ASUS M4A78T-E User Manual

M4A78T-E

Motherboard

E4465

Second Edition (V2)
January 2009

Copyright © 2009 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any
means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written
permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless
such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the

product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS
DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,
LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),
EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY
DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR
INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE,
AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO
RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS
MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or

copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the
owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.

ii

Contents

Contents ...................................................................................................................... iii

Notices ......................................................................................................................vii

Safety information .................................................................................................... viii

About this guide ......................................................................................................... ix

M4A78T-E specications summary .......................................................................... xi

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 Welcome! ....................................................................................................1-1

1.2 Package contents.......................................................................................1-1

1.3 Special features..........................................................................................1-2

1.3.1 Product highlights ...................................................................................... 1-2

1.3.2 ASUS unique features ............................................................................... 1-3

1.3.3 ASUS intelligent performance and overclocking features .......................... 1-5

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.1 Before you proceed ...................................................................................2-1

2.2 Motherboard overview ............................................................................... 2-2

2.2.1 Motherboard layout .................................................................................... 2-2

2.2.2 Layout contents .......................................................................................... 2-3

2.2.3 Placement direction ................................................................................... 2-4

2.2.4 Screw holes ............................................................................................... 2-4

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) .................................................................2-5

2.3.1 Installing the CPU ......................................................................................2-5

2.3.2 Installing the heatsink and fan ................................................................... 2-7

2.4 System memory .......................................................................................2-10

2.4.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 2-10

2.4.2 Memory congurations ..............................................................................2-11

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM .....................................................................................2-15

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ...................................................................................2-15

2.5 Expansion slots........................................................................................2-16

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card .................................................................... 2-16

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ................................................................2-16

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments .............................................................................. 2-17

2.5.4 PCI slots ................................................................................................... 2-18

2.5.5 PCI Express x1 slots ................................................................................ 2-18

2.5.6 Two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots ................................................................ 2-18

2.6 Jumpers ....................................................................................................2-19

2.7 Connectors ...............................................................................................2-21

2.7.1 Rear panel connectors ............................................................................. 2-21

2.7.2 Audio I/O connections .............................................................................. 2-22

2.7.3 Internal connectors .................................................................................. 2-26

iii

Contents

2.8 Starting up for the rst time .................................................................... 2-37

2.9 Turning off the computer ......................................................................... 2-37

Chapter 3: BIOS set up

3.1 Knowing BIOS ............................................................................................3-1

3.2 Updating BIOS ............................................................................................ 3-1

3.2.1 ASUS Update utility ................................................................................... 3-2

3.2.2 Creating a bootable oppy disk .................................................................. 3-4

3.2.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility .............................................................................. 3-5

3.2.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ................................................................. 3-6

3.3 BIOS setup program ..................................................................................3-7

3.3.1 BIOS menu screen ..................................................................................... 3-7

3.3.2 Menu bar .................................................................................................... 3-7

3.3.3 Navigation keys .......................................................................................... 3-8

3.3.4 Menu items ................................................................................................ 3-8

3.3.5 Submenu items .......................................................................................... 3-8

3.3.6 Conguration elds ....................................................................................3-8

3.3.7 Pop-up window .......................................................................................... 3-8

3.3.8 Scroll bar .................................................................................................... 3-8

3.3.9 General help .............................................................................................. 3-8

3.4 Main menu ..................................................................................................3-9

3.4.1 Primary IDE Master/Slave; SATA 1-5; ESATA ............................................ 3-9

3.4.2 Storage Conguration ...............................................................................3-11

3.4.3 System Information .................................................................................. 3-12

3.5 Ai Tweaker menu ...................................................................................... 3-12

3.5.1 AI Overclocking Tuner .............................................................................. 3-12

3.5.2 CPU Ratio ............................................................................................... 3-13

3.5.3 FSB Frequency ........................................................................................ 3-13

3.5.4 PCIE Frequency ....................................................................................... 3-13

3.5.5 DRAM Frequency .................................................................................... 3-13

3.5.6 HT Link Speed ........................................................................................3-13

3.5.7 CPU/NB Frequency ................................................................................ 3-13

3.5.8 Memory Conguration .............................................................................. 3-14

3.5.9 DRAM Timing Conguration ....................................................................3-15

3.5.10 Processor Voltage ................................................................................... 3-16

3.5.11 CPU/NB Voltage .....................................................................................3-16

3.5.12 CPU VDDA Voltage ................................................................................. 3-17

3.5.13 DRAM Voltage ........................................................................................3-17

3.5.14 HT Voltage .............................................................................................. 3-17

3.5.15 NB Voltage .............................................................................................. 3-17

3.5.16 NB 1.8V Voltage ...................................................................................... 3-17

3.5.17 SB Voltage .............................................................................................. 3-17

iv

Contents

3.5.18 CPU Spread Spectrum ........................................................................... 3-17

3.5.19 PCIE Spread Spectrum ........................................................................... 3-17

3.5.20 SB Clock Spread Spectrum ....................................................................3-17

3.6 Advanced menu .......................................................................................3-18

3.6.1 CPU Conguration ................................................................................... 3-18

3.6.2 Chipset ..................................................................................................... 3-19

3.6.3 Onboard Devices Conguration ............................................................... 3-22

3.6.4 USB Conguration ...................................................................................3-23

3.6.5 PCIPnP ....................................................................................................3-24

3.7 Power menu .............................................................................................. 3-25

3.7.1 Suspend Mode ........................................................................................ 3-25

3.7.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume ................................................................... 3-25

3.7.3 ACPI 2.0 Support .................................................................................... 3-25

3.7.4 ACPI APIC Support ................................................................................. 3-25

3.7.5 APM Conguration ................................................................................... 3-26

3.7.6 Hardware Monitor .................................................................................... 3-27

3.8 Boot menu ................................................................................................3-29

3.8.1 Boot Device Priority ................................................................................. 3-29

3.8.2 Boot Settings Conguration .....................................................................3-30

3.8.3 Security .................................................................................................... 3-31

3.9 Tools menu ............................................................................................... 3-33

3.9.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ..................................................................................... 3-33

3.9.2 Express Gate ...........................................................................................3-33

3.9.3 ASUS O.C. Prole .................................................................................... 3-34

3.9.4 AI NET 2................................................................................................... 3-35

3.10 Exit menu .................................................................................................. 3-36

Chapter 4: Software support

4.1 Installing an operating system .................................................................4-1

4.2 Support DVD information .......................................................................... 4-1

4.2.1 Running the support DVD .......................................................................... 4-1

4.2.2 Obtaining the software manuals ................................................................ 4-2

4.3 Software information .................................................................................4-3

4.3.1 Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology ...................................................................... 4-3

4.3.2 Audio congurations .................................................................................. 4-4

4.3.3 ASUS PC Probe II ...................................................................................... 4-5

4.3.4 ASUS Express Gate SSD / ASUS Express Gate ....................................... 4-6

4.3.5 ASUS AI Suite ............................................................................................ 4-7

4.3.6 ASUS EPU ................................................................................................. 4-8

4.3.7 ASUS Q-Fan 2 ........................................................................................... 4-9

4.3.8 ASUS AI Nap ...........................................................................................4-10

4.3.9 ASUS TurboV ............................................................................................4-11

v

4.3.10 ASUS Turbo Key ...................................................................................... 4-12

4.4 RAID congurations ................................................................................4-13

4.4.1 RAID denitions .......................................................................................4-13

4.4.2 Installing Serial ATA hard disks ................................................................ 4-14

4.4.3 AMD® RAID congurations....................................................................... 4-14

4.5 Creating a RAID driver disk.....................................................................4-20

4.5.1 Creating a RAID driver disk without entering the OS ............................... 4-20

4.5.2 Creating a RAID/SATA driver disk in Windows® ....................................... 4-20

Chapter 5: ATI® CrossFireX™ technology support

5.1 ATI® CrossFireX™ technology ..................................................................5-1

5.1.1 Requirements ............................................................................................. 5-1

5.1.2 Before you begin ........................................................................................ 5-1

5.1.3 Installing CrossFireX™ graphics cards ...................................................... 5-2

5.1.4 Installing the device drivers ........................................................................ 5-3

5.1.5 Enabling the ATI® CrossFireX™ technology .............................................. 5-3

5.2 ATI® Hybrid CrossFireX™ .......................................................................... 5-5

5.2.1 System requirements ................................................................................. 5-5

5.2.2 Before you proceed .................................................................................... 5-5

5.2.3 Installing AMD Chipset Driver .................................................................... 5-6

5.2.4 Using the ATI CATALYST® Control Center ................................................. 5-6

vi

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:

•

This device may not cause harmful interference, and

•

This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause
undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed

and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, may cause harmful interference

to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur
in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user
is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

•

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

•

Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.

•

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required

to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modications to this unit not
expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority

to operate this equipment.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department
of Communications.

This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

vii

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 adpater or extension cord. These
devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.

•

Make sure 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 qualied 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, make sure 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 qualied service

technician or your retailer.

viii

throw the motherboard in municipal waste. This product has been designed to

DO NOT

enable proper reuse of parts and recycling. This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin
indicates that the product (electrical and electronic equipment) should not be placed in
municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products.

throw the mercury-containing button cell battery in municipal waste. This symbol

DO NOT

of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the battery should not be placed in municipal
waste.

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring the

motherboard.

How this guide is organized

This guide contains the following parts:

• Chapter 1: Product introduction

This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it
supports.

• Chapter 2: Hardware information

This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when
installing system components. It includes description of the switches, jumpers, and
connectors on the motherboard.

• 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.

• Chapter 4: Software support

This chapter describes the contents of the support DVD that comes with the
motherboard package and the software.

• Chapter 5: ATI® CrossFireX™ support

This chapter describes the ATI® CrossFireX™ feature and shows the graphics card
installation procedures.

Where to nd more information

Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software
updates.

1. ASUS websites

The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software
products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.

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.

ix

Conventions used in this guide

To make sure 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 Indicates a menu or an item to select.

Italics

Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.

<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign means that you

must press the enclosed key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or Return key.

<Key1+Key2+Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key names are

linked with a plus sign (+).
Example: <Ctrl+Alt+D>

Command Means that you must type the command exactly as shown, then

supply the required item or value enclosed in brackets.

Example: At the DOS prompt, type the command line:

afudos /M4A78T-E.ROM

x

M4A78T-E specications summary

CPU

Chipset

System bus

Memory

Expansion slots

VGA

Storage SB750 chipset:

LAN

Audio

AMD® Phenom™ II / Athlon™ X4 / Athlon™ X3 /™ X4 / Athlon™ X3 / X4 / Athlon™ X3 /™ X3 / X3 //
Athlon™ X2 processors (socket AM3)Athlon™ X2 processors (socket AM3)™ X2 processors (socket AM3) X2 processors (socket AM3) processors (socket AM3)processors (socket AM3)
Support 45nm CPU
AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ 2.0 Technology

AMD® 790GX / SB750

Up to 5200 MT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0

Dual-channel memory architecture

- 4 x DIMM, max. 16GB, DDR3 1600 (O.C.)/1333/1066MHz,

ECC and non-ECC, unbuffered
* When you install a total memory of 4GB capacity or more,
Windows® 32-bit operating system may only recognize less
than 3GB. We recommend using a maximum of 3GB system
memory if you are using a Windows® 32-bit OS.

** Refer to www.asus.com for the memory QVL (Qualied

Vendors Lists).

2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, supporting ATI CrossFireX™ technology, at

full x16 or dual x8 link
2 x PCIe x1 slots
2 x PCI 2.2 slots

Integrated ATI Radeon™ HD3300 GPU
SidePort Memory - onboard 128MB DDR3 1333 memory

- Supports HDMI™ Technology with max. resolution up to
1920 x 1200 (1080p)

- Supports Dual-Link DVI with max. resolution up to
2560 x 1600 @60Hz

- Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to

2560 x 1440 @75Hz

- Hybrid CrossFireX™ Support

- Dual independent displays support with HDMI/DVI and
D-Sub

- Supports Microsoft DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.0,
Shader Model 4.0

- Hardware Decode Acceleration for H.264, VC-1,
and MPEG-2

- Maximum shared memory of 512MB

- 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices

- 5 x SATA 3 Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 and JBOD

- 1 x eSATA 3 Gb/s port

Atheros® L1E Gigabit LAN controller featuring AI NET 2

VIA® VT1708S 8-channel High Denition Audio CODEC

- Supports Jack-Detection, Multi-Streaming, and
Front Panel Jack-Retasking

- Optical S/PDIF Out port at back I/O

- ASUS Noise Filtering

(continued on the next page)

xi

M4A78T-E specications summary

IEEE 1394

USB

ASUS unique features ASUS Power Solution:

Other features

ASUS exclusive
overclocking features

VIA® VT6315N controller supports 2 x IEEE 1394a ports

(1 at midboard; 1 at back panel)

12 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (6 ports at midboard; 6 ports at back

panel)

- ASUS 8+1 Phase Power Design

- ASUS Anti-Surge Protection

ASUS Green Design:

- ASUS EPU

- ASUS AI Nap

Express Gate

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution:

- ASUS Fanless Design: Stylish heat sink solution

- ASUS Q-Fan 2

ASUS EZ DIY

- ASUS Q-Shield

- ASUS Q-Connector

- ASUS O.C. Prole

- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

- ASUS EZ Flash 2

100% All High-Quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors!
(5000hrs VRM, over 57 years’ operation lifespan at 65˚C)
ASUS MyLogo 2™

AMD® OverDrive Support*
* Advanced cooling system is required when advanced
overclocking functions of AMD OverDrive are enabled.

Intelligent overclocking tools:

- AI Overclocking (Intelligent CPU Frequency Tuner)

- TurboV

- Turbo Key

Precision Tweaker 2:

- vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.0125V increment

- vChipset (N.B.): 16-step chipset voltage control

- vDIMM: 50-step DRAM voltage control

SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection):

- FSB tuning from 200 MHz up to 600 MHz at 1 MHz
increment

- PCIe frequency tuning from 100 MHz to 150 MHz at 1 MHz

increment

Overclocking protection:

- ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)

(continued on the next page)

xii

M4A78T-E specications summary

Back panel I/O ports

Internal I/O connectors

BIOS features

Manageability

Support DVD contents

Form factor

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

1 x PS/2 keyboard port
1 x S/PDIF Out port (Optical)
1 x HDMI port
1 x DVI port
1 x D-Sub port
1 x External SATA
1 x IEEE 1394a port
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
8-channel Audio I/O ports

3 x USB connectors support additional 6 USB ports
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
1 x COM connector
1 x IDE connector
5 x SATA connectors
1 x CPU Fan connector
2 x Chassis Fan connectors
1 x Power Fan connector
1 x IEEE1394a connector
1 x S/PDIF Out Header
Front panel audio connector
Chassis Intrusion connector
CD audio in
24-pin ATX Power connector
System Panel (Q-Connector)
4-pin ATX 12V Power connector

8 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.0, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS

2.3, ACPI 2.0a, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

WOL by PME, WOR by PME, WOR by Ring, PXE,
Chassis Intrusion

Drivers
Express Gate
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS Update
ASUS AI Suite
AMD OverDrive (AOD)
Anti-virus Utility (OEM version)

ATX form factor: 12 in x 9.6 in (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)

xiii

xiv

User Manual

Chapter 1

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® M4A78T-E motherboard!

