appendix in this manual.

Post Code Problem Solution

FFh or CFh

C1h - C5h

2Dh

26h

07h - 12h

1. BIOS ch ip inserted incorr ectly

2. Incorrect BIOS update version

3. Mainboard problem

4. Add-on card inserted incorrectly

1. Memo ry modu le inserted incorrectly

2. Memo ry compatibility pro blem

3. Memory module damaged

1. Error occured in VGA BIOS

2. VGA card inserted incorrectly

Overclock error Clear CMOS or press the insert key to

1. In it ial Keyboard con troller error

2. RTC error

1. Rein s ert the BIOS chip

2. Download the correct BIOS version update from the manufacturer's Web site

3. Replace mainboard

4. Remove and replace th e add-on card

1. Reinsert memroy module

2. Replace memory with correct type

3. Replace memory module

1. Replace VGA card

2. Reinsert the VGA card

power on the system

1. Ensure the Keyboard and mouse are connected correctly

2. Replace the RTC battery

iii

Section 1--Section 1--

Section 1--

Section 1--Section 1--

Table of Contents

Page

IntroductionIntroduction

Introduction

IntroductionIntroduction

1-1 Package Contents ................................................................................1

1-2 Mainboard Features .............................................................................. 2

1-3 Mainboard Specification .........................................................................4

1-4 System Block Diagram ........................................................................... 6

........................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................

........................................................................................................................................................

Section 2--Section 2--

Section 2--

Section 2--Section 2--

Section 3--Section 3--

Section 3--

Section 3--Section 3--

Section 4--Section 4--

Section 4--

Section 4--Section 4--

Section 5--Section 5--

Section 5--

Section 5--Section 5--

Section 6--Section 6--

Section 6--

Section 6--Section 6--

InstallationInstallation

Installation

InstallationInstallation

2-1 CPU Installation ....................................................................................7

2-2 Jumper Settings ...................................................................................8

2-3 System Memory Configuration ............................................................... 9

2-4 Rear I/O Port........................................................................................10

2-5 Internal Connectors ..............................................................................10

BIOS SetupBIOS Setup

BIOS Setup

BIOS SetupBIOS Setup

3-1 Main Menu............................................................................................13

3-2 Standard CMOS Setup ..........................................................................14

3-3 Advanced BIOS Features ...................................................................... 14

3-4 Power BIOS Features............................................................................16

Driver & UtilityDriver & Utility

Driver & Utility

Driver & UtilityDriver & Utility

Ghost BIOSGhost BIOS

Ghost BIOS

Ghost BIOSGhost BIOS

AppendixAppendix

Appendix

AppendixAppendix

6-1 Post Codes........................................................................................... 21

6-2 Hot Key................................................................................................25

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1313

1818

1919

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1-1 Package Contents

Introduction

Section 1 -- Introduction

Contents

A. Mainboard B. User’s manual C. Floppy drive cable D. HDD drive cable E. CD (drivers and utilities) F. I/O Shield G. SATA II data cable





If you intend to setup RAID:



Optional items

H. Extra USB2.0 port cable I. Thermo Stick cable J. SLI bridge card

If you need the optional item, please contact your dealer for assistance.

USER’S

MANUAL

H I

English

When installing Windows XP/2000 into any RAID drive, the O/S setup will require a floppy disk containing the RAID driver. This step will show you how to prepare this driver floppy.

1. Locate a PC and insert the bundled CD into its CD-ROM drive.

2. A main menu screen will appear (Autorun feature)

3. Select the page “RAID floppy”

4. Insert a blank floppy into the A:drive

5. Click on the required RAID controller driver to begin copy into the floppy

Introduction

1-2 Mainboard Features

Socket AM2

Socket AM2 (940-pin) based motherboards are designed to provide performance enhancements for AMD Athlon

English

AM2 processor-based systems, and it also expected to be the next-generation of platform innovations. For more information about all the new features Athlon

http://www.amd.com

Chipset

This board is designed with nVIDIA SPP 190 + MCP590 SLI chipset, otherwise known as nForce 590 SLI, offering gaming and hardware enthusiasts an immediate upgrade path, packed with the newest features:

1) NVIDIA LinkBoost

- automatic performance boost delivering additional GPU and MCP bandwidth.

2) Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP) Memory technology

- Exposes advanced performance memory settings hidden in NVIDIA certified SLI-Ready DDR2 memory

3) NVIDIA FirstPacket

- Be the "King of Ping" for faster online gaming and clear VoIP calls. Play games or mak e V oIP calls without fear of disruption when you browse the net and download files.

4) NVIDIA DualNet

- Combine your dual GigE for blazing file transfers giving you higher system performance with lower CPU utilization.

For more details about the nVidia chipset, please visit the nVidia website: http://www.nvidia.com.

PCI-Express (PCI-E)

Next generation peripheral interface to succeed to current PCI bus for the next decade. With smaller slot size and 250MB/sec (PCI-E*1) or 4GB/sec (PCI-E*16) maximum transfer, PCI-Express overcomes PCI bus bottleneck.

NVIDIA SLI

NVIDIA SLi

technology revolutionizes PC performance by combining multiple PCI Express GPUs in a single and scalable system! Gamers and hardcore enthusiasts know that dual GPUs mean increased, supercharged 3D graphics and performance.

