Asrock Q2900-ITX User Manual

Q2900-ITXQ2900-ITX

Q2900-ITX Q2900-ITX

Version 1.1

Published November 2014

Copyright©2014 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 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.

e terms HDMI™ and HDMI High-Denition Multimedia Interface, and the HDMI
logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United
States and other countries.

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 batter y 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 batter y in California, USA, please
follow the related regulations in advance.
“Perchlorate Material-special handling may apply, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate”

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

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)

e terms HDMI™ and HDMI High-Denition Multimedia Interface, and the HDMI
logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United
States and other countries.

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 Memory Modules (SO-DIMM) 10

2.2 Expansion Slots (PCI Express Slots) 12

2.3 Jumpers Setup 13

2.4 Onboard Headers and Connectors 14

Chapter 3 Software and Utilities Operation 18

3.1 Installing Drivers 18

3.2 A-Tuning 19

3.3 Intel® Smart Connect Technology 21

3.4 ASRock APP Shop 26

3.4.1 UI Overview 26

3.4.2 Apps 27

3.4.3 BIOS & Drivers 30

3.4.4 Setting 31

3.5 Start8 32

Chapter 4 UEFI SETUP UTILITY 35

4.1 Introduction 35

4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar 35

4.1.2 Navigation Keys 36

4.2 Main Screen 37

4.3 Advanced Screen 38

4.3.1 CPU Conguration 39

4.3.2 Chipset Conguration 41

4.3.3 Storage Conguration 43

4.3.4 Intel® Smart Connect Technology 45

4.3.5 Super IO Conguration 46

4.3.6 ACPI Conguration 47

4.3.7 USB Conguration 49

4.3.8 Trusted Computing 50

4.4 Tools 51

4.5 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen 53

4.6 Security Screen 54

4.7 Boot Screen 55

4.8 Exit Screen 57

Chapter 1 Introduction

ank you for purchasing ASRock Q2900-ITX 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 occ ur, the updated version will be available on
ASRock’s website without further notice. If you require technical support related to
this motherboard, please visit our website for specic information about the model
you are using. You may nd the latest VGA cards and CPU support list on ASRock’s
website a s well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com.

1.1 Package Contents

ASRock Q2900-ITX Motherboard (Mini-ITX Form Factor)

•

ASRock Q2900-ITX Quick Installation Guide

•

ASRock Q2900-ITX Support CD

•

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

•

1 x I/O Panel Shield

•

1 x WiFi Module Screw

•

Q2900-ITX

English

1

English

1.2 Specications

Platform

CPU

Memory

Expansion
Slot

Graphics

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

* If only one SO-DIMM module is installed, please install it into

DDR3_A1.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Mini-ITX Form Factor

All Solid Capacitor design

High Density Glass Fabric PCB

Intel® Quad-Core Pentium® Processor J2900 (2.41 GHz)

Dual Channel DDR3/DDR3L Memory Technology

2 x DDR3/DDR3L SO-DIMM Slots

Supports DDR3/DDR3L 1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buered

memory

Max. capacity of system memory: 16GB

(see CAUTION)

1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot

1 x mini-PCI Express Slot

Intel® 7th generation (Gen 7) graphics

DirectX 11.0, Pixel Shader 5.0

ree graphics output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI

Supports HDMI Technology with ma x. resolution up to

1920x1200 @ 60Hz

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

60Hz

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

60Hz

Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and

HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI Port (Compliant

HDMI monitor is required)

Supports HDCP with DVI-D and HDMI Ports

Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with DVI-D

and HDMI Ports

7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892

Audio

•

Audio Codec)

Premium Blu-ray Audio support

•

Supports Surge Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)

•

2

LAN

Rear Panel
I/O

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

•

Realtek RTL8111GR

•

Supports Wake-On-WAN

•

Supports Wake-On-LAN

•

Supports Lightning/ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike

•

Protection)

