ASROCK FM2A55 Pro User Manual
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ASROCK FM2A55 Pro User Manual

ASROCK FM2A55 Pro User Manual

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FM2A55 Pro

User Manual

Version 1.0
Published November 2012
Copyright©2012 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.
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  • Page 1: User Manual

    FM2A55 Pro User Manual Version 1.0 Published November 2012 Copyright©2012 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.

  • Page 2: Copyright Notice

    ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions that may appear in this manual. With respect to the contents of this manual, ASRock does not provide warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warran- ties or conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Quad CrossFireX Operation Guide .... 19 Dual Graphics Operation Guide ..........23 Dual Monitor and Surround Display Features ......25 ASRock Smart Remote Installation Guide ......... 28 Jumpers Setup ................30 2.10 Onboard Headers and Connectors ........31 2.11 Serial ATA2 (SATA2) Hard Disks Installation ......
  • Page 4 3. UEFI SETUP UTILITY ..........41 Introduction ................41 3.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar ..............41 3.1.2 Navigation Keys ............... 42 Main Screen ................42 OC Tweaker Screen..............43 Advanced Screen ..............46 3.4.1 CPU Configuration ............47 3.4.2 North Bridge Configuration ..........48 3.4.3 South Bridge Configuration ..........

  • Page 5: Introduction

    In case any modifications of this manual occur, the updated ver- sion will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You may find the latest VGA cards and CPU support lists on ASRock website as well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com...

  • Page 6: Specifications

    1.2 Specifications Platform - ATX Form Factor - All Solid Capacitor design - Support for Socket FM2 100W processors - 4 + 1 Power Phase Design - Supports AMD’s Cool ‘n’ Quiet Technology - UMI-Link GEN2 Chipset - AMD A55 FCH (Hudson-D2) Memory - Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology - 2 x DDR3 DIMM slots...
  • Page 7 - Supports LAN Cable Detection - Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az - Supports PXE Rear Panel I/O I/O Panel - 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port - 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port - 1 x D-Sub Port - 1 x DVI-D Port - 6 x Ready-to-Use USB 2.0 Ports - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)
  • Page 8 ® der Windows 8 / 7 / Vista . For Windows 64-bit OS with 64- bit CPU, there is no such limitation. You can use ASRock XFast ® RAM to utilize the memory that Windows cannot use. 3. For the discrete GPUs which support Dual Graphics technology, please refer to http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/...

  • Page 9: Unique Features

    OS 32-bit CPU. ASRock Instant Boot ASRock Instant Boot allows you to turn on your PC in just a few seconds, provides a much more efficient way to save energy, time, money, and improves system running speed for your sys- tem.
  • Page 10 ASRock XFast RAM ASRock XFast RAM is a new function that is included into AS- Rock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU). It fully utilizes the memory ® space that cannot be used under Windows OS 32-bit CPU.
  • Page 11 S4/S5 state. ASRock Easy RAID Installer ASRock Easy RAID Installer can help you to copy the RAID driver from a support CD to your USB storage device. After copying the RAID driver to your USB storage device, please change “SATA Mode”...
  • Page 12 UEFI setup. AS- Rock Restart to UEFI technology is designed for those requiring frequent UEFI access. It is included in ASRock’s exclusive all- in-one AXTU tuning program that allows users to easily enter the UEFI automatically when turning on the PC next time.

  • Page 13: Motherboard Layout

    USB 2.0 T: USB0 B: USB1 USB 2.0 T: USB4 B: USB5 DX11 USB 2.0 T: USB2 B: USB3 SATA_1 SATA_2 PCIE1 FM2A55 Pro PCIE2 CMOS BATTERY PCIE3 A55 FCH (Hudson-D2) PCIE4 Chipset Fast RAM PCIE5 RoHS 64Mb Fast LAN...

  • Page 14: I/O Panel

    1.5 I/O Panel PS/2 Mouse Port (Green) USB 2.0 Ports (USB45) LAN RJ-45 Port USB 2.0 Ports (USB01) Line In (Light Blue) DVI-D Port (DVI1) ** 4 Front Speaker (Lime) D-Sub Port (VGA1) Microphone (Pink) PS/2 Keyboard Port (Purple) USB 2.0 Ports (USB23) * There are two LED next to the LAN port.

