Asrock H81M-VG4 User Manual

Version 1.0

Published December 2015

Copyright©2015 ASRock INC. All rights reser ved.

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 identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to

infringe.

Disclaimer:

Specications 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, o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 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
: [phone] ext.123 (Standard International call charges apply)

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

1.1 Package Contents 1

1.2 Specications 2

1.3 Motherboard Layout 5

1.4 I/O Panel 7

Chapter 2 Installation 9

2.1 Installing the CPU 10

2.2 Installing the CPU Fan and Heatsink 13

2.3 Installing Memory Modules (DIMM) 14

2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI Express Slots) 16

2.5 Onboard Headers and Connectors 17

Chapter 3 Software and Utilities Operation 21

3.1 Installing Drivers 21

3.2 Intel® Smart Connect Technology 22

3.3 ASRock APP Shop 27

3.3.1 UI Overview 27

3.3.2 Apps 28

3.3.3 BIOS & Drivers 31

3.3.4 Setting 32

Chapter 4 UEFI SETUP UTILITY 33

4.1 Introduction 33

4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar 33

4.1.2 Navigation Keys 34

4.2 Main Screen 35

4.3 OC Tweaker Screen 36

4.4 Advanced Screen 43

4.4.1 CPU Conguration 44

4.4.2 Chipset Conguration 46

4.4.3 Storage Conguration 48

4.4.4 Intel® Smart Connect Technology 49

4.4.5 ACPI Conguration 50

4.4.6 USB Conguration 52

4.4.7 Trusted Computing 53

4.5 Tools 54

4.6 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen 56

4.7 Boot Screen 57

4.8 Security Screen 60

4.9 Exit Screen 61

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Chapter 1 Introduction

ank you for purchasing ASRock H81M-VG4 R3.0 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 manual, Chapter 1 and 2 contains the introduction of the motherboard

and step-by-step installation guides. Chapter 3 contains the operation guide of the

soware and utilities. Chapter 4 contains the conguration guide of the BIOS setup.

Becau se the motherboard specications and the BIOS soware might be updated, the
content of this documentation will be subject to change without notice. In case any
modications of this documentation occur, the updated version will be available on
ASRock’s website w ithout f urther notice. If you require technical support relate d to
this motherboard, please vi sit our website for s pecic 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 ht tp://www.a srock.com.

1.1 Package Contents

ASRock H81M-VG4 R3.0 Motherboard (Micro ATX Form Factor)

•

ASRock H81M-VG4 R3.0 Quick Installation Guide

•

ASRock H81M-VG4 R3.0 Support CD

•

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

•

1 x I/O Panel Shield

•

English

1

1.2 Specications

Platform

CPU

Chipset

Memory

Expansion
Slot

Graphics

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Micro ATX Form Factor

Solid Capacitor for CPU power

Supports New 4th and 4th Generation Intel® CoreTM i7/i5/i3/

Xeon®/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors (Socket 1150)

Supports Intel® Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology

Intel® H81

Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology

2 x DDR3 DIMM Slots

Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buered

memory

Max. capacity of system memory: 16GB

(see CAUTION)

Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Prole (XMP)1.3/1.2

1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2: x16 mode)

1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot

Intel® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs can

be supported only with processors which are GPU integrated.

Supports Intel® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals : Intel® Quick

Sync Video with AVC, MVC (S3D) and MPEG-2 Full

HW Encode1, Intel® InTruTM 3D, Intel® Clear Video HD

Technology, Intel® InsiderTM, Intel® HD Graphics 4400/4600

Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 11.1

Max. shared memory 1024MB

Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @

60Hz

English

2

Audio

7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC887 Audio Codec)

•

* To congure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it is required to use an HD

front panel audio module and enable the multi-channel audio

feature through the audio driver.

Supports Surge Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)

•

LAN

Rear Panel
I/O

Storage

PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s

•

Realtek RTL8111C

•

Supports Wake-On-LAN

•

Supports Lightning/ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike

•

Protection)

Supports LAN Cable Detection

•

Supports PXE

•

1 x PS/2 Mouse Port

•

1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port

•

1 x D-Sub Port

•

2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full

•

Spike Protection))

2 x USB 3.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full

•

Spike Protection))

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

•

LED)

HD Audio Jack: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone

•

2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and

•

Hot Plug

2 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s Connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and

•

Hot Plug

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Connector

BIOS
Feature

1 x Chassis Intrusion Header

•

1 x TPM Header

•

1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)

•

1 x Chassis Fan Connector (4-pin)

•

1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector

•

1 x 4 pin 12V Power Connector

•

1 x Front Panel Audio Connector

•

2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD

•

Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))

AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support

•

ACPI 1.1 Compliant wake up events

•

SMBIOS 2.3.1 support

•

CPU, DRAM Voltage multi-adjustment

•

English

3

CPU/Chassis temperature sensing

Hardware
Monitor

•

CPU/Chassis Tachometer

•

CPU Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU tem-

•

perature)

CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control

•

CASE OPEN detection

•

Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore

•

Microso® Windows® 10 32-bit / 10 64-bit / 8.1 32-bit / 8.1 64-

OS

•

bit / 8 32-bit / 8 64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit

* For the updated Windows® 10 driver, please visit ASRock’s web-For the updated Windows® 10 driver, please visit ASRock’s web-

site for details: http://www.asrock.com

FCC, CE, WHQL

Certica­tions

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

Please realize that the re is a certain r isk involved with overclo cking, including adju st­ing the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Ove rclocking Technology, or using third­party o verclocking tools. Overclocking may aect your system’s stability, or even c ause
damage to the components and dev ices of your system. It should be done at your own
risk and expense. We are not responsible for possible damage cau sed by overclocking.

