A7V8X-MX SE
User Guide
Contents
Notices ........................................................................................................ v
Safety information ...................................................................................... vi
A7V8X-MX SE specification summary* .....................................................vii
About this guide ........................................................................................ viii
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.1 Welcome! ....................................................................................... 1-2
1.2 Package contents .......................................................................... 1-2
1.3 Special features ............................................................................. 1-2
1.4 Motherboard components.............................................................. 1-4
1.5 Motherboard layout........................................................................ 1-7
1.6 Motherboard installation ................................................................ 1-8
1.6.1
1.6.2
Placement direction ......................................................... 1-8
Screw holes ..................................................................... 1-8
1.7 Before you proceed ....................................................................... 1-9
1.8 Central Processing Unit (CPU) .................................................... 1-10
1.9 System memory ........................................................................... 1-11
1.10 Expansion slots ........................................................................... 1-12
1.10.1 Configuring an expansion card ...................................... 1-12
1.10.2 AGP slot ......................................................................... 1-13
1.10.3 PCI slots ........................................................................ 1-13
1.11 Switch and jumpers ..................................................................... 1-14
1.12 Connectors .................................................................................. 1-17
Chapter 2: BIOS information
2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................... 2-2
2.1.1
2.1.2
2.1.3
Creating a bootable floppy disk ....................................... 2-2
Using the AwardBIOS Flash Utility .................................. 2-3
CrashFree BIOS feature .................................................. 2-4
2.2 BIOS beep codes .......................................................................... 2-5
2.3 BIOS Setup program ..................................................................... 2-5
2.3.1
2.3.2
BIOS menu bar ................................................................ 2-6
Legend bar....................................................................... 2-6
iii
Contents
2.4 Main menu ..................................................................................... 2-8
2.5 Advanced menu ........................................................................... 2-12
2.5.1
2.5.2
2.5.3
Chip Configuration ......................................................... 2-13
I/O Device Configuration................................................ 2-18
PCI Configuration .......................................................... 2-20
2.6 Power menu ................................................................................ 2-22
2.6.1
2.6.2
Power Up Control .......................................................... 2-23
Hardware Monitor .......................................................... 2-25
2.7 Boot menu ................................................................................... 2-26
2.8 Exit menu ..................................................................................... 2-27
Chapter 3: Software support
3.1 Installing an operating system ....................................................... 3-2
3.2 Support CD information ................................................................. 3-2
3.2.1
3.2.2
3.2.3
3.2.4
Running the support CD .................................................. 3-2
Drivers menu ................................................................... 3-3
Utilities menu ................................................................... 3-4
ASUS contact information................................................ 3-5
iv
Notices
Federal Communications Commission Statement
This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
•
•
This device may not cause harmful interference, and
This device must accept any interference received including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee
that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined
by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
•
•
•
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
•
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the
graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations.
Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to
operate this equipment.
Canadian Department of Communications 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.
v
Safety information
Electrical safety
•
To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the
electrical outlet before relocating the system.
•
When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power
cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If
possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a
device.
•
•
•
Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that
all power cables are unplugged.
Seek professional assistance before using an adpater or extension cord. These
devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.
Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you
are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your
local power company.
•
If the power supply is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified
service technician or your retailer.
Operation safety
•
Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the
manuals that came with the package.
•
Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected and the
power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer
immediately.
•
•
To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.
Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any
area where it may become wet.
•
•
Place the product on a stable surface.
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified service
technician or your retailer.
vi
A7V8X-MX SE specification summary*
CPU
Socket A for AMD Athlon™XP up to 3200+ processor
Thoroughbred/Barton core support
Chipset
VIA KM400
VIA VT8235 CE
Front Side Bus (FSB)
Memory
333/266/200 MHz
2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets support up to maximum 2 GB
unbuffered PC2700/2100/1600 non-ECC DDR SDRAM
memory.
