Asus A78M-E manual

A78M-E Motherboard[...]

ii E9124 First Edition March 2014 Copyright © 2014 ASUSTeK 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[...]

iii Contents Safety information ...................................................................................... iv About this guide ......................................................................................... iv Package contents ....................................................................................... vi A78M-E spe[...]

Safety information Electrical safety • To 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 all pow[...]

Where to find more information Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. 1. ASUS websites The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information. 2. Optional documentation Your product package may include optional documentation[...]

A78M-E specifications summary (continued on the next page) Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. Motherboard ASUS A78M-E motherboard Cables 2 x Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s cables Accessories 1 x I/O Shield Application DVD Support DVD Documentation User Guide If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your re[...]

A78M-E specifications summary (continued on the next page) Storage AMD ® A78 FCH: - 6 x Serial ATA 6 Gb/s connectors with RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10 and JBOD support LAN Realtek ® 8111GR PCIe Gigabit LAN controller Audio Realtek ® ALC887-VD 7.1-Channel High Denition Audio CODEC • UseachassiswithHDaudiomoduleinthef[...]

A78M-E specifications summary Rear panel I/O ports 1 x PS/2 keyboard port 1 x PS/2 mouse port 1 x HDMI port 1 x DVI-D port 1 x D-Sub output port 1 x LAN (RJ-45) port 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (blue) 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 3-jack 7.1-channel audio I/O ports Internal connectors 1 x 19-pin USB 3.0/2.0 connector supports additional 2 USB ports 2 x USB 2.0/1[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-1 Product introduction 1 1.1 Before you proceed Take 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?[...]

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction A78M-E Place this side towards the rear of the chassis 1.2 Motherboard overview Beforeyouinstallthemotherboard,studythecongurationofyourchassistoensurethatthe motherboardts. Unplugthepowercordbeforeinstallingorremovingthemotherboa[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-3 1.2.3 Motherboard layout SB_PWR 9 A78M-E PCIEX16 PCIEX1_1 PCI1 F_PANEL SPEAKER COM CLRTC USB56 USB34 AAFP SPDIF_OUT ATX12V EATXPWR CPU_FAN CHA_FAN BATTERY Super I/O ALC 887 8111 GR 64Mb BIOS 22.6cm(8.9in) AMD ® A78 DDR3 DIMM_A1 (64bit, 240-pin module) DDR3 DIMM_B1 (64bit, 240-pin module) SATA6G_2 SATA6G_1 SATA6G_3 SATA6G_4 SATA6G_5[...]

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.2.4 Layout contents 1.3 Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) ThismotherboardcomeswithaFM2+socketdesignedforAMD ® A-seriesandAthlon™ series processors. EnsurethatyouuseanAPUdesignedfortheFM2+socket.TheAPUtsinonlyone corr[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-5 1.3.1 APU installation 1 4 3 2[...]

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1 2 5 3 4 1.3.2 APU heatsink and fan assembly installation ApplytheThermalInterfaceMaterial totheAPUheatsinkandAPU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary. To install the APU heatsink and fan assembly[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-7 To uninstall the APU heatsink and fan assembly 5 3 1 4 2[...]

1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.4.2 Memory configurations Youmayinstall1GB,2GB,4GB,and8GBunbufferednon-ECCDDR3DIMMsintotheDIMM sockets. • YoumayinstallvaryingmemorysizesinChannelAandChannelB.Thesystem mapsthetotalsizeofthelower-sized?[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-9 • ThedefaultmemoryoperationfrequencyisdependentonitsSerialPresenceDetect (SPD),whichisthestandardwayofaccessinginformationfromamemorymodule. Underthedefaultstate,somememorymodulesforoverclockingmayoperateata lower?[...]

1-10 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.5 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 ca[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-11 1.5.3 PCI slot ThePCIslotsupportscardssuchasaLANcard,SCSIcard,USBcard,andothercardsthat complywithPCIspecications. 1.5.4 PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot ThismotherboardsupportsPCIExpressx1networkcards,SCSIcards,andothercardsthat c[...]

