Asus M3A78-EM User Manual

MotherboardM3A78-EM

xM3A78-EM specications summary(continued on the next page)CPU AMD® Socket AM2+ / AM2 for Phenom™FX / Phenom / Athlon™ / Sempron™ processor AMD Coo

3-8 Chapter 3: Software support3.2.6 ASUS Contact informationClick the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information. You can also nd this inf

3-9ASUS M3A78-EMTechnical support FormDisplays the ASUS Technical Support Request Form that you have to ll out when requesting technical support.File

3-10 Chapter 3: Software support

AppendixThis chapter describes how to enable ATI Hybrid CrossFireX under Windows Vista OS.

A-2 AppendixATI® Hybrid CrossFireX™The motherboard supports the ATI® Hybrid CrossFire™ technology that allows you to install multi-graphics processing

ASUS M3A78-EM A-3A.3 Installing AMD Chipset DriverTo install the driver that supports Hybrid CrossFireX technology:1. Insert the Support DVD that c

A-4 AppendixUsing the onboard graphics card1. Right-click on the Windows® desktop, then click ATI CATALYST(R) Control Center from the shortcut menu.

ASUS M3A78-EM A-51. Follow steps 1 to 3 on Using the onboard graphics card. 2. From the ATI CATALYST(R) Control Center screen, click Display Manage

A-6 Appendix

xiM3A78-EM specications summaryUSB Supports up to 12 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (6 ports at mid-board, 6 ports at back panel) Storage / RAID ATI SB700 chips

xiiInternal I/O connectors 3 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 6 USB 2.0 ports 1 x Floppy disk drive connector 1 x IDE connector 1 x COM con

1Product introductionThis chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.1 Welcome!Thank you for buying an ASUS® M3A78-EM motherboard!The motherboard delivers a host of new features and

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-3AMD® Socket AM2+ Phenom™ FX / Phenom / Athlon™ / Sempron™ CPU supportThis motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM2+ multi-core

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introductionHDMI Interface HDMI (High-Denition Multimedia Interface) is the rst and only industry-supported, uncompressed,

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-5Serial ATA 3Gb/s technology The motherboard supports next-generation SATA hard drives based on the new SATA 3Gb/s storage specica

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introductionASUS Power Saving SolutionASUS Power Saving Solution intelligently and automatically provides banlanced computing p

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-7AI Gear 2 AI Gear 2 allows you to choose from proles to adjust CPU frequency and vCore voltage, minimizing system noise and saving

iiCopyright © 2008 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be repro

1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.3.4 ASUS intelligent overclocking featuresC.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall) The C.P.R. feature of the motherboard BI

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-9Onboard LEDThe motherboard comes with a standby power LED that lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft

1-10 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.5.1 Motherboard layout1.5 Motherboard overview24.4cm (9.6in24.4cm (9.6in))Super I/OSATA6SATA5SATA3SATA2SATA1So

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-11Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.1.5.2 Placement directionWhen installing the motherboard, make s

1-12 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)The motherboard comes with an AM2+ / AM2 socket designed for AMD® Phenom™ FX / P

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-133. Position the CPU above the socket such that the CPU corner with the gold triangle matches the socket corner with a small triang

1-14 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.6.2 Installing the heatsink and fanThe AMD Phenom™ FX / Phenom / Athlon™ / Sempron™ processor requires a specia

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-152. Attach one end of the retention bracket to the retention module base.3. Align the other end of the retention bracket (near the

1-16 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.7 System memory1.7.1 OverviewThe motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2) Dual Inline Memory Modu

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-17• When using only one memory module, start installing the DDR2 DIMM from slot DIMM_A1 or DIMM_B1 for better overclocking capability

iiiContentsNotices ... viSafety information ...

