User
Manual
Version 1.0
Published August 2013
Copyright©2013 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 www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate”
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.
Important Safety Instructions
Pay close attention to the following safety instructions before performing any of
the operation. Basic safety precautions should be followed to protect yourself from
harm and the product from damage:
Operation of the product should be carried out by suitably trained, qualied, and
•
certied personnel only to avoid risk of injury from electrical shock or energy hazard.
Disconnect the power cord from the wall outlet when installing or removing main
•
system components, such as the motherboard and power supply unit.
Place the system on a stable and at surface.
•
Use extreme caution when working with high-voltage components.
•
When handling parts, use a grounded wrist strap designed to prevent static discharge.
•
Keep the area around the system clean and clutter-free.
•
Keep all components and printed circuit boards (PCBs) in their antistatic bags when
•
not in use.
Handle a board by its edges only; do not touch its components, peripheral chips,
•
memory modules or contacts.
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://www.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 3151
6604 LV Wijchen
e Netherlands
Phone: +31-24-345-44-33
Fax: +31-24-345-44-38
ASRock America, Inc.
13848 Magnolia Ave, Chino, CA91710
U.S.A.
Phone: +1-909-590-8308
Fax: +1-909-590-1026
Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing M8, a reliable gaming barebone system produced under
ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It delivers excellent performance
with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commitment to quality and endurance.
Becau se the hardware specications might be updated, the content of this documentation
will be subject to change without notice. In case any modications of this documentation
occur, the updated version will be available on ASRock ’s website w ithout further notice. If
you require technical support related to this product, please visit our website for specic
information about the model you are using. ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com.
1.1 Package Contents
M8 Barebone System with:
•
M8 Chassis
Mini-ITX Motherboard (pre-installed)
Power Supply Unit (pre-installed)
System Fan (pre-installed)
AC Power Cable
•
Hexagon Screwdriver
•
Screwdriver Set
•
Screw Package
•
System Key
•
VGA Support
•
6 x SATA Cable
•
Support CD
•
Quick Installation Guide
•
User Manual
•
M8
If any items are missing or appear damaged, contact your authorized deal er.
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1.2 Product Specications
Storm Black
Color
Material
Dimension
Motherboard
CPU
Memory
VGA
Optical Drive
Hard Disk
•
Steel Body / Aluminum + Plastic
•
372mm (W) x 123mm (H) x 400mm (L)
•
ASRock Z87-M8
•
Supports 4
•
Pentium® / Celeron® Processor Family
Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 MHz, 2 x SO-DIMM
•
slots, Max. up to 16GB
Supports 1 x Dual-slot Graphics Card*
•
1 x Slim Slot-in Super-Multi Drive
•
Supports 3.5"HDD and 2.5"HDD
•
th
Gen Intel® CoreTM i7 / i5 / i3 / Xeon® /
2T2R WiFi 802.11ac + BT v4.0
•
4 x USB 3.0, 1 x MIC, 1 x Headphone
•
4-in-1 Card reader (SD3.0/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
•
1 x 7.1HD audio with Creative Sound Core3D,
•
1 x Intel Gigabit LAN, 4 x USB3.0, 4 x USB2.0,
•
1 x eSATA2, 1 x DP, 1 x HDMI
•
A-Command
•
Top : 2 x 70mm fan, Bottom : 2 x 70mm fan
•
SFX PSU 450W
•
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WiFi + BT
Front I/O
Rear I/O
All-In-One
OLED Button
Cooling
Power Supply
2 3
* Max. Su pported VGA Dim ension: 290mm x 137mm x 43.5mm; Max. S upported TDP: 200W
(If you use a g raphics card with over 200W TDP, please note that the system’s power supply is only 450W.)
M8
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1.3 Unique Features
ASRock A-Tuning
A-Tuning is ASRock’s multi purpose soware suite with a new interface, more new
features and improved utilities, including XFast RAM, Dehumidier, Good Night
LED, FAN-Tastic Tuning, OC Tweaker and a whole lot more.
ASRock Instant Flash
ASRock Instant Flash is a BIOS ash utility embedded in Flash ROM. is convenient BIOS update tool allows you to update the system BIOS in a few clicks without
preparing an additional oppy diskette or other complicated ash utility. Just save
the new BIOS le to your USB storage and launch this tool by pressing <F6> or
<F2> during POST to enter the BIOS setup menu to access ASRock Instant Flash.
Please be noted that the USB ash drive or hard drive must use FAT32/16/12 le
system.
ASRock APP Charger
Simply by installing the ASRock APP Charger makes your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch
charge up to 40% faster than before on your computer. ASRock APP Charger allows
you to quickly charge many Apple devices simultaneously and even supports
continuous charging when your PC enters into Suspend to RAM (S3), hibernation
mode (S4) or power o (S5).
