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XFX nForce 780i, User Manual

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Appendix B. 

Configuring an SLI Configuration 

NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) is a revolutionary technology that allows 
two XFX SLI graphics cards to work together to deliver incredible 3D graphics 
performance.  

Your new motherboard can support up to three PCI Express graphics cards 
linked using SLI. Currently 3-way NVIDIA SLI is approved and operating on 
the following graphics cards: 

 

XFX GeForce 8800 GTX  

 

XFX GeForce 8800 Ultra  

SLI Connector 

NVIDIA 3-way SLI platform will also require a new SLI connector that 
connects the SLI headers on the GeForce GPUs (Figure 17).    

 

 

Summary of Contents for nForce 780i

Page 1: ...User Guide XFX nForce 780i 3 Way SLI Motherboard ...

Page 2: ...XFX nForce 780i 3 Way SLI Motherboard ii ...

Page 3: ...therboard 1 Motherboard Specifications 1 Unpacking and Parts Descriptions 3 Unpacking 3 Equipment 3 XFX nForce 780i SLI Motherboard 4 Hardware Installation 7 Safety Instructions 7 Preparing the Motherboard 8 Installing the CPU 8 Installing the CPU Fan 9 Installing Memory DIMMs 9 Installing the Motherboard 10 Installing the I O Shield 10 Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis 11 Connecting Cable...

Page 4: ...eader 16 IEEE 1394a 17 USB Headers 18 Audio 19 Fan Connections 19 Fan Connections 20 COM1 21 FDD Connector 22 Expansion Slots 22 PCI Slots 22 PCI Express x1 Slot 23 PCI Express x16 Slots 23 Jumper Settings 24 Clear CMOS Jumper CLR_CMOS 24 Configuring the BIOS 25 Enter BIOS Setup 26 Main Menu 26 Standard CMOS Features Menu 29 Date and Time 30 IDE Channel and SATA Channel 30 Drive A 32 Halt On 32 Me...

Page 5: ...ce 36 Boot Up NumLock Status 36 Security Option 37 APIC Mode 37 MPS Version Control For OS 37 Full Screen LOGO Show 37 Advanced Chipset Features 38 System Clocks 39 Frequency Settings 40 HT Multiplier 41 Spread Spectrum 41 FSB Memory Config 42 CPU Configuration 46 System Voltages 48 NVMEM Memory Test 50 Load Timing Voltage Set 50 Save Timing Voltage Set 51 System BIOS Cacheable 51 HPET Function 51...

Page 6: ...Menu 56 ACPI Function 57 ACPI Suspend Type 57 Soft Off by PBNT 57 WOL PME From Soft Off 57 Power On by Alarm 57 POWER ON Function 58 PnP PCI Configuration Menu 59 Init Display First 59 Reset Configuration Data 60 Resources Controlled By 60 IRQ Resources 61 PCI VGA Palette Snoop 61 Maximum Payload Size 61 System Monitor Menu 62 Dynamic Fan Control 63 Installing Drivers and Software 65 Drivers Insta...

Page 7: ... Settings 70 Dynamic BIOS Access 76 View System Information 77 Profile Policies 78 Manage Your System BIOS 79 NVIDIA System Monitor 80 Appendix A POST Codes for Tritium Platform 85 Appendix B Configuring an SLI Configuration 95 SLI Connector 95 ForceWare Driver 96 Enabling 3 Way SLI 98 Verifying 3 way SLI is Active 100 Index 101 ...

Page 8: ...ures Menu 34 Figure 8 Advanced Chipset Features 38 Figure 9 System Clocks Menu 39 Figure 10 FSB Memory Config Menu 42 Figure 11 CPU Configuration Menu 46 Figure 12 System Voltages Menu 48 Figure 13 Integrated Peripherals Menu 52 Figure 14 Power Management Setup Menu 56 Figure 15 PnP PCI Configuration Menu 59 Figure 16 System Monitor Menu 62 Figure 17 3 way NVIDIA SLI connector 96 Figure 18 Windows...

Page 9: ... the 780i 3 Way SLI Installation CD Motherboard Drivers for Windows XP Windows XP 64 bit Windows Vista Windows Vista 64 bit Onboard Audio Drivers Windows XP Windows XP 64 bit Windows Vista Windows Vista 64 bit Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 0 Raid Setup Floppy Disk Creator Motherboard Manual NVIDIA Software NVIDIA MediaShield Storage NVIDIA nTune ...

Page 10: ...3 way SLI with three x16 PCI Express slots Power Supply The power supply requirement is dependent upon the power and the number of the GPUs you install If you are going to SLI two graphics cards you are going to require more power As a rule for one GPU you need a minimum of a 300 W power supply If you have two GPUs in an SLI configuration you will need a minimum of a 500 W power supply If you have...

Page 11: ...install the motherboard into a PC cabinet If you are building a PC you will use most of the cables provided in the kit If however you are replacing a motherboard you will not need many of the cables When replacing a motherboard in a PC cabinet you will need to reinstall an operating system even though the current drives have an operating system ...

Page 12: ...XFX nForce 780i 3 Way SLI Motherboard xii ...

Page 13: ... inch Microprocessor support Intel Core 2 Extreme Intel Core 2 Quad Intel Core 2 Duo Pentium EE Pentium D Pentium Operating systems Supports Windows XP 32bit 64bit and Windows Vista 32bit 64bit Contains NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI MCP and SPP System Memory support Supports dual channel JEDEC DDR2 800 and SLI Ready memory up to 1200 MHz Supports up to 8 GBs DDR2 memories Ten USB 2 0 Ports Supports hot p...

