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nForce 790i Ultra
User Manual
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XFX nForce 790i Ultra User Manual

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User Guide
XFX nForce 790i Ultra 3-Way SLI Motherboard
ii
XFX nForce 790i 3-Way SLI Motherboard
Table of Contents
User Guide .....................................................................................................................i
XFX nForce 790i Ultra 3-Way SLI Motherboard ............................................................i
Before You Begin… ..................................................................................................... ix
Inside the 780i 3-Way SLI Installation CD ...............................................................ix
Parts NOT in the Kit ..................................................................................................x
Intentions of the Kit ..................................................................................................xi
XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard.......................................................................1
Motherboard Specifications...................................................................................... 1
Unpacking and Parts Descriptions...............................................................................3
Unpacking ................................................................................................................ 3
Equipment ................................................................................................................ 3
XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard.................................................................. 4
Hardware Installation ....................................................................................................7
Safety Instructions.................................................................................................... 7
Preparing the Motherboard ...................................................................................... 8
Installing the CPU ................................................................................................ 8
Installing the CPU Fan ......................................................................................... 9
Installing Memory DIMMs..................................................................................... 9
Installing the Motherboard...................................................................................... 10
Installing the I/O Shield ...................................................................................... 10
Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis....................................................... 11
Connecting Cables and Setting Switches .............................................................. 11
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Power Connections ............................................................................................ 12
24-pin ATX Power (PWR1) ............................................................................ 13
8-pin ATX 12V Power (PWR2)....................................................................... 14
Connecting IDE Hard Disk Drives ...................................................................... 14
Connecting Serial ATA Cables........................................................................... 15
Connecting Internal Headers ............................................................................. 16
Front Panel Header ........................................................................................ 16
IEEE 1394a .................................................................................................... 17
USB Headers ................................................................................................. 18
Audio .................................................................................................................. 19
Fan Connections ................................................................................................ 20
COM1 ................................................................................................................. 21
FDD Connector .................................................................................................. 22
Expansion Slots ................................................................................................. 22
Jumper Settings ..................................................................................................... 24
Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS.................................................................... 24
Configuring the BIOS ..................................................................................................25
Enter BIOS Setup................................................................................................... 26
Main Menu.............................................................................................................. 26
Standard CMOS Features Menu ........................................................................... 29
Date and Time.................................................................................................... 30
IDE Channel and SATA Channel ....................................................................... 30
Drive A................................................................................................................ 32
Halt On ............................................................................................................... 32
Memory .............................................................................................................. 33
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PCI Slots ........................................................................................................ 23
PCI Express x1 Slots ..................................................................................... 23
PCI Express x16 Slots ................................................................................... 23
XFX nForce 790i 3-Way SLI Motherboard
Advanced BIOS Features ...................................................................................... 34
Removable Device Priority................................................................................. 35
Hard Disk Boot Priority....................................................................................... 35
Network Boot Priority ......................................................................................... 35
CPU Internal Cache ........................................................................................... 35
Quick Power On Self Test.................................................................................. 36
First/Second/Third Boot Device ......................................................................... 36
Boot Other Device .............................................................................................. 36
Boot Up NumLock Status ................................................................................... 36
Security Option................................................................................................... 37
APIC Mode ......................................................................................................... 37
MPS Version Control For OS ............................................................................. 37
Full Screen LOGO Show.................................................................................... 37
Advanced Chipset Features................................................................................... 38
System Clocks.................................................................................................... 39
Frequency Settings ........................................................................................ 40
HT Multiplier ................................................................................................... 41
Spread Spectrum ........................................................................................... 41
FSB & Memory Config ....................................................................................... 42
CPU Configuration ............................................................................................. 46
System Voltages ................................................................................................ 48
NVMEM Memory Test ........................................................................................ 50
Load Timing/Voltage Set .................................................................................... 50
Save Timing/Voltage Set.................................................................................... 51
System BIOS Cacheable ................................................................................... 51
HPET Function ................................................................................................... 51
NVIDIA GPU Ex ................................................................................................. 51
Integrated Peripherals Menu.................................................................................. 52
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IDE Function Setup ............................................................................................ 53
RAID Config ....................................................................................................... 54
USB Config......................................................................................................... 54
MAC Config ........................................................................................................ 55
IEEE1394 controller ........................................................................................... 55
HD Audio ............................................................................................................ 55
IDE HDD Block Mode......................................................................................... 55
Onboard FDC Controller .................................................................................... 55
Onboard Serial Port 1 ........................................................................................ 56
Power Management Setup Menu .......................................................................... 56
ACPI Function .................................................................................................... 57
ACPI Suspend Type........................................................................................... 57
Soft-Off by PBNT ............................................................................................... 57
WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off ................................................................................ 57
Power On by Alarm ............................................................................................ 57
POWER ON Function ........................................................................................ 58
PnP/PCI Configuration Menu ................................................................................. 59
Init Display First.................................................................................................. 59
Reset Configuration Data ................................................................................... 60
Resources Controlled By ................................................................................... 60
IRQ Resources................................................................................................... 61
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop ..................................................................................... 61
Maximum Payload Size...................................................................................... 61
System Monitor Menu ............................................................................................ 62
Dynamic Fan Control ......................................................................................... 63
Installing Drivers and Software ..................................................................................65
Windows XP Drivers Install .................................................................................... 66
Using the NVIDIA Software........................................................................................67
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XFX nForce 790i 3-Way SLI Motherboard
NVIDIA Performance Group of NVIDIA Control Panel .......................................... 68
Device Settings .................................................................................................. 69
Current Hardware Settings............................................................................. 70
Dynamic BIOS Access ....................................................................................... 76
View System Information ................................................................................... 77
Profile Policies.................................................................................................... 78
Manage Your System BIOS ............................................................................... 79
NVIDIA System Monitor ......................................................................................... 80
Appendix A. POST Codes for Tritium Platform...........................................................85
Appendix B. Configuring an SLI Configuration ...........................................................95
ForceWare Driver ................................................................................................... 96
Enabling 3-Way SLI ........................................................................................... 98
Verifying 3-way SLI is Active................................................................................ 100
Index..........................................................................................................................101
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List of Figures
Figure 1. XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard Layout .................................... 5
Figure 2. Chassis Backpanel Connectors ............................................................. 6
Figure 3. Power Supply Connectors.................................................................... 12
Figure 4. PWR1 Motherboard Connector ............................................................ 13
Figure 5. BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu .................................................. 27
Figure 6. Standard CMOS Features Menu.......................................................... 29
Figure 7. Advanced BIOS Features Menu........................................................... 34
Figure 8. Advanced Chipset Features ................................................................. 38
Figure 9. System Clocks Menu............................................................................ 39
Figure 10. FSB & Memory Config Menu................................................................ 42
Figure 11. CPU Configuration Menu ..................................................................... 46
Figure 12. System Voltages Menu ........................................................................ 48
Figure 13. Integrated Peripherals Menu ................................................................ 52
Figure 14. Power Management Setup Menu......................................................... 56
Figure 15. PnP/PCI Configuration Menu ............................................................... 59
Figure 16. System Monitor Menu .......................................................................... 62
Figure 17. 3-Way SLI Using GeForce 8800 Ultra.................................................. 95
Figure 18. 3-way NVIDIA SLI connector................................................................ 96
Figure 19. Windows Vista Device Manager........................................................... 97
Figure 20. NVIDIA Control Panel, Set SLI Configuration ...................................... 98
Figure 21. SLI Visual Indicators Operating in 3DMark2006 .................................. 99
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Inside the 780i 3-Way SLI Installation CD
The following tools and drivers are in the 790i 3-Way SLI Installation CD:
Motherboard Drivers for:
Windows XP
Windows XP 64-bit
Windows Vista
Windows Vista 64-bit
XFX nForce 790i 3-Way SLI Motherboard
Before You Begin…
Onboard Audio Drivers
Windows XP
Windows XP 64-bit
Windows Vista
Windows Vista 64-bit
Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0
Raid Setup Floppy Disk Creator
Motherboard Manual NVIDIA Software
NVIDIA MediaShield Storage
NVIDIA System Monitor
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Parts NOT in the Kit
This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new NVIDIA® nForce® 790i Ultra SLI motherboard. However, it does not contain the following items that must be purchased separately to make the motherboard functional.
Intel microprocessor:
Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo Pentium EE, Pentium D, Pentium
Cooling fan for the microprocessor
System memory support:
Supports dual channel DDR3 800/1066/1333, and up to 2000 MHz SLI­Ready Memory. Supports up to 8 GBs DDR3 memory.
Graphics Card
This motherboard supports 3-way SLI with three x16 PCI Express slots.
Power Supply
The power supply requirement is dependent upon the power and the number of the GPUs you install. If you are going to SLI two graphics cards, you are going to require more power. As a rule, for one GPU you need a minimum of a 300 W power supply. If you have two GPUs in an SLI configuration, you will need a minimum of a 500 W power supply. If you have three GPUs in an SLI configuration, you will need a minimum of a 1000 W power supply. To calculate the power you are going to require for your specific configuration, go to www.slizone.com.
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These instructions tell you how to install each of the parts listed so you can have a functioning motherboard. As you go through the installation instructions, we are assuming you have purchased the necessary parts.
Intentions of the Kit
This kit provides you with the motherboard and all connecting cables necessary to install the motherboard into a PC cabinet. If you are building a PC, you will use most of the cables provided in the kit. If however, you are replacing a motherboard, you will not need many of the cables.
When replacing a motherboard in a PC cabinet, you will need to reinstall an operating system even though the current drives have an operating system.
XFX nForce 790i 3-Way SLI Motherboard
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XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI
Thank you for buying the XFX NFORCE 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard. This motherboard offers the tools and performance PC users’ demand. When combined with two or three SLI-Ready XFX GeForce graphics cards, you get innovative NVIDIA SLI Technology for enhanced system performance.
Motherboard Specifications
Size
ATX form factor of 12 inch x 9.6 inch
Microprocessor support
Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, Pentium D, Pentium
Operating systems:
Supports Windows XP 32bit/64bit and Windows Vista 32bit/64bit
Contains NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI MCP and SPP System Memory support
Supports dual channel JEDEC DDR3-1333 and SLI-Ready memory up to 2000 MHz. Supports up to 8 GBs DDR3 memories.
