Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-D3H User Manual
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Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-D3H User Manual

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GA-F2A88X-D3H
User's Manual
Rev. 3001
12ME-F288X3H-3001R

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Summary of Contents for Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-D3H

  • Page 1 GA-F2A88X-D3H User's Manual Rev. 3001 12ME-F288X3H-3001R...
  • Page 3 GIGABYTE's prior written permission. Documentation Classifications In order to assist in the use of this product, GIGABYTE provides the following types of docu- mentations: „ For quick set-up of the product, read the Quick Installation Guide included with the product.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Box Contents ........................6 Optional Items .........................6 GA-F2A88X-D3H Motherboard Layout ................7 GA-F2A88X-D3H Motherboard Block Diagram ..............8 Chapter 1 Hardware Installation ..................9 Installation Precautions ................... 9 1-2 Product Specifications ................... 10 Installing the APU and APU Cooler ............... 13 1-3-1 Installing the APU ....................13...
  • Page 5 Chapter 3 Configuring SATA Hard Drive(s) ..............53 3-1 Configuring SATA Controllers ................ 53 Installing the SATA RAID/AHCI Driver and Operating System ..... 62 Chapter 4 Drivers Installation ..................67 Installing Chipset Drivers ................67 Application Software ..................68 Technical Manuals ..................68 Contact......................69 System ......................69 Download Center ...................

  • Page 6: Box Contents

    Box Contents 5 F2A88X-D3H motherboard 5 Motherboard driver disk 5 User's Manual 5 Quick Installation Guide 5 Four SATA cables 5 I/O Shield The box contents above are for reference only and the actual items shall depend on the product package you obtain. The box contents are subject to change without notice.

  • Page 7: Ga-F2A88X-D3H Motherboard Layout

    GA-F2A88X-D3H Motherboard Layout KB_MS_USB CPU_FAN ATX_12V DVI_VGA Socket FM2+ HDMI R_USB30 USB_LAN SYS_FAN1 AUDIO SYS_FAN2 PCIEX1_1 GA-F2A88X-D3H F_USB30 ® Realtek PCIEX16 GbE LAN PCIEX1_2 M_BIOS CODEC PCIEX1_3 B_BIOS PCIEX4 AMD A88X ® PCI1 Super I/O SATA3 PCI2 CLR_CMOS F_AUDIO SPDIF_O F_USB2...

  • Page 8: Ga-F2A88X-D3H Motherboard Block Diagram

    GA-F2A88X-D3H Motherboard Block Diagram 1 PCI Express x16 APU CLK+/- (100 MHz) DISP CLK+/- (100 MHz) 3 PCI Express x1 DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333 MHz PCIe CLK RJ45 AMD APU (100 MHz) Realtek ® Dual Channel Memory GbE LAN DVI-D PCI Express Bus HDMI D-Sub 1 PCI Express x4 Dual BIOS 8 SATA 6Gb/s...

  • Page 9: Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

    Chapter 1 Hardware Installation Installation Precautions The motherboard contains numerous delicate electronic circuits and components which can become damaged as a result of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Prior to installation, carefully read the user's manual and follow these procedures: • Prior to installation, make sure the chassis is suitable for the motherboard. •...

  • Page 10: Product Specifications

    * The maximum 64 GB of system memory can be supported using 16 GB (or above) memory modules. GIGABYTE will update the memory support list on the official website when the memory modules are available on the market.
  • Page 11 Multi-Graphics Support for AMD Dual Graphics technology Š Technology * Only A series APUs support AMD Dual Graphics. Storage Interface Š Chipset: 8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, and JBOD Chipset: Š...
  • Page 12 Š * G IGABYTE reserves the right to make any changes to the product specifications and product-related information without prior notice. * Please visit the Support & Downloads\Utility page on GIGABYTE's website to check the supported operating system(s) for the software listed in the "Unique Features" and "Bundled Software" columns. Hardware Installation - 12 -...

  • Page 13: Installing The Apu And Apu Cooler

    Read the following guidelines before you begin to install the APU: • Make sure that the motherboard supports the APU. (Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest APU support list.) • Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing the APU to prevent hardware damage.
  • Page 14 B. Follow the steps below to correctly install the APU into the motherboard APU socket. • Before installing the APU, make sure to turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet to prevent damage to the APU. •...