DDR2

DDR2 ushers in the new era of DDR memory technology. DDR2 memory offers faster speed, higher data bandwidth and lower power consumption over DDR.

Dual Channel

Supports dual channel of DDR2 memory to give you twice the memory bandwidth for greater system performance.

Hardware Monitoring

Hardware monitoring enables you to monitor various aspects of the system operation and status. This includes CPU temperature, voltage and fan speed in RPMs.

Dual GbE LAN

Onboard two Gigabit-LAN controllers. This twin set of Gigabit-LAN breaks traditional bandwidth barrier, delivering maximum 1000Mbps between internal and external network.

Serial ATA II

S-ATA II is the second generation SATA interface with double the transferring speed up to 300MB/sec. It supports NCQ to provide faster reading speed for your storage devices.

SATA RAID

RAID function available on chipset’s SATA II ports, RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5 by NV driver support.

More S-ATA II (Optional)

An extra S-ATA II controller is added to allow for more S-ATA II ports expansion in the form of JMicron’s JMB363 complete with RAID function.

e-SATA (Optional)

With this new standard, you can now hot-plug external SATA drives to your system similar to USB devices. With transfer speed up to 6 times faster than USB2.0, RAID capabillity and Port Multiplier function, e-SATA brings unseen before performance to storage out of the box. This function is available only on S-ATA II ports from JMicron’s JMB363 controller.

technology:

Brief Introduction

AM2 Processor deliver, check out the AMD website

Introduction

USB2.0

A popular USB standard for plugging in peripherals with up to 480Mbps transfer speed while maintaining backward compatibility with older USB1.1 device.

8ch

Delivers 8 channel audio to bring you the latest in audio realism from DVD movies and games. Perfect for your home theatre system.

AMD Cool'n'QuietTM Technology

AMD's Cool'n'Quiet reduce heat dissipation and in effect lowers the fan speed to noise from your PC.

NVIDIA Firewall (Optional)

An unprecedented addition design for nForce product, provide high performance & enhanced reliability of PC security solution to the users. The features would be more advanced than many stand-alone firewalls can provide!

Technology lowers CPU operating voltage when the system is in idle mode. This helps to

Special Features

BIOS Features:

Ghost BIOS

No more worries if BIOS gets corrupted causing your system unable to boot. The onboard backup BIOS will rescue & recover main BIOS in just a few easy steps.

Thunder Probe

A hardware diagnostic software to monitor voltage, temperature and speed of a variety of hardware. It also includes an ingenious built in fan control feature called Smart Fan.

Thunder Flash

A Windows based innovation tool to provide safe and easy BIOS rescue function, BIOS flash function and personal start up screen.

Magic Health

Reports your system hardware status for every boot-up to help detect faults early. Monitor hardware status including CPU temperature, CPU/Memory/Chipset voltage, fan RPM speed for chassis fan, CPU fan & Power supply fan.

EZ-Boot

Simply press “ESC” to select your bootable device. No more hassle to search the BIOS menu, change and re-start.

PowerBIOS

Supporting a full range of overclocking setting via BIOS. Various adjustable feature include CPU/Memory/ Chipset voltage tweaking.

English

H/W Features:

Post Port

An onboard LED-display trouble-shooting device, facilitating user to detect boot-up problems.

QuickSPDIF

On board SPDIF-out connector for quick connection to multi-channel speakers. Not only removes cable cluttering but also delivers loss-free digital audio to let you enjoy DVD movies and games with crystal clear sound.

EZ-Button

A handy power-on button located onboard to turn on/off the system easily, especially while debugging or testing the system.

LEDION

Onboard LED indicators to show the power status CPU, Chipset and DRAM. You know immediately where to look if the system fails to start.

Thermo Stick (Optional)

Flexible thermometer to let you measure any temperature by software. Ideal for monitoring VGA card, chipset or even disk drives temperatures.

Introduction

1-3 Mainboard Specification

Processor

 Support Socket-AM2 (940 pin) based AMD Athlon-X2/Athlon-64/Sempron processors

English

 Support 2.0GTs 16X16 wide Hyper Transport bus  Support VMM (Virtualization-Machine-Monitoring)

Chipset

 nVidia nF590 SLI MCP (nF SPP 190 + MCP590 SLI)

Main Memory

 Four 240-pin unbuffered non-ECC DDR2 SDRAM DIMM sockets  Support single-sided or double-sided 1.8v DDR2-533/667/800 DIMMs with dual channel architecture in

256Mb/512Mb/1Gb technologies

 Supports up to 16GB memory size

Expansion Slots

 Two PCI connectors compliant with PCI v2.3  Two PCI-E (x1) connectors compliant with PCI Express 1.0a  Two PCI-E (x16) connectors compliant with PCI Express 1.0a to support SLi technology

USB

 Ten USB connectors compliant with USB2.0 from embedded USB controller (4 connectors at rear panel)

Dual LAN

 Two Gigabit Ethernet from onboard Marvell 88E1116 Gigabit Ethernet PHY

P-ATA IDE

 One IDE interface (up to 2 IDE devices) with UDMA-33/66/100/133 support from embedded IDE controller

S-ATA RAID

 Six S-ATA II ports with up to 300MB/s from chipset with RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5

More S-ATA (Optional)

 Two S-ATA II ports and One P-ATA port from JMicron's JMB363 PCI-Express to 2S1P controller and e-SATA

support.

