Asus Maximus Extreme User Manual

Maximus Extreme

Motherboard

E3498

Second Edition V2 October 2007

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.

Contents

Notices ....................................................................................................... viii

Safety information ...................................................................................... ix

About this guide .......................................................................................... x

Maximus Extreme specications summary ............................................ xii

Chapter 1: Product introduction

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

1.2 Package contents .........................................................................

1.3 Special features ............................................................................

1.3.1 ROG intelligent Performance & Overclocking features ..

1.3.2 ROG unique features .....................................................

1.3.3 Product highlights ...........................................................

Chapter 2: Hardware information

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

2.2 Motherboard overview .................................................................

2.2.1 Placement direction ........................................................

2.2.2 Screw holes ....................................................................

2.2.3 Motherboard layout .........................................................

2.2.4 Audio card layout ............................................................

2.2.5 Layout contents ...............................................................

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ...................................................

2.3.1 Installing the CPU .........................................................

2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan ..............................

2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan .........................

2.4 System memory .........................................................................

2.4.1 Overview .......................................................................

2.4.2 Memory congurations ..................................................

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM ..........................................................

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................

2.5 Expansion slots ..........................................................................

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card .........................................

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card .....................................

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ...................................................

2.5.4 PCI slots ........................................................................

2.5.5 PCI Express x1 slots .....................................................

1-1

1-2

1-4

1-7

2-5

2-6

2-7

2-9

2-10

2-12

2-14

2-16

2-17

2-19

2-20

2-21

2-22

iii

Contents

2.5.6 PCI Express x16 slots ................................................... 2-22

2.6 Slide switch ................................................................................

2.7 EL I/O shield, LCD Poster and Audio card Installation ...........

2.7.1 EL I/O shield and LCD Poster Installation .....................

2.7.2 Audio card Installation ...................................................

2.8 Connectors .................................................................................

2.8.1 Rear panel connectors ..................................................

2.8.2 Internal connectors .......................................................

2.8.3 Onboard switches .........................................................

2.8.4 Installing the optional fans ............................................

2.8.5 Installing the DIY Pedestal ............................................

2.8.6 Installing Fusion Block System accessory ....................

Chapter 3: Powering up

3.1 Starting up for the rst time ........................................................ 3-1

3.2 Turning off the computer .............................................................

3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function ....................................

3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch ..............................

Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 4-1

4.1.1 ASUS Update utility ........................................................

4.1.2 Creating a bootable oppy disk .......................................

4.1.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility ...................................................

4.1.4 AFUDOS utility ................................................................

4.1.5 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ......................................

4.2 BIOS setup program ....................................................................

4.2.1 BIOS menu screen ........................................................

4.2.2 Menu bar .......................................................................

4.2.3 Navigation keys .............................................................

4.2.4 Menu items ....................................................................

4.2.5 Sub-menu items .............................................................

4.2.6 Conguration elds ........................................................

4.2.7 Pop-up window ..............................................................

4.2.8 Scroll bar ........................................................................

4.2.9 General help ..................................................................

2-23

2-24

2-25

2-26

2-29

2-40

2-41

2-42

2-43

3-2

4-1

4-4

4-5

4-6

4-8

4-9

4-10

4-11

Contents

4.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 4-12

4.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx] .................................................

4.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] .......................................

4.3.3 Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.] .................................

4.3.4 Language [English] .......................................................

4.3.5

4.3.6 SATA Conguration .......................................................

4.3.7 AHCI Conguration .......................................................

4.3.8 System Information .......................................................

4.4 Extreme Tweaker menu .............................................................

4.4.1 Congure System Performance Settings ......................

4.5 Advanced menu .........................................................................

4.5.1 CPU Conguration ........................................................

4.5.2 Chipset ..........................................................................

4.5.3 OnBoard Devices Conguration ...................................

4.5.4 USB Conguration ........................................................

4.5.5 PCI PnP ........................................................................

4.6 Power menu ................................................................................

4.6.1 Suspend Mode [Auto] ...................................................

4.6.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume [Disabled] .......................

4.6.3 ACPI 2.0 Support [Disabled] .........................................

4.6.4 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled] .......................................

4.6.5 APM Conguration ........................................................

4.6.6 Hardware Monitor .........................................................

4.7 Boot menu ..................................................................................

4.7.1 Boot Device Priority ......................................................

4.7.2 Boot Settings Conguration ..........................................

4.7.3 Security .........................................................................

4.8 Tools menu .................................................................................

4.8.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ..........................................................