The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies, making it another

standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards!

Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it, check the items in
your package with the list below.

1.2 Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

ASUS M4A78T-E Motherboard 4 x Serial ATA signal cables

Chapter 1

1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable 1 x ASUS Q-Shield (I/O shield)

1 x ASUS Q-Connector Kit Support DVD

User Guide

ASUS M4A78T-E

• If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

• The item illustrations in above table are for reference only. Actual product

specications may vary with different models.

1-1

1.3 Special features

1.3.1 Product highlights

Chapter 1

This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM3 multi-core processors with unique L3 cache
and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption. It features dual­channel DDR3 1333 memory support and accelerates data transfer rate up to 5200MT/s via

HyperTransport™ 3.0 based system bus. This motherboard also supports AMD® CPUs in the

new 45nm manufacturing process.

AMD® 790GX + SB750 Chipset

AMD® Phenom™ II / Athlon™ X4 / Athlon™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 CPU support

AMD® 790GX+SB750 Chipset is designed to support up to 5200MT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0

(HT3.0) interface speed and PCI Express™ 2.0 x 16 graphics. It is optimized with AMD's

latest AM3 and multi-core CPUs to provide excellent system performance and overclocking
capabilities.

ATI Hybrid CrossFireX™ Technology

Boosted Performance with onboard GPU and discrete graphics card

ATI Hybrid CrossFireX™ technology is a unique hybrid multi-GPU technology. It takes your
gaming experience to the next level boosting PC performance by enabling the chipset’s

integrated graphics processor and a discrete GPU to operate simultaneously with combined
output for blisteringly-fast frame rates unleashing the graphics performance

Dual-Channel DDR3 1600 (O.C.)

The motherboard supports DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates of 1600

(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest operation

system, 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR3
architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance,
eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidths of up to 25.6 GB/s. Furthermore, the supply
voltage for the memory is reduced from 1.8 V for DDR2 to just 1.5 V for DDR3. This voltage
reduction limits the power consumption and heat generation of DDR3 which makes it an ideal
memory solution.

Visit www.amd.com for the Hybrid CrossFireX selected GPUs.

Green ASUS

This motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union’s Restriction on the
use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). This is in line with the ASUS vision of creating
environment-friendly and recyclable products/packaging to safeguard consumers’ health
while minimizing the impact on the environment.

HDMI support

Enjoy Full HD 1080p Multimedia Home-Theater Entertainment

High-Denition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a set of digital video standards that delivers

multi-channel audio and uncompressed digital video for full HD 1080p visuals through a
single cable. Supporting HDCP copy protection such as HD DVD and Blu-ray Discs, HDMI
provides you with the highest-quality home theater experience.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

HDMI/DVI/RGB Support

Flexible Graphics Alternatives

This motherboard supports multiple digital and analog display output interfaces - HDMI,
DVI, and D-Sub. With such diversity of display outputs, you are able to choose and upgrade
display devices freely.

1.3.2 ASUS unique features

ASUS Power Solution

ASUS Power solution intelligently and automatically provides balanced computing power and
energy consumption.

8+1 Phase Power Design

To fully unleash the next-generation AM3 CPU's potential, the ASUS M4 Series

motherboards have adopted the brand new 8-phase VRM power design, which delivers

high power efciency and supreme overclocking ability. This series’ high quality power

components effectively lowers system temperature to ensure longer component
lifespan. This series also features an extra 2 or 1-phase power dedicated to integrated
memory/HT controller.

ASUS Anti-Surge Protection

This special design prevents expensive devices and the motherboard from damage
caused by power surges from switching power supply (PSU).

ASUS Green Design

This motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union’s Restriction on the
use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) to safeguard consumers’ health while minimizing the

impact of the environment.

ASUS EPU

The ASUS EPU (Energy Processing Unit) provides total system power management by
detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power usage for critical PC

components in real-time - helping save power and money!

AI Nap

With AI Nap, the system can continue running at minimum power and noise when you
are temporarily away. To wake the system and return to the OS environment, simply
click the mouse or press a key.

Chapter 1

Express Gate

Taking only 5 seconds to bootup, Express Gate is the one-stop gateway to instant fun! It’s a
unique motherboard built-in OS. You can utilize the most popular Instant Messengers (IM)
like MSN, Skype, Google talk, QQ, and Yahoo! Messenger to keep in touch with friends,
or quickly check on the weather and e-mails just before leaving your house. What’s more,

the user-friendly picture manager lets you view your pictures without entering Windows at

anytime!

The actual boot time is subject to hardware congurations and product models.

ASUS M4A78T-E

1-3

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution

ASUS Quiet Thermal solution makes system more stable and enhances the overclocking
capability.

Chapter 1

ASUS Crystal Sound

This feature can enhance speech-centric applications like Skype, online game, video
conference and recording.

ASUS EZ DIY

ASUS EZ DIY feature collection provides you easy ways to install computer components,
update the BIOS or back up your favorite settings.

Fanless Design—Stylish Heatsink Design

The streamline-shaped heatsink features 0-dB thermal solution that offers users a

noiseless PC environment. Not only the beautifully curved ns upgrade the visual
enjoyment for motherboard users, but also the special Streamline Airow Guiding
design lowers the temperature of the north bridge chipset through high efcient

heat-exchange. Combined with usability and aesthetics, the ASUS streamline-shaped
heat-sink will give users an extremely silent and cooling experience with the elegant

appearance!

Q-Fan 2

ASUS Q-Fan 2 technology intelligently adjusts both CPU fan and chassis fan speeds

according to system loading to ensure quiet, cool and efcient operation.

Noise Filtering

This feature detects repetitive and stationary noises (non-voice signals) like computer
fans, air conditioners, and other background noises then eliminates it in the incoming
audio stream while recording.

ASUS Q-Shield

ASUS Q-Shield’s special design makes it convenient and easy to install on your

motherboard. With better electric conductivity, it ideally protects your motherboard
against static electricity and shields it against Electronic Magnetic Interference (EMI).

ASUS Q-Connector

ASUS Q-Connector allows you to easily connect or disconnect the chassis front panel
cables to the motherboard. This unique module eliminates the trouble of connecting the
system panel cables one at a time and avoiding wrong cable connections.

ASUS O.C. Prole

The motherboard features the ASUS O.C. Prole that allows you to conveniently store

or load multiple BIOS settings. The BIOS settings can be stored in the CMOS or a

separate le, giving you the freedom to share and distribute your favorite settings.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

ASUS EZ Flash 2

ASUS EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply press the predened

hotkey to launch the utility and update the BIOS without entering the OS. Update your

BIOS easily without preparing a bootable diskette or using an OS-based ash utility.

1.3.3 ASUS intelligent performance and overclocking features

TurboV

Feel the adrenaline rush of real-time OC—now a reality with the ASUS TurboV. This easy OC

tool allows you to overclock without exiting or rebooting the OS; and its user-friendly interface
makes overclock with just a few clicks away. Moreover, the ASUS OC proles in TurboV

provides the best O.C. settings in different scenarios.

Turbo Key

ASUS Turbo Key allows you to turn the PC power button into a physical overclocking button.
After the easy setup, Turbo Key can boost performances without interrupting ongoing work or

games—with just one touch!

Precision Tweaker 2

Allows you to adjust the CPU voltage in 0.0125v steps and NB/DRAM voltage in 0.02v

steps to ne-tune voltage to achieve the most precise setting for the ultimate overclocking
conguration.

C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)

The BIOS C.P.R. feature automatically restores the CPU default settings when the system
hangs due to overclocking failure. C.P.R. eliminates the need to open the system chassis and
clear the RTC data. Simply shut down and reboot the system, and the BIOS automatically
restores the CPU parameters to their default settings.

Chapter 1

ASUS M4A78T-E

1-5

Chapter 1

1-6 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

Chapter 2

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, and/or components.

Onboard LED

The motherboard comes with a standby power LED that lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in
sleep mode, or in soft-off mode. This is a reminder that you should shut down the system and unplug the
power cable before removing or plugging in any motherboard component. The illustration below shows the
location of the onboard LED.

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-1

2.2 Motherboard overview

2.2.1 Motherboard layout

Chapter 2

2-2

Refer to

2.7 Connectors

connectors.

for more information about rear panel connectors and internal

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.2.2 Layout contents

Connectors/Jumpers/Slots Page

1. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V) 2-33

2. AM3 CPU socket 2-5

3. CPU, chassis, and power fan connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN, 3-pin CHA_FAN1–2, 3-pin PWR_FAN)

4. DDR3 DIMM slots 2-10

5. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE) 2-27

6. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC) 2-19

7. CPU overvoltage setting (3-pin OV_CPU) 2-20

8. AMD® SB750 Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1–5) 2-28

9. Onboard power LED 2-1

10. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS) 2-32

11. System panel connector (20-8 pin PANEL) 2-35

12. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB78, USB910, USB1112) 2-29

13. IEEE 1394a port connector (10-1 pin IE1394_2) 2-30

14. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY) 2-26

15. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT) 2-26

16. Optical drive audio connector (4-pin CD) 2-29

17. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP) 2-34

18. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1) 2-30

2-9, 2-31

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-3

2.2.3 Placement direction

When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the chassis in the correct orientation.
The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image below.

2.2.4 Screw holes

Place nine (9) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis.

Chapter 2

DO NOT overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.

Place this side towards

the rear of the chassis

2-4

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The motherboard comes with an AMD® AM3 Socket for AMD® Phenom™ II / Athlon™ X4 / Athlon™ X3 /

Athlon™ X2 processors.

The AM3 socket has a different pinout from the AM2+/AM2 socket. Make sure you use

a CPU designed for the AM3 socket. The CPU ts in only one correct orientation. DO

NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the connectors on the socket and

damaging the CPU!

2.3.1 Installing the CPU

To install a CPU:

1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.

Chapter 2

2. Press the lever sideways to unlock the

socket, then lift it up to a 90˚ angle.

Make sure that the socket lever is

lifted up to a 90˚ angle. Otherwise,
the CPU will not t in completely.

ASUS M4A78T-E

Socket lever

2-5

3. Position the CPU above the socket such that
the CPU corner with the gold triangle matches
the socket corner with a small triangle.

4. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it

ts in place.

Gold triangle

Small triangle

Chapter 2

5. When the CPU is in place, push down the

6. Apply several drops of thermal paste to the

socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever
clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is
locked.

exposed area of the CPU that the heatsink will
be in contact with, ensuring that it is spread in
an even thin layer.

Some heatsinks come with pre-applied
thermal paste. If so, skip this step.

The Thermal Interface Material is
toxic and inedible. DO NOT eat it. If
it gets into your eyes or touches your
skin, wash it off immediately, and seek
professional medical help.

2-6

To prevent contaminating the paste, DO NOT spread the paste with your nger.

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.3.2 Installing the heatsink and fan

The AMD® Phenom™ II / Athlon™ X4 / Athlon™ X3 / Athlon™ X2 processors requires a specially designed
heatsink and fan assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition and performance.

Ensure that you use only AMD-certied heatsink and fan assembly.

To install the CPU heatsink and fan:

1. Place the heatsink on top of the installed CPU, making sure that the heatsink ts properly on the

retention module base.

• The retention module base is already installed on the motherboard upon purchase.

• You do not have to remove the retention module base when installing the CPU or
installing other motherboard components.

• If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, make sure that a
Thermal Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU heatsink or CPU before you
install the heatsink and fan assembly.

CPU fan

Chapter 2

Retention bracket

Retention bracket

Your boxed CPU heatsink and fan assembly should come with installation instructions for
the CPU, heatsink, and the retention mechanism. If the instructions in this section do not
match the CPU documentation, follow the latter.

ASUS M4A78T-E

lock

CPU heatsink

Retention module
base

2-7

2. Attach one end of the retention bracket to the

Chapter 2

3. Align the other end of the retention bracket to

retention module base.

the retention module base. A clicking sound
denotes that the retention bracket is in place.

Ensure that the fan and heatsink

assembly perfectly ts the retention

mechanism module base, otherwise
you cannot snap the retention bracket
in place.

4. Push down the retention bracket lock on the
retention mechanism to secure the heatsink
and fan to the module base.

2-8

Chapter 2: Hardware information

5. When the fan and heatsink assembly is in place, connect the CPU fan cable to the connector on the
motherboard labeled CPU_FAN.

• Do not forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring errors can

occur if you fail to plug this connector.

• This connector is backward compatible with old 3-pin CPU fan.

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-9

2.4 System memory

2.4.1 Overview

The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM)
sockets.

A DDR3 module has the same physical dimensions as a DDR2 DIMM but is notched differently to prevent
installation on a DDR2 DIMM socket. DDR3 modules are developed for better performance with less power
consumption.

The gure illustrates the location of the DDR3 DIMM sockets:

Chapter 2

Recommended memory congurations

One DIMM:

You may install one memory module in any slot as a single-channel operation.

Two DIMMs (dual-channel operation):

Four DIMMs (dual-channel operation):

2-10

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.4.2 Memory congurations

You may install 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB and 4 GB unbuffered ECC and non-ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the DIMM
sockets.

• You may install varying memory sizes in Channel A and Channel B. The system maps
the total size of the lower-sized channel for the dual-channel conguration. Any excess
memory from the higher-sized channel is then mapped for single-channel operation.

• It is recommended to install the memory modules from the orange slots for better
overclocking capability.

• Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum compatibility, it is
recommended that you obtain memory modules from the same vendor.

• 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 install a 64-bit
Windows OS when having 4GB or more memory installed on the motherboard.

• This motherboard does not support DIMMs made up of 256 megabit (Mb) chips or
less.

• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its SPD. 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,
see section 3.6 Advanced menu for manual memory frequency adjustment.

• For system stability, use a more efcient memory cooling system to support a full

memory load (4 DIMMs) or overclocking condition.

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-11

M4A78T-E Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists (QVL)
DDR3-1600 MHz capability

Vendor Part No. Size SS/DS Chip Brand Chip NO.