I/O

 Onboard EPoX EP1308 LPC bus I/O controller  Legacy peripheral interface for PS/2 keyboard & mouse, FDD, Parallel, Serial, and IrDA (v1.0 compliant)  Support Hardware Monitoring for fan speed monitoring and CPU temperature sensing  Intelligent fan speed control for CPU-fan (PWM) and Chassis-fan for quiet operation

Audio

 8 channel audio from onboard Realtek ALC8xx High Definition audio compliant CODEC

- Support CD-In

- Support Jack detection for fool-proof audio device installation

- Rear panel audio jacks configuration:

eulBthgiLni-eniLni-eniLni-eniL

emiLtuo-eniLtuo-oeretstnorFtuo-oeretstnorF

kniPni-ciMni-ciMni-ciM

yarGtuo-oeretsediS

kcalBtuo-oeretsraeRtuo-oeretsraeR

egnarOrefoowbuS&retneCrefoowbuS&retneC

roloCkcaJenohP lennahc2 lennahc6 lennahc8

Introduction

BIOS

 Flash EEPROM with Award Plug&Play BIOS  Support EZ Boot for fast bootable device selection  Support Magic Health for system hardware status report during system boot-up  Support Ghost BIOS for BIOS Recovery

Peripheral Interfaces

))

) At Rear Panel

))

 PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports  One Parallel (printer) port  One S/PDIF-Out Coaxial jack  One S/PDIF-Out Optical  One Serial port  Two RJ45 LAN connectors  Four USB2.0 ports  Six Audio jacks

))

) Onboard connector and pin-header

))

 One floppy drive connector  One ATA-100/133 IDE connector from nVidia MCP590 SLI  One ATA-100/133 IDE connector from JMicron’s JMB363 (Optional)  Six extra USB2.0 ports  One CD-IN connector  One IR connector  Six S-ATA II connectors from nVidia nForce MCP590 SLI  Two S-ATA II connectors from JMicron’s JMB363 (Optional)  Three Fan connectors

Front Panel Controller

 Supports Reset & Soft-Off switches  Supports HDD & Power LEDs  Supports PC speaker  Supports Front Panel Audio connector

Special Features

 Support KBPO function – Keyboard power on, turn on the computer from keyboard  Support Wake-On-LAN by PME  Onboard Post Port LED display for system debugging  PowerBIOS for excellent overclocking features:

- Programmable FSB and PCI-E Clock output frequency with 1MHz fine tuning

- Support BIOS adjustable CPU multiplier, FSB clock, PCI-E x16 clock, DIMM frequency

- Support BIOS adjustable CPU Core voltage, Chipset voltage and DIMM voltage

 Support EZ-Button – A handy power-on button onboard to turn on/off the system easily  Support LEDION – onboard LED power indicator for CPU, DDR and chipset  Support Thermo Stick temperature (Optional)

 Support Ghost BIOS - Rescue, recover BIOS in an easy step and no more worry of BIOS being corrupted.

Powerful utilities for Windows

 Support Thunder Probe - A hardware diagnostic software to monitor voltage, temperature and speed of

a variety of hardware. It also includes an ingenious built in fan control feature called Smart Fan.

 Support Thunder Flash - A Windows based innovation tool to provide safe and easy BIOS rescue

function, BIOS flash function and personal start up screen.

English

Introduction

Form Factor

 305mm x 245 mm A TX size



Depending on the model you purchased, some components are optional and may not be



English

available.

1-4 System Block Diagram

Always have the power supply unplugged and powered off when inserting and removing devices within the computer chassis.

2-1 CPU Installation

Introduction

Section 2 -- Installation

(1)

(2)

Step 1

Open the socket by raising the actuation lever.

Step 2

(1) Align pin 1 on the CPU with pin 1 on the CPU socket as shown.

Insert the CPU and make sure it is fully inserted into the socket.

(2) Close the socket by lowering and locking the actuation lever.



 The CPU is keyed to prevent incorrect insertion, do not force



the CPU into the socket. If it does not go in easily, check for mis-orientation.

Step 3

Insert the heatsink as shown. Press the clips in the direction of the arrows shown to secure the assembly to the CPU socket.

English

Step 4

Plug the CPU fan power into the mainboard’s CPU fan connector. The installation is complete.



• Thermal compound and qualified heatsink recommended by





AMD are a must to avoid CPU overheat damage.

• Apply heatsink thermal compound/paste to the CPU.

Introduction

2-2 Jumper Settings

English

JCMOS: Clear CMOS data Jumper If the CMOS data becomes corrupted or you forgot the supervisor or user password, clear the CMOS data to reconfigure the system back to the default values stored in the ROM BIOS.

Settings:

1-2: Normal (Default)

2-3: Clear CMOS



 To CMOS Clear data, please follow the steps below.



1. Turn off the system.

2. Change the jumper from “1-2” to “2-3” position for a few seconds.

3. Replace the jumper back to the “1-2” position.

4. Turn on the system and hold down the <Del> key to enter BIOS setup.

Introduction

2-3 System Memory Configuration

The mainboard accommodates Four 240-pin DDR2 DIMMs.

• Supports up to 16GB of 533/667/800MHz DDR2 SDRAM.

• Supports unbuffered DIMM configurations defined in JEDEC DDR2 DIMM specification.

Dual Channel interface:

• Dual channel memory access offers increased system performance.

• For dual channel to operate, both channel must be populated with same amount of memory, preferably of the same type.

