Asus A78M-A Manual Download Page 1

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Motherboard

A78M-A

Summary of Contents for A78M-A

Page 2: ...spective companies and are used only for identification or explanation and to the owners benefit without intent to infringe Offer to Provide Source Code of Certain Software This product contains copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License GPL under the Lesser General Public License Version LGPL and or other Free Open Source Software Licenses Such software in this product...

Page 3: ...U 1 4 1 4 System memory 1 8 1 5 Expansion slots 1 10 1 6 Jumpers 1 12 1 7 Connectors 1 14 1 8 Software support 1 23 BIOS information 2 1 Managing and updating your BIOS 2 1 2 2 BIOS setup program 2 6 2 3 My Favorites 2 9 2 4 Main menu 2 10 2 5 Ai Tweaker menu 2 12 2 6 Advanced menu 2 16 2 7 Monitor menu 2 22 2 8 Boot menu 2 25 2 9 Tools menu 2 32 2 10 Exit menu 2 33 Appendices Notices A 1 ASUS con...

Page 4: ...erboard and adding components carefully read all the manuals that came with the package Before using the product ensure all cables are correctly connected and the power cables are not damaged If you detect any damage contact your dealer immediately To avoid short circuits keep paper clips screws and staples away from connectors slots sockets and circuitry Avoid dust humidity and temperature extrem...

Page 5: ...s properly take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual DANGER WARNING Information to prevent injury to yourself when completing a task CAUTION Information to prevent damage to the components when completing a task IMPORTANT Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task NOTE Tips and additional information to help you complete a task Typography Bold text Indicates a menu o...

Page 6: ...be supported with 16GB or above DIMMs ASUS will update the memory QVL once the DIMMs are available in the market Refer to www asus com for the latest Memory QVL Qualified Vendors List When you install a total memory of 4GB capacity or more Windows 32 bit operation system may only recognize less than 3GB We recommend a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are using a Windows 32 bit operating system ...

Page 7: ...e best quality reliability and durability ASUS DIGI VRM DIGI Power Design Industry leading digital 3 2 phase power design for APU ASUS DRAM Fuse Enhanced DRAM overcurrent protection and short circui damage prevention ASUS ESD Guard Strong ESD Protection for extended component lifespan ASUS High Quality 5K Hour Solid Capacitors 2 5x Long Lifespan with excellent durability ASUS Stainless Steel Back ...

Page 8: ...eaker connector 1 x CPU fan connector 4 pin 1 x S PDIF Out connector 1 x Chassis fan connector 4 pin 1 x High definition front panel audio connector 1 x COM header 1 x 24 pin EATX power connector 1 x 4 pin ATX 12V power connector BIOS features 64 Mb Flash ROM UEFI AMI BIOS PnP DMI 2 0 WfM 2 0 SM BIOS 2 7 ACPI 2 0a Multi language BIOS ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS CrashFreen BIOS 3 F12 Printscreen function ...

Page 9: ...onent place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component Before you install or remove any component ensure that the ATX power supply is switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard peripherals or components Standby Power LED The motherboard comes with a standby power LED that lights up to ...

Page 10: ...the motherboard Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage to motherboard components 1 2 1 Placement direction When installing the motherboard place it into the chassis in the correct orientation The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image 1 2 2 Screw holes Place six screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard ...

Page 11: ...uper I O ALC 887 RTL 8111GR 64Mb BIOS SB_PWR 23 6cm 9 3in AMD A78 DDR3 DIMM_A1 64bit 240 pin module DDR3 DIMM_A2 64bit 240 pin module DDR3 DIMM_B1 64bit 240 pin module DDR3 DIMM_B2 64bit 240 pin module SATA6G_3 SATA6G_4 SATA6G_1 SATA6G_2 SATA6G_5 SATA6G_6 AUDIO KBMS HDMI LAN_USB12 USB3_12 20 8cm 8 2in VGA DVI SOCKET FM2 DIGI VRM USB3_34 3 1 2 1 4 7 2 6 5 10 9 8 12 11 13 15 16 14 ...

