Asus E2234 User Manual Page 1

MotherboardP5NSLI SeriesP5NSLIP5NSLI/WiFi

xConventions used in this guideTo make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual.Ty

2-50 Chapter 2: BIOS setupPhoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Advanced Power Boot Exit Select MenuItem Specic HelpThis option sav

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-51Load Setup Defaults This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup menus. When you s

2-52 Chapter 2: BIOS setup

3Software supportThis chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package.

3-2 Chapter 3: Software supportIf Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the support CD to locate the le ASSETUP.EXE from th

ASUS P5NSLI Series 3-33.2.2 Drivers menuThe drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the nece

3-4 Chapter 3: Software support3.2.3 Utilities menuThe Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard supports. ASUS I

ASUS P5NSLI Series 3-5ADOBE Acrobat Reader V7.0Installs the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader V7.0 that allows you to open, view, and print documents in Portable

3-6 Chapter 3: Software support3.2.5 Manuals menuThe Manuals menu contains a list of supplementary user manuals. Click an item to open the folder of

ASUS P5NSLI Series 3-73.2.6 ASUS Contact informationClick the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information. You can also nd this information

xiP5NSLI and P5NSLI/WiFi specications summary(continued on the next page)CPU Chipset Front Side BusMemory Expansion slots Scalable Li

3-8 Chapter 3: Software support3.3 Software informationMost of the applications in the support CD have wizards that will conveniently guide you throu

ASUS P5NSLI Series 3-9OS configurationTo congure ASUS Music Alarm in Windows®1. Place the support CD into the optical drive.2. Click the Utilities

3-10 Chapter 3: Software support7. Click the arrow ( ) next to Options in the Options section. The Options panel appears. Disable or select the Repea

ASUS P5NSLI Series 3-113.4 NVIDIA® SLI™ technologyThe motherboard supports the NVIDIA® SLI™ (Scalable Link Interface) technology that allows you to i

3-12 Chapter 3: Software support3.4.2 Dual graphics card setupInstalling SLI-ready graphics cardsGoldngersInstall only identical SLI-ready graphics

ASUS P5NSLI Series 3-134. Insert the second graphics card into the black slot labeled PCIEX16_2. Make sure that the card is properly seated on the s

3-14 Chapter 3: Software support5. Align and insert the SLI exible cable connector to the goldngers on each graphics card. Make sure that the conn

ASUS P5NSLI Series 3-15NVIDIA Settings iconTo enable the multi-GPU feature:1. Click the NVIDIA Settings icon on your Windows taskbar.2. From the pop

3-16 Chapter 3: Software support7. Click the slider to display the following screen, then select the SLI multi-GPU item.Slider5. From the Display P

ASUS P5NSLI Series 3-178. Click the Enable SLI multi-GPU check box.9. Click OK when done. Setting the ASUS AI Selector utilityFrom the AI Selector u

xiiIntelligent overclocking tool: - ASUS AI Overclocking (Intelligent CPU Frequency Tuner) Precision Tweaker supports: - vDIMM voltage: 4-

3-18 Chapter 3: Software support

ACPU featuresThe Appendix describes the CPU features that the motherboard supports.

A-2 Appendix: CPU featuresA.1 Intel® EM64T• The motherboard is fully compatible with Intel® Pentium® 4 LGA775 processors running on 32-bit operating

ASUS P5NSLI A-3A.2.2 Using the EISTTo use the EIST feature:1. Turn on the computer, then enter the BIOS Setup.2. Go to the Advanced Menu, highlight

A-4 Appendix: CPU featuresA.3 Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology• The motherboard supports Intel® Pentium® 4 LGA775 processors with Hyper-Threading

xiiiInternal connectors ManageabilitySupport CD contents Form Factor1 x Floppy disk drive connector 2 x IDE connectors 4 x

xiv

1Product introductionThis chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.1 Welcome!Thank you for buying an ASUS® P5NSLI or ASUS® P5NSLI/WiFi motherboard!The motherboard delivers a host

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-31.3 Special features1.3.1 Product highlightsLGA775 Intel® Core™2 Processor Ready This motherboard supports the latest Intel® C

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introductionDDR2 memory support The motherboard supports DDR2 memory which features data transfer rates of 667 MHz or 533 MHz t

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-51.3.2 Innovative ASUS features Precision Tweaker This feature allows you to ne tune the CPU/memory voltage and gradually incre

iiE2234First Edition August 2006Copyright © 2006 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.No part of this manual, including the products and software

