EVGA force 132 YW E178 User Manual

User Guide

EVGA force 780i SLI FTW

Motherboard

Table of Contents

Before You Begin… .......................................................................................................................... ix

Parts NOT in the Kit ..................................................................................................................... ix

Intentions of the Kit....................................................................................................................... ix

EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW Motherboard......................................................................................... 1

Motherboard Specifications...........................................................................................................1

Unpacking and Parts Descriptions .................................................................................................... 3

Unpacking .....................................................................................................................................3

Equipment.....................................................................................................................................3

EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW Motherboard ....................................................................................4

Hardware Installation ......................................................................................................................... 7

Safety Instructions.........................................................................................................................7

Preparing the Motherboard............................................................................................................8

Installing the CPU.....................................................................................................................8

Installing the CPU Fan..............................................................................................................8

Installing Memory DIMMs .........................................................................................................9

Installing the Motherboard...........................................................................................................10

Installing the I/O Shield...........................................................................................................10

Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis ............................................................................10

Connecting Cables and Setting Switches....................................................................................11

Power Connections.................................................................................................................11

24-pin ATX Power (PWR1) ................................................................................................12

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

EVGA iii

Audio ......................................................................................................................................19

Fan Connections.....................................................................................................................20

COM1 .....................................................................................................................................21

FDD Connector.......................................................................................................................22

Expansion Slots......................................................................................................................22

PCI Slots............................................................................................................................22

PCI Express x1 Slot ...........................................................................................................23

PCI Express x16 Slots........................................................................................................23

Clear CMOS Button ................................................................................................................24

Configuring the BIOS ....................................................................................................................... 25

Enter BIOS Setup........................................................................................................................26

Main Menu ..................................................................................................................................26

Standard CMOS Features Menu .................................................................................................28

Date and Time ........................................................................................................................29

IDE Channel and SATA Channel............................................................................................30

Drive A....................................................................................................................................31

Halt On ...................................................................................................................................32

Memory...................................................................................................................................32

Advanced BIOS Features............................................................................................................33

Removable Device Priority......................................................................................................34

Hard Disk Boot Priority............................................................................................................34

Network Boot Priority ..............................................................................................................34

CPU Internal Cache................................................................................................................34

Quick Power On Self Test.......................................................................................................34

First/Second/Third Boot Device ..............................................................................................35

Boot Other Device ..................................................................................................................35

Boot Up NumLock Status........................................................................................................35

Security Option .......................................................................................................................35

APIC Mode .............................................................................................................................35

MPS Version Control For OS..................................................................................................36

Full Screen LOGO Show ........................................................................................................36

Advanced Chipset Features ........................................................................................................37

EVGA iv

System BIOS Cacheable ........................................................................................................37

HPET Function .......................................................................................................................37

Integrated Peripherals Menu .......................................................................................................38

IDE Function Setup.................................................................................................................39

RAID Config............................................................................................................................40

USB Config.............................................................................................................................40

MAC Config ............................................................................................................................41

IEEE1394 controller................................................................................................................41

HD Audio ................................................................................................................................41

IDE HDD Block Mode .............................................................................................................41

Onboard FDC Controller.........................................................................................................41

Onboard Serial Port 1 .............................................................................................................41

Power Management Setup Menu ................................................................................................42

ACPI Function.........................................................................................................................42

ACPI Suspend Type ...............................................................................................................42

Soft-Off by PBNT....................................................................................................................43

WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off.....................................................................................................43

Power On by Alarm.................................................................................................................43

POWER ON Function .............................................................................................................44

PnP/PCI Configuration Menu ......................................................................................................45

Init Display First ......................................................................................................................45

Reset Configuration Data........................................................................................................45

Resources Controlled By ........................................................................................................46

IRQ Resources .......................................................................................................................46

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop..........................................................................................................46

Maximum Payload Size ..........................................................................................................47

EVGA

PC Health Status .............................................................................................................................47

Dynamic Fan Control...................................................................................................................48

Frequency/Voltage Control..........................................................................................................49

Dummy O.C. ...............................................................................................................................49

System Clocks.............................................................................................................................50

Frequency Settings .....................................................................................................................51

HT Multiplier................................................................................................................................51

Spread Spectrum ........................................................................................................................52

FSB & Memory Config .....................................................................................................................53

SLI Ready Memory .....................................................................................................................53

FSB & Memory clock mode.........................................................................................................54

FSB (QDR), MHz.........................................................................................................................54

MEM (DDR), MHz .......................................................................................................................54

Memory Timing Settings..............................................................................................................55

Optimal .......................................................................................................................................55

Expert ........................................................................................................................................56

CPU Feature ..............................................................................................................................57

Limit CPUID MaxVal....................................................................................................................57

Intel SpedStep ............................................................................................................................57

PPM Mode .................................................................................................................................57

CPU Thermal Control .................................................................................................................58

C1E Enhanced Halt State ...........................................................................................................58

Execute Disable Bit ....................................................................................................................58

Virtualization Technology ..........................................................................................................58

CPU Core 1-3 .............................................................................................................................58

EVGA vi

System Voltage ..............................................................................................................................59

EVGA VDroop Control ...............................................................................................................59

CPU Core ...................................................................................................................................59

CPU FSB ....................................................................................................................................59

Memory .....................................................................................................................................59

nForce SPP ................................................................................................................................59

nForce MCP ...............................................................................................................................60

HT nForce SPP <-> MCP ...........................................................................................................60

nForce MCP Auxiliary .................................................................................................................60

GTLVREF Lane 0-2 ....................................................................................................................60

GTLVREF Lane 3 .......................................................................................................................60

NVMEM Memory Test ................................................................................................................60

Load Timing/Voltage Set ............................................................................................................61

Save Timing/Voltage Set ............................................................................................................61

Installing Drivers and Software ........................................................................................................63

Driver Installation.........................................................................................................................63

EVGA Enthusiast Glossary..........................................................................................................65

Appendix A. POST Codes for EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW Platform............................................... 67

NVMM POST Codes ...................................................................................................................73

EVGA vii

List of Figures

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Figure 6.

Figure 7.

Figure 8.

Figure 9.

Figure 10.

Figure 11.

Figure 12.

Figure 13.

Figure 14.

Figure 15.

Figure 16.

EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW Motherboard Layout.......................................................5

Chassis Back Panel Connectors .................................................................................6

Power Supply Connectors .........................................................................................12

PWR1 Motherboard Connector .................................................................................13

BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu........................................................................27

Standard CMOS Features Menu ...............................................................................29

Advanced BIOS Features Menu ................................................................................33

Advanced Chipset Features ......................................................................................37

Integrated Peripherals Menu .....................................................................................38

Power Management Setup Menu ..............................................................................42

PnP/PCI Configuration Menu.....................................................................................45

PC Health Status.......................................................................................................47

System Clocks Menu.................................................................................................50

FSB & Memory Config Menu.....................................................................................53

CPU Configuration Menu...........................................................................................57

System Voltages Menu..............................................................................................59

EVGA viii

Before You Begin…

Parts NOT in the Kit

This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new EVGA force®

780i SLI FTW motherboard. However, it does not contain the following items that must be

purchased separately to make the motherboard functional.

 Intel microprocessor

 System Memory

 Cooling fan for the microprocessor

 Graphics Card

 Power Supply

EVGA assumes you have purchased all necessary parts needed to allow for proper system

functionality.

Intentions of the Kit

This kit provides you with the motherboard and all connecting cables necessary to install the

motherboard into a PC case. 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 case, it is highly recommended to reinstall the operating

system even though the current drives may already have an operating system.

EVGA ix

EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW

Motherboard

Thank you for buying the EVGA nFore 780i SLI FTW 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 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 780i SLI MCP and SPP

 System Memory support

Supports dual channel JEDEC DDR2-800 and SLI-Ready memory up to 1200 MHz.

Supports up to 8 GBs of DDR2 memory.

 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

 Onboard Serial ATA II

 300MBps data transfer rate

 Six Serial ATA II connectors

 NVIDIA Media Shield RAID with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID

5, and JBOD

 Supports hot plug and NCQ (Native Command Queuing )

EVGA

 Onboard LAN

 Dual LAN interface built-in onboard

 Supports 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec Ethernet

 Onboard 1394

 Supports hot plug

 Two 1394a ports (one rear panel port, one onboard header) with a rate transmission

of 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

EVGA

Unpacking and

Parts Descriptions

Unpacking

The EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW 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.

Equipment

The following equipment is included in the EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW motherboard box.

(Accessories may vary between models, see product package)

EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW Motherboard

This PCI Express motherboard contains the NVIDIA

nForce 780i SLI SPP and MCP and is SLI-ready.

I/O Shield

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.

EVGA

2-Port SATA Power Cable (Qty Three)

Allows a Molex power connector to adapt to a SATA

power connector

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

Serial Port Bracket Cable

Used for serial legacy devices

IDE-ATA 133 HDD Cable

Passes data between the IDE connection on both the

Motherboard and IDE device

EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW

Motherboard

The EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW motherboard with the NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI SPP and

MCP processor is a PCI Express, SLI-ready motherboard. Figure 1 shows the motherboard

and Figures 2 shows the back panel connectors.

EVGA

Figure 1.

EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW Motherboard Layout

CPU Socket – For use with Intel LGA 775

CPUs

11. USB headers – for additional USB

21. SPDIF connector – Digital Audio connection

connectors.

NVIDIA SPP with Active fan – Also known as

the Northbridge

12. Motherboard battery – helps retain

22. PCI slots – Used for PCI based components

system BIOS settings

CPU fan connector – Connect CPU Fan to this

connector.

13. Fan connector

23. PCI Express x16 slots (SLI) – For graphics cards,

multiple slots are used for SLI configurations

DDR DIMM Slots 0 – 3 – For System Memory

14. Serial connector – for Serial Port

24. 1394a connector – Firewire connection

dongal

24-pin ATX Power Connector – Main Power

connection

15. Front panel connector – For use

25. PCI Express x1 slot – Exclusive for devices that

with system chassis

require a PCI-E x1 slot

IDE Connector – For IDE devices, CD-ROM

and Hard Disk Drives

16. CMOS Clear – Easily clears the

26. Back panel connectors – See Figure 2

system the BIOS.

Serial-ATA (SATA) connectors – For SATA

devices, CD-ROM and Hard Disk Drives

17. Power button – with integrated

27. PWM / Voltage Regulator Heatsink – Aids in

power LED indicator

dispersing heat

FDD connector – Floppy Disk Drive Connector

18. Reset Button – With integrated

28. 8-pin ATX 12V power connector – CPU 8-Pin Power

HDD activity light.

connector

NVIDIA MCP (passive heat sink)

19. Azalia HD Audio Header

29. MCP/SPP fan connector

10. System Speaker – Provides POST Codes via

20. Front Panel Audio – For use with

30. LED POST Code Readout – See Appendix A. For

audio

system chassis

Code descriptions

EVGA

Figure 2.

Chassis Back Panel Connectors

1. PS/2 Mouse Port

2. PS/2 Keyboard Port

3. 1394a (Firewire) Port

4. USB 2.0 ports (SIX)

5. SPDIF output

6. Port

Blue

2-Channel

4-Channel

Line-In

Front Speaker Out

6-Channel/8-Channel

Line-In

Front Speaker Out

Line-In

Line-Out

Mic In

Green

Pink

Mic In

Orange

Black

Grey

Center/Subwoofer

Rear Speaker Out

7. 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

EVGA

Hardware Installation

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

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.

EVGA

Preparing the Motherboard

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

Make sure the CPU is fully seated and level in the socket.

Align notches with

notches on the CPU

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 instructions that came with your fan

assembly. Be sure that the fan orientation is correct for your

chassis type and your fan assembly.

EVGA

Installing System Memory (DIMMs)

Your new motherboard has four 1.8V 240-pin slots for DDR2 memory. These slots support

256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB DDR2 memory modules. They also support dual channel

DDR2 memory technology up to 10.7GB/s. 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 slot 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.

CPU side

DIMM Slot 0

DIMM Slot 2

DIMM Slot 1

DIMM Slot 3

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 while

applying light downward pressure to properly seat the DIMM. The plastic clips at both

sides of the DIMM slot automatically lock the DIMM into the connector.

EVGA

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. It is

recommended to secure the motherboard first before making all connections.

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

chassis.

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 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.

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 eight (8) to ten (10) 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.

