P6N SLI Platinum series MS-7350 (V1.
Copyright Notice T he material in this doc ument is the intellec tual property of M ICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no guarantee is given as to the correctness of its contents. Our products are under continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice. Trademarks All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
Safety Instructions 1. Always read the safety instructions carefully. 2. Keep this User’s Manual for future reference. 3. Keep this equipment away from humidity. 4. Lay this equipment on a reliable flat surface before setting it up. 5. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equipment from overheating. DO NOT COVER THE OPENINGS. 6. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V before connecting the equipment to the power inlet. 7.
FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement T h is eq uip men t h as been tested and found to c omply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement v
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CONTENTS Copyright Notice .............................................................................................................. ii Trademarks ....................................................................................................................... ii Revision History .............................................................................................................. ii Technical Support .........................................................................................
Appendix B nVidia RAID ......................................................................................... B-1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... B-2 RAID Configuration .............................................................................................. B-3 NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation ............................................................................. B-9 RAID Drives Management ...............
Getting Started Chapter 1 Getting Started Thank you for choosing the P6N SLI Platinum Series (MS-7350 v1.X) ATX mainboard. The P6N SLI Platinum Series mainboards are based on nVidia® nForce 650i SLI chipsets for optimal system efficiency. Designed to fit the advanced Intel ® Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium XE and Pentium D processor, the P6N SLI Platinum Series deliver a high perf ormanc e an d prof es s ional des ktop platf orm solution.
M S-7350 M ainboard Mainboard Specifications Processor Support - Intel ® Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium XE and Pentium D in the LGA775 package - Supports Intel ® EIST Technology - Supports Intel ® Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology - Supports Intel ® SpeedStep Technology (EIST) (For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi. com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.
Getting Started RAID - SATA1~4 support RAID 0/ 1/ 0+1/ 5 or JBOD mode Floppy - 1 floppy port - Supports 1 FDD with 360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB and 2.88MB Connectors Back panel - 1 PS/2 mouse port - 1 PS/2 keyboard port - 1 eSATA port - 1 Parallel port supporting SPP/EPP/ECP mode - 1 IEEE 1394 port - 4 USB 2.0 ports - 1 LAN jack - 5 flexible audio jacks - 1 Optical SPDIF-Out port / 1 Coaxial SPDIF-out port On-Board Pinheaders - 1 D-Bracket 2 pinheader - 1 Chassis Intrusion pinheader - 2 USB 2.
M S-7350 M ainboard Mainboard Layout CPUFAN1 ATX1 Top : mouse Bottom: keyboard USB ports Nv idia Nforce 650I SLI T: LAN B: USB ports IDE2 T: Line-In M:Line-Out B:Mic T:RS-Out M:CS -Out B:Optical S/PDIF Out SYSFAN1 IDE1 JPW1 DIMM4 DIMM2 DIMM3 DIMM1 SYSFAN3 PCI_E1 LAN Chip PCI_E2 BATT + PCI_E3 Nvidia Nforce 430I PCI1 SW1 Codec 1394 Chip PCI2 JFP1 PCI3 JUSB2 SPDO1 JCD1 JAU D1 JCOM1 SYSFAN2 J1394_1 JD B1 JUSB1 FDD 1 P6N SLI Platinum Series (MS-7350 v1.
Getting Started Packing Checklist MSI Driver/Utility CD SLI Video Link Card Power Cable SATA Cable Round Cable of IDE Devices Round Cable of Floppy Disk (Optional) D-Bracket 2 (Optional) 1394 Bracket (Optional) MSI motherboard external SATA Cable (Optional) User’s Guide Back IO Shield * The pictures are for reference only and may vary from the packing contents of the product you purchased.
Hardware Setup Chapter 2 Hardware Setup This chapter provides you with the information about hardware setup procedures. While doing the installation, be careful in holding the components and follow the installation procedures. For some components, if you install in the wrong orientation, the components will not work properly. Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer c om ponen ts . S tatic elec tric ity m ay damage the components.
M S-7350 M ainboard Quick Components Guide CPU, p.2-3 CPUFAN, p.2-16 SYSFAN1, p.2-16 JPW1, p.2-10 DDRII DIMMs, p.2-6 ATX1, p.2-10 Back Panel I/O, p.2-12 IDE2, p.2-14 IDE1, p.2-14 SYSFAN3, p.2-16 PCI Express slots, p.2-23 SW1, p.2-22 NV SLI conn., p.2-23 JCI1, p.2-16 SATA1~4, p.2-15 PCI Express slots, p.2-23 JFP1, p.2-20 JFP2, p.2-20 JUSB1~2, PCI Slots, p.2-18 p.2-27 JCD1, p.2-16 JCOM1, p.2-17 SPDO1, p.2-19 JAUD1, p.2-17 2-2 JDB1, p.2-21 J1394_1~2, p.2-19 SYSFAN2, p.2-16 FDD1, p.
Hardware Setup CPU (Central Processing Unit) This mainboard supports Intel ® Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium XE and Pentium D processor in LGA 775 package. W hen you are installing the CPU, make sure to install the cooler to prevent overheating. If you do not have the CPU cooler, consult your dealer before turning on the computer. For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/ mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.
M S-7350 M ainboard CPU & Cooler Installation W hen you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a cooler attached on the top to prevent overheating. Meanwhile, do not forget to apply some thermal paste on CPU before installing the heat sink/cooler fan for better heat dispersion. Follow the steps below to install the CPU & cooler correctly. W rong installation will cause the damage of your CPU & mainboard. 1. The CPU socket has a plastic cap on it to protec t the contac t from damage.
