Motherboard A88XM-A
E8512 First Edition July 2013 Copyright © 2013 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Contents Safety information....................................................................................... iv About this guide.......................................................................................... iv Package contents........................................................................................ vi A88XM-A specifications summary............................................................. vi Product introduction 1.1 Before you proceed...................................
Safety information Electrical safety • • • • • • To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system. When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
Where to find more information Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. 1. 2. ASUS websites The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information. Optional documentation Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty flyers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the standard package.
Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. Motherboard ASUS A88XM-A motherboard Cables 2 x Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s cables Accessories 1 x I/O Shield Application DVD Support DVD Documentation User Guide If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer. A88XM-A specifications summary APU AMD® FM2+ socket for AMD® A-Series / Athlon™ processors Supports CPU up to 4 cores AMD® Turbo Core Technology 3.
A88XM-A specifications summary Storage LAN AMD® A88X FCH: - 6 x Serial ATA 6 Gb/s connectors with RAID 0, RAID 1,RAID 5,RAID 10 and JBOD support Realtek® 8111G PCIe Gigabit LAN controller Audio Realtek® ALC887-VD 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC USB AMD® A88X FCH: - 4 x USB 3.0 ports* (2 ports at the back panel [blue], 2 ports at midboard) - 6 x USB 2.
A88XM-A specifications summary Back panel I/O ports 1 x PS/2 keyboard port 1 x PS/2 mouse port 1 x HDMI port 1 x DVI port 1 x D-Sub output port 1 x LAN (RJ-45) port 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 2 x USB 3.0 ports (blue) 8-channel audio I/O ports (3 jacks) Internal I/O connectors 1 x USB 3.0 connector supports additional 2 USB 3.0 ports (19-pin) 2 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 4 USB 2.
Product introduction 1.1 Before you proceed 1 Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. • Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component. • Before handling components, use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or a metal object, such as the power supply case, to avoid damaging them due to static electricity. • Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.
1.2 Motherboard overview Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard fits. Unplug the power cord before installing or removing 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.
1.2.3 Motherboard layout 1 2 3 4 2 5 20.8cm(8.2in) KBMS CPU_FAN DIGI +VRM ATX12V 23.6cm(9.
1.2.4 Layout contents Connectors/Jumpers/Slots/LED 1. Keyboard wake-up (3-pin KB_USBPWB) 2. CPU and chassis fan connectors (4-pin CPU_FAN, and 4-pin CHA_FAN) 3. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V) 4. AMD FM2+ socket 5. DDR3 DIMM slots 6. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC) 7. Standby power LED (SB_PWR) 8. SATA 6.0 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G_1~6) 9. Speaker connector (4-pin SPEAKER) 10. System panel connector (10-1 pin F_PANEL) 11. USB 2.0 connectors (10-1 pin USB34, USB56) 12.
1.3.
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 uninstall the APU heatsink and fan assembly 1 3 2 4 5 ASUS A88XM-A 1-7
1.4 System memory 1.4.1 Overview This motherboard comes with two Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets. A DDR3 module has the same physical dimensions as a DDR2 DIMM but is notched differently to prevent installation on a DDR2 DIMM socket. DDR3 modules are developed for better performance with less power consumption.
1.4.3 • The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect (SPD), which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module. Under the default state, some memory modules for 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.
To remove a DIMM B A A 1.5 Expansion slots In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub‑sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. Unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. 1.5.1 Installing an expansion card To install an expansion card: 1.
1.5.3 PCI slot The PCI slot supports cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. 1.5.4 PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot This motherboard supports PCI Express x1 network cards, SCSI cards, and other cards that comply with 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.
1.6 1. Jumpers Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC) This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup information such as system passwords. 1 A88XM-A 2 CLRTC Normal (Default) 2 3 Clear RTC A88XM-A Clear RTC RAM To erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2.
2. Keyboard wake-up (3-pin KB_USBPWB) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard wake-up feature. When you set this jumper to pins 2-3 (+5VSB), you can wake up the computer by pressing a key on the keyboard. This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A on the +5VSB lead, and a corresponding setting in the BIOS. A88XM-A 1 2 2 3 KB_USBPWB +5VSB (Default) +5V A88XM-A Keyboard and USB device wake up 3.
1.7 Connectors 1.7.1 Rear panel connectors 2 1 11 10 9 3 8 7 4 5 6 1. PS/2 mouse port. This port is for a PS/2 mouse. 2. Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port. This 15-pin port is for a VGA monitor or other VGA-compatible devices. 3. LAN (RJ-45) port. This port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub.