  • Page 15: Installation

    2. Installation This is an ATX form factor motherboard. Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard fits into it. Pre-installation Precautions Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings.

  • Page 16: Cpu Installation

    2.1 CPU Installation Step 1. Unlock the socket by lifting the lever up to a 90 angle. Step 2. Position the CPU directly above the socket such that the CPU corner with the golden triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle. Step 3.

  • Page 17: Installation Of Memory Modules (Dimm)

    2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM) This motherboard provides two 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM slots, and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. For dual channel configuration, you always need to install two identical (the same brand, speed, size and chip- type) memory modules in the DDR3 DIMM slots to activate Dual Channel Memory Technology.

  • Page 18: Expansion Slots (Pci And Pci Express Slots)

    2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots) There are 2 PCI slots and 5 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 / PCIE3 / PCIE4 (PCIE x1 slot) is used for PCI Express cards with x1 lane width cards, such as Gigabit LAN card and SATA2 card.

  • Page 19: Crossfirex Tm And Quad Crossfirex Tm Operation Guide

    2.5 CrossFireX and Quad CrossFireX Operation Guide This motherboard supports CrossFireX and Quad CrossFireX feature. CrossFireX technology offers the most advantageous means available of combining multiple high performance 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 enables the highest possible level of performance and image quality in any 3D application.
  • Page 20 Step 2. Connect two Radeon graphics cards by installing CrossFire Bridge on CrossFire Bridge Interconnects on the top of Radeon graphics cards. (CrossFire Bridge is provided with the graphics card you purchase, not bundled with this motherboard. Please refer to your graphics card vendor for details.) CrossFire Bridge Step 3.

  • Page 21: Driver Installation And Setup

    2.5.2 Driver Installation and Setup Step 1. Power on your computer and boot into OS. Step 2. Remove the AMD driver if you have any VGA driver installed in your sys- tem. The Catalyst Uninstaller is an optional download. We recommend using this utility to uninstall any previously installed Catalyst drivers prior to installation.
  • Page 22 Although you have selected the option “Enable CrossFire ”, the Cross- FireX function may not work actually. Your computer will automatically reboot. After restarting your computer, please confirm whether the option “Enable CrossFire ” in “ATI Catalyst Control Center” is selected or not; if not, please select it again, and then you are able to enjoy the benefit of CrossFireX feature.

  • Page 23: Dual Graphics Operation Guide

    2.6 AMD Dual Graphics Operation Guide This motherboard supports AMD Dual Graphics feature. AMD Dual Graphics brings multi-GPU performance capabilities by enabling an AMD A55 FCH (Hudson-D2) integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor to operate simultaneously with combined output to a single display for blisteringly-fast frame ®...
  • Page 24 Step 7. You can also click “AMD VISION Engine Control Center” on your ® Windows taskbar to enter AMD VISION Engine Control Center. AMD VISION Engine Control Center Step 8. In AMD VISION Engine Control Center, please choose “Performance”. Click “AMD CrossFire ”.

  • Page 25: Dual Monitor And Surround Display Features

    2.7 Dual Monitor and Surround Display Features Dual Monitor Feature This motherboard supports dual monitor feature. With the internal VGA output sup- port (D-Sub and DVI-D), you can easily enjoy the benefits of dual monitor feature without installing any add-on VGA card to this motherboard. This motherboard also provides independent display controllers for D-Sub and DVI-D to support dual VGA output so that D-Sub and DVI-D can drive same or different display contents.
  • Page 26 Surround Display Feature This motherboard supports surround display upgrade. With the internal VGA output support (D-Sub and DVI-D) and external add-on PCI Express VGA cards, you can easily enjoy the benefits of surround display feature. Please refer to the following steps to set up a surround display environment: 1.
  • Page 27 HDCP Function HDCP function is supported on this motherboard. To use HDCP function with this motherboard, you need to adopt the monitor that supports HDCP function as well. Therefore, you can enjoy the superior display quality with high-definition HDCP encryption contents. Please refer to below instruction for more details about HDCP function.