• The four DIMM sockets are divided into two colors to help you identify the channel pairs <Figure 1>. Each dual channel pair has the same color, e.g. DIMM1 and DIMM2. To obtain best performance, simply

mount DIMM sockets of the same color.

English

Dual Channel 1

Dual Channel 2

DIMM 1

DIMM 2

DIMM 4

Memory configurations supported:

MMID1

)tib-46(

1#MMIDSD/SSSD/SSSD/SSSD/SS

2#MMIDSD/SSSD/SS

3#MMIDSD/SSSD

4#MMIDSD/SSSD/SS

MMID2

)tib-46(

/SSSD/SSSD/SS

MMID2

)tib-821(

MMID4

)tib-821(

* SS: Single-Sided DIMM, DS: Double-Sided DIMM

Memory Installation :

To install, align the notch on the DIMM module with the connector. Press straight down as shown in the figure until the white clips close and the module fits tightly into the

DIMM socket.

Notch

Introduction

2-4 Rear IO Port

The I/O back panel for this mainboard is shown below. When installing the mainboard into the computer case, use the bundled I/O shield to protect this back panel.

English

PS/2

Mouse

PS/2

Keyboard

Parallel Port

RJ45 LAN

7.1 Audio Channel

Coaxial Jack

S/PDIF-out Optical

2-5 Internal Connectors

COM1S/PDIF-out

USB2.0 x 4 ports

Connectors Figure Descriptions

JCPU_FAN

JPWR_FAN

JSYS_FAN

FDD

Control

Ground

Sense

+12V

Ground

Sense

CPU / Power / Chassis /IO Fan Power Connectors JCPU_FAN: Connect the CPU fan to this connector.

JPWR_FAN: Use this connector if you are installing an

JSYS_FAN: The chassis fan will provide adequate airflow

Floppy Drive Connector

Introduction

additional fan in the unit.

throughout the chassis to prevent overheating the CPU.

English

IDE1

Primary IDE

IDE2 Secondary IDE (Optional)

PW1

PW12

CFPA

Front Line-out-R

Front Line-out-L

MIC_In

GND

Key

+5V

Primary IDE Connector Connects to the IDE device, i.e. HDD and CD-ROM device.

Secondary IDE Connector Connects to the HDD device only.

When using two IDE drives on the same

connector, one must be set to Master mode and the other to Slave mode. Refer to your disk drive user’s manual for details.

PW1: 24-pin ATX Power Connector PW12: 8-pin ATX12V Power Connector The plugs of the power cables are designed to fit in only one

orientation.

The PW1 and PW12 Power Connector must

be used simultaneously.

CFPA: Front Panel Audio Connector This audio connector connects to the audio jacks located on the front panel. Refer to your case manual to match the pin-out names.

CD-IN

CUSB3 CUSB4 CUSB5

CD_IN_Right

CD_Reference

CD_IN_Left

CD-IN: CD Audio-in connectors This connector is used to receive audio from a CD-ROM drive, TV tuner or MPEG card.

CUSB3/CUSB4/CUSB5: Six USB2.0 header This mainboard includes 6 additional onboard USB ports. To use these additional USB ports, a USB bracket is required. Please contact your retailer for details.

Introduction

English

Connectors Figure Descriptions

CFP

CIR

CFP: Case Front Panel Connector

 HD_LED

This LED indicates hard drive activity.

 PWR_LED

Connects to the power indicator on the PC case.

 RST

Connects to the RESET switch on the PC case.

 PW_ON

Connects to the Power button on the PC case, to turn on the system. To turn off the system, press the power button for 4 seconds.

CIR: IR connector For connection to an IrDA receiver unit.

CSPK

SATA1

SATA6

SATA7 SATA8 (Optional)

LEDION

THM-ST (Optional)

CP80P

EZ-Button

CSPK: Speaker Connects to the case’s speaker for PC beeps.

GND

A+

GND

B+

A-B-

GND

B+

A+

GND

A-B-

GND

SATA1 ~ SATA6: Six S-ATA II Connectors These connectors enable you to connect Serial ATA HDDs or optical drives type.

SATA7 ~ SATA8: Two S-ATA II Connectors These connectors enable you to connect Serial ATA HDDs or optical drives type with e-SATA.

LEDION: Onboard LED indicators to show the power status of CPU, Chipset and DRAM. You know immediately where to look if the system fails to start.

Thermo Stick: Flexible thermometer to let you measure any temperature by software. Ideal for monitoring VGA card, chipset or even disk drives temperatures.

CP80P: Post Port Debug LED Provides two-digit POST code to show why the system fail to boot. Allows quick and easy optimization. The LED will display the CPU temperature when you run the bundled Thunder Probe software.

EZ-Button — RESET, PW-ON: These onboard buttons lets you turn on/off the system easily, it is especially handy for debugging or testing the system.

Introduction

Section 3 -- BIOS Setup

3-1 Main Menu

The ROM BIOS contains a built-in Setup program which allows user to modify the basic system configuration and hardware parameters. The modified data is stored in a battery-backed CMOS, so that data will be retained even when the power is turned off. In general, the information saved in the CMOS RAM will stay unchanged unless there is a configuration change in the system, such as hard drive replacement or a device is added.

It is possible for the CMOS battery to fail causing CMOS data loss. If this happens you will need install a new CMOS battery and reconfigure your BIOS settings.



