Asrock A55 Pro3 manual

1 A55 Pro3 User Manual V ersion 1.0 Published August 201 1 Copyright©201 1 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.[...]

2 Copyright Notice: No part of this manual may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or translated in any language, in any form or by any means, except duplication of documentation by the purchaser for backup purpose, without written consent of ASRock Inc. Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be regis- tered trade[...]

3 Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................. 5 1.1 Package Contents ..................................................................... 5 1.2 Speci cations ............................................................................. 6 1.3 Motherboard Layout .........................................[...]

4 3. UEFI SETUP UTILITY.......................................................... 44 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 44 3.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar ................................................................ 44 3.1.2 Navigation Keys ......................................................[...]

5 1. Introduction Thank you for purchasing ASRock A55 Pro3 motherboard, a reliable motherboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It delivers excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commitment to quality and endurance. In this manual, chapter 1 and 2 contain introduction of the motherboard an[...]

6 1.2 Specifications Platform - A TX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 8.6-in, 30.5 cm x 21.8 cm - All Solid Capacitor design CPU - Support for Socket FM1 100W processors - V4 + 1 Power Phase Design - Supports AMD’s Cool ‘n’ Quiet TM T echnology - UMI-Link GEN2 Chipset - AMD A55 FCH (Hudson-D2) Memory - Dual Channel DDR3 Memory T echnology (see CAUTION [...]

7 Audio - 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec) - Premium Blu-ray audio support - Supports THX T ruStudio TM LAN - PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s - Realtek RTL81 1 1E - Supports W ake-On-LAN - Supports LAN Cable Detection - Supports Energy Ef cient Ethernet 802.3az - Supports PXE Rear Panel I/O I/O Panel - 1 x P[...]

8 BIOS Feature - 32Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support - Supports “Plug and Play” - ACPI 1.1 Compliance W ake Up Events - Supports jumperfree - SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support - DRAM, VDDP , VDDR, SB V oltage Multi-adjustment Support CD - Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (T rial V ersion), AMD Live! Explorer , AMD Fusion, CyberLink MediaEspresso[...]

9 CAUTION! 1. This motherboard supports Dual Channel Memory T echnology . Before you implement Dual Channel Memory T echnology , make sure to read the installation guide of memory modules on page 17 for proper installation. 2. Whether 2400/1866/1600MHz memory speed is supported depends on the CPU you adopt. If you want to adopt DDR3 2400/1866/1600 [...]

10 8. ASRock Instant Flash is a BIOS ash utility embedded in Flash ROM. This convenient BIOS update tool allows you to update system BIOS without entering operating systems rst like MS-DOS or Windows ® . With this utility , you can press <F6> key during the POST or press <F2> key to BIOS setup menu to access ASRock Instant Flash. Just [...]

11 14. While CPU overheat is detected, the system will automatically shutdown. Before you resume the system, please check if the CPU fan on the motherboard functions properly and unplug the power cord, then plug it back again. T o improve heat dissipation, remember to spray thermal grease between the CPU and the heatsink when you install the PC sys[...]

12 1.3 Motherboard Layout 1 Power Fan Connector (PWR_F AN1) 20 SA T A2 Connector (SA T A2_2, Blue) 2 A TX 12V Power Connector (A TX12V1) 21 SA T A2 Connector (SA T A2_1, Blue) 3 CPU Heatsink Retention Module 22 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_F AN1) 4 CPU Socket 23 USB 2.0 Header (USB10_1 1, Blue) 5 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_F AN1) 24 SPI Flash Memory (32M[...]

13 1.4 I/O P anel ** There are two LED next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications. LAN Port LED Indications Activity/Link LED SPEED LED Status Description Status Description Off No Link Of f 10Mbps connection Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection On Link Green 1Gbps connection LAN Port ACT/LINK[...]

14 T o enable Multi-Streaming function, you need to connect a front panel audio cable to the front panel audio header . After restarting your computer , you will nd “Mixer” tool on your system. Please select “Mixer T oolBox” , click “Enable playback multi-streaming”, and click “ok”. Choose “2CH”, “4CH”, “6CH”, or “8CH?[...]

15 2. Installation This is an A TX form factor (12.0-in x 8.6-in, 30.5 cm x 21.8 cm) motherboard. Before you install the motherboard, study the con guration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard ts into it. Pre-installation P recautions T ake note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherbo[...]

