Asus M3N78 SE User Manual

MotherboardM3N78 SE

xM3N78 SE specications summaryASUS special featuresASUS Quiet Thermal Solution - ASUS Q-Fan ASUS EZ DIY - ASUS CrashFree BIOS3 - ASUS EZ Fla

ASUS M3N78 SE1-1Chapter 1: Product introduction1.1 Welcome!Thank you for buying an ASUS® M3N78 SE motherboard!The motherboard delivers a host of new

1-2Chapter 1: Product introductionGigabit LAN solution The on-board LAN controller is a highly integrated Gb LAN controller. It is enhanced with an AC

ASUS M3N78 SE1-3Nvidia® PureVideo™ HD Technology PureVideo HD technology is the core of a complete Blu-ray or HD DVD movie solution, featuring hardwar

1-4Chapter 1: Product introductionOnboard LEDThe motherboard comes with a standby power LED that lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep

ASUS M3N78 SE1-51.5.1 Motherboard layout1.5 Motherboard overviewRefer to 1.10 Connectors for more information about rear panel connectors and intern

1-6Chapter 1: Product introductionM3N78 SEDo not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.1.5.2 Placement directionWhen installing

ASUS M3N78 SE1-71.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)The motherboard comes with an AM2+ / AM2 socket designed for AMD® AM2+ / AM2 Phenom™ FX / Phenom / A

1-8Chapter 1: Product introduction7. Connect the CPU fan cable to the CPU_FAN connector on the motherboard.Do not forget to connect the CPU fan conne

ASUS M3N78 SE1-91.6.2 Installing the heatsink and fanThe AMD Phenom™ FX / Phenom / Athlon™ / Sempron™ processor requires a specially designed heatsin

iiCopyright © 2008 ASUSTeK Computer Inc. All Rights Reserved.No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be repro

1-10Chapter 1: Product introduction2. Attach one end of the retention bracket to the retention module base.134523. Align the other end of the reten

ASUS M3N78 SE1-111.7 System memory1.7.1 OverviewThe motherboard comes with two Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets.T

1-12Chapter 1: Product introduction• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its SPD. Under the default state, some memory modules fo

ASUS M3N78 SE1-13DDR2-800MHz capabilityVendor Part No. SizeSS/DSCL Chip No.Chip BrandDIMM supportA* B*Kingston KHX6400D2LLK2/1GN 512MB SS N/A Heat-Si

1-14Chapter 1: Product introduction1.7.3 Installing a DIMMUnplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure

ASUS M3N78 SE1-151.8 Expansion slotsIn the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the exp

1-16Chapter 1: Product introduction* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.Interrupt assignmentsIRQ Standard function1 Standard 101/

ASUS M3N78 SE1-171.8.3 PCI slotsThe PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specicatio

1-18Chapter 1: Product introduction1.9 Jumpers1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC)This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You ca

ASUS M3N78 SE1-191.10 Connectors1.10.1 Rear panel connectors1. PS/2 keyboard/Mouse Combo port (purple). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard or mouse.2

iiiContentsNotices ... viSafety i

1-20Chapter 1: Product introductionEnsure that the audio device of Sound playback is VIA High Denition Audio (the name may be different based on the

ASUS M3N78 SE1-212. Speaker connector (4- pin SPEAKER)This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning speaker. The speaker allows you

1-22Chapter 1: Product introduction4. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4)These connectors are for the Serial ATA signal cables f

ASUS M3N78 SE1-235. Optical drive audio in connector (4-pin CD)This connector allows you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a C

1-24Chapter 1: Product introduction7. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module

ASUS M3N78 SE1-259. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V)These connectors are for an ATX power supply. The plugs from the power supply

1-26Chapter 1: Product introduction10. System panel connector (10-1 pin F_PANEL)This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.M3N78 SEM3N

ASUS M3N78 SE1-27If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the Support DVD to locate the le ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder.