Audio 2, 4, 6 or 8-channel configuration Port Light Blue (Rear panel) Headset 2-channel Line In Lime (Rear panel) Line Out Pink (Rear panel) Lime (Front panel) Mic In — 4-channel Rear Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Mic In — 6-channel 8-channel Rear Speaker Rear Speaker Out Out Front Speaker Front Speaker Out Out Bass/Center Bass/Center — Side Speaker Out To configure an 8-channel audio output: Use a chassis with HD audio module in the front panel to support an 8-channel audio output. 7. USB 2.
1.7.2 1. Internal connectors CPU and chassis fan connectors (4-pin CPU_FAN, and 4-pin CHA_FAN) Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, ensuring that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. CPU FAN PWM CPU FAN IN CPU FAN PWR GND CPU_FAN A88XM-A CHA FAN PWM CHA FAN IN CHA FAN PWR GND CHA_FAN A88XM-A Fan connectors DO NOT forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors.
2. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V) These connectors are for an ATX power supply. The plugs from the power supply are designed to fit these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the connectors completely fit.
Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G 1~6) These connectors are for the Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk drives and optical disc drives. If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can create a RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 and JBOD configuration through the onboard controller.
4. System panel connector (10-1 pin PANEL) This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions. F_PANEL PLED+ PLEDPWR GND PWR LED PWR BTN HDD_LED+ HDD_LEDGround HWRST# (NC) PIN 1 A88XM-A +HDD_LED RESET A88XM-A System panel connector • • • • 5. System power LED (2-pin PLED) This 2-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power LED cable to this connector. The system power LED lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode.
Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT) A88XM-A SPDIFOUT GND This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) port. +5V 6. SPDIF_OUT A88XM-A Digital audio connector The S/PDIF module is purchased separately.
8. USB 2.0 connectors (10-1 pin USB34, USB56) These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB connectors comply with USB 2.0 specification that supports up to 480Mbps connection speed. PIN 1 USB+5V USB_P6USB_P6+ GND A88XM-A USB+5V USB_P3USB_P3+ GND NC USB34 PIN 1 USB+5V USB_P4USB_P4+ GND USB+5V USB_P5USB_P5+ GND NC USB56 A88XM-A USB2.
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. RXD DTR DSR CTS COM DCD T XD GND RTS RI PIN 1 A88XM-A A88XM-A Serial port connectors The COM module is purchased separately.
1.8 Software support 1.8.1 Installing an operating system This motherboard supports Windows® XP / Windows® Vista / 64-bit Windows® Vista / Windows® 7 / 64-bit Windows® 7 / Windows® 8 / 64-bit Windows® 8 Operating Systems (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your hardware. 1.8.2 • Motherboard settings and hardware options vary. Refer to your OS documentation for detailed information.
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BIOS information 2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS 2 Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS file to a USB flash disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update utility. 2.1.1 EZ Update EZ Update is a utility that allows you to automatically update 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.
2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 The ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS without using an OS‑based utility. Before you start using this utility, download the latest BIOS file from the ASUS website at www.asus.com. To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2: 2-2 1. Insert the USB flash disk that contains the latest BIOS file to the USB port. 2. Enter the Advanced Mode of the BIOS setup program. Go to the Tool menu to select ASUS EZ Flash Utility and press to enable it. 3.
2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS file when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. You can restore a corrupted BIOS file using the motherboard support DVD or a USB flash drive that contains the updated BIOS file. • Before using this utility, rename the BIOS file in the removable device into A88XMA.CAP. • The BIOS file in the support DVD may not be the latest version.
Booting the system to a DOS environment 1. Insert the USB flash drive with the latest BIOS file and BIOS Updater to the USB port. 2. Boot your computer. When the ASUS Logo appears, press to show the BIOS Boot Device Select Menu. Insert the support DVD into the optical drive and select the 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.
3. Press to switch between screen fields and use the keys to select the BIOS file and press . BIOS Updater checks the selected BIOS file and prompts you to confirm BIOS update. 4. Select Yes and press . When BIOS update is done, press to exit BIOS Updater. Restart your computer. DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure! • For BIOS Updater version 1.