1-12 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.6 Jumpers Clear RTC RAM (2-pin CLRTC) ThisjumperallowsyoutocleartheRealTimeClock(RTC)RAMinCMOS.Youcan cleartheCMOSmemoryofdate,time,andsystemsetupparametersbyerasingthe CMOSRTCRAMdata.Theonboardbutton[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-13 1.7 Connectors 1.7.1 Rear panel connectors 4 5 3 6 8 7 1 11 2 9 10 1. PS/2 mouse port. ThisportisforaPS/2mouse. 2. Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port. This15-pinportisforaVGAmonitororother VGA-compatibledevices. 3. LAN (RJ-45) port. ThisportallowsGigabitconnection?[...]

1-14 Chapter 1: Product introduction 7. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. Thesetwo4-pinUniversalSerialBus(USB)portsareforUSB 2.0/1.1devices. 8. USB 3.0 ports 1 and 2 .Thesetwo9-pinUniversalSerialBus(USB)portsareforUSB 3.0/2.0devices. • DONOTconnectakeyboard/mo[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-15 1.7.2 Internal connectors 1. CPUandchassisfanconnectors(4-pinCPU_FAN,and4-pinCHA_FAN) Connectthefancablestothefanconnectorsonthemotherboard,ensurin gthatthe black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. • TheCPU_FANconnectorsup[...]

1-16 Chapter 1: Product introduction 3. ATXpowerconnectors(24-pinEATXPWR,4-pinATX12V) TheseconnectorsareforanATXpowersupply.Theplugsfromthepowersupplyare designedtottheseconnectorsinonlyoneorientation.Findtheproperorientationand pushdow[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-17 4. Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G 1~6) TheseconnectorsarefortheSerialATA6.0Gb/ssignalcablesforSerialATAhard diskdrivesandopticaldiscdrives.IfyouinstalledSerialATAharddiskdrives,you cancreateaRAID0,RAID1,RAID?[...]

1-18 Chapter 1: Product introduction 6. System panel connector (10-1 pin F_PANEL) Thisconnectorsupportsseveralchassis-mountedfunctions. • SystempowerLED(2-pinPWR_LED) This2-pinconnectorisforthesystempowerLED.ConnectthechassispowerLED cable to this connector. The system power [...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-19 • 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. • Ifyouwanttoconnectahighdenitionfrontpanelaudiomoduletothisconnector,set?[...]

1-20 Chapter 1: Product introduction 10. USB2.0connectors(10-1pinUSB34,USB56) 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[...]

ASUS A78M-E 1-21 1.8.2 Support DVD information TheSupportDVDthatcomeswiththemotherboardpackagecontainsthedrivers,software applications,andutilitiesthatyoucaninstalltoavailallmotherboardfeatures. ThecontentsoftheSupportDVDaresubjecttochangeatany?[...]

1-22 Chapter 1: Product introduction[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-1 BIOS information 2 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 utility. 2.1.1 EZ Update EZ Update is a utility that allows you to automatically update your mothe[...]

2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 The ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS without using an OS‑based utility. Before you start using this utility, download the latest BIOS le from the ASUS website at www.asus.com. To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2: 1. Insert the USB ash disk that contains the latest BI[...]

ASUS A78M-E 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. You can restore a corrupted BIOS le using the motherboard support DVD or a USB ash drive that contains the updated BIOS le. • Befor[...]

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS information Booting the system to a DOS environment 1. Insert the DOS‑bootable USB ash drive with the latest BIOS le and BIOS Updater to your computer’s USB port. 2. Boot your computer. When the ASUS Logo appears, press <F8> to show the BIOS Boot Device Select Menu . 3. Select the optical drive as the boot device[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-5 3. Press <Tab> to switch between screen elds and use the <Up/Down/Home/End> keys to select the BIOS le and press <Enter>. BIOS Updater checks the selected BIOS le and prompts you to conrm BIOS update. 4. Select Yes and press <Enter>. When BIOS update is done, press <ESC> to exit BIOS Updater[...]

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS information Using the power button , reset button , or the <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del> keys to force reset from a running operating system can cause damage to your data or system. We recommend to always shut down the system properly from the operating system. 2.2 BIOS setup program Use the BIOS Setup program to updat[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2‑7 • The boot device options vary depending on the devices you installed to the system. • The Boot Menu(F8) button is available only when the boot device is installed to the system. Advanced Mode The Advanced Mode provides advanced options for experienced end‑users to congure the BIOS settings. The gure below shows an exa[...]

