Zotac nForce 790i-Supreme User Manual

1

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with instructions
contained in this manual, may cause harmful interference to radio and television communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can
be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:

- REORIENT OR RELOCATE THE RECEIVING ANTENNA

- INCREASE THE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE EQUIPMENT AND THE RECEIVER

- CONNECT THE EQUIPMENT INTO AN OUTLET ON A CIRCUIT DIFFERENT FROM
THAT OF THE RECEIVER

- CONSULT THE DEALER OR AN EXPERIENCED AUDIO/TELEVISION TECHNICIAN

NOTE:

Connecting this device to peripheral devices that do not comply with Class B requirements, or
using an unshielded peripheral data cable, could also result in harmful interference to radio or
television reception.

The user is cautioned that any changes or modications not expressly approved by the party

responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

To ensure that the use of this product does not contribute to interference, it is necessary to use
shielded I/O cables.

CE Declaration of conformity

This equipment complies with the requirements relating to electromagnetic compatibility, EN
55022 class A for ITE, the essential protection requirements of Council Directive 89/336/EEC on

the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to electromagnetic compatibility.

Canadian Department of Communication Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from

digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of
Communications.

This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Electronic Emission Notices

WARNING!

2

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

Copyright© 2007 ZOTAC International (MCO) Limited. All Rights Reserved

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,

transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by

any means, without the express written permission of ZOTAC International (MCO) Limited.

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered,

unless such repair, modication or alteration is authorized in writing by ZOTAC International (MCO)

Limited, or (2) the serial number of the product is damaged or missing.

ZOTAC INTERNATIONAL (MCO) LIMITED PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY

OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED

WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR

PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ZOTAC INTERNATIONAL (MCO) LIMITED BE LIABLE FOR ANY

INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES

FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF

BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF PC PARTNER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF

SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR

INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE,

AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUCTED AS A COMMITMENT BY ZOTAC INTERNATIONAL

(MCO) LIMITED. ZOTAC INTERNATIONAL (MCO) LIMITED ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY

OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL,

INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or

copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the

owner’s benet, without intent to infringe.

NVIDIA is a trademark of NVIDIA Corporation

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.

3

Table of Contents

Before You Begin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

Parts NOT in the Kit --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

Intentions of the Kit ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard ---------------------------------------- 8

Motherboard Specications ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8

Unpacking and Parts Descriptions --------------------------------------------------------- 10

Unpacking ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard ---------------------------------------- 11

Hardware Installation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

Safety Instructions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

Preparing the Motherboard -------------------------------------------------------------------- 14

Installing the CPU ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14

Installing the CPU Fan ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15

Installing Memory DIMMs -------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

Installing the Motherboard ------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

Installing the I/O Shield ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis --------------------------------------------- 16

Connecting Cables and Setting Switches ------------------------------------------------ 17

Power Connections ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

24-pin ATX Power (PWR1) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 18

8-pin ATX 12V Power (PWR2) -------------------------------------------------------------- 19

Connecting IDE Hard Disk Drives --------------------------------------------------------- 19

Connecting Serial ATA Cables -------------------------------------------------------------- 20

Connecting Internal Headers ---------------------------------------------------------------- 21

Front Panel Header ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21

IEEE 1394---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

USB Headers------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23

Audio ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24

Fan Connections ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

COM1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26

FDD Connector --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26

Expansion Slots -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27

Table of Contents

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ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

PCI Slots ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27

PCI Express x1 Slot --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27

PCI Express x16 Slots ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 28

Jumper Settings -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28

Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS -------------------------------------------------------- 28

Conguring the BIOS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29

Enter BIOS Setup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 29

Main Menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30

Standard CMOS Features Menu -------------------------------------------------------------- 32

Date and Time ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33

IDE Channel and SATA Channel ----------------------------------------------------------- 33

Drive A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35

Halt On -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35

Memory ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36

Advanced BIOS Features ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 37

Removable Device Priority ------------------------------------------------------------------ 38

Hard Disk Boot Priority ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 38

Network Boot Priority -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38

CPU Internal Cache --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38

Quick Power On Self Test -------------------------------------------------------------------- 38

First/Second/Third Boot Device ------------------------------------------------------------ 39

Boot Other Device ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39

Boot Up NumLock Status -------------------------------------------------------------------- 39

Security Option --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39

APIC Mode--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39

MPS Version Control For OS --------------------------------------------------------------- 40

Full Screen LOGO Show --------------------------------------------------------------------- 40

Advanced Chipset Features ------------------------------------------------------------------- 41

System Clocks ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42

Frequency Settings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43

HT Multiplier ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43

Spread Spectrum ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 44

FSB & Memory Cong ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 45

5

CPU Conguration ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49

System Voltages ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51

NVMEM Memory Test ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 53

Load Timing/Voltage Set --------------------------------------------------------------------- 53

Save Timing/Voltage Set --------------------------------------------------------------------- 53

System BIOS Cacheable --------------------------------------------------------------------- 53