16 2.1 CPU Installation Step 1. Unlock the socket by lifting the lever up to a 90 o angle. Step 2. Position the CPU directly above the socket such that the CPU corner with the golden triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle. Step 3. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it ts in place. The CPU ts only in one correct orienta[...]

17 2.3 Installation of Memor y Modules (DIMM) This motherboard provides four 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM slots, and supports Dual Channel Memory T echnology . For dual channel con- guration, you always need to install identical (the same brand, speed, size and chip-type) DDR3 DIMM pair in the slots of the same color . In other words, you[...]

18 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 ts in one correct orientation. It will cause perm[...]

19 2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots) There are 3 PCI slots and 3 PCI Express slots on this motherboard. PCI Slots: PCI slots are used to install expansion cards that have the 32-bit PCI interface. PCIE Slots: PCIE1 (PCIE x1 slot; White) is used for PCI Express cards with x1 lane width cards, such as Gigabit LAN card and SA T A2 card. [...]

20 2.5 CrossFireX TM and Quad CrossFireX TM Operation Guide This motherboard supports CrossFireX TM and Quad CrossFireX TM feature. CrossFireX TM technology offers the most advantageous means available of combining multiple high performance Graphics Processing Units (GPU) in a single PC. Combining a range of different operating modes with intellige[...]

21 Step 2. Connect two Radeon graphics cards by installing CrossFire Bridge on CrossFire Bridge Interconnects on the top of Radeon graphics cards. (CrossFire Bridge is provided with the graphics card you purchase, not bundled with this motherboard. Please refer to your graphics card vendor for details.) CrossFire Bridge or Step 3. Connect the DVI m[...]

22 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 AMD driver updates. Step 3. Install the required drivers to your system. For W indows ® XP OS: A. AMD recommends Windows ® XP Service Pack 2 or higher to be[...]

23 Although you have selected the option “Enable CrossFire TM ”, the Cross- FireX TM function may not work actually . Y our computer will automatically reboot. After restarting your computer , please con rm whether the option “Enable CrossFire TM ” in “A TI Catalyst Control Center” is selected or not; if not, please select it again, and[...]

24 2.6 AMD Dual Graphics Operation Guide This motherboard supports AMD Dual Graphics feature. AMD Dual Graphics brings multi-GPU performance capabilities by enabling an AMD A55 FCH (Hudson-D2) integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor to operate simultaneously with combined output to a single display for blisteringly-fast fram[...]

25 * Dual Graphics appearing here is a registered trademark of AMD T echnologies Inc., and is used only for identi cation or explanation and to the owners’ bene t, without intent to infringe. * For further information of AMD Dual Graphics technology , please check AMD website for up dates and details. Step 9. Click “Enable CrossFire TM ” and [...]

26 2. If you have installed onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your system already , you can freely enjoy the bene ts of dual monitor function after your system boots. If you haven’t installed onboard VGA driver yet, please install onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your system and restart your computer . 2.7 Dual Monitor and Surrou[...]

27 Surround Display Feature This motherboard supports surround display upgrade. With the internal VGA output support (D-Sub and HDMI) and external add-on PCI Express VGA cards, you can easily enjoy the bene ts of surround display feature. Please refer to the following steps to set up a surround display environment: 1. Install the PCI Express VGA ca[...]

28 For Windows ® 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista TM / Vista TM 64-bit OS: Right click the desktop, choose “Personalize”, and select the “Display Settings” tab so that you can adjust the parameters of the multi-monitor according to the steps below . A. Click the number ”2” icon. B. Click the items “This is my main monitor” and “Extend the de[...]

29 * 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 USB 2.0 header (9-pin, blue) CIR header (4-pin, white) 2.8 ASRock Smart Remote Installation Guide ASRock Smart Remote is only used for ASRock motherboard with CIR header . Please refer to[...]

30 2.9 Jumpers Setup The illustration shows how jumpers are setup. When the jumper cap is placed on pins, the jumper is “Short”. If no jumper cap is placed on pins, the jumper is “Open”. The illustration shows a 3-pin jumper whose pin1 and pin2 are “Short” when jumper cap is placed on these 2 pins. Jumper Setting Description Clear CMOS [...]

