VIA Technologies VIA P4XB-SA, P4XB-RA User Manual

i

VIA Mainboard

User’s Manual

VIA P4XB-SA &

VIA P4XB-RA

Version 1.0 - November 28, 2001

ii

Copyright

Copyright by VIA T echnologies Inc. (“VIA”). No part of this manual may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form without express written
authorization from VIA.

Trademarks

All trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Data protection

All data should be backed-up prior to the installation of any drive unit or
storage peripheral. VIA will not be responsible for any loss of data resulting
from the use, disuse or misuse of this or any other VIA product.

No W arranty

VIA has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the content of this
manual. However, it is possible that it may contain technical inaccuracies
or typographical or other errors. VIA will assume no liability for any
inaccuracy found in this publication, nor for damages, direct, indirect,
incidental, consequential or otherwise, that may result from such an
inaccuracy, including without limitation loss of data or profits.

VIA provides this manual “as is”, and does not issue a warranty of any
kind, express or implied, including without limitation implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

The information provided in this manual is subject to change without
notice. VIA reserves the right to alter product designs, layouts or drivers
without notification.

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

Notice 1

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

Notice 2

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

iv

TRADEMARKS

All trademarks used in this manual are the property of their respective owners.
Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
PS/2 and OS/2 are registered trademarks of IBM Corporation.
Windows 95/98/2000 and W indows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft.
Netware is a registered trademark of Novell.
Award is a registered trademark of Award Software Inc.

NOTE

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 and protect 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 cannot 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.

1 0. Never pour any liquid into the opening. Doing so could cause damage or

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 does not work well or does not work according to the

User’s Manual.

! The equipment has dropped or damaged
! The equipment has been visably damaged

12. DO NOT LEAVE THIS EQUIPMENT IN AN ENVIRONMENT
UNCONDITIONED, STORAGE TEMPERA TURE ABOVE 600 C (1400F), IT
MA Y DAMAGE THE EQUIPMENT .

v

Box Contents

• 1 x VIA Mainboard

• 1 x User’s manual

• 1 x Floppy ribbon cable

• 1 x ATA-66/100 Hard drive ribbon cable (2 are included

with the VIA P4XB-RA)

• 1 x 2 Port USB Module

• 1 x Driver Utilities CD

• 1 x User’s Manual for Promise FastTrak 100-Lite

RAID Controller (with VIA P4XB-RA only)

vi

Contents

Chapter 1. Specifications....................1-1

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

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

Connectors Guide..........................................................1- 5

Chapter 2. Installation........................2-1

CPU Installation............................................................. 2-2

CPU Installation......................................................................... 2-2

CPU Core Speed....................................................................... 2-3

CPU Fan Installation ................................................................. 2-3

Memory Installation ...................................................... 2 - 5

DDR Module Installation ........................................................... 2- 6

Power Supply................................................................. 2-7

ATX 20-Pin Power Connector: JWR1 ...................................... 2-7

ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1 .......................................... 2-7

Back Panel ..................................................................... 2-8

Mouse Connector: JKBMS1 ..................................................... 2-8

Keyboard Connector: JKBMS1................................................. 2-8

USB Connectors........................................................................ 2-9

Parallel Port Connector: LPT1 .................................................. 2-9

Serial Port Connectors: COM A & COM B ........................... 2-10

Joystick (MIDI) Connector ..................................................... 2-10

Audio Port Connectors ............................................................ 2-10

Connectors .................................................................. 2-11

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1 .......................................2-11

IrDA Infrared Module Connector: IR1 ....................................2-11

Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 & IDE2 .................................... 2-12

CD-In Connector: J3 ............................................................... 2-13

Aux Line-In Connector: J4 ...................................................... 2-13

vii

Modem-In Connector: J5 ......................................................... 2-13

Fan Power Connectors: CFAN2/SFAN1 ................................ 2-14

Case Connectors: JFP1/JFP2 .................................................. 2-15

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

Wake On Ring Connector: JMDM1 ........................................ 2-17

Power Saving Switch Connector: JGS1................................... 2-17

USB Front Connector: USB3/USB4 ....................................... 2-18

Jumpers .......................................................................2-19

