DFI LanParty LT X38 series User manual

System Board
User’s Manual

Copyright
This publication contains information that is protected by copyright.
No part of it may be reproduced in any form or by any means or
used to make any transformation/adaptation without the prior writ-
ten permission from the copyright holders.
This publication is provided for informational purposes only. The
manufacturer makes no representations or warranties with respect to
the contents or use of this manual and specifically disclaims any ex-
press or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any par-
ticular purpose.The user will assume the entire risk of the use or the
results of the use of this document. Further, the manufacturer re-
serves the right to revise this publication and make changes to its
contents at any time, without obligation to notify any person or en-
tity of such revisions or changes.
© 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Trademarks
Windows®98, Windows®98 SE, Windows®ME, Windows®2000,
Windows NT®4.0 and Windows®XP are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. VIA is a registered trademark of VIA Tech-
nologies, Inc. Award is a registered trademark of Award Software,
Inc. Other trademarks and registered trademarks of products ap-
pearing in this manual are the properties of their respective holders.

FCC and DOC Statement on Class B
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 when the equipment is operated in a residential
installation.This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio fre-
quency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communi-
cations. 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 meas-
ures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
• Connect the equipment into 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.
Notice:
1. The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority
to operate the equipment.
2. Shielded interface cables must be used in order to comply with
the emission limits.

Table of Contents
Warranty.................................................................................................
Static Electricity Precaution................................................................
Safety Measures.....................................................................................
About the Package...............................................................................
Before Using the System Board.........................................................
Chapter 1 - Introduction....................................................................
Specifications...................................................................................................................................
Features..............................................................................................................................................
Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation....................................................
System Board Layout ..........................................................................................................
System Memory..........................................................................................................................
CPU.......................................................................................................................................................
Transpiper Heat Sink (LP UT X38 series only)..........................................
Northbridge Heat Sink (LP LT X38 series only)......................................
Jumper Settings............................................................................................................................
Rear Panel I/O Ports.............................................................................................................
Bernstein Audio Module......................................................................................................
Internal I/O Connectors.....................................................................................................
Chapter 3 - BIOS Setup......................................................................
Award BIOS Setup Utility.................................................................................................
RAID BIOS.....................................................................................................................................
Updating the BIOS..................................................................................................................
Chapter 4 - Supported Software.......................................................
Chapter 5 - RAID.................................................................................
Chapter 6 - ATI CrossFire Technology.............................................
Appendix A - System Error Message...............................................
Appendix B - Troubleshooting..........................................................
5
6
6
7
7
8
8
10
16
16
18
24
29
38
42
49
51
53
64
64
107
108
110
128
135
144
146

Warranty
1. Warranty does not cover damages or failures that arised from
misuse of the product, inability to use the product, unauthorized
replacement or alteration of components and product specifica-
tions.
2. The warranty is void if the product has been subjected to physi-
cal abuse, improper installation, modification, accidents or unau-
thorized repair of the product.
3. Unless otherwise instructed in this user’s manual, the user may
not, under any circumstances, attempt to perform service, adjust-
ments or repairs on the product, whether in or out of warranty.
It must be returned to the purchase point, factory or authorized
service agency for all such work.
4. We will not be liable for any indirect, special, incidental or
consequencial damages to the product that has been modified
or altered.

Introduction
1
6
Static Electricity Precautions
It is quite easy to inadvertently damage your PC, system board,
components or devices even before installing them in your system
unit. Static electrical discharge can damage computer components
without causing any signs of physical damage. You must take extra
care in handling them to ensure against electrostatic build-up.
1. To prevent electrostatic build-up, leave the system board in its
anti-static bag until you are ready to install it.
2. Wear an antistatic wrist strap.
3. Do all preparation work on a static-free surface.
4. Hold the device only by its edges. Be careful not to touch any of
the components, contacts or connections.
5. Avoid touching the pins or contacts on all modules and connec-
tors. Hold modules or connectors by their ends.
Important:
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your processor, disk
drive and other components. Perform the upgrade instruction
procedures described at an ESD workstation only. If such a
station is not available, you can provide some ESD protection
by wearing an antistatic wrist strap and attaching it to a metal
part of the system chassis. If a wrist strap is unavailable, estab-
lish and maintain contact with the system chassis throughout
any procedures requiring ESD protection.
Safety Measures
To avoid damage to the system:
• Use the correct AC input voltage range.....
To reduce the risk of electric shock:
• Unplug the power cord before removing the system chassis
cover for installation or servicing. After installation or servicing,
cover the system chassis before plugging the power cord.
Battery:
• Danger of explosion if battery incorrectly replaced.
• Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommend by
the manufacturer.
• Dispose of used batteries according to local ordinance.

