Asus Z9PE-D16-10G Series User manual

Motherboard
Z9PE-D16
-10G Series

ii
E8158
First Edition
May 2013
Copyright © 2013 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, 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”).
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless
such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the
product is defaced or missing.
ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS
DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,
LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),
EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY
DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR
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INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or
copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the
owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.

iii
Contents
Notices ...................................................................................................................... vii
Safety information.................................................................................................... viii
About this guide.......................................................................................................... x
Z9PE-D16-10G Series Specications Summary..................................................... xii
Chapter 1: Product Introduction
1.1 Welcome! .................................................................................................... 1-3
1.2 Package contents....................................................................................... 1-3
1.3 Serial number label.................................................................................... 1-4
1.4 Special features.......................................................................................... 1-4
1.4.1 Product highlights........................................................................ 1-4
1.4.2 Innovative ASUS features ........................................................... 1-6
Chapter 2: Hardware Information
2.1 Before you proceed ................................................................................... 2-3
2.2 Motherboard overview............................................................................... 2-4
2.2.1 Placement direction..................................................................... 2-4
2.2.2 Screw holes................................................................................. 2-4
2.2.3 Motherboard layout ..................................................................... 2-5
2.2.4 Layout contents........................................................................... 2-7
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................................. 2-9
2.3.1 Installing the CPU ....................................................................... 2-9
2.4 System memory ....................................................................................... 2-14
2.4.1 Overview ................................................................................... 2-14
2.4.2 Memory Congurations............................................................. 2-14
2.4.3 Installing a DIMM on a single clip DIMM socket........................ 2-16
2.5 Expansion slots........................................................................................ 2-17
2.5.1 Installing an expansion card...................................................... 2-17
2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ................................................. 2-17
2.5.3 Interrupt assignments................................................................ 2-18
2.5.4 PCI Express x16 slot (x16 link) ................................................. 2-18
2.5.5 PCI Express x8 slot (x8 link) ..................................................... 2-18
2.5.6 PCI Express x8 slot (x4 link) ..................................................... 2-18
2.5.7 PIKE slots.................................................................................. 2-18
2.5.8 Installing the ASUS PIKE RAID card......................................... 2-20
2.6 Onboard LEDs .......................................................................................... 2-21
2.7 Jumpers ....................................................................................................2-27
2.8 Connectors ............................................................................................... 2-32
2.8.1 Rear panel connectors.............................................................. 2-32

iv
Contents
2.8.2 Internal connectors.................................................................... 2-34
Chapter 3: Powering Up
3.1 Starting up for the rst time...................................................................... 3-3
3.2 Powering off the computer........................................................................ 3-4
3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function................................................3-4
3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch..........................................3-4
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS .......................................................... 4-3
4.1.1 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility................................................... 4-3
4.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Utility .............................................................. 4-4
4.1.3 BUPDATER utility........................................................................ 4-5
4.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................................. 4-7
4.2.1 BIOS menu screen......................................................................4-8
4.2.2 Menu bar ..................................................................................... 4-8
4.2.3 Menu items.................................................................................. 4-9
4.2.4 Submenu items ........................................................................... 4-9
4.2.5 Navigation keys........................................................................... 4-9
4.2.6 General help................................................................................ 4-9
4.2.7 Conguration elds ..................................................................... 4-9
4.2.8 Pop-up window............................................................................ 4-9
4.2.9 Scroll bar ..................................................................................... 4-9
4.3 Main menu ................................................................................................ 4-10
4.3.1 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx]...................................................4-10
4.3.2 System Time [xx:xx:xx].............................................................. 4-10
4.4 Advanced menu ....................................................................................... 4-11
4.4.1 CPU Conguration .................................................................... 4-11
4.4.2 CPU Power Management Conguration................................... 4-13
4.4.3 Chipset Conguration................................................................ 4-15
4.4.4 PCH SATA Conguration .......................................................... 4-20
4.4.5 PCI Subsystem Settings ........................................................... 4-22
4.4.6 Intel TXT(LT-SX) Conguration ................................................. 4-25
4.4.7 USB Conguration .................................................................... 4-26
4.4.8 Trusted Computing.................................................................... 4-27
4.4.9 ACPI Settings............................................................................ 4-28
4.4.10 WHEA Conguration ................................................................. 4-29
4.4.11 APM .......................................................................................... 4-29
4.4.12 Serial Port Console Redirection................................................ 4-30