Page 12: ...nectors 4 pin CPU_FAN and 4 pin CHA_FAN 1 16 2 ATX power connectors 24 pin EATXPWR 4 pin ATX12V 1 17 3 AMD FM2 socket 1 4 4 DDR3 DIMM slots 1 8 5 Clear RTC RAM 3 pin CLRTC 1 12 6 Standby power LED SB_PWR 1 1 7 SATA 6 0 Gb s connectors 7 pin SATA6G_1 6 1 18 8 Speaker connector 4 pin SPEAKER 1 19 9 System panel connector 10 1 pin F_PANEL 1 19 10 USB 2 0 connectors 10 1 pin USB34 USB56 1 21 11 USB de...

Page 13: ...ASUS A78M A 1 5 1 3 1 APU installation 1 4 3 2 ...

Page 14: ...duction 1 2 5 3 4 1 3 2 APU heatsink and fan assembly installation Apply the Thermal Interface Material to the APU heatsink and APU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary To install the APU heatsink and fan assembly ...

Page 15: ...ASUS A78M A 1 7 To uninstall the APU heatsink and fan assembly 5 3 1 4 2 ...

Page 16: ...the motherboard the actual usable memory for the OS can be about 3GB or less For effective use of memory we recommend that you do any of the following Use a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are using a 32 bit Windows OS Install a 64 bit Windows OS if you want to install 4GB or more on the motherboard This motherboard does not support DIMMs made up of 512Mb 64MB chips or less 1 4 System memory 1...

Page 17: ...overclocking may operate at a lower frequency than the vendor marked value To operate at the vendor marked or at a higher frequency refer to section 2 5 Ai Tweaker menu for manual memory frequency adjustment For system stability use a more efficient memory cooling system to support a full memory load 4 DIMMs or overclocking condition Visit the ASUS website at www asus com for the latest QVL 1 4 3 ...

Page 18: ...ket opposite the slot that you intend to use Keep the screw for later use 4 Align the card connector with the slot and press firmly until the card is completely seated on the slot 5 Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier 6 Replace the system cover 1 5 2 Configuring an expansion card After installing the expansion card configure it by adjusting the software settings 1 Tur...

Page 19: ...th the PCI Express specifications 1 5 5 PCI Express x16 slot This motherboard supports PCI Express x16 network cards SCSI cards and other cards that comply with the PCI Express specifications IRQ assignments for this motherboard A B C D E F G H PCIEx16_1 shared PCIEx1_1 shared PCI1 slot shared Realtek LAN controller shared HD audio shared SATA controller shared OnChip XHCI controller1 shared OnChi...

Page 20: ...ep the cap on pins 2 3 for about 5 10 seconds then move the cap back to pins 1 2 3 Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer 4 Hold down the Del key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re enter data If the steps above do not help remove the onboard battery and move the jumper again to clear the CMOS RTC RAM data After clearing the CMOS reinstall the battery You do not need to clear ...

Page 21: ... sleep mode CPU stopped DRAM refreshed system running in low power mode using the connected USB devices Set to 5VSB to wake up from S3 and S4 sleep modes no power to CPU DRAM in slow refresh power supply in reduced power mode The USB device wake up feature requires a power supply that can provide 500mA on the 5VSB lead for each USB port otherwise the system would not power up The total current con...

Page 22: ...ugh a network hub Activity Link LED Speed LED Status Description Status Description OFF No link OFF 10Mbps connection ORANGE Linked ORANGE 100Mbps connection BLINKING Data activity GREEN 1Gbps connection LAN port SPEED LED ACT LINK LED 5 Line In port light blue This port connects to the tape CD DVD player or other audio sources 6 Line Out port lime This port connects to a headphone or a speaker In...

