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Asus A8N-SLI Premium 6.1.1 Requirements, 6.1.2 ASUS Certified SLIGraphics cards, 6.1Overview, BFG, MSI, ASUS, eVGA, Leadtek, MS-8974, Gainward, Gigabyte, XFX/Pine, BFGO68256UX

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6.1Overview

The motherboard supports the NVIDIA® SLI™ (Scalable Link Interface) technology that allows you to install two identical PCI Express™ x16 graphics cards. Follow the installation procedures in this section.

6.1.1 Requi rements

•You should have two identical SLI-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA® certiﬁed.

•Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for a list of qualiﬁed SLI-ready graphics cards for this motherboard.

•Make sure that your graphics card driver supports the NVIDIA SLI technology. Download the latest driver from the NVIDIA website (www.nvidia.com).

•Make sure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least the minimum power required by your system. See “8. ATX power connectors” on page 2-26 for details.

•The NVIDIA SLI technology supports Windows® XP™ operating

system only.

•Visit the NVIDIA website for the supported 3D applications.

•Visit the NVIDIA zone website (http://www.nzone.com) for the latest certiﬁed graphics card list.

6.1.2 ASUS Certi fi ed SLI Graphi cs cards

Use only ASUS certiﬁed PCI Express x16 SLI graphics cards to ensure optimum peformance.

GeForce 6800 Ultra models

Vendor	Model Number
ASUS	Extreme N6800Ultra (EN6800Ultra)
BFG	BFGO68256UX
eVGA	256-P2-N377-AX/BX
Gainward	PowerPack! Ultra/2600 PCX “Golden Sample”
Gigabyte	GV-NX68U256D-B
Leadtek	WinFast PX6800 Ultra
MSI	MS-8974
XFX/Pine	XFX GeForce 6800 Ultra

