USER’S MANUAL FOR EVGA NFORCE 590 SLI MOTHERBOARD MODELS: 122-M2-NF59-AX Notice: Specifications and information contained in this documentation are furnished for informational use only, and are subject to change at any time without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by the manufacturer. This manual covers the following motherboards from EVGA CORP.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction to nForce 590 Motherboards 4 Motherboard Features 4 Special Features of the Motherboard 5 Specifications 6 Layout Diagram and Jumper Settings 7 Jumpers, Connectors, Headers, and Sockets Hardware Installation 8 09 Hardware Installation Steps 09 Checking The Motherboard Jumper Settings 09 Clearing the CMOS RAM 09 Keyboard Power On Function 10 USB Power On Function 10 Installing The CPU 10 Glossary of Terms 10 About AMD Athlon64 AM2 CPUs 11 Installing
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Nvidia Networking Guide (continued) Configuring TCP/IP Acceleration 45 Configuring Teaming 46 MediaShield RAID Manager 46 Create RAID Arrays 47 Nvidia nTune 5.
Introduction of nForce 590 Motherboards Motherboard Features Motherboards based on NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI x16 technology support the innovative 64-bit AMD Athlon64 FX and dual core multi-tasking Athlon64 X2 processors with HyperTransport Technology.
Special Features of the Motherboard CPU Thermal Throttling Technology To prevent increasing heat from damaging the CPU or causing accidental shutdown while under high workloads, the CPU Thermal Throttling Technology will force the CPU to enter an idle mode from 87.5% to 12.5% according to preset CPU operating temperatures in the BIOS (from 40○ to 90○).
Specifications Spec Description Design ATX form factor 6 layers PCB size: 30.5 x 24.
Layout Diagram & Jumper Settings 5 1 2 4 3 1. PS/2 Mouse Port This port is used to connect a PS/2 mouse 2. PS/2 Keyboard Port This port is used to connect a PS/2 keyboard 3. IEEE1394b Port This port is used to connect a 1394b device 4. USB 2.0 Ports The six ports are used to connect USB 2.0 devices 5. LAN Ports The left LED is no function (always off). The right LED function sees below table EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
JUMPERS, CONNECTORS, HEADERS, AND SOCKETS EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Hardware Installation Hardware Installation Steps Before using your computer, please complete the following steps: 1. Check motherboard jumper settings 2. Install CPU and Fan 3. Install System Memory (DIMM) 4. Install Expansion cards 5. Connect IDE and Floppy cables, Front /Back Panel cables 6. Connect ATX Power cable 7. Power-On and Load Standard Default BIOS Settings 8. Reboot 9. Install Operating System 10.
Install CPU Glossary Chipset (or core logic) - one or more integrated circuits which control the interfaces between the system processor, RAM, I/O devises, and adapter cards. Processor slot/socket - the slot or socket used to mount the system processor on the motherboard. Slot (PCI-E, PCI, RAM) - the slots used to mount adapter cards and system RAM. PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect - a high speed interface for video cards, sound cards, network interface cards, and modems; runs at 33MHz.
The CPU that you use with the motherboard should have a cooling FAN attached to prevent overheating. If this is not the case, then purchase the correct cooling FAN before you turn on your system. To install a CPU, locate the ZIF socket and open it by first pulling the lever sideways away from the socket then upward to a 90-degree angle. Insert the CPU with the correct orientation as shown on the previous page. The notched corner should point toward the end of the lever.
Bank 184-Pin DIMM PCS Total Memory Bank 0, 1 (DIMM1) DDR2 533/667/800 DDR2 SDRAM Module X1 256MB~2.0GB Bank 2, 3 (DIMM2) DDR2 533/667/800 DDR2 SDRAM Module X1 256MB~2.0GB Bank 4, 5 (DIMM3) DDR2 533/667/800 DDR2 SDRAM Module X1 256MB~2.0GB Bank 6,7 (DIMM4) DDR2 533/667/800 DDR2 SDRAM Module X1 256MB~2.0GB System Memory (Max. 8.0GB) 4 256MB~2.
Expansion Cards WARNING! Turn off your system power when adding or removing expansion cards or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both your motherboard and expansion cards. Procedure For Expansion Card Installation Read the documentation for your expansion card and make any necessary hardware or software setting for your expansion card such as jumpers. Remove your computer’s cover and the bracket plate on the slot you intend to use.