31 2.10 Onboard Headers and Connectors Onboard headers and connectors are NOT jumpers. Do NOT place jumper caps over these headers and connectors. Placing jumper caps over the headers and connectors will cause permanent damage of the motherboard! Serial A T A3 Connectors These two Serial A T A3 (SA T A3_1: see p.12, No. 12) (SA T A3) connectors sup[...]

32 Infrared Module Header This header supports an (5-pin IR1) optional wireless transmitting (see p.12 No. 28) and receiving infrared module. Front Panel Audio Header This is an interface for the front (9-pin HD_AUDIO1) panel audio cable that allows (see p.12 No. 32) convenient connection and control of audio devices. Consumer Infrared Module Heade[...]

33 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 per- form 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[...]

34 CPU Fan Connectors Please connect the CPU fan (4-pin CPU_F AN1) cable to the connector and (see p.12 No. 5) match the black wire to the ground pin. 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[...]

35 HDMI_SPDIF Header HDMI_SPDIF header , providing (2-pin HDMI_SPDIF1) SPDIF audio output to HDMI ( see p.12 No. 31) 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[...]

36 2.11 Serial A T A (SA T A) / Serial A T A2 (SA T A2) Hard Disks Installation This motherboard adopts AMD A55 FCH (Hudson-D2) chipset that supports Serial A T A (SA T A) / Serial A T A2 (SA T A2) hard disks and RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10) functions. Y ou may install SA T A / SA T A2 hard disks on this motherboard for internal storage device[...]

37 2.13 Hot Plug and Hot Swap F unctions for SA T A / SA T A2 HDDs This motherboard supports Hot Plug and Hot Swap functions for SA T A / SA T A2 in RAID / AHCI mode. AMD A55 FCH (Hudson-D2) chipset provides hardware support for Advanced Host controller Interface (AHCI), a new programming interface for SA T A host controllers developed thru a joint[...]

38 Caution 1. Without SA T A 15-pin power connector interface, the SA T A / SA T AII / SA T A3 Hot Plug cannot be processed. 2. Even some SA T A / SA T AII / SA T A3 HDDs provide both SA T A 15-pin power connector and IDE 1x4-pin conventional power connector interfaces, the IDE 1x4-pin conventional power connector interface is de nitely not able to[...]

39 How to Hot Plug a SA T A / SA T AII / SA T A3 HDD: Points of attention, before you process the Hot Plug: Please do follow below instruction sequence to process the Hot Plug, improper procedure will cause the SA T A / SA T AII / SA T A3 HDD damage and data loss. Connect SA T A data cable to the motherboard’s SA T AII / SA T A3 connector. Connec[...]

40 2.16 Driver Installation Guide T o install the drivers to your system, please insert the support CD to your optical drive 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 inst[...]

41 2.17.2 Installing Windows ® 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista TM / Vista TM 64-bit With RAID F unctions If you want to install Windows ® 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista TM / Vista TM 64-bit on a RAID disk composed of 2 or more SA T A / SA T A2 HDDs with RAID functions, please follow below steps. STEP 1: Set up UEFI. A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY Advanced screen Storage[...]

42 Using SA T A / SA T A2 / SA T A3 HDDs without NCQ and Hot Plug functions (IDE mode) STEP 1: Set up UEFI. A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY Advanced screen Storage Con guration. B. Set the “SA T A Mode” option to [IDE] for SA T A2_1 to SA T A2_5 ports. Set the “SA T A3 Con guration” option to [IDE] for SA T A3_1 and SA T A3_2 ports. STEP 2: Ins[...]

43 STEP 1: Set up UEFI. A. Enter UEFI SETUP UTILITY Advanced screen Storage Con guration. B. Set the “SA T A Mode” option to [IDE] for SA T A2_1 to SA T A2_5 ports. Set the “SA T A3 Con guration” option to [IDE] for SA T A3_1 and SA T A3_2 ports. STEP 2: Install Windows ® 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista TM / Vista TM 64-bit OS on your system. Using S[...]

