User’s Guide EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard
EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard Table of Contents User’s Guide .................................................................................................................1 EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard.......................................................................................1 Before You Begin… ......................................................................................................7 Before You Begin… ......................................................................................
USB Headers ................................................................................................. 20 Audio .............................................................................................................. 21 Expansion Slots ................................................................................................. 22 PCI Slots ........................................................................................................ 22 PCI Express x1 Slots .......................
EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard ME Subsystem Configuration............................................................................. 39 PCI/PNP Resource Management .......................................................................... 40 Clear NVRAM ..................................................................................................... 40 Plug & Play O/S ................................................................................................. 40 PCI Latency Timer .....................
List of Figures Figure 1. PW1 Motherboard Connector ................................................................ 16 Figure 2. CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu ............................................................. 33 Figure 3. Standard BIOS Features Menu .............................................................. 34 Figure 4. Advanced BIOS Features ...................................................................... 36 Figure 5. Advanced Chipset Features ...............................
EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard Before You Begin… Parts NOT in the Kit This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard. However, it does not contain the following items that must be purchased separately to make the motherboard functional.
EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard Motherboard Specifications Size ATX form factor of 12 inch x 9.6 inch Processor support Intel Socket 1156 CPU’s Operating systems: Supports Windows XP 32bit/64bit, Windows Vista 32bit/64bit, and Windows 7 32bit/64bit Intel P55 Express Chipset System Memory support Supports dual channel DDR3-1600+. Officially supports up to 16GBs of DDR3 memory. USB 2.0 Ports Supports hot plug Thirteen USB 2.
Six(6) onboard Serial ATA II 300MBps data transfer rate Six Serial ATA II connectors with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10, and RAID 5 Supports hot plug and NCQ (Native Command Queuing ) Dual Onboard LAN’s Integrated LAN port’s Supports 10/100/1000 Mb/sec Ethernet Onboard IEEE1394a (Firewire) Support hot plug Two IEEE1394a ports (One rear panel port, one onboard 1394 header) with a rate transmission of 400 Mbps Onboard Audio Realtek High-Definition audio Supports 8-channel audio Supp
Hardware Installation This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The topics covered in this section are: Preparing the motherboard Installing the CPU Installing the CPU fan Installing the memory Installing the motherboard Connecting cables Safety Instructions To reduce the risk of fire, electric shocks, and injury, always follow basic safety precautions.
Preparing the Motherboard Installing the CPU Be very careful when handling the CPU. Hold the processor only by the edges and do not touch the contacts on the motherboard or CPU. Any physical damage to the motherbard pins will void the warranty. Use the following procedure to install the CPU onto the motherboard: Unhook the socket lever by pushing down and away from the socket. Pull the socket lever back and the load plate will automatically lift.
Align the notches in the processor with the notches on the socket. Lower the processor straight down into the socket without tilting or sliding it into the socket Note: Make sure the CPU is fully seated and level. Lower the load plate so it is resting on the CPU. Align notches with notches on the CPU Pull back the socket lever again to ensure the load plate tip engages under the shoulder screw cap. Carefully close and latch the lever.
Installing System Memory (DIMMs) Your new motherboard has four 240-pin slots for DDR3 memory. These slots support 1GB, 2GB, 4GB DDR3 technologies. There must be at least one memory bank populated to ensure normal operation. Use the following the recommendations for installing memory. One DIMM: If using 1 DIMM (Single Channel), install into: DIMM slot 1. Two DIMMs: If using 2 DIMMs (Dual Channel), install into: DIMM slots 1 and 3.
Installing the I/O Shield The motherboard kit comes with an I/O shield that is used to block radio frequency transmissions, protects internal components from dust and foreign objects, and promotes correct airflow within the chassis. Before installing the motherboard, install the I/O shield from the inside of the chassis. Press the I/O shield into place and make sure it fits securely.
Securing the Motherboard into a System Case Most system cases have a base with mounting studs or spacers to allow the motherboard to be secured to the chassis and help to prevent short circuits. If there are studs that do not align with a mounting hole on the motherboard, it is recommended that you remove that stud to prevent the possibility of a short circuit. In most cases, it is recommended to secure the motherboard using a minimum of nine (9) spacers and screws. 1.
