ASRock X79 Extreme7: 2. Installation

2. Installation: ASRock X79 Extreme7

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ASRock  X79  Extreme7  Motherboard

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 2011-Pin CPU, 

please follow the steps below.

Before you insert the 2011-Pin CPU into the socket, please check if the 

CPU surface is unclean or if there are any bent pins in the socket. Do 

not force to insert the CPU into the socket if above situation is found. 

Otherwise, the CPU will be seriously damaged.

2011-Pin Socket Overview

Contact Array

Socket Body

Load Lever

Load Lever

Load Plate

English

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ASRock  X79  Extreme7  Motherboard

English

Step 1.  Open the socket:

Step 1-1.  Disengage the left lever by pressing it 

down and sliding it out of the hook.

Step 1-2.  Disengage the right lever by pressing 

it down and sliding it out of the hook.

Step 1-3.  Keep the right lever positioned at 

about 90 degrees in order to 

fl

 ip  up 

the load plate.

Step 2.  Insert the 2011-Pin CPU:

Step 2-1.  Hold the CPU by the edge with the 

triangle mark(Pin 1) on your upper 

right corner.

Pin1

Step 2-2.  Locate Pin1 and the two orientation 

key notches.

alignment  key 

alignment  key 

Pin1

2011-Pin CPU

2011-Pin Socket

orientation key  notch

orientation key  notch

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

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

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English

Step 2-3.  Carefully place the CPU into the 

socket by using a purely vertical mo-

tion.

Step 2-4.  Verify that the CPU is within the sock-

et and properly mated to the orient 

keys.

Step 3.  Close the socket:

Step 3-1.  Flip the load plate onto the IHS, then 

the cover will automatically come off 

by itself.

The cover must be placed if returning the

motherboard for after service.

Step 3-2.  Press down the right load lever, and 

secure it with the load plate tab under 

the retention tab.

Step 3-3.  Press down the left load lever, and 

secure it with the load plate tab under 

the retention tab.

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2.2  Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink

This motherboard is equipped with 2011-Pin socket that supports Intel 2011-Pin 

CPU. Please adopt the type of heatsink and cooling fan compliant with Intel 2011-

Pin CPU to dissipate heat. Before you installed the heatsink, you need to spray 

thermal interface material between the CPU and the heatsink to improve heat dis-

sipation. Ensure 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. 4 or CPU_FAN2, see page 2, No. 10).  

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 2011-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. 4 or CPU_FAN2, see 

page 2, No. 10).

Step 3.  Align screws with the motherboard’s holes.

Step 4.  Use a screw driver to install the screws.

If you don’t fasten the screws, 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 the cable does not interfere  

with fan operation or contact other components.

Apply Thermal

Interface Material

Screws

(4 corners)

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2.3  Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)

This motherboard provides six 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM 

slots, and supports Quad Channel Memory Technology. For quad channel con-

fi

 guration, you always need to install 

identical

 (the same brand, speed, size 

and chip-type) DDR3 DIMM in the slots: You have to install 

identical

 DDR3 

DIMM in DDR3_A1 (Black slot; see p.2 No.1), DDR3_B1 (Black slot; see p.2 

No.3), DDR3_D1 (Black slot; see p.2 No.7) and DDR3_C1 (Black slot; see p.2 

No.9), so that Quad Channel Memory Technology can be activated.

1. Due 

to 

Intel

®

 CPU spec de

fi

 nition, the system will not boot if only 

two DIMM are installed into DDR3_B2 and DDR3_D2 slots. Please 

install the memory modules into DDR3_B1 and DDR3_D1 slots 

fi

 rst, then DDR3_B2 and DDR3_D2 slots can work properly.

2.  If only two memory modules are installed in the DDR3 DIMM slots, 

then Dual Channel Memory Technology is activated. If three memo-

ry modules are installed, then Triple Channel Memory Technology is 

activated. If four memory modules are installed in the DDR3 DIMM 

slots, then Quad Channel Memory Technology is activated.

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

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

aged.

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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 is 1 PCI slot and 5 PCI Express slots on this motherboard.     

PCI slot:

  PCI slot is used to install expansion cards that have the 32-bit PCI    

 interface. 

PCIE slots:

 PCIE1 / PCIE2 / PCIE3 / PCIE4 / PCIE5 (PCIE 3.0 x16 slots) are used 

for PCI Express graphics cards. 

  

PCIE Slot Con

fi

 gurations

                       

PCIE1        PCIE2        PCIE3        PCIE4        PCIE5  

   Dual Graphics Cards in       

x16           x0               x16           x0               N/A 

   CrossFireX

TM

 or SLI

TM

 Mode

   Triple Graphics Cards in   

x16           x0               x16           x0               x8 

   3-Way CrossFireX

TM

 or 

   3-Way SLI

TM

 Mode

   Five Graphics Cards  

x8    

      x8               x8    

      x8               x8 

1. In single VGA card mode, it is recommended to install a PCI Express  

    x16 graphics card on PCIE1 slot. 

2. In CrossFireX

TM

 mode or SLI

TM

 mode, please install PCI Express x16  

    graphics cards on PCIE1 and PCIE3 slots. Therefore, both these two  

    slots will work at x16 bandwidth.

3. In 3-Way CrossFireX

TM

 or 3-Way SLI

TM

 mode, please install PCI 

    Express x16 graphics cards on PCIE1, PCIE3 and PCIE5 slots.

    Therefore, both PCIE1 and PCIE3 will work at x16 bandwidth, while

    PCIE5 works at x8 bandwidth.

4. If you install 

fi

 ve PCI Express x16 graphics cards on PCIE1, PCIE2,  

    PCIE3, PCIE4 and PCIE5 slots, these 

fi

 ve slots will work at x8 

    bandwidth. 

