MSI K9N4 SLI Series User manual

i
K9N4SLI Series
MS-7325(V1.X)Mainboard
G52-73251X1

ii
CopyrightNotice
The materialinthisdocumentistheintellectual propertyof MICRO-STAR
INTERNATIONAL.Wetakeeverycareinthe preparationof thisdocument, butno
guaranteeisgivenastothecorrectnessofitscontents.Ourproductsareunder
continualimprovementand wereservetherighttomakechangeswithoutnotice.
Trademarks
Alltrademarksarethepropertiesoftheirrespectiveowners.
NVIDIA,theNVIDIAlogo,DualNet, and nForceareregisteredtrademarksortrade-
marksofNVIDIACorporationin theUnitedStatesand/orothercountries.
AMD,Athlon ,Athlon XP,Thoroughbred ,andDuron areregisteredtrade-
marksofAMDCorporation.
Intel®andPentium®areregisteredtrademarksofIntelCorporation.
PS/2and OS®/2areregisteredtrademarksofInternationalBusiness Machines
Corporation.
Windows®95/98/2000/NT/XPareregisteredtrademarksofMicrosoftCorporation.
Netware®isaregisteredtrademarkofNovell,Inc.
Award®isaregisteredtrademarkofPhoenixTechnologiesLtd.
AMI®isaregisteredtrademarkofAmericanMegatrendsInc.
RevisionHistory
Revision RevisionHistory Date
V1.0 FirstreleaseforPCB1.X October2006
TechnicalSupport
Ifaproblemariseswithyoursystemandnosolutioncanbeobtainedfromtheuser’s
manual,pleasecontactyourplaceofpurchaseorlocaldistributor.Alternatively,
pleasetrythefollowing helpresourcesforfurtherguidance.
Visit theMSI websiteforFAQ,technical guide,BIOSupdates,driverupdates,
andotherinformation: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/service/faq/
faq/esc_faq_list.php
Contactourtechnicalstaff at: http://support.msi.com.tw/

iii
SafetyInstructions
CAUTION: Dangerofexplosionifbatteryisincorrectlyreplaced.
Replaceonlywiththe sameorequivalenttype recommendedbythe
manufacturer.
1. Alwaysread thesafetyinstructionscarefully.
2. KeepthisUser’sManualforfuturereference.
3. Keepthisequipmentawayfromhumidity.
4. Laythisequipmentonareliableflatsurfacebeforesetting itup.
5. Theopeningsontheenclosureareforairconvectionhenceprotectstheequip-
ment fromoverheating.DONOTCOVERTHEOPENINGS.
6. Makesurethevoltageofthe powersourceandadjustproperly110/220Vbe-
foreconnectingtheequipmenttothepowerinlet.
7. Placethe powercordsuchawaythatpeoplecannotstepon it. Donotplace
anythingoverthepowercord.
8. AlwaysUnplug thePowerCordbeforeinsertinganyadd-oncardormodule.
9. All cautionsand warningsontheequipmentshouldbenoted.
10. Neverpouranyliquidintotheopeningthatcoulddamage orcauseelectrical
shock.
11. If anyofthefollowingsituationsarises,gettheequipmentcheckedbyservice
personnel:
†Thepowercordorplugisdamaged.
†Liquid haspenetratedintotheequipment.
†Theequipmenthasbeen exposedtomoisture.
†The equipmentdoesnotworkwelloryoucannotgetitworkaccordingto
User’sManual.
†Theequipmenthasdroppedand damaged.
†Theequipmenthasobvioussign of breakage.
12.DONOTLEAVETHISEQUIPMENTINANENVIRONMENTUNCONDITIONED,STOR-
AGETEMPERATUREABOVE600C(1400F),IT MAYDAMAGETHEEQUIPMENT.

