Asus M3A78-CM - Motherboard - Micro ATX Specifications Page 1

MotherboardM3A78-CM

xM3A78-CM specications summaryInternal I/O connectors3 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x Floppy disk drive connector 1

1.2 Package contentsCheck your motherboard package for the following items.Motherboard ASUS M3A78-CM motherboardCables 1 x Serial ATA signal cable

AMD® Socket AM2 Athlon™ / Sempron™ CPU supportThe motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM2 Athlon™ processors. It features 2000 / 1600 MT/s HyperTran

AMD 780VThe AMD 780V Northbridge is the latest AMD chipset designed for both HT1.0 and 5200MT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0 (HT 3.0) interface speed and exter

ASUS EZ Flash 2ASUS EZ Flash 2 is a utility that allows you to update the BIOS without using a bootable oppy disk or a DOS-based utility. ASUS Q-FanA

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

1.5 Motherboard overview1.5.1 Placement directionWhen installing the motherboard, ensure that you place it into the chassis in the correct orientati

1.5.3 Motherboard layout1.5.4 Layout contentsConnectors/Jumpers/Slots Page Connectors/Jumpers/Slots Page1. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)The motherboard comes with an AM2+ / AM2 socket designed for AMD® AM2+ / AM2 Phenom™ FX / Phenom / Athlon™ / Sempron

3. Position the CPU above the socket such that the CPU corner with the gold triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle.4. Carefully i

iiCopyright © 2009 ASUSTeK Computer Inc. All Rights Reserved.No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be repro

1.6.2 Installing the heatsink and fanEnsure that you use only AMD-certied heatsink and fan assembly.To install the CPU heatsink and fan:1. Place th

3. Align the other end of the retention bracket to the retention module base. A clicking sound denotes that the retention bracket is in place.Ensure

1.7.2 Memory congurationsYou may install 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB unbuffered ECC/non-ECC DDR2 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.• You may install varyin

Size Vendor Part No. CL Chip BrandSS/DS Chip No.DIMM supportA* B* C*512MB Kingston KVR667D2N5/512 N/A Hynix SS HY5PS12821EFP-Y5 • •1G Kingston KVR667D

DDR2-533MHz capabilitySS - Single-sided / DS - Double - sided DIMM support: • A*: Supports one module inserted into any slot as Single-channel memory

DDR2 DIMM notch112Unlocked retaining clip1DDR2 DIMM notch211.7.3 Installing a DIMMUnplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other sy

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

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

1.10 Connectors1.10.1 Rear panel connectors1. PS/2 Keyboard port (purple). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard / mouse.2. Video Graphics Adapter (VGA)

Audio 2, 4, 6, 8-channel congurationEnsure that the audio device of Sound playback is VIA High Denition Audio (the name may be different based on th

iiiContentsNotices ... viSafety information ...

2. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE)The onboard IDE connector is for an Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable. There are three connectors on each Ultra DM

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 

• For detailed instructions on RAID congurations, refer to the RAID manual in the support DVD.• If you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using

7. System panel connector (20-8 pin PANEL)This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.• System power LED (2-pin PLED) This 2-pin conne

8. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB78, USB910, USB1112)These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable to any of these connectors, t

11. TPM connector (20-1 pin TPM) This connector supports a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) system, which can securely store keys, digital certicates,

12. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT)This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) ports.The S/PDIF module is

To run the Support DVDPlace the Support DVD to the optical drive. The DVD automatically displays the Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your comput

1-28 ASUS M3A78-CM

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-12.1 Managing and updating your BIOSSave a copy of the original motherboard BIOS le to a oppy disk or a USB ash disk in ca

ivContents1.11 Software support ... 1-271.11.1 Installing an operating system .

2-2 ASUS M3A78-CM• ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). • This utility is

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-32.1.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utilityThe ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to use a bootable opp

2-4 ASUS M3A78-CM• Obtain the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the bundled support DVD and the latest BIOS le from the ASUS website at www.asus.com.

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-52.1.5 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utilityThe ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS l

2-6 ASUS M3A78-CM2.2 BIOS setup programThis motherboard supports a programmable Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) chip that you can update using the

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-72.2.1 BIOS menu screen2.2.2 Menu barThe menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:Main For changing t

2-8 ASUS M3A78-CM2.2.4 Menu itemsThe highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specic items for that menu. For example, selecting Main shows th

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-92.3 Main menuWhen you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an overview of the basic system

2-10 ASUS M3A78-CMType [Auto]Selects the type of IDE drive. Setting to [Auto] allows automatic selection of the appropriate IDE device type. Select [C

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-112.4 Advanced menuThe Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices.Be cautious

vContents2.5.1 Suspend Mode ... 2-172.5.2 ACPI Support ...

2-12 ASUS M3A78-CMGPU Overclocking [Auto]Allows you to select the GPU Overclocking. Conguration options: [Auto] [Manual]PCIE Overclocking [Auto]Allow

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-13Secure Virtual Machine Mode [Enabled]Allows you to enable or disable the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode. Conguration optio

2-14 ASUS M3A78-CMDisplayPort Conguration [Disabled]Allows you to congure PCIE lane for the onboard DisplayPort. Conguration options: [Auto] [Disab

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-152.4.4 Onboard Devices CongurationSerial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address. Cong

2-16 ASUS M3A78-CMThe Module Version and USB Devices Enabled items show the auto-detected values. If no USB device is detected, the item shows None.U

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-172.5 Power menuThe Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI

2-18 ASUS M3A78-CMPower On From S5 By PME# [Disabled]Allows you to enable or disable PME wake from sleep state. Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enab

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-192.6 Boot menuThe Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to di

2-20 ASUS M3A78-CMSet this item to [Enabled] to use the ASUS MyLogo 2™ feature.AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]Sets the display mode for option ROM

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-21After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to change other security settings.User Access

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

2-22 ASUS M3A78-CM Select Screen Select Item+- Change FieldEnter Go to Sub ScreenF1 General HelpF10 Save and ExitESC Exitv02.61 (C)Copyri

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-23Exit OptionsExit & Save ChangesExit & Discard ChangesDiscard ChangesLoad Setup DefaultsExit system setup after savin

2-24 ASUS M3A78-CM

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

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

ixM3A78-CM specications summary(continued on the next page)CPU AMD® Socket AM2+ / AM2 for AMD Phenom™FX / Phenom/ Athlon™ / Sempron™ processor AMD