ASRock Z77 Extreme9: 1. Introduction

7

ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

1.  Introduction

Thank you for purchasing ASRock 

Z77 Extreme9 

motherboard, a reliable moth-

erboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It delivers 

excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commitment to 

quality and endurance.

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

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

in the user manual presented in the Support CD.

Because the motherboard specifi cations and the BIOS software might be 

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

tice. In case any modifi cations of this manual occur, the updated version 

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

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

ASRock website    http://www.asrock.com

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

our website for specifi c information about the model you are using.

www.asrock.com/support/index.asp

1.1  Package Contents

ASRock 

Z77 Extreme9

 Motherboard 

(ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)

ASRock 

Z77 Extreme9

 Quick Installation Guide

ASRock 

Z77 Extreme9

 Support CD 

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

2 x Serial ATA (SATA) HDD Power Cables (Optional)

1 x I/O Panel Shield 

2 x ASRock SLI_Bridge Cards

1 x ASRock SLI_Bridge_3S Card 

1 x ASRock 3-Way SLI Bridge Card

1 x ASRock Wi-SB Box

12 x Screws

English

ASRock Reminds You...

To get better performance in Windows

® 

7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM 

/ Vista

TM

 64-

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

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

support CD for details.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

1.2  Specifications

 Platform

 - 

ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm

- Premium Gold Capacitor design (100% Japan-made 

  high-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors)

 CPU

- Supports 3

rd

 and 2

nd

 Generation Intel

®

 Core

TM

 i7 / i5 / i3 in 

  LGA1155 Package

- Digi Power Design

- 8 + 4 Power Phase Design

- Supports Intel

®

 Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology

- Supports Intel

®

 K-Series unlocked CPU

- Supports Hyper-Threading Technology (see 

CAUTION 1

)

 Chipset 

- Intel

®

 Z77

- Supports Intel

®

 Rapid Start Technology and Smart Connect 

Technology 

 Memory 

- Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology (see 

CAUTION 2

)    

- 4 x DDR3 DIMM slots  

- Supports DDR3 3000+(OC)/2400(OC)/2133(OC)/1866(OC)/

  1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory

- Max. capacity of system memory: 32GB (see 

CAUTION 3

)

- Supports Intel

®

 Extreme Memory Profi le (XMP)1.3/1.2

 Expansion Slot 

- 5 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (PCIE2: x16 mode; PCIE1/

  PCIE3/PCIE5/PCIE7: x16/0/16/0 or x8/8/8/8 mode) 

  (see 

CAUTION 4

)

  * PCIE 3.0 is only supported with Intel

®

 Ivy Bridge CPU. With 

    Intel

®

 Sandy Bridge CPU, it only supports PCIE 2.0.

- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (PCIE4: x4 mode)

- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x 1 slot

- 1 x mini-PCI Express slot: For WiFi + BT module

- Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX

TM

, 4-Way CrossFireX

TM

, 

  3-Way CrossFireX

TM

 and CrossFireX

TM

- Supports NVIDIA

®

 Quad SLI

TM

, 4-Way SLI

TM

, 3-Way SLI

TM

  and SLI

TM

 Graphics 

 * 

Intel

®

 HD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs can 

  be supported only with processors which are GPU 

  integrated.

- Supports Intel

®

 HD Graphics Built-in Visuals: Intel

®

 Quick 

  Sync Video 2.0, Intel

®

 InTru

TM

 3D, Intel

®

 Clear Video HD 

  Technology, Intel

®

 Insider

TM

, Intel

®

 HD Graphics 2500/4000

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

- Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 11 with Intel

®

 Ivy Bridge CPU.

  Pixel Shader 4.1, DirectX 10.1 with Intel

®

 Sandy Bridge 

  CPU.

