Asus M5A88-M EVO User Manual
Motherboard
M5A88-M EVO
ii
E6716
Second Edition (V2)
June 2011
Copyright © 2011 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, modied or altered, unless
such repair, modication 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 identication or explanation and to the
owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
Offer to Provide Source Code of Certain Software
This product may contain copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License (“GPL”)
and under the Lesser General Public License Version (“LGPL”). The GPL and LGPL licensed code in this
product is distributed without any warranty. Copies of these licenses are included in this product.
You may obtain the complete corresponding source code (as dened in the GPL) for the GPL Software,
and/or the complete corresponding source code of the LGPL Software (with the complete machinereadable “work that uses the Library”) for a period of three years after our last shipment of the product
including the GPL Software and/or LGPL Software, which will be no earlier than December 1, 2011, either
(1) for free by downloading it from http://support.asus.com/download;
or
(2) for the cost of reproduction and shipment, which is dependent on the preferred carrier and the location
where you want to have it shipped to, by sending a request to:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Legal Compliance Dept.
15 Li Te Rd.,
Beitou, Taipei 112
Taiwan
In your request please provide the name, model number and version, as stated in the About Box of the
product for which you wish to obtain the corresponding source code and your contact details so that we
can coordinate the terms and cost of shipment with you.
The source code will be distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY and licensed under the same license as
the corresponding binary/object code.
This offer is valid to anyone in receipt of this information.
ASUSTeK is eager to duly provide complete source code as required under various Free Open Source
Software licenses. If however you encounter any problems in obtaining the full corresponding source code
we would be much obliged if you give us a notication to the email address gpl@asus.com, stating the
product and describing the problem (please do NOT send large attachments such as source code archives
etc to this email address).
iii
Contents
Notices ......................................................................................................... vi
Safety information ..................................................................................... vii
About this guide ........................................................................................ vii
M5A88-M EVO specications summary ................................................... ix
Chapter 1 Product introduction
1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-1
1.2 Package contents .........................................................................
1-1
1.3 Special features ............................................................................
1-1
1.3.1 Product highlights ...........................................................
1-1
1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features ...............................................
1-3
1.4 Before you proceed .....................................................................
1-5
1.5 Motherboard overview .................................................................
1-6
1.5.1 Placement direction ........................................................
1-6
1.5.2 Screw holes ....................................................................
1-6
1.5.3 Motherboard layout .........................................................
1-7
1.5.4 Layout contents ...............................................................
1-7
1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ...................................................
1-8
1.6.1 Installing the CPU ...........................................................
1-8
1.6.2 Installing the heatsink and fan ......................................
1-10
1.7 System memory .........................................................................
1-11
1.7.1 Overview ........................................................................
1-11
1.7.2 Memory congurations ..................................................
1-12
1.7.3 Installing a DIMM ..........................................................
1-21
1.7.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................
1-21
1.8 Expansion slots ..........................................................................
1-22
1.8.1 Installing an expansion card .........................................
1-22
1.8.2 Conguring an expansion card .....................................
1-22
1.8.3 PCI slot .........................................................................
1-22
1.8.4 PCI Express x1 slots .....................................................
1-22
1.8.5 PCI Express x16 slot .....................................................
1-22
1.9 Jumpers ......................................................................................
1-23
1.10 Connectors .................................................................................
1-24
1.10.1 Rear panel ports ...........................................................
1-24
1.10.2 Internal connectors .......................................................
1-27
iv
Contents
1.11 Onboard LEDs .............................................................. 1-32
1.12 Onboard switches .........................................................
1-34
1.13 Software support ........................................................................
1-36
1.13.1 Installing an operating system ......................................
1-36
1.13.2 Support DVD information ..............................................
1-36
Chapter 2 BIOS information
2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 2-1
2.1.1 ASUS Update utility ........................................................
2-1
2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ............................................................
2-2
2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ................................................
