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Intel W790 Series
Motherboard
Software/BIOS Setup Guide
Version 1.0
Published March 2023
Copyright©2023 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.

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Summary of Contents for ASROCK Intel W790 Series

  • Page 1 Intel W790 Series Motherboard Software/BIOS Setup Guide Version 1.0 Published March 2023 Copyright©2023 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.
  • 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 documentation or product.
  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Auto Driver Installer (ADI) 2.1.1 Installing Drivers for the First Time 2.1.2 Updating Drivers ASRock Live Update & APP Shop 2.2.1 Installing ASRock Live Update & APP Shop 2.2.2 UI Overview 2.2.3 Apps 2.2.4 BIOS & Drivers 2.2.5 Setting ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning) 2.3.1 Installing ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning)
  • Page 4 Advanced Screen 3.4.1 CPU Configuration 3.4.2 Chipset Configuration 3.4.3 IIO Configuration 3.4.4 Storage Configuration 3.4.5 NVMe Configuration 3.4.6 Intel(R) Thunderbolt 3.4.7 ACPI Configuration 3.4.8 USB Configuration 3.4.9 Trusted Computing 3.4.10 Network Stack Configuration 3.4.11 MEBx Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen Tools Boot Screen Security Screen...
  • Page 5: Chapter 1 Introduction

    ASRock’s website with- out further notice. If you require technical support related to this motherboard, please visit our website for specific information about the model you are using. ASRock website http:// www.asrock.com.
  • Page 6: Chapter 2 Software And Utilities Operation

    Chapter 2 Software and Utilities Operation 2.1 Auto Driver Installer (ADI) Optical drive or driver DVD is no longer needed for driver installation. ASRock motherboard already has its Ethernet driver prepacked in BIOS ROM. When you finish installing the operation system, simply use the Auto Driver Installer to download and install all necessary drivers automatically.
  • Page 7 Step 2 Boot into the system, and a notification will pop up in the lower right corner of your screen saying, "Do you want to one-step-install the latest drivers simply from ASRock Auto Driver Installer?". Select “Yes” to install Auto Driver Installer.
  • Page 8 Step 4 The Auto Driver Installer panel lists all available drivers that your motherboard supports. Select one or more drivers to be installed. Click "Select All" to select all items. Click "Unselect All" to remove all of your selections. Click "Update" to start downloading and installing drivers. If there are no drivers to be installed, click “Finish”...
  • Page 9 Click “No” to exit. Step 6 Once all drivers are successfully installed, a message pops up saying, "Installation has been successfully completed! For further drivers and utilities, please visit ASRock's website." Click "Ok" to complete the procedure. When driver installation is completed, the Auto Driver Installer tool will be uninstalled automatically from your computer.
  • Page 10: Updating Drivers

    2.1.2 Updating Drivers Updating drivers ensures that your system work well without any issue. To update drivers, please go to ASRock' website (https://www.asrock.com) and select "Support" > "Latest Drivers Update".
  • Page 11: Asrock Live Update & App Shop

    Go to the product page of your motherboard, select "Support" > "Download" to download the APP Shop. After installation, double-click on your desktop to access ASRock Live Update & APP Shop utility. *You need to be connected to the Internet to download apps from the ASRock Live Update & APP Shop.
  • Page 12: Ui Overview

    2.2.2 UI Overview Category Panel Hot News Information Panel Category Panel: The category panel contains several category tabs or buttons that when selected the information panel below displays the relative information. Information Panel: The information panel in the center displays data about the currently selected category and allows users to perform job-related tasks.
  • Page 13: Apps

    Intel W790 Series 2.2.3 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 14 Step 3 If you want to install the app, click on the red icon to start downloading. Step 4 When installation completes, you can find 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 15 Intel W790 Series 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 find the mark of "New Version" appears below the installed app icon.
  • Page 16: Bios & Drivers

    2.2.4 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. Click on to see more details.
  • Page 17: Setting

    Intel W790 Series 2.2.5 Setting In the "Setting" page, you can change the language, select the server location, and determine if you want to automatically run the ASRock Live Update & APP Shop on Windows startup.
  • Page 18: Asrock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning)

    Go to the product page of your motherboard, select "Support" > "Download" to download "ASRock Motherboard Utility". After the installation, you will find the icon “ASRock Motherboard Utility (A- Tuning)“ on your desktop. Double-click the “ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning)“ icon , ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning) main menu will pop up.
  • Page 19 Intel W790 Series OC Tweaker Configurations for overclocking the system. System Info View information about the system. *The System Browser tab may not appear for certain models.
  • Page 20 Settings Configure ASRock ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning). Click to select "Auto run at Windows Startup" if you want ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning) to be launched when you start up the Windows operating system.
  • Page 21: Nahimic Audio