 The BIOS setup screen and description are for reference only, and may not exactly match



what you see on your screen. The contents of BIOS are subject to change without notice. Please visit our website for BIOS updates.

To enter the Setup Program :

Power on the computer and press the <Del> key during the POST (Power On Self Test). The BIOS CMOS SETUP UTILITY opens.

English

The main menu displays all the major selection items. Select the item you need to reconfigure. The selection is made by moving the cursor, press any direction (arrow key ) to the item and pressing the ‘Enter’ key. An on-line help message is displayed at the bottom of the screen as the cursor is moved to various items which provides a better understanding of each function. When a selection is made, the menu of the selected item will appear so that the user can modify associated configuration parameters.





For more information regarding BIOS settings refer to the complete manual in the



bundled CD.

Introduction

3-2 Standard CMOS Setup

Choose “STANDARD CMOS FEATURES” in the CMOS SETUP UTILITY Menu. Standard CMOS Features Setup allows the user to configure system settings such as the current date and time, type of hard disk drive installed, floppy drive type, and display type. Memory size is auto-detected by the BIOS and displayed for your reference. When a field is highlighted (use direction keys to move the cursor and the <Enter> key to select), the entries in the field can be changed by pressing the <PgDn> or the <PgUp> key.

English

Notes:

• If the hard disk Primary Master/Slave and Secondary Master/Slave are set to Auto, the hard disk size and model will be auto-detected.

• The “Halt On:” field is used to determine when the BIOS will halt the system if an error occurs.

3-3 Advanced BIOS Features

Selecting the “ADVANCED BIOS FEATURES” option in the CMOS SETUP UTILITY menu allows users to change system related parameters in the displayed menu. This menu shows all of the manufacturer’s default values for the board. Pressing the [F1] key displays a help message for the selected item.

Removable Device Priority

This item allows you to select the hard disk boot priority. Options: Floppy, LS120, ZIP100, USB-FDD0, USB-FDD1, USB-ZIP0, USB-ZIP1.

Hard Disk Boot Priority

This item allows you to select the hard disk boot priority. Options: Pri. Master, Pri. Slave, Sec. Master, Sec. Slave, USBHDD0, USBHDD1, USBHDD2, Bootable Add-in cards.

CD-ROM Boot Priority

This item allows you to select the CD-ROM boot priority. Options: Pri. Master, Pri. Slave, Sec. Master, Sec. Slave, USB-CDROM0, USB-CDROM1.

Introduction

Init Display First

This item is used to select whether to initialize the PCI-E or PCI first when the system boots. Options: PCI Slot, PCIEx.

First /Second/Third Boot Device

The BIOS attempts to load the operating system from the devices in the sequence selected in these items. Options: Floppy, LS120, Hard Disk, CDROM, ZIP100, USB-FDD, USB-ZIP, USB-CDROM, Legacy LAN, Disabled.

Boot Other Device

When enabled, the system searches all other possible locations for an operating system if it fails to find one in the devices specified under the first, second, and third boot devices. Options: Enabled, Disabled.

Boot Up Floppy Seek

If this item is enabled, it checks the size of the floppy disk drives at start-up time. You don’t need to enable this item unless you have a legacy diskette drive with 360K capacity. Options: Enabled, Disabled.

Boot Up NumLock Status

This controls the state of the NumLock key when the system boots. On: The keypad acts as a 10-key pad. Off: The keypad acts like cursor keys.

Security Option

This category allows you to limit access to the System and Setup, or just to Setup.

System: The system will not boot and access to Setup will be denied unless the correct password is

entered at the prompt.

Setup: The system will boot, but access to Setup will be denied unless the correct password is

entered at the prompt.

APIC Mode

This item allows you to enable APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) functionality. Options: Enabled, Disabled.

HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability

The S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) system is a diagnostics technology that monitors and predicts device performance. S.M.A.R.T. Software resides on both the disk drive and the host computer. If a device failure is predicted, the host software, through the Client WORKS S.M.A.R.T applet, warns the user of the impending condition and advises appropriate action to protect the data. Options: Enabled, Disabled.

Full Screen LOGO Show

This item allows you determine Full Screen LOGO display during POST. Options: Enabled, Disabled.

English

Introduction

3-4 POWER BIOS Features

This page lets you adjust various parameters to obtain improved performance for overclocking.

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Overclocking requires expert knowledge and risks permanent damage to system components. We recommend you leave these parameters at their default values for proper operation.

CPU Frequency

Enables you to increment the CPU’s clock generator at 1 MHz step. This works together with CPU Clock Ratio (below) to set the CPU operating frequency.

CPU Clock Generator x CPU Clock Ratio = CPU Frequency

For example, if you have a processor that is rated at 2.4GHz and the clock generator is 200MHz, then 200MHz x 12 = 2.4GHz Options: Auto, 100 to 500 in 1MHz increments.

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Overclocking failure will cause no display on the monitor. To overcome this switch off the power supply

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and switch on again. Restart the system, press and hold < default or initial setting.

Insert>

key. This will revert the BIOS to

Warning:

PCI Express bus(NB) / PCI Express bus(SB)

Enables you to subtle tune the PCI-E bus frequency for North Bridge (NB) and South Bridge (SB) at increments of 1 MHz step. If set to "Hyperclk GPU" the system will automatically increment the bus speed when overclocking capable GPU is detected. This is part of the Linkboost feature. Options: Hyperclk GPU, 100 to 200 in 1MHz increments.