4.8.2 ASUS O.C. Prole .........................................................

4.8.3 AI Net 2 .........................................................................

4.9 Exit menu ....................................................................................

SATA 1-6 ..........................................................................................4-13

4-12

4-14

4-15

4-16

4-17

4-24

4-25

4-26

4-27

4-28

4-29

4-30

4-31

4-32

4-35

4-36

4-37

4-39

4-40

4-41

4-42

Chapter 5: Software support

5.1 Installing an operating system ..................................................... -1

Contents

5.2 Support DVD information ............................................................ 5-1

5.2.1 Running the support DVD ...............................................

5.2.2 Drivers menu ...................................................................

5.2.3 Utilities menu ..................................................................

5.2.4 Make Disk menu .............................................................

5.2.5 Manual menu ..................................................................

5.2.6 Video menu .....................................................................

5.2.7 ASUS Contact information ..............................................

5.2.8 Other information ............................................................

5.3 Software information ...................................................................

™

5.3.1 ASUS MyLogo 3

5.3.2 AI NET 2

.........................................................................5-11

5.3.3 AI Audio 2 (SoundMAX

5.3.4 ASUS PC Probe II .........................................................

5.3.5 ASUS AI Suite ...............................................................

5.3.6 ASUS EPU Utility—AI Gear 3 .......................................

5.3.7 ASUS AI Nap ................................................................

5.3.8 ASUS Q-Fan 2 ..............................................................

5.3.9 ASUS AI Booster ...........................................................

5.3.10 CPU Level Up ...............................................................

5.4 RAID congurations ..................................................................

5.4.1 RAID denitions ............................................................

5.4.2 Installing Serial ATA hard disks .....................................

5.4.3 Intel

5.4.4 JMicron

RAID congurations ............................................. 5-35

RAID Conguration ........................................ 5-43

5.5 Creating a RAID driver disk .......................................................

5.5.1 Creating a RAID driver disk without entering the OS ....

5.5.2 Creating a RAID/SATA driver disk in Windows

........................................................... 5-9

High Denition Audio utility) ... 5-12

............ 5-51

5-1

5-2

5-3

5-5

5-6

5-7

5-9

5-21

5-27

5-29

5-30

5-31

5-32

5-33

5-34

5-35

5-51

Chapter 6: ATI® CrossFire™ technology support

6.1 Overview ....................................................................................... 6-1

6.1.1 Requirements ..................................................................

6.1.2 Before you begin .............................................................

6.2 Installing CrossFire™ graphics cards .......................................

6.3 Software information ...................................................................

6.3.1 Installing the device drivers .............................................

6-1

6-2

6-5

6.3.2 Using the Catalyst™ Control Center ............................... 6-7

Appendix: CPU features

A.1 Intel® EM64T ..................................................................................A-1

A.2 Enhanced Intel SpeedStep

A.2.1 System requirements ......................................................

A.2.2 Using the EIST ................................................................

A.3 Intel

Hyper-Threading Technology ...........................................A-3

Using the Hyper-Threading Technology ........................................ A-3

A.4 Debug Code Table ........................................................................

Technology (EIST) ........................A-1

A-1

A-2

A-4

vii

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.

viii

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.

This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical, electronic equipment, and mercury-containing button cell battery) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products.

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: Powering up

This chapter describes the power up sequence and ways of shutting down the system.

• Chapter 4: 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 5: Software support

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

• Chapter 6: ATI CrossFire™ support

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

• Appendix: CPU features

The Appendix describes the CPU features and technologies that the motherboard supports as well as the debug code table for the LCD Poster.

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.

