PC Partner Ltd. design and manufacturer industry standard VGA class display adaptor cards for use on PC systems. Newer types of interface bus VGA cards are also under development, following the new trend in the computer industry.

The general performance and characteristics of display cards are related to the VGA chipset solution used on the display card. Please refer to the "Product" section of this Web Site for more information.

PC Partner VGA Cards are primarily identified from the model name as defined by PC Partner Ltd., There are instances when your reseller attached a different model naming system to the product packaging, or the product is integrated into a PC system such that the exact name for the card is not explicitly shown. In these cases, if you know the card is a PC Partner product, you can try to identify the model from the following features on the display card :
- PC Partner label sticker on large IC - VGA BIOS chip
- VGA chipset IC (large surface mount device) marking at the middle of the card
- Type and number of display RAM chips on the card, number of RAM chip installed
- Printed Wiring Board identification number normally in the form of white marking printed in the form : 35-xxxx-xx-xx
- VGA driver disk, label sticker printing

Selected models of PC Partner display cards are enhanced in the software drivers. This custom-made driver software may be different from the VGA driver which are downloaded from Web Sites of VGA chipset suppliers, and need to be in matched use with PC Partner made display card hardware. Therefore, the tailor-made driver of PC Partner VGA products are not supposed to be used with non-PC Partner display cards.
Display Card drivers are downloadable from PC Partner Web Site.

PC Partner display cards are bundled typically with the following software on CD :
- Display driver for Windows
- Software for multimedia playback / video capture (on selected models)
- Utility for overclocking the display card (on selected models)
- Games and application software (on selected models)

If your PC Partner product came as part a working system, then the driver and utilities may be already pre-installed on the hard disk, and you only need the drivers when you re-configure your system.

Upgrade for Drivers and Utilities can be found from one or more of these sources :
PC Partner Web Site : http://www.pcpartner.com (Support / Download Area)
Chipset supplier Web Sites, eg., ATI
Please note that the PC Partner drivers and utilities are tailor-made for PC Partner products, whereas the software downloaded from other Web Site and BBS are general purpose.

PC Partner Ltd. design and manufacturer industry standard PC compatible motherboards, including intel and AMD CPU solutions. Due to the fast pace and short product life cycle time of present day PC markets, newer models are launched by PC Partner Ltd. every few months, with newer features and replacing older models.

The following is a summary list of recent motherboard products. This list is regularly updated from time to time and may not include the latest element still under development in our engineering team. Please refer to the "Product" section of this Web Site for more information.

Intel 845 / 865 / 915 /945 family for intel CPUs
VIA family for intel CPUs
VIA family for AMD CPUs
ATI IGP family for Intel CPUs
ATI IGP family for AMD CPUs
Motherboard form factor include ATX, microATX, ITX and BTX on selected models.

PC Partner motherboards are primarily identified from the model name as defined by PC Partner Ltd., for example, 845GMS4-A34. There are instances when your reseller attached a different model naming system to the product packaging, or the product is integrated into a PC system such that the exact name for the board is not explicitly shown. In these cases, if you know the motherboard is a PC Partner product, you can try to identify the model from the following features on the motherboard :
- PC Partner label sticker on large ICs
- BIOS label sticker on Flash BIOS EEPROM ICs
- Core logic IC (large surface mount device) marking Intel or VIA at the middle of the board
- Super I/O Controller IC near the rear edge of the board
- CPU socket type - socket 478, socket 775, socket A, socket 754, socket 939...etc
- Number of expansion slots (PCI-E, AGP, or PCI) respectively
- Number of RAM sockets
- Printed Wiring Board identification number normally in the form of white marking printed in the form : 35-xxxx-xx-xx

Please collect these information and fill into the Technical Support Form, when asking for technical support via email.

Pc Partner motherboards are normally bundled with CD Disk to carry the following functions :
- Flash BIOS upgrade utilities (AWDFLASH.EXE, WINFLASH)
- Display driver (applicable for on-board display function)
- Core chipset driver
- IDE hard disk master mode drivers (selected models only)
- USB driver (selected models only)
- Sound driver (applicable for on-board sound function)
- LAN driver (applicable for on-board LAN function)
- Bundled utility software (eg. Anti-Virus)

If your PC Partner product came as part a working system, then the driver and utilities may be already pre-installed on the hard disk, and you only need the drivers when you re-configure your system.
The Flash upgrade utilities is used only when you are looking for an upgrade in the system BIOS. Please refer to the other sections for Flash BIOS upgrading.

