No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,
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Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless
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Offer to Provide Source Code of Certain Software
This product contains copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License (“GPL”),
under the Lesser General Public License Version (“LGPL”) and/or other Free Open Source Software
Licenses. Such software in this product is distributed without any warranty to the extent permitted by the
applicable law. Copies of these licenses are included in this product.
Where the applicable license entitles you to the source code of such software and/or other additional data,
you may obtain it for a period of three years after our last shipment of the product, either
(1) for free by downloading it from http://support.asus.com/download
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In your request please provide the name, model number and version, as stated in the About Box of the
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ii
Contents
Safety information ....................................................................................................... v
About this guide ......................................................................................................... vi
X99-PRO specifications summary .......................................................................... viii
Package contents ..................................................................................................... xiv
Installation tools and components .......................................................................... xv
Chapter 1: Product Introduction
1.1 Special features..........................................................................................1-1
ASUS contact information ...................................................................................... A-4
iv
Safety information
Electrical safety
• To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet
before relocating the system.
• When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables
for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible,
disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
• Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all
power cables are unplugged.
• Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices
could interrupt the grounding circuit.
• Ensure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not
sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power
company.
• If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
Operation safety
• Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals
that came with the package.
• Before using the product, ensure all cables are correctly connected and the power
cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.
• To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors,
slots, sockets and circuitry.
• Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area
where it may become wet.
• Place the product on a stable surface.
• If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
v
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring the
motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This guide contains the following parts:
1. Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it
supports. It includes description of the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the
motherboard.
2. Chapter 2: Basic installation
This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when
installing system components.
3. Chapter 3: BIOS setup
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus.
Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
Where to find more information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software
updates.
1. ASUS website
The ASUS website (www.asus.com) provides updated information on ASUS hardware
and software products.
2. Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty yers,
that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the
standard package.
vi
Conventions used in this guide
To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used
throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to
complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to
complete a task
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.
Typography
Bold text
ItalicsUsed to emphasize a word or a phrase.
<Key>Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign
<Key1> + <Key2> + <Key3>If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key
Indicates a menu or an item to select.
means that you must press the enclosed key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or
Return key.
names are linked with a plus sign (+).
vii
X99-PRO specifications summary
LGA2011-v3 socket for the New Intel® Core™ i7 processors
Supports 22nm CPU
CPU
Chipset
Memory
Expansion slots
Multi-GPU support
Storage
Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0*
* The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU
types.
Intel® X99 Express Chipset
8 x DIMM DDR4 max at 64 GB 3300 (O.C.)* / 3200 (O.C.)* / 3000
* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics
of individual CPUs. Refer to www.asus.com for the memory QVL
(Qualified Vendors Lists).
40-LANE CPU
3 x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 x16 slots* (single at x16, dual at x16/x16,
triple at x16/x16/x8)
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot*** (max. at x4 mode, compatible with
PCIe x1 and PCIe x4 devices)
2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot***
28-LANE CPU
3 x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 x16 slots* (single at x16, dual at x16/x8**,
triple at x16/x8**/x4)
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot*** (max. at x4 mode, compatible with
PCIe x1 and x4 devices)
2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot***
* The PCIe x16_4 slot shares bandwidth with M.2 x4. When the M.2
socket is occupied, the PCIe x16_4 will be disabled.
** The PCIe x16_3 slot supports x8 devices only.
***The PCIe x16_2, PCIe x1_1, and USB3_E56 connectors share the
same bandwidth, and the PCIe x1_2 and Wi-Fi module share the
same bandwidth. By default, the PCIe x16_2 slot and PCIe x1_1
slot automatically run at x1 mode with USB3_E56 and Wi-Fi module
enabled for best resource optimization.
- Wi-Fi GO! & NFC Remote app for portable smartphone/tablet,
supporting iOS 7 and Android™ 4.0 systems
(continued on the next page)
x
X99-PRO specifications summary
Media Streamer
- Pipe music or movies from your PC to a smart TV, your
entertainment goes wherever you go!