•

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

•

English

4

Due to limitation, the actual memory size may be less than 4GB for the reservation
for system usage under Windows® 32- bit operating systems . Windows® 64-bit operat­ing systems do not have such limitations. You can use ASRock XFast RAM to utilize
the memory that Windows® cannot use.

1.3 Motherboard Layout

Intel

H81

DDR 3_B 1 (64 bi t, 24 0-p in mo dul e)

DDR 3_A 1 (64 bi t, 24 0-p in mo dul e)

ATXP WR1

LAN

Top:
RJ- 45

USB 2. 0
T: US B2
B: USB 3

1

SPEAKER1

1

1

USB6_7 USB4 _5

H8 1M - VG 4

CHA_FA N1

Ro HS

CPU_FA N1

BIOS
ROM

Audio

CODEC

PCIE2

PCIE1

USB 3 .0
T: USB0
B: US B1

Top:

LINE IN

Cente r:

FRONT

Botto m:

MIC IN

ATX12V1

HDLED RESET

PLED PWRBTN

PANEL1

1

1

HD_AUDI O1

1

CI1

VGA 1

TPMS1

1

SATA_0

SATA_2

CMO S

Bat ter y

SATA_1

SATA_3

PS2

Keyb oar d

PS2

Mous e

CLRMOS1

H81M-VG4 R3.0

English

5

No. Description

1 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)

2 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1)

3 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)

4 System Panel Header (PANEL1)

5 SATA2 Connector (SATA_2)

6 SATA2 Connector (SATA_3)

7 TPM Header (TPMS1)

8 USB 2.0 Header (USB4_5)

9 USB 2.0 Header (USB6_7)

10 SATA3 Connector (SATA_1)

11 SATA3 Connector (SATA_0)

12 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)

13 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)

14 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)

15 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)

16 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)

English

6

1.4 I/O Panel

1

8 5679

No. Description No. Description

1 PS/2 Mouse Port 6 USB 2.0 Ports (USB23)

2 LAN RJ-45 Port* 7 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_01)

3 Line In (Light Blue)** 8 D-Sub Port

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

5 Microphone (Pink)**

H81M-VG4 R3.0

3

2 4

* ere are two LEDs on each LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications .

ACT/LINK L ED

SPEED LE D

LAN Por t

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

English

7

** To congure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it i s required to use an HD front panel audio module and enable the multi­channel audio feature through the audio driver.

Please set Speaker Conguration to “7.1 Speaker”in the Realtek HD Audio Manager.

Function of the Audio Por ts in 7.1-channel Con guration:

English

8

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

Chapter 2 Installation

is 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.

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.

2.1 Installing the CPU

1. Before you insert the 1150-Pin CPU into the socket, please che ck if the PnP cap is on
the socket, if the CPU surfa ce is unclean, or if there are any bent pins in the socket.
Do not force to insert the CPU into the socket if above situation is found. Otherwise,
the CPU will be seriously damaged .

2. Unplug all power c ables before in stalling the CPU.

1

A

B

English

10

2

H81M-VG4 R3.0

3

5

4

11

English

Please save and replace the cover if the processor i s removed. e cover must be placed
if you wish to retur n the motherboard for aer service.

English

12

2.2 Installing the CPU Fan and Heatsink

1 2

H81M-VG4 R3.0

N

FA

_

U
P
C

English

13

2.3 Installing Memory Modules (DIMM)

is motherboard provides two 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM slots,

and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology.

1. For dual channel conguration, you always need to install identical (the same

brand, speed , size and chip-type) DDR3 DIMM pairs.

2. It is unable to activate Dual Channel Memor y Technology with only one memory
module instal led.

3. It is not allowed to install a DDR or DDR2 memory module into a DDR3 slot;
otherwise , this motherboard and DIM M may be damaged.

e DIMM only ts in one correct orientation. It will cause permanent dam age to
the mothe rboard and the DIMM if you force the DIMM into the slot at incor rect
orientation .

English

14

H81M-VG4 R3.0

1

2

3

English

15

2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI Express Slots)

ere are 2 PCI Express slots on the motherboard.

Before installing an ex pansion card, please make sure that the power supply is
switched o or the power cord is unplugged. Plea se read the documentation of the
expan sion card and mak e necessary hardware settings for the card before you start
the installation.

PCIe slots:

PCIE1 (PCIe 2.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express x1 lane width cards.

PCIE2 (PCIe 2.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width graphics

cards.

English

16

2.5 Onboard Headers and Connectors

Onboard headers and connectors are NOT jumpers. Do NOT place jumper caps over
these header s and connectors. Placing jumper caps over the headers and connectors
will cause permanent damage to the motherboard.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

System Panel Header

(9-pin PANEL1)

(see p.5, No. 4)

PWRBTN (Power Switch):

Connec t to the power switch on the chassi s front panel. You may congure the way to
turn o your system using the power switch.