ASUS A8N-SLI Premium

6-1

Contents

Page E2435 Revised Edition February Copyright © 2006 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved Chapter 1:Product introduction Chapter 2:Hardwareinformation Chapter 3:Powering up Chapter 4:BIOS setup Chapter 5:Software support Chapter 6:SLI™ technology support Appendix FederalCommunications Commission Statement Canadian Department of Communications Statement Electricalsafety Operation safety How this guide is organized Where to find more information Conventions used in this guide A8N-SLIPremium speciﬁcations summary CPU Socket 939 for AMD Athlon™ 64FX/AMD Athlon™ processor Supports AMD 64 architecture that enables simultaneous AIOverclocking Specialfeatures Internal connectors AI NOS™ (Non-DelayOverclocking System) Page Page Chapter summary 1.1Welcome Thank you for buying an ASUS® A8N-SLIPremium motherboard 1.2Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items Motherboard 1.3.1 Product highlights Latest processor technology Scalable Link Interface (SLI™) technology Buil t-in NVFirewall™ and NVActiveArmor™ AMD Coolʻnʼ Quiet!™ Technology HyperTransport™ Technology DualChannelDDR memory support SerialATA IItechnology DualRAID solution PCIExpress™ interface S/PDIFdigitalsound ready IEEE1394a support USB 2.0 technology Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring 1.3.2 ASUS Proactive features AINOS™ (Non-Delay Overclocking System) AICool -Pipe Precision Tweaker AINET2 1.3.3 Innovative ASUS features ASUS AISelector ASUS EZ Plug™ ASUS Two-slot thermaldesign CrashFree BIOS ASUS Multi -language BIOS ASUS MyLogo2™ ASUS Instant Music Page Hardware2 information Page Onboard LED 2.2.1 Placement direction 2.2.2 Screw holes Page 2.2.4Layout Contents Page 2.3.1 Overview 2.3.2 Installling the CPU Unlock the socket by pressing the lever sideways, then lift it up to a 4.Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it ﬁts in place 2.3.3 Installing the heatsink and fan 2.Attach one end of the retention bracket to the retention module base A8N-SLIPREMIUM CPU fan connector 2.4.1 Overview 2.4.2 Memory Configurations Table 2 DDR400 Qualified Vendors List DDR400 Qualified Vendors List 2.4.3 Installing a DIMM 2.4.4 Removing a DIMM 2.5.1 Installing an expansion card 2.5.2 Configuring an expansion card 2.5.3Interrupt assignments Standard interrupt assignments IRQ assignments for this motherboard 2.5.4 PCIslots 2.5.5 Two PCIExpress x16 slots 2.5.6 PCIExpress x1 slot 2.5.7 PCIExpress x4 slot 2.6Jumpers 1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC) To erase the RTC RAM: 1.Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord 2.Remove the onboard battery 2.7.1 Rear panelconnectors LAN port LED indications Audio 2, 4, 6, or 8-channelconfiguration 2.7.2 Internalconnectors 3. SerialATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4) A8N-SLIPREMIUM SATA connectors A8N-SLIPREMIUM SATA RAID connectors CHA2_FAN PWR_FAN A8N-SLIPREMIUM Fan connectors 6. Serialport connector (10-1pin COM1) A8N-SLIPREMIUM COM port connector 7. USB connectors (10-1pin USB56, USB78, USB910) A8N-SLIPREMIUM USB 2.0 connectors Power supply requirements Page 11. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1pin CHASSIS) A8N-SLIPREMIUM Chassis intrusion connector 12. IEEE1394 connector (10-1pin IE1394_2) A8N-SLIPREMIUM IEEE 1394 connector 13. Front panelaudio connector (10-1pin FP_AUDIO) A8N-SLIPREMIUM Front panel audio connector 14. System panelconnector (20-pin PANEL) This connector supports several chassis-mountedfunctions •System power LED(Green 3-pinPLED) •System warning speaker (Orange 4-pinSPEAKER) •Power/Soft-offbutton (Yellow 2-pinPWRSW) •Reset button (Blue 2-pinRESET) Page Page 3.1Starting up for the ﬁrst time 1.After making all the connections, replace the system case cover 2.Be sure that all switches are off 5.Turn on the devices in the following order: a.Monitor 3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function 3.2.2 Using the dualfunction power switch 3.3.1 VocalPOST messages Page 3.3.2 Winbond Voice Editor Launching the Voice Editor Playing the default wave files Changing the defaultlanguage Customizing your POST messages 8.Click OK to return to the Voice Editor main window 9.Do steps 6 to 8 for the other events When done, click Save 11.Type a ﬁle name with an .ﬂh extension, then click Save Page Managing and updating your BIOS ASUS A8N SLIPremium 4.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk 4.1.2 Updating the BIOS 6.Type the BIOS ﬁle name in the FileName to Program ﬁeld, then press <Enter Do not turn off or reset the system during the ﬂashing process The utility displays a Flashing Complete 4.1.3 Saving the current BIOS file 4.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility Recovering the BIOS from the support CD Recovering the BIOS from a floppy disk 4.1.5 ASUS EZ Flash utility 4.1.6 ASUS Update utility Installing ASUS Update Updating the BIOS through the Internet Updating the BIOS through a BIOS file 4.2BIOS setup program 4.2.1 BIOS menu screen 4.2.2 Menu bar 4.2.3 Legend bar 4.2.4 Menu items 4.2.5 Sub-menu items 4.2.6 Configuration fields 4.2.7 Pop-upwindow 4.2.8 Generalhelp 4.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xxxx] 4.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] 4.3.3 Language [English] 4.3.4 Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.] 