1
Introduction
7
About the Package
The system board package contains the following items. If any of
these items are missing or damaged, please contact your dealer or
sales representative for assistance.
;One system board
;One Bernstein audio module with cable
;One Transpiper kit (LP UT X38-T2R/T3R only)
- One Transpiper
- One 90ometal pipe
- One thermal paste
;One copper plate with mounting screws (LP UT X38-T2R/T3R only)
;One Northbridge heat sink cooling kit (LP LT X38-T2R/T3R only)
;One IDE round cable
;One floppy round cable
;Four Serial ATA data cables
;Four Serial ATA power cables
;One I/O shield
;One RAID driver diskette
;One “Mainboard Utility” CD
;One user’s manual
The system board and accessories in the package may not come
similar to the information listed above.This may differ in accordance
to the sales region or models in which it was sold. For more infor-
mation about the standard package in your region, please contact
your dealer or sales representative.
Before Using the System Board
Before using the system board, prepare basic system components.
If you are installing the system board in a new system, you will need
at least the following internal components.
•A CPU
•Memory module
•Storage devices such as hard disk drive, CD-ROM, etc.
You will also need external system peripherals you intend to use
which will normally include at least a keyboard, a mouse and a video
display monitor.

Introduction
1
8
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Specifications
Processor
Chipset
System Memory
Expansion Slots
BIOS
Audio
• LGA 775 socket for:
- Intel®CoreTM2 Quad and Intel®CoreTM2 Duo
• Supports Intel Enhanced Memory 64 Technology (EMT64T)
• Supports Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST)
• Supports Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
• Supports 1333*/1066/800MHz system bus speed
*Available only on CPUs that support 1333MHz FSB
• Intel®chipset
- Northbridge: Intel®X38 Express chipset (with Intel®Fast
Memory Access technology)
- Southbridge: Intel®ICH9R
• LP UT/LT X38-T2R
- Four 240-pin DDR2 DIMM sockets
- Supports DDR2 667/800 MHz
- Delivers up to 12.8Gb/s bandwidth
• LP UT/LT X38-T3R
- Four 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets
- Supports DDR3 800/1066/1333 MHz
- Delivers up to 21Gb/s bandwidth at 1333MHz
• Supports dual channel (128-bit wide) memory interface
• Supports up to 8GB system memory
• Supports unbuffered x8 and x16 DIMMs
• 2 PCI Express (Gen 2) x16 slots (PCIE 1 and PCIE 3)
- 2-way CrossFire at x16/x16 bandwidth
- 2-way CrossFire + Physics at x16/x16/x4 bandwidth
• 1 PCI Express x1 slot (PCIE 2)
• 1 PCI Express x4 slot (PCIE 4)
• 3 PCI slots
• Award BIOS
• 8Mbit flash memory
• CMOS Reloaded
• Bernstein audio module
- Realtek ALC885 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC
- Center/subwoofer, rear R/L and side R/L jacks
- Line-in, line-out (front R/L) and mic-in jacks
- 2 coaxial RCA S/PDIF-in/out jacks
- 1 optical S/PDIF connector
- 1 CD-in connector
- 1 front audio connector
• DAC SNR/ADC SNR of 106dB/101dB
• Full-rate lossless content protection technology