2‑8 Chapter 2: BIOS information Menu bar The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items: My Favorites For saving the frequently‑used system settings and conguration Main For changing the basic system conguration Ai T weaker For changing the overclocking settings Advanced For changing the advanced system settings Monitor Fo[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-9 Pop-up window Select a menu item and press <Enter> to display a pop‑up window with the conguration options for that item. Scroll bar A scroll bar appears on the right side of a menu screen when there are items that do not t on the screen. Press the Up/Down arrow keys or <Page Up> / <Page Down> keys to displ[...]

2‑10 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.4 Main menu The Main menu screen appears when you enter the Advanced Mode of the BIOS Setup program. The Main menu provides you an overview of the basic system information, and allows you to set the system date, time, language, and security settings. 2.4.1 System Language [English] Allows you to choose the BIOS [...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-11 • If you have forgotten your BIOS password, erase the CMOS Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM to clear the BIOS password. See section 1.6 Jumpers for information on how to erase the RTC RAM. • The Administrator or User Password items on top of the screen show the default Not Installed . After you set a password, these items show Install[...]

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.5 Ai T weaker menu The Ai Tweaker menu items allow you to congure overclocking‑related items. Be cautious when changing the settings of the Ai Tweaker menu items. Incorrect eld values can cause the system to malfunction. The conguration options for this section vary depending on the CPU and DIMM model y[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2‑13 Target CPU Speed : xxxxMHz Displays the current CPU speed. Target DRAM Speed : xxxxMHz Displays the current DRAM speed. 2.5.1 Ai Overclock Tuner [Auto] Allows you to select the CPU overclocking options to achieve the desired CPU internal frequency. Select any of these preset overclocking conguration options: [Auto] Loads the o[...]

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.5.6 DRAM Timing Control The sub‑items in this menu allow you to set the DRAM timing control features. Use the <+> and <‑> keys to adjust the value. To restore the default setting, type [auto] using the keyboard and press <Enter>. Changing the values in this menu may cause the system to become[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-15 • The values of the CPU Offset Voltage , VDDNB Offset Voltage , DRAM Voltage , and SB 1.1V Voltage items are labeled in different colors, indicating the risk levels of high voltage settings. • The system may need better cooling system to work stably under high voltage settings. 2.5.10 DIGI+VRM CPU Load Line Calibration [A[...]

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS information ManualAdjustment[Fast] This item appears only when you set the previous item to [Manual Adjustment]. Select [Ultra Fast] for a faster response. The reaction time will be longer when [Regular] is selected. Conguration options: [Ultra Fast] [Fast] [Medium] [Regular] CPU Voltage Frequency [300] Switching frequ[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2‑17 2.6.1 CPU Configuration The items in this menu show the CPU‑related information that the BIOS automatically detects. The items shown in submenu may be different due to the CPU you installed. AMD PowerNow function [Enabled] Enables or disables the AMD PowerNow function. Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] NX Mode [Enabl[...]

2‑18 Chapter 2: BIOS information The USB Devices item shows the auto‑detected values. If no USB device is detected, the item shows None. OnChip SATA T ype [AHCI] Allows you to set the SATA conguration. [IDE] Set to [IDE] when you want to use the Serial ATA hard disk drives as Parallel ATA physical storage devices. [RAID] Set to [RAID] when y[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-19 Legacy USB Support [Enabled] [Enabled] Enables the support for USB devices on legacy operating systems (OS). [Disabled] The USB devices can be used only for the BIOS setup program. [Auto] Allows the system to detect the presence of USB devices at startup. If detected, the USB controller legacy mode is enabled. If no USB device is d[...]

2‑20 Chapter 2: BIOS information Front Panel T ype [HD] Allows you to set the front panel audio connector (AAFP) mode to legacy AC’97 or high‑ denition audio depending on the audio standard that the front panel audio module supports. [HD] Sets the front panel audio connector (AAFP) mode to high denition audio. [AC97] Sets the front pane[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-21 WOL (include AC Power Loss) [Disabled] [Disabled] Disables Wake On LAN after a power failure (G3 state). [Enabled] Enables Wake On LAN after a power failure (G3 state). Power On By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled] [Disabled] Disables the Power On by a PS/2 keyboard. [Space Bar] Sets the Space Bar on the PS/2 keyboard to turn on the system.[...]