iv
FCC-BRadio Frequency Interference Statement
Thisequipmenthasbeen
tested and found tocomply
withthe limitsforaClassB
digitaldevice,pursuanttoPart
15of the FCCRules.Theselimitsaredesignedtoprovidereasonable protection
againstharmful interferenceinaresidentialinstallation.Thisequipmentgenerates,
usesand canradiateradiofrequencyenergyand,ifnotinstalledand used in accor-
dancewiththeinstructions,maycauseharmful interferencetoradiocommunications.
However,thereisno guarantee thatinterferencewill notoccurin aparticular
installation.Ifthisequipmentdoescauseharmful interferencetoradioortelevision
reception,whichcanbedeterminedbyturning theequipmentoff and on,the useris
encouragedtotrytocorrecttheinterferencebyone ormoreof themeasureslisted
below.
†Reorientorrelocatethereceiving antenna.
†Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentand receiver.
†Connecttheequipmentintoanoutleton acircuitdifferentfromthatto
whichthereceiverisconnected.
†Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/televisiontechnicianforhelp.
Notice1
Thechangesormodificationsnotexpresslyapprovedbythepartyresponsible for
compliancecould void theuser’sauthoritytooperatetheequipment.
Notice2
Shieldedinterfacecablesand A.C.powercord,ifany,mustbeusedinorderto
complywiththeemissionlimits.
VOIRLANOTICED’ INSTALLATIONAVANTDERACCORDERAURESEAU.
Micro-StarInternational
MS-7325
ThisdevicecomplieswithPart15oftheFCCRules.Operationissubjecttothe
followingtwoconditions:
(1)thisdevicemaynotcauseharmfulinterference,and
(2)thisdevicemustaccept anyinterferencereceived,includinginterferencethat
maycauseundesiredoperation.

v
WEEE (WasteElectricaland ElectronicEquipment) Statement

vi

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viii
CONTENTS
CopyrightNotice..............................................................................................................ii
Trademarks.......................................................................................................................ii
RevisionHistory..............................................................................................................ii
Technical Support...........................................................................................................ii
SafetyInstructions.........................................................................................................iii
FCC-B RadioFrequencyInterferenceStatement........................................................iv
WEEE(WasteElectricalandElectronicEquipment)Statement....................................v
Chapter1.GettingStarted....................................................................................1-1
MainboardSpecifications...................................................................................1-2
MainboardLayout................................................................................................1-4
PackingChecklist.................................................................................................1-5
Chapter2.HardwareSetep..................................................................................2-1
Quick ComponentsGuide....................................................................................2-2
CPU(CentralProcessingUnit)............................................................................2-3
CPUInstallationProceduresforSocketAM2............................................2-4
InstallingAMDSocketAM2CPUCoolerSet...............................................2-5
Memory.................................................................................................................2-6
Dual-ChannelMemoryPopulation Rules....................................................2-6
InstallingDDRII Modules...............................................................................2-7
PowerSupply......................................................................................................2-8
ATX24-Pin PowerConnector: JPWR1......................................................2-8
ATX12VPowerConnector:JPW1/PCIE_PW1.........................................2-8
ImportantNotificationaboutPowerIssue..................................................2-9
BackPanel..........................................................................................................2-10
Connectors........................................................................................................2-12
FloppyDiskDriveConnector:FDD1..........................................................2-12
ATA133HardDiskConnectors:IDE1/IDE2..............................................2-12
SerialATAConnectors:SATA1~SATA4...................................................2-13
FanPowerConnectors:CPUFAN1,SYSFAN1,NBFAN1&SYSFAN2..2-14
ChassisIntrusionSwitchConnector:JCI1..............................................2-14
AuxLine-InConnector:JCD1...................................................................2-14
FrontPanelAudioConnector:JAUD1......................................................2-15
IrDAInfraredModule Header: JIR1...........................................................2-15
FrontUSBConnectors:JUSB1,JUSB2&JUSB3...................................2-16
SPDIF-OutConnector: JSPDO1(Optional,forHDMI graphicscardonly).....
2-16
FrontPanelConnectors: JFP1/JFP2.......................................................2-17