v
Contents
4.4.13 Onboard Broadcom 10G Conguration..................................... 4-32
4.4.14 Onboard LAN Conguration...................................................... 4-33
4.4.15 ME Subsystem .......................................................................... 4-33
4.4.16 Onboard Devices Conguration................................................ 4-34
4.4.17 Runtime Error Logging Support ................................................ 4-35
4.4.18 Network Stack ........................................................................... 4-35
4.5 Server Mgmt menu...................................................................................4-36
4.5.1 System Event Log..................................................................... 4-37
4.5.2 BMC network conguration....................................................... 4-37
4.5.3 IPv6 BMC Network conguration .............................................. 4-38
4.6 Event Logs menu ..................................................................................... 4-39
4.6.1 Change Smbios Event Log Settings ......................................... 4-39
4.6.2 View Smbios Event Log ............................................................ 4-40
4.6.3 View System Event Log ............................................................ 4-40
4.7 Boot menu ................................................................................................ 4-41
4.8 Monitor menu ........................................................................................... 4-44
4.9 Security menu .......................................................................................... 4-45
4.10 Tool menu ................................................................................................. 4-48
4.11 Exit menu.................................................................................................. 4-48
Chapter 5: RAID Conguration
5.1 Setting up RAID..........................................................................................5-3
5.1.1 RAID denitions .......................................................................... 5-3
5.1.2 Installing hard disk drives............................................................5-4
5.1.3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS .................................................... 5-4
5.1.4 RAID conguration utilities.......................................................... 5-4
5.2 LSI Software RAID Conguration Utility ................................................. 5-5
5.2.1 Creating a RAID set .................................................................... 5-6
5.2.2 Adding or viewing a RAID conguration.................................... 5-12
5.2.3 Initializing the virtual drives ....................................................... 5-13
5.2.4 Rebuilding failed drives............................................................. 5-17
5.2.5 Checking the drives for data consistency.................................. 5-19
5.2.6 Deleting a RAID conguration................................................... 5-22
5.2.7 Selecting the boot drive from a RAID set.................................. 5-23
5.2.8 Enabling WriteCache ................................................................ 5-24
5.3 Intel®Rapid Storage Technology enterprise SATA Option ROM Utility5-25
5.3.1 Creating a RAID set .................................................................. 5-26
5.3.2 Deleting a RAID set................................................................... 5-28

vi
Contents
5.3.3 Resetting disks to Non-RAID .................................................... 5-29
5.3.4 Exiting the Intel®Rapid Storage Technology enterprise
SATA Option ROM utility ........................................................... 5-30
5.3.5 Rebuilding the RAID.................................................................. 5-30
5.3.6 Setting the Boot array in the BIOS Setup Utility........................5-32
5.4 Intel®Rapid Storage Technology enterprise (Windows) ...................... 5-33
5.4.1 Creating a RAID set .................................................................. 5-34
5.4.2 Changing a Volume Type .......................................................... 5-36
5.4.3 Deleting a volume ..................................................................... 5-37
5.4.4 Preferences............................................................................... 5-38
Chapter 6: Driver installation
6.1 RAID driver installation ............................................................................. 6-3
6.1.1 Creating a RAID driver disk......................................................... 6-3
6.1.2 Installing the RAID controller driver............................................. 6-5
6.2 Intel®chipset device software installation............................................. 6-15
6.3 Intel@Network Connections Software installation ...............................6-17
6.4 VGA driver installation ............................................................................ 6-20
6.5 Installing the Intel®I350-AM4/I350-AM2/I210 Gigabit Adapter driver... 6-23
6.6 Installing the Broadcom 10G driver ....................................................... 6-27
6.7 Management applications and utilities installation .............................. 6-29
6.8 Running the Support DVD ...................................................................... 6-29
6.9 Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1........................................................6-33
6.10 Intel®Rapid Storage Technology enterprise 3.0 installation ............... 6-34
Appendix A: Reference Information
A.1 Z9PE-D16-10G Series block diagram ...................................................... A-3

vii
Notices
Federal Communications Commission Statement
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. 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 installation.
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 interference by one
or more of the following measures:
Reorient 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.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Canadian Department of Communications 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.
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to
assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modications to this unit not expressly
approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate
this equipment.
REACH
Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of
Chemicals) regulatory framework, we publish the chemical substances in our products
at ASUS REACH website at http://csr.asus.com/english/REACH.htm.

