ASRock Z77 Extreme9: 2. Installation

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

2.  Installation

This is an ATX form factor (12.0” x 9.6”, 30.5 x 24.4 cm) motherboard. Before you 

install the motherboard, study the confi guration of your chassis to ensure that the 

motherboard fi ts into it.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the  

motherboard. Failure to do so may cause physical injuries to you and  

damages to motherboard components.

2.1  Screw Holes

Place screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the 

chassis.  

Do not over-tighten the screws!  Doing so may damage the motherboard.

2.2  Pre-installation Precautions

Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components 

or change any motherboard settings.

1.  

Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any 

components.

2.  

To avoid damaging the motherboard’s components due to static 

electricity, NEVER place your motherboard directly on the carpet 

or the like. Also remember to use a grounded wrist strap or touch a 

safety grounded object before you handle the components. 

3.  

Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs. 

4.  

Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded anti-

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

5. 

When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the mother-

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

so may damage the motherboard. 

      Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the power is 

      switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure to do 

      so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals, and/or 

      components.

English

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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1155-Pin Socket Overview

2.3  CPU Installation 

In order to provide the LGA 1155 CPU sock-

ets more protection and make the instal-

lation process easier, ASRock has added 

a new protection cover on top of the load 

plate to replace the former PnP caps that 

were under the load plate. For the installa-

tion of Intel

®

 1155-Pin CPUs with the new 

protection cover, 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 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.

Step 1. 

Open the socket:

Step 1-1.  Disengage the lever by pressing it 

down and sliding it out of the hook. 

You do not have to remove the pro-

tection cover.

Step 1-2.  Keep the lever positioned at about 

135 degrees in order to flip up the 

load plate.

Step 2. 

Insert the 1155-Pin CPU:

Step 2-1.  Hold the CPU by the edge which is 

marked with a black line.

Step 2-2.  Orient the CPU with the IHS (Inte-

grated Heat Sink) up. Locate Pin1 

and the two orientation key notches.

Load

Plate

Cover

Contact

Array

Load

Lever

Socket

Body

black  line

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

Pin1

alignment  key

alignment  key

Pin1

1155-Pin CPU

For proper installation, please ensure to match the two orientation 

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

Step 2-3.  Carefully place the CPU into the 

socket.

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.

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

cure it with the load plate tab under 

the retention tab. The protection 

cover will automatically come off by 

itself.

Please save and replace the cover if the processor is removed. The 

cover must be placed if you wish to return the motherboard for after 

service.

orientation  key  notch

orientation  key  notch

1155-Pin  Socket

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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2.4  Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink 

This motherboard is equipped with 1155-Pin socket that supports Intel 1155-Pin 

CPUs. Please adopt the type of heatsink and cooling fan compliant with Intel 1155-

Pin CPU to dissipate heat. Before you install the heatsink, you need to spray ther-

mal interface material between the CPU and the heatsink to improve heat dissipa-

tion. Ensure that the CPU and the heatsink are securely fastened and in good con-

tact 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.5).  

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 CPUs.

Step 1.  Apply thermal interface material onto the cen-

ter of the IHS on the socket’s surface.

Step 2.  Place the heatsink onto the socket. Ensure 

that the 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.5).

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 redundant cable with tie-wrap to ensure the 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)

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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2.5  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

 guration, 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 DIMMs in 

Dual Channel A 

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

No. 6) or 

identical

 DDR3 DIMMs in 

Dual Channel B 

(DDR3_A2 and DDR3_

B2; Black slots; see p.2 No. 7), 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, 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

 guration

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 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 

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 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.

6.  For optimal compatibility and stability while overclocking memory 

frequency, it is recommended to install one memory module on 

DDR3_B2 slot or two memory modules on DDR3_A2 and DDR3_

B2 slots.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  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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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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2.6  Expansion Slots (PCI Express Slots)

There are 7 PCI Express slots and 1 mini-PCI Express slot on this motherboard. 

PCIE slots: 

PCIE1 / PCIE5 (PCIE 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane 

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

CrossFireX

TM

 or SLI

TM

 function. 

PCIE3 / PCIE7 (PCIE 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x8 lane 

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

CrossFireX

TM

 or SLI

TM

 function. 

