XFX nForce 680i LT SLI User manual

User Guide
XFX nForce 680i LT
SLI Motherboard
Installation and Configuration

Installing and Configuring the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
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Table of Contents
Before You Begin… ..................................................................................... xii
Parts OT in the Kit......................................................................................... xii
Intentions of the Kit ....................................................................................... xiii
Introduction to the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard..........................1
Features ...........................................................................................................1
Ultimate Overclocking ....................................................................................1
Guaranteed FSB speeds .................................................................................1
High-speed Memory.......................................................................................1
Comprehensive Overclocking Tools .................................................................2
VIDIA nTune Utility..................................................................................2
V BIOS....................................................................................................2
Designed for VIDIA SLI Technology..............................................................2
True 2 x16 PCI Express SLI Support ...............................................................2
VIDIA SLI-Ready Memory ............................................................................2
VIDIA SLI Certified Components...................................................................3
DualDDR2 Memory Architecture......................................................................3
VIDIA MediaShield™ Storage .......................................................................3
Multiple Disk Setup ........................................................................................3
DiskAlert System ...........................................................................................3
RAID Morphing..............................................................................................3
Bootable Multidisk Array.................................................................................4
etworking with VIDIA nForce .....................................................................4

Installing and Configuring the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
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VIDIA ative Gigabit Ethernet ......................................................................4
VIDIA FirstPacket™ Technology ...................................................................4
TCP/IP Acceleration .......................................................................................4
High Definition Audio (HDA) ...........................................................................4
USB 2.0.........................................................................................................5
Motherboard Specifications ................................. rror! Bookmark not defined.
Unpacking and Parts Descriptions ...............................................................7
Unpacking.........................................................................................................7
Equipment ........................................................................................................7
XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard..................................................................8
Hardware Installation .................................................................................11
Safety Instructions ..........................................................................................11
Preparing the Motherboard ..............................................................................12
Installing the CPU ........................................................................................12
Installing the CPU Fan..................................................................................13
Installing Memory DIMMs.............................................................................13
Installing the Motherboard ...............................................................................14
Installing the I/O Shield ...............................................................................14
Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis....................................................14
Connecting Cables and Setting Switches ...........................................................15
Power Connections ......................................................................................16
24-pin ATX Power (PWR1) ........................................................................16
8-pin ATX 12V Power (PWR2) ...................................................................17
Auxiliary Power for Graphics (PWR3) .........................................................17
Connecting IDE Hard Disk Drives ..................................................................18
Connecting Serial ATA Cables .......................................................................18
Connecting Internal Headers ........................................................................19
Front Panel Header ..................................................................................19

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IEEE 1394a..............................................................................................20
USB Headers ...........................................................................................20
Audio ..........................................................................................................22
Fan Connections ..........................................................................................23
COM1 .........................................................................................................24
FDD Connector ............................................................................................24
Speaker ......................................................................................................24
Expansion Slots ...........................................................................................24
Expansion Slots ...........................................................................................24
PCI Slots .................................................................................................25
PCI Express x1 Slot ..................................................................................25
PCI Express x16 Slots...............................................................................25
Jumper Settings ..............................................................................................26
Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS ..................................................................26
Configuring the BIOS ..................................................................................27
Enter BIOS Setup ............................................................................................28
Main Menu......................................................................................................28
Standard CMOS Features Menu ........................................................................31
Date and Time.............................................................................................32
IDE Channel and SATA Channel....................................................................32
Drive A........................................................................................................34
Halt On .......................................................................................................34
Memory ......................................................................................................35
Advanced BIOS Features .................................................................................36
Removable Device Priority............................................................................37
Hard Disk Boot Priority.................................................................................37
etwork Boot Priority...................................................................................37

Installing and Configuring the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
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CPU Internal Cache......................................................................................37
Quick Power On Self Test .............................................................................38
First/Second/Third Boot Device.....................................................................38
Boot Other Device .......................................................................................38
Boot Up umLock Status..............................................................................38
Security Option............................................................................................39
APIC Mode ..................................................................................................39
MPS Version Control For OS .........................................................................39
Full Screen LOGO Show ...............................................................................39
Advanced Chipset Features ..............................................................................40
System Clocks .............................................................................................41
Frequency Settings ..................................................................................42
HT Multiplier ............................................................................................43
Spread Spectrum .....................................................................................43
FSB & Memory Config ..................................................................................44
CPU Configuration .......................................................................................48
System Voltages ..........................................................................................49
VMEM Memory Test ...................................................................................51
PCI Clocks...................................................... rror! Bookmark not defined.
Load Timing/Voltage Set ..............................................................................51
Save Timing/Voltage Set ..............................................................................52
System BIOS Cacheable ...............................................................................52
HPET Function.............................................................................................52
VIDIA GPU Ex ...........................................................................................52
Integrated Peripherals Menu ............................................................................53
IDE Function Setup......................................................................................54
RAID Config ................................................................................................55
USB Config..................................................................................................55