2-3
2.1.4 ASUS BIOS Updater .......................................................
2-4
2.2 BIOS setup program ....................................................................
2-7
2.2.1 BIOS menu screen ..........................................................
2-8
2.2.2 Menu bar .........................................................................
2-8
2.2.3 Navigation keys ...............................................................
2-8
2.2.4 Menu items .....................................................................
2-9
2.2.5 Submenu items ...............................................................
2-9
2.2.6 Conguration elds .........................................................
2-9
2.2.7 Pop-up window ...............................................................
2-9
2.2.8 Scroll bar .........................................................................
2-9
2.2.9 General help ...................................................................
2-9
2.3 Main menu ..................................................................................
2-10
2.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx] .................................................
2-10
2.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] .......................................
2-10
2.3.3 SATA6G 1~6 .................................................................
2-10
2.3.4 SATA Conguration ........................................................
2-11
2.3.5 System Information .......................................................
2-12
2.4 Ai Tweaker menu ........................................................................
2-13
2.4.1 CPU OverClocking [Auto] .............................................
2-14
2.4.2 CPU Ratio [Auto] ...........................................................
2-15
2.4.3 DRAM Frequency [Auto] ...............................................
2-15
2.4.4 CPU/NB Frequency [Auto] ............................................
2-15
2.4.5 HT Link Speed [Auto] ....................................................
2-15
2.4.6 GPU Booster [Enabled] .................................................
2-15
2.4.7 OC Tuner Utility .............................................................
2-16
v
Contents
2.4.8 DRAM Timing Conguration ......................................... 2-16
2.4.9 DRAM Driving Conguration .........................................
2-17
2.4.10 CPU & NB Voltage Mode [Offset]
.................................. 2-17
2.4.11 CPU VDDA Voltage [Auto] ............................................
2-18
2.4.12 DRAM Voltage [Auto] ....................................................
2-18
2.4.13 HT Voltage [Auto] ..........................................................
2-18
2.4.14 NB Voltage [Auto] ..........................................................
2-18
2.4.15 NB 1.8V Voltage [Auto] .................................................
2-18
2.4.16 SB Voltage [Auto] ..........................................................
2-18
2.4.17 SidePort Memory Voltage [Auto] ...................................
2-18
2.4.18 CPU Load-Line Calibration [Auto] .................................
2-18
2.4.19 CPU/NB Load-Line Calibration [Auto] ...........................
2-18
2.4.20 PCI/PCIe CLK Status [Enabled] ....................................
2-18
2.5 Advanced menu .........................................................................
2-19
2.5.1 CPU Conguration ........................................................
2-19
2.5.2 Chipset ..........................................................................
2-20
2.5.3 Onboard Devices Conguration ....................................
2-21
2.5.4 PCIPnP .........................................................................
2-22
2.5.5 USB Conguration ........................................................
2-22
2.6 Power menu ................................................................................
2-23
2.6.1 Suspend Mode [Auto] ...................................................
2-23
2.6.2 ACPI 2.0 Support [Enabled] ..........................................
2-23
2.6.3 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled] .......................................
2-23
2.6.4 APM Conguration ........................................................
2-23
2.6.5 HW Monitor Conguration .............................................
2-24
2.6.6 Anti Surge Support [Enabled] .......................................
2-24
2.6.7 NB Thermal Protect [Enabled] ......................................
2-25
2.7 Boot menu ..................................................................................
2-25
2.7.1 Boot Device Priority ......................................................
2-25
2.7.2 Boot Settings Conguration ..........................................
2-25
2.7.3 Security .........................................................................
2-26
2.8 Tools menu .................................................................................
2-28
2.8.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ..........................................................
2-28
2.8.2 ASUS O.C. Prole .........................................................
2-28
2.9 Exit menu ....................................................................................
2-29
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.
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.
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required
to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modications to this unit not
expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority
to operate this equipment.
DO NOT throw the motherboard in municipal waste. This product has been designed to
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.
DO NOT throw the mercury-containing button cell battery in municipal waste. This symbol
of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the battery should not be placed in municipal
waste.