Page 14: ...d header with rate of transmission at 400 Mbps Onboard Audio Azalia High Definition audio Supports 8 channel audio Supports S PDIF output Supports Jack Sensing function Triple PCI Express x16 Support 2 x16 PCI Express 2 0 1 x16 PCI Express 1 0 Supports 4 GB sec 8 GB sec concurrent bandwidth Low power consumption and power management features Green Function Supports ACPI Advanced Configuration and ...

Page 15: ...ntact your reseller All parts shipped in this kit are RoHS compliant lead free parts Equipment The following equipment is included in the XFX nForce 780i SLI motherboard box XFX nForce 780i SLI Motherboard This PCI Express motherboard contains the NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI SPP and MCP and is SLI ready I O Shield Installs in the chassis to block radio frequency transmissions protect internet component...

Page 16: ...Qty Six Used to support the Serial ATA protocol and each one connects a single drive to the motherboard IDE ATA 133 HDD Cable SLI Bridge use for two graphics cards in SLI 3 Way SLI Bridge use for three graphics cards in SLI XFX nForce 780i SLI Motherboard The XFX nForce 780i SLI motherboard with the NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI SPP and MCP processors is a PCI Express SLI ready motherboard Figure 1 shows...

Page 17: ...5 Front panel connector 25 PCI Express x1 slot 6 IDE Connector 16 Jumper 26 Backpanel connectors Figure 2 7 Serial ATA SATA connectors 17 Power button 27 Heat dissipater 8 FDD connector 18 Reset Button 28 8 pin ATX_12V power connector 9 NVIDIA MCP passive heat sink 19 Azalia HD Audio Header 29 MCP SPP fan connector 10 Serial ATA SATA connectors 20 FP Audio connector Figure 1 XFX nForce 780i SLI Mo...

Page 18: ...e In Line In Green Line Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Pink Mic In Mic In Mic In Orange Center Subwoofer Black Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Grey 7 LAN Port with LEDs to indicate status Yellow Light Up Blink 10 Mbps Link Activity Yellow and Green Light Up Blink 100 Mbps link Activity Green Light Up Blink 1000 Mbps Link Activity Figure 2 Chassis Backpanel Connectors 1 2 5 6 7 4 3 4 7 4...

Page 19: ...PU Installing the CPU fan Installing the memory Installing the motherboard Connecting cables and setting switches Safety Instructions To reduce the risk of fire electric shock and injury always follow basic safety precautions Remember to remove power from your computer by disconnecting the AC main source before removing or installing any equipment from to the computer chassis ...

Page 20: ...hing down and away from the socket 2 Lift the load plate There is a protective socket cover on the load plate to protect the socket when there is no CPU installed 3 Remove the protective socket cover from the load plate 4 Remove the processor from its protective cover making sure you hold it only by the edges It is a good idea to save the cover so that whenever you remove the CPU you have a safe p...

Page 21: ... slots support 256 Mb 512 Mb and 1 Gb DDR2 technologies for x8 and x16 devices They also support dual channel DDR2 memory technology up to 10 7GB s There must be at least one memory bank populated to ensure normal operation Use the following the recommendations for installing memory See Figure 1 on page 5 for the location of the memory slots One DIMM Install into slot 0 You can install the DIMM in...

Page 22: ...the connections prior to this step or to secure the motherboard and then make all the connections It is normally easier to secure the motherboard first Use the following procedure to install the I O shield and secure the motherboard into the chassis Note Be sure that the CPU fan assembly has enough clearance for the chassis covers to lock into place and for the expansion cards Also make sure the C...

Page 23: ...um of nine 9 spacers 1 Carefully place the motherboard onto the studs spacers located inside the chassis 2 Align the mounting holes with the studs spacers 3 Align the connectors to the I O shield 4 Ensure that the fan assembly is aligned with the chassis vents according to the fan assembly instruction 5 Secure the motherboard with a minimum of eight to ten screws Connecting Cables and Setting Swit...

Page 24: ...s To support 3 way SLI this motherboard has the following specific power supply requirements Minimum 1000 W peak power Six 6 pin 3x2 PCI E power connectors see Figure 3 6 pin 3x2 PCI E connector Figure 3 Power Supply Connectors Make sure you have enough power to cover all the expansion cards you will be installing To determine what you power requirements are for your specific configuration or a ce...

Page 25: ...motherboard Firmly plug the power supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure Figure 4 PWR1 Motherboard Connector Table 1 PWR1 Pin Assignments Connector Pin Signal Pin Signal 1 3 3V 13 3 3V 2 3 3V 14 12V 3 GND 15 GND 4 5V 16 PS_ON 5 GND 17 GND 6 5V 18 GND 7 GND 19 GND 8 PWROK 20 RSVD 9 5V_AUX 21 5V 10 12V 22 5V 11 12V 23 5V 24 13 12 1 12 3 3V 24 GND PWR1 connector Plug power cable f...

Page 26: ...nnect the black connector the cable with the two closely spaced black and gray connectors to the Ultra ATA master device 3 Connect the gray connector to a slave device If you install two hard disk drives you must configure the second drive as a slave device by setting its jumper accordingly Refer to the hard disk documentation for the jumper settings Note If an ATA 66 100 disk drive and a disk dri...

