Intel G41 Express Chipset User manual

USER'S MANUAL
Of
Intel G41 Express and ICH7 Chipset
Based
M/B for LGA775 Quad Core Ready
Intel Core Processor Family
Trademark:
* Specifications and Information contained in this documentation are furnished for information use only, and are
subject to change at any time without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by manufacturer.
NO. G03-MIP41TA-F
Rev: 2.0
Release date: May, 2011

ii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION OF INTEL G41 MOTHERBOARD SERIES
1-1 FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD .............................................................................1
1-1.1 SPECIAL FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD...............................................2
1-2 SPECIFICATION.........................................................................................................3
1-3 ITEM CHECKLIST.......................................................................................................3
1-4 LAYOUT DIAGRAM....................................................................................................4
CHAPTER 2 HARDWARE INSTALLATION
2-1 INSTALL INTEL LAG775 SOCKET CPU...................................................................6
2-2 INSTALL MEMORY ....................................................................................................7
2-3 EXPANSION CARDS..................................................................................................7
CHAPTER 3 CONNCTORS, HEADERS & JUMPERS SETTING
3-1 CONNECTORS ...........................................................................................................8
3-2 HEADERS ...................................................................................................................10
3-3 JUMPER SETTING .....................................................................................................13
CHAPTER 4 USEFUL HELP
4-1 HOW TO UPDATE BIOS ............................................................................................14
4-2 TROUBLE SHOOTING...............................................................................................14
Environmental Protection Announcement
Do not dispose this electronic device into the trash while discarding. To minimize
pollution and ensure environment protection of mother earth, please recycle.
TABLE OF CONTENT

1
Chapter 1
Introduction of Intel G41 Motherboard Series
1-1 Features of Motherboard
The G41Express and ICH7 chipset motherboard series are based on Intel G41 Express
chipset and ICH7 chipset technology which supports the innovative 45nm and 65nm
Quad-Core, Dual-Core Intel®Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo processors, Intel®Pentium
Dual Core, Intel®Celeron Dual Core Conroe processors and Intel®Celeron 400
Conroe-L processors.
The G41 Express and ICH7 chipset Based motherboard series deliver the
revolutionary levels of performance enabling vivid, high-definition experiences and
multi-tasking responsiveness from state-of-the-art Intel dual-core and quad-core
technologies through the high bandwidth of dual channel DDRIII 800 / 1066MHz
system memories which are expandable to 8GB and the next generation PCI Express
interface for the latest AMD and NVIDIA graphics card . The G41 Express and ICH7
chipset motherboard series are absolutely the ultimate solution for game enthusiasts
and applications, and it also meets the demanding usage of computing of gaming,
multimedia entertainment and business applications.
The INTEL G41 Express and ICH7 chipset motherboard series are embedded with
ICH7 chipset of providing four serial ATA2 interface of 3.0 Gb / s data transfer rate for
four serial ATA devices.
The G41 Express and ICH7 chipset Based motherboard provides Gigabit LAN function
by using the PCI-E Gigabit LAN which supports 10M / 100M / 1Gbps data transfer rate.
Embedded 6-channel HD Audio Codec is fully compatible with Sound Blaster Pro®
standards that offer you with the home cinema quality and absolutely software
compatibility.
The G41 Express chipset based motherboard series offer one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 by
16 lane graphics slots which delivers up to 8Gbyte/sec data transfer rate at each
relative direction. One PCI Express 2.0 x1 I/O slot tackling the most demanding
multimedia tasks nowadays. Two 32-bit PCI slots guarantee the rich connectivity for
the I/O of peripherals.
Embedded USB controllers as well as capability of expanding to 8 of USB 2.0
functional ports delivering 480Mb/s bandwidth of rich connectivity, these
motherboards meet the future USB demands which are also equipped with hardware
monitor function on system to monitor and protect your system and maintain your
non-stop business computing.
Some special features---CPU Thermal Throttling/ CPU Smart Fan/ / CPU Vcore
Output OC-CON / 3D Audio (optional) in this motherboard are designed for power
user to use the over-clocking function in more flexible ways. But please be caution
that the over-clocking may cause the failure in system reliability. This motherboard
provides the guaranteed performance and meets the demands of the next generation