EVGA 10

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

 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.

EVGA 11

Power Connections

To support 3-way SLI, this motherboard has the following specific minimum power supply

requirements:

 A Power Supply that features 1000 W peak power

 6-pin and/or 8-pin PCI-E power connectors configured in either of the following

configurations (see Figure 3):

 Four 6-pin (3x2) and two 8-pin (4x2) PCI-E power connectors

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

 Three 6-pin (3x) and three 8-pin (4x2) PCI-E power connectors

8-pin (4x2) PCI-E Connector

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 power requirements are for your specific configuration or a certified power

supply vendor, refer to www.slizone.com.

EVGA 12

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. This connector is notched, do not force in.

PWR1 connector

Plug power cable from system

power supply to PWR1

Board edge

Figure 4.

PWR1 Motherboard Connector

Table 1.

PWR1 Pin Assignments

Connector

Signal

Pin Signal

+3.3V

GND

+3.3V

-12V

GND

PS_ON

GND

RSVD

+5V

GND

+5V

GND

PWROK

+5V_AUX

+12V

+3.3V

+5V

GND

EVGA 13

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. This connector is notched, do not

force in.

GND

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 drive’s documentation for the jumper

settings.

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.

EVGA 14

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 3

SATA 4

SATA 5

SATA 6

SATA 1 (bottom)

SATA 2 (top)

Connect the locking cable end to the motherboard connector.

Connect the end without the lock to the drive.

EVGA 15

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.

Some chassis do not have all four cables. Be sure to match the name on the connectors

to the corresponding pins.

 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 disk drives.

 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.

EVGA 16

Table 2.

Front Panel Header Pins

Pin Signal

In/Out

Description

HD_LED

PWRLED

RESET

HD_PWR

Out

Hard disk drive LED pulls up to +5V

HDA#

HDR_BLNK_GRN

Out

Hard disk drive active LED

Front panel green light

HDR_BLNK_YEL

GND

Out

Front panel yellow light

Ground

FP_RESET#

SWITCH_ON#

Reset switch

Power switch

PWRSW

GND

No Connect

Ground

No Connect

Empty

IEEE 1394a

The IEEE 1394a 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 1394a connectors on the motherboard.

Table 3.

IEEE 1394a Connector Pins

Connector

IEEE 1394a Connector

Signal

TPA+

TPA-

GND

TPB+

TPB-

+12V

Empty

GND

EVGA 17

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

Signal

USB 2.0 Header Connector

5V_DUAL

D-

D+

GND

Empty

Signal

5V_DUAL

D-

D+

GND

No Connect

EVGA 18

Audio

The audio connector supports HD audio standard and provides two kinds of audio output

choices: Front Audio and Rear Audio. The front Audio supports re-tasking function.

Table 5.

Front Audio Connector

Connector

Signal

Front Audio Connector

PORT1_L

AUD_GND

PORT1_R

PRECENCE_J

PORT2_R

SENSE1_RETURN

SENSE_SEND

Empty

PORT2_L

SENSE2_RETURN

EVGA 19

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.

Note that the CPU fan cable can

be either a 3-pin or a 4-pin

connector. Connect a 3-pin

connector to pins 1, 2, and 3 on

the motherboard connector.

CPU Fan Connector

GND SENSE

PWR CONTROL

EVGA nForce 780i SLI SPP/MCP fan connector

Install the fan over the nForce 780i SLI SPP Fan Connector

to draw heat from the MCP. The fan plugs

into a 3-pin connector.

GND

+12V

SENSE

EVGA 20

There are four more optional fan connectors on the motherboard that can be used for adding

more system fans.

Auxiliary fan connector

Auxiliary fan

connector

Fan Connector

GND

+12V

SENSE

Fan Connector

GND

+12V

Auxiliary fan

connector

SENSE

System fan

connector

Fan Connector

GND

+12V

SENSE

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.

EVGA 21

Floppy Disk Drive (FDD) Connector

The motherboard supports a standard

360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44m, and a 2.88M

floppy disk drive (FDD).

Expansion Slots

The EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW motherboard contains six expansion slots, four PCI

Express slots and two PCI slots.

– PCI slots

– PCIe x16 slots

(3-Way SLI)

– PCIe x1 slot

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.

EVGA 22

PCI Express x1 Slot

There is one PCI Express x1 slot that is designed to accommodate less bandwidth-intensive

cards, such as a modem, LAN card, or soundcard card. The x1 slot provides up to 250

MB/sec bandwidth.

PCI Express x16 Slots

These three PCI Express x16 slots are reserved for graphics or video cards. The design of this

motherboard supports three PCI-Express graphics cards using NVIDIA’s SLI technology.

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.

EVGA 23

Clear CMOS Function

The motherboard contains a button to clear BIOS configurations back to default settings.

Please see Figure 1 on page 6 for location.

Clear CMOS Button

The motherboard uses the CMOS to store all the set parameters. The CMOS can be cleared

by pressing the Clear CMOS button on the motherboard.

Use the following procedure to clear CMOS:

1. Turn off the AC power supply

2. Press the clear CMOS button once to clear the CMOS.

3. Turn the AC power supply back on.

Onboard Onboard

Onboard

Clear

CMOS

Reset

Power

Button

Onboard System Reset and Power Buttons

The motherboard provides an onboard Power and Reset button. The Yellow Reset button

features an integrated Hard Disk Drive Activity LED which will flicker accordingly.

The Green Power button features an integrated power LED and will stay solid for as long as

the system is turned on and running.

EVGA 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

 PC Health Status

 Frequency/Voltage Control

EVGA 25

Enter BIOS Setup

The BIOS is the communication bridge between hardware and software. Correctly setting the

BIOS parameters is critical when maintaining 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.

It is strongly recommended that you do not change the default BIOS settings. Changing

some settings could damage your computer.

Main Menu

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 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.

EVGA 26

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

 Standard CMOS Features

 Frequency/Voltage Control

Load Fail-Safe Default

Load Optimized Defaults

Set Supervisor Password

Set Password

 Advanced BIOS Features

 Advanced Chipset Features

 Integrated Peripherals

 Power Management Setup

 PnP/PCI Configurations

 PC Health Status

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

Esc : Quit

F10 : Save & Exit Setup

 : Select Item

Time, Date, Hard Disk Type..,

SLI-Ready memory - Disabled

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 adjust system bios cacheable and HPET Functions.

