User Guide Motherboard P4GE-MX
E1862 Checklist Revised Edition V2 December 2004 Copyright © 2004 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Contents Features Notices ............................................................................................ v Safety information .......................................................................... vi About this guide ............................................................................. vii Conventions used in this guide ............................................ vii Typography ...........................................................................
Contents Safeguards Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Managing and updating your BIOS .................................... 2-2 2.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk ............................. 2-2 2.1.2 Updating the BIOS with EZ Flash feature .............. 2-3 2.1.3 Recovering the BIOS with CrashFree BIOS .......... 2-4 2.1.4 ASUS Update ........................................................ 2-6 BIOS Setup program ..........................................................
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. The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations.
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. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
About this guide Conventions used in this guide To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual. WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task. CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task. IMPORTANT: Information that you MUST follow to complete a task. NOTE: Tips and additional information to aid in completing a task.
P4GE-MX specifications summary CPU Socket 478 for Intel® Pentium® 4 / Celeron® processors Supports Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology Chipset Northbridge: Intel® 845GE Southbridge: Intel® ICH4 (FW82801DB) Front System Bus 533/400 MHz Memory 2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets for up to 2GB unbuffered non-ECC PC2700/2100/PC1600 SDRAM memory Expansion slots 1 x AGP 4x slot 3 x PCI slots Storage 2 x UltraDMA 100/66 Audio Realtek® ALC655 6-channel CODEC Supports S/PDIF Out interface LAN Realtek® RTL8100C
BIOS features 3Mb Flash ROM, Award BIOS, TCAV, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3 Industry standard PCI 2.2, USB 2.0 Form Factor MicroATX form factor: 9.6 in x 8.6 in Support CD contents Device drivers ASUS PC Probe ASUS Live Update Utility Anti-virus utility * Specifications are subject to change without notice.
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Chapter 1 This chapter describes the features of the motherboard. It includes brief descriptions of the motherboard components, and illustrations of the layout, jumper settings, and connectors.
1.1 Welcome! Thank you for buying the ASUS® P4GE-MX motherboard! The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards! The motherboard combines the powers of the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor and the Intel® 845GE chipset to set a new benchmark for an effective desktop platform solution.
1.3 Special features 1.3.1 Product Highlights Latest processor technology The motherboard comes with a 478-pin surface mount, Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket for the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor in the 478-pin package with 512/256KB L2 cache on 0.13 or 0.09 micron process. This motherboard supports 533/400 MHz system front side bus that allows 4.3GB/s and 3.2GB/s data transfer rates, respectively. The motherboard also supports the Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology.
1.3.2 Unique ASUS features CrashFree BIOS 2 This feature allows you to restore the original BIOS data from the motherboard support CD or a bootable floppy disk in case the BIOS codes and data are corrupted. This protection eliminates the need to buy a replacement ROM chip. See page 2-4. ASUS EZ Flash BIOS The ASUS EZ Flash feature works through the Award BIOS Update utility. With EZ Flash, you can easily update the system BIOS even before loading the operating system. See page 2-3.
1.4 Before you proceed Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component. Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or discharge any static electricity by touching the metal surface of the system chassis. Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.
1.5 Motherboard overview 1.5.1 Motherboard layout 21.9cm (8.6in) Intel 82845GE Memory Controller Hub USBPWR_34 Top: USB34 RJ-45 ATX12V1 24.4cm (9.
1.5.2 Placement direction When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image below. 1.5.3 Screw holes Place six (6) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis. Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.
1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) 1.6.1 Overview The motherboard comes with a surface mount 478-pin Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket designed for the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor. Take note of the marked corner (with gold triangle) on the CPU. This mark should match a specific corner on the socket to ensure correct installation.
1.6.2 Installing the CPU Follow these steps to install a CPU. 1. Locate the 478-pin ZIF socket on the motherboard. 90º~100º angle 2. Unlock the socket by pressing the lever sideways, then lift it up to a 90°100° angle. Socket Lever Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to 90°-100° angle; otherwise, the CPU does not fit in completely. 3. Position the CPU above the socket such that its marked corner matches the base of the socket lever. Gold Mark 4.
1.7 System memory 1.7.1 DIMM sockets location You can install 64MB, 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB DDR DIMMs into the DIMM sockets of this motherboard. The following figure illustrates the location of the DDR DIMM sockets. 80 Pins 104 Pins ® P4GE-MX P4GE-MX 184-Pin DDR DIMM Sockets 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. 1.7.
1.8 Expansion slots To install and configure an expansion card: 1. Install an expansion card following the instructions that came with the chassis. 2. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any. See Chapter 2 for BIOS information. 3. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables next page. 4. Install the drivers and/or software applications for the expansion card according to the card documentation. 1.8.