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 /i[lename]

afudos /iMaximus-Extreme.ROM

Maximus Extreme specications summary

CPU LGA775 socket for Intel® Core™2 Extreme /

Chipset Intel® X38 / ICH9R with Intel® Fast Memory Access

System Bus 1600 / 1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz

Memory

Expansion Slots 3 x PCIe Gfx slot, support dual PCIe2.0 x16 or

CrossFire™ Technology Support ATI CrossFire™ graphics cards

Storage Southbridge

LAN Dual Gigabit LAN controllers, both featuring AI NET2

High Denition Audio SupremeFX II Audio Card

IEEE 1394 2 x 1394a ports (1 port onboard; 1 port at back I/O)

USB 12 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (6 ports at mid-board, 6 ports at

Core™2 Quad/ Core™2 Duo / Pentium® Extreme / Pentium® D / Pentium® 4 Processors Support Intel® next generation 45nm Multi-Core CPU Compatible with Intel® 06/05B/05A processors * Refer to www.asus.com for Intel CPU support list

Technology

4 x DIMM, max. 8GB, DDR3 1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered memory Dual channel memory architecture

PCIe2.0 x16, dual x8 2 x PCIe x1, PCIex1_1 (black) is compatible with the audio slot.) 2 x PCI 2.2

- 6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports

- Intel Matrix Storage Technology supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, and JBOD.

JMicron® JMB363 PATA and SATA controller

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

- 2 x External SATA 3.0 Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go)

Teaming technology support

- ADI 1988B 8-channel High Denition Audio CODEC

- Noise Filter Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out ports at back I/O

back panel)

(continued on the next page)

xii

Maximus Extreme specications summary

ASUS ROG Overclocking features

ASUS Special Features Fusion Block System

Back Panel I/O Ports 1 x PS/2 Keyboard (purple)

Internal I/O Connectors 3 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 6 USB 2.0

Crosslinx technology Extreme Tweaker Loadline Calibration Intelligent overclocking tools:

- CPU level up

- AI NOS™ (Non-delay Overclocking System)

- AI Overclocking (intelligent CPU frequency tuner)

- AI Booster Utility

- O.C. Prole Overclocking protection:

- COP EX (Component Overheat Protection -EX)

- Voltiminder LED

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

LCD Poster EL I/O Onboard Switches: Power / Reset / Clr CMOS Q-Connector Q-Fan Plus ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ASUS MyLogo 3™

1 x Optical + 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Out 2 x External SATA 2 x LAN (RJ45) port 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x IEEE1394a port 1 x Clr CMOS switch

ports 1 x Floppy disk drive connector 1 x IDE connector for two devices 6 x SATA connectors 8 x Fan connectors (1 x CPU/ 1 x Power/ 3 x Chassis/ 3 x Optional) 3 x Thermal sensor connectors 1 x IEEE1394a connector 1 x S/PDIF Out connector 1 x Chassis Intrusion connector 24-pin ATX Power connector 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector 1 x En/Dis-able Clr CMOS slide switch 1 x EL I/O Shield connector

(continued on the next page)

xiii

Maximus Extreme specications summary

BIOS Features 16 Mb AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.4,

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

Accessories Fusion Block System Accessory

Software The hottest 3D game: S.T.A.L.K.E.R

Form Factor ATX Form Factor, 12”x 10.6” (30.5cm x 26.9cm)

ACPI 2.0a Multi-Language BIOS

DIY Pedestal ASUS Optional Fan 3 in 1 ASUS Q-connector kit UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable Floppy disk drive cable Serial ATA cables Serial ATA power cables 2-port USB2.0 module + IEEE1394a module EL I/O Shield Thermal sensor cables Cable ties User's manual

Support DVD: Drivers ASUS PC Probe II ASUS Update ASUS AI Suite Futuremark® 3DMark® 06 Advanced Edition Kaspersky Anti-Virus software

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

xiv

This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports.

Product

introduction

Chapter summary

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

1.2 Package contents .........................................................................

1.3 Special features ............................................................................

1-1

1-2

ASUS Maximus Extreme

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® Maximus Extreme 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.

Motherboard ASUS Maximus Extreme

I/O modules USB 2.0 module + IEEE 1394a module

Cables Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable Floppy disk drive cable Serial ATA cables Serial ATA power cables Thermal sensor cables

Accessories Fusion Block System Accessory EL I /O shield LCD Poster ASUS Optional Fan 3-in-1 ASUS Q-Connector Kit Cable ties DIY Pedestal

DVD/CD ASUS motherboard support DVD The hottest game: S.T.A.L.K.E.R

Documentation User guide

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

ASUS Maximus Extreme 1-1

1.3 Special features

1.3.1 ROG intelligent Performance & Overclocking features

Crosslinx

Crosslinx is a unique technology utilizing a dedicated special graphics controller to optimize PCIe allocation with x16, x8, x8 lanes. Such architecture eliminates the x4

bottleneck found on competing x16, x16, x4 solutions. Hence, the Crosslinx is able to provide faster graphics performance.

