User Manual

ASUS P5A-VM User’s Manual 9

II. FEATURES

Smart Series

Introduction to ASUS Smart Series Motherboards

Performance

• SDRAM Optimized Performance: ASUS Smart Series motherboards support

the new generation memory—Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory

(SDRAM)—which increases the data transfer rate from 264MB/sec maximum

using EDO memory to 528MB/sec max using SDRAM.

• Double the IDE Transfer Speed: ASUS Smart Series motherboards with ALi’s

Aladdin V chipset improves IDE transfer rate using UltraDMA/33 Bus Master

IDE, which can handle data transfer up to 33MB/sec. The best of all is that this

new technology is compatible with existing ATA-2 IDE specifications so there is

no need to upgrade current hard drives or cables.

• Concurrent PCI: Concurrent PCI allows multiple PCI transfers from PCI mas-

ter buses to memory to CPU.

• ACPI Ready: ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is also imple-

mented on all ASUS Smart Series motherboards. ACPI provides more Energy

Saving Features for the future operating systems (OS) supporting OS Direct Power

Management (OSPM) functionality. With these features implemented in the OS,

PCs can be ready around the clock, yet satisfy all the energy saving standards. To

fully utilize the benefits of ACPI, an OS that supports ACPI, such as Windows

98, must be used.

• PC’98 Compliant: Both the BIOS and hardware levels of the ASUS Smart Se-

ries motherboards meet PC’98 compliancy. The new PC’98 requirements for sys-

tems and components are based on the following high-level goals: Support for

Plug and Play compatibility and power management for configuring and manag-

ing all system components, and 32-bit device drivers and installation procedures

for Windows 95/Windows 98 and Windows NT.

Intelligence (with optional Hardware Monitor only)

• Fan Status Monitoring and Alarm: To prevent system overheat and system

damage, the CPU fan and system fans are monitored for RPM and failure. Each

fan can be set for its normal RPM range and alarm thresholds.

• Temperature Monitoring and Alert: To prevent system overheat and system

damage, there is a heat sensor under the CPU and on the motherboard itself to

monitor CPU and system temperature to make sure the system is operating at a

safe heat level to avoid any failures triggered by extremely high temperature.