Ten USB 2.0 Ports
Supports hot plug Ten USB 2.0 ports (six rear panel ports, four onboard USB headers) Supports wake-up from S1 and S3 mode Supports USB 2.0 protocol up to 480 Mbps transmission rate
Motherboard
1
Onboard Serial ATA II
300MBps data transfer rate Six Serial ATA II connectors NVIDIA MediaShield RAID with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID
0+1, RAID 5, and JBOD
Supports hot plug and NCQ (Native Command Queuing )
Onboard LAN
Dual LAN interface built-in onboard Supports 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec Ethernet
Onboard 1394
Support hot plug Two 1394a ports (one rear panel port, one onboard header) with rate of
transmission at 400 Mbps
Onboard Audio
Azalia High-Definition audio Supports 8-channel audio Supports S/PDIF output Supports Jack-Sensing function
Triple PCI Express x16 Support
2 x16 PCI Express 2.0 1 x16 PCI Express 1.0 Supports 4 GB/sec (8 GB/sec concurrent) bandwidth Low power consumption and power management features
Green Function
Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) Supports S0 (normal), S1 (power on suspend), S3 (suspend to RAM), S4
(Suspend to disk - depends on OS), and S5 (soft - off)
Expansion Slots
Two PCI slots One PCI Express x1 slot Three PCI Express x16 Graphics slots
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Unpacking
The XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard comes with all the necessary cables for adding a motherboard to a new chassis. If you are replacing a motherboard, you may not need many of these cables.
Be sure to inspect each piece of equipment shipped in the packing box. If anything is missing or damaged, contact your reseller.
All parts shipped in this kit are RoHS-compliant (lead-free) parts.
Unpacking and
Parts Descriptions
Equipment
The following equipment is included in the XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard box.
XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard This PCI Express motherboard contains the
NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI SPP and MCP and is SLI-ready.
I/O Shield
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Installs in the chassis to block radio frequency transmissions, protect internet components from dust and foreign objects and aids in proper airflow within the chassis.
Floppy Cable Used to attach a floppy drive to the
motherboard.
2-Port SATA Power Cable (Qty Three)
1394 Cable Provides two additional 1394 ports to either
the front or back panels of the chassis.
USB 2.0 4-Port Cable Provides four additional USB ports to either
the front or back panels of the chassis.
SATA Signal Cable (Qty Six) Used to support the Serial ATA protocol and
each one connects a single drive to the motherboard
IDE-ATA 133 HDD Cable
SLI Bridge (use for two graphics cards in SLI)
3-Way SLI Bridge (use for three graphics cards in SLI)
XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard
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The XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard with the NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI SPP and MCP processors is a PCI Express, SLI-ready motherboard. Figure 1 shows the motherboard and Figures 2 shows the back panel connectors.
XFX nForce 790i 3-Way SLI Motherboard
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10
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7
13
14
1
6
1
7
2
1
2
2
2
1 2
3
2
2
2
5
2
7
7
2
2
1
8
1
1
1
5
2
6
1
9
11
1
6
2
3
2
4
20
11
29
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2
3
1. CPU Socket 11. Fan connectors 21. PCI slots
2. nForce 790i Ultra SLI heatpipe 12. HDA and SPDIF connector 22. PCI Express x16 slots (SLI)
3. CPU fan connector 13. Front panel connector 23. PCI Express x1 slot
4. DDR3 DIMM slots 0 - 3 14. Serial connector 24. SATA connector
5. 24-pin ATX power connector 15. Clear CMOS Jumper 25. Backpanel connectors (Figure 2)
6. IDE connector 16. USB headers 26. Heat dissipater
7. Serial-ATA (SATA) connectors 17. 1394a connector 27. 8-pin ATX_12V power connector
8. FDD connector 18. Power button 28. MCP/SPP fan connector
9. NVIDIA MCP (passive heat sink) 19. Reset Button 29. Motherboard battery
10. Diagnostic code display 20. Front panel Audio connector
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Figure 1. XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard Layout
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1
2
5
6
9
6
3
4
6
7
8
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1. PS/2 Mouse Port
2. PS/2 Keyboard Port
3. Coaxial SPDIF
4. SPDIF output
5. eSATA
6. USB 2.0 ports (SIX)
7. 1394a (Firewire) Port
8. Port 2-Channel 4-Channel 6-Channel/8-Channel Blue Line-In Line-In Line-In Green Line-Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Pink Mic In Mic In Mic In Orange Center/Subwoofer Black Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Grey
9. Lan Port with LEDs to indicate status.
• Yellow/Light Up/Blink = 10 Mbps/Link/Activity
• Yellow and Green/Light Up/Blink = 100 Mbps/link/Activity
• Green/Light Up/Blink = 1000 Mbps/Link/Activity
Figure 2. Chassis Backpanel Connectors
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This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The topics covered in this section are:
Preparing the motherboard
Installing the CPU Installing the CPU fan Installing the memory
Installing the motherboard Connecting cables and setting switches
Safety Instructions
Hardware Installation
To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock, and injury, always follow basic safety precautions.
Remember to remove power from your computer by disconnecting the AC main source before removing or installing any equipment from/to the computer chassis.
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notches on the CPU
Preparing the Motherboard
The motherboard shipped in the box does need to purchase these to complete this installation.
Installing the CPU
Be very careful when handling the CPU. Make sure not to bend or break any pins on the back. Hold the processor only by the edges and do not touch the bottom of the processor.
Use the following procedure to install the CPU onto the motherboard.
1. Unhook the socket lever by pushing down and
away from the socket.
2. Lift the load plate. There is a protective socket
cover on the load plate to protect the socket when there is no CPU installed.
3. Remove the protective socket cover from the load plate.
4. Remove the processor from its protective cover,
making sure you hold it only by the edges. It is a good idea to save the cover so that whenever you remove the CPU, you have a safe place to store it.
not
contain a CPU or memory. You
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5. Align the notches in the processor with the
notches on the socket.
6. Lower the processor straight down into the socket
with out tilting or sliding it into the socket
Note: Make sure the CPU is fully seated and level in the
socket.
Align notches with
Hardware Installation
Card-edge
7. Close the load plate over the CPU and press down while you close and
engage the socket lever.
Installing the CPU Fan
There are many different fan types that can be used with this motherboard. Follow the instruction that came with you fan assembly. Be sure that the fan orientation is correct for your chassis type and your fan assembly.
Installing Memory DIMMs
Your new motherboard has four 240-pin slots for DDR3 memory. These slots support 256 Mb, 512 Mb and 1 Gb DDR3 technologies for x8 and x16 devices. There must be at least one memory bank populated to ensure normal operation. Use the following the recommendations for installing memory. (See Figure 1 on page 5 for the location of the memory slots.)
One DIMM: Install into slot 0. You can install the DIMM into any slot,
however, slot 0 is preferred.
Two DIMMs: Install into either slots 0 and 1 or 2 and 3. The idea is to not
have the DIMMs in adjacent slots.
Four DIMMS: Install into slots 0, 1, 2, and 3.
DIMM Slot 0
DIMM Slot 2
DIMM Slot 1
DIMM Slot 3
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Use the following procedure to install memory DIMMs. Note that there is only one gap near the center of the DIMM slot. This slot matches the slot on the memory DIMM to ensure the component is installed properly.
1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the module clips outward.
2. Align the memory module to the DIMM slot, and insert the module
vertically into the DIMM slot. The plastic clips at both sides of the DIMM slot automatically lock the DIMM into the connector.
Installing the Motherboard
The sequence of installing the motherboard into the chassis depends on the chassis you are using and if you are replacing an existing motherboard or working with an empty chassis. Determine if it would be easier to make all the connections prior to this step or to secure the motherboard and then make all the connections. It is normally easier to secure the motherboard first.
Use the following procedure to install the I/O shield and secure the motherboard into the chassis.
Installing the I/O Shield
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Note: Be sure that the CPU fan assembly has enough clearance for the chassis
covers to lock into place and for the expansion cards. Also make sure the CPU Fan assembly is aligned with the vents on the covers.
The motherboard kit comes with an I/O shield that is used to block radio frequency transmissions, protects internal components from dust and foreign objects, and promotes correct airflow within the chassis.
Before installing the motherboard, install the I/O shield from the inside of the chassis. Press the I/O shield into place and make sure it fits securely. If the I/O shield does not fit into the chassis, you would need to obtain the proper size from the chassis supplier.
Hardware Installation
Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis
Most computer chassis have a base with mounting studs or spacers to allow the mother board to be secured to the chassis and help to prevent short circuits. If there are studs that do not align with a mounting hole on the motherboard, it is recommended that you remove that stud to prevent the possibility of a short circuit. In most cases, it is recommended to secure the motherboard using a minimum of nine (9) spacers.
1. Carefully place the motherboard onto the studs/spacers located inside the
chassis.
2. Align the mounting holes with the studs/spacers.
3. Align the connectors to the I/O shield.
4. Ensure that the fan assembly is aligned with the chassis vents according to
the fan assembly instruction.
5. Secure the motherboard with a minimum of eight-to-ten screws.
Connecting Cables and Setting Switches
This section takes you through all the connections and switch settings necessary on the motherboard. This will include:
Power Connections
24-pin ATX power (PWR1) 8-pin ATX 12V power (PWR2)
Internal Headers
Front panel IEEE 1394a USB Headers Audio Speaker COM
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FDD
IDE Serial ATA II Chassis Fans Rear panel USB 2.0 Adapter Expansion slots CMOS jumper settings
See Figure 1 on page 5 to locate the connectors and jumpers referenced in the following procedure.
Power Connections
To support 3-way SLI, this motherboard has the following specific power supply requirements:
Minimum 1000 W peak power Six 6-pin (3x2) PCI-E power connectors (see Figure 3):
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6-pin (3x2) PCI-E connector
Figure 3. Power Supply Connectors
Make sure you have enough power to cover all the expansion cards you will be installing. To determine what you power requirements are for your specific configuration or a certified power supply vendor, refer to www.slizone.com.
Hardware Installation
24-pin ATX Power (PWR1)
PWR1 is the main power supply connector located along the edge of the board
next to the DIMM slots. Make sure that the power supply cable and pins are properly aligned with the connector on the motherboard. Firmly plug the power supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure.