Expansion slots
3 x PCI
1 x AGP 8X/4X (0.8V or 1.5V only)
IDE
2 x UltraATA133/100/66/33
Graphics
Audio
Integrated VIA UniChrome™ Graphics
AD1980 6-channel AUDIO CODEC
S/PDIF out interface
LAN
VIA VT6103 10/100 Mbps Ethernet PHY
Hardware monitoring
Super I/O integrated monitoring of CPU/chassis fan and
MB/CPU temperature
Rear panel I/O ports
1 x Parallel
1 x Serial
1 x PS/2 keyboard
1 x PS/2 mouse
1 x RJ-45 port
1 x Audio I/O
1 x VGA
4 x USB 2.0/1.1
Internal connectors
1 x USB connector supports additional 2 USB 2.0 ports
CPU/chassis FAN connectors
Chassis intrusion connector
20-pin ATX power connector
PANEL connector
CD/AUX connectors
S/PDIF Out connector
GAME/MIDI connector
Front panel audio connector
BIOS features
2Mb Flash EEPROM, Award BIOS, ACPI, DMI2.0,
PnP features, TCAV, CrashFree BIOS
(continued next page)
vii
A7V8X-MX SE specification summary*
Industry standard
Manageability
PCI 2.2, USB 2.0/1.1
WOL, WOR, chassis intrusion
Support CD contents
Device drivers
ASUS PC Probe
ASUS Screensaver
Award BIOS Flash Utility
Microsoft DirectX
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Trend Micro™ PC-cillin 2002
Accessories
Form Factor
User Guide
ASUS A7V8X-MX SE support CD
UltraATA cable
FDD cable
I/O shield
Micro-ATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in
* Specifications are subject to change without notice.
About this guide
Conventions used in this guide
To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following
symbols used throughout this guide.
WARNING. Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to
complete a task.
CAUTION. Information to prevent damage to the components when
trying to complete a task.
IMPORTANT. Information that you MUST follow to complete a task.
NOTE. Tips and additional information to aid in completing a task.
viii
Chapter 1
This chapter describes the features of
the motherboard. It includes brief
descriptions of the motherboard
components, and illustrations of the
layout, jumper settings, and connectors.
Product introduction
1.1 Welcome!
Thank you for buying the ASUS® A7V8X-MX SE motherboard!
The ASUS A7V8X-MX SE motherboard comes with the most advanced
technologies to deliver maximum performance for Socket A processors. This
motherboard is also packed with value-added features for guaranteed consumer
satisfaction. The following sections provide important technical information about
the motherboard for future upgrades or system reconfiguration.
Before you start installing the motherboard and hardware devices on it, check the
items in your package with the list below.
1.2 Package contents
Check your ASUS A7V8X-MX SE package for the following items.
ASUS A7V8X-MX SE motherboard.(Micro-ATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in)
ASUS A7V8X-MX SE support CD
40-pin 80-conductor ribbon cable for UltraATA133 IDE drives
Ribbon cable for a 3.5-inch floppy drive
Bag of extra jumper caps
I/O shield
User Guide
1.3 Special features
333MHz FSB support for Athlon™ XP processors
The A7V8X-MX SE motherboard supports 333MHz front side bus frequency for
Athlon™ XP processors allowing increased application program productivity and
enhanced digital media experience. See page 1-10 for details.
AGP 8X support
AGP 8X (AGP 3.0) is the next generation VGA interface specification that enables
enhanced graphics performance with high bandwidth speeds of up to 2.12 GB/s.
See page 1-13 for details.
Integrated graphics
The A7V8X-MX SE motherboard comes with an integrated VIA Unichrome™
2D/3D graphics core allowing efficient execution of multimedia applications and
playback support for video and DVD.
1-2
Chapter 1: Product introduction
Integrated 10/100 LAN
The A7V8X-MX SE motherboard comes with an onboard 10/100Mbps Fast
Ethernet controller to give you a fast and reliable connection to a local area
networks (LANs) and the Internet.
USB 2.0 technology
The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 specification,
dramatically increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB
1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1.
Digital audio support
A Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) connector is onboard to give you
convenient connectivity to external home theater audio systems. The S/PDIF
technology allows direct digital audio transfers keeping the best signal quality.
SoundMAX Digital Audio System
The SoundMax Digital Audio System is the industry’s highest performance and
most reliable audio solution for business professionals, audiophiles, musicians,
and gamers. SoundMAX Digital Audio System can output 5.1 channel surround
and features state-of-the-art DLS2 MIDI synthesizer with Yamaha DLSbyXG sound
set, 5.1 Virtual Theater™ and supports all major game audio technologies
including Microsoft DirectX™8.0, Microsoft DirectSound 3D™, A3D, MacroFX,
ZoomFX, MultiDrive 5.1 and EAX.
ASUS C.O.P.
The ASUS C.O.P. (CPU Overheating Protection) is a hardware protection circuit
that automatically shuts down the system power before temperatures go high
enough to permanently damage the CPU.
ASUS CrashFree BIOS
CrashFree BIOS allows users to restore BIOS data from a floppy disk even when
BIOS code and data are corrupted. Users can now enjoy this feature without the
need to buy a new ROM.
ASUS A7V8X-MX SE motherboard user guide
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