    Nahimic Audio interface is composed of four tabs : Audio, Microphone, Sound Tracker and Settings. Download this utility from the ASRock Live Update & APP Shop. You can also download the utility from the ASRock's website: "https://www.asrock.com". Go to the product page of your motherboard, select "Support"...
  • Page 22 From this tab, you can access all settings and information of Settings the software.
  • Page 23: Chapter 3 Uefi Setup Utility

    Chapter 3 UEFI SETUP UTILITY 3.1 Introduction ASRock UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a BIOS utility which offers tweak- friendly options in an advanced viewing interface. The UEFI system works with a USB mouse and offers users a faster, sleeker experience.
  • Page 24: Uefi Menu Bar

    3.1.2 UEFI Menu Bar The top of the screen has a menu bar with the following selections: Main For setting system time/date information For overclocking configurations OC Tweaker Advanced For advanced system configurations H/W Monitor Displays current hardware status Tool Useful tools Boot For configuring boot settings and boot priority...
  • Page 25: Navigation Keys

    Intel W790 Series 3.1.3 Navigation Keys Use < > key or < > key to choose among the selections on the menu bar, and use < > key or < > key to move the cursor up or down to select items, then press <Enter>...
  • Page 26: Main Screen

    3.2 Main Screen When you enter the UEFI SETUP UTILITY, the Main screen will appear and display the system overview. Because the UEFI software is constantly being updated, the following UEFI setup screens and descriptions are for reference purpose only, and they may not exactly match what you see on your screen.
  • Page 27: Oc Tweaker Screen