1-18 Chapter 1: Product introductionM3A78-EM Motherboard Qualied Vendors Lists (QVL) DDR2-1066 MHz capabilityDue to AMD CPU limitation, DDR2 1066 is

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-19DDR2-667MHz capability Size Vendor Part No. CL Chip BrandSS/DS Chip No.DIMM support (Optional)A* B* C*512MB Kingston KVR667D2N5/512

1-20 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.7.3 Installing a DIMM1. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward.2. Align a DIMM on the s

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-211.8 Expansion slotsIn the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the ex

1-22 Chapter 1: Product introduction* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.Interrupt assignmentsIRQ Standard function0 System timer

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-23IRQ assignments for this motherboardA B C D E F G H IPCIEX1 Slot shared – – – – – – – –PCIEX16 Slot – – shared – – – – – –Onboard US

1-24 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.8.3 PCI slotsThe PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply w

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-251.9 Jumpers1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC)This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS

1-26 Chapter 1: Product introduction1.10 Connectors1.10.1 Rear panel connectors1. PS/2 keyboard/Mouse Combo port (purple). This port is for a PS/2

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-27LAN port LED indicationsLAN portSPEED LEDACT/LINK LEDActivity/Link Speed LEDStatus Description Status DescriptionOFF No link OFF 10

ivContentsChapter 2: BIOS setup2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ... 2-22.1.1 Creating a bootable oppy

1-28 Chapter 1: Product introduction14. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-291.10.2 Internal connectors1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY)This connector is for the provided oppy disk drive (FDD

1-30 Chapter 1: Product introduction3. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE)The onboard IDE connector is for an Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable. There a

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-314. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA5, SATA6)These connectors are for the Serial ATA signal cables f

1-32 Chapter 1: Product introduction5. Power, CPU, and Chassis Fan connectors (3-pin PWR_FAN, 4-pin CPU_FAN, 3-pin CHA_FAN)The fan connectors support

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-33Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will damage the motherboard!6. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB78, USB910, U

1-34 Chapter 1: Product introduction8. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT)This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-3510. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module that supports e

1-36 Chapter 1: Product introduction11. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS)This connector is for a chassis-mounted intrusion detection sens

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-37Never connect a USB cable to the IEEE 1394a connector. Doing so will damage the motherboard!You can attach a FireWire/1394 cable to

vContents2.5.4 APM Conguration ... 2-312.5.5 HW Monitor Conguration ...

1-38 Chapter 1: Product introduction14. System panel connector (20-8 pin PANEL) This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.• System p

ASUS M3A78-EM 1-39Q-Connector (system panel) You can use ASUS Q-Connector to connect / disconnect chassis front panel cables by only a few steps. Dir

1-40 Chapter 1: Product introduction

2This chapter tells how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.B

2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.1 Managing and updating your BIOSThe following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic Input/Output

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-32.1.2 AFUDOS utilityThe AFUDOS utility allows you to update the BIOS le in DOS environment using a bootable oppy disk with the upd

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS setupThe utility returns to the DOS prompt after copying the current BIOS le.3. Press <Enter>. The utility copies the curr

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-55. The utility returns to the DOS prompt after the BIOS update process is completed. Reboot the system from the hard disk drive.A:\&

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utilityThe ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS l

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-7The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this motherboard. Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com to download the la

viNoticesFederal Communications Commission StatementThis device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two cond

2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS setup• Only the USB ash disk with FAT 32/16 format and single partition can support ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3. The device size shoul

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-9Installing ASUS UpdateTo install ASUS Update:1. Place the Support DVD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears. 2. Click the

2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS setup3. Select the ASUS FTP site nearest you to avoid network trafc, or click Auto Select. Click Next.Updating the BIOS through

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-11Updating the BIOS through a BIOS leTo update the BIOS through a BIOS le:1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows® deskt

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.2 BIOS setup programThis motherboard supports a programmable Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) chip that you can update u

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-132.2.1 BIOS menu screen2.2.2 Menu barThe menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:Main For changing the basi

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.2.4 Menu itemsThe highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specic items for that menu. For example, selecting Main

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-152.2.8 Pop-up windowSelect a menu item then press <Enter> to display a pop-up window with the conguration options for that i

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.3 Main menuWhen you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an overview of the basic syste

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-172.3.4 Primary IDE Master/SlaveWhile entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of IDE devices. There is a separat

viiSafety informationElectrical safety• To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating th

2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS setupPIO Mode [Auto]Selects the PIO mode. Conguration options: [Auto] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4]DMA Mode [Auto]Selects the DMA mode.