ix
D-Bracket 2Connector:JDB1...............................................................2-18
Button.................................................................................................................2-19
ClearCMOSButton: SW1.........................................................................2-19
Slots....................................................................................................................2-20
PCI(PeripheralComponent Interconnect)Express Slots.......................2-20
NVSLI Technology....................................................................................2-21
PCI(PeripheralComponent Interconnect)Slots......................................2-23
PCIInterruptRequestRouting...................................................................2-23
Chapter3.BIOSSetup............................................................................................3-1
EnteringSetup.....................................................................................................3-2
Control Keys................................................................................................3-3
GettingHelp..................................................................................................3-3
General Help<F1>.......................................................................................3-3
TheMainMenu.....................................................................................................3-4
StandardCMOSFeatures...................................................................................3-6
AdvancedBIOSFeatures...................................................................................3-9
AdvancedChipsetFeatures.............................................................................3-11
IntegratedPeripherals.......................................................................................3-12
PowerManagementSetup...............................................................................3-15
PNP/PCIConfigurations.....................................................................................3-18
H/WMonitor........................................................................................................3-20
Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-21
LoadOptimizedDefaults...................................................................................3-27
BIOSSetting Password.....................................................................................3-28
AppendixA.RealtekALC850Audio...................................................................A-1
Installing the Audio Driver...................................................................................A-2
InstallationforWindows2000/XP..............................................................A-2
SoftwareConfiguration......................................................................................A-4
Sound Effect................................................................................................A-5
SpeakerConfiguration................................................................................A-7
3DAudio Demo.............................................................................................A-9
General.......................................................................................................A-10
SPDIF...........................................................................................................A-11
HardwareSetup................................................................................................A-12
AppendixB.DualCoreCenter.............................................................................B-1
Activating DualCoreCenter...............................................................................B-2
Main......................................................................................................................B-3
Introduction:.................................................................................................B-3

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DOT (DynamicOverClocking).............................................................................B-5
Clock.....................................................................................................................B-6
Voltage.................................................................................................................B-7
FANSpeed...........................................................................................................B-8
Temperature.........................................................................................................B-9
UserProfile........................................................................................................B-10
AppendixC.nVidiaRAID........................................................................................C-1
Introduction.........................................................................................................C-2
SystemRequirement...................................................................................C-2
RAIDArrays.................................................................................................C-2
SummaryofRAIDConfigurations...............................................................C-2
RAIDConfiguration..............................................................................................C-3
BasicConfigurationInstructions................................................................C-3
Setting UptheNVRAIDBIOS.......................................................................C-3
InstallingtheRAIDDriver(forbootableRAIDArray)................................C-7
NVIDIARAIDUtilityInstallation.............................................................................C-9
InstallingtheNVIDIARAIDSoftwareUnderWindows(forNon-bootable RAID
Array)...........................................................................................................C-9
Initializing and UsingtheDisk Array.........................................................C-10
RAIDDrivesManagement..................................................................................C-12
SettingUpaSpareRAIDDisk...................................................................C-13
HotPlugArray............................................................................................C-18
InitializingaRAIDArray.............................................................................C-19
RebuildingaRAIDArray............................................................................C-22
Synchronizing aRAIDArray.....................................................................C-25
AppendixD.nVidiaSystemDriver.....................................................................D-1
NVIDIASystemDriverInstallation.......................................................................D-2
nVidiaSystemDriver...........................................................................................D-2
nVidiaUtilityInstallaion........................................................................................D-5

1-1
Getting Started
Getting Started
Chapter1
ThankyouforchoosingtheK9N4SLISeries(MS-7325
v1.X) ATXmainboard.The K9N4SLISeriesmainboards
arebasedon nVidia nForce500 SLI chipsetsforop-
timalsystemefficiency.Designedtofittheadvanced
AMD Athlon 64X2/Athlon64 &Sempron
processor,theK9N4SLISeriesdeliverahighperfor-
manceandprofessionaldesktopplatformsolution.

