ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3: 2. Installation

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ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  Motherboard

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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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ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  Motherboard

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.

English

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. 4).

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 four 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM 

slots, and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. For dual channel con

fi

 g-

uration, you always need to install 

identical

 (the same brand, speed, size and 

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

identical

 DDR3 

DIMM pair in 

Dual Channel A 

(DDR3_A1 and DDR3_B1; Black slots; see p.2 

No.5) or 

identical

 DDR3 DIMM pair in 

Dual Channel B 

(DDR3_A2 and DDR3_

B2; Black slots; see p.2 No.6), 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.  If you want to install two memory modules, for optimal compatibility 

and reliability, it is recommended to install them in the slots: DDR3_

A1 and DDR3_B1, or DDR3_A2 and DDR3_B2. 

2.  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.

3.  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 . 

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

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

aged.

5.  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. 

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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/PCIE3 (PCIE 2.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express cards with x1 

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

PCIE2 (PCIE 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width 

graphics cards, or used to install PCI Express graphics cards to support 

CrossFireX

TM

 or SLI

TM

 function. 

PCIE4 (PCIE 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x8 lane width graph-

ics cards, or used to install PCI Express graphics cards to support 

CrossFireX

TM

 or SLI

TM

 function.  

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

    x16 graphics card on PCIE2 slot. 

2. In CrossFireX

TM

 mode or SLI

TM

 mode, please install PCI Express x16  

    graphics cards on PCIE2 and PCIE4 slots. Therefore, both these two  

    slots will work at x8 bandwidth.   

3. 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.

4. To run the PCI Express in Gen 3 speed, please must install the Ivy

    Bridge CPU which supports PCI Express Gen3. If you install the 

    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 SLI

TM

 and Quad SLI

TM 

Operation Guide

This motherboard supports NVIDIA

®

 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

®

 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.

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 PCIE2 slot and the other graphics card to PCIE4 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.

Requirements

         1. For SLI

TM

 technology, you should have two identical 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 270.61 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.

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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 PCIE2 slot. 

Step3.  Align and insert ASRock SLI_Bridge_2S Card to the gold

fi

 ngers on each 

graphics card. Make sure ASRock SLI_Bridge_2S Card is 

fi

 rmly in place. 

ASRock SLI_Bridge_2S 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.

 * 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

 and Quad CrossFireX

TM

 Operation Guide

This motherboard supports 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. 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 3870 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 PCIE2 slot and the other Radeon 

graphics card to PCIE4 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 PCIE2 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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 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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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

 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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2. If you have installed onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your system        

    already, you can freely enjoy the bene

fi

 ts of dual monitor function after your        

    system boots. If you haven’t installed onboard VGA driver yet, please install        

    onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your system and restart your  

    computer.

2.7 Dual Monitor and Surround Display Features

Dual Monitor Feature

This motherboard supports dual monitor feature. With the internal VGA output sup-

port (DVI-D, D-Sub and HDMI), you can easily enjoy the bene

fi

 ts of dual monitor 

feature without installing any add-on VGA card to this motherboard. This mother-

board also provides independent display controllers for DVI-D, D-Sub and HDMI to 

support dual VGA output so that DVI-D, D-sub and HDMI can drive same or different 

display contents.

To enable dual monitor feature, please follow the below steps:

1. Connect DVI-D monitor cable to DVI-D port on the I/O panel, connect D-Sub       

    monitor cable to D-Sub port on the I/O panel, connect HDMI monitor cable to 

    HDMI port on the I/O panel.

D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI monitors cannot be enabled at the same time. 

You can only choose two of them.

HDMI port

D-Sub port

DVI-D port

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Surround Display Feature

This motherboard supports surround display upgrade. With the internal VGA output 

support (DVI-D, D-Sub and HDMI) and external add-on PCI Express VGA cards, 

you can easily enjoy the bene

fi

 ts of surround display feature. 

Please refer to the following steps to set up a surround display environment:

1. Install the PCI Express VGA cards on PCIE2 and PCIE4 slots. Please refer to 

    page 18 for proper expansion card installation procedures for details.