Upgrade for Drivers and Utilities can be found from one or more of these sources :
PC Partner Web Site : http://www.pcpartner.com (Support / Download Area)
Chipset supplier Web Sites, eg., Intel, VIA, ATI
Please note that the PC Partner drivers and utilities are tailor-made for PC Partner products, whereas the software downloaded from other Web Site and BBS are general purpose.

BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is a set of computer program that contain the basic intelligence for the computer to do elementary jobs at the very low level, like power on self test, configuring the display screen, low level access to storage device....etc. This program is contained on non-volatile memory ICs, like EPROM or Flash IC chips. The compatibility of the computer with add-on hardware and software are largely dependent on these BIOS.
There are a few area of BIOS on a typical computer system : System BIOS, VGA BIOS, Keyboard BIOS, expansion card BIOS, each serving their own functions. Present day design of PC system normally have the System (motherboard) BIOS put into Flash or EEPROM IC, such that they can be easily upgraded via a software tool and a newer BIOS file. The following context are referring to the System (motherboard) BIOS.

All PC Partner motherboards BIOS are implemented by FLASH ICs, so are upgradable. PC Partner motherboard products are shipped with a certain version of BIOS that we believe to be satifactory at the time of shipment. Later bug fix and enhancement to BIOS are available as BIOS upgrade files for download from our Web Site. However, due to the fast pace of changes on the PC market, there will not be continual engineering effort onto BIOS refinement to old products which had stopped production for a long time. Therefore BIOS for a certain product will be freezed from further change ultimately.

PC Partner system BIOS are tailor-made for PC Partner products, and in no way should these BIOS be used on other platforms, nor should unknown BIOS file be put into PC Partner motherboards.

Normally, when a motherboard is shipped out from the factory, it is carrying a BIOS version which can perform the functions in the general conditions. If your motherboard is working and is stable in your specific hardware / software configuration, we recommend that you DO NOT try to do BIOS update.

BIOS update is needed only when you are facing one or more of the following issues :
. Compatibility issues with certain hardware modules in your PC configuration, eg. RAM or expansion cards
. Compatibility issues with software in your PC configuration, eg. new operating system or application programs
. Problem with newer CPUs on the market, which were not yet available at the time of the motherboard shipment
. Newer motherboard BIOS features which were not yet available at the time of the motherboard shipment

*** [Caution]***
BIOS updating involves some risk if not handled properly. Please pay attention to the following points before attempting to do a BIOS update :

Make sure you get the correct BIOS file which is exactly matched to your motherboard's hardware type. Flashing a wrong BIOS content into the motherboard will result in the lost of funcions, or even failure to startup properly !
- Make sure the Flash update process is not interrupted. If the process is interrupted by a hardware reset or power loss, then the resultant BIOS might be corrupted, and the system will not startup properly next time !

You should go into CMOS Setup to re-affirm your configuration data inside the CMOS and the Flash after BIOS upgrade, such that the new data are properly saved into CMOS and Flash.

Get your new BIOS file and BIOS upgrade tool from the Web Site or other means. These files are normally in compressed format (eg. ZIP). Decompress the file to get the BIOS files. Identify which BIOS file is matching your motherboard.

Using Awdflash.exe in the DOS mode :
AWDFLASH is a Flash BIOS update tool intended to run in the DOS mode (NOT in the Windows DOS-Prompt). This is an executable file (AWDFLASH.EXE) which is included on the motherboard's bundled CD, under the path \\Utility \ Awdflash.exe

To do Flash BIOS update in the DOS mode, please follow the steps below :
(1) Get the motherboard BIOS file (.BIN) which is matched to the particular motherboard model.
(2) Create a DOS-bootable floppy diskette, copy the BIOS file and the utility tool Awdflash.exe to the floppy diskette. Or put the files to a subdirectory on the hard disk drive.
(3) Set the target PC system to boot from the floppy diskette, or boot hard disk drive to the DOS prompt.
(4) At the DOS prompt, type AWDFLASH, then
(5) Enter the target filename (.BIN) for the new BIOS.
(6) When prompted for "Do you want to save BIOS (Y/N)?" on the screen,
Key in "N" if there is no need to save the existing BIOS content
Key in "Y" if a backup copy of the existing BIOS is needed.
A filename would be provided by the user for the backup of existing BIOS binary file.
(7) When prompted for "Are you sure to program (Y/N)?" on the screen
Key in "Y" to proceed
(8) Wait until the Flash update process is completed
(9) Press the F1 key to restart the system, or turn off the system by the power button.

