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M3A790GXH/USB3
User Manual
Version 1.0
Published January 2010
Copyright©2010 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.
1 1 1 1 1

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Summary of Contents for ASROCK M3A790GXH-USB3 - V1.0

  • Page 1 M3A790GXH/USB3 User Manual Version 1.0 Published January 2010 Copyright©2010 ASRock INC. All rights reserved. 1 1 1 1 1...
  • Page 2 (including damages for loss of profits, loss of business, loss of data, interruption of business and the like), even if ASRock has been advised of the possibility of such damages arising from any defect or error in the manual or product.
  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    2.13 Serial ATA (SATA) / Serial ATAII (SATAII) Hard Disks Installation ................. 44 2.14 Hot Plug and Hot Swap Functions for SATA / SATAII HDDs ..44 2.15 SATA / SATAII HDD Hot Plug Feature and Operation Guide ..45 2.16 Driver Installation Guide ............
  • Page 4 3 . 3 . 3 . 3 . 3 . BIOS S BIOS S BIOS S BIOS SETUP UTILITY ETUP UTILITY ETUP UTILITY ETUP UTILITY ..........................................54 BIOS S ETUP UTILITY ........... Introduction ................54 3.1.1 BIOS Menu Bar ............... 54 3.1.2 Navigation Keys .............
  • Page 5: Introduction Introduction

    ASRock’s commit- ment to quality and endurance. In this manual, chapter 1 and 2 contain introduction of the motherboard and step-by-step guide to the hardware installation. Chapter 3 and 4 contain the configuration guide to BIOS setup and information of the Support CD.
  • Page 6: Specifications

    Conductive Polymer Capacitors) - Support for Socket AM3 processors: AMD Phenom II X4 / X3 / X2 (except 920 / 940) / Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 / Sempron processors - Supports CPU up to 140W - Supports AMD OverDrive...
  • Page 7 - 1 x IEEE 1394 Port - 1 x eSATAII Port - 6 x Ready-to-Use USB 2.0 Ports - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED) - HD Audio Jack: Side Speaker/Rear Speaker/Central/Bass/ Line in/Front Speaker/Microphone (see CAUTION 8) - 6 x Serial ATAII 3.0Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,...
  • Page 8 Overclocking may affect your system stability, or even cause damage to the components and devices of your system. It should be done at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for possible damage caused by overclocking.
  • Page 9 8-channel modes. Please check the table on page 15 for proper connection. Before installing SATAII hard disk to SATAII connector, please read the “SATAII Hard Disk Setup Guide” on page 42 to adjust your SATAII hard disk drive to SATAII mode. You can also connect SATA hard disk to SATAII connector directly.
  • Page 10 USB flash drive or hard drive must use FAT32/16/12 file system. 15. The software name itself – OC DNA literally tells you what it is capable of. OC DNA, an exclusive utility developed by ASRock, provides a conve- nient way for the user to record the OC settings and share with others.
  • Page 11: Two Crossfirex Tm Graphics Card Support List

    RADEON 4850 Catalyst 8.12 + Hotfix Powercolor AX4870 512MD5-H RADEON 4870 Catalyst 8.12 + Hotfix * For the latest updates of the supported PCI Express VGA card list for 3-Way CrossFireX Mode, please visit our website for details. ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com/support/index.htm...
  • Page 12: Motherboard Layout

    (PCIE4; White) Secondary SATAII Connector (SATAII_2, Blue) PCI Slots (PCI1- 2) Fourth SATAII Connector (SATAII_4, Blue) PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3; Blue) Third SATAII Connector (SATAII_3, Blue) PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2; Blue) Chassis Speaker Header PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot (PCIE1; White)
  • Page 13: I/O Panel

    Line In (Light Blue) USB 2.0 Ports (USB45) ** 9 Front Speaker (Lime) * There are two LED next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications. LAN Port LED Indications ACT/LINK...
  • Page 14: Installation

    Installation Installation Installation This is an ATX form factor (12.0-in x 8.8-in, 30.5 cm x 22.4 cm) motherboard. Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to en- sure that the motherboard fits into it. Pre-installation Precautions...
  • Page 15: Cpu Installation

    Step 4. When the CPU is in place, press it firmly on the socket while you push down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked.
  • Page 16: Installation Of Memory Modules (Dimm)