G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-4GBPI 4096MB (Kit of 2) DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7-7-7-18

G.SKILL F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ 6144MB (Kit of 3) DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24

OCZ OCZ3P16002GK 2048MB (Kit of 2) SS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7(1333-7-7-7-20) •

OCZ

Aeneon AXH760UD10-16H 1024MB SS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1601-9-9-9-28) •

Cell Shock CS322271 2048MB (Kit of 2) DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7-7-7-14

Mushkin 996657 4096MB (Kit of 2) DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7-7-7-20 •

Chapter 2

Patriot PVT33G1600ELK 3072MB (Kit of 3) SS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24

Patriot

DDR3-1333 MHz capability

Vendor Part No. Size

A-DATA SC63I1B16 2048MB DS SAMSUNG K4B1G0846D (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

A-DATA AD31333E002G0U 6144MB

Apacer 78.01GC6.420 1024MB SS ELPIDA J1108BABG-DJ-E (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Apacer 78.01GC8.422 1024MB SS ELPIDA J1108BABG-DJ-E(ECC) (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Apacer 78.A1GC6.421 2048MB DS ELPIDA J1108BABG-DJ-E (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Apacer 78.A1GC8.423 2048MB DS ELPIDA J1108BABG-DJ-E(ECC) (1333-9-9-9-24) • •

CORSAIR CM3X1G1333C9D6(XMP) 1024MB SS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24(1337-9-9-9-24) 1.5 • • •

CORSAIR TR3X3G1333C9 3072MB

CORSAIR CM3X1024-1333C9DHX 1024MB DS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1333-9-9-9-24) 1.1 • • •

CORSAIR BoxP/N:TWIN3X2048-1333C9

CORSAIR TR3X6G1333C9 6144MB

Crucial CT12864BA1339.8SFB 1024MB SS MICRON D9GTS (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Crucial CT12864BA1339.8SFD 1024MB SS MICRON MT8JF12864AY-1G4D1 (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Crucial CT25664BA1339.16SFD 2048MB DS MICRON D9JNM (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

ELPIDA EBJ10UE8BAW0-DJ-E 1024MB SS ELPIDA J1108BABG-DJ-E 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

ELPIDA EBJ21UE8BAW0-DJ-E 2048MB DS ELPIDA J1108BABG-DJ-E 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

G.SKILL F3-10600CL7D-2GBPI 2048MB

G.SKILL F3-10600CL8D-2GBHK 2048MB

G.SKILL F3-10600CL9D-2GBPK 2048MB

G.SKILL F3-10600CL9D-2GBNQ 2048MB

G.Skill F3-10666CL7T-6GBPK(XMP) 2048MB DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7-7-7-18(1333-7-7-7-18) 1.5-1.6 • • •

G.Skill F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK(XMP) 4096MB

G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-4GBPK 4096MB

G.SKILL F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ 6144MB

Timing
Dimm (Bios)

(1333-9-9-9-24)

(1601-9-9-9-24)

OCZ3G1600LV6GK 6144MB (Kit of 3)

PVS34G1600LLKN 4096MB (Kit of 2) DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7-7-7-20

(Kit of 3)

(Kit of 3)

(CM3X1024-1333C9)

2048MB
(Kit of 2)

(Kit of 3)

(Kit of 2)

(Kit of 2)

(Kit of 2)

(Kit of 2)

(Kit of 2)

(Kit of 2)

(Kit of 3)

DS N/A

SS/

Chip Brand Chip NO.

DS

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7-7-7-20(1333-9-9-9-24) 1.65-

SS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24(1333-9-9-9-24) 1.5 • • •

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24(1066-7-7-7-20) 1.70 • • •

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24(1333-9-9-9-24) 1.5 • • •

SS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1337-7-7-7-18) 1.65 • •

SS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1337-8-8-8-22) 1.65 • • •

SS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1333-9-9-9-24) 1.65 • • •

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1333-9-9-9-24) 1.5-1.65 • • •

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 8-8-8-21(1333-7-7-7-20) 1.5-1.6 • • •

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1333-9-9-9-24) 1.65 • • •

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24(1333-9-9-9-24) 1.5 • • •

Heat-Sink Package

8-8-8
(1066-7-7-7-20)

(1066-7-7-7-20)

(1066-7-7-7-20)

(1066-7-7-7-20)

Timing
Dimm (Bios)

DIMM
socket
support

Voltage

(Optional)
A* B* C*

1.9 •

1.5-1.6 •

1.65

1.7-1.9 •

1.65 • •

2.0 • •

DIMM
socket
support

Voltage

(Optional)

A* B* C*

• •

1.85

•

2-12

Chapter 2: Hardware information

DDR3-1333 MHz capability

DIMM

Vendor Part No. Size

KINGMAX FLFD45F-B8EE9 1024MB SS ELPIDA J1108BASE-DJ-E (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

KINGSTON KVR1333D3N9/1G 1024MB SS ELPIDA J1108BASE-DJ-E (1333-9-9-9-24) 1.5 • • •

KINGSTON KVR1333D3N9/2G 2048MB DS ELPIDA J1108BASE-DJ-E (1333-9-9-9-24) 1.5 • • •

MT8JTF12864AY-1G4BYES 1024MB

MICRON

MICRON MT16JTF25664AY-1G4BYES 2048MB DS MICRON Z9HWR (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

OCZ OCZ3RPX1333EB2GK 1024MB SS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1066-6-5-5-20) •

OCZ OCZ3G13334GK 4096MB

OCZ OCZ3P13334GK 4096MB

OCZ OCZ3RPX1333EB4GK 4096MB

IMSH1GU03A1F1C-13H 1024MB

Qimonda

Qimonda IMSH2GU13A1F1C-13H 2048MB DS Qimonda IDSH1G-03A1F1C-13H 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

SAMSUNG M378B2873DZ1-CH9 1024MB SS SAMSUNG K4B1G0846D 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

SAMSUNG M391B2873DZ1-CH9 1024MB SS SAMSUNG K4B1G0846D(ECC) 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

SAMSUNG M378B5673DZ1-CH9 2048MB DS SAMSUNG K4B1G0846D 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

SAMSUNG M391B5673DZ1-CH9 2048MB DS SAMSUNG K4B1G0846D(ECC) 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Transcend TS128MLK64V3U 1024MB SS SAMSUNG K4B1G0846D 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Transcend TS256MLK64V3U 2048MB DS SAMSUNG K4B1G0846D 9(1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Aeneon AEH760UD00-13H 1024MB DS AENEON AEH93R13H (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Asint SLY3128M8-EDJ 1024MB SS Asint DDRIII1208-DJ (9-9-9-24) • • •

Asint SLZ3128M8-EDJ 2048MB DS Asint DDRIII1208-DJ (9-9-9-24) • • •

ASUS N/A 1024MB DS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

BUFFALO FSX1333D3G-1G 1024MB SS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1066-7-7-7-20) • •

BUFFALO FSX1333D3G-2G 2048MB DS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1066-7-7-7-20) • • •

Elixir M2F2G64CB8HA4N-CG 2048MB DS Elixir N2CB1G80AN-CG (1333-9-9-9-24) • • •

Patriot PDC32G1333LLK 1024MB SS PATRIOT Heat-Sink Package 7(1337-7-7-7-20) 1.7 • • •

Patriot PVT33G1333ELK 3072MB

Patriot PVT36G1333ELK 6144MB

SS/

Chip Brand Chip NO.

DS

SS MICRON

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9(1066-8-9-9-20) 1.7 • • •

(Kit of 2)

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7(1333-7-7-7-20) 1.8 • • •

(Kit of 2)

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package (1066-6-5-5) 1.85 •

(Kit of 2)

SS Qimonda

SS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24(1066-7-7-7-20) 1.65 • • •

(Kit of 3)

DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 9-9-9-24(1066-7-7-7-20) 1.65 • • •

(Kit of 3)

Z9HWR

IDSH1G-03A1F1C-13H

Timing
Dimm (Bios)

(1333-9-9-9-24)

9(1333-9-9-9-24)

Voltage

socket
support
(Optional)

A* B* C*

• •

• •

•

•

Chapter 2

DDR3-1066 MHz capability

DIMM

Vendor Part No. Size

CORSAIR CM3X1024-1066C7 1024MB DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 7 1.1 • • •

Crucial CT12864BA1067.8SFB 1024MB SS MICRON Z9HWQ 7 • •

Crucial CT12864BA1067.8SFD 1024MB SS MICRON D9JNL 7 • • •

Crucial CT25664BA1067.16SFD 2048MB DS MICRON D9JNL 7 • • •

ELPIDA EBJ10UE8BAW0-AE-E 1024MB SS ELPIDA J1108BABG-DJ-E 7(1066-7-7-7-20) • • •

ELPIDA EBJ21UE8BAW0-AE-E 2048MB DS ELPIDA J1108BABG-DJ-E 7(1066-7-7-7-20) • • •

G.SKILL F3-8500CL6D-2GBHK 2048MB

Hynix HMT112U6AFP8C-G7N0 1024MB SS HYNIX H5TQ1G83AFPG7C 7 • • •

Hynix HYMT112U64ZNF8-G7 1024MB SS HYNIX HY5TQ1G831ZNFP-G7 7 • • •

Hynix HMT125U6AFP8C-G7N0 2048MB DS HYNIX H5TQ1G83AFPG7C 7 • • •

Hynix HYMT125U64ZNF8-G7 2048MB DS HYNIX HY5TQ1G831ZNFP-G7 7 • • •

KINGSTON KVR1066D3N7/1G 1024MB DS ELPIDA J5308BASE-AC-E 1.5 • • •

KINGSTON KVR1066D3N7/2G 2048MB DS SAMSUNG K4B1G0846C-ZCF8 1.5 • •

MICRON MT8JTF12864AY-1G1D1 1024MB SS MICRON 7VD22 7 • • •

MICRON MT16JTF25664AY-1G1D1 2048MB DS MICRON 7VD22 7 • • •

Qimonda IMSH1GU03A1F1C-10F 1024MB SS Qimonda IDSH1G-03A1F1C-10F 7 • • •

SS/DSChip

SS N/A Heat-Sink Package 6-6-6-15 1.65 • • •

(Kit of 2)

Brand

Chip NO.

Timing
Dimm (Bios)

ASUS M4A78T-E

Voltage

socket
support
(Optional)

A* B* C*

2-13

DDR3-1066 MHz capability

DIMM

Vendor Part No. Size

Qimonda IMSH1GU03A1F1C-10G 1024MB SS Qimonda IDSH1G-03A1F1C-10G 8 • • •

Qimonda IMSH1GU13A1F1C-10F 1024MB DS IDSH51-03A1F1C-10F • • •

Qimonda IMSH2GU13A1F1C-10F 2048MB DS Qimonda IDSH1G-03A1F1C-10F 7 • • •

IMSH2GU13A1F1C-10G 2048MB

Qimonda

SAMSUNG M378B5273BH1-CF8 4096MB DS SAMSUNG K4B2G0846B-HCF8 8(7-7-7-20) 1.5 • • •

Transcend TS256MLK64V1U 2048MB DS ELPIDA J1108BABG-AE-E 7(1066-7-7-7-20) • • •

Aeneon AEH760UD00-10FA98X 1024MB DS AENEON AEH93R10F 7 • •

Asint SLY3128M8-EAE 1024MB SS Asint DDRIII1208-AE (7-7-7-20) • • •

Asint SLZ3128M8-EAE 2048MB DS Asint DDRIII1208-AE (7-7-7-20) • • •

M2F2G64CB8HAN4-BE 2048MB

Elixir

WINTEC 3DU3191A-10 1024MB DS Qimonda IDSH51-03A1F1C-10F 7 • • •

SS/DSChip

Brand

DS Qimonda

DS Elixir

Chip NO.

IDSH1G-03A1F1C-10G

N2CB1G80AN-BE

Timing
Dimm (Bios)

8

7

Voltage

socket
support
(Optional)

A* B* C*

• •

• •

•

Chapter 2

SS - Single-sided DS - Double-sided
DIMM support:

• A*: Supports one module inserted in any slot as single-channel

memory conguration.

• B*: Supports one pair of modules inserted into either the orange slots or

the black slots as one pair of dual-channel memory conguration.

• C*: Supports four modules inserted into both the orange and black slots as

two pairs of dual-channel memory conguration.

Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com for the latest QVL.

2-14

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM

Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system
components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the
components.

1. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the
retaining clips outward.

2. Align a DIMM on the socket such that the
notch on the DIMM matches the break on
the socket.

Unlocked retaining clip

A DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it ts in only one direction. DO NOT force a DIMM into

a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM.

3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the socket until
the retaining clips snap back in place and the
DIMM is properly seated.

Locked Retaining Clip

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM

Follow these steps to remove a DIMM.

2

DIMM notch

1

1

Chapter 2

3

2

1. Simultaneously press the retaining clips
outward to unlock the DIMM.

Support the DIMM lightly with your ngers when pressing the retaining clips. The DIMM
might get damaged when it ips out with extra force.

2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.

ASUS M4A78T-E

1

1

DIMM notch

2-15

2.5 Expansion slots

In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and
the expansion cards that they support.

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card

To install an expansion card:

1. Before installing the expansion card, read the documentation that came with it and make the

2. Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installed in a chassis).

Chapter 2

3. Remove the bracket opposite the slot that you intend to use. Keep the screw for later use.

4. Align the card connector with the slot and press rmly until the card is completely seated on the slot.

5. Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier.

6. Replace the system cover.

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card

After installing the expansion card, congure it by adjusting the software settings.

1. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any. See Chapter 3 for information

2. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page.

3. Install the software drivers for the expansion card.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to
do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components.

necessary hardware settings for the card.

on BIOS setup.

2-16

When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support “Share IRQ” or that

the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Otherwise, conicts will arise between the two PCI

groups, making the system unstable and the card inoperable. Refer to the table on the next
page for details.

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments

Standard interrupt assignments

IRQ Priority Standard function

0 1 System Timer

1

2

4 12 Communications Port (COM1)*

5 13 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering*

6 14 Floppy Disk Controller

7 15 Reserved

8 3 System CMOS/Real Time Clock

9 4 AMD ACPI-Compliant System

10 5 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering*

11 6 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering*

12 7 Reserved

13 8 Numeric Data Processor

14 9 Primary IDE Channel

15 10 Secondary IDE Channel

* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.

2 Keyboard Controller

– Redirect to IRQ#9

IRQ assignments for this motherboard

A B C D E F G H

PCIE x16_1 shared shared shared shared – – – –

PCIE x16_2 shared shared shared shared – – – –

PCIE x1_1 shared shared shared shared – – – –

PCIE x1_2 shared shared shared shared – – – –

PCI_1 shared shared shared shared – – – –

PCI_2 shared shared shared shared – – – –

USB controller 1 – – – shared – – – –

USB controller 2 – – – shared – – – –

USB controller 3 – – – shared – – – –

USB controller 4 – – – shared – – – –

USB 2.0 controller – – – shared – – – –

HD audio shared – – – – – – –

Onboard SATA – – – – shared – –

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-17

2.5.4 PCI slots

The PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with

PCI specications. Refer to the gure below for the location of the slots.

