Asus P5A-VM User manual

R
P5A-VM
Super7 microATX Motherboard
USER’S MANUAL

2ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
USER'S NOTICE
No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be repro-
duced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in
any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes,
without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EI-
THER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PAR-
TICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALLASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EM-
PLOYEES ORAGENTS BE LIABLE FORANYINDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR
CONSEQUENTIALDAMAGES (INCLUDINGDAMAGESFOR LOSSOFPROFITS,LOSS
OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE
LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAc BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAM-
AGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or
altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing byASUS; or (2)
the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trade-
marks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identification or
explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.
• ALi and Aladdin are trademarks of Acer Laboratories Inc. (ALi)
• Adobe and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
• AMD, K6, Super7, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Cyrix, M II, and combinations thereof are trademarks of National Semiconductor Corporation.
• ESS, Maestro, Solo-1 are registered trademarks of ESS Technology, Inc.
• IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation.
• IDT and WinChip are trademarks of Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
• Intel, LANDesk, and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
• Symbios is a registered trademark of Symbios Logic Corporation.
• Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
The product name and revision number are both printed on the product itself. Manual revi-
sions are released for each product design represented by the digit before and after the period
of the manual revision number. Manual updates are represented by the third digit in the manual
revision number.
For previous or updated manuals, BIOS, drivers, or product release information, contactASUS
at http://www.asus.com.tw or through any of the means indicated on the following page.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FUR-
NISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT
ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COM-
MITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR
ANYERRORSORINACCURACIESTHATMAYAPPEARINTHISMANUAL,INCLUD-
ING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Copyright © 1999 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.
Product Name: ASUS P5A-VM
Manual Revision: 1.03 E383
Release Date: May 1999

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 3
ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (Asia-Pacific)
Marketing
Address: 150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 112
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Technical Support
Tel (English): [phone] ext. 706
Tel (Chinese): [phone] ext. 111
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Newsgroup: news2.asus.com.tw
WWW: www.asus.com.tw
FTP: ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS
ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL (America)
Marketing
Address: 6737 Mowry Avenue, Mowry Business Center, Building 2
Newark, CA 94560, USA
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Technical Support
Fax: [phone]
BBS: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
WWW: www.asus.com
FTP: ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS
ASUS COMPUTER GmbH (Europe)
Marketing
Address: Harkort Str. 25, 40880 Ratingen, BRD, Germany
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Technical Support
Hotline: [phone]
BBS: 49-2102-448690
Email: [email protected]
WWW: www.asuscom.de
FTP: ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM

4ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................... 7
How this Manual is Organized ........................................................ 7
Item Checklist .................................................................................. 7
II. FEATURES .................................................................................... 8
ASUS P5A-VM Motherboard ......................................................... 8
Introduction to ASUS Smart Series Motherboards .............. 9
Parts of the ASUS P5A-VM Motherboard ...................................... 11
III. INSTALLATION .......................................................................... 12
ASUS P5A-VM Motherboard Layout ............................................. 12
Installation Steps.............................................................................. 14
1. Jumpers ........................................................................................ 14
Jumper Settings .................................................................... 14
Compatible Cyrix CPU Identification .................................. 18
2. System Memory (DIMM) ............................................................ 20
DIMM Memory Installation Procedures: ............................. 21
3. Central Processing Unit (CPU)................................................... 22
4. Expansion Cards ......................................................................... 23
Expansion Card Installation Procedure: ............................... 23
Assigning IRQs for Expansion Cards................................... 23
Assigning DMA Channels for ISA Cards............................. 24
ISA Cards and Hardware Monitor ........................................ 24
5. External Connectors.................................................................... 25
Power Connection Procedures ................................................... 35
Support Software ............................................................................. 36
Flash Memory Writer Utility...................................................... 36
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE ....................................................................... 36
Main Menu ........................................................................... 36
Managing and Updating Your Motherboard’s BIOS.................. 38
6. BIOS Setup ................................................................................. 39
Load Defaults ....................................................................... 40