Interrupt Request Table For This Motherboard Interrupt requests are shared as shown in the table below: INT A Slot 1 INT B INT C AC97/MC97 IMPORTANT! INT F INT G INT H X Slot 3 Onboard USB 2 INT E X Slot 2 Onboard USB 1 INT D X X X X If using PCI cards on shared slots, make sure that the drivers support “Shared IRQ” or that the cards don’t need IRQ assignments. Conflicts will arise between the two PCI groups that will make the system unstable or cards inoperable.
Standard Interrupt Assignments IRQ Priority 0 N/A Standard function System Timer 1 N/A Keyboard Controller 2 N/A Programmable Interrupt 3* 8 Communications Port (COM2) 4* 9 Communications Port (COM1) 5* 6 Sound Card (sometimes LPT2) 6* 11 Floppy Disk Controller 7* 7 8 N/A Printer Port (LPT1) System CMOS/Real Time Clock 9* 10 ACPI Mode when enabled 10 * 3 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering 11 * 2 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering 12 * 4 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port 13 N/A 14 * 5
SLI Bridge for NVIDIA SLI Supported VGA Cards In order to activate the NVIDIA SLI technology (SLI version only), you have to install the included SLI Bridge for your NVIDIA SLI Supported VGA Cards before you can activate the advanced multi-GPU functions. STEP 1 - Install your NVIDIA SLI Supported VGA Cards in the PCI-E x8 slots located on the left and right, leaving the center PCI-E slot vacant.
STEP 3 - Be careful with the pins as to not damage the adapter or graphics cards during installation. STEP 4 - Plug the SLI Bridge adapter onto both of the NVIDIA SLI Supported VGA Cards EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Connectors and Headers Connectors Power Connector (24-pin block) : ATXPWR ATX Power Supply connector. This is a newly defined 24-pin connector that usually comes with an ATX case. The ATX Power Supply allows you to use soft power on momentary switch that connects from the front panel switch to 2-pins Power On jumper pole on the motherboard.
ATX 12V Power Connector (8-pin block) : ATX12V This is a newly defined 8-pin connector that usually comes with the ATX Power Supply. The ATX Power Supply which fully supports the extra 12V voltage to maintain system power consumption. Without this connector the system will become unstable because the power supply can not provide sufficient current for all the system components PS/2 Mouse & PS/2 Keyboard Connector: KB The connectors for PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 Mouse.
LAN Port connector: UL2 This connector is standard RJ45 connector for Ethernet connections.
Floppy drive Connector (34-pin block): FDD This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable. After connecting the single plug end to motherboard, connect the two plugs at other end to the floppy drives. FDD Pin 1 Floppy Drive Connector Primary IDE Connector (40-pin block): IDE1 This connector supports the provided IDE hard disk ribbon cable. After connecting the single plug end to motherboard, connect the two plugs at the other end to your hard disk(s).
Two hard disks can be connected to each connector. The first HDD is referred to as the “Master” and the second HDD is referred to as the “Slave”. For best performance, we strongly suggest you don’t install a CD-ROM or DVDROM drive on the same IDE channel as a hard disk. Otherwise, the system performance on this channel will not be able to achieve its maximum ATA133 speed.
Headers Line-Out/MIC Header for Front Panel (9-pin): AUDIO AUDIO AUD_RET_L AUD_GND AUD_VCC AUD_RET_R This header connects to Front Panel Line-out, MIC connector with cable. Without installing this cable, this header default setting is 5-6 short, 9-10 short. When you install the cable you have take off these jumpers.
Speaker connector: SPEAK This 4-pin connector connects to the case-mounted speaker. See the figure below. Power LED: PWR LED The Power LED is light on while the system power is on. Connect the Power LED from the system case to this pin. IDE Activity LED: HD LED This connector connects to the hard disk activity indicator light on the case. Reset switch lead: RESET This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted reset switch for rebooting your computer without having to turn off your power switch.