2.5.5 PCI Express x1 slots

This motherboard supports PCI Express x1 network cards, SCSI cards and other cards that comply with

the PCI Express specications. Refer to the gure below for the location of the slots.

2.5.6 Two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots

This motherboard supports two ATI CrossFireX™ PCI Express x16 graphics cards that comply with the PCI
Express specications. Refer to the gure below for the location of the slots.

Chapter 2

Primary PCI Express x16_1 slot

(blue, at max. x16 link)

PCI Express x1_1 slot

PCI Express x1_2 slot

PCI Express x 16_2 slot (black, at max. x8 link)

PCI_2 slot

PCI_1 slot

Primary PCI Express x16 slot

The primary PCI Express x16 slot support PCI Express x16 graphics cards that comply with the PCI

Express specications.

Universal PCI Express x16 slot (max. x8 mode)

This motherboard also supports universal PCI Express x16 slot with a maximum speed of 8 GB/s. The
operating frequency of this slot changes, depending on the type of PCI Express card you install.

If you install multiple graphics cards, we recommend that you plug the rear chassis fan
cable to the motherboard connector labeled CHA_FAN1/2 for better thermal environment.
See page 2-28 for the connector location.

2-18

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.6 Jumpers

1. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC)

This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS
memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The
onboard button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup information
such as system passwords.

To erase the RTC RAM

1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord.

2. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3. Keep the cap on pins 2-3 for about 5–

10 seconds, then move the cap back to pins 1-2.

3. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer.

4. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re-enter data.

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC jumper default

position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure!

• If the steps above do not help, remove the onboard battery and move the jumper again
to clear the CMOS RTC RAM data. After the CMOS clearance, reinstall the battery.

• You do not need to clear the RTC when the system hangs due to overclocking. For
system failure due to overclocking, use the C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall) feature.
Shut down and reboot the system so the BIOS can automatically reset parameter
settings to default values.

• Due to the chipset behavior, AC power off is required to enable C.P.R. function. You
must turn off and on the power supply or unplug and plug the power cord before
rebooting the system.

2-19

2. CPU overvoltage setting (3-pin OV_CPU)

Chapter 2

This jumper allows you to enable or disable the advanced CPU overvoltage setting in BIOS. Read
the following information before you change the jumper setting. Set to pins 1-2 to activate the
advanced CPU overvoltage feature.

OV_CPU

Pins 2-3 (Default) up to 1.70V

Pins 1-2 (OV Enabled) up to 1.90V

• Before you change the jumper setting for extra-high overvoltage ability, use the BIOS
items introduced in
Ensure that your system functions well under the highest BIOS voltage setting before
you change the setting of this jumper.

• Refer to

• DO NOT set the OV_CPU jumper to pins 1-2 when you install a new CPU and have

• The system may need a better cooling system (for example, a water-cooling system)

3.5 Ai Tweaker menu

setting.

not booted for the rst time. Doing so may cause the system to halt. For system failure

due to the wrong setting of the OV_CPU jumper, shut down the computer and move
the cap back to pins 2-3.

to work stably under high voltage settings.

3.5 Ai Tweaker menu

for more information about the CPU overvoltage

rst to adjust the desired CPU performance.

2-20

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.7 Connectors

2.7.1 Rear panel connectors

Chapter 2

Rear panel connectors

1. PS/2 keyboard port (purple) 7. HDMI Out port

2. Optical S/PDIF Out port 8. DVI Out port

3. VGA Out port 9. IEEE 1394a port

4. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4 10. External SATA port

5. LAN (RJ-45) port 11. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2

6. USB 2.0 ports 5 and 6 12. Audio I/O ports

* To use hot-plug, set the OnChip SATA Type in the BIOS settings to [AHCI] mode. See
section 3.4.2 Storage Conguration for details.

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-21

LAN port LED indications

10 Mbps connection

100 Mbps connection OFF Orange (blinking during data activity)

1 Gbps connection

Audio 2, 4, 6, or 8-channel conguration

Light Blue Line In Line In Line In Line In

Chapter 2

2.7.2 Audio I/O connections

Audio I/O ports

Right

Status Left LED Right LED

OFF OFF OFF

Port Headset

Lime Line Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out

Pink Mic In Mic In Mic In Mic In

Orange – – Center/Subwoofer Center/Subwoofer

Black – Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out

Gray – – – Side Speaker Out

Orange (blinking during
data activity)

OFF

2-channel

OFF

Green (blinking during data activity)

4-channel 6-channel 8-channel

Left
LED

LAN port

LED

Connect to Headphone and Mic

2-22

Chapter 2: Hardware information

Connect to Stereo Speakers

Connect to 2.1 channel Speakers

Chapter 2

Connect to 4.1 channel Speakers

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-23

Connect to 5.1 channel Speakers

Chapter 2

Connect to 7.1 channel Speakers

2-24

Chapter 2: Hardware information

Troubleshooting on HDTV overscaling or underscaling:

If your desktop is extending beyond the viewable display area or the desktop or image is not lling the
entire display area while using the onboard HDMI out port and the HDMI cable, you can resize the desktop

appearing on your HDTV screen.

To resize your HDTV desktop:

1. Install AMD Chipset Driver from the motherboard support DVD. See section 4.2 Support DVD
information for details.

2. Right-click the desktop and select ATI CATALYST(R) Control Center.

3. From the Graphics Settings tree, expand DTV (HDMI™) 1.

4. Click Scaling Options.

5. Move the Underscan/Overscan slider to adjust the overall size of the display on the HDMI™ DTV.
Using this slider increases or decreases any black borders that may be visible around the outside
of the display.

6. To ensure that forcing a custom display mode through the ATI Displays Manager does not create

conicting resolutions, select the Use the scaling values instead of the customized settings
when the desktop resolution does not match your DFP resolution check box.

3

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

4

5

6

The Scaling Options function of the DTV (HDMI™) 1 item in the ATI CATALYST Control
Center is adjustable only when you are using an HDTV compliance resolution such as 480i,
720i, or 1080i.

2-25

2.7.3 Internal connectors

1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY)

Chapter 2

2. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT)

This connector is for a oppy disk drive (FDD) signal cable. Insert one end of the cable to this
connector, then connect the other end to the signal connector at the back of the oppy disk drive.

• Pin 5 on the connector is removed to prevent incorrect cable connection when using a
FDD cable with a covered Pin 5.

• The oppy disk drive cable is purchased separately.

This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) port. Connect the S/PDIF
Out module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the
system chassis.

2-26

The S/PDIF module is purchased separately.

Chapter 2: Hardware information

3. IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE)

The onboard IDE connector is for the Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable. There are three
connectors on each Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable: blue, black, and gray. Connect the blue

connector to the motherboard’s IDE connector, then select one of the following modes to congure

your device.

Drive jumper setting Mode of device(s) Cable connector

Single device Cable-Select or Master - Black

Two devices Cable-Select Master

Slave Gray

Master Master Black or gray

Slave Slave

Black

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

• Pin 20 on the IDE connector is removed to match the covered hole on the Ultra DMA
cable connector. This prevents incorrect insertion when you connect the IDE cable.

• Use the 80-conductor IDE cable for Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE devices.

If any device jumper is set as “Cable-Select,” make sure all other device jumpers have the
same setting.

2-27

4. AMD® SB750 Southbridge Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1–5)

Chapter 2

These connectors are for the Serial ATA signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk and optical disk
drives.

If you install SATA hard disk drives to the SATA1–5 connectors, you can create a RAID 0, RAID 1,

RAID 5, RAID 10 or JBOD conguration through the onboard AMD® SB750 controller.

These connectors are set to [IDE] by default. If you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set
using these connectors, set the Onchip SATA Type item in the BIOS to [RAID].

2-28

Install the Windows® XP Service Pack 1 or later version before using Serial ATA.

• For detailed instructions on how to congure RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10,

refer to the RAID manual in the support DVD.

• If you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these connectors, set the

SATA Type

item in the BIOS to [RAID].

Chapter 2: Hardware information

OnChip

5. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB 78; USB910; USB1112)

These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable to any of these
connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB

connectors comply with USB 2.0 specication that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed.

Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will damage the motherboard!

You can connect the front panel USB cable to the ASUS Q-Connector (USB, blue) rst, and

then install the Q-Connector (USB) to the USB connector onboard if your chassis supports
front panel USB ports.

6. Optical drive audio connector (4-pin CD)

These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a CD-ROM,
TV tuner, or MPEG card.

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-29

7. IEEE 1394a port connector (10-1 pin IE1394_2)

Chapter 2

8. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1)

This connector is for a IEEE 1394a port. Connect the IEEE 1394a module cable to this connector,
then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis.

Never connect a USB cable to the IEEE 1394a connector. Doing so will damage the

motherboard!

This connector is for a serial (COM) port. Connect the serial port module cable to this connector,
then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis.

2-30

The COM module is purchased separately.

Chapter 2: Hardware information

9. CPU, chassis, and power fan connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN; 3-pin CHA_FAN1; 3-pin CHA_FAN2; 3-pin PWR_FAN)

The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350 mA~2000 mA (24 W max.) or a total of 1 A~7 A (84
W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure
that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector.

Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Insufcient air ow inside the
system may damage the motherboard components. These are not jumpers! Do not place
jumper caps on the fan connectors!

• Only the CPU_FAN, CHA_FAN 1 and CHA_FAN 2 connectors support the
ASUS Q-Fan 2 feature.

• If you install two VGA cards, we recommend that you plug the rear chassis

fan cable to the motherboard connector labeled CHA_FAN1 or CHA_FAN2
for better thermal environment.

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-31

10. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS)

Chapter 2

This connector is for a chassis-mounted intrusion detection sensor or switch. Connect one end of
the chassis intrusion sensor or switch cable to this connector. The chassis intrusion sensor or switch
sends a high-level signal to this connector when a chassis component is removed or replaced. The
signal is then generated as a chassis intrusion event.

By default , the pin labeled “Chassis Signal” and “Ground” are shorted with a jumper cap. Remove
the jumper caps only when you intend to use the chassis intrusion detection feature.

2-32

Chapter 2: Hardware information

11. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR; 4-pin ATX12V)

These connectors are for ATX power supply plugs. The power supply plugs are designed to t
these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down rmly until the
connectors completely t.

• For a fully congured system, we recommend that you use a power supply unit
(PSU) that complies with ATX 12 V Specication 2.0 (or later version) and provides a

minimum power of 600 W.

• Do not forget to connect the 4-pin ATX +12 V power plug; otherwise, the system will

not boot.

• Use of a PSU with a higher power output is recommended when conguring a system

with more power-consuming devices. The system may become unstable or may not
boot up if the power is inadequate.

• If you are uncertain about the minimum power supply requirement for your system,
refer to the
asus.com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PSCalculator.aspx?SLanguage=en-us for details.

Recommended Power Supply Wattage Calculator

at http://support.

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-33

12. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)

Chapter 2

This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module that supports either HD Audio
or legacy AC`97 audio standard. Connect one end of the front panel audio I/O module cable to this
connector.

• We recommend that you connect a high-denition front panel audio module to this
connector to avail of the motherboard’s high-denition audio capability.

• If you want to connect a high-denition front panel audio module to this connector, setIf you want to connect a high-denition front panel audio module to this connector, set

the

Front Panel Type

front panel audio module to this connector, set the item to
is set to

[HD]

item in the BIOS setup to

.

if you want to connect an AC'97

[HD];

. By default, this item

[AC97]

2-34

Chapter 2: Hardware information

13. System panel connector (20-8 pin PANEL)

This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.

• System power LED (2-pin PLED)

This 2-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power LED cable to this
connector. The system power LED lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when
the system is in sleep mode.

• Hard disk drive activity LED (2-pin IDE_LED)

This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD Activity LED cable to this

connector. The IDE LED lights up or ashes when data is read from or written to the HDD.

• System warning speaker (4-pin SPEAKER)

This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning speaker. The speaker allows you
to hear system beeps and warnings.

• ATX power button/soft-off button (2-pin PWRSW)

This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power button turns the system on or
puts the system in sleep or soft-off mode depending on the BIOS settings. Pressing the power
switch for more than four seconds while the system is ON turns the system OFF.

• Reset button (2-pin RESET)

This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for system reboot without turning off
the system power.

Chapter 2

ASUS M4A78T-E

2-35

IDE_LED

POWER SW

RESET SW

IDE_LED-

IDE_LED+

PWR

Reset

Ground

Ground

14. ASUS Q-Connector (system panel)

Use the ASUS Q-Connector to connect/disconnect the chassis front panel cables.

To install the ASUS Q-Connector

1. Connect the front panel cables to the ASUS

Refer to the labels on the Q-Connector to know the

Chapter 2

2. Install the ASUS Q-Connector to the system panel

Q-Connector.

detailed pin denitions, and then match them to

their respective front panel cable labels.

The labels on the front panel cables
may vary depending on the chassis
model.

connector, making sure the orientation matches the
labels on the motherboard.

3. The front panel functions are now enabled. The

gure shows the Q-Connector is properly installed

on the motherboard.

2-36

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.8 Starting up for the rst time

1. After making all the connections, replace the system case cover.

2. Be sure that all switches are off.

3. Connect the power cord to the power connector at the back of the system chassis.

4. Connect the power cord to a power outlet that is equipped with a surge protector.

5. Turn on the devices in the following order:

a. Monitor

b. External SCSI devices (starting with the last device on the chain)

c. System power

6. After applying power, the system power LED on the system front panel case lights up. For systems
with ATX power supplies, the system LED lights up when you press the ATX power button. If your
monitor complies with “green” standards or if it has a “power standby” feature, the monitor LED may
light up or switch between orange and green after the system LED turns on.

The system then runs the power-on self tests or POST. While the tests are running, the BIOS beeps

(see BIOS beep codes table below) or additional messages appear on the screen. If you do not see
anything within 30 seconds from the time you turned on the power, the system may have failed a
power-on test. Check the jumper settings and connections or call your retailer for assistance.

BIOS Beep Description

One short beep VGA detected

One continuous beep followed by two short
beeps then a pause (repeated)
One continuous beep followed by three short
beeps

One continuous beep followed by four short
beeps

Quick boot set to disabled
No keyboard detected
No memory detected

No VGA detected

Hardware component failure

Chapter 2

7. At power on, hold down the <Delete> key to enter the BIOS Setup. Follow the instructions in
Chapter 3.

2.9 Turning off the computer

While the system is ON, pressing the power switch for less than four seconds puts the system to sleep
mode or to soft-off mode, depending on the BIOS setting. Pressing the power switch for more than four
seconds lets the system enter the soft-off mode regardless of the BIOS setting. Refer to section

in Chapter 3 for details.

