ASRock H61M-GS: 1. Introduction

5

ASRock  H61M-GS / H61M-S  Motherboard

English

1. Introduction

Thank you for purchasing ASRock 

H61M-GS / H61M-S 

motherboard, a reliable 

motherboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It 

delivers excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commit-

ment to quality and endurance.

This Quick Installation Guide contains introduction of the motherboard and step-by-

step installation guide. More detailed information of the motherboard can be found 

in the user manual presented in the Support CD. 

Because the motherboard speci

fi

 cations and the BIOS software might be 

updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without no-

tice. In case any modi

fi

 cations of this manual occur, the updated version 

will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You may 

fi

 nd 

the latest VGA cards and CPU support lists on ASRock website as well.  

ASRock website    http://www.asrock.com

If you require technical support related to this motherboard, please visit 

our website for speci

fi

 c information about the model you are using.

www.asrock.com/support/index.asp

1.1 Package Contents

ASRock 

H61M-GS / H61M-S

 Motherboard 

(Micro ATX Form Factor: 9.6-in x 7.8-in, 24.4 cm x 19.8 cm)

ASRock 

H61M-GS / H61M-S

 Quick Installation Guide

ASRock 

H61M-GS / H61M-S

 Support CD 

2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)

1 x I/O Panel Shield

ASRock Reminds You...

To get better performance in Windows

® 

7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM 

/ Vista

TM

 64-

bit, it is recommended to set the BIOS option in Storage Con

fi

 guration to 

AHCI mode. For the BIOS setup, please refer to the “User Manual” in our 

support CD for details.

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ASRock  H61M-GS / H61M-S  Motherboard

English

1.2 Specifications

 Platform

- Micro ATX Form Factor: 9.6-in x 7.8-in, 24.4 cm x 19.8 cm

- Solid Capacitor for CPU power

 CPU

- Supports 3

rd

 and 2

nd

 Generation Intel

®

 Core

TM

 i7 / i5 / i3 in 

  LGA1155 Package

- Supports Intel

®

 Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology

- Supports K-Series unlocked CPU 

- Supports Hyper-Threading Technology (see 

CAUTION 1

)

 Chipset 

- Intel

®

 H61

- Supports Intel

®

 Rapid Start Technology and Smart Connect 

Technology

 Memory 

- Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology (see 

CAUTION 2

)    

- 2 x DDR3 DIMM slots  

- Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered 

  memory (DDR3 1600 with Intel

®

 Ivy Bridge CPU, DDR3 

  1333 with Intel

®

 Sandy Bridge CPU)

- Max. capacity of system memory: 16GB (see 

CAUTION 3

)

- Supports Intel

®

 Extreme Memory Pro

fi

 le (XMP) 1.3 / 1.2 with 

  Intel

®

 Ivy Bridge CPU

 Expansion Slot 

- 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot (blue @ x16 mode)

  * PCIE 3.0 is only supported with Intel

®

 Ivy Bridge CPU. With 

    Intel

®

 Sandy Bridge CPU, it only supports PCIE 2.0.

- 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots

 Graphics 

 * 

Intel

®

 HD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs 

  can be supported only with processors which are GPU 

  integrated.

- Supports Intel

®

 HD Graphics Built-in Visuals: Intel

®

 Quick 

  Sync Video 2.0, Intel

®

 InTru

TM

 3D, Intel

®

 Clear Video HD 

  Technology, Intel

®

 Insider

TM

, Intel

®

 HD Graphics 2500/4000 

  with Intel

®

 Ivy Bridge CPU

- Supports Intel

®

 HD Graphics Built-in Visuals: Intel

®

 Quick 

  Sync Video, Intel

®

 InTru

TM

 3D, Intel

®

 Clear Video HD 

  Technology, Intel

®

 HD Graphics 2000/3000, Intel

®

 Advanced 

  Vector Extensions (AVX) with Intel

®

 Sandy Bridge CPU

- Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 11 with Intel

®

 Ivy Bridge CPU. 

  Pixel Shader 4.1, DirectX 10.1 with Intel

®

 Sandy Bridge 

  CPU.

- Max. shared memory 1760MB with Intel

®

 Ivy Bridge CPU. 