RESET (Reset Switch):

Connec t to the reset switch on the chassi s front panel. P ress the reset sw itch to restart
the computer if the compute r freezes and fails to perform a normal restart.

PLED (Syste m Power LED):

Connec t to the power status indicator on the chassis front panel. e LED i s on when
the system is ope rating. e LED keeps blinking when the system i s in S3 sleep state.
e LED is o when the system i s in S4 sle ep state or powered o (S5).

HDLED (Ha rd Drive Activity LED):

Connec t to the hard drive ac tivity LED on the chassis front panel. e LED is on when
the hard dr ive is reading or w riting data.

e front panel de sign may dier by chassis. A front pane l module mainly consists
of power switch , reset switch, power LED, hard dr ive activity LED, speak er and etc.
When connecting your chassis front panel module to this head er, make sure the wire
assig nments and the pin assig nments are matched correctly.

GND

PWR BTN #

PLE D-

PLE D+

GND

RES ET#

GND

HDL ED-

HDL ED+

1

Connect the power

switch, reset switch and

system status indicator on

the chassis to this header

according to the pin

assignments below. Note

the positive and negative

pins before connecting

the cables.

17

English

Serial ATA2 Connectors

(SATA_2:

see p.5, No. 5)

(SATA_3:

see p.5, No. 6)

SATA_2

ese two SATA2

connectors support SATA

data cables for internal

SATA_3

storage devices with up to

3.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.

English

Serial ATA3 Connectors

(SATA_0:

see p.5, No. 11)

(SATA_1:

see p.5, No. 10)

USB 2.0 Headers

(9-pin USB4_ 5)

(see p.5, No. 8)

(9-pin USB6_7)

(see p.5, No. 9)

Front Panel Audio Header

(9-pin HD_AUDIO1)

(see p.5, No. 15)

1. High Denition Audio supports Jack Sen sing, but the panel wire on the chas sis mu st
suppor t HDA to function correctly. Please follow the instructions in our manual and
chassis manual to install your syste m.

2. If you use an AC’97 audio panel , please install it to the front panel audio header by
the steps below:
A. Connect Mic_IN (MIC) to MIC2_ L.
B. Conne ct Audio_R (RIN) to OUT2_R and Audio_ L (LIN) to OUT2_ L.
C. Connect Ground (GND) to Ground (GND).
D. MIC_ RET and OUT_RET are for the HD audio panel only. You don’t need to
connec t them for the AC’97 audio panel.
E. To activate the front mic, go to the “FrontMic” Tab in the Realtek Control panel
and adju st “Recording Volume”.

MIC2 _L

MIC2 _R

OUT2 _R

J_SE NS

SATA_0

OUT2 _L

ese two SATA3

connectors support SATA

data cables for internal

SATA_1

storage devices with up to

6.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.

Besides two USB 2.0 ports

on the I/O panel, there

are two headers on this

motherboard. Each USB

2.0 header can support

two ports.

1

E

MIC_ RET

OUT_ RET

is header is for

GND

connecting audio devices

PRES ENC E#

to the front audio panel.

18

Chassis Speaker Header

(4-pin SPEAKER1)

(see p.5, No. 13)

DUM MY

1

+5V

SPE AKE R

DUM MY

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Please connect the chassis

speaker to this header.

Chassis Fan Connector

(4-pin CHA_FAN1)

(see p.5, No. 12)

CPU Fan Connector

(4-pin CPU_FAN1)

(see p.5, No. 1)

ATX Power Connector

(24-pin ATXPWR1)

(see p.5, No. 3)

ATX 12V Power

Connector

(4-pin ATX12V1)

(see p.5, No. 16)

GND

GND

+12 V

+12 V

CPU _FAN _S PEE D

CHA _FA N_S PEE D

FAN _SP EED _CO NT ROL

FAN_ SPE ED _CO NTR OL

12

24

1

13

Please connect fan cables

to the fan connectors and

match the black wire to

the ground pin.

is motherboard pro-

vides a 4-Pin CPU fan

(Quiet Fan) connector.

If you plan to connect a

3-Pin CPU fan, please

connect it to Pin 1-3.

is motherboard pro-

vides a 24-pin ATX power

connector. To use a 20-pin

ATX power supply, please

plug it along Pin 1 and Pin

13.

is motherboard

provides an 4-pin ATX

12V power connector.

Chassis Intrusion Header

(2-pin CI1)

(see p.5, No. 14)

1

Sig na l

GND

is motherboard

supports CASE OPEN

detection feature that

detects if the chassis cove

has been removed. is

feature requires a chassis

with chassis intrusion

detection design.

English

19

TPM Header

(17-pin TPMS1)

(see p.5, No. 7)

is connector supports

Trusted Platform Module

(TPM) system, which can

securely store keys, digital

certicates, passwords,

and data. A TPM system

also helps enhance

network securit y, protects

digital identities, and

ensures platform integrity.

English

20

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Chapter 3 Software and Utilities Operation

3.1 Installing Drivers

e Support CD that comes with the motherboard contains necessary drivers and

useful utilities that enhance the motherboard’s features.

