ECS A960M-M2 (V1.0) manual

Preface Preface Copyright This publication, including all photographs, illustrations and software, is protected under international copyright laws, with all rights reserved. Neither this manual, nor any of the material contained herein, may be reproduced without written consent of the author . V ersion 1.0 Disclaimer The information in this documen[...]

ii Preface Declaration of Conformity This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference, and • This device must accept any interference received, including interfer- ence that may cause undesired operation. Canadian Department of Communications T[...]

iii T T T T T ABLE OF CONTENTS ABLE OF CONTENTS ABLE OF CONTENTS ABLE OF CONTENTS ABLE OF CONTENTS Preface i Chapter 1 1 Introducing the Motherboard 1 Introduction............................................................................................1 Feature......................................................................................[...]

iv Chipset Menu................................................................................39 M.I.B.III (MB Intelligent BIOS III) Menu......................................41 Boot Menu.....................................................................................44 Security Menu.. ..........................................................[...]

1 Introducing the Motherboard Chapter 1 Introducing the Motherboard Introduction Thank you for choosing the A960M-M2 motherboard. This motherboard is a high performance, enhanced function motherboard that supports socket AM3+ for AMD AM3+ FX TM / Phenom TM II /Athlon TM II / Sempron TM 100 Series processors for high- end business or personal deskto[...]

2 Introducing the Motherboard Feature Processor HyperT ransport TM T echnology is a point-to-point link between two devices, it enables integrated circuits to exchange information at much higher speeds than currently available interconnect technologies. • Accommodates socket AM3+ for AMD AM3+ FX TM / Phenom TM II /Athlon TM II/Sempron TM 100 Seri[...]

3 Introducing the Motherboard Onboard LAN The onboard LAN provides the following features: This motherboard supports Ultra DMA bus mastering with transfer rates of 133/100/66/33 MB/s. Expansion Options The motherboard comes with the following expansion options: • One PCI Express x16 for Graphics Interface • One PCI Express x1 slot • T wo 32-b[...]

4 Introducing the Motherboard • AMD 760G (RS780L) & AMD SB710 • Socket AM3+ for AMD AM3+ FX TM / Phenom TM II /Athlon TM II/ Sempron TM 100 Series processors • Supports 125W Phenom TM II X6 processors • Supports “Hyper-Threading” technology CPU • 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets support up to 16 GB • 1 x PCI Express x16 slot • 1 [...]

5 Introducing the Motherboard • AMI BIOS with 16Mb SPI Flash ROM • Supports Plug and Play , STR(S3) / STD (S4), Hardware monitor , Multi Boot • Audio, LAN, can be disabled in BIOS System BIOS Form Factor • Micro A TX Size, 244mm x 210mm • Support Over-Clocking • Support eBLU / Supoort eDLU / Supoort eOC • Support ECS M.I.B III Utility[...]

6 Introducing the Motherboard T able of Motherboard Components This concludes Chapter 1. The next chapter explains how to install the motherboard. LABE L COMPO NEN TS 1. CP U Sock et Socket AM3 + for AMD AM3 + FX TM /Phenom TM II /Athlon TM II/Sempron TM 100 Series pro cesso rs 2. CP U_FA N CPU coolin g fan conne ct or 3. D DR3_1 ~ 2 24 0- p in DD [...]

7 Installing the Motherboard Chapter 2 Installing the Motherboard Safety Precautions • Follow these safety precautions when installing the motherboard • Wear a grounding strap attached to a grounded device to avoid dam- age from static electricity • Discharge static electricity by touching the metal case of a safely grounded object before wor[...]

8 Installing the Motherboard Do not over-tighten the screws as this can stress the motherboard. Checking Jumper Settings This section explains how to set jumpers for correct configuration of the motherboard. Setting Jumpers Use the motherboard jumpers to set system configuration options. Jumpers with more than one pin are numbered. When setting the[...]

9 Installing the Motherboard Checking Jumper Settings The following illustration shows the location of the motherboard jumpers. Pin 1 is labeled. Jumper Settings 1. T o avoid the system unstability after clearing CMOS, we recommend users to enter the main BIOS setting page to “Load Optimal Defaults” and then “Save Changes and Exit”. Jumper [...]