ASRock XFast USB
ASRock XFast USB can boost the performance of your USB storage devices. e
performance may depend on the properties of the device.
ASRock XFast LAN
ASRock XFast LAN provides faster internet access, which includes the benets
listed below. LAN Application Prioritization: You can congure your application’s
priority ideally and add new programs to the list. Lower Latency in Game: Aer
setting online game’s priority higher, it can lower the latency in games. Trac
Shaping: You can watch Youtube HD videos and download simultaneously. RealTime Analysis of Your Data: With the status window, you can easily recognize
which data streams you are currently transferring.
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4 5
ASRock XFast RAM
ASRock XFast RAM is included in A-Tuning. It fully utilizes the memory space
that cannot be used under Windows® 32-bit operating systems. ASRock XFast RAM
shortens the loading time of previously visited websites, making web surng 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-FAN
Greater air ow, faster heat dissipation! ASRock X-FAN allows the motherboard to
breathe smoothly. It will be automatically activated only when the system rises to a certain
temperature under heavy-loading. Normally, ASRock X-FAN will remain deactivated to
give users the quietest computing experience
ASRock Crashless BIOS
ASRock Crashless BIOS allows users to update their BIOS without fear of failing. If
power loss occurs during the BIOS updating process, ASRock Crashless BIOS will
automatically nish the BIOS update procedure aer regaining power. Please note
that BIOS les need to be placed in the root directory of your USB disk. Only USB 2.0
ports support this feature.
M8
ASRock OMG (Online Management Guard)
Administrators are able to establish an internet curfew or restrict internet access
at specied times via OMG. You may schedule the starting and ending hours of
internet access granted to other users. In order to prevent users from bypassing
OMG, guest accounts without permission to modify the system time are required.
ASRock Internet Flash
ASRock Internet Flash downloads and updates the latest UEFI rmware version
from our servers for you without entering Windows® OS. Please setup network
conguration before using Internet Flash.
ASRock UEFI System Browser
ASRock System Browser shows the overview of your current PC and the devices
connected.
ASRock Dehumidier Function
Users may prevent motherboard damages due to dampness by enabling
“Dehumidier Function”. When enabling Dehumidier Function, the computer
will power on automatically to dehumidify the system aer entering S4/S5 state.
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ASRock Interactive UEFI
ASRock Interactive UEFI is a blend of system conguration tools, cool sound eects
and stunning visuals. e unprecedented UEFI provides a more attractive interface
and more amusment.
ASRock Fast Boot
With ASRock’s exclusive Fast Boot technology, it takes less than 1.5 seconds to
logon to Windows 8 from a cold boot. No more waiting! e speedy boot will
completely change your user experience and behavior.
ASRock Restart to UEFI
Windows® 8 brings the ultimate boot up experience. e lightning boot up speed
makes it hard to access the UEFI setup. ASRock Restart to UEFI allows users to
enter the UEFI automatically when turning on the PC. By enabling this function,
the PC will enter the UEFI directly aer you restart.
ASRock Good Night LED
ASRock Good Night LED technology oers you a better sleeping environment by
extinguishing the unessential LEDs. By enabling Good Night LED in the BIOS, the
Power/HDD LEDs will be switched o when the system is powered on. Good Night
LED will automatically switch o the Power and Keyboard LEDs when the system
enters into Standby/Hibernation mode as well.
ASRock USB Key
In a world where time is money, why waste precious time everyday typing
usernames to log in to Windows? Why should we even bother memorizing those
foot long passwords? Just plug in the USB Key and let your computer log in to
windows automatically!
ASRock Key Master
What good is a weapon if you are unable to wield it prociently? Key Master
enhances your mouse and keyboard with customizable macros, sniper modes, scroll
speed, key repeat rates and repeat delay, turning your boring old keyboard and
mouse into lethal weapons.
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ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning
ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning is included in A-Tuning. Congure up to ve dierent
fan speeds using the graph. e fans will automatically shi to the next speed level
when the assigned temperature is met.
6 7
ASRock 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.
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Chapter 2 Product Overview
4 5 6
is chapter provides diagrams showing the location of important components of
the M8.
2.1 Front View
1
2
3
No. Description
1 A-Command (All-In-One OLED Button)
2 Optical disk drive eject button
3 4 x USB 3.0 ports
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4 4-in-1 Card reader (SD3.0/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
5 Microphone jack
6 Headphone jack
8 9
2.1.1 The Function of A-Command
e A-Command is a multipurpose controller knob which is used to cycle through
various functions.
Controlling A-Command
• Rotate the knob to toggle among main functions or options.