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 5
CONTENTS
Standard CMOS Setup ............................................................... 40
Details of Standard CMOS Setup......................................... 40
BIOS Features Setup .................................................................. 43
Details of BIOS Features Setup............................................ 43
Chipset Features Setup ............................................................... 45
Details of Chipset Features Setup......................................... 46
Power Management Setup.......................................................... 49
Details of Power Management Setup ................................... 49
PNP and PCI Setup .................................................................... 52
Details of PNP and PCI Setup .............................................. 52
Load BIOS Defaults ................................................................... 54
Load Setup Defaults ................................................................... 54
Supervisor Password and User Password .................................. 55
IDE HDD Auto Detection .......................................................... 56
Save & Exit Setup ...................................................................... 57
Exit Without Saving ................................................................... 57
V. SUPPORT SOFTWARE................................................................ 58
ASUS Smart Motherboard Support CD........................................... 58
A. Video Driver .............................................................................. 61
B. Other Video Drivers .................................................................. 65
C. ATI Player .................................................................................. 75
D. Audio Driver .............................................................................. 79
E. Audio Software ......................................................................... 83
F. Software Wavetable .................................................................. 92
G. DMI Utility ............................................................................... 93

6ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
FCC & DOC COMPLIANCE
FederalCommunicationsCommissionStatement
This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful interference, and
• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installa-
tion. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if
not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interfer-
ence by one or more of the following measures:
• Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
WARNING! Any changes or modifications to this product not expressly ap-
proved by the manufacturer could void any assurances of safety or performance
and could result in violation of Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
CanadianDepartmentofCommunications Statement
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian
Department of Communications.
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
CetappareilnumériquedelaclasseBestconformeàlanormeNMB-003duCanada.

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 7
I. INTRODUCTION
I.INTRODUCTION
Sections/Checklist
How this Manual is Organized
I. Introduction Manual information and checklist
II. Features Information and specifications concerning this product
III. Installation Instructions on setting up the motherboard
IV. BIOS Software Instructions on setting up the BIOS software
V. Support Software Information on the included support software
Item Checklist
Please check that your package is complete. If you discover damaged or missing
items, contact your retailer.
(1) ASUS Motherboard
(1) IDE ribbon cable for master and slave drives
(1) COM2 connector with bracket
(1) Floppy ribbon cable for (1) 5.25inch and (2) 3.5inch floppy disks
(1) Bag of spare jumpers
(1) CD disc with support drivers and utilities
(1) User’s Manual
Infrared external connector module (optional)

8ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
II. FEATURES
Features
II. FEATURES
ASUS P5A-VM Motherboard
•ALi AGPset: ALi®(Acer Laboratories Inc.) Aladdin V AGPset with support for a
100MHz Front Side Bus (FSB), Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), and all current
Socket 7 processors.
•Multi-Processor/Multi-Speed Support: AMD K6™-III/400 & faster, AMD K6™-
2/266 & faster,AMD K6™/166 & faster,AMDK5™/90–133, IBM®/Cyrix®6x86MX™/
MII
™(PR166 & faster), IDTWinChip 2™/240 & faster, IBM®/Cyrix®6x86-PR166+
(Rev 2.7 or later), Intel Pentium®90–233MHz (P55C-MMX™, P54C/P54CS).
•AGP3D VGA: Features optionalATI 3D Rage ProAGP2X (8MB SDRAM) or Rage
IIC AGP (4MB SDRAM) for 3D hardware acceleration.
•Enhanced ACPI and Anti-Boot Virus BIOS: Features a programmable BIOS, offering
enhancedACPIforWindows98compatibility,built-inhardware-basedvirusprotectionthrough
Trend ChipAwayVirus, and autodetection of most devices for virtually automatic setup.
•PC100 Memory Support: Equipped with three DIMM sockets to support Intel PC100-
compliant SDRAMs (8, 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256MB) up to 768MB. These new SDRAMs
are necessary to meet the enhanced 95MHz/100MHz bus speed requirement.
•PCI Audio: Features optional ESS 32-bit PCI audio onboard.
•Ultra DMA/33 BM IDE: Comes with an onboard PCI Bus Master IDE controller
with two connectors that support four IDE devices in two channels, supports Ultra
DMA/33, PIO Modes 3 and 4 and Bus Master IDE DMA Mode 2, and supports En-
hanced IDE devices, such as Tape Backup, CD-ROM, and LS-120 drives.
•Wake-On-LAN Connector: Supports Wake-On–LAN activity with special network
cards, such as the ASUS PCI-L101 10/100 Fast Ethernet PCI card.
•PC Health Monitoring: Provides (optional) a convenient utility to monitor your
system’s vital components/activities, such as fan rotations, voltages, and temperatures.
• Super Multi-I/O: Provides two high-speed UART compatible serial ports and one
parallel port with EPPand ECPcapabilities. UART2 can also be directed from COM2
(with Fast IR) to the Infrared Module for wireless connections.
• Desktop Management Interface (DMI): Supports DMI through BIOS, which al-
lows hardware to communicate within a standard protocol creating a higher level of
compatibility. (Requires DMI-enabled components.) (See section V)
•Level 2 Cache SRAM/Tag RAM: Features 512KB (up to 1MB when SRAM is avail-
able) pipelined-burst SRAM/L2 memory cache and integratedTag RAM to make using the
100MHz bus speed possible.