Running The Support CD

To begin using the support CD, insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. e CD

automatically displays the Main Menu if “AUTORUN” is enabled in your computer.

If the Main Menu does not appear automatically, locate and double click on the le

“ASRSETUP.EXE” in the Support CD to display the menu.

Drivers Menu

e drivers compatible to your system will be auto-detected and listed on the

support CD driver page. Please click Install All or follow the order from top to

bottom to install those required drivers. erefore, the drivers you install can work

properly.

Utilities Menu

e Utilities Menu shows the application soware that the motherboard supports.

Click on a specic item then follow the installation wizard to insta ll it.

To improve Windows 7 compatibility, please download and install the following hot
x provided by Microso.
“KB2720599”: http://support.microso.com/ kb/2720599/en-us

English

21

3.2 Intel® Smart Connect Technology

Intel® Smart Connect Technology is a feature that periodically wakes your computer

from Windows® sleep state to refresh email or social networking applications. It

saves your waiting time and keeps the content always up-to-date.

3.2.1 System Requirements

• Conrm whether your motherboard supports this feature.

• Operating system: Microso Windows 8.1/8/7 (32- or 64-bit edition)

• Set the SATA mode to AHCI. If Windows 8.1/8/7 is already installed under

IDE mode, directly changing the SATA mode to AHCI may cause Windows

8.1/8/7 to crash while booting. If your system is not in AHCI mode, please

follow the instructions below.

ere are certa in risks. Please backup any important data before oper ating to avoid
loss.

1. Press Win + R simultaneously in Windows 8.1/8/7, type "Regedit" into the

word box then click OK.

English

22

2. Enter into HKEY_LOCAL _MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\

msahci in Windows Registry Editor. Double click on the value Start and

change the value from 3 into 0. Click on OK.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

3.2.2 Setup Guide

Installing ASRock Smart Connect Utility

Step 1

Install ASRock Smart Connect Utility, which is located in the folder at the following

path of the Support CD: \ ASRock Utility > Smart Connect.

Step 2

Once installed, run ASRock Smart Connect from your desktop or go to Windows

Start -> All Programs -> ASRock Utility.

English

23

Step 3

Click the Add button. Take Foxmail as an example, add Foxmail to the Application

list.

Step 4

Select Foxmail from the Application List, then click the arrow pointing right to add

this application to the Smart Connect List.

English

24

Step 5

Click Apply to enable Smart Connect.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Step 6

Double-click the Intel® Smart Connect Technology Manager icon in the

Windows system tray.

Step 7

Drag the slider to congure how oen the system will connect to the network to

download updates. Shorter durations will provide more frequent updates, but may

cause more power consumption.

Using Smart Connect

1. Keep the applications which you wish to connect to the internet and receive

updates while the system is in sleep state running. Foxmail for instance, keep

Foxmail running.

2. Click on Windows Start -> the arrow next to Shut down, and click on Sleep.

3. Windows system will enter sleep state.

English

25

4. e system will wake up from sleep state periodica lly, and then start to update

Foxmail. e screen will not display anything so the computer can maintain

minimum power usage. Aerwards, the system will automatically return to

sleep state again.

5. Upon wak ing up the system, you will nd the new mail that were sent to you

during sleep state are already updated and ready to be read in Foxmail.

English

26

H81M-VG4 R3.0

3.3 ASRock APP Shop

e ASRock APP Shop is an online store for purchasing and downloading soware

applications for your ASRock computer. You can install various apps and support

utilities quickly and easily, and optimize your system and keep your motherboard

up to date simply with a few clicks.

Double-click on your desktop to access ASRock APP Shop utility.

*You need to be connected to the Internet to download apps f rom the ASRock APP Shop.

3.3.1 UI Overview

Category Panel

Information Panel

Category Panel: e category panel contains several category tabs or buttons that

when selected the information panel below displays the relative information.

Information Panel: e information panel in the center displays data about the

currently selected category and allows users to perform job-related tasks.

Hot News: e hot news section displays the various latest news. Click on the image

to visit the website of the selected news and know more.

Hot News

27

English

3.3.2 Apps

When the "Apps" tab is selected, you will see all the available apps on screen for you

to download.

Installing an App

Step 1

Find the app you want to install.

e most recommended app appears on the le side of the screen. e other various

apps are shown on the right. Please scroll up and down to see more apps listed.

English

28

You can check the price of the app and whether you have already intalled it or not.

- e red icon displays the price or "Free" if the app is free of charge.

- e green "Installed" icon means the app is installed on your computer.

Step 2

Click on the app icon to see more details about the selected app.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Step 3

If you want to install the app, click on the red icon to start downloading.

Step 4

When installation completes, you can nd the green "Installed " icon appears on the

upper right corner.

To uninstall it, simply click on the trash can icon .
*e trash icon may not appear for certain apps.

English

29

Upgrading an App

You can only upgrade the apps you have already installed. When there is an

available new version for your app, you will nd the mark of "New Version"

appears below the installed app icon.

Step 1

Click on the app icon to see more details.

Step 2

Click on the yellow icon to start upgrading.

