ASRock 970DE3__U3S3: 2. Installation

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ASRock  970DE3/U3S3  Motherboard

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2.  Installation

This is an ATX form factor (12.0-in x 7.5-in, 30.5 cm x 19.1 cm) motherboard.

Before you install the motherboard, study the con

fi

 guration of your chassis to ensure 

that the motherboard 

fi

 ts into it.

Pre-installation Precautions

Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard 

components or change any motherboard settings.

Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the 

power is switched off or the power cord is detached from the 

power supply. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the 

motherboard, peripherals, and/or components.

1.   Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any 

component.

2.   To avoid damaging the motherboard components due to static elec-

tricity, NEVER place your motherboard directly on the carpet or the 

like. Also remember to use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safety 

grounded object before you handle components. 

3.   Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs. 

4.   Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded anti-

static pad or in the bag that comes with the component.

5. 

When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the mother-

board to the chassis, please do not over-tighten the screws! Doing 

so may damage the motherboard. 

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ASRock  970DE3/U3S3  Motherboard

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STEP 1:

Lift Up The Socket Lever

STEP 2 / STEP 3: 

Match The CPU Golden Triangle

To The Socket Corner Small 

Triangle

STEP 4:

Push Down And Lock

The Socket Lever

Lever  90° Up

CPU Golden Triangle

Socker Corner 

Small Triangle

2.1  CPU Installation 

Step 1.  Unlock the socket by lifting the lever up to a 90

o 

angle.

Step 2.  Position the CPU directly above the socket such that the CPU corner with  

the golden triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle.

Step 3.  Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it 

fi

 ts in place.

The CPU 

fi

 ts only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU 

into the socket to avoid bending of the pins.

Step 4.  When the CPU is in place, press it 

fi

 rmly on the socket while you push    

down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab  

to indicate that it is locked.

2.2  Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink 

After you install the CPU into this motherboard, it is necessary to install a 

larger heatsink and cooling fan to dissipate heat. You also need to spray 

thermal grease between the CPU and the heatsink to improve heat dis-

sipation. Make sure that the CPU and the heatsink are securely fastened 

and in good contact with each other. Then connect the CPU fan to the 

CPU FAN connector (CPU_FAN1, see Page 2, No. 3).  For proper instal-

lation, please kindly refer to the instruction manuals of the CPU fan and  

the heatsink.

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ASRock  970DE3/U3S3  Motherboard

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2.3  Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM) 

This motherboard provides four 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM slots, 

and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. For dual channel con

fi

 guration, 

you always need to install 

identical

 (the same brand, speed, size and chip-type) 

DDR3 DIMM pair in the slots. In other words, you have to install 

identical

 DDR3 

DIMM pair in 

Dual Channel 

(DDR3_A1 and DDR3_B1; Black slots; see p.2 No.6) 

or 

identical

 DDR3 DIMM pair in 

Dual Channel 

(DDR3_A2 and DDR3_B2; Black 

slots; see p.2 No.7), so that Dual Channel Memory Technology can be activated. 

This motherboard also allows you to install four DDR3 DIMMs for dual channel 

con

fi

 guration, and please install 

identical

 DDR3 DIMMs in all four slots. You may 

refer to the Dual Channel Memory Con

fi

 guration Table below.

Dual Channel Memory Con

fi

 gurations

DDR3_A1 

 DDR3_A2 

  DDR3_B1    DDR3_B2

(Black Slot)      (Black Slot)    (Black Slot)     (Black Slot)

(1) 

Populated             - 

  Populated 

   -

(2) 

- 

 Populated               -               Populated

(3)* 

Populated 

 Populated 

  Populated    Populated

* 

  For the con

fi

 guration (3), please install 

identical

 DDR3 DIMMs in all four  

 slots.

1.  Please install the memory module into the slots DDR3_A2 and  

DDR3_B2 for the 

fi

 rst priority.