24-pin ATX Power (PW1) is the main power supply connector located along the edge of the board next to the DIMM slots. Make sure that the power supply cable and pins are properly aligned with the connector on the motherboard. Firmly plug the power supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure. PW1 PW1 connector Plug power cable from system power supply to PW1 Figure 1. PW1 Motherboard Connector Table 1. PW1 Pin Assignments Connector 1 13 Pin 12 24 Signal Pin Signal 1 +3.
primary storage devices. The current Serial ATA II interface allows up to 300MB/s data transfer rate. There are six (6) internal serial ATA connectors on this motherboard. These connections are designed to be angled to not interfere with any expansions cards. These connection points support RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 configurations.
Connecting Internal Headers Front Panel Header The front panel header on this motherboard is one connector used to connect the following four cables. (see Table 2 for pin definitions): PWRLED Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two pins of the connector. The Power LED indicates the system’s status. When the system is turned on, the LED is on. When the system is turned off, the LED is off. Note: Some system cases do not have all four cables.
IEEE1394a (Firewire) This motherboard has one IEEE 1394a onboard header. Alternatively, you can also connect this to your system case (if applicable). 1. Secure the bracket to either the front or rear panel of the system case (not all system cases are equipped with the front panel option). Connect the end of the cable to the IEEE1394a header on the motherboard. Table 3.
USB Headers This motherboard contains seven (7) USB 2.0 ports that are exposed on the rear panel of the chassis (Figure 2). The motherboard also contains three (3) 10pin internal header connectors onboard that can be used to connect an optional external bracket containing up to six (6) USB 2.0 ports. 1. Secure the bracket to either the front or rear panel of your chassis (not all chassis are equipped with the front panel option). 2. Connect the end of the cable(s) to the USB 2.
Audio The audio connector supports HD audio standard and provides two kinds of audio output choices: the Front Audio, the Rear Audio. The front Audio supports re-tasking function. Table 5.
Expansion Slots PCI Slots The PCI slot supports many expansion cards such as a LAN card, USB card, SCSI card and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. When installing a card into the PCI slot, be sure that it is fully seated. Secure the card’s metal bracket to the chassis back panel with the screw used to hold the blank cover. PCI Express x1 Slots There is one PCI Express x1 slot that is designed to accommodate PCIe x1 cards, such as an EVGA Killer Xeno Network Card or Sound Card.
Onboard Buttons These onboard buttons include RESET, POWER and Clear CMOS. These functions allow you to easily reset the system, turn on/off the system, or clear the CMOS. Clear CMOS Button The motherboard uses the CMOS RAM to store all the set parameters. The CMOS can be cleared by pressing the Clear CMOS button either onboard or on the external I/O Panel. RESET and POWER Button External Clear CMOS Button These onboard buttons allow you to easily turn on/off the system.
Post Port Debug LED and LED Status Indicators Post Port Debug LED Provides two-digit POST codes to show why the system may be failing to boot. It is useful during troubleshooting situations. This Debug LED will also display current CPU temperatures after the system has fully booted into the Operating System. Debug LED with CPU Temperature Monitor LED Status Indicators The LEDs near the 24pin ATX connector indicate the system’s status. POWER LED (Green): When the System is powered on: This LED is on.
The PCIe disable jumpers are located right beside the 24pin ATX Connector. In default shipping configurations, all slots are enabled with the jumpers in the left position. From top to bottom, PCIE slots 1,2,3 respectively. To disable a PCIE Slot, move the jumper over to the right position. Example: Remove the Jumper cap of JPE2, PCIE Slot 2 is disabled while the rest are enabled. The PCIE Disable Function can also be extended onto the ECP discussed later on.
CPU Vcore voltage Memory voltage CPU VTT voltage North-bridge of chipset voltage CPU PLL voltage QPI PLL voltage I/O voltage of South-bridge chipset South-bridge chipset voltage Ground EVGA Control Panel V2 (ECP) For the convenience of users, EVGA has bundled an easy to Access Control Panel: To use the ECP, simply hook up the black ECP Cable to the motherboard at the ECP header location.