Page 23: ...to USB 3 0 ports for faster and better performance for your USB 3 0 devices 10 DVI D port This port is for any DVI D compatible device DVI D can t be converted to output RGB Signal to CRT and isn t compatible with DVI I 11 PS 2 keyboard port This port is for a PS 2 keyboard To configure an 8 channel audio output Use a chassis with HD audio module in the front panel to support an 8 channel audio ou...

Page 24: ...or The CPU_FAN connector supports a CPU fan of maximum 2A 24W fan power The 4 pin CPU_FAN and chassis fan support the ASUS Fan Xpert feature DO NOT forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors Insufficient air flow inside the system may damage the motherboard components These are not jumpers DO NOT place jumper caps on the fan connectors A78M A A78M A Fan connectors CPU_FAN CPU FAN PWM C...

Page 25: ...nstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate DO NOT forget to connect the 4 pin ATX 12V power plug Otherwise the system will not boot up We recommend that you use a PSU with higher power output when configuring a system with more power consuming devices or when you intend to install additional devices The system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate If you are ...

Page 26: ... details You must install Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later version before using Serial ATA hard disk drives The Serial ATA RAID feature is available only if you are using Windows XP SP3 or later version When using hot plug and NCQ set the type of the SATA connectors in the BIOS to AHCI See section 2 6 2 SATA Configuration for details SATA6G_2 GND RSATA_TXP1 RSATA_TXN1 GND RSATA_RXN1 RSATA_RXP1 G...

Page 27: ...connector The IDE LED lights up or flashes when data is read from or written to the HDD ATX power button soft off button 2 pin PWRBTN This 2 pin connector is for the system power button Reset button 2 pin RESET This 2 pin connector is for the chassis mounted reset button for system reboot without turning off the system power 5 Speaker connector 4 pin SPEAKER The 4 pin connector is for the chassis ...

Page 28: ...e section 2 6 4 Onboard Devices Configuration for details The front panel audio I O module is purchased separately 7 Front panel audio connector 10 1 pin AAFP This connector is for a chassis mounted front panel audio I O module that supports either High Definition Audio or AC 97 audio standard Connect one end of the front panel audio I O module cable to this connector SPDIF_OUT 5V SPDIFOUT GND A78...

Page 29: ...nt or rear panel ports With an installed USB 3 0 module you can enjoy all the benefits of USB 3 0 including faster data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps faster charging time for USB chargeable devices optimized power efficiency and backward compatibility with USB 2 0 You can connect the ASUS front panel USB 3 0 bracket to this connector to obtain the front panel USB 3 0 solution A78M A A78M A USB2 0...

Page 30: ... DCD TXD GND RTS RI RXD DTR DSR CTS 10 Serial port connector 10 1 pin COM This connector is for a serial COM port Connect the serial port module cable to this connector then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis The COM module is purchased separately ...

Page 31: ...k an icon to display Support DVD motherboard information If Autorun is NOT enabled on your computer browse the contents of the Support DVD to locate the file ASSETUP EXE from the BIN folder Double click the ASSETUP EXE to run the DVD 1 8 Software support 1 8 1 Installing an operating system This motherboard supports Windows XP Windows 7 64 bit Windows 7 Windows 8 64 bit Windows 8 Windows 8 1 64 bi...

Page 32: ...1 24 Chapter 1 Product introduction ...

Page 33: ...pdate your motherboard s softwares drivers and the BIOS version easily With this utlity you can also manually update the saved BIOS and select a boot logo when the system goes into POST To launch EZ Update click EZ Update on the AI Suite 3 main menu bar Click to automatically update your motherboard s driver software and firmware Click to find and select the BIOS from file Click to select a boot l...

Page 34: ...ble it 3 Press Tab to switch to the Drive field 4 Press the Up Down arrow keys to find the USB flash disk that contains the latest BIOS and then press Enter 5 Press Tab to switch to the Folder Info field 6 Press the Up Down arrow keys to find the BIOS file and then press Enter to perform the BIOS update process Reboot the system when the update process is done This function supports USB flash disk...

