ASUS P7F-X, P7F-X SATA User Manual
P7F-X Series
P7F-X
P7F-X/SATA
Motherboard
E4904
First Edition V1
August 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, 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, OFFIC ERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR AN Y 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.
SPECI FI CATI ONS A ND INFO RMATIO N CONTAI NED IN THIS MA NU AL A RE FURNIS HED FOR
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OR LIABILI TY FOR ANY ERROR S OR IN ACCURACI ES THAT M AY AP PEA R IN TH IS 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.
ii
Contents
Notices ........................................................................................................ vii
Safety information .................................................................................... viii
About this guide ......................................................................................... ix
Typography .................................................................................................. x
P7F-X Series specications summary ...................................................... xi
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-3
1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-3
1.3 Serial number label ...................................................................... 1-4
1.4 Special features ............................................................................ 1-4
1.4.1 Product highlights ........................................................... 1-4
1.4.2 Innovative ASUS features ............................................... 1-6
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-3
2.2 Motherboard overview ................................................................. 2-4
2.2.1 Placement direction ........................................................ 2-4
2.2.2 Screw holes .................................................................... 2-4
2.2.3 Motherboard layout ......................................................... 2-5
2.2.4 Layout contents ............................................................... 2-7
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................... 2-9
2.3.1 Installing the CPU ........................................................... 2-9
2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan .............................. 2-12
2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan ......................... 2-13
2.3.4 Installing the CPU heatsink in rack ............................... 2-14
2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-15
2.4.1 Overview ....................................................................... 2-15
2.4.2 Memory Congurations ................................................. 2-15
2.4.3 Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 2-16
2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 2-16
2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-17
2.5.1 Installing an expansion card ......................................... 2-17
2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ..................................... 2-17
2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ................................................... 2-18
iii
Contents
2.5.4 MIO PCIE slot ............................................................... 2-19
2.5.5 PCI Express x8 slot (x4 link) ......................................... 2-19
2.5.6 PCI Express x16 slot (x16 link) ..................................... 2-19
2.5.7 PCI Express x1 slot ....................................................... 2-19
2.5.8 PCI slots ........................................................................ 2-19
2.5.9 Connect thermal sensor cable ...................................... 2-20
2.5.10 Installing the audio card ................................................ 2-20
2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-21
2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-25
2.7.1 Rear panel connectors .................................................. 2-25
2.7.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 2-26
Chapter 3: Powering up
3.1 Starting up for the rst time ........................................................ 3-3
3.2 Powering off the computer .......................................................... 3-4
3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function .................................... 3-4
3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch .............................. 3-4
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 4-3
4.1.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility ................................................... 4-3
4.1.2 BUPDATER utility............................................................ 4-4
4.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ...................................... 4-6
4.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................... 4-7
4.2.1 BIOS menu screen .......................................................... 4-8
4.2.2 Menu bar ......................................................................... 4-8
4.2.3 Navigation keys ............................................................... 4-8
4.2.4 Menu items ..................................................................... 4-9
4.2.5 Sub-menu items .............................................................. 4-9
4.2.6 Conguration elds ......................................................... 4-9
4.2.7 Pop-up window ............................................................... 4-9
4.2.8 Scroll bar ......................................................................... 4-9
4.2.9 General help ................................................................... 4-9
4.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 4-10
4.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx] ................................................. 4-10
iv
Contents
4.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] ....................................... 4-10
4.3.3 SATA1—6 .......................................................................4-11
4.3.4 Storage Conguration ................................................... 4-13
4.3.5 AHCI Conguration ....................................................... 4-14
4.3.6 System Information ....................................................... 4-15
4.4 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 4-16
4.4.1 CPU Conguration ........................................................ 4-16
4.4.2 Chipset .......................................................................... 4-20
4.4.3 Onboard Devices Conguration .................................... 4-22
4.4.4 USB Conguration ........................................................ 4-24
4.4.5 PCIPnP ......................................................................... 4-25
4.4.6 ACPI Conguration ....................................................... 4-26