  • Page 15: Installing The Apu Cooler

    1-3-2 Installing the APU Cooler Follow the steps below to correctly install the APU cooler on the motherboard. Step 1: Step 2: Hook the APU cooler clip to the mounting lug on Apply an even and thin layer of thermal grease on one side of the retention frame.

  • Page 16: Installing The Memory

    • Make sure that the motherboard supports the memory. It is recommended that memory of the same capacity, brand, speed, and chips be used. (Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest supported memory speeds and memory modules.) • Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing the memory to prevent hardware damage.

  • Page 17: Installing A Memory

    1-4-2 Installing a Memory Before installing a memory module, make sure to turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet to prevent damage to the memory module. DDR3 and DDR2 DIMMs are not compatible to each other or DDR DIMMs. Be sure to install DDR3 DIMMs on this motherboard. Notch DDR3 DIMM A DDR3 memory module has a notch, so it can only fit in one direction.

  • Page 18: Installing An Expansion Card

    Installing an Expansion Card Read the following guidelines before you begin to install an expansion card: • Make sure the motherboard supports the expansion card. Carefully read the manual that came with your expansion card. • Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing an expansion card to prevent hardware damage.

  • Page 19: Setup Of The Amd Dual Graphics Configuration

    1-6 Setup of the AMD Dual Graphics Configuration Combining the onboard GPU with a discrete graphics card, AMD's Dual Graphics technology can provide significantly advanced display performance for AMD platform. Read the following instructions on configuring a Dual Graphics system. A. System Requirements - AMD A series processor - Windows 8/7 operating system - An AMD Dual Graphics technology-supported motherboard (with the BIOS updated to the latest version) and correct driver (make sure the onboard graphics driver version is Rev.

  • Page 20: Back Panel Connectors

    Back Panel Connectors USB 2.0/1.1 Port The USB port supports the USB 2.0/1.1 specification. Use this port for USB devices such as a USB keyboard/mouse, USB printer, USB flash drive and etc. PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Port Use this port to connect a PS/2 mouse or keyboard. D-Sub Port The D-Sub port supports a 15-pin D-Sub connector.
  • Page 21 B. Playback of Blu-ray Discs: ™ In order to get better playback quality, when playing the Blu-ray™ discs, refer to the recommended system requirements (or better) below. • AMD A series processors • Memory: Two 1 GB DDR3 1333 MHz memory modules with dual channel mode enabled •...

  • Page 22: Internal Connectors

    Internal Connectors ATX_12V F_PANEL F_AUDIO CPU_FAN SPDIF_O SYS_FAN1/SYS_FAN2/SYS_FAN3 F_USB1/F_USB2 F_USB30 SATA3 0/1/2/3/4/5/6/7 CLR_CMOS Read the following guidelines before connecting external devices: • First make sure your devices are compliant with the connectors you wish to connect. • Before installing the devices, be sure to turn off the devices and your computer. Unplug the power cord from the power outlet to prevent damage to the devices.
  • Page 23 1/2) ATX_12V/ATX (2x4 12V Power Connector and 2x12 Main Power Connector) With the use of the power connector, the power supply can supply enough stable power to all the components on the motherboard. Before connecting the power connector, first make sure the power supply is turned off and all devices are properly installed. The power connector possesses a foolproof design. Connect the power supply cable to the power connector in the correct orientation.
  • Page 24 3/4) CPU_FAN/SYS_FAN1/SYS_FAN2/SYS_FAN3 (Fan Headers) The motherboard has a 4-pin CPU fan header (CPU_FAN), two 4-pin (SYS_FAN1, SYS_FAN2) and a 3-pin (SYS_FAN3) system fan headers. Most fan headers possess a foolproof insertion design. When connecting a fan cable, be sure to connect it in the correct orientation (the black connector wire is the ground wire). The motherboard supports APU fan speed control, which requires the use of a APU fan with fan speed control design.
  • Page 25 DEBUG DEBUG DEBUG PORT PORT PORT DEBUG DEBUG DEBUG PORT PORT PORT 6) SATA3 0/1/2/3/4/5/6/7 (SATA 6Gb/s Connectors) The SATA connectors conform to SATA 6Gb/s standard and are compatible with SATA 3Gb/s and SATA 1.5Gb/s standard. Each SATA connector supports a single SATA device. The AMD A88X Chipset supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, and JBOD.
  • Page 26 8) F_PANEL (Front Panel Header) Connect the power switch, reset switch, speaker, chassis intrusion switch/sensor and system status indicator on the chassis to this header according to the pin assignments below. Note the positive and negative pins before connecting the cables. Power Switch Speaker Power LED Hard Drive...
  • Page 27 9) F_AUDIO (Front Panel Audio Header) The front panel audio header supports Intel High Definition audio (HD) and AC'97 audio. You may connect your chassis front panel audio module to this header. Make sure the wire assignments of the module con- nector match the pin assignments of the motherboard header. Incorrect connection between the module connector and the motherboard header will make the device unable to work or even damage it.
  • Page 28 11) F_USB1/F_USB2 (USB 2.0/1.1 Headers) The headers conform to USB 2.0/1.1 specification. Each USB header can provide two USB ports via an optional USB bracket. For purchasing the optional USB bracket, please contact the local dealer. Pin No. Definition Power (5V) Power (5V) USB DX- USB DY- USB DX+...
  • Page 29 13) COM (Serial Port Header) The COM header can provide one serial port via an optional COM port cable. For purchasing the optional COM port cable, please contact the local dealer. Pin No. Definition NDCD- NSIN NSOUT NDTR- NDSR- NRTS- F_USB30 F_AUDIO(H) NCTS- NRI- No Pin BIOS S...
  • Page 30 Hardware Installation - 30 -...