5. Please connect a chassis fan to motherboard chassis fan connector  

    (CHA_FAN1, CHA_FAN2 or CHA_FAN3) when using multiple 

    graphics cards for better thermal environment.

6. Currently Intel

®

 Socket 2011 Sandy Bridge-E Processor doesn’t 

    support PCIE 3.0, but this motherboard is already PCIE 3.0 hardware

    ready. It depends on Intel’s CPU to enable PCIE 3.0. Please check

    Intel’s website for information on future CPU updates and releases.

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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  SLI

TM

, 3-Way SLI

TM

 and Quad SLI

TM 

Operation Guide

This motherboard supports NVIDIA

®

 SLI

TM

, 3-Way SLI

TM

 and Quad SLI

TM

 (Scalable 

Link Interface) technology that allows you to install up to three identical PCI Express 

x16 graphics cards. Currently, NVIDIA

®

 SLI

TM

 technology supports Windows

®

 XP / 

XP 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS. NVIDIA

®

 3-Way SLI

TM 

and Quad 

SLI

TM

 technology support Windows

®

 Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS only. 

Please follow the installation procedures in this section.

Requirements

         1. For SLI

TM

 technology, you should have two identical SLI

TM

-ready graphics  

             cards that are NVIDIA

®

 certi

fi

 ed. For 3-Way SLI

TM

 technology, you should  

             have three identical 3-Way SLI

TM

-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA

®

   

             certi

fi

 ed. For Quad SLI

TM

 technology, you should have two identical Quad  

             SLI

TM

-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA

®

 certi

fi

 ed. 

         2. Make sure that your graphics card driver supports NVIDIA

® 

SLI

TM

 technology 

             (driver version 280.41 and later). Download the driver from NVIDIA website 

             (www.nvidia.com).  

         3. Make sure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least the  

             minimum power required by your system. It is recommended to use  

             NVIDIA

®

 certi

fi

 ed PSU. Please refer to NVIDIA

®

 website for details.

2.5.1  Graphics Card Setup

2.5.1.1  Installing Two SLI

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Step 1.  Install the identical SLI

TM

-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA

®

 certi

fi

 ed 

because different types of graphics cards will not work together properly. 

(Even the GPU chips version shall be the same.) Insert one graphics card 

into PCIE1 slot and the other graphics card to PCIE3 slot. Make sure that 

the cards are properly seated on the slots.

Step2.  If required, connect the auxiliary power source to the PCI Express graph-

ics cards.

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Step4.  Connect a VGA cable or a DVI cable to the monitor connector or the DVI 

connector of the graphics card that is inserted to PCIE1 slot. 

Step3.  Align and insert the ASRock SLI_Bridge_2S Card to the gold

fi

 ngers  on 

each graphics card. Make sure the ASRock SLI_Bridge_2S Card is 

fi

 rmly 

in place. 

ASRock SLI_Bridge_2S Card

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2.5.1.2  Installing Three SLI

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Step 1.  Install the identical 3-Way SLI

TM

-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA

®

certi

fi

 ed because different types of graphics cards will not work together 

properly. (Even the GPU chips version shall be the same.) Each graph-

ics card should have two gold

fi

 ngers for ASRock 3-Way SLI-2S1S Bridge 

Card connector. Insert one graphics card into PCIE1 slot, another graphics 

card to PCIE3 slot, and the other graphics card to PCIE5 slot. Make sure 

that the cards are properly seated on the slots.

Step2.  Connect the auxiliary power source to the PCI Express graphics card. 

Please make sure that both power connectors on the PCI Express graph-

ics card are connected. Repeat this step on the three graphics cards.   

Step4.  Connect a VGA cable or a DVI cable to the monitor connector or the DVI 

connector of the graphics card that is inserted to PCIE1 slot. 

Two Gold

fi

 ngers

Step3.  Align and insert ASRock 3-Way SLI-2S1S Bridge Card to the gold

fi

 ngers 

on each graphics card. Make sure ASRock 3-Way SLI-2S1S Bridge Card 

is 

fi

 rmly in place.

ASRock 3-Way SLI-2S1S Bridge Card

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2.5.2  Driver Installation and Setup

Install the graphics card drivers to your system. After that, you can enable the Multi-

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) feature in the NVIDIA

®

 nView system tray utility. 

Please follow the below procedures to enable the multi-GPU feature.

For Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS:

 (For 

SLI

TM

 mode only)

 A. 

Double-click 

NVIDIA Settings icon

 on your Windows

®

 taskbar.

B. From the pop-up menu, select 

Set SLI and PhysX con

fi

 guration

. In 

    Set PhysX GPU acceleration

 item, please select 

Enabled

. In 

Select  

    an SLI con

fi

 guration

 item, please select 

Enable SLI

. And click 

Apply

C. Reboot your system.

D. You can freely enjoy the bene

fi

 t of SLI

TM

 feature.

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 For 

Windows

®

 Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS:

 (For 

SLI

TM

 and Quad SLI

TM

 mode)

A. Click the 

Start 

icon on your Windows taskbar.

B. From the pop-up menu, select 

All Programs

, and then click 

NVIDIA       

    Corporation

.

 C. 

Select 

NVIDIA Control Panel

 tab.

 D. 

Select 

Control Panel 

tab.

E. From the pop-up menu, select 

Set SLI and PhysX con

fi

 guration

. In 

    Set PhysX GPU acceleration

 item, please select 

Enabled

. In 

Select  

    an SLI con

fi

 guration

 item, please select 

Enable SLI

. And click 

Apply

F. Reboot your system.

G. You can freely enjoy the bene

fi

 t of SLI

TM

 or Quad SLI

TM

 feature.