PWR1 connector Plug power cable from system power supply to PWR1
Card edge
Figure 4. PWR1 Motherboard Connector
Table 1. PWR1 Pin Assignments
Connector Pin Signal Pin Signal
24 13
12 1
1 +3.3V 13 +3.3V
2 +3.3V 14 -12V
3 GND 15 GND
4 +5V 16 PS_ON
5 GND 17 GND
6 +5V 18 GND
7 GND 19 GND
8 PWROK 20 RSVD
9 +5V_AUX 21 +5V
10 +12V 22 +5V
11 +12V 23 +5V
12 +3.3V 24 GND
13
Backpanel connector edge
8-pin ATX 12V Power (PWR2)
PWR2, the 8-pin ATX 12V power connection, is used to provide power to the
CPU. Align the pins to the connector and press firmly until seated.
GND
1
5 8
12V
Connecting IDE Hard Disk Drives
The IDE connector supports Ultra ATA 133/100/66 IDE hard disk drives.
1. Connect the blue connector (the cable end with a single connector) to the
motherboard.
2. Connect the black connector (the cable with the two closely spaced black
and gray connectors) to the Ultra ATA master device.
3. Connect the gray connector to a slave device.
If you install two hard disk drives, you must configure the second drive as a slave device by setting its jumper accordingly. Refer to the hard disk documentation for the jumper settings.
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Note: If an ATA-66/100 disk drive and a disk drive using any other IDE transfer
protocol are attached to the same cable, the maximum transfer rate between the drives may be reduced to that of the slowest drive.
Hardware Installation
Connecting Serial ATA Cables
The Serial ATA II connector is used to connect the Serial ATA II device to the motherboard. These connectors support the thin Serial ATA II cables for primary storage devices. The current Serial ATA II interface allows up to 300MB/s data transfer rate.
There are six serial ATA connectors on the motherboard that support RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 0+1 and JBOD configurations.
SATA 1 (bottom) SATA 2 (top)
Connect the locking cable end to the motherboard connector. Connect the end without the lock to the drive.
SATA 3 SATA 4 SATA 6 SATA 5
GND GND GND
TX+ RX+
TX- TX-
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Connecting Internal Headers
Front Panel Header
The front panel header on this motherboard is one connector used to connect the following four cables
(see Table 2 for pin definitions):
PWRLED
Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two pins of the connector. The Power LED indicates the system’s status. When the system is in S0 status, the LED is on. When the system is in S1, S3, S4, S5 status, the LED is off.
Note: Some chassis do not have all four cables. Be sure to match the name on
the connectors to the corresponding pins.
1 2
+ +
HD_LED PWRLED
RESET PWRSW
No Connect Blank
- -
9 10
16
PWRSW
Attach the power button cable from the case to these two pins. Pressing the power button on the front panel turns the system on and off rather than using the power supply button.
HD_LED
Attach the hard disk drive indicator LED cable to these two pins. The HDD indicator LED indicates the activity status of the hard disks.
RESET
Attach the Reset switch cable from the front panel of the case to these two pins. The system restarts when the RESET switch is pressed.
Hardware Installation
Table 2. Front Panel Header Pins
Pin Signal In/Out Description
1 HD_PWR Out Hard disk LED pull-up to +5V HD_LED 3 HDA# Out Hard disk active LED
2 HDR_BLNK_GRN Out Front panel green light PWRLED 4 HDR_BLNK_YEL Out Front panel yellow light
5 GND Ground RESET 7 FP_RESET# In Reset switch
6 SWITCH_ON# In Power switch PWRSW 8 GND Ground
No Connect 9 No Connect
Empty 10 Empty
IEEE 1394a
The IEEE 1394 expansion cable bracket is provided in the box but if you do not require the additional external connections, you do not need to install it.
1. Secure the bracket to either the front or rear panel of your chassis (not all
chassis are equipped with the front panel option).
2. Connect the two ends of the cables to the IEEE 2394 connectors on the
motherboard.
Table 3. IEEE 1394a Connector Pins
Connector
IEEE 1394a Connector
10
8 6 4 2
9 7 5 3 1
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Pin Signal
1 TPA+ 2 TPA­3 GND 4 GND 5 TPB+ 6 TPB­7 +12V 8 +12V 9 Empty 10 GND
Card Edge
USB Headers
This motherboard contains six (6) USB 2.0 ports that are exposed on the rear panel of the chassis (Figure 2). The motherboard also contains two 10-pin internal header connectors onboard that can be used to connect an optional external bracket containing four (4) more USB 2.0 ports.
1. Secure the bracket to either the front or rear panel
of your chassis (not all chassis are equipped with the front panel option).
2. Connect the two ends of the cables to the USB 2.0
headers on the motherboard.
Table 4. USB 2.0 Header Pins
Connector Pin Signal
USB 2.0 Header Connector
1
3
5
7
9
2
4
6
8
10
Card Edge
1 5V_DUAL
3 D-
5 D+
7 GND
9 Empty
Pin Signal
2 5V_DUAL
4 D-
6 D+
8 GND
10 No Connect
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Hardware Installation
Audio
The audio connector supports HD audio standard and provides two kinds of audio output choices: the Front Audio, the Rear Audio. The front Audio supports re-tasking function.
Table 5. Front Audio and SPDIF Connector
Connector
Front Audio Connector
10
8 6 4 2
9 7 5 3 1
Pin Signal
1 Mic (Input)
2 Ground (Mic.)
3 Mic-P (Pulse)
4 Not Used
5 PORT2_R (Right Channel Out)
6 SENSE1_RETURN (Right Channel Ground)
7 Not Used
8 Empty
9 PORT2_L (Left Channel Out)
10 SENSE2_RETURN (Left Channel Ground)
Connector
SPDIF Connector
1 3 5
2 4 6
Pin Signal
1 +5V
2 Empty
3 Audio Out
4 Audio In
5 Ground
6 Not Used
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pin connector to pins 1, 2,
4
3
2
. The fans plug into
Fan Connections
There are five fan connections on the motherboard. The fan speed can be detected and viewed in the PC Health Status section of the CMOS Setup. The fans are automatically turned off after the system enters S3, S4 and S5 mode.
AUX Fan
Install the fan on the nForce 790i Ultra SLI MCP to draw heat from the MCP and the SPP a 3-pin connector.
Fan Connector
3 2 1
GND
SENSE
+12V
Note that the CPU fan cable can be either a 3-pin or a 4-pin connector. Connect a 3­and 3 on the motherboard connector.
VREG Fan
CPU Fan Connector
CPU Fan
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GND SENSE
PWR CONTROL
System fan connector
Hardware Installation
There are three more fan connectors on the motherboard. For this installation, these will not be used.
Fan Connector
3 2
GND
+12V
SENSE
Chassis fan connector
Auxiliary fan connector
COM1
The motherboard kit provides an additional serial COM header for your machine. Connect one side of a switching cable to the header and then attach the serial COM device to the other side of the cable.
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6
FDD Connector
The motherboard supports a standard 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44m, and a 2.88M floppy disk drive (FDD).
Expansion Slots
The XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard contains seven expansion slots, five PCI Express slots and two PCI slots. For a full list of PCI Express x16 graphics card supported by this motherboard, go to www.XFXforce.com.
1
2
3
4
5
5
1 – PCI slot 1 2 – PCIe x16 slot 2
3 – PCI slot 2
4 – PCIe x16 slot 3 5 – PCIe x1 slots 6 – PCIe x16 slot 1
(Primary)
22
Hardware Installation
PCI Slots
The two PCI slots support many expansion cards such as a LAN card, USB card, SCSI card and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. When installing a card into the PCI slot, be sure that it is fully seated. Secure the card’s metal bracket to the chassis back panel with the screw used to hold the blank cover.
PCI Express x1 Slots
There are two PCI Express x1 slots that are designed to accommodate less bandwidth-intensive cards, such as a modem or LAN card. The x1 slots provide 250 MB/sec bandwidth.
PCI Express x16 Slots
These three PCI Express x16 slots are reserved for graphic or video cards. The bandwidth of the x16 slot is up to 4GB/sec (8GB/sec concurrent). The design of this motherboard supports three PCI-Express graphics cards using NVIDIA’s SLI technology with multiple displays.
When installing a PCI Express x16 card, be sure the retention clip snaps and locks the card into place. If the card is not seated properly, it could cause a short across the pins. Secure the card’s metal bracket to the chassis back panel with the screw used to hold the blank cover.
To configure for SLI, follow the instructions that come with the SLI kit (the kit is purchased separately from the motherboard).
23
Jumper Settings
The motherboard contains a 3-pin BIOS configuration jumper that enables all board configurations to be done in the BIOS Setup program.
The silk screen on the motherboard shows a ∆ next to pin 1.
Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS
The motherboard uses the CMOS RAM to store all the set parameters. The CMOS can be cleared by removing the CMOS jumper.
Use the following procedure to clear CMOS:
1. Turn off the AC power supply
2. Connect pins 1 and 2 together using the jumper cap.
3. Return the jumper setting to normal (pins 2 and 3
together with the jumper cap).
4. Turn the AC power supply back on.
Pin 1
Card Edge
24
Configuring the BIOS
This section discusses how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
This section includes the following information:
Enter BIOS Setup Main Menu
Standard CMOS Features Advanced BIOS Features Advanced Chipset Features Integrated Peripherals Power Management Setup PnP/PCI Configurations System Monitor
25
Enter BIOS Setup
The BIOS is the communication bridge between hardware and software. Correctly setting the BIOS parameters is critical to maintain optimal system performance.
Use the following procedure to verify/change BIOS settings.
1. Power on the computer.
2. Press the Del key when the following message briefly displays at the bottom
of the screen during the Power On Self Test (POST).
Press F1 to continue, DEL to enter Setup.
Pressing Del takes you to the Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility.
Note: It is strongly recommended that you do not change the default BIOS settings.
Changing some settings could damage your computer.
Main Menu
26
The main menu allows you to select from the list of setup functions and two exit choices. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press
Enter to display the associated submenu. Use the  arrow
keys to position the selector in the option you choose. To go back to the previous menu, press Esc.
Note: Note that on the BIOS screens all data in white is for information only, data in
yellow is changeable, data in blue is non-changeable, and data in a
red box is highlighted for selection.
Configuring the BIOS
F10 : Save & Exit Setup
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
 Standard CMOS Features
 Advanced BIOS Features
 Advanced Chipset Features
 Integrated Peripherals
 Power Management Setup
 PnP/PCI Configurations
Esc : Quit
Time, Date, Hard Disk Type..,
SLI-Ready memory - Disabled
 System Monitor
Load Defaults
Set Password
Save & Exit Setup
Exit Without Saving
 : Select Item
Figure 5. BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu
Standard CMOS Features
Use this menu to set up the basic system configuration.
Advanced BIOS Features
Use this menu to set up the advanced system features and boot sequence.
