ASRock K8A8X-M User Manual

K8A8X-M

User Manual

Version 1.0

Published April 2005

Copyright©2005 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.

11

1

11

Copyright Notice:Copyright Notice:

Copyright Notice:

Copyright Notice: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 regis­tered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for
identification or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.

Disclaimer:Disclaimer:

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer:Disclaimer:

Specifications and information contained in this manual 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 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 warran­ties or conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
In no event shall ASRock, its directors, officers, employees, or agents be liable for
any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including damages for
loss of profits, 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 a n y
defect or error in the manual or product.

This 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.

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

22

2

22

ContentsContents

Contents

ContentsContents

1.1.

IntroductionIntroduction

1.

Introduction

1.1.

IntroductionIntroduction

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

1.2 Spec if ic at ion s ...................................................................... 6

1.3 Motherboard Layout ............................................................ 8

1.4 ASRock I/O Plus

2.2.

InstallationInstallation

2.

Installation

2.2.

InstallationInstallation

Pre-installation Precautions ......................................................... 1 0

2.1 CPU Installation .................................................................... 11

2.2 Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink .................................. 11

2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)............................... 12

2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI and AGP Slots) ................................. 13

2.5 Jumpers Setup .................................................................... 14

2.6 Onboard Headers and Connectors .................................... 15

2.7 Serial ATA (SATA) Hard Dis ks Installation ........................... 18

2.8 Making a SATA Driver Diskette For SATA Operation in

“RAID” Mode ........................................................................ 19

2.9 SATA Operating in “non-RAID” Mode .................................. 19

3.3.

BIOS SBIOS S

3.

BIOS S

3.3.

BIOS SBIOS S

3.1 Introduction ......................................................................... 20

3.2 Main Screen........................................................................ 21

3.3 Advanced Screen .............................................................. 22

3.4 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen ....................... 32

3.5 Boot Screen........................................................................ 33

3.6 Security Screen.................................................................. 34

3.7 Exit Screen ......................................................................... 35

ETUP UTILITYETUP UTILITY

ETUP UTILITY

ETUP UTILITYETUP UTILITY

3.1.1 BIOS Menu Bar ......................................................... 20

3.1.2 Navigation Keys ....................................................... 21

3.3.1 CPU Configuration .................................................... 22

3.3.2 Chipset Configuration ............................................... 25

3.3.3 ACPI Configuration ................................................... 26

3.3.4 IDE Configuration ...................................................... 27

3.3.5 PCIPnP Configuration ................................................ 29

3.3.6 Floppy Configuration ................................................ 30

3.3.7 Super IO Configuration ............................................. 30

3.3.8 USB Configuration .................................................... 32

3.5.1 Boot Settings Configuration ..................................... 33

3.5.2 Boot Device Priority .................................................. 34

..............................................................................................................

.......................................................

..............................................................................................................

TM

............................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................

.........................................................

..................................................................................................................

............................................................................................

..............................................

............................................................................................

5 5

5

5 5

9

10 10

10

10 10

20 20

20

20 20

33

3

33

4.4.

Software SupportSoftware Support

4.

Software Support

4.4.

Software SupportSoftware Support

4.1 Install Operating System........................................................... 36

4.2 Support CD Information............................................................. 36

4.2.1 Running Support CD ....................................................... 36

4.2.2 Drivers Menu .................................................................. 36

4.2.3 Utilities Menu ................................................................... 36

4.2.4 Contact Information ........................................................ 36

APPENDIX: AMD’s Cool ‘n’ QuietAPPENDIX: AMD’s Cool ‘n’ Quiet

APPENDIX: AMD’s Cool ‘n’ Quiet

APPENDIX: AMD’s Cool ‘n’ QuietAPPENDIX: AMD’s Cool ‘n’ Quiet

......................................................................................................

...................................................

......................................................................................................

TMTM

TM

TMTM

T T

echnologyechnology

T

echnology

T T

echnologyechnology

............

......

............

36 36

36

36 36

37 37

37

37 37

44

4

44

1.1.

IntroductionIntroduction

1.

Introduction

1.1.

IntroductionIntroduction

Thank you for purchasing ASRock K8A8X-M 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 contain introduction of the motherboard and step-by­step guide to the hardware installation. Chapter 3 and 4 contain the configuration
guide to BIOS setup and information of the Support CD.