Fusion Block System

The Fusion Block System is a more efcient thermal solution compared to

competing followers with complicated looks. It is a hybrid thermal design that combines the ROG’s renowned heatpipe design with the additional ability to connect to a water cooling system. By taking the entire integrated solution into design considerations, the user can enjoy exceptional thermal improvement to Northbridge, Southbridge, Crosslinx, and even VRM with a single connection. The

Fusion Block System is the most versatile, efcient, and advanced thermal system

there is on a motherboard.

Component Overheat Protection -EX (COP EX)

The COP EX allows overclockers to increase chipset voltages without the worries of overheating. It can also be used to monitor and save an overheating GPU. The COP EX allows more freedom and less constraint for maximum performance achievement.

Frequency LED

Worried that no one knows when you’ve overclocked your system to the max? Let the motherboard do the talking! The onboard Frequency LED highlights when your

system is under extreme overclocking or normal states � allowing you to show off

your O.C. skills.

Voltiminder LED

In the persuit of extreme performance, overvoltage adjustment is critical but risky.

Acting as the “red zone” of a tachometer, the Voltiminder LED displays the voltage

status for CPU, NB, SB, and Memory in a intuitive color-coded fashion. The Voltiminder LED allows quick voltage monitoring for overclockers. See pages 2-1 to 2-3 for details.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

CPU Level Up

Enjoy up to 40% more performance! Overclock immediately with OC prole presets. Much more than simple frequency settings, this prole gives gamers

comprehensive and detailed tuning to frequencies, voltagies, and even timings to

create a real professional level of overclocking conguration. See pages 4-17 and

5-33 for details.

2-Phase DDR3

With the embedded 2-Phase DDR3, this motherboard allows users to reach higher memory frequencies and enjoy better performance. Compared with only one phase solutions, this motherboard ensures longer power component lifespans and higher

overclockability due to cooler temperatures and better efciency.

3rd Generation 8 Phase Power Design

Longer Life & Higher Efciency!

With power efciency so important to operating temperatures, ASUS' 3rd generation 8-phase VRM design leads the industry with its 95% power efciency.

High quality power components such as low RDS (on) MOSFETs for minimum switching loss & lower temperatures, Ferrite core chokes with lower hysteresis loss, and high quality Japanese-made conductive polymer capacitors all add up to ensure longer component life and lower power loss - creating more energy

efciency.

Loadline Calibration

The Loadline calibration ensures stable and optimal CPU voltage when heavy loading.

Extreme Tweaker

This feature allows you to ne tune the CPU/memory voltage and gradually increase the memory Front Side Bus (FSB) and PCI Express frequency at 1MHz

increment to achieve maximum system performance.

AI Booster

The ASUS AI Booster allows you to overclock the CPU speed in Windows environment without the hassle of booting the BIOS.

ASUS Maximus Extreme 1-3

ASUS O.C. Prole

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

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

CMOS or a separate le, giving users freedom to share and distribute their favorite

settings. See page 4-40 for details.

C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)

The C.P.R. feature of the motherboard BIOS allows automatic re-setting to the BIOS default settings in case the system hangs due to overclocking. When the system hangs due to overclocking, 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 default setting for each parameter.

1.3.2 ROG unique features

Supreme FX II features

Supreme FX II extends all the features of the 1st generation and places a shielding to enhancethe sound quality. It also lights up the model name with stylish LEDs.

Noise Filter

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. See page 5-15 and 5-20 for details.

LCD Poster

The LCD Poster uses an external panel to smartly display the error message of the physical system during the Power-On Self Test (POST) to inform you the boot error instead of the “code name.”

Onboard Switches

A power-on button, a reset button, and a clear CMOS button are onboard to

provide overclockers and gamers the convenience of ne-tuning performance

when working on a bare (open-case) system. Press the power-on button to wake up the system, the reset button to reboot, and the clear CMOS button to clear setup information when the system hangs due to overclocking. See page 2-40 for details.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

ASUS Q-Fan plus technology

The ASUS Q-Fan plus technology smartly adjusts the CPU and chassis fan

1 speeds according to the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efcient

operation. See pages 4-33, 4-34 and 5-31 for details.

Optional Fan

The optional fan is specically designed to provide sufcient airow over the CPU power modules and chipset area when water-cooling or passive-cooling is utilized,

ensuring effective heat dissipation for the entire system. See page 2-41 for details.