 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.

 PC Health Status

Use this menu to monitor the real-time system status of your PC, including temperature,

voltages, and fan speed.

 Frequency/Voltage Control

Use this menu to optimize system performance and configure clocks, voltages, memory

timings, and more.

EVGA 27

The following items on the CMOS Setup Utility main menu are commands rather than

submenus:

 Load Fail Safe Defaults

Load default system settings.

 Load Optimized Defaults

Loads optimized system settings.

 Set Supervisor Password

Use this command to set, change, and disable the password used to access the BIOS menu.

 Set User 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.

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.

EVGA 28

The information shown in Item Helpcorresponds to the option highlighted.

Utility

Standard CMOS Features

Date (mm:dd:yy)

Time (hh:mm:ss)

Sat, Jul 01 2006

12 : 48: 23

Item Help

 IDE Channel 0 Master

 IDE Channel 0 Slave

 SATA 1 (A0)

[None]

Main Level



[None]

Change the day, month,

year and century

 SATA 2 (A1)

 SATA 3 (B0)

 SATA 4 (B1)

 SATA 5 (C0)

 SATA 6 (C1)

Drive A

Halt On

[1.44, 3.5 in.]

[All , But Keyboard]

Base Memory

640K

Extended Memory

Total Memory

1047552K

1048576K

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

Figure 6.

Standard CMOS Features Menu

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.

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)

Time (hh:mm:ss)

Sat, Jul 01 2006

14 : 48: 43

EVGA 29

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.

Press ENTER to display

IDE Channel sub-menu

 IDE Channel 0 Master

 IDE Channel 0 Slave

 SATA 1 (A0)

[None]

 SATA 2 (A1)

 SATA 3 (B0)

 SATA 4 (B1)

 SATA 5 (C0)

IDE HDD Auto-Detect

[Press Enter]

 SATA 6 (C1)

IDE Channel 0 Slave

Access Mode

[Auto}

[Auto]

Press ENTER to display

SATA Channel sub-menu

Capacity

0 MB

IDE Auto-Detect

[Press Enter]

Cylinder

Head

Precomp

Landing Zone

Sector

Extended IDE Drive

Access Mode

[None}

Auto

Capacity

0 MB

Cylinder

Head

Precomp

Landing Zone

Sector

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 Modeto [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.

EVGA 30

IDE HDD Auto-Detect

[Press Enter]

IDE Channel 0 Slave

Access Mode

[Manual}

[CHS]

Capacity

0 MB

Press ENTER to display sub-menu

Cylinder

Head

Precomp

Landing Zone

Sector

.....0

[

Cylinder

Min=

Max=65535

The BIOS supports the following HDD

Access Modes:

Key in a DEC number :

 CHS

For HDD less than 528 MB.

 LBA

:Move

ENTER:Accept

ESC:Abort

For HDD greater than 528 MB and

supporting LBA (Logical Block

Addressing).

 Large

For HDD greater than 528 MB but not supporting LBA.

 Auto

Recommended mode.

Drive A

The Drive Aoption allows you to select the kind of FDD to install.

Options are:

Press ENTER to display sub-menu

Drive A

Halt On

[1.44, 3.5 in.]

[All , But Keyboard]

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.

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

:Move

ENTER:Accept

ESC:Abort

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.

EVGA 31

Halt On

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

Halt On

[1.44, 3.5 in.]

[All , But Keyboard]

Press ENTER to display sub-menu

 All Errors

Halt On

Whenever the BIOS detects a nonfatal error; the

system stops and prompts you.

All Errors

No Errors

..... [ ]

 No Errors

All , But Keyboard

All , But Diskette

All , But Disk/Key

..... [ ]

System boot does not stop for any detected errors.

 All, But Keyboard

System boot does not stop for keyboard errors,

but does stop for all other errors.

 All, But Diskette

:Move

ENTER:Accept

ESC:Abort

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

640K

Extended Memory

Total Memory

1047552K

1048576K

 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.

EVGA 32

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 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 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

Advanced BIOS Features

 Removable Device Priority

 Hard Disk Boot Priority

 Network Boot Priority

CPU Internal Cache

[Press Enter]

Item Help

[Press Enter]

[Enabled]

Main Level



Quick Power On Self Test

First Boot Device

Second Boot Device

Third Boot Device

Boot Other Device

[Enabled]

[Removable]

[CDROM]

[Hard Disk]

[Enabled]

[On]

Select Removable Boot

Device Priority

Boot Up NumLock Status

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

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

Figure 7.

Advanced BIOS Features Menu

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.

EVGA 33

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.

1. Floppy Disks

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.

2. Bootable Add-in Cards

ST3802110A

Use the + and – keys to move the

priority of the device within the list

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>

2. Network 1 : <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.

Quick Power On Self Test

Enabling this option allows the system to skip certain tests 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.

EVGA 34

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

With the option set to Enable, the system boots from some other device if the

first/second/third boot devices fail.

Boot Up NumLock Status

This option allows you to select the power-on state of NumLock. Select Onto activate the

keyboard NumLock when the system is started. Select Offto disable the NumLock key.

Security Option

The Security Options allows you to require a password every time the system boots or only

when you enter setup. Select Setupto require a password to gain access to the CMOS Setup

screen. Select Systemto 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.

EVGA 35

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 Enable and Disable

EVGA 36

Advanced Chipset Features

Select Advanced Chipset Featuresfrom the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter

to display the functions of the Advanced Chipset Features menu.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Advanced Chipset Features

System Bios Cacheable

HPET Function

[Disabled]

[Enabled]

Item Help

Main Level



:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

Figure 8.

Advanced Chipset Features

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.

EVGA 37

Integrated Peripherals Menu

Select Integrated Peripheralsfrom the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to

display the Integrated Peripherals menu.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Integrated Peripherals

Item Help

 IDE Function Setup

 RAID Config

[Press Enter]

[Auto]

 USB Config

Main Level



 MAC Config

IEEE1394 controller

HD Audio

[Auto]

IDE HDD Block Mode

Onboard FDC Controller

Onboard Serial Port 1

[Enabled]

[3FB/IRQ4]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

Figure 9.

Integrated Peripherals Menu

EVGA 38

IDE Function Setup

Press Enter to display the IDE Function Setup menu.