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computing. But if you insist to gain more system performance with variety possibilities
of the components you choose, please be careful and make sure to read the detailed
descriptions of these value added product features, please get them in the coming
section.
1-1.1 Special Features of motherboard
CPU Thermal Throttling Technology (The CPU Overheat Protection
Technology)
To prevent the increasing heat from damage of CPU or accidental shutdown while at
high workload, the CPU Thermal Throttling Technology will force CPU to enter
partially idle mode from 87.5% to 12.5% according to preset CPU operating
temperature in BIOS (from 40℃to 90℃). When the system senses the CPU
operating temperature reaching the preset value, the CPU operating bandwidth will be
decreased to the preset idle percentage to cool down the processor. When at
throttling mode the beeper sound can be optionally selected to indicate it is in working.
CPU Smart Fan--- The Noise Management System
It’s never been a good idea to gain the performance of your system by sacrificing its
acoustics. CPU Smart Fan Noise Management System is the answer to control the
noise level needed for now-a-day’s high performance computing system. The system
will automatically increase the fan speed when CPU operating loading is high, after
the CPU is in normal operating condition, the system will low down the fan speed for
the silent operating environment. The system can provide the much longer life cycle
for both CPU and the system fans for game use and business requirements.
CPU Output Solid Capacitors (High-polymer Solid Electrolysis Aluminum
Capacitors)
CPU Vcore Input and Output of the motherboard adopts OC-CON solid capacitors to
make it possible for motherboard to work from 55 degrees Centigrade below zero to
125 degrees centigrade. OC-CON capacitors possess superior physical
characteristics to prolong product life ten times than corresponding motherboard
without capacitors every time working temperature increases 20 degrees. Life of
product of motherboard with solid capacitors declines only 10% of those without solid
capacitors as well under same conditions.
3D Audio(Optional for MIP41TA-IC series only)
OP with two-stage Butterworth filter and quadruple noninverting amplifier enhances
bass effect under the 100MHz range to perfect audio effect, brings you stunning
shock experience in video game, true-to-life simulated feeling when watching films
and the greatest touch as that in the concert.

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1-2 Specification
Spec Description
Design zATX form factor,PCB size: 29.5x18.0cm
Chipset zIntel G41 Express Chipset
zIntel ICH7 chipset
CPU Socket
LGA775
zSupport 45nm and 65nm Quad-Core, Dual-Core Intel®
Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo processors, Intel®Pentium Dual
Core, Intel®Celeron Dual Core Conroe processors and
Intel®Celeron 400 Conroe-L processors 775-Land LGA
Package utilizes Flip-Chip Land Grid Array (FCLGA)
package processor
zSuggest the power of the CPU should below 95W
zSupport FSB Frequency 1333MHz
Memory Socket
zDDRIII Module socket x 2
zSupport 2pcs DDRIII 1066/1333 MHz DDRIII modules
expandable to 8 GB
zSupport Dual channel function
Expansion Slot z1pcs
*PCI-Express x16 by 16 lane slot
z1pcs
* PCI-Express x1
z2pcs
*32-bit PCI slot
Integrate IDE and
SATA2
zThe Intel ICH7 supports four Serial ATA ports provide 3.0
Gb/sec data transfer rate
Gigabit LAN
zIntegrated Gigabit LAN function.
zSupports Fast Ethernet LAN function provide
10Mb/100Mb/ 1Gb /s data transfer rate.
6-CH HD Audio z6-channel HD Audio Codec integrated
zAudio driver and utility included
BIOS zAward 8MB SMT Flash ROM
Multi I/O
zPS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse connectors
zSerial port connector x1
zUSB 2.0 port x 4 and headers x2
zRJ-45 LAN connector x1
zAudio connectorx1 (6-CH Audio)
zFront panel audio header x1
zParallel header x1
zFront panel header x1
zPower LED header x1
zSpeaker header x1
zHDMI-SPDIF header x1
1-3 Item Checklist
5Motherboard
5User’s Manual
5DVD for motherboard utilities
5SATA Cable
5I/O Back Panel Shield