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MAC Config .................................................................................................56
IEEE1394 controller .....................................................................................56
HD Audio ....................................................................................................56
IDE HDD Block Mode ...................................................................................56
Onboard FDC Controller ...............................................................................56
Onboard Serial Port 1...................................................................................56
Power Management Setup Menu ......................................................................57
ACPI Function..............................................................................................57
ACPI Suspend Type .....................................................................................57
Soft-Off by PB T .........................................................................................58
WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off...........................................................................58
Power On by Alarm......................................................................................58
POWER O Function....................................................................................58
PnP/PCI Configuration Menu ............................................................................59
Init Display First ..........................................................................................60
Reset Configuration Data .............................................................................60
Resources Controlled By...............................................................................60
IRQ Resources.............................................................................................61
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop ................................................................................61
Maximum Payload Size.................................................................................61
System Monitor Menu ......................................................................................62
Dynamic Fan Control....................................................................................63
Software Installation ..................................................................................65
Windows XP Drivers Install ..............................................................................66
Using the NVIDIA Software .......................................................................67
VIDIA Monitor...............................................................................................68
VIDIA nTune 5.0 ...........................................................................................69

Installing and Configuring the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
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Manual Tuning ............................................................................................70
Adjust Motherboard Settings.....................................................................70
System Voltages ......................................................................................72
System Fans ............................................................................................72
Memory Timing........................................................................................73
Adjust GPU Settings .................................................................................75
Dynamic BIOS Access ..................................................................................76
Available BIOS Pages ...............................................................................77
General Settings ......................................................................................77
Advanced Settings ...................................................................................77
Boot up Setting........................................................................................78
Automatic Tuning ........................................................................................79
Management ...............................................................................................81
View System Information..........................................................................81
Adjust Custom Rules ................................................................................83
System Stability ..............................................................................................84
Perform Stability Test...................................................................................84
Storage...........................................................................................................85
Health.........................................................................................................86
View Storage Configuration ......................................................................86
Management ...............................................................................................87
Delete Array ............................................................................................87
Rebuild Array...........................................................................................89
Migrating Array ........................................................................................91
Synchronize Array ....................................................................................93
VIDIA etworking .........................................................................................95
Performance................................................................................................96
First Packet..............................................................................................96

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TCP/IP Acceleration .....................................................................................98
Teaming ........................................................ rror! Bookmark not defined.
System Update .......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Accessing System Update ................................... rror! Bookmark not defined.
Installing Graphics Cards in an SLI Configuration...................................102
Building an SLI System .................................................................................. 102
Determine Component and Operating System eeds ................................... 102
Install Your VIDIA SLI-Ready Parts...........................................................105
Install VIDIA SLI Software .......................................................................107
Enable VIDIA SLI.....................................................................................108
Index .........................................................................................................110

Installing and Configuring the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
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List of Figures
Figure 1. XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard Layout ........................................9
Figure 2. Chassis Backpanel Connectors ...........................................................10
Figure 3. PWR1 Motherboard Connector...........................................................16
Figure 4. Expansion Slots ................................................................................25
Figure 5. BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu ..................................................29
Figure 6. Standard CMOS Features Menu .........................................................31
Figure 7. Advanced BIOS Features Menu..........................................................36
Figure 8. Advanced Chipset Features ...............................................................40
Figure 9. System Clocks Menu .........................................................................41
Figure 10. FSB & Memory Config Menu ..........................................................44
Figure 11. CPU Configuration Menu................................................................48
Figure 12. System Voltages Menu ..................................................................49
Figure 13. Integrated Peripherals Menu..........................................................53
Figure 14. Power Management Setup Menu....................................................57
Figure 15. PnP/PCI Configuration Menu..........................................................59
Figure 16. System Monitor Menu....................................................................62
Figure 17. VIDIA Control Panel, Select a Category ........................................67
Figure 18. Performance Control Panel Categories (nTune) ...............................69
Figure 19. Adjust Motherboard Settings (nTune).............................................71
Figure 20. Adjust GPU Settings (nTune) .........................................................75
Figure 21. Dynamic BIOS Access (nTune).......................................................76
Figure 22. Tune System Menu (nTune) ..........................................................80
Figure 23. View System Information (nTune)..................................................81