Page 27: ... primary storage devices The current Serial ATA II interface allows up to 300MB s data transfer rate There are six serial ATA connectors on the motherboard that support RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 0 1 and JBOD configurations SATA 3 SATA 4 SATA 6 SATA 5 GND GND GND TX RX TX TX SATA 1 bottom SATA 2 top Connect the locking cable end to the motherboard connector Connect the end without the lock to the d...

Page 28: ...D is off Note Some chassis do not have all four cables Be sure to match the name on the connectors to the corresponding pins PWRSW Attach the power button cable from the case to these two pins Pressing the power button on the front panel turns the system on and off rather than using the power supply button HD_LED Attach the hard disk drive indicator LED cable to these two pins The HDD indicator LE...

Page 29: ...ect 9 No Connect Empty 10 Empty IEEE 1394a The IEEE 1394 expansion cable bracket is provided in the box but if you do not require the additional external connections you do not need to install it 1 Secure the bracket to either the front or rear panel of your chassis not all chassis are equipped with the front panel option 2 Connect the end of the cable to the IEEE 1394 connectors on the motherboar...

Page 30: ...connect an optional external bracket containing four 4 more USB 2 0 ports 1 Secure the bracket to either the front or rear panel of your chassis not all chassis are equipped with the front panel option 2 Connect the two ends of the cables to the USB 2 0 headers on the motherboard Table 4 USB 2 0 Header Pins Connector Pin Signal 1 5V_DUAL 3 D 5 D 7 GND 9 Empty Pin Signal 2 5V_DUAL 4 D 6 D 8 GND USB...

Page 31: ...5 Front Audio and Internal SPDIF Connector Connector Pin Signal 1 Mic Input 2 Ground Mic 3 Mic P Pulse 4 Not Used 5 PORT2_R Right Channel Out 6 SENSE1_RETURN Right Channel Ground 7 Not Used 8 Empty 9 PORT2_L Left Channel Out Front Audio Connector 10 SENSE2_RETURN Left Channel Ground Connector Pin Signal 1 5V 2 Empty 3 Audio Out 4 Audio In 5 Ground SPDIF Connector 6 Not Used 2 4 6 8 10 1 3 5 7 9 2 ...

Page 32: ...y turned off after the system enters S3 S4 and S5 mode Note that the CPU fan cable can be either a 3 pin or a 4 pin connector Connect a 3 pin connector to pins 1 2 and 3 on the motherboard connector CPU Fan Connector 4 3 2 GND SENSE PWR CONTROL Install the fan over the nForce 780i SLI SPP to draw heat from the MCP The fans plug into a 3 pin connector Fan Connector 3 2 1 GND 12V SENSE nForce 780i S...

Page 33: ...M1 The motherboard kit provides an additional serial COM header for your machine Connect one side of a switching cable to the header and then attach the serial COM device to the other side of the cable System fan connector Auxiliary fan connector Auxiliary fan connector Auxiliary fan connector Fan Connector 3 2 1 GND 12V SENSE ...

Page 34: ... list of PCI Express x16 graphics card supported by this motherboard go to www xfxforce com PCI Slots The two PCI slots support many expansion cards such as a LAN card USB card SCSI card and other cards that comply with PCI specifications When installing a card into the PCI slot be sure that it is fully seated Secure the card s metal bracket to the chassis back panel with the screw used to hold th...

Page 35: ...hics or video cards The bandwidth of the x16 slot is up to 4GB sec 8GB sec concurrent The design of this motherboard supports three PCI Express graphics cards using NVIDIA s SLI technology with multiple displays When installing a PCI Express x16 card be sure the retention clip snaps and locks the card into place If the card is not seated properly it could cause a short across the pins Secure the c...

Page 36: ...herboard shows a next to pin 1 Clear CMOS Jumper CLR_CMOS The motherboard uses the CMOS RAM to store all the set parameters The CMOS can be cleared by removing the CMOS jumper Use the following procedure to clear CMOS 1 Turn off the AC power supply and connect pins 1 and 2 together using the jumper cap 2 Return the jumper setting to normal pins 2 and 3 together with the jumper cap 3 Turn the AC po...

Page 37: ...up menus Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided This section includes the following information Enter BIOS Setup Main Menu Standard CMOS Features Advanced BIOS Features Advanced Chipset Features Integrated Peripherals Power Management Setup PnP PCI Configurations System Monitor ...

Page 38: ... to the Phoenix Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Note It is strongly recommended that you do not change the default BIOS settings Changing some settings could damage your computer Main Menu The main menu allows you to select from the list of setup functions and two exit choices Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press Enter to display the associated submenu Use the ar...

Page 39: ...et up onboard peripherals such as IDE RAID USB LAN and MAC control Power Management Setup Use this menu to configure power management power on and sleep features PnP PCI Configurations Use this menu to modify the system s Plug and Play and PCI configurations Phoenix AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility System Monitor Load Defaults Set Password Save Exit Setup Exit Without Saving Esc Quit F10 Save Exit Set...

Page 40: ...sword Use this command to set change and disable the password used to access the BIOS menu Save Exit Setup Use this command to save settings to CMOS and exit setup Exit Without Saving Use this command to abandon all setting changes and exit setup SLI Ready Memory is a status indicator displayed at the bottom of the BIOS screen The three status indicators are Enabled SLI Ready memory is detected an...

Page 41: ...in white is for information only data in yellow is changeable data in blue is non changeable and data in a red box is highlighted for selection Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults IDE Channel Master None IDE Channel Slave None SATA Channel 1 Master None SATA Channel 2 Master None SATA Channel 3 Master None SATA Channel 4 Master None SATA C...