  • Page 31: Chapter 2 Bios Setup

    To access the BIOS Setup program, press the <Delete> key during the POST when the power is turned on. To upgrade the BIOS, use either the GIGABYTE Q-Flash or @BIOS utility. Q-Flash allows the user to quickly and easily upgrade or back up BIOS without entering the operating •...

  • Page 32: Startup Screen

    Startup Screen The following startup Logo screen will appear when the computer boots. Function Keys Function Keys: <DEL>: BIOS SETUP\Q-FLASH Press the <Delete> key to enter BIOS Setup or to access the Q-Flash utility in BIOS Setup. <F9>: SYSTEM INFORMATION Press the <F9>...

  • Page 33: The Main Menu

    The Main Menu On the main menu of the BIOS Setup program, press arrow keys to move among the items and press <Enter> to accept or enter a sub-menu. Or you can use your mouse to select the item you want. (Sample BIOS Version: D7) Setup Menus Enter Q-Flash...
  • Page 34 BIOS Setup Menus „ M.I.T. Use this menu to configure the clock, frequency, and voltages of your CPU and memory, etc. Or check the system/CPU temperatures, voltages, and fan speeds. „ System Information Use this menu to configure the default language used by the BIOS and system time and date. This menu also displays information on the devices connected to the SATA ports.
  • Page 35 M.I.T. Whether the system will work stably with the overclock/overvoltage settings you made is dependent on your overall system configurations. Incorrectly doing overclock/overvoltage may result in damage to CPU, chipset, or memory and reduce the useful life of these components. This page is for advanced users only and we recommend you not to alter the default settings to prevent system instability or other unexpected results.
  • Page 36 ` M.I.T. Current Status This screen provides information on CPU/memory frequencies/parameters. ` Advanced Frequency Settings & BCLK/PCIe Clock Control Allows you to manually set the CPU base clock and PCIe bus frequency in 1 MHz increments. (Default: Auto) Important: It is highly recommended that the CPU frequency be set in accordance with the CPU specifications.
  • Page 37 ` Advanced CPU Core Features & CPU Clock Ratio, CPU Frequency The settings above are synchronous to those under the same items on the Advanced Frequency Settings menu. & Core Performance Boost (Note) Allows you to determine whether to enable the Core Performance Boost (CPB) technology, a CPU performance-boost technology.
  • Page 38 & CPU core Control Allows you to determine whether to manually enable/disable CPU cores. Automatic mode allows the BIOS to enable all CPU cores (number of cores available depends on the CPU being used). (Default: Automatic mode) & APM Enables or disables Application Power Management. (Default: Enabled) &...
  • Page 39 ` Advanced Memory Settings & Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.) , System Memory Multiplier, Memory (Note) Frequency(MHz) The settings above are synchronous to those under the same items on the Advanced Frequency Settings menu. & DRAM Timing Selectable Quick and Expert allows the memory timing settings below to be configurable. Options are: Auto (default), Quick, Expert.
  • Page 40 Channel A/B Timing Settings This sub-menu provides memory timing settings for each channel of memory. The respective timing setting screens are configurable only when DRAM Timing Selectable is set to Quick or Expert. Note: Your system may become unstable or fail to boot after you make changes on the memory timings. If this occurs, please reset the board to default values by loading optimized defaults or clearing the CMOS values.
  • Page 41 ` PC Health Status & Reset Case Open Status Disabled Keeps or clears the record of previous chassis intrusion status. (Default) Clears the record of previous chassis intrusion status and the Case Open field will show Enabled "No" at next boot. &...
  • Page 42 & CPU Vcore/Dram Voltage/+3.3V/+5V/+12V Displays the current system voltages. & CPU/System Temperature Displays current CPU/system temperature. & CPU/System Fan Speed Displays current CPU/system fan speed. & CPU Warning Temperature Sets the warning threshold for CPU temperature. When temperature exceeds the threshold, BIOS will emit warning sound.