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ASRock  X79  Extreme7  Motherboard

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 For 

Windows

®

 Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS:

(For 3-Way SLI

TM

 mode)

A. Follow steps A to D on page 24.

B. From the pop-up menu, select 

Set SLI and PhysX con

fi

 guration

. In 

    Select a hardware acceleration setting for PhysX

 item, please  

     

    select 

Enabled

. In 

Select an SLI con

fi

 guration

 item, please select 

         

    Enable 3-way SLI

. And click 

Apply

C. Reboot your system.

D. You can freely enjoy the bene

fi

 t of 3-Way SLI

TM

 feature.

 * SLI

TM

 appearing here is a registered trademark of NVIDIA

®

 Technologies Inc., and is used        

    only for identi

fi

 cation or explanation and to the owners’ bene

fi

 t, without intent to infringe.

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1. If a customer incorrectly con

fi

 gures their system they will not see the  

    performance bene

fi

 ts of CrossFireX

TM

. All three CrossFireX

TM

 components, a    

    CrossFireX

TM

 Ready graphics card, a CrossFireX

TM

 Ready motherboard and a   

     

    CrossFireX

TM

 Edition co-processor graphics card, must be installed correctly to  

    bene

fi

 t from the CrossFireX

TM

 multi-GPU platform.

2. If you pair a 12-pipe CrossFireX

TM

 Edition card with a 16-pipe card,  both cards  

    will operate as 12-pipe cards while in CrossFireX

TM

 mode.

2.6  CrossFireX

TM

, 3-Way CrossFireX

TM

 and Quad CrossFireX

TM

  

       Operation Guide

This motherboard supports CrossFireX

TM

, 3-way CrossFireX

TM 

and Quad

CrossFireX

TM

 feature. CrossFireX

TM

 technology offers the most advantageous 

means available of combining multiple high performance Graphics Processing 

Units (GPU) in a single PC. Combining a range of different operating modes with 

intelligent software design and an innovative interconnect mechanism, CrossFireX

TM

enables the highest possible level of performance and image quality in any 3D 

application. Currently CrossFireX

TM

 feature is supported with Windows

®

 XP with 

Service Pack 2 / Vista

TM

 / 7 OS. 3-way CrossFireX

TM

 and Quad CrossFireX

TM 

feature 

are supported with Windows

®

 Vista

TM

 / 7 OS only. Please check AMD website for 

ATI

TM

 CrossFireX

TM

 driver updates.

2.6.1  Graphics Card Setup

2.6.1.1  Installing Two CrossFireX

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Different CrossFireX

TM

 cards may require different methods to enable CrossFireX

TM

feature. In below procedures, we use Radeon HD 5770 as the example graphics 

card. For other CrossFireX

TM

 cards that AMD has released or will release in the 

future, please refer to AMD graphics card manuals for detailed installation guide.

Step 1.  Insert one Radeon graphics card into PCIE1 slot and the other Radeon 

graphics card to PCIE3 slot. Make sure that the cards are properly seated 

on the slots.

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CrossFire Bridge

Step 3.  Connect the DVI monitor cable to the DVI connector on the Radeon 

graphics card on PCIE1 slot. (You may use the DVI to D-Sub adapter to 

convert the DVI connector to D-Sub interface, and then connect the D-Sub 

monitor cable to the DVI to D-Sub adapter.)

Step 2.  Connect two Radeon graphics cards by installing CrossFire Bridge on 

CrossFire Bridge Interconnects on the top of Radeon graphics cards. 

(CrossFire Bridge is provided with the graphics card you purchase, not 

bundled with this motherboard. Please refer to your graphics card vendor 

for details.)     

or

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2.6.1.2  Installing Three CrossFireX

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Step 1.  Install the identical 3-Way CrossFireX

TM

-ready graphics cards that are 

AMD

®

 certified because different types of graphics cards will not work 

together properly. (Even the GPU chips version shall be the same.) Insert 

one graphics card into PCIE1 slot, another graphics card to PCIE3 slot, 

and the other graphics card to PCIE5 slot. Make sure that the cards are 

properly seated on the slots.

Step 4.  Use one CrossFire

TM

 Bridge to connect Radeon graphics cards on PCIE1 

and PCIE3 slots, and use the other CrossFire

TM

 Bridge to connect Radeon 

graphics cards on PCIE3 and PCIE5 slots. (CrossFire

TM

 Bridge is provided 

with the graphics card you purchase, not bundled with this motherboard. 

Please refer to your graphics card vendor for details.)     

CrossFire

TM

 Bridge

Step 5.  Connect the DVI monitor cable to the DVI connector on the Radeon graph-

ics card on PCIE1 slot. (You may use the DVI to D-Sub adapter to convert 

the DVI connector to D-Sub interface, and then connect the D-Sub monitor 

cable to the DVI to D-Sub adapter.)

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 The Catalyst Uninstaller is an optional download. We recommend using this  

 utility to uninstall any previously installed Catalyst drivers prior to installation.

 Please check AMD website for ATI

TM

 driver updates.

Step 3.  Install the required drivers to your system.

For Windows

®

 XP OS: 

A. AMD recommends Windows

®

 XP Service Pack 2 or higher to be  

    installed (If you have Windows

®

 XP Service Pack 2 or higher installed  

    in your system, there is no need to download it again):

   http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/default.mspx

B. You must have Microsoft .NET Framework installed prior to  

    downloading and installing the CATALYST Control Center. Please    

    check Microsoft website for details. 

 For 

Windows

®

 7 / Vista

TM

 OS: 

Install the CATALYST Control Center. Please check AMD website for de-

tails. 

Step 4.  Restart your computer.

Step 5.  Install the VGA card drivers to your system, and restart your computer.