10 Installing the Motherboard Installing Hardware Installing the Processor Caution: When installing a CPU heatsink and cooling fan make sure that you DO NOT scratch the motherboard or any of the surface- mount resistors with the clip of the cooling fan. If the clip of the cooling fan scrapes across the motherboard, you may cause serious damage to t[...]

11 Installing the Motherboard 1 Install your CPU. Pull up the lever away from the socket and lift up to 90-degree angle. 2 Locate the CPU cut edge (the corner with the pin hold noticeably missing). Align and insert the CPU correctly . 3 Press the lever down and apply thermal grease on top of the CPU. 4 Put the CPU Fan down on the retention mod- ule[...]

12 Installing the Motherboard Installing Memory Modules This motherboard accommodates two memory modules. It can support two 240-pin DDR3 1866 with AM3+ CPU, or two 240-pin DDR3 1333/1066 with AM3 CPU. The total memory capacity is 16 GB. Do not remove any memory module from its antistatic packaging until you are ready to install it on the motherboa[...]

13 Installing the Motherboard The slots on this motherboard are designed to hold expansion cards and connect them to the system bus. Expansion slots are a means of adding or enhancing the motherboard’s features and capabilities. W ith these ef ficient facilities, you can in- crease the motherboard’s capabilities by adding hardware that performs[...]

14 Installing the Motherboard Follow these instructions to install an add-on card: 1 Remove a blanking plate from the system case corresponding to the slot you are going to use. 2 Install the edge connector of the add-on card into the expansion slot. Ensure that the edge connector is correctly seated in the slot. 3 Secure the metal bracket of the c[...]

15 Installing the Motherboard Connecting Optional Devices Refer to the following for information on connecting the motherboard’s optional devices: The motherboard has four USB ports installed on the rear edge I/O port array . Additionally , some computer cases have USB ports at the front of the case. If you have this kind of case, use auxiliary U[...]

16 Installing the Motherboard LPT : Onboard parallel port header This is a header that can ba used to connect to the printer, scanner or other devices. 1 STROBE 14 ALF 2 PD0 3 PD1 4 PD2 5 PD3 15 ERROR 16 INIT 17 SLCTIN 18 Ground Pin Signal Name Pin Signal Name 6 PD4 19 Ground 7 PD5 20 Ground 8 PD6 9 PD7 1 0 A C K 11 BUSK 12 PE 13 SLCT 21 Ground 22 [...]

17 Installing the Motherboard SPDIFO: SPDIF out header This is an optional header that provides an S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) output to digital multimedia device through optical fiber or coaxial connector . 2 +5VA 5V analog Power 3 K ey N o p i n 4 G ND Ground 1 SPDIF SPDIF digital output Pin Signal Name Function CASE: Chassis intrusio[...]

18 Installing the Motherboard Installing a Hard Disk Drive/CD-ROM/SA T A Hard Drive This section describes how to install IDE devices such as a hard disk drive and a CD- ROM drive. About IDE Devices Y our motherboard has one IDE interface . IDE1: IDE Connector This motherboard supports Six high data transfer SA T A ports with each runs up to 3.0 Gb[...]

19 Installing the Motherboard Refer to the illustration below for proper installation: This motherboard does not support the “Hot-Plug” function. 1 Attach either cable end to the connector on the motherboard. 2 Attach the other cable end to the SA T A hard drive. 3 Attach the SA T A power cable to the SAT A hard drive and connect the other end [...]

20 Installing the Motherboard Connecting I/O Devices The backplane of the motherboard has the following I/O ports: PS2 Mouse Use the upper PS/2 port to connect a PS/2 pointing device. PS2 Keyboard Use the lower PS/2 port to connect a PS/2 keyboard. VGA Port Connect your monitor to the VGA port. LAN Port Connect an RJ-45 jack to the LAN port to conn[...]

21 Installing the Motherboard Connecting Case Components After you have installed the motherboard into a case, you can begin connecting the motherboard components. Refer to the following: 1 Connect the CPU cooling fan cable to CPU_F AN . 2 Connect the standard power supply connector to A TX_POWER . 3 Connect the case speaker cable to SPK . 4 Connec[...]

