Asus M4A78 manual

Motherboard M4A78[...]

ii Copyright © 2009 ASUST eK Computer Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without [...]

iii Contents Notices ......................................................................................................... vi Safety information ..................................................................................... vii About this guide ........................................................................................ vii M[...]

iv Contents 1.10 Connectors ................................................................................. 1-21 1.10.1 Rear panel connectors .................................................. 1-2 1 1.10.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 1-2 3 1.1 1 Software support .....................................[...]

v Contents 2.4.4 Onboard Devices Conguration .................................... 2-1 4 2.4.5 PCI PnP ........................................................................ 2-1 4 2.4.6 USB Conguration ........................................................ 2-1 5 2.5 Power menu ...............................................................[...]

vi Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference, and • This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has b[...]

vii Safety information Electrical safety • T o prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system. • When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible, disconnect al[...]

viii Conventions used in this guide T o ensure that you perform certain tasks properly , take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual. DANGER/W ARNING : Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task. CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task. NOTE: T ips and [...]

ix M4A78 specications summary (continued on the next page) CPU Phenom™ X4 / Phenom™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 / Athlon™ / Sempron™ processors (socket for AM2+/AM2) Compatible with Phenom™ II / Athlon™ X4 / Athlon™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 (AM3 CPU) AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ T echnology Support CPU up to 125W * Refer to www .asus.com for the AMD C[...]

x M4A78 specications summary Back panel I/O ports 1 x PS/2 Keyboard port 1 x RJ45 port 1 x S/PDIF Out port (Optical) 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 8-channel Audio ports 1 x COM port 1 x LPT port 1 x ESA T A port Internal I/O connectors 3 x USB 2.0/1.1 connectors support additional 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x IDE connector 5 x SA T A connectors 1 x High De?[...]

1.2 Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. Motherboard ASUS M4A78 motherboard Cables 1 x Serial A T A cable 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100 cable Accessories 1 x I/O shield Application DVD ASUS motherboard support DVD Documentations User manual If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer . Supports[...]

HyperT ransport TM 3.0 support HyperT ransport TM 3.0 technology provides 2.6 times more bandwith than HyperT ransport TM 1.0, radically improving system efciency to create a smoother , faster computing environment. 64-bit CPU support 64-bit computing, the next generation technology to replace the current 32-bit architecture, delivers advanced s[...]

PCI Expre ss Archi tectur e PCI Express is the latest I/O interconnect technology that will replace the existing PCI. With a bus bandwidth 4 times higher than that of AGP 8X interface, PCI Express x16 bus performs much better than AGP 8X in applications such as 3D gaming. SA T A on the Go This motherboard supports hard drives based on the Serial A [...]

T urbo Key ASUS T urbo Key allows you to turn the PC power button into an overclocking button. After the easy setup, T urbo Key boosts performances without interrupting ongoing work or games, simply through pressing the button. ASUS Express Gate Express Gate is unique OS built into the motherboard. Five seconds after bootup, you can instantly surf [...]

1.4 Before you proceed T ake note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. • Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component. • Before handling components, use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or a metal object, such as the power s[...]

1.5 Motherboard overview 1.5.1 Placement direction When installing the motherboard, ensure that you place it into the chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image below . 1.5.2 Screw holes Place six screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard[...]

1.5.3 Motherboard layout 1.5.4 Layout contents Connectors/Jumpers/Slots Pa ge Connectors/Jumpers/Slots Page 1. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW1-6 and USBPW7-12) 1-20 9. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_EIDE) 1-24 2. A TX power connectors (24-pin EA TXPWR, 4-pin A TX12V) 1-23 10. Onboard LED 1-5 3. Keyboard/mouse power (3-pin KBPWR) 1-20 1 1. System pane[...]

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) The motherboard comes with a CPU socket designed for AMD ® AM3 Phenom™ II / Athon™ X4 / Athon™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 / processors and AM2+ / AM2 Phenom™ X4 / Phenom™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 / Athlon™ / Sempron™ processors. The CPU socket is not compatible with AMD ® Opteron™ processors. Do not install an Op[...]