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

graphics cards. 

PCIE4 (PCIE 2.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x4 lane width graph-

ics cards or ASRock Game Blaster. 

PCIE6 (PCIE 2.0 x1 slot) is used for a PCI Express x1 lane width card, 

such as a Gigabit LAN card, SATA2 card, etc.

MINI_PCIE1 (mini-PCIE slot) is used for WiFi + BT module.

PCIE Slot Con

fi

 gurations

                                                         PCIE1         PCIE2          PCIE3          PCIE5          PCIE7

   Single Graphics Card 

N/A

x16              N/A               N/A              N/A

   Two Graphics Cards in  

x16               N/A              N/A               x16              N/A

   CrossFireX

TM

 or SLI

TM

 Mode

   Three Graphics Cards in            

x8                 N/A              x8                 x16              N/A

   3-Way CrossFireX

TM

 or  

   3-Way SLI

TM

 Mode

   Four Graphics Cards in  

x8                 N/A              x8                 x8                x8

   4-Way CrossFireX

TM

 or 

   4-Way SLI

TM

 Mode

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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Installing an expansion card

Step 1. 

Before installing an 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.

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

    x16 graphics card in the PCIE2 slot. 

2. PCIE1, PCIE3, PCIE5 and PCIE7 slots will be disabled if PCIE2 slot  

    is occupied. 

3. In CrossFireX

TM

 mode or SLI

TM

 mode, please install the PCI Express

    x16 graphics cards in PCIE1 and PCIE5 slots. Both these two slots 

    will work at x16 bandwidth.

4. In 3-Way CrossFireX

TM

 or 3-Way SLI

TM

 mode, please install the PCI 

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

    and PCIE3 will work at x8 bandwidth, while PCIE5 works at x16 

    bandwidth. 

5. In 4-Way CrossFireX

TM

 or 4-Way SLI

TM

 mode, please install the PCI 

    Express x16 graphics cards in PCIE1, PCIE3, PCIE5 and PCIE7 

    slots. All these four slots will work at x8 bandwidth.

6. Please connect a chassis fan to the motherboard’s chassis fan 

    connector (CHA_FAN1, CHA_FAN2 or CHA_FAN3) when using 

    multiple graphics cards for better thermal environment. 

 7. 

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.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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2.7  SLI

TM

, 3-Way SLI

TM

, 4-Way SLI

TM

 and Quad SLI

TM 

Operation 

       Guide

This motherboard supports NVIDIA

®

 SLI

TM

, 3-Way SLI

TM

, 4-Way SLI

TM

 and Quad 

SLI

TM

 (Scalable Link Interface) technology that allows you to install up to four 

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

, 4-Way SLI

TM

 and Quad SLI

TM

 technology supports Windows

®

 Vista

TM

 / 

Vista

TM

 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS only. Please follow the installation procedures in this 

section.

2.7.1  Graphics Card Setup

2.7.1.1  Installing Two SLI

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Step 1.  Install identical SLI

TM

-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA

®

 certi

fi

 ed  be-

cause 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 PCIE5 slot. Make sure that the 

cards are properly seated on the slots.

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, whereas for 4-Way SLI

TM

 technology you should have four. 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. 

             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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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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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_3S Card to the gold

fi

 ngers  on 

each graphics card. Make sure the ASRock SLI_Bridge_3S Card is 

fi

 rmly 

in place.

ASRock SLI_Bridge_3S Card

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

ics cards.

2.7.1.2  Installing Three SLI

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Step 1.  Install identical 3-Way SLI

TM

-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA

®

 certi-

fi

 ed because different types of graphics cards will not work together prop-

erly. (Even the GPU chips version shall be the same.) Each graphics card 

should have two gold

fi

 ngers for the 3-Way SLI Bridge 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.

Two Gold

fi

 ngers

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

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 3-Way SLI Bridge Card to the goldfingers 

on each graphics card. Make sure the ASRock 3-Way SLI Bridge Card is 

fi

 rmly in place.

