AM2NF6G-VSTA User Manual Version 2.0 Published July 2006 Copyright©2006 ASRock INC. All rights reserved. 1 Copyright Notice: No part of this manual may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or translated in any language, in any form or by any means, except duplication of documentation by the purchaser for backup purpose, without written consent of ASRock Inc. Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identification or explanation and to the owners' benefit, without intent to infringe. Disclaimer: Specifications and information contained in this manual are furnished for informational use only and subject to change without notice, and should not be constructed as a commitment by ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions that may appear in this manual. With respect to the contents of this manual, ASRock does not provide warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall ASRock, its directors, officers, employees, or agents be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including damages for loss of profits, loss of business, loss of data, interruption of business and the like), even if ASRock has been advised of the possibility of such damages arising from any defect or error in the manual or product. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com 2 Contents 1 . Introduction ............................................................ 5 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Package Contents ..................................................................... Specifications ........................................................................... Minimum Hardware Requirement Table for Windows® VistaTM Premium and Basic Logo .......................................................... Motherboard Layout ................................................................. HD 8CH I/O ................................................................................ 5 6 9 10 11 12 13 13 14 2 . Installation .............................................................. 12 Pre-installation Precautions ............................................................... 2.1 CPU Installation ......................................................................... 2.2 Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink ....................................... 2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM) .................................... 2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI Express, PCI, and HDMR Slots) .................... 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 3.1 16 Easy Multi Monitor Feature ........................................................ 17 Jumpers Setup .......................................................................... 18 Onboard Headers and Connectors .......................................... 19 SATAII Hard Disk Setup Guide .................................................. 23 Serial ATA (SATA) / Serial ATAII (SATAII) Hard Disks Installation ................................................................................. 24 Hot Plug and Hot Swap Functions for SATA / SATAII HDDs .... 24 Driver Installation Guide ............................................................ 24 HDMR Card and Driver Installation ............................................ 25 Installing Windows® 2000 / XP / XP 64-bit / VistaTM Without RAID Functions .................................................................................. 25 Installing Windows® 2000 / XP / XP 64-bit / VistaTM With RAID Functions. ................................................................................. 25 Untied Overclocking Technology .............................................. 26 Introduction ............................................................................... 3.1.1 BIOS Menu Bar ............................................................... 3.1.2 Navigation Keys ............................................................. Main Screen .............................................................................. Advanced Screen .................................................................... 3.3.1 CPU Configuration .......................................................... 3.3.2 Chipset Configuration ..................................................... 3.3.3 ACPI Configuration ......................................................... 3.3.4 IDE Configuration ............................................................ 3.3.5 PCIPnP Configuration ...................................................... 3.3.6 Floppy Configuration ...................................................... 27 27 28 28 28 29 32 33 34 36 37 SETUP 3 . BIOS S ETUP UTILITY ................................................... 27 3.2 3.3 3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 4.1 4.2 3.3.7 Super IO Configuration ................................................... 3.3.8 USB Configuration .......................................................... Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen ............................. Boot Screen .............................................................................. 3.5.1 Boot Settings Configuration ........................................... Security Screen ........................................................................ Exit Screen ............................................................................... Install Operating System ........................................................... Support CD Information ............................................................. 4.2.1 Running Support CD ....................................................... 4.2.2 Drivers Menu .................................................................. 4.2.3 Utilities Menu ................................................................... 4.2.4 Contact Information ........................................................ 37 38 39 40 40 41 42 43 43 43 43 43 43 4 . Software Support ................................................... 43 Technology APPENDIX: AMD's Cool `n' Quiet TM Technology ...... 