Serial ATA technology

The motherboard supports Serial ATA technology through the Serial ATA interfaces. The SATA specification allows for thinner, more flexible cables with lower pin count, reduced voltage requirement, and up to 150 MB/s data transfer rate. See page 1-25 for details.

PCI Expressª interface

The motherboard fully supports PCI Express, the latest I/O interconnect technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with existing PCI specifications. See page 1-19 for details.

AI Audio technology

The motherboard supports 8-channel audio through the onboard ALC850 CODEC with 16-bit DAC, a stereo 16-bit ADC, and an AC97 2.3 compatible multi-channel audio designed for PC multimedia systems. It also provides Jack-Sensing function, S/PDIF out support, interrupt capability and includes the Realtek¨ proprietary UAJ¨ (Universal Audio Jack) technology. See pages 1-22 and 1-23 for details.

S/PDIF digital sound ready

The motherboard supports the S/PDIF Out function through the S/PDIF interfaces on the rear panel. The S/PDIF technology turns your computer into a high-end entertainment system with digital connectivity to powerful audio and speaker systems. See page 1-23 for details.

USB 2.0 technology

The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 specification, dramatically increasing the connection speed from the

12Mbps bandwidth on USB 1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1. See pages 1-21, 1-23 and 1-27 for details.

Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring

The CPU temperature is monitored by the ASIC (integrated in the Winbond Super I/O) to prevent overheating and damage. The system fan rotations per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection. The ASIC monitors the voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical components. See section Ò2.5.4 Hardware MonitorÓ on page 2-32.

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Chapter 1: Product introduction