3. Position the CPU above the socket such that the CPU corner with the gold triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle. 4. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it ts in place. The CPU ts only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the CPU! Gold triangle[...]

1.6.2 Installing the heatsink and fan Ensure that you use only AMD-certied heatsink and fan assembly . T o install the CPU heatsink and fan: 1. Place the heatsink on top of the installed CPU, making sure that the heatsink ts properly on the retention module base. • The retention module base is already installed on the motherboard upon purch[...]

3. Align the other end of the retention bracket to the retention module base. A clicking sound denotes that the retention bracket is in place. Ensure that the fan and heatsink assembly perfectly ts the retention mechanism module base, otherwise you cannot snap the retention bracket in place. 4. Push down the retention bracket lock on the retenti[...]

1.7.2 Memory congurations Y ou may install 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB unbuffered ECC DDR2 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets. • Y ou may install varying memory sizes in Channel A and Channel B. The system maps the total size of the lower-sized channel for the dual-channel conguration. Any excess memory from the higher-sized channel is then mapped fo[...]

DDR2-667MHz capability Size Vendor Part No. SS/ DS CL Chip No. Chip Brand DIMM support A* B* C* 2G Kingston KVR667D2N5/2G DS N/A 7RE22 D9HNL Micron · · · 512MB Kingston KVR667D2N5/512 SS N/A SO1237650821 SBP D6408TR4CGL25USL0749 05PECNB Kingston · · · 2G Kingston KVR667D2N5/2G DS N/A E1108ACBG-8E-E 0813A90CC Elpida · · · 1G Kingston KVR667[...]

DDR2-800MHz capability (continued on the next page) Size Vendor Part No. SS/ DS CL Chip No. Chip Brand DIMM support A* B* C* 1G Kingston KHX6400D2LL/1G DS N/A Heat-Sink Package Kingston · · · 512MB Kingston KHX6400D2LLK2/1GN SS N/A Heat-Sink Package Kingston · · · 512MB Kingston KVR800D2N6/512 SS N/A E5108AJBG-8E-E Elpida · · · 1G Kingston[...]

Size Vendor Part No. SS/ DS CL Chip No. Chip Brand DIMM support A* B* C* 2G PSC AL8E8F73C-8E1 DS 5 A3R1GE3CFF734MAA0E PSC · · · 2G PSC PL8E8F73C-8E1 DS 5 SHG772-AA3G PSC · · · 2G PSC PL8E8G73E-8E1 DS 5 XCP271A3G-A PSC · · · 2G PSC AL7E8E63H-10E1K DS 5 A3R1GE3CFF750RABBP(ECC) PSC · · · 1G GEIL GB22GB6400C4DC DS 4 GL2L64M088BA30EB GEIL ·[...]

Visit the ASUS website at www .asus.com for the latest QVL. SS - Single-sided / DS - Double - sided DIMM support: • A*: Supports one module inserted into any slot as Single-channel memory conguration. • B*: Supports one pair of modules inserted into both the yellow slots as one pair of Dual-channel memory conguration. • C*: Supports fou[...]

1.7.3 Installing a DIMM Unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure to do so can cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the components. Unlocked retaining clip 1 DDR2 DIMM notch 1. Press the retaining clips outward to unlock a DDR2 DIMM socket. 2. Align a DIMM on the socket such that the notc[...]

1.8 Expansion slots In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. Unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. 1.8.1 Installing an expansion card T o[...]

1.9 Jumpers 1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC) This jumper allows you to clear the Real T ime Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. Y ou can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup information such as system passwords. Except [...]

2. Keyboard/mouse power (3-pin KBPWR) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard/mouse and USB port 1-4 wake-up feature. When you set this jumper to pins 2-3 (+5VSB), you can wake up the computer by pressing a key on the keyboard (the default is the Space Bar), clicking the mouse, or using a USB device. This feature requires an A TX p[...]

