X8SAX

C7X58

USER’S MANUAL
Revision 1.1
The information in this User’s Manual has been carefully reviewed and is believed to be accurate.
The vendor assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may be contained in this document,
makes no commitment to update or to keep current the information in this manual, or to notify any
person or organization of the updates. Please Note: For the most up-to-date version of this
manual, please see our web site at www.supermicro.com.
Super Micro Computer, Inc. ("Supermicro") reserves the right to make changes to the product
described in this manual at any time and without notice. This product, including software, if any,
and documentation may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or
reduced to any medium or machine without prior written consent.
IN NO EVENT WILL SUPER MICRO COMPUTER, INC. BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECULATIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE
USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PRODUCT OR DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN PARTICULAR, SUPER MICRO COMPUTER, INC.
SHALL NOT HAVE LIABILITY FOR ANY HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR DATA STORED OR USED
WITH THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING THE COSTS OF REPAIRING, REPLACING, INTEGRATING,
INSTALLING OR RECOVERING SUCH HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR DATA.

Any disputes arising between manufacturer and customer shall be governed by the laws of Santa
Clara County in the State of California, USA. The State of California, County of Santa Clara shall be
the exclusive venue for the resolution of any such disputes. Supermicro's total liability for all claims
will not exceed the price paid for the hardware product.

FCC Statement: 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. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instruction manual, may cause interference with radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, you are encouraged to try to correct the interference by one
or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help.
California Best Management Practices Regulations for Perchlorate Materials: This Perchlorate
warning applies only to products containing CR (Manganese Dioxide) Lithium coin cells. “Perchlorate
Material-special handling may apply. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate”.

WARNING: Handling of lead solder materials used in this
product may expose you to lead, a chemical known to
the State of California to cause birth defects and other
reproductive harm.

Manual Revision 1.1

Release Date: June 16, 2009
Unless you request and receive written permission from Super Micro Computer, Inc., you may not
copy any part of this document.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies
referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark
holders.
Copyright © 2009 by Super Micro Computer, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
 Preface

Preface

This manual is written for system integrators, PC technicians and

knowledgeable PC users. It provides information for the installation and use of the
X8SAX/C7X58 motherboard.

About This Motherboard

The X8SAX/C7X58 supports the Intel® Core™ i7 / i7 Extreme Edition, and
Intel® Xeon® 5500/3500 series processors. It is the first platform that supports the
Intel QuickPath Interconnect technology, providing the next generation point-to-point
system interface, replacing the current Front Side Bus. With the Intel X58 Express
Chipset platform built-in, the X8SAX/C7X58 offers substantial enhancement in sys-
tem performance with increased bandwidth and unprecedented scalability, optimized
for intensive-applications and high-end workstations. Please refer to our web site
(http://www.supermicro.com/products/) for updates on supported processors.

This product is intended to be installed and serviced by professional technicians.

Manual Organization
Chapter 1 describes the features, specifications and performance of the mother-
board and provides detailed information about the chipset.
Chapter 2 provides hardware installation instructions. Read this chapter when in-
stalling the processor, memory modules and other hardware components into the
system. If you encounter any problems, see Chapter 3, which describes trouble-
shooting procedures for video, memory and system setup stored in the CMOS.
Chapter 4 includes an introduction to the BIOS and provides detailed information
on running the CMOS Setup utility.
Appendix A provides BIOS Error Beep Codes.
Appendix B lists the Windows OS Installation Instructions.
Appendix C lists Other Software Program Installation
Appendix D provides BIOS Recovery Instructions.

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Conventions Used in the Manual:

Special attention should be given to the following symbols for proper installation and
to prevent damage done to the components or injury to yourself:
Danger/Caution: Instructions to be strictly followed to prevent catastrophic
system failure or to avoid bodily injury

Warning: Important information given to ensure proper system installation

or to prevent damage to the components

Note: Additional Information given to differentiate various models or pro-

vides information for correct system setup.

iv
 Contacting Supermicro

Contacting Supermicro

Headquarters
Address: Super Micro Computer, Inc.
980 Rock Ave.

San Jose, CA 95131 U.S.A.

Tel: +1 (408) 503-8000
Fax: +1 (408) 503-8008
Email: marketing@supermicro.com (General Information)
support@supermicro.com (Technical Support)
Web Site: www.supermicro.com

Europe
Address: Super Micro Computer B.V.
Het Sterrenbeeld 28, 5215 ML

's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0) 73-6400390
Fax: +31 (0) 73-6416525
Email: sales@supermicro.nl (General Information)
support@supermicro.nl (Technical Support)
rma@supermicro.nl (Customer Support)

Asia-Pacific
Address: Super Micro Computer, Inc.
4F, No. 232-1, Liancheng Rd.

Chung-Ho 235, Taipei County

Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel: +886-(2) 8226-3990
Fax: +886-(2) 8226-3991
Web Site: www.supermicro.com.tw
Technical Support:
Email: support@supermicro.com.tw
Tel: 886-2-8228-1366, ext.132 or 139

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Table of Contents

Preface
About This Motherboard................................................................................................. 3
Manual Organization...................................................................................................... 3
Conventions Used in the Manual:.................................................................................. 4
Contacting Supermicro................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 1 Introduction
1-1 Overview.......................................................................................................... 1-1
Checklist........................................................................................................... 1-1
Motherboard Features...................................................................................... 1-6
1-2 Chipset Overview . .........................................................................................1-11
Features of the LGA 1366 Processor and the X58........................................1-11
1-3 PC Health Monitoring..................................................................................... 1-12
Recovery from AC Power Loss...................................................................... 1-12
Onboard Voltage Monitoring ......................................................................... 1-12
Fan Status Monitor with Software.................................................................. 1-12
CPU Overheat LED and Control .................................................................. 1-12
1-4 Power Configuration Settings........................................................................ 1-12
Slow Blinking LED for Suspend-State Indicator............................................ 1-13
BIOS Support for USB Keyboard.................................................................. 1-13
Main Switch Override Mechanism................................................................. 1-13
1-5 Power Supply................................................................................................. 1-13
1-6 Super I/O........................................................................................................ 1-14
Chapter 2 Installation
2-1 Static-Sensitive Devices................................................................................... 2-1
Precautions...................................................................................................... 2-1
Unpacking........................................................................................................ 2-1
2-2 Processor and Heatsink Installation................................................................ 2-2
Installing an Active Fan CPU Heatsink............................................................ 2-4
Installing a Passive CPU Heatsink.................................................................. 2-6
2-3 Mounting the Motherboard into the Chassis.................................................... 2-8
Tools Needed................................................................................................... 2-8
2-4 Installing and Removing the Memory Modules................................................ 2-9
2-5 Connectors/IO Ports....................................................................................... 2-12
Back Panel Connectors and IO Ports............................................................ 2-12
ATX PS/2 Keyboard and PS/2 Mouse Ports............................................. 2-13
Universal Serial Bus (USB)....................................................................... 2-14

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 Table of Contents

Ethernet Ports........................................................................................... 2-15

High Definition Audio (HDA)...................................................................... 2-16
CD-Input and FP Audio Headers.............................................................. 2-16
Front Panel Audio Control......................................................................... 2-17
S/PDIF_Out Connector............................................................................. 2-17
Serial Ports................................................................................................ 2-18
Serial ATA Ports........................................................................................ 2-18
Front Control Panel........................................................................................ 2-19
Front Control Panel Pin Definitions............................................................... 2-20
NMI Button................................................................................................ 2-20
HDD LED................................................................................................... 2-21
NIC1/NIC2 LED Indicators........................................................................ 2-21
Overheat (OH)/Fan Fail LED.................................................................... 2-22
Power Fail LED......................................................................................... 2-22
Reset Button ............................................................................................ 2-23
Power Button ........................................................................................... 2-23
2-6 Connecting Cables......................................................................................... 2-24
4-Pin Auxiliary Power Connector.............................................................. 2-24
Fan Headers.............................................................................................. 2-25
Internal Buzzer.......................................................................................... 2-26
Speaker..................................................................................................... 2-26
Overheat/Fan Fail LED (JOH1)......................................................... 2-27
Chassis Intrusion ..................................................................................... 2-27
Power Supply I2C Connector.................................................................... 2-28
Onboard Power LED................................................................................. 2-28
1394a_1/1394a_2 Connections................................................................ 2-29
T-SGPIO 0/1 Headers............................................................................... 2-29
Wake-On-Ring........................................................................................... 2-30
Wake-On-LAN........................................................................................... 2-30
2-7 Jumper Settings............................................................................................. 2-31
Explanation of Jumpers................................................................................. 2-31
LAN Port Enable/Disable.......................................................................... 2-31
CMOS Clear.............................................................................................. 2-32
Watch Dog Enable/Disable....................................................................... 2-32
SMB to PCI-X/PCI-E Slots Speeds........................................................... 2-33
IEEE 1394a Enable ................................................................................. 2-33
Audio Enable . .......................................................................................... 2-34
USB Wake-Up .......................................................................................... 2-34

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

2-8 Onboard Indicators......................................................................................... 2-35

LAN Port LEDs.......................................................................................... 2-35
Onboard Power LED ............................................................................................................. 2-35
2-9 Serial ATA and Floppy Drive Connections..................................................... 2-36
SATA Connectors...................................................................................... 2-36
Floppy Connector...................................................................................... 2-37
Chapter 3 Troubleshooting
3-1 Troubleshooting Procedures............................................................................ 3-1
Before Power On............................................................................................. 3-1
No Power......................................................................................................... 3-1
No Video.......................................................................................................... 3-1
Memory Errors ................................................................................................ 3-2
Losing the System’s Setup Configuration........................................................ 3-2
3-2 Technical Support Procedures......................................................................... 3-2
3-3 Frequently Asked Questions............................................................................ 3-3
3-4 Returning Merchandise for Service................................................................. 3-5
Chapter 4 BIOS
4-1 Introduction....................................................................................................... 4-1
Starting BIOS Setup Utility............................................................................... 4-1
How To Change the Configuration Data.......................................................... 4-1
Starting the Setup Utility.................................................................................. 4-2
4-2 Main Setup....................................................................................................... 4-2
4-3 Advanced Setup Configurations...................................................................... 4-4
4-4 Security Settings............................................................................................ 4-23
4-5 Boot Configuration......................................................................................... 4-24
4-6 Exit Options.................................................................................................... 4-25
Appendix A POST Error Beep Codes
Recoverable POST Error Beep Codes.......................................................................A-1
Appendix B Installing the Windows OS
B-1 Installing the Windows OS for Systems with RAID Functions........................B-1
B-2 Installing the Windows OS for Systems without RAID Functions...................B-2
Appendix C Software Installation Instructions
C-1 Installing Drivers...............................................................................................C-1
C-2 Configuring Supero Doctor III..........................................................................C-2
Appendix D BIOS Recovery
D-1 Recovery Process from a USB Device/Drive (Recommended Method).........D-1
D-2 Recovery Process from an IDE/SATA ATAPI Disc Drive.................................D-2

viii
 Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1

Introduction

1-1 Overview

Checklist
Thank you for purchasing your computer motherboard from an acknowledged leader
in the industry. Supermicro boards are designed with the utmost attention to detail
to provide you with the highest standards in quality and performance.

Please check that the following items have all been included with your motherboard.
If anything listed here is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

All the following items are included in the retail box only.

• One (1) Supermicro Mainboard

• Six (6) SATA cables (CBL-0044L)
• One (1) floppy drive ribbon cable (CBL-022L)
• One (1) 1394a connector, Internal header to external back panel cable (CBL-
0173L)

• One (1) I/O shield (MCP-260-00030-0N)

• One (1) Supermicro CD containing drivers and utilities (CDR-X8-UP)
• One (1) SLI Bridge (AOC-SLIB) (C7X58 Only)
• One (1) User's/BIOS Manual (MNL-1063)

1-1
X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

X8SAX Image

Note: All graphics shown in this manual were based upon the latest PCB
Revision available at the time of publishing of the manual. The motherboard
you've received may or may not look exactly the same as the graphics
shown in this manual.

1-2
 Chapter 1: Introduction

Motherboard Layout

JPUSB1

KB/Mouse
JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
USB 0~3

DIMM3B Fan1 - CPU

SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5

DIMM1B

X8SAX

JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel

X58

JF1 LE1
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL

JWD
Fan6 LAN CTRL
Fan2

JD1
JPW3
Battery

1
B1

I-SATA0
I-SATA1
Fan5
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

I-SATA2
Intel ICH10R

I-SATA3
Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen1 BIOS
South Bridge
Audio FP

I-SATA5
I-SATA4
Audio CTRL Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
USB 10/11

JPL2
JPI1 Intel PXH-V
JPL1

Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz

JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

COM2 JI2C1 JI2C2 USB8 USB9

COM1
JWOR 1394_1 JWOL
Floppy 1394_2 Fan4

Important Notes to the User

• Jumpers not indicated are for testing only.
• See Chapter 2 for detailed information on jumpers, I/O ports and JF1 front
panel connections.

• " " indicates the location of "Pin 1".

• When LE1 (Onboard Power LED Indicator) is on, system power is on. Unplug
the power cable before installing or removing any components.

1-3
 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

X8SAX Quick Reference

58 57 56 55

1
JPUSB1

KB/Mouse
54
JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A

2
USB 0~3

DIMM3B Fan1 - CPU

SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

3 DIMM2B

DIMM1A
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5

4 DIMM1B

X8SAX 53
5
52

JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
51
6 X58

JF1 LE1
50
North Bridge
CPU

7 LAN CTRL
JOH
49

JWD
48
Fan6 LAN CTRL

8 Fan2
47
46

JD1
JPW3

9
Battery
45

1
B1

I-SATA0
I-SATA1
10 Fan5
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1
44

43

I-SATA2
Intel ICH10R

I-SATA3
11 Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen1 BIOS
South Bridge

12 Audio FP

I-SATA5
42

I-SATA4
13 Audio CTRL Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2 T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

14 41
JPAC
40
CD-In
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
15 S I/O CTRL
39
USB 10/11

JPL2
JPI1 Intel PXH-V
JPL1
16 Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
38
17 JL1 37
18 Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3
36
19 COM2 COM1
JWOR
JI2C1
Floppy
JI2C2
1394_1 1394_2
JWOL
USB8 USB9

Fan4
20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 35

X8SAX/C7X58 Quick Reference

Jumper Label Description Default Setting
JBT1 #45 CMOS Clear (See Chpt. 2)
JI2C1/JI2C2 #27, 28 SMB to PCI Slots (See Chpt. 2)
JPAC #14 Audio Enable 1-2 (Enabled)
JPI1 #30 1394a_1/2 Enable 1-2 (Enabled)
JPL1/JPL2 #18, 17 LAN 1/2 Enable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPUSB1 #57 Backplane USB Wake-up Enable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPUSB2 #38 Front Panel USB Wake-up Enable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)
JWD #49 Watch Dog Timer Enable Pins 1-2 (Reset)