Then you will 

fi

 nd “ATI Catalyst Control Center” on your Windows

®

 taskbar.

ATI Catalyst Control Center

2.6.2 Driver Installation and Setup

Step 1.  Power on your computer and boot into OS.

Step 2.  Remove the AMD driver if you have any VGA driver installed in your 

 system.

Step 6.  Double-click “ATI Catalyst Control Center”. Click “View”, select “CrossFi-

reX

TM

”, and then check the item “Enable CrossFireX

TM

”. Select “2 GPUs” 

and click “Apply” (if you install two Radeon graphics cards). Select “3 

GPUs” and click “OK” (if you install three Radeon graphics cards).      

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2.7  Surround Display Feature 

This motherboard supports Surround Display upgrade. With the external add-on PCI 

Express VGA cards, you can easily enjoy the bene

fi

 ts of Surround Display feature. 

For detailed instructions, please refer to the document at the following path in the 

Support CD: 

..\ Surround Display Information

Although you have selected the option “Enable CrossFire

TM

”, the CrossFireX

TM

  

function may not work actually. Your computer will automatically reboot. After  

restarting your computer, please con

fi

 rm whether the option “Enable    

CrossFire

TM

” in “ATI Catalyst Control Center” is selected or not; if not, please  

select it again, and then you are able to enjoy the bene

fi

 t of CrossFireX

TM 

feature.  

Step 7.  You can freely enjoy the bene

fi

 t of CrossFireX

TM

, 3-Way CrossFireX

TM

 or 

Quad CrossFireX

TM

 feature.

 * CrossFireX

TM

 appearing here is a registered trademark of AMD Technologies Inc., and is         

    used only for identi

fi

 cation or explanation and to the owners’ bene

fi

 t, without intent to infringe.

*  For further information of AMD CrossFireX

TM

 technology, please check AMD website for        

    updates and details. 

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* ASRock Smart Remote is only supported by some of ASRock motherboards. Please refer to 

  ASRock website for the motherboard support list: http://www.asrock.com   

USB 2.0 header (9-pin, black) 

CIR header (4-pin, gray) 

2.8  ASRock Smart Remote Installation Guide

ASRock Smart Remote is only used for ASRock motherboard with CIR header. 

Please refer to below procedures for the quick installation and usage of ASRock 

Smart Remote.

Step1. 

Find the CIR header located next  

to the USB 2.0 header on ASRock 

 motherboard. 

Step2. 

Connect the front USB cable to the 

USB 2.0 header (as below, pin 1-5) 

and the CIR header. Please make 

sure the wire assignments and the 

pin assignments are matched 

 correctly. 

1 2

4

3

5

USB_PWR

P-

P+

GND

ATX+5VSB

IRRX

IRTX

GND

DUMMY

Step3. Install 

Multi-Angle CIR Receiver to 

the front USB port. If Multi-Angle 

 CIR 

Receiver cannot successfully 

receive the infrared signals from 

MCE Remote Controller, please try 

to install it to the other front USB 

 port. 

3 CIR sensors in different angles

1. 

Only one of the front USB port can support CIR function. When 

the CIR function is enabled, the other port will remain USB    

 function.

2. 

Multi-Angle CIR Receiver is used for front USB only. Please do 

not use the rear USB bracket to connect it on the rear panel.  

Multi-Angle CIR Receiver can receive the multi-direction infrared 

signals (top, down and front), which is compatible with most of 

the chassis on the market.

3. 

The Multi-Angle CIR Receiver does not support Hot-Plug 

function. Please install it before you boot the system.

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2.9  ASRock XFast Charger Operation Guide

ASRock XFast Charger is the best and 

fastest technology to charge your mobile

devices via PC. With the superb XFast 

Charger USB port, users are assured to 

enjoy the quick charging experience 

anytime. In addition to Apple devices, it 

is also capable of Charging the BC 1.1 

standard smart devices. Please refer to 

below instruction for proper operation.

This motherboard provides two USB ports for ASRock XFast Charger:

1. USB 2.0 port (USB0) on the I/O panel

2. USB 2.0 port (USB6) header

With ASRock XFast Charger feature, you can freely enjoy the quick charging 

convenience by installing the USB cable on these two ports.  

see p.2  No. 36

see p.3  No. 16

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2.10  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. 32)

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

The Clear CMOS Switch has the same function as the Clear CMOS 

jumper. 

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Serial ATA2 Connectors 

These four Serial ATA2  

(SATA2_0_1: see  p.2, No. 19)

(SATA2) connectors support  

(SATA2_2_3: see  p.2, No. 18) 

SATA data cables for internal  

storage devices. The current  

SATA2 interface allows up to 

3.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.

Serial ATA3 Connectors 

These seven Serial ATA3  

(SATA3_0_1: see  p.2, No. 20)

(SATA3) connectors support   

(SATA3_M0_M1: see  p.2, No. 22)

SATA data cables for internal 

(SATA3_M2_M3: see  p.2, No. 21) 

storage devices. The current  

(SATA3_M4: see  p.2, No. 15) 

SATA3 interface allows up to 

6.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.

SA

TA2_0      SA

TA2_2

SA

TA2_1      SA

TA2_3

2.11  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 ATA (SATA) 

Either end of the SATA data  

Data Cable 

cable can be connected to the  

(Optional)

SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 hard   

disk or the SATA2 / SATA3 

connector on this motherboard.

connect  to the SATA  

HDD power connector

connect  to the 

power supply

Serial ATA (SATA) 

Please connect the black end  

Power Cable 

of SATA power cable to the    

(Optional)

power connector on each drive.  

Then connect the white end of  

SATA power cable to the power  

connector of the power supply.

