Asus Motherboard A8N-SLI Premium User Manual

Asus a8n-sli premium motherboard user manual

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Summary of Contents for Asus Motherboard A8N-SLI Premium

Page 1 A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 2 Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modiﬁed or altered, unless such repair, modiﬁcation of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Welcome! ... 1-1 Package contents ... 1-1 Special features ... 1-2 1.3.1 Product highlights ... 1-2 1.3.2 ASUS Proactive features ... 1-5 1.3.3 Innovative ASUS features ... 1-6 Chapter 2: Hardware information Before you proceed ... 2-1 Motherboard overview ... 2-2 2.2.1...
Page 4 4.1.2 Updating the BIOS ... 4-2 4.1.3 Saving the current BIOS ﬁle ... 4-4 4.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility ... 4-5 4.1.5 ASUS EZ Flash utility ... 4-7 4.1.6 ASUS Update utility ... 4-8 BIOS setup program ... 4-11 4.2.1...
Page 5 Contents Main menu ... 4-15 4.3.1 System Time ... 4-15 4.3.2 System Date ... 4-15 4.3.3 Language ... 4-15 4.3.4 Legacy Diskette A ... 4-15 4.3.5 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave ... 4-16 4.3.5 First, Second, Third, Fourth SATA Master ... 4-18 4.3.7 HDD SMART Monitoring ...
Page 6 Voltage/Fan control ... 5-44 5.8.4 Information ... 5-45 5.8.5 Other options ... 5-45 Using the ASUS AI Selector utility ... 5-46 5.9.1 Launching the ASUS AI Selector ... 5-46 5.9.2 Using the SLI mode ... 5-47 Chapter 6: SLI™ technology support Overview ...
Page 7 Dual graphics card setup ... 6-3 6.2.1 Installing SLI-ready graphics cards ... 6-3 6.2.2 Setting the SLI mode in BIOS ... 6-7 6.2.3 Installing the device drivers ... 6-7 6.2.4 Enabling the multi-GPU feature in Windows ... 6-7 Appendix Using the SATA extension module ... A-1 A.1.1 Installing the 2-port SATA extension module ...
Page 8: Canadian Department Of Communications Statement
Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference, and • This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Page 9: Electrical Safety
Safety information Electrical safety • To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system. • When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected.
Page 10: About This Guide
About this guide This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conﬁguring the motherboard. How this guide is organized This manual contains the following parts: • Chapter 1: Product introduction This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it supports.
Page 11: Where To Find More Information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. ASUS websites The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information. Optional documentation Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty ﬂyers, that may have been added by your dealer.
Page 12: A8N-Sli Premium Speciﬁcations Summary
- 1 x any PCI Express x16 graphics card on the ﬁrst slot (blue) ASUS AI Selector ASUS EZ Plug™ ASUS PEG Link for dual PCI Express graphics cards ASUS Two-slot thermal design NVIDIA nForce™ 4 SLI chipset supports: ®...
Page 13 A8N-SLI Premium speciﬁcations summary AI NOS™ (Non-Delay Overclocking System) AI Overclocking ASUS AI Overclocking (Intelligent CPU frequency tuner) ASUS PEG Link for single/dual graphics card Fixed PCI Express/PCI/SATA frequencies ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall) Precision Tweaker supports: ASUS AI Cool-Pipe...
Page 14 ATX power supply (with 24-pin and 4-pin 12 V plugs) ATX 12 V 2.0 compliant ATX form factor: 12 in x 9.6 in (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm) Device drivers ASUS PC Probe ASUS Live Update utility ASUS CoolʼnʼQuiet! utility Anti-virus utility (OEM version) NVIDIA nTune™ utility ®...
Page 15: Chapter 1: Product Introduction
This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports. Product introduction...
Page 16: Chapter Summary
Chapter summary Welcome! ... 1-1 Package contents ... 1-1 Special features ... 1-2 ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 17: Welcome
Thank you for buying an ASUS The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies, making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards! Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it, check the items in your package with the list below.
Page 18: Special Features
Special features 1.3.1 Product highlights Latest processor technology The AMD Athlon™ 64FX and Athlon™ 64 desktop processors are based on AMDʼs 64-bit and 32-bit architecture, which represents the landmark introduction of the industryʼs ﬁrst x86-64 technology. These processors provide a dramatic leap forward in compatibility, performance, investment protection, and reduced total cost of ownership and development.
Page 19: Hypertransport™ Technology
PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with existing PCI speciﬁcations. See page 2-17 for details. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 20 S/PDIF digital sound ready The motherboard supports the S/PDIF Out function through the S/PDIF interfaces on the rear panel. The S/PDIF technology turns your computer into a high-end entertainment system with digital connectivity to powerful audio and speaker systems. See page 2-19 for details. IEEE 1394a support The IEEE 1394a interface provides high-speed and ﬂexible PC connectivity to a wide range of peripherals and devices compliant to the IEEE 1394a...
Page 21: Asus Proactive Features
See page 4-30 for details. AI Cool-Pipe ASUS AI Cool-Pipe is a unique heat pipe design that dissipates heat away from the chipset. This device signiﬁcantly lowers overall system temperature for a quiet and stable system performance.
Page 22: Innovative Asus Features
See page 5-46 for details. ASUS EZ Plug™ This patented ASUS technology is a 4-pin auxiliary +12V connector that is designed to maintain the voltage integrity of your system. This plug guarantees adequate supply of power to the motherboard and other installed peripherals.
Page 23: Asus Instant Music
See page 5-9 for details. ASUS Instant Music This unique feature allows you to playback audio ﬁles even without booting the system to Windows™. Just press the ASUS Instant Music special function keys and enjoy the music! See pages 4-34. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 24 Chapter 1: Product introduction...
Page 25: Chapter 2: Hardware Information
This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes description of the jumpers and connectors on the motherboard. Hardware information...
