VIA Technologies P4M900 User manual

USER'S MANUAL
Of
VIA P4M900 Chipset
&
VIA VT8237R Plus Chipset
M/B For LGA775 Conroe & Dual Core Ready
Intel Pentium-D Processor
No. G03-P900DMP-F
Rev:1.0
Release date: Dec 2006
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.

ii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTIONOFVIA P4M900 MOTHERBOARDSERIES
1-1 FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD.................................................................................... 1
1-1.1 SPECIAL FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD.................................................... 2
1-2 SPECIFICATION................................................................................................................... 3
1-3 ITEM CHECKLIST..............................................................................................................4
1-4 LAYOUT DIAGRAM & JUMPER SETTING................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 2 HARDWARE INSTALLATION
2-1 INSTALL LGA 775 SUPPORTED INTEL PROCESSOR................................................ 5
2-2 INSTALL MEMORY............................................................................................................ 6
2-3 EXPANSION CARDS........................................................................................................... 7
CHAPTER 3 CONNCTORS, HEADERS & JUMPERS SETTING
3-1 CONNECTORS..................................................................................................................... 8
3-2 HEADERS.............................................................................................................................. 10
CHAPTER 4 USEFUL HELP
4-1 HOW TO UPDATE BIOS..................................................................................................... 12
4-2 TROUBLE SHOOTING....................................................................................................... 12
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 VIA P4M900 Chipset Motherboards
1-1 Feature of motherboard
The VIA P4M900 chipset motherboard series are designed for the innovative 65nm and 90nm
Dual-Core Intel® Pentium® D Processor 8 and 9 Series, Intel® Pentium® D Processor, and
Intel® Core 2 Duo® (Code Name: Conroe) Processor with Intel® Hyper-Threading
Technology. With the cost-effective VIA P4M900 chipset that delivers a high performance and
professional desktop platform solution.
The VIA P4M900 chipset motherboard series implement VIA P4M900 chipset which supports
400MHz/ 533MHz /800MHz/1066MHz system bus of data transfer rate and Hyper Threading
technology. The VIA P4M900 chipset motherboard series provide 333MHz/266MHz/200MHz
memory clock frequency for DDR2 667/533/400 system RAM Modules. The motherboard
series are embedded with VIA VT8237R PLUS South Bridge offers ULTRA ATA 133 and
Serial ATA with RAID 0, 1, JBOD functions to provide speedier HDD throughout that
boosts overall system performance. The VIA P4M900 Chipset motherboard series implement
the VIA VT6103L LAN PHY chip Support Fast Ethernet LAN function provide 10/100 Mb/s
data transfer rate.
The motherboard series also have an integrated 6-channel AC’97 CODEC on board which is
fully compatible with Sound Blaster Pro®that gives you the best sound quality and
compatibility.
.Featuring the VIA Chrome9™ HC IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) core, the VIA
P4M900 delivers DirectX® 9 graphics support with hardware pixel shaders to meet the
requirements of the upcoming Windows® Vista™ operating system, and rising high
definition video requirements. The core of the VIA P4M900 North Bridge lies the VIA
Chrome9™ HC IGP, delivering a rich visual experience through the implementation of
innovative features such a 128 bit 2D/3D engine with dual pixel pipeline. The P4M900 also
features extensive display support for all HDTV output formats including 1920x1080p and
additional advanced graphics capabilities include the Chromotion Video Display Engine,
comprehensive de-interlace support, and DuoView™ for enhanced productivity and
presentation capabilities.
The VIA P4M900 chipset motherboard series provide one PCI-Express x16 graphics slot of
4Gbyte/sec data transfer rate at each relative direction which gets 3.5 times of bandwidth
more than AGP8X and it’s up to a peak concurrent bandwidth of 8Gbyte/sec at full speed to
guarantee the fully operational GPU graphics power; one PCI Express x1 I/O slot offers
512Mbyte/sec concurrently which is 3.5 times bandwidth more than PCI at 133Mbye/sec.Two
32-bit PCI slots guarantee the rich connectivity for the I/O peripherals.