English

30

3.3.3 BIOS & Drivers

Installing BIOS or Drivers

When the "BIOS & Drivers" tab is selected, you will see a list of recommended or

critical updates for the BIOS or drivers. Please update them all soon.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Step 1

Please check the item information before update. Click on to see more details.

Step 2

Click to select one or more items you want to update.

Step 3

Click Update to start the update process.

English

31

3.3.4 Setting

In the "Setting" page, you can change the language, select the server location, and

determine if you want to automatically run the ASRock APP Shop on Windows

startup.

English

32

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Chapter 4 UEFI SETUP UTILITY

4.1 Introduction

ASRock Interactive UEFI is a blend of system conguration tools, cool sound eects

and stunning visuals. Not only will it make BIOS setup less dicult but also a lot

more amusing. is section explains how to use the UEFI SETUP UTILITY to

congure your system. You may run the UEFI SETUP UTILITY by pressing <F2>

or <Del> right aer you power on the computer, otherwise, the Power-On-Self-Test

(POST) will continue with its test routines. If you wish to enter the UEFI SETUP

UTILITY aer POST, restart the system by pressing <Ctl> + <Alt> + <Delete>, or

by pressing the reset button on the system chassis. You may also restart by turning

the system o and then back on.

Becau se the UEFI soware is constantly being upd ated, the following UEFI setup
screens and de scriptions are for reference purpose only, and they may not exactly
match what you see on your scre en.

4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar

e top of the screen has a menu bar with the following selections:

Main

OC Tweaker

Advanced

Tool

H/W Monitor

Boot

Security

Exit

For setting system time/date information

For overclocking congurations

For advanced system congurations

Useful tools

Displays current hardware status

For conguring boot settings and boot priority

For security settings

Exit the current screen or the UEFI Setup Utility

English

33

4.1.2 Navigation Keys

Use < > key or < > key to choose among the selections on the menu bar, and

use < > key or < > key to move the cursor up or down to select items, then

press <Enter> to get into the sub screen. You can also use the mouse to click your

required item.

Please check the following table for the descriptions of each navigation key.

Navigation Key(s) Description

+ / -

<Tab>

<PGUP>

<PGDN>

<HOME>

<END>

<F1>

<F4>

<F7>

<F9>

<F10>

<F12>

<ESC>

To change option for the selected items

Switch to next function

Go to the previous page

Go to the next page

Go to the top of the screen

Go to the bottom of the screen

To display the General Help Screen

Toggle sound on/o

Discard changes and exit the SETUP UTILITY

Load optimal default values for all the settings

Save changes and exit the SETUP UTILITY

Print screen

Jump to the Exit Screen or exit the current screen

English

34

4.2 Main Screen

When you enter the UEFI SETUP UTILITY, the Main screen will appear and

display the system overview.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Active Page on Entry

Select the default page when entering the UEFI setup utility.

UEFI Guide

UEFI Guide is a quick tutorial for ASRock 's UEFI setup Utility. You may abort the

tutorial by pressing "esc".

English

35

4.3 OC Tweaker Screen

In the OC Tweaker screen, you can set up overclocking features.

Becau se the UEFI soware is constantly being upd ated, the following UEFI setup
screens and de scriptions are for reference purpose only, and they may not exactly
match what you see on your scre en.

English

36

H81M-VG4 R3.0

CPU Conguration

Intel SpeedStep Technology

Intel SpeedStep technology allows processors to switch between multiple frequen-

cies and voltage points for better power saving and heat dissipation.

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel Turbo Boost Technology enables the processor to run above its base operating

frequency when the operating system requests the highest performance state.

PCIE PLL Selection

Select SB PLL when overclocking.

Long Duration Power Limit

Congure Package Power Limit 1 in watts. When the limit is exceeded, the CPU

ratio will be lowered aer a period of time. A lower limit can protect the CPU and

save power, while a higher limit may improve performance.

Long Duration Maintained

Congure the period of time until the CPU ratio is lowered when the Long

Duration Power Limit is exceeded.

Short Duration Power Limit

Congure Package Power Limit 2 in watts. When the limit is exceeded, the CPU

ratio will be lowered immediately. A lower limit can protect the CPU and save

power, while a higher limit may improve performance.

Primary Plane Current Limit

Congure the current limit of the CPU under Turbo Mode in ampere. A lower

limit can protect the CPU and save power, while a higher limit may improve

performance.

GT Frequency

Congure the frequency of the integrated GPU.

GT Voltage Mode

Auto: For optimized settings.

Adaptive: Add voltage to the integrated GPU when the system is under heavy load.

Override: e voltage is xed.

English

37

GT Adaptive Voltage

Congure the xed voltage added to the integrated GPU.

GT Voltage Oset

Congure the voltage added to the integrated GPU when the system is under heavy

load.

DRAM Timing Conguration

Load XMP Setting

Load XMP settings to overclock the DDR3 memory and perform beyond standard

specications.

DRAM Frequency

If [Auto] is selected, the motherboard will detect the memory module(s) inserted

and assign the appropriate frequency automatically.

DRAM Conguration

English

38

CAS# Latency (tCL)

e time between sending a column address to the memory and the beginning of the data

in response.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

RAS# to CAS# Delay (tRCD)

e number of clock cycles required between the opening of a row of memory and

accessing columns within it.