REACH
Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of
Chemicals) regulatory framework, we published the chemical substances in our products at
ASUS REACH website at http://csr.asus.com/english/REACH.htm.
vii
Safety information
Electrical safety
• To prevent electric shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electric outlet
before relocating the system.
• When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables
for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible,
disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
• Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all
power cables are unplugged.
• Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices
could interrupt the grounding circuit.
• Ensure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not
sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power
company.
• If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
Operation safety
•
Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals
that came with the package.
•
Before using the product, ensure that all cables are correctly connected and the power
cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.
•
To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors,
slots, sockets and circuitry.
•
Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area
where it may become wet.
•
Place the product on a stable surface.
•
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring the
motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This guide contains the following parts:
•
Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it
supports.
• Chapter 2: BIOS information
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus.
Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
viii
Conventions used in this guide
To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used
throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to
complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to
complete a task.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.
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.
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>
ix
M5A88-M EVO specications summary
(continued on the next page)
CPU AMD® Socket AM3+ for AMD® FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II /
Sempron™ 100 series processors
Supports 32nm CPU
Supports up to 140W CPU
AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology
* Refer to www.asus.com for the AMD® CPU support list
Chipset AMD® 880G / SB850
System Bus Up to 5200MT/s; HyperTransport™ 3.0 interface
Memory Dual-channel memory architecture
4 x DIMM, max. 16GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1333/1066MHz,
ECC, non-ECC, unbuffered memory*
* AMD
®
AM3 100 and 200 series CPUs support up to DDR3
1066MHz. With ASUS design, this motherboard supports up to
DDR3 1333MHz
** AMD® FX Series CPU for this motherboard supports up to DDR3
1866MHz as its standard memory frequency.
*** Refer to
www.asus.com for the latest Memory QVL (Qualied
Vendors List).
**** When you install a total memory of 4GB or more, Windows®
32-bit operating system may only recognize less than 3GB. We
recommend a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are
using a Windows® 32-bit operating system.
Integrated Memory SidePort Memory:
Onboard 128MB DDR3 1333 memory
Graphics Integrated ATI Radeon™ HD 4250 GPU
Dual independent displays support:
• HDMI and D-Sub
• DVI and D-Sub
Supports HDMI™ with max. resolution up to 1920x1200p
Supports Dual-link DVI with max. resolution up to 2560x1600 @60Hz
Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 2048x1536 @85Hz
Supports Microsoft® DirectX 10.1, OpenGL 2.0, and Shader
Model 4.1, Universal Video Decoder (UVD) 2.0
Hardware Decode Acceleration for H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2
Maximum shared memory of 1GB
Hybrid CrossFireX™ support*
* Refer to www.amd.com for the discrete GPUs which support
Hybrid CrossFireX™.
** Please use Windows Vista or above OS for Blu-ray Playback.
Expansion slots 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot
2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots
1 x PCI slot
Storage / RAID AMD® SB850 southbridge:
- 5 x Serial ATA 6Gb/s connectors support RAID 0, RAID 1,
RAID 5, RAID 10 and JBOD congurations
- 1 x eSATA port (6Gb/s ready)
LAN Realtek® 8111E Gigabit LAN controller
x
M5A88-M EVO specications summary
Audio Realtek® ALC892 8-channel* High Denition Audio CODEC
- BD Audio Layer Content Protection
- Supports 192khz/24bit True BD Lossless Sound
- Supports Jack-Retasking, Multi-streaming, and Front
Panel Jack-Retasking
- ASUS Noise Filter
- Optical S/PDIF Out port at back I/O
USB 12 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (8 ports at the mid-board, 4 ports at the
back panel)
2 USB 3.0/2.0 ports (blue, at back panel)
ASUS unique
features
ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors - TPU & EPU
- Turbo Unlocker, TurboV, Auto Tuning, CPU Level UP,
GPU Boost and TPU Switch
ASUS Hybrid Switches
- Core Unlocker
ASUS Exclusive Features
- MemOK!