- Max. shared memory 1760MB (see 

CAUTION 5

)

- Supports HDMI 1.4a Technology with max. resolution up to 

  1920x1200 @ 60Hz

- Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and 

  HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI (Compliant HDMI 

  monitor is required) (see 

CAUTION 6

)

- Supports HDCP function with HDMI port 

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

  with HDMI port

Audio 

- 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection 

  (Realtek ALC898 Audio Codec)

- Premium Blu-ray audio support

- Supports THX TruStudio

TM

 LAN 

- PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s

- Broadcom BCM57781

- Supports Wake-On-LAN

- Supports Energy Effi cient Ethernet 802.3az

- Supports Dual LAN with Teaming function

- Supports PXE

 Wireless LAN

WiFi + BT module

- Supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n

- Supports Dual-Band (2.4/5 GHz)

- Supports High speed wireless connection up to 300Mbps

- 2 antennas to support 2 (Transmit) x 2 (Receive) MIMO 

  technology

- Supports Bluetooth 4.0 Class II

 Rear Panel I/O 

I/O Panel

- 1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Port

- 1 x HDMI Port

- 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port

- 2 x Ready-to-Use USB 2.0 Ports

- 1 x eSATA3 Connector

- 8 x Ready-to-Use USB 3.0 Ports

- 2 x RJ-45 LAN Ports with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED 

  LED)

- 1 x IEEE 1394 Port

- 1 x Clear CMOS Switch with LED

- HD Audio Jack: Rear Speaker/Central/Bass/Line in/Front 

  Speaker/Microphone (see 

CAUTION 7

)

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

 SATA3

- 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors by 

Intel

®

 Z77

, support RAID 

  (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage and 

  Intel Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and Hot 

  Plug functions 

- 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors by ASMedia ASM1061, 

  support NCQ, AHCI and “Hot Plug” functions (SATA3_A4 

  connector is shared with eSATA3 port)

 USB3.0

- 4 x Rear USB 3.0 ports by Intel

®

 Z77, support USB 1.0/2.0/3.0 

  up to 5Gb/s

- 4 x Rear USB 3.0 ports by Etron EJ188, support 

  USB 1.0/2.0/3.0 up to 5Gb/s

- 2 x Front USB 3.0 headers by Etron EJ188 (support 4 

  USB 3.0 ports), support USB 1.0/2.0/3.0 up to 5Gb/s

Connector

- 4 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, 

  RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage and Intel 

  Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug 

  functions

- 6 x SATA3 6.0Gb/s connectors

- 1 x IR header

- 1 x CIR header

- 1 x COM port header

- 1 x HDMI_SPDIF header

- 1 x IEEE 1394 header

- 1 x Power LED header

- CPU/Chassis/Power FAN connector

- 24 pin ATX power connector

- 8 pin 12V power connector

- SLI/XFire power connector

- Front panel audio connector

- 3 x USB 2.0 headers (support 6 USB 2.0 ports) 

- 2 x USB 3.0 headers (support 4 USB 3.0 ports)

- 1 x Dr. Debug with LED

Smart Switch

- 1 x Clear CMOS Switch with LED 

- 1 x Power Switch with LED

- 1 x Reset Switch with LED

BIOS Feature

- 64Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support

- Supports “Plug and Play”

- ACPI 1.1 Compliance Wake Up Events

- Supports jumperfree

- SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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- CPU Core, IGPU, DRAM, 1.8V PLL, VTT, VCCSA Voltage 

  Multi-adjustment

 Support CD 

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

  CyberLink MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial, ASRock MAGIX 

  Multimedia Suite - OEM

 Unique Feature

- ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU) (see 

CAUTION 8

)

- ASRock Instant Boot

- ASRock Instant Flash (see 

CAUTION 9

) 

- ASRock APP Charger (see 

CAUTION 10

) 

- ASRock SmartView (see 

CAUTION 11

)

- ASRock XFast USB (see 

CAUTION 12

)  

- ASRock XFast LAN (see 

CAUTION 13

)

- ASRock XFast RAM (see 

CAUTION 14

)

- ASRock Crashless BIOS (see 

CAUTION 15

)

- ASRock OMG (Online Management Guard)

  (see 

CAUTION 16

)

- ASRock Internet Flash (see 

CAUTION 17

)

 - 

ASRock 

Dehumidifi er Function (see 

CAUTION 18

)

- Lucid Virtu Universal MVP (see 

CAUTION 19

)

  * Lucid Virtu Universal MVP can be supported only with 

    processors which are GPU integrated.

