ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX Owner's Manual

960GM-VGS3 FX

960GM-VS3 FX

User Manual

Version 1.0

Published November 2012

Copyright©2012 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.

1

Copyright Notice:

No part of this manual may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or translated in

any language, in any form or by any means, except duplication of documentation by

the purchaser for backup purpose, without written consent of ASRock Inc.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be regis-

tered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for

identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.

Disclaimer:

Specications and information contained in this manual are furnished for informa-

tional use only and subject to change without notice, and should not be constructed

as a commitment by ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for any errors or

omissions that may appear in this manual.

With respect to the contents of this manual, ASRock does not provide warranty of

any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warran-

ties or conditions of merchantability or tness for a particular purpose.

In no event shall ASRock, its directors, ofcers, employees, or agents be liable for

any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including damages for

loss of prots, 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 manual or product.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the fol-

lowing two conditions:

(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and

(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that

may cause undesired operation.

CALIFORNIA, USA ONLY

The Lithium battery adopted on this motherboard contains Perchlorate, a toxic

substance controlled in Perchlorate Best Management Practices (BMP) regulations

passed by the California Legislature. When you discard the Lithium battery in Cali-

fornia, USA, please follow the related regulations in advance.

“Perchlorate Material-special handling may apply, see

www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate”

ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com

2

Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................ 5

1.1 Package Contents ..................................................................... 5

1.2 Specications ............................................................................. 6

1.3 Unique Features ........................................................................ 9

1.4 Motherboard Layout (960GM-VGS3 FX / 960GM-VS3 FX) ..... 12

1.5 I/O Panel (960GM-VGS3 FX) .................................................. 13

1.6 I/O Panel (960GM-VS3 FX) ..................................................... 14

2. Installation .................................................................. 15

Pre-installation Precautions ................................................................ 15

2.1 CPU Installation ......................................................................... 16

2.2 Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink ...................................... 16

2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM) .................................... 17

2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots) ........................... 18

2.5 Multi Monitor Feature ................................................................. 19

2.6 Jumpers Setup ........................................................................... 21

2.7 Onboard Headers and Connectors ....................................... 22

2.8 Serial ATA2 (SATA2) Hard Disks Installation ......................... 26

2.9 Hot Plug and Hot Swap Functions for Serial ATA2 (SATA2)

HDDs ........................................................................................ 26

2.10 SATA2 HDD Hot Plug Feature and Operation Operation Guide 27

2.11 Driver Installation Guide ............................................................ 29

2.12 Installing Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / VistaTM / Vista

64-bit / XP / XP 64-bit With RAID Functions .............................. 29

2.12.1 Installing Windows® XP / XP 64-bit With RAID

Functions ....................................................................... 29

2.12.2 Installing Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / VistaTM /

Vista

TM

64-bit With RAID Functions ................................ 30

2.13 Installing Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / VistaTM / Vista

64-bit / XP / XP 64-bit Without RAID Functions ......................... 31

2.13.1 Installing Windows® XP / XP 64-bit Without RAID

Functions ....................................................................... 31

2.13.2 Installing Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / VistaTM /

Vista

TM

64-bit Without RAID Functions ........................... 32

2.14 Untied Overclocking Technology ............................................ 32

TM

TM

3

3. BIOS SETUP UTILITY ................................................. 33

3.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 33

3.1.1 BIOS Menu Bar ............................................................... 33

3.1.2 Navigation Keys ............................................................... 34

3.2 Main Screen ............................................................................... 34

3.3 OC Tweaker Screen................................................................... 36

3.4 Advanced Screen ...................................................................... 40

3.4.1 CPU Conguration ........................................................... 41

3.4.2 Chipset Conguration ...................................................... 42

3.4.3 ACPI Conguration .......................................................... 43

3.4.4 Storage Conguration ...................................................... 45

3.4.5 PCIPnP Conguration...................................................... 46

3.4.6 Super IO Conguration .................................................... 47

3.4.7 USB Conguration ........................................................... 48

3.5 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen ............................... 49

3.6 Boot Screen ............................................................................... 50

3.6.1 Boot Settings Conguration ............................................. 50

3.7 Security Screen ......................................................................... 51

3.8 Exit Screen ................................................................................ 52

4. Software Support ....................................................... 53

4.1 Install Operating System ............................................................ 53

4.2 Support CD Information ............................................................. 53

4.2.1 Running Support CD ....................................................... 53

4.2.2 Drivers Menu ................................................................... 53

4.2.3 Utilities Menu ................................................................... 53

4.2.4 Contact Information ......................................................... 53

4

1. Introduction

Thank you for purchasing ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX / 960GM-VS3 FX motherboard,

a reliable motherboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality con-

trol. It delivers excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s

commitment to quality and endurance.

