(Explorer 2) User Guide Motherboard A7N8X-LA
Contents Checklist A7N8X-LA (Explorer 2) specifications summary ............................ iii 1. Motherboard layout ............................................................... 1 2. Central Processing Unit (CPU) .............................................. 2 3. System memory .................................................................... 3 Memory configurations .......................................................... 3 Installing a DIMM .......................................................
A7N8X-LA (Explorer 2) specifications summary CPU Socket A for AMD™Athlon™/Athlon XP™ Supports up to Athlon XP 3200+ Chipset nVidia nForce2 IGP nVidia MCP-T Front Side Bus (FSB) 333/266 MHz Memory 2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets for up to 2GB memory Supports PC2700/PC2100 double-sided DDR Expansion slots 1 x AGP 8X slot 3 x PCI slots IDE 2 x UltraDMA 100/66/33 connectors PIO Mode 3/4 Supports ATAPI IDE, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW and LS-120 Onboard Audio MCP-T embedded audio controller with RealTek ALC650
A7N8X-LA (Explorer 2) specifications summary iv BIOS features 4Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS with Enhanced ACPI, DMI, Green, PnP features Year 2000 compliant Industry Standard USB 2.0/1.1, PCI 2.2 Form factor MicroATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in (24.5 cm x 24.
1. Motherboard layout 24.5cm (9.64in) PS/2 T: Mouse B: Keyboard Socket 462 FLOPPY1 CPU_FAN1 Bottom: Top: TV_OUT Bottom: ATX Power Connector USB1 1394 USB2 Top: USB1 RJ-45 USB2 Top:Line In Center:Line Out Below:Mic In nVidia nForce2 IGP IDE2 IDE1 DDR DIMM3 (64/72 bit, 184-pin module) 4 5 PARALLEL PORT 0 1 VGA 24.5cm (9.
2. Central Processing Unit (CPU) The motherboard provides a Socket A (462) for CPU installation. AMD processors offer gigahertz speeds to support all latest computing platforms and applications. The A7N8X-LA supports AMD Athlon/Athlon XP 3200+ processors. This motherboard supports 333/266MHz front side bus (FSB), and allows data transfers of up to 5.4GB/s with PC2700 DDR. Each AMD CPU has a “marked” corner. This corner is usually indicated with a notch and/or a golden square or triangle.
3. System memory The motherboard comes with two Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets. These sockets support up to 2GB system memory using 184-pin unbuffered non-ECC PC2700/PC2100 double-sided DDR DIMMs. DDR3 DDR1 The following figure illustrates the location of the DDR DIMM sockets. 104 Pins A7N8X-LA/Explorer2 80 Pins A7N8X-LA/Explorer2 184-Pin DDR DIMM Sockets CAUTION: DIMMs are keyed to fit with only one direction.
4. Expansion slots The motherboard has three PCI slots and one Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot. To install and configure an expansion card: 1. Install an expansion card following the instructions that came with the chassis. 2. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any. 3. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables below. 4. Install the drivers and/or software applications for the expansion card according to the card documentation.
PCI slots There are three (3) 32-bit PCI slots on this motherboard. The slots support PCI cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. The figure below shows a typical PCI card installed into a slot. AGP slot This motherboard has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot that supports AGP 8X cards. When you buy an AGP card, make sure that you ask for one with +1.5V specification.
5. Jumper 1. Clear RTC (3-pin CLRTC1) This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The RAM data in CMOS, that include system setup information, is powered by the onboard button cell battery. To erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (Default) to pins 2-3 (Clear CMOS).
2. Clear Password (3-pin J11) This jumper allows you to clear the password in CMOS. To erase the Password move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (Default) to pins 2-3 (Clear Password). Keep the cap on pins 2-3 for about 5~10 seconds, then move the cap back to pins 1-2. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer. Hold down the key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re-enter data.
6. Connectors This section describes and illustrates the internal connectors on the motherboard. 1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY1) This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable. After connecting one end to the motherboard, connect the other end to the floppy drive. (Pin 5 is removed to prevent incorrect insertion when using ribbon cables with pin 5 plug).
3. IDE connectors (40-1 pin IDE1, IDE2) This connector supports the provided UltraDMA/100/66/33 IDE hard disk ribbon cable. Connect the cable’s blue connector to the primary (recommended) or secondary IDE connector, then connect the gray connector to the UltraDMA/100/66/33 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the UltraDMA/100/66/33 master device. It is recommended that you connect non-UltraDMA/100/66/33 devices to the secondary IDE connector.
4. CPU and Chassis Fan Connectors (3-pin CPU_FAN1, CHA_FAN1) The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA~740mA (8.88W max.) or a total of 1A~2.22A (26.64W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Lack of sufficient air flow within the system may damage the motherboard components.
6. USB headers (10-1 pin USB56) If the USB ports on the rear panel are inadequate, a USB header is available for additional USB ports. The USB header complies with USB 2.0 specification that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed. This speed advantage over the conventional 12 Mbps on USB 1.1 allows faster Internet connection, interactive gaming, and simultaneous running of high-speed peripherals. You may connect a USB module to the USB header.
8. Front headphone connector (5-pin HJACK1) This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel headphone jack. HJACK1 A7N8X-LA/Explorer2 Front HeadPhone Header Connector FRONT OUT-L Signal HP-L Signal Analog Ground FRONT OUT-R Signal HP-R Signal A7N8X-LA/Explorer2 1 9. Front microphone connector (3-pin FP_MIC1) This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel microphone jack. Use a 3-pin audio cable to connect the microphone jack to this connector.
10. Digital audio connector (3-pin ASPDIF1) This connector is for an S/PDIF audio module that allows digital instead of analog sound output. Connect one end of the audio cable to this connector and the other end to the S/PDIF module. ASPDIF1 Ground SPDIFOUT +5V A7N8X-LA/Explorer2 A7N8X-LA/Explorer2 Digital Audio Interface The S/PDIF module is purchased separately. 11. TV-OUT connector (5-pin U46) This connector is for an S/PDIF audio module that allows digital instead of analog sound output.
12. System panel connector (10-1 pin HPANEL1) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. ATX Power Switch* PLED+ PLEDPWR GND Power LED HPANEL HDLED+ HDLEDGround Reset A7N8X-LA/Explorer2 A7N8X-LA/Explorer2 System Panel Connector • HDLED Reset SW System Power LED Lead (2-pin PLED) This 3-1 pin connector connects to the system power LED. The LED lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode.
