Hardware Secrets
Home | Audio | Case | Cooling | CPU | Input | Memory | Mobile | Motherboard | Networking | Power | Storage | Video | Other
Content
Articles
First Look
News
Reviews
Tutorials
Main Menu
About Us
Compare Prices
Datasheets
Dictionary
Download
Drivers
Forums
Gabriel's Blog
Links
Manufacturer Finder
Newsletter
On The Web
RSS Feed
Test Your Skills
Newsletter
Subscribe today!
Search




Recommended Book
Breaking Through the BIOS Barrier: The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide for PCs
By Adrian Wong
Prentice Hall PTR
Price: $4.98

Home » Motherboard
BIOS Setup
Author: Gabriel Torres
Type: Tutorials Last Updated: July 1, 2004
Page: 13 of 13
$ Check REAL-TIME pricing for ASUS P5N-E SLI (90-MBB5G0-G0EAY00Z) Motherboard $
eBay: $98.95 Amazon: $342.00
Amazon: $333.99 Jr: $349.99
Compusa: $349.99

Peripheral Setup

Now we will discuss the Peripheral Setup (or Integrated Peripherals) which configure all peripherals integrated in the motherboard (onboard), including the serial ports, the parallel port the IDE port and the floppy drive controller.

The most frequent options found in this menu are:

  • On-Chip VGA: Enables onboard video, if your motherboard is equipped with such facility. In case you want to disable the onboard video to install a new video board in one of the computer slots, just disable this option.
  • Onboard VGA Memory Size or VGA Shared Memory Size: In computer equipped with onboard video and using UMA architecture (Unified Memory Architecture) the motherboard chipset uses part of the RAM Memory as video memory. In this option you will set how much RAM memory will be assigned to video functions. The more memory you set the worse as you will be losing memory for applications execution. The appropriate amount depends on the Windows chosen resolution. We suggest the following setup: 640x480, 1 MB; 800x600, 2 MB; 1.024x768 or 1.280x1.024, 4 MB. For instance, it is useless to assign 4MB to video if the used resolution is 640x480 as this resolution will not use more than 1MB video memory. Therefore you would waste 3MB.
  • Onboard Sound: Enables onboard audio, if your motherboard is equipped with such facility. Disable this option in case you want to install an external soundboard in one available slot.
  • Programming Mode: If you set this option as auto, setup will automatically set up all remaining functions of this menu. If in manual you can manually configure the existing functions.
  • Onboard FDC: Enables the floppy disk unit. (leave it enabled).
  • FDD AB Exchange Function or Swap Floppy Drive: Swaps logically A unit with B unit. Leave it disabled.
  • Serial Port 1: Sets up serial port 1. Leave it in "Auto", "COM1", or "3F8".
  • Serial Port 2: Sets up serial port 2. If you have an installed fax modem using address COM2, you have to disable motherboard serial port 2 to avoid the conflict If that is not the case, leave it in "Auto", "COM2", or "2F8".
  • Serial Port 1 MIDI Support: Enables serial port 1 with MIDI interface. Leave it disabled.
  • Serial Port 2 MIDI Support: Equal.
  • Parallel Port: Enables the computer parallel port. Leave it as "Auto", "LPT1", or "378".
  • Parallel Port Mode: Sets up the parallel port operating mode as normal ("Normal", or "SPP") or bi-directional ("Extended", or "ECP/EPP"). We suggest to set as bi-directional mode.
  • Parallel Port Extended Mode: Configures the bi-directional mode which is used by parallel port - EPP or ECP. We suggest you set it as ECP which offers a highest performance.
Pages (13): « First ... « 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 [13]
Print Version | Send to Friend | | Bookmark Article | Comments (0)

Related Content
  • How To Perform a BIOS Upgrade
  • BIOS Backup
  • Replacing the Motherboard Battery
  • Small Details on Motherboards
  • How to Install a Motherboard

  • Recommended Deals
    MSI P6NGM-FD Core 2 Quad Socket 775 1333MHz PC2-6400 (DDR2-800) Motherboard Retail (7366-040R)


    Dell: $55.99 Dell SMB: $55.99
    Amazon: $64.03 Amazon: $65.24
    MSI P6NGM-L Intel Core Duo Socket 775 1066 MHz PC2-6400 (DDR2-800) mATX Motherboard Retail


