3. HARDWARE SETUP

To simplify this process, this motherboard complies with the Plug and Play (PnP) specification which was developed to allow automatic system configuration whenever a PnP-compliant card is added to the system. For PnP cards, IRQs are assigned automatically from those available.

If the system has both Legacy and PnP ISA cards installed, IRQs are assigned to PnP cards from those not used by Legacy cards. The PCI and PnP configuration of the BIOS setup utility can be used to indicate which IRQs are being used by Legacy cards. For older Legacy cards that do not work with the BIOS, you can contact your vendor for an ISA Configuration Utility.

An IRQ number is automatically assigned to PCI expansion cards after those used by Legacy and PnP ISA cards. In the PCI bus design, the BIOS automatically assigns an IRQ to PCI cards that require an IRQ. To install a PCI card, you need to set something called the INT (interrupt) assignment. Since all the PCI slots on this motherboard use an INTA #, be sure that the jumpers on your PCI cards are set to INT A.

3.7.3 Assigning DMA Channels for ISA Cards

Some ISA cards, both legacy and PnP, may also need to use a DMA (Direct Memory Access) channel. DMA assignments for this motherboard are handled the same way as the IRQ assignment process described earlier. You can select a DMA channel in the PCI and PnP configuration section of the BIOS Setup utility.

IMPORTANT: To avoid conflicts, reserve the necessary IRQs and DMAs for legacy ISA cards (see PCI/PNP ISA IRQ/DMA Resource Exclusion in 4.4.3 PCI Configuration . Choose Yes in IRQ xx Used By ISA and DMA x Used By ISA for those IRQs and DMAs you want to reserve).

3.7.4 Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)

This motherboard provides an accelerated graphics port (AGP) slot to support a new generation of graphics cards with ultra-high memory bandwidth, such as an ASUS 3D Hardware Accelerator.

DMA Channels

3. H/W SETUP

P3B-F

P3B-F Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)

ASUS P3B-F User’s Manual

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