1-4
 Chapter 1: Introduction

Connector Label Description

1394a_1/2 #25, 26 IEEE 1394a connection headers
Audio FP #12 Front panel audio header
(HD) Audio #6 (BP) High Definition Audio (7.1) header
Battery #48 Onboard battery (B1)
CD-In #15 Audio CD Input header
COM1/COM2 #22, 21 COM1/2 Serial connection headers
Fans 1~6 #8, 47, 36, 35, System/CPU fan headers (Fan 1: CPU fan)
54, 9
Floppy #24 Floppy Disk Drive connector
JD1 #46 Speaker header (Pins 3/4: Internal,3~4:Ext.)
JF1 #51 Front Panel Control header
JL1 #37 Chassis Intrusion header
JLED #53 Power LED Indicator header
JOH1 #50 Overheat LED header
JPW1 #55 24-pin ATX main power connector
JPW2 #56 +12V 8-pin CPU power connector
JPW3 #7 +12V 4-pin Secondary power connector (this is rec-
ommended, but not required for normal operation)
JWOL #29 Wake-On-LAN header
JWOR #23 Wake-On-Ring header
KB/Mouse #1 Keyboard/mouse connectors
LAN1/LAN2 #4, 5 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) ports
I-SATA 0~5 #44, 43, 42 (Intel South Bridge) SATA ports 0/1, 2/3, 4/5
Slot 1/Slot 2 #20, 19 PCI-X 133/100 MHz slots (X8SAX only)
Slot 3 #16 PCI 33 MHz slot
Slot 4/ Slot 6 #13, 10 PCI-Express x16 Generation 2 slots
Slot 5 #11 PCI-E x4 x8 slot
SMB_PS #58 PWR supply (I2C) System Management Bus
S/PDIF #3 Digital audio/video interface connector
SPKR1 #33 Internal speaker/buzzer
T-SGPIO-0/1 #41, 39 Serial General Purpose Input/Output headers
USB0~3, #2, 4, 5 (Backpanel) Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports
USB4/5, 6/7
USB8, USB9, #32, 34, 40 Front panel accessible USB headers
USB10/11

LED Label Description

LE1 #52 Onboard Standby PWR warning LED Indicator

1-5
 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Motherboard Features
CPU
• Single Intel® Core™ i7 / i7 Extreme Edition, and Intel® Xeon® 5500/3500 series
processors in an LGA1366 socket

Memory
• Six 240-pin, DDR3 SDRAM DIMM sockets with support for unbuffered ECC (if
supported by CPU) or non ECC 1333/1066/800 MHz memory.
• Supports non ECC 1600 MHz XMP memory when an Extreme Edition CPU is
installed (This feature is supported on the C7X58 motherboard only, see pages
2-10, 3-3, 3-4 and 4-11 for more information.)
• Supports 3-channel memory bus
• DIMM sizes of 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, and 4 GB are supported
Chipset
• Intel® X58 Express Chipset (IOH)
• Intel ICH10R (South Bridge)
• Intel PXH/V (I/O Bridge) for PCI-X slots (X8SAX only)
Expansion Slots
• Two (2) PCI-Express x16 Gen2 slots (Slot 6/Slot 4)
• One PCI-Express x4 in x8 slot (Slot 5)
• Two (2) PCI-X 133/100 MHz slots (Slot 1/Slot 2) (X8SAX only)
• One (1) 32-bit PCI 33MHz slot (Slot 3)
Audio
• The HD ALC883 Audio Controller supports 7.1 channel High Definition audio
interface
• One HD Audio connector on the IO backplane supports 8-channel (7.1) audio
with Line-in/Line-out/Microphone built-in
• One S/PDIF connector on the IO backplane supports Digital Audio/Video In-
terface
• One additional onboard audio header (Audio FP) and a CD input header (CD-
In) for front access

Graphics
• Support for multiple PCI-Express Graphics cards (Gen 2 or Gen 1)
• Supports ATI® CrossFireX™ Technology
• Supports nVidia® SLi™ Technology (C7X58 only)

1-6
 Chapter 1: Introduction

Network Connections
• Two Intel 82574L Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mb/s) Ethernet Controllers with two
Gigabit LAN ports
• Two (2) RJ-45 backplane connectors with Link and Activity LEDs built-in
I/O Devices

SATA Connections
• Six (6) SATA ports supported by the Intel ICH10R SATA Controller
• Supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 under the Windows OS environment
Floppy Drive
• One (1) floppy port interface (up to 1.44 MB)
USB Devices
• Eight (8) USB ports (USB 0~3, USB 4/5, USB 6/7) on the IO backplane
for rear access
• Four (4) USB connections for front access (Two Type A connectors and
one header)

Keyboard/Mouse
• PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse ports on the I/O backplane
Serial (COM) Ports
• Two (2) Fast UART 16550 headers
Super I/O
• Winbond Super I/O 83627DHG
BIOS
• 32Mb SPI AMI BIOS® SM Flash BIOS
• DMI 2.3, PCI 2.3, ACPI 1.0/2.0/3.0, and SMBIOS 2.5
Power Configuration
• ACPI/ACPM Power Management
• Main switch override mechanism
• Keyboard Wake-up from Soft-Off
• Power-on mode for AC power recovery
• External modem ring-on
• Suspend to RAM (STR)

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

PC Health Monitoring

CPU Monitoring
• Onboard voltage monitors for CPU core, Memory Voltage, Chipset Voltage,
+1.8V, +3.3V, +3.3V standby, +5V, +5V, Standby, VBat and ±12V
• CPU 6-Phase-switching voltage regulator
• CPU/System overheat LED and control
• CPU Thermal Trip support
• Thermal Monitor 2 (TM2) support
Fan Control
• Fan status monitoring with firmware 4-pin PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)
fan speed control
• Low noise fan speed control
System Management
• PECI (Platform Environment Configuration Interface) support
• System resource alert via Doctor III
• Doctor III, Watch Dog, NMI
• I2C temperature sensing logic
• Chassis Intrusion Header and Detection
• Pb Free
CD Utilities
• BIOS flash upgrade utility
• Drivers and software for Intel® X58 Express chipset utilities
Dimensions
• ATX form factor, 12" x 10" (304.8 x 254.0 mm)

1-8
 Chapter 1: Introduction

Notes

1-9
 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

X8SAX / C7X58 Block Diagram

DIMM_CH1
Intersil Intel
VRD 11.1 DIMM_CH2
DIMM_CH3
QPI: Up to 6.40 GT/s
DDR3:1600XMP/1333/1066/800
(1600XMP is supported on the C7X58 motherboard only,
see page 3-3 for more information)

PCIE_x16
Intel PCI_E x16 Slot
PCIE_x16
X58 PCI_E x16 Slot
North Bridge PCIE_x4
PHX-V PCIX 2 Slot

RJ45 RJ45 INTEL 82574L DMI (X8SAX Only)

PCIE_X1
PCIE_X1
Intel 82574L PCIE_X4
Intel PCI_E x4 in x8 Slot
SATAII /300
SATA x6 ICH10R
PCI_32_BUS
USB2.0 South Bridge PCI 32 X 1 Slot
USB x 12
TI TSB43AB22A

W83795ADG
H/W Monitor W83627DHG SPI
LPC I/O SPI EEPROM
HDA
Realtek ALC883
FAN KB. Floppy COM1
x6 MS. COM2

X8SAX/C7X58 System Block Diagram

Note: This is a general block diagram and may not exactly represent
the features on your motherboard. See the following pages for the
actual specifications of each motherboard.

1-10
 Chapter 1: Introduction

1-2 Chipset Overview

Built upon the functionality and the capability of the Intel X58 Express chipset, the
X8SAX/C7X58 motherboard provides the performance and feature set required
for dual-processor systems with configuration options optimized for intensive ap-
plication and high-end workstation platforms.

The main architecture of the X8SAX/C7X58 consists of an LGA 1366 processor

socket, the Intel X58 Express North Bridge chipset, the ICH10R South Bridge, and
the PXH/V IO Bridge. With Intel QuickPath Interconnect technology built in, the
X8SAX/C7X58 is one of the first motherboards on the market that offer the next
generation point-to-point system interconnect interface, replacing the current Front
Side Bus Technology, providing substantial system performance enhancement by
utilizing serial link interconnections to increase bandwidth and scalability.

Features of the LGA 1366 Processor and the X58

• Intel QuickPath Interconnect link, up to 6.4 GT/s of data transfer rate in each
direction

• Virtualization Technology, Integrated Management Engine supported

• Point-to-point cache coherent interconnect, Fast/narrow unidirectional links, and
Concurrent bi-directional traffic

• Error detection via CRC and Error correction via Link level retry

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

1-3 PC Health Monitoring

This section describes the PC health monitoring features of the X8SAX/C7X58.
The motherboard has an onboard System Hardware Monitor chip that supports
PC health monitoring.

Recovery from AC Power Loss

BIOS provides a setting for you to determine how the system will respond when
AC power is lost and then restored to the system. You can choose for the system
to remain powered off (in which case you must hit the power switch to turn it back
on) or for it to automatically return to a power on state. See the Power Lost Control
setting in the BIOS chapter of this manual to change this setting. The default set-
ting is Last State.

Onboard Voltage Monitoring

The onboard voltage monitor will scan the following voltages continuously: CPU
Core, Chipset Voltage, Memory Voltage, +1.8V, +3.3V, +3.3V standby, +5V, +5V
Standby, Vbat and ±12V. Once a voltage becomes unstable, it will give a warning
or send an error message to the screen. Users can adjust the voltage thresholds
to define the sensitivity of the voltage monitor by using SD III.

Fan Status Monitor with Software

PC health monitoring can check the RPM status of the cooling fans via Supero
Doctor III.

CPU Overheat LED and Control

This feature is available when the user enables the CPU overheat warning feature
in the BIOS. This allows the user to define an overheat temperature. When this
temperature reaches this pre-defined overheat threshold, the CPU thermal trip
feature will be activated and it will send a signal to the buzzer and, at the same
time, the CPU speed will be decreased.

1-4 Power Configuration Settings

This section describes the features of your motherboard that deal with power and
power settings.

1-12
 Chapter 1: Introduction

Slow Blinking LED for Suspend-State Indicator

When the CPU goes into a suspend state, the chassis power LED will start blink-
ing to indicate that the CPU is in the suspend mode. When the user presses any
key, the CPU will wake-up and the LED indicator will automatically stop blinking
and remain on.

BIOS Support for USB Keyboard

If the USB keyboard is the only keyboard in the system, it will function like a normal
keyboard during system boot-up.

Main Switch Override Mechanism

When an ATX power supply is used, the power button can function as a system
suspend button. When the user presses the power button, the system will enter
a SoftOff state. The monitor will be suspended and the hard drive will spin down.
Pressing the power button again to wake-up the whole system. During the SoftOff
state, the ATX power supply provides power the system to keep the required cir-
cuitry "alive". In case the system malfunctions and you want to turn off the power,
just press and hold the power button for 4 seconds. The power will turn off and no
power will be provided to the motherboard.

1-5 Power Supply

As with all computer products, a stable power source is necessary for proper and
reliable operation. It is even more important for processors that have high CPU
clock rates of 1 GHz and faster.
The X8SAX/C7X58 accommodates ATX12V standard power supplies.
Although most power supplies generally meet the specifications required by the
CPU, some are inadequate. A 2-Amp of current supply on a 5V Standby rail is
strongly recommended.
It is strongly recommended that you use a high quality power supply that meets
ATX12V standard power supply Specification 1.1 or above. It is also required that
the 12V 8-pin power connection (JPW2) be used for adequate power supply. How-
ever, the 12V 4-pin power connection (JPW3) is optional, but may be necessary
when increased power to the installed peripheral cards is needed. In areas where
noisy power transmission is present, you may choose to install a line filter to shield
the computer from noise. It is recommended that you also install a power surge
protector to help avoid problems caused by power surges.

1-13
 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

1-6 Super I/O

The disk drive adapter functions of the Super I/O chip include a floppy disk drive
controller that is compatible with industry standard 82077/765, a data separator,
write pre-compensation circuitry, decode logic, data rate selection, a clock genera-
tor, drive interface control logic and interrupt and DMA logic. The wide range of
functions integrated onto the Super I/O greatly reduces the number of components
required for interfacing with floppy disk drives. The Super I/O supports two 360 K,
720 K, 1.2 M, 1.44 M or 2.88 M disk drives and data transfer rates of 250 Kb/s,
500 Kb/s or 1 Mb/s.
It also provides two high-speed, 16550 compatible serial communication ports
(UARTs). Each UART includes a 16-byte send/receive FIFO, a programmable baud
rate generator, complete modem control capability and a processor interrupt sys-
tem. Both UARTs provide legacy speed with baud rate of up to 115.2 Kbps as well
as an advanced speed with baud rates of 250 K, 500 K, or 1 Mb/s, which support
higher speed modems.
The Super I/O provides functions that comply with ACPI (Advanced Configuration
and Power Interface), which includes support of legacy and ACPI power manage-
ment through a SMI or SCI function pin. It also features auto power management
to reduce power consumption.

1-14
 Chapter 2: Installation

Chapter 2

Installation

2-1 Static-Sensitive Devices

Electrostatic-Discharge (ESD) can damage electronic com­ponents. To prevent dam-
age to your system board, it is important to handle it very carefully. The following
measures are generally sufficient to protect your equipment from ESD.

Precautions
• Use a grounded wrist strap designed to prevent static discharge.

• Touch a grounded metal object before removing the board from the antistatic
bag.

• Handle the board by its edges only; do not touch its components, peripheral
chips, memory modules or gold contacts.

• When handling chips or modules, avoid touching their pins.

• Put the motherboard and peripherals back into their antistatic bags when not in
use.

• For grounding purposes, make sure your computer chassis provides excellent
conductivity between the power supply, the case, the mounting fasteners and
the motherboard.

• Use only the correct type of onboard CMOS battery. Do not install the onboard
upside down battery to avoid possible explosion.

Unpacking
The motherboard is shipped in antistatic packaging to avoid static damage. When
unpacking the board, make sure the person handling it is static protected.

2-1
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

2-2 Processor and Heatsink Installation

When handling the processor package, avoid placing direct pressure on
!
the label area of the fan.

Notes:
1. Always connect the power cord last and always remove it before adding, re-
moving or changing any hardware components. Make sure that you install the
processor into the CPU socket before you install the CPU heatsink.

2. Intel's boxed processor package contains the CPU fan and heatsink assem-
bly. If you buy a CPU separately, make sure that you use only Intel-certified
multi-directional heatsink and fan.

3. Make sure to install the motherboard into the chassis before you install the
CPU heatsink and heatsink fans.

4. When purchasing an LGA 1366 processor or when receiving a motherboard

with an LGA 1366 processor pre-installed, make sure that the CPU plastic
cap is in place, and none of the CPU pins are bent; otherwise, contact the
retailer immediately.

5. Refer to the MB Features Section for more details on CPU support.

Installing an LGA 1366 Processor

1. Press the socket clip to release

the load plate, which covers the
CPU socket, from its locking
position.
Socket Clip Load Plate
2. Gently lift the socket clip to
open the load plate.

3. Hold the plastic cap at its north

and south center edges to re-
move it from the CPU socket. Plastic Cap

Note: The photos on this page and

succeeding pages 2-3 through 2-9
are for illustration purposes only.
They do not necessarily reflect the
exact product(s) described in this
Hold the north & south edges of
manual.
the plastic cap to remove it

2-2
 Chapter 2: Installation

4. After removing the plastic cap, CPU

using your thumb and the index
finger, hold the CPU at the
north and south center edges.

5. Align the CPU key, the semi-

circle cutout, against the socket
key, the notch below the gold
color dot on the side of the CPU Socket
socket.

6. Once both the CPU and the

socket are aligned, carefully
lower the CPU straight down CPU
into the socket. (Do not rub the
Align CPU keys with socket keys.
CPU against the surface of the
socket or its pins to avoid dam-
aging the CPU or the socket.)

7. With the CPU inside the socket,

inspect the four corners of the
CPU to make sure that the CPU
is properly installed.

8. Once the CPU is securely

seated on the socket, lower the
CPU load plate to the socket.

9. Use your thumb to gently push

the socket clip down to the clip
lock.

Warning: Please save the

plastic cap. The mother-
board must be shipped
with the plastic cap prop- Load Plate
erly installed to protect the
CPU socket pins. Ship-
ment without the plastic
cap properly installed will
cause damage to the sock-
et pins.

2-3
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Installing an Active Fan CPU Heatsink

1. Locate the CPU Fan power con-

nector on the motherboard. (Refer to Thermal Grease
the layout on the right for the CPU
Fan location.)