4.4.7 Event Log Conguration ............................................... 4-28
4.4.8 Intel VT-d Conguration [Disabled] ............................... 4-28
4.4.9 SR-IOV Supprted [Disabled] ......................................... 4-28
4.5 Server menu ............................................................................... 4-29
4.5.1 Remote Access Conguration ....................................... 4-29
4.6 Power menu ................................................................................ 4-31
4.6.1 APM Conguration ........................................................ 4-31
4.6.3 Hardware Monitor ......................................................... 4-33
4.7 Boot menu .................................................................................. 4-34
4.7.1 Boot Device Priority ...................................................... 4-34
4.7.2 Boot Settings Conguration .......................................... 4-35
4.7.3 Security ......................................................................... 4-36
4.8 Tools menu ................................................................................. 4-38
4.8.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 .......................................................... 4-38
4.9 Exit menu .................................................................................... 4-39
Chapter 5: RAID conguration
5.1 Setting up RAID ............................................................................ 5-3
5.1.1 RAID denitions .............................................................. 5-3
5.1.2 Installing hard disk drives ................................................ 5-4
5.1.3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS ........................................ 5-4
5.1.4 RAID conguration utilities .............................................. 5-4
5.2 Intel® Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM Utility ................... 5-5
v
Contents
5.2.1 Creating a RAID set ........................................................ 5-6
5.2.2 Creating a Recovery set ................................................. 5-7
5.2.3 Deleting a RAID set ........................................................ 5-9
5.2.4 Resetting disks to Non-RAID ........................................ 5-10
5.2.5 Recovery Volume Options .............................................5-11
5.2.6 Exiting the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager .................... 5-12
5.2.7 Rebuilding the RAID ..................................................... 5-12
5.2.8 Setting the Boot array in the BIOS Setup Utility ............ 5-14
5.3 Marvell® 88SE6145 RAID BIOS conguration utility
(P7F-X/SATA model only) .......................................................... 5-15
5.3.1 Creating a RAID set
(RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10, or RAID 5) ......................... 5-16
5.3.2 Deleting an array ........................................................... 5-19
Chapter 6: Driver installation
6.1 RAID driver installation ............................................................... 6-3
6.1.1 Creating a RAID driver disk ............................................ 6-3
6.1.2 Installing the RAID controller driver ................................ 6-5
6.2 Intel® chipset device installation ................................................ 6-8
6.3 LAN driver installation ............................................................... 6-10
6.4 VGA driver installation............................................................... 6-12
6.4.1 Windows® Server 2003 ................................................. 6-12
6.5 Management applications and utilities installation ................ 6-14
6.5.1 Running the support DVD ............................................. 6-14
6.5.2 Drivers menu ................................................................. 6-14
6.5.3 Utilities menu ................................................................ 6-15
6.5.4 Make disk menu ............................................................ 6-15
6.5.5 Contact information ....................................................... 6-15
Appendix: Reference information
A.1 P7F-X series block diagram ........................................................A-3
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 modications
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.
REACH
Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction
of Chemicals) regulatory framework, we published the chemical substances in our
products at ASUS REACH website at http://green.asus.com/english/REACH.htm.
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 adapter 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
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, 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 qualied
service technician or your retailer.
viii
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 conguring
the motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This user guide contains the following parts:
• Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new
technologies 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: RAID conguration
This chapter provides instructions for setting up, creating, and conguring
RAID sets using the available utilities.
• Chapter 6: Driver installation
This chapter provides instructions for installing the necessary drivers for
different system components.
• Appendix: Reference information
This appendix includes additional information that you may refer to when
conguring the motherboard.
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:
when trying to complete a task.
CAUTION:
when trying to complete a task.
IMPORTANT:
task.
NOTE:
task.
Information to prevent damage to the components
Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a
Tips and additional information to help you complete a
Information to prevent injury to yourself
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
exactly as shown, then supply the required
item or value enclosed in brackets.
Example: At the DOS prompt, type the
command line:
Means that you must type the command
format A:/S
x
P7F-X Series specications summary
Model Name P7F-X P7F-X/SATA
Processor Support / System Bus
Core Logic
Form Factor
ASUS Features Fan Speed Control
Rack Ready (Rack
and Pedestal dual
use)
ASWM 2.0
Memory Total Slots
Capacity
Memory Type
Memory Size
Expansion Slots
(follow SSI
Loacation #)
Storage SATA Controller
Networking LAN
Graphics VGA
Total PCI/PCI-X/
PCI-E Slots
Slot Loacation 1
Slot Loacation 2
Slot Loacation 3
Slot Loacation 4
Slot Loacation 5
Slot Loacation 6
Slot Loacation 7
Quad Core Intel Xeon 3400 series Server Processor
Quad Core Intel Core i7-800 series Desktop
Processor
Quad Core Intel Core i5-700 series Desktop
Processor
Dual Core 32nm CPU design Ready
Intel® 3420 PCH
ATX, 12" * 9.6"
V V
V V
V V
4 (2-Channel)
Maximum up to 16GB (UDIMM)
Desktop processor does not support ECC UDIMM.