• Press once to conrm your selection.
Powering on the System
Press A-Command to turn on the system power. Wait until the operating system
loads automatically.
Powering o the System
M8
When the OLED shows the M8 Logo / Date and Time, press A-Command and select
"Yes" to turn o the system power.
Before Entering Windows
ere are three main functions before entering the OS.
• M8Logo/DateandTime:
Aer the logo appears for ten seconds, the screen shows date and time.
e display will go o if you leave it idle for ve minutes.
• Light:
Toggle on/o the light in the case.
• Time:
Toggle the time on/o.
If this option is set to on, M8 Logo / Date and Time screens are available. If
this option is set to o, M8 Logo / Date and Time screens are hidden.
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Under Windows:
ere are six main functions aer entering the OS.
• M8Logo/DateandTime:
Aer the logo appears for ten seconds, the screen shows date and time.
e display will go o if you leave it idle for ve minutes.
• Volu m e:
Increase/decrease the volume level by turning the knob right/le.
• Mode:
Toogle among three power management modes – Eco, Standard or Speed.
• Info:
Toggle among various types of critical information to check the system’s
status. e OLED screen shows the CPU frequency, CPU usage, LAN usage, or
APM* data.
*APM (Actions per minute) measures the number of keyboard/mouse-clicking
action that you can perform in a minute. To nd out how fast your ngers can
move, press A-Command once to start counting APM. Press A-Command
once again to stop it.
• Light:
Toggle on/o the light in the case, or enable the Good Night LED function*.
On: Toggle on the light in the case
O: Toggle o the light in the case
All o: Toggle o the light in the case; enable the Good Night LED function
*ASRock Good Night LED technology oers you a better sleeping environment
by extinguishing the unessential LEDs. By enabling Good Night LED, the
Power/HDD LEDs will be switched o when the system is powered on. Good
Night LED will automatically switch o the Power and Keyboard LEDs when
the system enters into Standby/Hibernation mode as well.
• Time:
Toggle the time on/o.
If this option is set to on, M8 Logo / Date and Time screens are available. If
this option is set to o, M8 Logo / Date and Time screens are hidden.
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10 11
2.2 Rear View
1 2 3
No. Description
1 PCIe slot covers
2 I/O panel
3 AC input power connector
M8
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2.2.1 I/O Panel
1 2
3
6 7
18
174
16
15
5
14
13
111012
8 9
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12 13
No. Description No. Description
1 Line In port (light blue) 10 eSATA2 port**
2 Line Out port (lime) 11 DisplayPort
3 Center/Subwoofer port (orange) 12 HDMI port
4 Rear Speaker Out port (black) 13 USB3.0 port
5 LAN RJ-45 port* (Intel Gigabit LAN) 14 USB3.0 port
6 USB2.0 ports 15 USB3.0 port
7 USB2.0 ports 16 USB3.0 port
8 USB2.0 ports 17 Optical SPDIF Out port
9 USB2.0 ports 18 Microphone port (pink)
* ere are two LEDs on the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications.
SPEED LED
ACT/LINK LED
LAN Por t
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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
** e eSATA connector is shared with SATA3_4 connector.
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2.3 Inside View
3
12
4
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7 8
6
11
5
12
15
16
9
13
14
17
No. Description
1 Riser card retention bracket
2 VGA card holder
3 Hard disk drive tray (compatible with 4 x 2.5" HDD or 1 x 3.5 HDD)
4 ODD + 2.5" HDD Tray
(compatible with 1 x slot-in ODD and 1 x 2.5" HDD)
5 Power supply unit (450W)
6 Power panel connector
7 SATA 3.0 connectors
8 USB2.0 connector
9 PCIe slot
10
14 15
10 Front audio connector
11 USB3.0 connector
12 Auxiliary fan connector
13 2T2R WiFi Module (802.11ac)
14 CPU socket
15 DIMM sockets
16 Chassis fan connector
17 ATX 12V power connector
Hard drive s are not included with this system.
M8
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Chapter 3 Hardware Installation
is chapter helps you assemble the chassis and install components. Please follow
the installation procedures listed below.
Installation Procedures
Removing the side panels
1
Removing the top cover
2
Removing the VGA card holder
3
4
Removing the riser card
5
Installing the hard drives
6
Installing the CPU
7
Installing the CPU Fan and CPU Cooler
8
Installing Memory Modules (SO-DIMM)
9
Replace the riser card
10
Installing the graphics card
11
Replace the VGA card holder
12
Replacing the side panels
13
Replacing the top cover
Aer making sure that you have properly connected the power supply and all the
necessary peripherals, power on the system.