(for water-cooling/passive-cooling only)

ASUS Multi-language BIOS

The multi-language BIOS allows you to select the language of your choice from the

available options. The localized BIOS menus allow easier and faster conguration.

See page 4-12 for details.

ASUS MyLogo 3

This new feature present in the motherboard allows you to personalize and add style to your system with customizable boot logos. See page 5-9 for details.

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution

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

ASUS EPU

The ASUS EPU utilizes innovative technology to digitally monitor and tune the

CPU power supply with improved VR responses in heavy or light loadings. It

automatically provides power for higher performance or improve efciency by 7%

when the PC is running low intensity applications. Working together with AI Gear 3,

this can help you attain the best possible power efciency and energy savings up

to 20% to help save the environment. See page 5-29 for details.

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. See page 5-30 for details.

ASUS Maximus Extreme 1-5

Fanless Design - Stack Cool 2

ASUS Stack Cool 2 is a fan-less and zero-noise cooling solution that lowers

the temperature of critical heat generating components. The motherboard uses a special design on the printed circuit board (PCB) to dissipate heat these critical components generate.

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.

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. See page 2-39 for details.

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 allows users to restore corrupted BIOS data

from a USB ash disk containing the BIOS le. See page 4-8 for details.

ASUS EZ Flash 2

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. See pages 4-5 and 4-39 for details.

1-6 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

1.3.3 Product highlights

Republic of Gamers

The Republic of Gamers consists only the best of the best. We offer the best hardware engineering, the fastest performance, the most innovating ideas, and we welcome the best gamers to join in. In the Republic of Gamers, mercy rules are only for the weak, and bragging rights means everything. We believe in making statements and we excel in competitions. If your character matches our trait, then join the elite club, make your presence felt, in the Republic of Gamers.

Intel® Quad-core Processor ready

This motherboard supports the latest Intel® Quad-core processors in the LGA775 package and Intel’s next-generation 45nm multi-core processors. It is excellent for

multi-tasking, multi-media and enthusiastic gamers with 1333/1066/800 MHz FSB.

Intel® Quad-core processor is one of the most powerful CPU in the world. See page 2-9 for details.

Intel® Core™2 Duo/ Intel® Core™2 Extreme CPU support

This motherboard supports the latest Intel® Core™2 processor in the LGA775 package and Intel’s next-generation 45nm multi-core processors. With the new Intel® Core™ microarchitecture technology and 1333/1066/800 MHz FSB, the Intel® Core™2 is one of the most powerful and energy efcient CPUs in the world. See page 2-8 for details.

Intel® X38 Chipset

The Intel® X38 Express Chipset is the latest chipset designed to support 8GB of dual-channel DDR3 1333/1066/800 architecture, 1333/1066/800 FSB (Front Side Bus), dual PCI Express 2.0 x16 graphics, and multi-core CPUs. With the specially included Intel® Fast Memory Access technology, available memory bandwidth

usage is optimized and memory access latency is reduced—allowing faster

memory speed.

ASUS Maximus Extreme 1-7

PCIe 2.0

This motherboard supports the latest PCIe 2.0 device for twice the current speed and bandwidth. This enhances system performance while still providing backward compatibility to PCIe 1.0 devices. See pages 2-20 and 2-22 for details.

DDR3 memory support

The motherboard supports DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates of

1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest

3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR3 architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system

performance. Furthermore, this motherboard does not restrict the memory size across two channels. Users may install different memory size DIMMs into the two

channels and enjoy dual-channel and single-channel functions at the same time.

This new feature optimizes the use of available memory size.

ATI CrossFire™ Technology

ATI’s CrossFire™ boosts image quality along with rendering speed, eliminating the need to scale down screen resolution to get high quality images. CrossFire™ allows

higher antialiasing, anisotropic ltering, shading, and texture settings. Adjust your display congurations, experiment with the advanced 3D settings, and check the

effects with a real-time 3D-rendered previews within ATI Catalyst™ Control Center.

Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s technology and SATA-On-The-Go

This motherboard supports the next-generation hard drives based on the Serial ATA

(SATA) 3Gb/s storage specication, delivering enhanced scalability and doubling

the bus bandwidth for high-speed data retrieval and saves. The external SATA port located at the back I/O provides smart setup and hot-plug functions. Easily backup photos, videos and other entertainment contents to external devices. See page 2-27 for details.