HPET Function ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 53

NVIDIA GPU Ex -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 53

Integrated Peripherals Menu ------------------------------------------------------------------ 54

IDE Function Setup ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55

RAID Cong ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56

USB Cong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56

MAC Cong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57

IEEE1394 controller --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57

HD Audio ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57

IDE HDD Block Mode ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57

Onboard FDC Controller --------------------------------------------------------------------- 57

Onboard Serial Port 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57

Power Management Setup Menu ------------------------------------------------------------ 58

ACPI Function----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58

ACPI Suspend Type --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58

Soft-Off by PBNT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58

WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off ------------------------------------------------------------------ 58

Power On by Alarm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59

POWER ON Function ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59

PnP/PCI Conguration Menu ------------------------------------------------------------------ 60

Init Display First--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 60

Reset Conguration Data -------------------------------------------------------------------- 60

Resources Controlled By --------------------------------------------------------------------- 61

IRQ Resources --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 61

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 61

Maximum Payload Size ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 61

Table of Contents

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ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

Pc Health Status ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 62

Dynamic Fan Control -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 63

Installing Drivers and Software -------------------------------------------------------------- 64

Drivers Installation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64

Using the NVIDIA Software -------------------------------------------------------------------- 65

NVIDIA Performance Group of NVIDIA Control Panel -------------------------------- 65

Device Settings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 66

Current Hardware Settings ------------------------------------------------------------------ 66

Motherboard ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67

Memory ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69

GPU ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 72

Dynamic BIOS Access ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 73

View System Information --------------------------------------------------------------------- 74

Prole Policies ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 75

Manage Your System BIOS ----------------------------------------------------------------- 76

NVIDIA System Monitor ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 77

Appendix A. Conguring an SLI Conguration ----------------------------------------- 81

SLI Connector ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81

ForceWare Driver ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 82

Enabling 3-Way SLI --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 83

Verifying 3-way SLI is Active ---------------------------------------------------------------- 85

Appendix B. POST Codes for Tritium Platform ----------------------------------------- 86

Award POST Codes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 86

NVMM POST Codes -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 93

7

Before You Begin…

Parts NOT in the Kit

This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new ZOTAC®
nForce® 790i-Supreme SLI motherboard. However, it does not contain the following
items that must be purchased separately to make the motherboard functional.

q Intel microprocessor:

Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo Pentium EE, Pentium D

q Cooling fan for the microprocessor
q System memory support:

Supports dual channel DDR3 800/1066/1333, and up to 2000 MHz SLI-Ready
Memory. Supports up to 8 GBs DDR3 memory.

q Graphics Card

This motherboard supports 3-way SLI with three x16 PCI Express slots.

q 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 conguration, you will need a

minimum of a 500 W power supply. If you have three GPUs in an SLI

conguration, you will need a minimum of a 1000 W power supply. To calculate
the power you are going to require for your specic conguration, go to
www.slizone.com.

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.

Before You Begin

8

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme Motherboard

Thank you for buying the ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI motherboard. This
motherboard offers the tools and performance PC users’ demand. When combined
with two or three SLI-Ready NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, you get innovative
NVIDIA SLI Technology for enhanced system performance.

Motherboard Specications

q Size

ATX form factor of 12 inch x 9.6 inch

q Microprocessor support

Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, Pentium D

q Operating systems:

Supports Windows XP 32bit/64bit and Windows Vista 32bit/64bit

q Contains NVIDIA nForce 790i SLI MCP and SPP

q System Memory support

Supports dual channel DDR3 800/1066/1333 and SLI-Ready memory up to

2000 MHz. Supports up to 8 GBs DDR3 memories.

q Ten USB 2.0 Ports

v Supports hot plug

v Ten USB 2.0 ports (six rear panel ports, four onboard USB headers)

v Supports wake-up from S1 and S3 mode

v Supports USB 2.0 protocol up to 480 Mbps transmission rate

q Onboard Serial ATA II

v 300MBps data transfer rate

v Six Serial ATA II connectors

v NVIDIA MediaShield RAID with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1,

RAID 5, and JBOD

v Supports hot plug and NCQ (Native Command Queuing )

q Onboard LAN

v Dual LAN interface built-in onboard

v Supports 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec Ethernet

9

q Onboard 1394

v Support hot plug

v Two 1394 ports (one rear panel port, one onboard header) with rate of

transmission at 400 Mbps

q Onboard Audio

v Azalia High-Denition audio

v Supports 8-channel audio

v Supports S/PDIF output

v Supports Jack-Sensing function

q Triple PCI Express x16 Support

v 2 x16 PCI Express 2.0

v 1 x16 PCI Express 1.0

v Supports 4 GB/sec (8 GB/sec concurrent) bandwidth

v Low power consumption and power management features

q Green Function

v Supports ACPI (Advanced Conguration and Power Interface)

v Supports S0 (normal), S1 (power on suspend), S3 (suspend to RAM),

S4 (Suspend to disk - depends on OS), and S5 (soft - off)

q Expansion Slots

v Two PCI slots

v Two PCI Express x1 slots

v Three PCI Express x16 Graphics slots

Specications

10

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

Unpacking and Parts Descriptions

Unpacking

The ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme 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.