Page 42: ...ATA channels Select a channel and press Enter to display the IDE SATA sub menu IDE Channel Master None IDE Channel Slave None SATA Channel 1 Master None SATA Channel 2 Master None SATA Channel 3 Master None SATA Channel 4 Master None SATA Channel 5 Master None SATA Channel 6 Master None Date mm dd yy Sat Jul 01 2006 Time hh mm ss 14 48 43 IDE Auto Detect Press Enter Extended IDE Drive None Access ...

Page 43: ...p landing zone and sector You can manually enter the values or you can press Enter to display a window that tells you the min and max values The BIOS supports the following HDD Access Modes CHS For HDD less than 528 MB LBA For HDD greater than 528 MB and supporting LBA Logical Block Addressing Large For HDD greater than 528 MB but not supporting LBA Auto Recommended mode IDE HDD Auto Detect Press ...

Page 44: ...n the option you choose Press Enter to accept the changes and return to the Standard CMOS Features menu Halt On Halt On determines whether or not the computer stops if an error is detected during power on Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press Enter to display the Halt On sub menu Use the arrow keys to position the selector in the option you choose Press Enter to...

Page 45: ...l other errors All But Disk Key The system boot does not stop for a keyboard or disk error but will stop for all other errors Memory These settings are display only values that are determined by the BIOS POST Power On Self Test Base Memory BIOS POST determines the amount of base or conventional memory installed in the system Extended Memory BIOS determines how much extended memory is present durin...

Page 46: ...e is for information only data in yellow is changeable data in blue is non changeable and data in a red box is highlighted for selection Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Removable Device Priority Press Enter Hard Disk Boot Priority Press Enter Network Boot Priority Press Enter CPU Internal Cache Enabled Quick Power On Self Test Enabled ...

Page 47: ... To go back to the previous menu press Esc Network Boot Priority Use this option to select the priority for network startup Select Network Boot Priority and press Enter to view available networks Use the arrow keys to go to the various devices Then use the or keys to move the device priority up or down in the list To go back to the previous menu press Esc CPU Internal Cache Use this option to enab...

Page 48: ... Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options or press Enter to display the sub menu Use the arrow keys to position the selector in the option you choose Boot Other Device With the option set to Enable the system boots from some other device if the first second third boot devices fail Boot Up NumLock Status This option allows you to select the power on state of NumLock Select On to act...

Page 49: ...nable or disable the Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller APIC If you disable this option you also disable the MPS Version Control for OS option MPS Version Control For OS Use this function to select the Multi Processor Specification MPS version that BIOS passes to the operating system Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the options Full Screen LOGO Show This option allows y...

Page 50: ...ct PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults System Clocks Press Enter FSB Memory Config Press Enter CPU Configuration Press Enter System Voltages Press Enter NVMEM memory test Disable Load timing voltage set Press Enter Save timing voltage set Press Enter System BIOS Cacheable Disabled HPET Function Enable NVIDIA GPY Ex Enable Item Help Main Level Voltage contro...

Page 51: ...x is highlighted for selection Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Parameters Settings Current Val e Frequency Settings CPU Freq MHz 2933 3 2933 3 FSB Reference Clock MHz 1066 7 1066 7 CPU Multiplier 11 X 11X PCIe x16_1 MHz Auto 100 PCIe x16_3 MHz Auto 100 PCIe x16_2 MHz Auto 100 SPP MCP Ref Clock MHz Auto 100 HT Multiplier nForce SPP nFor...

Page 52: ...e x16_1 MHz Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the frequency options for the PCI Express Bus Slot 1 the black slot closest to the CPU Note that as you go higher in value PCIe Spread Spectrum SPP is disabled and cannot be changed from this status PCIe x16_3 MHz Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the frequency options for the PCI Express Bus Slot 3 the blue slot i...

Page 53: ...p Values are 1 x through 5 x Spread Spectrum CPU Spread Spectrum Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the Spread Spectrum options for the CPU Option values are Disabled UP Spread and Center Spread HT Spread Spectrum Disabled PCIe Spread Spectrum SPP Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the Spread Spectrum options for the SPP PCIe Option values are Disabled UP Spread...

Page 54: ...U PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Parameters Settings Current Value SLI Ready Memory Disabled Disabled CPU Freq MHz 2933 3 2933 3 CPU Multiplier 11X 11X FSB Memory Clock Mode Auto x FSB QDR MHz Auto 1066 7 Actual FSB QDR MHz 1066 7 x MEM DDR MHz Auto 800 6 Actual MEM DDR MHz 800 0 Memory Timing Setting Press Enter Item Help Main Level CPUOC MAX realizes th...

Page 55: ...he FSB speed can be entered manually As the FSB speed is changed CPU Freq MHz changes proportionally Unlinked When Unlink is selected FSB QDR MHz and MEM DDR MHz are changed to editable and the FSB and memory speeds can be entered manually As the FSB speed is changed CPU Freq MHz changes proportionally FSB QDR MHz Use the or keys to scroll through new values for the CPU FSB frequency FSB Memory Cl...

Page 56: ... manually enter timings Optimal Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select Optimal Optimal prohibits you from manually setting any timing All timing is set for optimal performance Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Parameters Settings Current Value Memory Timing Setting Optimal x tCL CAS Latency Auto 5 5 x tRDC Auto 7 5 x tRP Auto 7 5 x...