Advanced Chipset Features
Use this menu to optimize system performance and configure clocks, voltages, memory timings, and more.
Integrated Peripherals
Use this menu to set up onboard peripherals such as IDE, RAID, USB, LAN, and MAC control.
Power Management Setup
Use this menu to configure power management, power on, and sleep features.
PnP/PCI Configurations
Use this menu to modify the system’s Plug-and-Play and PCI configurations.
27
System Monitor
Use this menu to monitor the real-time system status of your PC, including temperature, voltages, and fan speed.
The following items on the CMOS Setup Utility main menu are commands rather than submenus:
Load Defaults
Load default system settings.
Set Password
Use this command to set, change, and disable the password used to access the BIOS menu.
Save & Exit Setup
Use this command to save settings to CMOS and exit setup.
Exit Without Saving
Use this command to abandon all setting changes and exit setup.
SLI-Ready Memory is a status indicator displayed at the bottom of the BIOS screen. The three status indicators are:
Enabled: SLI-Ready memory is detected and enabled. Disabled: SLI-Ready memory is detected but disabled. Not Detected: SLI-Ready memory is not detected.
28
Configuring the BIOS
F5: Previous Values F7:Defa
ults
Standard CMOS Features Menu
The Standard CMOS Features menu is used to configure the standard CMOS information, such as the date, time, HDD model, and so on. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press Enter to display the sub-menu. Use the  arrow keys to position the selector in the option you choose. To go back to the previous menu, press Esc.
The information shown in Item Help corresponds to the option highlighted.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Date (mm:dd:yy) Sat, Jul 01 2006 Time (hh:mm:ss) 12 : 48: 23
 IDE Channel (.) Master [None]  IDE Channel (.) Slave [None]  SATA Channel 1 Master [None]  SATA Channel 2 Master [None]  SATA Channel 3 Master [None]  SATA Channel 4 Master [None]  SATA Channel 5 Master [None]  SATA Channel 6 Master [None]
Drive A [1.44, 3.5 in.] Halt On [All , But Keyboard]
Base Memory 640K
Extended Memory 1047552K Total Memory 1048576K

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Standard CMOS Features
Item Help
Main Level 
Change the day, month, year and century
Figure 6. Standard CMOS Features Menu
Note: Note that all data in white is for information only, data in yellow is changeable,
data in blue is non-changeable, and data in a red box is highlighted for selection.
29
Date and Time
Using the arrow keys, position the cursor over the month, day, and year. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through dates and times. Note that the weekday (Sun through Sat) cannot be changed. This field changes to correspond to the date you enter. Note that the hour value is shown in a 24-hour clock format. Time is represented as hour : minute : second.
Date (mm:dd:yy) Sat, Jul 01 2006 Time (hh:mm:ss) 14 : 48: 43
IDE Channel and SATA Channel
Use these functions to detect and configure the individual IDE and SATA channels. Select a channel and press Enter to display the IDE/SATA sub-menu.
 IDE Channel (.) Master [None]  IDE Channel (.) Slave [None]  SATA Channel 1 Master [None]  SATA Channel 2 Master [None]  SATA Channel 3 Master [None]  SATA Channel 4 Master [None]  SATA Channel 5 Master [None]  SATA Channel 6 Master [None]
IDE Auto-Detect [Press Enter]
Extended IDE Drive [None}
Access Mode Auto
Capacity 0 MB
Cylinder 0 Head 0 Precomp 0 Landing Zone 0 Sector 0
Press ENTER to display
SATA Channel sub-
Press ENTER to display
IDE Channel sub-menu
IDE HDD Auto-Detect [Press Enter]
IDE Channel 0 Slave [Manual} Access Mode [CHS]
Capacity 0 MB
C Head [ 0] Precomp [ 0] Landing Zone [ 0] Sector [ 0]
ylinder [ 0]
30
Configuring the BIOS
Press Enter to auto-detect IDE and SATA channels in the system. Once the channel is detected, the values for Capacity, Cylinder, Heads, Precomp, Landing Zone, and Sector are automatically filled in.
None
There is no HDD installed or set.
Auto
The system can auto-detect the hard disk when booting up.
Manual
When you set the channel to [Manual] and change Access Mode to [CHS], you can then enter the number of cylinders, heads, Precomp, landing zone, and sector. You can manually enter the values or you can press Enter to display a window that tells you the min and max values.
IDE HDD Auto-Detect [Press Enter]
IDE Channel 0 Slave [Manual} Access Mode [CHS]
Capacity 0 MB
Cylinder .....0
Head [ 0] Precomp [ 0] Landing Zone [ 0] Sector [ 0]
The BIOS supports the following HDD Access Modes:
CHS
or HDD less than 528 MB.
F
LBA
For HDD greater than 528 MB and
Press ENTER to display sub­menu
Cylinder
Min= 0 Max=65535
Key in a DEC number :

:Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort
supporting LBA (Logical Block Addressing).
Large
For HDD greater than 528 MB but not supporting LBA.
Auto
Recommended mode.
31
Halt On
[All , But Keyboard]
Press ENTER to display sub
-
menu
Drive A
The Drive A option allows you to select the kind of FDD to install. Options are:
Drive A [1.44, 3.5 in.]
None 360K, 5.25 in. 1.2M, 5.25 in. 720K, 3.5 in. 1.44M, 3.5 in.
2.88M, 3.5 in.
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press Enter to display the sub-menu. Use the  arrow keys to position the selector in the option you choose. Press Enter to accept the changes and return to the Standard CMOS Features menu.
Drive A
None ..... [ ]
360K, 5.25 in. ..... [ ]
1.2M, 5.25 in. ..... [ ]
720K, 3.5 in. ..... [ ]
1.44M, 3.5 in. ..... [ ]
2.88M, 3.5 in. ..... [ ]

:Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort
Halt On
32
Halt On determines whether or not the computer stops if an error is detected
during power on. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press Enter to display the Halt On sub-menu. Use the  arrow keys to position the selector in the option you choose. Press
Enter to accept the
changes and return to the Standard CMOS Features menu.
Drive A [1.44, 3.5 in.] Halt On [All , But Keyboard]
All Errors
Whenever the BIOS detects a nonfatal error, the system stops and prompts you.
No Errors
System boot does not stop for any detected
errors.
Halt On
All Errors ..... [ ]
No Errors ..... [ ]
All , But Keyboard ..... [
All , But Diskette ..... [ ]
All , But Disk/Key ..... [ ]

:Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort
]
Configuring the BIOS
All, But Keyboard
System boot does not stop for keyboard errors, but does stop for all other errors.
All, But Diskette
The system boot does not stop for a diskette error but will stop for all other errors.
All, But Disk/Key
The system boot does not stop for a keyboard or disk error, but will stop for all other errors.
Memory
These settings are display-only values that are determined by the BIOS POST (Power-On Self Test).
Base Memory
BIOS POST determines the amount of base (or conventional) memory installed in the system.
Extended Memory
BIOS determines how much extended memory is present during the POST.
Total Memory
This value represents the total memory of the system.
Base Memory 640K
Extended Memory 1047552K
33
F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults
Advanced BIOS Features
Advanced BIOS Features
Access the Advanced BIOS Features menu from the CMOS Utility Setup screen. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or
Enter to display the sub-menu. Use the  arrow keys to position the
press selector in the option you choose. To go back to the previous menu, press Esc.
Note: The options that have associated sub-menus are designated by a , which
precedes the option. Press Enter to display the sub-menus.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
 Removable Device Priority [Press Enter]  Hard Disk Boot Priority [Press Enter]  Network Boot Priority [Press Enter]
CPU Internal Cache [Enabled] Quick Power On Self Test [Enabled] First Boot Device [Removable] Second Boot Device [CDROM] Third Boot Device [Hard Disk] Boot Other Device [Enabled] Boot Up NumLock Status [On] Security Option [Setup] APIC Mode [Enabled] MPS Version Control For OS [1.4] Full Screen LOGO Show [Disabled]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Item Help
Main Level 
Select Removable Boot Device Priority
Figure 7. Advanced BIOS Features Menu
Note: Note that all data in white is for information only, data in yellow is changeable,
data in blue is non-changeable, and data in a red box is highlighted for selection.
34
Configuring the BIOS
1.
Floppy Disks
2. Network 1 : <description of network>
2. Bootable Add
-
in Cards
the priority of the device within
Removable Device Priority
Use this option to select the priority for removable device startup. Press Enter to see the list of removable devices in your system. Use the  arrow keys to go to the various devices. Then use the + or – keys to move the device priority up or down in the list. To go back to the previous menu, press Esc.
Hard Disk Boot Priority
Use this option to select the priority for HDD startup. Press Enter to see the list of bootable devices in your system. Use the  arrow keys to go to the various devices. Then use the + or – keys to move the device priority up or down in the list. To go back to the previous menu, press Esc.
1. Ch0. : ST3802110A
Network Boot Priority
Use this option to select the priority for network startup. Select Network Boot
Priority and press Enter to view available networks. Use the  arrow keys
to go to the various devices. Then use the + or – keys to move the device priority up or down in the list. To go back to the previous menu, press Esc.
1. Network 0 : <description of network>
CPU Internal Cache
Use this option to enable or disable the CPU internal cache. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press Enter to display the options in a sub-menu. Use the  arrow keys to position the selector in the option you choose.
Use the + and – keys to move
35
Quick Power On Self Test
Enabling this option allows the system to skip certain test while booting, which reduces the time needed to boot the system. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to toggle between Enable and Disable.
First/Second/Third Boot Device
Use this option to set the priority sequence of the devices booted at power on. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press
Enter to display the sub-menu. Use the  arrow keys to position the selector
in the option you choose.
First Boot Device
Removable ..... [
Hard Disk ..... [ ]
CDROM ..... [ ]
Network ..... [ ]
Disabled ..... [ ]

:Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort
]
Boot Other Device
Boot Up NumLock Status
36
With the option set to Enable, the system boots from some other device if the first/second/third boot devices fail.
This option allows you to select the power-on state of NumLock. Select On to activate the keyboard NumLock when the system is started. Select Off to disable the NumLock key.
Configuring the BIOS
Security Option
The Security Options allows you to require a password every time the system boots or only when you enter setup. Select Setup to require a password to gain access to the CMOS Setup screen. Select System to require a password to access the CMOS Setup screen and when the system boots.
APIC Mode
Use this function to enable or disable the Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC). If you disable this option, you also disable the MPS Version Control for OS option.