1.8.3 PCI slots The PCI slots support PCI cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. 1.8.4 AGP slot The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot supports AGP 4X (+1.5V) cards. When you buy an AGP card, make sure that you ask for one with +1.5V specification. Note the notches on the card golden fingers to ensure that they fit the AGP slot on the motherboard. Install only +1.5V AGP cards. ® P4GE-MX Keyed for 1.
1.9 Jumpers 1. 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 RAM data in CMOS, that include system setup information such as system passwords, is powered by the onboard button cell battery. To erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Move the jumper cap from pins 2-3 (default) to pins 1-2.
2. Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard wake-up feature. Set this jumper to pins 2-3 (+5V) if you wish to wake up the computer when you press a key on the keyboard. This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A on the +5V lead, and a corresponding setting in the BIOS. KBPWR 3 2 2 1 +5V (Default) +5VSB ® P4GE-MX P4GE-MX Keyboard power setting 3.
1.10 Connectors This section describes and illustrates the motherboard rear panel and internal connectors. 1.10.1 Rear panel connectors 1 2 3 4 5 6 11 10 9 8 7 1. PS/2 mouse port. This green 6-pin connector is for a PS/2 mouse. 2. Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer, a scanner, or other devices. 3. RJ-45 port. This port allows connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. 4. Line In jack.
1.10.2 Internal connectors 1. IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE, SEC_IDE) This connector supports the provided Ultra DMA 100/66 IDE hard disk ribbon cable. Connect the cable’s blue connector to the primary (recommended) or secondary IDE connector, then connect the gray connector to the Ultra DMA 100/66 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the Ultra DMA 100/66 master device. Follow the hard disk drive documentation when setting the device in master or slave mode.
3. ATX power connectors (20-pin ATX_POWER1, 4-pin ATX12V1) These connectors connect to an ATX 12V power supply. The plugs from the power supply are designed to fit these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the connectors completely fit. In addition to the 20-pin ATX power connector, this motherboard requires that you connect the 4-pin ATX +12V power plug to provide sufficient power to the CPU.
5. CPU and chassis fan connectors (3-pin CPU_FAN, CHA_FAN) The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA~740mA (8.88W max.) or a total of 1A~2.22A (26.64W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. Rotation +12V GND CPU_FAN CHA_FAN ® Rotation +12V GND P4GE-MX P4GE-MX Fan connectors Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors.
7. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin FP_AUDIO) This is an interface for the front panel cable that allows convenient connection and control of audio devices. BLINE_OUT_L AGND +5VA BLINE_OUT_R Be default, the pins labeled LINE OUT_R/BLINE_OUT_R and the pins LINE OUT_L/BLINE_OUT_L are shorted with jumper caps. Remove the caps only when you are connecting the front panel audio cable. FP_AUDIO MIC2 MICPWR Line out_R NC Line out_L ® P4GE-MX P4GE-MX Front panel audio connector 8.
9. GAME/MIDI connector (16-1 pin GAME1) +5V J1B2 J1CY GND GND J1CX J1B1 +5V This connector supports a GAME/MIDI module. If a GAME/MIDI module is available, connect the GAME/MIDI cable to this connector. The GAME/MIDI port on the module connects a joystick or a game pad for playing games, and MIDI devices for playing or editing audio files. ® P4GE-MX MIDI_IN J2B2 J2CY MIDI_OUT J2CX J2B1 +5V GAME1 P4GE-MX Game connector The GAME/MIDI module is purchased separately. 10.
11. Serial connector (9-pin COM2 ) This 9-pin connector connects to a COM2 bracket. Connect the COM2 cable to this connector and install the bracket on an available slot in the rear panel of the chassis. PIN 1 COM2 ® P4GE-MX P4GE-MX Serial port connector The COM2 bracket is purchased separately. 12. Power LED connector (3-pin PLED1 ) This 3-pin connector connects to a 3-pin system power LED. The LED lights up when you turn on the system power.
13. System panel connector (10-1 pin F_PANEL) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. Power Button PLED+ PLEDPWR GND Power LED IDE_LED+ IDE_LEDGround Reset NC F_PANEL ® P4GE-MX IDE_LED Reset P4GE-MX Front panel audio connector • System Power LED Lead (2-pin PLED) This 2-pin connector connects to the system power LED. The LED lights up when you turn on the system power.
Chapter 2 This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup. 1. AwardBIOS Flash Utility (EZ Flash feature that updates the BIOS using a floppy disk during POST.) 2. ASUS CrashFree BIOS (Updates the BIOS using a bootable floppy disk when the BIOS gets corrupted.) 3. ASUS Update (Updates the BIOS in Windows® environment.) Refer to the corresponding section for details on these utilities.
