ASROCK FM2A78 Pro3+ User Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. ASROCK Manuals
  4. Motherboard
  5. FM2A78 Pro3+
  6. User manual
ASROCK FM2A78 Pro3+ User Manual

ASROCK FM2A78 Pro3+ User Manual

Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

FM2A78 Pro3+
FM2A78 Pro3+
F M 2 A 7 8 P r o 3 +
F M 2 A 7 8 P r o 3 +

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for ASROCK FM2A78 Pro3+

Summary of Contents for ASROCK FM2A78 Pro3+

  • Page 1 FM2A78 Pro3+ FM2A78 Pro3+ F M 2 A 7 8 P r o 3 + F M 2 A 7 8 P r o 3 +...

  • Page 2: Copyright Notice

    (including damages for loss of proits, 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 documentation or product.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots) Jumpers Setup Onboard Headers and Connectors CrossFireX and Quad CrossFireX Operation Guide 21 AMD Dual Graphics Operation Guide 3. Software and Utilities Operation Installing Drivers A-Tuning ASRock APP Shop Start8 4. UEFI SETUP UTILITY Introduction 4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar...
  • Page 4 4.1.2 Navigation Keys Main Screen OC Tweaker Screen Advanced Screen 4.4.1 CPU Coniguration 4.4.2 North Bridge Coniguration 4.4.3 South Bridge Coniguration 4.4.4 Storage Coniguration 4.4.5 Super IO Coniguration 4.4.6 ACPI Coniguration 4.4.7 USB Coniguration Tool Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen Boot Screen Security Screen Exit Screen...

  • Page 5: Introduction

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

  • Page 6: Speciications

    1.2 Speciications • ATX Form Factor Platform • All Solid Capacitor design • High Density Glass Fabric PCB • Supports Socket FM2+ 95W / FM2 100W processors • 4 + 2 Power Phase design • AMD A78 FCH (Bolton-D3) Chipset •...
  • Page 7 Panel I/O • 1 x D-Sub Port • 1 x DVI-D Port • 4 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) • 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (AMD A78 FCH (Bolton-D3)) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) •...
  • Page 8 • 1 x PCIe Power Connector • 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector • 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protec- tion)) • 1 x USB 3.0 Header by AMD A78 FCH (Bolton-D3) (Supports 2 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection...
  • Page 9 4GB for the reservation for system usage ® ® under Windows 8.1 / 8 / 7. 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. Wake-On-WAN allows you to wake up this system from remote mobile devices, such as smart phones, tables, or other PCs.

  • Page 10: Motherboard Layout

    1.3 Motherboard Layout CPU_FAN2 CPU_FAN1 ATX12V1 USB 2.0 T: USB0 B: USB1 USB 3.0 T: USB2 B: USB3 USB 2.0 PCIE_PWR1 T: USB4 B: USB5 CHA_FAN1 PWR_FAN1 PCIE1 CMOS BATTERY PCIE2 64Mb FM2A78 Pro3+ BIOS CHA_FAN2 PCIE3 PCIE4 PCI Express 3.0 PCI1 (Bolton-D3) PCI2...
  • Page 11 FM2A78 Pro3+ No. Description ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1) CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1) CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN2) 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1) 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A2, DDR3_B2) ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1) USB 3.0 Header (USB3_2_3) Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2) SATA3 Connectors (SATA_5_6) 10 SATA3 Connectors (SATA_3_4)

  • Page 12: I/O Panel

    1.4 I/O Panel No. Description No. Description PS/2 Mouse Port (Green) USB 3.0 Ports (USB23) D-Sub Port (VGA1) LAN RJ-45 Port* DVI-D Port (DVI1) Line In (Light Blue) Front Speaker (Lime) USB 2.0 Ports (USB01) Microphone (Pink) PS/2 Keyboard Port (Purple) USB 2.0 Ports (USB45) * There are two LEDs on the LAN port.

  • Page 13: Installation

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 2. Installation This is an ATX form factor motherboard. Before you install the motherboard, study the coniguration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard its into it. Pre-installation Precautions Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings.

  • Page 14: 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 15: Installation Of Cpu Fan And Heatsink

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 2.2 Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink After you install the CPU into this motherboard, it is necessary to install a larger heatsink and cooling fan to dissipate heat. You also need to spray thermal grease between the CPU and the heatsink to improve heat dis- sipation.