2. Position the heatsink so that the

heatsink fan wires are closest to the
CPU fan power connector and are not
interfered with other components.
CPU
3. Inspect the CPU Fan wires to
make sure that the wires are routed
through the bottom of the heatsink.

4. Remove the thin layer of the Fan Wires

protective film from the copper core of
the heatsink.
Heatsink Fins
(Warning: CPU may overheat if the
protective film is not removed from
the heatsink.)

5. Apply the proper amount of thermal

grease on the CPU. (Note: if your
heatsink came with a thermal pad,
please ignore this step.)
Heatsink
6. If necessary, rearrange the wires Fastener
to make sure that the wires are not
pinched between the heatsink and the
CPU. Also make sure to keep clear-
ance between the fan wires and the
fins of the heatsink.

2-4
 Chapter 2: Installation

7. Align the four heatsink fasten-

ers with the mounting holes on the
motherboard. Gently push the pairs of
diagonal fasteners (#1 & #2, and #3 &
#4) into the mounting holes until you
hear a click. (Note: Make sure to orient
each fastener so that the narrow end
of the groove is pointing outward.) Narrow end of the groove
should point outward
8. Repeat Step 7 to insert all four heat-
4
sink fasteners into the mounting holes. 2
9. Once all four fasteners are securely
inserted into the mounting holes and
the heatsink is properly installed on the
motherboard, connect the heatsink fan 1 3
wires to the CPU Fan connector.

Removing the Heatsink

Warning: We do not recommend that the CPU or the heatsink be re-
moved. However, if you do need to remove the heatsink, please follow
the instructions below to uninstall the heatsink and prevent damage to
the CPU or other components.

Active Heatsink Removal

1. Unplug the power cord from the power
supply.

2. Disconnect the heatsink fan wires from

the CPU fan header.

3. Use your finger tips to gently press on the

fastener cap and turn it counterclockwise
to make a 1/4 (900) turn, and then pull the
fastener upward to loosen it.

4. Repeat Step 3 to loosen all fasteners

from the mounting holes.

5. With all fasteners loosened, remove the

heatsink from the CPU.

2-5
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Installing a Passive CPU Heatsink

Note: Passive CPU Heatsinks
that have been purchased from
Supermicro will include the optional
heatsink bracket. Heatsinks pur-
chased elsewhere may not include
this bracket, but is available sepa-
rately from Supermicro.

Heatsink Mounting Holes (4) on the

motherboard. Mount the optional
Optional Heatsink Bracket heatsink bracket here
Part# BKT-0023L

WARNING: Before proceeding

through this section, please make
sure the optional bracket for the
heatsink is attached underneath
the motherboard.
Align the Heatsink Mounting Holes
1. Locate the four heatsink mounting (4) on the motherboard with the
holes on the reverse side of the screw holes of the heatsink bracket
motherboard and four heatsink
lock alignments on the heatsink
bracket.

2. Align the four bracket lock align-

ments on the heatsink bracket
against the four mounting holes
on the back of the motherboard.
Optional heatsink bracket mounted
Place the heatsink bracket on the
motherboard.

3. Do not apply any thermal grease

to the heatsink or the CPU be-
cause the required amount has
already been applied.

4. Place the heatsink on top of the

CPU so that the four mounting
holes are aligned with those on
the bracket now located under-
neath.

2-6
 Chapter 2: Installation

5. Screw in two diagonal screws

(i.e., the #1 and the #2 screws)
until secure. However, leave
each loosely tightened until all
four screws are in place.

6. Finish the installation by fully

tightening all four screws. Do Screw#1 Screw#2
not over-tighten to avoid pos-
sible damage to the CPU.

Passive Heatsink Removal

1. Unplug the power cord from the

power supply.

2. Using a screwdriver, loosen and

remove the heatsink screws
from the motherboard in the se-
quence as shown in the picture
on the right. Using a screwdriver to
remove Screw#1
3. Hold the heatsink as shown and
gently loosen it from the CPU
by moving it from side to side.
(Do not use excessive force)

4. Once it is loosened, remove the

heatsink from the CPU socket.

5. To reinstall the CPU and the Remove Screw#2

heatsink, clean the surface of
the CPU and the heatsink to
remove the old thermal grease.
Reapply the proper amount of
thermal grease on the surface
before reinstalling them on the
motherboard.

2-7
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

2-3 Mounting the Motherboard into the Chassis

All motherboards have standard mounting holes to fit different types of chassis.
Make sure that the locations of all mounting holes for the motherboard and the chas-
sis match. Although a chassis may have both plastic and metal mounting fasteners,
metal ones are highly recommended because they ground the motherboard to the
chassis. Make sure that the metal standoffs click in or are screwed in tightly. Then
use a screwdriver to secure the motherboard onto the motherboard tray. (See the
layout on the right for mounting hole locations.)
Note: Some components are very close to the mounting holes. Please take
all necessary precautionary measures to avoid damaging these compo-
nents when installing the motherboard into the chassis.

Tools Needed
Location of Mounting Holes

1. Philips Screwdriver

2. (9) Pan head #6 screws

Installation Instructions X8SAX REV 1.01

1. Install the I/O shield in your

chassis. This is provided with your
motherboard.

2. Locate the mounting holes on

the motherboard. Refer to the layout
on the right for mounting hole loca-
tions.

3. Place Standoffs on the chassis

as needed.

4. Place the motherboard inside

the chassis. Caution: To avoid damag-
5. Locate the matching mounting ing the motherboard and
holes on the chassis. Align the mount- its components, please do
ing holes on the motherboard against not use a force greater than 8 lb/
the mounting holes on the chassis. inch on each mounting screw dur-
6. Insert a Pan head #6 screw into ing motherboard installation.
a mounting hole on the motherboard
and its matching mounting hole on the
chassis, using a Philips screwdriver.

7. Repeat Step 6 until all mounting

holes are secured.

2-8
 Chapter 2: Installation

2-4 Installing and Removing the Memory Modules

Note: Check the Supermicro web site for recommended memory modules.

CAUTION
Exercise extreme care when installing or removing DIMM
modules to prevent any possible damage.

Press down the release tabs

Installing & Removing DIMMs
1. Insert the desired number of DIMMs into the memory
slots, starting with DIMM1A. When populating multiple
DIMM modules within a channel, always start with
Bank1 first. (For best performance, please use the
memory modules of the same type and same speed
in the same motherboard.) Insert & press down a
DIMM module into the slot
2. Press down the release tabs on the ends of a
memory slot. Insert each DIMM module vertically into
its slot. Pay attention to the notch along the bottom
of the module to prevent inserting the DIMM module
incorrectly.

3. Gently press down on the DIMM module until it snaps

into place in the slot. Repeat for all modules.

4. Reverse the steps above to remove the DIMM mod-

ules from the motherboard.
Installing and Removing DDR3 Memory
Notch Notch

X8SAX REV 1.01

Front View

Note: Notch should align

with the receptive key
point on the slot.
Release Tab Release Tab
To Remove:
Use your thumbs
to gently push the
release tabs near both
ends of the module.
This should release it Top View of DDR3 Slot
from the slot. To Install: Insert module vertically and press down until it snaps into
place. Pay attention to the alignment notch at the bottom.

2-9
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Memory Support

DIMM Module Population Configuration

Maximum Memory Possible

Single Rank UDIMMs - 12GB (6x 2GB DIMMs), Dual Rank UDIMMs - 24GB (6x 4GB
DIMMs). See Note 5 on the next page for XMP memory support (C7X58 only).
JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
USB 0~3

DIMM3B Fan1 - CPU

SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

Bank1 Slots DIMM1A

LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5

DIMM1B Bank2 Slots

X8SAX

DIMM1A Slot

JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel

X58

JF1 LE1
North Bridge
CPU

Population
LAN CTRL
Recommendation JOH

JWD
Optimal Performance: Populate ALL DIMM slots (Bank1 + Bank2).
Fan6 LAN CTRL
Fan2

High Performance: Populate DIMM1A ~ DIMM3A slots (Bank1).

JD1
JPW3
Battery
1
B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Performance:
Fan5 Install
Slot6one
PCI-E x16 DIMM
Gen2 in slot DIMM1A (the first slot in Bank1), OR one
JBT1
DIMM each in slot DIMM1A and DIMM2A (the first two slots of Bank1).
I-SATA2

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen1 BIOS

South Bridge

Populating Audio DIMM

FP modules with pairs of memory modules of the same size
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

and same
Audio CTRL
type will activate Memory Interleaving which will result in increased
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO0

memory performance.
CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
T-SGPIO1

S I/O CTRL
USB 10/11

JPL2
JPI1 Intel PXH-V
JPL1

Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz

JPUSB2
JL1
Note 1 : The motherboard will NOT boot if DIMM module(s) are installed
SPKR1
in any of the Bank2 slots but none in the Bank1USB8
slots.USB9 TheFan3first DIMM
Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz

COM2 COM1 JI2C1 JI2C2

JWOL
module must be installed in DIMM1A, and all Bank1 slots must
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2 Fan4 be filled

before populating any Bank2 slot(s).

Note 2: Due to OS limitations, some operating systems may not show
more than 4 GB of memory.
Note 3: Due to memory allocation to system devices, the memory avail-
able for operational use will be reduced when 4 GB of RAM is used. The
reduction in memory availability is disproportional. Refer to the table on
the following page.

2-10
 Chapter 2: Installation

Note 4: For Microsoft Windows users: Microsoft implemented a design change

in Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Windows Vista. This change
is specific to the Physical Address Extension (PAE) mode behavior which
improves driver compatibility. For more information, please read the following
article at Microsoft’s Knowledge Base website at: http://support.microsoft.
com/kb/888137.
Note 5: Up to three Core i7 1600 XMP DDR3 DIMM Modules are supported
on the C7X58 motherboard (one DIMM per channel). However, XMP mode will
only work if a Core i7 Extreme Edition CPU and Core i7 XMP memory are both
installed. See Page 4-11 to activate XMP mode in the BIOS.

Possible System Memory Allocation & Availability

System Device Size Physical Memory

Remaining (-Available)
(4 GB Total System Memory)

Firmware Hub flash memory (System BIOS) 1 MB 3.99 GB

Local APIC 4 KB 3.99 GB

Area Reserved for the chipset 2 MB 3.99 GB

I/O APIC (4 Kbytes) 4 KB 3.99 GB

PCI Enumeration Area 1 256 MB 3.76 GB

PCI Express (256 MB) 256 MB 3.51 GB

PCI Enumeration Area 2 (if needed) -Aligned on 512 MB 3.01 GB

256-MB boundary-

VGA Memory 16 MB 2.85 GB

TSEG 1 MB 2.84 GB

Memory available for the OS & other applications 2.84 GB

2-11
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

2-5 Connectors/IO Ports

The I/O ports are color coded in conformance with the PC 99 specification. See the
figure below for the colors and locations of the various I/O ports.

Back Panel Connectors and IO Ports

JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

6
5
16 19
10 13
2

4 9 12 15 18
1 7
3 8 11 14 17
Back Panel Connectors
1. Keyboard (Purple) 11. USB Port 6
2. PS/2 Mouse (Green) 12. USB Port 7
3. USB Port 0 13. LAN2
4. USB Port 1 14. Side_Surround (Grey)
5. USB Port 2 15. Back_Surround (Black)
6. USB Port 3 16. CEN/LFE (Orange)
7. S/PDIF 17. Microphone-In (Pink)
8. USB Port 4 18. Front (Green)
9. USB Port 5 19. Line-In (Blue)
10. LAN 1

2-12
 Chapter 2: Installation

ATX PS/2 Keyboard and PS/2 PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Pin

Mouse Ports Definitions

PS2 Keyboard PS2 Mouse

The ATX PS/2 keyboard and PS/2
Pin# Definition Pin# Definition
mouse are located next to the Back
1 KB Data 1 Mouse Data
Panel USB Ports 1~2 on the moth-
2 No Connection 2 No Connection
erboard. See the table at right for pin
definitions. 3 Ground 3 Ground

4 Mouse/KB VCC 4 Mouse/KB VCC

(+5V) (+5V)

Mouse 5 KB Clock 5 Mouse Clock

6 No Connection 6 No Connection

VCC: with 1.5A PTC (current limit)

Keyboard

1. Keyboard (Purple)
2. Mouse (Green)
JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1

2
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2

1
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-13
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Back Panel USB 0~3, 4/5, 6/7
Pin Definitions
Eight Universal Serial Bus ports (USB
Pin# Definition Pin# Definition
0~3, USB 4/5, USB 6/7) are located on
1 +5V 5 +5V
the I/O back panel. USB Ports 4/5 are
2 USB_PN1 6 USB_PN0
located below LAN Port1 port. USB
3 USB_PP1 7 USB_PP0
6/7 are below LAN Port2. Additional 4
4 Ground 8 Ground
USB connections (USB 8, USB 9 and
USB 10/11) are used to provide front
Front Panel USB 8, 9, 10~11
chassis access. USB 8 and USB 9 are Pin Definitions
Type A Connectors. (USB Cables are USB 8, 9, 10 USB 11
not included). See the tables on the Pin # Definition Pin # Definition

right for pin definitions. 1 +5V 6 +5V

2 USB_PN2 7 USB_PN3

3 USB_PP2 8 USB_PP3

4 Ground 9 Ground

5 No Con- 10 Key
nection

JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
1. Backplane USB 0
JLED

2. Backplane USB 1
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

LAN CTRL
JOH
3. Backplane USB 2
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
4. Backplane USB 3
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
5. Backplane USB 4
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6

6. Backplane USB 5
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

7. Backplane USB 6
Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS
South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

8. Backplane USB 7
Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

JPAC
11
9. Front Panel USB 8
CD-In
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1

10. Front Panel USB 9

JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

SPKR1 11. Front Panel USB 10/11

4
Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2

3
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

9 10

2 6 8
1 5 7

2-14
 Chapter 2: Installation

Ethernet Ports LAN Ports

Pin Definition
Two Ethernet ports are located at on
Pin# Definition
the IO backplane above the backpanel
1 P2V5SB 10 SGND
USB ports. These ports accept RJ45
2 TD0+ 11 Act LED
type cables. (Note: Please refer to the
3 TD0- 12 P3V3SB
LED Indicator Section for LAN LED
4 TD1+ 13 Link 100 LED
information.) (Yellow, +3V3SB)

5 TD1- 14 Link 1000 LED

(Yellow, +3V3SB)

6 TD2+ 15 Ground

7 TD2- 16 Ground

8 TD3+ 17 Ground

9 TD3- 88 Ground

(NC: No Connection)

1. LAN1
JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

2. LAN2
JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R 1 2
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-15
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

High Definition Audio (HDA)

The X8SAX/C7X58 features a 7.1+2 Channel
Orange:
High Definition Audio (HDA) codec that pro- CEN/LFE
Blue: Line-In

vides 10 DAC channels, simultaneously sup-

Black: Back
Green: Front
porting 7.1 sound playback and two channels Surround
of independent stereo sound output (multiple Grey: Side Pink: Mic-In
streaming) through the front panel stereo Surround

out via the front L&R, rear L&R, center and

subwoofer speakers. This feature is activated
with the software included in the CD-ROM that
came with your motherboard. Sound is output
through the Line In, Line Out and MIC jacks.

CD-Input and FP Audio Headers

CD-In
A 4-pin CD header is located between PCI Pin Definitions
Slots 3 & 4. An Auxiliary header is located Pin# Definition
between Slots 4 & 5 on the motherboard. 1 Left Stereo Signal
These headers allow you to use the onboard 2 Ground
sound for audio CD playback. Connect an 3 Ground
audio cable from your CD drive to the header 4 Right Stereo Signal
that fits your cable's connector. Only one CD
header can be used at any one time. See the
tables at right for pin definitions. Refer to the
next page for more info on FP Audio.