Page 26 Chapter summary Before you proceed ... 2-1 Motherboard overview ... 2-2 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ... 2-6 System memory ... 2-11 Expansion slots ... 2-15 Jumpers ... 2-18 Connectors ... 2-19 ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 27: Onboard Led
The illustration below shows the location of the onboard LED. The red warning LED lights up when you installed two graphics card but did not connect the ASUS EZ Plug™. The illustration below shows the location of the onboard LEDs. A8N-SLI PREMIUM ®...
Page 28: Motherboard Overview
Motherboard overview Before you install the motherboard, study the conﬁguration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard ﬁts into it. Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components.
Page 29: Motherboard Layout
PCIEX16_1 A8N-SLI PREMIUM ACL850 PCIEX1_1 PCIEX4_1 Speech Controller PCIEX16_2 Marvell 88E8001 PCI1 PCI2 1394 Controller PCI3 IE_1394_2 ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 24.5cm (9.6in) CPU_FAN CHA2_FAN nVIDIA CK804 SATA_RAID4 Silicon Image Sil3114 SATA_RAID2 Super CR2032 3V Lithium Cell CMOS Power CLRTC USB78...
Page 30: Layout Contents
2.2.4 Layout Contents Slots 1. DDR DIMM slots 2. PCI slots 3. PCI Express x16 slot 4. PCI Express x1 slot 5. PCI Express x4 slot Jumpers 1. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC1) Rear panel connectors 1. PS/2 mouse port (green) 2.
Page 31 - System Power LED (Green 3-pin PLED) - Hard Disk activity (Red 2-pin IDE_LED) - System warning speaker (Orange 4-pin SPEAKER) - Power/Soft-off button(Yellow 2-pin PWRSW) - Reset switch (Blue 2-pin RESET) ASUS A8N-SLI Premium SATA_RAID3, SATA_RAID4) Page 2-21 2-21...
Page 32: Central Processing Unit (Cpu)
Central Processing Unit (CPU) 2.3.1 Overview The motherboard comes with a surface mount 939-pin Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket designed for the AMD Athlon™ 64FX or AMD Athlon 64™ processor. The 128-bit-wide data paths of these processors can run applications faster than processors with only 32-bit or 64-bit wide data paths.
Page 33 CPU! When the CPU is in place, push down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Socket Lever Small triangle Gold triangle...
Page 34: Installing The Heatsink And Fan
2.3.3 Installing the heatsink and fan The AMD Athlon™ 64FX or AMD Athlon 64™ processor require a specially designed heatsink and fan assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition and performance. Make sure that you use only qualiﬁed heatsink and fan assembly. Follow these steps to install the CPU heatsink and fan.
Page 35 ﬁts the retention mechanism module base, otherwise you cannot snap the retention bracket in place. Push down the retention bracket lock on the retention mechanism to secure the heatsink and fan to the module base. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 36 When the fan and heatsink assembly is in place, connect the CPU fan cable to the connector on the motherboard labeled CPU_FAN. A8N-SLI PREMIUM ® A8N-SLI PREMIUM CPU fan connector Do not forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring errors can occur if you fail to plug this connector.
Page 37: System Memory
4 GB of system memory when you installed four 1 GB DDR memory modules. • Due to CPU limitation, DIMM modules with 128 Mb memory chips or double-sided x16 memory chips are not supported in this motherboard. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Sockets DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2 2-11...
Page 38 Table 2 DDR400 Qualified Vendors List Size Vendor 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/256 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/512 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X72C3A/256 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X72C3A/512 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/256 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/512 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/256 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/512 512MB KINGSTON KHX3200A/512 1024MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/1G 256MB SAMSUNG M381L3223ETM-CCC 512MB SAMSUNG...
Page 39 Dual-channel memory conﬁguration. C - support for 4 modules inserted into the blue and black slots as two pairs of Dual-channel memory conﬁguration. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for the latest DDR 400 Qualiﬁed Vendors List. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 40: Installing A Dimm
2.4.3 Installing a DIMM Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the components. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward.
Page 41: Expansion Slots
Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any. See Chapter 4 for information on BIOS setup. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page. Install the software drivers for the expansion card. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 2-15...
Page 42: Interrupt Assignments
2.5.3 Interrupt assignments Standard interrupt assignments Priority – * These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices. IRQ assignments for this motherboard PCI slot 1 PCI slot 2 PCI slot 3 Onboard USB 1.0 controller Onboard USB 2.0 controller Onboard LAN1 Onboard LAN2 Onboard PCI SATA RAID (SI)
Page 43: Two Pci Express X16 Slots
This motherboard provides a PCI Express x4 slot that can support PCI Express x1, x4, x8, or x16 cards. This ASUS proprietary slot allows you to use additional PCI Express cards (e.g. graphics card) for twice the speed of a PCI Express x1 slot.
Page 44: Clear Rtc Ram (Clrtc)
Jumpers Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC) This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup information such as system passwords.
Page 45: Connectors
Line Out port (lime). This port connects a headphone or a speaker. In 4-channel, 6-channel, and 8-channel conﬁguration, the function of this port becomes Front Speaker Out. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium PHY, this port allows Gigabit connection to a ® SPEED LED...
Page 46 Microphone port (pink). This port connects a microphone. 10. Center/Subwoofer port (yellow orange). This port connects the center/subwoofer speakers. Refer to the audio conﬁguration table below for the function of the audio ports in 2, 4, 6, or 8-channel conﬁguration. Audio 2, 4, 6, or 8-channel configuration Port Headset...
Page 47: Internal Connectors
• Use the 80-conductor IDE cable for UltraDMA133/100/66 IDE devices. A8N-SLI PREMIUM ® A8N-SLI PREMIUM IDE connectors ASUS A8N-SLI Premium FLOPPY NOTE: Orient the red markings on the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1. PIN 1 NOTE: Orient the red markings (usually zigzag) on the IDE ribbon cable to PIN 1.