Hardware Setup 5. Lift the load lever up and open the load plate. 6. After confirming the CPU direction for correct mating, put down the CPU in the socket housing frame. Be sure to grasp on the edge of the CPU base. Note that the alignment keys are matched. alignment key 7. Visually ins pect if the CPU is seated well into the socket. If not, take out the CPU with pure vertical motion and reinstall. 8. Cover the load plate onto the package.
M S-7350 M ainboard 9. Press down the load lever lightly onto the load plate, and then secure the lever with the hook under retention tab. 10. Align the holes on the mainboard with the heatsink. Push down the c ooler u nti l i ts f ou r c lip s g et wedged int o t he holes of t he mainboard. 11. Press the four hooks down to fasten the cooler. Then rotate the locking switch (refer to the correct direction marked on it) to lock the hooks. 12.
Hardware Setup Memory These DIMM slots are used for installing memory modules. For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/ program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php DDR2 240-pin, 1.8V 56x2=112 pin 64x2=128 pin Dual-Channel Memory Population Rules In Dual-Channel mode, the memory modules can transmit and receive data with two data bus lines simultaneously. Enabling Dual-Channel mode can enhance the system performance.
M S-7350 M ainboard Installing DDR2 Modules 1. The memory module has only one notch on the center and will only fit in the right orientation. 2. Insert the memory module vertically into the DIMM slot. Then push it in until the golden finger on the memory module is deeply inserted in the DIMM slot. Important You can barely see the golden finger if the module is properly inserted in the DIMM slot. 3. The plastic clip at each side of the DIMM slot will automatically close.
Hardware Setup If you intend to install the DDR2 800 memory modules into the DIMM slots of the mainboard, we recommend that you to use the available memory modules as below.
M S-7350 M ainboard Power Supply ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: ATX1 This connector allows you to connect an ATX 24-pin power supply. To connect the ATX 24-pin power supply, make sure the plug of the power supply is inserted in the proper orientation and the pins are aligned. Then push down the power supply firmly into the connector. You may use the 20-pin ATX power supply as you like.
Hardware Setup Important Notification about Power Issue NForce chipset is very sensitive to ESD (Electrostatic Discharge), therefore this issue mostly happens while the users intensively swap memory modules under S5 (power-off) states, and the power code is plugged while installing modules. Due to several pins are very sensitive to ESD, so this kind of memory-replacement actions might cause system chipset unable to boot. Please follow the following solution to avoid this situation.
M S-7350 M ainboard Back Panel Parallel Port Mouse LAN Line-In RS-Out USB Port Line-Out CS-Out Keyboard eSATA Port 1394 Coaxial Port S/PDIF-Out USB Port Mic Optical S/PDIF-Out M ouse/Keyboard The standard PS/2® mouse/keyboard DIN connector is for a PS/2® mouse/keyboard. Parallel Port A parallel port is a standard printer port that supports Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) and Extended Capabilities Parallel Port (ECP) mode.
Hardware Setup USB Port The USB (Universal Serial Bus) port is for attaching USB devices such as keyboard, mouse, or other USB-compatible devices. Audio Ports These audio connectors are used for audio devices. You can differentiate the color of the audio jacks for different audio sound effects. Line-In (Blue) - Line In / Side-Surround Out in 7.1 channel mode, is used for external CD player, tapeplayer or other audio devices. Line-Out (Green) - Line Out, is a connector for speakers or headphones.
M S-7350 M ainboard Connectors Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1 This connector supports 360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB or 2.88MB floppy disk drive. FDD1 IDE Connector: IDE1 / IDE2 This connector supports IDE hard disk drives, optical disk drives and other IDE devices. IDE2 IDE1 IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector) The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1. IDE1 can connect a Master and a Slave drive. IDE2 (Secondary IDE Connector) IDE2 can also connect a Master and a Slave drive.
Hardware Setup Serial ATA Connector: SATA1/ SATA2/ SATA3/ SATA4 This connector is a high-speed Serial ATA interface port. Each connector can connect to one Serial ATA device. SATA2 SATA1 SATA4 SATA3 Serial ATA cable Take out the dust cover and connect to the hard disk devices Connect to SATA connector Important Please do not fold the Serial ATA cable into 90-degree angle. Otherwise, data loss may occur during transmission.
M S-7350 M ainboard Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN, SYSFAN1, SYSFAN2, SYSFAN3 The fan power connectors support system cooling fan with +12V. W hen connecting the wire to the connectors, always note that the red wire is the positive and should be connected to the +12V; the black wire is Ground and should be connected to GND. If the mainboard has a System Hardware Monitor chipset on-board, you must use a specially designed fan with speed sensor to take advantage of the CPU fan control.
Hardware Setup Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1 This connector allows you to connect the front panel audio and is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide. 2 1 10 9 JAUD1 Pin Definition PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION 1 MIC_L Microphone - Left channel 2 3 GND MIC_R Ground Microphone - Right channel 4 PRESENCE# Active low signal-signals BIOS that a High Definition Audio dongle is connected to the analog header.
M S-7350 M ainboard Front USB Connector: JUSB1 / JUSB2 This connector, compliant with Intel® I/O Connectivity Design Guide, is ideal for connecting high-speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, M P3 players, printers, modems and the like. Pin Definition 2 1 10 9 JUSB1 / JUSB2 Connected to USB connector PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL 1 VCC 2 VCC 3 USB0- 4 USB1- 5 USB0+ 6 USB1+ 7 GND 8 GND 9 Key (no pin) 10 NC USB 2.
Hardware Setup IEEE1394 Connector: J1394_1 This connector allows you to connect the IEEE1394 device via an optional IEEE1394 bracket. Pin Definition 10 9 2 1 J1394_1 (The 1394 connector is in Green color.