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

    monitor cable to D-Sub port on the I/O panel, connect HDMI monitor cable 

    to HDMI port on the I/O panel. Then connect other monitor cables to the 

    corresponding connectors of the add-on PCI Express VGA cards on PCIE2 and 

    PCIE4 slots.

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. 

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 to six.

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ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  Motherboard

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    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 to six.

6. Use Surround Display. 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.

HDCP Function 

HDCP function is supported on this motherboard. To use HDCP  

function with this motherboard, you need to adopt the monitor  

that supports HDCP function as well. Therefore, you can enjoy  

the superior display quality with high-de

fi

 nition HDCP 

encryption contents. Please refer to below instruction for more  

details about HDCP function.

  What 

is 

HDCP?

HDCP stands for High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection, 

  a 

speci

fi

 cation developed by Intel

®

 for protecting digital 

entertainment content that uses the DVI interface. HDCP is a

copy protection scheme to eliminate the possibility of 

intercepting digital data midstream between the video source, 

or transmitter - such as a computer, DVD player or set-top box - 

and the digital display, or receiver - such as a monitor, television 

or projector. In other words, HDCP speci

fi

 cation is designed to 

protect the integrity of content as it is being transmitted.

Products compatible with the HDCP scheme such as DVD 

players, satellite and cable HDTV set-top-boxes, as well as few 

entertainment PCs requires a secure connection to a compliant 

display. Due to the increase in manufacturers employing HDCP  

in their equipment, it is highly recommended that the HDTV or  

LCD monitor you purchase is compatible. 

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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. 

USB_PWR

P-

P+

GND

ATX+5VSB

IRRX

IRTX

GND

DUMMY

Step3. Install 

Multi-Angle CIR Receiver to the front USB port. 

Step4.   Boot up your system. Press <F2> or <Del> to enter BIOS Setup Utility. 

Make sure the option "CIR Controller" is setting at [Enabled]. 

(Advanced -> Super IO Con

fi

 guration -> CIR Controller -> [Enabled])

If you cannot 

fi

 nd this option, please shut down your system and install 

Multi-Angle CIR Receiver to the other front USB port then try again.

Step5. 

Enter Windows. Execute ASRock 

support CD and install CIR Driver.  

(It is listed at the bottom of driver  

 list.)

3 CIR sensors in different angles

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2.9 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. 26)

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. 

* 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   

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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2.10 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 (SATAII)  

(SATA2_2: see  p.2, No. 14)

connectors support SATA data

(SATA2_3: see  p.2, No. 13) 

cables for internal storage 

(SATA2_4: see  p.2, No. 16) 

devices. The current SATAII   

(SATA2_5: see  p.2, No. 15) 

interface allows up to 3.0 Gb/s  

data transfer rate.

SA

TA2_5       SA

TA2_3

SA

TA2_4       SA

TA2_2

Serial ATA (SATA) 

Either end of the SATA data  

Data Cable 

cable can be connected to the  

(Optional)

SATA / SATAII / SATA3 hard   

disk or the SATAII / SATA3 

connector on this motherboard.

Serial ATA3 Connectors 

These two Serial ATA3 (SATA3) 

(SATA3_0: see  p.2, No. 12) 

connectors support SATA data  

(SATA3_1: see  p.2, No. 11)

cables for internal storage   

devices. The current SATA3  

interface allows up to 6.0 Gb/s  

data transfer rate. If you install  

the HDD on the eSATA port on  

the rear I/O, the internal  

SATA3_1 will not function. 

SA

TA3_1

SA

TA3_0

3.5mm Audio Cable 

Either end of the 3.5mm audio   

(Optional)

cable can be connected to the  

portable audio devices, such 

as MP3 player and mobile 

phone or the Line-in port of    

 your 

PC.

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USB 2.0 Headers 

Besides four default USB 2.0 

(9-pin USB6_7)

ports on the I/O panel, there   

(see p.2  No. 29)

are four USB 2.0 headers on  

this motherboard. Each 

USB 2.0 header can support   

two USB 2.0 ports. 