1.10 Connectors 1.10.1 Rear panel connectors 1. PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Combo port (purple) . This port is for a PS/2 keyboard or mouse. 2. Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer , a scanner , or other devices. 3. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices. 4[...]

1 1. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices. 12. External SA T A port . This port connects to an external Serial A T A hard disk drive. 13. Optical S/PDIF Out port . This port connects an external audio output device via a optical S/PDIF cable. Audio 2, 4, 6, or 8-channel[...]

1.10.2 Internal connectors 1. A TX power connectors (24-pin EA TXPWR, 4-pin A TX12V) These connectors are for an A TX power supply . The plugs from the power supply are designed to t these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down rmly until the connectors completely t. • We recommend that you use an A[...]

2. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE) The onboard IDE connector is for Ultra DMA 133/100 signal cable. There are three connectors on each Ultra DMA 133 / 100 signal cable: blue, black, and gray . Connect the blue connector to the motherboard’s IDE connector , then select one of the following modes to congure your devices: Drive jumper setting Mo[...]

• For detailed instructions on RAID congurations, refer to the RAID manual in the support DVD. • If you intend to create a Serial A T A RAID set using these connectors, set the Onchip SA T A T ype item in the BIOS to [RAID] . 3. Serial A T A connectors (7-pin SA T A1, SA T A2, SA T A3, SA T A5, SA T A6) These connectors are for the Serial A [...]

4. System panel connector (20-8 pin P ANEL) This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions. • System power LED (2-pin PLED) This 2-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power LED cable to this connector . The system power LED lights up when you turn on the system power , and blinks when the system is in sleep m[...]

5. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB78, USB910, USB1 1 12) These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB connectors comply with USB 2.0 specication that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed. Never connect a 139[...]

6. Optical drive audio in connector (4-pin CD) This connector allows you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a CD-ROM, TV tuner , or MPEG card. 7. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT) This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) ports. Ensure that the audio device of Sound playback is Realt[...]

• We recommend that you connect a high-denition front panel audio module to this connector to avail of the motherboard high-denition audio capability . • By default, this connector is set to [HD Audio] . If you want to connect an AC97 front panel audio module to this connector , set the item in the BIOS to [AC 97]. See section “2.4.4 On[...]

T o run the Support DVD Place the Support DVD to the optical drive. The DVD automatically displays the Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer . If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer , browse the contents of the Support DVD to locate the le ASSETUP .EXE from the BIN folder . Double-click the ASSETUP .EXE to run the DVD. Click an[...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-1 2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS le to a USB ash disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AFUDOS utilities. Chapter 2 BIOS information • ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either thro[...]

2-2 ASUS M4A78 Updating from a BIOS file a. Select Update BIOS from a le , then click Next . b. Locate the BIOS le from the Open window , then click Open . 3. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the updating process. 2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility The ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to use an OS-ba[...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-3 2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS le when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. Y ou can update a corrupted BIOS le using the motherboard support DVD or a USB ash disk that contains the updated BIOS le. ?[...]

2-4 ASUS M4A78 2.2 BIOS setup program This motherboard supports a programmable Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) chip that you can update using the provided utility described in section “2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS.” Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup[...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-5 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen 2.2.2 Menu bar The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items: Main For changing the basic system conguration. Advanced For changing the advanced system settings. Power For changing the advanced power management (APM) conguration. Boot For changing the system boot conguration[...]

2-6 ASUS M4A78 2.2.4 Menu items The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specic items for that menu. For example, selecting Main shows the Main menu items. The other items (Advanced, Power , Boot, T ools, and Exit) on the menu bar have their respective menu items. 2.2.5 Submenu items A solid triangle before each item on any menu screen [...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-7 2.3 Main menu When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an overview of the basic system information. 2.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx] Allows you to set the system time. 2.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] Allows you to set the system date. 2.3.3 Primary IDE Master/Slave While entering Setup[...]

