EVGA nForce 750i SLI User manual

User’s Guide
EVGA nForce 750i SLI
Motherboard

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EVGA iv
Connecting Serial ATA Cables ...........................................................................15
Connecting Internal Headers..............................................................................16
Front Panel Header.........................................................................................16
USB Headers ..................................................................................................17
Audio...............................................................................................................18
PC Speaker Connector...................................................................................18
Fan Connector ....................................................................................................19
Fan Connectors ..................................................................................................20
COM1..................................................................................................................20
FDD Connector...................................................................................................20
Expansion Slots ..................................................................................................21
PCI Slots .........................................................................................................21
PCI Express x1 Slots ......................................................................................21
PCI Express x16 Slots ....................................................................................21
Onboard Buttons ....................................................................................................22
Clear CMOS Button........................................................................................22
RESET and POWER Button............................................................................22
Post Port Debug LED and LED Status Indicators ..................................................23
Post Port Debug LED .....................................................................................23
LED Status Indicators.....................................................................................23
Configuring the BIOS.................................................................................................24
Enter BIOS Setup ...................................................................................................25
Main Menu ..............................................................................................................25
Standard CMOS Features Menu ............................................................................28
Date and Time ....................................................................................................29
IDE Channel and SATA Channel ........................................................................29
Drive A ................................................................................................................31
Halt On................................................................................................................31

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Table of Contents
User Guide .................................................................................................................... i
NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI Motherboard ......................................................................... i
Before You Begin… .................................................................................................. viii
Parts NOT in the Kit................................................................................................viii
Intentions of the Kit.................................................................................................viii
NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI Motherboard ........................................................................ 1
Motherboard Specifications .....................................................................................1
Unpacking and Parts Descriptions............................................................................ 3
Unpacking.................................................................................................................3
Equipment.................................................................................................................3
NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI Motherboard......................................................................4
Hardware Installation................................................................................................... 7
Safety Instructions....................................................................................................7
Preparing the Motherboard ......................................................................................8
Installing the CPU .................................................................................................8
Installing the CPU Fan ..........................................................................................8
Installing Memory DIMMs.....................................................................................9
Installing the Motherboard......................................................................................10
Installing the I/O Shield.......................................................................................10
Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis.......................................................10
Connecting Cables and Setting Switches..............................................................11
Power Connections ............................................................................................12
24-pin ATX Power (PW1) ................................................................................13
8-pin ATX 12V Power (PW2)...........................................................................14
Connecting IDE Hard Disk Drives.......................................................................14

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Memory...............................................................................................................32
Advanced BIOS Features .......................................................................................33
CPU Feature .......................................................................................................34
Hard Disk Boot Priority.......................................................................................35
CD-ROM Device Priority.....................................................................................36
Quick Power On Self Test ..................................................................................36
First/Second/Third Boot Device .........................................................................36
Boot Other Device ..............................................................................................37
Boot Up NumLock Status ..................................................................................37
Security Option...................................................................................................37
APIC Mode .........................................................................................................37
MPS Version Control For OS..............................................................................37
Full Screen LOGO Show ....................................................................................37
Advanced Chipset Features Menu .........................................................................38
Spread Spectrum Control...................................................................................38
System BIOS Cacheable ....................................................................................39
Integrated Peripherals Menu ..................................................................................39
IDE Function Setup.............................................................................................40
RAID Config ........................................................................................................41
USB Config .........................................................................................................41
HD Audio ............................................................................................................42
Realtek LAN Device ............................................................................................42
IDE HDD Block Mode .........................................................................................42
Onboard FDC Controller.....................................................................................42
Onboard Serial Port 1.........................................................................................42
Power Management Setup Menu...........................................................................43
ACPI Function.....................................................................................................43
ACPI Suspend Type ...........................................................................................43
Soft-Off by PBNT................................................................................................44
WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off.................................................................................44