Page 48: Serial Ata Connectors
Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4) Supported by the NVIDIA the Serial ATA signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk drives that allows up to 3Gb/s of data transfer rate. These connectors are set to SATA by default. In SATA mode, you can connect Serial ATA boot or data hard disk drives to these connectors.
Page 49: Serial Ata Raid Connectors
Serial ATA hard disks drives; otherwise, you cannot enter the Silicon Image RAID utility and Serial ATA BIOS setup during POST. • See Appendix for instructions on how to install the Serial ATA extension module. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Sil3114 RAID controller, these ® SATA_RAID4 SATA_RAID3 SATA_RAID2...
Page 50 These are not jumpers! DO NOT place jumper caps on the fan connectors! • The ASUS Q-Fan function is supported using the CPU Fan (CPU_FAN) and Chassis Fan 1 (CHA1_FAN) connectors only. • The chipset fan is synchronized with the CPU fan.
Page 51: Serial Port Connector (10-1 Pin Com1)
USB 2.0 speciﬁcation that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed. A8N-SLI PREMIUM ® A8N-SLI PREMIUM USB 2.0 connectors Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will damage the motherboard! ASUS A8N-SLI Premium COM1 PIN 1 USB78 USB56 USB910 2-25...
Page 52: Power Supply Requirements
ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR1, 4-pin ATX12V1, 4-pin EZ_PLUG) These connectors are for an ATX power supply plugs. The power supply plugs are designed to ﬁt these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down ﬁrmly until the connectors completely ﬁt.
Page 53: Game/Midi Port Connector (16-1 Pin Game)
The GAME/MIDI port connects a joystick or game pad for playing games, and MIDI devices for playing or editing audio ﬁles. A8N-SLI PREMIUM ® A8N-SLI PREMIUM Game connector ASUS A8N-SLI Premium (black) (white) Right Audio Channel Ground Ground...
Page 54: Chassis Intrusion Connector (4-1 Pin Chassis)
11. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS) This connector is for a chassis-mounted intrusion detection sensor or switch. Connect one end of the chassis intrusion sensor or switch cable to this connector. The chassis intrusion sensor or switch sends a high-level signal to this connector when a chassis component is removed or replaced.
Page 55 This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD Activity LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or ﬂashes when data is read from or written to the HDD. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium FP_AUDIO BLINE_OUT_L...
Page 56 • System warning speaker (Orange 4-pin SPEAKER) This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning speaker. The speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings. • Power/Soft-off button (Yellow 2-pin PWRSW) This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power button turns the system ON or puts the system in SLEEP or SOFT-OFF mode depending on the BIOS settings.
Page 57: Chapter 3: Powering Up
This chapter describes the power up sequence, the vocal POST messages, and ways of shutting down the system. Powering up...
Page 58: Chapter Summary
Chapter summary Starting up for the ﬁrst time ... 3-1 Powering off the computer ... 3-2 ASUS POST Reporter™ ... 3-3 ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 59: Starting Up For The First Time
Check the jumper settings and connections or call your retailer for assistance. At power on, hold down the <Delete> key to enter the BIOS Setup. Follow the instructions in Chapter 4. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 60: Powering Off The Computer
Powering off the computer 3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function If you are using Windows Click the Start button then click Shut Down... Make sure that the Shut Down option button is selected, then click the OK button to shut down the computer. The power supply should turn off after Windows If you are using Windows Click the Start button then select Turn Off Computer.
Page 61: Asus Post Reporter
ASUS POST Reporter™ This motherboard includes the Winbond speech controller to support a special feature called the ASUS POST Reporter™. This feature lets you hear vocal messages during POST that alerts you of system events and boot status. In case of a boot failure, you will hear the speciﬁc cause of the problem.
Page 62 CPU fan failed CPU voltage out of range Computer now booting from operating system You can enable or disable the ASUS POST Reporter™ in the Speech Conﬁguration option in the BIOS setup. See section 4.4.8 for details. Action • Check if the CPU fan is working properly.
Page 63: Winbond Voice Editor
The Winbond Voice Editor software allows you to customize the vocal POST messages. You can install this application from the support CD. To avoid conﬂicts, do not run the Winbond Voice Editor while running the ASUS PC Probe application. Launching the Voice Editor You can launch the program from the Windows All Programs >...
Page 64: Changing The Default Language
Click the Write button from the Voice Editor main window to update the EEPROM. Click Yes to conﬁrm. The next time you boot your computer, the ASUS Post Reporter announces the messages in the selected language. Chapter 3: Powering up...
Page 65 From the Voice Editor screen, click the Add button to display the Add Wave File window. Copy the wave ﬁles that you recorded to the database, then close the window when done. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Recorder) to record your ®...
Page 66 Select a POST event on the Voice Editor main window, then click the Edit button. The Event Sound Editor window appears. Locate and select your wave ﬁle for the event, then click on the arrow opposite Voice1. The ﬁle you select appears on the space next to it.
Page 67: Chapter 4: Bios Setup
This chapter tells how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided. BIOS setup...
Page 68 Chapter summary Managing and updating your BIOS ... 4-1 BIOS setup program ... 4-11 Main menu ... 4-15 Advanced menu ... 4-20 Power menu ... 4-35 Boot menu ... 4-40 Exit menu ... 4-46 ASUS A8N SLI Premium...
Page 69: Managing And Updating Your Bios
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 (Updates the BIOS using a bootable ﬂoppy disk or the motherboard support CD when the BIOS ﬁle fails or gets corrupted.) ASUS EZ Flash (Updates the BIOS in DOS using a ﬂoppy disk or the motherboard support CD.) ASUS Update (Updates the BIOS in Windows Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities.
Page 70: Updating The Bios
AwardBIOS Flash Utility. Follow these instructions to update the BIOS using this utility. 1. Download the latest BIOS ﬁle from the ASUS web site. Rename the ﬁle to A8NSLI-B.BIN and save it to a ﬂoppy disk. Save only the updated BIOS ﬁle in the ﬂoppy disk to avoid loading the wrong BIOS ﬁle.
