EVGA 730a - Manuals

EVGA nForce 730a Motherboard Thank you for purchasing the EVGA nForce 730i Motherboard, with integrated GeForce Graphics, this motherboard offers the tools and performance PC users’ demand. Motherboard Specifications ‰ Size ATX form factor of 12 inch x 9.5 inch ‰ AMD Socket AM2/AM2+ (940-pin) suppor...

EVGA 12 Unpacking and Parts Descriptions Unpacking The EVGA nForce 730a motherboard comes with all the necessary cables for adding a motherboard to a new system case. If you are replacing a motherboard, you may not need many of these cables. All parts shipped in this kit are RoHS-compliant (lead-fre...

EVGA 14 Figure 1. EVGA nForce 730a Motherboard Layout 1. AM2 CPU Socket 11. Front Panel Connector 21. PCI Express x1 Slot 2. CPU Fan Connector 12. Speaker Connector 22. PCI Express x16 Slot 3. DDR2 DIMM Slots 1 - 4 13. Diagnostic Code Display 23. Back Panel Connectors (Figure 2) 4. Power Fan Connect...

Hardware Installation EVGA January DU-03751-001_v01 15 1. PS/2 Mouse Port 2. PS/2 Keyboard Port 3. HDMI Port 4. Coaxial SPDIF output 5. Optical SPDIF output 6. VGA Port 7. DVI-D Port 8. USB 2.0 ports (four) 9. LAN Port with LEDs to indicate status. 10. Audio Port 2-Channel 6-Channel 8-Channel_______...

EVGA 16 Hardware Installation This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The topics covered in this section are: ‰ Preparing the motherboard ¾ Installing the CPU ¾ Installing the CPU fan ¾ Installing the memory ‰ Installing the motherboard ‰ Connecting cables and settin...

Hardware Installation EVGA January DU-03751-001_v01 17 Preparing the Motherboard The motherboard shipped in the box does not contain a CPU or memory. You need to purchase these to complete this installation. Installing the CPU Be very careful when handling the CPU. Make sure not to bend or break any...

EVGA 18 Installing Memory (DIMMs) Your new motherboard has four 240-pin slots for DDR memory. These slots support 256 MB, 512 MB and 1 GB DDR2 technologies for x8 and x16 devices. There must be at least one memory bank populated to ensure normal operation. Use the following the recommendations for i...

Installing the Motherboard The sequence of installing the motherboard into the system case depends on the system case you are using and if you are replacing an existing motherboard or working with an empty system case. Determine if it would be easier to make all the connections prior to this step or...

EVGA 20 Securing the Motherboard into the Chassis Most computer chassis have a base with mounting studs or spacers to allow the mother board to be secured to the chassis and help to prevent short circuits. If there are studs that do not align with a mounting hole on the motherboard, it is recommende...

EVGA 22 24-pin ATX Power (PW1) PW1 is the main power supply connector located along the edge of the board next to the DIMM slots. Make sure that the power supply cable and pins are properly aligned with the connector on the motherboard. Firmly plug the power supply cable into the connector and make ...

8-pin ATX 12V Power ( PW12 ) PW12 , the 8-pin ATX 12V power connection, is used to provide power to the CPU. Align the pins to the connector and press firmly until seated. Connecting IDE Hard Disk Drives The IDE connector supports Ultra ATA 133/100/66 IDE hard disk drives. 1. Connect the blue connec...

EVGA 24 Connecting Serial ATA Cables The Serial ATA II connector is used to connect the Serial ATA II device to the motherboard. These connectors support the thin Serial ATA II cables for primary storage devices. The current Serial ATA II interface allows up to 300MB/s data transfer rate. There are ...

Hardware Installation EVGA January DU-03751-001_v01 25 Connecting Internal Headers Front Panel Header The front panel header on this motherboard is one connector used to connect the following four cables. (see Table 2 for pin definitions): ‰ PWRLED Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two...

EVGA 26 USB Headers This motherboard contains four (4) USB 2.0 ports that are exposed on the rear panel of the chassis (Figure 2). The motherboard also contains four 10-pin internal header connectors onboard that can be used to connect an optional external bracket containing four (4) more USB2.0 por...

EVGA 28 SPK Header The speaker header is connects to the case’s speaker for PC beeps. Table 5. CSPK Header Pins Connector Pin Signal Speaker Header 1 VCC 2 Empty 3 GND 4 Speaker Speaker Header 2 4 3 1

Hardware Installation EVGA January DU-03751-001_v01 29 Fan Connections There are three fan connections on the motherboard. The fan speed can be detected and viewed in the PC Health Status section of the CMOS Setup. The fans are automatically turned off after the system enters S3, S4 and S5mode. Syst...