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Power On by Alarm.............................................................................................44
POWER ON Function .........................................................................................44
PWRON After PWR-Fail......................................................................................45
PnP/PCI Configuration Menu .................................................................................46
Init Display First ..................................................................................................46
Reset Configuration Data ...................................................................................47
Resources Controlled By....................................................................................47
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop......................................................................................48
Maximum Payload Size ......................................................................................48
PC Health Status Menu ..........................................................................................49
Dynamic Fan Control ..........................................................................................50
Frequency/Voltage Control Menu ..........................................................................51
CPU Clock Ratio Unlock ....................................................................................51
LDT Frequency ...................................................................................................51
System Clocks....................................................................................................52
PCIe Frequency ..............................................................................................52
FSB & Memory Config........................................................................................53
Current CPU Freq, MHz .................................................................................53
FSB - Memory Clock Mode............................................................................53
Memory Timing Setting ..................................................................................55
System Voltages.................................................................................................57
Load Timing/Voltage Set ....................................................................................59
Save Timing/Voltage Set ....................................................................................59
Installing Drivers and Software................................................................................ 60
Windows XP Drivers Install.....................................................................................60
EVGA Gloassary of Terms......................................................................................... 61
Appendix A. POST Codes .........................................................................................63

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List of Figures
Figure 1.NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI Motherboard Layout........................................... 5
Figure 2. Chassis Back Panel Connectors ............................................................... 6
Figure 3.Power Supply Connectors....................................................................... 12
Figure 4.PWR1 Motherboard Connector............................................................... 13
Figure 5.BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu..................................................... 26
Figure 6.Standard CMOS Features Menu ............................................................. 28
Figure 7.Advanced BIOS Features Menu .............................................................. 33
Figure 8.CPU Feature Menu .................................................................................. 34
Figure 9.Integrated Peripherals Menu ................................................................... 39
Figure 10.Power Management Setup Menu........................................................ 43
Figure 11.PnP/PCI Configuration Menu .............................................................. 46
Figure 12.PC Health Status ................................................................................. 49
Figure 13.Frequency/Voltage Control.................................................................. 51
Figure 14.FSB & Memory Config Menu............................................................... 53
Figure 15.System Voltages Menu........................................................................ 57

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Before You Begin…
Parts NOT in the Kit
This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new EVGA nForce®
750i SLI motherboard. However, it does not contain the following items that must be
purchased separately to make the motherboard functional.
Intel microprocessor
System Memory
Cooling fan for the microprocessor
Graphics Card
Power Supply
EVGA assumes you have purchased all necessary parts needed to allow for proper system
functionality.
Intentions of the Kit
This kit provides you with the motherboard and all connecting cables necessary to install the
motherboard into a PC case. If you are building a PC, you will use most of the cables provided
in the kit. If however, you are replacing a motherboard, you will not need many of the cables.
When replacing a motherboard in a PC case, it is highly recommended to reinstall the operating
system even though the current drives may already have an operating system.

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EVGA nForce 750i SLI
Motherboard
Thank you for buying the EVGA nForce 750i SLI Motherboard: This motherboard offers
the tools and performance PC users’ demand. When combined with two SLI-Ready NVIDIA
GeForce graphics cards, you get innovative NVIDIA SLI Technology for enhanced system
performance.
Motherboard Specifications
Size
ATX form factor of 12 inch x 9.6 inch
Microprocessor support
Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, Pentium D,
Pentium
Operating systems:
Supports Windows XP 32bit/64bit and Windows Vista 32bit/64bit
Contains NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI MCP and SPP
System Memory support
Supports dual channel JEDEC DDR2-800.
Supports up to 8 GBs of DDR2 memory.
Eight USB 2.0 Ports
¾Supports hot plug
¾Eight USB 2.0 ports (six rear panel ports, one onboard usb header)
¾Supports wake-up from S1 and S3 mode
¾Supports USB 2.0 protocol up to 480 Mbps transmission rate
Onboard Serial ATA II
¾300MBps data transfer rate
¾Four Serial ATA II connectors
¾NVIDIA Media Shield RAID with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID
5, and JBOD
¾Supports hot plug and NCQ (Native Command Queuing )

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Onboard LAN
¾LAN interface built-in onboard
¾Supports 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec Ethernet
Onboard Audio
¾Azalia High-Definition audio
¾Supports 8-channel audio
¾Supports S/PDIF output
¾Supports Jack-Sensing function
Dual PCI Express x16 Support
¾2 x16 PCI Express 2.0
¾Supports 4 GB/sec (8 GB/sec concurrent) bandwidth
¾Low power consumption and power management features
Green Function
¾Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
¾Supports S0 (normal), S1 (power on suspend), S3 (suspend to RAM), S4 (Suspend to
disk - depends on OS), and S5 (soft - off)
Expansion Slots
¾Two PCI slots
¾One PCI Express x1 slot
¾Two PCI Express x16 Graphics slots