    (the same brand, speed, size and chip-type) DDR3 DIMM pair in the slots of the same color. In other words, you have to install identical DDR3 DIMM pair in Dual Channel A (DDR3_A1 and DDR3_B1; Blue slots;...
  • Page 17 DIMMs or the system components. Step 1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the retaining clips outward. Step 2. Align a DIMM on the slot such that the notch on the DIMM matches the break on the slot. notch break...
  • Page 18: Expansion Slots (Pci And Pci Express Slots)

    2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots) There are 2 PCI slots and 4 PCI Express slots on this motherboard. PCI Slots: PCI slots are used to install expansion cards that have the 32-bit PCI interface. PCIE Slots:PCIE1 (PCIE x1 slot; White) is used for PCI Express cards with x1 lane width cards, such as Gigabit LAN card and SATA2 card.
  • Page 19 Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installed in a chassis). Step 3. Remove the bracket facing the slot that you intend to use. Keep the screws for later use. Step 4. Align the card connector with the slot and press firmly until the card is completely seated on the slot.
  • Page 20: Dual Monitor And Surround Display Features

    HDMI port VGA/DVI-D port 2. If you have installed onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your system already, you can freely enjoy the benefits of dual monitor function after your system boots. If you haven’t installed onboard VGA driver yet, please install onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your system and restart your computer.
  • Page 21 [512MB] to enable the function of VGA/D-sub. Please make sure that the value you select is less than the total capability of the system memory. If you do not adjust the BIOS setup, the default value of “Share Memory”, [Auto], will disable VGA/D-Sub function when the add-on VGA card is inserted to this motherboard.
  • Page 22 Settings” tab so that you can adjust the parameters of the multi-monitor according to the steps below. A. Click the number ”2” icon. B. Click the items “This is my main monitor” and “Extend the desktop onto this monitor”. C. Click “OK” to save your change.
  • Page 23: Tm Tm

    Graphics Processing Units (GPU) in a single PC. Combining a range of different operating modes with intelligent software design and an innovative interconnect mechanism, CrossFireX and 3-Way CrossFireX enable the highest possible level of performance and image quality in any 3D application.
  • Page 24 ASRock SLI/XFire Switch Card. Please simultaneously pull open both the retention arms that hold the card in position. The card itself will spring away from the retention slot. Take it out gently by holding its edges, and keep away from touching the connectors (Golden Fingers).
  • Page 25 Connect the DVI monitor cable to the DVI connector on the Radeon graphics card on PCIE2 slot. (You may use the DVI to D-Sub adapter to convert the DVI connector to D-Sub interface, and then connect the D-Sub monitor cable to the DVI to D-Sub adapter.)
  • Page 26 Cards Cards Cards Step 1. Follow step 1 to 4 on page 23 and 24 to reverse the direction of ASRock SLI/XFire Switch Card. Step 2. Install one Radeon graphics card to PCIE2 slot. For the proper installation procedures, please refer to section “Expansion Slots”.
  • Page 27 Connect the DVI monitor cable to the DVI connector on the Radeon graphics card on PCIE2 slot. (You may use the DVI to D-Sub adapter to convert the DVI connector to D-Sub interface, and then connect the D-Sub monitor cable to the DVI to D-Sub adapter.)
  • Page 28 Double-click “ATI Catalyst Control Center”. Click “View”, select “CrossFireX ”, and then check the item “Enable CrossFireX ”. Select “2 GPUs” and click “Apply” (if you install two Radeon graphics cards). Select “3 GPUs” and click “OK” (if you install three Radeon graphics cards).
  • Page 29 * CrossFireX appearing here is a registered trademark of ATI Technologies Inc., and is used only for identification or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe. * For further information of ATI CrossFireX technology, please check AMD website for...
  • Page 30: Hybrid Crossfirex Tm Operation Guide

    VGA driver installed in your system. Step 6. Install the onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your system for both the onboard VGA and the discrete graphics card. Step 7. Restart your computer. Then you will find “ATI Catalyst Control Center” on your Windows taskbar.
  • Page 31 * Hybrid CrossFireX appearing here is a registered trademark of ATI Technologies Inc., and is used only for identification or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe. * For further information of ATI Hybrid CrossFireX technology, please check AMD website...
  • Page 32: Jumpers Setup

    CLRCMOS1 for 5 seconds. However, please do not clear the CMOS right after you update the BIOS. If you need to clear the CMOS when you just finish updating the BIOS, you must boot up the system first, and then shut it down...
  • Page 33: Onboard Headers And Connectors