4.3.5 Primary and Secondary IDEMaster/Slave Primary IDEMaster/Slave [Auto]; Secondary IDEMaster/Slave [Auto] Access Mode [Auto] PIO Mode UDMA Mode Transfer Mode 4.3.6 First, Second, Third, Fourth SATA Master Extended Drive Access Mode Precomp Landing Zone 4.3.7 HDD SMART Monitoring 4.3.8 Installed Memory 4.4.1 CPU Configuration DRAM Configuration Hyper Transport Frequency [Auto] AMD K8 CoolʼnʼQuiet control[Disabled] 4.4.2 PCIPnP Plug & Play O/S [No] Resources Controlled By [Auto] IRQ Resources PCI/VGA Palette Snoop [Disabled] 4.4.3 Onboard Devices Configuration IDEFunction Setup OnChip IDEChannel0 [Enabled] OnChip IDEChannel1 [Enabled] IDEDMA transfer access [Enabled] SerialPort 1, 2 [Enabled] SATA2 DMA transfer [Enabled] IDEPrefetch Mode [Enabled] NVRAID Configuration RAID Enabled [Disabled] IDEPrimary, Secondary Master/Slave RAID [Disabled] USB Configuration USB Controller [Enabled] USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled] USB Legacy Support [Enabled] Onboard NV LAN [Enabled] OnBoard LAN2 Boot ROM [Disabled] AC97 Audio [Enabled] PCIIEEE1394a [Enabled] Silicon SATA Controller [Enabled] SerialPort1 Address [3F8/IRQ4] 4.4.4 SLIConfiguration EZ-Plug Warning [Enabled] SLIBroadcast Aperture [Disabled] AISelector [Auto] 4.4.5 JumperFree Configuration Overclock Profile [Auto] CPU Frequency [XXX](value is auto-detected) PCIExpress Clock [100MHz] DDR Voltage [Auto] Chipset Voltage [+1.5V] HTVoltage [+1.2V] CPU Multiplier [Auto] 4.4.6 LAN Cable Status POST Check LAN cable [Disabled] 4.4.7 PEG Link Mode PEGLink Mode[Disabled] PEG Root Control[Auto] PEG Buffer Length [Auto] 4.4.8 Speech Configuration Speech IC Reporter [Enabled] Report IDEError [Disabled] Report System Booting [Disabled] 4.4.9 Instant Music 4.5.1 ACPISuspend Type [S1&S3] 4.5.2 ACPIAPIC Support [Enabled] 4.5.3 APM Configuration Restore on AC PowerLoss[Disabled] PWR Button < 4 secs [I nstant-Off] Power On By PCIDevices [Disabled] Power On By ExternalModems [Disabled] Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled] Day of Month Alarm [Disabled] Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm [Disabled] Power Up By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled] Power On By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled] 4.5.4 Hardware Monitor Q-FanController[Disabled] CPU Temperature, M/B Temperature CPU Fan Speed CHA1 Fan Speed CPU Target Temperature CPU Fan Speed warning [1200 RPM] CHA1 Fan Speed warning [Disabled] CHIP Fan Speed warning [Enabled] 4.6.1 Boot Device Priority 1st ~xxth Boot Device [Removable] 4.6.2 Removable Drives 1. Floppy Disks 4.6.3Hard Disk Drives 1. 1st Master:XXXXXXXXX 2. Bootable Add-in Cards 4.6.4 CDROM Drives 1. 1st Slave:XXXXXXXXX 4.6.5 Boot Settings Configuration Case Open Warning[Enabled] Quick Boot [Enabled] Boot Up Floppy Seek [Enabled] Bootup Num-Lock [On] Typematic Rate Setting [Disabled] Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) [6] Typematic Delay (Msec) [250] 4.6.6 Security Supervisor Password User Password Password Check Exit & Save Changes Exit & Discard Changes Load Setup Defaults Discard Changes Page Page Page 5.2.1 Running the support CD 5.2.2 Drivers menu Nvidia Chipset Driver Program Make NVIDIA RAID Driver Disk MarvellYukon Gigabit Ethernet Driver Realtek ALC850 Driver 5.2.3 Utilities menu NVIDIA Chipset nTune Utility ASUS PC Probe ASUS Update ASUS AIBooster Microsoft DirectX Anti -virus Utility ADOBEAcrobat Reader Winbond Voice Editor 5.2.4 Manuals menu NVIDIAFirewallAdministratorʼs Guide NVIDIA RAID Userʼs Guide Sil3114 Userʼs Manual NVIDIA nTune Manual 5.2.6 Other information Motherboard Info Browse this CD TechnicalsupportForm Filelist 5.4.1 ASUS MyLogo2™ Page 5.4.2 AINET2 Using the VirtualCable Tester™ 5.4.3 Audio configurations Sound Effect options S/PDIFoption Speaker Configuration AIAudio feature HRTFDemo Generalsettings Rear panelaudio ports function variation 5.4.4 Using the NVIDIA® Firewall™ Launching the NVFirewall™ summary Setting security profiles Turning the NVFirewall™ off 5.5RAID conﬁgurations (Data mirroring data striping data mirroring JBOD 5.5.1 Installing hard disks Installing ParallelATA hard disks Installing SerialATA (SATA) hard disks 5.5.2 NVIDIA® RAID configurations Setting the BIOS RAID items Entering the NVIDIA® RAID utility Creating a RAID Volume •8 /16 KB - low disk usage •64 KB - typical disk usage •128 KB - performance disk usage 4.Press <F7> to create RAID set. The following message box appears Rebuilding a RAID array Page Deleting a RAID array Clearing a disk data 5.5.3 Silicon Image RAID configurations Launching the Silicon Image Array Management Software To enter the Silicon Image BIOS RAID conﬁguration utility: Create RAID set - creates a new legacy RAID set or allocates spare drives Delete RAID set - deletes a RAID set or deallocates a spare drive Rebuild RAID1 set - rebuilds a RAID 1 set (e.g. swapped drives) Resolve Conﬂicts - automatically restores disrupted drives on a RAID set Creating a RAID 0 set (Striped) Creating a RAID 1 set (Mirrored) a.Select Auto Conﬁguration then press <Enter b.Using the up or down arrow keys, select the source drive and press <Enter c.Repeat step b to select the target drive After selecting the source and target drives, the following Creating a RAID 5 set (Parity) Select your desired method of conﬁguration. Auto conﬁguration a. Select Manual The following appears Creating a RAID 0+1 set (Mirrored+Striped) e.After setting the RAID drives, the following pop-upmenu appears If you selected Create without data copy Create with data copy f.If you selected Create with data copy, the following pop-upmenu appears Creating a JBOD set (Spanning) 5.6Creating a RAID driver disk To create a RAID driver disk: 1.Place the motherboard support CD into the CD-ROMdrive When the Drivers menu appears, select the RAID driver disk you want to create: •Click Make NVIDIA RAID Driver to create an NVIDIA® RAID driver disk 5.7.1 Enabling Coolʻnʼ Quiet!™ Technology Windows® 2000/XP 5.7.2 Launching the Coolʻnʼ Quiet!™ software 5.8.1 Managing your nForce™ system 5.8.3 Voltage/Fan control 5.8.5 Other options 5.9.1 Launching the ASUS AISelector 5.9.2 Using the SLImode Page Page Page 6.1.1 Requirements 6.1.2 ASUS Certified SLIGraphics cards Page 6.2.1 Installing SLI -readygraphics cards Insert one graphics card into the blue slot labeled PCIEX16 Insert the second graphics card into the black slot labeled Page 6.2.2 Installing the device drivers 6.2.3 Installing the ASUS AISelector utility 6.2.4 Enabling the multi -GPUfeature in Windows Page 6.2.5 Setting the ASUS AISelector utility Table AI Selector settings Page Page Page A.1.1 Installing the 2-portSATA extension module A.1.2 Installing SATA hard drives