- Media Streamer app for portable smartphone/tablet,
supporting iOS 7 and Android™ 4.0 systems
NFC Express 2 support (optional)
- NFC Receiver and 2-port USB 3.0 hub
- NFC one-touch features: Video-to-go, Photo Express, Remote
Desktop, Quick Launch, Windows® 8 Login, and Bluetooth
Gamers and Professionals
Turbo APP
- Perform each application with tailored performance, network
priority, audio conguration, and fan speed for your needs
Turbo LAN
- Experience smooth online gaming with lower pings and less
lag
Crystal Sound 2
- Feel the sound power with different usage scenarios
ASUS Exclusive
Features
ASUS Special Features
Steam support
- Compatible with the most fun gaming platform under
Windows® system
ASUS EZ DIY
Push Notice
- Monitor your PC status with smart devices in real time
USB BIOS Flashback
- with USB BIOS Flashback Wizard for EZ BIOS download
scheduling
UEFI BIOS EZ Mode
- featuring friendly graphics user interface
- ASUS O.C. Tuner
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
Q-Design
- ASUS Q-Code
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
- ASUS Q-Slot
- ASUS Q-DIMM
- ASUS Q-Connector
ASUS 5X Protection:
- ASUS DIGI+ VRM - 8 Phase digital power design
- ASUS Enhanced DRAM Overcurrent Protection - Short circuit
damage prevention
- ASUS ESD Guards - Enhanced ESD protection
- ASUS High-quality 5K-Hour Solid Capacitors - 2.5x long
lifespan with excellent durability
(continued on the next page)
®
xi
X99-PRO specifications summary
- ASUS Stainless Steel rear I/O - 3x more durable corrosionresistant coating
USB 3.0 Boost
USB Charger+
ASUS Special Features
ASUS Quiet Thermal
Solution
ASUS Exclusive
Overclocking Features
Rear Panel I/O Ports
Internal I/O Connectors
Ai Charger+
Disk Unlocker
Ai Suite 3
MemOK!
EZ XMP
Quiet Thermal Design
- ASUS Fan Xpert 3
- ASUS Fanless Design: Heatsink solution with the aesthetic
streamline I/O cover
Precision Tweaker 2
- vCore: Adjustable CPU Core voltage at 0.001 V increment
- iGPU: Adjustable CPU Graphics voltage at 0.001 V increment
- vCCIO: Adjustable Analog and Digital I/O voltage at 0.001 V
increment
- vCCIN: Adjustable CPU Input voltage at 0.01 V increment
- vCCSA: Adjustable CPU System Agent voltage at 0.001 V
increment
- vDRAM Bus: 110-step Memory voltage control
- vPCH: 176-step Chipset voltage control
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)
- BCLK/PCIE frequency tuning from 80 MHz to 300 MHz at 0.1
MHz increment.
Overclocking Protection
- ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)
1 x BIOS Flashback button
1 x Optical S/PDIF Out port
1 x Intel® LAN (RJ45) port
6 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (blue)
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (bottom port supports USB BIOS Flashback)
1 x Keyboard/Mouse combo connector
8-channel Audio I/O ports
1 x ASUS Wi-Fi GO! module (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth
v4.0)
2 x 19-pin USB 3.0/2.0 connectors, support additional 4 USB ports
2 x USB 2.0/1.1 connectors, support additional 4 USB ports
1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key design, type 2242/2260/2280/22110
storage devices support (supports PCIE SSD only)
1 x SATA Express connectors (gray)
8 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s connectors (4 x gray, 4 x black)
1 x 4-pin CPU Fan connector for both 3-pin (DC mode) and 4-pin
(PWM mode) CPU coolers control with auto detection
(continued on the next page)
xii
X99-PRO specifications summary
1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan connector
4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connectors for both 3-pin (DC Mode) and
4-pin (PWM Mode) coolers control
1 x Front panel audio connector(AAFP)
1 x S/PDIF Out header
1 x 5-pin Thunderbolt header for ASUS ThunderboltEX series
support
1 x TPM connector
1 x Serial port (COM) header
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector
1 x 8-pin EATX 12V Power connector
Internal I/O Connectors
BIOS features
Manageability
Support DVD
Operating system
Form Factors
1 x System Panel (Q-Connector)
1 x 5-pin Extension fan (EXT_FAN) connector
1 x 3-pin Chassis intrusion (CHASSIS) connector
1 x 2-pin Thermal sensor header
1 x 3-pin CPU OverVoltage (OV) header
1 x MemOK! button
1 x Clear CMOS jumper
1 x DRCT (DirectKey) connector
1 x TPU switch (advanced two-stage adjustments)
1 x EPU switch
1 x EZ XMP switch
1 x Power-on button
1 x Reset button
128 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0,
SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2,
CrashFree BIOS 3, F11 EZ Tuning Wizard, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My
Favorites, Quick Note, Last Modied Log, F12 PrintScreen function,
F3 Shortcut function, and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence
Detect) memory information
WfM 2.0, DMI 2.7, WOL by PME, PXE
Drivers
ASUS Utilities
EZ Update
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
Windows® 8.1
Windows® 8
Windows® 7
ATX Form Factor, 12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
Specications are subject to change without notice.
xiii
Package contents
Check your motherboard package for the following items
6 x Serial ATA 6 Gb/s cables
ASUS X99-PRO motherboard
1 x ASUS Q-Shield
HYPER M.2 x 4
Support DVD
antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
User Manual
1 x 2-in-1 ASUS Q-Connector kit
1 x ASUS SLI™ bridge connector
1 x ASUS 2T2R dual-band Wi-Fi moving
xiv
Technical documentations
• If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
• The illustrated items above are for reference only. Actual product specications may
vary with different models.