(9-pin USB8_9)

(see p.2  No. 28)

(9-pin USB10_11)

(see p.2  No. 27)

(9-pin USB12_13)

(see p.2  No. 25)

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

Infrared Module Header 

This header supports an 

(5-pin IR1)

optional wireless transmitting  

(see  p.2  No. 33)

and receiving infrared module.

1

IRTX

+5VSB

DUMMY

IRRX

GND

Consumer Infrared Module Header 

This header can be used to    

(4-pin CIR1)

connect the remote   

(see  p.2  No. 30)

 controller 

receiver.

1

ATX+5VSB

IRTX

GND

IRRX

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:

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. 34)

convenient connection and    

control of audio devices.

1

USB_PWR

P-13

P+13

USB_PWR

P-12

P+12

GND

GND

DUMMY

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ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  Motherboard

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System Panel Header 

This header accommodates

(9-pin PANEL1)

several system front panel   

(see p.2  No. 20)

 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.

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.

    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”.

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Chassis and Power Fan Connectors 

Please connect the fan cables  

(4-pin CHA_FAN1)

to the fan connectors and  

(see p.2  No. 23)

match the black wire to the    

ground 

pin.

(3-pin CHA_FAN2)

(see p.2  No. 9)

(3-pin CHA_FAN3)

(see p.2  No. 41)

(3-pin PWR_FAN1)

(see p.2  No. 3)

Chassis Speaker Header   

Please connect the chassis    

(4-pin SPEAKER 1)

speaker to this header.

(see p.2  No. 21)

Power LED Header 

Please connect the chassis   

(3-pin PLED1)

power LED to this header to 

(see p.2  No. 18)

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-

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.

(3-pin CPU_FAN2)

(see p.2  No. 7)

       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

GND

+12V

CPU_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

1  2  3  4

GND

+12V

CHA_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

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ATX Power Connector 

Please connect an ATX power 

(24-pin ATXPWR1)

supply to this connector. 

(see p.2  No. 8)

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. 1)

8                  5

4                  1

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

HDMI_SPDIF Header 

HDMI_SPDIF header, providing  

(2-pin HDMI_SPDIF1)

SPDIF audio output to HDMI 

(see p.2  No. 32)

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.

Serial port Header 

This COM1 header supports a

(9-pin COM1)

serial port module. 

(see p.2  No. 31)

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Reset Switch 

Reset Switch is a smart switch,

(RSTBTN)

allowing users to quickly reset

(see p.2  No. 17)

the 

system.

Clear CMOS Switch 

Clear CMOS Switch is a smart  

(CLRCBTN)

switch, allowing users to quickly  

(see p.3  No. 13)

clear the CMOS values.

2.11 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.

Power Switch 

Power Switch is a smart switch,

(PWRBTN)

allowing users to quickly turn 

(see p.2  No. 19)

on/off the system.

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2.12 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 (see ASL Status Codes section below) 

 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 

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ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  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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ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  Motherboard

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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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ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  Motherboard

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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

42

ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  Motherboard

2.13  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.

2.14 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 

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

following path in the Support CD for detailed procedures:

..\ RAID Installation Guide 

English

2.15 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 / SATA3 HDDs without RAID functions, please follow 

below procedures according to the OS you install.

2.15.1   Installing Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit Without RAID   

 Functions 

If you want to install Windows

®

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

HDDs without RAID functions, please follow below steps.

STEP 1: Set Up UEFI.

A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY        Advanced screen        SATA Con

fi

 guration.

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

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS on your system.

Using SATA / SATAII / SATA3 HDDs without NCQ function

RAID mode is not supported under Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS.

AHCI mode is not supported under Windows

®

 XP / XP 64-bit OS.

43

ASRock  Z68 Extreme3 Gen3  Motherboard

English

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

Using SATA / SATAII / SATA3 HDDs with NCQ function

STEP 1: Set Up UEFI.

A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY        Advanced screen        SATA Con

fi

 guration.

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

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

 system.

Using SATA / SATAII / STA3 HDDs without NCQ function

STEP 1: Set Up UEFI.

A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY        Advanced screen        SATA Con

fi

 guration.

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

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

 system.