4
1-4 Layout Diagram
Rear I/O Diagram
Internal Diagram for MIP41TA-IC Series Motherboard
ATX 12V Power Connector
Front Panel Header
ATX Powe
r
Connector
CPU Socket mPGA775
Power LED Header
DDRIII DIMMx2
USB Port
(USB2, USB3)
32-bit PCI Slot
K
B／MS Power ON
Jumper (JP1)
USB Por
t
s
Audio Connector
Front Panel
Audio Header
ATA100
IDE Connector
Serial-ATA2
Connector
CPU FAN
RJ-45 LAN
over USB Ports
PCI Express 2.0 x16 by 16 Lane
Parallel Header
Intel G41Express
Chipset
SYS FAN1 Header
PS2
KB/Mouse Ports
6-CH HD Audio
HDMI-SPDIF Header
Serial Port
ICH7 Chipset
3D Audio Button
PCI Express 2.0 x1
Gigabit LAN Chip
JBAT1
USB Ports
PS/2 Keyboard Port
MIC-IN
Serial Port
Line-IN
RJ-45 LAN Port
SWA Chip
Line-Out
Speaker Header
PS/2 Mouse Port

5
Internal Diagram for MIP41TA Series Motherboard:
Notice! Diagrams in the manual are for illustration and instruction purpose
only. Please refer to the board you purchased for actual specification.
ATX 12V Power Connector
Front Panel Header
ATX Powe
r
Connector
CPU Socket mPGA775
Power LED Header
DDRIII DIMMx2
USB Port
(USB2, USB3)
32-bit PCI Slot
K
B／MS Power ON
Jumper (JP1)
USB Por
t
s
Audio Connector
Front Panel
Audio Header
ATA100
IDE Connector
Serial-ATA2
Connector
CPU FAN
RJ-45 LAN
over USB Ports
PCI Express 2.0 x16 by 16 Lane
Parallel Header
Intel G41Express
Chipset
SYS FAN1 Header
PS2
KB/Mouse Ports
6-CH HD Audio
HDMI-SPDIF Header
Serial Port
ICH7 Chipset
PCI Express 2.0 x1
Gigabit LAN Chip
JBAT1
Speaker Header

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Chapter 2
Hardware Installation
WARNING! Turn off your power when installing system components. Failure to
do so may cause severe damage to both your motherboard and the
components.
2-1 Install Intel LGA775 Socket CPU
This motherboard provides a 775-pin DIP, LGA775 Land Grid Array socket, referred
to as the LGA775 socket supports Intel Pentium 4 processor in the 775 Pin package
utilizes Flip-Chip Land Grid Array (FC-LGA) package technology.
The CPU that comes with the motherboard should have a cooling FAN attached to
prevent overheating. If this is not the case, then purchase a correct cooling FAN
before you turn on your system.
NOTED! 1.Be sure that there is sufficient air circulation across the processor’s
heat sink and CPU cooling FAN is working correctly, otherwise it
may cause the processor and motherboard overheat and damage,
you may install an auxiliary cooling FAN, if necessary.
2. We suggest to use CPU under 65W power consumption.
To install a CPU, first turn off your system and remove its cover. Locate the LGA775
socket and open it by first pulling the level sideways away from the socket then
upward to a 90-degree angle. Insert the CPU with the correct orientation as shown
below. The notched corner should point toward the end of the level. Because the CPU
has a corner pin for two of the four corners, the CPU will only fit in the orientation as
shown.
CPU LGA775 Socket
Colden Arrow
LGA775
When you install the CPU into the LGA775 socket, there’s no force required CPU
insertion; then presses the level to locate position slightly without any extra force.