44 3. UEFI SETUP UTILITY 3.1 Introduction This section explains how to use the UEFI SETUP UTILITY to con gure your sys- tem. The SPI Memory on the motherboard stores the UEFI SETUP UTILITY . Y ou may run the UEFI SETUP UTILITY when you start up the computer . Please press <F2> or <Del> during the Power-On-Self-T est (POST) to enter the [...]

45 3.1.2 Navigation Keys Please check the following table for the function description of each navigation key . Navigation Key(s) Function Description / Moves cursor left or right to select Screens / Moves cursor up or down to select items + / - T o change option for the selected items <Enter> T o bring up the selected screen <F1> T o d[...]

46 3.3 OC T weaker Screen In the OC T weaker screen, you can set up overclocking features. EZ OC Mode Y ou can use this option to load EZ overclocking setting. Please note that overclocing may cause damage to your components and motherboard. It should be done at your own risk and expense. CPU Con fi guration Overclock Mode Use this to select Overc[...]

47 CPU V oltage It allows you to adjust the value of CPU voltage. However , for safety and system stability , it is not recommended to adjust the value of this item. GFX Engine Clock Use this to adjust graphics engine clock. The default value is [Auto]. DRAM Con fi guration DRAM Frequency If [Auto] is selected, the motherboard will detect the memo[...]

48 RAS# Active Time (tRAS) Use this item to change RAS# Active T ime (tRAS) Auto/Manual setting. The default is [Auto]. Command Rate (CR) Use this item to change Command Rate (CR) Auto/Manual setting. Min: 1T . Max: 2T . The default is [Auto]. RAS# Cycle Time (tRC) Use this item to change RAS# Cycle T ime (tRC) Auto/Manual setting. The default is [[...]

49 Instant Flash Instant Flash is a UEFI ash utility embedded in Flash ROM. This conve- nient UEFI update tool allows you to update system UEFI without entering operating systems rst like MS-DOS or Windows ® . Just launch this tool and save the new UEFI le to your USB ash drive, oppy disk or hard drive, then you can update your UEFI only in a few [...]

50 3.4.1 CPU Configuration Core C6 Mode Use this item to enable or disable Core C6 mode. The default value is [Disabled]. Cool ‘n’ Quiet Use this item to enable or disable AMD’ s Cool ‘n’ Quiet TM technology . The default value is [Enabled]. Con guration options: [Enabled] and [Disabled]. If you install Windows ® 7 / Vista TM and want to[...]

51 3.4.2 North Bridge Configuration Primary Graphics Adapter This item will switch the PCI Bus scanning order while searching for video card. It allows you to select the type of Primary VGA in case of multiple video controllers. The default value of this feature is [PCI Express]. Con- fi guration options: [Onboard], [PCI] and [PCI Express]. Share [...]

52 3.4.3 South Bridge Configuration Onboard HD Audio Select [Auto], [Enabled] or [Disabled] for the onboard HD Audio feature. If you select [Auto], the onboard HD Audio will be disabled when PCI Sound Card is plugged. Front Panel Select [Auto] or [Disabled] for the onboard HD Audio Front Panel. On/Off Play Use this item to enable or disable On/Off [...]

53 3.4.4 Storage Configuration SA T A Controller Use this item to enable or disable the “SA T A Controller” feature. SA T A Mode This item is for SA T A2_1 to SA T A2_5 ports. Use this item to adjust SA T A Mode. The default value of this option is [IDE Mode]. Con guration op- tions: [AHCI Mode], [RAID Mode] and [IDE Mode]. If you set this item[...]

54 3.4.5 Super IO Configuration Serial Port Use this item to enable or disable the onboard serial port. Serial Port Address Use this item to set the address for the onboard serial port. Con guration options: [3F8 / IRQ4] and [3E8 / IRQ4]. Infrared Port Use this item to enable or disable the onboard infrared port. Infrared Port Address Use this item[...]

55 3.4.6 ACPI Configuration Suspend to RAM Use this item to select whether to auto-detect or disable the Suspend-to- RAM feature. Select [Auto] will enable this feature if the OS supports it. Check Ready Bit Use this item to enable or disable the feature Check Ready Bit. Restore on AC/Power Loss This allows you to set the power state after an unexp[...]

56 ACPI HPET table Use this item to enable or disable ACPI HPET T able. The default value is [Enabled]. Please set this option to [Enabled] if you plan to use this moth- erboard to submit Windows ® Vista TM certi cation.[...]

57 3.4.7 USB Configuration USB 2.0 Controller Use this item to enable or disable the use of USB 2.0 controller . USB 3.0 Controller Use this item to enable or disable the use of USB 3.0 controller . Legacy USB Support Use this option to select legacy support for USB devices. There are four con guration options: [Enabled], [Auto], [Disabled] and [UE[...]

58 CPU Fan 1 & 2 Setting This allows you to set the CPU fan 1 & 2 speed. Con guration options: [Full On] and [Automatic Mode]. The default is value [Full On]. Chassis Fan 1 Setting This allows you to set the chassis fan 1 speed. Con guration options: [Full On], [Manual Mode] and [Automatic Mode]. The default is value [Full On]. Chassis Fan [...]

59 3.6 Boot Screen In this section, it will display the available devices on your system for you to con g- ure the boot settings and the boot priority . Setup Prompt Timeout This shows the number of seconds to wait for setup activation key . 65535(0xFFFF) means inde nite waiting. Bootup Num-Lock If this item is set to [On], it will automatically ac[...]

60 3.7 Security Screen In this section, you may set or change the supervisor/user password for the system. For the user password, you may also clear it.[...]

61 3.8 Exit Screen Save Changes and Exit When you select this option, it will pop-out the following message, “Save con guration changes and exit setup?” Select [OK] to save the changes and exit the UEFI SETUP UTILITY . Discard Changes and Exit When you select this option, it will pop-out the following message, “Discard changes and exit setup?[...]

62 4. Sof tware Support 4.1 Install Operating System This motherboard supports various Microsoft ® Windows ® operating systems: 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista TM / Vista TM 64-bit / XP SP3 / XP 64-bit. Because motherboard settings and hardware options vary , use the setup procedures in this chapter for general reference only . Refer to your OS documentatio[...]

63 Installing OS on a HDD Larger Than 2TB in AHCI Mode This motherboard is adopting UEFI BIOS that allows Windows ® OS to be installed on a large size HDD (>2TB). Please follow below procedure to install the operating system. 1. Please make sure to use Windows ® Vista TM 64-bit (with SP1 or above) or Windows ® 7 64-bit . 2. Press <F2> o[...]

64 Installing OS on a HDD Larger Than 2TB in RAID Mode This motherboard is adopting UEFI BIOS that allows Windows ® OS to be installed on a large size HDD (>2TB). Please follow below procedure to install the operating system. 1. Please make sure to use Windows ® Vista TM 64-bit (with SP1 or above) or Windows ® 7 64-bit . 2. Press <F2> o[...]

65 7. And then key in drvcfg –s [Drv number] [Ctrl number] to enter Raid Utility . For example: key in drvcfg –s 4E B5 . 8. Choose Logical Drive Main Menu to set up Raid Drive. 9. Choose Logical Drive Create Menu to create a Raid Drive. 10. Choose Usable Physical Drive List to select Raid HDD.[...]

66 1 1. Press Space on keyboard to toggle checkbox. 12. Choose Ld Size setting , and key in the Raid size. 13. After set up Raid size, please click Start to Create . 14. Press <F10> to exit Utility . 15. During reboot, please press <F1 1> to enter Boot Manual. Choose UEFI: SCSI CD/DVD Drive . * This option only shows on Windows ® 7 64-[...]

67 16. Follow Windows ® Installation Guide to install OS. If you install Windows ® 7 64-bit / Vista TM 64-bit in a large hard disk (ex. Disk volume > 2TB), it may take more time to boot into Windows ® or install driver/ utilities. If you encounter this problem, you will need to following instructions to x this problem. Windows ® Vista TM 64-[...]

68 B. Disable “V olume Shadow Copy” service. a. T ype “computer management” in the Start Menu, then press “Enter”. b. Go to “Services and Applications>Services”; Then double click “V olume Shadow Copy”. c. Set “Startup type” to “Disable” then Click “OK”.[...]

69 17. Finish. C. Reboot your system. D. After reboot, please start to install motherboard drivers and utilities. Windows ® 7 64-bit: A. Please request the hot x KB2505454 thru this link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2505454/ B. After installing Windows ® 7 64-bit, install the hot x kb2505454. (This may take long time; >30 mins.) C. Reboot [...]