Page 71 ﬂashed the BIOS ﬁle. Remove the ﬂoppy disk then press <F1> to restart the system. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01 (C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00 Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V File Name to Program: 1001.bin...
Page 72: Saving The Current Bios File
4. The utility saves the current BIOS ﬁle to the ﬂoppy disk, then returns to the BIOS ﬂashing process. AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01 (C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00 Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V File Name to Program: 1001.bin...
Page 73: Asus Crashfree Bios 2 Utility
4.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS ﬁle when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. You can update a corrupted BIOS ﬁle using the motherboard support CD or the ﬂoppy disk that contains the updated BIOS ﬁle.
Page 74: Recovering The Bios From A Floppy Disk
Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process. The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this motherboard. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ﬁle. Chapter 4: BIOS setup...
Page 75: Asus Ez Flash Utility
4.1.5 ASUS EZ Flash utility The ASUS EZ Flash feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to go through the long process of booting from a ﬂoppy disk and using a DOS-based utility. The EZ Flash utility is built-in the BIOS chip so it is accessible by pressing <Alt>...
Page 76: Asus Update Utility
4.1.6 ASUS Update utility The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update the motherboard BIOS in Windows allows you to: • Save the current BIOS file • Download the latest BIOS file from the Internet •...
Page 77: Updating The Bios Through The Internet
Updating the BIOS through the Internet To update the BIOS through the Internet: Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears. Select Update BIOS from...
Page 78: Updating The Bios Through A Bios File
Updating the BIOS through a BIOS file To update the BIOS through a BIOS ﬁle: Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows clicking Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears. Select Update BIOS from a ﬁle option from the drop-down menu, then click Next.
Page 79: Bios Setup Program
The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your screen. • Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ﬁle for this motherboard. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 4-11...
Page 80: Bios Menu Screen
The BIOS setup screens shown in this chapter are for reference purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your screen. • Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS information. 4-12 Configuration fields Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility...
Page 81: Legend Bar
A conﬁgurable ﬁeld is enclosed in brackets, and is highlighted when selected. To change the value of a ﬁeld, select it then press <Enter> to display a list of options. Refer to “4.2.7 Pop-up window.” ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Function Displays the General Help screen...
Page 82: General Help
4-14 Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Boot Exit 15 : 30 : 36 Wed, Nov 5 2004 [English] [1.44M, 3.5 in.] [ST321122A] [ASUS CDS520/A] ... [ ] [None] ... [ ] [None] ... [ ] [None] ... [ ] [None] ...
Page 83: Main Menu
Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.] Sets the type of ﬂoppy drive installed. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [360K, 5.25 in.] [1.2M , 5.25 in.] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.] [2.88M, 3.5 in.] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Boot Exit : 30 : 36...
Page 84: Primary And Secondary Ide Master/Slave
4.3.5 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of IDE devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each IDE device. Select a device item then press <Enter> to display the IDE device information. Main Primary IDE Master Access Mode...
Page 85: Pio Mode
FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives. This is necessary so that you can write or read data from the hard disk. Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to active. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 4-17...
Page 86: First, Second, Third, Fourth Sata Master
4.3.6 First, Second, Third, Fourth SATA Master While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of Serial ATA devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each SATA device. Select a device item then press <Enter> to display the SATA device information. Main Extended IDE Drive Access Mode...
Page 87: Hdd Smart Monitoring
Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to active. 4.3.7 HDD SMART Monitoring Allows you to enable or disable the HDD Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) feature. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] 4.3.8 Installed Memory Shows the size of installed memory. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 4-19...
Page 88: Advanced Menu
Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices. Take caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect ﬁeld values can cause the system to malfunction. Main Advanced Power CPU Conﬁguration...
Page 89: Dram Configuration
Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [2.0] [2.5] [3.0] RAS# to CAS# delay (Trcd) [Auto] Sets the RAS# to CAS# delay to Rd/Wr command on the same bank. Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium [Disabled] Item Speciﬁc Help [Auto] Place an artiﬁcial memory...
Page 90 Row precharge Time (Trp) [Auto] Sets the Row precharge time. Precharge to Active or Auto-Refresh of the same bank. Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Row Cycle Time (Trc) [Auto] Sets the row cycle time. Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] Row Refresh Cycle Time (Trfc) [Auto] Sets the row refresh cycle time.
Page 91: Pcipnp
When the item Resources Controlled By is set to [Auto], the item IRQ Resources is grayed out and not user-conﬁgurable. Refer to the section “IRQ Resources” for information on how to enable this item. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium [No] Item Speciﬁc Help...
Page 92: Irq Resources
IRQ Resources This sub-menu is activated only when the Resources Controlled By item is set to Manual. Advanced IRQ-3 assigned to IRQ-4 assigned to IRQ-5 assigned to IRQ-7 assigned to IRQ-9 assigned to IRQ-10 assigned to IRQ-11 assigned to IRQ-12 assigned to IRQ-14 assigned to IRQ-15 assigned to F1:Help...
Page 93: Ide Function Setup
Allows you to enable or disable the SATA DMA transfer access. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Serial Port 3, 4 [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the SATA 3 and 4 ports. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium [Enabled] Item Speciﬁc Help [Enabled] [Enabled]...
Page 94 SATA2 DMA transfer [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the SATA2 DMA transfer access. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the IDE prefetch mode. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] NVRAID Configuration This sub-menu contains NVRAID function-related items. Select an item then press <Enter>...
Page 95: Usb Configuration
Allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN boot ROM. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Onboard Marvell LAN [Disabled] Enables or disables the onboard Marvell Conﬁguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium [Enabled] Item Speciﬁc Help [Enabled] [Enabled] -/+: Change Value Enter: Select Sub-menu Gigabit LAN controller.