EVGA 30 COM1 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. FDD Connector The motherboard supports a standard 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44m, and a 2.88M...

Hardware Installation EVGA January DU-03751-001_v01 31 Expansion Slots This motherboard contains six expansion slots, three PCI Express slots and three PCI slots. For a full list of PCI Express x16 graphics card supported by this motherboard, go to www.nvidia.com/estore . 1 1 – PCI slot 3 2 – PCI sl...

EVGA 32 PCI Slots The three 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 th...

Hardware Installation EVGA January DU-03751-001_v01 33 Onboard Buttons These onboard buttons include RESET, POWER and CMOS, lets you turn on/off the system easily, and convenient for clear CMOS. Clear CMOS Button The motherboard uses the CMOS RAM to store all the set parameters. The CMOS can be clea...

Configuring the BIOS This section discusses how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup 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 Feature...

EVGA 36 Enter BIOS Setup The BIOS is the communication bridge between hardware and software. Correctly setting the BIOS parameters is critical to maintain optimal system performance. Use the following procedure to verify/change BIOS settings. 1. Power on the computer. 2. Press the Del key when the f...

Figure 2. BIOS CMOS Setup Utility Main Menu ‰ Standard CMOS Features Use this menu to set up the basic system configuration. ‰ Advanced BIOS Features Use this menu to set up the advanced system features and boot sequence. ‰ Advanced Chipset Features Use this menu to optimize system performance and c...

EVGA 38 ‰ PC Health Status Use this menu to monitor the real-time system status of your PC, including temperature, voltages, and fan speed. The following items on the CMOS Setup Utility main menu are commands rather than submenus: ‰ Load Fail-Safe Defaults Load Fail-Safe defaults system settings. ‰ ...

Standard CMOS Features Menu The Standard CMOS Features menu is used to configure the standard CMOS information, such as the date, time, HDD model, and so on. Use the 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 se...

EVGA 40 Date and Time Using the arrow keys, position the cursor over the month, day, and year. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll through dates and times. Note that the weekday (Sun through Sat) cannot be changed. This field changes to correspond to the date you enter. Note that the hour v...

EVGA 42 Drive A None ..... [ ] 360K, 5.25 in. ..... [ ] 1.2M, 5.25 in. ..... [ ] 720K, 3.5 in. ..... [ ] 1.44M, 3.5 in. ..... [ ] 2.88M, 3.5 in. ..... [ ] :Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort Halt On All Errors ..... [ ] No Errors ..... [ ] All , But Keyboard ..... [ ] All , But Diskette ..... [ ] All , But...

Base Memory 640K Extended Memory 1047552K Total Memory 1048576K ‰ All, But Keyboard System boot does not stop for keyboard errors, but does stop for all other errors. ‰ All, But Diskette The system boot does not stop for a diskette error but will stop for all other errors. ‰ All, But Disk/Key The sy...

EVGA 44 Advanced BIOS Features Menu Access the Advanced BIOS Features menu from the CMOS Utility Setup screen. Use the 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. To go back to ...

Note that all data 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. Removable Device Priority Use this option to select the priority for removable device startup. Press Enter to see the list of removab...

EVGA 46 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 ...

EVGA 48 Advanced Chipset Features Menu Select Advanced Chipset Features from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the functions of the Advanced Chipset Functions menu. Figure 5. Advanced Chipset Features Init Display First This item is used to select the display device priority. Th...

EVGA 50 SSE/ SSE2 Instructions This item allows you to enable or disable the SSE/SSE2 (Stream SIMD Extensions) instructions. CPU Thermal-Throttling To prevent increasing heat from damaging the CPU or causing accidental shutdown while under high workloads, the CPU Thermal Throttling Technology will f...

Integrated Peripherals Menu Select Integrated Peripherals from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the Integrated Peripherals menu. Figure 6. Integrated Peripherals Menu :Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F...

EVGA 52 OnChip IDE Channel0 [Disabled] x Primary Master PIO Auto x Primary Slave PIO Auto x Primary Master UDMA Auto x Primary Slave UDMA Auto IDE DMA transfer access [Enabled] Serial-ATA Controller [Enabled] IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled] IDE HDD Block Mode [Enabled] IDE Function Setup Press Enter to ...

‰ 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 bloc...

EVGA 54 ‰ HD Audio This item allows you to enable or disable the hard disk audio function. Options are Disabled, Internal Codec, External Codec, INT Codec + EXT Codec ‰ MAC Lan Use this function to set the MAC LAN to [Auto] or disable this function. ‰ P80 Show CPU Temperature When this function is e...

‰ USB 1.0 Controller Use this function to enable the USB 1.0 controller. ‰ USB 2.0 Controller Use this function to enable the USB 2.0 (EHCI) controller. ‰ USB Operation Mode Select the USB Operation Mode for USB device. Options are Full/Low Speed and High Speed. ‰ USB Keyboard Function Use this func...