JPUSB1
1. Backplane HD Audio
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
2. CD-Input Header
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP

2 1
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-16
 Chapter 2: Installation

Front Panel Audio Control HD Front Panel Audio

Pin Definitions
When front panel headphones are plugged in,
Pin# Signal
the back panel audio output is disabled. This is
1 MIC, Left Channel
done through the FP Audio header (Audio FP).
2 Ground
If the front panel interface card is not connected
3 MIC, Right Channel
to the front panel audio header, jumpers should
4 Front Panel Audio-Detect
be installed on the header pin pairs 1-2, 5-6, and
9-10. If these jumpers are not installed, the back 5 Line Out, Right Channel

panel line out connector will be disabled, and 6 MIC Jack Detect

microphone input Pin 1 will be left floating, which 7 Front Audio Jack Detect

can lead to excessive back panel microphone 8 Key

noise and cross talk. See the table at right for 9 Line Out, Left Channel

pin definitions. 10 Line Out Jack Detect

S/PDIF_Out Connector
An S/PDIF_Out connector is located next to the Backpanel USB ports on the moth-
erboard. The S/PDIF(Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) connector is used for
transporting stereo digital audio signals. It is commonly used to connect the output of
a DVD player to a home theater receiver that supports Dolby Digital or DTS surround
sound. The S/PDIF_Out connector includes the top component (S/PDIF_RCA) and
the bottom component (S/PDIF). See the tables below for pin definitions.

S/PDIF_RCA (Top Compo- S/PDIF (Bottom Compo-

nent) Pin Definition nent) Pin Definition

Pin Location Definition Pin# Definition

Outside Ground 1 Ground

Inside S/PDIF Signal 2 Vcc

3 S/PDIF Signal

JPUSB1
1. FP Audio
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
2. S/PDIF-Out Connector
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A

2
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

1 Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Audio FP
Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS
South Bridge
2
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-17
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Serial Ports Serial Port Pin Definitions

(COM1/COM2)
Two COM Port headers are located Pin # Definition Pin # Definition
on the motherboard. See the table on 1 CDC 6 DSR
the right for pin definitions. 2 RXD 7 RTS

3 TXD 8 CTS

4 DTR 9 RI

5 Ground 10 NC

Serial ATA Ports

Six Serial ATA (S A T A ) p o r t s
(SATA0~SATA5) are located next
SATA Port
to the ICH10R on the motherboard. Pin Definitions
These SATA connections are sup- Pin# Definition Pin Definition
ported by the ICH 10R South Bridge 1 Ground 2 TX+
to provide Serial-Link signal trans- 3 TX- 4 Ground
missions on the motherboard. See 5 RX- 6 RX+
the table on the right for pin defini-
7 Ground
tions. Refer to the board layout below
for the locations of the headers.

JPUSB1
1. COM1
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5

2. COM2
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A 3. SATA 0/1

DIMM1B

X8SAX 4. SATA 2/3

5. 3. SATA 4/5
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

3
B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
4
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP

5
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

2 1 Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-18
 Chapter 2: Installation

Front Control Panel

JF1 contains header pins for various buttons and indicators that are normally lo-
cated on a control panel at the front of the chassis. These connectors are designed
specifically for use with Supermicro server chassis. See the figure below for the
descriptions of the various control panel buttons and LED indicators. Refer to the
following section for descriptions and pin definitions.

JF1 Header Pins

Pin 20 Pin 19

X8SAX REV 1.01

Pin 2 Pin 1

20 19
Ground NMI

X X

Power LED Vcc

HDD LED Vcc

NIC1 LED Vcc

NIC2 LED Vcc

OH/Fan Fail LED Vcc

Power Fail LED Vcc

Ground Reset Reset Button

Ground PWR Power Button

2 1

2-19
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Front Control Panel Pin Definitions

NMI Button NMI Button

Pin Definitions (JF1)
The non-maskable interrupt button Pin# Definition
header is located on pins 19 and 20 19 Control
of JF1. Refer to the table on the right 20 Ground
for pin definitions.

Power LED
Power LED Pin Definitions (JF1)
The Power LED connection is located Pin# Definition
on pins 15 and 16 of JF1. Refer to the 15 +5V
table on the right for pin definitions. 16 Ground

A. NMI
B. PWR LED

20 19
A
Ground NMI

X X
X8SAX REV 1.01
B
Power LED Vcc

HDD LED Vcc

NIC1 LED Vcc

NIC2 LED Vcc

OH/Fan Fail LED Vcc

PWR Fail LED Vcc

Ground Reset Reset Button

Ground PWR Power Button

2 1

2-20
 Chapter 2: Installation

HDD LED
The HDD LED connection is located HDD LED
Pin Definitions (JF1)
on pins 13 and 14 of JF1. Attach a
Pin# Definition
hard drive LED cable here to display
13 +5V
disk activity detected on the mother-
14 HD Active
board's built-in disk controllers (for
any hard drive activities on the sys-
tem, including Serial ATA and IDE).
However, any drive activity through
an installed third-party add-on card
will not be detected. See the table on
the right for pin definitions.

NIC1/NIC2 LED Indicators

The NIC (Network Interface Control-
ler) LED connection for LAN port 1 GLAN1/2 LED
Pin Definitions (JF1)
is located on pins 11 and 12 of JF1,
Pin# Definition
and the LED connection for LAN Port
9/11 Vcc
2 is on Pins 9 and 10. Attach the NIC
10/12 Ground
LED cables to display network activity.
Refer to the table on the right for pin
definitions.

A. HDD LED
B. NIC1 LED
C. NIC2 LED
20 19
Ground NMI

X X
X8SAX REV 1.01
Power LED Vcc
A
HDD LED Vcc
B
NIC1 LED Vcc
C
NIC2 LED Vcc

OH/Fan Fail LED Vcc

PWR Fail LED Vcc

Ground Reset Reset Button

Ground PWR Power Button

2 1

2-21
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Overheat (OH)/Fan Fail LED OH/Fan Fail LED

Pin Definitions (JF1)
Connect an LED cable to the OH/
Pin# Definition
Fan Fail connection on pins 7 and 8
7 Vcc
of JF1 to provide advanced warnings
8 Ground
for chassis overheat or fan failure.
OH/Fan Fail Indicator
Refer to the table on the right for pin Status
definitions. State Definition

Off Normal

On Overheat

Flash- Fan Fail

ing

Power Fail LED

The Power Fail LED connection is PWR Fail LED
Pin Definitions (JF1)
located on pins 5 and 6 of JF1. Refer
Pin# Definition
to the table on the right for pin defini-
5 Vcc
tions.
6 Ground

A. OH/Fan Fail LED

B. PWR Supply Fail
20 19
Ground NMI

X X
X8SAX REV 1.01
Power LED Vcc

HDD LED Vcc

NIC1 LED Vcc

NIC2 LED Vcc

A
OH/Fan Fail LED Vcc
B
PWR Fail LED Vcc

Ground Reset Reset Button

Ground PWR Power Button

2 1

2-22
 Chapter 2: Installation

Reset Button
The Reset Button connection is located Reset Button
Pin Definitions (JF1)
on pins 3 and 4 of JF1. Attach it to a
Pin# Definition
hardware reset switch on the computer
3 Reset
case to reset the system. Refer to the
4 Ground
table on the right for pin definitions.

Power Button
The Power Button connection is located
on pins 1 and 2 of JF1. Momentarily
contacting both pins will power on/off Power Button
Pin Definitions (JF1)
the system. This button can also be con-
Pin# Definition
figured to function as a suspend button
(with a setting in the BIOS - see Chapter 1 Signal

4). To turn off the power in the suspend 2 +3V Standby

mode, press the button for at least 4

seconds. Refer to the table on the right
for pin definitions.

A. Reset Button
B. PWR Button
20 19
Ground NMI

X X
X8SAX REV 1.01

Power LED Vcc

HDD LED Vcc

NIC1 LED Vcc

NIC2 LED Vcc

OH/Fan Fail LED Vcc

PWR Fail LED Vcc

A
Ground Reset Reset Button
B
Ground PWR Power Button
2 1

2-23
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

2-6 Connecting Cables

This section provides brief descriptions and pin-out definitions for onboard headers
and connectors. Be sure to use the correct cable for each header or connector.
• For information on Backpanel USB and Front Panel USB ports, refer to Page
2-9.
• For information on COM Port 1 and COM Port 2, please see Page 2-10.

ATX Power 24-pin Connector

ATX Main PWR & CPU PWR Pin Definitions (JPW1)
Connectors Pin# Definition Pin # Definition

The 24-pin main power connector (J40) 13 +3.3V 1 +3.3V

is used to provide power to the mother- 14 -12V 2 +3.3V

board. The 8-pin CPU PWR connector 15 COM 3 COM

(JPW2) is also required for the proces- 16 PS_ON 4 +5V
sor. These power connectors meet the 17 COM 5 COM
SSI EPS 12V specification. See the 18 COM 6 +5V
table on the right for pin definitions. 19 COM 7 COM

20 Res (NC) 8 PWR_OK

21 +5V 9 5VSB

22 +5V 10 +12V
4-Pin Auxiliary Power Connector
23 +5V 11 +12V
In addition to the ATX main power, the 24 COM 12 +3.3V
4-pin 12V power connector located at
12V 4-pin Power Con-
JPW3 is also required to provide power 12V 8-pin Power Connec-
nector
tor Pin Definitions (JPW3)
to the South Bridge, North Bridge and Pin Definitions
Pins Definition
all VRMs. See the table on the right for Pins Definition
1 through 4 Ground
pin definitions. 1 and 2 Ground
5 through 8 +12V
3 and 4 +12V
B A
JPUSB1
(Required)
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1

A. 24-Pin ATX Main PWR

DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A
B. 8-Pin Processor PWR
DIMM1B

X8SAX B. 4-Pin Auxiliary PWR

JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL

C
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-24
 Chapter 2: Installation

Fan Headers
The X8SAX/C7X58 has six fan headers Fan Header
(Fan1 ~ Fan6). Fans 2~6 are system Pin Definitions

cooling fans. Fan 1 is used as a CPU Pin# Definition

fan. These fans are 4-pin fan headers. 1 Ground (Black)

However, Pins 1-3 of the fan headers are 2 2.5A/+16V

(Red)
backward compatible with the traditional
3 Tachometer
3-pin fans. (Note: Please use all 3-pin
4 PWM_Control
fans or all 4-pin fans on a motherboard.
Please do not use 3-pin fans and 4-pin
fans on the same board. The default set-
ting is Disabled which allows the onboard
fans to run at full speed.) Refer to the table
on the right for pin definitions.

JPUSB1
A. Fan1 (CPU Fan)
KB/Mouse

E
JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5

B. Fan2
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

C. Fan3
DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
D. Fan4
E. Fan5
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel

F. Fan6
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRLA Fan2 B
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

D
F
B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2

C
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

D
JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-25
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Internal Buzzer Internal Buzzer (SP1)

Pin Definition
The Internal Buzzer (SP1) can be
Pin# Definitions
used to provide audible indications
Pin 1 Pos. (+) Beep In
for various beep codes. See the table
Pin 2 Neg. (-) Alarm
on the right for pin definitions. Refer Speaker
to the layout below for the locations of
the Internal Buzzer (SP1).

Speaker
Speaker Connector
On the JD1 header, Pins 3~4 are used Pin Definitions
for internal speaker. Close Pins 3~4 Pin Setting Definition
with a cap to use the onboard speaker.
Pins 3~4 Internal Speaker
If you wish to use an external speaker,
Pins1~4 External Speaker
close Pins 1~4 with a cable. See the
table on the right for pin definitions.

A. Internal Buzzer
JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

B. Speaker
DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2

B
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz

JI2C1 JI2C2
SPKR1
A Fan3

COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-26
 Chapter 2: Installation

Overheat/Fan Fail LED (JOH1) Overheat LED

Pin Definitions
The JOH1 header is used to connect
Pin# Definition
an LED to provide warnings of chas-
1 5vDC
sis overheat. This LED will also blink
2 OH Active
to indicate a fan failure. Refer to the
table on right for pin definitions. OH/Fan Fail LED
Pin Definitions

State Message

Solid Overheat

Blinking Fan Fail

Chassis Intrusion
Chassis Intrusion
A Chassis Intrusion header is located Pin Definitions (JL1)
at JL1 on the motherboard. Attach the Pin# Definition
appropriate cable from the chassis to
1 Intrusion Input
inform you of a chassis intrusion when
2 Ground
the chassis is opened.

JPUSB1 A. Overheat/Fan Fail LED

KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5

B. Chassis Intrusion
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge

A
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1

B
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-27
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Power Supply I2C Connector PWR Supply I2C

Pin Definitions
Power Supply (I C) Connector moni- 2

Pin# Definition
tors the status of the power supply,
1 Clock
fan and system temperature. See the
2 Data
table on the right for pin definitions.
3 PWR Fail

4 Ground

Onboard Power LED

Onboard PWR LED
An onboard Power LED header is Pin Definitions

located at JLED1. This Power LED Pin# Definition

header is connected to Front Control 1 VCC

Panel located at JF1 to indicate the 2 No Connection

status of system power. See the table 3 Connection to PWR

LED in JF1
on the right for pin definitions.

JPUSB1 A. PWR SMB

KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5

B. PWR LED
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A

A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX

B
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-28
 Chapter 2: Installation

1394a_1/1394a_2 Connections 1394a_1

Pin Definitions
1394a_1 and 1394a_2 provide the Pin# Defin. Pin# Defin
IEEE 1394 connections on the moth- 1 PTPA0+ 2 PTPA0-

erboard. See the tables on the right for 3 GND 4 GND

pin definitions. 5 PTPB0+ 6 PTPB0-

7 PWR 1394 8 PWR 1394

10 ZX

J1394a_2
Pin Definitions

Pin# Defin. Pin# Defin

1 PTPA1+ 2 PTPA1-

3 GND 4 GND

5 PTPB1+ 6 PTPB1-

7 PWR 1394 8 PWR 1394

10 ZY
T-SGPIO 0/1 Headers
T-SGPIO
Two T-SGPIO (Serial-Link General Pin Definitions
Purpose Input/Output) headers are Pin# Definition Pin Definition
located next to the front USB ports 1 NC 2 NC
10/11 on the motherboard. These
3 Ground 4 DATA Out
headers are used to communicate
5 Load 6 Ground
with the enclosure management chip
7 Clock 8 NC
in the system. See the table on the
NC: No Connections
right for pin definitions. Refer to the
board layout below for the locations
of the headers.

A. 1394a_1
JPUSB1
B. 1394a_2
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B

C. T-SPGIO0
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B
D. T-SPGIO1
X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

C
Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC

D
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

COM2 COM1
Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JI2C1 JI2C2 A B SPKR1 Fan3

JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2

JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-29
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Wake-On-Ring Wake-On-Ring
Pin Definitions
The Wake-On-Ring header is des- (JWOR)
ignated JWOR. This function allows Pin# Definition
your computer to wake up when 1 Ground
receiving an incoming call to the 2 Wake-up
modem when in the suspend state.
See the table on the right for pin
definitions. You must have a Wake-
On-Ring card and cable to use this
feature.

Wake-On-LAN Wake-On-LAN
Pin Definitions
The Wake-On-LAN header is located (JWOL)
at JWOL on the motherboard. See Pin# Definition
the table on the right for pin defini- 1 +5V Standby
tions. (You must also have a LAN 2 Ground
card with a Wake-On-LAN connector 3 Wake-up
and cable to use this feature.)