Supports LAN Cable Detection

•

Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az

•

Supports PXE

•

1 x PS/2 Mouse Port

•

1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port

•

1 x D-Sub Port

•

1 x DVI-D Port

•

1 x HDMI Port

•

1 x Optica l SPDIF Out 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 Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in /

•

Front Speaker / Microphone

Q2900-ITX

Storage

Connector

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

•

Hot Plug

2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors by ASMedia ASM1061, sup-

•

port NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug

1 x Print Port Header

•

1 x COM Port Header

•

1 x TPM Header

•

1 x Chassis Intrusion Header

•

1 x CPU Fan Connector (3-pin)

•

1 x Chassis Fan Connector (3-pin)

•

1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector

•

English

3

BIOS
Feature

Hardware
Monitor

OS

1 x Front Panel Audio Connector

•

1 x USB 2.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD

•

Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))

1 x USB 3.0 Header by ASMedia ASM1074 (Supports 2 USB 3.0

•

ports) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protec-

tion))

64Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support

•

Supports Plug and Play

•

ACPI 1.1 compliant wake up events

•

Supports jumperfree

•

SMBIOS 2.3.1 support

•

CPU/Chassis temperature sensing

•

CPU/Chassis Fan Tachometer

•

CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by

•

CPU temperature)

CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control

•

CASE OPEN detection

•

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

•

Microso® Windows® 8.1 32-bit / 8.1 64-bit / 8 32-bit / 8 64-

•

bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit

English

4

FCC, CE, WHQL

Certica­tions

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

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

•

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

•

1.3 Motherboard Layout

PCIE1

ATXP WR 1

AUDIO
CODEC

1

TPMS1

Sup er

I/O

SATA3_A1

PS2

Key boar d

PS2

Mou se

USB 2 .0
T: U SB3
B: US B4

HDMI

DDR 3_ B1

DDR3_A1

CPU_FAN 1

1

USB1_2

HDLED RESET

PLED PWR BTN

PANEL1

1

1

SPEAKER1

COM1

1

CI1

1

SATA3_A

2

CMO S

Bat ter y

Q2 900 -I TX

Ro HS

1

HD_AU DIO1

64Mb
BIOS

MINI_ PC IE 1

Fr on t U SB 3.0

1

LPT1

LAN

CLRCMO S1

1

USB3_ 1_2

SATA2_1

SATA2_2

VGA1

DVI1

Top:
RJ- 45

USB 3 .0
T: U SB3
B: US B4

Top:

CTR B ASS

Cent er:

REAR SPK

Bott om:

Opti cal

SPDI F

Top:

LINE IN

Cent er:

FRON T

Bott om:

MIC I N

Q2900-ITX

English

5

No. Description

1 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)

2 2 x 204-pin DDR3 SO-DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1)

3 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)

4 USB 2.0 Header (USB1_2)

5 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_1_2)

6 SATA2 Connector (SATA2_2)

7 System Panel Header (PANEL1)

8 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)

9 SATA2 Connector (SATA2_1)

10 TPM Header (TPMS1)

11 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)

12 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)

13 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)

14 COM Port Header (COM1)

15 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_A1)

16 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_A2)

17 Print Port Header (LPT1)

18 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)

English

6

1.4 I/O Panel

1 3 4

2

Q2900-ITX

7

658

13

No. Description No. Description

1 PS/2 Mouse Port 8 Front Speaker (Lime)**

2 D-Sub Port 9 Microphone (Pink)

3 USB 2.0 Ports (USB_34) 10 Optical SPDIF Out Port

4 LAN RJ-45 Port* 11 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_34)

5 Central / Bass (Orange) 12 HDMI Port

6 Rear Speaker (Black) 13 DVI-D Port

7 Line In (Light Blue) 14 PS/2 Keyboard Port

111214

910

English

7

* ere are two LEDs on the LAN port. Please refe r to the table below for the LA N port LED indic ations.

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

** If you use a 2- channel speaker, plea se connect the speaker’s plug into “Front Speaker Jack ”. See the table below

for connection details in accord ance with the type of spea ker you u se.

