ASRock H61M-PS2: 2. Installation

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2. Installation 

Pre-installation Precautions

Take note of the following precautions before you install mother-

board components or change any motherboard settings.

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

component. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the 

motherboard, peripherals, and/or components. 

2.  To avoid damaging the motherboard components due to static 

electricity, NEVER place your motherboard directly on the car-

pet 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 

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

5.  When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the moth-

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

Doing so may damage the motherboard. 

2.1 CPU Installation 

For the installation of Intel 1155-Pin CPU, 

please follow the steps below.

Before you insert the 1155-Pin CPU into the socket, please check if the 

CPU surface is unclean or if there is any bent pin on the socket. Do not 

force to insert the CPU into the socket if above situation is found. Other-

wise, the CPU will be seriously damaged.

1155-Pin Socket Overview

Contact Array

Socket Body

Load Lever

Load Plate

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Step 1.  Open the socket:

Step 1-1.  Disengaging the lever by depressing 

down and out on the hook to clear 

retention tab.

Step 1-2.  Rotate the load lever to fully open po-

sition at approximately 135 degrees.

Step 1-3.  Rotate the load plate to fully open po-

sition at approximately 100 degrees.

Step 2.  Remove PnP Cap (Pick and Place Cap).

1. It is recommended to use the cap tab to handle and avoid kicking  

    off the PnP cap.

2. This cap must be placed if returning the motherboard for after  

    service.

Step 3.  Insert the 1155-Pin CPU:

Step 3-1.  Hold the CPU by the edges where 

are marked with black lines.

Step 3-2.  Orient the CPU with IHS (Integrated 

Heat Sink) up. Locate Pin1 and the 

two orientation key notches.

For proper inserting, please ensure to match the two orientation key 

notches of the CPU with the two alignment keys of the socket.

black line

Pin1

alignment  key 

alignment  key 

Pin1

1155-Pin CPU

1155-Pin Socket

orientation key  notch

orientation key  notch

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Step 3-3.  Carefully place the CPU into the 

socket by using a purely vertical mo-

tion.

Step 3-4.  Verify that the CPU is within the sock-

et and properly mated to the orient 

keys.

Step 4.  Close the socket:

Step 4-1.  Rotate the load plate onto the IHS.

Step 4-2.  While  pressing down lightly on load 

plate, engage the load lever.

Step 4-3.  Secure load lever with load plate tab 

under retention tab of load lever.

2.2    Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink

For proper installation, please kindly refer to the instruction manuals of your CPU 

fan and heatsink.

Below is an example to illustrate the installation of the heatsink for 1155-Pin CPU.

Step 1.  Apply thermal interface material onto center of 

IHS on the socket surface.

Step 2.  Place the heatsink onto the socket. Ensure 

fan cables are oriented on side closest to the 

CPU fan connector on the motherboard (CPU_

FAN1, see page 2, No. 3).

Step 3.  Align fasteners with the motherboard through-

holes.

Step 4.  Rotate the fastener clockwise, then press 

down on fastener caps with thumb to install 

and lock. Repeat with remaining fasteners.

If you press down the fasteners without rotating them clockwise, the 

heatsink cannot be secured on the motherboard.

Step 5.  Connect fan header with the CPU fan connector on the motherboard.

Step 6.  Secure excess cable with tie-wrap to ensure cable does not interfere with  

fan operation or contact other components.

Apply Thermal

Interface Material

Fan cables on side

closest to MB header

Fastener slots

pointing straight out

Press Down

(4 Places)

Please be noticed that this motherboard supports Combo Cooler 

Option (C.C.O.), which provides the 

fl

 exible option to adopt three dif-

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

The white throughholes are for Socket LGA 

1155/1156 CPU fan.

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2.3  Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)

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

and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. For dual channel configuration, 

you always need to install two identical (the same brand, speed, size and chip-

type) memory modules in the DDR3 DIMM slots to activate Dual Channel Memory 

Technology. Otherwise, it will operate at single channel mode.

1. 

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

DDR3 slot;otherwise, this motherboard and DIMM may be  

 damaged. 

2. 

If you install only one memory module or two non-identical  

memory modules, it is unable to activate the Dual Channel  

 Memory 

Technology. 

3. 

Some DDR3 1GB double-sided DIMMs with 16 chips may not  

work on this motherboard. It is not recommended to install them  

on this motherboard. 

notch

break

notch

break

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 1 PCI slot and 2 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 (PCIE 3.0 x16 slot; Blue) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width 

graphics cards. 

PCIE2 (PCIE 2.0 x1 slot; White) is used for PCI Express cards with x1 

lane width cards, such as Gigabit LAN card, SATA2 card, etc.

Only PCIE1 slot supports Gen 3 speed. To run the PCI Express in Gen  

3 speed, please install an Ivy Bridge CPU. If you install a Sandy Bridge  

CPU, the PCI Express will run only at PCI Express Gen 2 speed.

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 Multi Monitor Feature

This motherboard supports multi monitor upgrade. With the internal VGA output sup-

port and external add-on PCI Express VGA cards, you can easily enjoy the bene

fi

 ts 

of multi monitor feature. 

Please refer to the following steps to set up a multi monitor environment:

1. Install the PCI Express VGA card on PCIE1 slot. Please refer to page 15 for 

    proper expansion card installation procedures for details.

2. Connect D-Sub monitor cable to D-Sub port on the I/O panel. Then connect 

    other monitor cables to the corresponding connectors of the add-on PCI Express 

    VGA card on PCIE1 slot.