Page 96: Serial Port1 Address [3F8/Irq4]
OnBoard LAN2 Boot ROM [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN 2 boot ROM. This item is user-conﬁgurable only when the PCI Giga LAN item is Enabled. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] AC97 Audio [Enabled] Allows you to disable or enabled the onboard AC97 audio controller. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] PCI IEEE 1394a [Enabled] Allows you to disable or enabled the onboard PCI IEEE 1394 controller.
Page 97: Sli Conﬁguration
We recommend to keep the setting of this item to [Auto]. • When not set to [Auto], make sure that the setting is the same as the ASUS AI Selector. If the BIOS setting is not the same as the AI Selector utility, the system follows the latter. •...
Page 98: Jumperfree Conﬁguration
Loads the optimal settings for the system. Loads the standard settings for the system. Loads overclocking proﬁles with optimal parameters for stability when overclocking. he ASUS AI Non-delay Overclocking System feature intelligently determines the system load and automatically boost the performance for the most demanding tasks.
Page 99: Cpu Voltage [Auto]
[1.050V] [1.0375V] [1.025V] [1.0125V] [1.000V] [0.9875V] [0.975V] [0.9625V] [0.950V] [0.9375V] [0.925V] [0.9125V] [0.900V] [0.8875V] [0.875V] [0.8625V] [0.850V] [0.8375V] [0.825V] [0.8125V] [0.800V] PCI Clock Synchronization Mode [Auto] Sets the PCI Clock Synchronization mode. Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [To CPU] [33.33MHz] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 4-31...
Page 100: Lan Cable Status
The following item is user-conﬁgurable only when the Overclock Proﬁle item is set to [AI Overclock]. Overclock Options [Disable] Allows you to set the oveclocking options. Conﬁguration options: [Disable] [Overclock 3%] [Overclock 5%] [Overclock 8%] [Overclock 10%] The following item is user-conﬁgurable only when the Overclock Proﬁle item is set to [AI N.O.S.].
Page 101: Peg Link Mode
Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Enabled] [Disabled] PEG Buffer Length [Auto] Allows you to set the PCI Express graphics buffer length. For optimum performance, set this item to Auto. Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Long] [Short] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium [Auto] Item Speciﬁc Help [Auto] [Auto] Enhance performance on PCIE serial graphics card.
Page 102: Speech Conﬁguration
Speech IC Reporter Report IDE Error Report System Booting Speech IC Reporter [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Speech POST Reporter™ feature. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The following items appear only when Speech IC Reporter is set to Enabled.
Page 103: Power Menu
Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Conﬁguration and Power Interface (ACPI) support in the Application-Speciﬁc Integrated Circuit (ASIC). When set to Enabled, the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the RSDT pointer list. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Boot Exit [S1&S3]...
Page 104: Apm Conﬁguration
4.5.3 APM Configuration Power Restore on AC Power Loss PWR Button < 4 secs Power On By PCI Devices Power On By External Modems Power-On by RTC Alarm Date (of Month) Resume Time (hh:mm:ss) Power Up By PS/2 Mouse Power Up By PS/2 Keyboard F1:Help ↑↓...
Page 105 Allows you to disable the Power On by PS/2 keyboard function or set speciﬁc keys on the PS/2 keyboard to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Space Bar] [Ctrl-ESC] [Power Key] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 4-37...
Page 106: Hardware Monitor
4.5.4 Hardware Monitor The items in this sub-menu displays the hardware monitor values automatically detected by the BIOS. It also allows you to change CPU Q-Fan feature-related parameters. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conﬁguration options. Power Q-Fan Controller Vcore Voltage 3.3V Voltage...
Page 107 Allows you to set the chassis fan warning speed. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [500 RPM] [800 RPM] [1200 RPM] CHIP Fan Speed warning [Enabled] Enables or disables the chip fan speed warning feature. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 4-39...
Page 108: Boot Menu
Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu. Main Advanced Power Boot Device Priority Removable Drives Hard Disk Drives CDROM Drives Boot Settings Conﬁguration Security F1:Help ↑↓...
Page 109: Hard Disk Drives
1. 1st Master: XXXXXXXXX Allows you to assign hard disk drives attached to the system. 2. Bootable Add-in Cards Allows you to select an add-in disk drive attached to the system. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Boot -/+: Change Value Enter: Select Sub-menu...
Page 110: Cdrom Drives
4.6.4 CDROM Drives 1st Slave: XXXXXXXXX F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu 1. 1st Slave: XXXXXXXXX Allows you to assign optical drives attached to the system. 4.6.5 Boot Settings Configuration Boot Settings Conﬁguration Case Open Warning Quick Boot Boot Up Floppy Seek Bootup Num-Lock...
Page 111 Make sure that the above item is set to [Enabled] if you want to use the ASUS MyLogo2™ feature. • See section “5.4.1 ASUS MyLogo2™” for details. Halt On [All Errors] Allows you to error report type. Conﬁguration options: [All Errors] [No Errors] [All, But Keyboard]...
Page 112: Security
4.6.6 Security Boot Settings Conﬁguration Supervisor Password User Password Password Check F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Supervisor Password User Password These ﬁelds allow you to set passwords: To set a password: Select an item then press <Enter>. Type in a password using a combination of a maximum of eight (8) alpha-numeric characters, then press <Enter>.
Page 113: Password Check
This ﬁeld requires you to enter the password before entering the BIOS setup or the system. Select [Setup] to require the password before entering the BIOS Setup. Select [System] to require the password before entering the system. Conﬁguration options: [Setup] [System] ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 4-45...
Page 114: Exit Menu
Exit menu The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items. Main Advanced Power Exit & Save Changes Exit & Discard Changes Load Setup Default Discard Changes F1:Help...
Page 115: Load Setup Defaults
Discard Changes This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously saved values. After selecting this option, a conﬁrmation appears. Select Yes to discard any changes and load the previously saved values. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 4-47...