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS information Ipv6 PXE Support [Enabled] This item allows user to disable or enable the Ipv6 PXE Boot support. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] 2.7 Monitor menu The Monitor menu displays the system temperature/power status, and allows you to change the fan settings. Scroll down to display the following items:[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2‑23 2.7.1 CPUTemperature/MBTemperature[xxxºC/xxxºF] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU and motherboard temperatures. 2.7.2 CPU / Chassis Fan Speed [xxxx RPM] / [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU / chassis fan speeds in rotations per mi[...]

2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.7.4 Chassis Q-Fan Control [Enabled] [Disabled] Disables the Chassis1 Q‑Fan control feature. [Enabled] Enables the Chassis1 Q‑Fan control feature. Fan Speed Low Limit [600 RPM] This item appears only when you enable the Chassis1 Q‑Fan Control feature and allows you to disable or set the chassis1 fan warning s[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-25 2.8 Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Scroll down to display the following items:[...]

2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.8.1 Fast Boot [Enabled] [Enabled] Select to accelerate the boot speed. [Disabled] Select to go back to normal boot. The following four items appear when you set Fast Boot to [Enabled]. SATA Support [All Devices] [All Devices] All devices connected to SATA ports will be available during POST. [Hard Drive Only] Only[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2‑27 2.8.2 Boot Logo Display [Enabled] [Auto] Auto adjustment for Windows requirements. [Disabled] Hide the logo during POST. [Full Screen] Maximize the boot logo size. POST Delay Time [3 sec] This item appears only when you set Full Screen Logo to [Enabled]. This item allows you to select the desired additional POST waiting time to e[...]

2‑28 Chapter 2: BIOS information Launch CSM [Enabled] [Auto] The system automatically detects the bootable devices and the add‑on devices. [Enabled] For better compatibility, enable the CSM to fully support the non‑UEFI driver add‑on devices or the Windows ® UEFI mode. [Disabled] Disable the CSM to fully support the Windows ® Security Upd[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2-29 Key Management This item appears only when you set Secure Boot Mode to [Custom]. It allows you to manage the Secure Boot keys. Clear Secure Boot keys This item appears only when you load the default Secure Boot keys. This item allows you to clear all default Secure Boot keys. Save Secure Boot keys This item appears only when you lo[...]

2‑30 Chapter 2: BIOS information Load db from File Allows you to load the downloaded db from a USB storage device. Append db from file Allows you to load the additional db from a storage device so that more images can be loaded securely. The DB le must be formatted as a UEFI variable structure with time‑based authenticated variable. DBX Mana[...]

ASUS A78M-E 2‑31 2.9 Tools menu The Tools menu items allow you to congure options for special functions. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the submenu. 2.9.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Utility Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2. Press [Enter] to launch the ASUS EZ Flash 2 screen. For more details, see section 2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 . 2.9.3[...]

2‑32 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.10 Exit menu The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal default values for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items. You can access the EZ Mode from the Exit menu. Load Optimized Defaults This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup me[...]

Appendices 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. • This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equip[...]

REACH Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals) regulatory framework, we published the chemical substances in our products at ASUS REACH website at http://csr.asus.com/english/REACH.htm. DO NOT throw the motherboard in municipal waste. This product has been designed to enable proper reuse of pa[...]

ASUS contact information ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. Address 15 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 11259 Telephone +886-2-2894-3447 Fax +886-2-2890-7798 E-mail info@asus.com.tw Web site http://www.asus.com Technical Support Telephone +86-21-3842-9911 Fax +86-21-5866-8722 ext. 9101# Online support http://support.asus.com/techserv/techserv.aspx ASUS COMPUT[...]

EC Declaration of Confo rmity We, the undersigned, Manufacturer: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. Address, City: 4F, No. 150, LI-TE Rd., PEITOU, TAIPEI 112, TAI WAN Country: TAIWAN Author ized representative in Europe: ASUS COMPUTER GmbH Address, City: HARKORT STR. 21-23, 4088 0 RATINGEN Country: GERMANY declare the follo wing app aratus: Product name : Mothe[...]