FAN Headers (3-pin) : CPUFAN, SYSFAN1 These connectors support cooling fans of 350mA (4.2 Watts) or less, depending on the fan manufacturer, the wire and plug may be different. The red wire should be positive, while the black should be ground. Connect the fan’s plug to the board taking into consideration the polarity of connector. CD Audio-In Headers (4-pin) : CDIN CDIN are the connectors for CD-Audio Input signal. Please connect it to CDROM CD-Audio output connector. EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Firewire Connectors : 1394A~B These connectors support the connection of firewire (IEEE1394) devices. Supplemental SLI Power: J2 This 4-pin Molex type power connector is only required when running the system in an SLI configuration( SLI EZ-Plug). This allows additional power to be channeled to the video cards in order to better maintain stability. EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Starting Up Your Computer After all connections are made, close your computer case cover. Be sure all the switches are off, and check that the power supply input voltage is set to proper position, usually input voltage is 110V~120V or 220V~240V depending on your country’s voltage used. In the United States, this is 110V~120V - typically the switch on a computer power supply will be marked with 115V to indicate this setting.
BIOS Description Enter BIOS Setup The BIOS is the communication bridge between the hardware and software, correctly setting up the BIOS parameters is critical to maintain optimal system performance. Power on the computer, when the following message briefly appears at the bottom of the screen during the POST (Power On Self Test), press key to enter the Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility. Press F1 to continue, DEL to enter Setup. Note: It is recommended that the default settings in the BIOS are not changed.
Load Defaults Load the NVIDIA LinkBoost™ Technology settings for LinkBoost™ enabled systems. Load default system settings for standard systems. Set Password Set the password to access the BIOS menu. Set User Name Set the BIOS Welcome screen name. Save & Exit Setup Save settings and exit setup. Exit Without Saving Abandon all setting changes and exit setup. Standard CMOS Features This sub-menu is used to setup the standard CMOS features, such as the date, time, and HDD model.
•“None” means no HDD is installed or set. •“Auto” means the system can auto-detect the hard disk when booting up •“Manual” mean the information can be entered manually. Note: “Access Mode” must also be set to “CHS” to enable manual entry. Cylinder Number of cylinders Head Number of heads Precomp Write pre-compensation Landing Zone Landing zone Sector Number of sectors Award (Phoenix) BIOS can support 3 HDD modules: CHS, LBA, and Large or Auto mode.
Advanced BIOS Features Removable Device Priority This option is used to select the priority for Removable device startup. After pressing , you can select the removable device using the / are arrow keys, and change the removable device priority using <+> or <->. Hard Disk Boot Priority This option is used to select the priority for HDD startup. After pressing , you can select the HDD using the / are arrow keys, and change the HDD priority using <+> or <->.
Advanced Chipset Features Use this section to control chipset features, specifically clocks, voltages, and memory timings.
System Clocks Use this section to control chipset features, specifically clocks, voltages, and memory timings.
System Voltages CPU Voltage to the CPU Memory Voltage to the DRAM HT CPU <> nForce SPP Voltage of the HT link between the CPU and the SPP HT nForce SPP <> MCP Voltage of the HT link between the SPP and the MCP nForce SPP Voltage of the nForce SPP nForce MCP Voltage of the nForce MCP Auxiliary Voltage of the SPP auxiliary Memory Configuration EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Memory Configuration Optimized for nForce Mem Enable memory settings that are Optimized for nForce (only functional with DRAM that is Optimzed for nForce).
Memory Timings Standard Memory Settings Timing mode Select automatic or manual set memory timing tCL (CAS Latency) CAS Latency (CAS# to read data valid) tRCD RAS# to CAS# delay for a RD/WR command to the same bank tRP Row Precharge time Precharge-to-Active or Auto-Refresh of the same bank tRAS Minimum RAS# active time Command Per Clock (CMD) Command timing setting (per clock unit) Advance Memory Settings tRRD RAS# to RAS# delay of different banks AsyncLat Max round trip latency from the CPU to the DR
DRAM driver weak mode DRAM data drive strength on DRAM CKE drive strength Drive strength of the CKE pins CS drive strength Drive strength of the CS and ODT pins MA drive strength Drive strength of the Address, RAS, CAS, WE, and parity pins MCLK drive strength Drive strength of the MEMCLK pins MD drive strength Drive strength of the Data pins DQS drive strength Drive strength of the DQS pins Integrated Peripherals EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
IDE Function Setup Use this menu to setup the data flow control for IDE RAID Config Use this menu to enable/disable SATA RAID USB Config Use this menu to setup USB interface MAC Config Use this menu to turn off MAC IEEE1394 controller Use this setting to set whether the IEEE 1394 function is enabled.