Row Precharge Time (tRP)

e number of clock cycles required between the issuing of the precharge command

and opening the next row.

RAS# Active Time (tRAS)

e number of clock cycles required between a bank active command and issuing the

precharge command.

Command Rate (CR)

e delay between when a memor y chip is selected and when the rst active command can

be issued.

Write Recovery Time (tWR)

e amount of delay that must elapse aer the completion of a valid write operation,

before an active bank can be precharged.

Refresh Cycle Time (tRFC)

e number of clocks from a Refresh command until the rst Activate command to

the same rank.

RAS to RAS Delay (tRRD)

e number of clocks between two rows activated in dierent banks of the same

rank.

Write to Read Delay (tWTR)

e number of clocks between the last valid write operation and the next read

command to the same internal bank.

Read to Precharge (tRTP)

e number of clocks that are inserted between a read command to a row pre-

charge command to the same rank.

Four Activate Window (tFAW)

e time window in which four activates are allowed the same rank.

CAS Write Latency (tCWL)

Congure CAS Write Latency.

English

39

tREFI

Congure refresh cycles at an average periodic interval.

tCKE

Congure the period of time the DDR3 initiates a minimum of one refresh

command internally once it enters Self-Refresh mode.

tRDRD

Congure between module read to read delay.

tRDRDDR

Congure between module read to read delay from dierent ranks.

tRDRDDD

Use this to change DRAM tRWSR Auto/Manual settings. e default is [Auto].

tWRRD

Congure between module write to read delay.

tWRRDDR

Congure between module write to read delay from dierent ranks.

tWRRDDD

Use this to change DRAM tRRSR Auto/Manual settings. e default is [Auto].

English

40

Congure between module write to read delay from dierent DIMMs.

tWRWR

Congure between module write to write delay.

tWRWRDR

Congure between module write to write delay from dierent ranks.

tWRWRDD

Congure between module write to write delay from dierent DIMMs.

tRDWR

Congure between module read to write delay.

tRDWRDR

Congure between module read to write delay from dierent ranks.

tRDWRDD

Congure between module read to write delay from dierent DIMMs.

RTL (CHA)

Congure round trip latency for channel A.

RTL (CHB)

Congure round trip latency for channel B.

IO-L (CHA)

Congure IO latency for channel A.

IO-L (CHB)

Congure IO latency for channel B.

ODT WR (CHA)

Congure the memory on die termination resistors' WR for channel A.

ODT WR (CHB)

Congure the memory on die termination resistors' WR for channel B.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

ODT NOM (CHA)

Use this to change ODT (CHA) Auto/Manual settings. e default is [Auto].

ODT NOM (CHB)

Use this to change ODT (CHB) Auto/Manual settings. e default is [Auto].

Command Tri State

Enable for DRAM power saving.

MRC Fast Boot

Enable Memory Fast Boot to skip DRAM memory training for booting faster.

DIMM Exit Mode

Select Slow Exit to reduce power consumption, or Fast Exit for better performance.

FIVR Conguration

FIVR Switch Frequency Signature

Select whether to boost or lower the FIVR Switch Frequency.

English

41

FIVR Switch Frequency Oset

Congure the percentage of frequency boost or deduction.

Vcore Override Voltage

Congure the voltage added to the Vcore when the system is under heavy load.

Vcore Voltage Additional Oset

Congure the dynamic Vcore voltage added to the Vcore.

CPU Cache Override Voltage

Add voltage to the CPU Cache when the system is under heavy load.

CPU Cache Voltage Oset

Congure the voltage for the CPU Cache. Setting the voltage higher may increase

system stability when overclocking.

System Agent Voltage Oset

Congure the voltage for the System Agent. Setting the voltage higher may increase

system stability when overclocking.

CPU Analog IO Voltage Oset

CPU I/O Analog Voltage.

CPU Digital IO Voltage Oset

CPU I/O Digital Voltage.

English

42

CPU Integrated VR Faults

Disable FIVR Faults to raise the threshold to trigger CPU over current protection

and over voltage protection for better overclocking capabilities.

CPU Integrated VR Eciency Mode

Enable FIVR Eciency Management for power saving. Disable for better

performance and overclocking capabilities.

Voltage Conguration

Power Saving Mode

Enable Power Saving Mode to reduce power consumption.

DRAM Voltage

Use this to congure DRAM Voltage. e default value is [Auto].

4.4 Advanced Screen

In this section, you may set the congurations for the following items: CPU Con-

guration, Chipset Conguration, Storage Conguration, Intel® Smart Connect

Technology, ACPI Conguration, USB Conguration and Trusted Computing.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Setting wrong values in this sec tion may cause the system to malfunction.

English

43

4.4.1 CPU Conguration

Active Processor Cores

Select the number of cores to enable in each processor package.

CPU C States Support

Enable CPU C States Support for power saving. It is recommended to keep C3, C6

and C7 all enabled for better power saving.

English

44

Enhanced Halt State (C1E)

Enable Enhanced Halt State (C1E) for lower power consumption.

CPU C3 State Support

Enable C3 sleep state for lower power consumption.