Page 57: ...are 1 through 31 Command Per Clock This is the command timing setting on a per clock unit basis options are 1T and 2T tRRD RAS to RAS delay of different banks options are 1 through 15 tRC RAS to RAS or auto refresh time of the same bank options are 1 through 31 tWR The Write recovery time options are 2 through 7 tWTR This is the minimum write to read delay with the same chip selected options are 1...

Page 58: ...are Disable Disable support for TM1 and TM2 TM1 Only The CPU is thermally throttled by cutting active processor clock cycles Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Limit CPUID MaxVal Disabled x Intel SpeedStep Disabled CPU Thermal Control Disabled C1E Enhanced Halt State Enabled Execute Disable Bit Enabled Virtualization Technology Enabled CP...

Page 59: ...nsumption when the CPU is idle Idle occurs when the operating system issues a halt instruction Execute Disable Bit When this function is disabled it forces the XD feature flag to always return to zero 0 Virtualization Technology When this function is enabled it allows a VMM to utilize the additional hardware capabilities provided by Intel Virtualization Technology CPU Core 1 This function allows y...

Page 60: ... for the CPU FSB Memory This function defines the voltage level for the DRAM Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select Auto to automatically set the voltage Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Parameters Settings Current Value CPU Core Auto 1 28 CPU FSB Auto 1 2V Memory Auto 1 85V nForce SPP Auto 1 30V nForce MCP Aut...

Page 61: ... core voltage level for the NVIDIA nForce MCP Auxiliary voltage Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select Auto to automatically set the voltage GTLVREF Lane 0 This function defines the voltage level for GTLVREF Lane 0 Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to select a voltage or select Auto to automatically set the voltage GTLVREF Lane 1 This function defines the voltage level f...

Page 62: ...n loads the system voltages and timing settings that were defined in the System Voltages menu You can set up to four profile settings using the Save timing voltage set function There are four profile options that can be loaded The default setting is Auto for all settings Press Enter to see the options Load timing voltage set Press Enter to Exit Select Profile 1 Select Profile 2 Select Profile 3 Mo...

Page 63: ...em BIOS HPET Function This function allows you to enable or disable the High Precision Even Timer HPET When Enabled HPET is used as the timing hardware for multimedia and other time sensitive application When HPET is Disabled the APIC timer is used NVIDIA GPU Ex To enable or disable this function you need to have the NVIDIA ForceWare graphics driver with NVIDIA EX support When enabled the system u...

Page 64: ...pherals Menu Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults IDE Function Setup Press Enter RAID Config Press Enter USB Config Press Enter MAC Config Press Enter IEEE1394 controller Auto HD Audio Auto IDE HDD Block Mode Enabled Onboard FDC Controller Enabled Onboard Serial Port 1 3FB IRQ4 Item Help Main Level Phoenix AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility Integ...

Page 65: ...e primary Master and Slave PIO Select from Auto or Mode 1 through Mode 4 Primary Master Slave UDMA When OnChip IDE Channel0 is set to Enabled you can disable the primary Master and Slave UDMA or set it to Auto IDE DMA transfer access Use this function to enable or disable IDE DMA transfer access Serial ATA Controller This function allows you to enable specific SATA controllers enable all controlle...

Page 66: ... set to Enabled you can enable or disable the various SATA functions USB Config Press Enter to display the USB Config menu OnChip USB Use this function to enable specific versions of the USB or disable the onchip USB When the onchip USB is set to Disabled the keyboard and mouse support functions are set to Enabled and cannot be changed Versions that can be selected are V1 1 V2 0 or V1 1 USB Keyboa...

Page 67: ...Peripherals menu allows you to enable or disable the hard disk audio function IDE HDD Block Mode Using this function on the Integrated Peripherals menu allows your IDE hard drive needs to support block mode Select Enabled to automatically detect the optimal number of block read writes per sector the drive can support Select Disabled if your drive does not support block mode Onboard FDC Controller ...

Page 68: ...ter to display the Power Management Setup menu Figure 14 Power Management Setup Menu Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults ACPI function Enabled APCI Suspend Type S1 S3 Soft Off by PBTN Instant Off WOL PME From Soft Off Disabled Power on by Alarm Disabled x Day of Month Alarm 0 x Time hh mm ss Alarm 0 0 0 POWER ON Function BUTTON ONLY x KB P...

Page 69: ...lay 4 Sec WOL PME From Soft Off This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to enable or disable WOL PMW from soft off Power On by Alarm This function on the Power Management Setup menu allows you to enable or disable the Power on by alarm function Set to Disable to prevent power on by alarm When set to Enable you can manually put in the day of the month and the time of the alarm T...

Page 70: ...Power ON Password function is enabled so that you must enter a password Hot Key Power On When Hot Key is selected the Hot key Power On function is enabled so that you must select a keyboard key as the hot key To select a hot key use Ctrl F1 though Ctrl F12 Mouse Left Mouse Right Any Key POWER ON Function Hot key x KB Power ON Password Enter Hot Key Power On Ctrl F1 POWER ON Function Password KB Po...

Page 71: ...u allows you to define if the initial display is in the PCI slot or in the PCI Express slot Options are PCI Slot and PCIEx Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Init Display First PCI Slot Reset Configuration Data Disabled Resources Controlled By Auto ESCD x IRQ Resources Press Enter PCI Express relative items Maximum Payload Size 4096 Item ...

Page 72: ...ing The default setting is Disabled Resources Controlled By This function on the PnP PCI Configuration menu allows you to define if the BIOS can automatically configure all the boot and plug and play compatible devices or if you can manually select IRQ DMA and memory base address fields Select Auto ESCD if you want the BIOS to automatically populate these fields If you select Manual so you can ass...