1
Introduction
9
LAN
Storage
IEEE 1394
Rear Panel I/O
Internal I/O
Power Management
Hardware Monitor
PCB
• Marvell 88E8052 and Marvell 88E8053 PCIE Gigabit LAN
controllers
• Fully compliant to IEEE 802.3 (10BASE-T), 802.3u (100BASE-
TX) and 802.3ab (1000BASE-T) standards
• Intel ICH9R chip
- Intel Matrix Storage technology
- Supports up to 6 SATA devices
- SATA speed up to 3Gb/s
- RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and RAID 5
• JMicron JMB363 PCI Express to SATA and PATA host controller
- Supports up to 2 UltraDMA 100Mbps IDE devices
- Supports 2 SATA devices
- SATA speed up to 3Gb/s
- RAID 0 and RAID 1
• VIA VT6307
• Supports two 100/200/400 Mb/sec ports
• Mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port and PS/2 keyboard port
• 1 IEEE 1394 port
• 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• 2 RJ45 LAN ports
• 3 connectors for 6 additional external USB 2.0 ports
• 1 connector for an external COM port
• 1 connector for an IEEE 1394 port
• 1 connector for the Bernstein audio module
• 1 front audio connector (on the Bernstein audio module)
• 1 CD-in connector (on the Bernstein audio module)
• 1 S/PDIF connector (on the Bernstein audio module)
• 1 IrDA connector and 1 CIR connector
• 8 Serial ATA connectors
• 1 40-pin IDE connector and 1 floppy connector
• 1 24-pin ATX power connector
• 1 8-pin 12V power connector
• 2 4-pin 5V/12V power connectors (FDD type)
• 1 front panel connector
• 6 fan connectors
• 1 diagnostic LED
• EZ touch switches (power switch and reset switch)
• ACPI and OS Directed Power Management
• ACPI STR (Suspend to RAM) function
• Wake-On-PS/2 / Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
• Wake-On-LAN and Wake-On-Ring
• RTC timer to power-on the system
• AC power failure recovery
• Monitors CPU/system/Northbridge temperature and overheat alarm
• Monitors Vcore/Vdimm/Vnb/VCC5/12V/V5sb/Vbat voltages
• Monitors the speed of the cooling fans
• CPU Overheat Protection function monitors CPU temperature
and fan during system boot-up - automatic shutdown upon sys-
tem overheat
• 6 layers, ATX form factor; 24.5cm (9.64") x 30.5cm (12")

Introduction
1
10
Features
LP UT/LT X38-T2R supports high performance DDR2
technology whose data transfer rate delivers bandwidth
of 12.8 Gb/s and beyond. That is twice the speed of
the conventional DDR without increasing its power con-
sumption. DDR2 SDRAM modules work at 1.8V supply compared
to 2.6V memory voltage for DDR modules. DDR2 also incorpo-
rates new innovations such as the On-Die Termination (ODT) as
well as larger 4-bit pre-fetch against DDR which fetches 2 bits per
clock cycle.
LP UT/LT X38-T3R supports DDR3 memory that deliv-
ers increased system bandwidth and improved perform-
ance. DDR3 offers peak data transfer rate of up to 21
Gb/s bandwidth. The advantages of DDR3 are its higher
bandwidth and its increase in performance at a lower power than
DDR2.
ATI’s CrossFireTM technology drives your
PC to a new peak of performance by
combining multiple GPUs in a single system. By connecting a Radeon
CrossFire Edition graphics card and a standard PCI Express graphics
card, the power of the dual GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) within
the system will accelerate your gaming performance and improve
image quality.
Aside from dual GPU for 3D rendering, CrossFire’s new feature -
asymmetric processing technology, allows adding another dedicated
GPU for physics processing.The 3 GPUs simultaneously handle Data
Parallel Processing (DPP) computing tasks such as game rendering
and physics in a single system. This provides more realistic cutting
edge 3D graphics to run at high resolutions.
The Realtek ALC885 on the Bernstein audio module
supports 6 audio jacks that provide 8-channel audio out-
put for advanced 7.1-channel super surround sound au-
dio system. It is also equipped with a CD-in connector,
front audio connector and S/PDIF output allowing digital connections
with DVD systems or other audio/video multimedia.

1
Introduction
11
S/PDIF is a standard audio file transfer format that
transfers digital audio signals to a device without having
to be converted first to an analog format. This prevents
the quality of the audio signal from degrading whenever
it is converted to analog. S/PDIF is usually found oyn digital audio
equipment such as a DAT machine or audio processing device. The
S/PDIF interface on the system board sends surround sound and
3D audio signal outputs to amplifiers and speakers and to digital
recording devices like CD recorders.
The JMicron JMB363 controller supports up to two
UltraDMA 100Mbps IDE devices and two Serial
ATA devices.
Serial ATA is a storage interface that is compli-
ant with SATA 1.0 specification. Intel ICH9R
and JMicron JMB363 both support speed of up to 3Gb/s. Serial
ATA improves hard drive performance faster than the standard par-
allel ATA whose data transfer rate is 100MB/s.
The Intel ICH9R chip allows configuring RAID on Serial ATA
devices. It supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and RAID
5.
The JMicron JMB363 chip allows configuring RAID on an-
other 2 Serial ATA devices. It supports RAID 0 and RAID
1.
The Marvell 88E8052 and Marvell 88E8053 PCI Express
Gigabit LAN controllers support up to 1Gbps data rate.
JMB363JMB363
JMB363JMB363
JMB363