  • Page 43: System Information

    System Information This section provides information on your motherboard model and BIOS version. You can also select the default language used by the BIOS and manually set the system time. & System Language Selects the default language used by the BIOS. &...

  • Page 44: Bios Features

    BIOS Features & Boot Option Priorities Specifies the overall boot order from the available devices. For example, you can set hard drive as the first priority (Boot Option #1) and DVD ROM drive as the second priority (Boot Option #2). The list only displays the device with the highest priority for a specific type.
  • Page 45 System program. (Default) & Full Screen LOGO Show Allows you to determine whether to display the GIGABYTE Logo at system startup. Disabled skips the GIGABYTE Logo when the system starts up. (Default: Enabled) & OS Type Allows you to select the operating system to be installed. (Default: Other OS) &...
  • Page 46 & Other PCI Device ROM Priority Allows you to select whether to enable the UEFI or Legacy option ROM for the PCI device controller other than the LAN, storage device, and graphics controllers. Legacy OpROM Enables legacy option ROM only. UEFI OpROM Enables UEFI option ROM only.

  • Page 47: Peripherals

    Peripherals & IOMMU Enables or disables AMD IOMMU support. (Default: Disabled) & OnChip SATA Channel Enables or disables the integrated SATA controllers. (Default: Enabled) & OnChip SATA Type Enables or disables RAID for the SATA controllers integrated in the Chipset or configures the SATA controllers to AHCI mode.
  • Page 48 & Legacy USB Support Allows USB keyboard/mouse to be used in MS-DOS. (Default: Enabled) & XHCI Hand-off Determines whether to enable XHCI Hand-off feature for an operating system without XHCI Hand-off support. (Default: Enabled) & EHCI Hand-off Determines whether to enable EHCI Hand-off feature for an operating system without EHCI Hand-off support.
  • Page 49 SB PCIe Slot Video Sets the PCI Express graphics card on the PCI Express slot controlled by the South Bridge as the first display. & Integrated Graphics Enables or disables the onboard graphics function. The BIOS will automatically enable or disable the onboard graphics depending Auto on the graphics card being installed.

  • Page 50: Power Management

    Power Management & Resume by Alarm Determines whether to power on the system at a desired time. (Default: Disabled) If enabled, set the date and time as following: Wake up day: Turn on the system at a specific time on each day or on a specific day in a month. Wake up hour/minute/second: Set the time at which the system will be powered on automatically.
  • Page 51 & Power On By Keyboard Allows the system to be turned on by a PS/2 keyboard wake-up event. Note: To use this function, you need an ATX power supply providing at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Disables this function. (Default) Disabled Set a password with 1~5 characters to turn on the system.

  • Page 52: Save & Exit

    Save & Exit & Save & Exit Setup Press <Enter> on this item and select Yes. This saves the changes to the CMOS and exits the BIOS Setup program. Select No or press <Esc> to return to the BIOS Setup Main Menu. &...