  • Page 16: Installation Of Memory Modules (Dimm)

    2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM) This motherboard provides four 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM slots, and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. 1. For dual channel coniguration, you always need to install identical (the same brand, speed, size and chip-type) DDR3 DIMM pairs. 2.
  • Page 17 FM2A78 Pro3+...

  • 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. Before installing an expansion card, please make sure that the power supply is switched off or the power cord is unplugged. Please read the documenta- tion of the expansion card and make necessary hardware settings for the card before you start the installation.

  • Page 19: Jumpers Setup

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 2.5 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 20: Onboard Headers And Connectors

    2.6 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 ATA3 Connectors These six Serial ATA3 (SATA3) connectors support (SATA_1_2: see p.6, No.
  • Page 21 FM2A78 Pro3+ Front Panel Audio Header This is an interface for the front PRESENCE# panel audio cable that allows MIC_RET (9-pin HD_AUDIO1) OUT_RET convenient connection and (see p.6 No. 20) control of audio devices. OUT2_L J_SENSE OUT2_R MIC2_R MIC2_L 1. High Deinition Audio supports Jack Sensing, but the panel wire on the chassis must support HDA to function correctly.
  • Page 22 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 23 FM2A78 Pro3+ (3-pin PWR_FAN1) (see p.6 No. 21) CPU Fan Connector Please connect the CPU fan FAN_SPEED_CONTROL CPU_FAN_SPEED cable to the connector and (4-pin CPU_FAN1) + 12V match the black wire to the G N D (see p.6 No. 2) ground pin.
  • Page 24 ATX 12V Power Connector Please connect an ATX 12V (8-pin ATX12V1) power supply to this connector. (see p.6 No. 1) 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 25: Tm And Quad Crossfirex Tm Operation Guide

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 2.7 CrossFireX and Quad CrossFireX Operation Guide This motherboard supports CrossFireX and Quad CrossFireX that allows you to install up to two identical PCI Express x16 graphics cards. Currently ® CrossFireX and Quad CrossFireX are supported with Windows 7 / 7 64-bit / 8 / 8 64-bit / 8.1 / 8.1 64-bit OS.
  • Page 26 Step 3 Connect a VGA cable or a DVI cable to the monitor connector or the DVI connector of the graphics card that is inserted to PCIE4 slot.

  • Page 27: Driver Installation And Setup

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 2.7.2 Driver Installation and Setup Step 1 Power on your computer and boot into OS. Step 2 Remove the AMD drivers if you have any VGA drivers installed in your system. The Catalyst Uninstaller is an optional download. We recommend using this utility to uninstall any previously installed Catalyst drivers prior to installation.

  • Page 28: Amd Dual Graphics Operation Guide

    2.8 AMD Dual Graphics Operation Guide This motherboard supports AMD Dual Graphics feature. AMD Dual Graphics brings multi-GPU performance capabilities by enabling an AMD A78 FCH (Bolton-D3) integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor to operate simultaneously with combined output to a single display for blisteringly-fast frame ®...
  • Page 29 FM2A78 Pro3+ Step 7. You can also click “AMD VISION Engine Control Center” on your taskbar to enter AMD VISION Engine Control Center. ® Windows AMD VISION Engine Control Center Step 8. In AMD VISION Engine Control Center, please choose “Performance”. Click “AMD CrossFire ”.

  • Page 30: Software And Utilities Operation

    3. Software and Utilities Operation 3.1 Installing Drivers The Support CD that comes with the motherboard contains necessary drivers and useful utilities that enhance the motherboard’s features. 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”...

  • Page 31: A-Tuning

    Good Night LED, FAN-Tastic Tuning, OC Tweaker and a whole lot more. 3.2.1 Installing A-Tuning When you install the all-in-one driver to your system from ASRock’s support CD, A-Tuning will be auto-installed as well. After the installation, you will ind the icon “A-Tuning“...