CPU C6 State Support

Enable C6 deep sleep state for lower power consumption.

CPU C7 State Support

Enable C7 deep sleep state for lower power consumption.

Package C State Support

Enable CPU, PCIe, Memory, Graphics C State Support for power saving.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

CPU Thermal Throttling

Enable CPU internal thermal control mechanisms to keep the CPU from overheat-

ing.

No-Execute Memory Protection

Processors with No-Execution Memory Protection Technology may prevent certain

classes of malicious buer overow attacks.

Intel Virtualization Technology

Intel Virtualization Technology allows a platform to run multiple operating systems

and applications in independent partitions, so that one computer system can

function as multiple virtual systems.

Hardware Prefetcher

Automatically prefetch data and code for the processor. Enable for better

performance.

Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch

Automatically prefetch the subsequent cache line while retrieving the currently

requested cache line. Enable for better performance.

45

English

4.4.2 Chipset Conguration

Primary Graphics Adapter

Select a primary VGA.

VT-d

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O helps your virtual machine

monitor better utilize hardware by improving application compatibility and

reliability, and providing additional levels of manageability, security, isolation, and

I/O performance.

English

46

PCIE2 Link Speed

Select the link speed for PCIE2.

Share Memory

Congure the size of memory that is allocated to the integrated graphics processor

when the system boots up.

IGPU Multi-Monitor

Select disable to disable the integrated graphics when an external graphics card is

installed. Select enable to keep the integrated graphics enabled at all times.

Render Standby

Power down the render unit when the GPU is idle for lower power consumption.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

Onboard HD Audio

Enable/disable onboard HD audio. Set to Auto to enable onboard HD audio and

automatically disable it when a sound card is installed.

Front Panel

Enable/disable front panel HD audio.

Onboard LAN

Enable or disable the onboard network interface controller.

Deep Sleep

Congure deep sleep mode for power saving when the computer is shut down.

Restore on AC/Power Loss

Select the power state aer a power failure. If [Power O] is selected, the power will

remain o when the power recovers. If [Power On] is selected, the system will start

to boot up when the power recovers.

47

English

4.4.3 Storage Conguration

SATA Controller(s)

Enable/disable the SATA controllers.

SATA Mode Selection

IDE: For better compatibility.

English

48

AHCI: Supports new features that improve performance.

AHCI (Advanc ed Host Controll er Interface) supports NCQ and other new feature s
that will improve SATA disk per formance but IDE mode does not have these advan­tages.

SATA Aggressive Link Power Management

SATA Aggressive Link Power Management allows SATA devices to enter a low

power state during periods of inactivity to save power. It is only supported by AHCI

mode.

Hard Disk S.M.A.R.T.

S.M.A.R.T stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technolog y. It is a

monitoring system for computer hard disk drives to detect and report on various

indicators of reliability.

4.4.4 Intel® Smart Connect Technology

Intel® Smart Connect Technology

Intel® Smart Connect Technology automatically updates your email and social
networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. while the computer is in sleep mode.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

49

English

4.4.5 ACPI Conguration

Suspend to RAM

It is recommended to select auto for ACPI S3 power saving.

Check Ready Bit

Enable to enter the operating system aer S3 only when the hard disk is ready, this

is recommended for better system stability.

English

50

ACPI HPET Table

Enable the High Precision Event Timer for better performance and to pass WHQL

tests.

PS/2 Keyboard Power On

Allow the system to be waked up by a PS/2 Keyboard.

PCIE Devices Power On

Allow the system to be waked up by a PCIE device and enable wake on LAN.

RTC Alarm Power On

Allow the system to be waked up by the rea l time clock alarm. Set it to By OS to let

it be handled by your operating system.

USB Keyboard/Remote Power On

Allow the system to be waked up by an USB keyboard or remote controller.

USB Mouse Power On

Allow the system to be waked up by an USB mouse.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

51

English

4.4.6 USB Conguration

USB Controller

Enable or disable all the USB 2.0 ports.

Intel USB 3.0 Mode

Enable or disable all the USB 3.0 ports. It is recommended to select [Smart Auto].

English

52

Legacy USB Support

Enable or disable Legacy OS Support for USB 2.0 devices. If you encounter USB

compatibility issues it is recommended to disable legacy USB support. Select UEFI

Setup Only to support USB devices under the UEFI setup and Windows/Linux

operating systems only.

Legacy USB 3.0 Support

Enable or disable Legacy OS Support for USB 3.0 devices.

USB Compatibility Patch

If your USB devices (i.e. USB mouse or storage) encounter compatibility problems,

please enable this option to x it. Please note that aer enabling this option, it is

normal that the system will postpone booting up aer pressing the power button.

4.4.7 Trusted Computing

Security Device Support

Enable to activate Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security for your hard disk

drives.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

53

English

4.5 Tools

UEFI Tech Service

Contact ASRock Tech Service if you are having trouble with your PC. Please setup

network conguration before using UEFI Tech Service.

Easy Driver Installer

For users that don’t have an optical disk drive to install the drivers from our support

CD, Easy Driver Installer is a handy tool in the UEFI that installs the LAN driver

to your system via an USB storage device, then downloads and installs the other

required drivers automatically.