viii
Safety information
Electrical safety
To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical
outlet before relocating the system.
When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power
cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected.
If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you
add a device.
Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that
all power cables are unplugged.
Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These
devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.
Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If
you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact
your local power company.
If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied
service technician or your retailer.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Operation safety
Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the
manuals that came with the package.
Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected and the
power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer
immediately.
To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.
Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any
area where it may become wet.
Place the product on a stable surface.
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
•
•
•
•
•
•

ix
Australia statement notice
From 1 January 2012 updated warranties apply to all ASUS products, consistent with
the Australian Consumer Law. For the latest product warranty details please visit
http://support.asus.com. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded
under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a
major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage.
You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of
acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.
If you require assistance please call ASUS Customer Service 1300 2787 88 or visit
us at http://support.asus.com
DO NOT throw the motherboard in municipal waste. This product has been designed to enable
proper reuse of parts and recycling. This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that
the product (electrical and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste.
Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products.
DO NOT throw the mercury-containing button cell battery in municipal waste. This symbol of the
crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the battery should not be placed in municipal waste.

x
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring
the motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This user guide contains the following parts:
• Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technologies
it supports.
• Chapter 2: Hardware information
This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when
installing system components. It includes description of the switches, jumpers,
and connectors on the motherboard.
• Chapter 3: Powering up
This chapter describes the power up sequence and ways of shutting down the
system.
• Chapter 4: BIOS setup
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus.
Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
• Chapter 5: RAID conguration
This chapter provides instructions for setting up, creating, and conguring RAID
sets using the available utilities.
• Chapter 6: Driver installation
This chapter provides instructions for installing the necessary drivers for different
system components.
• Appendix: Reference information
This appendix includes additional information that you may refer to when
conguring the motherboard.
Where to nd more information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software
updates.
1. ASUS websites
The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and
software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.
2. Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty
yers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not
part of the standard package.

xi
Conventions used in this guide
To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols
used throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to
complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to
complete a task
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.
.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.
Typography
Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select.
Italics Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.
<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign means
that you must press the enclosed key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or
Return key.
<Key1> + <Key2> + <Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key
names are linked with a plus sign (+).
Example: <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Del>
Command
Means that you must type the command exactly as
shown, then supply the required item or value enclosed
in brackets.
Example: At DOS prompt, type the command line:
format A:/S

xii
Model Name Z9PE-D16-10G/DUAL Z9PE-D16-10G/SINGLE
Processor Support / System Bus
2 x Socket LGA 2011
Intel®Xeon®processor E5-2600 product family
QPI 6.4/7.2/8.0 GT/s
Core Logic Intel®C602-A
Form Factor EEB, 12” x 13”
ASUS Features
Fan Speed Control
Rack Ready
(Rack and Pedestal
dual use)
ASWM Enterprise
Memory
Total Slots 16 (4 Channels per CPU, 8DIMM per CPU)
Voltage 1.5V/ 1.35V
Capacity Maximum up to 512GB
Memory Type
DDR3 1066/1333/1600 RDIMM
DDR3 1066/1333 ECC UDIMM/ Non-ECC UDIMM
DDR3 1066/1333 LR-DIMM
Memory Size
2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB* (RDIMM)
2GB, 4GB, 8GB* (UDIMM)
8GB, 16GB, 32GB* (LR-DIMM)
Expansion
Slots (follow
SSI Location #)
Total PCI/PCI-E Slots 5
Slot Location 1 1 x PCI-E x8 (x4 Gen2 link)
Slot Location 2 1 x PCI-E x16 (x16 Gen3 link)
Slot Location 3 1 x PCI-E x8 (x8 Gen3 link)
Slot Location 4 1 x PCI-E x16 (x16 Gen3 link)
Slot Location 6 1 x PCI-E x16 (x16 Gen3 link)
Additional Slot 1 1 x PIKE Slot for Storage expansion
Networking LAN
2 x Intel®I210AT
controller + 1
Management LAN
2 x Intel®I210AT
controller + 1
Management LAN
1 x Dual port
Broadcom 57840S
10GbE Chipset
1 x Single port
Broadcom 57811S
10GbE Chipset
Z9PE-D16-10G Series Specications Summary
(continued on the next page)
* Refer to www.asus.com for the complete list of supported CPUs.

