A520M-ITX-ac
Version 1.0
Published June 2020
Copyright©2020 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this documentation 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 documentation may or may not
be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used
only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to
infringe.
Disclaimer:
Specications and information contained in this documentation are furnished for
informational 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 documentation.
With respect to the contents of this documentation, ASRock does not provide
warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to
the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or tness for a particular
purpose.
In no event shall ASRock, its directors, ocers, employees, or agents be liable for
any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including damages for
loss of prots, 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.
is device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
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
e 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 California, USA, please
follow the related regulations in advance.
“Perchlorate Material-special handling may apply, see ww w.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate”
ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com
AUSTRALIA ONLY
Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian
Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and
compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage caused by our
goods. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail
to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure. If
you require assistance please call ASRock Tel : +886-2-28965588 ext.123 (Standard
International call charges apply)
e terms HDMI® and HDMI High-Denition Multimedia Interface, and the
HDMI logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the
United States and other countries.
CE Warning
is device complies with directive 2014/53/EU issued by the Commision of the European
Community.
is equipment complies with EU radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled
environment.
is equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 20cm between
the radiator & your body.
Operations in the 5.15-5.35GHz band are restricted to indoor usage only.
Radio transmit power per transceiver ty pe
Function Frequency Maximum Output Power (EIRP)
WiFi
2400-2483.5 MHz 18.5 + / -1.5 dbm
5150-5250 MHz 21.5 + / -1.5 dbm
5250-5350 MHz
18.5 + / -1.5 dbm (no TPC)
21.5 + / -1.5 dbm (TPC)
5470-5725 MHz
25.5 + / -1.5 dbm (no TPC)
28.5 + / -1.5 dbm (TPC)
Bluetooth 2400-2483.5 MHz 8.5 + / -1.5 dbm
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Package Contents 1
1.2 Specications 2
1.3 Motherboard Layout 7
1.4 I/O Panel 9
1.5 WiFi-802.11ac Module and ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antennas 11
Chapter 2 Installation 13
2.1 Installing the CPU 14
2.2 Installing the CPU Fan and Heatsink 16
2.3 Installing Memory Modules (DIMM) 24
2.4 Expansion Slot (PCI Express Slot) 26
2.5 Jumpers Setup 27
2.6 Onboard Headers and Connectors 28
2.7 M.2_SSD (NGFF) Module Installation Guide (M2_1) 32
Chapter 3 Software and Utilities Operation 35
3.1 Installing Drivers 35
3.2 ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning) 36
3.2.1 Installing ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning) 36
3.2.2 Using ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning) 36
3.3 ASRock Live Update & APP Shop 39
3.3.1 UI Overview 39
3.3.2 Apps 40
3.3.3 BIOS & Drivers 43
3.3.4 Setting 44
3.4 ASRock Polychrome SYNC 45
Chapter 4 UEFI SETUP UTILITY 48
4.1 Introduction 48
4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar 48
4.1.2 Navigation Keys 49
4.2 Main Screen 50
4.3 OC Tweaker Screen 51
4.4 Advanced Screen 55
4.4.1 CPU Conguration 56
4.4.2 Onboard Devices Conguration 57
4.4.3 Storage Conguration 59
4.4.4 ACPI Conguration 60
4.4.5 Trusted Computing 61
4.4.6 AMD PBS 62
4.4.7 AMD CBS 63
4.5 Tools 64
4.6 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen 65
4.7 Security Screen 67
4.8 Boot Screen 68
4.9 Exit Screen 71
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A520M-ITX/ac
Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock A520M-ITX/ac motherboard, a reliable
motherboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control.
It delivers excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s
commitment to quality and endurance.
In this documentation, Chapter 1 and 2 contains the introduction of the
motherboard and step-by-step installation guides. Chapter 3 contains the operation
guide of the soware and utilities. Chapter 4 contains the conguration guide of
the BIOS setup.
1.1 Package Contents
•
ASRock A520M-ITX/ac Motherboard (Mini-ITX Form Factor)
•
ASRock A520M-ITX/ac Quick Installation Guide
•
ASRock A520M-ITX/ac Support CD
•
1 x I/O Panel Shield
•
2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
•
2 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antennas (O pt iona l)
Becau se the motherboard specications and the BIOS soware might be updated, the
content of this documentation will be subject to change without notice. In case any
modications of this documentation occur, the upd ated version will be available on
ASRock’s website w ithout f urther notice. If you require technical support related to
this motherboard, please vi sit our website for s pecic information about the model
you are using. You may nd the l atest VGA cards and CPU suppor t list on ASRock’s
website a s well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com.
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1.2 Specications
Platform
•
Mini-ITX Form Factor
•
Solid Capacitor design
CPU
•
Supports 3
rd
Gen AMD AM4 Ryzen™ / future AMD Ryzen™
Processors (3000 and 4000 Series Processors)*
* Not compatible with AMD Ryzen™ 5 3400G and Ryzen™ 3
3200G.