OnChip IDE Channel0

[Enabled]

[Auto]

Primary Master

Primary Slave

Primary Master

Primary Slave

PIO

UDMA

IDE DMA transfer access

Serial-ATA Controller

IDE Prefetch Mode

[Enabled]

[All Enabled]

[Enabled]

 OnChip IDE Channel0

Use this function to enable or

disable the onchip IDE

OnChip IDE Channel0

x Primary Master PIO

PIO

[Disabled]

Auto

[Enabled]

[All Enabled]

[Enabled]

x Primary Slave

x Primary Master

x Primary Slave

Channel0. When disabled, the

Primary Master/Slave functions

are changed to Autoand cannot

be changed.

UDMA

IDE DMA transfer access

Serial-ATA Controller

IDE Prefetch Mode

 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 Mode1through Mode 4.

 Primary Master/Slave UDMA

When OnChip IDE Channel0is set to [Enabled], you can disable the primary Master

and Slave UDMA or set it to [Auto].

 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.

EVGA 39

RAID Config

Press Enter to display the RAID Config menu.

RAID Enable

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

SATA 0 Primary

SATA 0 Secondary

SATA 1 Primary

SATA 1 Secondary

SATA 2 Primary

SATA 2 Secondary

RAID

 RAID Enable

RAID Enable

[Disabled]

Disabled

x SATA 0 Primary

x SATA 0 Secondary

x SATA 1 Primary

x SATA 1 Secondary

x SATA 2 Primary

x SATA 2 Secondary

RAID

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 Enableis set to [Enabled], you can enable or disable the various SATA

functions.

USB Config

Press Enter to display the USB Config menu.

OnChip USB

USB Keyboard Support

USB Mouse Support

[Enabled]

[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 Enabledand cannot be changed. Versions that can be selected are [V1.1+V2.0]or

[V1.1].

OnChip USB

x USB Keyboard Support

x USB Mouse Support

[Disabled]

Enabled

 USB Keyboard/Mouse Support

Use these function to enable or

disable the onchip WSB support of

the keyboard and/or mouse.

EVGA 40

MAC Config

Press Enter to display the MAC Config menu.

MAC0 LAN

MAC1 LAN

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

 MACx LAN

Use these functions to set the MAC0 and/or MAC1 LANs to Autoor 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

integrated high definition audio.

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

Floppy Disk Controller function.

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].

EVGA 41

Power Management Setup Menu

Select Power Management Setupfrom the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to

display the Power Management Setup menu.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Power Management Setup

ACPI function

[Enabled]

[S1&S3]

[Instant-Off]

[Disabled]

Item Help

APCI Suspend Type

Soft-Off by PBTN

WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off

Main Level



Power-on by Alarm

x Day of Month Alarm

x Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm

[Disabled]

0 : 0 : 0

POWER ON Function

x KB Power ON Password

x Hot Key Power On

[BUTTON ONLY]

Enter

Ctrl-F1

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

Figure 10.

Power Management Setup Menu

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)].

EVGA 42

Soft-Off by PBNT

This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to set Soft-Off 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 power-on 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

Day of Month Alarm

Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm

[Disabled]

[ 0]

[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.

EVGA 43

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 Passwordfunction is enabled so

that you must enter a password.

POWER ON Function

KB Power ON Password

x Hot Key Power On

[Password]

[Enter]

Ctrl-F1

 Hot Key Power On

When [Hot Key]is selected, the Hot key Power On functionis 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

x KB Power ON Password

Hot Key Power On

[Hot key]

Enter

[Ctrl-F1]

 Mouse Left

 Mouse Right

 Any Key

EVGA 44

PnP/PCI Configuration Menu

Select PnP/PCI Configurationfrom the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to

display the PnP/PCI Configuration menu.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

PnP/PCI Configuration

Init Display First

Reset Configuration Data

[PCI Slot]

[Disabled]

Item Help

Resources Controlled By

x IRQ Resources

[Auto(ESCD)]

Press Enter

Main Level



** PCI Express relative items **

Maximum Payload Size

[4096]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

Figure 11.

PnP/PCI Configuration Menu

Init Display First

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].

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.

EVGA 45

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 Resourcesis enabled for input.

Resources Controlled By [Auto(ESCD)]

x IRQ Resources

Press Enter

Resources Controlled By [Manual)]

IRQ Resources [Press Enter]

IRQ Resources

To enable this field for input, set Resources Controlled Byto [Manual]. With this

field enabled, press Enter to see options.

IRQ-5 assigned to

IRQ-9 assigned to

IRQ-10 assigned to

IRQ-11 assigned to

IRQ-14 assigned to

IRQ-15 assigned to

[PCI Device]

[Reserved]

[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.

EVGA 46

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.

PC Health Status

Select PC Health Statusfrom the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display

the PC Health Status menu.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

System Monitor

 Dynamic Fan Control

CPU

Board

MCP

[Press Enter]

42ºC/ 108ºF

39ºC/ 102ºF

52ºC/ 126ºF

Item Help

Main Level



CPU Core

CPU FSB

Memory

+3.3V

+3.3V Dual

+12V

1.28V

1.19V

1.81V

3.16V

3/16V

12.09V

4.99V

3.00V

+5V

+Vbat

CPU Fan Speed

Aux Fan Speed

nForce Fan Speed

Chassis Fan Speed

Chassis Fan2 Speed

4272 RPM

4891 RPM

2054 RPM

0 RPM

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values

F7:Defaults

Figure 12.

PC Health Status

All of the values shown in Blueare dynamic and change as the speed and voltages of the

various components change with system usage.

EVGA 47

Dynamic Fan Control

Press Enter to display the Dynamic Fan Control menu.

CPU Fan Speed Control

If temp > 70ºC, Set Fan Speed 100%

If temp < 30ºC, Set Fan Speed 1%

x Manual Fan Speed, % 100

[SmartFan]

Chassis Fan Speed Control, % [SmartFan]

If temp > 70ºC, Set Fan Speed 100%

If temp < 30ºC, Set Fan Speed

x Manual Fan Speed, %

100

nForce Fan Speed Control, %

x Manual Fan Speed, %

[SmartFan]

100

AUX Fan Speed Control, % [100]

Chassis Fan2 Speed Control, % [100]

Use this menu to control the speed of the various fans on the motherboard. Set CPU fan

speed, Chassis Fan, and nForce Fan 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, and Chassis fans from 0% to 100%. The system defaults

to 100%.