Because the motherboard specifications and the BIOS software might be
updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without
notice. In case any modifications of this manual occur, the updated
version will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You
may find the latest memory and CPU support lists on ASRock website as
well. ASRock website

1.11.1

Package ContentsPackage Contents

1.1

Package Contents

1.11.1

Package ContentsPackage Contents

1 x ASRock K8A8X-M Motherboard

(Micro ATX Form Factor: 9.6-in x 7.8-in, 24.4 cm x 19.8 cm)
1 x ASRock K8A8X-M Quick Installation Guide
1 x ASRock K8A8X-M Support CD
1 x Ultra ATA 66/100/133 IDE Ribbon Cable (80-conductor)
1 x 3.5-in Floppy Drive Ribbon Cable
1 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cable
1 x Serial ATA (SATA) HDD Power Cable (Optional)
1 x ASRock I/O PlusTM Shield

http://www.asrock.com

55

5

55

1.21.2

SpecificationsSpecifications

1.2

Specifications

1.21.2

SpecificationsSpecifications

Platform: Micro ATX Form Factor: 9.6-in x 7.8-in, 24.4 cm x 19.8 cm
CPU: 754-Pin Socket Supporting advanced 64-bit AMD AthlonTM 64

and 32-bit Sempron Processor

Chipset: Bridge: ALi M1689, FSB @ 800 MHz
Memory: 2 x DDR DIMM Slots:

2 DIMM s support PC3200 (DDR 400) / PC2700 (DDR 333) /
PC2100 (DDR 266), Max. 2GB

IDE: IDE1: ATA 133 / Ultra DMA Mode 6

IDE2: ATA 133 / Ultra DMA Mode 6
Support up to 4 IDE devices

Serial ATA: 2 x SATA connectors

Support 1.5Gb/s data transfer rate

Floppy Port: Supports up to 2 floppy disk drives
Audio: 5.1 channels AC’97 Audio
LAN: Speed: 802.3u (10/100 Ethernet), supports Wake-On-LAN
Hardware Monitor: CPU temperature sensing

Motherboard temperature sensing
CPU overheat shutdown to protect CPU life
(ASRock U-COP)(see CAUTION 1)
CPU fan tachometer
Chassis fan tachometer
Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore

PCI Slots: 2 x PCI slots, PCI specification 2.1
AGP Slot: 1 x AGP slot

Supports 1.5V, 8X / 4X AGP card (see CAUTION 2)

USB 2.0: 8 x USB 2.0 ports:

6 ready-to-use USB 2.0 ports on the I/O panel,
plus 1 on-board header supporting 2 extra USB 2.0 ports
(see CAUTION 3)

ASRock I/O PlusTM: 1 x PS/2 mouse port, 1 x PS/2 keyboard port

1 x Serial Port: COM1
1 x Parallel Port (ECP/EPP Support)
6 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x RJ-45 port
Audio Jack: Line In / Line Out / Microphone

66

6

66

BIOS: AMI BIOS

Supports “Plug and Play”
ACPI 1.1 compliance wake up events
SMBIOS 2.3.1 support
CPU frequency stepless control
(only for advanced users’ reference, see CAUTION 4)

OS: Microsoft® Windows® 98SE / ME / 2000 / XP compliant

CAUTION!

1. While CPU overheat is detected, the system will automatically shutdown.
Before you resume the system, please check if the CPU fan on the
motherboard functions properly and unplug the power cord, then plug it
back again. To improve heat dissipation, remember to spray thermal
grease between the CPU a nd the heatsink when you in stall the PC syste m.

2. Do NOT use a 3.3V AGP card on the AGP slot of this motherboard!
It may cause permanent damage!

3. Power Management for USB 2.0 works fine under Microsoft
SP1 / 2000 SP4. It may not work properly under Microsoft
ME.

4. Although this motherboard offers stepless control, it is not recommended
to perform over-clocking. Frequencies other than the recommended CPU
FSB frequencies may cause the instability of the system or damage the
CPU.

®

Windows® XP

®

Windows® 98 /

77

7

77

1.31.3

Motherboard LayoutMotherboard Layout

1.3

Motherboard Layout

1.31.3

Motherboard LayoutMotherboard Layout

PS2_USB_PWR1

PS2

1

Mouse

Keyboard

PARALLEL PORT

PS2

ATX12V1

COM1

12 43

19.8cm (7.8-in)

DDR2 (64/72bit, 184-pin module)

DDR1 (64/72bit, 184-pin module)

DDR400

ATA133

5

6

7

29

28
27

26
25
24

23

22

21

USB2.0
T: US B2
B:USB3

USB2.0
T: US B0
B:USB1

Shared
USB2.0
T: US B4
B:USB5

MicIn

Bottom:

Top:
RJ-45

1

USB4_5

LAN

CD1

AUX1

Center:

LineOut

Top:

