Asus M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS User Manual

MotherboardM5A78L-M LX3 Series • M5A78L-M LX3 • M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS

xPackage contentsCheck your motherboard package for the following items.M5A78L-M LX3 PLUSPCIEX16PCIEX1_1PCI1USB78 USB56AAFPATX12VEATXPWRCPU_FANLithium

1.1 Special features1.1.1 Product highlightsAMD® FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II / Sempron™ 100 series CPU supportThis motherboard supports AMD® Socke

100% All High-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors (M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS only)This motherboard uses all high-quality conductive polymer capacitors for d

1.2 Before you proceedTake note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings.• Unplug t

1.3 Motherboard overview1.3.1 Placement directionWhen installing the motherboard, ensure that you place it into the chassis in the correct orientati

1.3.3 Motherboard layoutM5A78L-M LX3 Series motherboards include M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS and M5A78L-M LX3 models. The package contents vary from models. Th

1.4 Central Processing Unit (CPU)This motherboard comes with an AM3+ socket designed for FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II / Sempron™ 100 series processo

1.4.1 CPU installation1432ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series1-7

1253 41.4.2 CPU heatsink and fan assembly installationApply the Thermal Interface Material to the CPU heatsink and CPU before you install the heatsin

To uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan assembly53142ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series1-9

iiE7475First EditionJune 2012Copyright © 2012 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.No part of this manual, including the products and software de

M5A78L-M LX3 PLUSM5A78L-M LX3 PLUS 240-pin DDR3 DIMM socketsDIMM_A1DIMM_B11.5 System memory1.5.1 OverviewThis motherboard comes with two Double Data

1.5.2 Memory congurationsYou may install 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB unbuffered non-ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.• You may install varying memor

DDR3-1600MHz capabilitycontinued on the next pageVendors Part No. SizeSS/DSChip BrandChip NO. Timing VoltageDIMM socket support (Optional)1 DIMM* 2 DI

Vendors Part No. SizeSS/DSChip Brand Chip NO. Timing VoltageDIMM socket support (Optional)1 DIMM* 2 DIMMs*G.SKILLF3-10666CL7T-3GBPK (XMP)3GB(3 x 1GB)

DDR3-1066 MHz capabilitySS: Single-sided / DS: Double-sidedDIMM support:• 1 DIMM*: Supports one module inserted into any slot as single-channel memo

1.5.3 Installing a DIMM123To remove a DIMMBAAASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series1-15

1.6 Expansion slotsIn the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that

1.7 Jumpers1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC)This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, ti

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)

1.8 Connectors1.8.1 Rear panel ports1. PS/2 Mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse.2. LAN (RJ-45) port. This port allows Gigabit connec

iiiContentsSafety information ... viAbout this guid

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 Un

2. 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 

3. Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA3G_1~4)These connectors are for the Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk drives an

4. System panel connector (10-1 pin F_PANEL)This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.• System power LED (2-pin PLED)This 2-pin conn

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 in

1.9 Software support1.9.1 Installing an operating systemThis motherboard supports Windows® XP / Vista / 7 Operating Systems (OS). Always install the

Chapter 1: Product introduction1-26

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-12.1 Managing and updating your BIOSSave a copy of the original motherboard BIOS le to a USB ash disk in case you need to rest

2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS informationUpdating from the Internet a. Select Update BIOS from the Internet, then click Next. b. Select the ASUS FTP site ne

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-32.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS le when it fails

iv2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ...2-32.2 BIOS setup program ...

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS information2.2 BIOS setup programUse the BIOS Setup program to update the BIOS or congure its parameters. The BIOS screens inclu

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-52.2.1 BIOS menu screen2.2.2 Menu barThe menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:Main For changing the

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS information2.2.4 Menu itemsThe highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specic items for that menu. For example, selecting

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-72.3 Main menuWhen you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an overview of the basic system in

2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS informationPIO Mode [Auto]Selects the PIO mode. Conguration options: [Auto] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4]DMA Mode [Auto]Selects the DMA mod

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-92.4 Advanced menuThe Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices.Take caution whe

2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS informationCPU Ratio [Auto]Sets the CPU ratio. Conguration options:[Auto] [x4.0 800MHz] [x4.5 900MHz] [x5.0 1000MHz] [x5.5 1100M

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-11DRAM Timing CongurationThe conguration options for some of the following items vary depending on the DIMMs you install on the

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS information2.4.2 CPU CongurationThe items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS automatically detects.GAR

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-13Value (Core 0) / (Core 1) / (Core 2) / (Core 3) [-2%]These items only appear when you set Advanced Clock Calibration to [Per Co

vAppendicesNotices ... A-1ASUS conta

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS information2.4.4 Onboard Devices CongurationSerial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address.

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-152.4.6 USB CongurationThe items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features. Select an item then press <Ente

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS information2.5 Power menuThe Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-172.5.5 HW Monitor CongurationCPU Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF] or [Ignored] MB Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF] or [Ignored]The onboard h

2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS informationCPU Fan Max. Duty Cycle(%) [100%]Allows you to select the maximum CPU fan duty cycle. When the CPU temperature reaches

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-192.6 Boot menuThe Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to displ

2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS informationAddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]Sets the display mode for option ROM. Conguration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Curr

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-21After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to change other security settings.User Access Lev

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS information2.7 Tools menuThe Tools menu items allow you to congure options for special functions. Select an item then press <

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 2-23Exit & Discard ChangesSelect this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the Setup program. If

viSafety informationElectrical safetyTo prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the s

2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS information

M5A78L-M LX3 SeriesA-1AppendicesNoticesFederal Communications Commission StatementThis device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is sub

A-2AppendicesCanadian Department of Communications StatementThis digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from d

M5A78L-M LX3 SeriesA-3ASUS contact informationASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.Address 15 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 11259Telephone +886-2-2894-344

A-4AppendicesDECLARATION OF CONFORMITYPer FCC Part 2 Section 2. 1077(a) Responsible Party Name: Asus Computer International Address: 800 Corpora

M5A78L-M LX3 SeriesA-5DECLARATION OF CONFORMITYPer FCC Part 2 Section 2. 1077(a) Responsible Party Name: Asus Computer International Address: 80

viiWhere to nd more informationRefer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates.1. ASUS websitesThe AS

viii(continued on the next page)M5A78L-M LX3 Series specications summaryCPU AMD® Socket AM3+ for AMD® FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II / Sempron™ 100 s

ixM5A78L-M LX3 Series specications summarySpecications are subject to change without notice.Special features 100% All high quality conductive polyme