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 9
II. FEATURES
II. FEATURES
Smart Series
Introduction to ASUS Smart Series Motherboards
Performance
• SDRAM Optimized Performance: ASUS Smart Series motherboards support
the new generation memory—Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
(SDRAM)—which increases the data transfer rate from 264MB/sec maximum
using EDO memory to 528MB/sec max using SDRAM.
• Double the IDE Transfer Speed: ASUS Smart Series motherboards withALi’s
Aladdin V chipset improves IDE transfer rate using UltraDMA/33 Bus Master
IDE, which can handle data transfer up to 33MB/sec. The best of all is that this
new technology is compatible with existingATA-2 IDE specifications so there is
no need to upgrade current hard drives or cables.
•Concurrent PCI: Concurrent PCI allows multiple PCI transfers from PCI mas-
ter buses to memory to CPU.
• ACPIReady:ACPI (AdvancedConfiguration and Power Interface) is also imple-
mented on all ASUS Smart Series motherboards. ACPI provides more Energy
SavingFeaturesforthefutureoperatingsystems(OS)supportingOSDirectPower
Management (OSPM) functionality. With these features implemented in the OS,
PCs can be ready around the clock, yet satisfy all the energy saving standards.To
fully utilize the benefits of ACPI, an OS that supports ACPI, such as Windows
98, must be used.
• PC’98 Compliant: Both the BIOS and hardware levels of the ASUS Smart Se-
ries motherboards meet PC’98 compliancy.The new PC’98 requirements for sys-
tems and components are based on the following high-level goals: Support for
Plug and Play compatibility and power management for configuring and manag-
ing all system components, and 32-bit device drivers and installation procedures
for Windows 95/Windows 98 and Windows NT.
Intelligence (with optional Hardware Monitor only)
• Fan Status Monitoring and Alarm: To prevent system overheat and system
damage, the CPU fan and system fans are monitored for RPM and failure. Each
fan can be set for its normal RPM range and alarm thresholds.
•Temperature Monitoring and Alert: To prevent system overheat and system
damage, there is a heat sensor under the CPU and on the motherboard itself to
monitor CPU and system temperature to make sure the system is operating at a
safe heat level to avoid any failures triggered by extremely high temperature.

10 ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
II. FEATURES
Smart Series
II. FEATURES
•Voltage Monitoring and Alert: System voltage levels are monitored to ensure
stable current to critical motherboard components.Voltage specifications are more
critical for future processors, so monitoring is necessary to ensure proper system
configuration and management.
• System ResourcesAlert: Today’s operating systems, such as Windows 95, Win-
dows NT, and OS/2, require much more memory and hard drive space to present
enormous user interfaces and run large applications. The system resource moni-
tor will warn the user before the system resources are used up to prevent possible
application crashes. Suggestions will give the user information on managing their
limited resources more efficiently.
• CPU Slow Down: When CPU fans or system fans malfunction, the system will
deactivate the CPU Clock line to decrease CPU utilization to the speed upon
detection of system overheat. This will prevent CPU damage from system over-
heat. The CPU utilization will restore normal operations when temperature falls
below a safe level.
• AutoFanOff:The system fans will power off automatically evenin sleepmode.
This function reduces both energy consumption and system noise, and is an im-
portant feature in implementing silent PC systems.
• Dual Function Power Button (requiresATX power supply):The system can be
in one of two states, one is Sleep mode and the other is Soft-Off mode. Pushing the
power button for less than 4 seconds places the system into Sleep mode. When the
power button is pressed for more than 4 seconds, it enters the Soft-Off mode.
• Remote Ring On (requiresATX power supply): This feature allows a computer
to be turned on remotely through a modem. With this benefit on hand, any user can
access vital information from their computer from anywhere in the world!
• Message LED (requiresACPI-supported OS): Chassis LEDs now act as infor-
mation providers. Through the way a particular LED illuminates, the user can
determine the stage the computer is in. A simple glimpse provides useful infor-
mation to the user.