11

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme Motherboard

The ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI motherboard with the NVIDIA nForce 790i 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.

1. CPU Socket 11. Fan connectors 21. PCI slots

2. NVIDIA 790i Ultra SLI heatpipe 12. Serial-ATA (SATA) connectors 22. PCI Express x16 slots (SLI)

3. CPU fan connector 13. Front panel connector 23. PCI Express x1 slots

4. DDR3 DIMM Slots 0 - 3 14. Serial connector 24. SATA connectors

5. 24-pin ATX Power Connector 15. 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. FP Audio connector

Motherboard Layout

Figure 1. Board Layout

12

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

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. 1394 (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 -- -- Side Speaker Out

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. Backpanel

13

Hardware Installation

This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The topics
covered in this section are:

q Preparing the motherboard

v Installing the CPU

v Installing the CPU fan

v Installing the memory

q Installing the motherboard

q Connecting cables and setting switches

Safety Instructions

To reduce the risk of re, electric shock, and injury, always follow basic safety precations.

Remember to remove power from your computer by disconnecting the AC main source
before removing or installing any equipment from/to the computer chassis.

Hardware Installation

14

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

Preparing the Motherboard

The motherboard shipped in the box does not contain a CPU or memory. You 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.

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.

7. Close the load plate over the CPU and press
down while you close and engage the socket
lever.

Align notches with notches
on the CPU

15

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.

q One DIMM: Install into slot 0. You can install the DIMM into any slot, however,

slot 0 is preferred.

q Two DIMMs: Install into either slots 0 and 1 or 2 and 3. The idea is to not have

the DIMMs in adjacent slots.

q Four DIMMS: Install into slots 0, 1, 2, and 3.

Use the following procedure to install memory DIMMs into the slots on the
motherboard. 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.

Hardware Installation

16

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

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 rst.

Use the following procedure to install the I/O shield and secure the motherboard into
the chassis.

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.

Installing the I/O Shield

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 airow 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 ts securely. If the I/O shield does
not t into the chassis, you would need to obtain the proper size from the chassis

supplier.

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.

17

Connecting Cables and Setting Switches

This section takes you through all the connections and switch settings necessary on
the motherboard. This will include:
q Power Connections
v 24-pin ATX power (PWR1)

v 8-pin ATX 12V power (PWR2)
q Internal Headers

v Front panel
v IEEE 1394
v USB Headers
v Audio
v Speaker
v COM

q FDD
q IDE
q Serial ATA II
q Chassis Fans
q Rear panel USB 2.0 Adapter
q Expansion slots
q CMOS jumper settings

Power Connections

To support 3-way SLI, this motherboard has the following specic power supply

requirements:

q Minimum 1000 W peak power
q Six PCI-E power connectors congured in either of the following congurations

(see Figure 3):

Six 6-pin (3x2) PCI-E power connectors

Figure 3. Power Supply Connectors

Hardware Installation

18

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

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 specic
conguration or a certied power supply vendor, refer to www.slizone.com.

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.

Figure 4. PWR1 Motherboard Connector

Table 1. PWR1 Pin Assignments

Connector Pin Signal Pin Signal

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

19

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 rmly until seated.

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 congure the second drive as a slave
device by setting its jumper accordingly. Refer to the hard disk documentation for the
jumper settings.

Note: If an ATA-66/100/133 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

20

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

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 congurations.

21

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 denitions):

q 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.

q 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.
q 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.

q 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.

Table 2. Front Panel Header Pins

Hardware Installation

22

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

IEEE 1394

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 1394 connectors on the
motherboard.

Table 3. IEEE 1394 Connector Pins

23

USB Headers

This motherboard contains six (4) 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.

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

Hardware Installation

24

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

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 Connector

25

Fan Connections

There are ve 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.

Hardware Installation

26

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

There are ve more fan connectors on the motherboard. For this installation, these

will not be used.

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.

FDD Connector

The motherboard supports a standard 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44m, and a 2.88M oppy
disk drive (FDD).

27

Expansion Slots

The NVIDIA nForce 790i SLI motherboard contains seven expansion slots, ve PCI
Express slots and two PCI slots. For a full list of PCI Express x16 graphics card

supported by this motherboard, go to www.nvidia.com/estore.

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 specications. 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 Slot

There is two PCI Express x1 slot that is designed to accommodate less bandwidth­intensive cards, such as a modem or LAN card. The x1 slot provides 250 MB/sec

bandwidth.

Hardware Installation

28

ZOTAC nForce 790i-Supreme SLI Motherboard

PCI Express x16 Slots

These three PCI Express x16 slots are reserved for graphics 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.

Jumper Settings

The motherboard contains a 3-pin BIOS conguration jumper that enables all board
congurations 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 and connect pins 1 and 2 together using the jumper

cap.

2. Return the jumper setting to normal (pins 2 and 3 together with the jumper cap).

3. Turn the AC power supply back on.