In this manual, chapter 1 and 2 contain introduction of the motherboard and step-

by-step guide to the hardware installation. Chapter 3 and 4 contain the conguration

guide to BIOS setup and information of the Support CD.

Because the motherboard specications and the BIOS software might

be updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without

notice. In case any modications of this manual occur, the updated ver-

sion will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You may

nd the latest VGA cards and CPU support lists on ASRock website as

well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com

If you require technical support related to this motherboard, please visit

our website for specic information about the model you are using.

www.asrock.com/support/index.asp

1.1 Package Contents

ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX / 960GM-VS3 FX Motherboard (Micro ATX Form Factor)

ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX / 960GM-VS3 FX Quick Installation Guide

ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX / 960GM-VS3 FX Support CD

2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)

1 x I/O Panel Shield

ASRock Reminds You...

To get better performance in Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / VistaTM

/ VistaTM 64-bit, it is recommended to set the BIOS option in Storage

Conguration to AHCI mode.

5

1.2 Specications

Platform - Micro ATX Form Factor

- Solid Capacitor for CPU power

CPU - Support for Socket AM3+ processors

- Support for Socket AM3 processors: AMD PhenomTM II X6 /

X4 / X3 / X2 (except 920 / 940) / Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 /

Sempron processors

- Supports 8-Core CPU

- Supports AMD OverDriveTM with ACC feature (Advanced

Clock Calibration)

- AMD LIVE!TM Ready

- Supports AMD’s Cool ‘n’ QuietTM Technology

- FSB 2600 MHz (5.2 GT/s)

- Supports Untied Overclocking Technology

- Supports Hyper-Transport 3.0 (HT 3.0) Technology

Chipset - Northbridge: AMD 760G

- Southbridge: AMD SB710

Memory - Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology

- 2 x DDR3 DIMM slots

- Support DDR3 1866(OC)/1600(OC)/1333/1066 non-ECC,

un-buffered memory (see CAUTION 1)

- Max. capacity of system memory: 16GB (see CAUTION 2)

Expansion Slot - 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (PCIE1 @ x16 mode)

- 1 x PCI slot

Graphics - Integrated AMD Radeon 3000 graphics

- DX10 class iGPU, Pixel Shader 4.0

- Max. shared memory 512MB

- Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 2048x1536 @

60Hz

Audio - 5.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC662 Audio Codec)

LAN - 960GM-VGS3 FX

Atheros® PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN AR8151,

speed 10/100/1000 Mb/s

- 960GM-VS3 FX

Atheros® PCIE x1 LAN AR8152, speed 10/100 Mb/s

- Supports Wake-On-LAN

- Supports PXE

Rear Panel I/O I/O Panel

- 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port

- 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port

6

- 1 x VGA Port

- 4 x Ready-to-Use USB 2.0 Ports

- 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED

LED)

- HD Audio Jack: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone

Connector - 4 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,

RAID 1, RAID 10 and JBOD), NCQ, AHCI and “Hot Plug”

functions

- 1 x Chassis Intrusion header

- 1 x CPU Fan connector (4-pin)

- 1 x Chassis Fan connector (4-pin)

- 24 pin ATX power connector

- 4 pin 12V power connector

- Front panel audio connector

- 2 x USB 2.0 headers (support 4 USB 2.0 ports)

BIOS Feature - 8Mb AMI Legal BIOS

- Supports “Plug and Play”

- ACPI 1.1 Compliance Wake Up Events

- Supports jumperfree

- SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support

- CPU, VCCM, NB Voltage Multi-adjustment

Support CD - Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version),

CyberLink MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial, Google Chrome