2.  If you want to install two memory modules, for optimal compatibility 

and reliability, it is recommended to install them either in the set of 

slots DDR3_A1 and DDR3_B1, or in the set of slots DDR3_A2 and 

DDR3_B2. 

3.  If only one memory module or three memory modules are installed 

in the DDR3 DIMM slots on this motherboard, it is unable to activate 

the Dual Channel Memory Technology.

4.  If a pair of memory modules is NOT installed in the same Dual 

Channel, for example, installing a pair of memory modules in 

DDR3_A1 and DDR3_A2, it is unable to activate the Dual Channel 

Memory Technology . 

5.  It is not allowed to install a DDR or DDR2 memory module into 

DDR3 slot; otherwise, this motherboard and DIMM may be dam-

aged. 

6.  If you adopt DDR3 1866/1600 memory modules on this mother-

board, it is recommended to install them on DDR3_A2 and DDR3_

B2 slots. 

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Installing a DIMM

Please make sure to disconnect power supply before adding or    

removing DIMMs or the system components.  

Step 1.  Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the retaining clips outward. 

Step 2.  Align a DIMM on the slot such that the notch on the DIMM matches the   

break on the slot. 

The DIMM only 

fi

 ts in one correct orientation. It will cause permanent 

damage to the motherboard and the DIMM if you force the DIMM into 

the slot at incorrect orientation. 

Step 3.  Firmly insert the DIMM into the slot until the retaining clips at both ends   

fully snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated. 

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2.4  Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots)

There are 2 PCI slots and 4 PCI Express slots on this motherboard.        

PCI Slots:

  PCI slots are used to install expansion cards that have the 32-bit PCI  

 interface. 

PCIE Slots:

PCIE1 / PCIE2 / PCIE4 (PCIE x1 slot; Black) is used for PCI Express 

cards with x1 lane width cards, such as Gigabit LAN card and SATA2 

card.

PCIE3 (PCIE x16 slot; Black) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width 

graphics cards.  

Installing an expansion card

Step 1. 

Before installing the expansion card, please make sure that the power  

supply is switched off or the power cord is unplugged. Please read the  

documentation of the expansion card and make necessary hardware 

settings for the card before you start the installation.

Step 2. 

Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installed 

in a chassis).

Step 3. 

Remove the bracket facing the slot that you intend to use. Keep the 

screws for later use. 

Step 4. 

Align the card connector with the slot and press 

fi

 rmly until the card is  

completely seated on the slot. 

Step 5. 

Fasten the card to the chassis with screws. 

Step 6.  

Replace the system cover.

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2.5 Jumpers Setup 

The illustration shows how jumpers are 

setup. When the jumper cap is placed on 

pins, the jumper is “Short”. If no jumper cap 

is placed on pins, the jumper is “Open”. The 

illustration shows a 3-pin jumper whose 

pin1 and  pin2 are “Short” when jumper cap 

is placed on these 2 pins.

Jumper Setting 

Description

Clear CMOS Jumper

(CLRCMOS1)  

(see p.2,  No. 38)

Note:  CLRCMOS1 allows you to clear the data in CMOS. To clear and reset the 

system parameters to default setup, please turn off the computer and unplug 

the power cord from the power supply. After waiting for 15 seconds, use a 

jumper cap to short pin2 and pin3 on CLRCMOS1 for 5 seconds. However, 

please do not clear the CMOS right after you update the BIOS. If you need 

to clear the CMOS when you just 

fi

 nish updating the BIOS, you must boot 

up the system 

fi

 rst, and then shut it down before you do the clear-CMOS ac-

tion. Please be noted that the password, date, time, user default pro

fi

 le, 1394 

GUID and MAC address will be cleared only if the CMOS battery is removed. 

Clear CMOS

Default

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ASRock  970DE3/U3S3  Motherboard

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2.6  Onboard Headers and Connectors

Onboard headers and connectors are NOT jumpers. Do NOT place 

jumper caps over these headers and connectors. Placing jumper caps 

over the headers and connectors will cause permanent damage of the 

motherboard!