After the system is restarted, go into the CMOS Setup immediately (press DEL key during the POST), load the "Optimized Default" in the CMOS, Save and Exit, to ensure the new BIOS is running in the newly established CMOS parameters.

Using Winflash in Windows mode :
WINFLASH is a Flash BIOS update tool for running in the Windows graphic mode. WINFLASH consist of a few files, included on the motherboard's bundled CD, under the path \\Utility \ Winflash\

To do Flash BIOS update in the Windows graphic environment, please follow the steps below :
(1) Get the motherboard BIOS file (.BIN) which is matched to the particular motherboard model.
(2) Boot the target system to Windows, create a new folder on the hard disk, eg. \\Winflash\
(3) Copy all files from the bundled CD at path :\\Utility\Winflash\ to the newly created folder.
(4) Copy the BIOS file (.BIN) to the same folder.
(5) Double click the file Winflash.exe to start Winflash.
(6) If you need to backup the existing BIOS on the motherboard, click the tag "File" then "Save Old BIOS", and specify a filename for the backup BIOS. Click the box "Backup" to save the existing BIOS file to the hard disk.
(7) Click the tag "File" then "Update BIOS", and browse to the path for the new BIOS. Click the box "Update" to write the new BIOS file to the motherboard. Wait for the write process to complete, do not disturb it.
(8) When the dialog box "Do you want to REBOOT ?" appears, click "Yes" to confirm rebooting. The new BIOS will be effective only after the system is rebooted.

Remarks :
Other parameters can be set in the Winflash menu, which are useful for BIOS updating :
. Option (Clear CMOS) - the CMOS will be cleared after the BIOS is updated
. Option (CMOS Default) - the CMOS will be loaded with Default after the BIOS is updated

In any case, please go into the CMOS Setup and load the "Optimized Default" immediately after updating the BIOS. This is highly necessary, because some BIOS changes must be accompanied by CMOS Setup changes.

If you are unfortunate to have accidentally upgraded to a wrong BIOS file, and the system is still able to boot up via hard disk drive or floppy, try the BIOS upgrade process again using the correct BIOS file, overriding the wrong file.
If the wrong BIOS file had cause the system to fail starting up, or you cannot access the floppy nor hard disk drive, then you will need to take your system apart, remove the Flash BIOS IC from the socket, look for some experieced user or computer shop that have some form of EPROM writer device, and re-write the Flash IC with proper content. Similar process also hold for power failure in the middle of a BIOS upgrade session. Therefore, you are advised to take great care when you perform BIOS upgrade !

PC Partner motherboards are designed to be compatible with all the available CPUs applicable to the CPU Socket (eg. Socket 478) at the time of launching the motherboard. For instance, Socket 478 CPU specification of motherboards are targeted to run with :
- Intel Pentium 4
- Intel Celeron
However with the fast change and pace in new CPU specification launch, older designed motherboards may not be working with new CPUs due to the following reasons :

- BIOS written some time ago may not be aware of the new CPU's ID
- Hardware limitation of the older motherboard prevent the use of new CPU
- Existing jumper information (on the manual) not yet taken care of new CPU

Please consult your distributor / reseller / system integrator first. They may have already got information from PC Partner Ltd. on whether a newly launched CPU be able to run on the motherboard, or any change needed to jumper configuration. You may also look up from the PC Partner Web Site for latest BIOS updates for CPU support.
You may even try to guess from the existing manual's information , and your knowledge on the new CPU. But this is only for experienced users with hardware knowledge. The area to be checked for include :

- CPU voltage requirement, ie., what CPU (core and bus) voltage does the new CPU take, and whether the motherboard is capable of providing these voltages.
- CPU current requirement, ie., how much current will the new CPU take. Some very new CPU operating in very high speed are taking a lot of current, such that the on board regulators may not be able to provide that amount of current.
- CPU clock figure and clock multiplier, as specified by the CPU. Some figures are not supported on certain motherboards, while some multiplier figures are not implemented on some CPUs.
- CPU ID / speed recognizable by the system BIOS. Newer BIOS, in general, are more capable to recognize newer CPUs, and correctly report their speed/performance figures.

If the existing BIOS is not running well with the new CPU, check for the above factors. Some items, like BIOS upgrade or jumper re-config will do in most cases. But if the limitation is in the current capability or in the clock figures, do not force the CPU or the motherboard to run out of the specified rating, as this may cause unreliable operation or even permanent damage to the system !