7
2-2 Install Memory
The motherboards provide two 240-pin DDRIII DUAL INLINE MEMORY MODULES
(DIMM) sites for DDRIII memory expansion to maximum memory size of 8GB DDRIII
SDRAM.
Valid Memory Configurations of 2-DIMM Design Motherboard
Bank 240-pin DDR III DIMM PCS Maximum Capacity
Bank 0, 1 (DIMM1) DDRIII 800/1066/1333 Module X1 4GB
Bank 2, 3 (DIMM2) DDRIII 800/1066/1333 Module X1 4GB
Total System Memory (Max. 4GB) X2 8GB
Recommend DIMM Module Combination
1. One DIMM Module ----Plug in DIMM1
2. Two DIMM Modules---Plug in DIMM1 and DIMM2 for Dual channel function
Dual channel Limited!
1. Dual channel function only supports when 2 DIMM Modules plug in either both DIMM1
& DIMM2.
2. DIMM1 & DIMM2 must be the same type, the same size, and the same frequency for
dual channel function.
Generally, installing DDRIII modules to your motherboard is very easy, you can refer
to figure 2-4 to see what a 240-Pin DDRIII 800/DDRIII 1066/DDRIII 1333 SDRAM
module looks like.
DIMM1&DIMM2: Dual Channel
NOTE! When you install DIMM module fully into the DIMM socket the eject tab
should be locked into the DIMM module very firmly and fit into its indention
on both sides
2-3 Expansion Cards
The G41 Express chipset based motherboard series offer one PCI-Express2.0 x16 by
16lane graphics slots which get 7 times of bandwidth more than AGP8X. This
graphics slot offers 8 Gbyte/sec data transfer rate at each relative direction and up to
16Gbyte/sec concurrent bandwidth at full speed. One PCI Express2.0 x1 I/O slot
tackling the most demanding multimedia tasks nowadays. Two 32-bit PCI slots
guarantee the rich connectivity for the I/O of peripherals.

8
Chapter 3
Connectors, Headers & Jumpers Setting
3-1 Connectors
(1) Power Connector (24-pinblock): ATXPWR
ATX Power Supply connector: This is a new defined 24-pins connector that
usually comes with ATX case. The ATX Power Supply allows using soft power
on momentary switch that connect from the front panel switch to 2-pins Power
On jumper pole on the motherboard. When the power switch on the back of the
ATX power supply turned on, the full power will not come into the system board
until the front panel switch is momentarily pressed. Press this switch again will
turn off the power to the system board.
** We recommend that you use an ATX 12V Specification 2.0-compliant power
supply unit (PSU) with a minimum of 350W power rating. This type has 24-pin
and 4-pin power plugs.
** If you intend to use a PSU with 20-pin and 4-pin power plugs, make sure that the
20-pin power plug can provide at least 15A on +12V and the power supply unit
has a minimum power rating of 350W. The system may become unstable or may
not boot up if the power is inadequate.
Pin 1
ROW1 ROW2
24-Pin
ROW1 ROW2
Pin 1
20-Pin
PIN ROW1 ROW2
1 3.3V 3.3V
2 3.3V -12V
3 GND GND
4 5V Soft Power On
5 GND GND
6 5V GND
7 GND GND
8 Power OK -5V
9 +5V (for Soft Logic) +5V
10 +12V +5V
11 +12V +5V
12 +3V GND
PCI-E 2.0 x16 Slot
PCI-E2.0 x1 Slot
32-bit PCI Slots