1-28Chapter 1: Product introduction1.11.3 Creating a RAID driver diskA oppy disk with the RAID driver is required when installing Windows® XP OS on

ASUS M3N78 SE2-1Chapter 2: BIOS Information2.1 Managing and updating your BIOSThe following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard

ivContentsChapter 2: BIOS Information2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ... 2-12.1.1 Creatin

2-2Chapter 2: BIOS informationMain lename Extension name1. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard Support DVD to the bootable op

ASUS M3N78 SE2-34. The utility returns to the DOS prompt after the BIOS update process is completed. Reboot the system from the hard disk drive.A:\&g

2-4Chapter 2: BIOS informationDO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so can cause system boot failure!4. Restart the sys

ASUS M3N78 SE2-5To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2:1. Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com to download the latest BIOS le for the motherboard.2.

2-6Chapter 2: BIOS informationInstalling ASUS UpdateTo install ASUS Update:1. Place the Support DVD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears. 2

ASUS M3N78 SE2-7• The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most conditions to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes unsta

2-8Chapter 2: BIOS information2.2.1 BIOS menu screen2.2.2 Menu barThe menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:Main For chang

ASUS M3N78 SE2-92.2.4 Menu itemsThe highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specic items for that menu. For example, selecting Main shows the

2-10Chapter 2: BIOS information2.3 Main menuWhen you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an overview of the basic

ASUS M3N78 SE2-11Type [Auto]Selects the type of IDE drive. Setting to [Auto] allows automatic selection of the appropriate IDE device type. Select [CD

vContents2.6.1 Boot Device Priority... 2-212.6.2 Boot Settings Conguration ...

2-12Chapter 2: BIOS informationLBA/Large Mode [Auto]Enables or disables the LBA mode. Setting to [Auto] enables the LBA mode if the device supports th

ASUS M3N78 SE2-132.3.7 System InformationThis menu gives you an overview of the general system specications. The BIOS automatically detects the item

2-14Chapter 2: BIOS informationProcessor Frequency Multiplier [Auto]Allows you to set the processor frequency multiplier. Conguration options: [Auto]

ASUS M3N78 SE2-15TRCD [Auto]Conguration options: [Auto] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK]tRTP [Auto][Auto] [2-4 CLK] [3-5 CLK] TRAS [Auto]Conguration

2-16Chapter 2: BIOS information2.4.3 ChipsetThe Chipset menu allows you to change the advanced chipset settings. Select an item then press <Enter&

ASUS M3N78 SE2-17SouthBridge CongurationPrimary Graphics Adapter [PCI VGA Card First]Display Device Priority, from high to low. Conguration options:

2-18Chapter 2: BIOS informationPlug and Play O/S [No]When set to [No], BIOS congures all the devices in the system. When set to [Yes] and if you inst

ASUS M3N78 SE2-19USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]Allows you to congure the USB 2.0 controller in HiSpeed (480 Mbps) or Full Speed (12 Mbps). Congur

2-20Chapter 2: BIOS information2.5.4 APM CongurationRestore on AC Power Loss [Power Off]When set to Power Off, the system goes into off state after

ASUS M3N78 SE2-212.6 Boot menuThe Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the

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

2-22Chapter 2: BIOS informationIf you forget your BIOS password, you can clear it by erasing the CMOS Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. See section “1.9 Jump

ASUS M3N78 SE2-23View Only allows access but does not allow change to any eld.Limited allows changes only to selected elds, such as Date and Time.Fu

2-24Chapter 2: BIOS information2.7.2 AI NET 2Check Realtek Phy LAN cable [Disabled]Enables or disables checking of the Realtek Phy LAN cable during t

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

viiiWhere to nd more informationRefer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates.1. ASUS websites The

ixM3N78 SE specications summary(continued on the next page)CPUAMD® Socket AM2+ / AM2 for AMD Phenom™FX / Phenom / Athlon™ / Sempron™ processor AMD Co