2
With USB controller as well as capability of expanding to 8x USB2.0 function ports
delivering 480Mb/s bandwidth and rich connectivity, the motherboards meet future USB
demand also have built-in hardware monitor function to monitor and protect your computer.
The motherboards provide high performance & meet future specification demand of the next
generation operation system. It is a wise choice for your non-stop business computing.
Some special features---CPU Thermal Throttling/ CPU Vcore 7-shift ) 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 maybe cause the fails in system reliabilities. This motherboard provides the
guaranteed performance and meets the demands of the next generation 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(Not Support 3-pin CPU Fan) )
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 Vcore 7-Shift--- (Shift to Higher Performance)
The CPU voltage can be adjusted up by 7 steps for the precisely over-clocking of extra demanding
computing performance.

3
1-2 Specification
Spec Description
Design ∗Micro ATX form factor 4 layers PCB size: 24.4x21.0cm
Chipset ∗VIA P4M900 North Bridge Chipset
∗VIA VT8237R Plus South Bridge Chipset
CPU Socket
(LGA 775 Socket)
∗Support Intel Pentium 4, Celeron D, Pentium D, and Core 2 Duo
775-Land LGA Package utilizes Flip-Chip Land Grid Array
(FCLGA4) package processor
∗Support FSB Frequency 533MHz / 800 / 1066MHz
Memory Socket ∗240-pin DDRII Module socket x 2
∗Support 2pcs DDRII 667/553 / 400 system memory modules
which are expandable to 4.0GB
Expansion Slot ∗PCI-Express x16 slot 1pcs deliver up to 8GB/s concurrent bandwidth
∗PCI-Express x1 slot 1pcs delivers up to 512MB/s concurrent
bandwidth
∗32-bit PCI slot x 2pcs
Integrate IDE and
Serial ATA RAID
∗Two PCI IDE controllers support PCI Bus Mastering, ATA
PIO/DMA and the ULTRA DMA 33/66/100/133 functions that
deliver the data transfer rate up to 133 MB/s; Two Serial ATA
ports provide 150 MB/sec data transfer rate for two Serial ATA
Devices and offer RAID 0, 1, JBOD functions
VGA
∗Integrated Chrome9™ HC IGP
∗128 bit 2D/3D engine with dual pixel pipeline
∗250MHz engine clock speed.
LAN
∗Integrated VIA 6103L PCI-10 /100 LAN PHY
∗Supports Fast Ethernet LAN function provide 10Mb / 100Mb /
s data transfer rate
Audio ∗VIA VT1616B AC’97 Digital Audio controller integrated
∗6-channel AC’97 Audio CODEC onboard
∗Audio driver and utility included
BIOS ∗Award 4MB Flash ROM
Multi I/O ∗PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse connectors
∗Floppy disk drive connector x1
∗Parallel port x1
∗Serial port x1
∗VGA port x1
∗USB2.0 port x 4 and headers x 4 (connecting cable option)
∗Audio connector (Line-in, Line-out, MIC)

4
1-3 Item Checklist
5VIA P900DMP Chipset motherboard
5Cable for IDE
5CD for motherboard utilities
5Cable for Serial ATA IDE Port
5VIA P900DMP Chipset motherboard User’s Manual
1-4 Layout Diagram & Jumper Setting
PC99 Back Panel
Front Panel Audio
CD Audio
PS2 KB/Mouse Port
K/B Power
ON Jumper (JP1)
USB Port
(USB2, USB3)
Fintek F71805F Chip
PCI Slo
t
6-CH AC’97
A
ud
i
o
Codec
4MBit Flash ROM BIOS
SFAN1
ATA 133 IDE
Connector (IDE1, IDE2)
Clear CMOS (JBAT)
VIA VT8237R Plus Chip
Speaker / Power LED
Connector
VIA P4M900
Chi
p
set
CPU Socket
DDRII Socket X2
USB Port/
LAN Connector
USB Port
Audio Connector
Front Panel Connector
Optional VIA
VT6103 LAN PHY
USB Power
On Jumper (JP2)
ATX Powe
r
Connector
Serial-ATA
Connector (SATA1, 2)
CPU FAN
ATX 12V Connecto
r
16 lane PCI EXPRESS SFAN2
Floppy
Connector
PCI EXPRESSX1

5
Chapter 2
Hardware Installation
2-1 Install LGA775 Supported Intel CPU
This motherboard provides a 775-pin surface mount, 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-LGA4) 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.
WARNING! Be sure that there is sufficient air circulation across the processor’s heatsink 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.
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 put the CPU into the LGA775 socket. No force require to insert of the CPU, then
press the level to Locate position slightly without any extra force.

