Media PC - BIOS setup

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Here is the BIOS setup for a build a do it yourself, do it all Media PC.

The first time you power up your system, make sure you have a keyboard plugged in so that you can enter BIOS setup.  Simply press the Del key shortly after the computer "beeps" after power on.  You should see the CMOS setup utility screen as shown above.

Most of the settings you don't have to change, but there are a few things that are worth getting right and it is fun to explore the capabilities of the motherboard.

Reasons for configuring the BIOS

1. We want the fans to run quiet when the system is idle
2. We want standby mode to work (sleeping and wakeup)
3. We want to enable the embedded graphics device
4. We want to tweak the system to use the lowest power when idle or in standby
5. If the system loses power, we want it to boot back up (so we don't lose the next scheduled recording)

Don't worry, this won't take very long, I'll show you which items to change.



Select the "Standard CMOS Features" sub-menu

•  The only thing to do here is set the Date/Time.

Select the "Advanced BIOS Features" sub-menu

• Change the primary Graphics Adapter to "Internal"

Enter the "Cpu Feature", sub-menu (under Advanced BIOS Features)

• Set C1E Support to "Enable"

Enter the "Power Management" sub-menu

• Set "ACPI Standby State" to "S3"
• Set :Power LED" to "Blinking"
• Set "Restore On AC Power Loss" to "Last State"

Enter the "H/W Monitor" sub-menu

• Set "CPU Smart Fan Target" to 50%
• Set "Min FAN Speed" to 50%
• Set "SYS Fan 1 Control" to 50%

Enter "Green Power" sub-menu

• Set "CPU Phase Control" to Auto

Enter "Cell Menu"

• Set "Cool n Quiet" to "Enabled"

Enter "Adanced DRAM Configuration" (under the Cell Menu)

• Set "Power Down Enable" to "Enabled"
• Set "Power Down Mode" to "Chip Select"

That's it!

If you get mixed up, you can always restore the system to defaults and start over.

If you run across other interesting BIOS settings to change, let me know and I'll update the post.