If the above factors are fully examined, and allows proper functioning, the following precautions still need to be taken :
- newer CPUs normally runs at higher speeds, and generate more heat, such that better ventilation will be needed to keep the CPU / regulator at a safe temperature.
- make sure CPU related jumpers, in particular voltage jumpers are correctly set. A wrong jumper may not fail the CPU immediately, but may cause unstable system in the long run.

PC Partner motherboards use the industry standard DIMM Slots (SDR / DDR) for system memory. Different models have their combinations of DIMM Slots to suit the current market needs. 168 pins DIMM Slots are for 3.3V SDR SDRAM modules, while 184 pins DIMM Slots are for 2.5V DDR SDRAM modules. The number of RAM Slots define the way that system memory is implemented, and the approach for expansion. Please refer to the user manual, and the motherboard's existing configuration for details.

System memory is upgradable via adding or changing RAM modules on the motherboard. This involves component installation, so it requires some hardware knowledge of an experienced user.
Please identify what type of memory slots are available on your PC Partner motherboard. Check for the unpopulated memory slots on the board. For better functionality and performance, similar nature modules (eg. same speed and type) should be used when installing multiple RAM modules on a motherboard.

Insert the RAM modules into the RAM slots with care, making sure the gold-fingers are fully inserted into the slot. Also mind the polarization notch on the slots and the module. If the module seems not fitting, do not force it in, try putting in with a different orientation.

Cache memory is an important element in high speed computer systems. Cache memory serves as a high speed buffer between the fast CPU and the slower main memory (DRAM). Older design of motherboards implement cache memory via asynchronous fast SRAM, and are upgradable via cache modules. Newer generation cache functions are implemented inside the CPU. Cache size range from 128KB/256KB to 1MB/2MB, depending on the CPU type.

On intel 845, 845E, 845G/GE/GL/GV, 848P, 865G/P/PE chipsets
The intel "Prescott" CPUs are new CPU type made from the newer 90nm fabrication technology. "Prescott" CPUs comes in packages of 478-pins mPGA and LGA775, Pentium 4 or Celeron types, with 533MHz or 800MHz Front-Side-Bus. "Prescott" CPUs started to appear somewhere in 2004, whereas the 845xx, 865xx chipset (Socket 478) motherboards had a much longer history of shipment since 2001. The older designed Socket 478 motherboards may not compatible with the "Prescott" CPUs due to hardware limitations.

Here is a brief summary of the intel 845xx, 848P, 865xx chipset motherboards :

- 845/845E chipset motherboards - not compatible with "Prescott" CPUs
- 845G/GE/GL/GV - in general not compatible with "Prescott" CPUs, except on the later PCB version of model - 845xxMS4-A34 (PCB Revision -02, -10)
- 848P - compatible with "Prescott" CPUs, after upgrade to newer BIOS
- 865G/PE/P - compatible with "Prescott" CPUs, after upgrade to newer BIOS

Refer to the Support/Download Area for latest production BIOS.


On VIA P4x266/266A/266E, P4m266/266A, P4x533, PT800 chipsets
Similar to the situition listed above for the intel 845/848/865 family, the VIA P4x266/266A/266E and P4m266/266A chipset (Socket 478) motherboards had a rather long history of shipment, which is before the launch of "Prescott" CPUs in 2004.
Below is a summary of these VIA chipsets motherboard products with respect to the "Prescott" CPUs :

- P4x266 / 266A / 266E - not compatible with "Prescott" CPUs
- P4m266 / 266A - in general not compatible with "Prescott" CPUs, except on the later PCB version of model -
P4m266AMS4-A31 (PCB Revision -10)
- P4x533 - compatible with "Prescott" CPUs, after upgrade to newer BIOS
- PT800 - compatible with "Prescott" CPUs, after upgrade to newer BIOS

Refer to the Support/Download Area for latest production BIOS.

The intel 845GL/GV chipsets are primarily targeted for motherboards using onboard VGA controller. There are no interface logic for supporting a plug-in AGP VGA display card. Some selected models in the PC Partner motherboards, with the 845GL/GV chipset, are specially designed to carry an AGI / AGPI Slot, so that it can work with plug-in AGP display cards. This AGI / AGPI Slot is emulated from the PCI Slot, and with some limitation when working with the existing AGP Display cards.

Refer to the user manual of 845GL/GV chipset motherboards (with AGI / AGPI Slot) for more details on precaution of VGA driver installation, and the below list of tested AGP display cards.