LineIn

1

AUDIO
CODEC

JR1 JL1

AUDIO1

PHY

AGP 8X

FSB800

1.5V_AGP1

SOCKET 754

ALi

M1689

Chipset

USB2.0

2MB

BIOS

I/O

Super

AMR1

PCI 1

K8A8X-M

PCI 2

1

20

19

GAME1

5.1CH

USB67

1

18

FLOPPY1

SPEAKER1

1

17

SATA

SATA2

SATA1

CPU_FAN1

ATXPWR1

IDE2 IDE1

24.4cm (9.6-in)

8
9

10

PANEL1

11

12

13
14

CLRTC1

1

CMOS

Battery

CHA_FAN1

PLED PWRBTN

IR1

1

1

HDLED RESET

15

16

1 PS2_USB_PWR1 Jumper 16 Infrared Module Header (IR1)
2 ATX 12V Connector (ATX12V1) 17 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER 1)
3 CPU Socket 18 USB 2.0 Header (USB67, Blue)
4 CPU Heatsink Retention Module 19 Game Port Header (GAME1)
5 2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM Slots (DDR1- 2) 20 AMR Slot (AMR1)
6 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1) 21 Flash Memory
7 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1) 22 2 x PCI Slots (PCI1, PCI2)
8 Secondary Serial ATA Connector (SAT A 2 ) 23 AGP Slot (1.5V_AGP1)
9 Primary Serial ATA Connector (SATA 1) 24 Bridge Controller
10 Primary IDE Connector (IDE1, Blue) 25 JR1 Jumper / JL1 Jumper
11 Secondary IDE Connector (IDE2, Black) 26 Front Panel Audio Header (AUDIO1)
12 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRTC1) 27 Internal Audio Connector: AUX1 (White)
13 Floppy Connector (FLOPPY1) 28 Internal Audio Connector: CD1 (Black)
14 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1) 29 Shared USB 2.0 Header (USB45, Blue)
15 System Panel Header (PANEL1)

88

8

88

1.41.4

ASRock I/O PlusASRock I/O Plus

1.4

ASRock I/O Plus

1.41.4

ASRock I/O PlusASRock I/O Plus

TMTM

TM

TMTM

1

11

1 Parallel Port 7 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (USB0, USB1)
2 RJ-45 Port 8 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (USB2, USB3)
3 Line In (Light Blue) 9 Serial Port: COM1
4 Line Out (Lime) 10 PS/2 Keyboard Port (Purple)
5 Microphone (Pink) 11 PS/2 Mouse Port (Green)
6 2 x Shared USB 2.0 Ports (USB4, USB5)

2

8910

7

6

3

4

5

99

9

99

2.2.

InstallationInstallation

2.

Installation

2.2.

InstallationInstallation

K8A8X-M is a Micro ATX form factor (9.6-in x 7.8-in, 24.4 cm x 19.8 cm) motherboard.
Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to en­sure that the motherboard fits into it.

Pre-installation PrecautionsPre-installation Precautions

Pre-installation Precautions

Pre-installation PrecautionsPre-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
electricity, 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 anti­static pad or in the bag that comes with the component.

5. When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the motherboard
to the chassis, please do not over-tighten the screws! Doing so may
damage the motherboard.

1010

10

1010

2.12.1

CPU InstallationCPU Installation

2.1

CPU Installation

2.12.1

CPU InstallationCPU Installation

Step 1. Unlock the socket by lifting the lever up to a 90° angle.
Step 2. Position the CPU directly above the socket such that its marked corner

matches the base of the socket lever.

Step 3. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it fits in place.

The CPU fits 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 firmly 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.

Socket Corner

CPU Golden Triangle

Lever 90° Up

STEP 1:
Lift Up The Socket Lever

2.22.2

Installation of CPU Fan and HeatsinkInstallation of CPU Fan and Heatsink

2.2

Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink

2.22.2

Installation of CPU Fan and HeatsinkInstallation 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
dissipation. 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 8, No. 6). For proper
installation, please kindly refer to the instruction manuals of the CPU fan
and the heatsink.

STEP 2 / STEP 3:
Match The CPU Golden Triangle
To The Socket Corner

STEP 4:
Push Down And Lock
The Socket Lever

1111

11

1111

2.32.3

Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)

2.3

Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)

2.32.3

Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)

K8A8X-M motherboard is equipped with two 184-pin DDR (Double Data Rate) DIMM
slots.

Please make sure to disconnect power supply before adding or
removing DIMMs or the system components.

Step 1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the retaining clips outward.
Step 2. Align a DIMM on the slot such that the notch on the DIMM matches the break

on the slot.

notch
break

notch

break

The DIMM only fits in one correct orientation. It will cause permanent
damage to the motherboard and the DIMM if you force the DIMM into
the slot at incorrect orientation.

Step 3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the slot until the retaining clips at both ends fully

snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated.

1212

12

1212