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-19LBA/Large Mode [Auto]Enables or disables the LBA mode. Setting to [Auto] enables the LBA mode if the device supports this mode, and

2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS setupOnChip SATA Type [SATA]This item appears only when you set the OnChip SATA Channel item to [Enabled]. Allows you to set the

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-212.4.1 JumperFree Conguration2.4 Advanced menuThe Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other syst

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS setupCPU Overclocking [Auto]Allows selection of CPU overclocking options to achieve desired CPU internal frequency. Select either

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-232.4.2 CPU CongurationGART Error Reporting [Disabled]This option should remain disabled for the normal operation. The driver devel

2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.4.3 ChipsetChipset Conguration NorthBridge Conguration Internal GraphicsMemory Options & InformationNorthBridge C

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-25MemClk Tristate C3/ATLVID [Disabled]Allows you to enable or disable MemClk Tri-Stating during C3 and Alt VID. Conguration options:

2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS setupAMD 780 HD Audio [Enabled]Allows you to enable or disable AMD 780 HD audio. Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]Displa

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-272.4.4 Onboard Device CongurationSerial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address. Conguration

viiiAbout this guideThis user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring the motherboard.How this guide is organizedThis g

2-28 Chapter 2: BIOS setupOnBoard LAN Controller [Enabled]Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]OnBoard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]Conguration option

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-292.4.6 USB CongurationThe items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features. Select an item then press <Enter>

2-30 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.5 Power menuThe Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-312.5.4 APM Conguration Select Screen Select Item+- Change OptionF1 General HelpF10 Save and ExitESC Exitv02.61 (C)Cop

2-32 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.5.5 HW Monitor Congurationv02.58 (C)Copyright 1985-2006, American Megatrends, Inc. Select Screen Select Item+- Ch

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-33Smart Q-Fan Function [Enabled]Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Q-Fan feature that smartly adjusts the fan speeds for more e

2-34 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.6.1 Boot Device Priority Select Screen Select Item+- Change OptionF1 General HelpF10 Save and ExitESC Exit

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-35Full Screen Logo [Enabled]This allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature. Conguration options: [Disabled

2-36 Chapter 2: BIOS setupIf you forget your BIOS password, you can clear it by erasing the CMOS Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. See section “1.9 Jumpers”

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-37After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to change other security settings. User Access Level [

ixConventions used in this guideTo make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual.

2-38 Chapter 2: BIOS setup2.7 Tools menuThe Tools menu items allow you to congure options for special functions. Select an item then press <Enter

ASUS M3A78-EM 2-392.7.2 Express Gate [Enabled]Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Express Gate feature. The ASUS Express Gate feature is a uniqu

2-40 Chapter 2: BIOS setupExit & Discard ChangesSelect this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the Setup program.

3Software supportThis chapter describes the contents of the Support DVD that comes with the motherboard package.

3-2 Chapter 3: Software supportIf Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the Support DVD to locate the le ASSETUP.EXE from t

3-3ASUS M3A78-EM3.2.2 Drivers menuThe Drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the necessary

3-4 Chapter 3: Software support3.2.3 Utilities menuThe Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard supports. ASUS I

3-5ASUS M3A78-EMMicrosoft DirectX 9.0cInstalls the Microsoft® DirectX 9.0c driver. The Microsoft DirectX® 9.0c is a multimedia technology that enhance

3-6 Chapter 3: Software supportUlead PhotoImpact 12 SEInstalls the PhotoImpact image editing software.ASUS Express Gate InstallerInstalls the ASUS Exp

3-7ASUS M3A78-EM3.2.5 Manual menuThe Manual menu contains a list of supplementary user manuals. Click an item to open the folder of the user manual.M