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Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.
1.1 Welcome! ................1-2 1.2 Package contents ............... 1-2 1.3 Special features ..............1-2 1.3.1 Product highlights ..........1-2 1.3.2 ASUS unique features ........... 1-4 1.4 Before you proceed ............1-5 1.5 Motherboard overview ............1-6 1.5.1 Motherboard layout ..........1-6 1.5.2 Placement direction ..........
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2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ........2-2 2.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk ......2-2 2.1.2 Using ASUS EZ Flash to update the BIOS .... 2-3 2.1.3 Using the AFLASH utility ........2-4 2.1.4 Recovering the BIOS with CrashFree BIOS ..2-6 2.1.5...
Federal Communications Commission Statement 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.
Electrical safety • To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system. • When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected.
Serial (COM1) connector Panel connector BIOS features 2Mb Flash ROM, DMI 2.0, Award BIOS. TCAV PnP features, SM BIOS 2.3, WfM 2.0, ASUS CrashFree BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash * Specifications are subject to change without notice. (Continued on the next page.)
WOL/WOR by PME, DMI 2.0, WfM 2.0 Form Factor Micro-ATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in (24.5 cm x 24.5 cm) Support CD contents Device drivers ASUS PC Probe ASUS LiveUpdate ASUS Screensaver Adobe Acrobat Reader Trend Micro™ PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus software ®...
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard. It includes brief descriptions of the motherboard components, and illustrations of the layout, jumper settings, and connectors. Product introduction...
® Thank you for buying the ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard! The ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards! Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it, check the items in your package with the list below.
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This speed advantage over the conventional USB 1.1 (12 Mbps) allows faster Internet connection, interactive gaming, and simultaneous running of high-speed peripherals. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1. See pages 1-17 and 1-20. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide...
See page 2-6. ASUS EZ Flash BIOS With the ASUS EZ Flash, you can easily update the system BIOS even before loading the operating system. No need to use a DOS-based utility or boot from a floppy disk. See page 2-3.
The illustration below shows the location of the onboard LED. SB_PWR1 ® P4SP-MX Standby Powered P4SP-MX Onboard LED Power ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide...
Place eight (8) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis. Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard. Place this side towards the rear of the chassis ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide...
1.6.1 Overview ® ® The Intel Pentium 4 processor has a gold triangular mark on one corner. This mark indicates the processor Pin 1 that should match a specific corner of the CPU socket. Gold Arrow ® P4SP-MX P4SP-MX Socket 478 Incorrect installation of the CPU into the socket may bend the pins and severely damage the CPU! ®...
The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked. 6. Install a CPU heatsink and fan following the instructions that came with the heatsink package. 7. Connect the CPU fan cable to the CPU_FAN1 connector on the motherboard. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide...
1.7.1 DIMM sockets location The following figure illustrates the location of the DDR DIMM sockets. 104 Pins 80 Pins ® P4SP-MX P4SP-MX 184-Pin DDR DIMM Sockets • Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components.
DIMM. Support the DIMM lightly with your fingers when pressing the retaining clips. The DIMM might get damaged when it flips out with extra force. 2. Remove the DIMM from the socket. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 1-11...
In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components.
When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support “Share IRQ” or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Otherwise, conflicts will arise between the two PCI groups, making the system unstable and the card inoperable. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 1-13...
1.8.3 PCI slots The PCI slots support PCI cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. 1.8.4 AGP slot The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot that supports AGP 4X (+1.5V) cards. When you buy an AGP card, make sure that you ask for one with +1.5V specification.
Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC1 jumper default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure! CLRTC1 ® Normal Clear CMOS P4SP-MX (Default) P4SP-MX Clear RTC RAM Setting ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 1-15...
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2. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW12, USBPW34, USBPW56) Set these jumpers to +5V to wake up the computer from S1 sleep mode (CPU stopped, DRAM refreshed, system running in low power mode) using the connected USB devices. Set to +5VSB to wake up from S3 sleep mode (no power to CPU, DRAM in slow refresh, power supply in reduced power mode).
9. VGA port. This port connects a VGA compatible monitor. 10. S/PDIF port. This port connects S/PDIF devices that provide 6-channel surround sound and 3D audio. 11. PS/2 keyboard port. This purple connector is for a PS/2 keyboard. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 1-17...