SA

TA3_M0   SA

TA3_M2   SA

TA3_0

SA

TA3_M1   SA

TA3_M3   SA

TA3_1

SATA3_M4

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Infrared Module Header 

This header supports an 

(5-pin IR1)

optional wireless transmitting  

(see  p.2  No. 39)

and receiving infrared module.

USB 3.0 Header 

Besides two default USB 3.0 

(19-pin USB3_2_3)

ports on the I/O panel, there are 

(see p.2  No. 14)

two USB 3.0 headers on this   

motherboard. Each USB 3.0   

header can support two USB 

 3.0 

ports.

(19-pin USB3_4_5)

(see p.2  No. 13)

Consumer Infrared Module Header 

This header can be used to    

(4-pin CIR1)

connect the remote   

(see  p.2  No. 37)

 controller 

receiver.

USB 2.0 Headers 

Besides six default USB 2.0

(9-pin USB_6_7)

ports on the I/O panel, there 

(see p.2  No. 36)

are three USB 2.0 headers on

this motherboard. Each USB 2.0

  

header can support two USB 

 2.0 

ports.

(9-pin USB_8_9)

(see p.2  No. 35)

(9-pin USB_10_11)

(see p.2  No. 34)

1

USB_PWR

P-8

GND

DUMMY

USB_PWR

P+8

GND

P-9

P+9

1

USB

_

P

W

R

P

-10

G

N

D

DU

MMY

USB

_

P

W

R

P

+10

G

N

D

P

-11

P

+11

1

IRTX

+5VSB

DUMMY

IRRX

GND

1

ATX+5VSB

IRTX

GND

IRRX

1

IntA_P3_D+

ID

IntA_P3_D-

GND

IntA_P3_SSTX+

GND

IntA_P3_SSTX-

IntA_P3_SSRX+

IntA_P3_SSRX-

Vbus

Vbus

Vbus

IntA_P2_SSRX-

IntA_P2_SSRX+

GND

IntA_P2_SSTX-

IntA_P2_SSTX+

GND

IntA_P2_D-

IntA_P2_D+

1

IntA_P5_D+

ID

IntA_P5_D-

GND

IntA_P5_SSTX+

GND

IntA_P5_SSTX-

IntA_P5_SSRX+

IntA_P5_SSRX-

Vbus

Vbus

Vbus

IntA_P4_SSRX-

IntA_P4_SSRX+

GND

IntA_P4_SSTX-

IntA_P4_SSTX+

GND

IntA_P4_D-

IntA_P4_D+

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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. 29)

 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).

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. 42)

convenient connection and    

control of audio devices.

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Chassis Speaker Header   

Please connect the chassis    

(4-pin SPEAKER 1)

speaker to this header.

(see p.2  No. 28)

Power LED Header 

Please connect the chassis   

(3-pin PLED1)

power LED to this header to 

(see p.2  No. 30)

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).

1

PLED+

PLED+

PLED-

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.

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.

Chassis, Power and SB Fan Connectors 

Please connect the fan cables  

(4-pin CHA_FAN1)

to the fan connectors and  

(see p.2  No. 16)

match the black wire to the    

ground pin. CHA_FAN1,  

(3-pin CHA_FAN2) 

CHA_FAN2 and CHA_FAN3

(see p.2  No. 25) 

support FAN control. SB_FAN1

supports Quiet FAN.

(3-pin CHA_FAN3)

(see p.2  No. 23)

(3-pin PWR_FAN1)

(see p.2  No. 11)

(3-pin SB_FAN1)

(see p.2  No. 17)

CPU Fan Connectors 

Please connect the CPU fan 

(4-pin CPU_FAN1)

cable to the connector and 

(see p.2  No. 4)

match the black wire to the    

  

ground 

pin.

GND

+12V

CPU_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

1  2  3  4

GND

+12V

CHA_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

G

N

D

+1

2

V

C

HA_FAN_

SP

EE

D

G

N

D

+1

2

V

C

HA_FAN_

SP

EE

D

GND

+12V

SB_FAN_SPEED

PWR_FAN_SPEED

GND

+12V

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       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

(3-pin CPU_FAN2)

(see p.2  No. 10)

ATX Power Connector 

Please connect an ATX power 

(24-pin ATXPWR1)

supply to this connector. 

(see p.2  No. 12)

12  

 1

24

13

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

ATX 12V Power Connector   

Please connect an ATX 12V  

(8-pin  ATX12V1)

power supply to this connector.

(see p.2  No. 6)

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

SLI/XFIRE Power Connector 

It is not necessary to use this

(4-pin  SLI/XFIRE_PWR1)

connector, but please connect it

(see p.2  No. 49)

with a hard disk power 

connecor when two graphics   

                             

cards are plugged to this 

  

motherboard. 

SLI/XFIRE_POWER1

GND

+12V

CPU_FAN_SPEED

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Serial port Header 

This COM1 header supports a

(9-pin COM1)

serial port module. 

(see p.2  No. 38)

IEEE 1394 Header 

Besides one default IEEE 1394  

(9-pin FRONT_1394)

port on the I/O panel, there 

(see p.2  No. 40)

is one IEEE 1394 header  

(FRONT_1394) on this 

  

motherboard. This IEEE 1394  

header can support one IEEE  

 1394 

port.

+12V

GND

+12V

1

RXTPBM_

0

GND

RXTPAM_

0

RXTPBP_

0

GND

RXTPAP_

0

HDMI_SPDIF Header 

HDMI_SPDIF header, providing  

(2-pin HDMI_SPDIF1)

SPDIF audio output to HDMI 

(see p.2  No. 41)

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.

SPDIFOUT

GND

1

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The Installation Guide of Front USB 3.0 Panel 

Intall the Front USB 3.0 Panel into the 2.5” 

drive bay of the chassis.