JPUSB1
A. WOR
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B

B. WOL
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

COM2 COM1
A Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JI2C1 JI2C2 B
SPKR1 Fan3

JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2

JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-30
 Chapter 2: Installation

2-7 Jumper Settings

Explanation of Jumpers
To modify the operation of the mother-
board, jumpers can be used to choose
between optional settings. Jumpers cre-
ate shorts between two pins to change
the function of the connector. Pin 1 is
identified with a square solder pad on the
printed circuit board.
Note: On two pin jumpers, "Closed"
means the jumper is on and "Open"
means the jumper is off the pins.

LAN Port Enable/Disable

GLAN Enable
JPL1/JPL2 enable or disable LAN Jumper Settings
Port 1/LAN Port 2 on the mother-
Pin# Definition
board. See the table on the right for
1-2 Enabled (default)
jumper settings. The default setting
2-3 Disabled
is enabled.

JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

A. LAN Port 1 Enable

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B

B. LAN Port 2 Enable

LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC

S I/O
JPL2
B
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
CTRL

Intel PXH-V

A
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-31
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

CMOS Clear
JBT1 is used to clear CMOS. Instead of pins, this "jumper" consists of contact pads
to prevent accidental clearing of CMOS. To clear CMOS, use a metal object such
as a small screwdriver to touch both pads at the same time to short the connection.
Always remove the AC power cord from the system before clearing CMOS.
Note: For an ATX power supply, you must completely shut down the system, remove
the AC power cord and then short JBT1 to clear CMOS.

Watch Dog Enable/Disable

Watch Dog
Watch Dog is a system monitor that can Jumper Settings (JWD)
reboot the system when a software appli- Jumper Setting Definition
cation hangs. Close pins 1-2 to reset the Pins 1-2 Reset
(default)
system if an application hangs. Close pins
Pins 2-3 NMI
2-3 to generate a non-maskable interrupt
Open Disabled
signal for the application that hangs. See
the table on the right for jumper settings.
Watch Dog must also be enabled in the
BIOS.

JPUSB1
A. Clear CMOS
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

B. Watch Dog Enable

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
B
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1

A
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-32
 Chapter 2: Installation

SMB to PCI-X/PCI-E Slots Speeds

SMBus to PCI-X/PCI-Exp Slots
Use Jumper JI2C1 to connect the System Jumper Settings
Management Bus to the PCI slots, and Jumper Setting Definition
Jumper JI2C2, to the PCI-Exp. slots in Pins 1-2 Enabled
order to improve power management Pins 2-3 (Default) Disabled
for PCI-X and PCI-E slots. The default
setting is to close pins 2-3 to disable the
function. See the table on the right for
jumper settings.

IEEE 1394a Enable 1394a Enable

Jumper Settings
JPI1 allows the user to use the onboard
Pin# Definition
IEEE 1394_1 and 1394_2 connections.
1-2 Enabled (default)
Close Pins 1~2 to use this function. The
2-3 Disabled
default setting is Enabled.

A. JI2C1
JPUSB1

B. JI2C2
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B

C. 1394a 1/2 Enable

LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O

C
CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2

AB
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-33
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Audio Enable Audio Enable

(JPAC)
JPAC enables or disables the onboard audio
Pin# Definition
connections. See the table on the right
1-2 Enabled (default)
for jumper settings. The default setting is
2-3 Disabled
Enabled.

USB Wake-Up
Use JPUSB jumpers to "wake-up" your sys-
tem by pressing a key on a USB keyboard or JPUSB1 (BackPanel USB
clicking the USB mouse of your system. The Wake-up)

JPUSB jumpers are used together with the Pin# Definition

USB Wake-Up feature in the BIOS. Enable 1-2 Enabled (default)

both USB jumpers and the USB feature in 2-3 Disabled

the BIOS to wake-up your system via USB

devices. See the table on the right for jumper
settings and jumper connections.
JPUSB2 (Front Panel USB
Wake-up)
Note: JPUSB1 is used for Backpanel
Pin# Definition
USB ports #0~7, and JPUSB2 is for
1-2 Enabled (default)
Front Panel USB ports #8, #9 and
2-3 Disabled
#10~11. The default jumper setting is
Disabled. However, when the USB func-
tion is Enabled in the BIOS, please be
sure to remove those USB devices from
the USB ports whose USB jumpers are
set to Disabled before the system goes
into the standby mode.

B A. Audio Enable
JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

B. USB Wake-up (Backpanel)

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B

C. USB Wake-up (Front Panel)

LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2

A
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2

C
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-34
 Chapter 2: Installation

2-8 Onboard Indicators

GLAN Link/Speed LED Indicator
Lan Port LEDs
LED Color Definition
Two LAN ports are located on the I/O Off No Connection or 10 Mbps
Backplane. Each LAN port has two LEDs. Green (On) 100 Mbps
The yellow GLAN Activity LED (see be- Amber (On) 1 Gbps
low) indicates activity, while the GLAN
GLAN Activity LED Indicator
Link/Speed LED may be green, amber
or off to indicate the speed of the con- Color Definition
nection. See the tables at right for more Yellow (Flashing) ConnectionActive
information.

GLAN Link/Speed LED

GLAN Activity LED

Rear View
(When viewing from the
rear side of the chassis.)

Onboard PWR LED Indicator

Onboard Power LED LED Settings

LED Color Definition

An Onboard Power LED is located at LE1
Off System Off
on the motherboard. When LE1 is on, the
On System on, or
AC power cable is connected. Make sure to System off and PWR
Cable Connected
disconnect the power cable before removing
or installing any component. See the layout
below for the LED location.

A. LAN Port 1
JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

B. LAN Port 2
JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B

C. Onboard Power LED

LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

A
DIMM1B

X8SAX

B
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

C
Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge

A B
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz SPKR1 Fan3

JI2C1 JI2C2
COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-35
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

2-9 Serial ATA and Floppy Drive Connections

Note the following conditions when connecting the Serial ATA and floppy disk drive
cables:

• Be sure to use the correct cable for each connector. Refer to Page 1-1 for cables
that came with your shipment.

• A red mark on a wire indicates the location of pin 1.

SATA Connectors
SATA Connectors
Six Serial ATA (SATA) connectors (I-SATA Pin Definitions

0~5) are located on the motherboard Pin# Signal

to provide serial link connections. Se- 1 Ground

2 SATA_TXP
rial Link connections provide faster data
3 SATA_TXN
transmission than those of the traditional
4 Ground
Parallel ATA. These SATA connectors
5 SATA_RXN
are supported by the Intel ICH10R Chip
6 SATA_RXP
(South Bridge). See the table on the right
7 Ground
for pin definitions.

A. I-SATA 0~1
B. I-SATA 2~3
C. I-SATA 4~5

X8SAX REV 1.01

A
B
C

2-36
 Chapter 2: Installation

Floppy Connector Floppy Drive Connector

Pin Definitions
The floppy connector is located near Pin# Definition Pin # Definition
the PCI-X Slot 1 on the motherboard. 1 Ground 2 FDHDIN
See the table on the right for pin 3 Ground 4 Reserved
definitions. 5 Key 6 FDEDIN

7 Ground 8 Index
Note the following when con-
9 Ground 10 Motor Enable
necting the floppy cable:
11 Ground 12 Drive Select B

• The floppy disk drive cable has 13 Ground 14 Drive Select B

seven twisted wires. 15 Ground 16 Motor Enable

17 Ground 18 DIR
• A red mark on a wire typically
19 Ground 20 STEP
designates the location of pin 1.
21 Ground 22 Write Data
• A single floppy disk drive ribbon 23 Ground 24 Write Gate
cable has 34 wires and two con- 25 Ground 26 Track 00
nectors to provide for two floppy 27 Ground 28 Write Protect
disk drives. The connector with 29 Ground 30 Read Data

twisted wires always connects to 31 Ground 32 Side 1 Select

drive A, and the connector that 33 Ground 34 Diskette

does not have twisted wires always

connects to drive B.

A. Floppy
JPUSB1
KB/Mouse

JPW2 JPW1
DIMM3A
Fan5
USB 0~3

DIMM3B
LAN2/USB6~7 LAN1/USB4~5 SMBUS_PS1

DIMM2A
S/PDIF

DIMM2B

DIMM1A

DIMM1B

X8SAX
JLED
HD Audio (7.1)

Intel
JF1 LE1

X58
North Bridge
CPU

JOH
LAN CTRL
JWD

Fan1-CPU
LAN CTRL
Fan2
1 JD1

JPW3
Battery

B1
I-SATA0
I-SATA1

Fan6
Slot6 PCI-E x16 Gen2
JBT1

Intel ICH10R
I-SATA2
I-SATA3

Slot5 PCI-E x4 in x8 Gen2 BIOS

South Bridge
Audio FP
I-SATA5
I-SATA4

Audio CTRL
Slot4 PCI-E x16 Gen2
T-SGPIO1 T-SGPIO0

USB 10/11

CD-In JPAC
Slot3 PCI 33MHz 1394a
S I/O CTRL
JPL2
Intel PXH-V
JPL1 JPI1
Slot2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JPUSB2
JL1

A
Slot1 PCI-X 133/100 MHz
JI2C1 JI2C2
SPKR1 Fan3

COM2 COM1
JWOR Floppy 1394_1 1394_2
JWOL USB8 USB9 Fan4

2-37
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Notes

2-38
 Chapter 3: Troubleshooting

Chapter 3

Troubleshooting

3-1 Troubleshooting Procedures

Use the following procedures to troubleshoot your system. If you have followed all
of the procedures below and still need assistance, refer to the ‘Technical Support
Procedures’ and/or ‘Returning Merchandise for Service’ section(s) in this chapter.
Always disconnect the AC power cord before adding, changing or installing any
hardware components.

Before Power On
1. Make sure that the Standby PWR LED (LE1) is not lit. (Note: If LE1 is on, the
onboard power is on. Be sure to unplug the power cable before installing or
removing the components.)

2. Make sure that there are no short circuits between the motherboard and chas-
sis.

3. Disconnect all ribbon/wire cables from the motherboard, including those for the
keyboard and mouse. Also, be sure to remove all add-on cards.

4. Install a CPU and heatsink (be sure that it is fully seated) and then connect the
chassis speaker and the power LED to the motherboard. Check all jumper
settings as well.

No Power
1. Make sure that there are no short circuits between the motherboard and chas-
sis.

2. Make sure that all jumpers are set to their default positions.

3. Check if the 115V/230V switch on the power supply is properly set.

4. Turn the power switch on and off to test the system.

5. The battery on your motherboard may be old. Check to make sure that it still
supplies ~3VDC. If it does not, replace it with a new one.

No Video
1. If the power is on, but you have no video--in this case, you will need to remove
all the add-on cards and cables first.

3-1
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

2. Use the speaker to determine if any beep codes exist. (Refer to Appendix A
for details on beep codes.)

3. Remove all memory modules and turn on the system. (If the alarm is on, check
the specs of memory modules, reset the memory or try a different one.)

Memory Errors
1. Make sure that the DIMM modules are properly installed and fully seated in
the slots.

2. You should be using unbuffered ECC or non-ECC DDR3 (1.5V)1333/1066/800

MHz memory (See the next page). Also, it is recommended that you use the
memory modules of the same type and speed for all DIMMs in the system.

3. Check for bad DIMM modules or slots by swapping modules between slots to
see if you can locate the faulty modules.

4. Check the power supply voltage 115V/230V switch.

Losing the System’s Setup Configuration

1. Please be sure to use a high quality power supply. A poor quality power supply
may cause the system to lose the CMOS setup information. Refer to Section
1-5 for details on recommended power supplies.

2. The battery on your motherboard may be old. Check to verify that it still supplies
~3VDC. If it does not, replace it with a new one.

3. If the above steps do not fix the Setup Configuration problem, contact your
vendor for repairs.

3-2 Technical Support Procedures

Before contacting Technical Support, please make sure that you have followed all
the steps listed below. Also, Note that as a motherboard manufacturer, Supermicro
does not sell directly to end users, so it is best to first check with your distributor or
reseller for troubleshooting services. They should know of any possible problem(s)
with the specific system configuration that was sold to you.
1. Please go through the ‘Troubleshooting Procedures’ and 'Frequently Asked
Question' (FAQ) sections in this chapter or see the FAQs on our website
(http://www.supermicro.com/support/faqs/) before contacting Technical
Support.

2. BIOS upgrades can be downloaded from our website at (http://www.supermicro.

com/support/bios/).

3-2
 Chapter 3: Troubleshooting

Note: Not all BIOS can be flashed. Some cannot be flashed; it depends
on the modifications to the boot block code.

3. If you've followed the instructions above to troubleshoot your system, and still
cannot resolve the problem, then contact Supermicro's technical support and
provide them with the following information:

• Motherboard model and PCB revision number

• BIOS release date/version (this can be seen on the initial display when your
system first boots up)

•System configuration

An example of a Technical Support form is on our website at (http://www.

supermicro.com/support/contact.cfm).

4. Distributors: For immediate assistance, please have your account number ready
when placing a call to our technical support department. We can be reached
by e-mail at support@supermicro.com, by phone at: (408) 503-8000, option
2, or by fax at (408)503-8019.

3-3 Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What type of memory does my motherboard support?

Answer: The X8SAX/C7X58 supports up to 24 GB of unbuffered ECC or

non-ECC (1.5V) DDR3 1333/1066/800 MHz, two-way interleaved or non-
interleaved SDRAM. Additionally, the C7X58 also supports 1600 XMP memory
when an Extreme Edition CPU is installed. See Section 2-4 for details on
installing memory.

Note: Please enable XMP under Performance Tuning Mode in the BIOS to
enable 1600 XMP operation on the C7X58 (See page 4-11). You must have an
Extreme Edition CPU installed for this feature to work. Otherwise, the system
will fall back to a lower bus speed regardless of the BIOS settings.

Question: I installed 1333/1066 MHz memory, why doesn't my motherboard

(X8SAX, C7X58, X8ST3-F/E or X8STi family) run the memory at 1333/1066
MHz?

The memory speed depends on the installed CPUs QPI rating. Please check
your CPU specifications. For example, to support 1333 MHz memory, the
CPU's QPI should be 6.4GT/S. A lower QPI number means that it will support
slower memory. More information may be found at www.intel.com.

3-3
 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Question: When I plug in my 1600 MHz XMP DDR3 memory into the X8SAX
or C7X58 motherboard, it only shows that it's running at 1333MHz or 1066
MHz. How can I make it work at 1600MHz?

Answer: The X8SAX motherboard does not support 1600MHz XMP memory.
Therefore, it will only support up to 1066/1333MHz.

On the C7X58 motherboard, please enable 1600MHz XMP mode in the

BIOS:

Enter BIOS setup, go to Advanced -> Advanced Chipset Control -> QPI & IMC
Configuration -> Performance Tuning Mode, then select “XMP” = 1600MHz

Note: If the C7X58 motherboard detects that the memory installed is not suited
for 1600MHz XMP operation, the BIOS activates a protection routine to lower
its clock speed to 1066MHz or 1333MHz automatically. This is done to protect
the system so it can still boot using the proper clock speed.

Question: How do I update my BIOS?

Answer: It is recommended that you do not upgrade your BIOS if you are not
experiencing any problems with your system. Updated BIOS files are located
on our web site at http://www.supermicro.com/support/bios/. Please check our
BIOS warning message and the information on how to update your BIOS on our
web site. Select your motherboard model and download the BIOS (.rom) file to
your computer. Also, check the current BIOS revision and make sure that it is
newer than your BIOS before downloading. You may choose the zip file or the
.exe file. If you choose the zipped BIOS file, please unzip the BIOS file onto a
bootable device or a USB pen/thumb drive. To flash the BIOS, run the batch
file named "ami.bat" with the new BIOS .rom file from your bootable device or
USB pen/thumb drive. Use the following format:

F:\> ami xxxxxxxx.rom <Enter>

Notes: Be sure to type in a space after "ami". The drive letter "F:\>" is used
only as an example and is the drive letter of your bootable device or USB pen/
thumb drive. It may be different on your system. Always use the file named
“ami.bat” to update the BIOS.

