2.Intel® X79 Serial ATA 3Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA3G_3–6 [black])

These connectors connect to Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard disk drives and optical disc drives via Serial ATA 3Gb/s signal cables.

If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can create a RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 configuration with the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology through the onboard Intel® X79 chipset.

2 Chapter

These connectors are set to [AHCI Mode] by default. If you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these connectors, set the SATA Mode item in the BIOS to [RAID Mode]. Refer to section 3.5.3 SATA Configuration for details.

Before creating a RAID set, refer to section 4.4 RAID configurations or the manual bundled in the motherboard support DVD.

When using hot-plug and NCQ, set the SATA Mode in the BIOS to [AHCI Mode]. Refer to section 3.5.3 SATA Configuration for details.

You must install Windows® XP Service Pack 3 or later versions before using Serial ATA hard disk drives. The Serial ATA RAID feature is available only if you are using Windows® XP Service Pack 3 or later versions.

2-18

Chapter 2: Hardware information