Clear CMOS Jumper: J7 ......................................................... 2-19

Onboard Audio Codec Jumper: JP1 ........................................ 2-20

Slots ............................................................................. 2-21

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Slot ................................... 2-21

PCI Slots.................................................................................. 2-21

CNR (Communication Network Riser) ................................... 2-21

PCI Interrupt Request Routing ................................................ 2-22

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Integrated Peripherals................................................3-16

Power Management Setup ..........................................3-22

PNP/PCI Configurations .............................................3-26

PC Health Status .........................................................3-28

Frequency/Voltage Control .........................................3-29

Load High Performance Defaults ...............................3-31

viii

Load Optimized Defaults.............................................3-32

Set Supervisor/User Password....................................3-33

Save & Exit Setup........................................................3-35

Exit Without Saving .....................................................3-36

Chapter 4. Driver Setup......................4-1

VIA Apollo P4X266A Chipset Drivers........................... 4-2

C-Media CMI8738 Audio Driver (P4XB-RA only) ........4-7

Realtek ALC201A Audio Driver (P4XB-SA only) ..........4-9

Specifications

1-1

Chapter 1. Specifications

Specifications

1

The VIA P4XB-RA and P4XB-SA mainboards
are based around the VIA Apollo P4X266A chipset,
which brings support for high-performance DDR266
SDRAM to the Intel® Pentium® 4 platform. VIA’s ad­vanced V-Link controller brings optimal system effi­ciency by effectively doubling bandwidth between the
chipset’s north and south bridges. Designed for the
latest 478-pin Pentium® 4 processors, these ATX sized
mainboards are the perfect choice for Pentium 4 based
high- performance PCs, servers and workstations.

This chapter includes the following sections:

Mainboard Specifications 1-2
Mainboard Layout 1-4
Components Guide 1 -5

Chapter 1

1-2

CPU

• Supports Intel

®

Pentium® 4 processors in the 478 pin package.

• Supports 1.5GHz, 1.6GHz, 1.7GHz, 1.8GHz, 1.9GHz, 2GHz and upwards.

Chipset

• VIA Apollo P4X266A chipset (VT8753 & VT8233)

- Supports Intel® Pentium® 4 processors with 400MHz (100MHz QDR) CPU
Front Side Bus (FSB).

- AGP v2.0 compliant with 8x transfer mode.

- High Bandwidth V-Link Client controller.

- Integrated Faster Ethernet LPC.

- Integrated Hardware Sound Blaster/Direct Sound AC’97 audio.

- Ultra DMA 33/66/100 master mode PCI EIDE controller.

- ACPI 1.0B and PCI Bus Power Management 1.1 compliant.

Main Memory

• 3 x 184-pin DDR DIMM slots.

• Supports up to 3GB of DDR266 SDRAM (PC2100/PC1600).

• Supports 2.5v DDR266 SDRAM.

Slots

• 1 x AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) 4X slot.

• 5 x PCI 2.2 32-bit PCI bus slots (supports 3.3v/5v PCI bus interface).

• 1 x CNR (Communication Network Riser) slot.

Onboard IDE

• Integrated IDE controller provides IDE HDD/CD-ROM with PIO, Bus Mas-

ter and Ultra DMA 33/66/100 operation modes.

• Can connect up to four IDE devices.

• IDE RAID 0, 1 supported by Promise PDC20265R controller (VIA P4XB-RA

only).

Specifications

Specifications

1-3

Onboard Peripherals

• 1 floppy port supports 2 x FDDs with 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and

2.88Mbytes.

• 2 x serial ports (COM A + COM B).

• 1 x parallel port supports SPP/EPP/ECP mode.

• 2 x USB 1.1 ports (plus 2 pin-headers for up to 4 additional connections).

• 1 x IrDA connector for SIR/CIR/ASKIR/HPSIR.

• 1 x Game (MIDI) port

Audio

• H/W C-Media CMI8738 / PCI-6ch supports 2/4/6 channel speaker (VIA

P4XB-RA only).

• S/W Realtek ALC201A AC'97 Codec.