Serial ATA3 Connectors 

These two Serial ATA3  

(SATA3_1 (PORT 6): see  p.2, No. 11) 

(SATA3) connectors support  

(SATA3_2 (PORT 7): see  p.2, No. 9) 

SATA data cables for internal  

storage devices. The current  

SATA3 interface allows up to

6.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.

FDD connector 

(33-pin FLOPPY1)                                       

(see p.2  No. 27) 

Note:  Make sure the red-striped side of the cable is plugged into Pin1 side of the   

 connector.

the red-striped side to Pin1

Primary IDE connector (Black) 

(39-pin IDE1, see p.2 No. 36) 

Note:  Please refer to the instruction of your IDE device vendor for the details.

connect  the black end 

to the IDE devices

connect the blue end 

to the motherboard

80-conductor ATA 66/100/133 cable

Serial ATA2 Connectors 

These six Serial ATA2 (SATA2)  

(SATAII_1 (PORT 0): see  p.2, No. 20)

connectors support SATA data

(SATAII_2 (PORT 1): see  p.2, No. 19)

cables for internal storage 

(SATAII_3 (PORT 2): see  p.2, No. 18)

devices. The current SATA2   

(SATAII_4 (PORT 3): see  p.2, No. 17)

interface allows up to 3.0 Gb/s  

(SATAII_5 (PORT 4): see  p.2, No. 16) 

data transfer rate.

(SATAII_6 (PORT 5): see  p.2, No. 15)

SATAII_1     SATAII_3

(PORT 0)    (PORT 2)

SATAII_2     SATAII_4

(PORT 1)    (PORT 3)

SATAII_5 

(PORT 4)

SATAII_6 

(PORT 5)

SATA3_1 

(PORT 6)

SATA3_2 

(PORT 7)

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ASRock  970DE3/U3S3  Motherboard

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1

USB_PWR

P-8

GND

DUMMY

USB_PWR

P+8

GND

P-9

P+9

USB 2.0 Headers 

Besides four default USB 2.0

(9-pin USB4_5)

ports on the I/O panel, there 

(see p.2  No. 22)

are three USB 2.0 headers on

this motherboard. Each USB 2.0

header can support two USB 

 2.0 

ports.

(9-pin USB6_7)

(see p.2  No. 21)

(9-pin USB8_9)

(see p.2  No. 23)

P-7

P+7

GND

DUMMY

USB_PWR

USB_PWR

P-

6

P+

6

GND

1

Infrared Module Header 

This header supports an

(5-pin IR1)

optional wireless transmitting

(see p.2  No. 31)

and receiving infrared module.

1

I

R

TX

+

5V

SB

D

UMM

Y

I

RR

X

GN

D

Serial ATA (SATA) 

Either end of the SATA data  

Data Cable 

cable can be connected to the  

(Optional)

SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 hard   

disk or the SATA3 connector on 

 this 

motherboard.

Internal Audio Connectors 

This connector allows you to

(4-pin CD1)

receive stereo audio input from

(CD1: see p.2 No. 28)

sound sources such as a 

CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, TV tuner 

card, or MPEG card.

Front Panel Audio Header 

This is an interface for the front  

(9-pin  HD_AUDIO1)

panel audio cable that allows  

(see  p.2  No. 29)

convenient connection and    

control of audio devices.

J_SENSE

OUT2_L

1

MIC_RET

PRESENCE#

GND

OUT2_R

MIC2_R

MIC2_L

OUT_RET

CD

-L

G

N

D

G

N

D

CD

-

R

CD1

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ASRock  970DE3/U3S3  Motherboard

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1. High De

fi

 nition Audio supports Jack Sensing, but the panel wire on  

    the chassis must support HDA to function correctly. Please follow the  

    instruction in our manual and chassis manual to install your system.