Real Time Turbo Mode

This sets a value CPU Clock generator when the system is experiencing a heavy load. Options: 0 ~ 31.

CPU Clock Ratio

Use this item to select a multiplier to set the CPU frequency. See CPU Frequency item above for explanation. If your CPU multiplier is locked this option will be unavailable.

AMD K8 Cool’n’Quiet

Reduce the noise and heat from you PC when AMD’s Cool’n’Quiet Options: Auto, Disabled.

CPU Voltage

This item allows you to adjust the CPU Vcore voltage. Options: Auto, -0.200V to +0.500V in 0.025V increments. We recommend that you leave this at the default value.

technology is Auto.

Introduction

NB Voltage

This item allows you to adjust the north bridge voltage. Options: Auto, +1.2V to +1.55V in 0.025V increments. We recommend that you leave this at the default value.

SB Voltage

This item allows you to adjust the south bridge voltage. Options: Auto, +1.5V to +1.85V in 0.025V increments. We recommend that you leave this at the default value.

NB/SB HT Voltage

This item allows you to adjust the voltage of the Hyper Transport Bus for north bridge/south bridge. Options: Auto, +1.3V to +1.5V in 0.025V increments. We recommend that you leave this at the default value.

DIMM Voltage

This item allows you to adjust the DIMM slot voltage. Options: Auto, +1.8V to +2.5V in 0.025V increments. We recommend that you leave this at the default value.

VTT Voltage

This item allows you to adjust the CPU VTT voltage . Options: Auto, +1.2V to +1.55V in 0.025V increments. We recommend that you leave this at the default value.

1.5VSB Voltage

This item allows you to adjust the 1.5VSB voltage . Options: Auto, +1.5V to +1.8V in 0.1V increments. We recommend that you leave this at the default value.

Memory clock

This item sets the memory clock.

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CPU Core Clock Multiplier vs. DRAM Interface Speed

DDRII 400

CPU Ratio

CPU Frequency

4 0.8 GHz 5 160MHz 5 160MH z 5 160MHz 5 160MHz

5 1 GHz 5 200MHz 5 200MH z 5 200MHz 5 200MHz

6 1.2 GHz 6 200MHz 5 240MH z 5 240MHz 5 240MHz

7 1.4 GHz 7 200MHz 6 233MH z 5 280MHz 5 280MHz

8 1.6 GHz 8 200MHz 6 266MH z 5 320MHz 5 320MHz

9 1.8 GHz 9 200MHz 7 257MH z 6 300MHz 5 360MHz

10 2.0 GHz 10 200MHz 8 250MHz 6 333MHz 5 400MHz

11 2.2 GHz 11 200MHz 9 244MHz 7 314MHz 6 366MHz

12 2.4 GHz 12 200MHz 9 266MHz 8 300MHz 6 400MHz

13 2.6 GHz 13 200MHz 10 260MHz 8 325MHz 7 371M Hz

14 2.8 GHz 14 200MHz 11 254MHz 9 311MHz 7 400M Hz

15 3.0 GHz 15 200MHz 12 250MHz 9 333MHz 8 375M Hz

16 3.2 GHz 16 200MHz 12 266MHz 10 320MHz 8 400MHz

17 3.4 GHz 17 200MHz 13 261MHz 11 309MHz 9 377MHz

* Memory Frequency = CPU Frequency / Division

(200MHz)

DIV Freq. DIV Freq. DIV Freq. DIV Freq.

DDRII 533 (266MHz)

DDRII 667 (333MHz)

DDRII 800 (400MHz)

For example, if you have a processor clock is 2GHz and the memory is DDRII 533 (266MHz), then the actual value of Memory clock is 2GHz / 8 = 250MHz.

Introduction

Section 4 -- Driver & Utility

Once the operating system has been installed, you need to install the drivers for the mainboard.

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Method 1

Method 2

Insert the bundled CD into the CD-ROM and the main menu screen will appear. The main menu displays links to the supported drivers, utilities and software.

Method 1

This item installs all drivers automatically.

Method 2

This item allows you to install the drivers selectively.

Step 1 : Click “nVIDIA nForce Driver” to install chipset driver. Step 2 : Click “REALTEK High Definition Audio Driver” to install audio driver. Step 3 : Click “JMicron PCI Express SATA II and PATA Controller Driver” to install JMicron PCI

Step 4 : Click “AMD Cool’n’Quiet Processor Driver” to install AMD series processor driver.

Please select:

Auto Installation

Manual Installation

Please visit www.windowsupdate.com to update Windows XP

before installing nVidia series driver

>> nVIDIA nForce Driver

>> REALTEK High Definition Audio Driver

>> JMicron PCI Express SATA II and PATA Controller Driver

>> AMD Cool’n’Quiet Processor Driver

Express SATA II and PATA Controller driver. (Optional)

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Main menu items may vary depending on model you purchased.

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Once the drivers have been successfully installed, you may proceed to install the bundled utility software.

Introduction

Section 5 -- Ghost BIOS

Ghost BIOS helps you to recover from a corrupted BIOS situation, which normally would leave your system unable to boot. Ghost BIOS lets you repair the BIOS yourself saving the hassle of returning the mainboard for repair.