Page 35: ...quires you to enter BIOS Setup to recover BIOS settings To ensure system compatibility and stability we recommend that you press F5 to load default BIOS values DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS Doing so can cause system boot failure 2 1 4 ASUS BIOS Updater The ASUS BIOS Updater allows you to update BIOS in a DOS environment This utility also allows you to copy the curren...

Page 36: ...he optical drive as the boot device 3 When the Make Disk menu appears select the FreeDOS command prompt item by pressing the item number 4 At the FreeDOS prompt type d and press Enter to switch the disk from Drive C optical drive to Drive D USB flash drive Updating the BIOS file To update the BIOS file using BIOS Updater 1 At the FreeDOS prompt type bupdater pc g and press Enter 2 The BIOS Updater...

Page 37: ...t your computer DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure For BIOS Updater version 1 30 or later the utility automatically exits to the DOS prompt after updating BIOS Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exit menu Refer to section 2 10 Exit menu for d...

Page 38: ... a USB mouse is connected to your motherboard if you want to use the mouse to control the BIOS setup program The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most conditions to ensure optimum performance If the system becomes unstable after changing any BIOS settings load the default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exi...

Page 39: ...Mode click Exit then select ASUS EZ Mode or press F7 Exits the BIOS setup program without saving the changes saves the changes and resets the system or enters the Advanced Mode Selects the display language of the BIOS setup program Displays the CPU temperature CPU Voltage output DRAM information and CPU Chassis fan speed Power Saving mode Normal mode Loads optimized default Boot device priority Se...

Page 40: ... exit options and loading default settings Navigation keys General help Menu bar Configuration fields Menu items Back button Pop up window Scroll bar Last modified settings Quick note Menu items The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specific items for that menu For example selecting Main shows the Main menu items The other items Ai Tweaker Advanced Monitor Boot Tool and Exit on the men...

Page 41: ...elp At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the selected item Configuration fields These fields show the values for the menu items If an item is user configurable you can change the value of the field opposite the item You cannot select an item that is not user configurable A configurable field is highlighted when selected To change the value of a field select it and p...

Page 42: ... to set the system date 2 4 3 System Time xx xx xx Allows you to set the system time 2 4 4 Security The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings Adding items to My Favorites To add frequently used BIOS items to My Favorites 1 Use the arrow keys to select an item that you want to add When using a mouse hover the pointer to the item 2 Press F4 on your keyboard or right cl...

Page 43: ... Enter 4 Confirm the password when prompted To clear the administrator password follow the same steps as in changing an administrator password but press Enter when prompted to create confirm the password After you clear the password the Administrator Password item on top of the screen shows Not Installed User Password If you have set a user password you must enter the user password for accessing t...

Page 44: ...locking related items Be cautious when changing the settings of the Ai Tweaker menu items Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction The configuration options for this section vary depending on the CPU and DIMM model you installed on the motherboard Scroll down to display the following items ...

Page 45: ...options Auto DDR3 800MHz DDR3 1066MHz DDR3 1333MHz DDR3 1600MHz DDR3 1866MHz DDR3 2133MHz DDR3 2400MHz Selecting a very high memory frequency may cause the system to become unstable If this happens revert to the default setting 2 5 3 APU Multiplier Auto Allows you to set the multiplier between the CPU Core Clock and the FSB Frequency Use the and keys to adjust the ratio The valid value ranges vary...

Page 46: ...U documentation before setting the CPU voltage Setting a high voltage may damage the CPU permanently and setting a low voltage may make the system unstable VDDNB Offset Mode Sign To offset the voltage by a positive value To offset the voltage by a negative value VDDNB Offset Voltage Auto Allows you to set the VDDNB Offset voltage The values range from 0 00625V to 0 38750V with a 0 00625V interval ...