Windows® XP environment a. b. c. d. Insert a 1.44 MB floppy disk into the floppy disk drive. From your Windows desktop, click on Start, then select My Computer. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon. Click File from the menu, then select Format. A Format 3 1/2 Floppy Disk window appears. e. Select Create an MS-DOS startup disk from the format options field, then click Start. 2. Copy the original (or the latest) motherboard BIOS to the bootable floppy disk. 2.1.
6. After verification, AWDFLASH flashes the new BIOS file. Do not shut down the computer during the flash process. 7. After the new BIOS file is copied, the computer returns to POST. 2.1.3 Recovering the BIOS with CrashFree BIOS 2 The CrashFree BIOS 2 auto recovery tool allows you to restore BIOS from the motherboard support CD, or from a floppy disk that contains the BIOS file, in case the current BIOS on the motherboard fails or gets corrupted.
Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for floppy... Floppy found! Reading file “P4GE-MX.ROM”. Completed. Start flashing... DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so may cause system boot failure! 2. When the BIOS update process is complete, reboot the system. To recover the BIOS from the support CD: 1. Boot the system. 2. When a corrupted BIOS is detected, the following screen message appears. Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for floppy...
2.1.4 ASUS Update The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in Windows® environment. This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). To install ASUS Update: 1. Insert the support CD to the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears. 2. Click the Utilities tab, then click Install ASUS Update VX.XX.XX.
2. From the FTP site, select the BIOS version that you wish to download. Click Next. 5. Follow the instructions on the succeeding screens to complete the update process. If you selected the option to update the BIOS from a file, a window pops up prompting you to locate the file. Select the file, click Save, then follow the screen instructions to complete the update process.
2.2 BIOS Setup program This motherboard supports a programmable firmware hub (FHW) chip that you can update using the provided utility described in section “2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS.” Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconfiguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section explains how to configure your system using this utility.
2.2.1 BIOS menu screen Menu items Menu bar Field settings General help Sub-menu items Legend bar 2.2.
2.2.3 Legend bar At the bottom of the Setup screen is a legend bar. The keys in the legend bar allow you to navigate through the various setup menus. The following table lists the keys found in the legend bar with their corresponding functions.
2.3 Main menu When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears giving you an overview of the basic system information. Refer to section “2.2.1 BIOS menu screen” for information on the menu screen items and how to navigate through them. System Date [mm/dd/yy] Sets the system to the date that you specify (usually the current date). The format is month, day, year. Valid values for month, day, and year are Month: (1 to 12), Day: (1 to 31), Year: (1999 to 2099).
Supervisor Password [Clear] / User Password [Clear] These fields allow you to set passwords. To set a password, highlight the appropriate field and press . Type in a password then press . You can type up to eight alphanumeric characters. Symbols and other characters are ignored. To confirm the password, type the password again and press . The password field setting is changed to [Set]. To clear the password, highlight this field, and press .
Primary and Secondary Master/Slave IDE Auto-Detection [Press Enter] Press enter to automatically detect an IDE hard disk drive, if the hard drive is not already detected. In cases of undetected HDDs, pressing enter detects the HDD and allows you access to the IDE Primary Master and Access Mode fields. IDE Primary Master/Slave [Auto]; IDE Secondary Master/Slave [Auto] Select [Auto] to automatically detect an IDE hard disk drive.
Before attempting to configure a hard disk drive, make sure you have the correct configuration information supplied by the drive manufacturer. Incorrect settings may cause the system to fail to recognize the installed hard disk. Capacity [xxxxx MB] This item displays the auto-detected hard disk capacity. The value is not user-configurable. Cylinder This item shows the number of the hard disk cylinders. Head This item shows the number of the hard disk read/write heads.
2.4 Advanced menu 2.4.1 Advanced Chipset Features DRAM Timing Selectable [By SPD] Sets the DRAM Timing configuration. Set to manual if you want to configure each item on your own. Configuration options: [Manual] [By SPD] CAS Latency Time [1.5] Sets the latency between the DRAM command and the time the data actually become available. Configuration options: [1.5] [2] [2.5] [3] Active to Precharge Delay [7] Controls the number of DRAM clocks used for the DRAM parameters.
DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay [3] Sets the latency between the DRAM active command and the R/W command. Configuration options: [3] [2] DRAM RAS# Precharge [3] Sets the idle clocks after issuing a precharge command to the DRAM. Configuration options: [3] [2] Memory Frequency for [Auto] This item allows you set the FSB and system memory frequency. The default setting is [Auto]. Configuration options: [PC100] [PC133] [Auto] AGP Aperture Size (MB) [64] Sets the size of the AGP aperture.