Tested AGP display cards in the nVidia chipset group include the following :
nVidia Geforce MX400 (AGP4x)
nVidia Geforce MX400 (AGP8x)
nVidia Gefoce MX460 (AGP4x)
nVidia Geforce MX4000 (AGP8x)
nVidia Geforce Ti4200 (AGP4x)
nVidia Geforce FX5200 (AGP8x)
nVidia Geforce FX5600 (AGP8X)
nVidia Geforce FX5700LE (AGP8X)

Tested AGP display cards in the ATI chipset group include the following :
ATI Radeon 7000 (AGP4x)
ATI Radeon 9000 (AGP4x)
ATI Radeon 9100 (AGP4x)
ATI Radeon 9200SE (AGP8x)
ATI Radeon 9250 (AGP8x)
ATI Radeon 9800SE (AGP8x)
ATI Radeon 9800Pro (AGP8x)

Remark :
The ATI Radeon 9550 (AGP8x) display card is NOT supported on this AGI/AGPI slot, due to the different voltage required by the ATI Radeon 9550.

On Socket 478 / LGA775 (intel CPU) Motherboards
The intel Socket 478 and LGA 775 (Celeron / Pentium 4) CPUs are taking significant power from the motherboard, which is provided from the Power Supply Unit. Make sure the Power Supply Units in these systems are capable of the following miniumum requirements :
- at least 300 Watt (total power)
- at least 10Amp in the +12VDC line
- at least 1Amp in the +5VStandby line
Power Supply Units not meeting these requirements may result in degrade in functionality and reliability, or abnormal system shutdown / restart.

On Socket 754 / Socket 939 (AMD K8 CPU) Motherboards
Similar to the requirements listed above for the intel Socket 478 / 775 CPUs, the AMD Socket 754 / 939 CPUs also draws large power from the motherboard, which in turn takes from the Power Supply Unit.
Make sure the Power Supply Unit attached to Socket 754 / Socket 939 motherboards are at least 300 Watt (total power), and meets the current requirement listed above.

Motherboards with ATI IGP320 (A3) / IGP340 (A4) Chipset
The mainboards built with ATI IGP320 (A3 Chipset) and IGP340 (A4 Chipset) are carrying on board TV-Out function. The VGA-output and TV-output can run simultaneously to give two output screens to the two types of devices attached.

Mainboard with ATI 9100IGP, 9100ProIGP, RadeonXpress 200
The mainboards built with ATI 9100IGP (RS300 Chipset), 9100ProIGP (RS350 Chipset), and RadeonXpress200 (RS480 / RS400 / RS482 / RC410) are carrying on board TV-Out function, but the VGA-Out / TV-Out functions are NOT simultaneous. That is, at any time, only one of the ouput screen is valid. You may set the power up default screen output to either CRT (VGA Out Port) or TV (TV Out Port) in CMOS Setup, provided that you have the valid display device attached at the target port.

Moreover, the following conditions apply when the ATI Display Driver (for Windows) is loaded :

When both CRT (or LCD) display monitor and TV monitor (Composite or S-Video) are attached in the system, the ATI Display Driver (for Windows) will detect the presence of the CRT (or LCD) display. Then the output screen will automatically switch to the CRT (or LCD) after Windows is running, irrespective of the power up default display output setting in CMOS.

If the TV monitor is targeted as the only valid display monitor, please detach the CRT (or LCD) display monitor from the VGA Out Port, and leave it empty.

PC Partner Ltd. design and manufacturer digital entertainment products including MP3 Players, USB Flash Storage and TV Tuner Box . Newer types of products are also under development, following the new trend in the digital entertainment industry. Please refer to the "Product" section of this Web Site for more information.

PC Partner Consumer Electronics Products are primarily identified from the model name as defined by PC Partner Ltd., There are instances when your reseller attached a different model naming system to the product packaging. In these cases, if you know that it is a PC Partner product, you can try to identify the model from the following features :
- Product label sticker or model name plate, with exact model number and serial number markings
- Driver CD (if applicable) printing and marking

PC Partner Consumer Electronic Products are typically bundled the following software :
- Driver software for accessing the product from a PC via Windows (on selected product types only)
- Utility softwre for upgrading the Firmware inside the product (on selected product types only)

Upgrade for Drivers and Utilities can be found from one or more of these sources :
PC Partner Web Site : http://www.pcpartner.com (Support / Download Area)
Please note that the PC Partner drivers and utilities are tailor-made for PC Partner products.

In general, newer PC Operating Systems (eg. Windows 2000/XP) do not require any driver installation for accessing USB based Consumer Electronic Products. Drivers are only needed for older PC Operating Systems (eg. Windows 98SE). Utilities software are applied for the specific function, eg. Firmware upgrading.