English

54

Instant Flash

Save UEFI les in your USB storage device and run Instant Flash to update your

UEFI.

Internet Flash

ASRock Internet Flash downloads and updates the latest UEFI rmware version

from our servers for you. Please setup network conguration before using Internet

Flash.

*For BIOS backup and recovery purpose, it is recommended to plug in your USB

pen drive before using this function.

Network Conguration

Use this to congure internet connection settings for Internet Flash.

Internet Setting

Enable or disable sound eects in the setup utility.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

UEFI Download Server

Select a server to download the UEFI rmware.

Save User Default

Type a prole name and press enter to save your settings as user default.

Load User Default

Load previously saved user defaults.

English

55

4.6 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen

is section allows you to monitor the status of the hardware on your system,

including the parameters of the CPU temperature, motherboard temperature, fan

speed and voltage.

CPU Fan 1 Setting

Select a fan mode for CPU Fans 1, or choose Customize to set 5 CPU temperatures

and assign a respective fan speed for each temperature.

English

56

Chassis Fan 1 Setting

Select a fan mode for Chassis Fan 1, or choose Customize to set 5 CPU temperatures

and assign a respective fan speed for each temperature.

Case Open Feature

Enable or disable Case Open Feature to detect whether the chassis cover has been

removed.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

4.7 Boot Screen

is section displays the available devices on your system for you to congure the

boot settings and the boot priority.

Fast Boot

Fast Boot minimizes your computer's boot time. In fast mode you may not boot

from an USB storage device. Ultra Fast mode is only supported by Windows 8.1 / 8

and the VBIOS must support UEFI GOP if you are using an external graphics card.

Please notice that Ultra Fast mode will boot so fast that the only way to enter this

UEFI Setup Utility is to Clear CMOS or run the Restart to UEFI utility in Windows.

Boot From Onboard LAN

Allow the system to be waked up by the onboard LAN.

Setup Prompt Timeout

Congure the number of seconds to wait for the setup hot key.

Bootup Num-Lock

Select whether Num Lock should be turned on or o when the system boots up.

Boot Beep

Select whether the Boot Beep should be turned on or o when the system boots up. Please

note that a buzzer is needed.

English

57

Full Screen Logo

Enable to display the boot logo or disable to show normal POST messages.

AddOn ROM Display

Enable AddOn ROM Display to see the AddOn ROM messages or congure the

AddOn ROM if you've enabled Full Screen Logo. Disable for faster boot speed.

Boot Failure Guard

If the computer fails to boot for a number of times the system automatically restores

the default settings.

Boot Failure Guard Count

Congure the number of attempts to boot until the system automatically restores

the default settings.

CSM (Compatibility Support Module)

English

58

CSM

Enable to launch the Compatibility Support Module. Please do not disable unless

you’re running a WHCK test. If you are using Windows 8.1 / 8 64-bit and all of your

devices support UEFI, you may also disable CSM for faster boot speed.

Launch PXE OpROM Policy

Select UEFI only to run those that support UEFI option ROM only. Select Legacy

only to run those that support legacy option ROM only.

Launch Storage OpROM Policy

Select UEFI only to run those that support UEFI option ROM only. Select Legacy

only to run those that support legacy option ROM only.

Launch Video OpROM Policy

Select UEFI only to run those that support UEFI option ROM only. Select Legacy

only to run those that support legacy option ROM only.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

59

English

4.8 Security Screen

In this section you may set or change the supervisor/user password for the system.

You may also clear the user password.

Supervisor Password

Set or change the password for the administrator account. Only the administrator

has authority to change the settings in the UEFI Setup Utility. Leave it blank and

press enter to remove the password.

English

60

User Password

Set or change the password for the user account. Users are unable to change the

settings in the UEFI Setup Utility. Leave it blank and press enter to remove the

password.

Secure Boot

Enable to support Windows 8.1 / 8 Secure Boot.

H81M-VG4 R3.0

4.9 Exit Screen

Save Changes and Exit

When you select this option the following message, “Save conguration changes

and exit setup?” will pop out. Select [OK] to save changes and exit the UEFI SETUP

UTILITY.

Discard Changes and Exit

When you select this option the following message, “Discard changes and exit

setup?” will pop out. Select [OK] to exit the UEFI SETUP UTILITY without saving

any changes.

Discard Changes

When you select this option the following message, “Discard changes?” will pop

out. Select [OK] to discard all changes.

Load UEFI Defaults

Load UEFI default values for a ll options. e F9 key can be used for this operation.

Launch EFI Shell from lesystem device

Copy shellx64.e to the root directory to launch EFI Shell.

English

61

Contact Information

If you need to contact ASRock or want to know more about ASRock, you’re welcome

to visit ASRock’s website at http://ww w.asrock.com; or you may contact your dealer

for further information. For technical questions, please submit a support request

form at http://www.asrock.com/support/tsd.asp

ASRock Incorporation

2F., No.37, Sec. 2, Jhongyang S. Rd., Beitou District,

Taipei City 112, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

ASRock EUROPE B.V.

Bijsterhuizen 11-11

6546 AR Nijmegen

e Netherlands

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

ASRock America, Inc.

13848 Magnolia Ave, Chino, CA91710

U.S.A.

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]