2. If you use AC’97 audio panel, please install it to the front panel audio    

    header as below:

    A. Connect Mic_IN (MIC) to MIC2_L.

    B. Connect Audio_R (RIN) to OUT2_R and Audio_L (LIN) to OUT2_L.

    C. Connect Ground (GND) to Ground (GND). 

    D. MIC_RET and OUT_RET are for HD audio panel only. You don’t     

         need to connect them for AC’97 audio panel.

    E. To activate the front mic. 

         For Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS:

         Select “Mixer”. Select “Recorder”. Then click “FrontMic”.

         For Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS:

         Go to the "FrontMic" Tab in the Realtek Control panel. Adjust  

         “Recording Volume”.

System Panel Header 

This header accommodates

(9-pin PANEL1)

several system front panel   

(see p.2  No. 24)

 functions.

Connect the power switch, reset switch and system status indicator 

on the chassis to this header according to the pin assignments below. 

Note the positive and negative pins before connecting the cables.

PWRBTN (Power Switch): 

Connect to the power switch on the chassis front panel. You may con-

fi

 gure the way to turn off your system using the power switch.

RESET (Reset Switch): 

Connect to the reset switch on the chassis front panel. Press the reset 

switch to restart the computer if the computer freezes and fails to per-

form a normal restart.

PLED (System Power LED): 

Connect to the power status indicator on the chassis front panel. The 

LED is on when the system is operating. The LED keeps blinking 

when the sys-tem is in S1 sleep state. The LED is off when the system 

is in S3/S4 sleep state or powered off (S5). 

HDLED (Hard Drive Activity LED): 

Connect to the hard drive activity LED on the chassis front panel. The 

LED is on when the hard drive is reading or writing data.

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ASRock  970DE3/U3S3  Motherboard

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The front panel design may differ by chassis. A front panel module 

mainly consists of power switch, reset switch, power LED, hard drive 

activity LED, speaker and etc. When connecting your chassis front 

panel module to this header, make sure the wire assignments and the 

pin assign-ments are matched correctly.

Power LED Header 

Please connect the chassis   

(3-pin PLED1)

power LED to this header to 

(see p.2  No. 25)

indicate system power status.  

The LED is on when the system  

is operating. The LED keeps 

blinking in S1 state. The LED is  

off in S3/S4 state or S5 state  

(power 

off).

Chassis Speaker Header   

Please connect the chassis    

(4-pin SPEAKER 1)

speaker to this header.

(see p.2  No. 26)

+

5V

DUMMY

DUMMY

SPEAKER

1

1

P

L

E

D

+

P

L

E

D

+

P

L

E

D-

Chassis and Power Fan Connectors 

Please connect the fan cables  

(4-pin CHA_FAN1)

to the fan connectors and  

(see p.2  No. 12)

match the black wire to the    

ground 

pin. 

(4-pin PWR_FAN1)

(see p.2  No. 2)

CPU Fan Connectors 

Please connect the CPU fan 

(4-pin CPU_FAN1)

cable to the connector and 

(see p.2  No. 3)

match the black wire to the    

ground 

pin.

       Though this motherboard provides 4-Pin CPU fan (Quiet Fan) support, the 3-Pin  

       CPU fan still can work successfully even without the fan speed control function.  

       If you plan to connect the 3-Pin CPU fan to the CPU fan connector on this  

       motherboard, please connect it to Pin 1-3.  

Pin 1-3 Connected

3-Pin Fan Installation

GND

+12V

CPU_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

1  2  3  4

GN

D

+

12V

PWR

_F

AN

_

SPEE

D

F

AN

_

SPEE

D_CO

N

T

R

OL

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ATX Power Connector 

Please connect an ATX power 

(24-pin ATXPWR1)

supply to this connector. 

(see p.2  No. 10)

12

 1

       Though this motherboard provides 24-pin ATX power connector, 

       it can still work if you adopt a traditional 20-pin ATX power supply. 

       To use the 20-pin ATX power supply, please plug your power 

       supply along with Pin 1 and Pin 13.