BIOS

• Award Plug & Play BIOS.

• Desktop Management Interface (DMI) function which records your

mainboard specifications.

Dimension

• ATX Form Factor.

• 30.5cm x 22.5cm.

Mounting

• 6 mounting holes.

Chapter 1

1-4

Layout

VIA P4XB-RA & VIA P4XB-SA Mainboards

Specifications

1-5

Connectors Guide

Component Function Reference
JWR1 ATX 20-pin power connector See p. 2-7
JPW1 ATX 12V power connector See p. 2-7
JKBMS1 Mouse connector See p. 2-8
JKBMS1 Keyboard connector See p. 2-8
USB Connectors Connecting to USB devices See p. 2-9
COM A & COM B Serial port connector See p. 2-10
LPT1 Parallel port connector See p. 2-9
FDD1 Floppy disk drive connector See p. 2-11
IR1 IrDA infrared module connector See p. 2-11
IDE1~ IDE2 Hard disk connectors See p. 2-12
J3 CD-in connector See p. 2-13
J4 Aux line-in connector See p. 2-13
J5 Modem-in connector See p. 2-13
CFAN2/SFAN1 Fan power connectors See p. 2-14
JFP1/JFP2 Case connector See p. 2-15
JAUD Front panel audio connector See p. 2-16
JMDM1 Wake on ring connector See p. 2-17
JGS1 Power saving switch connector See p. 2-17
USB3/USB4 Connecting to USB devices See p. 2-18
J7 Clear CMOS jumper See p. 2-19
JP 1 Onboard audio codec jumper See p. 2-20
AGP Slot Connecting to AGP cards See p. 2-21
PCI Slots Connecting to expansion cards See p. 2-21
CNR Slot Connecting to expansion cards See p. 2-21

Installation

2-1

This chapter provides you with information
about hardware setup procedures. While installing
the mainboard, carefully hold the components and
closely follow the installation procedures. Some
components may be damaged if they are installed
incorrectly.

It is recommended to use a grounded wrist
strap before handling computer components. Static
electricity can damage some components.

This chapter contains the following sections:

CPU Installation 2 - 2
Memory Installation 2 -5
Power Supply 2 - 7
Back Panel 2 -8
Connectors 2-11
Jumpers 2-19
Slots 2-21

Chapter 2. Installation

Installation

2

Chapter 2

2-2

CPU Installation

The VIA P4XB-RA and P4XB-SA mainboards support the Intel® Pentium® 4
processor in the 478 pin package (PGA478). When installing the CPU, ensure

the CPU has a large-size heatsink and a cooling fan attached on the top to
prevent overheating. If the heatsink and cooling fan are not included with the

CPU, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the
computer.

CPU Installation

Overheating will cause serious damage to the CPU
and system. Ensure the cooling fan and heatsink work
properly to protect the CPU from overheating.

WARNING!

1. Pull the lever sideways away
from the socket. Then raise the
lever up to a 90-degree angle.

2 . Look for the dot/cut edge. The

dot/cut edge should point to­wards the lever pivot. The
CPU will only fit in the correct
orientation.

3. Hold the CPU down firmly,
then close the lever shut to
complete the installation.

Installation

2-3

CPU Fan Installation

As processor technology pushes to faster speeds and higher performance,
thermal management becomes increasingly important. To dissipate heat, you
MUST attach the CPU cooling fan and heatsink on top of the CPU. Follow the
instructions below to install the Heatsink/Fan:

CPU Core Speed

If CPU Clock = 100MHz

Core/Bus ratio = 14

then CPU core speed = Host Clock x Core/Bus ratio

= 100MHz x 14
= 1.4GHz

Overclocking

This mainboard is designed to support overclocking. However,
please make sure your components are able to tolerate such abnor­mal settings, before overclocking. Any attempt to operate beyond
product specifications is not recommended. W e do not guarantee the
damages or risks caused by inadequate operation or operation be­yond product specifications.

W ARNING!

2. Position the heatsink onto the reten-

tion mechanism.