Menu

ASUS M4A78T-E

3.7 Power

2-37

Chapter 2

2-38

Chapter 2: Hardware information

Chapter 3

3.1 Knowing BIOS

BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) stores system hardware settings such as storage

device conguration, overclocking settings, advanced power management, and boot device
conguration that are needed for system startup in the motherboard CMOS. In normal

circumstances, the default BIOS settings apply to most conditions to ensure optimum
performance. We recommend that you not change the default BIOS settings except in
the following circumstances:

• An error message appears on the screen during the system bootup and requests you to

run the BIOS Setup.

• You have installed a new system component that requires further BIOS settings or

update.

Inappropriate settings of the BIOS may result in system’s instability or failure to boot.

We strongly recommend that you change the BIOS settings only with the help of a
trained service personnel.

3.2 Updating BIOS

The ASUS website publishes the latest BIOS versions to provide enhancements on system
stability, compatibility, or performance. However, BIOS updating is potentially risky. If there
is no problem using the current version of BIOS, DO NOT manually update the BIOS.

Inappropriate BIOS updating may result in the system’s failure to boot. Carefully follow the

instructions of this chapter to update your BIOS if necessary.

Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS le for this

motherboard.

The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard BIOS setup program.

1. ASUS Update: Updates the BIOS in Windows® environment.

2. ASUS EZ Flash 2: Updates the BIOS using a oppy disk or USB ash disk.

3. ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3: Updates the BIOS using a USB ash disk or the

motherboard support DVD when the BIOS le fails or gets corrupted.

Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities.

Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS le to a oppy disk or USB ash disk in case

you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original motherboard BIOS using the
ASUS Update utility.

ASUS M4A78T-E

Chapter 3

3-1

3.2.1 ASUS Update utility

The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update the motherboard
BIOS in Windows® environment. The ASUS Update utility allows you to:

• Save the current BIOS le

• Download the latest BIOS le from the Internet

• Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS le

• Update the BIOS directly from the Internet

• View the BIOS version information

This utility is available in the support DVD that comes with the motherboard package.

Installing ASUS Update

To install ASUS Update:

1. Place the support DVD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears.

2. Click the Utilities tab, then click Install ASUS Update VX.XX.XX.

3. The ASUS Update utility is copied to your system.

Updating the BIOS through the Internet

Chapter 3

To update the BIOS through the Internet:

ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet
Service Provider (ISP).

Quit all Windows® applications before you update the BIOS using this utility.

1. From the Windows® desktop, click

Start > Programs > ASUS >
ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The

ASUS Update main window appears.

3-2 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

2. Select Update BIOS from the
Internet from the drop-down menu,
and then click Next.

3. Select the ASUS FTP site nearest

you to avoid network trafc, or click

Auto Select. Click Next.

4. From the FTP site, select the BIOS
version that you wish to download. Click
Next.

5. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the update process.

The ASUS Update utility is capable of updating itself through the Internet. Always update
the utility to avail all its features.

Updating the BIOS through a BIOS le

To update the BIOS through a BIOS le:

1. Fom the Windows® desktop, click

Start > Programs > ASUS >
ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The

ASUS Update main window appears.

2. Select Update BIOS from a le

from the dropdown menu, then click
Next.

ASUS M4A78T-E

3. Locate the BIOS le from the Open

window, then click Open.

4. Follow the onscreen instructions to
complete the update process.

Chapter 3

M4A78T-E.ROM

M4A78T-E

Ensure to load the BIOS default
settings to ensure system
compatibility and stability. Select the
Load Setup Defaults item under
the Exit menu. See section 3.10 Exit
Menu for details.

3-3

3.2.2 Creating a bootable oppy disk

1. Insert a formatted, high density 1.44MB oppy disk to the oppy disk drive.

2. Follow the instructions based on your system environment.

Chapter 3

DOS environment

a. At the DOS prompt, type

Windows® XP environment

a. From the Windows® desktop, click Start > My Computer.

b. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon.

c. Click File from the menu, then select Format. A Format 3 1/2 Floppy Disk

window appears.

d. Select Create an MS-DOS startup disk from the format options eld, then click

Start.

Windows® Vista environment

a. From the Windows® desktop, click > Computer.

b. Right-click Floppy Disk Drive then click Format to display the Format 3 1/2

Floppy dialog box .

c. Select the Create an MS-DOS startup disk check box.

d. Click Start.

format

A:/S then press <Enter>.

3-4 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.2.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility

The ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to use a

bootable oppy disk or a DOS-based utility.

Before you start using this utility, download the latest BIOS from the ASUS website at www.
asus.com.

To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2:

1. Insert the oppy/USB ash disk that contains the latest BIOS le to the oppy disk

drive or theUSB port, then launch EZ Flash 2 in any of these two ways:

• Press <Alt> + <F2> during POST to display the following.

• Enter the BIOS setup program. Go to the Tools menu to select EZ Flash 2 and

press <Enter> to enable it.

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility V3.34

FLASH TYPE: WOINBOND W25X80

Current ROM

BOARD: M4A78T-E
VER: 0201
DATE: 12/08/2008

PATH: A:\

A:

Note

[Enter] Select or Load [Tab] Switch [V] Drive Info
[Up/Down/Home/End] Move [B] Backup [Esc] Exit

Update ROM

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

2. Press Tab to switch between drives until the correct BIOS le is found. When the
correct BIOS le is found, EZ Flash 2 performs the BIOS update process and

automatically reboots the system when done.

• This function can support devices such as a USB ash disk or a oppy disk with

FAT 32/16 format and single partition only.

• DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system

boot failure!

Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability. Select
the Load Setup Defaults item under the Exit menu. See section 3.10 Exit Menu for
details.

ASUS M4A78T-E

Chapter 3

3-5

3.2.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS le

when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. You can update a corrupted BIOS

le using the motherboard support DVD or the oppy disk that contains the updated BIOS le.

Prepare the motherboard support DVD or the oppy disk containing the updated

motherboard BIOS before using this utility.

Recovering the BIOS

To recover the BIOS:

1. Turn on the system.

2. Insert the oppy disk or support DVD containing BIOS le to the oppy disk or optical

drive.

3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks the oppy disk or
support DVD for the BIOS le.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for oppy...

When found, the utility reads the BIOS le and starts ashing the corrupted BIOS le.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for oppy...

Floppy found!

Reading le “M4a79tdlx.ROM”. Completed.
Start ashing...

Chapter 3

4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.

DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so can cause
system boot failure!

Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability.
Select the Load Setup Defaults item under the Exit menu. See section 3.10 Exit Menu for
details.

3-6 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.3 BIOS setup program

A BIOS Setup program is provided for BIOS item modication. When you start up the

computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program. Press <Del>
during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to enter the Setup utility. Otherwise, POST continues
with its test routines.

If you wish to enter Setup after POST, restart the system by pressing <Ctrl+Alt+Delete>, or by
pressing the reset button on the system chassis. You can also restart by turning the system

off and then back on. Do this last option only if the rst two failed.

The Setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible. Being a menu-driven
program, it lets you scroll through the various submenus and select from the available options
using the navigation keys.

• The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only, and
may not exactly match what you see on your screen.

• If the system becomes unstable after changing any BIOS setting, load the default
settings to ensure system compatibility and stability. Select the Load Setup Defaults
item under the Exit menu. See section 3.10 Exit Menu for details.

• If the system fails to boot after changing any BIOS setting, try to clear the CMOS and
reset the motherboard to the default value. See section 2.6 Jumpers for details.

3.3.1 BIOS menu screen

Menu items

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time [13:51:25]

System Date [Tue 12/09/2008]
Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

Language [English]

Primary IDE Master [Not Detected]
Primary IDE Slave [Not Detected]
SATA1 [HDT722516DLA380]
SATA2 [Not Detected]
SATA3 [ATAPI DVD DH1]
SATA4 [Not Detected]
SATA5 [Not Detected]
ESATA [Not Detected]
Storage Conguration

System Information

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Submenu items

Conguration elds

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

General helpMenu bar

Use [ENTER], [TAB]

or [SH IFT-T AB] to

select a eld.

Use [+] or [-] to

congure the System

Time.

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Field

+-

Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Navigation keys

Chapter 3

3.3.2 Menu bar

The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:

Main

Ai Tweaker

Advanced

Power

Boot

Tools

Exit

ASUS M4A78T-E

For changing the basic system conguration

For changing the overclocking settings

For changing the advanced system settings

For changing the advanced power management (APM) conguration

For changing the system boot conguration

For conguring options for special functions

For selecting the exit options and loading default settings

3-7

3.3.3 Navigation keys

At the bottom right corner of a menu screen are the navigation keys for that particular menu.
Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu and change the settings.

The navigation keys may differ from one screen to another.

3.3.4 Menu items

The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specic items for that menu. For example,

selecting Main shows the Main menu items.

The other items (Advanced, Power, Boot, and Exit) on the menu bar have their respective
menu items.

3.3.5 Submenu items

A solid triangle before each item on any menu screen means that the iteam has a submenu.
To display the submenu, select the item and press <Enter>.

3.3.6 Conguration elds

These elds show the values for the menu items. If an item is user-congurable, you can
change the value of the eld opposite the item. You cannot select an item that is not user­congurable.

A congurable eld is enclosed in brackets, and is highlighted when selected. To change the
value of a eld, select it then press <Enter> to display a list of options. Refer to 3.3.7 Pop-up

window.

Chapter 3

3.3.7 Pop-up window

Select a menu item then press <Enter> to

display a pop-up window with the conguration

options for that item.

3.3.8 Scroll bar

A scroll bar appears on the right side of a menu

screen when there are items that do not t on

the screen. Press the Up/Down arrow keys or
<Page Up> / <Page Down> keys to display the
other items on the screen.

Pop-up window

Scroll bar

3.3.9 General help

At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the selected item.

3-8 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.4 Main menu

When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an
overview of the basic system information. You can set the system time and date, BIOS

language, and the type of oppy drive installed.

Refer to 3.3.1 BIOS menu screen for information on the menu screen items and how to
navigate through them.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

System Time [10:55:25]

System Date [Tue 12/09/2008]8]]
Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

Language [English]

Primary IDE Master [Not Detected]
Primary IDE Slave [Not Detected]
SATA1 [HDT722516DLA380]
SATA2 [Not Detected]Not Detected]]
SATA3 [Not Detected]
SATA4 [Not Detected]
SATA5 [Not Detected]
ESATA [Not Detected]

Storage Conguration

System InformationSystem Information

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Use [ENTER], [TAB]

or [SHIFT-TAB] to

select a eld.

Use [+] or [-] to

congure the System

Time.

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Field

+-

Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

3.4.1 Primary IDE Master/Slave; SATA 1-5; ESATAPrimary IDE Master/Slave; SATA 1-5; ESATASATA 1-5; ESATA

While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of IDE/SATA devices.
There is a separate submenu for each IDE/SATA device. Select a device item then press
<Enter> to display the SATA device information.

Main

Primary IDE Master

Device : Hard Disk
Vendor : WDC WD800JD-00LSA0
Size : 80.0GB
LBA Mode : Supported
Block Mode : 16 Sectors
PIO Mode : 4
Async DMA : MultiWord DMA-2
Ultra DMA : Ultra DMA-5
SMART Monitoring: Supported

Type [Auto]
LBA/Large Mode [Auto]
Block(Multi-sector Transfer)M [Auto]
PIO Mode [Auto]
DMA Mode [Auto]
SMART Monitoring [Auto]
32Bit Data Transfer [Enabled]

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items (Device, Vendor, Size,

LBA Mode, Block Mode, PIO Mode, Async DMA, Ultra DMA, and SMART monitoring). These

values are not user-congurable. These items show N/A if no IDE device is installed in the

system.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Select the type of
device connected to
the system.

Select Screen

Select Item
+- Change Option
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Chapter 3

ASUS M4A78T-E

3-9

Type [Auto]

Allows you to select the type of IDE drive installed.

[Not Installed] Select this option if no IDE drive is installed.

[Auto] Allows automatic selection of the appropriate IDE device type.

[CDROM] Select this option if you are specically conguring a CD-ROM drive.

[ARMD] Select [ARMD] (ATAPI Removable Media Device) if your device is either a

LBA/Large Mode [Auto]

Enables or disables the LBA (Logical Block Addressing) mode.

[Auto] Select [Auto] to enable the LBA mode (Logical Block Addressing mode)

[Disabled] Disables this function.

Block (Multi-Sector Transfer) M [Auto]

Enables or disables data multi-sectors transfers.

[Auto] When set to [Auto], the data transfer from and to the device occurs in

[Disabled] When set to [Disabled], the data transfer from and to the device occurs one

Chapter 3

PIO Mode [Auto]

[Auto] Allows automatic selection of the PIO (Programmed input/output) modes,

[0] [1] [2] [3] [4] Set the PIO mode to Mode 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4.

ZIP, LS-120, or MO drive.

This item appears in Primary IDE Master/Slave and ESATA only.

if the device supports this mode, and if the device was not previously
formatted with LBA mode disabled.

multiple sectors at a time if the device supports multi-sector transfer feature.

sector at a time.

which correspond to different data transfer rates.

DMA Mode [Auto]

DMA (Direct Memory Access) allows your computer to transfer data to and from the hardware
devices installed with much less CPU overhead.

The DMA mode consists of SDMA (single-word DMA), MDMA (multi-word DMA), and UDMA
(Ultra DMA). Setting to [Auto] allows automatic selection of the DMA mode.

SMART Monitoring [Auto]

[Auto] Allows automatic selection of the S.M.A.R.T (Smart Monitoring, Analysis,

[Enabled] Enables the S.M.A.R.T feature.

[Disabled] Disables the S.M.A.R.T feature.

3-10 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

and Reporting Technology).

32Bit Data Transfer [Enabled]

[Enabled] Sets the IDE controller to combine two 16-bit reads from the hard disk

[Disabled] Disables this function.

into a single 32-bit double word transfer to the processor. This makes

more efcient use of the PCI bus as fewer transactions are needed for the

transfer of a particular amount of data.

3.4.2 Storage Conguration

The Storage Conguration menu allows you to congure your storage devices. Select an item

then press <Enter> to display the submenu.

Main

OnChip SATA channel [Enabled]
OnChip SATA Type [IDE]

OnChip SATA Channel [Enabled]

[Enabled] Enables the onboard channel SATA port.

[Disabled] Disables the onboard channel SATA port.

The following item appears only when you enable OnChip SATA Channel.

OnChip SATA Type [IDE]

Allows you to set the SATA conguration. This item appears only when you enable the

OnChip SATA Channel item.