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introductionASUS MyLogo2™ This new feature present in the motherboard allows you to personalize and add style to your system wi

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-7Onboard LEDThe motherboard comes with a standby power LED. The green LED lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep m

1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.5 Motherboard overviewBefore you install the motherboard, study the conguration of your chassis to ensure that

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-91.5.3 Motherboard layoutnVidia Crush19MCP51PCIEX1_3PCIEX16_1PCIEX1_1PCIEX1_2PCIEX16_2PCI1PCI2SEC_IDEPRI_IDECDAUXP5NSLISLI_CONMa

1-10 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA775 socket designed for the Intel®

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-112. Press the load lever with your thumb (A), then move it to the left (B) until it is released from the retention tab.Retentio

1-12 Chapter 1: Product introductionThe CPU ts in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the connector

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-13FastenerMotherboard hole1.6.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fanIntel® LGA775 processors require a specially designed heatsin

1-14 Chapter 1: Product introduction3. Connect the CPU fan cable to the connector on the motherboard labeled CPU_FAN.2. Push down two fasteners at a

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-151.6.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fanTo uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan:1. Disconnect the CPU fan cable from the co

iiiContentsNotices ...viiSafety information ...

1-16 Chapter 1: Product introduction5. Rotate each fastener clockwise to ensure correct orientation when reinstalling.The narrow end of the groove sh

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-171.7 System memory1.7.1 OverviewThe motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) so

1-18 Chapter 1: Product introductionNotes on memory limitationsThe motherboard can support up to 16 GB on the operating systems listed below. You may

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-19Side(s): SS - Single-sided DS - Double-sidedDIMM support:A - Supports one module inserted into either slot, in Single-chann

1-20 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.7.3 Installing a DIMMUnplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failur

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-211.8 Expansion slotsIn the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and t

1-22 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.8.3 Interrupt assignments* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.IRQ assignments for this mot

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-231.8.4 PCI slotsThe PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI speci

1-24 Chapter 1: Product introductionPCI Express x16 slot configurations1.8.6 Two PCI Express x16 slotsThis motherboard supports one PCI Express x16 g

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-251.9 Jumpers1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC)This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the C

ivContents1.8.6 Two PCI Express x16 slots ... 1-241.9 Jumpers ...

1-26 Chapter 1: Product introduction2. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW1, USBPW2)Set these jumpers to +5V to wake up the computer from S1 sleep mode (

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-271.10 Connectors1.10.1 Rear panel connectors1. PS/2 mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse.2. Parallel port. This

1-28 Chapter 1: Product introduction8. Wireless LAN antenna port (P5NSLI/WiFi model only). This port connects to the optional dipolar antenna for th

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-29PIN1PIN1RP5NSLI IDE ConnectorsSEC_IDEPRI_IDENOTE: Orient the red markings(usually zigzag) on the IDEribbon cable to PIN 1.2. I

1-30 Chapter 1: Product introduction3. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1 [red], SATA2 [red], SATA3 [red], SATA4 [red])These connectors are for the S

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-315. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB78)These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable to any of these

1-32 Chapter 1: Product introduction7. CPU, Power and Chassis Fan connectors (4-pin CPU_FAN, 3-pin PWR_FAN, 3-pin CHA_FAN)The fan connectors support

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-339. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V)These connectors are for ATX power supply plugs. The power supply plugs

1-34 Chapter 1: Product introduction• For a fully congured system, we recommend that you use a power supply unit (PSU) that complies with ATX 12 V S

ASUS P5NSLI Series 1-3511. System panel connector (20-pin PANEL) This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.The sytem panel connector

vContents2.4.3 CPU Conguration ... 2-272.4.4 Chipset ...

1-36 Chapter 1: Product introductionQ-Connector (system panel) You can use ASUS Q-Connector to connect / disconnect chassis front panel cables by onl

2BIOS setupThis chapter tells how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also

2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.1 Managing and updating your BIOSThe following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic Input/Output

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-3c. Click Start, then select Run.d. From the Open eld, type D:\bootdisk\makeboot a: assuming that D: is your optical drive.e.

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS setup6. Type the BIOS le name in the File Name to Program eld, then press <Enter>.7. Press <N> when the utility pr

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-53. Type a lename for the current BIOS le in the Save current BIOS as eld, then press <Enter>.4. The utility saves t

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utilityThe ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS l

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-7The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this motherboard. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download th

2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS setupTo update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2:1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS le for the motherb

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-9Installing ASUS UpdateTo install ASUS Update:1. Place the support CD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears. 2. Click

vi3.4.2 Dual graphics card setup ... 3-12Appendix: CPU featuresA.1 Intel® EM64T ...