Step

3

Step

4

Screw the Front USB 3.0 Panel to the 

drive bay with six chassis screws.

Prepare the bundled Front USB 3.0 Panel, four 

HDD screws, and six chassis screws.

Step

1

Step

2

Screw the 2.5” HDD/SSD to the Front 

USB 3.0 Panel with four HDD screws.

The Installation Guide of Rear USB 3.0 Bracket 

Put the USB 3.0 cable and the rear 

USB 3.0 bracket together.

Unscrew the two screws from the Front USB 3.0 

Panel.

Step

1

Step

2

Put the rear USB 3.0 bracket into the 

chassis.

Screw the two screws into the rear USB 3.0 

bracket.

Step

3

Step

4

The Front USB 3.0 Panel is ready to use.

Plug the Front USB 3.0 cable into the USB 

3.0 header (USB3_2_3 or USB3_4_5) on the 

motherboard.

Step

5

Step

6

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Power Switch 

Power Switch is a smart switch,

(PWRBTN)

allowing users to quickly turn 

(see p.2  No. 27)

on/off the system.

Reset Switch 

Reset Switch is a smart switch,

(RSTBTN)

allowing users to quickly reset

(see p.2  No. 26)

  

the 

system.

Clear CMOS Switch 

Clear CMOS Switch is a smart  

(CLRCBTN)

switch, allowing users to quickly  

(see p.3  No. 18)

clear the CMOS values.

2.12  Smart Switches

The motherboard has three smart switches: power switch, reset switch and clear 

CMOS switch, allowing users to quickly turn on/off or reset the sytem clear the 

CMOS values.

RESET

clr

CMOS

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2.13  Dr. Debug

Dr. Debug is used to provide code information, which makes troubleshooting even 

easier. Please see the diagrams below for reading the Dr. Debug codes.

 Status Code  

Description 

 0x00  

Not used

 0x01  

Power on. Reset type detection (soft/hard) 

 0x02  

AP initialization before microcode loading 

 0x03  

North Bridge initialization before microcode loading 

 0x04  

South Bridge initialization before microcode loading 

 0x05  

OEM initialization before microcode loading 

 0x06  

Microcode loading 

 0x07  

AP initialization after microcode loading 

 0x08  

North Bridge initialization after microcode loading 

 0x09  

South Bridge initialization after microcode loading 

 0x0A  

OEM initialization after microcode loading 

 0x0B  

Cache initialization 

 0x0C – 0x0D  

Reserved for future AMI SEC error codes 

 0x0E  

Microcode not found 

 0x0F  

Microcode not loaded 

 0x10  

PEI Core is started 

 0x11  

Pre-memory CPU initialization is started 

 0x12  

Pre-memory CPU initialization (CPU module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x13  

Pre-memory CPU initialization (CPU module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x14  

Pre-memory CPU initialization (CPU module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x15  

Pre-memory North Bridge initialization is started 

 0x16  

Pre-Memory North Bridge initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x17  

Pre-Memory North Bridge initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x18  

Pre-Memory North Bridge initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x19  

Pre-memory South Bridge initialization is started  

 0x1A  

Pre-memory South Bridge initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x1B  

Pre-memory South Bridge initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x1C  

Pre-memory South Bridge initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x1D – 0x2A  

OEM pre-memory initialization codes 

 0x2B  

Memory initialization. Serial Presence Detect (SPD) data reading 

 0x2C  

Memory initialization. Memory presence detection 

 0x2D  

Memory initialization. Programming memory timing information  

 0x2E  

Memory initialization. Con

fi

 guring memory 

 0x2F  

Memory initialization (other) 

 0x30  

Reserved for ASL

 0x31  

Memory Installed 

 0x32  

CPU post-memory initialization is started 

 0x33  

CPU post-memory initialization. Cache initialization 

 0x34  

CPU post-memory initialization. Application Processor(s) (AP) initialization 

 0x35  

CPU post-memory initialization. Boot Strap Processor (BSP) selection 

 0x36  

CPU post-memory initialization. System Management Mode (SMM)  

 initialization 

English

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ASRock  X79  Extreme7  Motherboard

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 0x37  

Post-Memory North Bridge initialization is started 

 0x38  

Post-Memory North Bridge initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x39  

Post-Memory North Bridge initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x3A  

Post-Memory North Bridge initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x3B  

Post-Memory South Bridge initialization is started 

 0x3C  

Post-Memory South Bridge initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x3D  

Post-Memory South Bridge initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x3E  

Post-Memory South Bridge initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x3F-0x4E  

OEM post memory initialization codes 

 0x4F  

DXE IPL is started 

 0x50  

Memory initialization error. Invalid memory type or incompatible memory    

 speed 

 0x51  

Memory initialization error. SPD reading has failed 

 0x52  

Memory initialization error. Invalid memory size or memory modules do not  

 match 

 0x53  

Memory initialization error. No usable memory detected 

 0x54  

Unspeci

fi

 ed memory initialization error 

 0x55  

Memory not installed  

 0x56  

Invalid CPU type or Speed 

 0x57  

CPU mismatch  

 0x58  

CPU self test failed or possible CPU cache error 

 0x59  

CPU micro-code is not found or micro-code update is failed 

 0x5A  

Internal CPU error 

 0x5B  

reset PPI is  not available 

 0x5C-0x5F  

Reserved for future AMI error codes 

 0xE0  

S3 Resume is stared (S3 Resume PPI is called by the DXE IPL) 