Browser and Toolbar

Hardware - CPU Temperature Sensing

Monitor - Chassis Temperature Sensing

- CPU Fan Tachometer

- Chassis Fan Tachometer

- CPU Quiet Fan

- CPU Fan Multi-Speed Control

- CASE OPEN detection

- Voltage Monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore

OS - Microsoft® Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista

TM

/

VistaTM 64-bit / XP / XP Media Center / XP 64-bit compliant

Certications - FCC, CE, WHQL

- ErP/EuP Ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)

* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com

7

WARNING

Please realize that there is a certain risk involved with overclocking,

including adjusting the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking

Technology, or using third-party overclocking tools. Overclocking may

affect your system’s stability, or even cause damage to the components

and devices of your system. It should be done at your own risk and

expense. We are not responsible for possible damage caused by

overclocking.

CAUTION!

1. Whether 1866/1600MHz memory speed is supported depends

on the AM3/AM3+ CPU you adopt. If you want to adopt DDR3

1866/1600 memory module on this motherboard, please refer

to the memory support list on our website for the compatible

memory modules.

ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com

2. Due to the operating system limitation, the actual memory size

may be less than 4GB for the reservation for system usage un-

der Windows® 8 / 7 / VistaTM / XP. For Windows® 64-bit OS with

64-bit CPU, there is no such limitation.

8

1.3 Unique Features

ASRock OC Tuner

ASRock OC Tuner is a user-friendly overclocking tool which al-

lows you to surveil your system by hardware monitor function

and overclock your hardware devices to get the best system

performance under Windows® environment. Please visit our

website for the operation procedures of ASRock OC Tuner.

ASRock Intelligent Energy Saver

Featuring an advanced proprietary hardware and software de-

sign, Intelligent Energy Saver is a revolutionary technology that

delivers unparalleled power savings. The voltage regulator can

reduce the number of output phases to improve efciency when

the CPU cores are idle. In other words, it is able to provide ex-

ceptional power saving and improve power efficiency without

sacrificing computing performance. To use Intelligent Energy

Saver function, please enable Cool ‘n’ Quiet option in the BIOS

setup in advance. Please visit our website for the operation pro-

cedures of Intelligent Energy Saver.

ASRock Instant Boot

ASRock Instant Boot allows you to turn on your PC in just a few

seconds, provides a much more efcient way to save energy,

time, money, and improves system running speed for your sys-

tem. It leverages the S3 and S4 ACPI features which normally

enable the Sleep/Standby and Hibernation modes in Windows®

to shorten boot up time. By calling S3 and S4 at specic timing

during the shutdown and startup process, Instant Boot allows

you to enter your Windows® desktop in a few seconds.

ASRock Instant Flash

ASRock Instant Flash is a BIOS ash utility embedded in Flash

ROM. This convenient BIOS update tool allows you to update

system BIOS without entering operating systems rst like MS-

DOS or Windows®. With this utility, you can press the <F6> key

during the POST or the <F2> key to enter into the BIOS setup

menu to access ASRock Instant Flash. Just launch this tool and

save the new BIOS le to your USB ash drive, oppy disk or

hard drive, then you can update your BIOS only in a few clicks

without preparing an additional oppy diskette or other

9

complicated flash utility. Please be noted that the USB flash

drive or hard drive must use FAT32/16/12 le system.

ASRock OC DNA

The software name itself – OC DNA literally tells you what it is

capable of. OC DNA, an exclusive utility developed by ASRock,

provides a convenient way for the user to record the OC set-

tings and share with others. It helps you to save your overclock-

ing record under the operating system and simplies the compli-

cated recording process of overclocking settings. With OC DNA,

you can save your OC settings as a prole and share with your

friends! Your friends then can load the OC prole to their own

system to get the same OC settings as yours! Please be noticed

that the OC prole can only be shared and worked on the same

motherboard.

ASRock APP Charger

If you d es ir e a fast er, less restricted way of c ha rg in g y ou r

Apple devices, such as iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, ASRock has

prepared a wonderful solution for you - ASRock APP Charger.

Simply install the APP Charger driver, it makes your iPhone

charge much quickly from your computer and up to 40% faster

than before. ASRock APP Charger allows you to quickly charge

many Apple devices simultaneously and even supports continu-

ous charging when your PC enters into Standby mode (S1),

Suspend to RAM (S3), hibernation mode (S4) or power off (S5).

With APP Charger driver installed, you can easily enjoy the mar-

velous charging experience.