  • Page 32: Fast Boot

    Tools Various tools and utilities. XFast RAM Boost the system’s performance and extend the HDD’s or SDD’s lifespan! Create a hidden partition, then assign which iles should be stored in the RAM drive. ® *This function supports Windows 64-bit OS only. XFast LAN Boost the speed of your internet connection! Select a speciic mode for making the designated program's priority highest.
  • Page 33 FM2A78 Pro3+ FAN-Tastic Tuning Conigure up to ive different fan speeds using the graph. The fans will automatically shift to the next speed level when the assigned temperature is met. Dehumidiier Prevent motherboard damages due to dampness. Enable this function and conigure the period of time until the computer powers on, and the duration of the dehumidifying process.
  • Page 34 OC Tweaker Conigurations for overclocking the system. System Info View information about the system. *The System Browser tab may not appear for certain models.

  • Page 35: Live Update

    FM2A78 Pro3+ Live Update Check for newer versions of BIOS or drivers. Tech Service Contact Tech Service if you have problems with your computer. Please leave your contact information along with details of the problem.
  • Page 36 Settings Conigure ASRock A-Tuning. Click to select "Auto run at Windows Startup" if you want A-Tuning to be launched when you start up the Windows operating system.

  • Page 37: Asrock App Shop

    Double-click on your desktop to access ASRock APP Shop utility. *You need to be connected to the Internet to download apps from the ASRock APP Shop. 3.3.1 UI Overview Category Panel...
  • Page 38 3.3.2 Apps When the "Apps" tab is selected, you will see all the available apps on screen for you to download. Installing an App Step 1 Find the app you want to install. The most recommended app appears on the left side of the screen. The other various apps are shown on the right.
  • Page 39 FM2A78 Pro3+ Step 3 If you want to install the app, click on the red icon to start downloading. Step 4 When installation completes, you can ind the green "Installed" icon appears on the upper right corner. To uninstall it, simply click on the trash can icon *The trash icon may not appear for certain apps.
  • Page 40 Upgrading an App You can only upgrade the apps you have already installed. When there is an available new version for your app, you will ind the mark of "New Version" appears below the installed app icon. Step 1 Click on the app icon to see more details. Step 2 Click on the yellow icon to start upgrading.
  • Page 41 FM2A78 Pro3+ 3.3.3 BIOS & Drivers Installing BIOS or Drivers When the "BIOS & Drivers" tab is selected, you will see a list of recommended or critical updates for the BIOS or drivers. Please update them all soon. Step 1 Please check the item information before update.
  • Page 42 3.3.4 Setting In the "Setting" page, you can change the language, select the server location, and determine if you want to automatically run the ASRock APP Shop on Windows startup.

  • Page 43: Start8

    3.4.1 Installing Start8 Install Start8, which is located in the folder at the following path of the Sup- port CD: \ ASRock Utility > Start8. 3.4.2 Coniguring Start8 Style Select between the Windows 7 style and Windows 8.1 style Start Menu.
  • Page 44 Conigure Conigure provides coniguration options, including icon sizes, which shortcuts you want Start Menu to display, quick access to recently used apps, the functionality of the power button, and more. Control...
  • Page 45 FM2A78 Pro3+ Control lets you conigure what a click on the start button or a press on the Windows key does. Desktop Desktop allows you to disable the hot corners when you are working on the desktop. It also lets you choose whether or not the system boots directly into desktop mode and bypass the Metro user interface.

  • Page 46: Uefi Setup Utility

    4. UEFI SETUP UTILITY 4.1 Introduction ASRock Interactive UEFI is a blend of system coniguration tools, cool sound ef- fects and stunning visuals. Not only will it make BIOS setup less dificult but also a lot more amusing. This section explains how to use the UEFI SETUP UTILITY to conigure your system.

  • Page 47: Navigation Keys

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 4.1.2 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 48: Oc Tweaker Screen

    4.3 OC Tweaker Screen In the OC Tweaker screen, you can set up overclocking features. CPU Coniguration Overclock Mode Use this to select Overclock Mode. Configuration options: [Auto] and [Manual]. The default value is [Auto]. Spread Spectrum This item should always be [Auto] for better system stability. AMD Turbo Core Technology This item appears only when the processor you adopt supports this fea- ture.
  • Page 49 FM2A78 Pro3+ CPU Load-line Calibration CPU Load-line Calibration helps prevent APU voltage droop when the system is under heavy load. NB Load-line Calibration NB Load-line Calibration helps prevent NB voltage droop when the system is under heavy load. GFX Engine Clock Use this to adjust GFX Engine Clock.
  • Page 50 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 51: Advanced Screen

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 4.4 Advanced Screen In this section, you may set the conigurations for the following items: CPU Conigu- ration, Nouth Bridge Coniguration, South Bridge Coniguration, Storage Conigura- tion, Super IO Coniguration, ACPI Coniguration and USB Coniguration. Setting wrong values in this section may cause the system to malfunction.

