EVGA X58 3X SLI User manual

User’s Guide
EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard

EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard
Table of Contents
User’s Guide .................................................................................................................1
EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard ........................................................................................1
Before You Begi … .....................................................................................................8
Parts NOT in the Kit ................................................................................................. 8
Intentions of the Kit .................................................................................................. 8
EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard .....................................................................................10
Motherboard Specifications................................................................................... 10
U packi g a d Parts Descriptio s ..........................................................................12
Unpacking .............................................................................................................. 12
quipment .............................................................................................................. 12
VGA X58 SLI Motherboard .................................................................................. 14
Hardware I stallatio .................................................................................................17
Safety Instructions ................................................................................................. 17
Preparing the Motherboard.................................................................................... 18
Installing the CPU .............................................................................................. 18
Installing the CPU Fan ....................................................................................... 19
Installing System Memory (DIMMs) ................................................................... 20
Installing the Motherboard ..................................................................................... 21
Installing the I/O Shield ...................................................................................... 21
Securing the Motherboard into a System Case ................................................ 22
Connecting Cables ................................................................................................ 22
24-pin ATX Power (PW1) ............................................................................... 23
8-pin ATX 12V Power (PW12) ........................................................................ 24

Connecting ID Hard Disk Drives ...................................................................... 24
Connecting Serial ATA Cables........................................................................... 25
Connecting Internal Headers ............................................................................. 26
Front Panel Header ........................................................................................ 26
I 1394a (Firewire) ...................................................................................... 27
USB Headers ................................................................................................. 28
Audio .............................................................................................................. 29
Fan Connections ................................................................................................ 30
COM1 ................................................................................................................. 31
xpansion Slots ................................................................................................. 31
PCI Slots ........................................................................................................ 32
PCI xpress x1 Slots ..................................................................................... 32
PCI xpress x16/x8 Slots .............................................................................. 32
Onboard Buttons ................................................................................................... 33
Clear CMOS Button ....................................................................................... 33
R S T and POW R Button ........................................................................... 33
Post Port Debug L D and L D Status Indicators ................................................. 34
Post Port Debug L D..................................................................................... 34
L D Status Indicators .................................................................................... 34
Co figuri g the BIOS .................................................................................................35
nter BIOS Setup................................................................................................... 36
Main Menu ............................................................................................................. 36
Standard CMOS Features Menu ........................................................................... 39
Date and Time.................................................................................................... 40
SATA Channel .................................................................................................... 40
Halt On ............................................................................................................... 42
Memory .............................................................................................................. 42
Advanced BIOS Features ...................................................................................... 43

EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard
Hard Disk Boot Priority ...................................................................................... 44
CD-ROM Device Priority .................................................................................... 44
First/Second/Third Boot Device ........................................................................ 44
Boot Other Device.............................................................................................. 45
Boot Up NumLock Status .................................................................................. 45
Security Option .................................................................................................. 45
Integrated Peripherals Menu.................................................................................. 46
Legacy Devices .................................................................................................. 46
OnChip PATA/SATA Device............................................................................... 47
Onboard Device ................................................................................................. 48
USB Device Settings.......................................................................................... 49
Power Management Setup Menu .......................................................................... 50
ACPI Function .................................................................................................... 50
ACPI Suspend Type........................................................................................... 51
Run VGABIOS if S3 Resume.............................................................................. 51
Soft-Off by PWR-BTTN...................................................................................... 51
Wake-Up by PCI Card ....................................................................................... 51
USB KB Wake-Up From S3 ............................................................................... 51
Resume by Alarm............................................................................................... 51
POW R ON Function......................................................................................... 52
Hot Key Power On ............................................................................................. 52
PWRON After PWR-Fail ..................................................................................... 52
PnP/PCI Configuration Menu................................................................................. 53
Init Display First.................................................................................................. 53
Reset Configuration ........................................................................................... 54
Resources Controlled By ................................................................................... 54
IRQ Resources ................................................................................................... 54
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop ..................................................................................... 55

INT Pin 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 Assignment .................................................................. 55
Maximum Payload Size...................................................................................... 55
PC Health Status Menu ......................................................................................... 56
SmartFan Function............................................................................................. 57
Frequency/Voltage Control Menu .......................................................................... 58
Memory Feature ................................................................................................. 59
Voltage Control Menu ............................................................................................ 60
VGA VDroop control ........................................................................................ 60
CPU VCore......................................................................................................... 60
CPU VTT Voltage ............................................................................................... 60
CPU PLL Vcore .................................................................................................. 60
DIMM Voltage .................................................................................................... 61
QPI PLL Vcore.................................................................................................... 64
IOH Vcore........................................................................................................... 64
IOH/ICH I/O Voltage........................................................................................... 64
ICH Vcore ........................................................................................................... 64
PWM Frequency ................................................................................................ 64
CPU Feature Menu ................................................................................................ 61
CPU Clock Ratio ................................................................................................ 63
Speedstep, Cx , Virtualization, Turbo Mode, QPI Control........................... 62-63
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............................................................................... 64
Spread Spectrum ............................................................................................... 64
I stalli g Drivers a d Software ................................................................................65
Windows XP/Vista Driver Installation..................................................................... 65
Appe dix A. POST Codes for the EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard ..............................66
VGA Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................... 74

EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard
List of Figures
Figure 1. VGA X58 SLI Motherboard Layout..................................................... 14
Figure 2. Chassis Backpanel Connectors........................................................... 15
Figure 3. PWR1 Motherboard Connector ........................................................... 22
Figure 4. BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu.................................................. 36
Figure 5. Standard CMOS Features Menu.......................................................... 38
Figure 6. Advanced BIOS Features Menu........................................................... 42
Figure 7. Integrated Peripherals Menu................................................................ 44
Figure 8. Power Management Setup Menu ........................................................ 49
Figure 9. PnP/PCI Configuration Menu ............................................................... 52
Figure 10. PC Health Status Menu........................................................................ 54
Figure 11. Frequency/Voltage Control .................................................................. 57
Figure 12. Memory Feature Menu ......................................................................... 58
Figure 13. Voltage Control Menu .......................................................................... 60
Figure 14. CPU Feature Menu............................................................................... 62

Before You Begi …
Parts NOT i the Kit
This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new
EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard. owever, 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 the necessary parts needed to allow for
proper system functionality.
I te tio s of the Kit
This kit provides you with the motherboard and all connecting cables necessary
to install the motherboard into a system 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 system case, you will need to reinstall an
operating system even though the current ard Disk Drive may already have an
operating system.

EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard

EVGA X58 SLI
Motherboard
Thank you for purchasing the EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard. This motherboard offers
enthusiast performance and when combined with two or three SLI-Ready NVIDIA ®
GeForce ® graphics cards, you get innovative NVIDIA ® SLI ® technology for enhanced
system performance.
Motherboard Specificatio s
Size
ATX form factor of 12 inch x 9.6 inch
Microprocessor support
Intel Core i7 processor
Operating systems:
Supports Windows XP 32bit/64bit and Windows Vista 32bit/64bit
Contains INTEL X58 and IC 10R chipset
System Memory support
Supports triple channel JEDEC DDR3-1333. Officially supports up to
12GBs of DDR3 memory.
USB 2.0 Ports
Supports hot plug
Twelve USB 2.0 ports (Eight rear panel ports, four onboard USB headers)
Supports wake-up from S1 and S3 mode
Supports USB 2.0 protocol up to a 480 Mbps transmission rate

EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard
Nine(9) onboard Serial ATA II + one(1) eSATA II
300MBps data transfer rate
Six Serial ATA II connectors from south bridge with support for RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, and JBOD
Two Serial ATA II connectors from JMicron’s JMB363 with support for
RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, and JBOD
Two Serial ATA II connectors from JMicron’s JMB362 (one rear panel port
for eSATA, one onboard connector)
Supports hot plug and NCQ (Native Command Queuing )
Onboard LAN
Integrated Dual LAN ports
Supports 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec Ethernet
Onboard IEEE1394a (Firewire)
Support hot plug
Two IEEE1394a ports (one rear panel port, one onboard header) with a rate
transmission of 400 Mbps
Onboard Audio
Realtek igh-Definition audio
Supports 8-channel audio
Supports S/PDIF output (Optical and COAX)
Supports Jack-Sensing function
Triple PCI Express Support
Three (3) PCI-E 2.0 Slots
Supports 4 GB/sec (8 GB/sec concurrent) bandwidth
Low power consumption and power management features
Green Function
Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
Supports S0 (normal), S1 (power on suspend), S3 (suspend to RAM), S4
(Suspend to disk - depends on OS), and S5 (soft - off)
Expansion Slots
Two PCI slots
One PCI Express x1 slot
Three PCI Express x8/x16 slots

U packi g a d
Parts Descriptio s
U packi g
The EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard comes with all the necessary cables for
adding a motherboard to a system case. If replacing a motherboard, you may
not need many of these cables.
All parts shipped in this kit are Ro S-compliant (lead-free) parts.
Equipme t
The following accessories are included with the EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard.
The EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard
This PCI Express motherboard contains the Intel X58 and
ICH 0R chipset and is SLI-ready for both 2-Way and 3-Way
SLI configurations.
1 - Visual Guide
Helps to quickly and visually guide you through the hardware
installation of the motherboard.
1 - I/O Shield
Installs in the system case to block radio frequency
transmissions, protect internal components from dust, foreign
objects, and aids in proper airflow within the chassis.

EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard
3 - 2-Port SATA Power ables
Allows a Molex power connector to adapt to a SATA power
connector.
1 - IEEE1394a (Firewire) Bracket
Provides one ( ) additional IEEE 394a port to the back panel
of the chassis.
1 - 4-Port USB 2.0 Bracket
Provides four additional USB ports to either the front or back
panels of the chassis.
6 - SATA Data ables
Used to support the Serial ATA protocol and each one connects
a single drive to the motherboard.
1 - IDE Data able
Passes data between the IDE connection on the motherboard
and IDE device.
1 - 2-Way SLI Bridge
Bridges two (2) graphic cards together which allows for
2-Way SLI.
1 - 3-Way SLI Bridge
Bridges three (3) graphic cards together which allows for
3-Way SLI.
1 - Installation D
Contains drivers and software needed to setup the
motherboard.

EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard
The EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard with the Intel X58 and IC 10R chipset is a
PCI Express, SLI-ready motherboard. Figure 1 shows the motherboard and
Figures 2 shows the back panel connectors.

EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard
. CPU Socket 366 . IEEE 394a Connector 2 . Front Panel Audio Connector
2. Intel X58 Chipset 2. USB Headers 22. Back Panel Connectors (Figure 2)
3. DDR3 DIMM Slots – 6 3. Clear CMOS Button 23. CPU Fan Connector
4. Fan Connectors 4. Power Button 24. 8-pin ATX_ 2V Power Connector
5. 24-Pin ATX Power Connector 5. Reset Button 25. Motherboard Battery
6. IDE Connector 6. Serial Connector
7. Intel ICH 0R Chipset 7. PC Speaker
8. Serial-ATA (SATA) Connectors 8. PCI slots
9. Debug LED Display - CPU Temperature
Monitor
9. PCI Express 2.0 Slots
0. Front Panel Connector 20. PCI Express x Slot
Figure . EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard Layout
1
4
6
7
4
5
10
18
19
18
20
19
22
23
19
1
4
1
3
24
1
5
4
21
17
2
8
8
1
1
1
2
16
8
9
4
25
3

. PS/2 Keyboard Port
2. USB 2.0 Ports (Eight)
3. Clear CMOS Button
4. Coaxial SPDIF Output
5. Optical SPDIF Output
6. IEE 394a (Firewire) Port
7. eSATA Port
8. Dual LAN Ports with LEDs to indicate status:
9. Audio Port 2-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 Center/Subwoofer
Black Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out
Grey Side Speaker Out
Figure 2. Chassis Back Panel Connectors
1
2
2
7
2
3
5
2
6
8
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
4
9
8

Hardware I stallatio
This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The
topics covered in this section are:
Preparing the motherboard
Installing the CPU
Installing the CPU fan
Installing the memory
Installing the motherboard
Connecting cables
Safety I structio s
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

Prepari g the Motherboard
I stalli g the CPU
Be very careful when handling the CPU. old 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:
Unhook the socket lever by pushing down and
away from the socket.
Put your finger on the tail of the load plate
and press down with light pressure to lift
the load plate up.
Lift the load plate. There is a protective socket
cover within the CPU socket to protect
the socket when there is no CPU
installed.
Remove the protective socket cover from the
CPU Socket.
Note: Remove the process 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.

Align the notches in the processor with the
notches on the socket.
Lower the processor straight down into the
socket with out tilting or sliding it into the
socket
Note: Make sure the CPU is fully seated and
level in the socket.
Close the load plate over the CPU and press
down while you close and engage the
socket lever.
The CPU installation is complete.
I stalli g the CPU Fa
There are many different fan types that can be used with this motherboard.
Follow the instruction that came with you 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

I stalli g System Memory (DIMMs)
Your new motherboard has six 240-pin slots for DDR3 memory. These slots
support 256 MB, 512 MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB DDR3 technologies. 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
15 for the location of the memory slots.)
One DIMM: If using 1 DIMM (Single Channel), install into: DIMM slot 1.
Two or Four DIMMs: If using 2 DIMMs (Dual Channel), install into: DIMM
slots 1 and 3. If using 4 DIMMs (Dual Channel), install into: DIMM slots
2, 1, 4, and 3.
Three DIMMs: If using 3 DIMMs (Triple Channel), install into: DIMM slots
1, 3 and 5.
Six DIMMs: If using more than 4 DIMMs, use: DIMM slots 2, 1, 4, and 3
then proceed to occupy the following DIMM slots in this order: 5 and 6
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.
Align the memory module to the DIMM slot, and insert the module vertically
into the DIMM slot. The plastic clips at both sides of the DIMM slot
automatically lock the DIMM into the connector.
DIMM Slot 2
DIMM Slot 1
DIMM Slot 4
DIMM Slot 3
DIMM Slot 6
DIMM Slot 5