Desktop Board Features
17
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Support
NOTE
Computer systems that have an unshielded cable attached to a USB port might not
meet FCC Class B requirements, even if no device or a low-speed USB device is
attached to the cable. Use a shielded cable that meets the requirements for a full-
speed USB device.
The desktop board supports up to 10 USB 2.0 ports via ICH8 (six ports routed to the
back panel and four ports routed to two internal USB 2.0 headers). USB 2.0 ports are
backward compatible with USB 1.1 devices. USB 1.1 devices will function normally at
USB 1.1 speeds.
USB 2.0 support requires both an operating system and drivers that fully support
USB 2.0 transfer rates. Disabling Hi-Speed USB in the BIOS reverts all USB 2.0 ports
to USB 1.1 operation. This may be required to accommodate operating systems that
do not support USB 2.0.
Enhanced IDE Interface
The ICH8’s IDE interface handles the exchange of information between the processor
and peripheral devices such as hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives. The interface
supports:
• Up to two IDE devices (such as hard drives)
• ATAPI-style devices (such as CD-ROM drives)
• Older PIO Mode devices
• Ultra DMA-33 and ATA-66/100 protocols
Serial ATA
The desktop board supports four Serial ATA channels (3.0 Gb/s) via ICH8, connecting
one device per channel.
Expandability
For system expansion, the desktop board provides the following:
• Three PCI Express x1 connectors
• One PCI Express x 16 connector
• Three PCI bus connectors