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Figure 24. Adjust Custom Rules (nTune) ........................................................83
Figure 25. Perform Stability Test....................................................................84
Figure 26. Storage Control Panel Categories (MediaShield) ..............................85
Figure 27. View Storage Configuration (MediaShield) ......................................86
Figure 28. etworking Control Panel Categories..............................................96
Figure 29. SLI Slots on the Motherboard ...................................................... 105

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Before You Begin…
Parts OT in the Kit
This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new
XFX nForce® 680i LT SLI motherboard. Howe er, it does not contain the
following items that must be purchased separately to make the motherboard
functional.
 Intel microprocessor:
Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Duo Pentium EE, Pentium
 Cooling fan for the microprocessor
 System memory support:
Supports dual channel DDR2 533/667/800, and up to 800 MHz SLI-Ready
Memory. Supports up to 8 GBs DDR2 memory.
 Graphics Card
This motherboard is capable of using the NVIDIA SLI technology. To utilize
this technology requires two SLI-capable graphics cards. When ordering a
graphics card, be sure it is a PCI Express card. The kit does contain the SLI
connector used to connect the two graphics cards. See Installing Graphics Cards
in an
SLI Configuration on page 102.
 Power Supply
The power supply requirement is dependent upon the power and the number
of the GPUs you install. If you are going to SLI two graphics cards, you are
going to require more power. As a rule, for one GPU you need a minimum of
a 300 W power supply. If you ha e two GPUs in an SLI configuration, you
will need a minimum of a 500 W power supply. To calculate the power you
are going to require for your specific configuration, go to www.slizone.com.
These instructions tell you how to install each of the parts listed so you can
ha e a functioning motherboard. As you go through the installation
instructions, we are assuming you ha e purchased the necessary parts.

Introduction
xiii
Intentions of the Kit
This kit pro ides you with the motherboard and all connecting cables necessary
to install the motherboard into a PC chassis. If you are building a PC, you will
use most of the cables pro ided in the kit. If howe er, you are replacing a
motherboard, you will not need many of the cables.
When replacing a motherboard in a PC chassis, you will need to reinstall an
operating system e en though the current dri es ha e an operating system.

1
Introduction to the
XFX nForce 680i LT
SLI Motherboard
Thank you for buying the XFX NFORCE 680i LT SLI Motherboard. This
motherboard offers the tools and performance PC users demand. When
combined with two SLI-Ready NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, you get
inno ati e NVIDIA SLI Technology for enhanced system performance.
Features
Ultimate Overclocking
Unleash the underlying hardware. With comprehensi e o erclocking tools to
push the limits on front side bus (FSB) speed and support for higher memory
speeds, the NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI MCPs were designed for
o erclocking.
Guaranteed FSB speeds
Reach FSB speeds of 1333MHz with a CPU that supports this specification.
High-speed Memory
This board supports high-speed SLI-Ready memory up to DDR2-800 to keep
pace with o erclocked system components.

Installing and Configuring the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
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Comprehensive Overclocking Tools
Award-winning NVIDIA o erclocking tools pro ide a complete kit of tools
gi ing e eryone from the most eteran enthusiast to the no ice o erclocker the
ability to unleash the hardware in their PC.
VIDIA nTune Utility
NVIDIA nTune
™
is a Windows-based utility that has added access to more
settings. Adjust CPU and memory speeds without rebooting. You can also
access most BIOS settings from inside Windows without ha ing to go into the
BIOS. Sa e and automatically load profiles for each application you run.
V BIOS
NV BIOS deli ers easy-to-use tuning to let you ha e full control o er your
hardware including processor oltage tables and memory dri e strengths.
Designed for VIDIA SLI Technology
NVIDIA SLI technology is a re olutionary platform inno ation that allows
users to intelligently scale graphics performance by combining multiple
NVIDIA graphics solutions in a single system with an NVIDIA nForce 680i LT
SLI MCP.
True 2 x16 PCI Express SLI Support
Two full-bandwidth, 16-lane PCI Express links ensure maximum graphics
performance for next-generation GPUs and games. True 2 x16 PCI Express
SLI Support offers twice the PCI Express bandwidth of x8 SLI solutions.
VIDIA SLI-Ready Memory
NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI MCP automatically increases bandwidth when
select SLI Certified memory modules are detected.