- Hybrid Booster:

    - CPU Frequency Stepless Control (see 

CAUTION 20

) 

    - ASRock U-COP (see 

CAUTION 21

)

    - Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.)

- Good Night LED

Hardware 

- CPU Temperature Sensing

Monitor

- Chassis Temperature Sensing

- CPU/Chassis/Power Fan Tachometer

- CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan (Allows Chassis Fan Speed Auto-

  Adjust by CPU Temperature)

- CPU/Chassis Fan Multi-Speed Control

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

 OS

 - 

Microsoft

®

 Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / 

  XP / XP 64-bit compliant (see 

CAUTION 22

)

 Certifi cations

- FCC, CE, WHQL

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

  (see 

CAUTION 23

)

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

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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CAUTION!

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

79 of the “User Manual” in the support CD.

2.  This motherboard supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. Before 

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

installation guide of memory modules on page 20 for proper installation.

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

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

®

 7 / 

Vista

TM

 / XP. For Windows

®

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

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

dows

®

 cannot use.

4. 

Only PCIE1, PCIE2, PCIE3, PCIE5, PCIE6 and PCIE7 slots support Gen 

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

Bridge CPU. If you install a Sandy Bridge CPU, the PCI Express will run 

only at PCI Express Gen 2 speed. Please refer to page 22 for details.

5.  The maximum shared memory size is defi ned by the chipset vendor and 

is subject to change. Please check Intel

®

 website for the latest informa-

tion.

6.  xvYCC and Deep Color are only supported under Windows

®

 7 64-bit / 

7. Deep Color mode will be enabled only if the display supports 12bpc 

in EDID. HBR is supported under Windows

®

 7 64-bit / 7 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / 

Vista

TM

.

7.  For microphone input, this motherboard supports both stereo and mono 

modes. For audio output, this motherboard supports 2-channel, 4-chan-

nel, 6-channel, and 8-channel modes. Please check the table on page 3 

for proper connection.

8. 

ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU) is an all-in-one tool to ne-tune dif-

ferent system functions in a user-friendly interface, which includes Hard-

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

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

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

you are allowed to overclock CPU frequency for optimal system per-

formance. In OC DNA, you can save your OC settings as a profi le  and 

share it with your friends. Your friends then can load the OC profi le  to 

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

 WARNING

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

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

third-party overclocking tools. Overclocking may affect your system’s stability, or 

even cause damage to the components and devices of your system. It should be 

done at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for possible damage 

caused by overclocking.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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Saver), the voltage regulator can reduce the number of output phases to 

improve effi ciency when the CPU cores are idle without sacrifi cing

computing performance. Please visit our website for the operation proce-

dures of ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU).

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

9.  ASRock Instant Flash is a BIOS fl ash utility embedded in Flash ROM. 

This convenient BIOS update tool allows you to update system BIOS 

without entering operating systems fi rst like MS-DOS or Windows

®

. With 

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

key to enter into the BIOS setup menu to access ASRock Instant Flash. 

Just launch this tool and save the new BIOS fi le to your USB fl ash drive, 

fl oppy disk or hard drive, then you can update your BIOS only in a few 

clicks without preparing an additional fl oppy diskette or other complicated 

fl ash utility. Please be noted that the USB fl ash drive or hard drive must 

use FAT32/16/12 fi le system. 