English

8

Audio Output

Channels

Front Speaker

(No. 8)

Rear Speaker

(No. 6)

Central / Bass

(No. 5)

2 V -- -- --
4 V V -- --
6 V V V --
8 V V V V

To enable Multi-Streaming, you need to connect a f ront pane l audio cable to the
front panel audio heade r. Aer restarting your computer, you will nd the “Mixer”
tool on your system. Please select “Mixer ToolBox” , click “Enable pl ayback
multi-streaming”, and click “ok”. Choose “2CH”, “4CH”, “6CH”, or “8CH” and then
you are all owed to select “Realtek HDA Primary output” to use the Rear Speaker,
Central/Bass, and Front Speaker, or select “Realtek HDA Audio 2nd output” to use
the front panel audio.

Line In

(No. 7)

Chapter 2 Installation

is is a Mini-ITX 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.

Q2900-ITX

English

9

2.1 Installing Memory Modules (SO-DIMM)

is motherboard provides two 204-pin DDR3/DDR3L (Double Data Rate 3) SO-

DIMM slots. If only one SO-DIMM module is installed, please install it into DDR3_

A1.

It is not allowed to in stall a DDR or DDR2 memory module into a DDR3/DDR3L
slot; otherwise, this motherboard and SO-DIMM may be damaged.

e SO-DIMM only ts in one cor rect orientation. It will cause permanent damage
to the motherboard and the SO-DIMM if you force the SO -DIMM into the slot at
incorrect orientation.

English

10

Q2900-ITX

1

2

3

English

11

2.2 Expansion Slots (PCI Express Slots)

ere are 2 PCI Express slots on the motherboard.

Before installing an expansion card, please make sure that the power supply is
switched o or the power cord is unplug ged. Please read the documentation of the
expan sion card and mak e necessary hardware set tings for the card before you start the
installation.

PCIe slots:

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

MINI_PCIE1 (mini-PCIe slot) is used for WiFi module.

English

12

2.3 Jumpers Setup

e illustration shows how jumpers are setup. When the jumper cap is placed on

the pins, the jumper is “Short”. If no jumper cap is placed on the pins, the jumper

is “Open”. e illustration shows a 3-pin jumper whose pin1 and pin2 are “Short”

when a jumper cap is placed on these 2 pins.

Clear CMOS Jumper

(CLRCMOS1)

(see p.5, No. 13)

CLRCMOS1 allows you to clear the data in CMOS. To clear and reset the system

parameters to default setup, please turn o the computer and unplug the power

cord from the power supply. Aer waiting for 15 seconds, use a jumper cap to

short pin2 and pin3 on CLRCMOS1 for 5 seconds. However, please do not clear

the CMOS right aer you update the BIOS. If you need to clear the CMOS when

you just nish updating the BIOS, you must boot up the system rst, and then shut

it down before you do the clear-CMOS action. Please be noted that the password,

date, time, and user default prole will be cleared only if the CMOS battery is

removed.

Clear CMOSDefault

Q2900-ITX

If you clear the CMOS, the case open may be d etected. Ple ase adjust the BIOS option
“Clear Status” to clear the re cord of previous chassis intrusion status.

English

13

2.4 Onboard Headers and Connectors

Onboard headers and connectors are NOT jumpers. Do NOT pl ace jumper caps over
these headers and connectors . Placing jumper caps over the headers and connectors
will cause per manent damage to the motherboard .

System Panel Header

(9-pin PANEL1)

(see p.5, No. 7)

PWRBTN (Power Switch):

Connec t to the power switch on the chassis front panel. You may congure the way to
turn o your syste m using the power switch.

RESET (Reset Switch):

Connec t to the reset switch on the chassis front pan el. Pre ss the reset switch to restart
the computer if the computer 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 is on when
the system is ope rating. e LED keeps blinking when the system is in S1/S3 sleep state.
e LED is o when the system is in S4 slee p state or powered o (S5).