1. Locate the CPU and its retention

mechanism on the mainboard.

retention mechanism

Chapter 2

2-4

5. Connect the fan power cable from the mounted fan to the 3-pin fan power connector

on the mainboard.

3. Mount the fan on top of the heatsink. Press down the fan firmly until its four clips

become wedged in the holes of the retention mechanism.

4. Press the two levers down to secure the fan. Each lever can be pressed down in only

ONE direction.

fan power cable

levers

Installation

2-5

The VIA P4XB-RA and P4XB-SA mainboards provide 3 sockets for 184-pin, 2.
5V DDR DIMM with 6 memory banks. T o operate properly , at least one DIMM
module must be installed.

Memory Installation

You can install PC1600/PC2100 DDR SDRAM modules on the DDR DIMM
slots (DDR 1~3).

DDR266 (Double Data Rate) SDRAM is similar to conventional SDRAM, but
doubles the rate of trans­fer by transfering data
twice per cycle. This is
achieved by transfering
data on both the rising
and falling edges of the
clock. Conventional
SDRAM only uses the
rising edge of the clock
to transfer data.
Therefore, conventional
SDRAM is called SDR
(Single Data Rate)
SDRAM. DDR SDRAM
uses 2.5 volts as opposed
to 3.3 volts used in SDR
SDRAM, and requires
184-pin DIMM modules rather than 168-pin DIMM modules used by SDR
SDRAM. DDR266 SDRAM is also known as SDRAM-II, DDR DRAM and
DSDRAM (Double-Speed DRAM). T wo types of DDR are available currently:
PC1600 & PC2100. PC1600 DDR SDRAM running at 100MHz will produce
about 1.6GB/s memory bandwidth. PC2100 running at 133MHz will produce 2.
1GB/s memory bandwidth. High memory bandwidth makes DDR an ideal solu­tion for high performance PC, workstations and servers.

DDR DIMM Slots
(DDR 1~3)

Chapter 2

2-6

DDR Module Installation

You can install either single sided or double sided 184-pin DDR DIMM mod­ules into DDR DIMM, depending on your requirements. Differing from SDR
DIMM, DDR DIMMs have only one notch on the center of the module. The
number of pins on either side of the breaks are also different. The memory
modules will only fit if placed in the correct orientation.

Y ou can install DDR266 SDRAM modules in any of the following combinations:

Slot Memory Module Total Memory

Slot 1
(B ank 0 & Bank 1)

64M B , 128M B ,
256M B , 512M B , 1G B

64M B~1GB

Slot 2
(B ank 2 & Bank 3)

64M B , 128M B ,
256M B , 512M B , 1G B

64M B~1GB

Slot 3
(B ank 4 & Bank 5)

64M B , 128M B ,
256M B , 512M B , 1G B

64M B~1GB

M axim um System M em ory Supported

64M B~3GB

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

2. Insert the DDR module vertically into the DDR DIMM slot. Make sure the
notch is correctly aligned.

3. The plastic clips at sides of the DIMM slot will automatically close shut.

Rear ViewRear View

Rear ViewRear View

Rear View

Front ViewFront View

Front ViewFront View

Front View

Volt

Installation

2-7

Power Supply

ATX 20-Pin Power Connector: JWR1

This connector is for the ATX power supply. To connect to the ATX power
supply, make sure the plugs of the power supply are inserted in the correct
orientation and the
pins are properly
aligned. Then, push
down the power
supply firmly into
the connector. The
power connector
supports an instant
power on function,
which means that
system will boot up
immediately when
the power supply
connector is in­serted on the mainboard.

The VIA P4XB-RA and VIA P4XB-SA mainboards require an ATX power
supply for powering the system. Before inserting the power supply connector,
always make sure that all components are installed properly to ensure that no
damage will be caused.

ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1

This 12V power connector is used to provide power to the CPU.