EVGA 48

Frequency/Voltage Control

Press Enter to display the sub-menus.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Frequency/Voltage Control

Dummy OC

[Disabled]

Item Help

 System Clocks

 FSB & Memory Config

 CPU Feature

[Press Enter]

[Enabled]

Main Level



 System Voltages

Load Timing/Voltage Set

Save Timing/Voltage Set

[Press Enter]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

Dummy O.C

Choose different levels of CPU OC 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% increments. This function

will allow to automatically overclock your CPU. The O.C’s stability will rely on the CPU type,

good CPU’s heat dissipation, O.C memory modules and so on.

EVGA 49

System Clocks

Select System Clocksfrom 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.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

System Clocks

Parameters

**Frequency Settings**

CPU Freq, MHz

FSB Reference Clock, MHz

CPU Multiplier

CPU N/2 Ratio

PCIe x16_1, MHz

PCIe x16_3, MHz

PCIe x16_2, MHz

SPP<->MCP Ref Clock, MHz

Settings Current Vale

Item Help

2933.3

1066.7

[11 X]

Disabled

[Auto]

2933.3

1066.7

11X

Main Level



CPU frequency multiplier.

CPU core clock

= FSB Ref Clock/4 *

CPU Multiplier

100

**HT Multiplier**

nForce SPP --> nForce MCP

nForce SPP <-- nForce MCP

[5 x]

**Spread Spectrum**

CPU Spread Spectrum

HT Spread Spectrum

PCIe Spread Spectrum(MCP)

SATA Spread Spectrum

[UP Spread]

Disabled



:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values

F7:Defaults

Figure 13.

System Clocks Menu

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.

EVGA 50

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.

HT Multiplier

 nForce SPP ^{— —}> nForce MCP

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 <^{— —}nForce SPP

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].

EVGA 51

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(MCP)

Disabled

 SATA Spread Spectrum

Disabled

EVGA 52

FSB & Memory Config

Select FSB & Memory Configfrom 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

Item Help

Parameters

Settings Current Value

SLI-Ready Memory

[Disabled]

Disabled

CPU Freq, MHz

CPU Multiplier

2933.3

11X

2933.3

11X

Main Level



FSB – Memory Clock Mode

[Auto]

“CPUOC MAX” realizes the

complete optimized memory

settings when SLI-Ready

memory is installed

x FSB (QDR), MHz

Auto

1066.7

800.6

Actual FSB (QDR), MHz

x MEM (DDR), MHz

Auto

800.0

Actual MEM (DDR), MHz

Optimized memory settings

by allowing X% CPU

overclocking

 Memory Timing Setting

[Press Enter]

CPU overclocking may

require manual

overvolting of the CPU to

improve system stability

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

Figure 14.

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%

 CPUOC 4%

 CPUOC 5%

 CPUOC MAX

 Expert

EVGA 53

When you select one of the CPUOC x%options, the FSB - Memory Clock Modeis set to

Unlinkedand cannot be changed until SLI-Ready Memoryis set to Disable. Please

note when enabling SLI –Ready memory, timings and voltages will change automatically

based on selection.

 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, MHzchanges

proportionally.

CPU Freq, MHz

CPU Multiplier

2933.3

11X

2933.3

11X

FSB – Memory Clock Mode

FSB (QDR), MHz

Actual FSB (QDR), MHz

[Linked]

[1067]

1066.7

800.6

x MEM (DDR), MHz

Auto

Actual MEM (DDR), MHz

800.0

 Unlinked

When Unlink is selected, FSB (QDR), MHz and MEM (DDR), MHzare changed to

editable and the FSB and memory speeds can be entered manually. As the FSB speed

is changed, CPU Freq, MHzchanges proportionally.

FSB – Memory Clock Mode

FSB (QDR), MHz

Actual FSB (QDR), MHz

MEM (DDR), MHz

[Linked]

[1067]

1066.7

[1067]

800.0

1066.7

800.6

Actual MEM (DDR), MHz

 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 Actual MEM (DDR)reflects the actual frequency that takes

effect when the system reboots.

EVGA 54

 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

Memory Timing Setting

Item Help

Parameters

Settings Current Value

[Optimal]

Memory Timing Setting

x tCL (CAS Latency)

x tRDC

Main Level



Auto(5)

Auto(7)

Auto(23)

Auto(2T)

Select [Expert] to enter

timings manually

x tRP

x tRAS

x Command Per Clock (CDM)

** Advanced Memory Settings **

x tRRD

Auto(4)

Auto(28)

Auto(7)

Auto(10)

Auto

x tRC

x tWR

x tWTR

x tREF

6.1uS

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help[

F5: Previous Values F7:Defaults

 Optimal

Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select Optimal.Optimal prohibits you

from manually setting any timing. All timing is set for optimal performance.

 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.

EVGA 55

Parameters

Settings Current Value

[Expert]

Memory Timing Setting

tCL (CAS Latency)

tRDC

tRP

tRAS

[Auto(5)]

[Auto(7)]

[Auto(23)]

[Auto(2T)]

Command Per Clock (CDM)

** Advanced Memory Settings **

tRRD

tRC

tWR

tWTR

tREF

[Auto(4)]

[Auto(28)]

[Auto(7)]

[Auto(10)]

[Auto]

6.1uS

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).

EVGA 56

CPU Feature

Select CPU Featurefrom the Frequency/Voltage control menu and press Enter to display

the CPU Feature menu.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

CPU Feature

Item Help

Limit CPUID MaxVal

Intel SpeedStep

[Disabled]

x PPM Mode

CPU Thermal Control

Native mode

[Disabled]

Main Level



C1E Enhanced Halt State

Execute Disable Bit

Virtualization Technology

[Enabled]

Set linit CPUID MaxVal to

3, should be “Disabled”

for WinXP

CPU Core 0

CPU Core 1

CPU Core 2

CPU Core 3

Enabled

[Enabled]

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values

F7:Defaults

Figure 15.

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.

 Intel SpeedStep

If enabled, CPU clock speed and CPU core voltage are adjusted dynamically based on the

CPU load.