[IDE] Set to [IDE] when you want to use the Serial ATA hard disk drives as

[RAID] Set to [RAID] when you want to create a RAID conguration from the SATA

[AHCI] Set to [AHCI] mode when you want the SATA hard disk drives to use the

Parallel ATA physical storage devices.

hard disk drives.

AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface). The AHCI allows the onboard
storage driver to enable advanced Serial ATA features that increases
storage performance on random workloads by allowing the drive to

internally optimize the order of commands.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Options

Chapter 3

ASUS M4A78T-E

When this item is set to [AHCI], only SATA connectors 1–4 can be detected. Ensure that

you’ve installed the AHCI driver, so that you could use SATA connectors 1–5 and E-SATA

connector in AHCI mode under OS.

3-11

3.4.3 System Information

This menu gives you an overview of the general system specications. The BIOS automatically
detects the BIOS information, CPU specication, and system memory in this menu.

Main

BIOS Information

Version : 0202

Build Date: 12/09/08

Processor

Type : AMD Phenom(tm) 8600 Triple-Core
Processor
Speed : 2200MHz

System Memory

Usable Size : 1024MB

3.5 Ai Tweaker menu

The Ai (Extreme) Tweaker menu items allow you to congure overclocking-related items.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Chapter 3

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Be cautious when changing the settings of the Ai Tweaker menu items. Incorrect eld

values can cause the system to malfunction.

The conguration options for this chapter vary depending on the CPU and DIMM model you

installed on the motherboard.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Congure System Frequency/Voltage

Ai Overclocking [Auto]
DRAM Frequency Control [Auto]
HT Link Speed [Auto]

******* Please key in numbers directly! *******

Processor Voltage [Auto]
CPU/NB Voltage [Auto]
CPU VDDA Voltage [Auto]
DRAM Voltage [Auto]
HT Voltage [Auto]
NB Voltage [Auto]
NB 1.8V Voltage [Auto]
SB Voltage [Auto]

***********************************************

CPU Spread Spectrum [Enabled]
PCIE Spread Spectrum [Enabled]
SB Clock Spread Spectrum [Disabled]

Select the target CPU

frequency, and the

relevant parameters
will be auto-adjusted.
Frequencies higher
than CPU manufacturer
recommends are not
guaranteed to be
stable. If the system

becomes unstable,

return to the default.

Select Screen

Select Item
+- Change Option
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

3.5.1 AI Overclocking Tuner [Auto]

Allows you to select the CPU overclocking options to achieve the desired CPU internal

frequency. Select any of these preset overclocking conguration options:

Manual Allows you to individually set overclocking parameters.

Auto

3-12 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

Loads the optimal settings for the system.

The following three items appear only when you set the Ai Overclocking Tuner item to
[Manual].

3.5.2 CPU Ratio [Auto]

Allows you to set the ratio between the CPU Core Clock and the FSB Frequency. Use <+>
and <-> to adjust the ratio. The valid value ranges vary according to your CPU model.

3.5.3 FSB Frequency [XXX]

Displays the frequency sent by the clock generator to the system bus and PCI bus. Use
the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the FSB frequency. You can also key in the desired FSB
frequency using the numeric keypad. The values range from 200 to 600.

3.5.4 PCIE Frequency [XXX]PCIE Frequency [XXX]

Use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the PCIE frequency. You can also key in the desired
value using the numeric keypad. The values range from 100 to 150.

3.5.5 DRAM Frequency [Auto]

Allows you to set the DDR3 operating frequency.

Conguration options: [1067MHz] [1333MHz] [1600MHz] [1800MHz]

The DRAM Frequency conguration options vary with the FSB Frequency settings.

Selecting a very high DRAM frequency may cause the system to become unstable! If this

happens, revert to the default setting.

3.5.6 HT Link Speed [Auto]

Allows you to select the HyperTransport link speed.

Conguration options: [Auto] [200MHz] [400MHz] [600MHz] [800MHz] [1 GHz] [1.2 GHz]
[1.4 GHz] [1.6 GHz] [1.8 GHz] [2.0 GHz] [2.2 GHz]

The following item appears only when you set the Ai Overclocking item to [Manual].

Chapter 3

3.5.7 CPU/NB Frequency [Auto]

Allows you to select the ratio between NB Clock and the FSB frequency.

Conguration options: [Auto] [800MHz] [1000MHz] [1200MHz] – [3800MHz] [4000MHz]Auto] [800MHz] [1000MHz] [1200MHz] – [3800MHz] [4000MHz]

ASUS M4A78T-E

3-13

3.5.8 Memory Conguration

Ai Tweaker

Bank Interleaving [Auto]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

Channel Interleaving [XOR of Address bit]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Address bits 6] [Address bits 12]
[XOR of Address bits [20:16, 6]] [XOR of Address bits [20:16, 9]]

Enable Clock to All DIMMs [Disabled]

Enables unused clocks to DIMMs even if the memory slots are not populated.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

MemClk Tristate C3/ATLVID [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Memory Hole Remapping [Enabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Chapter 3

DCT Unganged Mode [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled]

Memory Conguration

Bank Interleaving [Auto]
Channel Interleaving [XOR of Address bit]
Enable Clock to All DIMMs [Disabled]
MemClk Tristate C3/ATLVID [Disabled]
Memory Hole Remapping [Enabled]
DCT Unganged Mode [Auto]
Power Down Enable [Disabled]
Page Smashing [Disabled]

Enable Bank Memory
Interleavng.

Power Down Enable [Disabled]

Enables or disables the DDR power down mode.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power Down Mode [Channel]

Allows you to set the DDR power down mode. This item appears only when you enable

the previous item. Conguration options: [Channel] [Chip Select]

Page Smashing [Disabled]

S/W Control of Page Smashing Mechanism.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [IC] [DC] [Both]

3-14 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.5.9 DRAM Timing Conguration

Ai Tweaker

DRAM Timing Conguration

DRAM Command Rate [Auto]

DRAM 1st Information : 6-6-6-15-4-21-6-4

The conguration options for some of the following items vary depending on the DIMMs you

install on the motherboard.

DRAM Command Rate [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1T] [2T]

TCL [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] – [12 CLK]

TRCD [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK] – [12 CLK]

TRP [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK] – [12 CLK]

TRAS [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [15 CLK] [16 CLK] [17 CLK] – [30 CLK]

TRTP [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK]

TRC [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [11 CLK] [12 CLK] – [40 CLK] [41 CLK]

TWR [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK] [8 CLK] [10 CLK] [12 CLK]

TRRD [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK]

TRWTTO [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] – [17 CLK]

TWRRD [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] – [10 CLK]

TWTR [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK]

TWRWR [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] – [10 CLK]

TRDRD [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] – [10 CLK]

Auto
Both

Options

Chapter 3

ASUS M4A78T-E

3-15

DCT0:CKE drive strength. [Auto]
DCT1:CKE drive strength. [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1x] [1.25x] [1.5x] [2x]

DCT0:CS/ODT drive strength. [Auto]
DCT1:CS/ODT drive strength. [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1x] [1.25x] [1.5x] [2x]

DCT0:Address/Command drive str [Auto]
DCT1:Address/Command drive str [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1x] [1.25x] [1.5x] [2x]

DCT0:MEMCLK drive strength. [Auto]
DCT1:MEMCLK drive strength. [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [0.75x] [1x] [1.25x] [1.5x]

DCT0:Data drive strength. [Auto]
DCT1:Data drive strength. [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [0.75x] [1x] [1.25x] [1.5x]

DCT0:DQS drive strength. [Auto]
DCT1:DQS drive strength. [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [0.75x] [1x] [1.25x] [1.5x]

Chapter 3

DCT0:Processor on-die terminat [Auto]
DCT1:Processor on-die terminat [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [240 ohms +/- 20%] [120 ohms +/- 20%] [60 ohms +/- 20%]

TRFC0/TRFC01 [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [90ns] [110ns] [160ns] [300ns] [350ns]

3.5.10 Processor Voltage [Auto]

Allows selection of the processor Voltage. Use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the value with
a 0.0125V interval.

3.5.11 CPU/NB Voltage [Auto]

Allows selection of the CPU/NB Voltage. The values range from 0.8000V to 1.90V* with aThe values range from 0.8000V to 1.90V* with a

0.0125V interval.

• The value [1.90V] is supported only if theThe value [1.90V] is supported only if the OV_CPU jumper is enabled. Otherwise,

the maximum voltage supported is [1.70V]. See 2. CPU overvoltage setting on page
2-20 for details.

• The supported voltage may vary by CPU models.

3-16 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.5.12 CPU VDDA Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to select the CPU VDDA voltage. The values range from 2.50V to 2.80V with a

0.10V interval.

3.5.13 DRAM Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to select the DDR3 reference voltage. The values range from 1.50V to 2.50V with
a 0.02V interval.

3.5.14 HT Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to select the HyperTransport voltage. The values range from 1.20V to 1.50V with
a 0.02V interval.

3.5.15 NB Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to select the Northbridge voltage. The values range from 1.10V to 1.40V with a

0.02V interval.

3.5.16 NB 1.8V Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to select the Northbridge 1.8V voltage The values range from 1.80V to 2.00V withThe values range from 1.80V to 2.00V with
a 0.20V interval.

3.5.17 SB Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to select the Southbridge voltage. The values range from 1.20V to 1.35V with a

0.15V interval.

• Setting the voltages to a high level may damage the CPU, memory module, and

chipset permanently. Proceed with caution.

• The system may require a better cooling system to work stably under high voltage
settings.

3.5.18 CPU Spread Spectrum [Enabled]

[Disabled] Enhances the FSB overclocking ability

[Enabled] Set to [Enabled] for EMI control.

3.5.19 PCIE Spread Spectrum [Enabled]

[Disabled] Enhances the PCIE overclocking ability

[Enabled] Set to [Enabled] for EMI control.

3.5.20 SB Clock Spread Spectrum [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the internal southbridge spread

[Enabled] Enables the internal southbridge spread.

ASUS M4A78T-E

Chapter 3

3-17

3.6 Advanced menu

The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system
devices.

Be cautious when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect eld values

can cause the system to malfunction.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

3.6.1 CPU Conguration

The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS automatically
detects.

Chapter 3

Advanced

CPU Conguration

Module Version: 14.07
AGESA Version:6.0.7.3

AMD Phenom(tm) 8600 Triple-Core Processor
Revision: B2
Cache L1: 384KB
Cache L2: 1536KB
Cache L3: 2MB

Speed : 2200MHz, NB Clk: 1800MHz

Able to Change Freq. : Yes
uCode Patch Level : 0x100008D

GART Error Reporting [Disabled]
Microcode Updation [Enabled]
Secure Virtual Machine Mode [Enabled]
Cool‘n’Quiet [Disabled]
ACPI SRAT Table [Enabled]
C1E Support [Enabled]
Advanced Clock Calibration [Disabled]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

CPU Conguration

Chipset

Onboard Devices Conguration
USB Conguration

PCIPnP

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Congure CPU.

The items shown in this screen may be different due to the CPU you installed.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

This option shoukd
remain disabled for
the normal operation.
The driver developer
may enable it for
testing purpose.

+-

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Select Screen

Select Item
Enter Go to Sub Screen
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Options

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Option

3-18 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

GART Error Reporting [Disabled]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Microcode Updation [Enabled]

[Disabled] Disables the Microcode Updation function.

[Enabled] Allows the system to update the Microcode automatically, enhancing

system performance.

Secure Virtual Machine Mode [Enabled]

[Disabled] Disables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode.Disabled] Disables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode.] Disables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode.Disables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode..

[Enabled] Enables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode.Enabled] Enables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode.] Enables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode.Enables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode..

Cool‘n’Quiet [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the AMD Cool’n’Quiet function.Cool’n’Quiet function..
[Enabled] Enables the AMD Cool’n’Quiet function.Cool’n’Quiet function..

ACPI SRAT Table [Enabled]

[Disabled] Disables the building of ACPI SRAT Table.

[Enabled] Enables the building of ACPI SRAT Table.

C1E Support [Enable]

[Disabled] Disables the the Enhanced Halt State support.

[Enable] Enables the the Enhanced Halt State support.the Enhanced Halt State support..

Advanced Clock Calibration [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables this function.

[Auto] The BIOS automatically adjusts this function.

[All Cores] Enables the processor to have the best overclocking performance.

[Per Core] Enhances the processor’s overclocking capability.

3.6.2 Chipset

The Chipset menu allows you to change the advanced chipset settings. Select an item then
press <Enter> to display the submenu.

Advanced

Advanced Chipset Settings

NorthBridge Conguration

RS780D Conguration

North Bridge Chipset Conguration

Advanced

North Bridge Chipset Conguration

ECC Conguration

ASUS M4A78T-E

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Options for NB

Set the ECC options
for cache and dram
scrubbing.

Chapter 3

3-19

ECC Conguration

Advanced

ECC Conguration

ECC Mode [Disabled]

DRAM ECC Enable [Disabled]
DRAM SCRUB REDIRECT [Disabled]
4-Bit ECC Mode [Disabled]
DRAM BG Scrub [Disabled]
Data Cache BG Scrub [Disabled]
L2 Cache BG Scrub [Disabled]
L3 Cache BG Scrub [Disabled]

Chapter 3

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Set the level of ECC
protection. Note: The
‘Super’ ECC mode
dynamically sets the
DRAM scrub rate so
all of memory is
scrubbed in 8 hours.

ECC Mode [Disabled]

Disables or sets the DRAM ECC mode that allows the hardware to report and correct
memory errors.

[Disabled] Disables the DRAM ECC mode.

[Basic] Set to [Basic] to adjust ECC mode automatically.

[Good] Set to [Good] to adjust ECC mode automatically.
[Super] Set to [Super] to adjust the DRAM BG Scrub sub-item manually.

[Max] Set to [Max] to adjust ECC mode automatically.

[User] Set to [User] to adjust the all sub-items manually.

DRAM ECC Enable [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables this function.

[Enabled] Allows hardware to report and correct memory errors automatically, maintaining

DRAM SCRUB REDIRECT [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables this function.

[Enabled] Allows the system to correct the DRAM ECC errors immediately when they occur.

4-Bit ECC Mode [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the CHIPKILL ECC mode.

[Enabled] Enables the CHIPKILL ECC mode.

DRAM BG Scrub [Disabled]

Disables or sets the DRAM BG Scrub.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us]

[10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms]
[10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms]

Data Cache BG Scrub [Disabled]

Disables or sets the Data Cache BG Scrub. This item allows the L1 Data Cache RAM to be
corrected when idle.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us]

[10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms]
[10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms]

L2/L3 Cache BG Scrub [Disabled]

Disables or sets the L2/L3 Cache BG Scrub. This item allows the L2/L3 Data Cache RAM to be
corrected when idle.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us]

[10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms]
[10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms]

system integrity.