ASRock 3-Way SLI Bridge Card

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.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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2.7.1.3  Installing Four SLI

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Step 1.  Install identical 4-Way SLI

TM

-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA

®

 certi-

fi

 ed because different types of graphics cards will not work together prop-

erly. (Even the GPU chips version shall be the same.) Each graphics card 

should have two gold

fi

 ngers for the ASRock SLI Bridge Card connectors. 

Insert one graphics card into the PCIE1 slot, another graphics card into the 

PCIE3 slot, the third graphics card into the PCIE5 slot and the last graph-

ics card into the PCIE7 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 other 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 an ASRock SLI Bridge Card to the gold

fi

 ngers of the 

fi

 rst 

and second graphics card. Install the second ASRock SLI Bridge Card to 

the gold

fi

 ngers of the third and fourth graphics card. Connect the second 

and the fourth graphics card with the ASRock SLI_Bridge_3S Card. Make 

sure the ASRock SLI Bridge Cards are 

fi

 rmly in place.

2 ASRock SLI_Bridge Cards

 and an ASRock SLI_Bridge_3S Card

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

2.7.2 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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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

 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  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

 * 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.

 For 

Windows

®

 Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS:

(For 3-Way SLI

TM

 or 4-Way SLI

TM

 mode)

A. Follow step A to D on page 28.

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 

or

 Enable 4-way SLI

. And click 

Apply

. 

C. Reboot your system.

D. You can freely enjoy the bene

fi

 ts of 3-Way SLI

TM

 or 4-Way SLI

TM

.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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2.8  CrossFireX

TM

, 3-Way CrossFireX

TM

, 4-Way CrossFireX

TM

 and 

       Quad CrossFireX

TM

 Operation Guide

This motherboard supports CrossFireX

TM

, 3-way CrossFireX

TM

, 4-way CrossFireX

TM

and Quad CrossFireX

TM

. 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

 is supported with Windows

®

 XP / Vista

TM

 / 7 OS. 

3-way CrossFireX

TM

, 4-way CrossFireX

TM

 and Quad CrossFireX

TM

 are supported 

with Windows

®

 Vista

TM

 / 7 OS only. Please check AMD’s website for CrossFireX

TM

driver updates.

2.8.1  Graphics Card Setup

2.8.1.1  Installing Two CrossFireX

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

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

graphics card to PCIE5 slot. Make sure that the cards are properly seated 

on the slots.

Different CrossFireX

TM

 cards may require different methods to enable CrossFireX

TM

feature. 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.

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.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

Step 3.  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.)

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

the CrossFire Bridge Interconnects on the top of the Radeon graphics 

cards. (The CrossFire Bridge is provided with the graphics card you pur-

chase, not bundled with this motherboard. Please refer to your graphics 

card vendor for details.)

CrossFire Bridge

or

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

2.8.1.2  Installing Three CrossFireX

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Step 1.  Install identical 3-Way CrossFireX

TM

-ready graphics cards that are AMD

®

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, another graphics card to PCIE3 slot, and 

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

erly seated on the slots. 

Step 2.  Use  one  CrossFire

TM

 Bridge to connect the Radeon graphics cards on 

PCIE1 and PCIE3 slots, and use the other CrossFire

TM

 Bridge to connect 

the Radeon graphics cards on PCIE3 and PCIE5 slots. (The 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.)

Step 3.  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.)

CrossFire

TM

 Bridge

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

2.8.1.3  Installing Four CrossFireX

TM

-Ready Graphics Cards

Step 1.  Install identical 4-Way CrossFireX

TM

-ready graphics cards that are AMD

®

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, another graphics card into PCIE3 slot, the 

third graphics card into PCIE5 slot and the last graphics card into PCIE7 

slot. Make sure that the cards are properly seated on the slots.

Step 2.  Use  one  CrossFire

TM

 Bridge to connect the Radeon graphics cards on 

PCIE1 and PCIE3 slots, another CrossFire

TM

 Bridge to connect the Rad-

eon graphics cards on PCIE3 and PCIE5 slots, and use the third Cross-

Fire

TM

 Bridge to connect the Radeon graphics cards on PCIE5 and PCIE7 

slots. (The CrossFire

TM

 Bridge is provided with the graphics card you pur-

chase, not bundled with this motherboard. Please refer to your graphics 

card vendor for details.)