When completed, your system will automatically reboot. If you choose the .exe
file, please run the .exe file under Windows to create the BIOS flash floppy disk.
Insert the floppy disk into the system you wish to flash the BIOS. Then, boot
the system to the floppy disk. The BIOS utility will automatically flash the BIOS
without any prompts. Please note that this process may take a few minutes to
complete. Do not be concerned if the screen is paused for a few minutes.

Warning: Do not shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS
to prevent possible system boot failure!

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 Chapter 3: Troubleshooting

When the BIOS flashing screen is completed, the system will reboot and will
show “Press F1 or F2”. At this point, you will need to load the BIOS defaults.
Press <F1> to go to the BIOS setup screen, and press <F9> to load the default
settings. Next, press <F10> to save and exit. The system will then reboot.

Note: The SPI BIOS chip installed on this motherboard is not removable. To
repair or replace a damaged BIOS chip, please send your motherboard to RMA
at Supermicro for service.

Question: I think my BIOS is corrupted. How can I recover my BIOS?

Answer: Please see Appendix D, BIOS Recovery for detailed instructions.

Question: What's on the CD that came with my motherboard?

Answer: The supplied compact disc has quite a few drivers and programs
that will greatly enhance your system. We recommend that you review the CD
and install the applications you need. Applications on the CD include chipset
drivers for Windows, security and audio drivers.

3-4 Returning Merchandise for Service

A receipt or copy of your invoice marked with the date of purchase is required
before any warranty service will be rendered. You can obtain service by calling
your vendor for a Returned Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. When
returning to the manufacturer, the RMA number should be prominently displayed
on the outside of the shipping carton, and mailed prepaid or hand-carried. Ship-
ping and handling charges will be applied for all orders that must be mailed when
service is complete. For faster service, RMA authorizations may be requested
online (http://www.supermicro.com/support/rma).

This warranty only covers normal consumer use and does not cover damages
incurred in shipping or from failure due to the alteration, misuse, abuse or improper
maintenance of products.

During the warranty period, contact your distributor first for any product prob-
lems.

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Notes

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

Chapter 4

BIOS

4-1 Introduction
This chapter describes the AMI BIOS Setup Utility for the X8SAX/C7X58. The AMI
ROM BIOS is stored in a Flash EEPROM and can be easily updated. This chapter
describes the basic navigation of the AMI BIOS Setup Utility setup screens.

Starting BIOS Setup Utility

To enter the AMI BIOS Setup Utility screens, press the <Delete> key while the
system is booting up.
Note: In most cases, the <Delete> key is used to invoke the AMI BIOS
setup screen. There are a few cases when other keys are used, such as
<F1>, <F2>, etc.

Each main BIOS menu option is described in this manual. The Main BIOS setup
menu screen has two main frames. The left frame displays all the options that can
be configured. Grayed-out options cannot be configured. Options in blue can be
configured by the user. The right frame displays the key legend. Above the key
legend is an area reserved for a text message. When an option is selected in the
left frame, it is highlighted in white. Often a text message will accompany it. (Note:
the AMI BIOS has default text messages built in. Supermicro retains the option to
include, omit, or change any of these text messages.)
The AMI BIOS Setup Utility uses a key-based navigation system called "hot keys."
Most of the AMI BIOS setup utility "hot keys" can be used at any time during the
setup navigation process. These keys include <F1>, <F10>, <Enter>, <ESC>, ar-
row keys, etc.
Note: Options printed in Bold are default settings.

How To Change the Configuration Data

The configuration data that determines the system parameters may be changed by
entering the AMI BIOS Setup utility. This Setup utility can be accessed by pressing
<Del> at the appropriate time during system boot.

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Starting the Setup Utility

Normally, the only visible POST (Power On Self Test) routine is the memory test.
As the memory is being tested, press the <Delete> key to enter the main menu of
the AMI BIOS Setup Utility. From the main menu, you can access the other setup
screens. An AMI BIOS identification string is displayed at the left bottom corner of
the screen, below the copyright message.

Warning!! Do not shut down or reset the system while updating BIOS
to prevent possible boot failure.

4-2 Main Setup

When you first enter the AMI BIOS Setup Utility, you will enter the Main setup screen.
You can always return to the Main setup screen by selecting the Main tab on the
top of the screen. The Main BIOS Setup screen is shown below.

System Overview: The following BIOS information will be displayed:

System Time/System Date

Use this option to change the system time and date. Highlight System Time or Sys-
tem Date using the arrow keys. Enter new values through the keyboard. Press the
<Tab> key or the arrow keys to move between fields. The date must be entered in
Day MM/DD/YY format. The time is entered in HH:MM:SS format. (Note: The time
is in the 24-hour format. For example, 5:30 P.M. appears as 17:30:00.)
Supermicro X8SAX/C7X58
Version
Build Date

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

Processor
The AMI BIOS will automatically display the status of processor as shown below:
Speed
Physical Count
Logical Count

System Memory
This displays the size of memory available in the system:
Populated Size
Available Size

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

4-3 Advanced Setup Configurations

Use the arrow keys to select Boot Setup and hit <Enter> to access the submenu
items:

BOOT Feature

Quick Boot
Select Enabled, to skip certain tests during POST to reduce the time needed for
system boot. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

Quiet Boot
This option allows the user to choose between POST messages and the OEM
logo. Select Disabled to display the POST messages. Select Enabled to display
the OEM logo instead of the normal POST messages. The options are Enabled
and Disabled.

AddOn ROM Display Mode

This sets the display mode for the Option ROM. The options are Force BIOS
and Keep Current.
Bootup Num-Lock
This feature selects the Power-on state for Numlock key. The options are Off
and On.
PS/2 Mouse Support
This feature enables support for the PS/2 mouse. The options are Disabled,
Enabled and Auto.

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

Wait For 'F1' If Error

Select Enabled to force the system to wait until the 'F1' key is pressed if an error
occurs. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

Hit 'Del' Message Display

Select Enabled to display: "Press DEL to run Setup" during POST. The options
are Enabled and Disabled.

Watch Dog Function

Select Enabled to enable the Watch Dog Timer which will reboot the system when
it is inactive for more than 5 minutes. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

Power Button Function

This feature controls how the system shuts down when the power button is
pressed. Select 4-Second Override to force the user to press and hold the Power
Button for 4 seconds before the system turns off. Select Instant Off if you want
the system to instanty power off when the Power Button is pressed. The options
are 4 Second Override and Instant Off.

Restore on AC Power Loss

Use this feature to set the power state after a power outage. Select Power-Off for
the system power to remain off after a power loss. Select Power-On for the system
power to be turned on after a power loss. Select Last State to allow the system to
resume its last state before a power loss. The options are Power-On, Power-Off
and Last State.

Interrupt 19 Capture

Interrupt 19 is the software interrupt that handles the boot disk function.
When this item is set to Enabled, the ROM BIOS of the host adaptors will
"capture" Interrupt 19 at boot and allow the drives that are attached to these
host adaptors to function as bootable disks. If this item is set to Disabled, the
ROM BIOS of the host adaptors will not capture Interrupt 19, and the drives
attached to these adaptors will not function as bootable devices. The options
are Enabled and Disabled.

Processor & Clock Options

When you first enter the Processor and Clock Options, the current
processor and clock configuration is displayed. Below it are the different
options that can be modified:

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Ratio CMOS Setting

This option allows the user to set the ratio between the CPU Core Clock and the
FSB Frequency. (Note: if an invalid ratio is entered, the AMI BIOS will restore the
setting to the previous state.) The default setting depends on what type of CPU
is installed. For example, the default setting for the Intel® Core i7™ 965 is [24].
Press "+" or "-" on your keyboard to change this value.

CPU Ratio
This option sets the CPU frequency ratio in relation to the bus clock. The options
are Auto and Manual.
Warning: This feature is for advanced users only. We recommend to leave
this setting to Auto. When this item is set to Manual, incorrectly setting the
CPU to a frequency it does not support may lead to system instability and/
or CPU damage. Supermicro shall not be responsible for any damage to the
CPU, motherboard and other devices attached.

Clock-Spread Spectrum
Select Enable to use the feature of Clock Spectrum, which will allow the BIOS to
monitor and attempt to reduce the level of Electromagnetic Interference caused by
the components whenever needed. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

Hardware Prefetcher (Available when supported by the CPU)

If set to Enabled, the hardware prefetcher will prefetch streams of data and instruc-
tions from the main memory to the L2 cache in the forward or backward manner to
improve CPU performance. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch (Available if supported by the CPU)

The CPU fetches the cache line for 64 bytes if this option is set to Disabled. The
CPU fetches both cache lines for 128 bytes as comprised if Enabled.

Intel® Virtualization Technology (Available when supported by the CPU)

Select Enabled to use the feature of Virtualization Technology to allow one platform
to run multiple operating systems and applications in independent partitions, creat-
ing multiple "virtual" systems in one physical computer. The options are Enabled
and Disabled. Note: If there is any change to this setting, you will need to power
off and restart the system for the change to take effect. Please refer to Intel’s web
site for detailed information.

Execute-Disable Bit Capability (Available when supported by the OS and

the CPU)
Set to Enabled to enable the Execute Disable Bit which will allow the processor
to designate areas in the system memory where an application code can execute

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

and where it cannot, thus preventing a worm or a virus from flooding illegal codes
to overwhelm the processor or damage the system during an attack. The default is
Enabled. (Refer to Intel and Microsoft Web Sites for more information.)

Simultaneous Multi-Threading (Available when supported by the CPU)

Set to Enabled to use the Hyper-Threading Technology, which will result in increased
CPU performance. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

Active Processor Cores

Set to Enabled to use a processor's Second Core and beyond. (Please refer to
Intel's web site for more information.) The options are All, 1 and 2.

Intel® EIST Technology (Available if supported by the CPU)

EIST (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology) allows the system to automatically
adjust processor voltage and core frequency in an effort to reduce power consump-
tion and heat dissipation. Please refer to Intel’s web site for detailed information.
The options are Disable: Disable GV3 and Enable: Enable GV3.

Intel® TurboMode Tech (Available if Intel® EIST technology is Enabled)

This feature allows processor cores to run faster than marked frequency in
specific conditions. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

Intel® C-STATE Architecture

C-State, a processor power management architecture developed by Intel, can fur-
ther reduce power consumption from the basic C1 (Halt State) state, which blocks
clock cycles to the CPU. C-State is an idle state, and instructions are not processed
by the CPU. A brief explanation of all the C-States are as follows:
C0 - Active. The CPU is processing instructions.
C1 - Auto Halt. The core clock (CPU) is off. This is the most basic idle state.
Some CPUs support C1E (C1 Enhanced) for lower power consumption.
C2 - Stop Clock. Both the core clock (CPU) and bus clocks (I/O) are off.
C3 - Deep Sleep. The clock generator is off.
C4 - Deeper Deep Sleep. Reduced VCC (Voltage supply).
C6 - Cache Power Off. Power is turned off to all caches.
C7 - Processor Specific. Leaves the initialized application processor in a
processor-specific low C-State. For Intel Core i7 processors, this is the lowest
C-State supported.

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

C1E Support
Select Enabled to use the "Enhanced Halt State" feature. C1E significantly reduces
the CPU's power consumption by reducing the CPU's clock cycle and voltage during
a "Halt State." The options are Disabled and Enabled.

C-STATE Tech
If enabled, C-State is set by the system automatically to either C2, C3 or C4 state.
The options are Disabled and Enabled.

C-State package limit setting

If set to Auto, the AMI BIOS will automatically set the limit on the C-State package
register. The options are Auto, C1, C3, C6 and C7.

C1 Auto Demotion
When enabled, the CPU will conditionally demote C3, C6 or C7 requests to C1 based
on un-core auto-demote information. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

C3 Auto Demotion
When enabled, the CPU will conditionally demote C6 or C7 requests to C3 based
on un-core auto-demote information. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

DCA Technology
This feature accelerates the performance of TOE devices. Note: A TOE device is
a specialized, dedicated processor that is installed on an add-on card or a net-
work card to handle some or all packet processing of this add-on card. For this
motherboard, the TOE device is built inside the ESB 2 South Bridge chip. This
feature is supported only by some types of processors. The options are Enabled
and Disabled.

DCA Prefetch Delay

A DCA Prefetch is used with TOE components to prefetch data in order to shorten
execution cycles and maximize data processing efficiency. Prefetching too fre-
quently can saturate the cache directory and delay necessary cache accesses. This
feature reduces or increases the frequency the system prefetches data. The options
are [8], [16], [32], [40], [48], [56], [64], [72], [80], [88], [96], [104], [112], [120]

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

Advanced Chipset Control

The items included in the Advanced Settings submenu are listed below:

QPI and IMC Configuration

QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) is the connection between the CPU and the
motherboard's I/O hub. Use this feature to modify speed and power manage-
ment settings.

QPI Links Speed

Use this feature to select QPI data transfer speed. The options are Slow-mode,
and Full Speed.

QPI Frequency
Use this option to set the QPI frequency. The options are Auto, 4.800 GT, 5.866
GT, and 6.400 GT.

QPI L0s and L1

Select Enabled to lower the QPI power state. L0s and L1 are automatically
selected by the motherboard. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

Memory Frequency
Use this option to force the system memory to run at a different frequency than
the default frequency. The available options are Auto, Force DDR-800, Force
DDR-1066, and Force DDR-1333.

Memory Mode
The options are Independent, Channel Mirror, Lockstep and Sparing.
Independent - All DIMMs are available to the operating system.
Channel Mirror - The motherboard maintains two identical copies of all data in
memory for redundancy.
Lockstep - The motherboard uses two areas of memory to run the same set of
operations in parallel.
Sparing - A preset threshold of correctable errors is used to trigger fail-over. The
spare memory is put online and used as active memory in place of the failed
memory.

Demand Scrubbing
Demand Scrubbing is a process that allows the North Bridge to correct correctable
memory errors found on a memory module. When the CPU or I/O issues a demand-
read command, and the read data from memory turns out to be a correctable error,
the error is corrected and sent to the requestor (the original source). Memory is

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

updated as well. Select Enabled to use Demand Scrubbing for ECC memory cor-
rection. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

Patrol Scrubbing
Patrol Scrubbing is a process that allows the North Bridge to correct correctable
memory errors detected on a memory module and send the correction to the re-
questor (the original source). When this item is set to Enabled, the North Bridge will
read and write back one cache line every 16K cycles, if there is no delay caused
by internal processing. By using this method, roughly 64 GB of memory behind the
North Bridge will be scrubbed every day. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

Throttling - Open Loop

If set to Enabled, Throttling - Open Loop will be activated when the projected
memory temperature exceeds a predefined trip-point. This process can effectively
improve memory thermal performance. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

Inlet Temperature
This is the temperature detected at the chassis inlet. Each step is in 0.5oC
increment. The default is [070]. Press "+" or "-" on your keyboard to change
this value.

Temperature Rise
This item allows the user to define the temperature rise parameter of a memory
module to be used to improve memory power management. Each setting is in
0.5oC increments. The default setting is [020]. Press "+" or "-" on your keyboard
to change this value.

Air Flow
This item allows the user to set the desired speed of air flow to the DIMM mod-
ules. Each increment is one mm/sec. The default is [1500]. Press "+" or "-" on
your keyboard to change this value.

Altitude
This item allows the user to specify the altitude of the location where the com-
puter is used. For Tylersburg-EP platforms, system memory thermal solution
is derated up to 900m. To comply with CPU specifications, BIOS will attempt
to adjust and correct DIMM velocity based on the altitude where the system is
located in order to improve DIMM thermal performance. Altitude is defined as the
number of feet above the sea level where the computer is located. The options
are Sea Level or Below, 1~300 (above-), 301~600 (above-), 601~900 (above-),

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

901~1200 (above-), 1201~1500 (above-), 1501~1800 (above-), 1801~2100

(above-), 2101~2400 (above-), 2401~2700 (above-), and 2701~3000 (above-)
the sea level.