Page 116 4-48 Chapter 4: BIOS setup...
Page 117: Chapter 5: Software Support
This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. Software support...
Page 118 Software information ... 5-9 RAID conﬁgurations ... 5-21 Creating a RAID driver disk ... 5-40 Cool ʻnʼ Quiet!™ Technology ... 5-41 Using the NVIDIA ® Using the ASUS AI Selector utility ... 5-46 ASUS A8N-SLI Premium nTune™ utility ... 5-43...
Page 119: Installing An Operating System
The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time without notice. Visit the ASUS website(www.asus.com) for updates. 5.2.1 Running the support CD Place the support CD to the optical drive.
Page 120: Drivers Menu
5.2.2 Drivers menu The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices. Nvidia Chipset Driver Program Installs the NVIDIA ® Make NVIDIA RAID Driver Disk Creates the NVIDIA Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet Driver Installs the Marvell ®...
Page 121: Utilities Menu
This utility helps you keep your computer in healthy operating condition. ASUS Update Allows you to download the latest version of the BIOS from the ASUS website. Before using the ASUS Update, make sure that you have an Internet connection so you can connect to the ASUS website.
Page 122: Asus Ai Booster
The ASUS AI Booster application allows you to overclock the CPU speed in a Windows environment. ® ASUS AI Selector The ASUS AI Selector utility allows you to set the video card mode of your system. Microsoft DirectX Installs the Microsoft DirectX 9.0 driver. The Microsoft DirectX 9.0 is...
Page 123: Manuals Menu
Management Software userʼs manual. NVIDIA nTune Manual Allows you to open the NVIDIA NVRAID Disk Alert Userʼs Guide Allows you to open the NVIDIA ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Acrobat Reader from the Utilities menu before ® ® ForceWare Networking and Firewall ®...
Page 124: Asus Contact Information
5.2.5 ASUS Contact information Click the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information. You can also ﬁnd this information on the inside front cover of this user guide. 5.2.6 Other information The icons on the top right corner of the screen give additional information on the motherboard and the contents of the support CD.
Page 125: Technical Support Form
Browse this CD Displays the support CD contents in graphical format. Technical support Form Displays the ASUS Technical Support Request Form that you have to ﬁll out when requesting technical support. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 126 Filelist Displays the contents of the support CD and a brief description of each in text format. Chapter 5: Software support...
Page 127: Software Information
ﬁle that came with the software application for more information. 5.4.1 ASUS MyLogo2™ The ASUS MyLogo2™ utility lets you customize the boot logo. The boot logo is the image that appears on screen during the Power-On Self-Tests (POST). The ASUS MyLogo2™ is automatically installed when you install the ASUS Update utility from the support CD.
Page 128 Ratio box. When the screen returns to the ASUS Update utility, ﬂash the original BIOS to load the new boot logo. 10. After ﬂashing the BIOS, restart the computer to display the new boot logo during POST.
Page 129: Ai Net 2
If you want the system to check the LAN cable before entering the OS, enable the POST Check LAN cable item in the BIOS. See section “4.4.6 LAN Cable Status” for details. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Virtual Cable Tester™ utility: ®...
Page 130: Sound Effect Options
5.4.3 Audio configurations The Realtek ALC850 AC ʻ97 audio CODEC provides 8-channel audio ® capability to deliver the ultimate audio experience on your PC. The software provides Jack-Sensing function (Line-In, Line-Out, Mic-In), S/PDIF out support and interrupt capability. The ALC850 also includes the Realtek proprietary UAJ (Universal Audio Jack) technology for three ports (Line-In, ®...
Page 131 To set the S/PDIF options: From the Realtek Audio Control Panel, click the SPDIF button. Click the option buttons to change your S/PDIF out settings. Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window to exit. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 5-13...
Page 132: Speaker Configuration
Speaker Configuration This option allows you to set your speaker conﬁguration. To set the speaker conﬁguration: From the Realtek Audio Control Panel, click the Speaker Conﬁguration button. Select from the combo list box your current speaker setup, then click Auto Test to test your settings. Click the UAJ Automatic button to enable or disable the Universal Audio Jack(UAJ Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window...
Page 133: Ai Audio Feature
When ﬁnished, the utility prompts the Realtek box showing your current audio connections. The text at the bottom of the box explains your audio connection status. An X mark denotes an incorrect connection. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium EZ-connection dialog ® 5-15...
Page 134: Hrtf Demo
If there are detected problems, make sure that your audio cables are connected to the proper audio jack and repeat connector sensing. Click the X button to exit EZ-connection dialog box. Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window to exit audio control panel.
Page 135: Audio Conﬁgurations
Out (gray), Side Speaker Out (black), and Center/Subwoofer (yellow orange) ports on the rear panel change when you select the 4-channel, 6-channel or 8-channel audio conﬁguration as shown in the following table. See the 8, 6, 4 or 2-channel speaker conﬁguration on page 2-20. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 5-17...
Page 136: Using The Nvidia ® Firewall
5.4.4 Using the NVIDIA The motherboard supports the NVIDIA that protects your computer from intruders. The NVFirewall™ is classiﬁed as a personal ﬁrewall or desktop ﬁrewall that works at the device level to protect your system from malicious computer code by controlling the connections to and from your computer and alerting you for attempted intrusions.
Page 137 From the NVFirewall™ summary menu, click the Current Firewall Proﬁle combo list box then select a security proﬁle. The following conﬁrmation box appears. Click Change Proﬁle to apply settings or Donʼt Change Proﬁle to return to previous menu. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 5-19...
Page 138 Turning the NVFirewall™ off Take caution when using this option, your computer becomes vulnerable to viruses, hackers or intruders after you turn off the ﬁrewall. To turn off the NVFirewall™: From the NVIDIA Firewall™ summary menu, click the Current Firewall Proﬁle combo list box then select Off.