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

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

lution for you - ASRock APP Charger. Simply install the APP Charger 

driver, it makes your iPhone charge much quickly from your computer 

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

quickly charge many Apple devices simultaneously and even supports 

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

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

Charger driver installed, you can easily enjoy the marvelous charging 

experience.

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

11.  ASRock SmartView, a new function for internet browsers, is the smart 

start page for IE that combines your most visited web sites, your history, 

your Facebook friends and your real-time newsfeed into an enhanced 

view for a more personal Internet experience. ASRock motherboards are 

exclusively equipped with the ASRock SmartView utility that helps you 

keep in touch with friends on-the-go. To use ASRock SmartView feature, 

please make sure your OS version is Windows

®

 7 / 7 64 bit / Vista

TM

 / 

Vista

TM

 64 bit, and your browser version is IE8. 

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

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

performance may depend on the properties of the device.

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

the benefi ts listed below. LAN Application Prioritization: You can confi g-

ure your application’s priority ideally and/or add new programs. Lower 

Latency in Game: After setting online game’s priority higher, it can lower 

the latency in games. Traffi c Shaping: You can watch Youtube HD videos 

and download simultaneously. Real-Time Analysis of Your Data: With 

the status window, you can easily recognize which data streams you are 

transferring currently.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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

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

be used under Windows

®

 OS 32-bit CPU. ASRock XFast RAM shortens 

the loading time of previously visited websites, making web surfi ng faster 

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

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

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

pan.

15.  ASRock Crashless BIOS allows users to update their BIOS without fear 

of failing. If power loss occurs during the BIOS update process, ASRock 

Crashless BIOS will automatically fi nish the BIOS update procedure after 

regaining power. Please note that BIOS fi les need to be placed in the root 

directory of your USB disk. Only USB2.0 ports support this feature.

16.  Administrators are able to establish an internet curfew or restrict internet 

access at specifi ed times via OMG. You may schedule the starting and 

ending hours of internet access granted to other users. In order to pre-

vent users from bypassing OMG, guest accounts without permission to 

modify the system time are required.

17.  ASRock Internet Flash searches for available UEFI firmware updates 

from our servers. In other words, the system can auto-detect the latest 

UEFI from our servers and fl ash them without entering Windows

®

 OS. 

Please note that you must be running on a DHCP confi gured computer in 

order to enable this function.

18.  Users may prevent motherboard damages due to dampness by enabling 

“Dehumidifi er Function”. When enabling Dehumidifi er Function, the com-

puter will power on automatically to dehumidify the system after entering 

S4/S5 state.

19. VIRTU Universal MVP includes the base features of Virtu Universal 

technology, which virtualizes integrated GPU and discrete GPU for best 

of breed functionality. It also features Virtual Vsync™ for no-compromise 

visual quality. With the added benefits of HyperFormance technology, 

VIRTU Universal MVP improves game performance by intelligently reduc-

ing redundant rendering tasks in the fl ow between the CPU, GPU and the 

display.

20.  Although this motherboard offers stepless control, it is not recommended 

to perform over-clocking. Frequencies other than the recommended CPU 

bus frequencies may cause instability of the system or damage the CPU.

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

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

erboard functions properly and unplug the power cord, then plug it back 

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

between the CPU and the heatsink when you install the PC system.

22.  ASRock XFast RAM is not supported by Microsoft

® 

Windows

®

 XP / XP 

64-bit. WiFi + BT module, Intel

®

 Smart Connect Technology and Intel

®

USB 3.0 ports are not supported by Microsoft

® 

Windows

®

 Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

64-bit / XP / XP 64-bit.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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23.  EuP stands for Energy Using Product, was a provision regulated by the 

European Union to define the power consumption for the completed 

system. According to EuP, the total AC power of the completed system 

should be under 1.00W in off mode condition. To meet EuP standards, 

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

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

the standard of 5v, and the standby power effi ciency should be higher 

than 50% under 100 mA current consumption. For EuP ready power sup-

ply selection, we recommend you to check with the power supply manu-

facturer for more details.