  • Page 53: Chapter 3 Configuring Sata Hard Drive(S)

    Chapter 3 Configuring SATA Hard Drive(s) RAID Levels RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 10 Minimum ≥2 ≥3 ≥4 Number of Hard Drives Array Capacity Number of hard Size of the smallest (Number of hard (Number of hard drives * Size of the drive drives -1) * Size of drives/2) * Size of the smallest drive the smallest drive smallest drive Fault Tolerance To configure SATA hard drive(s), follow the steps below: A. Install SATA hard drive(s) in your computer. B.
  • Page 54 B. Configuring SATA controller mode in BIOS Setup Make sure to configure the SATA controller mode correctly in system BIOS Setup. Step 1: Turn on your computer and press <Delete> to enter BIOS Setup during the POST (Power-On Self-Test). Ensure OnChip SATA Channel is enabled under Peripherals. Set OnChip SATA Type to RAID. To enable RAID for the SATA3 4~7 connectors, set OnChip SATA Type to RAID and set OnChip SATA Port4-7 Type to As SATA Type (Figure 1).
  • Page 55 C-1. UEFI RAID Configuration This mode supports Windows 8 64-bit installation only. To configure UEFI RAID, you need to prepare a USB flash drive using FAT 32 file format and copy all files (including the UEFI RAID utility rcadm.efi) in the \BootDrv\UEFI RAID Utility folder in your motherboard driver disk to the flash drive. Then follow the steps below. Step 1: In BIOS Setup, go to BIOS Features and set OS Type to Windows 8 and CSM Support to Never. (Figure 2) Save the changes and exit BIOS Setup. Figure 2 Running the UEFI RAID Utility Restart your computer and press <F12> to enter the boot device configuration menu. Use the up or down arrow...
  • Page 56 Checking Disk Information To see the hard drive information, enter the following commands and press <Enter>. You will see CONTROLLER LIST and DISK LIST displayed on the screen rcadm -M -qa (Figure 4) fs0:\> rcadm -M -qa Figure 4 Creating a RAID Array To create a RAID array, refer to the following examples to enter the commands and press <Enter>. When succeeded, the message which says "created sucessfully" will appear. Example 1: Create a RAID 0 array with Drive 0 and Drive 1 and the array size is 40 GB. rcadm -C -r0 -d 0 1 -s 40000 (Figure 5) ("C"=Create a array, "r0"=RAID 0, d 0 1=Drive 0 and Drive 1, "s 40000"=Size of 40 GB; to use the maximum size allowed, do not enter "s x0000") fs0:\>rcadm -C -r0 -d 0 1 -s 40000...
  • Page 57 Deleting an Array To delete an array, enter the following commands and press <Enter>. rcadm -D -a 1(Figure 7) ("D"=Delete a array, "a 1"=Array 1, to delete all arrays, enter "a *") When prompted to confirm, enter YES to delete or NO to cancel, and then press <Enter>. fs0:\>rcadm -D -a 1 Delete Array 1, are you sure?(YES, NO): yes deleting array 1 deleting array //./Core1/Route0/Device 1 fs0:\> Figure 7 To exit the UEFI RAID utility, enter "exit" and press <Enter>. - 57 - Configuring SATA Hard Drive(s)
  • Page 58 C-2. Configuring Legacy RAID ROM Enter the legacy RAID BIOS setup utility to configure a RAID array. Skip this step and proceed with the installation of Windows operating system for a non-RAID configuration. Steps: After the POST memory test begins and before the operating system boot begins, look for a message which looks like that in Figure 8 below. Press <Ctrl> + <R> to enter the RAID BIOS setup utility. AMD-RAID Controller BIOS (6.1.1-00075) (c) 2012-2013 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Press <CTRL-R> to Configure. * BIOS defaults restored. * 1--Legacy, 79GB, Normal (NA) 2--Legacy, 79GB, Normal (NA) Figure 8...
  • Page 59 The selection bar will move to the Disks section on the right of the screen. Select the hard drives to be included in the RAID array. Use the up or down arrow key to select a hard drive and press <Insert>. The selected hard drive will be shown in green. To use all of the hard drives, simply press <A> to select all. Then press <Enter> and the selection bar will move to the User Input section on the left bottom of the screen. (Figure 10) AMD-RAID Array Configuration (Build: 6.1.1-00075) RAID0: Stripe set - distributes space across disks for higher performance Arrays Disks...
  • Page 60 Select a caching mode. Options include Read/Write, Read Only, and None. Then press <Enter> to proceed. AMD-RAID Array Configuration (Build: 6.1.1-00075) Read and Write-back Caching. (Some data may be lost in a crash) Arrays 0-00, 79GB, Ready 1-01, 79GB, Ready Create Array Disks: 0, 1 Type: RAID 0 Total Size: 158GB Cachin Mode: Read/Write User Input Select Caching Mode Available Keys Read/Write...
  • Page 61 Deleting an Array The Delete Array(s) menu option allows for deletion of disk array assignments. Deleting an existing disk array could result in loss of data. Record all array information including the array type, the disk members, and stripe block size in case you wish to undo a deletion. 1. Select Delete Array(s) in the Main Menu and press <Enter>. 2.