**Before turning on the PC, please check to see that the CPU VCore Booster is in the Off position clicked up.** If you wish to access the PCIE Disable Function via the ECP, please follow these instructions: Locate the PCIE Disable Jumpers (see visual guide) Remove the 3 jumpers.
It doesn’t matter which end of the PCIE Cable goes onto the Motherboard. Please be reminded to do this when PC is not running.
The Red wires should be occupying the pins on the top row. Now, access the Disable/Enable Function at the front of the Control Panel: From Right to Left, PCIE Slots 1,2,3. When Jumper is in top position, PCIE slot is enabled. When in bottom position PCIE slot is disabled. Above shows example of PCIE slot 2 disabled while the rest are enabled. CPU VCore Booster For convenience of users when overclocking, the ECP houses 2 CPU Vcore Boosters for real-time boost of CPU VCore upwards of +0.1v per button.
The Red LED will light up when VCore booster is pressed. When one Red LED is lit, VCore is boosted by +0.v. When 2 Red LEDs are lit, VCore is boosted by +0.2v. To stop the VCore boost, just press again and VCore will go down to what you have set. The 2 buttons are exactly the same in function each. Vtt Booster The far right button on the EVGA ECP increases the VTT voltage by +0.1v.
Configuring the BIOS This section discusses how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
Enter BIOS Setup The BIOS is the communication bridge between hardware and software. Correctly setting the BIOS parameters is critical to maintain optimal system performance and stability. Use the following procedure to verify/change BIOS settings. 3. Power on the computer. 4. Press the Del key when the following message briefly displays at the bottom of the screen during the Power On Self Test (POST). Press F2 to Load Defaults, DEL to enter Setup.
Configuring the BIOS Figure 2. CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu Standard BIOS Features Use this menu to set up the basic system configuration. Advanced BIOS Features Use this menu to set up the advanced system features and boot sequence. Advanced Chipset Features Use this menu to set up onboard peripherals such as IDE, RAID, USB, LAN, and MAC control. PCI/PNP Resource Management Use this menu to configure resource management.
Standard BIOS Features Menu The Standard CMOS Features menu is used to configure the standard CMOS information, such as the date, time, and so on. Use the + and - keys to scroll through the options. Use the arrow keys to position the selector in the option you choose. To go back to the previous menu, press Esc. CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends Standard BIOS Features System Overview ______________________________________________ AMIBIOS Version :08.00.
Configuring the BIOS System Time / System Date Using the arrow keys, position the cursor over the month, day, and year. Use the + and - keys to scroll through dates and times. Note that the weekday (Sun through Sat) cannot be changed. This field changes to correspond to the date you enter. Note that the hour value is shown in a 24-hour clock format. Time is represented as hour : minute : second.
Advanced Settings ______________________________________________ WARNING: Setting wrong values in below sections may cause system to malfunction. IDE Configuration [Press Boot Settings Configuration[Press AHCI Configuration [Press USB Configuration [Press :Move Enter:Select F5:Previous Values Figure 4.
Configuring the BIOS USB Configuration This option menu allows you to enable Legacy USB support, force USB 1.1 mode and more. Advanced Chipset Features Select Advanced Chipset Features from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to change the settings. Advanced Chipset Settings ______________________________________________ WARNING: Setting wrong values in below sections may cause system to malfunction. Help Item Configure North Bridge features.
PCI Express Configuration This option menu will allow you to set advanced PCI Express options, such as Payload size. It is not recommended to adjust these settings. Intel VT-d Configuration This option menu allows you to enable, or disable, Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O. This setting can help improve performance in a virtualized environment, it is recommended to leave this disabled for standard system setups.
Configuring the BIOS ME Subsystem Configuration Select this option to change advanced ME Subsystem settings.
PCI/PNP Resource Management Select PCI/PNP Resource Management from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the advanced settings. Advanced PCI/PnP Settings ______________________________________________ WARNING: Setting wrong values in below sections may cause system to malfunction.