1.10.2 Internal connectors 1. IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE1, SEC_IDE1) This connector supports the provided UltraDMA133 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 UltraDMA133 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the UltraDMA133 master device.
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Be default, the pins labeled LINE OUT_R/BLINE_OUT_R and the pins LINE OUT_L/BLINE_OUT_L are shorted with jumper caps. Remove the caps only when you are connecting the front panel audio cable. FP_AUDIO1 ® P4SP-MX P4SP-MX Front Panel Audio Connector ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 1-19...
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5. 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.
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The GAME/MIDI port on the module connects a joystick or a game pad for playing games, and MIDI devices for playing or editing audio files. ® GAME1 P4SP-MX P4SP-MX Game Connector The GAME module is purchased separately. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 1-21...
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9. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1) This connector accommodates the bundled serial port module. Use the COM cable to connect the serial port module to this connector, then install the module into a slot opening at the front or back of the system chassis. COM1 PIN 1 ®...
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Hard Disk Activity Lead (2-pin IDELED) This connector supplies power to the hard disk activity LED. The read or write activities of any device connected to the primary or secondary IDE connector cause this LED to light up. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 1-23...
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided. BIOS information...
Copy the original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AFLASH utilities. • Visit the ASUS website and download the latest BIOS file for this motherboard using the ASUS Update utility. 2.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk 1. Do either one of the following to create a bootable floppy disk.
If the correct BIOS file is not found in the floppy disk, the error message “P4SPMX.BIN not found!” 4. Insert the floppy disk that contains the BIOS file. If the P4SPMX.BIN file is found in the floppy disk, EZ Flash performs the BIOS update process and automatically reboots the system when done.
2.1.3 Using the AFLASH utility AFLASH is a Flash Memory Writer utility that allows you to update the BIOS using a bootable floppy disk, or copy the original motherboard BIOS. This utility only works in DOS mode. Copying the original motherboard BIOS To copy the original motherboard BIOS file: 1.
To update the BIOS: 1. Download an updated BIOS file from the ASUS website (www.asus.com) and save the file to the bootable floppy disk you earlier . 2. Reboot the computer from the floppy disk.
BIOS file you saved to the boot disk. If the Flash Memory Writer utility is not able to successfully update a complete BIOS file, the system may not boot. If this happens, call the ASUS Technical Support for assistance.
4. When the BIOS update process is complete, reboot the system. 2.1.5 ASUS Update The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in Windows ® environment. This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard package.
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3. If you selected updating/ downloading from the Internet, select the ASUS FTP site nearest you to avoid network traffic, or choose Auto Select. Click Next. 4. From the FTP site, select the BIOS version that you wish to download.
Use this menu to exit the current menu or to exit the Setup program. To access the menu bar items, press the right or left arrow key on the keyboard until the desired item is highlighted. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide...
2.2.2 Legend bar At the bottom of the Setup screen is a legend bar. The keys in the legend bar allow you to navigate through the various setup menus. The following table lists the keys found in the legend bar with their corresponding functions. Navigation Key(s) Function Description <F1>...
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Valid values for month, day, and year are Month: (1 to 12), Day: (1 to 31), Year: (up to 2099). Use the <Tab> or <Shift> + <Tab> keys to move between the month, day, and year fields. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-11...
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Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.] Sets the type of floppy drive installed. Configuration options: [None] [360K, 5.25 in.] [1.2M , 5.25 in.] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.] [2.88M, 3.5 in.] Floppy 3 Mode Support [Disabled] This is required to support older Japanese floppy drives. The Floppy 3 Mode feature allows reading and writing of 1.2MB (as opposed to 1.44MB) on a 3.5-inch diskette.
[User Type HDD] Manually enter the number of cylinders, heads and sectors per track for the drive. Refer to the drive documentation or on the drive label for this information. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-13...
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After entering the IDE hard disk drive information into BIOS, use a disk utility, such as FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives. This is necessary so that you can write or read data from the hard disk. Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to active.
Configuration options: [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [Disabled] 2.3.2 Keyboard Features Boot Up NumLock Status [On] This field enables users to activate the Number Lock function upon system boot. Configuration options: [Off] [On] ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-15...