DIMM Pitch
Use this feature to specify the distance of physical space between each DIMM
module. Each step is in 1/1000 of an inch. The default is [400]. Press "+" or "-"
on your keyboard to change this value.

Performance Tuning Mode (Available on the C7X58 only, when both XMP
memory and an Extreme Edition CPU are installed.)
This item allows the user to choose the Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) Speci-
fication which enables DDR3 memory to operate beyond the standard JEDEC SPD
specification. Select XMP for 1600 MHz XMP memory operation and better system
performance. Otherwise, leave this setting at Auto.

High Performance Event Timer

Select Enabled to activate the High Performance Event Timer (HPET) that
produces periodic interrupts at a much higher frequency than a Real-time Clock
(RTC) does in synchronizing multimedia streams, providing smooth playback
and reducing the dependency on other timestamp calculation devices, such as
an x86 RDTSC Instruction embedded in the CPU. The High Performance Event
Timer is used to replace the 8254 Programmable Interval Timer. The options are
Enabled and Disabled.

HDA Controller
Select Enabled to enable the High-Definition Audio controller. The options are
Enabled and Disabled.

Intel VT-d
Select Enabled to enable Intel's Virtualization Technology support for Direct I/O VT-d
by reporting the I/O device assignments to VMM through the DMAR ACPI Tables.
This feature offers fully-protected I/O resource-sharing across the Intel platforms,
providing the user with greater reliability, security and availability in networking and
data-sharing. The settings are Enabled and Disabled.

Intel I/OAT

The Intel I/OAT (I/O Acceleration Technology) significantly reduces CPU

overhead by leveraging CPU architectural improvements, freeing resources for
more other tasks. Available options are Disabled and Enabled.

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Active State Power Management

Select Enabled to start Active-State Power Management for signal transactions
between L0 and L1 Links on the PCI Express Bus. This maximizes power-saving
and transaction speed. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

USB Functions
This feature allows the user to decide the number of onboard USB ports to be en-
abled. The Options are: Disabled, 2 USB ports, 4 USB ports, 6 USB ports, 8 USB
ports, 10 USB ports and 12 USB ports.

USB 2.0 Controller

Select Enabled to activate the onboard USB2.0 controller. The options are En-
abled and Disabled.

Legacy USB Support

Select Enabled to use Legacy USB devices. If this item is set to Auto, Legacy USB
support will be automatically enabled if a legacy USB device is installed on the
motherboard, and vise versa. The settings are Disabled, Enabled and Auto.

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

IDE / Floppy Configuration

When this submenu is selected, the AMI BIOS automatically detects the
presence of the IDE Devices and displays the following items:

Floppy A
This feature allows the user to select the type of floppy drive connected to the sys-
tem. The options are Disabled, 360KB 5 1/4", 1.2MB 5 1/4", 720KB 3 1/2", 1.44MB
3 1/2" and 2.88MB 3 1/2".

SATA#1 Configuration

If Compatible is selected, it sets SATA#1 to legacy compatibility mode, while

selecting Enhanced sets SATA#1 to native SATA mode. The options are
Disabled, Compatible, Enhanced

Configure SATA#1 as
This feature allows the user to select the drive type for SATA#1. The options are
IDE, RAID and AHCI.

ICH RAID CodeBase (Available if RAID is selected above)

Select Intel to enable the Intel Host RAID Utility. Select Adaptec to use the Adaptec
HostRAID Utility. The options are Intel and Adaptec.

SATA#2 Configuration

Selecting Enhanced will set SATA#2 to native SATA mode. The options are
Disabled, Enhanced

IDE Detect Timeout (sec)

Use this feature to set the time-out value for the BIOS to detect the ATA, ATAPI
devices installed in the system. The options are 0 (sec), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and
35.

AHCI CD/DVD Boot Timeout

Use this feature to set the time-out value for the BIOS to detect the AHCI CD/DVD
boot devices installed in the system. The options are 0 (sec), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25,
30, and 35.

Primary IDE Master/Slave, Secondary IDE Master/Slave, Third IDE Master,

and fourth IDE Master
These settings allow the user to set the parameters of Primary IDE Master/Slave,
Secondary IDE Master/Slave, Third and Fourth IDE Master slots. Hit <Enter> to

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

activate the following submenu screen for detailed options of these items. Set the
correct configurations accordingly. The items included in the submenu are:

Type
Select the type of device connected to the system. The options are Not Installed,
Auto, CD/DVD and ARMD.

LBA/Large Mode
LBA (Logical Block Addressing) is a method of addressing data on a disk drive.
In the LBA mode, the maximum drive capacity is 137 GB. For drive capacities
over 137 GB, your system must be equipped with a 48-bit LBA mode addressing.
If not, contact your manufacturer or install an ATA/133 IDE controller card that
supports 48-bit LBA mode. The options are Disabled and Auto.

Block (Multi-Sector Transfer)

Block Mode boosts the IDE drive performance by increasing the amount of data
transferred. Only 512 bytes of data can be transferred per interrupt if Block Mode
is not used. Block Mode allows transfers of up to 64 KB per interrupt. Select
Disabled to allow data to be transferred from and to the device one sector at
a time. Select Auto to allow data transfer from and to the device occur multiple
sectors at a time if the device supports it. The options are Auto and Disabled.

PIO Mode
The IDE PIO (Programmable I/O) Mode programs timing cycles between the
IDE drive and the programmable IDE controller. As the PIO mode increases, the
cycle time decreases. The options are Auto, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Select Auto to allow the AMI BIOS to automatically detect the PIO mode. Use
this value if the IDE disk drive support cannot be determined.
Select 0 to allow the AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 0. It has a data transfer rate
of 3.3 MBs.
Select 1 to allow the AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 1. It has a data transfer rate
of 5.2 MBs.
Select 2 to allow the AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 2. It has a data transfer rate
of 8.3 MBs.
Select 3 to allow the AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 3. It has a data transfer rate
of 11.1 MBs.
Select 4 to allow the AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 4. It has a data transfer 32-Bit
Data Transfer.

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DMA Mode
Select Auto to allow the BIOS to automatically detect IDE DMA mode when the
IDE disk drive support cannot be determined.
Select SWDMA0 to allow the BIOS to use Single Word DMA mode 0. It has a
data transfer rate of 2.1 MBs.
Select SWDMA1 to allow the BIOS to use Single Word DMA mode 1. It has a
data transfer rate of 4.2 MBs. Select SWDMA2 to allow the BIOS to use Single
Word DMA mode 2. It has a data transfer rate of 8.3 MBs.
Select MWDMA0 to allow the BIOS to use Multi Word DMA mode 0. It has a
data transfer rate of 4.2 MBs.
Select MWDMA1 to allow the BIOS to use Multi Word DMA mode 1. It has a
data transfer rate of 13.3 MBs.
Select MWDMA2 to allow the BIOS to use Multi-Word DMA mode 2. It has a
data transfer rate of 16.6 MBs.
Select UDMA0 to allow the BIOS to use Ultra DMA mode 0. It has a data transfer
rate of 16.6 MBs. It has the same transfer rate as PIO mode 4 and Multi Word
DMA mode 2.
Select UDMA1 to allow the BIOS to use Ultra DMA mode 1. It has a data transfer
rate of 25 MBs.
Select UDMA2 to allow the BIOS to use Ultra DMA mode 2. It has a data transfer
rate of 33.3 MBs.
Select UDMA3 to allow the BIOS to use Ultra DMA mode 3. It has a data transfer
rate of 66.6 MBs.
Select UDMA4 to allow the BIOS to use Ultra DMA mode 4 . It has a data
transfer rate of 100 MBs.
The options are Auto, SWDMAn, MWDMAn, and UDMAn.

S.M.A.R.T. For Hard disk drives

Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) can help predict
impending drive failures. Select Auto to allow the AMI BIOS to automatically de-
tect hard disk drive support. Select Disabled to prevent the AMI BIOS from using
the S.M.A.R.T. Select Enabled to allow the AMI BIOS to use the S.M.A.R.T. to
support hard drive disk. The options are Disabled, Enabled, and Auto.

32Bit Data Transfer

Select Enable to activate 32-bit IDE data transfer. The options are Enabled
and Disabled.

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PCI/PnP Configuration
This feature allows the user to set the PCI/PnP configurations for the following
items:
Clear NVRAM
This feature clears the NVRAM during system boot. The options are No and
Yes.

Plug & Play OS

Select Yes to allow the OS to configure Plug & Play devices. (This is not required
for system boot if your system has an OS that supports Plug & Play.) Select No to
allow the AMI BIOS to configure all devices in the system.

PCI Latency Timer

This feature sets the latency Timer of each PCI device installed on a PCI bus. Select
64 to set the PCI latency to 64 PCI clock cycles. The options are 32, 64, 96, 128,
160, 192, 224 and 248.

PCIX Slot Frequency

Use this setting to change the clock frequency of the PCIX slot(s). The available
options are Auto, 33MHz PCI, 66MHz PCI, 66MHz PCI-X M1, 100MHz PCI-X
M1, and 133MHz PCI-X M1.

PXH IOAPIC Function (X8SAX only)

Disable this setting for Windows Vista and Windows 2008. This is provided to
optimize compatibility. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

PCI IDE Bus Master

When enabled, the BIOS uses PCI bus mastering for reading/writing to IDE
drives. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

PCI Slot 1 ~ PCI Slot 6

Use this setting to disable any of the PCI slots. The options are Disabled and
Enabled.

Load Onboard LAN1 Option ROM, Load Onboard LAN2 Option ROM

This feature is to enable LAN OPROM for PXE. This is to boot computers using
a network interface. The options are Disabled and Enabled.

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

Super IO Device Configuration

Serial Port1 Address/ Serial Port2 Address

This option specifies the base I/O port address and the Interrupt Request address
of Serial Port 1 and Serial Port 2. Select Disabled to prevent the serial port from
accessing any system resources. When this option is set to Disabled, the serial port
physically becomes unavailable. Select 3F8/IRQ4 to allow the serial port to use 3F8
as its I/O port address and IRQ 4 for the interrupt address. The options for Serial
Port1 are Disabled, 3F8/IRQ4, 3E8/IRQ4, 2E8/IRQ3. The options for Serial Port2
are Disabled, 2F8/IRQ3, 3E8/IRQ4, and 2E8/IRQ3.

Serial Port 2 Mode

Use this feature to configure Serial Port 2 mode. The options are Normal, IrDA
and ASK IR. IrDA (Infra-Red Data) is an industry standard for remote control
devices. ASK IR (Amplitude Shifted Keying Infra-Red) is a protocol compatible
with Sharp® branded PDAs and other infra-red devices.

Floppy Controller
Select Enabled to enable the onboard Floppy Controller. The options are Enabled
and Disabled.

Remote Access Configuration

Remote Access
This feature allows the user to enable the function of Remote Access. The op-
tions are Disabled and Enabled.
If the item Remote Access is set to Enabled, the following items will display:

Serial Port Number

This feature allows the user decide which serial port to be used for Console
Redirection. The options are COM 1, and COM 2.

Serial Port Mode

This feature allows the user to set the serial port mode for Console Redirection.
The options are 115200 8, n 1; 57600 8, n, 1; 38400 8, n, 1; 19200 8, n, 1;
and 9600 8, n, 1.

Flow Control
This feature allows the user to set the flow control for Console Redirection. The
options are None, Hardware, and Software.

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Redirection After BIOS POST

Select Disabled to turn off Console Redirection after Power-On Self-Test
(POST). Select Always to keep Console Redirection active all the time after
POST. (Note: This setting may not be supported by some operating systems.)
Select Boot Loader to keep Console Redirection active during POST and Boot
Loader. The options are Disabled, Boot Loader, and Always.

Terminal Type
This feature allows the user to select the target terminal type for Console Redi-
rection. The options are ANSI, VT100, and VT-UTF8.

VT-UTF8 Combo Key Support

A terminal keyboard definition that provides a way to send commands from a
remote console. Available options are Enabled and Disabled.

Sredir Memory Display Delay

This feature defines the length of time in seconds to display memory information.
The options are No Delay, Delay 1 Sec, Delay 2 Sec, and Delay 4 Sec.

Hardware Health Configuration

This feature allows the user to monitor Hardware Health of the system and review
the status of each item when displayed.

CPU Overheat Alarm

This option allows the user to select the CPU Overheat Alarm setting which de-
termines when the CPU OH alarm will be activated to provide warning of possible
CPU overheat.
Warning: Any temperature that exceeds the CPU threshold temperature
predefined by the CPU manufacturer may result in CPU overheat or system
instability. When the CPU temperature reaches this predefined threshold,
the CPU and system cooling fans will run at full speed.

The options are:

The Default Alarm Setting: Select this setting if you want the CPU overheat
alarm (including the LED and the buzzer) to be triggered when the CPU tem-
perature reaches about 5 oC above the threshold temperature as predefined by
the CPU manufacturer to give the CPU and system fans additional time needed
for CPU and system cooling.

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

The Early Alarm Setting: Select this setting if you want the CPU overheat
alarm (including the LED and the buzzer) to be triggered as soon as the CPU
temperature reaches the CPU overheat threshold as predefined by the CPU
manufacturer.

CPU Temperature
The CPU Temperature feature will display the CPU temperature status as detected
by the BIOS:
Low – This level is considered as the ‘normal’ operating state. The CPU temperature
is well below the CPU ‘Temperature Tolerance’. The motherboard fans and CPU will
run normally as configured in the BIOS (Fan Speed Control).
User intervention: No action required.
Medium – The processor is running warmer. This is a ‘precautionary’ level and
generally means that there may be factors contributing to this condition, but the CPU
is still within its normal operating state and below the CPU ‘Temperature Tolerance’.
The motherboard fans and CPU will run normally as configured in the BIOS. The
fans may adjust to a faster speed depending on the Fan Speed Control settings.
User intervention: No action is required. However, consider checking the CPU
fans and the chassis ventilation for blockage.
High – The processor is running hot. This is a ‘caution’ level since the CPU’s ‘Tem-
perature Tolerance’ has been reached (or has been exceeded) and may activate
an overheat alarm:
The Default Alarm – the Overheat LED and system buzzer will activate if the High
condition continues for some time after it is reached. The CPU fan will run at full
speed to bring the CPU temperature down. If the CPU temperature still increases
even with the CPU fan running at full speed, the system buzzer will activate and
the Overheat LED will turn on.
The Early Alarm – the Overheat LED and system buzzer will be activated exactly
when the High level is reached. The CPU fan will run at full speed to bring the
CPU temperature down.
Note: In both the alarms above, please take immediate action as shown below.
See CPU Overheat Alarm to modify the above alarm settings.
User intervention: If the system buzzer and Overheat LED has activated, take
action immediately by checking the system fans, chassis ventilation and room
temperature to correct any problems. Note: the system may shut down if it con-
tinues for a long period to prevent damage to the CPU.
Notes: The CPU thermal technology that reports absolute temperatures
(Celsius/Fahrenheit) has been upgraded to a more advanced feature by Intel
in its newer processors. The basic concept is that each CPU is embedded

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

by a unique temperature information that the motherboard can read. This

‘Temperature Threshold’ or ‘Temperature Tolerance’ has been assigned at
the factory and is the baseline by which the motherboard takes action during
different CPU temperature conditions (i.e., by increasing CPU Fan speed,
triggering the Overheat Alarm, etc). Since CPUs can have different ‘Tem-
perature Tolerances’, the installed CPU can now send its ‘Temperature Toler-
ance’ to the motherboard resulting in better CPU thermal management.
Supermicro has leveraged this feature by assigning a temperature status to
certain thermal conditions in the processor (Low, Medium and High). This
makes it easier for the user to understand the CPU’s temperature status,
rather than by just simply seeing a temperature reading (i.e., 25oC).
The information provided above is for your reference only. For more information on
thermal management, please refer to Intel’s Web site at www.Intel.com.