  • Page 52: Cpu Coniguration

    4.4.1 CPU Coniguration Core C6 Mode Use this item to enable or disable Core C6 mode. The default value is [Enabled]. Target TDP Use this item to set the target TDP (Thermal Design Power ). Cool ‘n’ Quiet Use this item to enable or disable AMD’s Cool ‘n’ Quiet technology.

  • Page 53: North Bridge Coniguration

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 4.4.2 North Bridge Coniguration IOMMU This allows you to enable or disable IOMMU support. 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.

  • Page 54: South Bridge Coniguration

    4.4.3 South Bridge Coniguration 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 55: Storage Coniguration

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 4.4.4 Storage Coniguration 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]. Coniguration 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 56: Super Io Coniguration

    4.4.5 Super IO Coniguration 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. Coniguration options: [3F8h / IRQ4] and [3E8h / IRQ4].

  • Page 57: Acpi Coniguration

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 4.4.6 ACPI Coniguration 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 Enable to enter the operating system after S3 only when the hard disk is ready, this is recommended for better system stability.
  • Page 58 USB Keyboard/Remote Power On Use this item to enable or disable USB Keyboard/Remote to power on the system. 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].

  • Page 59: Usb Coniguration

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 4.4.7 USB Coniguration USB Controller Use this item to enable or disable the use of USB controller. A78 USB 3.0 Controller Use this item to enable or disable the use of USB 3.0 controller. Legacy USB Support Use this option to select legacy support for USB devices. There are four coni guration options: [Enabled], [Auto], [Disabled] and [UEFI Setup Only].

  • Page 60: Tool

    OMG, guest accounts without permission to modify the system time are required. UEFI Tech Service Contact ASRock Tech Service if you are having trouble with your PC. Please setup network coniguration before using UEFI Tech Service. Easy RAID Installer Easy RAID Installer helps you to copy the RAID driver from the support CD to your USB storage device.
  • Page 61 FM2A78 Pro3+ UEFI Update Utility Instant Flash Instant Flash is a UEFI lash utility embedded in Flash ROM. This conve- nient UEFI update tool allows you to update system UEFI without entering operating systems irst like MS-DOS or Windows ® .
  • Page 62 Dehumidiier Function Users may prevent motherboard damages due to dampness by enabling “Dehumidiier Function”. When enabling Dehumidiier Function, the com- puter will power on automatically to dehumidify the system after entering S4/S5 state. Dehumidiier Period This allows users to conigure the period of time until the computer powers on and enables “Dehumidiier”...

  • Page 63: Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 4.6 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 &...

  • Page 64: Boot Screen

    4.7 Boot Screen In this section, it will display the available devices on your system for you to conig- ure the boot settings and the boot priority. Fast Boot Fast Boot minimizes your computer’s boot time. There are three con- iguration options: [Disabled], [Fast] and [Ultra Fast].
  • Page 65 FM2A78 Pro3+ AddOn ROM Display Enable AddOn ROM Display to see the AddOn ROM messages or conigure the AddOn ROM if you’ve enabled Full Screen Logo. Disable for faster boot speed. Boot Failure Guard Enable or disable the feature of Boot Failure Guard. Boot Failure Guard Count Enable or disable the feature of Boot Failure Guard Count.

  • Page 66: Security Screen

    4.8 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 ® Enable to support Windows 8.1/8 Secure Boot.

  • Page 67: Exit Screen

    FM2A78 Pro3+ 4.9 Exit Screen Save Changes and Exit When you select this option, it will pop-out the following message, “Save coniguration 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 68: Contact Information

    Contact Information If you need to contact ASRock or want to know more about ASRock, you’re welcome to visit ASRock’s website at http://www.asrock.com; or you may contact your dealer for further information. For technical questions, please submit a support request form at http://www.asrock.com/support/tsd.asp...

This manual is also suitable for:

Fm2a88x pro3+

Table of Contents