  • Page 62: Installing The Sata Raid/Ahci Driver And Operating System

    Installing the SATA RAID/AHCI Driver and Operating System With the correct BIOS settings, you are ready to install the operating system. A. Installing Windows 8/7 (The following instructions use Windows 8 as the example operating system.) Step 1: You need to install the SATA RAID/AHCI driver during the OS installation. Use an alternative system to copy the SATA RAID/AHCI driver from the motherboard driver disk to a USB flash drive. Copy the Hw8_A88 folder under BootDrv in the driver disk. Step 2: Boot from the Windows 8 setup disk and perform standard OS installation steps. When the screen requesting you to load the driver appears, select Browse.
  • Page 63 B. Installing Windows XP (32-bit) Before installing Windows XP, connect a USB floppy disk drive to your computer first because you need to install the SATA RAID/AHCI driver from a floppy disk that contains the driver during the OS installation. Without the driver, the hard drive(s) may not be recognized during the Windows setup process. First, copy the driver from the motherboard driver disk to a floppy disk. Refer to the methods below. Method A: • For the AMD A88X, copy all files in the \BootDrv\Hxp folder to your floppy disk. Method B: Steps: 1: Use an alternative system and insert the motherboard driver disk. 2: From your optical drive folder, double click the Menu.exe file in the BootDrv folder. A Command Prompt window will open similar to that in Figure 2. 3: 3: Insert the blank formatted disk (if you're using a USB floppy disk drive, make sure it is designated as drive A). Select the controller driver by pressing the corresponding letter from the menu and press <Enter>. For example, from the menu in Figure 2, for the AMD A88X, select 6) hseries AHCI/RAID for XP.
  • Page 64 Refer to the following for installing the driver during the Windows setup process. Step 1: Restart your system to boot from the Windows XP setup disk and press <F6> as soon as you see the message "Press F6 if you need to install a 3rd party SCSI or RAID driver." A screen will then appear asking you to specify an additional SCSI adapter. Press <S>. Step 2: Insert the floppy disk containing the SATA RAID/AHCI driver and press <Enter>. Then a controller menu similar to that in Figure 3 will appear. Select AMD AHCI Compatible RAID Controller-x86 platform and press <Enter>. Windows Setup You have chosen to configure a SCSI Adapter for use with Windows, using a device support disk provided by an adapter manufacturer.
  • Page 65 Rebuilding an Array: Rebuilding is the process of restoring data to a hard drive from other drives in the array. Rebuilding applies only to fault-tolerant arrays such as RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 arrays. To replace the old drive, make sure to use a new drive of equal or greater capacity.
  • Page 66 Configuring SATA Hard Drive(s) - 66 -...

  • Page 67: Chapter 4 Drivers Installation

    • After "Xpress Install" installs all of the drivers, a dialog box will appear asking whether to install new GIGABYTE utilities. Click Yes to automatically install the utilities. Or click No if you want to manually select the utilities to install on the Application Software page later.

  • Page 68: Application Software

    Application Software This page displays all the utilities and applications that GIGABYTE develops and some free software. You can click the Install button on the right of an item to install it. Technical Manuals This page provides the content descriptions for this driver disk.