HDLED (Ha rd Drive Activity LED):

Connec t to the hard drive ac tivity L ED on the chassis front panel. e LED is on whe n
the hard dr ive is reading or w riting d ata.

e front panel design may dier by chassi s. A front panel module mainly cons ists
of power switch, reset sw itch, power LED, hard drive activity LED, speaker and etc.
When connecting your chassis front panel module to this header, make sure the wire
assig nments and the pin assig nments are matched correctly.

1

PLE D+

PLE D-

HDL ED-

HDL ED+

PWR BTN #

GND

RES ET#

GND

GND

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.

English

14

Q2900-ITX

IntA _P_D +

Serial ATA2 Connectors

(SATA2_1:

see p.5, No. 9)

(SATA2_2:

see p.5, No. 6)

Serial ATA3 Connectors

(SATA3_A1:

see p.5, No. 15)

(SATA3_A2:

see p.5, No. 16)

USB 2.0 Header

(9-pin USB1_2)

(see p.5, No. 4)

USB 3.0 Header

(19-pin USB3_1_2)

(see p.5, No. 5)

1

IntA _P_D -

IntA _P_D +

ID

SATA2_2

SATA2_1

SATA3_A2

SATA3_A1

USB _PW R

1

USB _PW R

GND

IntA _P_D -

P-

P+

P+

P-

IntA _P_S STX+

IntA _P_S STX-

GND

IntA _P_S STX-

IntA _P_S STX+

GND

GND

DUM MY

GND

IntA _P_S SRX+

IntA _P_S SRX-

Vbus

IntA _P_S SRX-

IntA _P_S SRX+

GND

ese two SATA2

connectors support SATA

data cables for internal

storage devices with up to

3.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.

ese two SATA3

connectors support SATA

data cables for internal

storage devices with up to

6.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.

Besides two USB 2.0 ports

on the I/O panel, there

is one header on this

motherboard. is USB

2.0 header can support

two ports.

Besides two USB 3.0 ports

on the I/O panel, there

is one header on this

motherboard. is USB

3.0 header can support

Vbus

two ports.

Front Panel Audio Header

(9-pin HD_AUDIO1)

(see p.5, No. 18)

1

GND

PRE SEN CE#

MIC 2_R

MIC 2_L

MIC _RE T

J_S ENS E

OUT 2_R

OUT _RE T

OUT 2_L

is header is for

connecting audio devices

to the front audio panel.

English

15

1. High Denition Au dio supports Jack Sensing, but the panel wire on the chassis must

GND

FAN_V OLTAGE

FAN_S PEE D

GND

FAN_V OLTAGE

FAN_S PEE D

suppor t HDA to function correctly. Please follow the in structions in our manual and
chassis manu al to install your system .

2. If you use an AC’97 audio panel , please install it to the front panel audio h eader 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 nee d 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”.

English

Chassis Speaker Header

(4-pin SPEAKER1)

(see p.5, No. 11)

Chassis Fan Connector

(3-pin CHA_FAN1)

(see p.5, No. 8)

CPU Fan Connectors

(3-pin CPU_FAN1)

(see p.5, No. 1)

ATX Power Connector

(24-pin ATXPWR1)

(see p.5, No. 3)

DUM MY

1

+5V

12

1

SPE AKE R

DUM MY

24

13

Please connect the chassis

speaker to this header.

Please connect fan cable

to the fan connector and

match the black wire to

the ground pin.

Please connect the CPU

fan cable to the connector

and match the black wire

to the ground pin.

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.