Power Management Setup Menu Select Power Management Setup from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the Power Management Setup menu. Figure 7. Power Management Setup Menu ACPI Function This function allows you to enable or disable the ACPI function. :Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Val...

ACPI Suspend Type This function allows you to select an ACPI Suspend Type. Types to select from are [S1&S3] , [S1(POS)] , and [S3(STR)] . Soft-Off by PBNT This function allows you to set Soft-Off by PBNT to [Instant-Off] or [Delay 4 Sec] . WOL(PME#) From Soft-Off This function allows you to enab...

EVGA 58 ‰ Disabled ‰ Mouse ‰ Keyboard ‰ Both (Keyboard and Mouse) Hot Key Power On Use this function with the above “POWER ON Function” to set a combination of keys that can be used to power on the system. Options for this function are: ‰ Ctrl-Esc ‰ Ctrl-F1 ‰ Ctrl-Space ‰ Anykey PWRON After PWR-Fail...

PnP/PCI Configuration Menu Select PnP/PCI Configuration from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the PnP/PCI Configuration menu. Figure 8. PnP/PCI Configuration Menu :Move Enter:Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1:General Help F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Op...

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 a...

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 d...

EVGA 62 PC Health Status Menu Select PC Health status from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the PC Health Status menu. Figure 9. PC Health Status Menu All of the values shown in Blue are dynamic and change as the speed and voltages of the various components change with system u...

SmartFan Function Press Enter to display the SmartFan Function menu. Use this menu to control the speed of the various fans on the motherboard. Full speed fixes fan speed at100% duty cycle. Control the Fan by Duty-Cycle directly. By Temperature calculates the fan speed according to different tempera...

EVGA 64 Frequency/Voltage Control Menu Select Frequency/Voltage Control from the CMOS Setup Utility menu and press Enter to display the Frequency/Voltage Control menu. Figure 10. Frequency/Voltage Control Menu iGPU Frequency This item allows you to set the onboard graphics frequency. The options are...

CPU Feature Select CPU Feature from the Frequency/Voltage Controls menu and press Enter to display the CPU Feature menu. Figure 11. CPU Feature Menu ‰ AMD C1E Support Enabled, this function reduces the CPU power consumption when the CPU is idle. Idle occurs when the operating system issues a halt in...

EVGA 66 technology is enabled. When set to Disbaled the following related items become available to select. ‰ CPU-NB DID The options are 1 and 2. ‰ CPU-NB FID The options are 0000 to 0005 in the hex number. ‰ CPU-NB VID The options are 0000 to 007F in the hex number. ‰ CPU DID The options are 0 to 4...

DRAM Configuration Select DRAM Configuration from the Frequency/Voltage Controls menu and press Enter to display the DRAM Configuration menu. This section allows you to configure the system based on the specific features of the installed chipset. Change these settings only if you are familiar with t...

¾ DRAM Timing Setting Press Enter to display the DRAM Timing Setting menu. Š DRAM Access Mode This item allows you to select the DRAM Access Mode. The options are Auto, 1T Mode and 2T Mode. Š (Tcl) CAS# Latency: The CAS# Latency time (options are Auto, 3 through 6). Š (Trcd) RAS to CAS R/W Delay : R...

EVGA 70 ‰ Bottom of UMA DRAM [31:24] Set Bottom of UMA DRAM address. Options are 0000 ~ 00FC. CPU Frequency This item enables you to increment the CPU’s clock generator at 1 MHz step. The options are 200 to 600 in 1MHz increments. PCI Clock This item enables you to subtle tune the PCIE frequency at ...

Chipset Voltage This item allows you to adjust the chipset voltage. The options are Auto and 1.1V to 1.4V in 0.1V increments. HT Voltage This item allows you to adjust the HyperTransport voltage. The options are Auto and 1.2V to 1.5V in 0.1V increments. Load Timing/Voltage Set This function loads th...

Save Timing/Voltage Set This function saves the system voltages and timing settings that were defined in the System Voltages menu. There are two profile options that can be loaded. The default setting is Auto for all settings. Press Enter to see the options. Save timing/voltage set Press Enter to Ex...

Installing Drivers and Software It is important to remember that before installing the driver CD that is shipped in the kit, you need to load your operating system. The motherboard supports Windows XP 32bit and 64bit and is Vista-capable. The kit comes with a CD that contains utility drivers and add...

Appendix A POST Codes for the EVGA nForce 730a Motherboard This section provides the Award POST Codes (Table 6) for the EVGA nForce 730a Motherboard during system boot up. The POST Codes are displayed on the LED POST Code readout located directly onboard the motherboard. The LED POST Code readout wi...