ASRock XFast USB

ASRock XFast USB can boost USB stor age device perfor-

mance. The performance may depend on the properties of the

device.

ASRock XFast LAN

ASRock XFast LAN provides a faster internet access, which

includes the benefits listed below. LAN Application Prioritiza-

tion: You can congure your application’s priority ideally and/or

add new programs. Lower Latency in Game: After setting online

game’s priority higher, it can lower the latency in games. Trafc

Shaping: You can watch Youtube HD videos and download

10

simultaneously. Real-Time Analysis of Your Data: With the sta-

tus window, you can easily recognize which data streams you

are transferring currently.

ASRock XFast RAM

ASRock XFast RAM fully utilizes the memory space that cannot

be used under Windows® OS 32-bit CPU. ASRock XFast RAM

shortens the loading time of previously visited websites, mak-

ing web surng faster than ever. And it also boosts the speed of

Adobe Photoshop 5 times faster. Another advantage of ASRock

XFast RAM is that it reduces the frequency of accessing your

SSDs or HDDs in order to extend their lifespan.

ASRock X-Boost

ASRock’s X-Boost Technology is a smart auto-overclocking

function and is brilliantly designed to unlock the hidden power of

your CPUs. Simply press “X” when turning on the PC, X-Boost

will automatically overclock the relative components to get up to

15.77% performance boost! With the smart X-Boost, overclock-

ing CPU can become a near one-button process.

* The functionality of “Unlock CPU Cores” feature might vary by

different processors.

11

1.4 Motherboard Layout (960GM-VGS3 FX / 960GM-VS3 FX)

ATXP WR 1

AMD

760G

Chipset

PCI 1

LAN

AUDIO
CODEC

1

CLRCMOS1

CPU_FAN1

HDLED RESET

PLED PWRBTN

1

PANEL1

HD_AUDIO 1

1

RoH S

5

6

1

2

3

4

7

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

8Mb

BIOS

AMD

SB710

Chipse t

SATAII_4 (PORT 6)

USB8_9

1

USB6_7

1

PCIE 1

DDR 3 1 866

Top:

LINE IN

Center :

FRONT

Bottom :

MIC IN

PS2

Mouse

PS2

Keyb oard

USB 2 .0
T: USB0
B: US B1

Top:
RJ-45

USB 2 .0
T: USB2
B: US B3

FS B8 00

DDR 3_A 1 (6 4 b it, 24 0-p in mod ule )

DDR 3_B 1 (6 4 b it, 24 0-p in mod ule )

Sup po rt 8- Co re CP U

ErP /E uP R ea dy

VGA 1

ATX12V1

8

SO CKE T AM 3 b

SATAII_3 (PORT 5)

SATAII_2 (PORT 2)

SATAII_1 (PORT 1)

CHA_FAN1

CI1

1

X

Fas t RA M

X

Fas t US B

X

Fas t LA N

BAT TER Y

CMO S

1 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1) 12 SATA2 Connector (SATAII_2 (PORT 2))

2 CPU Heatsink Retention Module 13 SATA2 Connector (SATAII_1 (PORT 1))

3 AM3+ CPU Socket 14 Southbridge Controller

4 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots 15 PCI Slot (PCI1)

(Dual Channel: DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1) 16 USB 2.0 Header (USB8_9)

5 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1) 17 USB 2.0 Header (USB6_7)

Super

I/O

6 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1) 18 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)

7 SATA2 Connector (SATAII_4 (PORT 6)) 19 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)

8 Northbridge Controller 20 SPI Flash Memory (8Mb)

9 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1) 21 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1)

10 SATA2 Connector (SATAII_3 (PORT 5)) 22 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)

11 System Panel Header (PANEL1)

12

1.5 I/O Panel (960GM-VGS3 FX)

1

2

3

4

5

9

1 PS/2 Mouse Port (Green) 6 VGA Port (VGA1)

* 2 LAN RJ-45 Port 7 USB 2.0 Port (USB23)

3 Line In (Light Blue) 8 USB 2.0 Ports (USB01)

** 4 Front Speaker (Lime) 9 PS/2 Keyboard Port (Purple)

5 Microphone (Pink)

* There are two LED next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED

indications.