16

Q2900-ITX

Chassis Intrusion Header

(2-pin CI1)

(see p.5, No. 12)

TPM Header

(17-pin TPMS1)

(see p.5, No. 10)

Serial Port Header

(9-pin COM1)

(see p.5, No. 14)

1

Sig nal

GND

is motherboard supports

CASE OPEN dete ction featu re

th at detec ts if the chassis cove

has been removed. This feature

requires a ch assis wit h chassis

intrusion detection design.

is connector supports Trusted

Platform Module (TPM) system,

which can securely store keys,

SMB _CL K_M AIN

GND

SMB _DA TA_ MAI N

LAD 2

GND

LAD 1

digital certicates, passwords,

S_P WRD WN#

SER IRQ #

GND

and data. A TPM system also

1

+3V

LAD 3

PCI RST #

RRXD 1

DDTR #1

TTXD 1

DDCD #1

DDSR #1

CCTS #1

RRTS #1

GND

LAD 0

RRI# 1

FRA ME

PCI CLK

1

helps enhance network security,

protects digital identities, and

GND

+3V SB

ensures platform integrity.

is COM1 header

supports a serial port

module.

Print Port Header

(25-pin LPT1)

(see p.5, No. 17)

1

AFD #

STB #

ERR OR#

PIN I T#

SPD 1

SPD 0

SLI N #

SPD 2

SPD 3

SPD 4

SPD 5

SPD 6

GND

SPD 7

ACK #

BUS Y

is is an interface

for print port cable

that allows convenient

connection of printer

PE

SLC T

devices.

English

17

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 install it.

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

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3.2 A-Tuning

A-Tuning is ASRock’s multi purpose soware suite with a new interface, more new

features and improved utilities, including XFast RAM and a whole lot more.

3.2.1 Installing A-Tuning

When you install the all-in-one driver to your system from ASRock ’s support CD,

A-Tuning will be auto-installed as well. Aer the installation, you will nd the icon

“A-Tuning“ on your desktop. Double-click the “A-Tuning“ icon, A-Tuning

main menu will pop up.

3.2.2 Using A-Tuning

ere are ve sections in A-Tuning main menu: Operation Mode and Tools.

Operation Mode

Choose an operation mode for your computer.

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Tools

Various tools and utilities.

XFast RAM

Boost the system’s performance and extend the HDD’s or SDD’s lifespan! Create a

hidden partition, then assign which les should be stored in the RAM drive.

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3.3 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.

3.3.1 System Requirements

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

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

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

mode, directly changing the SATA mode to AHCI may cause Windows 8/7

to crash while booting. If your system is not in AHCI mode, please follow the

instructions below.

ere are certain risks. Please backup any important d ata before operating to avoid
loss.

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

box then click OK.

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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.

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3.3.2 Setup Guide

Installing ASRock Smart Connect Utility

Step 1

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

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

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Step 2

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

Start -> All Programs -> ASRock Utility.

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.

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Step 5

Click Apply to enable Smart Connect.

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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.

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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.

4. e system will wake up from sleep state periodically, 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.

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3.4 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 Inter net to downloa d apps from the ASRock APP Shop.

3.4.1 UI Overview

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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.

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3.4.2 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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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

Upgrading an App

You can only upgrade the apps you have already insta lled. 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.

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Step 2

Click on the yellow icon to start upgrading.

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3.4.3 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.

Step 1

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

Step 2

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

Step 3

Click Update to start the update process.

3.4.4 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.

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3.5 Start8

For those Windows 8 users who miss the Start Menu, Start8 is an ideal solution that

brings back the familiar Start Menu along with added customizations for greater

eciency.

3.5.1 Installing Start8

Install Start8, which is located in the folder at the following path of the Support CD:

\ ASRock Uti lity > Start8.

3.5.2 Conguring Start8

Style

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Select between the Windows 7 style and Windows 8 style Start Menu. en select

the theme of the Start Menu and customize the style of the Start icon.

Congure

Congure provides conguration options, including icon sizes, which shortcuts you

want Start Menu to display, quick access to recently used apps, the functionality of

the power button, and more.

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Control

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Control lets you congure what a click on the start button or a press on the

Windows key does.

Desktop

Desktop a llows you to disable the hot corners when you are working on the desktop.

It also lets you choose whether or not the system boots directly into desktop mode

and bypass the Metro user interface.

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About

Displays information about Start8.

Chapter 4 UEFI SETUP UTILITY

4.1 Introduction

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 be ing updated, the follow ing UEFI setup
screens and descriptions are for reference pur pose only, and they may not exa ctly
match what you see on your screen.