DDR3 1066/1333 Unbuffered DIMM with ECC/ non
ECC
1 GB, 2GB, 4GB
7
1 * PCI 32bit/33 MHz
1 * PCI 32bit/33 MHz
1 * PCI 32bit/33 MHz
1 * PCI-E x8 (x4 link)
1 * PCI-E x1 (x1 link)
1 * PCI-E x16 (x16 link)
1* MIO Slot for Audio card
(PCI-E x1 is not supported)
Intel® 3420:
6* SATA2 300MB/s portsIntel Matrix Storage utility
supports software RAID
0, 1, 10 & 5 (Windows)
2 * Marvell® 88E8056 PCI-E GbE LAN
XGI® Z9s DDR2 64MB
Intel® 3420:
6* SATA2 300MB/s portsIntel Matrix Storage utility
supports software RAID
0, 1, 10 & 5 (Windows)
Marvell® 88SE6145:
4* SATA2 300MB/s ports
supports software RAID
0, 1, 10 & 5
Refer to
2.3 Central Processing Unit
for more information on CPU.
xi
P7F-X Series specications summary
Onboard I/O
Connectors
Rear I/O
Connectors
Management
Solution
Monitoring CPU Temperature
Environment
*Specications are subject to change without notice.
PSU Connector
USB Connectors
Fan Header
Chassis Intruder
Serial Port Header
LPT1
External Serial Port
External USB Port
VGA Port
RJ-45
PS/2 KB/Mouse
Software
FAN RPM
24-pin ATX power connector + 8-pin ATX 12V power
connector
3 (support 5 USB port)
(One for internal Type A USB connector)
5* 4pin
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
2 2
1 1
2 2
1 1
ASWM 2.0
V V
V V
Operation temperature: 10℃—35℃
Non operation temperature: -40℃—70℃
Non operation humidity: 20%—90%
(Non condensing)
xii
This chapter describes the motherboard
features and the new technologies it supports.
Product
introduction
1
Chapter summary
1
1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-3
1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-3
1.3 Serial number label ...................................................................... 1-4
1.4 Special features ............................................................................ 1-4
ASUS P7F-X Series
1.1 Welcome!
Thank you for buying an ASUS® P7F-X 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.
Standard Gift Box
Pack
Cables SATA data cable
Accessories
Application CD Support CD
Documentation User Guide
Packing Qty.
Optional items Description
ASUS MIO audio card Discrete 8 channel audio card provides clearest high quality
IO shield
Plate for LGA1156 (1U)
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
sounds
6 -1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
1pc per carton 10pcs per carton
Standard Bulk Pack
ASUS P7F-X Series 1-3
1.3 Serial number label
Before requesting support from the ASUS Technical Support team, you must take
note of the motherboard's serial number containing 13 characters
shown as the gure below. With the correct serial number of the product, ASUS
Technical Support team members can then offer a quicker and satisfying solution
to your problems.
xxS2xxxxxxxxx
P7F-X
xxS2xxxxxxxxx
Made
in
China
合格
1.4 Special features
1.4.1 Product highlights
Intel® LGA1156 Lynneld Processor Ready
This motherboard supports the latest Intel® 3400 processors in LGA1156 package,
which has memory and PCI Express controller integrated to support 2-channel (4
DIMMs) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes, providing great graphics
performance. Intel® 3400 processor is one of the most powerful and energy efcient
CPU in the world.
Intel Turbo Boost
Intel® Turbo Boost opportunistically and automatically allows the processor to
run faster than the marked frequency if the processor is operating below power,
temperature and current limits. This technology increases performance of both
multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.
Intel Hyper Threading
The thread-level parallelism on each processor makes more efcient use of the
processor resources, higher processing throughout and improved performance on
today's multi-threaded software.
Intel® EM64T
The motherboard supports Intel® processors with the Intel® EM64T (Extended
Memory 64 Technology). The Intel® EM64T feature allows your computer to run on
64-bit operating systems and access larger amounts of system memory for faster
and more efcient computing.
1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction
DDR3 memory support
The P7F-X supports UDIMM DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates
of 1333/1066 MHZ to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of server and
workstation applications. The 2-channel DDR3 architecture boosts system
performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidth of up to 21GB/s.
Furthermore, the supply voltage for the memory is reduced from 1.8 V for DDR2 to
just 1.5V for DDR3. This voltage reduction limits the power consumption and heat
generation of DDR3 which makes it an ideal memory solution.
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.
Marvell 88E8056 LAN Solution
The motherboard comes with dual Gigabit LAN controllers and ports which
provide a total solution for your networking needs. The onboard Marvell 88E8056
Gigabit LAN controllers use the PCI Express interface and could achieve network
throughput close to Gigabit bandwidth.
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST)
The Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST) intelligently manages the
CPU resources by automatically adjusting the CPU voltage and core frequency
depending on the CPU loading and system speed or power requirement.
Serial ATA II technology
The motherboard supports the Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s technology through the Serial
ATA interface and Intel 3420 chipset. The Serial ATA II specication provides
twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new
features, including Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Power Management (PM)
Implementation Algorithm, and Hot Swap. Serial ATA allows thinner, more exible
cables with lower pin count and reduced voltage requirements.