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 11
Parts of the ASUS P5A-VM Motherboard
II. FEATURES
II. FEATURES
Motherboard Parts
512KB Pipelined
Burst L2 Cache
CPU ZIF
Socket 7
3 PCI Slots
2ISA
Slots
3 DIMM
Sockets
ATX
Power
Parallel Port
PS/2 Mouse (T)
PS/2 Keyboard (B)
USB Port 1 (T)
USB Port 2 (B)
ESSAudio
(optional)
Health Monitoring
Chip
ALiAladdin V
AGPset
ATI 3D
Rage ProAGP 2X or
Rage IICAGP
VGA(optional)
Audio Ports (T)
Joystick/MIDI
Connector (B)
(T):Top
(B): Bottom
Serial Port
(COM1) (B)
VGA
Connector (B)
Programmable
Flash ROM
ATI Multimedia Connector
8MB VGA Memory (Rage Pro)
4MB VGA Memory (Rage IIC)
Serial Port
COM2

12 ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
III. INSTALLATION
ASUS P5A-VM Motherboard Layout
Motherboard Layout
III. INST ALLATION
R
01
VID0 VID1 VID2 VID3
PS/2
Top: Mouse
Bottom: Keyboard
USB
Top: USB 1
Bottom: USB 2
KBPWR
SMB
BUS FREQ
FS0 FS2 FS1 FS3
COM1
PARALLEL PORT
ALi
Aladdin V
M1541
AGPset
VGA
DIMM Socket 2 (64/72-bit, 168-pin module)
DIMM Socket 3 (64/72-bit, 168-pin module)
DIMM Socket 1 (64/72-bit, 168-pin module)
CD_IN
Row
Modem
Connector
23 45
01
GAME/AUDIO
(optional)
Mic
In Line
Out
Line
In
CPU ZIF Socket 7
CPU Thermal Sensor
(Hardware Monitor)
PCI Slot 1
PCI Slot 2
ISA Slot 1
ISA Slot 2
32-bit
PCI
Audio
PCI Slot 3
CR2032 3V
Lithium Cell
BIOS Power
RTCCLR
BF0 BF1 BF2
CPU_FAN
FREQ MULT
ALi M1543C
Chipset
(IDE
Controller)
OVER_FQ
CHASIS
VIO1 VIO0
COM2
VPANEL
WOLCON
CPU
Voltage
Panel Connectors
CHA_FAN
2Mbit Flash EEPROM
(Programmable BIOS)
IR
ATX Power Connector
512KB
Pipelined Burst
L2 Cache
Tag RAM
IDE1
IDE2
INT_EN
ATI Multimedia Connector
2 MB
SDRAM
FLOPPY
VGAEN
ATI 3D Rage
Pro AGP 2X/
IIC AGP
VGA Chipset
2 MB
SDRAM
2 MB
SDRAM
2 MB
SDRAM
PWR_TEMP
PWR_FAN
Rage Pro VGA: 8MB SDRAM
IIC VGA: 4MB SDRAM
Dimmed components are optional.