 PPM Mode

Options are Native mode and SSM mode.

EVGA 57

 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.

 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 1-3

This function allows you to enable or disable CPU Cores.

EVGA 58

System Voltages

Select System Voltagesfrom the Advanced Chipset Features menu and press Enter to

display the System Voltages menu.

Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

System Voltages

Item Help

Parameters

EVGA VDroop control

CPU Core

Settings Current Value

[With VDroop]

[Auto]

1.28

CPU FSB

Memory

[Auto]

1.2V

1.85V

Main Level



nForce SPP

nForce MCP

HT nForce SPP <-> MCP

nForce MCP Auxiliary

[Auto]

1.30V

1.50V

1.20V

1.50V

Voltage level for CPU

Core (CPU VID)

GTLVREF Lane 0

GTLVREF Lane 1

GTLVREF Lane 2

GTLVREF Lane 3

[Auto]

+00mv

:Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help

F5: Previous Values

F7:Defaults

Figure 16.

System Voltages Menu

 EVGA VDroop control

This Function offers options of With VDroop or Without VDroop to reduce voltage

droop.

 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.

 nForce SPP

This function defines the core voltage level for the NVIDIA nForce SPP chip. Use the

EVGA 59

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

Page Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select [Auto] to automatically set

the voltage.

 HT nForce SPP <-> MCP

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 Page Up and Page

Down keys to select a voltage or select [Auto] to automatically 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.

NVMEM Memory Test

This function defines whether you run the NVIDIA memory testing module during POST.

The options are Fast, Medium, Slow, and Disable.

EVGA 60

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

setfunction.

There are four profile options that can be loaded. 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

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.

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

EVGA 61

EVGA 62

Installing Drivers and

Software

It is important to remember that before installing the driver CD that is shipped in the kit, you need

to load your operating system. This motherboard supports both Windows XP 32-bit 64-

bit and is Vista-capable with both 32-bit and 64-bit.

The kit comes with a CD that contains drivers and additional NVIDIA software.

The CD that has been shipped with your EVGA motherboard contains the following

software and drivers:

 NVIDIA nForce motherboard drivers

 Audio drivers

 RAID drivers

 Adobe Acrobat Reader

 User’s Manual

Driver Installation

3. Insert the EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW installation CD for the motherboard included

in the kit.

4. The CD will autorun, install the drivers and utilities listed on the install screen.

If the CD does not run, go to My Computer and click on the CD to open.

EVGA 63

EVGA 64

EVGA Glossary of Terms:

ACPI - Advanced Configuration and Power Interface

AFR – Alternate Frame Rendering

APIC - Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller

BIOS - Basic Input Output System

CD-ROM - Compact Disc Read-Only Memory

CMOS - Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor

CPU – Central Processing Unit

D-ICE – Dry Ice Cooling

DDR2 - Double Data Rate 2

DDR3 - Double Data Rate 3

DIMM - Dual In-line Memory Module

DRAM - Dynamic random access memory

DVD - Digital Versatile Disc

DVI – Digital Video Interface

FDC - Floppy Disk Controller

FSB – Front Side Bus

FTW – For The Win!

GHz – Gigahertz

GPU – Graphics Processing Unit

HDD - Hard Disk Drive

HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface

HDR – High Dynamic Range Lighting

HPET - High Precision Event Timer

HSF - Heat Sink Fan

I/O - Input/Output

IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics

IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

IGP - Integrated Graphics Processors

IRQ - Interrupt Request

JBOD - Just a Bunch of Disks

JEDEC - Joint Electron Device Engineering Council

LAN - Local Area Network

EVGA 65

LCD - Liquid Crystal Display

LGA – Land Grid Array

LN2 – Liquid Nitrogen Cooling

MAC - Media Access Control

MCP - Media and Communications Processor

MHz - Megahertz

NB - Northbridge

NCQ - Native Command Queuing

NIC - Network Interface Card

NTFS - New Technology File System

OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer

PATA - Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment

PCB - Printed Circuit Board

PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect

PCIe - Peripheral Component Interconnect Express

PCI-x - Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended

POST – Power on Self Test

QDR - Quad Data Rate

RAID - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks

RGB - Red Green Blue

SATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment

SB - Southbridge

SCSI - Small Computer System Interface

SFR – Split Frame Rendering

SLI - Scalable Link Interface

SPD - Serial Presence Detect

SPDIF - Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format

SPP - System Platform Processors

TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

USB - Universal Serial Bus

VDroop - V-core Voltage Drop

VGA - Video Graphics Array

EVGA 66

Appendix A.

POST Codes for the

EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW

Motherboard

This section provides the Award POST Codes (Table 6) and the NVMM POST Codes (Table

7) for EVGA nForce 780i SLI FTW Motherboard during system boot up.

These POST Codes are displayed on the LED POST Code readout located directly onboard

the motherboard. Only (Table 6) Codes will display on the LED POST Code readout.

Table 6.

Award POST Code

Award POST Codes

Code Name

Description

Reserved

Jumps to E000

segment

Execution of POST routines in E000

Init Early Initialized the super IO

Early SuperIO

Reserved

Blank video

Reserved

Init KBC

Reset Video controller

Keyboard controller init

Test the Keyboard

KB test

Reserved

Mouse Init

Reserved

Initialized the mouse

EVGA 67

Award POST Codes

Code Name

Description

CheckSum Check

Check the integrity of the ROM,BIOS and message

Reserved

Autodetect EEPROM

Reserved

Check Flash type and copy flash write/erase routines

Test and Reset CMOS

Test CMOS

Reserved

Load Chipset

Reserved

Load Chipset Defaults

Init Clock

Initialize onboard clock generator

CPU ID and initialize L1/L2 cache

Reserved

Init CPU

Reserved

Setup Interrupt

Vector Table

Initialize first 120 interrupt vectors with

SPURIOUS_INT_HDLR and initialize INT 00h-1Fh according

to INT_TBL

CMOS Battery Check

Early PM

Test CMOS and check Battery Fail

Early PM initialization

Reserved

Re-initial KB

Reserved

Load keyboard matrix

HPM init

Init Heuristic Power Management (HPM)

Reserved

Program chipset

Init PNP

Early Programming of chipset registers

Init PNP

Shadow VBIOS

Clock Gen

Shadow system/video BIOS

Init onboard clock generator and sensor

Setup BIOS DATA AREA (BDA)

Setup BDA

Reserved

CPU Speed detect

Reserved

Chipset programming and CPU Speed detect

Initialize Video

Init video

Reserved

Video memory test

Test Video Memory and display Logos

EVGA 68

Award POST Codes

Code Name

Description

Reserved

Early keyboard reset

Reserved

Early Keyboard Reset

Test DMA channel 0

Test DMA Controller

Reserved

Test DMA Controller

Test DMA channel 1

Reserved

Test DMA Page

Registers

Test DMA Page Registers

Reserved

Test Timer

Reserved

Test 8254 Timer 0 Counter 2.