xiii
** Specications are subject to change without notice.
*** Refer to www.asus.com for the complete list of supported PIKE cards.
Model Name Z9PE-D16-10G/DUAL Z9PE-D16-10G/SINGLE
Storage
SATA Controller
Intel®C602-A:
<AHCI>
4 SATA 3Gb/s ports; 2 SATA 6Gb/s ports
Intel®RSTe (for Windows only)
(Support software RAID 0, 1, 10 & 5)
LSI®MegaRAID driver support software RAID 0, 1
&10)
(Linux/Windows)
SAS Controller
Optional kits***:
ASUS PIKE 2008 8-port SAS 6G RAID card
ASUS PIKE 2108 8-port SAS 6G HW RAID card
ASUS PIKE 2208 8-port SAS 6G HW RAID card
Graphic VGA Aspeed AST2300 + 16MB
Onboard I/O
Connectors
TPM Header 1
PSU Connector
- 24-pin SSI power connector + 8-pin SSI 12V
(For 95W or below CPU only)
- 24-pin SSI power connector + 8-pin SSI 12V
+ 8-pin SSI 12V (For 115W or above CPU only)
USB Connectors 1 x USB connector (Type A USB socket)
2 x USB pin header (up to 4 devices)
Fan Header 9 x 4 pin headers
SMBus 2
Chassis Intruder 1
Front LAN LED 2
Serial Port Header 2
Rear I/O
Connectors
SFP+ 2
VGA Port 1
External USB Port 2 x USB2.0
RJ-45 2 x GbE LAN
1 Management LAN
PS/2 KB/Mouse 1/1
Management
Solution
Software ASWM Enterprise
Out of Band
Remote
Management
ASMB6-iKVM for KVM-over-Internet
Monitoring CPU Temperature
FAN RPM
Z9PE-D16-10G Series Specications Summary

xiv

Chapter 1:
Product Introduction

Z9PE-D16-10G Series
Chapter summary
1
This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it
supports. This chapter contains the following sections:
1.1 Welcome! .................................................................................................... 1-3
1.2 Package contents....................................................................................... 1-3
1.3 Serial number label.................................................................................... 1-4
1.4 Special features.......................................................................................... 1-4

Z9PE-D16-10G Series 1-3
1.1 Welcome!
Thank you for buying an ASUS®Z9PE-D16-10G Series motherboard!
The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies, making it another
standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards!
Before you start installing the motherboard and hardware devices on it, check the items in
your package with the list below.
1.2 Package contents
Check your motherboard package for the following items.
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
Standard Gift Box Pack Standard Bulk Pack
I/O Shield 11
Cables
SATA DOM Power cable 1 --
SATA 3G cable 4 --
SATA 6G cable 2 --
Application CD
Support CD 1 1
ASWM Enterprise SDVD 1 1
ASMB6-iKVM SDVD 1 1
Documentation
Motherboard User Guide 1 1
ASMB6-iKVM User
Guide 1 1
Packing Qty. 1 pc per carton 10 pcs per carton
Optional items Description
PIKE 2008 LSI 8-port SAS 6G RAID card
PIKE 2108 LSI 8-port SAS 6G HW RAID card
PIKE 2208 LSI 8-port SAS 6G HW RAID card