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 13
III. INSTALLATION
Contents
III. INST ALLATION
Jumpers
1) INT_EN p. 14 VGA Interrupt Selection (Enable/Disable)
2) VGAEN p. 14 VGA Setting (Enable/Disable)
3) KBPWR p. 15 Keyboard Power (Wake) Up (Enable/Disable)
4) VIO0/VIO1 p. 15 Voltage Input/Output Selection
5) OVER_FQ p. 15 Overclock Frequency Setting
6) FS0, FS1, FS2, FS3 p. 16 CPU External (BUS) Frequency Selection
7) BF0, BF1, BF2 p. 16 CPU to BUS Frequency Multiple
8) VID0, VID1, VID2,VID3 p. 18 Voltage Regulator Output Selection
9) RTCCLR p. 19 Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM
Expansion Slots
1) DIMM Sockets p. 20 168-Pin DIMM Memory Expansion Sockets
2) CPU ZIF Socket 7 p. 22 Central Processing Unit (CPU) Socket
3) SLOT 1, SLOT2 p. 23 16-bit ISA Bus Expansion Slots
*
4) PCI 1, PCI2, PCI3 p. 23 32-bit PCI Bus Expansion Slots**
Connectors
1) PS2KBMS p. 25 PS/2 Keyboard Connector (6-pin Female)
2) PS2KBMS p. 25 PS/2 Mouse Connector (6-pin Female)
3) PARALLEL p. 26 Parallel (Printer) Port Connector (26-1 pins)
4) COM1, COM2 p. 26 Serial Port COM1 & COM2 (10-1 pins)
5) VGA p. 27 Monitor (VGA) Outout Connector (15-Female)
6) FLOPPY p. 27 Floppy Drive Connector (34-1 pins)
7) GAME_AUDIO p. 27 Audio Port Connectors (Three 1/8” Female)
8) GAME_AUDIO p. 28 Joystick/MidiConnector (15-pin Female)
9) USB p.28 Universal Serial BUS Ports 1 & 2 (Two 4-pin Female)
10) PRIMARY/SECOND.IDE p. 28 Primary/Secondary IDE Connector (40-1 pins)
11) CHASIS p. 29 Chassis Intrusion Alarm Lead (4-1 pins)
12) ATX p. 30 ATX Motherboard Power Connector (20 pins)
13) IR p. 30 IrDA/Fast IR-compliant Infrared Module Connector (5 pins)
14) PWR (PANEL) p. 31 ATX Power Switch/Soft Power Switch Lead (2 pins)
15)
IDELED ( PANEL ) p. 31 IDE Activity LED Lead (2 pins)
16)
PLED ( PANEL ) p. 31 System Power LED Lead (2 pins)
17) RESET (PANEL) p. 31 Reset Switch Lead (2 pins)
18) MLED (PANEL) p. 31 System Message LED (2 pins)
19)
KEYLOCK ( PANEL ) p. 31 Keyboard Lock Switch Lead (2 pins)
20) SPEAKER (PANEL) p. 31 Speaker Output Connector (4 pins)
21) WOLCON p. 32 Wake-on-LAN Activity Connector (3 pins)
22) CD_IN p. 32 Stereo Audio In Connector (4 pins)
23) MODEM p. 32 MODEM Card Voice In Connector (4 pins)
24) SMB p. 33 SMBus Connector (5-1 pins)
25) PWR_TEMP p. 33 Power Supply Temperature External Connector (2 pins)
26) FAN p. 34 PowerSupply,Chassis,CPUFanPowerLeads(Three3pins)
*
The onboard hardware monitor uses the address 290H-297H so legacy ISA cards must not
use this address or else conflicts will occur.

14 ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
III. INSTALLATION
Jumper Settings
1. VGAInterrupt Selection (INT_EN) / 2. VGASetting (VGAEN)
INT_EN allows you to set the VGA interrupt method. The default disables the
chipset’s internal interrupt routing. Some TVtuners or MPEG cards may require
the interrupt be assigned by the onboard chipset, in which case INT_EN must be
enabled.VGAEN allows you to enable or disable the onboard VGA. Disable the
onboard VGAif you are using a VGA card on the expansion slot.
P5A-VM VGA Settings
Enable
(Default)
VGAEN
1
2
3
R
01
Disable
VGAEN
1
2
3
Enable
(Default)
INT_EN
1
2
3Disable
INT_EN
1
2
3
Jumpers
III. INST ALLATION
Installation Steps
Before using your computer, you must complete the following steps:
1. Set Jumpers on the Motherboard
2. Install System Memory Modules
3. Install the Central Processing Unit (CPU)
4. Install Expansion Cards
5. Connect Ribbon Cables, Cabinet Wires, and Power Supply
6. Setup the BIOS Software
1. Jumpers
WARNING!Computer motherboards, baseboardsand components,such as SCSI
cards, contain very delicate Integrated Circuit (IC) chips. To protect them against
damage from static electricity, you should follow some precautions whenever you
work on your computer.
1. Unplug your computer when working on the inside.
2. Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components. If you do
not have one, touch both of your hands to a safely grounded object or to a
metal object, such as the power supply case.
3. Hold components by the edges and try not to touch the IC chips, leads or
connectors, or other components.
4. Place components on a grounded antistatic pad or on the bag that came with
the component whenever the components are separated from the system.