Page 47: ...r range for overclocking A higher value brings a wider total power range and extends the overclocking frequency range simultaneously Configuration options 100 110 120 130 CPU Power Phase Control Standard Phase number is the number of working VRM phase Increasing phase number under heavy system loading to get more transient and better thermal performance Reducing phase number under light system loa...

Page 48: ... menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices 2 6 1 CPU Configuration The items in this menu show the CPU related information that the BIOS automatically detects The items shown in submenu may be different due to the CPU you installed AMD PowerNow function Enabled Enables or disables the AMD PowerNow function Configuration options Enabled Disab...

Page 49: ...options Automatic mode One core per processor One Compute Unit One core per Compute Unit 2 6 2 SATA Configuration While entering Setup the BIOS automatically detects the presence of SATA devices The SATA Port items show Not Present if no SATA device is installed to the corresponding SATA port OnChip SATA Channel Enabled Enables or disables onboard channel SATA port Configuration options Disabled E...

Page 50: ...e POST Configuration options Enabled Disabled SATA Port 5 Port 6 AHCI This item only appears when OnChip SATA Type is set to AHCI If SATA ports 5 6 are configured as AHCI the ports can only be used under Windows OS with the requested drivers installed Set to IDE instead of AHCI to access devices on SATA ports 5 6 before entering OS Configuration options AHCI IDE SATA Port 5 Port 6 RAID This item o...

Page 51: ...d off feature Disabled Disables the function USB Single Port Control Allows you to enable disable individual USB ports 2 6 4 Onboard Devices Configuration HD Audio Device Enabled Enabled Enables the High Definition Audio Controller Disabled Disables the controller The following two items appear only when you set the HD Audio Device item to Enabled Front Panel Type HD Allows you to set the front pa...

Page 52: ...al Port base address Configuration options IO 3F8h IRQ 4 IO 2F8h IRQ 3 IO 3E8h IRQ 4 IO 2E8h IRQ 3 2 6 5 APM Restore AC Power Loss Power Off Power On The system goes into on state after an AC power loss Power Off The system goes into off state after an AC power loss Last State The system goes into either off or on state whatever the system state was before the AC power loss WOL include AC Power Lo...

Page 53: ...and keys to adjust the time Hour Minute Second Allows you to set the RTC alarm time Use and keys to adjust the time 2 6 6 Network Stack Network Stack Disabled This item allows user to disable or enable the UEFI network stack Configuration options Disabled Enabled The following two items appear only when you set the previous item to Enabled Ipv4 PXE Support Enabled This item allows user to disable ...

Page 54: ...2 22 Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 7 Monitor menu The Monitor menu displays the system temperature power status and allows you to change the fan settings Scroll down to display the following items ...

Page 55: ... the CPU Q Fan Control feature and allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the CPU fan Standard Sets to Standard to make the CPU fan automatically adjust depending on the CPU temperature Silent Sets to Silent to minimize the fan speed for quiet CPU fan operation Turbo Sets to Turbo to achieve maximum CPU fan speed Manual Sets to Manual to assign detailed fan speed control parameters...

Page 56: ...eters The following four items appear only when you set Q Fan Profile to Manual Q Fan Upper Temperature 70 Use the and keys to adjust the upper limit of the chassis temperature The values range from 40ºC to 75ºC Q Fan Max Duty Cycle 100 Use the and keys to adjust the maximum chassis fan duty cycle The values range from 60 to 100 When the chassis temperature reaches the upper limit the chassis fan ...

Page 57: ...ASUS A78M A 2 25 2 8 Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options Scroll down to display the following items ...

Page 58: ...ct any of these settings when PS 2 keyboard and mouse are installed These settings only apply when Fast Boot is enabled Auto For a faster POST time PS 2 devices will only be available when the system boots up or rebooted when the PS 2 devices have not been reconnected or changed If you disconnect or change PS 2 devices before restarting the system PS 2 devices will not be available and BIOS setup ...