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Unpacking and
Parts Descriptions
Unpacking
The EVGA nForce 750i SLI motherboard comes with all the necessary cables for adding a
motherboard to a new chassis. If you are replacing a motherboard, you may not need many of
these cables.
All parts shipped in this kit are RoHS-compliant (lead-free) parts.
Equipment
The following equipment is included in the EVGA nForce 750i SLI motherboard box.
(Accessories may vary between models, see product package)
EVGA nForce 750i SLI Motherboard
This PCI Express motherboard contains the NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI
SPP and MCP and is SLI-ready.
1 – Visual Guide
Helps to visually guide you through the hardware installation of the
motherboard.
1 - I/O Shield
Installs in the chassis to block radio frequency transmissions, protect
internet components from dust and foreign objects and aids in proper
airflow within the chassis.
1 - Floppy Cable
Used to attach a floppy drive to the motherboard.
1 - 2-Port SATA Power Cable
Allows a Molex power connector to adapt to a SATA power connector

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2 - SATA Signal Cable
Used to support the Serial ATA protocol and each one connects a single
drive to the motherboard
1 - IDE-ATA 133 HDD Cable
Passes data between the IDE connection on both the Motherboard and
IDE device.
1 – 2-Way SLI Bridge
Allows for a 2-Way SLI setup with compatible NVIDIA GeForce Graphics
Cards.
1 – Driver Installation CD
Contains drivers and software needed to setup the motherboard.
EVGA nForce 750i SLI
Motherboard
The EVGA nForce 750i SLI motherboard with the NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI SPP and MCP
processor is a PCI Express, SLI-ready motherboard. Figure 1 shows the motherboard and
Figures 2 shows the back panel connectors.

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1. CPU Socket 11. Diagnostic Code Display 21. PCI Slots
2. NVIDIA SPP with Heatsink and Fan 12. IDE Connector 22. PCI Express x16 Slots
3. CPU Fan Connector 13. USB Headers 23. Front panel Audio Connector
4. AUX Fan Connector 14. Motherboard Battery 24. PCI Express x1 Slot
5. System Memory (DIMM) Slots for DDR2 15. AUX Fan Connector 25. Backpanel Connectors (Figure 2)
6. 24-pin ATX Power Connector 16. PC Speaker Connector 26. 8-pin ATX_12V Power connector
7. FDD Connector 17. Clear CMOS Button 27. SPDIF Connector
8. NVIDIA MCP with Heatsink and Fan 18. Power Button
9. Serial-ATA (SATA) Connectors 19. Reset Button
10. Front Panel Connector 20. Serial Connector
Figure 1. NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI Motherboard Layout
25
26
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
24
22
23
22
2121
12
13 14
15
16
17
18
19
20
27

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Figure 2. Chassis Back Panel Connectors
1. PS/2 Mouse Port
2. USB 2.0 Ports (Six)
3. Coaxial SPDIF Output
4. Optical SPDIF Output
5.
6. Port 2-Channel 4-Channel 6-Channel/8-Channel
Blue Line-In Line-In Line-In
Green Line-Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out
Pink Mic In Mic In Mic In
Orange Center/Subwoofer
Black Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out
Grey
1
2
135
42 2 6
Activity LED Status Description
Off No data transmission
Blinking (Green) Data transmission
Speed/Link LED Status Description
Yellow 1000 Mbps data rate
Green 100 Mbps data rate
Off 10 Mbps data rate

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Hardware Installation
This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The topics covered in this
section are:
Preparing the motherboard
¾Installing the CPU
¾Installing the CPU fan
¾Installing the memory
Installing the motherboard
Connecting cables and setting switches
Safety Instructions
To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock, and injury always follow basic safety
precautions.
Remember to remove power from your computer by disconnecting the AC main
source before removing or installing any equipment from/to the computer chassis.

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Preparing the Motherboard
Installing the CPU
Be very careful when handling the CPU. Make sure not to
bend or break any pins within the socket. Hold the processor
only by the edges and do not touch the bottom of the
processor.
Use the following procedure to install the CPU onto the
motherboard.
1. Unhook the socket lever by pushing down and away from
the socket.
2. Lift the load plate. There is a protective socket cover on
the load plate to protect the socket when there is no
CPU installed.
3. Remove the protective socket cover from the load plate.
4. Remove the processor from its protective cover, making
sure you hold it only by the edges.
It is a good idea to save the cover so that whenever you
remove the CPU, you have a safe place to store it.
5. Align the notches in the processor with the notches on the socket.
6. Lower the processor straight down into the socket
with out tilting or sliding it into the socket
Make sure the CPU is fully seated and level in the socket.
7. Close the load plate over the CPU and press down while
you close and engage the socket lever.
Installing the CPU Fan
There are many different fan types that can be used with this motherboard. Follow the
instructions that came with your fan assembly. Be sure that the fan orientation is correct for
your chassis type and your fan assembly.
Align notches with
notches on the CPU