Page 139: Raid Conﬁgurations
Spanning does not deliver any advantage over using separate disks independently and does not provide fault tolerance or other RAID performance beneﬁts. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 5-21...
Page 140: Installing Hard Disks
If you want to boot the system from a hard disk drive included in a RAID set, copy ﬁrst the RAID driver from the support CD to a ﬂoppy disk before you install an operating system to a selected hard disk drive. Refer to section “5.6 Creating a RAID driver disk”...
Page 141: Nvidia ® Raid Conﬁgurations
Save your changes and Exit Setup. For detailed descriptions on the NVIDIA® RAID conﬁguration, refer to the “NVIDIA RAID Userʼs Manual” found in your motherboard support CD. ® ASUS A8N-SLI Premium SLI southbridge chipset. It supports RAID 0, RAID ® 5-23...
Page 142: Creating A Raid Volume
Entering the NVIDIA To enter the NVIDIA Boot up your computer. During POST, press <F10> to display the main menu of the utility. The RAID BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference only, and may not exactly match the items on your screen. RAID Mode: Free Disks Disk Model Name...
Page 143 Press <Y> to clear the selected disks or <N> to proceed without clearing the disks. The following screen appears. Take caution in using this option. All data on the RAID drives will be lost! ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ↑ 128K Optim↓...
Page 144: Rebuilding A Raid Array
[Ctrl-X]Exit A new set of navigation keys is displayed on the bottom of the screen. Press <Ctrl+X> to save settings and exit. Rebuilding a RAID array To rebuild a RAID array: From the Array List menu, use the up or down arrow keys to select a RAID array then press <Enter>.
Page 145 <F7>. The following conﬁrmation message appears. Press <Enter> to start rebuilding array or press <Esc> to cancel. After the rebuild process, the Array list menu appears. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Array 1 : NVIDIA MIRROR XXX.XXG - Select Disk Inside Array -...
Page 146: Deleting A Raid Array
Deleting a RAID array To delete a RAID array: From the Array List menu, use the up or down arrow keys to select a RAID array then press <Enter>. The RAID Array details appear. RAID Mode: Mirroring Striping Width: 1 Adapt Channel [R] Rebuild...
Page 147: Clearing A Disk Data
Press <C> to clear disk. The following conﬁrmation message appears. Press <Y> to clear the disk data or press <N> to cancel. Take caution in using this option. All data on the RAID drives will be lost! ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Array 1 : NVIDIA MIRROR XXX.XXG...
Page 148: Silicon Image Raid Configurations
5.5.3 Silicon Image RAID configurations The Silicon Image RAID controller supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, JBOD, and RAID 5 conﬁgurations. Use the Silicon Image RAID utility to conﬁgure a disk array. Setting the BIOS RAID items After installing the hard disk drives, make sure to set the necessary RAID items in the BIOS before setting your RAID conﬁguration.
Page 149 The following lists the keys found in the legend box and their corresponding functions. : Select/Move to the next item ↑, ↓ : Previous Menu Enter : Select Ctrl-E : Exit ASUS A8N-SLI Premium HELP Press “Enter” to create RAID set LOGICAL DRIVE XXXXXXMB STXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXMB STXXXXXXXXX...
Page 150: Creating A Raid 0 Set (Striped)
Creating a RAID 0 set (Striped) To create a RAID set: From the Silicon Image conﬁguration utility main menu, select Create RAID set then press <Enter> to display an option menu. Select RAID 0 then press <Enter> to display the following. Select your desired method of conﬁguration.
Page 151: Creating A Raid 1 Set (Mirrored)
Create RAID set then press <Enter>. The following sub-menu appears. Select RAID 1 then press <Enter> to display the following. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium PHYSICAL DRIVE XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX MAIN MENU Create RAID set RAID0...
Page 152 Select your desired method of conﬁguration. Auto conﬁguration a. Select Auto Conﬁguration then press <Enter>. b. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>. c.
Page 153: Creating A Raid 5 Set (Parity)
Create RAID set then press <Enter>. The following sub-menu appears. Select RAID 5 then press <Enter> to display the following. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium MAIN MENU Auto conﬁguration Manual conﬁguration online copy ofﬂine copy MAIN MENU Create RAID set...
Page 154 Select your desired method of conﬁguration. Auto conﬁguration a. Select Auto Conﬁguration then press <Enter>. b. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>. c.
Page 155 TIP: For server systems, use of a lower array block size is recommended. For multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video editing, a higher array block size is recommended for optimum performance. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium MAIN MENU Create RAID set RAID0...
Page 156 c. The selection bar moves to the Physical Drive menu. Using the up or down arrow keys, select a drive then press <Enter> to set the ﬁrst drive of the RAID set. d. Repeat step c to set the second, third, and fourth drive. The number of available drives depend on the installed and enabled physical drives in the system.
Page 157 Conﬁgure a JBOD (Single) set when using a single Serial ATA drive; otherwise, the system will not recognize the drive. • You can also create a RAID set using the SATARAID5 GUI utility under a Windows ASUS A8N-SLI Premium environment. ® MAIN MENU Create RAID set...
Page 158: Creating A Raid Driver Disk
Creating a RAID driver disk A ﬂoppy disk with the RAID driver is required when installing Windows 2000/XP operating system on a hard disk drive that is included in a RAID set. To create a RAID driver disk: Place the motherboard support CD into the CD-ROM drive. When the Drivers menu appears, select the RAID driver disk you want to create: •...
Page 159: Cool ʻNʼ Quiet!™ Technology
From the Power schemes combo list box, select Minimal Power Management. Click OK to effect settings. Make sure to install the Cool ʻnʼ Quiet!™ driver and application before using this feature. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 2000/XP operating system, click the Start button. 5-41...
Page 160: Launching The Cool ʻNʼ Quiet!™ Software
To launch the Cool ʻnʼ Quiet!™ program: If you are using Windows Select Programs > ASUS > Cool & Quiet > Cool & Quiet. If you are using Windows Programs > ASUS > Cool & Quiet > Cool & Quiet.