M S-7350 M ainboard Front Panel Connectors: JFP1, JFP2 These connectors are for electrical connection to the front panel switches and LEDs. The JFP1 is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.
Hardware Setup D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1 DBR1 DBR2 DBR3 DBR4 NC This connector is for you to connect to the D-Bracket™2 which integrates four LEDs and USB ports. It allows users to identify system problems through 16 various combinations of LED signals.
M S-7350 M ainboard Button This motherboard provides the following button for you to set the computer’s function. This section will explain how to change your motherboard’s function through the use of button. Clear CMOS Button: SW1 There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external battery to keep the system configuration data. With the CMOS RAM, the system can automatically boot OS every time it is turned on. If you want to clear the system configuration, use the button to clear data.
Hardware Setup Slots PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots The The The The PCI PCI PCI PCI Express Express Express Express slot supports the PCI Express interface expansion card. x 16 supports up to 4.0 GB/s transfer rate. x 8 supports up to 2.0 GB/s transfer rate. x 1 supports up to 250 MB/s transfer rate.
M S-7350 M ainboard If you intend to use the SLI interface for better graphics performance, please refer to the following instructions. 1. Pull the clasps on the sides of the NV SLI connector to loosen the SLI switch card (refer to fig.2). Pull the clasp. Pull the clasp. Fig.2 Important Make sure that you power off the system before removing the SLI switch card. 2. Remove the SLI switch card.
Hardware Setup 4. After configuring the switch card to SLI mode, you can now install two graphics cards on PCI Express x16 slots. W ith two cards installed, a Multi-GPU SLI Bridge card is required to connect the golden fingers on the top of these two graphics cards (fig. 5. Please note that although you have installed two graphics cards, only the video outputs on the first card (which be insstalled in PCI_E2 slot) will work. Hence, you only need to connect a monitor to the first PCI Express card.
M S-7350 M ainboard 5. After the hardware installation is completed, restart the system and install the NV SLI driver/utility. A configuration panel will be provided for Multi-GPU control. Check the Enable multi-GPU box to enable the SLI function for the onboard graphics cards (concerning the details of multi-GPU settings, please refer to your graphics card manual) . Check the box 6. Restart your system and a pop-up message will show in the system tray confirming that M ulti-GPU has been enabled.
Hardware Setup PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots The PCI slots support LAN cards, SCSI cards, USB cards, and other add-on cards that comply with PCI specifications. At 32 bits and 33 MHz, it yields a throughput rate of 133 MBps. 32-bit PCI Slot Important The indicator LED between the two PCI slots (PCI2 & PCI3) will shine green light when the system is turned on.
BIOS Setup Chapter 3 BIOS Setup This chapter provides information on the BIOS Setup program and allows you to configure the system for optimum use. You may need to run the Setup program when: ² An error message appears on the screen during the system booting up, and requests you to run SETUP. ² You want to change the default settings for customized features.
M S-7350 M ainboard Entering Setup Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test) process. W hen the message below appears on the screen, press key to enter Setup. Press DEL to enter SETUP If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter Setup, restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button. You may also restart the system by simultaneously pressing , , and keys. Important 1.
BIOS Setup Control Keys < ↑> Move to the previous item < ↓> Move to the next item < ←> Move to the item in the left hand < →> Move to the item in the right hand Select the item Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu from a submenu <+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes <-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes Load Optimized Defaults Load Fail-Safe Defaults Save all the CMOS changes and exit Getting Help After entering the S
M S-7350 M ainboard The Main Menu Standard CM OS Features Use this menu for basic system configurations, such as time, date etc. Advanced BIOS Features Use this menu to setup the items of AMI® special enhanced features. Integrated Peripherals Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals. Power M anagement Setup Use this menu to specify your settings for power management. PNP/PCI Setup This entry appears if your system supports PnP/PCI.
BIOS Setup Load Optimized Defaults Use this menu to load the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifically for optimal performance of the mainboard. BIOS Setting Password Use this menu to set the password for BIOS. Save & Exit Setup Save changes to CMOS and exit setup. Exit Without Saving Abandon all changes and exit setup.
M S-7350 M ainboard Standard CMOS Features The items in Standard CMOS Features Menu includes some basic setup items. Use the arrow keys to highlight the item and then use the or keys to select the value you want in each item. Date (MM:DD:YY) This allows you to set the system to the date that you want (usually the current date). The format is . day Day of the week, from Sun to Sat, determined by BIOS. Read-only. mon th The month from Jan. through Dec.
BIOS Setup Device It will showing the device information that you connected to the IDE/SATA connector. Type Select how to define the HDD parameters. LBA/Large M ode This allows you to enable or disable the LBA Mode. Setting to Auto enables LBA mode if the device supports it and the devices is not already formatted with LBA mode disabled. DM A M ode Select DMA Mode. Hard Disk S.M.A.R.T. This allows you to activate the S.M.A.R.T.
M S-7350 M ainboard System Information Press to enter the sub-menu, and the following screen appears. This sub-menu shows the CPU information, BIOS version and memory status of your system (read only).
BIOS Setup Advanced BIOS Features Boot Sector Protection This function protects the BIOS from accidental corruption by unauthorized users or computer viruses. W hen enabled, the BIOS’ data cannot be changed when attempting to update the BIOS with a Flash utility. To successfully update the BIOS, you’ll need to disable this Flash BIOS Protection function. You should enable this function at all times. The only time when you need to disable it is when you want to update the BIOS.
M S-7350 M ainboard MPS Table Version This field allows you to select which MPS (Multi-Processor Specification) version to be used for the operating system. You need to select the MPS version supported by your operating system. To find out which version to use, consult the vendor of your operating system.