4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar

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

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Main

Advanced

Tool

H/W Monitor

Security

Boot

Exit

For setting system time/date information

For advanced system congurations

Useful tools

Displays current hardware status

For security settings

For conguring boot settings and boot priority

Exit the current screen or the UEFI Setup Utility

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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

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4.2 Main Screen

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

display the system overview.

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4.3 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, Super IO Conguration, ACPI Conguration, USB

Conguration and Trusted Computing.

Setting wrong values in this section may cause the system to malfunc tion.

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4.3.1 CPU Conguration

Active Processor Cores

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

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Intel SpeedStep Technology

Intel SpeedStep technology allows processors to switch between multiple

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

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.

Enhanced Halt State (C1E)

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

No-Execute Memory Protection

Processors with No-Execution Memory Protection Technology may prevent certain

classes of malicious buer overow attacks.

Hardware Prefetcher

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

performance.

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Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch

Automatically prefetch the subsequent cache line while retrieving the currently

requested cache line. Enable for better performance.

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.

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4.3.2 Chipset Conguration

DRAM Voltage

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

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Primary Graphics Adapter

Select a primar y VGA.

Share Memory

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

when the system boots up.

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 HDMI HD Audio

Enable audio for the onboard digital outputs.

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Onboard LAN

Enable or disable the onboard network interface controller.

PCIE1 Link Speed

Select the link speed for PCIE1.

Deep S5

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.

Good Night LED

By enabling Good Night LED, the Power/LAN LEDs will be switched o when the

system is on. It will also automatically switch o the Power and LAN LEDs when

the system enters into Standby/Hibernation mode.

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4.3.3 Storage Conguration

SATA Controller(s)

Enable/disable the SATA controllers.

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SATA Mode Selection

IDE: For better compatibility.

AHCI: Supports new features that improve performance.

AHCI (Advanc ed Host Controller Inter face) supports NCQ and other new feature s
that will improve SATA disk performance 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 Technology. It is a

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

indicators of reliability.

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ASMedia SATA3 Mode

IDE: For better compatibility.

AHCI: Supports new features that improve performance.

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4.3.4 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.

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4.3.5 Super IO Conguration

Serial Port 1

Enable or disable the Serial port 1.

Serial Port Address

Select the address of the Serial port.

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Parallel Port

Enable or disable the Parallel port.

Change Settings

Select the address of the Parallel port.

Device Mode

Select the device mode according to your connected device.

4.3.6 ACPI Conguration

Suspend to RAM

Select disable for ACPI suspend type S1. It is recommended to select auto for ACPI

S3 power saving.

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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 Device Power On

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

Ring-In Power On

Allow the system to be waked up by onboard COM port modem Ring-In signals.

RTC Alarm Power On

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

it be handled by your operating system.

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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.

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4.3.7 USB Conguration

USB Controller

Enable or disable all the USB ports.

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USB 3.0 Controller

Enable or disable all the USB 3.0 ports.

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.

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4.3.8 Trusted Computing

Security Device Support

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

drives.

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4.4 Tools

Instant Flash

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

UEFI.

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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.

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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.

UEFI Download Server

Select a server to download the UEFI rmware.

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4.5 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.

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CPU Fan 1 Setting

is allows you to set CPU fan 1’s speed. Conguration options: [Full On] and

[Automatic Mode]. e default value is [Full On].

Chassis Fan 1 Setting

is allows you to set chassis fan 1’s speed. Conguration options: [Full On],

[Automatic Mode] and [Manual]. e default value is [Full On].

Case Open Feature

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

removed.

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4.6 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.

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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 Secure Boot.

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 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.

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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.

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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.

CSM (Compatibility Support Module)

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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 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. Do not launch?

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. Do not launch?

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. Do not launch?

4.8 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.

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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 all 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.

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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: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

ASRock America, Inc.

13848 Magnolia Ave, Chino, CA91710

U.S.A.

Phone: [phone]

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Fax: [phone]