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Installing System Memory (DIMMs)
Your new motherboard has four 1.8V 240-pin slots for DDR2 memory. These slots support
256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB DDR2 memory modules. They also support dual channel
DDR2 memory technology up to 10.7GB/s. There must be at least one memory bank
populated to ensure normal operation. Use the following the recommendations for installing
memory. (See Figure 1 on page i for the location of the memory slots.)
One DIMM: Install into slot 0. You can install the DIMM into any slot however, slot 0
is preferred.
Two DIMMs: Install into either slot 0 and 1 or 2 and 3. The idea is to not have the
DIMMs in adjacent slots.
Four DIMMS: Install into slots 0, 1, 2, and 3.
Use the following procedure to install memory DIMMs. Note that there is only one gap near the
center of the DIMM slot. This slot matches the slot on the memory DIMM to ensure the component
is installed properly.
1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the module clips outward.
2. Align the memory module to the DIMM slot and insert the module vertically while
applying light downward pressure to properly seat the DIMM. The plastic clips at both
sides of the DIMM slot automatically lock the DIMM into the connector.
DIMM Slot 0
CPU side
DIMM Slot 2
DIMM Slot 1
DIMM Slot 3

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Installing the Motherboard
The sequence of installing the motherboard into the chassis depends on the chassis you are
using and if you are replacing an existing motherboard or working with an empty chassis. It
is recommended to secure the motherboard first before making all connections.
Use the following procedure to install the I/O shield and secure the motherboard into the
chassis.
Be sure that the CPU fan assembly has enough clearance for the chassis covers to
lock into place and for the expansion cards. Also make sure the CPU Fan assembly is
aligned with the vents on the covers.
Installing the I/O Shield
The motherboard kit comes with an I/O shield that is used to block radio frequency
transmissions, protects internal components from dust and foreign objects, and promotes
correct airflow within the chassis.
Before installing the motherboard, install the I/O shield from the inside of the chassis. Press
the I/O shield into place and make sure it fits securely. If the I/O shield does not fit into
the chassis, you would need to obtain the proper size from the chassis supplier.
Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis
Most computer chassis have a base with mounting studs or spacers to allow the mother board to be
secured to the chassis and help to prevent short circuits. If there are studs that do not align with a
mounting hole on the motherboard, it is recommended that you remove that stud to prevent the
possibility of a short circuit. In most cases, it is recommended to secure the motherboard using a
minimum of eight (8) to ten (10) spacers.
1. Carefully place the motherboard onto the studs/spacers located inside the chassis.
2. Align the mounting holes with the studs/spacers.
3. Align the connectors to the I/O shield.
4. Ensure that the fan assembly is aligned with the chassis vents according to the fan
assembly instruction.
5. Secure the motherboard with a minimum of eight-to-ten screws.

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Connecting Cables and
Setting Switches
This section takes you through all the connections and switch settings necessary on the
motherboard. This will include:
Power Connections
¾24-pin ATX power (PWR1)
¾8-pin ATX 12V power (PWR2)
Internal Headers
¾Front panel
¾USB Headers
¾Audio
¾Speaker
¾COM
FDD
IDE
Serial ATA II
Chassis Fans
Expansion slots
CMOS jumper settings
See Figure 1 on page 5 to locate the connectors and jumpers referenced in the following
procedure.

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Power Connections
To support 2-way SLI, this motherboard has the following specific minimum power supply
requirements:
An SLI-Certified power supply.
6-pin and/or 8-pin PCI-E power connectors configured in either of the following
configurations (see Figure 3):
¾Two 6-pin (3x2) and two 8-pin (4x2) PCI-E power connectors
¾Four 6-pin (3x2) PCI-E power connectors
¾Two 6-pin (3x2) PCI-E power connectors
8-pin (4x2) PCI-E Connector 6-pin (3x2) PCI-E connector
Figure 3. Power Supply Connectors
Make sure you have enough power to cover all the expansion cards you will be installing. To
determine what power requirements are for your specific configuration or a certified power
supply vendor, refer to www.slizone.com.