- ASUS Anti-Surge Protection
ASUS Power Solutions
- 4+1 Phase Power Design
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solutions
- ASUS Fanless Design, stylish heat sink solution
- ASUS Fan Xpert
ASUS EZ DIY
- ASUS O.C. Prole
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
- ASUS MyLogo 2™
ASUS exclusive
overclocking
features
Intelligent overclocking tools:
- TPU Switch
- GPU Boost
- Auto Tuning
Precision Tweaker 2
- vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.003125V increment
- vChipset (NB): Adjustable chipset voltage at 0.01V
increment
- vDIMM: Adjustable DRAM voltage at 0.01V increment
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection):
- HT frequency tuning from 100MHz up to 550MHz at
1MHz increment
- PCIe frequency tuning from 100MHz up to 150MHz at
1MHz increment
Overclocking protection:
- ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)
(continued on the next page)
xi
Back panel I/O
ports
1 x PS/2 Keyboard / Mouse combo port
1 x Optical S/PDIF out port
1 x HDMI port
1 x DVI port
1 x D-Sub port
1 x eSATA port
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
8-Channel Audio I/O ports
Internal connectors 1 x Core Unlocker switch
1 x TPU switch
1 x MemOK! button
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 connectors support additional 8 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
1 x COM connector
5 x Serial ATA 6Gb/s connectors
1 x System panel connector
1 x LPT connector
1 x CPU fan connector
1 x Chassis fan connector
1 x Power fan connector
1 x Front panel audio connector
1 x S/PDIF out connector
1 x 24-pin EATX power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector
BIOS 16Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.0, WfM 2.0, ACPI 2.0a,
SM BIOS 2.5, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
Manageability WOL by PME, WOR by PME, WOR by Ring, PXE
Accessories 1 x Driver DVD
2 x Serial ATA 6Gb/s cables
1 x I/O shield
1 x User Manual
Support DVD Drivers
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS OverDrive utilities (AOD)
ASUS Update
Anti-Virus software (OEM version)
Form factor uATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in (24.4 cm x 24.4 cm)
M5A88-M EVO specications summary
* Specications are subject to change without notice.
xii
1.2 Package contents
Check your motherboard package for the following items.
Motherboard ASUS M5A88-M EVO motherboard
Cables 2 x Serial ATA 6Gb/s cables
Accessories 1 x I/O shield
Application DVD ASUS motherboard Support DVD
Documentations User Manual
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
Chapter 1
Product introduction
1.3 Special features
1.3.1 Product highlights
1.1 Welcome!
Thank you for buying an ASUS® M5A88-M EVO 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.
AMD® FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II/ Sempron™ 100 series
CPU support
This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM3+ multi-core processors
with unique L3 cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with
less power consumption. It features dual-channel DDR3 1866 MHz
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 32nm manufacturing process.
ASUS M5A88-M EVO 1-1
AMD® 880G Chipset
The AMD® 880G Chipset is designed to support up to 5200MT/s
HyperTransport™ 3.0 (HT 3.0) interface speed and PCI Express 2.0 x16
graphics. It is optimized with AMD’s latest AM3+ / AM3 multi-core CPUs
to provide excellent system performance and overclocking capabilities.
DDR3 2000 (O.C.)/1333/1066 support
This motherboard supports DDR3 memory that features data transfer
rates of 2000 (O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth
requirements of the latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet
applications. The dual-channel DDR3 architecture enlarges the bandwidth
of your system memory to boost system performance.
DVI support
DVI (Digital Visual Interface) provides high visual quality for digital
display devices such as LCD monitors. The interface of this motherboard
supports dual display output on both HDMI/DVI-D and D-Sub.
HDMI support
HDMI (High-Denition Multimedia Interface) is a set of digital video
standards that deliver multi-channel digital 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.
Complete USB 3.0 Integration
ASUS facilitates strategic USB 3.0 accessibility for both the front
and rear panel - 4 USB 3.0 ports in total. Experience the latest
plug & play connectivity at speeds up to 10 times faster than
USB 2.0. The P8Z68-V PRO affords greater convenience to high
speed connectivity.