  • Page 69: Contact

    Contact For the detailed contact information of the GIGABYTE Taiwan headquarter or worldwide branch offices, click the URL on this page to link to the GIGABYTE website. System This page provides the basic system information. - 69 - Drivers Installation...

  • Page 70: Download Center

    Download Center To update the BIOS, drivers, or applications, click the Download Center button to link to the GIGABYTE website. The latest version of the BIOS, drivers, or applications will be displayed. Drivers Installation - 70 -...

  • Page 71: Chapter 5 Unique Features

    Chapter 5 Unique Features BIOS Update Utilities GIGABYTE motherboards provide two unique BIOS update tools, Q-Flash and @BIOS . GIGABYTE Q-Flash ™ ™ and @BIOS are easy-to-use and allow you to update the BIOS without the need to enter MS-DOS mode.
  • Page 72 B. Updating the BIOS In the main menu of Q-Flash, use the keyboard or mouse to select an item to execute. When updating the BIOS, choose the location where the BIOS file is saved. The following procedure assumes that you save the BIOS file to a USB flash drive. Step 1: 1. Insert the USB flash drive containing the BIOS file into the computer. In the main menu of Q-Flash, select Update BIOS From Drive. • The Save Main BIOS to Drive option allows you to save the current BIOS file. • Q-Flash only supports USB flash drive or hard drives using FAT32/16/12 file system. • If the BIOS update file is saved to a hard drive in RAID/AHCI mode or a hard drive attached to an independent SATA controller, use the <End> key during the POST to access Q-Flash. Select USB Flash Drive. Q-Flash Utility v1.05 Model Name : F2A88X-D3H BIOS Version : D7 BIOS Date : 08/08/2013 Flash Type/Size : MXIC 25L6465E/6406E...
  • Page 73 Step 4: During the POST, press <Delete> to enter BIOS Setup. Select Load Optimized Defaults on the Save & Exit screen and press <Enter> to load BIOS defaults. System will re-detect all peripheral devices after a BIOS update, so we recommend that you reload BIOS defaults. Select Yes to load BIOS defaults Step 5: Select Save & Exit Setup and press <Enter>. And then select Yes to save settings to CMOS and exit BIOS Setup.

  • Page 74: Updating The Bios With The @Bios Utility

    2. During the BIOS update process, ensure the Internet connection is stable and do NOT interrupt the Internet connection (for example, avoid a power loss or switching off the Internet). Failure to do so may result in a corrupted BIOS or a system that is unable to start. 3. Do not use the G.O.M. (GIGABYTE Online Management) function when using @BIOS. GIGABYTE product warranty does not cover any BIOS damage or system failure resulting from an inadequate BIOS flashing. B. Using @BIOS Update the BIOS Using the Internet Update Function: Click Update BIOS from GIGABYTE Server, select the @BIOS server site closest to your location and then download the BIOS file that matches your motherboard model. Follow the on-screen instructions to...

  • Page 75: Easytune 6

    EasyTune 6 GIGABYTE's EasyTune 6 is a simple and easy-to-use interface that allows users to fine-tune their system settings or do overclock/overvoltage in Windows environment. The user-friendly EasyTune 6 interface also includes tabbed pages for CPU and memory information, letting users read their system-related information without the need to install additional software. The EasyTune 6 Interface Tabs Information Description tab provides information on the installed CPU and motherboard.

  • Page 76: Smart Recovery 2

    Smart Recovery 2 Smart Recovery 2 allows you to back up a partition as an image file every hour. You can use these images to restore your system or files when needed. The Smart Recovery 2 main menu: Button Description Allows you to select the source and destination Settings partition Backup Now Allows you to perform the backup immediately File Allows you to recover your files from the backup image Recovery... System Allows you to recover your system from the backup image Recovery...
  • Page 77 Recovering your system with Smart Recovery 2 (Windows 8/7 only): Steps: 1. Click the File Recovery button on the main menu. 2. Select the location where your backup is saved. 3. Use the time slider to select a time point. 4. Select a partition backup created on the selected time point and click Restore.
  • Page 78 Unique Features - 78 -...