ACPI Suspend Type This option is used to set the energy saving mode of the ACPI function. When you select “S1 (POS)” mode, the power will not shut off and the supply status will remain as it is. In S1 mode the computer can be resumed at any time. When you select “S3(STR)” mode, the power will be cut off after a delay period. The status of the computer before it enters STR will be saved in memory, and the computer can quickly return to the previous state when the STR function wakes.
Init Display First This option is used to set which display device will be used first when your PC starts up. Reset Configuration Data This option is used to set whether the system is permitted to automatically distribute IRQ, DMA, and I/O addresses each time the machine is turned on. Resources Controlled by Use this option to determine if IRQ resources are automatically assigned or manually assigned IRQ Resources Press to manually assign IRQ resources.
Temperature Values This option is used to set which display device will be used first when your PC starts up. System The temperature of the system CPU The temperature of the CPU Board The temperature of the motherboard Voltage values CPU The voltage of the CPU Memory The voltage of the Memory +3.3V The voltage of the +3.3V +3.3V Dual The voltage of the +3.
Save & Exit Setup When you select this option and press , the following message will appear in the center of the screen: SAVE to CMOS and EXIT (Y/N)? Press to save your changes in CMOS and exit the program; press or to return to the main menu.
Configuring FirstPacket: Click on “Enable FirstPacket (recommended)” to enable FirstPacket. The following screen appears Figure 4 Enabling FirstPacket Select the appropriate speed for your network. To define a custom speed do the following: Click on “Custom speed”. Enter the exact speed of your network. Click on “Apply”. In order to select which application is to be accelerated, do the following: Click on “Program Prioritized by FirstPacket”; the following screen appears EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Figure 5 FirstPacket Application Selection Page Click on “Add” to select the executable of the game of application that you want to accelerate. For example, if you want to accelerate a game such as Serious Sam 2, look for the Sam2.exe and add it. Click on “Apply”. Only applications that are added to the “Programs Prioritized by FirstPacket” section are prioritized. All other traffic is treated as second class traffic.
Configuring Teaming: To configure teaming, do the following: Click on “Adjust Teaming configuration”; the following screen appears: Figure 7 Teaming Configuration Page By default, teaming is disabled. Click on “Combine my network adapters (recommended)” to enable it., Click on “Apply”. MediaShield RAID Manager: Launching MediaShield To launch MediaShield, click Storage in the NVIDIA Control Panel. Figure 1. Launching MediaShield EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Create RAID Arrays: Use the MediaShield Creation Wizard to configure your available storage. After launching MediaShield, start the wizard. Under Management, click Create array (Figure 2). Figure 2. Storage Control Panel 2. On the wizard’s Welcome screen, note the number of disks available for configuration (Figure 3). Figure 3. MediaShield Welcome Screen 3. Click Next to go to the Select Configuration screen (Figure 4). EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Figure 4. Select Configuration Screen You will only see the screen in Figure 4 if your system has one to three free disks. If four or more free disks are available, you’ll automatically proceed to Custom setup. Configuration Options 4.Select a configuration that fits your storage needs. Select the Protection option to automatically configure the best RAID option based on the number of drives, with the criteria that if a drive fails you will not lose your data.
Figure 5. Creating a Mirrored Array To select a Striped array, select Striping as the RAID mode and leave Stripe Size as the default. To select a Striped Mirrored array, select Stripe Mirroring as the RAID mode and leave Stripe Size as the default. To select a Spanning array, select Spanning as the RAID mode and leave Stripe Size as the default. To select a RAID 5 array, select RAID 5 as the RAID mode and leave Stripe Size as the default. 6.