BIOS Setup Boot Sequence Press to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears: 1st/ 2nd/ 3rd Boot Device The items allow you to set the first/ second/ third boot device where BIOS attempts to load the disk operating system. Boot From Other Device Setting the option to [Yes] allows the system to try to boot from other device. if the system fails to boot from the 1st/ 2nd/ 3rd boot device.
M S-7350 M ainboard Integrated Peripherals USB Controller This setting allows you to enable/disable the onboard USB controller. USB Device Legacy Support Select [Enabled] if you need to use a USB-interfaced device in the operating system. Onboard LAN Controller This item is used to enable/disable the onboard LAN controller. LAN Option ROM This item is used to decide whether to invoke the Boot ROM of the LAN controller.
BIOS Setup On-Chip IDE Controller This item allows you to enable/ disable IDE Controller. PCI IDE BusMaster This item allows you to enable/ disable BIOS to used PCI busmastering for reading/ writing to IDE drives. Serial-ATA 1/ 2 These items allow users to enable or disable the SATA controllers. nVidia RAID Function This item is used to enable/disable the nVidia RAID function for SATA devices. SATA1 / SATA2 / SATA3 / SATA4 W hen the nVidia RAID Function sets to Enabled, these items will available.
M S-7350 M ainboard Parallel Port M ode [Normal] Stardand Parallel Port [EPP] Enhanced Parallel Port [ECP] Extended Capability Port [ECP + EPP] Extended Capability Port + Enhanced Parallel Port [Bi-Directional] To operate the onboard parallel port as Standard Parallel Port only, choose [Normal]. To operate the onboard parallel port in the EPP mode simultaneously, choose [EPP]. By choosing [ECP], the onboard parallel port will operate in ECP mode only.
BIOS Setup Power Management Setup Important S3-related functions described in this section are available only when your BIOS supports S3 sleep mode. ACPI Function This item is to activate the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface) Function. If your operating system is ACPI-aware, such as W indows 2000/ XP, select [Enabled]. ACPI Standby State This item specifies the power saving modes for ACPI function.
M S-7350 M ainboard Re-Call VGA BIOS From S3 W hen ACPI Standby State is set to [S3/STR], users can select the options in this field. Selecting [Yes] allows BIOS to call VGABIOS to initialize the VGA card when system wakes up (resumes) from S3 sleep state. The system resume time is shortened when you disable the function, but system will need an VGA driver to initialize the VGA card.
BIOS Setup Resume by PCI Device (PME#) W hen set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the power saving modes through any event on PME (Power Management Event). Resume by PCIE Device W hen set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the power saving modes through any event on PCIE device. Resume by Onboard LAN This controls how and whether the system can be powered on by the devices installed in LAN port.
M S-7350 M ainboard PNP/PCI Configurations This section describes configuring the PCI bus system and PnP (Plug & Play) feature. PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is a system which allows I/O devices to operate at speeds nearing the speed the CPU itself uses when communicating with its special components. This section covers some very technical items and it is strongly recommended that only experienced users should make any changes to the default settings.
BIOS Setup IRQ Resource Setup Press to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears. IRQ 3/4/5/7/9/10/11/14/15 These items specify the bus where the specified IRQ line is used. The settings determine if AMIBIOS should remove an IRQ from the pool of available IRQs passed to devices that are configurable by the system BIOS. The available IRQ pool is determined by reading the ESCD NVRAM.
M S-7350 M ainboard H/W Monitor Chassis Intrusion The field enables or disables the feature of recording the chassis intrusion status and issuing a warning message if the chassis is once opened. To clear the warning message, set the field to [Reset]. The setting of the field will automatically return to [Enabled] later.
BIOS Setup Cell Menu Important Change these settings only if you are familiar with the chipset. Current CPU/ FSB/ DRAM Frequency These items show the current clocks of CPU and Memory speed. Read-only. D.O.T Control D.O.T. (Dynamic Overclocking Technology) is the automatic overclocking function, included in the MSITM ’s newly developed CoreCell TM Technology. It is designed to detect the load balance of CPU while running programs, and to adjust the best CPU frequency automatically.
M S-7350 M ainboard [Sergeant] [Captain] [Colonel] [General] [Commander] 2nd level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 3%. 3rd level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 5%. 4th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 7%. 5th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 10%. 6th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 15%. Important Even though the Dynamic Overclocking Technology is more stable than manual overclocking, basically, it is still risky.
BIOS Setup Advance DRAM Configuration Press to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears. M emory Timings This field has the capacity to automatically detect all of the DRAM timing. If you set this field to [Manual], the following fields will be selectable. tCL (CAS Latency) W hen the Memory Timings sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable.This controls the CAS latency, which determines the timing delay (in clock cycles) before SDRAM starts a read command after receiving it.
M S-7350 M ainboard tWTR W hen the Memory Timings sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Minimum time interval between the end of write data burst and the start of a column-read command. It allows I/O gating to overdrive sense amplifiers before read command starts. tREF W hen the Memory Timings sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Specifies the refresh rate of the DIMM requiring the most frequent refresh. Command Per Clock (CMD) This field controls the SDRAM command rate.
BIOS Setup PCIE Spread Spectrum This setting is used to enable or disable the PCIE Spread Spectrum feature. CPU/LDT Spread Spectrum This setting is used to enable or disable the CPU/LDT (HT Bus multiplier) Spread Spectrum feature. SATA Spread Spectrum This setting is used to enable or disable the SATA Spread Spectrum feature. Important 1. If you do not have any EMI problem, leave the setting at [Disabled] for optimal system stability and performance.