  • Page 79: Chapter 6 Appendix

    Chapter 6 Appendix 6-1 Configuring Audio Input and Output 6-1-1 Configuring 2/4/5.1/7.1-Channel Audio The motherboard provides five audio jacks on the back panel which support 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel (Note) audio. The picture to the right shows the default audio Center/Subwoofer Line In jack assignments. Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Front Speaker Out The integrated HD (High Definition) audio provides jack retasking capability that allows the user to change...
  • Page 80 Step 2: Connect an audio device to an audio jack. The The current connected device is dialog box appears. Select the device according to the type of device you connect. Then click OK. Step 3: On the Speakers screen, click the Speaker Configuration tab.

  • Page 81: Configuring S/Pdif Out

    6-1-2 Configuring S/PDIF Out The S/PDIF Out jack can transmit audio signals to an external decoder for decoding to get the best audio quality. 1. Connecting a S/PDIF Out Cable: Connect a S/PDIF optical cable to the corresponding S/PDIF out connector as shown below and an external decoder for transmitting the S/PDIF digital audio signals.

  • Page 82: Configuring Microphone Recording

    6-1-3 Configuring Microphone Recording Step 1: After installing the audio driver, the HD Audio Manager icon will appear in the notification area. Double-click the icon to access the HD Audio Manager. Step 2: Connect your microphone to the Mic in jack (pink) on the back panel or the Mic in jack (pink) on the front panel. Note: The microphone functions on the front panel and back panel cannot be used at the same time. Step 3: Go to the Microphone screen.
  • Page 83 Step 5: To open the Sound Recorder, move the mouse cursor to the bottom left corner of the screen, click the Start icon to switch to the Start screen (or press the Windows button on the keyboard). Right-click on the screen and click the All apps icon on the bottom right corner of the screen to access the Apps screen.

  • Page 84: Using The Sound Recorder

    Step 2: On the Recording tab, right-click on an empty space and select Show Disabled Devices. Step 3: When the Stereo Mix item appears, right-click on this item and select Enable. Then set it as the default device. Step 4: Now you can access the HD Audio Manager to configure Stereo Mix and use Sound Recorder to record the sound.

  • Page 85: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting 6-2-1 Frequently Asked Questions To read more FAQs for your motherboard, please go to the Support & Downloads\FAQ page on GIGABYTE's website. Q: Why is the light of my keyboard/optical mouse still on after the computer shuts down? A: Some motherboards provide a small amount of standby power after the computer shuts down and that's why the light is still on.

  • Page 86: Troubleshooting Procedure

    6-2-2 Troubleshooting Procedure If you encounter any troubles during system startup, follow the troubleshooting procedure below to solve the problem. START Turn off the power. Remove all peripherals, connecting cables, and power cord etc. Make sure the motherboard does not short-circuit with the chassis or Isolate the short circuit.
  • Page 87 The power supply, CPU or When the computer is turned on, is the CPU cooler running? CPU socket might fail. The problem is verified and solved. The graphics card, expansion slot, or monitor Check if there is display on your monitor. might fail. The problem is verified and solved. Turn off the computer. Plug in the keyboard and mouse and restart the computer.

  • Page 88: Regulatory Statements

    This document must not be copied without our written permission, and the contents there of must not be imparted to a third party nor be used for any unauthorized purpose. Contravention will be prosecuted. We believe that the information contained herein was accurate in all respects at the time of printing. GIGABYTE cannot, however, assume any responsibility for errors or omissions in this text. Also note that the information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by GIGABYTE.
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  • Page 95: Contact Us

    FAX: +86-29-85510930 Shenyang Web address: http://latam.giga-byte.com • Giga-Byte SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. - Singapore TEL: +86-24-83992342 WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.sg FAX: +86-24-83992102 • Thailand • GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY (INDIA) LIMITED - India WEB address : http://th.giga-byte.com WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.in • Vietnam • Saudi Arabia WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.vn WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.com.sa • Gigabyte Technology Pty. Ltd. - Australia WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.com.au...
  • Page 96 • Greece • Kazakhstan WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.com.gr WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.kz • Czech Republic You may go to the GIGABYTE website, select your language WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.cz in the language list on the top right corner of the website. • GIGABYTE Global Service System To submit a technical or non-technical (Sales/Marketing) question, please link to: http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw...

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