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Keyboard Auto-Repeat Rate [12/Sec] This controls the speed at which the system registers repeated keystrokes. Options range from 6 to 30 characters per second. Configuration options: [6/Sec] [8/Sec] [10/Sec] [12/Sec] [15/Sec] [20/Sec] [24/Sec] [30/Sec] Keyboard Auto-Repeat Delay [1/4 Sec] This field sets the time interval for displaying the first and second characters. Configuration options: [1/4 Sec] [1/2 Sec] [3/4 Sec] [1 Sec] CPU Speed [Manual] When the motherboard is set to JumperFree™...
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OS/2 Onboard Memory > 64M [Disabled] When using OS/2 operating systems with installed DRAM of greater than 64MB, you need to set this option to [Enabled]. Otherwise, leave to the default setting [Disabled]. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-17...
2.4.1 Chip Configuration SDRAM Configuration [By SPD] This parameter allows you to set the optimal timings for items 2–5, depending on the memory modules you are using. The default setting is [By SPD], which configures items 2 ~ 5 by reading the contents in the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) device.
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You may also set both channels to [Disabled]. Configuration options: [Both] [Primary] [Secondary] [Disabled] IDE Bus Master Support [Enabled] ® This item controls the IDE Bus Master support for non-Windows operating systems. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-19...
2.4.2 I/O Device Configuration Floppy Disk Access Control [R/W] Setting this item to [Read Only] allows the floppy disk drive to only read data from a floppy disk. The default setting [R/W] allows both reading and writing data to a floppy disk.
This field allows you to enable or disable the USB function. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] USB Function 2.0 [Enabled] This field allows you to enable or disable the USB 2.0 function. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-21...
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Onboard PCI Devices Control Onboard LAN [Enabled] This field allows you enable or disable the onboard LAN. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Onboard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled] This field allows you enable or disable the onboard LAN Boot ROM feature. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Onboard AC97 Audio Controller [Auto] This field allows you to disable the onboard AC97 audio controller or set to the default [Auto] for optimum performance.
This field defines the video off features. The Display Power Management System (DPMS) allows the BIOS to control the video display card if it supports DPMS. Set this option to [Blank Screen] when using monitors that do not support power management or “green” features. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-23...
Your screen saver does not display when you select [Blank Screen] as your video-off method. [V/H SYNC+Blank] blanks the screen and turns off vertical and horizontal scanning. Configuration options: [Blank Screen] [V/H SYNC+Blank] [DPMS Standby] [DPMS Suspend] [DPMS OFF] [DPMS Reduce ON] HDD Power Down [Disabled] Shuts down any IDE hard disk drives in the system after a period of inactivity as set in this user-configurable field.
[By Date]. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Everyday] [By Date] 2.5.2 Hardware Monitor CPU Temperature [XXºC/XXºF] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU temperature in degree Celsius. Select [Ignore] to disable the CPU temperature auto-detect function. ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-25...
CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A] Chassis Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU, chassis, and power fan speeds in rotations per minute (RPM). If any of the fans is not connected to the motherboard, the specific field shows N/A. VCORE Voltage, +3.3V Voltage, +5V Voltage, +12V Voltage The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard voltage regulators.
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The Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC) setting allows you to distribute interrupt routings other than the 16 IRQs. The Programmable Interrupt Controller (PIC) setting allows you to use the 16 IRQs only. Configuration options: [APIC] [PIC] ASUS P4SP-MX motherboard user guide 2-27...
After configuring the BIOS save your changes and exit Setup. Select Exit from the menu bar to display the following menu. Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit. Exit &...
The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time without notice. Visit the ASUS website for updates. 3.2.1 Running the support CD Place the support CD to your optical drive. The CD automatically displays the Installation Items window if Autorun is enabled in your computer.
ASUS Update VX.XX.XX This program allows you to download the latest version of the BIOS from the ASUS website. Before using the ASUS Update, make sure that you have an Internet connection so you can connect to the ASUS website. See page 2-7 for ASUS Update installation and use.
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ASUS Screen Saver This item installs the ASUS screen saver. Show Motherboard Information Click this item to display the general specifications for the P4SP-MX motherboard. Browse Support CD Click this item to display the support CD contents. Readme This item displays the support CD contents and a brief description of each in text format.