ATX 12V Power Connector   

Please connect an ATX 12V  

(8-pin  ATX12V1)

power supply to this connector.

(see p.2  No. 1)

Though this motherboard provides 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, it can still work 

if you adopt a traditional 4-pin ATX 12V power supply. To use the 

4-pin ATX power supply, please plug your power supply along with 

Pin 1 and Pin 5.

20-Pin ATX Power Supply Installation

4-Pin ATX 12V Power Supply Installation

12

 1

24

13

24

13

5                1

8                4

5                         1

8                         4

HDMI_SPDIF Header 

HDMI_SPDIF header, providing  

(2-pin HDMI_SPDIF1)

SPDIF audio output to HDMI

(

see p.2  No. 30)

VGA card, allows the system to

 connect HDMI Digital TV/

projector/LCD devices. Please  

connect the HDMI_SPDIF 

connector of HDMI VGA card to  

this 

header.

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2.8  Installing Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / XP /  

       XP 64-bit With RAID Functions

If you want to install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / XP / XP 64-bit 

on your SATA / SATA2 HDDs with RAID functions, please refer to the document at 

the following path in the Support CD for detailed procedures:

..\ RAID Installation Guide 

2.7  Driver Installation Guide

To install the drivers to your system, please insert the support CD to your optical 

drive 

fi

 rst. Then, the drivers compatible to your system can be auto-detected and 

listed on the support CD driver page. Please follow the order from up to bottom side 

to install those required drivers. Therefore, the drivers you install can work properly.

Using SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 HDDs without NCQ and Hot Plug functions (IDE 

mode)

STEP 1: Set up BIOS.

A. Enter BIOS SETUP UTILITY          Advanced screen 

Storage  Con

fi

 guration.

B. Set the “SATA Operation Mode” option to [IDE] for SATA2 ports.

     Set the “Onboard SATA3 Operation Mode” option to [IDE] for SATA3 ports. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS on your system. 

2.9  Installing Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / XP /  

       XP 64-bit Without RAID Functions

If you want to install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / XP / XP 64-

bit OS on your SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 HDDs without RAID functions, please follow 

below procedures according to the OS you install.

2.9.1  Installing Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit Without RAID Functions

If you want to install Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit on your SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 HDDs 

without RAID functions, please follow below steps.

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2.9.2  Installing Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit 

          Without RAID Functions

If you want to install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit on your SATA / 

SATA2 / SATA3 HDDs without RAID functions, please follow below steps.

2.10  Untied Overclocking Technology

This motherboard supports Untied Overclocking Technology, which means during 

overclocking, FSB enjoys better margin due to 

fi

 xed PCI / PCIE buses. Before you 

enable Untied Overclocking function, please enter “Overclock Mode” option of BIOS 

setup to set the selection from [Auto] to [Manual]. Therefore, CPU FSB is untied 

during overclocking, but PCI / PCIE buses are in the 

fi

 xed mode so that FSB can 

operate under a more stable overclocking environment.

Please refer to the warning on page 7 for the possible overclocking risk  

before you apply Untied Overclocking Technology.

Using SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 HDDs without NCQ and Hot Plug functions (IDE 

mode)

STEP 1: Set up BIOS.

A. Enter BIOS SETUP UTILITY          Advanced screen 

Storage  Con

fi

 guration.

B. Set the “SATA Operation Mode” option to [IDE] for SATA2 ports.

     Set the “Onboard SATA3 Operation Mode” option to [IDE] for SATA3 ports. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

               system.

Using SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 HDDs with NCQ and Hot Plug functions (AHCI 

mode)

STEP 1: Set up BIOS.

A. Enter BIOS SETUP UTILITY          Advanced screen 

Storage  Con

fi

 guration.

B. Set the “SATA Operation Mode” option to [AHCI] for SATA2 ports.

     Set the “Onboard SATA3 Operation Mode” option to [AHCI] for SATA3 ports.

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

               system.