MS-7325Mainboard
1-2
ProcessorSupport
-AMD Athlon64/X2and Sempron inthe socket AM2package
(ForthelatestinformationaboutCPU,pleasevisit http://www.msi.
com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.
php)
SupportedFSB
-HyperTransportsupportingspeedup to1GHz(2000MT/s)
Chipset
-nVidia nForce500 SLIchipset
MemorySupport
-DDRII533/667/800 SDRAM(8GBMax)
-4DDRIIDIMMs(240pin/non-ECC)
(Formoreinformationoncompatiblecomponents,pleasevisit http:/
/www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/
pro_mbd_trp_list.php)
LAN
-SupportsGigaLAN10/100/1000 FastEthernet byVitesseVSC8601
Audio
-ControlledbyRealtekALC850
-Supports7.1channelsaudioout
-CompliantwithAC’97 Rev2.3Spec
IDE
-2IDEports
-SupportsUltraDMA66/100/133 mode
-SupportsPIO,BusMasteroperationmode
SATA
-4SATAII ports
-Supportsstorageanddatatransfersatupto300MB/s
RAID
-SATA1~4supportsRAID0/1/ 0+1/ 5orJBODmode
Floppy
-1floppyport
-Supports1FDD with360K, 720K,1.2M,1.44Mand 2.88Mbytes
MainboardSpecifications

1-3
Getting Started
Connectors
Back panel
-1PS/2mouseport
-1PS/2keyboardport.
-1Serialport
-1ParallelportsupportingSPP/EPP/ECPmode
-4USB2.0Ports.
-1LANjack
-6audiojacks
On-BoardPinheaders
-1D-Bracket2pinheader
-1IrDApinheader
-3USB 2.0pinheaders
-1SPDIF-Outpinheader
Slots
-2PCI Expressx16slots,compatiblewithPCIExpressx8speed
(SupportSLItechnology)
-2PCI Express x1slots
-2PCI slots,support3.3V/ 5VPCIbusInterface
FormFactor
-ATX(30.5cmX24.5cm)
Mounting
-9mounting holes

MS-7325Mainboard
1-4
K9N4 SLISeries
(MS-7325 v1.X)ATXMainboard
MainboardLayout
BATT
+
I
D
E
1
I
D
E
2
D
I
M
M
1
D
I
M
M
3
D
I
M
M
2
D
I
M
M
4
PCI2
SYSFAN2
JSPDO1
JCD1
JAUD1
PCI1
ALC850
VSC8601
PCI_E4
PCI_E3
PCI_E2 Nvidia
nForce500SLI
PCI_E1
CPUFAN1
SYSFAN1
JPW1
JDB1 JUSB2 JUSB1 JUSB3 JFP1
JFP2
SW1
SATA3 SATA4 SATA1 SATA2
NBFAN1
JPWR1
PCIE_PW1
F
D
D
1
J
I
R
1
JCI1
Winbond
I/O
BIOS
Top : mouse
Bottom:
keyboard
Top:LANJack
Bottom:USBports
USBports
T:
M:
B:
Line-In
Line-Out
Mic
T:RS-Out
M:CS-Out
B:SS-Out
Top:
Parallel Port
Bottom:
ComPort

1-5
Getting Started
PackingChecklist
PowerCable SATACable
User’sGuide
MSImotherboard MSIDriver/UtilityCD
*The picturesareforreferenceonlyandmayvaryfromthepackingcontentsofthe
productyoupurchased.
D-Bracket2
(Optional)
SLIVideoLinkCard
Back IOShield
StandardCablefor
IDEDevices(Optional)

2-1
HardwareSetup
HardwareSetup
Chapter2
Thischapterprovidesyou withtheinformation about
hardwaresetupprocedures.Whiledoingthe installation,
becarefulinholdingthecomponentsandfollowthe
installationprocedures.Forsomecomponents,ifyou
install inthewrong orientation,thecomponentswillnot
workproperly.
Useagroundedwrist strapbeforehandlingcomputer
components.Staticelectricitymaydamagethe
components.