  • Page 28: Asrock Smart Remote Installation Guide

    2.8 ASRock Smart Remote Installation Guide ASRock Smart Remote is only used for ASRock motherboard with CIR header. Please refer to below procedures for the quick installation and usage of ASRock Smart Remote. Step1. Find the CIR header located next to the USB 2.0 header on ASRock...
  • Page 29 The Multi-Angle CIR Receiver does not support Hot-Plug function. Please install it before you boot the system. * ASRock Smart Remote is only supported by some of ASRock motherboards. Please refer to ASRock website for the motherboard support list: http://www.asrock.com...

  • Page 30: Jumpers Setup

    2.9 Jumpers Setup The illustration shows how jumpers are setup. When the jumper cap is placed on pins, the jumper is “Short”. If no jumper cap is placed on pins, the jumper is “Open”. The illustration shows a 3-pin jumper whose pin1 and pin2 are “Short”...

  • Page 31: Onboard Headers And Connectors

    2.10 Onboard Headers and Connectors Onboard headers and connectors are NOT jumpers. Do NOT place jumper caps over these headers and connectors. Placing jumper caps over the headers and connectors will cause permanent damage of the motherboard! Serial ATA2 Connectors These six Serial ATA2 SATA_1 SATA_2...
  • Page 32 Consumer Infrared Module Header This header can be used to connect the remote (4-pin CIR1) controller receiver. (see p.13 No. 23) Front Panel Audio Header This is an interface for the front PRESENCE# panel audio cable that allows (9-pin HD_AUDIO1) MIC_RET OUT_RET convenient connection and...
  • Page 33 PLED (System Power LED): Connect to the power status indicator on the chassis front panel. The LED is on when the system is operating. The LED keeps blinking when the sys-tem is in S1 sleep state. The LED is off when the system is in S3/S4 sleep state or powered off (S5).
  • Page 34 CPU Fan Connector Please connect the CPU fan FAN_SPEED_CONTROL cable to the connector and (4-pin CPU_FAN1) CPU_FAN_SPEED +12V match the black wire to the (see p.13 No. 4) ground pin. 1 2 3 4 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.
  • Page 35 Serial port Header This COM1 header supports a serial port module. (9-pin COM1) (see p.13 No. 25) HDMI_SPDIF Header HDMI_SPDIF header, providing SPDIF audio output to HDMI (2-pin HDMI_SPDIF1) VGA card, allows the system to see p.13 No. 26) connect HDMI Digital TV/ projector/LCD devices.

  • Page 36: Serial Ata2 (Sata2) Hard Disks Installation

    2.11 Serial ATA2 (SATA2) Hard Disks Installation This motherboard adopts AMD A55 FCH (Hudson-D2) chipset that supports Serial ATA2 (SATA2) hard disks and RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10) functions. You may install SATA2 hard disks on this motherboard for internal storage devices. This section will guide you to install the SATA2 hard disks.

  • Page 37: Operation Guide

    * The SATA2 Hot Plug feature might not be supported by the chipset because of its limitation, the SATA2 Hot Plug support information of our motherboard is indicated in the product spec on our website: www.asrock.com 2. Make sure your SATA2 HDD can support Hot Plug function from your dealer or HDD user manual.

  • Page 38: How To Hot Plug A Sata2 Hdd

    How to Hot Plug a SATA2 HDD: Points of attention, before you process the Hot Plug: Please do follow below instruction sequence to process the Hot Plug, improper procedure will cause the SATA2 HDD damage and data loss. Please connect SATA power cable 1x4-pin Step 1 Connect SATA data cable to Step 2...

  • Page 39: Driver Installation Guide

    2.14 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 40: Installing Windows ® 8 / 8 64-Bit / 7 / 7 64-Bit / Vista

    ® 2.16 Installing Windows 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista Vista 64-bit Without RAID Functions ® If you want to install Windows 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista / Vista 64-bit on your SATA2 HDDs without RAID functions, please follow below steps.

  • Page 41: Uefi Setup Utility

    3. UEFI SETUP UTILITY 3.1 Introduction ASRock Interactive UEFI is a blend of system configuration tools, cool sound ef- fects and stunning visuals. Not only will it make BIOS setup less difficult but also a lot more amusing. This section explains how to use the UEFI SETUP UTILITY to configure your system.