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16 17
3.1 Installing System Components
2 1
3.1.1 Removing the Side Panels
To remove the side panel s, you have to unlock the keylock on the top cover using the system
key. Before unlocking, power o the system and unplug the power cord. Aer the side panel
are replaced, make sure to lock the keylock on the top cover and then power on the s ystem.
1. Place the system in an upright position.
2. Unlock the system keylock on the top cover.
3. Remove the side panels.
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Pull the right side panel away from the chassis.
1
Pull the le side panel away from the chassis.
2
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3.1.2 Removing the Top Cover
1. To remove the top cover, you have to follow the procedures below:
1) Power o the system and unplug the power cord.
2) Unlock the keylock on the top cover using the system ke y.
3) Follow the instructions in Sec tion 3.1 to remove the right sid e panel.
4) Slide the top cover toward the front of the system until it releases from the latch.
2. Aer the top cover is replaced , make sure to lock the keylock on the top cover and then
power on the syste m.
3. e system must be operated with the chassis top cover installed to ensure proper cooling.
Remove the top cover to add g raphics card or in stall hard drives.
1. Place the system in an upright position.
2. Unlock the system keylock on the top cover.
3. Follow the instructions in Section 3.1 to remove the right side panel.
4. Remove the one screw and two hexagon nuts that secure the top right bracket ear to the
top cover.
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18 19
5. Draw out the mounting bracket from the chassis.
2
6. Follow the instructions in Section 3.1 to release the le side panel.
7. Release the top cover.
1
M8
1
Slide the top cover toward the front of the system until it releases.
Li up the top cover.
2
8. Disconnect the 4-pin top fan connector.
9. Set the top cover aside in a secure location.
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3.1.3 Removing the VGA Card Holder
2
To remove the VGA card holder, you have to remove the side panel s and top cover, giving
you access to the VGA card holder inside.
1. Remove the VGA card holder.
1
1
1
Remove the two screws that hold the VGA card holder in place.
Li the VGA card holder up and o the chassis.
2
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20 21
3.1.4 Removing the Riser Card
1. Remove the riser card.
1
2
1
Remove the two screws securing the riser card retention bracket.
2
Grasp the riser card by its edges, and carefully pull it from the expansion slot.
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3.1.5 Installing the Hard Drives
3.1.5.1 Installing the Hard Drive(s) to the Drive Tray Assembly
1. To install the hard drives, you have t o remove the VGA card hol der and the riser card ,
giving you acce ss to the drive tray assembly inside.
2. e drive tray assembly support s up to four 2.5-inch hard drives. You can also choose to
install one 3.5-inch hard drive.
3. Hard drives are not included with this system.
1. Remove the drive tray assembly.
1
3
2
1
Remove the screw that secures the drive tray assembly to the chassis.
Slide the drive tray assembly toward the front of the system to disengage it from the
2
latches.
Li it away from the chassis.
3
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22 23
2. Take apart the drive tray assembly.
1
2
2
1
1
1
Remove the screws that secure the bottom HDD tray with the top tray.
1
Take the assembly apart.
2
3. Install a 3.5" HDD or up to four 2.5" HDD.
Installing a 3.5-Inch Hard Drive:
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2
1
2
Set the top tray aside.
1
Place a 3.5" HDD to the bottom HDD tray with the printed circuit board side facing
down. Carefully align the mounting holes in the hard drive and the tray.
Secure the hard drive using the three screws (three on the sides).
2
or
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Installing up to Four 2.5-Inch Hard Drive
5
3
4
5
2
1
5
Place the rst 2.5" HDD to the bottom HDD tray and secure the hard drive using the
1
four screws (two on the sides and two in the rear).
2
Place the second 2.5" HDD to the top HDD tray and secure the hard drive using the four
screws.
3
Secure the third HDD to the top HDD tray.
4
Secure the fourth HDD to the top HDD tray.
5
Attach the top HDD tray to the bottom HDD tray using four screws.
4. Place the drive tray back into the chassis.
Slide the drive tray toward the rear of the system until the latches lock it into place.
5. Install and tighten the screw that secures the drive tray assembly to the chassis.
6. Connect the power and SATA data cables.
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3.1.5.2 Installing the Hard Drive to the ODD + 2.5" HDD Tray
1. To install the hard drives, you have to remove the PSU.
2. e ODD + 2.5” HDD Tray ts a slim slot-in optical disk drive (ODD) and a 2.5-inch
hard drives.
3. Hard drives are not included with this system.
Installing a 2.5-Inch Hard Drive
1. Remove the PSU.
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3
1
2
1
Unplug the PSU power cable.
Remove the two screws securing the power supply unit.
2
3
Slide the PSU to the right until it releases. Li the PSU and set it aside.
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