    Intel W790 Series 3.3 OC Tweaker Screen In the OC Tweaker screen, you can set up overclocking features. CPU Configuration CPU Core Ratio The CPU speed is determined by the CPU P-Core Ratio multiplied with the BCLK. Increasing the CPU P-Core Ratio will increase the internal CPU clock speed without affecting the clock speed of other components.
  • Page 28 CPU BCLK Frequency The CPU speed is determined by the CPU Ratio multiplied with the BCLK. Increasing the BCLK will increase the internal CPU clock speed but also affect the clock speed of other components. BCLK Advanced Setting Press [Enter] to configure BCLK Advanced Setting. Intel Turbo Boost Technology Intel Turbo Boost Technology enables the processor to run above its base operating frequency when the operating system requests the highest performance state.
  • Page 29 Intel W790 Series BCLK Aware Adaptive Voltage Allows you to set BCLK Aware Adaptive Voltage as enabled or disabled. When it is en- abled, pcode will be aware of the BCLK frequency when calculating the CPU V/F curves. This is ideal for BCLK OC to avoid high voltage overrides.
  • Page 30 PL2 Power Limit Allows you to configure Package Power Limit 2 in watts. When the limit is exceeded, the CPU ratio will be lowered immediately. A lower limit can protect the CPU and save power, while a higher limit may improve performance. PL2 Time Window Allows you to configure the period of time until the CPU ratio is lowered when the Long Duration Power Limit is exceeded.
  • Page 31 Intel W790 Series Secondary Timing Write Recovery Time (tWR) The amount of delay that must elapse after the completion of a valid write operation, before an active bank can be precharged. Refresh Cycle Time 2 (tRFC) The number of clocks from a Refresh command until the first Activate command to the same rank.
  • Page 32 tCKE Configure the period of time the DDR4 initiates a minimum of one refresh command internally once it enters Self-Refresh mode. Configure the minimum active to active/Refresh Time. Fourth Timing tPRPDEN Configure tPRPDEN. tPRPDEN, tACTPDEN, tREFPDEN will use this single value. Configure tXP.
  • Page 33 Intel W790 Series tCPED2SRX Configure tCPED2SRX. This is the mimimum time in SR for RDIMMs (RCD) without clock stop; the time from the SRE single CK CS# assertion to the SRX command to the RCD. tCSSR Configure tCSSR. This is the tCSL timing parameter for UDIMMs (no RCD) and the tCSSR timing parameter for RDIMMs (RCD).
  • Page 34 Turn Around Timing TAT Training Value tRRSG Configure tRRSG training value. Read CAS to Read CAS delay, same bank group. tRRSG needs to be greater than or equal to tRRSR. tWWSG Configure tWWSG training value. Write CAS to Write CAS delay, same bank group. tWWSG needs to be greater than or equal to tWWSR.
  • Page 35 Intel W790 Series tRWDR Configure tRWDR training value. Read CAS to Write CAS delay, different rank. tWRDR Configure tWRDR training value. Write CAS to Read CAS delay, different rank. tRRDD Configure tRRDD training value. Read CAS to Read CAS delay, different DIMM.
  • Page 36 needs to be greater than or equal to tRWSR. tWRSG Configure tWRSG runtime value. Write CAS to Read CAS delay, same bank group. tWRSG needs to be greater than or equal to tWRSR. tRRSR "Configure tRRSR runtime value. Read CAS to Read CAS delay, same rank, different bank groups.
  • Page 37 Intel W790 Series tWRDD Configure tWRDD runtime value. Write CAS to Read CAS delay, different DIMM. tRRDS Configure tRRDS runtime value. Read CAS to Read CAS delay, different SubRanks. tWWDS Configure tWWDS runtime value. Write CAS to Write CAS delay, different SubRanks.
  • Page 38 Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT WR (D1) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' WR. Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT WR (D2) Configure the memory on die termination resistors 'WR. Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT NOM Rd (A1) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' NOM Rd.
  • Page 39 Intel W790 Series Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT NOM Rd (D2) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' NOM Rd. Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT NOM Wr (A1) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' NOM Wr.
  • Page 40 Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT PARK (A1) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' PARK. Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT PARK (A2) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' PARK. Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT PARK (B1) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' PARK.
  • Page 41 Intel W790 Series Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT PARK DQS (A2) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' PARK DQS. Configuration options: [Auto] [34] [40] [48] [60] [80] [120] [240] [Disabled] ODT PARK DQS (B1) Configure the memory on die termination resistors' PARK DQS.
  • Page 42 MemTest [Enabled]: This item enables memory test during normal boot. [Disabled]: This item disables this feature. MemTest Loops Number of memory test loops during normal boot, set to 0 to run memtest infinitely. MemTest on Cold Fast Boot When enabled, memory test will be executed during cold fast boot. Attempt Fast Boot When enabled, portions of memory reference code will be skipped when possible to increase boot speed.
  • Page 43 Intel W790 Series CPU FIVRA Load-Line Calibration CPU FIVRA Load-Line Calibration helps prevent CPU FIVRA voltage droop when the system is under heavy load. Configuration options: [Auto] [Level 1] [Level 2] [Level 3] [Level 4] [Level 5] *[Level 1] and [Level 2] options appear depending on the CPU you use on your motherboard.
  • Page 44 +0.82V PCH Voltage Allows you to configure the voltage for the +0.82V PCH. +1.05 PCH Voltage Allows you to configure the voltage for the +1.05 PCH. DDR5 PMIC Configuration PMIC Voltage Option [United] Allows you to adjust DIMM PMIC altogether. [Separate] Allows you to individually adjust DIMM PMIC.
  • Page 45 Intel W790 Series Configuration options: [Adaptive] [Override] Extra Turbo Voltage Specifies the extra turbo voltage applied while ring is operating in turbo mode. Ring Voltage Offset Specifies the Offset Voltage applied to the Ring domain. This voltage is specified in mil- livolts.
  • Page 46 Core PLL Voltage Offset PLL Voltage Offset ranges from 0 to 15 bins, each bin is 15mV. Adding 5 or more bins will helps increase the range of this domain frequency in extreme overclocking conditions. The best bins will be different on each processor, user has to find the best bins for your own processor.
  • Page 47 Intel W790 Series Save User UEFI Setup Profile to Disk It helps you to save current UEFI settings as an user profile to disk. Load User UEFI Setup Profile from Disk You can load previous saved profile from the disk.
  • Page 48: Advanced Screen

    3.4 Advanced Screen In this section, you may set the configurations for the following items: CPU Configuration, Chipset Configuration, IIO Configuration, Storage Configuration, NVMe Configuration, Intel(R) Thunderbolt, ACPI Configuration, USB Configuration, Trusted Computing, Network Stack Configuration and MEBx. Setting wrong values in this section may cause the system to malfunction.
  • Page 49: Cpu Configuration

    Intel W790 Series 3.4.1 CPU Configuration Enable LP [Global] Enables Logical processor (Software Method to Enable/Disable Logical Processor threads). Active Processor Cores Select the number of cores to enable in each processor package. CPU C6 State Support Enable C6 deep sleep state for lower power consumption.
  • Page 50 CPU Thermal Throttling Allows you to enable CPU internal thermal control mechanisms to keep the CPU from overheating. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Enables the Vanderpool Technology, takes effect after reboot. Enable SMX Enables Safer Mode Extensions. Enable Intel(R) TXT Enables Intel(R) TXT. Hardware Prefetcher Allows you to enable or disable Hardware Prefetcher that automatically prefetches data and code for the processor.
  • Page 51: Chipset Configuration