Activity/Link LED SPEED LED

Status Description Status Description

8

LAN Port LED Indications

7

6

ACT/LINK

LED

SPEED

LED

Off No Link Off 10Mbps connection

Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection

On Link Green 1Gbps connection

LAN Port

** To enable Multi-Streaming function, you need to connect a front panel audio cable to the front

panel audio header. Please refer to below steps for the software setting of Multi-Streaming.

For Windows® XP:

After restarting your computer, you will nd “Mixer” tool on your system. Please select “Mixer

ToolBox” , click “Enable playback multi-streaming”, and click “ok”. Choose “2CH” or

“4CH” and then you are allowed to select “Realtek HDA Primary output” to use Rear Speaker

and Front Speaker, or select “Realtek HDA Audio 2nd output” to use front panel audio. Then

reboot your system.

For Windows® 8 / 7 / VistaTM:

After restarting your computer, please double-click “Realtek HD Audio Manager” on the

system tray. Set “Speaker Conguration” to “Quadraphonic” or “Stereo”. Click “Device

advanced settings”, choose “Make front and rear output devices playbacks two different audio

streams simultaneously”, and click “ok”. Then reboot your system.

13

1.6 I/O Panel (960GM-VS3 FX)

1

2

3

4

5

9

1 PS/2 Mouse Port (Green) 6 VGA Port (VGA1)

* 2 LAN RJ-45 Port 7 USB 2.0 Port (USB23)

3 Line In (Light Blue) 8 USB 2.0 Ports (USB01)

** 4 Front Speaker (Lime) 9 PS/2 Keyboard Port (Purple)

5 Microphone (Pink)

* There are two LED next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED

indications.

Activity/Link LED SPEED LED

Status Description Status Description

8

LAN Port LED Indications

7

6

ACT/LINK

LED

SPEED

LED

Off No Link Off 10Mbps connection

Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection

On Link

LAN Port

** To enable Multi-Streaming function, you need to connect a front panel audio cable to the front

panel audio header. Please refer to below steps for the software setting of Multi-Streaming.

For Windows® XP:

After restarting your computer, you will nd “Mixer” tool on your system. Please select “Mixer

ToolBox” , click “Enable playback multi-streaming”, and click “ok”. Choose “2CH” or

“4CH” and then you are allowed to select “Realtek HDA Primary output” to use Rear Speaker

and Front Speaker, or select “Realtek HDA Audio 2nd output” to use front panel audio. Then

reboot your system.

For Windows® 8 / 7 / VistaTM:

After restarting your computer, please double-click “Realtek HD Audio Manager” on the

system tray. Set “Speaker Conguration” to “Quadraphonic” or “Stereo”. Click “Device

advanced settings”, choose “Make front and rear output devices playbacks two different audio

streams simultaneously”, and click “ok”. Then reboot your system.

14

2. Installation

This is a Micro ATX form factor motherboard. Before you install the motherboard,

study the conguration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard ts into it.

Pre-installation Precautions

Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard

components or change any motherboard settings.

Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the

power 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, and/or components.

1. Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any

component.

2. To avoid damaging the motherboard components due to static elec-

tricity, NEVER place your motherboard directly on the carpet or the

like. Also remember to use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safety

grounded object before you handle components.

3. Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs.

4. Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded anti-

static pad or in the bag that comes with the component.

5. When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the mother-

board to the chassis, please do not over-tighten the screws! Doing

so may damage the motherboard.

15

2.1 CPU Installation

Step 1. Unlock the socket by lifting the lever up to a 90

o

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. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it ts in place.

The CPU ts only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU

into the socket to avoid bending of the pins.

Step 4. When the CPU is in place, press it rmly on the socket while you push

down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab

to indicate that it is locked.

Lever 90° Up

CPU Golden Triangle

STEP 1:

Lift Up The Socket Lever

STEP 2 / STEP 3:

Match The CPU Golden Triangle

To The Socket Corner Small

Triangle

Socker Corner

Small Triangle

STEP 4:

Push Down And Lock

The Socket Lever

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. Make sure that the CPU and the heatsink are securely fastened

and in good contact with each other. Then connect the CPU fan to the

CPU FAN connector (CPU_FAN1, see Page 12, No. 5). For proper in-

stallation, please kindly refer to the instruction manuals of the CPU fan

and the heatsink.

16