22 Installing the Motherboard CPU_F AN: Cooling FAN Power Connector Users please note that the fan connector supports the CPU cooling fan of 1.1A~2.2A (26.4W max.) at +12V . 1 G ND System Ground 2 +12V Power +12V 3 Sense Sensor 4 PW M CPU F AN control Function Pin Signal Name A TX12V : A TX 12V Power Connector A TX_POWER: A TX 24-pin Power Connecto[...]

23 Installing the Motherboard Front Panel Header The front panel header (F_P ANEL) provides a standard set of switch and LED headers commonly found on A TX or Micro A TX cases. Refer to the table below for information: Reset Switch Supporting the reset function requires connecting pin 5 and 7 to a momentary- contact switch that is normally open. Wh[...]

24 Installing the Motherboard Memo[...]

25 Using BIOS About the Setup Utility The computer uses the latest “American Megatrends Inc. ” BIOS with support for Windows Plug and Play . The CMOS chip on the motherboard contains the ROM setup instructions for configuring the motherboard BIOS. The BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) Setup Utility displays the system’s configuration statu[...]

26 Using BIOS Press the delete key to access BIOS Setup Utility . Using BIOS When you start the Setup Utility , the main menu appears. The main menu of the Setup Utility displays a list of the options that are available. A highlight indicates which option is currently selected. Use the cursor arrow keys to move the highlight to other options. When [...]

27 Using BIOS The default BIOS setting for this motherboard apply for most conditions with optimum performance. W e do not suggest users change the default values in the BIOS setup and take no responsibility to any damage caused by changing the BIOS settings. BIOS Navigation Keys The BIOS navigation keys are listed below: K E Y FUNCTION Scrolls thr[...]

28 Using BIOS Date & Time The Date and T ime items show the current date and time on the computer. If you are running a Windows OS, these items are automatically updated whenever you make changes to the W indows Date and T ime Properties utility . The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system. Advanced Me[...]

29 Using BIOS Onboard LAN Controller (Enabled) Use this item to enable or disable the Onboard LAN. LAN Configuration The item in the menu shows the LAN-related information that the BIOS automatically detects. LAN Configuration Onboard LAN Controller [Enabled] Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. V ersion 2.1 1.1210. Co[...]

30 Using BIOS PC Health Status On motherboards support hardware monitoring, this item lets you monitor the parameters for critical voltages, temperatures and fan speeds. Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen: f Smart Fan Function This item enables you to define the CPU temperature by smartly adjusting the CPU Fan.[...]

31 Using BIOS • CPU T emperature • CPU F AN Speed • SYS F AN Speed • CPU V oltage • DIMM V oltage • NB Voltage System Component Characteristics These items display the monitoring of the overall inboard hardware health events, such as CPU temperature, CPU & DIMM voltage, CPU & system fan speed... etc. Press <Esc> to return [...]

32 Using BIOS Power Management Setup Resume By RING [Disabled] Resume By PME [Disabled] Resume By USB 1.x/2.0 (S3) [Disabled] Resume By PS2 KB (S3) [Disabled] Resume By PS2 MS (S3) [Disabled] EUP Function [Enabled] Power LED Type [Dual Color LED] Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. About Resume by RING Power Managemen[...]

33 Using BIOS ACPI Configuration The item in the menu shows the highest ACPI sleep state when the system enters suspend. ACPI Sleep State [S3(Suspend to RAM)] This item allows user to enter the ACPI S3 (Suspend to RAM) Sleep State (default). Press <Esc> to return to the Advanced Menu page. ACPI Configuration ACPI Sleep State [S3 (Suspend to R[...]

34 Using BIOS CPU Configuration The item in the menu shows the CPU. CPU Configuration Socket0: AMD Phonem(tm) II x4 955 Processor Max Speed: 3200 MHZ Intended Speed: 3200 MHZ Microcode Patch Level: 10000c6 ---Information de cachette par noyau -- L1 Instruction Cache: 64 KB/2-way L1 Data Cache: 64 KB/2-way L2 Cache: 512 KB/16-way T otal L3 Cache per[...]

35 Using BIOS SA T A Configuration Use this item to show the mode of serial A T A configuration options. Serial-A T A Controller (Enabled) Use this item to select the Serial-A T A controller options: Disabled, Compatible, Enabled. SA T A Port1~6 [ ST32000641AS(2000.3G /Not Present ] This motherboard supports six SA T A channels and each channel all[...]