    (33-pin FLOPPY1) FLOPPY1 Pin1 (see p.12 No. 31) the red-striped side to Pin1 Note: Make sure the red-striped side of the cable is plugged into Pin1 side of the connector. Primary IDE connector (Blue) (39-pin IDE1, see p.12 No. 12) IDE1...
  • Page 34 Serial ATA (SATA) Either end of the SATA data cable Data Cable can be connected to the SATA / SATAII hard disk or the SATAII (Optional) connector on this motherboard. You can also use the SATA data cable to connect SATAII_6 connector and eSATAII connector.
  • Page 35 HDA to function correctly. Please follow the instruction in our manual and chassis manual to install your system. 2. If you use AC’97 audio panel, please install it to the front panel audio header as below: A.
  • Page 36 Though this motherboard provides 4-Pin CPU fan (Quiet Fan) support, the 3-Pin CPU fan still can work successfully even without the fan speed control function. If you plan to connect the 3-Pin CPU fan to the CPU fan connector on this motherboard, please connect it to Pin 1-3.
  • Page 37 Though this motherboard provides 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, it can still work if you adopt a traditional 4-pin ATX 12V power supply. To use the 4-pin ATX power supply, please plug your power supply along with Pin 1 and Pin 5.
  • Page 38 HDMI_SPDIF Cable Please connect the black end (A) of HDMI_SPDIF cable to the (Optional) HDMI_SPDIF header on the motherboard. Then connect the white end (B or C) of HDMI_SPDIF cable to the HDMI_SPDIF connector of HDMI VGA card. A. black end B.
  • Page 39: Hdmi_Spdif Header Connection Guide

    HDMI (High-Definition Multi-media Interface) is an all-digital audio/video specification, which provides an interface between any compatible digital audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, A/V receiver and a compatible digital audio or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV). A complete HDMI system requires a HDMI VGA card and a HDMI ready motherboard with a HDMI_SPDIF header.
  • Page 40: Sataii Hard Disk Setup Guide

    Before installing SATAII hard disk to your computer, please carefully read below SATAII hard disk setup guide. Some default setting of SATAII hard disks may not be at SATAII mode, which operate with the best performance. In order to enable SATAII function, please follow the below instruction with different vendors to correctly adjust your SATAII hard disk to SATAII mode in advance;...
  • Page 41: Esataii Interface Introduction

    “SATA Operation Mode” option in BIOS setup to RAID mode. If you want to add the eSATAII HDD as a RAID disk, please set “SATA Operation Mode” option in BIOS setup to RAID mode.
  • Page 42 How to install eSATAII? eSATAII_TOP SATAII_6 In order to enable the eSATAII port of the I/O shield, you need to connect the SATAII connector (SATAII_6; see p.12 No.23) and the eSATAII connector (eSATAII_TOP; see p.12 No.42) with a SATA data cable first.
  • Page 43 Comparison between eSATAII and other devices IEEE 1394 400Mb/s USB 2.0 480Mb/s SATA 1.5Gb/s (1500Mb/s) eSATAII/SATAII 3.0Gb/s (3000Mb/s)
  • Page 44: Installation

    STEP 4: Connect the other end of the SATA data cable to the SATA / SATAII hard disk. If you plan to use RAID 0 or RAID 1 function, you need to install at least 2 SATA / SATAII hard disks. If you plan to use RAID 5 function, you need to install 3 SATA / SATAII hard disks.
  • Page 45: Sata / Sataii Hdd Hot Plug Feature And Operation Guide

    SATA / SATAII driver is available on our support website: www.asrock.com 4. Make sure to use the SATA power cable & data cable, which are from our motherboard package. 5. Please follow below instructions step by step to reduce the risk of HDD crash...
  • Page 46 Please do follow below instruction sequence to process the Hot Unplug, improper procedure will cause the SATA / SATAII HDD damage and data loss. Step 1 Unplug SATA data cable from SATA / SATAII HDD side. Unplug SATA 15-pin power cable connector (Black) from SATA / SATAII HDD side. Step 2...
  • Page 47: Driver Installation Guide

    2 . 1 6 Driver Installation Guide To install the drivers to your system, please insert the support CD to your optical drive first. Then, the drivers compatible to your system can be auto-detected and listed on the support CD driver page. Please follow the order from up to bottom side to install those required drivers.
  • Page 48: Installing Windows ® 7 / 7 64-Bit / Vista

    Windows?” page, please insert the ASRock Support CD into your optical drive, and click the “Load Driver” button on the left on the bottom to load the AMD RAID drivers. AMD RAID drivers are in the following path in our Support CD: ..
  • Page 49: Tm Tm