    Intel W790 Series 3.4.2 Chipset Configuration Above 4G Decoding Allows you to enable or disable above 4G MemoryMappedIO decoding. This is disabled automatically when Aperture Size is set to 2048MB. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Re-Size BAR support If system has Resizable BAR capable PCIe Devices, this option enables or disables Resizable BAR Support (Only if System Supports 64 bit PCI Decoding).
  • Page 52 PCIE1 Link Speed Allows you to configure PCIE1 Slot Link Speed. Auto mode is optimizing for overclocking. Configuration options: [Auto] [Gen1] [Gen2] [Gen3] [Gen4] [Gen5] (Options vary depending on your motherboard.) PCIE2 Link Speed Allows you to configure PCIE2 Slot Link Speed. Auto mode is optimizing for overclocking. Configuration options: [Auto] [Gen1] [Gen2] [Gen3] [Gen4] [Gen5] (Options vary depending on your motherboard.)
  • Page 53 Intel W790 Series Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] BIOS Lock Enable/disable the PCH BIOS Lock Enable feature. Enable this item to ensure System Management Mode (SMM) protection of flash. Memory Encryption (TME) Enable/Disable Memory Encryption (TME). Onboard HD Audio Allows you to enable or disable the onboard HD audio controller. Set this item to [Auto] to enable the onboard HD and automatically disable it when a sound card is installed.
  • Page 54: Iio Configuration

    3.4.3 IIO Configuration IOU1 (PCIE1) Select PCIe port Bifurcation for selected slot(s). IOU0 (PCIE2, PCIE5) Select PCIe port Bifurcation for selected slot(s). IOU1 (PCIE3) Select PCIe port Bifurcation for selected slot(s). IOU1 (M2_1, M2_2, M2_3, M2_4 ) Select PCIe port Bifurcation for selected slot(s). IOU1 (PCIE4) Select PCIe port Bifurcation for selected slot(s).
  • Page 55: Storage Configuration

    Intel W790 Series 3.4.4 Storage Configuration SATA Controller(s) Allows you to enable or disable the SATA controllers. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Forced SATA Gen Speed Allows you to configure the Forced SATA Gen Speed. SATA Mode Selection AHCI: Supports new features that improve performance.
  • Page 56 monitoring system for computer hard disk drives to detect and report on various indicators of reliability. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] VMD Configuration Press [Enter] to view the followings items for VMD configurations. Enable VMD Controller Allows you to enable or disable the Intel VMD controller. This following items appear when it is set to [Enabled].
  • Page 57: Nvme Configuration

    Intel W790 Series 3.4.5 NVMe Configuration The NVMe Configuration displays the NVMe controller and Drive information...
  • Page 58: Intel(R) Thunderbolt

    3.4.6 Intel(R) Thunderbolt PCIE Tunneling for USB4 Enable or disable PCIE Tunneling for USB4...
  • Page 59: Acpi Configuration

    Intel W790 Series 3.4.7 ACPI Configuration Suspend to RAM Allows you to select [Disabled] for ACPI suspend type S1. It is recommended to select [Auto] for ACPI S3 power saving. Configuration options: [Auto] [Disabled] PCIE Devices Power On Allows the system to be waked up by a PCIE device and enable wake on LAN.
  • Page 60: Usb Configuration

    3.4.8 USB Configuration XHCI Hand-off This is a workaround for OSes without XHCI hand-off support. The XHCI ownership change should be claimed by XHCI driver. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]...
  • Page 61: Trusted Computing

    Intel W790 Series 3.4.9 Trusted Computing NOTE: Options vary depending on the version of your connected TPM module. Security Device Support Allows you to enable or disable BIOS support for security device. O.S. will not show Security Device. TCG EFI protocol and INT1A interface will not be available.
  • Page 62 SM3_256 PCR Bank Allows you to enable or disable SM3_256 PCR Bank. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Pending Operation Allows you to schedule an Operation for the Security Device. NOTE: Your computer will reboot during restart in order to change State of the Device. Configuration options: [None] [TPM Clear] Platform Hierarchy Allows you to enable or disable Platform Hierarchy.
  • Page 63: Network Stack Configuration