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.4 Special features
1.4.1 Product highlights
Latest Processor Technology
The motherboard supports the latest Intel Xeon®processor E5-2600 product family in LGA
2011 package with integrated memory controller to support 4 channel (8 DIMM prt CPU)
DDR3 memory. Intel Xeon®processor E5-2600 product family supports Intel QuickPath
Interconnect (QPI) with a system bus of up to 8.0GT/s.
Optimized Intel®Turbo Boost Technology
Optimized Intel®Turbo Boost Technology opportunistically and automatically allows the
processor to run faster than the marked frequency if the processor is operating below power,
temperature and current limits.
Intel®Hyper Threading
The thread-level parallelism on each processor makes more efcient use of the processor
resources, higher processing throughout and improved performance on today's multi-
threaded software.
Intel®EM64T
The motherboard supports Intel®processors with the Intel®EM64T (Extended Memory 64
Technology). The Intel®EM64T feature allows your computer to run on 64-bit operating
systems and access larger amounts of system memory for faster and more efcient
computing.
DDR3 memory support
The Z9PE-D16-10G Series supports DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates of
1600/1333/1066 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of server and workstation
applications. The 4-channel DDR3 architecture boosts system performance, eliminating
bottlenecks with peak bandwidth of up to 52GB/s. This voltage reduction limits the power
consumption and heat generation of DDR3 which makes it an ideal memory solution. Also,
the motherboard can support LR-DIMM (Load reduced DIMM) which uses a specially
designed buffer to reduce the data load to a single load and can increase overall server
system memory capacity.
1.3 Serial number label
Before requesting support from the ASUS Technical Support team, you must take note of the
motherboard's serial number containing 12 characters xxS2xxxxxxxx shown as the gure
below. With the correct serial number of the product, ASUS Technical Support team members
can then offer a quicker and satisfying solution to your problems.
xxS2xxxxxxxx
Z9PE-D16-10G Series Made
in
China
合格

Z9PE-D16-10G Series 1-5
PCIe 3.0
The motherboard supports the latest PCIe 3.0 device, which doubles the delivered bandwidth
of PCIe 2.0. This enhances system performance while still providing backward compatibility
to PCIe 2.0.
Intel®I210AT LAN Solution
The motherboard comes with two Gigabit LAN controllers and ports which provide a total
solution for your networking needs. The onboard Intel®I210AT Gigabit LAN controllers use
the PCI Express interface and could achieve network throughput close to Gigabit bandwidth.
Broadcom 57840S/57811S 10 GbE Solution
The motherboard comes with Broadcom 10GbE controller and SFP+ connectors which
provides a complete 10GbE solution for your networking requirements. Broadcom 10GbE
controller is performanced focused and optimized for high throughput, low latency and CPU
utilization, thus it is the best choice for datacenter, enterprise, service provider, and so on.
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST)
The Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST) intelligently manages the CPU resources
by automatically adjusting the CPU voltage and core frequency depending on the CPU
loading and system speed or power requirement.
Serial ATA II technology
The motherboard supports the Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s technology through the Serial ATA
interface and Intel® C600 chipset. The Serial ATA II specication provides twice the bandwidth
of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new features, including Native Command
Queuing (NCQ), Power Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm, and Hot Swap.
Serial ATA allows thinner, more exible cables with lower pin count and reduced voltage
requirements.
Serial ATA III technology
The motherboard supports the Serial ATA III technology through the Serial ATA interface and
Intel®C600 chipset, delivering up to 6Gb/s data transfer rates. Additionally, get enhanced
scalability, faster data retrieval, double the bandwidth of current bus systems.
USB 2.0 technology
The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 specication, dramatically
increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB 1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps
on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1.
Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring
The CPU temperature is monitored to prevent overheating and damage. The system fan
rotations per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection. The chip monitors the
voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical components.

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.4.2 Innovative ASUS features
ASUS Fan Speed control technology
The ASUS Fan Speed control technology smartly adjusts the fan speeds according to the
system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efcient operation.
PIKE (Proprietary I/O Kit Expansion)
PIKE is an on-demand upgrade kit for users. This ASUS unique feature enables users to
choose their preferred I/O solutions. ASUS provides multiple SAS solutions for different
segments and purposes and PIKE saves lots of validation efforts and hardware cost for end
users. Moreover, the special patent design offers multiple I/O solutions without occupying the
Slot 6 in 1U system.