8-channel high denition audio
The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High Denition Audio, previously
codenamed Azalia) CODEC enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio
output and jack-detect feature that automatically detects and identies
what types of peripherals are plugged into the audio I/O jacks and noties
users of inappropriate connection, which means there will be no more
confusion of Line-in, Line-out, and Mic jacks.
True Serial ATA 6Gb/s support
ASUS provides extra SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports with enhanced scalability,
faster data retrieval, and double the bandwidth of current bus systems.
PCI Express 2.0 support
This motherboard supports PCI Express 2.0 devices for double speed
and bandwidth which enhances system performance.
Chapter 1: Product introduction1-2
1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features
ASUS 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 proles in TurboV provides
the best O.C. settings in different scenarios.
Auto Tuning
Auto Tuning is an intelligent tool that automates overclocking to achieve a
total system level up.
Core Unlocker
ASUS Core Unlocker simplies the activation of a latent AMD® CPU.
Enjoy an instant performance boost by simply unlocking the extra cores,
without performing complicated BIOS changes.
S/PDIF out connector at the back panel
This motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home
theater audio systems via the optical S/PDIF (SONY-PHILIPS Digital
Interface) out connector at the back panel. The S/PDIF transfers digital
audio without converting it to analog format and keeps the best signal
quality.
100% All High-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors
This motherboard uses all high-quality conductive polymer capacitors for
durability, improved lifespan, and enhanced thermal capacity.
Hybrid CrossFireX™ support
ATI Hybrid CrossFireX™ technology greatly boosts graphics performance
with an onboard GPU and a discrete graphics GPU.
• Hybrid CrossFireX™ is supported by Windows® 7/Vista OS only.
• Refer to
www.amd.com for the discrete GPUs which support Hybrid CrossFireX™.
GPU Boost
GPU Boost overclocks the integrated GPU in real time for the best
graphics performance. User-friendly UI facilitates exible frequency and
voltage adjustments. Its ability to deliver multiple overclocking proles
also provides rapid and stable system-level upgrades.
ASUS Anti-Surge Protection
This special design protects expensive devices and the motherboard
from damage caused by power surges from switching power supply unit
(PSU).
ASUS M5A88-M EVO 1-3
MemOK!
MemOK! quickly ensures memory boot compatibility. This remarkable
memory rescue tool requires a mere push of the button to patch memory
issues. MemOK! determines failsafe settings and dramatically improves
your system boot success. Get your system up and running in no time.
Fan Xpert
ASUS Fan Xpert intelligently allows you to adjust the CPU and chassis
fan speeds according to different ambient temperatures caused by
different climate conditions in different geographic regions and your PC’s
loading. The built-in variety of useful proles offer exible controls of fan
speed to achieve a quiet and cool environment.
ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly utility that allows you to update the
BIOS without using a bootable oppy disk or an OS-based utility.
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto-recovery tool that allows you to
restore a corrupted BIOS le using the bundled support DVD or a USB
ash disk that contains the BIOS le.
ASUS O.C. Prole
The motherboard features the ASUS O.C. Prole 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.
ASUS MyLogo2™
This feature allows you to convert your favorite photo into a 256-color
boot logo for a more colorful and vivid image on your screen. .
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.
ErP ready
The motherboard is European Union´s Energy-related Products (ErP)
ready, and ErP requires products to meet certain energy efciency
requirements in regards to energy consumptions. This is in line with
ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and energy-efcient
products through product design and innovation to reduce carbon
footprint of the product and thus mitigate environmental impacts.
Chapter 1: Product introduction1-4
1.4 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, switch off the ATX power supply and
detach its power cord. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard,
peripherals, or components.
ASUS M5A88-M EVO 1-5
1.5 Motherboard overview
1.5.1 Placement direction
When installing the motherboard, ensure 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.
DO NOT overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.
1.5.2 Screw holes
Place eight screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the
chassis.
M5A88-M EVO
Place this side towards
the rear of the chassis.