Figure 6. Selecting Disks 7. Select the disks you want to include in the Striped set. 8. Follow directions in the next few wizard screens to finish creating the array. View RAID Arrays To view your RAID configuration from Windows, perform this step: 1. Under Health, select View storage configuration, as shown in Figure 7. Figure 7. Viewing RAID Arrays The RAID configuration information appears, as shown in Figure 8. Figure 8. RAID Configuration Information EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
Delete RAID Arrays To delete an array, perform these steps: 1.Select Delete array from the Storage Control Panel. This brings up the Delete Array Wizard, as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9. Delete Array Wizard 2. Follow directions in the next few wizard screens to finish deleting the array. As shown in Figure 10, the array has been deleted and you see only free disks. Figure 10. Deleted RAID Array EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
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 array2. The spare drive can take over for a failed disk. MediaShield RAID supports two types of spare drives: free disk and dedicated disk. Free Disk A free disk is not part of any RAID array, but can be used by any available RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID 5 array that requires a particular disk when one of its disks crashes or becomes unusable.
Nvidia nTunre 5.0 NVIDIA nTuneTM 5.0 is a full-featured application for accessing, monitoring, and adjusting your system components, including bus speeds and voltages, with clear, user-friendly control panels. Overclock your system for highest performance or underclock it for near silent operation. All changes are performed within the Microsoft® Windows® interface, enabling full functionality without the need to make changes in the BIOS and reboot your system.
Performance Category The subcategories available under the Performance category include Manual Tuning, Automatic Tuning, and Management. Underneath each of these is the following: • Adjust Motherboard Settings • Adjust GPU Settings • Dynamic BIOS Access • Tune System • View System Information • Adjust Custom Rules Adjust Motherboard Settings EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
The controls located in the Adjust Motherboard Timings screen allow the bus speeds to be adjusted manually to increase performance for gaming, or lower performance to conserve power and create a quieter user environment. The number to the right of the slider is the new bus speed that will be applied. Adjustments can be made by using the mouse to drag the slider. All changes will take effect immediately after selecting Apply; however, these setting will only remain active for the current Windows session.
Dynamic BIOS Access This page allows you to change your system BIOS settings. The changes do not go into effect until after you reboot your system. Since these changes are made to actual BIOS settings in the CMOS, the settings remain active until you change them again or restore the CMOS to the default settings. In the Dynamic BIOS Access page, click the Available BIOS Pages list arrow and click the BIOS page that you want to edit.
View System Information Hardware and driver version information can be viewed and saved using this interface. The status of the system including current system clock speeds, system temperatures, memory timings, and system voltages is presented with View System Information. Detailed CPU and memory information is provided by double-clicking a Processor or DIMM form the lists below. Adjust Custom Rules NVIDIA nTune allows you to create rules for how the system uses nTune profiles (.nsu files or .npe files).
Perform Stability Test Perform Stability Test is located in the System Stability Category. Use this to quickly diagnose potential system performance issues and to gather troubleshooting data. Stability Test performs a series of quick checks to identify probably causes of performance issues and then creates a list of the results, providing recommendations for improvements. NVIDIA Monitor NVIDIA Monitor displays performance for individual components including CPU, Network, Disk, and Memory.
DRIVER INSTALLATION After your computer’s Operating System is installed, you will need to install drivers for your motherboard in order to gain full operation. Insert the Driver Installation CD into your computer’s CD or DVD ROM drive and allow the autorun function to bring up the installation menu. If the autorun function is disabled on your computer, simply navigate to the CD or DVD ROM drive that the Driver Installation CD is located in and double-click the autorun.exe file.
Requirements: Windows (95/98/ME/NT/2K/XP) based computer with both a CD ROM drive and a 3.5 inch 1.44MB floppy, and one blank 3.5 inch 1.44MB floppy disk. • • • • • Insert the Driver CD into the computer. If the autorun menu appears, close it.
APPENDIX 1 Quick Debug Port Post Codes Please refer to the following Quick Debug table to assist in troubleshooting problems that are revealed through the motherboard’s Debug Port. If you need more detailed information, you can refer to the Detailed Debug tables in the following pages. EVGA Corporation 2900 Saturn St.
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APPENDIX 2 COPYRIGHTS, TRADEMARKS, NOTICES FCC Compliance Information This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15, Operation is subject to the following two conditions: This device may not cause harmful interference, and this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
APPENDIX 3 USEFUL INFORMATION Contacting Customer Service EVGA is dedicated to supporting our products. Contacting EVGA Customer Service is easy! We can be reached by phone, fax, and on the web. Before contacting Customer Service, please review this manual. If you need to contact Customer Service, please have your system configuration as well as your motherboard’s model number and serial number ready. You will need to register your product before a support technician can assist you.