  • Page 42: Navigation Keys

    3.1.2 Navigation Keys Please check the following table for the function description of each navigation key. Navigation Key(s) Function Description Moves cursor left or right to select Screens Moves cursor up or down to select items + / - To change option for the selected items <Tab>...

  • Page 43: Oc Tweaker Screen

    3.3 OC Tweaker Screen In the OC Tweaker screen, you can set up overclocking features. EZ OC Mode You can use this option to adjust EZ overclocking setting. Please note that overclocing may cause damage to your components and motherboard. It should be done at your own risk and expense.
  • Page 44 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 recommended to keep the default value for system stability. Boost Frequency Multiplier For safety and system stability, it is not recommended to adjust the value of this item.
  • Page 45 DRAM Timing Control DRAM Slot Use this item to view SPD data. DRAM Timing Control Use this item to control DRAM timing. Power Down Enable Use this item to enable or disable DDR power down mode. Bank Interleaving Interleaving allows memory accesses to be spread out over banks on the same node, or accross nodes, decreasing access contention.

  • Page 46: Advanced Screen

    3.4 Advanced Screen In this section, you may set the configurations for the following items: CPU Configu- ration, Nouth Bridge Configuration, South Bridge Configuration, Storage Configura- tion, Super IO Configuration, ACPI Configuration and USB Configuration. Setting wrong values in this section may cause the system to malfunction.

  • Page 47: Cpu Configuration

    3.4.1 CPU Configuration Core C6 Mode Use this item to enable or disable Core C6 mode. The default value is [Enabled]. Package C6 Mode This item appears only when you enable the item “Core C6 Mode”. Use this item to enable or disable Package C6 mode. The default value is [Dis- abled].

  • Page 48: North Bridge Configuration

    3.4.2 North Bridge Configuration Primary Graphics Adapter 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 Express]. Con- figuration options: [Onboard], [PCI] and [PCI Express].

  • Page 49: South Bridge Configuration

    3.4.3 South Bridge Configuration Onboard HD Audio Select [Auto], [Enabled] or [Disabled] for the onboard HD Audio feature. If you select [Auto], the onboard HD Audio will be disabled when PCI Sound Card is plugged. Front Panel Select [Auto] or [Disabled] for the onboard HD Audio Front Panel. Onboard LAN This allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN feature.

  • Page 50: Storage Configuration

    3.4.4 Storage Configuration SATA Controller Use this item to enable or disable the “SATA Controller” feature. SATA Mode Use this item to adjust SATA Mode. The default value of this option is [AHCI Mode]. Configuration options: [AHCI Mode], [RAID Mode] and [IDE Mode]. If you set this item to RAID mode, it is suggested to install SATA ODD driver on SATA_5 and SATA_6 ports.

  • Page 51: Super Io Configuration

    3.4.5 Super IO Configuration Serial Port Use this item to enable or disable the onboard serial port. Serial Port Address Use this item to set the address for the onboard serial port. Configuration options: [3F8h / IRQ4] and [3E8h / IRQ4]. Infrared Port Use this item to enable or disable the onboard infrared port.

  • Page 52: Acpi Configuration

    3.4.6 ACPI Configuration Suspend to RAM Use this item to select whether to auto-detect or disable the Suspend-to- RAM feature. Select [Auto] will enable this feature if the OS supports it. Check Ready Bit Use this item to enable or disable the feature Check Ready Bit. Restore on AC/Power Loss This allows you to set the power state after an unexpected AC/power loss.
  • Page 53 USB Mouse Power On Use this item to enable or disable USB Mouse to power on the system. ACPI HPET table Use this item to enable or disable ACPI HPET Table. The default value is [Enabled]. Please set this option to [Enabled] if you plan to use this moth- ®...

  • Page 54: Usb Configuration

    3.4.7 USB Configuration USB 2.0 Controller Use this item to enable or disable the use of USB 2.0 controller. Legacy USB Support Use this option to select legacy support for USB devices. There are four confi guration options: [Enabled], [Auto], [Disabled] and [UEFI Setup Only]. The default value is [Enabled].