Chapter 1: Product introduction1-6
1.5.3 Motherboard layout
1.5.4 Layout contents
Connectors/Jumpers/Slots/LED Page Connectors/Jumpers/Slots/LED Page
1. CPU, chassis, and power fan connectors (4-pin
CPU_FAN, 3-pin CHA_FAN, 3-pin PWR_FAN)
1-27 11. Core Unlocker LED (O2LED1) 1-33
2. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR,
4-pin ATX12V)
1-28 12. Core Unlocker Switch 1-35
3. TPU switch
1-35 13. Standby power LED (SB_PWR) 1-32
4. TPU LED (O2LED2)
1-32 14. AMD® SB850 Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s connectors
(7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA5, SATA6)
1-29
5. AM3+ CPU socket
1-8 15. System panel connector (20-8 pin PANEL) 1-30
6. DDR3 DIMM slots
1-11 16. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC) 1-23
7. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1)
1-27 17. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB78, USB910,
USB1112, USB1314)
1-31
8. LPT connector (26-1 pin LPT)
1-28 18. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT) 1-29
9. DRAM LED (DRAM_LED)
1-33 19. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP) 1-31
10. MemOK! switch
1-34
M5A88-M EVO
PCIEX16
PCIEX1_1
PCIEX1_2
PCI1
USB78 USB910 USB1112 USB1314
AAFP
ATX12V
EATXPWR
CPU_FAN
Lithium Cell
CMOS Power
Super
I/O
ALC
892
RTL
8111E
ASM
1042
ICS
9LPRS485
KB_USB56
SPDIFO_
HDMI
8Mb
BIOS
SB_PWR
CLRTC
24.4cm(9.6in)
24.4cm(9.6in)
Intel
®
RS880P
Intel
®
SB850
DDR3 DIMM_B1 (64bit, 240-pin module)
SOCKET AM3+
DDR3 DIMM_B2 (64bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3 DIMM_A1 (64bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3 DIMM_A2 (64bit, 240-pin module)
SATA6G_2 SATA6G_5 SATA6G_6
SATA6G_1 SATA6G_3
AUDIO
LAN1_USB12
ESATA6G
_USB34
PWR_FAN
CHA_FAN
PANEL
SPDIF_OUT
LPT
COM1
DVI_VGA
DRAM_LED
MemOK!
TPU
02LED2
CORE_UNLOCKER
02LED1
3 4 71 52 6
1517 141619 18
1
8
9
10
2
11
12
14
13
EPU
ASUS M5A88-M EVO 1-7
1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
This motherboard comes with an AM3+ socket designed for FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II /
Sempron™ 100 series processors.
1.6.1 Installing the CPU
To install a CPU:
1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.
2. Press the lever sideways to unlock the
socket, then lift it up to a 90°-100° angle.
Socket lever
Ensure that the socket lever is lifted up to a 90°-100° angle; otherwise, the CPU will not t
in completely.
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.
The CPU ts only in one correct orientation.
DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to
prevent bending the pins and damaging the
CPU!
Gold triangle
Small triangle
The AM3+ socket has a different pinout from the AM2+/AM2 socket. Ensure that 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 pins and damaging the CPU!
M5A88-M EVO
M5A88-M EVO CPU socket AM3+
Chapter 1: Product introduction1-8
5. When the CPU is in place, push down the socket
lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side
tab to indicate that it is locked.
6. Install a CPU heatsink and fan following the
instructions that comes with the heatsink package.
You can also refer to section 1.6.2 Installing
heatsink and fan for instructions.
7. Connect the CPU fan cable to the CPU_FAN connector on the motherboard.
DO NOT forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring errors can occur if
you fail to plug this connector.
CPU_FAN
GND
CPU FAN PWR
CPU FAN IN
CPU FAN PWM
M5A88-M EVO
M5A88-M EVO CPU fan connector
ASUS M5A88-M EVO 1-9
1.6.2 Installing the heatsink and fan
Ensure that you use only AMD-certied heatsink and fan assembly.
To install the CPU heatsink and fan:
1. Place the heatsink on top of the installed CPU, ensuring 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, ensure that a Thermal
Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU heatsink or CPU before you install the
heatsink and fan assembly.