Preparing for Ghost BIOS:Preparing for Ghost BIOS:

Preparing for Ghost BIOS:

Preparing for Ghost BIOS:Preparing for Ghost BIOS:

1. Install the Thunder Flash utility found in the bundled CD.

2. Create a BIOS Recovery Disk (BRD) with this utility.

“LOAD”

Making BIOS Recovery Disk:

1. Run the Thunder Flash utility.

2. Connect to the internet.

3. Insert a blank floppy disk into floppy drive and click "LOAD".

4. Keep this floppy in a safe place for future use.

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IfIf

BIOS g BIOS g

BIOS g

IfIf

BIOS g BIOS g

When the BIOS is corrupted or fails, restart the system and this screen will appear. You may chose to recover the BIOS from BRD Floppy created earlier or from bundled driver CD.

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1. If recover from BIOS Recovery Disk floppy, insert the floppy disk created earlier and click "1".

2. If recover from mainboard driver CD, insert driver CD into optical drive and click "2".

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Note that mainboard driver CD consists only of Safe Mode BIOS. Proper BIOS must be updated after you enter the O/S.

Introduction

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If the screen below is shown, that means your BIOS version is not updated. Refer to Magic Flash steps to update the BIOS.

Introduction

Section 6 -- Appendix

6-1 Post Codes6-1 Post Codes

6-1 Post Codes

6-1 Post Codes6-1 Post Codes

POST (hex) DESCRIPTION

CFh Test CMOS R/W functionality. C0h Early chipset initialization:

C1h Detect memory

C3h Expand compressed BIOS code to DRAM C5h Call chipset hook to copy BIOS back to E000 & F000 shadow RAM. 01h Expand the Xgroup codes locating in physical address 1000:0 02h Reserved 03h Initial Superio_Early_Init switch. 04h Reserved 05h 1. Blank out screen

06h Reserved 07h 1 . Clear 8042 interface

08h 1. Test special keyboard controller for Winbond 977 series Super I/Ochips.

09h Reserved 0Ah 1. Disable PS/2 mouse interface (optional).

0B-0Dh Reserved 0Eh Test F000h segment shadow to see whether it is R/W-able or not. If test fails, keep

0Fh Reserved 10h Auto detect flash type to load appropriate flash R/W codes into the run time area in

11h Reserved 12h Use walking 1’s algorithm to check out interface in CMOS circuitry.

13h Reserved 14h Program chipset default values into chipset. Chipset default values are MODBINable by

15h Reserved 16h Initial Early_Init_Onboard_Generator switch. 17h Reserved 18h Detect CPU information including brand, SMI type (Cyrix or Intel) and CPU level (586 or

19-1Ah Reserved 1Bh Initial interrupts vector table. If no special specified, all H/W interrupts are directed to

1Ch Reserved 1Dh Initial EARLY_PM_INIT switch. 1Eh Reserved 1Fh Load keyboard matrix (notebook platform) 20h Reserved

- Disable shadow RAM

- Disable L2 cache (socket 7 or below)

- Program basic chipset registers

- Auto-detection of DRAM size, type and ECC.

- Auto-detection of L2 cache (socket 7 or below)

2. Clear CMOS error flag

2. Initialize 8042 self-test

2. Enable keyboard interface.

2. Auto detect ports for keyboard & mouse followed by a port & interface swap (optional).

3. Reset keyboard for Winbond 977 series Super I/O chips.

beeping the speaker.

F000 for ESCD & DMI support.

Also set real-time clock power status, and then check for override.

OEM customers.

686).

SPURIOUS_INT_HDLR & S/W interrupts to URIOUS_soft_HDLR.

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Introduction

21h HPM initialization (notebook platform) 22h Reserved 23h 1 . Check validity of RTC value:

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24-26h Reserved 27h Initialize INT 09 buffer 28h Reserved 29h 1. Program CPU internal MTRR (P6 & PII) for 0-640K memory address.

2A-2Ch Reserved 2Dh 1. Initialize multi-language

2E-32h Reserved 33h Reset keyboard except Winbond 977 series Super I/O chips. 34-3Bh Reserved 3Ch Test 8254 3Dh Reserved 3Eh Test 8259 interrupt mask bits for channel 1. 3Fh Reserved 40h Test 8259 interrupt mask bits for channel 2. 41h Reserved 42h Reserved 43h Test 8259 functionality. 44h Reserved 45-46h Reserved 47h Initialize EISA slot 48h Reserved 49h 1. Calculate total memory by testing the last double word of each 64K page.

4A-4Dh Reserved 4Eh 1. Program MTRR of M1 CPU

4Fh Reserved 50h Initialize USB 51h Reserved 52h Test all memory (clear all extended memory to 0) 53-54h Reserved 55h Display number of processors (multi-processor platform) 56h Reserved 57h 1. Display PnP logo

e.g. a value of 5Ah is an invalid value for RTC minute.

2. Load CMOS settings into BIOS stack. If CMOS checksum fails, use default value instead.

3. Prepare BIOS resource map for PCI & PnP use. If ESCD is valid, take into consideration of the ESCD’s legacy information.

4. Onboard clock generator initialization. Disable respective clock resource to empty PCI & DIMM slots.

5. Early PCI initialization:

-Enumerate PCI bus number

-Assign memory & I/O resource

-Search for a valid VGA device & VGA BIOS, and put it into C000:0.