MPS Version Control For OS
Use this function to select the Multi-Processor Specification (MPS) version that BIOS passes to the operating system. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options.
Full Screen LOGO Show
This option allows you to enable or disable the display of the full-screen logo when the system boots. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to toggle between
37
Enable and Disable
F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults
Advanced Chipset Features
Advanced Chipset Features
Select Advanced Chipset Features from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the functions of the Advanced Chipset Functions menu.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
 System Clocks [Press Enter]  FSB & Memory Config [Press Enter]  CPU Configuration [Press Enter]  System Voltages [Press Enter]
NVMEM memory test [Disable]
Load timing/voltage set [Press Enter] Save timing/voltage set [Press Enter] System BIOS Cacheable [Disabled]
HPET Function [Enable]
NVIDIA GPY Ex [Enable]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Figure 8. Advanced Chipset Features
Item Help
Main Level 
Voltage control
38
Configuring the BIOS
F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults
Phoenix
–
AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
System Clocks
Select System Clocks from the Advanced Chipset Features menu and press
Enter to display the System Clocks menu. From this menu, you are able to
specify frequency settings, HT multipliers, and Spread Spectrum settings. Note that in Figure 9, all of the options are listed. On the actual BIOS screen, you will need to scroll down to see all the options.
Parameters Settings Current Vale **Frequency Settings** CPU Freq, MHz 2933.3 2933.3 FSB Reference Clock, MHz 1066.7 1066.7
CPU Multiplier [11 X] 11X
PCIe x16_1, MHz [Auto] 100 PCIe x16_3, MHz [Auto] 100 PCIe x16_2, MHz [Auto] 100 SPP<->MCP Ref Clock, MHz [Auto] 100
**HT Multiplier**
nForce SPP --> nForce MCP [5 x] nForce SPP <-- nForce MCP [5 x]
**Spread Spectrum**
CPU Spread Spectrum [UP Spread]
HT Spread Spectrum Disabled PCIe Spread Spectrum(SPP) [Auto] PCIe Spread Spectrum(MCP) Disabled SATA Spread Spectrum Disabled
System Clocks
Item Help
Main Level 
CPU frequency multiplier. CPU core clock = FSB Ref Clock/4 * CPU Multiplier

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Figure 9. System Clocks Menu
Note: Note that all data in white is for information only, data in yellow is changeable,
data in blue is non-changeable, and data in a red box is highlighted for selection.
39
Frequency Settings
CPU Freq, MHz
This value is set by the CPU Multiplier (value cannot be changed by the user).
FSB Reference Clock. MHz
This value is set by the system (value cannot be changed by the user). To change the SLI-Ready memory, FSB memory, and memory timing, go to the FSB & Memory screen.
CPU Multiplier
This value changes the CPU Frequency value depending on the value you choose. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options. The options are from 6 X through 60 X.
PCIe x16_1, MHz
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the frequency options for the PCI Express Bus, Slot 1 (the black slot closest to the CPU). Note that as you go higher in value, PCIe Spread Spectrum(SPP) is disabled and cannot be changed from this status.
PCIe x16_3, MHz
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the frequency options for the PCI Express Bus, Slot 3 (the blue slot in the middle).
PCIe x16_2, MHz
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the frequency options for the PCI Express Bus, Slot 3 (the black slot farthest from the CPU).
SPP<
—
>MCP Ref Clock, MHz
Use the
Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the frequency
options for the reference clock between the SPP chip and the MCP chip.
40
Configuring the BIOS
HT Multiplier
nForce SPP
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the HT multiplier options and set the link speed from the SPP chip to the MCP chip. Values are
[1 x] through [5 x].
nForce MCP <
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the HT multiplier options and set the link speed from the MCP chip to the SPP chip. Values are
[1 x] through [5 x].
— —
> nForce MCP
— —
nForce SPP
Spread Spectrum
CPU Spread Spectrum
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the Spread Spectrum options for the CPU. Option values are [Disabled], [UP Spread], and
[Center Spread].
HT Spread Spectrum
Disabled
PCIe Spread Spectrum (SPP)
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the Spread Spectrum options for the SPP PCIe. Option values are [Disabled], [UP Spread], and
[Center Spread]. This option reverts to Disabled and cannot be changed
when the value for PCIe x16_1 exceeds 100MHz.
PCIe Spread Spectrum(MCP)
Disabled
SATA Spread Spectrum
Disabled
41
F5: Previous Value
s F7:Defaults
stability
FSB & Memory Config
Select FSB & Memory Config from the Advanced Chipset Features menu and press Enter to display the FSB & Memory Config menu. This menu provides the means to set SLI-Ready memory, FSB memory, and memory timing.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
FSB & Memory Config
Parameters Settings Current Value
SLI-Ready Memory [Disabled] Disabled
CPU Freq, MHz 2933.3 2933.3 CPU Multiplier 11X 11X
FSB – Memory Clock Mode [Auto]
x FSB (QDR), MHz Auto 1066.7 Actual FSB (QDR), MHz 1066.7
x MEM (DDR), MHz Auto 800.6
Actual MEM (DDR), MHz 800.0
Memory Timing Setting [Press Enter]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Item Help
Main Level 
“CPUOC MAX” realizes the complete optimized memory settings when SLI-Ready memory is installed
Optimized memory settings by allowing X% CPU overclocking
CPU overclocking may require manual overvolting of the CPU to improve system
Figure 10. FSB & Memory Config Menu
SLI-Ready Memory
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the SLI-Ready Memory options. The options are:
Disabled CPUOC 0% CPUOC 1% CPUOC 2% CPUOC 3%
42
Configuring the BIOS
CPUOC 4% CPUOC 5% CPUOC MAX
When you select one of the CPUOC x% options, the FSB - Memory
Clock Mode is set to Unlinked and cannot be changed until SLI­Ready Memory is set to Disable.
FSB and Memory Clock Mode
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the FSB and Memory Clock Mode options. The options are:
Auto
This is the optimal setting since it sets the FSB and memory speeds automatically.
Linked
When Link is selected, FSB (QDR), MHz is changed to editable and the FSB speed can be entered manually. As the FSB speed is changed,
CPU Freq, MHz changes proportionally.
CPU Freq, MHz 2933.3 2933.3 CPU Multiplier 11X 11X
FSB – Memory Clock Mode [Linked]
FSB (QDR), MHz [1067] 1066.7
Actual FSB (QDR), MHz 1066.7 x MEM (DDR), MHz Auto 800.6
Actual MEM (DDR), MHz 800.0
Unlinked
When Unlink is selected,
FSB (QDR), MHz and MEM (DDR), MHz
are changed to editable and the FSB and memory speeds can be entered manually. As the FSB speed is changed, CPU Freq, MHz changes proportionally.
FSB – Memory Clock Mode [Linked]
FSB (QDR), MHz [1067] 1066.7
Actual FSB (QDR), MHz 1066.7 MEM (DDR), MHz [1067] 800.6
Actual MEM (DDR), MHz 800.0
43
F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults
FSB (QDR), MHz
Use the + or – keys to scroll through new values for the CPU FSB frequency or type in a new value. Note that the Actual FSB (QDR) reflects the actual frequency that takes effect on a reboot.
MEM (DDR), MHz
Use the + or – keys to scroll through new values for the memory frequency or type in a new value. Note that the frequency that takes effect when the system reboots.
Memory Timing Setting
Press Enter to display the Memory Timing Setting menu. Use this menu to set optimal timings or to manually enter timings.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Actual MEM (DDR) reflects the actual
Memory Timing Setting
Parameters Settings Current Value
Memory Timing Setting [Optimal]
x tCL (CAS Latency) Auto(5) 5 x tRDC Auto(7) 5 x tRP Auto(7) 5 x tRAS Auto(23) 18 x Command Per Clock (CDM) Auto(2T) 1T
** Advanced Memory Settings **
x tRRD Auto(4) 3 x tRC Auto(28) 22 x tWR Auto(7) 5 x tWTR Auto(10) 9
tREF Auto 6.1uS
x

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help[
Item Help
Main Level 
Select [Expert] to enter timings manually
Optimal
se the Page Up and Page Down keys to select Optimal. Optimal
U prohibits you from manually setting any timing. All timing is set for optimal performance.
44
Configuring the BIOS
tREF [Auto]
6.1uS
Expert
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select Expert. When Expert is selected, all timing categories are enabled for manual input. Note that you should set the value to Optimal to use the manufacturers’ recommended values.
Parameters Settings Current Value
Memory Timing Setting [Expert] tCL (CAS Latency) [Auto(5)] 5 tRDC [Auto(7)] 5 tRP [Auto(7)] 5 tRAS [Auto(23)] 18 Command Per Clock (CDM) [Auto(2T)] 1T
** Advanced Memory Settings **
tRRD [Auto(4)] 3 tRC [Auto(28)] 22 tWR [Auto(7)] 5 tWTR [Auto(10)] 9
tCL: CAS# latency (options are 1 through 6).
  tRDC: RAS#-to-CAS# Delay for Read/Write commands to the
same bank (options are 1 through 7).
tRP: Row Precharge time. This is the Precharge-to-Active or Auto-
to-Refresh of the same bank (options are 1 through 7).
tRAS: This is the minimum RAS# active time (options are 1 through
31).
Command Per Clock: This is the command timing setting on a per
clock unit basis (options are 1T and 2T).
tRRD: RAS#-to-RAS# delay of different banks (options are 1
through 15).
tRC: RAS#-to-RAS# or auto refresh time of the same bank (options
are 1 through 31).
tWR: The Write recovery time (options are 2 through 7). tWTR: This is the minimum write-to-read delay with the same chip
selected (options are 1 through 10).
tREF: This is the DRAM refresh rate (options are Auto, 7.8uS, and
3.9uS).
45
F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults
CPU Configuration
Select CPU Configuration from the Advanced Chipset Features menu and press Enter to display the CPU Configuration menu.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
CPU Configuration
Limit CPUID MaxVal [Disabled] x Intel SpeedStep Disabled
CPU Thermal Control [Disabled]
C1E Enhanced Halt State [Enabled]
Execute Disable Bit [Enabled] Virtualization Technology [Enabled]
CPU Core 0 Enabled CPU Core 1 [Enabled]
x CPU Core 2 Disabled x CPU Core 3 Disabled

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Item Help
Main Level 
Set linit CPUID MaxVal to 3, should be “Disabled” for WinXP
Figure 11. CPU Configuration Menu
Limit CPUID MaxVal
Use this function to enable the set limit of the CPUID MaxVal to 3. Set to Disable for Win XP.