6
2-2 Install Memory
This motherboard provides two 240-pin DDR DUAL INLINE MEMORY MODULES
(DIMM) sides for DDR memory expansion available from minimum memory size of 64MB
to maximum memory size of 4.0GB DDR SDRAM.
Valid Memory Configurations
Bank 240-pin DDR DIMM PCS Total Memory
Bank 0, 1（DIMM 1）DDRII667/DDRII533/DDRII400 DDR DRAM
Module X1 64MB∼2.0GB
Bank 2, 3 (DIMM 2) DDRII667/DDRII533/DDRII400 DDR DRAM
Module
X1 64MB∼2.0GB
Total System Memory (Max. 4.0GB) X2 64MB∼4.0GB
Recommend DIMM Module Combination
1. One DIMM Module ----Plug in DIMM1
2. Two DIMM Modules---Plug in DIMM1 and DIMM2
Install DDR2 SDRAM modules to your motherboard is not difficult, you can refer to figure
below to see how to install a 240-Pin DDR2 400 / DDR2 533 / DDR2 667 SDRAM module.
DIMM2 (BANK2+ BANK3) DIMM1 (BANK0+ BANK1)
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.
Figure 2-4

7
2-2 Expansion Cards
This motherboard provides one 16-lane PCI Express slot which offers 4Gbyte/sec data
transfer rate at each relative direction intended for Video Graphics Array, and one x1 PCI
Express Slot. Fully compliant to the PCI Express Base Specification revision 1.0a , support
PCI Express VGA card, and other PCI Express device.
IMPORTANT! To install the single PCI EXPRESS x16 interface supported VGA card to get the full
speed of x16 bandwidth in the PCI EXPRESS x16 slot as being marked above. If you
utilize the EXPRESS x16 slot to support the VGA card as the external display, please
disabled the integrated VGA card in BIOS.
PCI-E x16 for full bandwidth
VGA Signal Output
PCI-E x1 Slot
32-bit PCI slot

8
Chapter 3
Connectors, Headers & Jumpers Setting
3-1 Connectors
(1) Power Connector (24-pin block) : ATXPWR1
ATX Power Supply connector.
This is a new defined 24-pins
connector that usually comes with
ATX case. The ATX Power Supply
allows to use 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.
(2) ATX 12V Power Connector (8-pin block) : ATX12V1
This is a new defined 8-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.
(3) PS/2 Mouse & PS/2 Keyboard Connector: KB1
The connectors for PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 Mouse.
(4) USB Port connector: CN3
The connectors are 4-pin connector that connects USB devices to the system board.
(5) LAN Port connector: UL1
This connector is standard RJ45 connector for Network
The USB/LAN1 support 10M/100Mb s data transfer rate
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

9
(6) Audio Line-In, Lin-Out, MIC Connector :
This Connector are 3 phone Jack for LINE-OUT, LINE-IN, MIC
Line-in : (BLUE) Audio input to sound chip
Line-out : (GREEN) Audio output to speaker
MIC: (PINK) Microphone Connector
(7) Floppy drive Connector (34-pin block): FDD1
This connector supports the provided floppy drive
ribbon cable. After connecting the single plug
end to motherboard, connect the two plugs at
other end to the floppy drives.
(8)Primary IDE Connector (40-pin block): IDE1
This connector supports the provided IDE hard disk ribbon cable. After connecting the
single plug end to motherboard, connect the two plugs at other end to your hard disk(s).
If you install two hard disks, you must configure the second drive to Slave mode by
setting its jumpers accordingly. Please refer to the documentation of your hard disk for
the jumper settings.
Primary IDE Connector
Pin 1
IDE1
Floppy Drive Connector
Pin 1
FDD
LINE-OUT
LINE-IN
MIC
COM1 VGA
USB
USB1
PS/2 Keyboard
PS/2 Mouse PRINT Optional
LAN