M S-7350 M ainboard CPU and Memory Clock Overclocking The D.O.T Control/ FSB Clock / CPU Dynamic OverClocking / Adjust CPU Ratio/ Memory Clock are the items for you to overclock the CPU and the Memory. Please refer to the descriptions of these fields for more information. Important 1. CPU Speed = CPU Frequency * CPU Ratio 2. This motherboard supports overclocking greatly. However, please make sure your peripherals and components are bearable for some special s ettings .
BIOS Setup Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults The two options on the main menu allow users to restore all of the BIOS settings to the default Fail-Safe or Optimized values. The Optimized Defaults are the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifically for optimal performance of the mainboard. The Fail-Safe Defaults are the default values set by the BIOS vendor for stable system performance.
M S-7350 M ainboard BIOS Setting Password W hen you select this function, a message as below will appear on the screen: Type the password, up to six characters in length, and press . The password typed now will replace any previously set password from CMOS memory. You will be prompted to confirm the password. Retype the password and press . You may also press to abort the selection and not enter a password.
Realtek ALC888 Audio Appendix A Realtek ALC888 Audio The Realtek ALC888 provides 10-channel DAC that simultaneously supports 7.1 sound playback and 2 channels of independent s tereo s ound output (multiple streaming) through the Front-Out-Left and Front-OutRight channels.
M S-7350 M ainboard Installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver You need to install the driver for Realtek ALC888 codec to function properly before you can get access to 2-, 4-, 6-, 8- channel or 7.1+2 channel audio operations. Follow the procedures described below to install the drivers for different operating systems. Installation for Windows 2000/XP For W indows ® 2000, you must install W indows ® 2000 Service Pack4 or later before installing the driver.
Realtek ALC888 Audio 3. Click Next to install the Realtek High Definition Audio Driver. Click here 4. Click Finish to restart the system.
M S-7350 M ainboard Software Configuration After installing the audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio feature now. Click the audio icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner of the screen to activate the HD Audio Configuration. It is also available to enable the audio driver by clicking the Azalia HD Sound Effect M anager from the Control Panel.
Realtek ALC888 Audio Sound Effect Here you can select a sound effect you like from the Environment list. Environment Simulation You will be able to enjoy different sound experience by pulling down the arrow, totally 23 kinds of sound effect will be shown for selection. Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager also provides five popular settings “Stone Corridor”, “Bathroom”, “Sewer pipe”, “Arena” and “Audio Corridor” for quick enjoyment.
M S-7350 M ainboard Equalizer Selection Equalizer frees users from default settings; users may create their owned preferred settings by utilizing this tool. 10 bands of equalizer, ranging from 100Hz to 16KHz.
Realtek ALC888 Audio Frequently Used Equalizer Setting Realtek recognizes the needs that you might have. By leveraging our long experience at audio field, Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager provides you certain optimized equalizer settings that are frequently used for your quick enjoyment. [How to Use It] Other than the buttons “Pop” “Live” “Club” & “Rock” shown on the page, to pull down the arrow in “Others”, you will find more optimized settings available to you.
M S-7350 M ainboard Mixer In the Mixer part, you may adjust the volumes of the rear and front panels individually. 1. Adjust Volume You can adjust the volume of the speakers that you pluged in front or rear panel. Important Before set up, please make sure the playback devices are well plugged in the jacks on the rear or front panel. 2.
Realtek ALC888 Audio W hen you are playing the first audio source (for example: use W indows Media Player to play DVD/VCD), the output will be played from the rear panel, which is the default setting. Then you must to select the Realtek HD Audio 2nd output from the scroll list first, and use a different program to play the second audio source (for example: use Winamp to play MP3 files). You will find that the second audio source (MP3 music) will come out from the Line-Out audio jack of Front Panel.
M S-7350 M ainboard 3. Playback control Playback device Tool Mute This function is to let you freely decide which ports to output the sound. And this is essential when multistreaming playback enabled. - Realtek HD Audio Output - Realtek HD Audio 2nd Output M u te You may choose to mute single or multiple volume controls or to completely mute sound output. Tool - Show the following volume controls This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.
Realtek ALC888 Audio 4. Recording control Tool Mute Recording device -Realtek HDA Primary input -Mic in at front panel (Green) M u te You may choose to mute single or multiple volume controls or to completely mute sound input. Tool - Show the following volume controls This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.
M S-7350 M ainboard Audio I/O In this tab, you can easily configure your multi-channel audio function and speakers. You can choose a desired multi-channel operation here. a. Headphone for the common headphone b. 2CH Speaker for Stereo-Speaker Output c. 4CH Speaker for 4-Speaker Output d. 6CH Speaker for 5.1-Speaker Output e. 8CH Speaker for 7.1-Speaker Output Speaker Configuration: 1. Plug the speakers in the corresponding jack. 2. Dialogue “connected device” will pop up for your selection.
Realtek ALC888 Audio Connector Settings Click to access connector settings. Disable front panel jack detection (option) Jack detection function only works with HD audio front panel. M ute rear panel output when front headphone plugged in. Enable auto popup dialogue, when device has been plugged in Once this item checked, the dialog “Connected device” would automatically pop up when device plugged in.
M S-7350 M ainboard S/PDIF (optional, for HDMI graphics card only) Short for Sony/Philips Digital Interface, a standard audio file transfer format. S/PDIF allows the transfer of digital audio signals from one device to another without having to be converted first to an analog format. Maintaining the viability of a digital signal prevents the quality of the signal from degrading when it is converted to analog. Output Sampling Rate 44.1KHz: This is recommend while playing CD.