Page 161: Using The Nvidia ® Ntune™ Utility
BIOS. This menu also provides shortcuts to manage your nForceware™ settings. Click to launch Manage my nForce™ system menu ASUS A8N-SLI Premium nTune™ utility ® nTune™ utility that allows easy ®...
Page 162: Clock Control
5.8.2 Clock control The Clock control menu allows dynamic modiﬁcations for system bus speeds and memory controller timing. The system bus speed includes the front side bus (FSB) and AGP bus. Click to launch the Clock control menu 5.8.3 Voltage/Fan control The Voltage/Fan control menu allows tweaking options for the CPU and memory voltage.
Page 163: Information
Other option buttons allow you to easily save or revert your settings and save or load nTune™ proﬁles. Click to save settings and exit Click to save settings only Click to revert changes Click to load saved nTune™ profile Click to save settings in a profile ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 5-45...
Page 164: Using The Asus Ai Selector Utility
Using the ASUS AI Selector utility The motherboard support CD comes with the ASUS AI Selector that allows you to set the video card mode of your system. Follow the AI Selector installation wizard to install the AI Selector utility from the motherboard support CD.
Page 165: Using The Sli Mode
• When the SLI mode is disabled, the multi-monitor feature is automatically enabled. Use the NVIDIA nView utility to conﬁgure your multi-monitor setup. • Refer to section “4.4.4 SLI Conﬁguration” on page 4-29 for BIOS details. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium 5-47...
Page 166 5-48 Chapter 5: Software support...
Page 167: Nvidia Sli
This chapter tells how to install SLI-ready PCI Express graphics cards. NVIDIA SLI™ ® technology support...
Page 168: Dual Graphics Card Setup
Chapter summary Overview ... 6-1 Dual graphics cards setup ... 6-3 ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 169: Overview
Visit the NVIDIA zone website (http://www.nzone.com) for the latest certiﬁed graphics card list. 6.1.2 ASUS Certified SLI Graphics cards Use only ASUS certiﬁed PCI Express x16 SLI graphics cards to ensure optimum peformance. GeForce 6800 Ultra models Vendor Model Number...
Page 170 GeForce 6800 GT models Vendor ASUS eVGA Gigabyte Leadtek XFX/Pine GeForce 6600 GT models Vendor Albatron AOpen Asus Chaintech eVGA Gigabyte Leadtek Palit Prolink Sparkle XFX/Pine Model Number EN6800GT BFG BFGO68256GTOCX 256-P2-N376-AX/BX GV-NX68T256DH WinFast PX6800 GT XFX GeForce 6800GT PCI-E (PV-T45G-UD)
Page 171: Installing Sli-Ready Graphics Cards
6.2.1 Installing SLI-ready graphics cards Goldfingers ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 172 Insert one graphics card into the blue slot labeled PCIEX16_1. Make sure that the card is properly seated on the slot. Insert the second graphics card into the black slot labeled PCIEX16_2. Make sure that the card is properly seated on the slot. If required, connect an auxiliary power source to the PCI Express graphics cards.
Page 173 If using a 20-pin ATX power connector, connect a 4-pin ATX power cable to the EZ Plug™ labeled EZ_PLUG on your motherboard. ASUS EZ Plug™ The onboard red warning LED lights up if you do not plug a 4-pin ATX power cable to the EZ Plug.
Page 174: Installing The Asus Ai Selector Utility
NVIDIA SLI technology. Download the latest driver from the NVIDIA website (www.nvidia.com). 6.2.3 Installing the ASUS AI Selector utility Install the ASUS AI Selector utility using the motherboard support CD. Follow the steps described in section “5.2.3 Utilities menu” to install the ASUS AI Selector utility. Chapter 6: NVIDIA SLI™...
Page 175: Enabling The Multi-Gpu Feature In Windows
Windows taskbar. From the pop-up menu, select nView Desktop Manager then click nView Properties. From the nView Desktop Manager window, select the Desktop Management tab. Click Properties to display the Display Properties dialog box. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium NVIDIA Settings icon...
Page 176 From the Display Properties dialog box, select the Settings tab then click Advanced. Select the NVIDIA GeForce tab. Click the slider to display the following screen, then select the SLI multi-GPU item. Slider Chapter 6: NVIDIA SLI™ technology support ®...
Page 177: Setting The Asus Ai Selector Utility
When the SLI mode is disabled, the multi-monitor mode is automatically enabled. Use the NVIDIA nView utility to conﬁgure your multi-monitor setup. • See section “5.9 Using the ASUS AI Selector utility” on page 5-46 for details. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Card Type Speed Qualiﬁed PCIe x16...
Page 178 6-10 Chapter 6: NVIDIA SLI™ technology support ®...
Page 179: Appendix
This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. Appendix...
Page 180: A.1 Using The Sata Extension Module
Chapter summary Using the SATA extension module ... A-1 ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 181: Using The Sata Extension Module
SATA_CON4. Connect a 4-pin ATX power plug to the SATA extension module power connector labeled PWR_CON1. You can now connect two SATA hard disks to the rear panel of your chassis. ASUS A8N-SLI Premium...
Page 182: Installing Sata Hard Drives
A.1.2 Installing SATA hard drives To install Serial ATA hard drives: Connect one end of the ﬁrst SATA signal cable to the SATA connector labeled SATA 1. Connect the other end of the SATA signal cable to the SATA connector on the ﬁrst drive. Connect one end of the second SATA signal cable to the other SATA connector labeled SATA 2.

Asus Motherboard A8N-SLI Premium User Manual

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

Chapter 2: Hardware Information

Chapter 3: Powering up

Chapter 4: BIOS Setup

Chapter 5: Software Support

Chapter 6 : SLI™ Technology Support

Appendix

Quick Links

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Table of Contents