Configuring the BIOS Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA This function allows an IRQ to be assigned to a PCI VGA. Palette Snooping This function allows the BIOS to inform the system that an ISA graphics device is installed. PCI IDE BusMaster This function allows the BIOS to use PCI BusMastering for reading or writing to IDE drives. OffBoard PCI/ISA IDE Card This function allows manual override of PCI/ISA external cards. A setting of [Auto] works for most devices.
Boot Configuration Features Select Boot Configuration Features from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the settings. Boot Device Priority Hard Disk Drives CD/DVD Drives [Press Enter] [Press Enter] [Press Enter] Help Item Specifies the Boot Device Priority sequence.
Configuring the BIOS CD/DVD Drives This option menu allows you specification of the CD/DVD boot priority sequence. Power Management Features Select Power Management Features from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the settings. Power Management Features ______________________________________________ ACPI Configuration [Press Enter] SLP_S4# Min. Assertion Width [4 to 5 seconds] Restore on AC Power Loss [Power Off] Help Item Section for Advanced ACPI Configuration.
SLP_S4# Min. Assertion Width This function allows adjustment of the SLP assertion width. Restore on AC Power Loss This menu allows adjustment of the AC Power Loss parameters. Hardware Health Configure Select Hardware Health Configure from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the settings.
Configuring the BIOS CPU Fan Mode Setting This function allows change of the fan mode configuration. Frequency/Voltage Control Menu Select Frequency/Voltage Control from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the settings.
CPU Configuration This menu will allow the configuration of advanced CPU settings, such as Virtualization Technology, CPU SpeedStep, or CPU power saving options.
Configuring the BIOS Installing Drivers and Software The CD that has been shipped with the EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard contains the following software and drivers: Chipset Drivers Audio drivers LAN Drivers RAID Drivers EVGA E-LEET Overclocking Utility Adobe Acrobat Reader User’s Manual Windows XP/Vista/7 Driver Installation 5. Insert the Intel P55 installation CD for the motherboard included in the kit. 6. The CD will autorun, install the drivers and utilities listed on the install screen.
Appendix A. POST Codes for the EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard This section provides the AMI POST Codes (Table 6) for the EVGA P55 FTW Motherboard during system boot up. The POST Codes are displayed on the Debug LED readout located directly onboard the motherboard. This Debug LED will also display current CPU temperatures after the system has fully booted into the Operating System. Table 6. Code Debug LED with CPU Temperature Monitor AMI POST Code Description 03 Initialize BIOS.
Configuring the BIOS Code Description 20 Relocate System Management interrupt vector 24 Uncompress and initialize BIOS module 2A Initialize devices primary 2C Initialize devices secondary 2E Initialize output devices 31 Allocate memory for ADM module 33 Initialize silent boot module 37 Display sign-on message 38 Initialize USB controller 39 Initialize DMAC-1 & DMAC-2 3A Initialize real time clock 3B Test system memory 3C Initialization of chipset registers 40 Detect coprocessor
Code Description AA Uninstall POST vector AB Prepare BBS for Int 19 boot AC End of POST initialization B1 Save system context for ACPI 00 Pass control to OS (can vary) Show CPU Temp (if enabled) EVGA Glossary of Terms ACPI - Advanced Configuration and Power Interface AFR – Alternate Frame Rendering APIC - Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller BIOS - Basic Input Output System CD-ROM - Compact Disc Read-Only Memory CMOS - Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor CPU – Central Processing Uni
Configuring the BIOS HDD - Hard Disk Drive HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface HDR – High Dynamic Range Lighting HPET - High Precision Event Timer HT – Hyper-Threading HSF - Heat Sink Fan I/O - Input/Output IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IGP - Integrated Graphics Processors IRQ - Interrupt Request JBOD - Just a Bunch of Disks JEDEC - Joint Electron Device Engineering Council LAN - Local Area Network LCD - Liquid Crystal Display LGA – Land
QDR - Quad Data Rate QPI – Quick Path Interconnect RAID - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks RGB - Red Green Blue SATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment SB - Southbridge SCSI - Small Computer System Interface SFR – Split Frame Rendering SLI - Scalable Link Interface SPD - Serial Presence Detect SPDIF - Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format SPP - System Platform Processors TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol USB - Universal Serial Bus VDroop - V-core Voltage Drop VGA - Video G