 0xE1  

S3 Boot Script execution 

 0xE2  

Video repost 

 0xE3  

OS S3 wake vector call 

 0xE4-0xE7  

Reserved for future AMI progress codes 

 0xE8  

S3 Resume Failed 

 0xE9  

S3 Resume PPI not Found 

 0xEA  

S3 Resume Boot Script Error 

 0xEB  

S3 OS Wake Error 

 0xEC-0xEF  

Reserved for future AMI error codes

 0xF0  

Recovery condition triggered by 

fi

 rmware (Auto recovery) 

 0xF1  

Recovery condition triggered by user (Forced recovery) 

 0xF2  

Recovery process started 

 0xF3  

Recovery 

fi

 rmware image is found 

 0xF4  

Recovery 

fi

 rmware image is loaded 

 0xF5-0xF7  

Reserved for future AMI progress codes 

 0xF8  

Recovery PPI is not available 

 0xF9  

Recovery capsule is not found 

 0xFA  

Invalid recovery capsule 

 0xFB – 0xFF  

Reserved for future AMI error codes

 0x60  

DXE Core is started 

 0x61  

NVRAM initialization 

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 0x62  

Installation of the South Bridge Runtime Services  

 0x63  

CPU DXE initialization is started 

 0x64  

CPU DXE initialization (CPU module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x65  

CPU DXE initialization (CPU module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x66  

CPU DXE initialization (CPU module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x67  

CPU DXE initialization (CPU module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x68  

PCI host bridge initialization 

 0x69  

North Bridge DXE initialization is started 

 0x6A  

North Bridge DXE SMM initialization is started 

 0x6B  

North Bridge  DXE initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c)

 0x6C  

North Bridge  DXE initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x6D  

North Bridge  DXE initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x6E  

North Bridge  DXE initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x6F  

North Bridge  DXE initialization (North Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x70  

South Bridge DXE initialization is started 

 0x71  

South Bridge DXE SMM initialization is started 

 0x72  

South Bridge devices initialization 

 0x73  

South Bridge DXE Initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x74  

South Bridge DXE Initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x75  

South Bridge DXE Initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x76  

South Bridge DXE Initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x77  

South Bridge DXE Initialization (South Bridge module speci

fi

 c) 

 0x78  

ACPI module initialization 

 0x79  

CSM  initialization 

 0x7A – 0x7F  

Reserved for future AMI DXE codes 

 0x80 – 0x8F  

OEM DXE initialization codes 

 0x90  

Boot Device Selection (BDS) phase is started 

 0x91  

Driver connecting is started 

 0x92  

PCI Bus initialization is started 

 0x93  

PCI Bus Hot Plug Controller Initialization 

 0x94  

PCI Bus Enumeration

 0x95  

PCI Bus Request Resources 

 0x96  

PCI Bus Assign Resources 

 0x97  

Console Output devices connect  

 0x98  

Console input devices connect  

 0x99  

Super IO Initialization  

 0x9A  

USB initialization is started 

 0x9B  

USB Reset  

 0x9C  

USB Detect 

 0x9D  

USB Enable

 0x9E – 0x9F  

Reserved for future AMI codes 

 0xA0  

IDE initialization is started 

 0xA1  

IDE Reset 

 0xA2  

IDE Detect  

 0xA3  

IDE Enable  

 0xA4  

SCSI initialization is started 

 0xA5  

SCSI Reset 

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 0xA6  

SCSI Detect 

 0xA7  

SCSI Enable 

 0xA8  

Setup Verifying Password 

 0xA9  

Start of Setup 

 0xAA  

Reserved for ASL (see ASL Status Codes section below) 

 0xAB  

Setup Input Wait 

 0xAC  

Reserved for ASL (see ASL Status Codes section below) 

 0xAD  

Ready To Boot event 

 0xAE  

Legacy Boot event 

 0xAF  

Exit  Boot Services event 

 0xB0  

Runtime Set Virtual Address MAP Begin 

 0xB1  

Runtime Set Virtual Address MAP End 

 0xB2  

Legacy Option ROM Initialization 

 0xB3  

System Reset 

 0xB4  

USB hot plug 

 0xB5  

PCI bus hot plug 

 0xB6  

Clean-up of NVRAM 

 0xB7  

Con

fi

 guration Reset (reset of NVRAM settings) 

 0xB8 – 0xBF  

Reserved for future AMI codes 

 0xC0 – 0xCF  

OEM BDS initialization codes 

 0xD0  

CPU initialization error 

 0xD1  

North Bridge initialization error 

 0xD2  

South Bridge initialization error 

 0xD3  

Some of the Architectural Protocols are not available 

 0xD4  

PCI resource allocation error.  Out of Resources 

 0xD5  

No Space for Legacy Option ROM 

 0xD6  

No Console Output Devices are found 

 0xD7  

No Console Input Devices are found 

 0xD8  

Invalid password 

 0xD9  

Error loading Boot Option (LoadImage returned error) 

 0xDA  

Boot Option is failed (StartImage returned error) 

 0xDB  

Flash update is failed 

 0xDC  

Reset protocol is not available

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2.14  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.

2.15  Installing Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM 

/ Vista

TM

 64-bit With 

         RAID Functions

If you want to install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit on your SATA 

/ SATA2 / SATA3 HDDs with RAID functions, please refer to the document at the 

following path in the Support CD for detailed procedures:

..\ RAID Installation Guide 

2.16.1  Installing Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit Without RAID Functions

If you want to install Windows

®

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

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” to [IDE] for SATA3_0 and SATA3_1 ports. 

    Set the option “Marvell SATA3 Operation Mode” to [IDE] for SATA3_M0 to

    SATA3_M4 ports. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS on your system.

Using SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 HDDs without NCQ function

AHCI mode is not supported under Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit.

2.16  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.

RAID mode is not supported under Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit.

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2.16.2  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 

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

Using SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 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” to [AHCI] for SATA3_0 and SATA3_1 ports. 