Page 73: ...tion on the PnP PCI Configuration menu allows you to enable or disable the Palette Snoop function Maximum Payload Size This function on the PnP PCI Configuration menu allows you to set the maximum TLP payload size in bytes for the PCI Express devices Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through sizes or enter the number using the keyboard numbers or use the and keys to go up and down the l...

Page 74: ... the various components change with system usage Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Dynamic Fan Control Press Enter CPU 47ºC 117ºF CPU Core 1 28V CPU FSB 1 19V Memory 1 81V 3 3V 3 16V 3 3V Dual 3 16V 12V 11 92V 5V 4 99V Vbat 3 00V CPU Fan Speed 4272 RPM Aux Fan Speed 4891 RPM nForce Fan Speed 0 RPM Chassis Fan Speed 0 RPM Chassis Fan2 Spe...

Page 75: ... automatically controlled based on temperature To set the fan speed to a constant rate select Manual and then enter the speed from 0 to 100 Set the desired speed for the Aux nForce and Chassis fans from 0 to 100 The system defaults to 100 CPU Fan Speed Control SmartFan If temp 70ºC Set Fan Speed 100 If temp 30ºC Set Fan Speed 0 x Manual Fan Speed 100 AUX Fan Speed Control 100 nForce Fan Speed Cont...

Page 76: ...XFX nForce 780i 3 Way SLI Motherboard 64 ...

Page 77: ...ndows XP 32bit and 64bit and is Vista capable The kit comes with a CD that contains utility drivers and additional NVIDIA software The CD that has been shipped with your XFX motherboard contains the following software and drivers NVIDIA nForce drivers RealTek Audio drivers Microsoft DirectX 9 0C NVIDIA Control Panel Adobe Acrobat Reader NVIDIA MediaShield RAID Manager NVIDIA Networking FirstPacket...

Page 78: ... accordingly 3 Insert the XFX nForce 780i SLI installation CD for the graphics drivers included in the kit Note If you have multiple graphics cards installed you will be asked multiple times for all events once the drivers are installed 4 Run setup exe Depending on your system setup the install disk may automatically run the install setp exe If it does not run go to My Computer and click on the CD...

Page 79: ...o customize the operation and performance of the system to their needs As settings are attempted the user must start and restart Windows several times Fortunately NVIDIA s new System Monitor and Performance Group utilities bring the same rich functionality found in the BIOS to the user s desktop From a single convenient interface the user can adjust settings to minimize noise optimize performance ...

Page 80: ...nly remain active for the current Windows session You can save these settings as a profile by using the Profile menu item CAUTION Increasing the voltage or the clock speed of a component may void its warranty due to exceeding recommended specifications NVIDIA and the board manufacturer are not responsible for damage that may occur when component tolerances are exceeded Historically NVIDIA s Contro...

Page 81: ...VIDIA Software 69 Device Settings Device Settings has two tabs Current Hardware Settings and Hardware Profiles Under the Current Hardware Settings tab there are settings for the CPU Motherboard Memory and GPU ...

Page 82: ... speeds CPU Voltages and CPU fan speeds At all times real time values for CPU frequency and appropriate CPU multiplier are reported CAUTION Increasing the voltage or the clock speed of a component may void its warranty due to exceeding recommended specifications NVIDIA and the board manufacturer are not responsible for damage that may occur when component tolerances are exceeded ...

Page 83: ...r All changes will take effect immediately after selecting Apply however these setting will only remain active for the current Windows session This will allow a user to safely return to Windows in the event of a crash without any possibility of boot issues since the changes are not made directly to the BIOS settings Note All changes on Adjust Motherboard Settings are dynamically made when you appl...

Page 84: ... with real time values for memory frequency FSB frequency and more being viewable to help dictate which settings are most appropriate Row Address Strobe Adjusts the minimum RAS active time This is the amount of time between a row being activated by Precharge and deactivated A row cannot be deactivated until tRAS has completed The lower this value the faster the performance However if it is set too...

Page 85: ...5 Refresh Rate This value is filled in by the system and can not be changed by the user Memory bank switch The row Precharge time tRP is the minimum time between active commands and the read writes of the next bank on the memory module Adjustable from 1 to 15 R to W Turnaround The Read to Write turnaround tRWT is a the amount of cycles for the command to be executed when a Write command is receive...

Page 86: ...from 2 to 15 cycles CAS Latency The CAS Latency tCL is the time in number of clock cycles that elapses after the memory controller sends a request to read a memory location and before the data is sent to the module s output pins The value shown cannot be changed Clock Drive Strength This value is filled in by the system and can not be changed by the user Command Per Clock The Command Per Clock tCP...

Page 87: ...n be adjusted using Device Setting interface You can override the shipped clock frequencies of your GPU and GPU memory and you can set the GPU fan speed Increasing the clock speeds will increase your GPU performance but may necessitate improved cooling to maintain the same level of reliability ...

Page 88: ...the CMOS to the default settings Click the Available BIOS Pages list arrow and select the BIOS page that you want to edit The BIOS page chosen determines which items on the page are available for changing To edit an item select the corresponding list arrow and then select one of the values from the list When finished making your changes click the OK or Apply Note This feature is available only wit...

Page 89: ...ed and presented within a single view At a glance the user can clearly see the current status of their components and receives a clear depiction of overall system performance Within the View System Information section the user can also double click values for both memory modules and processors to receive even more detailed information regarding those components ...