CPU Thermal Control
Use this function to enable or disable TM1 and TM2 support. Options are:
Disable
Disable support for TM1 and TM2.
TM1 Only
The CPU is thermally throttled by cutting active processor clock cycles.
46
Configuring the BIOS
TM2 Only
Thermal throttling is achieved by reducing the CPU multiplier and CPU core voltage.
TM1 & TM2
Enables support for both TM1 and TM2.
C1E Enhanced Halt State
Enabled, this function reduces the CPU power consumption when the CPU is idle. Idle occurs when the operating system issues a halt instruction.
Execute Disable Bit
When this function is disabled, it forces the XD feature flag to always return to zero (0).
Virtualization Technology
When this function is enabled, it allows a VMM to utilize the additional hardware capabilities provided by Intel Virtualization Technology.
CPU Core 1
This function allows you to enable or disable CPU Core.
47
F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults
System Voltages
Select System Voltages from the Advanced Chipset Features menu and press
Enter to display the System Voltages menu.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
System Voltages
Parameters Settings Current Value CPU Core [Auto] 1.28 CPU FSB [Auto] 1.2V
Memory [Auto] 1.85V
nForce SPP [Auto] 1.30V nForce MCP [Auto] 1.50V
HT nForce SPP <-> MCP [Auto] 1.20V
nForce MCP Auxiliary [Auto] 1.50V
GTLVREF Lane 0 [Auto] +00mv
GTLVREF Lane 1 [Auto] +00mv
GTLVREF Lane 2 [Auto] +00mv
GTLVREF Lane 3 [Auto] +00mv

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Item Help
Main Level 
Voltage level for CPU Core (CPU VID)
Figure 12. System Voltages Menu
CPU Core
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the voltages or select
[Auto] to automatically set the voltage level for the CPU Core.
CPU FSB
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the voltages or select
[Auto] to automatically set the voltage level for the CPU FSB.
Memory
This function defines the voltage level for the DRAM. Use the Page Up and
Page Down keys to select a voltage or select [Auto] to automatically set the
voltage.
48
Configuring the BIOS
nForce SPP
This function defines the core voltage level for the NVIDIA nForce SPP chip. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage (1.20V, 1.30V,
1.40V, 1.50V) or select [Auto]to automatically set the voltage.
nForce MCP
This function defines the core voltage level for the NVIDIA nForce MCP chip. Use the
[Auto]to automatically set the voltage.
HT nForce SPP <-> MCP
Page Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select
This function defines the voltage level for the NVIDIA HT nForce SPP <-> MCP Link. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select
[Auto]to automatically set the voltage.
nForce MCP Auxiliary
This function defines the core voltage level for the NVIDIA nForce MCP Auxiliary voltage. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select [Auto]to automatically set the voltage.
GTLVREF Lane 0
This function defines the voltage level for GTLVREF Lane 0. Use the Page
Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select [Auto]to automatically
set the voltage.
GTLVREF Lane 1
This function defines the voltage level for GTLVREF Lane 1. Use the Page
Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select [Auto]to automatically
set the voltage.
GTLVREF Lane 2
This function defines the voltage level for GTLVREF Lane 2. Use the
Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select [Auto]to automatically
Page
set the voltage.
GTLVREF Lane 3
This function defines the voltage level for GTLVREF Lane 3. Use the Page
Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select [Auto]to automatically
set the voltage.
49
NVMEM Memory Test
This function defines whether you run the NVIDIA memory testing module during POST. The options are Fast, Medium, Slow, and Disable.
Load Timing/Voltage Set
This function loads the system voltages and timing settings that were defined in the System Voltages menu. You can set up to four profile settings using the
Save timing/voltage set function.
There are four profile options that can be loaded. The default setting is Auto for all settings. Press Enter to see the options.
Load timing/voltage set
Press Enter to Exit ..... [
Select Profile 1 ..... [ ]
Select Profile 2 ..... [ ]
Select Profile 3 ..... [ ]

:Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort
]
50
Configuring the BIOS
Save Timing/Voltage Set
This function saves the system voltages and timing settings that were defined in the System Voltages menu. There are four profile options that can be loaded. The default setting is Auto for all settings. Press Enter to see the options.
Save timing/voltage set
Press Enter to Exit ..... [
Select Profile 1 ..... [ ]
Select Profile 2 ..... [ ]
Select Profile 3 ..... [ ]

:Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort
]
System BIOS Cacheable
This function allows you to enable or disable caching the system BIOS.
HPET Function
This function allows you to enable or disable the High Precision Even Timer (HPET). When
Enabled, HPET is used as the timing hardware for multimedia
and other time-sensitive application. When HPET is Disabled, the APIC timer is used.
NVIDIA GPU Ex
To enable or disable this function you need to have the NVIDIA® ForceWare® graphics driver with NVIDIA EX support. When enabled, the system uses the optimized NVIDIA EX graphics driver.
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Integrated Peripherals
Integrated Peripherals Menu
Select Integrated Peripherals from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the Integrated Peripherals menu.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
 IDE Function Setup [Press Enter]  RAID Config [Press Enter]  USB Config [Press Enter]  MAC Config [Press Enter]
IEEE1394 controller [Auto] HD Audio [Auto] IDE HDD Block Mode [Enabled] Onboard FDC Controller [Enabled] Onboard Serial Port 1 [3FB/IRQ4]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Figure 13. Integrated Peripherals Menu
Item Help
Main Level 
52
Configuring the BIOS
IDE Function Setup
Press Enter to display the IDE Function Setup menu.
OnChip IDE Channel0 [Enabled] Primary Master PIO [Auto] Primary Slave PIO [Auto]
Primary Master UDMA [Auto] Primary Slave UDMA [Auto] IDE DMA transfer access [Enabled] Serial-ATA Controller [All Enabled] IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled]
OnChip IDE Channel0
Use this function to enable or disable the onchip IDE Channel0. When disabled, the Primary Master/Slave functions are changed to
Auto and cannot be
changed.
Primary Master/Slave PIO
When OnChip IDE Channel0 is set to [Enabled], you can select a mode for the primary Master and Slave PIO. Select from Auto, or Mode 1 through Mode 4.
Primary Master/Slave UDMA
When OnChip IDE Channel0 is set to [Enabled], you can disable the primary Master and Slave UDMA or set it to
IDE DMA transfer access
Use this function to enable or disable IDE DMA transfer access.
Serial-ATA Controller
This function allows you to enable specific SATA controllers, enable all controllers, or disable all controllers. The options available are [SATA-0],
[SATA-0+1], [Enable All], and [Disabled].
IDE Prefetch Mode
Use this function to enable or disable the IDE Prefetch mode.
OnChip IDE Channel0 [Disabled]
x
Primary Master PIO Auto
x
Primary Slave PIO Auto
x
Primary Master UDMA Auto
x
Primary Slave UDMA Auto
IDE DMA transfer access [Enabled] Serial-ATA Controller [All Enabled] IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled]
[Auto].
53
RAID Config
Press Enter to display the RAID Config menu.
RAID Enable [Enabled] SATA 0 Primary RAID [Disabled] SATA 0 Secondary RAID [Disabled]
SATA 1 Primary RAID [Disabled] SATA 1 Secondary RAID [Disabled] SATA 2 Primary RAID [Disabled] SATA 2 Secondary RAID [Disabled]
RAID Enable
Use this function to enable or disable RAID. When RAID is set to [Disabled], all SATA functions are changed to
Disabled and cannot be changed.
SATA x Primary/Secondary
When RAID Enable is set to [Enabled], you can enable or disable the various SATA functions.
RAID Enable [Disabled]
x
SATA 0 Primary RAID Disabled
x
SATA 0 Secondary RAID Disabled
x
SATA 1 Primary RAID Disabled
x
SATA 1 Secondary RAID Disabled
x
SATA 2 Primary RAID Disabled
x
SATA 2 Secondary RAID Disabled
USB Config
54
Press Enter to display the USB Config menu.
OnChip USB [Enabled] USB Keyboard Support [Disabled] USB Mouse Support [Disabled]
OnChip USB
Use this function to enable specific versions of the USB or disable the onchip USB. When the onchip USB is set to [Disabled], the keyboard and mouse support functions are set to Enabled and cannot be changed. Versions that can be selected are
[V1.1+V2.0] or [V1.1].
USB Keyboard/Mouse
OnChip USB [Disabled]
x
USB Keyboard Support Enabled
x
USB Mouse Support Enabled
Support
Use these function to enable or disable the onchip WSB support of the keyboard and/or mouse.
Configuring the BIOS
MAC1 LAN
[Disabled
]
MAC Config
Press Enter to display the MAC Config menu.
MAC0 LAN [Enabled]
MACx LAN
Use these functions to set the MAC0 and/or MAC1 LANs to Auto or disable their functions.
IEEE1394 controller
This function on the Integrated Peripherals menu allows you to enable or disable the IEEE1394 (Firewire) interface.
HD Audio
This function on the Integrated Peripherals menu allows you to enable or disable the hard disk audio function.
IDE HDD Block Mode
Using this function on the Integrated Peripherals menu allows your IDE hard drive needs to support block mode. Select
[Enabled] to automatically detect
the optimal number of block read/writes per sector the drive can support. Select [Disabled] if your drive does not support block mode.
Onboard FDC Controller
This function on the Integrated Peripherals menu allows you to enable or disable the onboard FDC controller function.
55
Power Management Setup
Onboard Serial Port 1
This function on the Integrated Peripherals menu allows you to select the onboard serial port 1 function. Options are [3F8/IRQ4], [2E8/IRQ3],
[3E8/IRQ4], [Auto], and [Disabled].
Power Management Setup Menu
Select Power Management Setup from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the Power Management Setup menu.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
ACPI function [Enabled] APCI Suspend Type [S1&S3] Soft-Off by PBTN [Instant-Off] WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off [Disabled]
Power-on by Alarm [Disabled]
x
Day of Month Alarm 0
x
Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm 0 : 0 : 0
POWER ON Function [BUTTON ONLY]
x
KB Power ON Password Enter
x
Hot Key Power On Ctrl-F1

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
M
ain Level 
Figure 14. Power Management Setup Menu
Item Help
56
Configuring the BIOS
ACPI Function
This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to enable or disable the ACPI function.
ACPI Suspend Type
This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to select an ACPI Suspend Type. Types to select from are [S1&S3], [S1(POS)], and
[S3(STR)].