Introduction
1
12
IEEE 1394 is fully compliant with the 1394 OHCI (Open
Host Controller Interface) 1.1 specification. It supports up
to 63 devices that can run simultaneously on a system.
1394 is a fast external bus standard that supports data
transfer rates of up to 400Mbps. In addition to its high speed, it
also supports isochronous data transfer which is ideal for video de-
vices that need to transfer high levels of data in real-time. 1394
supports both Plug-and-Play and hot plugging.
CMOS Reloaded is a technology that allows storing
multiple user-defined BIOS settings by using the
BIOS utility to save, load and name the settings. This
is especially useful to overclockers who require sav-
ing a variety of overclocked settings and being able
to conveniently switch between these settings simultaneously.
The system board supports Intel proces-
sors with Hyper-Threading Technology. Ena-
bling the functionality of Hyper-Threading
Technology for your computer system requires ALL of the following
platforms.
Components:
• CPU - an Intel®Pentium®4 Processor with HT Technology
• Chipset - an Intel®chipset that supports HT Technology
• BIOS - a BIOS that supports HT Technology and has it enabled
• OS - an operating system that includes optimizations for HT
Technology
For more information on Hyper-Threading Technology, go to:
www.intel.com/info/hyperthreading.
PCI Express is a high bandwidth I/O infrastructure
that possesses the ability to scale speeds by forming
multiple lanes. The system board currently supports
the physical layer of x1 and x16 lane widths. The x1 PCI Express
lane supports transfer rate of 2.5 Gigabytes (250MBbps) per sec-
ond. The PCI Express architecture also provides a high performance
graphics infrastructure by enhancing the capability of a x16 PCI Ex-
press lane to provide 4 Gigabytes per second transfer rate.
hyper-threading
technology

1
Introduction
13
CPU Overheat Protection has the capability of moni-
toring the CPU’s temperature during system boot up.
Once the CPU’s temperature exceeded the tempera-
ture limit pre-defined by the CPU, the system will automatically shut-
down.This preventive measure has been added to protect the CPU
from damage and insure a safe computing environment.
The system board is equipped with an IrDA connector
for wireless connectivity between your computer and
peripheral devices.The IRDA (Infrared Data Association) specification
supports data transfers of 115K baud at a distance of 1 meter.
The system board supports USB 2.0 and USB 1.1
ports. USB 1.1 supports 12Mb/second bandwidth
while USB 2.0 supports 480Mb/second bandwidth
providing a marked improvement in device transfer
speeds between your computer and a wide range of simultaneously
accessible external Plug and Play peripherals.
This feature allows the system that is in the
Suspend mode or Soft Power Off mode to
wake-up/power-on to respond to calls coming from an external mo-
dem or respond to calls from a modem PCI card that uses the PCI
PME (Power Management Event) signal to remotely wake up the
PC.
Important:
If you are using a modem add-in card, the 5VSB power source
of your power supply must support a minimum of ≥ 720mA.
This feature allows the network to remotely
wake up a Soft Power Down (Soft-Off) PC.
It is supported via the onboard LAN port or via a PCI LAN card
that uses the PCI PME (Power Management Event) signal. However,
if your system is in the Suspend mode, you can power-on the system
only through an IRQ or DMA interrupt.
Important:
The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support
≥ 720mA.
Wake-On-Ring
Wake-On-LAN
CPU
Overheat
Protection
IrDA

Introduction
1
14
This function allows you to use the PS/2
keyboard or PS/2 mouse to power-on the
system.
Important:
The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support
≥ 720mA.
This function allows you to use a USB
keyboard or USB mouse to wake up a
system from the S3 (STR - Suspend To RAM) state.
Important:
If you are using the Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse function for
2 USB ports, the 5VSB power source of your power supply
must support ≥ 1.5A. For 3 or more USB ports, the 5VSB
power source of your power supply must support ≥ 2A.
The RTC installed on the system board allows your
system to automatically power-on on the set date and
time.
The system board is designed to meet the ACPI (Ad-
vanced Configuration and Power Interface) specification.
ACPI has energy saving features that enables PCs to implement
Power Management and Plug-and-Play with operating systems that
support OS Direct Power Management. ACPI when enabled in the
Power Management Setup will allow you to use the Suspend to
RAM function.
With the Suspend to RAM function enabled, you can power-off the
system at once by pressing the power button or selecting “Standby”
when you shut down the system without having to go through the
sometimes tiresome process of closing files, applications and operat-
ing system. This is because the system is capable of storing all pro-
grams and data files during the entire operating session into RAM
(Random Access Memory) when it powers-off.The operating session
will resume exactly where you left off the next time you power-on
the system.
Wake-On-USB
str
rtc
Wake-On-PS/2