CrossFire

TM

 Bridge

Step 3.  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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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

 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

2.8.2 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.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

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 benefit of CrossFireX

TM

, 3-Way CrossFireX

TM

, 

4-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. 

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). Select “4 

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

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

2.9  WiFi + BT Module and ASRock Wi-SB Box Installation Guide

This motherboard is bundled with one WiFi + BT module and one ASRock Wi-SB 

Box. Please follow below procedures to properly install them.

Step 1.  Prepare the bundled ASRock Wi-SB Box and screws.

Step 2.  If you have 2.5” HDD/SSDs, you may insert up to two and secure them in 

ASRock Wi-SB Box with screws.

Step 3.  Install ASRock Wi-SB Box into the drive bay of the chassis.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

Step 4.  Screw ASRock Wi-SB Box to the drive bay with screws.

Step 5.  Attach the cords to the WiFi + BT module on your motherboard.

Step 6.  Plug the Front USB 3.0 cable into the USB 3.0 header (USB3_9_10 or 

USB3_11_12) on the motherboard.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

2.10  Surround Display Feature

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

support and external add-on PCI Express VGA cards, you can easily enjoy the ben-

e

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 PCIE1, PCIE2, PCIE3, PCIE4, PCIE5 and 

    PCIE7 slots. Please refer to page 22 for proper expansion card installation 

    procedures.

2. Connect a HDMI monitor cable to the 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 PCIE1, PCIE2, PCIE3, PCIE4, PCIE5 and PCIE7 slots.

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

    Memory” option to adjust the memory capability to [32MB], [64MB], [128MB], 

    [256MB] or [512MB] to enable the function of HDMI. 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 “Share Memory”, [Auto], will 

    disable HDMI function when an 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 on desktop, choose “Properties”, and select the “Settings” tab 

so that you can adjust the parameters of the multi-monitors 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.

HDMI port

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

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 appropriate “Screen Resolution” and “Color Quality” for the

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

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

fi

 ed by the 

    numbers three to thirteen.

    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-monitors 

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 icons identi

fi

 ed by the number 

    three to thirteen.

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.

English

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

HDCP Function

HDCP function is supported on this motherboard. To use HDCP 

function with this motherboard, you need to adopt a 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 the instructions below 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 HDMI 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.

English

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

USB 2.0 header (9-pin, black) 

CIR header (4-pin, gray) 

2.11  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. 

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.)

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43

ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

* 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.

3 CIR sensors in different angles

English

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

2.12  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. 22)

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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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

2.13 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 ATA2 Connectors 

These four Serial ATA2 (SATA2) 

(SATA2_2_3: see p.2,  No. 15)

connectors support SATA data 

(SATA2_4_5: see p.2,  No. 16)

cables for internal storage 

devices. The current SATA2 

interface allows up to 3.0 Gb/s 

data transfer rate. 

Serial ATA3 Connectors 

These six Serial ATA3 (SATA3) 

(SATA3_A1_A2: see p.2,  No. 12)

connectors support SATA data 

(SATA3_A3_A4: see p.2,  No. 13)

cables for internal storage 

(SATA3_0_1: see p.2,  No. 14)

devices. The current SATA3 

interface allows up to 6.0 Gb/s 

data transfer rate. If the eSATA3 

port on the rear I/O has been 

connected, the internal 

SATA3_A4 will not function.

SA

TA2_3

SA

TA2_2

SA

TA2_5

SA

TA2_4

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_A4

SA

TA3_A3

SA

TA3_1

SA

TA3_0

SA

TA3_A2

SA

TA3_A1

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

USB 3.0 Header 

Besides eight default USB 3.0 

(19-pin USB3_9_10)

ports on the I/O panel, there are 

(see p.2,  No. 10)

two USB 3.0 headers on this 

motherboard. Each USB 3.0 

header can support two USB 3.0 

 ports.

(19-pin USB3_11_12)

(see p.2,  No. 9)

IntA_P5_D+

DUMMY

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+

IntA_P5_D+

DUMMY

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+

USB 2.0 Headers 

Besides two default USB 2.0 

(9-pin USB2_3)

ports on the I/O panel, there are 

(see p.2,  No. 26)

three USB 2.0 headers on this 

motherboard. Each USB 2.0

header can support two USB 2.0 

ports.