3-20 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

RS780D Conguration

Advanced

NorthBridge2 Chipset Conguration

Internal Graphics Conguration
PCI Express Conguration

Primary Video Controller [GFX0-GPP-IGFX-PCI]

NB Power Management Features [Auto]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Set the ECC options
for cache and dram
scrubbing.

Internal Graphics Conguration

This menu allows you to change the onboard graphics conguration settings. Select an item

then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

Advanced

Internal Graphics Conguration

Internal Graphics Mode [UMA+SIDEPORT]
UMA Frame Buffer Size [Auto]
SIDEPORT Clock Speed [667MHz]
SIDEPORT Voltage [Auto]
GFX Engine Clock Override [Disable]
UMA-SP Interleave Mode [Auto]

Surround View [Auto]

FB Location [Above 4G]
NB Azalia [Enable]

AMD 780 HD Audio [Enable]

Options

Disable
UMA
SIDEPORT
UMA+SIDEPORT

Internal Graphics Mode [UMA+SIDEPORT]

Conguration options: [Disable] [UMA] [SIDEPORT] [UMA+SIDEPORT]

UMA Frame Buffer Size [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [32MB] [64MB] [128MB] [256MB] [512MB]

SIDEPORT Clock Speed [667MHz]

Conguration options: [533MHz] [667MHz] [700MHz] [715MHz] [730MHz] [745MHz]
[760MHz] [775MHz] [790MHz] [805MHz] [820MHz] [835MHz] [850MHz]

SIDEPORT Voltage [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [1.50V] [1.60V]

GFX Engine Clock Override [Disable]

Allows you to enable or disable the GFX Engine Clock Override support.

Conguration options: [Disable] [Enable]

GFX Engine Clock [500]

This item appears only when you enable the GFX Engine Clock Override item.Use the <+>
and <-> keys to change the value or type the desired value using the numeric keypad. The
values range from 150 to 1500.

UMA-SP Interleave Mode [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [Coarse] [Fine]

ASUS M4A78T-E

Chapter 3

3-21

Surround View [Disabled]

If you set the PCI Express device as the primary display and enable this item, you may use
the internal graphics as the secondary display.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enable]

FB Location [Above 4G]

Conguration options: [Below 4G] [Above 4G]

AMD 780 HD Audio [Enable]

Conguration options: [Disabled] [Enable]

PCI Express Conguration

Advanced

PCI Express Conguration

GFX Dual Slot Conguration [Auto]
GPP Slots Power Limit, W [25]

GFX Dual Slot Configuration [Auto]

[Auto] Switches the PCIe lane of the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots

automatically.

[Enable] Sets the PCIe lane of the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots to x8/x8 or

x16/x1 links.

[Disabled] Disables this function.

GPP Slots Power Limit, W [25]

Use the <+> and <-> keys to change the value or type the desired value using the
numeric keypad. The values range from 0 to 255.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Auto
Enable
Disabled

Chapter 3

Primary Video Controller [GFX0-GPP-IGFX-PCI]

Conguration options: [GFX0-GPP-IGFX-PCI] [GPP-GFX0-IGFX-PCI] [PCI-GFX0-GPP-

IGFX] [IGFX-GFX0-GPP-PCI]

NB Power Management Features [Auto]

Conguration options: [Auto] [Disable]

3.6.3 Onboard Devices Conguration

Advanced

On Board Devices Conguration

High Denition Audio [Enabled]

Front Panel Type [HD]

Onboard LAN [Enabled]
Onboard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]

Firewire 1394 [Enabled]

Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]

High Denition Audio [Enabled]

[Enabled] Enables the High Denition Audio Controller.

[Disabled] Disables the controller.

3-22 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Disabled
Enabled

The following item appears only when you set the HD Audio Azalia Device item to
[Enabled].

Front Panel Type [HD]

[AC 97] Sest the front panel audio connector (AAFP) mode to legacy AC’97.
[HD] Sets the front panel audio connector (AAFP) mode to high denition audio.

Onboard LAN [Enabled]

[Enabled] Enables the onboard LAN controller.

[Disabled] Disables the onboard controller.

The following item appears only when you set the Onboard LAN item to [Enabled].

Onboard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]

[Enabled] Enables the onboard LAN Boot ROM.

[Disabled] Disables the onboard LAN Boot ROM.

Firewire 1394 [Enabled]

[Enabled] Enables the onboard 1394 device support.

[Disabled] Disables the onboard 1394 device support.onboard 1394 device support.

Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]

Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address.

Conguration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4] [2F8/IRQ3] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3]

3.6.4 USB Conguration

The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features. Select an item then

press <Enter> to display the conguration options.

Advanced

USB Conguration

Module Version - 2.24.3-13.4

USB Devices Enabled:

None

USB Support [Enabled]
Legacy USB Support [Enabled]
USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled]
USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]
BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled]

The USB Devices Enabled item shows the auto-detected values. If no USB device is
detected, the item shows None.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

USB Functions [Enabled]

[Enabled] Enables the USB Host Controllers.

[Disabled] Disables the controllers.

The following items appear only when you set USB Support to [Enabled].

ASUS M4A78T-E

Enable support for
all USB ports.

Chapter 3

3-23

Legacy USB Support [Enabled]

[Auto] Allows the system to detect the presence of USB devices at startup. If

[Enabled] Enables the support for USB devices on legacy operating systems (OS).

[Disabled] Disables the function.

USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled]

[Enabled] Enables the USB 2.0 controller.

[Disabled] Disables the controller.

USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]

[FullSpeed] Sets the USB 2.0 controller mode to FullSpeed (12 Mbps).

[HiSpeed] Sets the USB 2.0 controller mode to HiSpeed (480 Mbps).

BIOS EHCI Hand-off [Enabled]

[Enabled] Enables the support for operating systems without an EHCI hand-off

[Disabled] Disables the function.

3.6.5 PCIPnP

Chapter 3

The PCIPnP menu items allow you to change the advanced settings for PCI/PnP devices.

Advanced

Advanced PCI/PnP Settings

WARNING: Setting wrong values in below sections
may cause system to malfunction.

Plug And Play O/S [No]

detected, the USB controller legacy mode is enabled. If no USB device is
detected, the legacy USB support is disabled.

The following two items appear only when you set the USB 2.0 Controller item to
[Enabled].

feature.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

NO: lets the BIOS

congure all the

devices in the system.
YES: lets the
operating system
congure Plug and
Play (PnP) devices not
required for boot if
your system has a Plug
and Play operating
system.

Plug And Play O/S [No]

[Yes] When set to [Yes] and if you install a Plug and Play operating system, the

[No] When set to [No], BIOS congures all the devices in the system.

3-24 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

operating system congures the Plug and Play devices not required for

boot.

3.7 Power menu

The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Power

Management (APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conguration options.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Suspend Mode [Auto]
Repost Video on S3 Resume [No]
ACPI 2.0 Support [Disabled]
ACPI APIC Support [Enabled]

APM Conguration

Hardware Monitor

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

3.7.1 Suspend Mode [Auto]

Allows you to select the Advanced Conguration and Power Interface (ACPI) state to be used

for system suspend.

[Auto] The system automatically congures the ACPI suspend mode.

[S1 (POS) only] Sets the APCI suspend mode to S1/POS (Power On Suspend).

[S3 only] Sets the APCI suspend mode to S3/STR (Suspend To RAM).

3.7.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume [No]

Determines whether to invoke VGA BIOS POST on S3/STR resume.

[No] When set to [No], the system will not invoke VGA BIOS POST on S3/STR

resume.

[Yes] When set to [Yes], the system invokes VGA BIOS POST on S3/STR

resume.

3.7.3 ACPI 2.0 Support [Disabled]

[Disabled] When set to [Disabled], the system will not add additional tables as per

[Enabled] When set to [Enabled], the system adds additional tables as per ACPI 2.0

ACPI 2.0 specications.

specications.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Select the ACPI state
used for System
Suspend.

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Option

+-

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Chapter 3

3.7.4 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled]

[Disabled] When set to [Disabled], the system disable the Advanced Conguration and

Power Interface (ACPI) support in the Advanced Programmable Interrupt
Controller (APIC).

[Enabled] When set to [Enabled], the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the RSDT

pointer list.

ASUS M4A78T-E

3-25

3.7.5 APM Conguration

Power

APM Conguration

Restore on AC Power Loss [Power Off]
Power On By PME [Disabled] [Disabled]
Power On By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled] PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]
Power On By Ring [Disabled]
Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled]

Restore On AC Power Loss [Power Off]

[Power On] The system goes into on state after an AC power loss.

[Power Off] The system goes into off state after an AC power loss.

[Last State] The system goes into either off or on state, whatever the system state was

Power On By PME [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the PME to wake up from S5 by PCI/PCIE/onboard LAN devices.

[Enabled] Allows you to turn on the system through a PCI/PCIE/onboard LAN device.

Power On By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the Power On by a PS/2 keyboard.

[Enabled] Sets specic keys on the PS/2 keyboard to turn on the system. This feature

Chapter 3

Power On By Ring [Disabled]

[Disabled] The computer could not be powered up when the external modem receives

[Enabled] The computer could be powered up when the external modem receives a

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Disabled
Power On
Power Off
Last State

before the AC power loss.

This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the
+5VSB lead.

requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode.

call while the computer is in Soft-off mode.

The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and applications are fully

running. Thus, connection cannot be made on the rst try. Turning an external modem
off and then back on while the computer is off causes an initialization string that turns the

system power on.

Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables RTC to generate a wake event.
[Enabled] When set to [Enabled], the items RTC Alarm Date/ RTC Alarm Time will

3-26 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

become user-congurable with set values.

3.7.6 Hardware Monitor

Power

Hardware Monitor

CPU Temperature [42ºC/107.5ºF]

MB Temperature [33ºC/91ºF]

CPU Fan Speed [4856RPM]
Chassis Fan 1 Speed [N/A]
Chassis Fan 2 Speed [N/A]

VCORE Voltage [ 1.234V]

3.3V Voltage [ 3.320V]
5V Voltage [ 5.026V]
12V Voltage [11.787V]

CPU Q-Fan Function [Disabled]
Chassis Q-Fan Function [Disabled]

CPU/MB Temperature [xxx�C/xxx�F][xxx�C/xxx�F]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU and motherboard
temperatures. Select Ignored if you do not wish to display the detected temperatures.

CPU Fan /Chassis Fan 1 and 2 Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU and chassis fan

speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the motherboard, the eld

shows N/A. Select Ignored if you do not wish to display the detected speed.

VCORE Voltage, 3.3V Voltage, 5V Voltage, 12V Voltage

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard
voltage regulators. Select Ignored if you do not want to detect this item.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

CPU Temperature

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Field

+-

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

CPU Q-Fan Function [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the CPU Q-Fan control feature.Q-Fan control feature..

[Enabled] Enables the CPU Q-Fan control feature.Q-Fan control feature..

The following two items appear only when you set CPU Q-Fan Function to [Enabled].

Select Fan Type: [PWR Fan]

[PWR Fan] Sets to [PWR Fan] when using a 4-pin CPU fan.

[DC Fan] Sets to [DC Fan] when using a 3-pin CPU fan.Sets to [DC Fan] when using a 3-pin CPU fan..

Quiet CPU Fan Mode [Silent]

[Performance] Sets to [Performance] to achieve maximum CPU fan speed.

[Optimal] Sets to [Optimal] to make the CPU fan automatically adjust

depending on the CPU temperature.

[Silent] Sets to [Silent] to minimize the fan speed for quiet CPU fan

operation.

ASUS M4A78T-E

Chapter 3

3-27

Chassis Q-Fan Function [Disabled]

[Disabled] Disables the Chassis Q-Fan control feature.

[Enabled] Enables the Chassis Q-Fan control feature.Chassis Q-Fan control feature. Q-Fan control feature.

Chapter 3

The following item appears only when you set Chassis Q-Fan Function to [Enabled].

Quiet Chassis Fan Mode [Silent]

[Performance] Sets to [Performance] to achieve maximum chassis fan speed.

[Optimal] Sets to [Optimal] to make the chassis fan automatically adjust

depending on the chassis temperature.

[Silent] Sets to [Silent] to minimize fan speed for quiet chassis fan operation.

3-28 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.8 Boot menu

The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press
<Enter> to display the submenu.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Boot Settings

Boot Device Priority

Boot Settings Conguration

Security

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Species the Boot

Device Boot Priority
sequence.

A virtual oppy disk

drive (Floppy Drive B:
) may appear when you
set the CD-ROM drive

as the rst boot

device.

Select Screen

Select Item
Enter Go to Sub Screen
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

3.8.1 Boot Device Priority

Boot

Boot Device Priority

1st Boot Device [1st FLOPPY DRIVE]
2nd Boot Device [Hard Drive]
3rd Boot Device [ATAPI DVD-ROM]

1st ~ xxth Boot Device [1st FlOPPY DRIVE]

These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available devices. The
number of device items that appears on the screen depends on the number of devices
installed in the system.

Conguration options: [1st FlOPPY DRIVE] [Hard Drive] [ATAPI CD-ROM] [Disabled]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

ASUS M4A78T-E

Chapter 3

3-29

3.8.2 Boot Settings Conguration

Boot

Quick Boot [Enabled]

[Disabled] When set to [Disabled], BIOS performs all the POST items.

[Enabled] When set to [Enabled], BIOS skips some power on self tests (POST) while

Full Screen Logo [Enabled]

[Enabled] Enables the full screen logo display feature.

[Disabled] Disables the full screen logo display feature.

AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]

[Force BIOS] The third-party ROM messages will be forced to display during the boot

[Keep Current] The third-party ROM messages will be displayed only if the third-party

Bootup Num-Lock [On]

Chapter 3

[Off] Sets the power-on state of the NumLock to [Off].

[On] Sets the power-on state of the NumLock to [On].

Wait For ‘F1’ If Error [Enabled]

[Disabled] Disables this function.

[Enabled] The system waits for the <F1> key to be pressed when error occurs.

Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display [Enabled]

[Disabled] Disables this function.

[Enabled] The system displays the message “Press DEL to run Setup” during POST.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Boot Settings Conguration

Quick Boot [Enabled]
Full Screen Logo [Enabled]
AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]
Bootup Num-Lock [On]
Wait For ‘F1’ If Error [Enabled]
Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display [Enabled]

booting to decrease the time needed to boot the system.

Set this item to [Enabled] to use the ASUS MyLogo 2™ feature.

sequence.

manufacturer had set the add-on device to do so.

Allows BIOS to skip
certain tests while
booting. This will
decrease the time
needed to boot the
system.

3-30 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.8.3 Security

The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings. Select an item

then press <Enter> to display the conguration options.

Boot

Security Settings

Supervisor Password : Not Installed
User Password : Not Installed

Change Supervisor Password
Change User Passward

Change Supervisor Password

Select this item to set or change the supervisor password. The Supervisor Password item
on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a password, this item
shows Installed.