    Intel W790 Series 3.4.10 Network Stack Configuration Network Stack Use this item to enable or disable UEFI Network Stack. Ipv4 PXE Support Use this item to enable or disable IPv4 PXE boot support. If disabled, IPv4 PXE boot support will not be available.
  • Page 64 Media detect count Number of times the presence of media will be checked. Use either +/- or numeric keys to set the value.
  • Page 65: Mebx

    Intel W790 Series 3.4.11 MEBx This Formset contains forms for configuring MEBx.
  • Page 66: Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen

    3.5 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen This section allows you to monitor the status of the hardware on your system, including the parameters of the CPU temperature, motherboard temperature, fan speed and voltage. NOTE: Options vary depending on the features of your motherboard. Fan Tuning When selected, the BIOS will proceed to detect the lowest fan speeds for fans connected to the motherboard.
  • Page 67 Intel W790 Series [Auto] Select this mode to detect the type of installed fan and automatically switch the control modes. [DC Mode] Select this mode for 3-pin fan. [PWM Mode] Select this mode for 4-pin fan. CPU Fan 2 Setting...
  • Page 68 Configuration options: [Customize] [Silent Mode] [Standard Mode] [Performance Mode] [Full Speed] Chassis Fan 1 Temp Source Allows you to select a fan temperature source for Chassis Fan 1. [Monitor M/B] Select this item to set motherboard as the fan temperature source. [Monitor CPU] Select this item to set CPU as the fan temperature source.
  • Page 69 Intel W790 Series [PWM Mode] Select this mode for 4-pin fan. Chassis Fan 3 Setting Allows you to select a fan mode for Chassis Fan 3, or choose [Customize] to set 5 CPU temperatures and assign a respective fan speed for each temperature.
  • Page 70: Tools

    3.6 Tools Instant Flash Allows you to save UEFI files in your USB storage device and run Instant Flash to update your UEFI. Pleaes note that your USB storage device must be FAT32/16/12 file system. Intel MEI Flash This function can update and flash Intel MEI. If you can't overclock BCLK or CPU turbo ratio, it can be fixed by this function.
  • Page 71: Boot Screen

    Intel W790 Series 3.7 Boot Screen This section displays the available devices on your system for you to configure the boot settings and the boot priority. Fast Boot Fast Boot speeds up your computer's boot time; however, you won't be able to boot from an USB storage device.
  • Page 72 Configuration options: [On] [Off] Boot Beep Allows you to select whether the Boot Beep should be turned on or off when the system boots up. Please note that a buzzer is needed. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Full Screen Logo [Enabled] Select this item to display the boot logo. [Disabled] Select this item to show normal POST messages.
  • Page 73: Security Screen

    Intel W790 Series 3.8 Security Screen In this section you may set or change the supervisor/user password for the system. You may also clear the user password. Supervisor Password Set or change the password for the administrator account. Only the administrator has authority to change the settings in the UEFI Setup Utility.
  • Page 74 Install Default Secure Boot Keys Please install default secure boot keys if it’s the first time you use secure boot. Clear Secure Boot Keys This item appears only when you load the default Secure Boot keys. Use this item to clear all default Secure Boot keys.
  • Page 75 Intel W790 Series 2. Authenticated UEFI Variable 3. EFI PE/COFF Image(SHA256) Key Source: Factory, Modified, Mixed Key Exchange Keys Enroll Factory Defaults or load certificates from a file: 1. Public Key Certificate: a) EFI_SIGNATURE_LIST b) EFI_CERT_X509 (DER) c) EFI_CERT_RSA2048 (bin) d) EFI_CERT_SHAXXX 2.
  • Page 76 d) EFI_CERT_SHAXXX 2. Authenticated UEFI Variable 3. EFI PE/COFF Image(SHA256) Key Source: Factory, Modified, Mixed Authorized TimeStamps Enroll Factory Defaults or load certificates from a file: 1. Public Key Certificate: a) EFI_SIGNATURE_LIST b) EFI_CERT_X509 (DER) c) EFI_CERT_RSA2048 (bin) d) EFI_CERT_SHAXXX 2.
  • Page 77 Intel W790 Series Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Case Open Feature Enable or disable Case Open Feature to detect whether the chassis cover has been removed.
  • Page 78: Exit Screen

    3.9 Exit Screen Save Changes and Exit When you select this option the following message, “Save configuration changes and exit setup?” will pop out. Press <F10> key or select [Yes] to save the changes and exit the UEFI SETUP UTILITY. Discard Changes and Exit When you select this option the following message, “Discard changes and exit setup?”...

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