Page 90: ...tings and alerts which can be tailored from a global setting all the way to something as granular as a particular game In short you can effortlessly customize your system to run as silent as possible when performing less demanding tasks such as browsing the web When loading a game however system settings adjust to extract the highest possible performance from every system component and ensure you ...

Page 91: ...within Windows In addition to displaying a complete collection of information regarding the current BIOS version being used the user also has the option of saving a backup version of the BIOS being used This is especially useful when updating the current BIOS because you have a known good BIOS to revert to should the other version have issues with system stability or performance ...

Page 92: ...om temperature frequency and voltage are reported Given the fact that the NVIDIA System Monitor is based around an OpenGL foundation there is nearly zero performance overhead associated with running the utility Users can effortlessly navigate through NVIDIA System Monitor by selecting a particular component in order to view that hardware s appropriate information The selected component comes to th...

Page 93: ... core components By moving the slider on the bottom of the screen the user also can control the translucency of the screen allowing them to view the desktop if desired Specific information fields that the user wants to always have on display can be selected by double clicking the appropriate information box The box will be moved to the top of the screen where it will remain regardless of which com...

Page 94: ... removed from this view by clicking the small button in the top right of the icon s box By clicking on the Global Settings image in the bottom left of the screen the user can customize the way nV Monitor looks and behaves The first series of options the user is presented with deals with the application s appearance The user can control everything from temperature units to overall translucency of t...

Page 95: ...s with Event Logging Here one can easily select which system components to track and can specify the name of the resulting output file All fields within the application will be logged and written to this file to aid in troubleshooting issues and tracking overall system behavior ...

Page 96: ...er can change handles the specific hotkeys used to control various application actions In this screen the user simply enters their desired hotkey configuration and they are able to control every aspect of functionality for nV Monitor according to their own personal preferences ...

Page 97: ...gment Execution of POST routines in E000 03 Early SuperIO Init Early Initialized the super IO 04 Reserved 05 Blank video Reset Video controller 06 Reserved 07 Init KBC Keyboard controller init 08 KB test Test the Keyboard 09 Reserved 0A Mouse Init Initialized the mouse 0B Reserved 0C Reserved 0D Reserved 0E CheckSum Check Check the integrity of the ROM BIOS and message 0F Reserved 10 Autodetect EE...

Page 98: ...NT_HDLR and initialize INT 00h 1Fh according to INT_TBL 1C CMOS Battery Check Test CMOS and check Battery Fail 1D Early PM Early PM initialization 1E Reserved 1F Re initial KB Load keyboard matrix 20 Reserved 21 HPM init Init Heuristic Power Management HPM 22 Reserved 23 Program chipset Early Programming of chipset registers 24 Init PNP Init PNP 25 Shadow VBIOS Shadow system video BIOS 26 Clock Ge...

Page 99: ...DMA Controller 1 Test DMA channel 1 38 Reserved 39 Test DMA Page Registers Test DMA Page Registers 3A Reserved 3B Reserved 3C Test Timer Test 8254 Timer 0 Counter 2 3D Reserved 3E Test 8259 1 Mask Verify 8259 Channel 1 masked interrupts by alternately turning off and on the interrupt lines 3F Reserved 40 Test 8259 2 Mask Verify 8259 Channel 2 masked interrupts by alternately turning off and on the...

Page 100: ...Memory Size base memory from 256K to 640K and extended memory above 1MB 4A Reserved 4B Reserved 4C Reserved 4D Reserved 4E Init APIC Initialize APIC and set MTRR 4F Reserved 50 USB init Initialize USB controller 51 Reserved 52 Memory Test Test all memory of memory above 1MB using Virtual 8086 mode page mode and clear the memory 53 Reserved 54 Reserved 55 CPU display Detect CPU speed and display CP...

Page 101: ...use install interrupt vectors 64 Reserved 65 PS2 Mouse special Special treatment to PS2 Mouse port 66 Reserved 67 ACPI init ACPI sub system initializing 68 Reserved 69 Init Cache Initialize cache controller 6A Reserved 6B Setup Enter setup check and autoconfiguration check up 6C Reserved 6D Initialize Floppy Initialize floppy disk drive 6E Reserved 6F FDD install Install FDD and setup BIOS data ar...

Page 102: ...Reserved 7F POST error check Check POST error and display them and ask for user intervention 80 Reserved 81 Reserved 82 Security Check Ask password security 83 Write CMOS Write all CMOS values back to RAM and clear screen 84 Display PNP Display PNP devices 85 USB Final Init Final USB initialization 86 Reserved 87 Reserved 88 Reserved 89 Setup ACPI tables Setup ACPI tables 8A Reserved 8B Option ROM...

Page 103: ...se CPU test Read Write CPU registers C1 Memory Presence Base memory detect C2 Early Memory Board Initialization C3 Extend Memory Turn on extended memory cache initialization C4 Special Display First display initialization C5 Early Shadow Early shadow enable for fast boot C6 Cache presence External cache size detection CF CMOS Check CMOS checkup B0 Spurious If interrupt occurs in protected mode B1 ...

Page 104: ...nter 010h Initialize the Memory Controller 011h Program the PLLs 012h Query after memory PLL has been set 013h Set Dynamic SPD values 014h Load MemInfoStruct 015h Load the DIMM geometry using SPD 016h Prepare MRS variables 017h Probe memory geometry 018h PROD_C PROD f Calculated ref manuals 019h PROD_D PROD w Discrete assembly programming 01Ah PROD_E PROD w Expandable criteria 01Bh Send MRS EMRS c...