  Max. shared memory 1759MB with Intel

®

 Sandy Bridge 

  CPU. (see 

CAUTION 4

)

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ASRock  H61M-GS / H61M-S  Motherboard

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- Dual VGA Output: support DVI-D and D-Sub ports by 

  independent display controllers

- Supports DVI with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @ 

  60Hz

- Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 2048x1536 

  @ 75Hz

- Supports HDCP function with DVI port

- Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) / HD-DVD playback 

  with DVI port

 Audio 

- 5.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC662 Audio Codec) 

 LAN 

- H61M-GS

Atheros

®

 PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN AR8151, 

  speed 10/100/1000 Mb/s

 - 

H61M-S 

Atheros

®

 PCIEx1 LAN AR8152, speed 10/100 Mb/s 

- Supports Wake-On-LAN

- Supports PXE

 Rear Panel I/O 

I/O Panel

- 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port

- 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port

- 1 x D-Sub Port

- 1 x DVI-D Port

- 6 x Ready-to-Use USB 2.0 Ports

- 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED  

  LED)

- HD Audio Jack: Line in/Front Speaker/Microphone 

Connector

- 4 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and 

  Hot Plug functions

- 1 x IR header

- 1 x Print Port header

- 1 x COM port header

- CPU/Chassis/Power FAN connector

- 24 pin ATX power connector

- 8 pin 12V power connector

- Front panel audio connector

- 2 x USB 2.0 headers (support 4 USB 2.0 ports) 

BIOS Feature

- 32Mb AMI BIOS

- AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support 

- Supports “Plug and Play”

- ACPI 1.1 Compliance Wake Up Events

- Supports jumperfree

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ASRock  H61M-GS / H61M-S  Motherboard

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 WARNING

Please realize that there is a certain risk involved with overclocking, including 

adjusting the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking Technology, or 

using the third-party overclocking tools. Overclocking may affect your system 

stability, or even cause damage to the components and devices of your system.    

It should be done at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for possible  

damage caused by overclocking.

- SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support

- IGPU, DRAM, PCH, CPU PLL, VTT, VCCSA Voltage 

  Multi-adjustment

 Support CD 

- Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version), 

  CyberLink MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial, ASRock MAGIX 

  Multimedia Suite - OEM

 Unique Feature

- ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU) (see 

CAUTION 5

)

- ASRock Instant Boot

- ASRock Instant Flash (see 

CAUTION 6

) 

- ASRock APP Charger (see 

CAUTION 7

) 

- ASRock SmartView (see 

CAUTION 8

)

- ASRock XFast USB (see 

CAUTION 9

)  

- ASRock XFast LAN (see 

CAUTION 10

)

- ASRock XFast RAM (see 

CAUTION 11

)

- Hybrid Booster:

    - ASRock U-COP (see 

CAUTION 12

)

    - Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.)

- Combo Cooler Option (C.C.O.) (see 

CAUTION 13

)

- Good Night LED

Hardware 

- CPU Temperature Sensing

Monitor

- Chassis Temperature Sensing

- CPU/Chassis/Power Fan Tachometer

- CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan (Allow Chassis Fan Speed 

  Auto-Adjust by CPU Temperature)

- CPU/Chassis Fan Multi-Speed Control

- Voltage Monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore 

 OS

 - 

Microsoft

® 

Windows

® 

7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM 

/ Vista

TM

 64-bit    

  / XP / XP 64-bit compliant

 Certi

fi

 cations

- FCC, CE, WHQL

- ErP/EuP Ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required) 

  (see 

CAUTION 14

)

 * For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com

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ASRock  H61M-GS / H61M-S  Motherboard

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CAUTION!

1.  About the setting of “Hyper Threading Technology”, please check page 

42 of “User Manual” in the support CD.

2.  This motherboard supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. Before 

you implement Dual Channel Memory Technology, make sure to read the  

installation guide of memory modules on page 15 for proper installation.

3.  Due to the operating system limitation, the actual memory size may be 

less than 4GB for the reservation for system usage under Windows

®

 7 / 

Vista

TM

 / XP. For Windows

®

 OS with 64-bit CPU, there is no such limita-

tion.  You can use ASRock XFast RAM to utilize the memory that Win-

dows

®

 cannot use.

4.  The maximum shared memory size is de

fi

 ned by the chipset vendor and 

is subject to change. Please check Intel

®

 website for the latest informa-

tion.

5.  ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU) is an all-in-one tool to 

fi

 ne-tune 

different system functions in a user-friendly interface, which is including 

Hardware Monitor, Fan Control, Overclocking, OC DNA and IES. In 

Hardware Monitor, it shows the major readings of your system. In Fan 

Control, it shows the fan speed and temperature for you to adjust. In 

Overclocking, you are allowed to overclock CPU frequency for optimal 

system performance. In OC DNA, you can save your OC settings as a 

pro

fi

 le and share with your friends. Your friends then can load the OC 

pro

fi

 le to their own system to get the same OC settings. In IES (Intelligent 

Energy Saver), the voltage regulator can reduce the number of output 

phases to improve ef

fi

 ciency when the CPU cores are idle without  

sacrificing computing performance. Please visit our website for the 

operation procedures of ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU).

ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com

6.  ASRock Instant Flash is a BIOS 

fl

 ash utility embedded in Flash ROM. 

This convenient BIOS update tool allows you to update system BIOS 

without entering operating systems 

fi

 rst like MS-DOS or Windows

®

. With 

this utility, you can press <F6> key during the POST or press <F2> key to 

BIOS setup menu to access ASRock Instant Flash. Just launch this tool 

and save the new BIOS 

fi

 le to your USB 

fl

 ash drive, 

fl

 oppy disk or hard

drive, then you can update your BIOS only in a few clicks without prepar-

ing an additional 

fl

 oppy diskette or other complicated 

fl

 ash utility. Please 

be noted that the USB 

fl

 ash drive or hard drive must use FAT32/16/12 

fi

 le 

system. 

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ASRock  H61M-GS / H61M-S  Motherboard

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7.  If you desire a faster, less restricted way of charging your Apple devices, 

such as iPhone/iPod/iPad Touch, ASRock has prepared a wonderful 

solution for you - ASRock APP Charger. Simply installing the APP Char-

ger driver, it makes your iPhone charged much quickly from your com-

puter and up to 40% faster than before. ASRock APP Charger allows you 

to quickly charge many Apple devices simultaneously and even supports 

continuous charging when your PC enters into Standby mode (S1), Sus-

pend to RAM (S3), hibernation mode (S4) or power off (S5). With APP 

Charger driver installed, you can easily enjoy the marvelous charging 

experience than ever.

ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com/Feature/AppCharger/index.asp

8.  SmartView, a new function of internet browser, is the smart start page for 

IE that combines your most visited web sites, your history, your Facebook 

friends and your real-time newsfeed into an enhanced view for a more 

personal Internet experience. ASRock motherboards are exclusively 

equipped with the SmartView utility that helps you keep in touch with 

friends on-the-go. To use SmartView feature, please make sure your 

OS version is Windows

®

 7 / 7 64 bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64 bit, and your 

browser version is IE8. ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com/Feature/

SmartView/index.asp

9.  ASRock XFast USB can boost USB storage device performance. The 

performance may depend on the property of the device.

10.  ASRock XFast LAN provides a faster internet access, which includes 

below benefits. LAN Application Prioritization: You can configure your 

application priority ideally and/or add new programs. Lower Latency in 

Game: After setting online game priority higher, it can lower the latency in 

game. Traf

fi

 c Shaping: You can watch Youtube HD video and download 

fi

 les simultaneously. Real-Time Analysis of Your Data: With the status 

window, you can easily recognize which data streams you are currently 

transferring. 

11.  ASRock XFast RAM is a new function that is included into ASRock Ex-

treme Tuning Utility (AXTU). It fully utilizes the memory space that cannot 

be used under Windows

®

 OS 32-bit CPU. ASRock XFast RAM shortens 

the loading time of previously visited websites, making web sur

fi

 ng faster 

than ever. And it also boosts the speed of Adobe Photoshop 5 times 

faster. Another advantage of ASRock XFast RAM is that it reduces the 

frequency of accessing your SSDs or HDDs in order to extend their lifes-

pan.

12.  While CPU overheat is detected, the system will automatically shutdown.

Before you resume the system, please check if the CPU fan on the  

motherboard functions properly and unplug the power cord, then plug it 

back again. To improve heat dissipation, remember to spray thermal       

grease between the CPU and the heatsink when you install the PC sys-

tem.

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ASRock  H61M-GS / H61M-S  Motherboard

English

13.  Combo Cooler Option (C.C.O.) provides the 

fl

 exible option to adopt three 

different CPU cooler types, Socket LGA 775, LGA 1155 and LGA 1156. 

Please be noticed that not all the 775 and 1156 CPU Fan can be used. 

14.  EuP, stands for Energy Using Product, was a provision regulated by Eu-

ropean Union to de

fi

 ne the power consumption for the completed system. 

According to EuP, the total AC power of the completed system shall be 

under 1.00W in off mode condition. To meet EuP standard, an EuP ready 

motherboard and an EuP ready power supply are required. According to 

Intel’s suggestion, the EuP ready power supply must meet the standard 

of 5v standby power ef

fi

 ciency is higher than 50% under 100 mA current 

consumption. For EuP ready power supply selection, we recommend you 

checking with the power supply manufacturer for more details.