2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS setup3. Select the ASUS FTP site nearest you to avoid network trafc, or click Auto Select. Click Next.Updating the BIOS through

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-11Updating the BIOS through a BIOS fileTo update the BIOS through a BIOS le:1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows®

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.2 BIOS setup programThis motherboard supports a programmable Low-Pin Count (LPC) chip that you can update using the provi

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-132.2.2 Menu barThe menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:Main For changing the basic system conguratio

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.2.4 Menu itemsThe highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specic items for that menu. For example, selecting Main

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-152.2.7 Pop-up windowSelect a menu item then press <Enter> to display a pop-up window with the conguration options for th

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS setupF1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter:

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-17Before attempting to congure a hard disk drive, make sure you have the correct conguration information supplied by the drive

2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS setupCapacityDisplays the auto-detected hard disk capacity. This item is not congurable. CylinderShows the number of the hard di

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-192.3.5 SATA1, SATA2, SATA3,SATA4While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of Serial ATA devices. There

viiNoticesFederal Communications Commission StatementThis device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two con

2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS setupPrecompShows the number of precomp per track. This item is not congurable. Landing ZoneShows the number of landing zone per

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-212.4 Advanced menuThe Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices.Take caution wh

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS setupThe Overclock Options item is user-congurable only when the AI Tuning is set to [AI Overclock].F1:Help ↑↓ : Select

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-23System Clock Mode [Auto]Sets the system clock mode. The default setting [Auto], automatically sets the FSB and memory speeds. S

2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS setupSpread Spectrum ControlThis sub-menu allows you to set the CPU, PCI Express, Serial ATA, and Lightning Data Transport (LDT)

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-25F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Se

2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS setupVCore Voltage [Auto]Sets the operating VCore voltage. Conguration options: [Auto] [1.6000V] [1.5875V] [1.5750V] [1.5625V

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-272.4.3 CPU ConfigurationCPU Clock Ratio [9X]Allows you to adjust the CPU clock ratio from 6 to 9. Conguration options: [6X] [

2-28 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.4.4 ChipsetF1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit →←: Selec

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-29F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Se

viiiSafety informationElectrical safety• To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating t

2-30 Chapter 2: BIOS setupF1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter:

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-31F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter: Se

2-32 Chapter 2: BIOS setupNVRAID ConfigurationThis sub-menu contains NVRAID function-related items. Select an item then press <Enter> to edit.F1

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-33HD Audio [Enabled]Allows you to disable or enabled the onboard HD audio controller. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-34 Chapter 2: BIOS setupF1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit →←: Select Menu Enter:

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-352.5 Power menuThe Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI) a

2-36 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.5.3 APM ConfigurationF1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-37Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled]Allows you to enable or disable RTC to generate a wake event. When this item is set to Enabled,

2-38 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.5.4 Hardware MonitorThe items in this sub-menu displays the hardware monitor values automatically detected by the BIOS. I

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-392.6 Boot menuThe Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to displ

ixAbout this guideThis user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring the motherboard.How this guide is organizedThis gui

2-40 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.6.2 Removable Drives1. Floppy DisksAllows you to assign a removable drive attached to the system.F1:Help ↑↓ : Sel

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-412.6.5 Boot Settings Configuration F1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exi

2-42 Chapter 2: BIOS setupThe items Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) and Typematic Delay (Msec) becomes user-congurable only when the item Typematic Rate S

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-432.6.6 SecurityF1:Help ↑↓ : Select Item -/+: Change Value F5: Setup Defaults ESC: Exit →←: Select

2-44 Chapter 2: BIOS setupA note about passwordsThe Supervisor password is required to enter the BIOS Setup program preventing unauthorized access. Th

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-45The succeeding items become user-congurable when you enable the ASUS Music Alarm.2.7 Tools menuThe Tools menu items allow you

2-46 Chapter 2: BIOS setupAlarm Date: Sunday/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday [Enabled]Allows you to enable or disable the alarm for

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-472.7.2 ASUS O.C. ProfileThis item allows you to store or load multiple BIOS settings. Select MenuItem Specic HelpPress [Enter]

2-48 Chapter 2: BIOS setupSelect MenuItem Specic HelpSave current BIOS Prole to Prole 1.Save BIOS ProleSave to Prole 1Save to Prole 2Save to Fil

ASUS P5NSLI Series 2-492.7.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2. Press <Enter> to start EZ Flash 2 then from the conrmation scre