Dual RAID solution

The Intel® X38 chipset incorporates six Serial ATA connectors with high performance RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 functions. Making this motherboard an ideal solution to enhance hard disk performance and data back up protection without the cost of add-on cards. See page 2-30 for details.

1-8 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

IEEE 1394a support

The IEEE 1394a interface provides high speed digital interface for audio/video appliances such as digital television, digital video camcorders, storage peripherals & other PC portable devices. See pages 2-28 and 2-32 for details.

S/PDIF digital sound ready

This motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio systems via coaxial and optical S/PDIF-out (SONY-PHILIPS Digital Interface) jacks.It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and keeps the best signal quality. See pages 2-28 and 2-37 for details.

Dual Gigabit LAN solution

The integrated dual Gigabit LAN design allows a PC to serve as a network

gateway for managing trafc between two separate networks. This capability

ensures rapid transfer of data from WAN to LAN without any added arbitration or latency. See page 2-26 for details.

High Denition Audio

Enjoy high-end sound quality on your PC! The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High

Denition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio output, jack-sensing feature, retasking functions and multi-

streaming technology that simultaneously sends different audio streams to different destinations. You can now talk to your partners on the headphone while playing multi-channel network games. See pages 2-27 for details.

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.

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1-10 Chapter 1: Product Introduction

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

information

Hardware

Chapter summary

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

2.2 Motherboard overview .................................................................

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ...................................................

2.4 System memory .........................................................................

2.5 Expansion slots ..........................................................................

2.6 Slide switch ................................................................................

2.7 EL I/O, LCD Poster and Audio card Installation ......................

2.8 Connectors .................................................................................

2-5

2-9

2-16

2-20

2-23

2-24

2-26

ASUS Maximus Extreme

2.1 Before you proceed

MAXIMUS EXTREME

MAXIMUS EXTREME CPU LED

CPU_CRAZY CPU_HIGH CPU_NORMAL

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.

• Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling components 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 LEDs

The motherboard comes with LEDs that indicate the voltage conditions of CPU, memory, northbridge, southbridge and FSB frenquency. You may adjust the voltages in BIOS. There are also an LED for hard disk drive activity and an onboard switch for power status. For more information on voltage adjustment, refer to 4.4 Extreme Tweaker menu

1. CPU LED

The CPU LED has two voltage displays: CPU Voltage and CPU PLL Voltage;

you can select the voltage to display in BIOS. Refer to the illustration below

for the location of the CPU LED and the table below for LED denition.

CPU Voltage

CPU PLL Voltage

ASUS Maximus Extreme 2-1

Normal (green) High (yellow) Crazy (red)

1.10000~1.50000 1.50625~1.69375 1.70000~

1.50000~1.60000 1.62000~1.80000 1.82000~

2. Memory LED

MAXIMUS EXTREME

MAXIMUS EXTREME DDR LED

DDR_CRAZY DDR_HIGH DDR_NORMAL

MAXIMUS EXTREME

MAXIMUS EXTREME North/South Bridge LED

NB_CRAZY NB_HIGH NB_NORMAL

SB_CRAZY SB_HIGH SB_NORMAL

Refer to the illustration below for the location of the memory LED and the

table below for LED denition.

Normal (green) High (yellow) Crazy (red)

DRAM Voltage

1.50~1.90 1.92~2.30 2.32~3.04

3. Northbridge/Southbridge LEDs

The northbridge and southbridge LEDs each have two different voltage

displays. The northbridge LED displays either the North Bridge Voltage or the FSB Termination Voltage. The southbridge LED shows either the South Bridge Voltage or the SB 1.5V Voltage. You can select the voltage to display in BIOS. Refer to the illustration below for the location of the northbridge/

southbridge LEDs and the table below for LED denition.

Normal (green) High (yellow) Crazy (red)

North Bridge Voltage

FSB Termination Voltage

South Bridge Voltage

SB 1.5V Voltage

2-2 Chapter 2: Hardware information

1.25~1.49 1.51~1.73 1.73~

1.20~1.40 1.42~1.60 1.62~

1.050~1.125 1.150~1.175 1.200~

1.50~1.60 1.65~1.85 1.90~

+ 166 hidden pages

Asus Maximus Extreme User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Notices

Safety information

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