2-8 ASUS M4A78 Block (Multi-Sector T ransfer) M [Auto] Enables or disables data multi-sectors transfers. When set to [Auto] , the data transfer from and to the device occurs multiple sectors at a time if the device supports multi-sector transfer feature. When set to [Disabled] , the data transfer from and to the device occurs one sector at a time. [...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-9 2.3.5 SA T A Conguration This menu allows you to congure the SA T A devices. OnChip SA T A Channel [Enabled] Enables or disables the OnChip SA T A Channel. Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] OnChip SA T A T ype [SA T A] Allows you to select the SA T A type. Conguration options: [SA T A] [RAID] [AHCI] Whe[...]

2-10 ASUS M4A78 2.4.1 JumperFree Conguration CPU Overclocking [Auto] Allows selection of CPU overclocking options to achieve desired CPU internal frequency . Select any of the preset overclocking. • Manual - Allows you to individually set the overclocking parameters. • Auto - Loads the optimal settings for the system. • Overclock Prole [...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-1 1 Memory Clock Mode [Auto] Allows you to set the memory clock mode. Conguration options: [Auto] [Manual] The following items appear only when the DRAM Timing Mode item is set to [DCT 0]. CAS# Latency [ Auto] Allows you to set CAS# latency . Conguration options: [Auto] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK DH_Only] T[...]

2-12 ASUS M4A78 tWRWR [ Auto] Allows you to specify the T wrwr time. Conguration options: [Auto] [0 CLK] [1 CLK] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] tRDRD [ Auto] Allows you to specify the T rdrd time. Conguration options: [Auto] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] tRFC0/1/2/3[ Auto] Allows you to specify the T rfc0/1/2/3 time. Conguration options: [Auto] [75ns] [...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-13 2.4.3 Chipset The Chipset menu allows you to change the advanced chipset settings. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the submenu. NorthBridge Conguration Memory Conguration Bank Interleaving [Auto] Allows you to enable the bank memory interleaving. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto] Channel I[...]

2-14 ASUS M4A78 2.4.4 Onboard Devices Conguration Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4] Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address. Conguration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4][2F8/IRQ3] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3] Parallel Port Address [378] Allows you to select the Parallel Port base addresses. Conguration options: [Disabled] [378] [278] [3BC][...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-15 The Module V ersion and USB Devices Enabled items show the auto-detected values. If no USB device is detected, the item shows None . USB Functions [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the USB Functions. Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the USB 2[...]

2-16 ASUS M4A78 2.5 Power menu The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI) and the Advanced Power Management (APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conguration options. Suspend Mode [Auto] ACPI 2.0 Features [Disabled] ACPI APIC Support [Enabled] APM Con?[...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-17 Power On From S5 By PME# [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable PME wake from sleep state. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Power On From S5 By Ring [Disabled] Enable or disable RI to generate a wake event. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Power On From S5 By PS/2 KB/MS [Disabled] Enable or dis[...]

2-18 ASUS M4A78 2.6 Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the submenu. Select Screen Select Item Enter Go to Sub Screen F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc. Boot Settings Conguration Security Spec[...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-19 2.6.3 Security The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conguration options. Change Supervisor Password Select this item to set or change the supervisor password. The Supervisor Password item on top of the screen shows the default N[...]

2-20 ASUS M4A78 Select Screen Select Item +- Change Field Enter Go to Sub Screen F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2007, American Megatrends, Inc. ASUS EZ Flash 2 Express Gate [Auto] Enter OS Timer [10 Seconds] Reset User Date [No] AI NET2 Press ENTER to run the utility to select and update BIOS. This utility doesn[...]

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-21 2.7.2 Express Gate [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Express Gate feature. The ASUS Express Gate feature is a unique instant-on environment that provides quick access to the Internet browser and Skype. Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Enter OS T imer [10 Seconds] Sets countdown duration that t[...]

2-22 ASUS M4A78 Exit Options Exit & Save Changes Exit & Discard Changes Discard Changes Load Setup Defaults Exit system setup after saving the changes. F10 key can be used for this operation. Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit. 2.8 Exi[...]