Realtek ALC888 Audio Test Speakers You can select the speaker by clicking it to test its functionality. The one you select will light up and make testing sound. If any speaker fails to make sound, then check whether the cable is inserted firmly to the connector or replace the bad speakers with good ones. Or you may click the auto test button to test the sounds of each speaker automatically.
M S-7350 M ainboard Microphone In this tab you may set the function of the microphone. Select the Noise Suppression to remove the possible noise during recording, or select Acoustic Echo Cancelltion to cancel the acoustic echo druing recording. Acoustic Echo Cancelltion prevents playback sound from being recorded by microphone together with your sound. For example, you might have chance to use VOIP function through Internet with your friends. The voice of your friend will come out from speakers (playback).
Realtek ALC888 Audio 3D Audio Demo In this tab you may adjust your 3D positional audio before playing 3D audio applications like gaming. You may also select different environment to choose the most suitable environment you like.
M S-7350 M ainboard Information In this tab it provides some information about this HD Audio Configuration utility, including Audio Driver Version, DirectX Version, Audio Controller & Audio Codec. You may also select the language of this utility by choosing from the Language list. Also there is a selection Show icon in system tray. Switch it on and an icon will show in the system tray.
Realtek ALC888 Audio Hardware Setup Connecting the Speakers W hen you have set the Multi-Channel Audio Function mode properly in the software utility, connect your speakers to the correct audio jacks in accordance with the setting in software utility. n 2-Channel M ode for Stereo-Speaker Output Refer to the following diagram and caption for the function of each audio jack on the back panel when 2-Channel Mode is selected.
M S-7350 M ainboard n 4-Channel M ode for 4-Speaker Output 1 4 2 5 3 7 6 4-Channel Analog Audio Output 1 Line In 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear channels) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode) 6 S/PDIF Out-Optical 7 S/PDIF Out-Coaxial A-20
Realtek ALC888 Audio n 6-Channel M ode for 6-Speaker Output 1 2 4 5 3 7 6 6-Channel Analog Audio Output 1 Line In 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear channels) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel) 6 S/PDIF Out-Optical 7 S/PDIF Out-Coaxial A-21
M S-7350 M ainboard n 8-Channel M ode for 8-Speaker Output 1 2 4 5 3 7 8-Channel Analog Audio Output 1 Side Surround Out (Side channels) 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear channels) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel) 6 S/PDIF Out-Optical 7 S/PDIF Out-Coaxial A-22 6
nVidia RAID Appendix B nVidia RAID NVIDIA brings Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) technology—which is used by the world’s leading businesses—to the common PC desktop. This technology uses multiple drives to either increase total disk space or to offer data protection. For all levels, RAID techniques optimize storage solutions by using multiple disks grouped together and treating them as a single storage resource.
M S-7350 M ainboard Introduct ion System Requirement Operating System Support NVRAID supports the following operating systems: W indows XP/2000 & Vista RAID Arrays NVRAID supports the following types of RAID arrays described in this section: RAID 0: RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves the disk read and write times for many applications. RAID 1: RAID 1 defines techniques for mirroring data. RAID 0+1: RAID 0+1 combines the techniques used in RAID 0 and RAID 1 arrays.
nVidia RAID RAID Configuration Basic Configuration Instructions The following are the basic steps for configuring NVRAID: Non-Bootable RAID Array 1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (Refer the bios section for details.) 2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and Mirroring (RAID 0+1), RAID 5 or JBOD and create the desired RAID array. 3.
M S-7350 M ainboard Understanding the “Define a New Array” Window Use the Define a New Array window to • Select the RAID Mode • Set up the Striping Block • Specify which disks to use for the RAID Array Depending on the platform used, the system can have one or more channels. In a typical system there is usually one controller and multiple channels, and each channel has a slave and a master.
nVidia RAID Using the Define a New Array Window If necessary, press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is highlighted. • Selecting the RAID Mode By default, this is set to [Mirroring]. To change to a different RAID mode, press the down arrow key until the mode that you want appears in the RAID Mode box—either [Mirroring], [Striping], [RAID5], [Spanning], or [Stripe Mirroring].
M S-7350 M ainboard Completing the RAID BIOS Setup 1. After assigning your RAID array disks, press F7. The Clear disk data prompt appears. 2. Press Y if you want to wipe out all the data from the RAID array, otherwise press N. You must choose Yes if the drives were previously used as RAID drives. The Array List window appears, where you can review the RAID arrays that you have set up. 3. Use the arrow keys to select the array that you want to set up, then press Enter. The Array Detail window appears. 4.
nVidia RAID Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array) 1. After you complete the RAID BIOS setup, boot from the W indows CD, and the W indows Setup program starts. 2. Press F6 and wait for the W indows Setup screen to appear. 3. Specify the NVIDIA drivers: (1) Insert the floppy that has the RAID driver, press S, then press Enter. The W indows Setup screen appears as below: Important Please follow the instruction below to make an nVIDIA Serial ATA RAID driver for yourself. 1.
M S-7350 M ainboard 4. Press Enter to continue with W indows XP Installation. Be sure to leave the floppy disk inserted in the floppy drive until the blue screen portion of W indows XP installation is completed, then take out the floppy. 5. Follow the instructions on how to install W indows XP. After W indows XP is completely installed, it is recommended that you install the the RAID management tool.
nVidia RAID NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows (for Non-bootable RAID Array) The existing W indows IDE Parallel ATA driver (as well as the Serial ATA driver if SATA is enabled) must be upgraded to use the NVIDIA IDE Parallel ATA driver (as well as the NV Serial ATA driver if SATA is enabled). This section describes how to run the setup application and install the RAID software which will upgrade the W indows IDE driver and install the RAID software. 1.