36 Using BIOS USB Configuration All USB Devices [Enabled] Legacy USB Support [Enabled] Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. Legacy USB Support (Enabled) Use this item to enable or disable support for legacy USB devices. Main Advanced Chipset M.I.B.III Boot Security Save & Exit V ersion 2.1 1.1210. Copyright (C) 201[...]

37 Using BIOS Super IO Configuration Use this item to show the information of Super IO configuration. Super IO Configuration Super IO Chip IT8728 Serial Port 0 Configuration Parallel Port Configuration Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. V ersion 2.1 1.1210. Copyright (C) 201 1, American Megatrends, Inc. Set Parameter[...]

38 Using BIOS f Parallel Port Configuration Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen: Parallel Port (Enabled) This item allows you to enable or disable parallel port. Device Settings (IO=378h; IRQ=5;) This item shows the information of the device settings. Change Settings (Auto) Use this item to change device setting[...]

39 Using BIOS f North Bridge Scroll to this item and press <Enter> and view the following screen: IGD Memory (Auto) This item shows the information of the IGD (Internal Graphics device) memory . The chipset menu items allow you to change the settings for the North Bridge chipset, South Bridge chipset and other system. Chipset Menu Aptio Setup[...]

40 Using BIOS f South Bridge Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen. Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. Specify what state to go to when power is re-applied after a power failure (G3 state). South Bridge Restore AC Power Loss [Power Off] Audio Configuration Azalia internal HDMI codec[...]

41 Using BIOS This page enables you to set the clock speed and system bus for your system. The clock speed and system bus are determined by the kind of processor you have installed in your system. M.I.B.III (MB Intelligent BIOS III) Menu Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. V ersion 2.1 1.1210. Copyright (C) 201 1, Ame[...]

42 Using BIOS Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. V ersion 2.1 1.1210. Copyright (C) 201 1, American Megatrends, Inc. Slow Access Mode Memory Control Memory Clock DCT0 is : None Memory Clock DCT1 is : (DDR-1333/667Mhz) Command Rate [Auto] Memory Clock Mode [Auto] Memory Timing Mode [Auto] CAS Latency 9 RAS to CAS Dela[...]

43 Using BIOS Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. V ersion 2.1 1.1210. Copyright (C) 201 1, American Megatrends, Inc. Set Upstream Link Width HT Control Current Width Up: 16 bit Upstream Link Width [Auto] Current Width Down: 16 bit Downstream Link Width [Auto] Current IO HT Freq: 2000MHz IO HT Frequency [Auto] +/- : C[...]

44 Using BIOS This page enables you to set the keyboard NumLock state. Boot Menu Boot Configuration This item shows the information of the Boot Configuration. Bootup NumLock State (On) This item enables you to select NumLock state. Set Boot Priority This item enables you to select boot priority for all boot devices. 1st/2nd/3rd/4th/5th/6th/7th/8th [...]

45 Using BIOS This page enables you to set setup administrator password and user password. Security Menu Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. V ersion 2.1 1.1210. Copyright (C) 201 1, American Megatrends, Inc. Set Setup Administrator Password Administrator Password Status Not Install User Password Status Not Install Ad[...]

46 Using BIOS Save Options This item enables you to save the options that you have made. Save Changes This item enables you to save the changes that you have made. Discard Changes This item enables you to discard any changes that you have made. Restore Defaults This item enables you to restore the system defaults. Save as User Defaults This item en[...]

47 Using BIOS Boot Override This item enables you to set the device order . Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 2011 American Megatrends, Inc. V ersion 2.1 1.1210. Copyright (C) 201 1, American Megatrends, Inc. Exit system setup after saving the changes. Load Optimized Defaults Y es No Load Optimized Defaults? Aptio Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 20[...]

48 Using BIOS Updating the BIOS Y ou can download and install updated BIOS for this motherboard from the manufacturer’s W eb site. New BIOS provides support for new peripherals, improve- ments in performance, or fixes for known bugs. Install new BIOS as follows: This concludes Chapter 3. Refer to the next chapter for information on the software s[...]