2.2 BIOS setup program Use the BIOS Setup program to update the BIOS or configure its parameters. The BIOS screens include navigation keys and brief online help to guide you in using the BIOS Setup program. Entering BIOS Setup at startup To enter BIOS Setup at startup: • Press during the Power-On Self Test (POST). If you do not press , POST continues with its routines. Entering BIOS Setup after POST To enter BIOS Setup after POST: • Press ++ simultaneously.
The default screen for entering the BIOS setup program can be changed. Refer to the Setup Mode item in section 2.8 Boot menu for details. Selects the display language of the BIOS setup program Displays the CPU/motherboard temperature, CPU/5V/3.
Back button Menu items Menu bar Configuration fields General help Pop-up window Menu bar Navigation keys Scroll bar Last modified settings Quick note The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items: My Favorites Main For saving the frequently-used system settings and configuration For changing the basic system configuration Ai Tweaker For changing the overclocking settings Advanced For changing the advanced system settings Monitor For displaying the system temperature, power sta
Pop-up window Select a menu item and press to display a pop-up window with the configuration options for that item. Scroll bar A scroll bar appears on the right side of a menu screen when there are items that do not fit on the screen. Press the Up/Down arrow keys or / keys to display the other items on the screen. Navigation keys At the bottom right corner of the menu screen are the navigation keys for the BIOS setup program.
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 on your keyboard or right-click on your mouse to add the item to My Favorites page.
• If you have forgotten your BIOS password, erase the CMOS Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM to clear the BIOS password. See section 1.6 Jumpers for information on how to erase the RTC RAM. • The Administrator or User Password items on top of the screen show the default Not Installed. After you set a password, these items show Installed. Administrator Password If you have set an administrator password, we recommend that you enter the administrator password for accessing the system.
2.5 Ai Tweaker menu The Ai Tweaker menu items allow you to configure overclocking-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.
Target CPU Speed : xxxxMHz Displays the current CPU speed. Target DRAM Speed : xxxxMHz Displays the current DRAM speed. 2.5.1 Ai Overclock Tuner [Auto] Allows you to select the CPU overclocking options to achieve the desired CPU internal frequency. Select any of these preset overclocking configuration options: [Auto] Loads the optimal settings for the system. [Manual] Allows you to individually set overclocking parameters.
2.5.6 DRAM Timing Control The sub-items in this menu allow you to set the DRAM timing control features. Use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the value. To restore the default setting, type [auto] using the keyboard and press . Changing the values in this menu may cause the system to become unstable! If this happens, revert to the default settings. 2.5.7 APU Voltage [Offset Mode] [Offset Mode] To offset the voltage by a positive or negative value.
2.5.10 DIGI+ VRM CPU Load Line Calibration [Auto] Load-line Calibration is defined by AMD VRM specifications and affects CPU voltage. The CPU working voltage will decrease proportionally to CPU loading. Higher load-line calibration would get higher voltage and better overclocking performance, but increase the CPU and VRM thermal. This item allows you to adjust the voltage range from the following percentages to boost the system performance: 0% (Regular), 60% (Medium), 80% (High), and 100% (Extreme).
CPU Power Duty Control [T.Probe] [T.Probe] Maintains the VRM thermal balance. [Extreme] Maintains the VRM current balance. Do not remove the thermal module while changing the DIGI+VRM related parameters. The thermal conditions should be monitored. 2.6 Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices. Be cautious when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction. 2.6.
CPB Mode [Auto] Disables the CPB (Core Performance Boost) mode or set it to [Auto] for automatic configuration. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Auto] C6 Mode [Enabled] Enables or disables C6 mode. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] IOMMU [Disabled] Set this item to [Enabled] to show IOMMU Mode. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Bank Interleaving [Enabled] Enables or disables the bank memory interleaving.
SATA Port 5 - Port 6 [RAID] This item only appears when OnChip SATA Type is set to [RAID]. If SATA ports 5, 6 are configured as [RAID], the ports can only be used under Windows® OS with the requested drivers installed. Set to [IDE] instead of [RAID] to access devices on SATA ports 5, 6 before entering OS. Configuration options: [RAID] [IDE] S.M.A.R.T. Status Check [Enabled] S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) is a monitor system.
2.6.4 NB Configuration IGFX Multi-Monitor [Disabled] Enables or disables the Internal Graphics Device Multi-Monitor support for add-on VGA devices. And the memory size of Internal Graphics Device will keep memory reserved. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The IGFX Multi-Monitor item must be enabled before using AMD® Dual Graphics and LucidLogix Virtu MVP technologies. Primary Video Device [PCIE / PCI Video] Selects the primary display device.