M S-7350 M ainboard Initializing and Using the Disk Array The RAID array is now ready to be initialized under W indows. 1. Launch Computer Management by clicking “Start” --> “Settings” --> “Control Panel” then open the “Administrative Tools” folder and double click on “Computer Management”. 2. Click “Disk Management” (under the “Storage” section). The Initialize and Convert Disk W izards appears. 3. Click Next. The Select Disks to Initialize window appears.
nVidia RAID 5. Check the disk in the list if you want to make the array a dynamic disk, then click Next. The Completing the Initialize and Convert Disk W izard window appears. 6. Click Finish. The “Computer Management” window appears. The actual disks listed will depend on your system, and the unallocated partition is the total combined storage of two hard disks. You must format the unallocated disk space in order to use it. 7. Format the unallocated disk space.
M S-7350 M ainboard RAID Drives Management There is an application called NVRAIDMAN which helps you perform the following tasks of nVDIA RAID.
nVidia RAID Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk You can designate a hard drive to be used as a spare drive for a RAID 1, RAID 0+1 or RAID 5 array. The spare drive can take over for a failed disk. NVRAID supports two types of spare drives: • Free Disk A free disk is a disk that is not part of any RAID array, but can be used by any available RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 array that requires a particular disk when one of its disks crashes or becomes unusable. The process is automatic and doesn’t require any user interaction.
M S-7350 M ainboard Assigning a Dedicated Disk To mark a disk as dedicated, or reserve it for use by a specific array, Step 1: Mark the Disk as a Free Disk 1. Enter the system BIOS setup and make sure that the drive that you want to mark as free is RAID enabled. 2. Boot into W indows and run the NVRAIDMAN program. If the disk is not part of any RAID array, then it will appear under the Free Disk section of the RAID GUI.
nVidia RAID 3. Click Next. The RAID Array Selection page appears. 4. From the Free Disk Selection page, select one of the two free disks available. This would be the disk that will be designated to the mirror array. 5. Click Next. The Completing the NVIDIA Spare Disk Allocation page appears. 6. Click Finish. As shown in figure below, the ST380011A drive is now a dedicated free disk in the mirrored array.
M S-7350 M ainboard Removing a Dedicated Disk Once a dedicated disk has been assigned to a particular array, it can be removed at any time. To remove the disk, right click on the dedicated disk and select “Remove Disk...” to remove it. In the previous example, simply right click on the ST380011A drive and select “Remove Disk...”.
nVidia RAID Morphing From One RAID Array to Another In a traditional RAID environment, when a user wants to change the current state of a disk or a current array to a new RAID configuration, the process of reconfiguring the new array involves multiple steps. The user must back up the data, delete the array, re-boot the PC, and then reconfigure the new array. NVIDIA RAID allows the end user to change the current state of the disk or array to another with a one-step process called .Morphing..
M S-7350 M ainboard From RAID 0+1 To New Array Disk Requirements RAID 0 m >= > nn2 Number of RAID 0 disks must be equal to or greater than half the number of RAID 0+1 disks. RAID 1 ** Not a valid combination ** RAID 0+1 ** Not a valid combination ** RAID 5 m >= (n/2 + 1) RAID 0 m >= n - 1 RAID 1 ** Not a valid combination ** RAID 0+1 m >= 2 x (n -1) ; where m is an even number of disks.
nVidia RAID 2 Click Next and the following screen shot will appear: 3 Connect the RAID disk that you want to use with any given RAID array. 4 Click Next and the following screen shot will appear: 5 Click Finish. Initializing a RAID Array Initializing a RAID array erases all the data that is stored on that array, and writes all zeros to the disks.
M S-7350 M ainboard 1 From the NVRAIDMAN window, right click on any available free disk and select Create Array as show in Figure below. 2 The Create Array W izard opens. Follow the W izard to create a Mirror array. 3 At the Create Array W izard Welcome screen, click Next. 4 At the RAID Array Selection page, make sure that RAID Mode is set to “Mirroring” and Stripe Size is set to its default value of 64K, then click Next.
nVidia RAID 8 Click OK. The Clearing System Data screen appears again with the Initialize Array check box checked as shown below. 9 Click Next, then click Finish at the Completing the NVIDIA Create Array W izard screen. The NVRAIDMAN windows shows the created RAID array as shown below. The Initialization Process As you can see from the screen shot above, the initialization process has started and it will be completed in a short period of time.
M S-7350 M ainboard Rebuilding a RAID Array Rebuilding is the process of restoring data to a hard drive from other drives in the array. This applies only to fault tolerant arrays such as RAID 1, RAID 0+1, as well as a RAID 5. For example, assuming you have a three disk RAID 5 array, and one of the drives fail, then you need the lost data on the newly added drive. Rebuilding Instructions After creating a mirrored array, you can rebuild the array using the following steps: 1.
nVidia RAID 4. Click Next. The Disk Selection page appears. 5. Select the drive that you want to rebuild by clicking it from the list, then click Next. The Completing the NVIDIA Rebuild Array page appears. 6. Click Finish. The array rebuilding starts after a few seconds, and a small pop-up message appears towards the bottom right corner of the screen as shown in the figure below. W hen the rebuilding process is finished you will see the pop up box shown in Figure below.
M S-7350 M ainboard During the rebuilding process, the NVRAID Management utility screen shows the status under the System Tasks and Details sections. M ore About Rebuilding Arrays • Rebuilding Occurs in the Background The rebuilding process is very slow (it can take up to a day) and occurs in the background so as not to affect the performance of the system. • Rebuilding Applies Only to RAID 1/ RAID 0+1 or RAID 5 Arrays Rebuilding an array works only when using RAID 1 , RAID 0+1, or RAID 5.
nVidia RAID Synchronizing a RAID Array Synchronizing an array will force a rebuild of redundancy or parity. The operation is applicable to any fault tolerant array such as RAID 1, 0+1 and RAID 5. • For RAID1 and RAID 0+1, “sync” results in copying the data to the redundancy disk, • For RAID 5, “sync” results in rebuilding the parity To sync an array, do the following (This example assumes you have already created a fault tolerant array such as RAID 1): 1.