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 15
III. INSTALLATION
III. INST ALLATION
Jumpers
4. Voltage Input/Output Selection (VIO0, VIO1) /
5. Overclock Frequency Setting (OVER_FQ)
VIO0/VIO1 allow you to select the voltage supplied to the DRAM, chipset,
AGP, and the CPU’s I/O buffer. When enabled, OVER_FQ allows you to in-
crease the voltage supplied by 0.2V. This jumper is disabled by default.
P5A-VM Voltage Input/Output Selection / Overclock Frequency Settings
R
01
OVER_FQ
Enable
OVER_FQ
3.6Volts
VIO1
3.5Volts
3
2
13
2
1
Disable
4.0Volts
VIO03.8Volts
3
2
13
2
1
3. Keyboard Power (Wake) Up (KBPWR)
This allows you to disable or enable the keyboard power or wake up function. Set
to Enable if you want to use your keyboard (by pressing <Spacebar>) to power or
wake up your computer. The default is set to Disable because not all computers
have the appropriateATX power supply.
P5A-VM Keyboard Power (Wake) Up
EnableDisable
(DEFAULT)
1
2
3
1
2
3
R
01
NOTE: This feature requires anATX power supply that can
supplyatleast300mAonthe+5VSBleadandthenewACPI
BIOS support. Your computer will not function if you set this
to
Enable and ifyou do nothave the rightATXpower supply.
WARNING! Overclocking may damage your CPU and cause your system to be
unstable. Use only the specified frequency of your CPU.

16 ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
III. INSTALLATION
Jumpers
III. INST ALLATION
6 CPU External (BUS) Frequency Selection (FS0, FS1, FS2, FS3)
Thesejumpers tell the clock generatorwhat frequency to send tothe CPU, chipset,
and AGP. These allow the selection of the CPU’s External frequency (or BUS
Clock). The BUS Clock times the BUS Ratio equals the CPU's Internal fre-
quency (the advertised CPU speed).
7. CPU to BUS Frequency Multiple (BF0, BF1, BF2)
These jumpers set the frequency ratio between the Internal frequency of the CPU
and the Externalfrequency (called the BUS Clock) within the CPU. These must be
set together with the jumpers for CPU External (BUS) Frequency Selection.
Match the Mult. (Multiple) column of the table on
the opposite page to these CPU types:
P5A-VM
CPU External Clock (BUS) Frequency Selection
CPU : BUS Frequency Multiple
3.0x(3/1)
3.0x(3/1)
3.0x(3/1)
3.0x(3/1)
—
3.0x(3/1)
2.5x(5/2)
2.5x(5/2)
2.5x(5/2)
2.5x(5/2)
1.0x(1/1)
2.5x(5/2)
6.0x(6/1)
2.0x(2/1)
2.0x(2/1)
2.0x(2/1)
2.0x(2/1)
3.22x(10/3)
3.5x(7/2)
3.5x(7/2)
1.5x(3/2)
3.5x(7/2)
3.0x(3/1)
3.5x(7/2)
CPU A
CPU B
CPU C
CPU D
CPU E
CPU F
4.0x(4/1)
4.0x(4/1)
—
—
—
4.0x(4/1)
4.5x(9/2)
4.5x(9/2)
—
—
—
4.5x(9/2)
105MHz
70MHz
35MHz
110MHz
73MHz
36.6MHz
115MHz
76.6MHz
38.3MHz
120MHz
80MHz
40MHz
BF2
BF1
BF0
CPU
AGP
PCI
→
→
→
→
→
→
→
→
→
60MHz
60MHz
30MHz
66.8MHz
66.8MHz
33.4MHz
75MHz
75MHz
37.5MHz
83.3MHz
66.6MHz
33.3MHz
95MHz
63.3MHz
31.6MHz
100MHz
66.6MHz
33.4MHz
CPU
AGP
PCI
→
→
→
5.0x(5/1)
5.0x(5/1)
—
—
—
2.33(7/3)
123
123123123123123123
123
R
01
FS3
FS2
FS1
FS0
321
FS3
FS2
FS1
FS0
321 321 321 321
5.5x(11/2)
5.5x(11/2)
—
—
—
2.66x(8/3)
75MHz
60MHz
30MHz
321
321 321321321321
CPU A: AMD-K6-III,AMD-K6-2/400&faster
CPU B: AMD-K6-2/380&slower,AMD-K6
CPU C: Intel Pentium P54C,AMD-K5
CPU D: Intel Pentium P55C, IBM/Cyrix 6x86MX,
IBM/Cyrix M II
CPU E: IBM/Cyrix 6x86, IBM/Cyrix 6x86L
CPU F: IDT WinChip 2™
WARNING! Frequencies above 100MHz exceed the specifications for the on-
board chipset and are not guaranteed to be stable. The table on the following
page is for general reference purposes only. Always refer to the instructions
included with your CPU when possible.
NOTE: For updated processor settings, visit the ASUS web site (see ASUS CON-
TACT INFORMATION for URLs).