•
Digi Power design
•
8 Power Phase design
Chipset
•
AMD A520
Memory
•
Dual Channel DDR4 Memory Technology
•
2 x DDR4 DIMM Slots
•
AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse) support DDR4 4600+
(OC)/4533(OC)/4466(OC)/4400(OC)/4333(OC)/4333(OC)/
4266(OC)/4200(OC)/4133(OC)/4000(OC)/3866(OC)/3800
(OC)/3733(OC)/3600(OC)/3466(OC)/3200/2933/2667/
2400/2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buered memory*
•
AMD Ryzen series APUs (Renoir) support DDR4 4733+(OC)
/4666(OC)/4600(OC)/4533(OC)/4466(OC)/4400(OC)/
4333(OC)/4266(OC)/4200(OC)/4133(OC)/4000
(OC)/3866(OC)/380 0(OC)/3733(OC)/3600(OC)/346 6
(OC)/3200/2933/2667/2400/2133 ECC & non-ECC,
un-buered memory*
* Please refer to Memory Support List on ASRock’s website for
more information. (http://www.asrock.com/)
* Please refer to page 23 for DDR4 UDIMM maximum
frequency support.
•
Max. capacity of system memory: 64GB
•
Supports Extreme Memory Prole (XMP) memory modules
•
15μ Gold Contact in DIMM Slots
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A520M-ITX/ac
Expansion
Slot
•
1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1: x16 mode)*
* AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse) supports PCIe riser cards
to extend x8/x8 slots
* Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
•
1 x Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E) with the bundled WiFi-
802.11ac module (on the rear I/O)
Graphics
•
Integrated AMD Radeon
TM
Vega Series Graphics in Ryzen
Series APU*
* Actual support may vary by CPU
•
DirectX 12, Pixel Shader 5.0
•
Shared memory default 2GB. Max Shared memory supports
up to 16GB.
* e Max shared memory 16GB requires 32GB system memory
installed.
•
Dual graphics output: support HDMI and DisplayPort 1.4
ports by independent display controllers
•
Supports HDMI 2.1 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K
(4096x2160) @ 60Hz
•
Supports DisplayPort 1.4 Input with max. resolution up to
5K (5120x2880)@120Hz
•
Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and
HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI 2.1 Port (Compliant
HDMI monitor is required)
•
Supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) with HDMI 2.1
•
Supports HDCP 2.3 with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4
Ports
•
Supports 4K Ultra HD (UHD) playback with HDMI 2.1 and
DisplayPort 1.4 Ports
•
Supports Microso PlayReady®
Audio
•
7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC887 Audio Codec)
•
Supports Surge Protection
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LAN
•
PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
•
Realtek RTL8111H
•
Supports Wake-On-LAN
•
Supports Lightning/ESD Protection
•
Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az
•
Supports PXE
Wireless
LAN
•
Intel® 802.11ac WiFi Module
•
Supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
•
Supports Dual-Band (2.4/5 GHz)
•
Supports high speed wireless connections up to 433Mbps
•
Supports Bluetooth 4.2+ High speed class II
Rear Panel
I/O
•
2 x Antenna Ports
•
1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
•
1 x HDMI Port
•
1 x DisplayPort 1.4
•
2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
•
3 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
•
1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C Port (Supports ESD Protection)
•
1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED
LED)
•
HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone
Storage
•
4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,
RAID 1 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
•
1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_1), supports M Key type 2280 M.2
SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to
Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)*
* Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
* Supports ASRock U.2 Kit
Connector
•
1 x RGB LED Header
* Supports in total up to 12V/3A, 36W LED Strip
•
1 x Addressable LED Header
* Supports in total up to 5V/3A, 15W LED Strip
•
1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)
* e CPU Fan Connector supports the CPU fan of ma ximum
1A (12W) fan power.
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A520M-ITX/ac
•
2 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan
Speed Control)
* e Chassis/Water Pump Fan supports the water cooler fan of
maximum 2A (24W) fan power.
* CHA_FAN1/WP and CHA_FAN2/WP can auto detect if 3-pin
or 4-pin fan is in use.
•
1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
•
1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector
•
1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
•
1 x USB 2.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports
ESD Protection)
•
1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
(Supports ESD Protection)
BIOS
Feature
•
AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support
•
Supports “Plug and Play”
•
ACPI 5.1 compliance wake up events
•
Supports jumperfree
•
SMBIOS 2.3 support
•
CPU, CPU VDDCR_SOC, DRAM, VPPM, +1.8VSB, VDDP
Voltage Multi-adjustment
Hardware
Monitor
•
Temperature Sensing: CPU, Chassis/Water Pump Fans
•
Fan Tachometer: CPU, Chassis/Water Pump Fans
•
Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU tempera-
ture): CPU, Chassis/Water Pump Fans
•
Fan Multi-Speed Control: CPU, Chassis/Water Pump Fans
•
Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore
OS
•
Microso® Windows® 10 64-bit
Certica-
tions
•
FCC, CE
•
ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)
* For detailed product information, please visit our website:
http://www.asrock .com
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Please realiz e that the re is a certain r isk involved with o verclocking, including
adjusting the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking Technology, or using
third-party overclocking tool s. Overclocking may aect your s ystem’s stability, or
even cause dam age to the components and devices of your system. It should be done
at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for poss ible damage caused by
overclocking.