44 4 1. Introduction Thank you for purchasing ASRock AM2NF6G-VSTA motherboard, a reliable motherboard produced under ASRock's consistently stringent quality control. It delivers excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock's commitment to quality and endurance. In this manual, chapter 1 and 2 contain introduction of the motherboard and step-bystep guide to the hardware installation. Chapter 3 and 4 contain the configuration guide to BIOS setup and information of the Support CD. Because the motherboard specifications and the BIOS software might be updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without notice. In case any modifications of this manual occur, the updated version will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You may find the latest VGA cards and CPU support lists on ASRock website as well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com 1.1 Package Contents 1 x ASRock AM2NF6G-VSTA Motherboard (Micro ATX Form Factor: 9.6-in x 9.6-in, 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm) 1 x ASRock AM2NF6G-VSTA Quick Installation Guide 1 x ASRock AM2NF6G-VSTA Support CD 1 x Ultra ATA 66/100/133 IDE Ribbon Cable (80-conductor) 1 x 3.5-in Floppy Drive Ribbon Cable 1 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cable (Optional) 1 x Serial ATA (SATA) HDD Power Cable (Optional) 1 x HD 8CH I/O Shield 1 x COM Port Bracket 1 x HDMR Card (Optional) 5 1.2 Specifications - Micro ATX Form Factor: 9.6-in x 9.6-in, 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm - Socket AM2 for AMD AthlonTM 64FX / 64X2 / 64 and Sempron Processors - Supports AMD's Cool `n' QuietTM Technology (see CAUTION 1) - FSB 1000 MHz (2.0 GT/s) - Supports Untied Overclocking Technology (see CAUTION 2) - Supports Hyper-Transport Technology - NVIDIA® NF-6100-405 - Dual Channel DDRII Memory Technology (see CAUTION 3) - 4 x DDRII DIMM slots - Support DDRII800/667/533 - Max. capacity: 8GB - CPU Frequency Stepless Control (see CAUTION 4) - ASRock U-COP (see CAUTION 5) - Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.) - ASRock AM2 Boost: ASRock Patented Technology to boost memory performance up to 12.5% (see CAUTION 6) - 2 x PCI slots - 1 x PCI Express Graphics slot (see CAUTION 7) - 1 x PCI Express x1 slot - 1 x HDMR slot - Integrated NVIDIA® GeForce6-class graphics DX9.0 VGA - Pixel Shader 3.0 - Max. shared memory 256MB - Realtek ALC888 7.1 channel audio CODEC with High Definition audio - Realtek PHY RTL8201CL - Speed: 10/100 Ethernet - Supports Wake-On-LAN HD 8CH I/O - 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port - 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port - 1 x VGA Port - 1 x Parallel Port (ECP/EPP Support) - 4 x Ready-to-Use USB 2.0 Ports - 1 x RJ-45 Port - HD Audio Jack: Side Speaker/Rear Speaker/Central/Bass/ Line in/Front Speaker/Microphone (see CAUTION 8) Platform CPU Chipset Memory Hybrid Booster Expansion Slot Graphics Audio LAN Rear Panel I/O 6 Connector BIOS Feature Support CD Hardware Monitor OS Certifications - 2 x Serial ATAII 3.0Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD), NCQ, and "Hot Plug" functions (see CAUTION 9) - 1 x ATA133 IDE connector (supports 2 x IDE devices) - 1 x Floppy connector - 1 x IR header - 1 x Game header - 1 x COM port header - CPU/Chassis FAN connector - 20 pin ATX power connector - 4 pin 12V power connector - CD in header - Front panel audio connector - 2 x USB 2.0 headers (support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (see CAUTION 10) - 4Mb AMI BIOS - AMI Legal BIOS - Supports "Plug and Play" - ACPI 1.1 Compliance Wake Up Events - Supports jumperfree - SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support - Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version) - CPU Temperature Sensing - Chassis Temperature Sensing - CPU Fan Tachometer - Chassis Fan Tachometer - CPU Quiet Fan - Voltage Monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore - Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XP/XP 64-bit/VistaTM compliant (see CAUTION 11) - FCC, CE, Microsoft® WHQL Certificated 7 CAUTION! 1. For power-saving's sake, it is strongly recommended to enable AMD's Cool `n' QuietTM technology under Windows system. See APPENDIX on page 44 to enable AMD's Cool `n' QuietTM technology. This motherboard supports Untied Overclocking Technology. Please read "Untied Overclocking Technology" on page 26 for details. This motherboard supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. Before you implement Dual Channel Memory Technology, make sure to read the installation guide of memory modules on page 14 for proper installation. 4. Although this motherboard offers stepless control, it is not recommended to perform over-clocking. Frequencies other than the recommended CPU bus frequencies may cause the instability of the system or damage the CPU. While CPU overheat is detected, the system will automatically shutdown. Before you resume the system, please check if the CPU fan on the motherboard functions properly and unplug the power cord, then plug it back again. To improve heat dissipation, remember to spray thermal grease between the CPU and the heatsink when you install the PC system. 6. This motherboard supports ASRock AM2 Boost overclocking technology. If you enable this function in the BIOS setup, the memory performance will improve up to 12.5%, but the effect still depends on the AM2 CPU you adopt. Enabling this function will overclock the chipset/CPU reference clock. However, we can not guarantee the system stability for all CPU/DRAM configurations. If your system is unstable after AM2 Boost function is enabled, it may not be applicative to your system. You may choose to disable this function for keeping the stability of your system. 7. PCI Express Graphics slot (PCIE1) supports most of the ATi® and NVIDIA® graphics cards except some old version ATi® graphics cards, such as ATi® X300, X550, X700, and X800 series graphics cards. For microphone input, this motherboard supports both stereo and mono modes. For audio output, this motherboard supports 2-channel, 4-channel, 6-channel, and 8-channel modes. Please check the table on page 11 for proper connection. 9. Before installing SATAII hard disk to SATAII connector, please read the "SATAII Hard Disk Setup Guide" on page 23 to adjust your SATAII hard disk drive to SATAII mode. You can also connect SATA hard disk to SATAII connector directly. 10. Power Management for USB 2.0 works fine under Microsoft® Windows® VistaTM / XP 64-bit / XP SP1 or SP2 / 2000 SP4. 11. Microsoft® Windows® VistaTM driver is not ready yet. We will update it to our website in the future. Please visit our website for Microsoft® Windows® VistaTM driver and related information. ASRock website http:/ ...