Asus A7V8X MXSE User Manual

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 AthlonXP 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 UniChromeGraphics  
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 MicroPC-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 AthlonXP processors  
The A7V8X-MX SE motherboard supports 333MHz front side bus frequency for  
AthlonXP 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 industrys 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 Theaterand supports all major game audio technologies  
including Microsoft DirectX8.0, 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  
1-3