Spread Spectrum [Disabled] This field enables or disables the clock generator spread spectrum. Configuration options: [Disabled] [+/- 0.25%] [+/- 0.35%] [+/- 0.45%] [- 0.5%] Limit CPUID MaxVal [Disabled] Allows you to limit the CPUID maximum value. Set this item to Disabled, if you installed Windows® XP operating system. 2.4.2 Integrated Peripherals IDE DMA Transfer Access [Enabled] Disables or enables the IDE DMA transfer access.
On-Chip Secondary PCI IDE [Enabled] Disables or enables the On-chip Secondary PCI IDE support. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Primary Master UDMA [Auto] Primary Slave UDMA [Auto] Secondary Master UDMA [Auto] Secondary Slave UDMA [Auto] These items allow you to automatically set or disable the primary IDE UDMA capability, which improves transfer speeds and data integrity for compatible IDE devices.
Parallel Port Mode [ECP] This field allows you to set the operation mode of the parallel port. [SPP] allows normal-speed operation but in one direction only; [EPP] allows bidirectional parallel port operation; [ECP] allows the parallel port to operate in bidirectional DMA mode; [ECP+EPP] allows normal speed operation in a two-way mode. Configuration options: [SPP] [EPP] [ECP] [ECP+EPP] [Normal] EPP Mode Select [EPP1.7] Sets the parallel port DMA channel for the selected EPP mode.
2.5 Power menu ACPI Suspend Type [S1& S3] Allows you to select the ACPI state to used for system suspend. Configuration options: [S1 (POS)] [S3 (STR)] [S1 & S3] USB Device Wake-Up From S3 [Enabled] Disables or enables the USB device wake-up from S3 feature. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] POWER ON Function [BUTTON ONLY] Allows you to set a button or key to wake up the system.
Hot Key Power ON [Ctrl-F1] Allows you to set a hot-key to wake up the system from sleep mode. To configure this item, make sure that the Power ON Function is set as Hot KEY. Configuration options: [Ctrl-F1] ... [Ctrl-F12] PWRON After PWR-Fail [Off] Allows you to set whether the system will reboot after power interruptions. Configuration options: [Off] [On] [Former-Sts] Run VGABIOS if S3 Resume [No] Sets whether to run the VGABIOS after an S3 resume.
2. Key-in a value (Min=0, Max=23), then press . 3. Press tab to move to the minutes field, then press . 4. Key-in a minute value (Min=0, Max=59), then press . 5. Press tab to move to the seconds field, the press . 6. Key-in a value (Min=0, Max=59), then press . Hardware Monitor The items in the Hardware Monitor sub-menu displays the status of the hardware devices monitored by the system. CPU Warning Temperature [Disabled] Disables or sets the CPU warning temperature.
2.6 Boot menu First, Second, Third Boot Device The Boot Menu allows you to select 13 types of boot devices. Promotion or demotion of devices alters the priority which the system uses to boot device on system power up. Configuration options include [Floppy] [LS120] [HDD-0] [SCSI] [CDROM] [HDD-1] [HDD-2] [HDD-3] [ZIP] [USB-FDD] [USB-ZIP] [USB-CDROM] [USB-HDD] [LAN] [Disabled] Boot Other Device [Enabled] Enables or disables boot from other device function.
2.7 Exit menu Save & Exit Setup Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. The CMOS RAM is sustained by an onboard backup battery and stays on even when the PC is turned off. When you select this option, a confirmation window appears. Select [Yes] to save changes and exit. Exit Without Saving Select this option if you do not want to save the changes you made to the Setup program.
Chapter 3 This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package.
3.1 Install an operating system This motherboard supports Windows® 98SE/ME/2000/XP operating system (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your hardware. Motherboard settings and hardware options vary, so use the setup procedures presented in this chapter for general reference only. Refer to your OS documentation for more information. 3.
3.2.2 Drivers menu The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices. Intel Chipset Inf Update Program Click this item to load the installation wizard and install the Intel® Chipset update driver. Intel Application Accelerator Driver Click this item to load the installation wizard and install the Intel® Application Accelerator.
ASUS PC Probe This smart utility monitors the fan speed, CPU temperature, and system voltages, and alerts you on any detected problems. This utility helps you keep your computer at a healthy operating condition. ASUS Update This program 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. Installing ASUS Update also installs ASUS Mylogo™.
3.3 Audio configurations The Realtek® ALC655 AC ‘97 audio CODEC provides 6-channel audio capability to deliver the ultimate audio experience on your PC. The software provides Connector sensing function, S/PDIF out support and interrupt capability. Follow the installation wizard to install the Realtek AC97 Audio Driver and Application from the support CD that came with the motherboard package. If the Realtek® audio software is correctly installed, you will find the SoundEffect icon on the taskbar.
The Realtek® EZ-connection dialog box shows your current audio connections. The text at the bottom of the box explains your audio connection status. An X mark denotes an incorrect connection. 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.