CPU Fan
CPU Heatsink
Retention bracket
Retention bracket lock
Retention Module Base
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.
2. Attach one end of the retention bracket to the retention module base.
1
3
4
5
2
Chapter 1: Product introduction1-10
3. Align the other end of the retention bracket to 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.
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.
1.7 System memory
1.7.1 Overview
This 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:
M5A88-M EVO
M5A88-M EVO 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets
DIMM_A1
DIMM_A2
DIMM_B1
DIMM_B2
Channel Sockets
Channel A DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2
Channel B DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2
ASUS M5A88-M EVO 1-11
1.7.2 Memory congurations
You may install 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB 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 conguration. Any excess
memory from the higher-sized channel is then mapped for single-channel operation.
• We recommend that you install the memory modules from the blue slots for better
overclocking capability.
• Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum compatibility, we
recommend that you obtain memory modules from the same vendor.
• Due to CPU specication, AMD
®
100 and 200 series CPUs support up to DDR3
1066MHz. With ASUS design, this motherboard can support up to DDR3 1333MHz.
• When overclocking, some AMD CPU models may not support DDR3 1600 MHz or
higher frequency DIMMs.
• Due to the memory address limitation on 32-bit Windows
®
OS, when you install 4GB
or more memory on the motherboard, the actual usable memory for the OS can be
about 3GB or less. For effective use of memory, we recommend that you do any of the
following:
- Install a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are using a 32-bit Windows
®
OS.
- Use a 64-bit Windows® OS if you want to install 4GB or more memory on the
motherboard.
• This motherboard does not support DIMMs made up of 256 megabits (Mb) chips or less.
M5A88-M EVO Motherboard Qualied Vendors Lists (QVL)
DDR3-2000(O.C.)MHz capability for AMD AM3 socket
• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect
(SPD), which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module.
Under the default state, some memory modules for overclocking may operate at a
lower frequency than the vendor-marked value. To operate at the vendor-marked or at a
higher frequency, refer to section 2.4 Ai Tweaker menu for manual memory frequency
adjustment.
• For system stability, use a more efcient memory cooling system to support a full
memory load (2 DIMMs) or overclocking condition.
Vendors Part No. Size
SS/DSChip
Brand
Chip
NO.
Timing Voltage
DIMM socket support (Optional)
1 DIMM 2 DIMM 4 DIMM
Apacer 78.AAGD5.9KD(XMP) 6GB (3 x 2GB) DS - - 9-9-9-27 1.65V •
G.SKILL F3-16000CL9D-4GBFLS(XMP) 4GB (2 x 2GB) DS - - 9-9-9-24 1.65V •
G.SKILL F3-16000CL9D-4GBTD(XMP) 4GB (2 x 2GB) DS - - 9-9-9-27 1.65V •
G.SKILL F3-16000CL6T-6GBPIS(XMP) 6GB (3x 2GB ) DS - - 6-9-6-24 1.65V •
KINGSTON KHX2000C9AD3T1K2/4GX(XMP) 4GB ( 2x 2GB ) DS - - - 1.65V •
KINGSTON KHX2000C9AD3W1K2/4GX(XMP) 4GB ( 2x 2GB ) DS - - - 1.65V •
Kingston KHX2000C9AD3T1K2/4GX(XMP) 4GB (2 x 2GB) DS - - 9 1.65V •
KINGSTON KHX2000C9AD3W1K3/6GX(XMP) 6GB ( 3x 2GB ) DS - - - 1.65V •
KINGSTON KHX2000C9AD3T1K3/6GX(XMP) 6GB (3x 2GB ) DS - - - 1.65V •
OCZ OCZ3XTEP2000C9LV4GK 4GB (2 x 2GB) DS - - 9-9-9-24 1.65V •
PATRIOT PVT36G2000LLK 6GB (3 x 2GB) DS - - 8-8-8-24 1.65V •
Chapter 1: Product introduction1-12
Loading...