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A520M-ITX/ac
1.3 Motherboard Layout
8
10
11
13
14
15
7
5
9
3
2
1
4
6
DDR 4_B1 (6 4 bit, 28 8-pin m odule )
DDR 4_A1 (6 4 bit, 28 8-pin m odule )
ATXP WR1
PCIE1
HDLED RESE T
PLED PWRBT N
PANEL1
1
1
1
HD_AUDIO1
SATA3_1 _3
USB_3_ 4
1
CPU_FAN1
AMD
A520
SOCKETAM4
CLRCMOS1
RGB_LED1
1
1
ADDR_LED1
1
USB3_ 4_5
HDM I1
SATA3_2 _4
M2_ 1
DP1
CHA_FAN2/WP
CHA_FAN1
/WP
1
SPEAKER1
Top:
LINE I N
Cent er:
FRON T
Bott om:
MIC IN
M2_WIFI1
A520M-I TX/ ac
RoHS
USB 3.2 Gen1
T: USB3_3
B: USB3_TC_1
RJ- 45 LAN
USB 3.2 Gen1
T: USB1
B: USB2
USB 2. 0
T: USB1
B: USB 2
PS2
Keyb oard
/Mou se
ATX12V1
16
12
BAT1
SATA3_1 _3
SATA3_2 _4
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No. Description
1 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
2 Addressable LED Header (ADDR_LED1)
3 RGB LED Header (RGB_LED1)
4 Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1/WP)
5 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_ A1, DDR4_B1)
6 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
7 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_1_3)
8 SATA3 Connec tors (SATA3_2_4)
9 USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (USB3_4_5)
10 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
11 USB 2.0 Header (USB_3_4)
12 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
13 Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connector (CHA _FAN2/WP)
14 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
15 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)
16 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
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A520M-ITX/ac
1.4 I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 USB 2.0 Ports (USB_12)* 7 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A Port (USB3_3)
2 LAN RJ-45 Port** 8 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C Port (USB3_TC_1)
3 Line In (Light Blue)*** 9 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
4 Front Speaker (Lime)*** 10 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A Port (USB3_1_2)
5 Antenna Ports 11 DisplayPort 1.4
6 Microphone (Pink)*** 12 HDMI Port
** ere are two LEDs on each LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications.
Activity / Link LED Speed LED
Status Description Status Description
O No Link O 10Mbps connection
Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Por t
56791011
12 8
421
3
* Please note that the USB_12 consume auxiliary power (+5VSB) while the other USB ports consume DUAL
Power (+5VDUAL). e USB_12 are optimal for connecting the USB Type speaker an d head set..
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*** Function of the Audio Ports in 7.1-channel Conguration:
Port Function
Light Blue (Rear panel) Rear Speaker Out
Lime (Rear panel) Front Speaker Out
Pink (Rear panel) Central /Subwoofer Speaker Out
Lime (Front panel) Side Speaker Out
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A520M-ITX/ac
1.5 WiFi-802.11ac Module and ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antennas
WiFi-802.11ac + BT Module
is motherboard comes with an exclusive WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + BT v4.2 module
(pre-installed on the rear I/O panel) that oers support for WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/
ac connectivity standards and Bluetooth v4.2. WiFi + BT module is an easy-to-use
wireless local area network (WLAN) adapter to support WiFi + BT. Bluetooth v4.2
standard features Smart Ready technology that adds a whole new class of functionality
into the mobile devices. BT 4.2 also includes Low Energy Technology and ensures
extraordinary low power consumption for PCs.
* e transmission speed may vary according to the environment.
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WiFi Antennas Installation Guide
Step 1
Prepare the WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antennas that come
with the package.
Step 2
Connect the two WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antennas to
the antenna connectors. Turn the antenna clock-
wise until it is securely connected.
Step 3
Set the WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna as shown in the
illustration.
*You may need to adjust the direction of
the antenna for a stronger signal.
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A520M-ITX/ac
is is a Mini-ITX form factor motherboard. Before you install the motherboard,
study the conguration 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.
•
Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard.
Failure to do so may cause physical injuries to you and damages to motherboard
components.
•
In order to avoid damage from static electricity to the motherboard’s components,
NEVER place your motherboard directly on a carpet. Also remember to use a grounded
wrist strap or touch a safety grounded object before you handle the components.
•
Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs.
•
Whenever you uninstall any components, place them on a grounded anti-static pad or
in the bag that comes with the components.
•
When placing screws to secure the motherboard to the chassis, please do not over-
tighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.
Chapter 2 Installation
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2.1 Installing the CPU
Unplug all power cables be fore installing the CPU.
2
1
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A520M-ITX/ac
3
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2.2 Installing the CPU Fan and Heatsink
Aer 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 dissipation. Ma ke sure that the
CPU and the heatsink are securely fastened and in good contact with each other.
Installing the CPU Box Cooler SR1
Please turn o th e power or remove the power cord before changing a CPU or heatsink.
1
2
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A520M-ITX/ac
3
4
C
P
U
_
FA
N
1
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Installing the AM4 Box Cooler SR2
1
2
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A520M-ITX/ac
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