Installation tools and components
Intel® LGA2011-v3 compatible CPU Fan
Intel® LGA2011-v3 CPU
PC chassis
Power supply unit
SATA optical disc drive (optional)
SATA hard disk drive
1 bag of screws
Philips (cross) screwdriver
DIMM
Graphics card
The tools and components in the table above are not included in the motherboard package.
xv
xvi
Chapter 1: Product Introduction
Product introduction
1
1.1 Special features
1.1.1 Product highlights
LGA2011-v3 socket for Intel® Core™ i7 processors
This motherboard supports the New Intel® Core™ i7 processors in the LGA2011-v3 package.
It provides great system performance, quad-channel DDR4 memory slots and PCI Express
2.0/3.0 expansion slots.
Intel® X99 Express Chipset
Intel® X99 Express Chipset is a single chipset that supports the LGA2011-v3 socket for Intel
Core™ i7 processors. It utilizes the serial point-to-point links, which increases bandwidth and
enhances the system’s performance. It natively supports up to six (6) USB 3.0 ports and ten
(10) SATA 6 Gb/s ports.
PCI Express® 3.0
PCI Express® 3.0 (PCIe 3.0) is the PCI Express bus standard that provides twice the
performance and speed of PCIe 2.0. It provides an optimal graphics performance,
unprecedented data speed and seamless transition with its complete backward compatibility
to PCIe 1.0/2.0 devices.
3-WAY SLI and Quad GPU CrossFireX™ Support
This motherboad supports NVIDIA® SLI™ and AMD CrossFire™ 2-WAY/3-WAY
congurations that enable multi-GPU setup, giving you full power of the latest graphics
technology to play games at 4K and beyond.
SATA Express support
SATA Express provides faster data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gb/s, allowing your system to
catch up with the speed of the SSDs. It also features backward compatibility with up to two
SATA drives of the same speed.
Quad-Channel DDR4 3000 MHz Support
The motherboard supports the quad-channel DDR4 memory that features data transfer rates
of DDR4 3000 MHz to boost the system’s performance, and to meet the higher bandwidth
requirements of 3D graphics, multimedia and Internet applications.
M.2 Support*
This motherboard features the M.2 slot, which shares bandwidth with PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot
to speed up data transfer up to 32 Gb/s. This helps enhance the performance of your SSD
(Solid State Drive) that is dedicated only to the operating system.
* Supports PCIe mode only.
®
Chapter 1
ASUS X99-PRO
1-1
Complete USB 3.0 integration
This motherboard offers you the strategic USB 3.0 accessibility for both the front and rear
panels, allowing you to experience the convenience of the latest plug and play connectivity
solution at speed up to ten times faster than USB 2.0.
1.1.2 Other special features
DTS Connect
To get the most out of your audio entertainment across all formats and quality levels, DTS
Connect combines two enabling technologies, DTS Neo:PC™ upmixes stereo sources (CDs,
MP3s, WMAs, internet radio) into as many as 7.1 channels of incredible surround sound.
Consumers can connect their PC to a home theater system. DTS Interactive is capable of
performing mult-channel encoding of DTS bitstreams on personal computers, and sending
encoded bitstreams out of a digital audio connection (such as S/PDIF or HDMI) designed to
deliver audio to an external decoder.
DTS UltraPC II
DTS UltraPC II delivers a superior surround sound experience through your system’s
speakers and headphones while monitoring and balancing the loudness level difference
between digital audio formats. It also ehnances the audio settings through augmenting
low and high frequencies of musical tones, restores compressed or re-mastered sounds,
improves bass performance even without a subwoofer, and improves dialogues derived from
DVD or Blu-ray Disc™.
ErP Ready
The motherboard is European Union’s Energy-related Products (ErP) ready, and ErP
requires products to meet certain energy efciency requirement in regards to energy
consumptions. This is in line with ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and energy-
efcient products through product design and innovation to reduce carbon footprint of the
product and thus mitigate environmental impacts.
Chapter 1
1-2
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.2 Motherboard overview
1.2.1 Before you proceed
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change
any motherboard settings.
• Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component.
• Before handling components, use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded
object or a metal object, such as the power supply case, to avoid damaging them due
to static electricity.
• Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.
• Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the
bag that came with the component.
• Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the ATX power supply 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, or components.
ASUS X99-PRO
Chapter 1
1-3
1.2.2 Motherboard layout
Chapter 1
1-4
Refer to 1.2.9 Internal connectors and 2.3.1 Rear I/O connection for more information
about rear panel connectors and internal connectors.
Chapter 1: Product introduction
Layout contents
Connectors/Jumpers/Buttons and switches/SlotsPage
1. DDR4 DIMM slots1-7
2. CPU, CPU optional, extension, and chassis fan connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN, 4-pin CPU_OPT, 5-pin EXT_FAN, 4-pin CHA_FAN1-4 )
3. LGA2011-v3 CPU socket 1-6
4. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR; 8-pin EATX12V) 1-34
5. MemOK! button1-17
6. Intel® Serial ATA 6 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G_12, SATA 6G_34,
SATA 6G_5, SATA 6G_6/SATAEXPRESS, SATA 6G_78, SATA6G_910)
7. USB 3.0 connectors (20-1 pin USB3_12, USB3_34)1-31
15. USB 2.0 connectors (10-1 pin USB1112; USB1314)1-32
16. EZ XMP switch1-20
17. Clear RTC RAM jumper (3-pin CLRTC)1-21
18. TPM connector (20-1 pin TPM)1-36
19. Q-Code LEDs1-25
20. Reset button1-16
21. Power-on button1-16
22. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM)1-38
23. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)1-39
24. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT)1-30
25. CPU Over Voltage jumper (3-pin CPU_OV)1-22
26. Thunderbolt header (5-pin TB_HEADER)1-37
1-33
1-29
ASUS X99-PRO
Chapter 1
1-5
1.2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA2011-v3 socket designed for Intel
i7 processors.
• Ensure that all power cables are unplugged before installing the CPU.
• Upon purchase of the motherboard, ensure that the PnP cap is on the socket and
the socket contacts are not bent. Contact your retailer immediately if the PnP cap
is missing, or if you see any damage to the PnP cap/socket contacts/motherboard
components. ASUS will shoulder the cost of repair only if the damage is shipment/
transit-related.
• Keep the cap after installing the motherboard. ASUS will process Return Merchandise
Authorization (RMA) requests only if the motherboard comes with the cap on the
LGA2011-v3 socket.
• The product warranty does not cover damage to the socket contacts resulting from
incorrect CPU installation/removal, or misplacement/loss/incorrect removal of the PnP
cap.
®
Core™
Chapter 1
1-6
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.2.4 System memory
The motherboard comes with eight DDR 4 (Double Data Rate 4) Quad Inline Memory
Modules (DIMM) slots.
A DDR4 module is notched differently from a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 module. DO NOT
install a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 memory module to the DDR4 slot.
Recommended memory configurations
ASUS X99-PRO
Chapter 1
1-7
Memory configurations
You may install 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB unbuffered and non-ECC DDR4 DIMMs into the DIMM
sockets.
• You may install varying memory sizes in Channel A, Channel B, Channel C, and
Channel D. The system maps the total size of the lower-sized channel for the dual-
channel conguration. Any excess memory from the higher-sized channel is then
mapped for single-channel operation.
• According to Intel® CPU spec, DIMM voltage below 1.65 V is recommended to protect
the CPU.
• Due to the memory address limitation on 32-bit Windows® OS, when you install 4GB
or more memory on the motherboard, the actual usable memory for the OS can be
about 3GB or less. For effective use of memory, we recommend that you do any of the
following:
a) Use a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are using a 32-bit Windows
b) Install a 64-bit Windows® OS when you want to install 4 GB or more on the
motherboard.
c) For more details, refer to the Microsoft® support site at http://support.microsoft.
com/kb/929605/en-us.
• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect
(SPD), which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module.
Under the default state, some memory modules for overclocking may operate at a
lower frequency than the vendor-marked value. To operate at the vendor-marked
or at a higher frequency, refer to section 3.5 Ai Tweakermenu for manual memory
frequency adjustment.
• For system stability, use a more efcient memory cooling system to support a full
memory load (8 DIMMs) or overclocking condition.
• Always install the DIMMS with the same CAS Latency. For an optimum compatibility,
we recommend that you install memory modules of the same version or data code
(D/C) from the same vendor. Check with the vendor to get the correct memory
modules.
• The design of the DIMM fan may vary. Ensure that the DIMM fan ts to the