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 17
III. INSTALLATION
Jumpers
III. INST ALLATION
Set the jumpers by the Internal speed of your CPU as follows:
(BUS Freq.) (Freq. Mult.)
CPU Model Freq. Mult. BUS F.FS3 FS2 FS1 FS0 BF2 BF1 BF0
AMD-K6-III/450 450MHz A-4.5x 100MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
AMD-K6-III/400 400MHz A-4.0x 100MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3]
AMD-K6-2/475 475MHz A-5.0x 95MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2]
AMD-K6-2/450 450MHz A-4.5x 100MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
AMD-K6-2/400 400MHz A-4.0x 100MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3]
AMD-K6-2/380 380MHz B-4.0x 95MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3]
AMD-K6-2/366 366MHz B-5.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2]
AMD-K6-2/350 350MHz B-3.5x 100MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
AMD-K6-2/333 333MHz B-3.5x 95MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
AMD-K6-2/300 300MHz B-3.0x 100MHz [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [1-2]
AMD-K6-2/266 266MHz B-4.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3]
AMD-K6/300 300MHz B-4.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
AMD-K6/266 266MHz B-4.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3]
AMD-K6/233 233MHz B-3.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
AMD-K6/200 200MHz B-3.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [1-2]
AMD-K6/166 166MHz B-2.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [2-3]
AMD-K5/133 100MHz C-1.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
AMD-K5/120 90MHz C-1.5x 60MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
AMD-K5/100 100MHz C-1.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
AMD-K5/90 90MHz C-1.5x 60MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
Intel Pentium P54C 166MHz C-2.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [2-3]
Intel Pentium P54C 150MHz C-2.5x 60MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [----] [2-3] [2-3]
Intel Pentium P54C 133MHz C-2.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [2-3]
Intel Pentium P54C 120MHz C-2.0x 60MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [----] [1-2] [2-3]
Intel Pentium P54C 100MHz C-1.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
Intel Pentium P54C 90MHz C-1.5x 60MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
Intel Pentium P55C 233MHz D-3.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
Intel Pentium P55C 200MHz D-3.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [1-2]
Intel Pentium P55C 166MHz D-2.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [2-3]
IBM/CyrixM II-PR333 333MHz D-3.0x 83MHz [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [1-2]
IBM/CyrixM II-PR300 300MHz D-3.0x 75MHz [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [1-2]
IBM/Cyrix M II-PR300 300MHz D-3.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [1-2]
IBM/Cyrix6x86MX-PR233 200MHz D-3.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [1-2]
IBM/Cyrix6x86MX-PR200 166MHz D-2.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [2-3]
IBM/Cyrix 6x86MX-PR166 150MHz D-2.5x 60MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [----] [2-3] [2-3]
IBM/Cyrix 6x86-PR166+* 133MHz E-2.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [2-3]
IBM/Cyrix 6x86L-PR166+* 133MHz E-2.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [----] [1-2] [2-3]
IDT WinChip 2™ 240MHz F-4.0x 60MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3]
IDT WinChip 2™ 225MHz F-3.0x 75MHz [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [----] [2-3] [1-2]
IDT WinChip 2™ 200MHz F-3.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [---] [2-3] [1-2]
*The only IBM or Cyrix 6x86(L) (or M1) that is supported on this motherboard is revision 2.7 or later
(see next page).