1
Introduction
15
Power failure
recovery
Important:
The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support
≥ 1A.
When power returns after an AC power fail-
ure, you may choose to either power-on the
system manually or let the system power-on
automatically.

16
2Hardware Installation
Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation
System Board Layout
LP UT X38-T2R/T3R

17
2
Hardware Installation
LP LT X38-T2R/T3R
Note:
The illustrations on the following pages are based on the LP UT X38-
T2R/T3R system board.

18
2Hardware Installation
Warning:
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your system board, proces-
sor, disk drives, add-in boards, and other components. Perform the
upgrade instruction procedures described at an ESD workstation only.
If such a station is not available, you can provide some ESD protec-
tion by wearing an antistatic wrist strap and attaching it to a metal
part of the system chassis. If a wrist strap is unavailable, establish
and maintain contact with the system chassis throughout any proce-
dures requiring ESD protection.
System Memory
Warning:
When the DRAM Power LED lit red, it indicates that power is
present on the DIMM sockets. Power-off the PC then unplug the
power cord prior to installing any memory modules. Failure to do so
will cause severe damage to the motherboard and components.
The four DIMM sockets on the system board are divided into 2
channels:
Channel A - DIMM 1 and DIMM 2
Channel B - DIMM 3 and DIMM 4
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
DIMM 1
DIMM 2
DIMM 3
DIMM 4
Channel A
Channel B DRAM
Power LED

19
2
Hardware Installation
DIMMs are on the same channel.
DIMMs in a channel can be identical or com-
pletely different.
Not all slots need to be populated.
DIMMs of different memory configurations
are on different channels.
Odd number of slots can be populated.
DIMMs of the same memory configuration
are on different channels.
In single channel, requires even number or
rows (side of the DIMM) populated.This
mode can be enabled with 1 SS, 2 SS or
2 DS.
In VSC mode, both channels must have
identical row structure.
Single Channel
Virtual Single
Channel
Dual Channel
Dynamic Mode
Addressing
BIOS Setting
Configure the system memory in the Genie BIOS Setting submenu
of the BIOS. Refer to chapter 3 for more information.
The system board supports the following memory interface.
Single Channel (SC)
Data will be accessed in chunks of 64 bits (8B) from the memory
channels.
Virtual Single Channel (VSC)
If both channels are populated with different memory configurations,
the MCH defaults to Virtual Single Channel.
Dual Channel (DC)
Dual channel provides better system performance because it doubles
the data transfer rate.
Dynamic Mode Addressing
This mode minimizes the overhead of opening/closing pages in
memory banks allowing for row switching to be done less often.

20
2Hardware Installation
The table below lists the various optimal operating modes that should
be configured for the memory channel operation.
Config
No memory
Single channel A
Single channel A
Single channel A
Single channel B
Single channel B
Single channel B
Virtual single channel
Virtual single channel
Virtual single channel
Virtual single channel
Virtual single channel
Virtual single channel
Virtual single channel
Virtual single channel
Virtual single channel
Dual channel
Dual channel
Dual channel
DIMM 1
E
P
P
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
P
P(**)
p(**)
P
P(**)
P(**)
E
P(*)(1,3)
P(*)(1,3)
DIMM 2
E
E
P
P
E
E
E
P(**)
P
P(**)
E
E
E
P(**)
P
P(**)
P(*)(2,4)
E
P(*)(2,4)
DIMM 3
E
E
E
E
P
P
E
E
P
P
E
P(**)
P(**)
E
P(**)
P(**)
E
P(*)(1,3)
P(*)(1,3)
DIMM 4
E
E
E
E
E
P
P
P(**)
E
P(**)
P
E
P
P(**)
E
P(**)
P(*)(2,4)
E
P(*)(2,4)
Continued on the next page...