Asus M4A78 PLUS - Motherboard - ATX Specifications

MotherboardM4A78-VM

xM4A78-VM specications summaryASUS special features ASUS Q-Fan ASUS CrashFree BIOS3 ASUS EZ Flash2 ASUS AI NET 2 ASUS EPU-4 Engine ASUS Express Gate

1.2 Package contentsCheck your motherboard package for the following items.Motherboard ASUS M4A78-VM motherboardCables 1 x Serial ATA cable 1 x U

AMD® Phenom™ X4 / Phenom™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 / Athlon™ / Sempron™ processors (socket AM2+/AM2)This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM2+ multi-core proc

Gigabit LAN solutionThe onboard LAN controller is a highly integrated Gb LAN controller. It is enhanced with an ACPI management function to provide ef

ASUS EZ Flash 2ASUS EZ Flash 2 is a utility that allows you to update the BIOS without using an OS-based utility. ASUS Q-FanASUS Q-Fan technology inte

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. Keyboard/mouse power (3-pin KBPWR) 1-19 1

1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)The motherboard comes with a CPU socket designed for AMD® AM3 Phenom™ II / Athon™ X4 / Athon™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 / proc

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 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB unbuffered ECC/non-ECC DDR2 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.• You may install varying

• DDR2 1066 is supported by AM2+ / AM3 CPU only.• The default DIMM frequency depends on its Serial Presence Detect (SPD), which is the standard wa

Size Vendor Part No.SS/DSCL Chip No.Chip BrandDIMM supportA* B*1G Transcend 505649-1993 DS 5 7HD22D9GMH Micron · ·1G Transcend TS128ML

SS - Single-sided / DS - Double - sided DIMM support: • A*: Supports one module inserted into any slot as Single-channel memory conguration. • B*:

1.7.3 Installing a DIMMUnplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure to do so can cause severe damage t

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

2. Keyboard/mouse power (3-pin KBPWR)This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard/mouse and USB port 1-4 wake-up feature. When you set th

iiiContentsNotices ... viSafety information ...

1.10 Connectors1.10.1 Rear panel connectors1. PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Combo port (purple). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard or mouse.2. Optical S/PDIF

11. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.12. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4.

1.10.2 Internal connectors1. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V)These connectors are for an ATX power supply. The plugs from the pow

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

• 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

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

5. 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

7. Optical drive audio in connector (4-pin CD)This connector allows you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a CD-ROM, TV tuner,

• 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 capabili

Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Insufcient air ow inside the system may damage the motherboard components. These are

ivContents1.10 Connectors ... 1-201.10.1 Rear panel connectors ...

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

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 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 r

2-2 ASUS M4A78-VMUpdating from a BIOS file a. Select Update BIOS from a le, then click Next. b. Locate the BIOS le from the Open window, then cl

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-32.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utilityThe ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS l

2-4 ASUS M4A78-VM2.2 BIOS setup programThis motherboard supports a programmable Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) chip that you can update using the

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 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 t

2-6 ASUS M4A78-VM2.2.4 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 2-72.3 Main menuWhen you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an overview of the basic system

2-8 ASUS M4A78-VMBlock (Multi-Sector Transfer) M [Auto]Enables or disables data multi-sectors transfers. When set to [Auto], the data transfer from an

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-92.3.5 SATA CongurationThis menu allows you to congure the SATA devices.OnChip SATA Channel [Enabled]Enables or disables th

vContents2.4.4 Onboard Devices Conguration ... 2-142.4.5 PCI PnP ...

2-10 ASUS M4A78-VM2.4.1 JumperFree CongurationThe following item appears only when the CPU Overclocking item is set to [Manual].CPU/HT Reference Clo

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-11HyperTransport Speed [Auto]Allows you to set HyperTransport Speed. Conguration options: [200 Mhz] [400 Mhz] [600 Mhz] [8

2-12 ASUS M4A78-VMtWRRD [ Auto]Allows you to specify the write to read delay when accessing different DRAMs. Conguration options: [Auto] [0 CLK] [1 C

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-132.4.3 ChipsetThe Chipset menu allows you to change the advanced chipset settings. Select an item then press <Enter> t

2-14 ASUS M4A78-VM2.4.4 Onboard Devices CongurationSerial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address. Conguration

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-15The Module Version and USB Devices Enabled items show the auto-detected values. If no USB device is detected, the item show

2-16 ASUS M4A78-VM2.5 Power menuThe Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI) and th

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-17Power On From S5 By PME# [Disabled]Allows you to enable or disable PME wake from sleep state. Conguration options: [Disable

2-18 ASUS M4A78-VM2.6 Boot menuThe Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to display th

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-192.6.3 SecurityThe Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings. Select an item then press <Enter

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

2-20 ASUS M4A78-VM Select Screen Select Item+- Change FieldEnter Go to Sub ScreenF1 General HelpF10 Save and ExitESC Exitv02.61 (C)Copyri

Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2-212.7.2 Express Gate [Auto]Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Express Gate feature. The ASUS Express Gate feature is a

2-22 ASUS M4A78-VMExit OptionsExit & Save ChangesExit & Discard ChangesDiscard ChangesLoad Setup DefaultsExit system setup after saving the ch

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.

ixM4A78-VM specications summary(continued on the next page)CPU Phenom™ X4 / Phenom™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 / Athlon™ / Sempron™ processors (socket AM2+