10
(9) Secondary IDE Connector (40-pin block): IDE2
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.
•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.
(10) Serial-ATA Port connector:
SATA1 / SATA2
This connector supports the provided Serial
ATA and Serial ATA IDE hard disk cable to
connecting the motherboard and serial ATA
hard disk.
(11)Parallel Port Connector (25-pin female): PARALLEL1
The On-board Parallel Port can be disabled through the
BIOS SETUP. .
(12)Serial COM Port: COM1
COM1 is the 9-pin connector. The On-board serial port can be disabled through BIOS
SETUP.
(13) VGA Connector (15-pin D-Sub) Connector: VGA1
VGA is the 15-pin D-Subminiature female connector for display monitor.
3-2 Headers
(1) Line-Out/MIC Header for Front Panel (9-pin): AUDIO1
This header connect to Front Panel Line-out, MIC connector
with cable.Without install the cable, this header default
setting is 5-6 short, 9-10 short. When you install the cable
you have take off these jumpers.
Secondary IDE Connector
Pin 1
IDE1
IDE2
Serial-ATA1 & 2 Compatible Connectors
SATA2
SATA1
Line-Out, MIC Headers
AUDIO
Pin 1
AUD
_
MIC
AUD
_
FPOUT
_
L
AUD_MIC_BIAS
AUD_FPOUT_R
HP
_
ON
AUD
_
GND
AUD
_
RET
_
L
AUD
_
RET
_
R
AUD
_
VCC
2
9
10
Pin 1
PARALLEL Connector

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.
(3) Speaker connector: SPEAK1
This 4-pin header connects to the case-mounted
speaker. See the figure below.
(4) Power LED: PWR LED1
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
above.
(7)Power switch: PWR BTN
This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted power switch to power ON/OFF the
system.
(8)FAN Power Headers: SYSFAN1, SYSFAN2 (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 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
1 4
GND
+12V
CPUFAN IN
CPUFANOUT
SYSFAN1
1
3
SYSFAN2
1
3
(9) CD Audio-In Headers (4-pin) : CDIN
CDIN are the connectors for CD-Audio Input signal.
Please connect it to CD-ROM CD-Audio output
connector.
USB Port Headers
Pin1
USB2
VCC
-DATA
GND
+DATA
VCC
OC
-DATA
GND
+DATA
Pin1
USB3
VCC
-DATA
GND
+DATA
VCC
OC
-DATA
GND
+DATA
System Case Connections
HDLED
RESET
VCC5
GND
VCC5 PWR LED
PWRBTN
PWRBTN
PWRLED
HDDLE
RSTSW
NC GND
JW FP
Pin 1
SPEAK
SPKR
GND
NC
VCC5
Pin 1
PWRLED
Pin 1
CD Audio-In Headers
CDIN 4 1

12
Chapter 4
USEFUL HELP
4-1 HOW TO UPDATE BIOS
Before updating the BIOS, users have to “Disable” the “Flash Part Write Protect” selection in
“Miscellaneous Control” of BIOS SETUP. Otherwise the system the will not allow you to upgrade
BIOS by Award Flash Utility.
STEP 1. Prepare a boot disc. (you may make one by click START click RUN type SYS A:click OK)
STEP 2. Copy utility program to your boot disc. You may copy from DRIVER CD
X:\FLASH\AWDFLASH.EXE or download from our web site.
STEP 3. Download and make a copy of the latest BIOS for VIA P4M900 PPC motherboard series
from the web site to your boot disc.
STEP 4. Insert your boot disc into A:,
start the computer, type “Awdflash A:\ VIA P4M900.BIN /SN/PY/CC/R”
VIA P4M900 xxx.BIN is the file name of latest BIOS it can be VIA P4M900.BIN or
VIA P4M900.BIN
SN means don’t save existing BIOS data
PY means renew existing BIOS data
CC means clear existing CMOS data
R means restart computer
STEP 5. Push ENTER to update and flash the BIOS, then the system will restart automatically.
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.
Can not boot system after installing second hard
drive. 1. Set master /slave jumpers correctly. 2. Run SETUP program and select correct drive types.
Call the drive manufacture for compatibility with
other drives.