    Set the option “Marvell SATA3 Operation Mode” to [AHCI] for SATA3_M0 to

    SATA3_M4 ports. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

 system.

Using SATA / SATA2 / SATA3 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” to [IDE] for SATA3_0 and SATA3_1 ports. 

    Set the option “Marvell SATA3 Operation Mode” to [IDE] for SATA3_M0 to

    SATA3_M4 ports. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

 system.

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2.17 

Teaming Function Operation Guide 

Dual LAN with Teaming function enabled on this motherboard allows two single 

connections to act as one single connection for twice the transmission bandwidth, 

making data transmission more effective and improving the quality of transmission 

of distant images. Fault tolerance on the dual LAN network prevents network 

downtime by transferring the workload from a failed port to a working port.

The speed of transmission is subject to the actual network environment  

or status even with Teaming enabled.

Before setting up Teaming function, please make sure if your Switch (or Router) 

could support Teaming (IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation) function. Then, please 

refer to following steps to set up Teaming function.

1. Install Teaming driver from the following path of motherboard Support CD: 

    32-bit: 

.. \Drivers\LAN\Broadcom\Win7-64_Win7_Vista64_Vista_XP64_

               XP(v14.8.4.1)\BACS\IA32 

    64-bit: 

.. \Drivers\LAN\Broadcom\Win7-64_Win7_Vista64_Vista_XP64_ 

               XP(v14.8.4.1)\BACS\x64

    (This is a special driver for Teaming function only. If you don't want to use  

   

    Teaming, please install the LAN driver provided by our support CD link.)

2. From the 

Teams

 menu, select 

Create Team

, or right-click one of the devices in 

    the “Unassigned Adapters” section and select 

Create a Team

. This option is not 

    available if there are no devices listed in the “Unassigned Adapters” sections, 

    which means all adapters are already assigned to teams.

3. Click 

Expert Mode

    * If you want to always use Expert Mode to create a team, click Default to Expert 

      Mode on next start.

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4. Click the 

Create Team

 tab.  

    * The 

Create Team

 tab appears only if there are teamable adapters available. 

5. Click the 

Team Name

fi

 eld to enter a team name. 

6. Click the 

Team Type

fi

 eld to select a team type.

7. Assign any available adapter or adapters to the team by selecting the adapter 

    from the 

Load Balance Members

 list. There must be at least one adapter 

    selected in the 

Load Balance Members

 list. 

8. You can assign any other available adapter to be a standby member by selecting 

    it from the 

Standby Member

 list.

    * There must be at least one Broadcom network adapter assigned to the team. 

      The Large Send Of

fl

 oad (LSO), Checksum Of

fl

 oad (CO), and RSS indicate if 

      the LSO, CO, and/or RSS properties are supported for the team. The LSO, CO, 

      and RSS properties are enabled for a team only when all of the members 

      support and are con

fi

 gured for the feature. 

   * Adding a network adapter to a team where its driver is disabled may negatively 

     affect the of

fl

 oading capabilities of the team. This may have an impact on the       

     team’s performance. Therefore, it is recommended that only driver-enabled 

     network adapters be added as members to a team.

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9. Type the value for 

Team MTU

.

10. Click 

Create

 to save the team information.

11. Repeat steps 5. through 10. to de

fi

 ne additional teams. As teams are de

fi

 ned, 

      they can be selected from the team list, but they have not yet been created. 

      Click the 

Preview

 tab to view the team structure before applying the changes.

12. Click 

Apply/Exit

 to create all the teams you have de

fi

 ned and exit the Manage 

      Teams window.

13. Click 

Yes

 when the message is displayed indicating that the network connection  

      will be temporarily interrupted. 

      * The team name cannot exceed 39 characters, cannot begin with spaces, and  

        cannot contain any of the following characters: & \ / : * ? < > | 

      * Team names must be unique. If you attempt to use a team name more than   

         once, an error message is displayed indicating that the name already exists. 

      * The maximum number of team members is 8. 

      * When team con

fi

 guration has been correctly performed, a virtual team adapter  

        driver is created for each con

fi

 gured team. 

     * If you disable a virtual team and later want to reenable it, you must 

fi

 rst disable 

        and reenable all team members before you reenable the virtual team. 

      * When you create Generic Trunking and Link Aggregation teams, you cannot 

        designate a standby member. Standby members work only with Smart Load  

        Balancing and Failover and SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable) types of teams. 

     * For an SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable) team, to restore traf

fi

 c to the load  

        balance members from the standby member, click the Fallback button on the  

        Team Properties tab. 

      * When con

fi

 guring an SLB team, although connecting team members to a hub 

         is supported for testing, it is recommended to connect team members to a 

         switch. 

      * Not all network adapters made by others are supported or fully certi

fi

 ed for 

         teaming.

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14. Con

fi

 gure the team IP address. 

      a. From 

Control Panel

, double-click 

Network Connections

      b. Right-click the name of the team to be con

fi

 gured, and then click 

Properties

      c. On the 

General

 tab, click 

Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

, and then click  

          

Properties

      d. Con

fi

 gure the IP address and any other necessary TCP/IP con

fi

 guration for  

          the team, and then click 

OK

 when 

fi

 nished. 

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2.18  Untied Overclocking Technology

This motherboard supports Untied Overclocking Technology, which means during 

overclocking, BCLK enjoys better margin due to 

fi

 xed PCI / PCIE buses. Before you 

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

setup to set the selection from [Auto] to [Manual]. Therefore, BCLK is untied during 

overclocking, but PCI / PCIE buses are in the 

fi

 xed mode so that BCLK can operate 

under a more stable overclocking environment.

Please refer to the warning on page 9 for the possible overclocking risk  

before you apply Untied Overclocking Technology.