System Temperature
This feature displays the absolute system temperature (i.e., 34oC).

Fan Speed Control Modes

This feature allows the user to decide how the system controls the speeds of the
onboard fans. The CPU temperature and the fan speed are correlative. When the
CPU on-die temperature increases, the fan speed will also increase, and vice versa.
Select Workstation if your system is used as a Workstation. Select Server if your
system is used as a Server. Select “Disabled, (Full Speed @12V)” to disable the
fan speed control function and allow the onboard fans to constantly run at the full
speed (12V). The Options are: 1. Disabled, 2. 4-pin (Super Quiet), and 3. 4-pin
(Workstation).

Voltage Monitoring
Vcore, +3.3Vcc, 12V, V_DIMM, 5V, -12V, 3.3VSB, and Vbatt.

Note: In the Windows OS environment, the Supero Doctor III settings take
precedence over the BIOS settings. When first installed, Supero Doctor III
adopts the temperature threshold settings previously set in the BIOS. Any
subsequent changes to these thresholds must be made within Supero Doc-
tor, since the SD III settings override the BIOS settings. For the Windows
OS to adopt the BIOS temperature threshold settings, please change the
SDIII settings to be the same as those set in the BIOS.

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

ACPI Configuration
Use this feature to configure Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
power management settings for your system.

USB Device Wake-Up

This feature is used to awaken the system from Standby mode by a Universal
Serial Bus (USB) device (such as, a USB mouse or USB keyboard). The
options are Enabled and Disabled.

PS/2 KB/MS Wake-Up

This feature is used to awaken the system from Standby mode by a PS/2
mouse or PS/2 keyboard. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

ACPI Aware O/S

Enable ACPI support if it is supported by the OS to control ACPI through the Op-
erating System. Otherwise, disable this feature. The options are Yes and No.

Suspend Mode
This option is used to select the ACPI State that is used for system suspend.
The options are S1 (POS), S3 (STR) and Auto.
S1 (POS) - All processor caches are erased, and stops executing in-
structions. Power to the CPU(s) and RAM is maintained, but RAM is
refreshed.

S3 (STR) - The CPU has no power and the power supply goes on reduced
power mode. However, main memory (RAM) is still powered.

Headless Mode
This feature is used to enable system to function without a keyboard, monitor or
mouse attached The options are Enabled and Disabled.

ACPI Version Features

The options are ACPI v1.0, ACPI v2.0 and ACPI v3.0. Please refer to ACPI's
website for further explanation: http://www.acpi.info/

Event Log Configuration

View Event Log

Use this option to view the System Event Log.

Mark all events as read

This option marks all events as read. The options are OK and Cancel.

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Clear event log

This option clears the Event Log memory of all messages. The options are
OK and Cancel.

4-4 Security Settings

The AMI BIOS provides a Supervisor and a User password. If you use both pass-
words, the Supervisor password must be set first.

Supervisor Password
This item indicates if a supervisor password has been entered for the system. Clear
means such a password has not been used and Set means a supervisor password
has been entered for the system.

User Password Is:

This item indicates if a user password has been entered for the system. Clear
means such a password has not been used and Set means a user password has
been entered for the system.

Change Supervisor Password

Select this feature and press <Enter> to access the submenu, and then type in a
new Supervisor Password.
User Access Level (Available when Supervisor Password is set as above)
Available options are Full Access: grants full User read and write access to the
Setup Utility, View Only: allows access to the Setup Utility but the fields cannot be
changed, Limited: allows only limited fields to be changed such as Date and Time,
No Access: prevents User access to the Setup Utility.

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

Change User Password

Select this feature and press <Enter> to access the submenu , and then type in a
new User Password.
Clear User Password (Available only if User Password has been set)
Password Check
Available options are Setup and Always.

Boot Sector Virus Protection

When Enabled, the AMI BIOS displays a warning when any program (or virus) is-
sues a Disk Format command or attempts to write to the boot sector of the hard
disk drive. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

4-5 Boot Configuration

Use this feature to configure Boot Settings:

Boot Device Priority

This feature allows the user to specify the sequence of priority for the Boot Device.
The settings are 1st boot device, 2nd boot device, 3rd boot device, and Disabled.
• 1st boot device - 1st Floppy Drive
• 2nd boot device - [CD/DVD: XXXXXXXXXX]
• 3rd boot device - [SATA: XXXXXXXXX]

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Removable Drives
This feature allows the user to specify the boot sequence from available Removable
Drives. The settings are 1st boot device, 2nd boot device, and Disabled.
• 1st Drive
• 2nd boot device - [USB: XXXXXXXXX]

4-6 Exit Options

Select the Exit tab from the AMI BIOS Setup Utility screen to enter the Exit BIOS
Setup screen.

Save Changes and Exit

When you have completed the system configuration changes, select this option
to leave the BIOS Setup Utility and reboot the computer, so the new system con-
figuration parameters can take effect. Select Save Changes and Exit from the Exit
menu and press <Enter>.

Discard Changes and Exit

Select this option to quit the BIOS Setup without making any permanent changes
to the system configuration, and reboot the computer. Select Discard Changes and
Exit from the Exit menu and press <Enter>.

Discard Changes
Select this option and press <Enter> to discard all the changes and return to the
AMI BIOS Utility Program.

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 Chapter 4: AMI BIOS

Load Optimal Defaults

To set this feature, select Load Optimal Defaults from the Exit menu and press
<Enter>. Then, select OK to allow the AMI BIOS to automatically load Optimal De-
faults to the BIOS Settings. The Optimal settings are designed for maximum system
performance, but may not work best for all computer applications.

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

To set this feature, select Load Fail-Safe Defaults from the Exit menu and press
<Enter>. The Fail-Safe settings are designed for maximum system stability, but not
for maximum performance.

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X8SAX/C7X58 User’s Manual

Notes

4-26
 Appendix A: POST Error Beep Codes

Appendix A

POST Error Beep Codes

This section lists POST (Power On Self Test) error beep codes for the AMI BIOS.
POST error beep codes are divided into two categories: recoverable and terminal.
This section lists Beep Codes for recoverable POST errors.

Recoverable POST Error Beep Codes

When a recoverable type of error occurs during POST, BIOS will display a POST
code that describes the problem. BIOS may also issue one of the following beep
codes:

1 long and two short beeps - video configuration error

1 repetitive long beep - no memory detected

1 continuous beep with the front panel Overheat LED on - system overheat

8 beeps - memory error

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X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Notes

A-2
 Appendix B: Installing the Windows OS

Appendix B

Installing the Windows OS

After all hardware components have been installed, you must first configure Intel
South Bridge RAID Settings before you install the Windows OS and other software
drivers. To configure RAID settings, please refer to RAID Configuration User Guides
posted on our website at www.supermicro.com/support/manuals.
Please note that the Intel ICH10R South Bridge used on this motherboard
does not support HostRAID settings.

B-1 Installing the Windows OS for Systems with RAID

Functions
1. Insert Microsoft's Windows XP/2003 Setup CD in the CD Driver, and the
system will start booting up from CD.

2. Press the <F6> key when the message-" Press F6 if you need to install a
third party SCSI or RAID driver" displays.

3. When the Windows XP/2003 Setup screen appears, press "S" to specify ad-
ditional device(s).

4. Insert the driver diskette- "ITE RAID XP/2003 Driver into Drive A: and press
the <ENTER> key.

5. When the Windows XP/2003 Setup screen appears, press "S" to specify ad-
ditional device(s).

6. Insert the driver diskette-"Intel AA RAID XP/2003 Driver for ICH10R" into
Drive A: and press the <Enter> key.

7. Choose the Intel(R) ICH10R SATA RAID Controller from the list indicated in
the XP/2003 Setup Screen, and press the <Enter> key.

8. Press the <Enter> key to continue the installation process. (If you need to
specify any additional devices to be installed, do it at this time.) Once all
devices are specified, press the <Enter> key to continue with the installation.

9. From the Windows XP/2003 Setup screen, press the <Enter> key. The
XP/2003 Setup will automatically load all device files and then, continue the
Windows XP/2003 installation.

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual Guide

10. After the Windows XP/2003 OS Installation is completed, the system will auto-
matically reboot.

B-2 Installing the Windows OS for Systems without

RAID Functions
1. Insert Microsoft's Windows XP/2003 Setup CD in the CD Driver, and the
system will start booting up from CD.

2. Press the <F6> key when the message-" Press F6 if you need to install a
third party SCSI or RAID driver" displays.

3. When the Windows XP/2003 Setup screen appears, press "S" to specify ad-
ditional device(s).

4. Insert the driver diskette-"ITE RAID XP/2003 Driver for IDE" into Drive A: and
press the <Enter> key.

5. Press the <Enter> key to proceed with the installation process. (If you need
to specify any additional devices to be installed, do it at this time.) Once all
devices are specified, press the <Enter> key to continue with the installation.

6. From the Windows XP/2003 Setup screen, press the <Enter> key. The
XP/2003 Setup will automatically load all device files and then continue with
the Windows XP/2003 installation.

7. After the Windows XP/2003 OS Installation is completed, the system will auto-
matically reboot.

8. Insert the Supermicro Setup CD that came with your motherboard into the CD
Drive during system boot, and the main screen shown on Page C-1 in Ap-
pendix C will display. Follow the instructions given in Appendix C to complete
software installation.

B-2
 Appendix C: Software Installation Instructions

Appendix C

Software Installation Instructions

C-1 Installing Drivers

After you've installed the Windows Operating System, a screen as shown below
will appear. You are ready to install software programs and drivers that have not
yet been installed. To install these software programs and drivers, click the icons
to the right of these items.

Driver/Tool Installation Display Screen

Note: Click the icons showing a hand writing on the paper to view the
readme files for each item. Click a computer icon to the right of an item to
install an item (from top to the bottom) one at a time. After installing each
item, you must re-boot the system before proceeding with the next item
on the list. The bottom icon with a CD on it allows you to view the entire
contents of the CD.

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

C-2 Configuring Supero Doctor III

The Supero Doctor III program is a Web-base management tool that supports
remote management capability. It includes Remote and Local Management tools.
The local management is called the SD III Client. The Supero Doctor III program
included on the CDROM that came with your motherboard allows you to monitor
the environment and operations of your system. Supero Doctor III displays crucial
system information such as CPU temperature, system voltages and fan status. See
the Figure below for a display of the Supero Doctor III interface.

Note 1: Both default user name and password are ADMIN.

Note 2: In the Windows OS environment, the Supero Doctor III settings

take precedence over the BIOS settings. When first installed, Supero
Doctor III adopts the temperature threshold settings previously set in the
BIOS. Any subsequent changes to these thresholds must be made within
Supero Doctor, since the SD III settings override the BIOS settings. For
the Windows OS to adopt the BIOS temperature threshold settings, please
change the SDIII settings to be the same as those set in the BIOS.

Supero Doctor III Interface Display Screen-I (Health Information)

C-2
 Appendix C: Software Installation Instructions

Supero Doctor III Interface Display Screen-II (Remote Control)

Note: SD III Software Revision 1.0 can be downloaded from our Web
site at: ftp://ftp.supermicro.com/utility/Supero_Doctor_III/. You can also
download SDIII User's Guide at: http://www.supermicro.com/PRODUCT/
Manuals/SDIII/UserGuide.pdf. For Linux, we will still recommend that you
use Supero Doctor II.

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X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

Notes

C-4
 Appendix D: BIOS Recovery

Appendix D - BIOS Recovery

The recovery procedure described in this section is to be used only when advised
by your Supermicro Technical Support representative, or in cases of emergencies
where the system no longer can boot due to a corrupted BIOS. DO NOT re-program
(re-flash) the BIOS if your system is running properly.

D-1 Recovery Process from a USB Device/Drive

(Recommended Method)
If the BIOS file is corrupted and the system is not able to boot up, this feature will
allow you to recover the BIOS image using a USB-attached device. A USB Flash
Drive or a USB CD/DVD ROM/RW drive may be used for this purpose. Please
note that a USB Hard Disk drive is NOT supported at this time. Below is a two-part
procedure to recover the BIOS:

Part 1: Boot Sector Recovery Process

1. Using a different system, download and copy the correct BIOS binary image
into a USB flash device or a writable CD/DVD disc's Root "\" Directory. Rename the
downloaded file to "super.rom", so the recovery process can recognize and read
the BIOS binary file.
2. Insert the USB device that contains the new BIOS binary image (“super.rom”)
and power the system down.
3. While powering on the system, press and hold <Ctrl> and <Home> simultane-
ously on your keyboard until the USB device's LED indicator comes on. This will
take a few seconds or up to one minute.
4. Once the USB device's LED is on, release the <Ctrl> and <Home> keys. The
system may generate beep codes to indicate that the BIOS ROM firmware is being
reprogrammed. The screen will also display a message as shown below. DO NOT
INTERRUPT THIS PROCESS!

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 X8SAX/C7X58 User's Manual

5. When the Boot Sector Recovery Process is complete, the system will reboot
automatically and you will see a checksum error on your screen.

Part 2 - BIOS Reprogramming (Re-Flashing)

After completing the Boot Sector Recovery Process, you will need to reprogram
(“re-flash”) the proper BIOS binary file again into the BIOS ROM in order to have
the correct BIOS file loaded by the system. For details on how to flash/re-flash a
BIOS, please check our website for “Update your BIOS”, or see the section 3-3
(FAQ) of this manual. DO NOT INTERRUPT THIS PROCESS!
When completed, the system will reboot automatically, and you will see a checksum
error again.
Press “F1” to go to setup. Press “F9” to load the defaults and then press “F10” to
save and exit.

D-2 Recovery Process from an IDE/SATA ATAPI Disc

Drive
This process is identical to the Boot Sector Recovery Process from a USB Device/
Drive (as above), except that the BIOS image file (“super.rom”) is loaded from an
IDE/ATAPI CD/DVD/ROM/RW disc drive that is attached to the system. Note that
loading from an IDE/SATA hard disk drive is NOT supported.
1. Using a different system, download and copy the correct BIOS binary image
into a writable CD/DVD disc's Root "\" Directory. Rename the downloaded file to
"super.rom", so the recovery process can recognize and read the BIOS binary
file.
Note: Record/Burn the CD/DVD-R/RW disc using the ISO 9600 standard format.
Refer to your CD/DVD mastering application documentation for instructions on
how to do this.
2. Insert the newly-created disc into the IDE/SATA ATAPI CD/DVD ROM/RW
drive of the system that has the corrupted BIOS and power the system down.
3. Follow the step-by-step instructions under Part 1 - Recovery Process from a
USB Device/Drive (above) starting from Step 3 and continue on to Part 2 - BIOS
Reprogramming (Re-Flashing).

If your system still does not boot up after performing the above procedure, then
there may be other issues with your motherboard. Please contact your customer
service representative.

D-2
(Disclaimer)

The products sold by Supermicro are not intended for and will not be used in life support systems, medical equipment, nuclear facilities or systems, aircraft, aircraft devices,
aircraft/emergency communication devices or other critical systems whose failure to perform be reasonably expected to result in significant injury or loss of life or catastrophic
property damage. Accordingly, Supermicro disclaims any and all liability, and should buyer use or sell such products for use in such ultra-hazardous applications, it does so
entirely at its own risk. Furthermore, buyer agrees to fully indemnify, defend and hold Supermicro harmless for and against any and all claims, demands, actions, litigation, and
proceedings of any kind arising out of or related to such ultra-hazardous use or sale.