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND
2 GND
3 12V
4 12V

JPW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

11 3.3V
12 -12V
13 GND
14 PS_ON
15 GND
16 GND
17 GND
18 -5V
19 5 V
20 5 V

PIN SIGNAL

1 3.3V
2 3.3V
3 GND
45V
5 GND
65V
7 GND
8 PW_OK
9 5V_SB
10 12V

JWR1 Pin Definition

JPW1

13

24

JWR1

10

1

20

11

Chapter 2

2-8

Keyboard Connector:
JKBMS1

The mainboard provides a standard
PS/2 keyboard connector for attach­ing a PS/2 keyboard. You can plug a
PS/2 keyboard directly into this
connector.

The Back Panel provides the following connectors:

Mouse Connector: JKBMS1

The VIA P4XB-RA and P4XB-SA
mainboards provide a standard PS/2
mouse connector for attaching a PS/2
mouse. You can plug a PS/2 mouse di­rectly into this connector. The connec­tor location and pin assignments are as
follows:

PS/2 Mouse (6-pin Female)

2

1

3

4

5

6

PS/2 Keyboard (6-pin Female)

21

34

5

6

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 Mouse DA T A Mouse DA TA
2 NC No connection
3 GND Ground
4 VCC +5V
5 Mouse Clock Mouse clock
6 NC No connection

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

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

Pin Definition

Back Panel

Installation

2-9

USB Connectors

The VIA P4XB-RA and P4XB-SA mainboards provide 2 USB ports (plus 2 pin­headersfor up to 4 additional USB connections; see 2-18). USB-compatible
devices can be plugged directly into these ports.

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 VCC +5V
2 -Data 0 Negative Data Channel 0

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

Pin Definition

USB Ports

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

Parallel Port Connector: LPT1

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

13

1

1425

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 STROBE Strobe
2 DAT A0 Data0
3 DAT A1 Data1
4 DAT A2 Data2
5 DAT A3 Data3
6 DAT A4 Data4
7 DAT A5 Data5
8 DAT A6 Data6
9 DAT A7 Data7
10 ACK# Acknowledge
11 BUSY Busy
12 PE Paper End
1 3 SELECT Select
1 4 AUTO FEED# Automatic Feed
15 ERR# Error
1 6 INIT# Initialize Printer
17 SLIN# Select In
18 GND Ground
19 GND Ground
20 GND Ground
21 GND Ground
22 GND Ground
23 GND Ground
24 GND Ground
25 GND Ground

Pin Definition

Chapter 2

2-10

Serial Port Connectors: COM A & COM B

The mainboard offers two 9-pin male Serial Port connectors (COM A and COM
B) . You can attach a serial mouse or other serial devices directly to these ports.

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

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

9-Pin Male DIN Connectors

Pin Definition

Joystick (MIDI) Connector

You can connect a joystick or game pad
to this connector.

Audio Port Connectors

Line-Out is a connector for speakers or

headphones. The Line-In connector
can be used for an external CD player,
tape player, or other audio devices. The
Mic-in connector is for connecting
microphones.

1/8” Stereo Audio Connectors

Line Out

Line In MI C

Note: Details on the application of onboard 6-channel audio (VIA P4XB­RA only) can be acquired by installing the CMI8738 Audio Driver on the
CD-ROM (enclosed in the product package).

Installation

2-11

The VIA P4XB-RA and P4XB-SA mainboards provide pin-header connectors
for FDD, IDE HDD, case, modem, LAN, USB Ports, IR module and the CPU/
System F AN.

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

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

Connectors

IrDA Infrared Module Connector: IR1

This connector allows you to connect an IrDA Infrared module. You must
configure the setting through the BIOS setup to activate the IR function.

PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC
2NC
3 IRRX
4 GND
5 IRTX

Pin Definition

IR1

1

5

Chapter 2

2-12

Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 & IDE2

The VIA P4XB-RA and P4XB-SA mainboards have a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE
and Ultra DMA 33/66/100 controller that provides PIO mode 0~4, Bus Master,
and Ultra DMA/33/66/100 functions. You can connect up to four hard disk
drive, CD-ROM, 120MB Floppy (reserved for future BIOS) and other devices.

These connectors utilize the provided IDE hard disk cable.

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

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

TIP: If you install two hard disks on cable, you must config-

ure the second drive to Slave mode by setting its jumper. Refer to
the hard disk documentation supplied by hard disk vendors for

jumper setting instructions.