    (create, convert, delete, or rebuild) RAID functions on SATA / SATAII HDDs, you still need to set up “SATA Operation Mode” to [RAID] in BIOS first. Then, please set the RAID configuration by using the Windows RAID installation guide in the following path in the Support CD: ..
  • Page 50: Tm Tm

    Windows?” page, please insert the ASRock Support CD into your optical drive, and click the “Load Driver” button on the left on the bottom to load the AMD AHCI drivers. AMD AHCI drivers are in the following path in our Support CD: ..
  • Page 51: Dts Operation Guide

    ® 4. Double-click this icon to open Realtek HD Audio Manager. 5. On the bottom of Realtek HD Audio Manager. You can find that the DTS Connect contains 2 elements: DTS Neo: PC and DTS Interactive. Click the button to enable or disable it.
  • Page 52 Music Mode The music mode is for use with any stereo music recordings, which preserves the integrity of the stereo mix while augmenting it with a center channel to anchor the image, and deriving enough surround content to yield a spacious, three-dimensional listening experience. The Music mode includes the control that allows the sound to be tailored to room layout and personal preferences.
  • Page 53: Untied Overclocking Technology

    Untied Overclocking function, please enter “Overclock Mode” option of BIOS setup to set the selection from [Auto] to [CPU, PCIE, Async.]. Therefore, CPU FSB is untied during overclocking, but PCI / PCIE buses are in the fixed mode so that FSB can operate under a more stable overclocking environment.
  • Page 54: Bios S

    This section explains how to use the BIOS SETUP UTILITY to configure your system. The SPI Memory on the motherboard stores the BIOS SETUP UTILITY. You may run the BIOS SETUP UTILITY when you start up the computer. Please press <F2> or <Del>...
  • Page 55: Navigation Keys

    To jump to the Exit Screen or exit the current screen <ESC> Main Screen Main Screen Main Screen Main Screen Main Screen When you enter the BIOS SETUP UTILITY, the Main screen will appear and display the system overview. BIOS SETUP UTILITY Smart Advanced H/W Monitor Boot...
  • Page 56: Smart Screen

    Select [OK] to save the changes and exit the BIOS SETUP UTILITY. Load BIOS Defaults Load BIOS default values for all the setup questions. F9 key can be used for this operation. Load Performance Setup Default (IDE/SATA) This performance setup default may not be compatible with all system configurations.
  • Page 57 . Just launch ® this tool and save the new BIOS file to your USB flash drive, floppy disk or hard drive, then you can update your BIOS only in a few clicks without preparing an additional floppy diskette or other complicated flash utility.
  • Page 58: Advanced Screen

    3 . 4 3 . 4 Advanced Screen Advanced Screen In this section, you may set the configurations for the following items: CPU Configuration, Memory Configuration, Chipset Configuration, ACPI Configuration, Stor- age Configuration, PCIPnP Configuration, Floppy Configuration, SuperIO Configuration, and USB Configuration.
  • Page 59: Cpu Configuration

    It will display Processor Maximum Voltage for reference. Multiplier/Voltage Change This item is set to [Auto] by default. If it is set to [Manual], you may adjust the value of Processor Frequency and Processor Voltage. However, it is recom- mended to keep the default value for system stability.
  • Page 60 [x5.0 1000 MHz] v02.54 (C) Copyright 1985-2003, American Megatrends, Inc. CPU Frequency Multiplier For safety and system stability, it is not recommended to adjust the value of this item. CPU Voltage It allows you to adjust the value of CPU voltage. However, for safety and system stability, it is not recommended to adjust the value of this item.
  • Page 61: Memory Configuration

    (C) Copyright 1985-2003, American Megatrends, Inc. Memory Clock This item can be set by the code using [Auto]. You can set one of the standard values as listed: [400 MHz (DDR3 800)], [533 MHz (DDR3 1066)], [667 MHz (DDR3 1333)] and [800MHz (DDR3 1600)].
  • Page 62 Use this to adjust TRFC1 values. Configuration options: [Auto], [90ns], [110ns], [160ns], [300ns] and [350ns]. The default value is [Auto]. MA Timing Use this to adjust values for MA timing. Configuration options: [Auto], [2T], [1T]. The default value is [Auto].
  • Page 63 CHA Addr/Cmd Fine Delay Use this to adjust values for CHA Addr/Cmd Fine Delay feature. Configura- tion options: [Auto], [No Delay], [1/64CLK] to [31/64CLK]. The default value is [Auto]. CHA Addr/Cmd Setup Time Use this to adjust values for CHA Addr/Cmd Setup Time feature. Configura- tion options: [Auto], [1/2CLK] and [1CLK].
  • Page 64 CHA Processor ODT Use this to adjust values for CHA Processor ODT. Configuration options: [Auto], [240 ohms], [120 ohms] and [60 ohms]. The default value is [Auto]. CHB CKE Drive Strength Use this to adjust values for CHB CKE Drive Strength. Configuration options: [Auto], [1.00x], [1.25x], [1.50x] and [2.00x].
  • Page 65: Chipset Configuration