Soft-Off by PBNT
This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to set Soft­Off by PBNT to [Instant-Off] or [Delay 4 Sec].
WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off
This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to enable or disable WOL(PMW#) from soft-off.
Power On by Alarm
This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to enable or disable the Power-on by alarm function. Set to [Disable] to prevent power­on by alarm. When set to [Enable], you can manually put in the day of the month and the time of the alarm.
Power-on by Alarm [Disabled] Day of Month Alarm [ 0] Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm [0 : 0 : 0]
To enter a day or time, use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through numbers or enter the number using the keyboard number or the + and – keys.
57
x
Hot Key Power On
Ctrl
-F1
POWER ON Function
This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to define the power-on function. Options for this function are:
BUTTON ONLY Keyboard 98 Password
When [Password] is selected, the KB Power ON Password function is enabled so that you must enter a password.
POWER ON Function [Password] KB Power ON Password [Enter]
  Hot Key Power On
When [Hot Key] is selected, the Hot key Power On function is enabled so that you must select a keyboard key as the hot key. To select a hot key use Ctrl+F1 though Ctrl+F12
POWER ON Function [Hot key]
x
KB Power ON Password Enter
Hot Key Power On [Ctrl-F1]
Mouse Left Mouse Right Any Key
58
Configuring the BIOS
PnP/PCI Configuration
PnP/PCI Configuration Menu
Select PnP/PCI Configuration from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press
Enter to display the PnP/PCI Configuration menu.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Init Display First [PCI Slot] Reset Configuration Data [Disabled]
Resources Controlled By [Auto(ESCD)]
x
IRQ Resources Press Enter
** PCI Express relative items **
Maximum Payload Size [4096]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Figure 15. PnP/PCI Configuration Menu
Init Display First
Item Help
Main Level 
This function on the PnP/PCI Configuration menu allows you to define if the initial display is in the PCI slot or in the PCI Express slot. Options are
[PCI Slot] and [PCIEx].
59
IRQ Resources
[Press Enter]
Reset Configuration Data
This function on the PnP/PCI Configuration menu allows you to enable or disable the resetting of Extended System Configuration Data (ESCD) when you exit Setup. Set this to [Enabled] if you have installed a new add-on and the system reconfiguration has caused a serious conflict that prevents the OS from booting. The default setting is
[Disabled].
Resources Controlled By
This function on the PnP/PCI Configuration menu allows you to define if the BIOS can automatically configure all the boot and plug-and-play compatible devices or if you can manually select IRQ, DMA, and memory base address fields. Select [Auto(ESCD)] if you want the BIOS to automatically populate these fields. If you select [Manual] so you can assign the resources, IRQ
Resources is enabled for input.
Resources Controlled By [Auto(ESCD)]
x IRQ Resources Press Enter
60
Resources Controlled By [Manual)]
Configuring the BIOS
IRQ Resources
To enable this field for input, set Resources Controlled By to
[Manual]. With this field enabled, press Enter to see options.
IRQ-5 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-9 assigned to [Reserved] IRQ-10 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-11 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-14 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-15 assigned to [PCI Device]
Use Legacy ISA for devices compliant with the original PC AT Bus specification. Use PCI/ISA PnP for devices compliant with the plug-and-play standard, whether designed for PCI or ISA Bus architecture.
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop
This function on the PnP/PCI Configuration menu allows you to enable or disable the Palette Snoop function.
Maximum Payload Size
This function on the PnP/PCI Configuration menu allows you to set the maximum TLP payload size (in bytes) for the PCI Express devices. Use the
Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through sizes or enter the number using
the keyboard numbers or use the + and – keys to go up and down the list of sizes.
61
System Monitor
System Monitor Menu
Select System Monitor from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the System Monitor menu.
Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Dynamic Fan Control [Press Enter]
CPU 47ºC/ 117ºF
CPU Core 1.28V CPU FSB 1.19V Memory 1.81V +3.3V 3.16V +3.3V Dual 3/16V +12V 11.92V +5V 4.99V +Vbat 3.00V
CPU Fan Speed 4272 RPM Aux Fan Speed 4891 RPM nForce Fan Speed 0 RPM Chassis Fan Speed 0 RPM Chassis Fan2 Speed 0 RPM

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help
Item Help
Main Level 
Figure 16. System Monitor Menu
All of the values shown in Blue are dynamic and change as the speed and voltages of the various components change with system usage.
62
Configuring the BIOS
Dynamic Fan Control
Press Enter to display the Dynamic Fan Control menu.
CPU Fan Speed Control [SmartFan] If temp > 70ºC, Set Fan Speed 100% If temp < 30ºC, Set Fan Speed 0%
x
Manual Fan Speed, % 100
AUX Fan Speed Control, % [100] nForce Fan Speed Control, % [100] Chassis Fan Speed Control, % [100]
Use this menu to control the speed of the various fans on the motherboard. Set CPU fan speed to
[SmartFan] when you want the speed of the fans
automatically controlled based on temperature. To set the fan speed to a constant rate, select [Manual] and then enter the speed from 0% to 100%.
Set the desired speed for the Aux, nForce, and Chassis fans from 0% to 100%. The system defaults to 100%.
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This page is blank.
64
Installing Drivers and
Software
Note: It is important to remember that before installing the driver CD that is shipped
in the kit, you need to load your operating system. The motherboard supports Windows XP 32bit and 64bit and is Vista-capable.
The kit comes with a CD that contains utility drivers and additional NVIDIA software.
The CD that has been shipped with your XFX motherboard contains the following software and drivers:
NVIDIA nForce drivers RealTek Audio drivers
Microsoft DirectX 9.0C NVIDIA Control Panel Adobe Acrobat Reader NVIDIA MediaShield RAID Manager NVIDIA Networking (FirstPacket) NVIDIA System Monitor
65
Windows XP Drivers Install
Note: When installing the graphics drivers, the resolution defaults to the lowest
setting (typically 800 x 600), making your display very large. Adjust accordingly.
3. Insert the XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI installation CD for the graphics
drivers included in the kit.
Note: If you have multiple graphics cards installed, you will be asked multiple times
for all events once the drivers are installed.
4. Run setup.exe.
Depending on your system setup, the install disk may automatically run the install setp.exe. If it does not run, go to My Computer and click on the CD to open.
66
Using the
NVIDIA Software
Built upon the foundation of NVIDIA’s core motherboard and GPU technologies, NVIDIA System Monitor and Performance Server software utilities bring consolidated reporting and control to the desktop in seamless fashion. Traditionally, users have been forced to endure a sequence of trial and error attempts within the BIOS in order to customize the operation and performance of the system to their needs. As settings are attempted, the user must start and restart Windows several times. Fortunately, NVIDIA’s new System Monitor and Performance Group utilities bring the same rich functionality found in the BIOS to the user’s desktop. From a single convenient interface, the user can adjust settings to minimize noise, optimize performance, and maximize system stability. In addition, a wealth of system information is readily available in a lush 3D presentation which is customizable to suit the user.
67
NVIDIA Performance Group of NVIDIA Control Panel
You can start the NVIDIA Performance Group several ways:
Double-click the NVIDIA Performance Group icon on the desktop
Right-click on the desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel
From the Windows Control Panel, double-click the NVIDIA Control Panel
NVIDIA Performance Server menus are located under the Performance group in the left column.
Note All changes made within NVIDIA Performance Group are dynamically
applied, and will only remain active for the current Windows session. You can save these settings as a profile by using the Profile menu item.
68
CAUTION: Increasing the voltage or the clock speed of a component may void its
warranty due to exceeding recommended specifications. XFX and the board manufacturer are not responsible for damage that may occur when component tolerances are exceeded.
Historically, NVIDIA’s Control Panel has contained a wealth of settings and adjustments for NVIDIA based components. In similar fashion, the new NVIDIA Performance Group applies the same depth of control to the rest of the components within a system. Without ever leaving Windows or entering the BIOS, users can optimize and adjust nearly every system component.
Using NVIDIA Software
Device Settings
Device Settings has two tabs, Current Hardware Settings and Hardware
Profiles. Under the Current Hardware Settings tab there are settings for the
CPU, Motherboard, Memory, and GPU.
69
Current Hardware Settings
CPU
This option deals with CPU parameters and information. Here, the user has the ability to dynamically change FSB speeds, CPU Voltages, and CPU fan speeds. At all times, real-time values for CPU frequency and appropriate CPU multiplier are reported.
CAUTION: Increasing the voltage or the clock speed of a component may void its
warranty due to exceeding recommended specifications. XFX and the board manufacturer are not responsible for damage that may occur when component tolerances are exceeded.
70
Using NVIDIA Software
Motherboard
The Motherboard option showcases a wide variety of motherboard and system-wide options and settings. The controls located in the Adjust Motherboard Timings screen allow the bus speeds to be adjusted manually to increase performance for gaming, or lower performance to conserve power and create a quieter user environment. The number to the right of the slider is the new bus speed that will be applied. Adjustments can be made by using the mouse to drag the slider. All changes will take effect immediately after selecting Apply; however, these setting will only remain active for the current Windows session. This will allow a user to safely return to Windows in the event of a crash, without any possibility of boot issues since the changes are not made directly to the BIOS settings.
Note: All changes on Adjust Motherboard Settings are dynamically made when you
apply them, and only remain active for the current Windows session. You can save these settings as a profile for use later by using the Profile menu item. If a setting does not allow a change, it probably requires a reboot and should be changed in the BIOS or from the Dynamic BIOS Access page (if available).
71
Memory
Memory is one of the most critical components in terms of determining overall system stability and overclocking success, a wealth of information and options for memory modules is available. Both timings and voltage are dynamically adjustable, with real-time values for memory frequency, FSB frequency, and more being viewable to help dictate which settings are most appropriate.
72
Row Address Strobe
Adjusts the minimum RAS active time. This is the amount of time between a row being activated by Precharge and deactivated. A row cannot be deactivated until tRAS has completed. The lower this value, the faster the performance. However, if it is set too low it can cause data corruption by deactivating the row to soon. Adjustable from 1 to 63.
Using NVIDIA Software
Write Recovery Time
Memory timing that determines the delay between a write command and a Precharge command is set to the same bank of memory. Adjustable from 1 to
15.
W to R Termination Turnaround
The Write-to-Read time is the number of clock cycles between the last write data pair and the subsequent READ command to the same physical block. Adjustable from 1 to 15.