(9-pin USB4_5)

(see p.2,  No. 27)

(9-pin USB6_7)

(see p.2,  No. 28)

1

USB_PWR

P-2

GND

DUMMY

USB_PWR

P+2

GND

P-3

P+3

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. 29)

 controller 

receiver.

1

ATX+5VSB

IRTX

GND

IRRX

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

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 

Front Panel Audio Header 

This is an interface for front 

(9-pin HD_AUDIO1)

panel audio cable that allows 

(see p.2,  No. 36)

convenient connection and 

control of audio devices.

J_SENSE

OUT2_L

1

MIC_RET

PRESENCE#

GND

OUT2_R

MIC2_R

MIC2_L

OUT_RET

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”.

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

Chassis Speaker Header   

Please connect the chassis 

(4-pin SPEAKER 1)

speaker to this header.

(see p.2,  No. 21)

system is in S1/S3 sleep state. The LED is off when the system is in 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.

Power LED Header 

Please connect the chassis 

(3-pin PLED1)

power LED to this header to 

(see p.2,  No. 19)

indicate system power status. 

The LED is on when the system 

is operating. The LED keeps 

blinking in S1/S3 state. The 

LED is off in S4 state or S5 

state (power off).

1

PLED+

PLED+

PLED-

Chassis and Power Fan Connectors 

Please connect the fan cables 

(4-pin CHA_FAN1)

to the fan connectors and match 

(see p.2,  No. 31)

the black wire to the ground pin. 

CHA_FAN1, CHA_FAN2 and 

CHA_FAN3 support Fan 

(3-pin CHA_FAN2)

Control.

(see p.2,  No. 30)

(3-pin CHA_FAN3)

(see p.2,  No. 46)

(3-pin PWR_FAN1)

(see p.2,  No. 3)

GND

+12V

CHA_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

English

       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. 5)

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)

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

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.

4  3  2  1

GND

+12V

CPU_FAN_SPEED

FAN_SPEED_CONTROL

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Serial port Header 

This COM1 header supports a 

(9-pin COM1)

serial port module. 

(see p.2,  No. 34)

HDMI_SPDIF Header 

HDMI_SPDIF header, providing 

(2-pin HDMI_SPDIF1)

SPDIF audio output to HDMI 

(see p.2,  No. 35)

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

IEEE 1394 Header 

Besides one default IEEE 1394  

(9-pin FRONT_1394)

port on the I/O panel, there 

(see p.2  No. 32)

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

SLI/XFIRE_POWER1

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. 45)

with a hard disk power 

connecor when two graphics   

cards are plugged to this 

motherboard. 

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ASRock  Z77 Extreme9  Motherboard

Power Switch 

Power Switch is a smart switch,

(PWRBTN)

allowing users to quickly turn 

(see p.2  No. 18)

on/off the system.

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. 17)

clear the CMOS values.

2.14  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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2.15  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 

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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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2.16  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.

2.17  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

2.18  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.

2.18.1  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 Selection” to [IDE] for SATA2_2 to SATA2_5 and 

    SATA3_0 and SATA3_1 ports. 

    Set the option “ASMedia SATA3 Mode” to [IDE] for SATA3_A1 to SATA3_A4 

    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.

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2.18.2  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 Selection” to [AHCI] for SATA2_2 to SATA2_5 and 

    SATA3_0 and SATA3_1 ports. 

    Set the option “ASMedia SATA3 Mode” to [AHCI] for SATA3_A1 to SATA3_A4 

    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 Selection” to [IDE] for SATA2_2 to SATA2_5 and 

    SATA3_0 and SATA3_1 ports. 

    Set the option “ASMedia SATA3 Mode” to [IDE] for SATA3_A1 to SATA3_A4 

    ports. 

STEP 2: Install Windows

®

 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

 / Vista

TM

 64-bit OS on your 

 system.

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2.19 

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\Teaming\IA32 

    64-bit: 

.. \Drivers\LAN\Broadcom\Teaming\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.