    This item will switch the PCI Bus scanning order while searching for video card. It allows you to select the type of Primary VGA in case of multiple video controllers. The default value of this feature is [PCI]. Configuration options: [PCI], [Onboard] and [PCI Express].
  • Page 66 [1700 MHz]. This option only appears when you set “Internal Graphics Mode” to [SIDEPORT] or [UMA+SIDEPORT]. Onboard HDMI HD Audio This allows you to enable or disable the onboard HDMI HD Audio in AMD 790GX. Onboard GPU Clock Override This allows you to enable or disable the Onboard GPU Clock Override feature.
  • Page 67: Acpi Configuration

    If [Power On] is selected, the AC/power resumes and the system starts to boot up when the power recovers. Ring-In Power On Use this item to enable or disable Ring-In signals to turn on the system from the power-soft-off mode.
  • Page 68 PCI Devices Power On Use this item to enable or disable PCI devices to turn on the system from the power-soft-off mode. PS/2 Keyboard Power On Use this item to enable or disable PS/2 keyboard to turn on the system from the power-soft-off mode.
  • Page 69: Storage Configuration

    SATA Operation Mode Use this item to adjust SATA Operation Mode. The default value of this option is [IDE]. If you want to operate RAID function on SATA / SATAII HDDs, please select [RAID]. Configuration options: [AHCI], [RAID] and [IDE].
  • Page 70 [ARMD]: This is used for IDE ARMD (ATAPI Removable Media Device), such as MO. LBA/Large Mode Use this item to select the LBA/Large mode for a hard disk > 512 MB under DOS and Windows; for Netware and UNIX user, select [Disabled] to disable the LBA/Large mode.
  • Page 71: Pcipnp Configuration

    Setting wrong values in this section may cause the system to malfunction. PCI Latency Timer The default value is 32. It is recommended to keep the default value unless the installed PCI expansion cards’ specifications require other settings. PCI IDE BusMaster...
  • Page 72: Floppy Configuration

    Use this item to enable or disable floppy drive controller. Serial Port Address Use this item to set the address for the onboard serial port or disable it. Configuration options: [Disabled], [3F8 / IRQ4], [2F8 / IRQ3], [3E8 / IRQ4], [2E8 / IRQ3].
  • Page 73: Usb Configuration

    Use this item to enable or disable the USB 2.0 support. Legacy USB Support Use this option to select legacy support for USB devices. There are four configuration options: [Enabled], [Auto], [Disabled] and [BIOS Setup Only]. The default value is [Enabled]. Please refer to below descriptions for the details of these four options: [Enabled] - Enables support for legacy USB.
  • Page 74: Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen

    Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen In this section, it allows you to monitor the status of the hardware on your system, including the parameters of the CPU temperature, motherboard temperature, CPU fan speed, chassis fan speed, and the critical voltage.
  • Page 75: Boot Screen

    Boot Screen 3 . 6 3 . 6 Boot Screen Boot Screen In this section, it will display the available devices on your system for you to config- ure the boot settings and the boot priority. BIOS SETUP UTILITY Main Smart...
  • Page 76: Security Screen

    Boot From Onboard LAN Use this item to enable or disable the Boot From Onboard LAN feature. Boot Up Num-Lock If this item is set to [On], it will automatically activate the Numeric Lock function after boot-up. 3 . 7 3 .
  • Page 77: Exit Screen

    BIOS SETUP UTILITY. Discard Changes and Exit When you select this option, it will pop-out the following message, “Dis- card changes and exit setup?” Select [OK] to exit the BIOS SETUP UTILITY without saving any changes. Discard Changes When you select this option, it will pop-out the following message, “Dis-...
  • Page 78: Software Support Software Support

    4.2.1 Running The Support CD 4.2.1 Running The Support CD To begin using the support CD, insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. The CD automatically displays the Main Menu if “AUTORUN” is enabled in your computer. If the Main Menu did not appear automatically, locate and double click on the file “ASSETUP.EXE”...

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