Introduction
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VIDIA SLI Certified Components
Look for other components including NVIDIA® GeForce® GPUs and system
memory that ha e been certified by NVIDIA to deli er unmatched
performance with XFX nForce 680i LT SLI motherboards. For more
information on SLI Certified components, isit www.SLIZone.com\nForce .
DualDDR2 Memory Architecture
A state-of-the-art Dual DDR2 memory controller allows high bandwidth and
low latency data access to the CPU and GPU. Ensures data and information are
relayed through the system as quickly as possible for incredible performance.
VIDIA MediaShield™ Storage
NVIDIA MediaShield is a suite of features that safeguards your most important
digital media assets; always reliable, scalable, and accessible. MediaShield
includes RAID and SATA dri e support.
Multiple Disk Setup
Through a simple wizard-based interface, you can effortlessly set up your dri es
for better data protection, faster disk access or maximum storage capacity.
MediaShield automatically selects RAID 0, 1, 0+1 or 5 configurations according
to your needs. Ad anced users can access RAID options directly.
DiskAlert System
The e ent of a disk failure, MediaShield users see an image that highlights which
disk has failed to make it easier to identify, replace, and reco er.
RAID Morphing
MediaShield allows users to change their current RAID set-up to another
configuration in a one-step process called morphing. This eliminates the need
to back up data and follow multiple steps in the process.

Installing and Configuring the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
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Bootable Multidisk Array
MediaShield storage fully supports the use of multi-disk array for loading the
operating system at power-up.
etworking with VIDIA nForce
NVIDIA networking deli ers the highest network throughput at the lowest
CPU utilization. The manageable and stable NVIDIA networking solution
results in better networking management and a lower total cost of ownership.
Only NVIDIA integrates this le el of networking features to allow you to take
your online experience to the next le el.
VIDIA ative Gigabit Ethernet
The industry’s fastest Gigabit Ethernet performance eliminates network
bottlenecks and impro es o erall system efficiency and performance.
VIDIA FirstPacket™ Technology
Be the ‘King of Ping’ with NVIDIA FirstPacket technology. Get the crystal-
clear phone con ersations and online gaming performance you expect.
NVIDIA FirstPacket technology assures your game data, VoIP con ersations,
and large file transfers are deli ered according to preferences set by you in an
intuiti e wizard.
TCP/IP Acceleration
TCP/IP Acceleration deli ers the highest system performance by offloading
CPU-intensi e packet filtering tasks in hardware, pro iding users with a PC
networking en ironment that is faster.
High Definition Audio (HDA)
High definition audio brings consumer electronics quality sound to the PC
deli ering high quality sound from multiple channels. Using HDA, systems can
deli er 192 kHz/32-bit quality for eight channels, supporting new audio
formats.

Introduction
5
USB 2.0
USB 2.0 is standard plug-and-play interface that pro ides easy-to-use
connecti ity for USB de ices.
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
 Operating systems:
Supports Windows XP 32bit/64bit and Windows Vista 32bit/64bit
 Contains NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI MCP and SPP
 System Memory support
Supports dual channel JEDEC DDR2-800 and SLI-Ready memory up to 800
MHz. Supports up to 8 GBs DDR2 memories.
 USB 2.0 Ports
Supports hot plug
Eight USB 2.0 ports (four rear panel ports, four onboard USB headers)
Supports wake-up from S1 and S3 mode
Supports USB 2.0 protocol up to 480 Mbps transmission rate
 Onboard Serial ATA II
300MBps data transfer rate
Six Serial ATA II connectors
NVIDIA MediaShield RAID with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID
0+1, RAID 5, and JBOD
Supports hot plug and NCQ (Nati e Command Queuing )
 Onboard LAN
Single LAN interface built-in onboard
Supports 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec Ethernet

Installing and Configuring the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
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 Onboard 1394
Support hot plug
Two 1394a ports (one rear panel port, one onboard header) with rate of
transmission at 400 Mbps
 Onboard Audio
Azalia High-Definition audio
Supports 8-channel audio
Supports S/PDIF output
Supports Jack-Sensing function
 Dual PCI Express x16 Support
Supports 4 GB/sec (8 GB/sec concurrent) bandwidth
Low power consumption and power management features
 Green Function
Supports ACPI (Ad anced 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
Two PCI Express x1 slot
Two PCI Express x16 Graphics slots