2. Initialize the APIC for Pentium class CPU.

3. Program early chipset according to CMOS setup. Example: onboard IDE controller.

4. Measure CPU speed.

5. Invoke video BIOS.

2. Put information on screen display, including Award title, CPU type, CPU speed ….

2. Program writes allocation for AMD K5 CPU.

2. Initialize L2 cache for P6 class CPU & program CPU with proper cacheable range.

3. Initialize the APIC for P6 class CPU.

4. On MP platform, adjust the cacheable range to smaller one in case the cacheable ranges between each CPU are not identical.

2. Early ISA PnP initialization

Introduction

-Assign CSN to every ISA PnP device. 58h Reserved 59h Initialize the combined Trend Anti-Virus code. 5Ah Reserved 5Bh (Optional Feature) Show message for entering AWDFLASH.EXE from FDD (optional) 5Ch Reserved 5Dh 1. Initialize Init_Onboard_Super_IO switch.

2. Initialize Init_Onbaord_AUDIO switch. 5E-5Fh Reserved 60h Okay to enter Setup utility; i.e. not until this POST stage can users enter the CMOS setup

utility. 61-64h Reserved 65h Initialize PS/2 Mouse 66h Reserved 67h Prepare memory size information for function call: INT 15h ax=E820h 68h Reserved 69h Turn on L2 cache 6Ah Reserved 6Bh Program chipset registers according to items described in Setup & Auto-configuration

table. 6Ch Reserved 6Dh 1. Assign resources to all ISA PnP devices.

2. Auto assign ports to onboard COM ports if the corresponding item in Setup is set to

“AUTO”. 6Eh Reserved 6Fh 1. Initialize floppy controller

2. Set up floppy related fields in 40:hardware. 70-72h Reserved 73h (Optional Feature) Enter AWDFLASH.EXE if :

-AWDFLASH is found in floppy drive.

-ALT+F2 is pressed 74h Reserved 75h Detect & install all IDE devices: HDD, LS120, ZIP, CDROM….. 76h Reserved 77h Detect serial ports & parallel ports. 78h-79h Reserved 7Ah Detect & install co-processor 7B-7Eh Reserved 7Fh 1. Switch back to text mode if full screen logo is supported.

-If errors occur, report errors & wait for keys

-If no errors occur or F1 key is pressed to continue:

 Clear EPA or customization logo. 80h-81h Reserved 82h 1. Call chipset power management hook.

2. Recover the text font used by EPA logo (not for full screen logo)

3. If password is set, ask for password. 83h Save all data in stack back to CMOS 84h Initialize ISA PnP boot devices 85h 1. USB final Initialization

2. NET PC: Build SYSID structure

3. Switch screen back to text mode

4. Set up ACPI table at top of memory.

5. Invoke ISA adapter ROMs

6. Assign IRQs to PCI devices

7. Initialize APM

8. Clear noise of IRQs. 86-92h Reserved

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Introduction

93h Read HDD boot sector information for Trend Anti-Virus code 94h 1. Enable L2 cache

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95h 1. Program daylight saving

96h 1. Build MP table

FFh Boot attempt (INT 19h)

2. Program boot up speed

3. Chipset final initialization.

4. Power management final initialization

5. Clear screen & display summary table

6. Program K6 write allocation

7. Program P6 class write combining

2. Update keyboard LED & typematic rate

2. Build & update ESCD

3. Set CMOS century to 20h or 19h

4. Load CMOS time into DOS timer tick

5. Build MSIRQ routing table.

Introduction

6-2 Hot K6-2 Hot K

6-2 Hot K

6-2 Hot K6-2 Hot K

y Summary Summar

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Hotkeys are special keyboard buttons that activate hidden commands at various stages of bootup. Most Hotkeys serve mainly as trouble shooting tools while others as simple shortcuts for user's convenience.

Below is a reference list of Hotkeys available:

Hot Key1 Description How to use2 Note

Power on the system a nd wait for the “Alt+F2 to enter

Alt+F2

Home

Insert

Ctrl+F1 ~ F12

Force BIOS update from floppy

Enter Ghost BIOS interface

Clear CMOS when system hang up from overclock

Keyboard Power On (depend on setting in BIOS)

AWDFLASH” message to appear, press the <Alt+F2> key to force BIOS update from floppy.

In power off state, press and hol d <Home> key, then power on. The system will enter Ghost BIOS interfac e.

In power off state, press a nd hold <Insert> key, then power on. This will Clear CMOS and revert the BIOS to default or initial setting.

In power off or suspend s tate, press hot key combination to power on or wake up the system.

Models with Ghost BIOS only

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Any Key

ESC

F12

Keyboard Power On (depend on setting in BIOS)

EZ-Boot, a pop-up manual to easily select boot device.

Force Memory Frequency to run at slower 200Mhz.

In power off or suspend s tate, press any key to power on or wake up the system.

After power on, before jump to next page, press < ESC> key to pop-up the [Boot device list] page.

In power off state, press and hold <F12> key. After power on the memory frequency will run at a slow 200Mhz. This forces system to boot at safe speed so user can enter BIOS setup to adjust memory settings.

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 1. Hotkeys are generally common to all boards. There may be remote cases where some

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Hotkeys may not work due to design limitation of hardware or BIOS.

2. In some cases the Hotkey will not work after AC power has been previously disconnected.

Introduction

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NVIDIA nF590 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual