Asus M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS manual

Motherboard M5A78L-M LX3 Series • M5A78L-M LX3 • M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS[...]

ii E8025 Second Edition January 2013 Copyright © 2013 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 purch[...]

iii Contents Safety information ...................................................................................................... vi About this guide ......................................................................................................... vi M5A78L-M LX3 Series specications summary ..........................................[...]

iv 2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ................................................................ 2-3 2.2 BIOS setup program ..................................................................................... 2-4 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen .......................................................................... 2-5 2.2.2 Menu bar ....................[...]

v Appendices Notices ..................................................................................................................... A-1 ASUS contact information ...................................................................................... A-3[...]

vi 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 all power c[...]

vii Where to nd 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 Y our product package may include optional documen[...]

viii (continued on the next page) M5A78L-M LX3 Series specications summary CPU AMD ® Socket AM3+ for AMD ® FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II / Sempron™ 100 series processors AMD ® Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ T echnology Supports AMD ® AM3/AM3+ CPU up to 95W * Refer to www .asus.com for the AMD ® CPU support list Chipset AMD ® 760G(780L) / SB[...]

ix M5A78L-M LX3 Series specications summary Specications are subject to change without notice. Special features 100% All high quality conductive polymer capacitors ( M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS only ) Back panel I/O ports 1 x PS/2 Keyboard port 1 x PS/2 Mouse port 1 x COM port 1 x D-Sub port 1 x LAN (RJ-45) port 4 x USB 2.0 ports 3 x Audio jacks Intern[...]

x Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS PCIEX16 PCIEX1_1 PCI1 USB78 USB56 AAFP ATX12V EATXPWR CPU_FAN Lithium Cell CMOS Power Super I/O ALC 887-VD2 AR 8161 ICS 9LPRS483 KBMS 16Mb BIOS SB_PWR CLRTC USBPW5-8 USBPW1-4 KBPWR AMD ® RS780L AMD ® SB710 DDR3 DIMM_A1 (64bit, 240-pin module) SOCKET AM3+ [...]

1.1 Special features 1.1.1 Product highlights AMD ® FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II / Sempron™ 100 series CPU support This motherboard supports AMD ® Socket AM3+ multi-core processors with unique L3 cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption. It features dual-channel DDR3 memory support and accelerates d[...]

100% All High-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors (M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS only) This motherboard uses all high-quality conductive polymer capacitors for durability , improved lifespan, and enhanced thermal capacity . 1.1.2 ASUS Exclusive Features Core Unlocker ASUS Core Unlocker simplies the activation of a latent AMD ® CPU-with just pressing a ke[...]

1.2 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[...]

1.3 Motherboard overview 1.3.1 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 . DO NOT overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard. 1.3.2 Screw holes Place six [...]

1.3.3 Motherboard layout M5A78L-M LX3 Series motherboards include M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS and M5A78L-M LX3 models. The package contents vary from models. The layout illustrations in this user guide are for M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS only . M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS PCIEX16 PCIEX1_1 PCI1 USB78 USB56 AAFP ATX12V EATXPWR CPU_FAN Lithium Cell CMOS Power Super I/O ALC 887-VD2[...]

1.4 Central Processing Unit (CPU) This motherboard comes with an AM3+ socket designed for FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II / Sempron™ 100 series processors. The AM3+ socket has a different pinout from the AM2+/AM2 socket. Ensure that you use a CPU designed for the AM3+ socket. The CPU ts in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU[...]

1.4.1 CPU installation 1 4 3 2 ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series 1-7[...]

1 2 5 3 4 1.4.2 CPU heatsink and fan assembly installation Apply the Thermal Interface Material to the CPU heatsink and CPU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary . T o install the CPU heatsink and fan assembly Chapter 1: Product introduction 1-8[...]

T o uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan assembly 5 3 1 4 2 ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series 1-9[...]

M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets DIMM_A1 DIMM_B1 1.5 System memory 1.5.1 Overview This motherboard comes with two Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets. A DDR3 module has the same physical dimensions as a DDR2 DIMM but is notched differently to prevent installation on a DDR2 DIMM socket. DD[...]

1.5.2 Memory congurations Y ou may install 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB unbuffered non-ECC DDR3 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 [...]

DDR3-1600MHz capability continued on the next page V endors Part No. Size SS/ DS Chip Brand Chip NO. Timing V oltage DIMM socket support (Optional) 1 DIMM* 2 DIMMs* A-Data AD31600E001GM(O)U3K 3GB(3 x 1GB) SS - - 8-8-8-24 1.65V -1.85V • • A-Data AX3U1600XC4G79- 2X(XMP) 8GB(2 x 4GB) DS - - 7-9-7-21 1.55V -1.75V • • A-Data AX3U1600GC4G9-2G(XMP[...]

V endors Part No. Size SS/ DS Chip Brand Chip NO. Timing Voltage DIMM socket support (Optional) 1 DIMM* 2 DIMMs* G.SKILL F3-10666CL7T -3GBPK (XMP) 3GB(3 x 1GB) SS - - 7-7-7-18 1.5~1.6V • • G.SKILL F3-10666CL8D- 4GBECO(XMP) 4GB(2 x 2GB) DS - - 8-8-8-8-24 XMP 1.35V • • G.SKILL F3-10666CL7T -6GBPK (XMP) 6GB(3 x 2GB) DS - - 7-7-7-18 1.5~1.6V ?[...]

DDR3-1066 MHz capability SS: Single-sided / DS: Double-sided DIMM support: • 1 DIMM*: Supports one module inserted into any slot as single-channel memory conguration. • 2 DIMMs*: Supports one pair of modules inserted into either slot or the blue slots as one pair of dual-channel memory conguration. Visit the ASUS website at www .asus.com [...]

1.5.3 Installing a DIMM 1 2 3 T o remove a DIMM B A A ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series 1-15[...]

1.6 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. 1.6.1 Installing an expansion card T o[...]

1.7 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. T o era[...]

2. Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard 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. This feature requires an A TX power supply that can supply at least 1A on the +5VSB lead, and a corresponding setting in the BIOS. 3[...]

1.8 Connectors 1.8.1 Rear panel ports 1. PS/2 Mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse. 2. LAN (RJ-45) port. This port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. LAN port LED indications Activity/Link LED Speed LED Status Description Status Description OFF No link OFF 10Mbps connection ORANGE Linked ORAN[...]

6. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are for USB 2.0/1.1 devices. 7. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4 . These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are for USB USB 2.0/1.1 devices. 8. Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port. This 15-pin port is for a VGA monitor or other VGA-compatible devices. 9. COM port. This port is fo[...]

2. 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 TX 12V Specication 2.0-[...]

3. Serial A T A 3.0 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SA T A3G_1~4) These connectors are for the Serial A T A 3.0 Gb/s signal cables for Serial A T A hard disk drives and optical disc drives. If you installed Serial A T A hard disk drives, you can create a RAID 0, RAID 1, or RAID 10 conguration through the onboard controller . • These connectors are set [...]

4. System panel connector (10-1 pin F_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[...]

6. USB 2.0 connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB78) 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 480Mbps connection speed. Never connect a 1394 cable t[...]

1.9 Software support 1.9.1 Installing an operating system This motherboard supports Windows ® XP / V ista / 7 Operating Systems (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your hardware. • Motherboard settings and hardware options vary . Refer to your OS documentation for detailed information.[...]

Chapter 1: Product introduction 1-26[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 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 utility . 2.1.1 ASUS Update utility The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save,[...]

2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS information Updating from the Internet a. Select Update BIOS from the Internet , then click Next . b. Select the ASUS FTP site nearest you to avoid network trafc, then click Next . c. From the FTP site, select the BIOS version that you wish to download then click Next . The ASUS Update utility is capable of updating itself th[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-3 2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 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 restore a corrupted BIOS le using the motherboard support DVD or a USB ash drive that contains the updated BIOS le. ?[...]

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.2 BIOS setup program Use the BIOS Setup program to update the BIOS or congure its parameters. The BIOS screens include navigation keys and brief online help to guide you in using the BIOS Setup program. Entering BIOS Setup at startup T o enter BIOS Setup at startup: • Press <Delete> during the Power-On S[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 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g[...]

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS information 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[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 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. Refer to section 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen for information on the menu screen items and how to navigate through them. 2.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx] Allows you to set the system ti[...]

2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS information PIO Mode [Auto] Selects the PIO mode. Conguration options: [Auto] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] DMA Mode [Auto] Selects the DMA mode. Conguration options: [Auto] SMART Monitoring [Auto] Sets the Smart Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting T echnology . Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled] 32Bit Data T ransfe[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-9 2.4 Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices. T ake caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect eld values can cause the system to malfunction. v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2011, American Megatrends, Inc. M5A78L-M LX3 P[...]

2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS information CPU Ratio [Auto] Sets the CPU ratio. Conguration options:[Auto] [x4.0 800MHz] [x4.5 900MHz] [x5.0 1000MHz] [x5.5 1 100MHz] [x6.0 1200MHz] [x6.5 1300MHz] [x7 1400MHz] [x7.5 1500MHz] [x8.0 1600MHz] [x8.5 1700MHz] [x9 1800MHz] [x9.5 1900MHz] [x10.0 2000MHz] [x10.5 2100MHz] [x1 1 2200MHz] CPU/NB Frequency [Auto] Sets[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-1 1 DRAM Timing Conguration The conguration options for some of the following items vary depending on the DIMMs you install on the motherboard. DRAM CAS# Latency [Auto] Conguration options: [Auto] [4 CLK] ~ [12 CLK] DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay [Auto] Conguration options: [Auto] [5 CLK] ~ [12 CLK] DRAM RAS# [...]

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.4.2 CPU Conguration The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS automatically detects. GART Error Reporting [Disabled] This option should remain disabled for the normal operation. The driver developer may enable it for testing purpose. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Micro[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-13 V alue (Core 0) / (Core 1) / (Core 2) / (Core 3) [-2%] These items only appear when you set Advanced Clock Calibration to [Per Core] and allow you to set the overclocking percentage for each process core separately . Conguration options: [0%] [+2%] [+4%] [+6%] [+8%] [+10%] [+12%] [-2%] [-4%] [-6%] [-8%] [-10%[...]

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS information 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] HDAudio Controller [Enabled] Enables or disables the high denition audio controller . Conguration options: [Disa[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-15 2.4.6 USB Conguration The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conguration options. 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 Fu[...]

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS information 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. 2.5.1 Suspend Mode [Auto] Allows you to select the Advanced Congur[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-17 2.5.5 HW Monitor Conguration CPU T emperature [xxxºC/xxxºF] or [Ignored] MB T emperature [xxxºC/xxxºF] or [Ignored] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the motherboard and CPU temperatures. Select Ignored if you do not wish to display the detected temperatures. CPU / Chassis Fa[...]

2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS information CPU Fan Max. Duty Cycle(%) [100%] Allows you to select the maximum CPU fan duty cycle. When the CPU temperature reaches the upper limit, the CPU fan will operate at the maximum duty cycle. Congu - ration options: [20%] [30%] [40%] [50%] [60%] [70%] [80%] [90%] [100%]. CPU Lower T emperature [20 o C/68 o F] Displa[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-19 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 1985-2011, American Megatrends, Inc. Boot Settings Cong[...]

2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS information AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS] Sets the display mode for option ROM. Conguration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Current] Bootup Num-Lock [On] Selects the power-on state for the NumLock. Conguration options: [Off] [On] W ait for ‘F1’ If Error [Enabled] When this item is set to [Enabled] , the system waits[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-21 After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to change other security settings. User Access Level [Full Access] This item allows you to select the access restriction to the Setup items. Conguration options: [No Access] [View Only] [Limited] [Full Access] No Access prevents use[...]

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.7 T ools menu The T ools menu items allow you to congure options for special functions. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu. Select Screen Select Item Enter Go to Sub Screen F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2011, American Megatrends, Inc. Press ENTE[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series Series 2-23 Exit & Discard Changes Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the Setup program. If you made changes to elds other than System Date, System T ime, and Password, the BIOS asks for a conrmation before exiting. Discard Changes This option allows you to discard the [...]

2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS information[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series A-1 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 operat[...]

A-2 Appendices Canadian Department of Communications Statement This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. VCCI: Japan Compliance S[...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series A-3 ASUS contact information ASUST eK COMPUTER INC. Address 15 Li-T e Road, Peitou, T aipei, T aiwan 1 1259 T elephone +886-2-2894-3447 Fax +886-2-2890-7798 E-mail info@asus.com.tw Web site www.asus.com.tw T echnical Support T elephone +86-21-3842991 1 Online support support.asus.com ASUS COMPUTER INTERNA TIONAL (America) A[...]

A-4 Appendices DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Per FCC Part 2 Section 2. 1077(a) Responsible Party Name: Asus Computer International Address: 800 Corporate Way, Fremont , CA 94539. Phone/Fax No: (510)739-3777/(510)608-4555 hereby declares that the product Product Name : Motherboard Model Number : M5A78L-M LX3 Conforms to the following specifications: FC [...]

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series A-5 DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Per FCC Part 2 Section 2. 1077(a) Responsible Party Name: Asus Computer International Address: 800 Corporate Way, Fremont , CA 94539. Phone/Fax No: (510)739-3777/(510)608-4555 hereby declares that the product Product Name : Motherboard Model Number : M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS Conforms to the following [...]