2-2
MS-7325Mainboard
DDRII DIMMs, p.2-6
JFP1, p.2-17
BackPanel
I/O, p.2-10
JPWR1,
p.2-8
IDE1/2, p.2-12
PCISlots,
p.2-23
JUSB1~3, p.2-16
SATA1~4,
p.2-13
CPUFAN1,
p.2-14
FDD1, p.2-12
PCIExpress
slots, p.2-20
CPU, p.2-3
Quick ComponentsGuide
JAUD1,
p.2-15
SW1,p.2-19
JFP2, p.2-17
JDB1, p.2-18
JCD1, p.2-14
PCIE_PW1,
p.2-8
NBFAN1, p.2-14
JIR1, p.2-15
JCI1, p.2-14
SYSFAN2,
p.2-14
JPW1,
p.2-8
SYSFAN1,
p.2-14
JSPDO1,
p.2-16

2-3
HardwareSetup
ThemainboardsupportsAMD Athlon64/X2&Sempronprocessors. Themainboard
usesaCPUsocketcalledSocketAM2foreasyCPUinstallation.Whenyou are
installingtheCPU, make suretheCPUhas aheatsinkand acooling fan
attachedon thetop topreventoverheating. If youdonothavetheheatsinkand
cooling fan,contactyourdealertopurchaseand installthembeforeturningonthe
computer.
Forthe latestinformationaboutCPU,pleasevisithttp://www.msi.com.tw/program/
products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php
CPU(CentralProcessingUnit)
Important
1.OverheatingwillseriouslydamagetheCPUandsystem.Alwaysmake
surethecoolingfancanworkproperlytoprotecttheCPUfromoverheating.
2.Makesurethatyouapplyan evenlayerofheatsinkpaste(orthermal tape)
between theCPUand the heatsinktoenhanceheatdissipation.
3.Whilereplacing the CPU,always turnoff the ATXpowersupplyorunplug
thepowersupply spowercordfromthe grounded outletfirst toensurethe
safetyofCPU.

2-4
MS-7325Mainboard
CPUInstallation Procedures forSocketAM2
1.Pleaseturnoffthepowerand
unplug thepowercordbefore
installing the CPU.
2.Pulltheleversidewaysaway
fromthe socket.Makesureto
raisetheleverup toa90-de-
greeangle.
3.Lookforthegold arrowofthe
CPU.The goldarrowshould
pointasshownin thepicture.
TheCPUcanonlyfitin the cor-
rectorientation.
4.If theCPUiscorrectlyinstalled,
thepinsshould becompletely
embeddedintothesocketand
cannotbe seen.Pleasenote
thatanyviolation ofthe correct
installationproceduresmay
causepermanentdamagesto
yourmainboard.
5.Press theCPUdownfirmlyinto
thesocketandclosethelever.
AstheCPUislikelytomovewhile
theleverisbeingclosed,al-
waysclosetheleverwithyour
fingerspressingtightlyon top of
the CPUtomakesurethe CPUis
properlyand completelyembed-
dedintothesocket.
OpenLever
90degree
Sliding
Plate
Goldarrow
Goldarrow
Goldarrow
Correct CPUplacement
O

2-5
HardwareSetup
Installing AMDSocketAM2CPUCooler Set
Whenyouareinstallingthe CPU, make suretheCPUhas aheatsinkanda
cooling fanattachedon thetop topreventoverheating. If youdonothavethe
heatsinkandcoolingfan,contactyourdealertopurchaseandinstallthembefore
turning onthecomputer.
Mainboardphotosshowninthissection arefordemonstrationofthe cooler
installation forSocket AM2CPUsonly.Theappearanceofyourmainboard
mayvarydependingon the modelyou purchase.
Important
2.Thenpress downtheotherendof
thecliptofastenthe cooling seton
the topofthe retentionmechanism.
LocatetheFixLeverand liftup it.
1.Positionthecooling set ontothere-
tentionmechanism.
Hookoneendoftheclip tohook
first.
3.Fastendownthelever. 4.AttachtheCPUFancable tothe CPU
fanconnectoronthemainboard.
Fixed Lever