    CompUSA.com: $49.99 TigerDirect.com: $49.99
    Amazon: $53.24 CDW Corporation: $62.99
    Nextwarehouse: $52.85 Amazon: $46.76
    MSI P6NGM-L Intel Core Duo Socket 775 1066 MHz PC2-6400 (DDR2-800) mATX Motherboard Retail


    CompUSA.com: $49.99 TigerDirect.com: $49.99
    Amazon: $53.24 CDW Corporation: $62.99
    Nextwarehouse: $52.85 Amazon: $46.76
    MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Core 2 Extreme/Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Quad Socket 775 1600 MHz PC2-8500 (DDR2-1... Motherboard


    TigerDirect.com: $124.99 CompuVest: $121.56
    PCNation: $127.23 CompUSA.com: $124.99
    J&R Music and Computer World: $126.99 TheNerds: $113.99

    RSSLatest News
    Thermaltake Launches Fanless 330 VGA Cooler
    November 19, 2008 - 6:17 PM PST
    Mushkin Launches Triple-Channel DDR3 kits for Core i7 Processors
    November 18, 2008 - 6:43 PM PST
    Manufacturers Launch Intel X58 Motherboards
    November 18, 2008 - 6:11 PM PST
    Intel Launches Core i7 Processors
    November 18, 2008 - 6:02 PM PST
    Scythe Kama Panel 3.5” Multifunctional Panel
    November 17, 2008 - 6:50 PM PST
    AMD Launches 45-nm Opteron Processors
    November 14, 2008 - 4:34 PM PST
    Noctua Presents Cooler for Intel Core i7 CPUs
    November 12, 2008 - 11:37 AM PST
    Thermalright Launches Ultra-120 eXtreme Cooler
    November 11, 2008 - 4:04 AM PST
    PowerColor Launches Water-Cooling Ready Radeon HD 4870
    November 10, 2008 - 4:22 PM PST
    Enermax Launches Revolution 85+ PSU Series
    November 7, 2008 - 5:40 PM PST
    .:: More News ::.

    RSSLatest Content
    GeForce GTX 260 with 216 cores Video Card Review
    Laptop Design: What are some ways that form can enhance function?
    Panasonic Link-to-Cell Phone System Review
    Topower TOP-1100P10 Power Supply Review
    Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H Motherboard
    OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator Review
    OCZ EliteXStream 1000 W Power Supply Review
    Everything You Need to Know About Megapixels
    Battery Life: How Long Does a Battery Need to Last?
    Corsair HX1000W Power Supply Review
    AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table
    What is the ideal size for a notebook?
    ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition Motherboard
    All Pentium Dual Core Models
    Sapphire HD 4850 X2 Video Card Review

    Our Most Popular Articles
    Maximum CPU Temperature
    821,683 views
    nVidia Chips Comparison Table
    511,973 views
    AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table
    450,911 views
    How to Find Out Your Motherboard Manufacturer and Model
    432,163 views
    ATI Radeon X1300 Pro Review
    428,649 views
    ATI Radeon X1600 XT Review
    422,205 views
    Connecting Two PCs Using a USB-USB Cable
    383,628 views
    How To Correctly Apply Thermal Grease
    367,996 views
    Sempron vs. Athlon XP
    289,435 views
    Sempron 3400+ Review
    281,804 views

    Latest Threads in Our Forums
    Motherboard Repairing
    by joseph
    How to Manually Clean Your VCR Heads
    by michellek4760
    Thermaltake Launches Fanless 330 VGA Cooler
    by Hardware Secrets Team
    GeForce GTX 260 with 216 cores Video Card Review
    by Hardware Secrets Team
    17Amps per 12v-rail??
    by Merman
    A good quality 600W power supply
    by Gabriel Torres
    Laptop Design: Design: What are some ways that form can enhance function?
    by Hardware Secrets Team
    Panasonic Link-to-Cell Phone System Review
    by Hardware Secrets Team
    ASUS M3M HT deluxe Motherboard not tunrning on
    by obso1337
    Outlook keeps locking up
    by rektech
    .:: Visit Our Forums ::.

    © 2004-8, Hardware Secrets, LLC. All rights reserved.
    Advertising | Legal Information | Privacy Policy
    All times are Pacific Standard Time (PST, GMT -08:00)