18 ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
Manufacturer CPU Type Single Plane Dual Plane VID3 VID2 VID1 VID0
AMD (.25micron) K6-III/400,450 ---- 2.4V(Dual) [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2]
K6-2/450,475
AMD (.25micron) K6-2/266,300,333 ---- 2.2V(Dual) [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2]
350,366,380,400
K6/233,266,300
AMD K5 3.5V(VRE) ---- [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
IBM/Cyrix 6x86 3.5V(VRE) ---- [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
IDT WinChip2 3.5V(VRE) ---- [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
Intel P54C/P54CS 3.5V(VRE) ---- [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
AMD K5 3.4V(STD) ---- [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2]
Intel P54C/P54CS 3.4V(STD) --- [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2]
AMD (.35micron) K6-233 ---- 3.2V(Dual) [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2]
AMD (.35micron) K6-166,200 ---- 2.9V(Dual) [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3]
IBM/Cyrix 6x86MX ---- 2.9V(Dual) [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3]
Intel P55C-MMX ---- 2.8V(Dual) [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2]
III. INSTALLATION
Jumpers
III. INST ALLATION
Compatible Cyrix CPU Identification
The only Cyrix 6x86-PR166+ CPU that is supported on this
motherboard must be Revision 2.7 or later. Look on the un-
derside of the CPU for the serial number. The number should
read G8DC6620A or later.
P5A-VM CPU Core Voltage Selection
VID1
VID2
VID3
VID0
123
2.0Volts
123
2.1Volts
123
2.2Volts
123
2.3Volts
123
2.9Volts
123
2.8Volts
VID1
VID2
VID3
VID0
123
3.0Volts
123
3.1Volts
123
3.2Volts
123
3.3Volts
123
3.4Volts
®
01
123
3.5Volts
VID1
VID2
VID3
VID0
123
2.4Volts
8. Voltage Regulator Output Selection (VID0, VID1, VID2, VID3)
These jumpers set the VCORE voltage supplied to the CPU. Switching regulators
allowsomejumpersettingstobethesamefortwovoltagesofdifferentpowerplanes.
WARNING! Because CPUdesigns changerapidly,the tablebelowis onlyintendedas asimple
guideline and thus may not be true for your CPU. Always refer to the CPU documentation for
yourCPU’svoltageandthensettheappropriateVIDjumpersaccordingtotheillustrationbelow.

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 19
III. INSTALLATION
Jumpers
III. INST ALLATION
9. Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM (RTCCLR)
The CMOS RAM is powered by an onboard button cell battery. To clear the
RTC data, (1)Turn off your computer, (2) Short solder points momentarily using
a small metallic object, (3) Turn on your computer, (4) Hold down <Delete>
during bootup and enter BIOS setup to re-enter user preferences.
P5A-VM Clear RTC RAM
Short solder points
to Clear CMOS
RTCCLR
R
01

20 ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual
III. INSTALLATION
System Memory
III. INST ALLATION
Install memory in any combination as follows:
DIMM Location 168-pin DIMM Total Memory
Socket 1 (Rows 0&1) SDRAM 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256MB x1
Socket 2 (Rows 2&3) SDRAM 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256MB x1
Socket 3 (Rows 4&5) SDRAM 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256MB x1
Total System Memory (Max 768MB) =
NOTES
• At the time this User’s Manual was written, 256MB DIMMs are available either as
registered memory or 128Mbit DIMMs.
•DIMMs that have more than 18 chips are not supported on this motherboard.
•Forthesystem CPUbus tooperate ≥95MHz,useonly PC100-compliantDIMMs.
When this motherboard operates at ≥95MHz, most system will not even boot if non-
compliant modules are used because of the strict timing issues involved under these
speeds. If your DIMMs are not PC100-compliant, set the CPU bus frequency to
66MHz for system stability.
• ASUS motherboards support SPD (Serial Presence Detect) DIMMs. This is the
memory of choice for best performance vs. stability.
• SDRAM chips are generally thinner with higher pin density than EDO (Extended
Data Output) chips.
• BIOS shows SDRAM memory on bootup screen.
• Single-sided DIMMs come in 16, 32, 64,128MB; double-sided come in 32, 64, 128,
256MB.
2. System Memory (DIMM)
This motherboard uses only Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs). Sockets are
available for 3.3Volt (power level) unbuffered Synchronous Dynamic Random Ac-
cess Memory (SDRAM) of either 8, 16, 32, 64, 128MB, or 256MB to form a memory
size between 8MB and 768MB. One side (with memory chips) of the DIMM takes up
one row on the motherboard.
To utilize the chipset’s Error Checking and Correction (ECC) feature, you must use a
DIMM module with 9 chips per side (standard 8 chips/side + 1 ECC chip) and make
the proper settings through “Chipset Features Setup” in BIOS setup.
Memoryspeed setup is recommended through SDRAM Configuration under “Chipset
Features Setup” in BIOS setup.
IMPORTANT (see General DIMM Notes below)
• To make using bus speeds ≥95MHz possible, SDRAMs used must be com-
patible with the current Intel PC100 SDRAM specification..