9
(2) ATX 12V Power Connector (4-pin block) : ATX12V
This is a new defined 4-pins connector that usually comes with ATX Power
Supply. The ATX Power Supply which fully supports AM2 processor must
including this connector for support extra 12V voltage to maintain system power
consumption. Without this connector might cause system unstable because the
power supply can not provide sufficient current for system.
ATX12V
+12V +12V
Pin1
3
2
4
GND
GND
(3) PS/2 Mouse & PS/2 Keyboard Connector: KB
The connectors are for PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 Mouse
(4) Serial port connector: COM1
COM1 is a 9-pin serial port connector.
(5) USB Port connector: USB port from USB1/ UL1
The connectors are 4-pin connectors that connect USB devices to the system
board.
(6) LAN Port connector: RJ-45 connector from UL1
This connector is standard RJ-45 connector for Network.
The connector supports optional 10M/100Mbps/1Gb data transfer rate.
(7) Audio Line-In, Lin-Out, MIC Connector: AUDIO
These Connectors are 3 Phone-Jack for LINE-OUT, LINE-IN, MIC audio
connections.
Line-in: (BLUE) Audio input to sound chip
Line-out: (GREEN) Audio output to speaker
MIC: (PINK) Microphone Connector
(8)Primary IDE Connector (40-pin block): IDE
This connector connects to the next set of Master and Slave hard disks. Follow
the same procedure described for the primary IDE connector. You may also
configure two hard disks to be both Masters using one ribbon cable on the
primary IDE connector and another ribbon cable on the secondary IDE
connector.
USB Ports
PS/2 Keyboard Port
MIC-IN
Serial Port
Line-IN
RJ-45 LAN Port
Line-Out
PS/2 Mouse Port

10
Primary IDE Connector
Pin 1
IDE1 IDE1
•Two hard disks can be connected to each connector. The first HDD is referred to
as the “Master” and the second HDD is referred to as the “Slave”.
•For performance issues, we strongly suggest you don’t install a CD-ROM or
DVD-ROM drive on the same IDE channel as a hard disk. Otherwise, the system
performance on this channel may drop.
(9) Serial-ATA Port connector: SATA1/SATA2/ SATA3/SATA4
These connectors support the provided Serial ATA and Serial ATA2 IDE hard
disk cable to connecting the motherboard and serial ATA hard disk.
Serial-ATA2 Port Connector
SATA
SATA
S
ATA
SATA
3-2 Headers
(1) Line-Out/MIC Header for Front Panel (9-pin): FP_AUDIO
These headers connect to Front Panel Line-out, MIC connector with cable.
Line-Out, MIC Headers
AUDIO
Pin 1
Lineout2-L Lineout2-R
Sense-FB
Audio-GND
LINE2-JD
Audio-JD
2
9
10
KEY
MIC2-L
MIC2-JD
MIC2-R

11
(2) USB Port Headers (9-pin) :USB2 / USB3
These headers are used for connecting the additional USB port plug. By
attaching an option USB cable, your can be provided with two additional USB
plugs affixed to the back panel.
USB Port Headers
Pin 1
USB3
VCC
-DATA
GND
+DATA
VCC
OC
-DATA
GND
+DATA
Pin 1
USB2
VCC
-DATA
GND
+DATA
VCC
OC
-DATA
GND
+DATA
(3) Speaker connector: SPEAK1
This 4-pin connector connects to the case-mounted speaker. See the figure
below.
(4) Power LED: PWR LED
The Power LED is light on while the system power is on. Connect the Power
LED from the system case to this pin.
(5) IDE Activity LED: HD LED
This connector connects to the hard disk activity indicator light on the case.
(6) Reset switch lead: RESET
This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted reset switch for rebooting
your computer without having to turn off your power switch. This is a preferred
method of rebooting in order to prolong the lift of the system’s power supply.
See the figure below.
(7) Power switch: PWR BTN
This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted power switch to power
ON/OFF the system.
System Case Connections
HDLED
RESET
VCC5
GND
VCC5 PWRLED
PWRBTN
PWRBTN PWRLED
HDDLE
RSTS W
NC GND
JW FP
Pin 1
SPEAK
SPKR
GND
NC
VCC5
Pin 1
PWRLED
Pin 1
(8) FAN Power Headers: SYSFAN1 (3-pin), CPUFAN (4-pin)
These connectors support cooling fans of 350mA (4.2 Watts) or less, depending
on the fan manufacturer, the wire and plug may be different. The red wire