Page 59: ... seconds 2 8 3 Bootup NumLock State On On Sets the power on state of the NumLock to On Off Sets the power on state of the NumLock to Off 2 8 4 Wait for F1 If Error Enabled When this item is set to Enabled the system waits for the F1 key to be pressed when error occurs Configuration options Disabled Enabled 2 8 5 Option ROM Messages Force BIOS Force BIOS The third party ROM messages will be forced ...

Page 60: ...SM to Enabled Boot Device Control UEFI and Legacy OpROM Allows you to select the type of devices that you want to boot up Configuration options UEFI and Legacy OpROM Legacy OpROM only UEFI only Boot from Network Devices Legacy OpROM first Allows you to select the type of network devices that you want to launch Configuration options Legacy OpROM first UEFI driver first Ignore Boot from Storage Devi...

Page 61: ...lowing item appears when OS Type is set to Windows UEFI mode Key Management This item appears only when you set Secure Boot Mode to Custom It allows you to manage the Secure Boot keys Clear Secure Boot keys This item appears only when you load the default Secure Boot keys This item allows you to clear all default Secure Boot keys Save Secure Boot keys This item appears only when you load the defau...

Page 62: ...applications operating system loaders and UEFI drivers that you can load on the single computer Delete the db Allows you to delete the db file from your system Configuration options Yes No Load db from File Allows you to load the downloaded db from a USB storage device Append db from file Allows you to load the additional db from a storage device so that more images can be loaded securely The DB f...

Page 63: ...ems that appears on the screen depends on the number of devices installed in the system To select the boot device during system startup press F8 when ASUS Logo appears To access Windows OS in Safe Mode press F8 after POST 2 8 11 Boot Override These items displays the available devices The number of device items that appears on the screen depends on the number of devices installed in the system Cli...

Page 64: ...Save to Profile Allows you to save the current BIOS settings to the BIOS Flash and create a profile Key in a profile number from one to eight press Enter and then select Yes Load from Profile Allows you to load the previous BIOS settings saved in the BIOS Flash Key in the profile number that saved your CMOS settings press Enter and then select Yes DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updatin...

Page 65: ...ished making your selections choose this option from the Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved When you select this option or if you press F10 a confirmation window appears Select Yes to save changes and exit Discard Changes Exit This option allows you to exit the Setup program without saving your changes When you select this option or if you press Esc a confirmation window appears...

Page 66: ...2 34 Chapter 2 BIOS information ...

Page 67: ...different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user s authority to operate thi...

Page 68: ...out wheeled bin indicates that the battery should not be placed in municipal waste ASUS Recycling Takeback Services ASUS recycling and takeback programs come from our commitment to the highest standards for protecting our environment We believe in providing solutions for you to be able to responsibly recycle our products batteries other components as well as the packaging materials Please go to ht...

Page 69: ...AL America Address 800 Corporate Way Fremont CA 94539 USA Telephone 1 510 739 3777 Fax 1 510 608 4555 Web site http usa asus com Technical Support Telephone 1 812 284 0883 Support fax 1 812 282 2787 Online support http support asus com techserv techserv aspx ASUS COMPUTER GmbH Germany and Austria Address Harkort Str 21 23 40880 Ratingen Germany Fax 49 2102 959931 Web site http www asus com de Onli...

Page 70: ...01 489 24 V1 5 1 2010 09 EN 302 326 2 V1 2 2 2007 06 EN 302 326 3 V1 3 1 2007 09 EN 301 357 2 V1 4 1 2008 11 EN 302 291 1 V1 1 1 2005 07 EN 302 291 2 V1 1 1 2005 07 2006 95 EC LVD Directive EN 60950 1 A12 2011 EN 60065 2002 A12 2011 2009 125 EC ErP Directive Regulation EC No 1275 2008 Regulation EC No 642 2009 Regulation EC No 278 2009 Regulation EC No 617 2013 2011 65 EU RoHS Directive Ver 130816...

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