  • Page 55: Tool

    3.5 Tool Sound Effect Enable or disable sound effects in the setup utility. System Browser System Browser can let you easily check your current system configura- tion in UEFI setup. OMG(Online Management Guard) Administrators are able to establish an internet curfew or restrict internet access at specified times via OMG.
  • Page 56 Internet Flash Internet Flash searches for available UEFI firmware updates from our servers. In other words, the system can auto-detect the latest UEFI from our servers and flash them without entering Windows OS. Please note that you must be running on a DHCP configured computer in order to en- able this function.
  • Page 57 Would you like to save current setting user defaults? In this option, you are allowed to load and save three user defaults according to your own requirements.

  • Page 58: Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen

    3.6 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. CPU Fan 1 Setting This allows you to set the CPU fan 1 speed.

  • Page 59: Boot Screen

    3.7 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. Fast Boot Fast Boot minimizes your computer’s boot time. There are three con- figuration options: [Disabled], [Fast] and [Ultra Fast].
  • Page 60 Full Screen Logo Use this item to enable or disable OEM Logo. The default value is [En- abled]. AddOn ROM Display Use this option to adjust AddOn ROM Display. If you enable the option “Full Screen Logo” but you want to see the AddOn ROM information when the system boots, please select [Enabled].

  • Page 61: Security Screen

    3.8 Security Screen In this section, you may set or change the supervisor/user password for the system. For the user password, you may also clear it. Secure Boot Use this to enable or disable Secure Boot. The default value is [Disabled].

  • Page 62: Exit Screen

    3.9 Exit Screen Save Changes and Exit When you select this option, it will pop-out the following message, “Save configuration changes and exit setup?” Select [OK] to save the changes and exit the UEFI SETUP UTILITY. Discard Changes and Exit When you select this option, it will pop-out the following message, “Discard changes and exit setup?”...

  • Page 63: Software Support

    Click on a specific item then follow the installation wizard to install it. 4.2.4 Contact Information If you need to contact ASRock or want to know more about ASRock, welcome to visit ASRock’s website at http://www.asrock.com; or you may contact your...

  • Page 64: Installing Os On A Hdd Larger Than 2Tb

    Installing OS on a HDD Larger Than 2TB ® This motherboard is adopting UEFI BIOS that allows Windows OS to be installed on a large size HDD (>2TB). Please follow below procedure to install the operating system. ® 1. Please make sure to use Windows Vista 64-bit (with SP1 or above), ®...

  • Page 65: Installing Os On A Hdd Larger Than 2Tb In Raid Mode

    Installing OS on a HDD Larger Than 2TB in RAID Mode ® This motherboard is adopting UEFI BIOS that allows Windows OS to be installed on a large size HDD (>2TB). Please follow below procedure to install the operating system. ®...
  • Page 66 7. And then key in drvcfg –s [Drv number] [Ctrl number] to enter Raid Utility. For example: key in drvcfg –s 4E B5. 8. Choose Logical Drive Main Menu to set up Raid Drive. 9. Choose Logical Drive Create Menu to create a Raid Drive. 10.
  • Page 67 11. Press Space on keyboard to toggle checkbox. 12. Choose Ld Size setting, and key in the Raid size. 13. After set up Raid size, please click Start to Create. 14. Press <F10> to exit Utility. 15. During reboot, please press <F11> to enter Boot Manual. Choose UEFI: SCSI CD/DVD Drive.
  • Page 68 ® 16. Follow Windows Installation Guide to install OS. ® If you install Windows 8 64-bit / 7 64-bit / Vista 64-bit in a large hard ® disk (ex. Disk volume > 2TB), it may take more time to boot into Windows or install driver/utilities.
  • Page 69 B. Disable “Volume Shadow Copy” service. a. Type “computer management” in the Start Menu, then press “Enter”. b. Go to “Services and Applications>Services”; Then double click “Volume Shadow Copy”. c. Set “Startup type” to “Disable” then Click “OK”.
  • Page 70 C. Reboot your system. D. After reboot, please start to install motherboard drivers and utilities. ® Windows 8 64-bit / 7 64-bit: A. Please request the hotfix KB2505454 thru this link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2505454/ ® B. After installing Windows 8 64-bit / 7 64-bit, install the hotfix kb2505454. (This may take long time;...

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