49 Using the Motherboard Software Chapter 4 Using the Motherboard Software Auto-installing under Windows V ista/7 The support software DVD-ROM/CD-ROM disk loads automatically under Windows V ista/7. When you insert the DVD-ROM/CD-ROM disk in the DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive, the autorun feature will automatically bring up the install screen. The screen has[...]

50 Using the Motherboard Software Drivers T ab Setup Click the Setup button to run the software installation program. Select from the menu which software you want to install. Browse CD The Browse CD button is the standard Windows command that al- lows you to open Windows Explorer and show the contents of the support disk. Before installing the soft[...]

51 Using the Motherboard Software 2. Click Next. The following screen appears: 3. Check the box next to the items you want to install. The default options are recom- mended. 4. Click Next run the Installation Wizard. An item installation screen appears: 5. Follow the instructions on the screen to install the items. Drivers and software are automati[...]

52 Using the Motherboard Software Manual Installation Insert the disk in the DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive and locate the P A TH.DOC file in the root directory . This file contains the information needed to locate the drivers for your motherboard. Look for the chipset and motherboard model; then browse to the directory and path to begin installing the drive[...]

53 Setting Up AMD RAID Configuration The BIOS CMOS Setup Utility screen appears. Setting Up a bootable RAID Array This section explains how to configure a bootable AMD RAID array . Setting Up the BIOS Figure 1.2 SA T A Configuration Screen Use the arrow keys to select the SA T A Configuration (see Figure 1.2) and globally set SA T A Mode to RAID. S[...]

54 Setting Up AMD RAID Configuration 5 Enter the RAID BIOS Setup by pressing Ctrl-F when prompted, and proceed to set up the AMD RAID BIOS as described in the next section. The PC reboots. Press F4 to save the configuration and exit. Configuring the AMD RAID BIOS (Windows XP Installation) The AMD RAID BIOS set up lets you choose the RAID type and w[...]

55 Setting Up AMD RAID Configuration Select [2], then select LD 1 in the following page. 3 The Define LD Menu screen appears (Figure 1.4). Figure 1.4 Define LD Menu Using the Define a New Array Screen If necessary , press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is highlighted. • Selecting the RAID Mode By default, this[...]

56 Setting Up AMD RAID Configuration Figure 1.5 illustrates the Define a New Array screen after two disks have been assigned as RAID 0 array disks. Figure 1.5 FastBuild Utility—Array Disks Assigned Assigning the Disks 1. Select the Assignment to Y to designate a free disk to be used as a RAID array disk. 2. Press Ctrl-Y to save the configuration [...]

57 Setting Up AMD RAID Configuration Figure 1.7 Main Menu 3. Press ESC to exit. 4. Press Y to reboot. The Main Menu screen appears (Figure 1.7). Figure 1.8 The following screen appears (Figure 1.8). View Drive Assignments..................[ 1 ] Define LD..........................................[ 2 ] Define LD.......................................[...]

58 Setting Up AMD RAID Configuration 1 Copy all files in " ...RAIDA TISB710FloppyWin3264" to a floppy disk. After you complete the RAID BIOS setup, boot from the Windows CD. Figure 1.10 Windows Setup—Specify Devices Installing the RAID Drivers Y our system may come with a W indows install CD that already includes AMD RAID drivers. [...]

59 Setting Up AMD RAID Configuration b Select “A TI AHCI Compatible RAID Controller -x86 platform” and press Enter for 32-bit OS or Select “A TI AHCI Compatible RAID Controller-x64 platform” and press Enter for 64-bit OS. The following Windows Setup screen appears listing both drivers:. Figure 1.12 Windows Setup—AMD drives listed Press En[...]

60 Setting Up AMD RAID Configuration Memo[...]

61 Trouble Shooting Chapter 6 Trouble Shooting Start up problems during assembly After assembling the PC for the first time you may experience some start up problems. Before calling for technical support or returning for warranty , this chapter may help to address some of the common questions using some basic troubleshooting tips. a) System does no[...]

62 Trouble Shooting c) The PC suddenly shuts down while booting up. 1. The CPU may experience overheating so it will shutdown to protect itself. Ensure the CPU fan is working properly . 2. From the BIOS setting, try to disable the Smartfan function to let the fan run at default speed. Doing a Load Optimised Default will also disable the Smartfan. M[...]

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64 Trouble Shooting Memo[...]