12
should be positive, while the black should be ground. Connect the fan’s plug to
the board taking into consideration the polarity of connector.
FAN Power Headers
CPUFAN
14
GND
+12V
CPUFAN IN
CPUFAN OUT
SYSFAN1
1
3
(9)Parallel Port header (25-pin): PARALLEL
The onboard parallel port header is a 25-pin connector for connecting devices
such as old-fashioned printer.
(10) HDMI-SPDIF Out header: HDMI_SPDIF
The SPDIF output is capable of providing digital audio to external speakers or
compressed AC3 data to an external Dolby digital decoder. Use this feature only
when your stereo system has digital input function.
HDMI_SPDIF Header
1
GND
2
HDMI_SPDIF OUT

13
3-3 Jumper Setting
(1) Keyboard/Mouse/USB function Enabled/Disabled: JP1
Keyboard/Mouse & USB Power On Setting
2-3 Closed KB/MS/ USB Power ON Enabled
JP1JP1
1-2 Closed KB/MS/ USB Power ON Disable
(Default)
(2) CMOS RAM Clear (3-pin): JBAT
A battery must be used to retain the motherboard configuration in CMOS RAM
short 1-2 pins of JBAT to store the CMOS data.
To clear the CMOS, follow the procedure below:
1. Turn off the system and unplug the AC power
2. Remove ATX power cable from ATX power connector
3. Locate JBAT and short pins 2-3 for a few seconds
4. Return JBAT to its normal setting by shorting pins 1-2
5. Connect ATX power cable back to ATX power connector
Note: When should clear CMOS
1. Troubleshooting
2. Forget password
3. After over clocking system boot fail
CMOS RAM Clear Setting
2-3 closed Clear CMOS
JBAT JBAT
1-2 closed Normal (Default)
1
3
1
3

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Chapter 4
Useful Help
4-1 How to Upgrade BIOS
Solution1: Updating BIOS under DOS:
1. Prepare a bootable disk. (You may make one by click START click RUN type SYS
A: click OK)
2. Download upgrade tools and the latest BIOS files of the motherboard from official
website and then make a copy of it to your bootable floppy disk after
decompressing these files
3. Insert the disk into A: ,start your computer and then type in
“A:\xxxxxx.BAT”(xxxxxxx being the file name of the latest BIOS )
4. Type Enter to update and flash the BIOS. The system will restart automatically
when BIOS is upgraded.
Solution2: Updating BIOS under Windows operating system:
1. Download Windows version BIOS from our website.
2. Unzip the downloaded file.
3. Double click EXE file to activate it and follow on-screen instructions for further
operations.
4-2 Trouble Shooting
Problem Solution
No power to the system to the all power light
don’t illuminate, fan inside power supply
doesn’t turn on.
1. Make sure power cable is security
plugged in. 2. Replace cable. 3. Contact
technical support.
System inoperative. Keyboard lights are on,
power indicator lights are lit, and hard drive
is spinning.
Using ever pressure on both ends of the
DIMM , press down firmly until the module
snaps into places.
System doesn’t boot from hard disk drive,
can be booted from optical drive. 1. Check cable running from disk to disk controller board. .Make sure both ends are
securely plugged in, check the drive type in
the standard CMOS setup. 2. Backing up the
hard drive is extremely important .All hard
disks are capable of breaking down at any
time.
System only boots from optical drive .Hard
disk can be read and applications can be
used but booting from hard disk is
impossible.
1. Back up date and applications files. 2.
Reformat the hard drive. Reinstall
applications and date using backup disks.
Screen message says “Invalid
Configuration” or “CMOS Failure” Review system‘s equipment .Make sure correct information on is in setup.