Installation of nVidia System Driver Appendix C nVidia System Driver MSI provides a setup CD along with your mainboard, which contains the required drivers for your system, and many other useful and powerful utility to bring you the best experience for your office professional working and for your home leisure entertainment.
M S-7350 M ainboard nVidia System Driver Installation Click on the Driver tab and the screen below will display. NVIDIA System Driver This driver is only available for W indows 2000 and W indows XP operating system. Please follow the following step to install the driver correctly. 1. Click on the NVIDIA C55/M CP51 System Driver button to install the NVIDIA System Drivers for your W indows OS. Then the welcome dialogue will display. Click Next to continue.
Installation of nVidia System Driver 2. Then the following screen displays the available components to install. All the components shown here will be selected to be installed by default. Then click Next. 3. The system will start installing the selected driver components automatically. 4. Then the following screen displays the information for the NVIDIA IDE SW Driver installation. Click Next to continue.
M S-7350 M ainboard 5. Then the following screen displays the installation of NVIDIA IDE SW Driver. Click Yes to continue. 6. The following screen indicates that the installation is complete. Click Yes to restart your computer or click No to restart it later.
Installation of nVidia System Driver nVidia Utility Installaion 1. Click on the Utility tab and the screen below will display. 2. Then click on the NVIDIA Utility tab and the screen below will display. 3. Click the nTune Utility icon to install it. nTune Utility - provides a safe and easy way to optimize PC performance.
Dual Core Center Appendix D Dual Core Center Dual CoreCenter, the most useful and powerful utility that MSI has spent muc h researc h and ef forts to develop, helps users to monitor or configure the hardware status of MSI Mainboard & MSI Graphics card in windows, such as CPU/GPU clock, voltage, fan speed and temperature. Before you install the Dual CoreCenter, please make sure the system has meet the following requirements: 1.
M S-7350 M ainboard Activating Dual Core Center Once you have your Dual Core Center installed (locate the setup source file in the setup CD accompanying with your mainboard, path: Utility --> MSI Utility --> Dual Core Center), it will have an icon in the system tray, a short cut icon on the desktop, and a short cut path in your “Start-up” menu. You may double-click on each icon to enable Dual Core Center.
Dual Core Center Main Before using this utility, we have to remind you: only when installing the MSI V044 (V044 has to install with the version 8.26 or newer driver)/ V046 or V060 graphics card can activate the full function of this utility. If you install a graphics card of other brand, only hardware status of the MSI mainboard would be available. Introduction: Click each button appearing above to enter sub-menu to make further configuration or to execute the function.
M S-7350 M ainboard AV/ Game/ Office/ Silence/ Cool MSI provides five common settings for different environments. The settings had been set to optimal values to reac h better performanc e in eac h environment. Click the button you need. Important Before clicking the AV/ Game/ Office/ Silence or Cool button, select Smooth mode or Sharp mode to decide whether you want the system to reach the optimal values smoothly or quickly.
Dual Core Center DOT (Dynamic OverClocking) Dynamic Overclocking Technology is an automatic overclocking function, included in the MSITM ’s newly developed Dual CoreCenter Technology. It is designed to detect the loading of CPU/ GPU while running programs, and to over-clock automatically. When the motherboard detects that the loading of CPU is exceed the default threshold for a time, it will speed up the CPU and fan automatically to make the system run smoother and faster.
M S-7350 M ainboard Clock In the Clock sub-menu, you can see clock status (including FSB/ CPU clock of mainboard and GPU/ memory clock of graphics card) of your system. And you can select desired value for overclocking. There will be several items for you to select for overclocking after you click button. You can click the plus sign button to increase the clock, or click the minus sign button to decrease the clock. And finally, click the Apply button to apply the values adjusted.
Dual Core Center Voltage In the Voltage sub-menu, you can see voltage status (including Vcore, memory, GPU voltage... etc.) of your system, and you can select desired value for overclocking. It will show several items to select for overclocking after you click the button. You can click the plus sign button to increase the voltage, or click the minus sign button to decrease. And finally, click the Apply button to apply the adjustments.
M S-7350 M ainboard FAN Speed In the FAN Speed sub-menu, you can read fan status of your system. Select higher speed for better cooling effect. There are several sections for you to change the fan speed to a section after clicking button. Click the plus sign button to increase the fan speed to a section, or click the minus sign button to decrease. Or click the Default button to restore the default values. On the underside, it shows the graphs of the fan speed.
Dual Core Center Temperature In the Temperature sub-menu, you can see temperature status of your system. On the underside, it shows the graphs of the temperatures. Only the curves of the item which the button is lit up with red color will be shown.
M S-7350 M ainboard User Profile In the User Profile sub-menu, click the setting button that besides the user profile bar, and the next screen will appear. Here you can define the clock/ fan speed/ voltage by your need, click the button to choose a value quickly, or click the plus / minus sign button to increase/ decrease the value.
Dual Core Center Use the draw bar to set the max system temperature. W hen the system temperature exceeds the threshold you defined, the system will pop up a warning message and shut down the system. Use the draw bar to set the minimal fan speed. When the fan speed is lower than the threshold you defined, the system will pop up a warning message. After setting all values you need, you can change the user profile name in the box then click the save button to save all changes in a profile.