Test 8259-1 Mask

Verify 8259 Channel 1 masked interrupts by alternately

turning off and on the interrupt lines.

Reserved

Test 8259-2 Mask

Verify 8259 Channel 2 masked interrupts by alternately

turning off and on the interrupt lines.

Reserved

Test Stuck Interrupt

Turn off interrupts then verify no 8259's interrupt mask

interrupt occurred.

Reserved

Reinit serial port

Reserved

Reinitialize Preboot agent serial port

EISA Test

If EISA non-volatile memory checksum is good, execute

EISA initialization. If not, execute ISA tests and clear EISA

mode flag.

Reserved

Size Memory

Size base memory from 256K to 640K and extended

EVGA 69

Award POST Codes

Code Name

Description

memory above 1MB.

Reserved

Init APIC

Reserved

USB init

Initialize APIC and set MTRR

Initialize USB controller

Reserved

Memory Test

Test all memory of memory above 1MB using Virtual 8086

mode, page mode and clear the memory

Reserved

CPU display

Detect CPU speed and display CPU vendor specific version

string and turn on all necessary CPU features

Reserved

PnP Init Display

Reserved

PnP logo and PnP early init

Setup Virus

Reserved

Setup virus protect according to Protect Setup

If required, will auto load Awdflash.exe in POST

Init Initializing onboard superIO

Awdflash Load

Reserved

Onboard I/O

Reserved

Setup enable

Reserved

Display setup message and enable setup functions

Reserved

Initialize Mouse

Detect if mouse is present, initialize mouse, install interrupt

vectors.

Reserved

PS2 Mouse special

Reserved

Special treatment to PS2 Mouse port

ACPI sub-system initializing

ACPI init

Reserved

EVGA 70

Award POST Codes

Code Name

Description

Init Cache

Initialize cache controller

Reserved

Setup

Enter setup check and auto configuration check up

Initialize floppy disk drive

Reserved

Initialize Floppy

Reserved

FDD install

Reserved

Install FDD and setup BIOS data area parameters

Reserved

Initialize Hard Drive

Reserved

Initialize hard drive controller

IDE device detection

Detect HDD

Reserved

Detect serial ports

Reserved

Initialize serial ports.

Reserved

Detect parallel ports

Reserved

Initialize parallel ports.

HDD Write Protect

Reserved

HDD check for write protection

Reserved

POST error check

Check POST error and display them and ask for user

intervention

Reserved

Security Check

Write CMOS

Display PNP

USB Final Init

Reserved

Ask password security.

Write all CMOS values back to RAM and clear screen.

Display PNP devices

Final USB initialization

Reserved

Setup ACPI tables

EVGA 71

Award POST Codes

Code Name

Description

Reserved

Option ROM Detect

Reserved

Scan for Option ROMs

Enable Parity Check

Reserved

Enable Parity Check

IRQ12 Enable

Reserved

Enable IRQ12 if mouse present

Reserved

Boot Medium Read

Detect and store boot partition head and cylinders values in

RAM

Final Init

Final init for last micro details before boot

Set NumLock status according to Setup

Set low stack Boot via INT 19h.

Read/Write CPU registers

NumLock

Boot Attempt

Base CPU test

Memory Presence

Early Memory

Extend Memory

Special Display

Early Shadow

Cache presence

CMOS Check

Spurious

Base memory detect

Board Initialization

Turn on extended memory, cache initialization

First display initialization

Early shadow enable for fast boot

External cache size detection

CMOS checkup

If interrupt occurs in protected mode.

Unclaimed NMI

If unmasked NMI occurs, display Press F1 to disable NMI,

F2 reboot.

Program MCP

To program chipset from defaults values

E1- Page 1, E2 - Page 2, etc.

E1-EF Setup Pages

FF Boot

EVGA 72

Table 7.

NVMM POST Codes

Code

Name

Description

0F0h

Identify HW in the system

0F1h

0F2h

0F3h

000h

001h

004h

008h

00Ch

010h

011h

012h

013h

014h

015h

016h

017h

018h

019h

01Ah

01Bh

01Ch

01Dh

020h

030h

040h

044h

048h

04Ch

050h

054h

Early SLAM table

COM port initialization

Initialize the hardware devices

Override input parameters, etc. before QUERY

Query the hardware devices

Read SPD & fill in arrays

ROM table pointer

Initialize the Memory Controller

Program the PLLs

Query after memory PLL has been set

Set Dynamic SPD values

Load MemInfoStruct

Load the DIMM geometry (using SPD)

Prepare MRS variables

Probe memory geometry

PROD_C: PROD f/ Calculated ref manuals

PROD_D: PROD w/ Discrete assembly programming

PROD_E: PROD w/ Expandable criteria

Send MRS/EMRS configuration cycles

Overvoltage handling

PROD_F: PROD Final - after MRS/EMRS

PCI Express Initialization

Load Spread Spectrum tables

Set Top-Of-Memory registers

Late SLAM table

Previous Power State SLAM table

Hardware Workarounds

Restore, and exit NVMM

Memory Test

EVGA 73

NVMM POST Codes

Code

Name

Description

0FEh

ERROR handler

0FFh

0FEh

0FDh

0FCh

0FBh

0FAh

0F9h

0F8h

0F7h

0F6h

0F5h

0F4h

End of Table

Invalid APIC ID

CPU Identify/Init failed

North Bridge not supported

South Bridge not supported

No DIMMs present

Invalid DIMM types, SDR/DDR

Different voltage levels

Invalid REFRESH Rate

Invalid memory geometry

Slam Engine error

Memory Test Error

Link Training timeout

EVGA 74

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