RAS to CAS access
The RAS-to-CAS access (tRCD) is the amount of time in cycles for issuing an active command and the read/write commands. Adjustable from 1 to 15.
RAS to RAS Delay
The RAS-to-RAS delay (tRRD) is the is the amount of cycles it takes to activate the next bank of memory (this is the opposite of tRAS). The lower the timing the better the system performance. However, this scenario can cause instability. Adjustable from 1 to 15.
Refresh Rate
This value is filled in by the system and can not be changed by the user.
Memory bank switch
The row Precharge time (tRP) is the minimum time between active commands and the read/writes of the next bank on the memory module. Adjustable from 1 to 15.
R to W Turnaround
The Read-to-Write turnaround (tRWT) is a the amount of cycles for the command to be executed when a Write command is received. Adjustable from 1 to 15.
R to R Timing
the Read-to-Read time (tRDRD) is the number of clock cycles between the last read and the subsequent READ command to the same physical bank. Adjustable from 1 to 15.
Row Cycle Time
The Row Cycle Time is the minimum time in cycles it take a row to complete a full cycle. This can be determined by tRC=tRAS+tRP. If this value is set too short, it can cause corruption of data. If this value is set too high, it causes a loss in performance but an increase in stability. Adjustable from 1 to 63 cycles
73
W to R Command Delay
The Write-to-Read (tWRD) command delay is the amount of cycles required between a valid write command and the next read command. A lower cycle time results in better performance but is can instability. Adjustable from 0 to 6 cycles.
W to W Timing
The Write-to-Write (tWRWR) timing is the number of clock cycles between the last write and the subsequent Write command to the same physical bank. Adjustable from 2 to 15 cycles.
CAS Latency
The CAS Latency (tCL) is the time (in number of clock cycles) that elapses after the memory controller sends a request to read a memory location and before the data is sent to the module's output pins. The value shown cannot be changed.
Clock Drive Strength
This value is filled in by the system and can not be changed by the user.
Command Per Clock
The Command Per Clock (tCPC) sets the Command Rate for the memory controller. The value shown cannot be changed
Async Latency
This value is filled in by the system and can not be changed by the user.
74
Using NVIDIA Software
GPU
The graphics processing unit (GPU) located on your video card(s) can be adjusted using Device Setting interface. You can override the shipped clock frequencies of your GPU and GPU memory, and you can set the GPU fan speed. Increasing the clock speeds will increase your GPU performance but may necessitate improved cooling to maintain the same level of reliability.
75
Dynamic BIOS Access
The Dynamic BIOS Access page allows you to change your system BIOS settings. The changes do not go into effect until after you reboot your system. Since these changes are made to actual BIOS settings in the CMOS, the settings remain active until you change them again or restore the CMOS to the default settings.
Click the Available BIOS Pages list arrow and select the BIOS page that you want to edit. The BIOS page chosen determines which items on the page are available for changing. To edit an item, select the corresponding list arrow and then select one of the values from the list. When finished making your changes, click the OK or Apply.
76
Note This feature is available only with BIOS support from the motherboard
manufacturer. Available screen and features will vary between different makes and models of motherboards.
Using NVIDIA Software
View System Information
The View System Information menu is a high-level view where all the critical values of the system are consolidated and presented within a single view. At a glance, the user can clearly see the current status of their components and receives a clear depiction of overall system performance.
Within the View System
Information section, the
user can also double-click values for both memory modules and processors to receive even more-detailed information regarding those components.
77
Profile Policies
Easily one of the most powerful aspects of NVIDIA Performance Server is the ability to create custom profiles and rules. Essentially, NVIDIA Performance Server allows the user to offer a custom set of settings and alerts which can be tailored from a global setting all the way to something as granular as a particular game. In short, you can effortlessly customize your system to run as silent as possible when performing less-demanding tasks such as browsing the web. When loading a game however, system settings adjust to extract the highest possible performance from every system component and ensure you have the ultimate gaming experience with your current hardware.
78
Using NVIDIA Software
Manage Your System BIOS
Thanks to the power and flexibility of NVIDIA’s Performance Server software, users can even backup or update their system BIOS from within Windows. In addition to displaying a complete collection of information regarding the current BIOS version being used, the user also has the option of saving a backup version of the BIOS being used. This is especially useful when updating the current BIOS because you have a known good BIOS to revert to should the other version have issues with system stability or performance.
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NVIDIA System Monitor
You can open the NVIDIA System Monitor several ways:
Double-click the NVIDIA System Monitor icon on the desktop
Click Start, then click All ProgramsNVIDIA CorporationNVIDIA
System Monitor.
The NVIDIA System Monitor is a unique 3D presentation of core component values. For every supported device, a wide range of information ranging from temperature, frequency, and voltage are reported. Given the fact that the NVIDIA System Monitor is based around an OpenGL foundation, there is nearly zero performance overhead associated with running the utility.
Users can effortlessly navigate through NVIDIA System Monitor by selecting a particular component in order to view that hardware’s appropriate information. The selected component comes to the foreground and all supported information is presented. Should the user prefer an overhead view of the components in the system, they can utilize the mouse-wheel to control the angle of the display.
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Using NVIDIA Software
In this example, we can see that the motherboard is selected. As a result, a wide array of related settings and status information is displayed in real-time. In addition to fan speeds and temperatures, we also find critical voltage values for core components. By moving the slider on the bottom of the screen, the user also can control the translucency of the screen allowing them to view the desktop if desired.
Specific information fields that the user wants to always have on display can be selected by double­clicking the appropriate information box. The box will be moved to the top of the screen where it will remain regardless of which component is selected from that point on.
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By pressing Ctrl+Alt+C or by clicking the arrow icon in the top-right of the screen, the user can switch modes and bring all selected component fields to the desktop. From here, the component fields can be oriented and moved anywhere on the desktop. Furthermore, component fields can be removed from this view by clicking the small button in the top right of the icon’s box.
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By clicking on the Global Settings image in the bottom left of the screen, the user can customize the way nV Monitor looks and behaves. The first series of options the user is presented with deals with the application’s appearance. The user can control everything from temperature units to overall translucency of the application, and can manipulate a number of other settings to tailor the program to one’s liking.
Using NVIDIA Software
The second series of options the user can alter deals with Event Logging. Here, one can easily select which system components to track and can specify the name of the resulting output file. All fields within the application will be logged and written to this file to aid in troubleshooting issues and tracking overall system behavior.
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The final series of options the user can change handles the specific hotkeys used to control various application actions. In this screen, the user simply enters their desired hotkey configuration and they are able to control every aspect of functionality for nV
Monitor according to their own personal preferences.
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Appendix A.
POST Codes for Tritium Platform
This section provides the Award POST Codes (Table 6) and the NVMM POST Codes (Table 7) for Tritium platforms during system boot up.
Table 6. Award POST Code
Award POST Codes
Co
Name Description
de
01 Reserved
02
Jumps to E000
segment
03 Early SuperIO Init Early Initialized the super IO
04 Reserved
05 Blank video Reset Video controller
06 Reserved
07 Init KBC Keyboard controller init
08 KB test Test the Keyboard
09 Reserved
0A Mouse Init Initialized the mouse
0B Reserved
0C Reserved
0D Reserved
0E CheckSum Check Check the integrity of the ROM,BIOS and message
0F Reserved
10
Autodetect
EEPROM
Execution of POST routines in E000
Check Flash type and copy flash write/erase routines
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Award POST Codes
Co
Name Description
de
11 Reserved
12 Test CMOS Test and Reset CMOS
13 Reserved
14 Load Chipset Load Chipset Defaults
15 Reserved
16 Init Clock Initialize onboard clock generator
17 Reserved
18 Init CPU CPU ID and initialize L1/L2 cache
19 Reserved
1A Reserved
1B
Setup Interrupt
Vector Table
1C
CMOS Battery
Check
1D Early PM Early PM initialization
1E Reserved
1F Re-initial KB Load keyboard matrix
20 Reserved
21 HPM init Init Heuristic Power Management (HPM)
22 Reserved
23 Program chipset Early Programming of chipset registers
24 Init PNP Init PNP
25 Shadow VBIOS Shadow system/video BIOS
26 Clock Gen Init onboard clock generator and sensor
27 Setup BDA Setup BIOS DATA AREA (BDA)
28 Reserved
29 CPU Speed detect Chipset programming and CPU Speed detect
2A Reserved
Initialize first 120 interrupt vectors with SPURIOUS_INT_HDLR and initialize INT 00h-1Fh according to INT_TBL
Test CMOS and check Battery Fail
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Post Codes
Award POST Codes
Co
Name Description
de
2B Init video Initialize Video
2C Reserved
2D
Video memory
test
2E Reserved
2F Reserved
30 Reserved
31 Reserved
32 Reserved
33
Early keyboard
reset
34 Reserved
35
Test DMA
Controller 0
36 Reserved
37
Test DMA
Controller 1
38 Reserved
39
Test DMA Page
Registers
3A Reserved
3B Reserved
3C Test Timer Test 8254 Timer 0 Counter 2.
3D Reserved
3E Test 8259-1 Mask
3F Reserved
40 Test 8259-2 Mask
41 Reserved
Test Video Memory and display Logos
Early Keyboard Reset
Test DMA channel 0
Test DMA channel 1
Test DMA Page Registers
Verify 8259 Channel 1 masked interrupts by alternately turning off and on the interrupt lines.
Verify 8259 Channel 2 masked interrupts by alternately turning off and on the interrupt lines.
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Award POST Codes
Co
Name Description
de
42 Reserved
43
Test Stuck
Interrupt
44 Reserved
45 Reinit serial port Reinitialize Preboot agent serial port
46 Reserved
47 EISA Test
48 Reserved
49 Size Memory
4A Reserved
4B Reserved
4C Reserved
4D Reserved
4E Init APIC Initialize APIC and set MTRR
4F Reserved
50 USB init Initialize USB controller
51 Reserved
52 Memory Test
53 Reserved
54 Reserved
55 CPU display
56 Reserved
57 PnP Init Display PnP logo and PnP early init
58 Reserved
Turn off interrupts then verify no 8259's interrupt mask register is on. Test 8259 Force an interrupt and verify the interrupt occurred.
If EISA non-volatile memory checksum is good, execute EISA initialization. If not, execute ISA tests and clear EISA mode flag.
Size base memory from 256K to 640K and extended memory above 1MB.
Test all memory of memory above 1MB using Virtual 8086 mode, page mode and clear the memory
Detect CPU speed and display CPU vendor specific version string and turn on all necessary CPU features
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