Page 105: ...ory Test 0FEh ERROR handler 0FFh End of Table 0FFh Invalid APIC ID 0FEh CPU Identify Init failed 0FDh North Bridge not supported 0FCh South Bridge not supported 0FBh No DIMMs present 0FAh Invalid DIMM types SDR DDR 0F9h Different voltage levels 0F8h Invalid REFRESH Rate 0F7h Invalide memory geometry 0F6h Slam Engine error 0F5h Memory Test Error 0F4h Link Training timeout ...

Page 106: ...XFX nForce 780i 3 Way SLI Motherboard 94 ...

Page 107: ...dible 3D graphics performance Your new motherboard can support up to three PCI Express graphics cards linked using SLI Currently 3 way NVIDIA SLI is approved and operating on the following graphics cards XFX GeForce 8800 GTX XFX GeForce 8800 Ultra SLI Connector NVIDIA 3 way SLI platform will also require a new SLI connector that connects the SLI headers on the GeForce GPUs Figure 17 ...

Page 108: ...m uses the NVIDIA ForceWare Windows Vista driver To install the driver run the setup exe file to launch thee InstallShield The InstallShield runs three installs one for each GPU Reboot your PC when the install is complete After reboot the Windows Vista Device Manager shows three GPUs under Display adapters Figure 18 ...

Page 109: ...Configuring 3 Way SLI 97 Figure 18 Windows Vista Device Manager Three GPUs are represented under Display adapters ...

Page 110: ...elect NVIDIA Control Panel Go to 3D Settings Set SLI configuration Figure 19 and select Enable SLI technology recommended After selecting this option you will be prompted to verify the settings have been successfully configured Note Selecting Do not use SLI Technology sets the configuration into single GPU mode Figure 19 NVIDIA Control Panel Set SLI Configuration ...

Page 111: ...el go to the top menu option labeled 3D Settings and select Show SLI Visual Indicators This option overlays a text label of SLI x3 and green SLI scaling bars in fullscreen 3D applications as seen in Figure 20 Figure 20 SLI Visual Indicators Operating in 3DMark2006 ...

Page 112: ...tion and checking for the SLI Visual indicators If these visual indicators are visible and there is no flickering or flashing 3 way NVIDIA SLI is operational on your platform If these visual indicators are not visible please check previous steps to ensure you have enable the indictors your connector is firmly in place and that you have enable SLI technology ...

Page 113: ... Main Menu 27 BIOS menus Advanced BIOS Features menu 34 Advanced Chipset Features 38 CMOS Setup Utility menu 27 CPU Configuration 46 FSB Memory Config 42 Integrated Peripherals 52 Main Menu 26 Memory Timing Setting 44 PnP PCI Configuration 59 Power Management Setup 56 Standard CMOS Features 29 System Clocks 39 System Monitor menu 62 System Voltages 48 BIOS backup and update 79 BIOS configuring 25 ...

Page 114: ...8 CPU setting parameters 70 create custom profiles and rules 78 Current Hardware Settings 69 date and time setting in BIOS 30 DDR2 memory 9 Device Settings 69 drivers shipped in kit 65 dual channel DDR2 9 Dynamic BIOS Access page 76 Dynamic Fan Control menu 63 equipment list 3 ESCD 60 Event Logging 83 Execute Disable Bit 47 expansion slots 22 Extended Memory 33 FDC controller function 55 Floppy Ca...

Page 115: ...rameters 70 set date and time 30 set disk priority 35 set fan speeds in BIOS 62 set fan speeds with BIOS 64 set GPU parameters 75 set IDE functions in BIOS 53 set memory parameters 72 set motherboard parameters 71 set network boot priority 35 set power management functions in BIOS 56 set system voltages in BIOS 48 view system information 77 HPET 51 HT Multiplier 41 HT Spread Spectrum 41 I O shield...

Page 116: ...ard setting parameters 71 MPS 37 Multi Processor Specification 37 Network Boot Priority 35 NumLock status 36 NVIDIA EX support 51 NVIDIA memory testing module 50 NVIDIA nForce 780i SE Motherboard 3 NVIDIA nForce 780i SE Motherboard Layout 5 NVIDIA Performance Group 68 NVIDIA System Monitor 80 NVIDIA System Monitor and Performance Server software utilities 67 NVMM POST Codes 92 onboard serial port ...

Page 117: ...40 Refresh Rate 73 removable device startup priority 35 RESET 16 Reset switch cable 16 Row Address Strobe 72 Row Cycle Time 73 safety instructions 7 SATA Signal Cable 4 SATA Spread Spectrum 41 Scalable Link Interface 95 Security Options 37 Serial ATA II connector 15 Serial ATA Controller 53 How to 39 Soft Off by PBNT 57 software installation instructions 65 Spread Spectrum 41 Standard CMOS Feature...

Page 118: ...R 45 unpacking the kit 3 USB 2 0 4 Port Cable 4 USB 2 0 ports 18 USB Config menu 54 USB Keyboard Mouse Support 54 View System Information menu 77 Virtualization Technology 47 W to R Termination Turnaround 73 Write Recovery Time 73 Write to Write timing 74 ...

Page 119: ...t of patents or other rights of third parties that may result from its use No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of NVIDIA Corporation Specifications mentioned in this publication are subject to change without notice This publication supersedes and replaces all information previously supplied NVIDIA Corporation products are not authorized for use as cr...

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