3. Boot your system. Press <F2> or <Del> to enter UEFI setup. Enter “Onboard  

    VGA Share Memory” option to adjust the memory capability to [32MB], [64MB],  

    [128MB], [256MB] or [512MB] to enable the function of D-sub. Please make sure 

    that the value you select is less than the total capability of the system memory. 

    If you do not adjust the UEFI setup, the default value of “Onboard VGA Share 

    Memory”, [Auto], will disable D-Sub function when the add-on VGA card is 

    inserted to this motherboard.

4. Install the onboard VGA driver and the add-on PCI Express VGA card driver to  

    your system. If you have installed the drivers already, there is no need to install  

    them again. 

5. Set up a multi-monitor display. 

    For Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS:

Right click the desktop, choose “Properties”, and select the “Settings” tab  

so that you can adjust the parameters of the multi-monitor according to  

the steps below. 

A. Click the “Identify” button to display a large number on each monitor. 

B. Right-click the display icon in the Display Properties dialog that you   

    wish to be your primary monitor, and then select “Primary”. When 

    you use multiple monitors with your card, one monitor will always be   

    Primary, and all additional monitors will be designated as Secondary.

C. Select the display icon identi

fi

 ed by the number 2. 

VGA port

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D. Click “Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor”. 

E. Right-click the display icon and select “Attached”, if necessary.    

F. Set the “Screen Resolution” and “Color Quality” as appropriate for the      

    second monitor. Click “Apply” or “OK” to apply these new values. 

G. Repeat steps C through E for the diaplay icon identi

fi

 ed by the number  

     one, two and three.

    For Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS:

Right click the desktop, choose “Personalize”, and select the “Display    

Settings” tab so that you can adjust the parameters of the multi-monitor  

according to the steps below. 

A. Click the number ”2” icon. 

B. Click the items “This is my main monitor” and “Extend the desktop onto      

    this monitor”. 

C. Click “OK” to save your change. 

D. Repeat steps A through C for the display icon identi

fi

 ed by the number      

     three.

6. Use multi monitor. Click and drag the display icons to positions representing the 

    physical setup of your monitors that you would like to use. The placement  

    of display icons determines how you move items from one monitor to another.

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2.6 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. 18)

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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2.7 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 ATAII Connectors 

These four Serial ATAII 

(SATA2_0: see  p.2, No. 9)

(SATAII) connectors support   

(SATA2_1: see  p.2, No. 10)

SATA data cables for internal  

(SATA2_2: see  p.2, No. 11)

storage  devices. The current  

(SATA2_3: see  p.2, No. 12)

SATAII interface allows up to 

3.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.

Serial ATA (SATA) 

Either end of the SATA data  

Data Cable 

cable can be connected to the  

(Optional)

SATA / SATAII hard disk or the 

SATAII connector on this 

 motherboard.

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. 15)

are two 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. 16)

Infrared Module Header 

This header supports an 

(5-pin IR1)

optional wireless transmitting  

(see  p.2  No. 19)

and receiving infrared module.

1

IRTX

+5VSB

DUMMY

IRRX

GND

SATA2_1

SATA2_0

SATA2_3

SATA2_2

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J_SENSE

OUT2_L

1

MIC_RET

PRESENCE#

GND

OUT2_R

MIC2_R

MIC2_L

OUT_RET

Front Panel Audio Header 

This is an interface for front 

(9-pin HD_AUDIO1)

panel audio cable that allows  

(see p.2  No. 23)

convenient connection and    

control of audio devices.

System Panel Header 

This header accommodates

(9-pin PANEL1)

several system front panel   

(see p.2  No. 14)

 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 perform 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.

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.

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Chassis Speaker Header   

Please connect the chassis    

(4-pin SPEAKER 1)

speaker to this header.

(see p.2  No. 13)

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.

Chassis and Power Fan Connectors 

Please connect the fan cables  

(4-pin CHA_FAN1)

to the fan connectors and  

(see p.2  No. 17)

match the black wire to the    

ground 

pin.

(3-pin PWR_FAN1)

(see p.2  No. 1)

       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.  

3-Pin Fan Installation

Pin 1-3 Connected

ATX Power Connector 

Please connect an ATX power 

(24-pin ATXPWR1)

supply to this connector. 

(see p.2  No. 6)

12  

 1

24

13

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.

GND

+12V

CPU_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

1  2  3  4

GND

+12V

PWR_FAN_SPEED

GND

+12V

CHA_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

20-Pin ATX Power Supply Installation

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.

12

 1

24

13

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ATX 12V Power Connector   

Please connect an ATX 12V  

(8-pin  ATX12V1)

power supply to this connector.

(see p.2  No. 4)

4-Pin ATX 12V Power Supply Installation

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.

8                  5

4                  1

8                   

        5

4                   

        1

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2.8   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.

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 / SATAII 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 OS on your SATA / SATAII HDDs 

without RAID functions, please follow below steps.

STEP 1: Set up UEFI.

A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY        Advanced screen        Storage Con

fi

 guration.

B. Set the option “SATA Mode Selection” to [IDE]. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS on your system.

Using SATA / SATAII HDDs without NCQ function

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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 OS on your SATA 

/ SATAII HDDs without RAID functions, please follow below steps.

Using SATA / SATAII HDDs with NCQ function

STEP 1: Set Up UEFI.

A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY        Advanced screen        Storage Con

fi

 guration.

B. Set the option “SATA Mode Selection” to [AHCI]. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

 system.

Using SATA / SATAII HDDs without NCQ function

STEP 1: Set up UEFI.

A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY        Advanced screen        Storage Con

fi

 guration.

B. Set the option “SATA Mode Selection” to [IDE]. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

 system.