To set a Supervisor Password:

1. Select the Change Supervisor Password item and press <Enter>.

2. From the password box, type a password composed of at least six letters and/or
numbers, then press <Enter>.

3. Conrm the password when prompted.

The message Password Installed appears after you successfully set your password.

To change the supervisor password, follow the same steps as in setting a user password.

To clear the supervisor password, select the Change Supervisor Password then press
<Enter>. The message Password Uninstalled appears.

If you forget your BIOS password, you can clear clear it by erasing the CMOS Real Time
Clock (RTC) RAM. See section 2.6 Jumpers for information on how to erase the RTC
RAM.

After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to change
other security settings.

Boot

Security Settings

Supervisor Password : Installed
User Password : Installed

Change Supervisor Password
User Access Level [Full Access]
Change User Password
Clear User Password
Password Check [Setup]

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

<Enter> to change
password.
<Enter> again to
disable password.

<Enter> to change
password.
<Enter> again to
disabled password.

Chapter 3

User Access Level [Full Access]

This item allows you to select the access restriction to the Setup items.

[No Access] Prevents user access to the Setup utility.

[View Only] Allows access but does not allow change to any eld.
[Limited] Allows changes only to selected elds, such as Date and Time.
[Full Access] Allows viewing and changing all the elds in the Setup utility.

ASUS M4A78T-E

3-31

Change User Password

Select this item to set or change the user password. The User Password item on top of the
screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a password, this item shows Installed.

To set a User Password:

1. Select the Change User Password item and press <Enter>.

2. On the password box that appears, type a password composed of at least six letters

3. Conrm the password when prompted.

The message Password Installed appears after you set your password successfully.

To change the user password, follow the same steps as in setting a user password.

Clear User Password

Select this item to clear the user password.

Password Check [Setup]

[Setup] BIOS checks for user password when accessing the Setup utility.

[Always] BIOS checks for user password both when accessing Setup and booting

Chapter 3

and/or numbers, then press <Enter>.

the system.

3-32 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

3.9 Tools menu

The Tools menu items allow you to congure options for special functions. Select an item

then press <Enter> to display the submenu.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

ASUS EZ Flash 2

Express Gate [Enabled]
Enter OS Timer [10 Seconds]
Reset User Data [No]

ASUS O.C. Prole
AI NET 2

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Press ENTER to run the
utility to select and
update BIOS.
This utility supports:

1.FAT 12/16/32 (r/w)

2.NTFS (read only)

3.CD-DISC (read only)

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Field

+-

Enter Go to Sub Screen
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

3.9.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2

Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2. When you press <Enter>, a conrmation message

appears. Use the left/right arrow key to select between [Yes] or [No], then press <Enter> to

conrm your choice. Check page 3-5, section 3.2.3 for details.

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility V3.34

FLASH TYPE: WOINBOND W25X80

Current ROM

BOARD: M4A78T-E
VER: 0201
DATE: 12/08/2008

PATH: A:\

A:

Update ROM

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

Note

[Enter] Select or Load [Tab] Switch [V] Drive Info
[Up/Down/Home/End] Move [B] Backup [Esc] Exit

3.9.2 Express Gate

Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Express Gate feature. The ASUS Express Gate
feature is a unique instant-on environment that provides quick access to the Internet browser

and Skype. Conguration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

ASUS M4A78T-E

Chapter 3

3-33

3.9.3 ASUS O.C. Prole

This item allows you to store or load multiple BIOS settings.

Tools

Chapter 3

O.C. PROFILE Conguration

O.C. Prole 1 Status : Not Installed
O.C. Prole 2 Status : Not Installed

Add Your CMOS Prole.

Name: [Default-Prole]

Save To: [Uninstalled]

Load CMOS Proles.

Load From: [Blank]

Start O.C. Prole

Enter OS Timer [10 Seconds]

Sets countdown duration that the system waits at the Express Gate’s rst screen
before starting Windows or other installed OS. Choose [Prompt User] to stay at the rst

screen of Express Gate for user action.
Conguration options: [Prompt User] [1 second] [3 seconds] [5 seconds] [10 seconds][10 seconds]
[15 seconds] [20 seconds] [30 seconds]

Reset User Data [No]

Allows you to clear Express Gate’s user data.

[Reset] When setting this item to [Reset], ensure that you save the setting to the

BIOS so that the user data will be cleared the next time you enter the

Express Gate. User data includes the Express Gate’s settings as well as

any personal information stored by the web browser such as bookmarks,
cookies, browsing history. This is useful in the rare case where corrupt
settings prevent the Express Gate environment from launching properly.

[No] Set to [No] to disable the Reset User Data function when entering the

Express Gate.

The rst time wizard will run again when you enter the Express Gate environment after

clearing its settings.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Typing your prole
name, [0-9][a-z][A-

Z] are acceptable.

Add Your CMOS Prole

Allows you to save the current BIOS le to the BIOS Flash. In the Name sub-item, type your
prole name and press <Enter>, and then choose a prole number to save your CMOS

settings in the Save to sub-item.

Load CMOS Proles

Allows you to load the previous BIOS settings saved in the BIOS Flash. Press <Enter>, and

choose a prole to load.

Start O.C. Prole

Allows you to run the utility to save and load CMOS. Press <Enter> to run the utility.

3-34 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

ASUSTek O.C. Prole Utility V1.34

Current CMOS

BOARD: M4A78T-E
VER: 0201
DATE: 12/08/2008

PATH: A:\

A:

Note

[Enter] Select or Load [Tab] Switch [V] Drive Info
[Up/Down/Home/End] Move [B] Backup [Esc] Exit

Restore CMOS

BOARD: Unknown
VER: Unknown
DATE: Unknown

• This function can support devices such as a USB ash disk or a oppy disk with FAT

32/16 format and single partition only.

• DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent the

system boot failure!

• We recommend that you update the BIOS le only coming from the same memory/CPU
conguration and BIOS version.

• Only the CMO le can be loaded.

3.9.4 AI NET 2

Tools

AI NET 2

Pair Status Length

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Check Marvell LANMarvell LANLAN
cable during POST.

Chapter 3

Check Atheros LAN cable [Disabled]

ASUSTek O.C. Prole Utility V1.06

Check Atheros LAN Cable [Disabled]

Enables or disables checking of the Atheros LAN cable during the Power-On Self-Test
(POST). It takes 3 to 10 seconds to diagnose the LAN cable.

[Disabled] BIOS will not check the Atheros LAN cable during the Power-On Self-Test

(POST).

[Enabled] BIOS checks the Atheros LAN cable during the Power-On Self-Test

(POST).

ASUS M4A78T-E

3-35

3.10 Exit menu

The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values for the BIOS
items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

Exit & Save Changes

Once you are nished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu to

ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. An onboard backup battery
sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even when the PC is turned off. When you select this

option, a conrmation window appears. Select Ok to save changes and exit.

Chapter 3

Exit & Save Changes
Exit & Discard Changes
Discard Changes

Load Setup Defaults

v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2008, American Megatrends, Inc.

Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this
menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit.

If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes, the program prompts
you with a message asking if you want to save your changes before exiting. Press <Enter>
to save the changes while exiting.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Exit system setup
after saving the
changes.

F10 key can be used
for this operation.

Select Screen

Select Item
Enter Go to Sub Screen
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

Exit & Discard Changes

Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the

Setup program. If you made changes to elds other than System Date, System Time, and
Password, the BIOS asks for a conrmation before exiting.

Discard Changes

This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously saved
values. After selecting this option, a conrmation appears. Select Ok to discard any changes
and load the previously saved values.

Load Setup Defaults

This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup

menus. When you select this option or if you press <F5>, a conrmation window appears.

Select Ok to load default values. Select Exit & Save Changes or make other changes before
saving the values to the non-volatile RAM.

3-36 Chapter 3: BIOS setup

Chapter 4

4.1 Installing an operating system

This motherboard supports Windows® XP/ 64-bit XP/ Vista™ operating systems (OS). Always

install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your

hardware.

• Motherboard settings and hardware options vary. Use the setup procedures presented
in this chapter for reference only. Refer to your OS documentation for detailed
information.

• Ensure that you install the Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or later versions before
installing the drivers for better compatibility and system stability.

4.2 Support DVD information

The support DVD that comes with the motherboard package contains the drivers, software
applications, and utilities that you can install to avail all motherboard features.

The contents of the support DVD are subject to change at any time without notice. Visit the
ASUS website at www.asus.com for updates.

4.2.1 Running the support DVD

Place the support DVD into the optical drive. The DVD automatically displays the Drivers menu if
Autorun is enabled in your computer. Click each menu tab and select the items you want to install.

The Drivers menu shows the

available device drivers if the

system detects installed devices.

Install the necessary drivers to

use the devices.

The Make disk menu
contains items to create
the ATI® RAID/AHCI
driver disk.

The Manual menu contains
the list of supplementary
user manuals. Click an item
to open the folder of the user
manual.

Click the Contact tab
to display the ASUS
contact information.

The Utilities
menu shows the
applications and

other software that

the motherboard

supports.

Click an item to

install

If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the support DVD to

locate the le ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder. Double-click the ASSETUP.EXE to run

the DVD.

ASUS M4A78T-E

Click an icon
to display DVD/
motherboard
information

Chapter 4

4-1

4.2.2 Obtaining the software manuals

The software manuals are included in the support DVD. Follow the instructions below to get
the necessary software manuals.

The software manual les are in Portable Document Format (PDF). Install the Adobe®

Acrobat® Reader from the Utilities menu before opening the les.

1. Click the support DVD icon.

2. The support DVD contents are
displayed in graphical format.
Double-click the Manual folder.

3. Double-click the folder of your
selected manual.

Chapter 4

The screenshots in this section are for reference only. The actual software manuals
containing in the support DVD vary by models.

4-2 Chapter 4: Software support

4.3 Software information

Most of the applications in the support DVD have wizards that will conveniently guide you
through the installation. View the online help or readme le that came with the software

application for more information.

4.3.1 Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology

The motherboard supports the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology that dynamically and

automatically change the CPU speed, voltage, and amount of power depending on the task
the CPU performs.

Enabling Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology

1. Turn on the system and enter BIOS by pressing the <Del> key during the Power On
Self-Tests (POST).

2. Go to Advanced > CPU Conguration > Cool ‘n’Quiet and set it to [Enabled]. See
section 3.6 Advanced menu.

3. Save your changes and exit BIOS Setup.

4. Reboot your computer and set your Power Option Properties depending on your
operating system.

Launching the Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ software

1. Install Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ software from the motherboard support DVD.

2. Click Start > All Programs > ASUS > Cool & Quiet > Cool & Quiet.

3. The Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ technology screen appears and displays the current CPU

Frequency and CPU Voltage.

ASUS M4A78T-E

Refer to the software manual in the support DVD or visit the ASUS website

at www.asus.com for detailed software conguration.

Chapter 4

4-3

4.3.2 Audio congurations

The VIA® High Denition Audio CODEC provides 8-channel audio capability to deliver the
ultimate audio experience on your computer. The software provides Jack-Detection,Multi­Streaming, Front Panel Jack-Retasking and S/PDIF Out support.

Follow the installation wizard to install the VIA® Audio Driver from the support CD/DVD that

came with the motherboard package.

If the VIA audio software is correctly installed, you will nd the VIA HD
Audio Deck icon on the taskbar. Double-click on the icon to display the

VIA HD Audio Deck.

A. VIA HD Audio Deck for Windows® Vista™

Device volume

control

Analog

and digital

connector

status

Advanced Options

Information button

Expert Mode

Jacks default
setting button

Minimize

button

VIA HD Audio Deck

Exit button

Default Device
button

B. VIA HD Audio Deck for Windows XP

Display panel and
volume control

Conguration

options

Minimize button

Chapter 4

Control settings

window

Refer to the software manual in the support DVD or visit the ASUS website at

www.asus.com for detailed software conguration.

4-4 Chapter 4: Software support

4.3.3 ASUS PC Probe II

PC Probe II is a utility that monitors the computer’s vital components, and detects and

alerts you of any problem with these components. PC Probe II senses fan rotations, CPU
temperature, and system voltages, among others. Because PC Probe II is software-based,
you can start monitoring your computer the moment you turn it on. With this utility, you are
assured that your computer is always at a healthy operating condition.

Launching PC Probe II

1. Install PC Probe II from the motherboard support DVD.

2. Launch PC Probe II by clicking Start > All Programs > ASUS > PC Probe II > PC
Probe II v1.xx.xx. The PC Probe II main window appears.

3. The PC Probe II icon appears in the Windows® notication area. Click this icon to closenotication area. Click this icon to close. Click this icon to close
or restore the application.

PC Probe II main window

Button Function

ASUS M4A78T-E

Opens the Conguration window

Opens the Report window

Opens the Desktop Management Interface window

Opens the Peripheral Component Interconnect window

Opens the Windows Management Instrumentation window

Opens the hard disk drive, memory, CPU usage window

Shows/Hides the Preference section

Minimizes the application

Closes the application

Refer to the software manual in the support DVD or visit the ASUS website at

www.asus.com for detailed software conguration.

Chapter 4

4-5

4.3.4 ASUS Express Gate SSD / ASUS Express Gate

ASUS Express Gate SSD / ASUS Express Gate is an instant-on environment that gives you
quick access to the Internet, Skype, and your pictures. Within a few seconds of powering on
your computer, you will be at the Express Gate SSD / Express Gate menu where you can
start the web browser, Skype, or other Express Gate SSD / Express Gate applications.

• ASUS Express Gate SSD / ASUS Expess Gate supports SATA devices in IDE or SATA
mode only. See chapter 3 for the BIOS setup details.

• ASUS Express Gate SSD / ASUS Express Gate supports SATA devices connected
to the motherboard chipset-controlled onboard SATA ports only. All onboard
extended SATA ports and external SATA ports are NOT supported. See chapter 2 for
the exact location of the onboard SATA ports.

• Ensure to install ASUS Express Gate from the motherboard support DVD before you
start using the utility. ASUS Express Gate SSD requires no installation.

• ASUS Express Gate supports installation on SATA HDDs, USB HDDs, and Flash
drives. When installed on USB HDDs and Flash drives, connect the drives to the
motherboard USB port before turning on the computer.

The First Screen

Express Gate’s rst screen appears within a few seconds after you power on the computer.

Click any of the application
icons to enter Express Gate
environment and launch the
selected application

Turn off the computer

Enter the motherboard BIOS setup

Continue booting to existing OS
when timer counts down to zero
(0); click to immediately enter
existing OS

Chapter 4

4-6 Chapter 4: Software support

Refer to the software manual in the support DVD or click in the Express Gate
environment for detailed software instructions.