Realtek PXE OPROM [Disabled] This item appears only when you set the Realtek LAN Controller item to [Enabled] and allows you to enable or disable the Rom of the Realtek LAN controller. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Serial Port Configuration The sub-items in this menu allow you to set the serial port configuration. Serial Port [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the serial port (COM).
RTC Alarm Date (Days) This item appears only when you set the previous item to [Enabled] and allows you to select RTC alarm time (days). When you set the time to zero, the RTC alarms everyday. Use <+> and <-> keys to adjust the time. - Hour / - Minute / - Second Allows you to set the RTC alarm time. Use <+> and <-> keys to adjust the time. 2.6.7 Network Stack Network Stack [Disabled] This item allows user to disable or enable the UEFI network stack.
Scroll down to display the following items: 2.7.1 CPU Temperature / MB Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF] 2.7.2 CPU / Chassis Fan Speed [xxxx RPM] or [Ignore] / [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU and motherboard temperatures. Select Ignore if you do not wish to display the detected temperatures. The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU / chassis fan speeds in rotations per minute (RPM).
Q-Fan Lower Temperature [20] Use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the lower limit of the CPU temperature. The values range from 20ºC to 75ºC. Q-Fan Min. Duty Cycle(%) [20] 2.7.4 Use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the minimum CPU fan duty cycle. The values range from 0% to 100%. When the CPU temperature is under the lower limit, the CPU fan will operate at the minimum duty cycle. [Disabled] Chassis Q-Fan Control [Enabled] Disables the Chassis1/2 Q-Fan control feature.
2.7.5 CPU Voltage, 3.3V Voltage, 5V Voltage, 12V Voltage 2.7.6 Anti Surge Support [Auto] 2.8 Boot menu The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard voltage regulators. Select Ignore if you do not want to detect this item. This item allows you to enable or disable the Anti Surge function. Configuration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled] The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options.
2.8.1 [Enabled] Fast Boot [Enabled] Select to accelerate the boot speed. [Disabled] Select to go back to normal boot. The following four items appear when you set Fast Boot to [Enabled]. USB Support [Partial Initialization] [Disabled] All USB devices will not be available until OS boot up for a fastest POST time. [Full Initialization] All USB devices will be available during POST. This process will extend the POST time.
POST Delay Time [3 sec] This item appears only when you set Full Screen Logo to [Enabled]. This item allows you to select the desired additional POST waiting time to easily enter the BIOS setup. You can only execute the POST delay time during Normal Boot. The values range from 0 to 10 seconds. This feature will only work under normal boot. Post Report [5 sec] This item appears only when you set Full Screen Logo to [Disabled]. This item allows you to select a desired post report waiting time.
The following four items appear when you set Launch CSM 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.
Save Secure Boot keys This item appears only when you load the default Secure Boot keys. This item allows you to save all default Secure Boot keys. PK Management The Platform Key (PK) locks and secures the firmware from any non-permissible changes. The system verifies the PK before your system enters the OS. Delete PK Allows you to delete the PK from your system. Once the PK is deleted, all the system’s Secure Boot keys will not be active.
The DB file must be formatted as a UEFI variable structure with time-based authenticated variable. DBX Management The dbx (Revoked Signature database) lists the forbidden images of db items that are no longer trusted and cannot be loaded. Delete the DBX Allows you to delete the DBX file from your system. Configuration options: [Yes] [No] Load DBX from File Allows you to load the downloaded DBX from a USB storage device.
2.9 Tools menu 2.9.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Utility The Tools menu items allow you to configure options for special functions. Select an item then press to display the submenu. Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2. Press [Enter] to launch the ASUS EZ Flash 2 screen. For more details, see section 2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash 2. 2.9.2 ASUS SPD Information DIMM Slot # [DIMM_A1] Displays the Serial Presence Detect (SPD) information of the DIMM module installed on the selected slot.
2.10 Exit menu The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal default values for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items. You can access the EZ Mode from the Exit menu. Load Optimized Defaults This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup menus. When you select this option or if you press , a confirmation window appears. Select Yes to load the default values.
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Appendices Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • • This device may not cause harmful interference. This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Canadian Department of Communications Statement This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
ASUS contact information ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. Address Telephone Fax E-mail Web site Technical Support Telephone Online support 15 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 11259 +886-2-2894-3447 +886-2-2890-7798 info@asus.com.tw www.asus.com.tw +86-21-38429911 support.asus.
A-4 Appendices