USB 2.0 technology
The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 specication,
dramatically increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB
1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1.
ASUS P7F-X Series 1-5
Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring
The CPU temperature is monitored to prevent overheating and damage. The
system fan rotations per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection.
The chip monitors the voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical
components.
1.4.2 Innovative ASUS features
ASUS MIO Audio card
Enjoy high-end sound quality! The ASUS MIO audio card is a discrete 8-channel
high denition audio (High Denition Audio previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC
enable clearest high quality audio output, jack-sensing feature, retasking functions,
and multi-streaming technology that simultaneously send different audio streams to
different destinations.
1-6 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.
Hardware
information
2
Chapter summary
2
2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-3
2.2 Motherboard overview ................................................................. 2-4
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................... 2-9
2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-15
2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-17
2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-21
2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-25
ASUS P7F-X Series
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.
• 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 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
1. Standby Power LED
The motherboard comes with a standby power LED. The green LED 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
ASUS P7F-X Series 2-3
2.2 Motherboard overview
Before you install the motherboard, study the conguration of your chassis to
ensure that the motherboard ts into it.
To optimize the motherboard features, we highly recommend that you install it in an
ATX 1.1 compliant chassis.
Ensure to unplug the chassis power cord before installing or removing the
motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage
motherboard components!
2.2.1 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.
2.2.2 Screw holes
Place nine (9) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard
to the chassis.
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
2.2.3 Motherboard layout
P7F-X
ASUS P7F-X Series 2-5
P7F-X/SATA
2-6 Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.2.4 Layout contents
Slots/Soocket Page
1. CPU sockets 2-9
2. DDR3 sockets 2-15
3. MIO PCIE slot 2-19
4. PCI Express x 8 slot (x4 link) 2-19
5. PCI Express x 16 slot (x16 link) 2-19
6. PCI Express x 1 slot 2-19
7. PCI slots 2-19
Jumpers Page
1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC1)
2. VGA controller setting (3-pin VGA_SW1))
3. CPU Fan and Chassis Fan control setting
(3-pin CPUFAN_SEL1, CHAFAN_SEL1)
4. LAN controller setting (3-pin LAN_SW1, LAN_SW2)
5. SATA controller setting (3-pin RAID_EN1)
6. Force BIOS recovery setting (3-pin RECOVERY1)
(P7F-X/SATA model only)
2-21
2-22
2-22
2-23
2-23
2-24
Rear panel connectors Page
1. PS/2 mouse port (green) 2-25
2. PS/2 keyboard port (purple) 2-25
3. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2 2-25
4. Serial (COM1) port 2-25
5. Video Graphics Adapter port 2-25
6. LAN 1 (RJ-45) port 2-25
7. LAN 2 (RJ-45) port 2-25
ASUS P7F-X Series 2-7
Internal connectors Page
1. Serial ATA connectors
(7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4; RED)
(7-pin SATA5, SATA6; Black)
2. SATA connectors(7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4; Red)
3. Hard disk activity LED connector (4-pin HDLED1)
4. USB connector (10-1 pin USB34, USB56; A-Type USB7)
5. Thermal sensor cable connectors (3-pin TR1)
6. CPU, front and rear fan connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN1, FRNT_FAN1, FRNT_FAN2, FRNT_FAN3,
REAR_FAN1)
7. Parallel port connector (26-1 pin LPT1)
8. Serial General Purpose Input/Output connector (6-1 pin SGPIO1)
9. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM2)
10. ATX power connectors
(24-pin EATXPWR1, 8-pin EATX12V1)
11. System panel connector (20-1 pin PANEL1)
12. Auxiliary panel connector (20-2 pin AUX_PANEL1)
(P7F-X/SATA model only)
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2-8 Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
A
B
The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA1156 socket designed for the
Intel® Xeon 3400 series processor.
• Upon purchase of the motherboard, ensure that the PnP cap is on
the socket and the socket contacts are not bent. Contact your retailer
immediately if the PnP cap is missing, or if you see any damage to the PnP
cap/socket contacts/motherboard components. ASUS will shoulder the cost
of repair only if the damage is shipment/transit-related.
• Keep the cap after installing the motherboard. ASUS will process Return
Merchandise Authorization (RMA) requests only if the motherboard comes
with the cap on the LGA1156 socket.
• The product warranty does not cover damage to the socket contacts
resulting from incorrect CPU installation/removal, or misplacement/loss/
incorrect removal of the PnP cap.
2.3.1 Installing the CPU
To install a CPU:
1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.
Before installing the CPU, ensure that the socket box is facing toward you and
the load lever is on your left.
2. Press the load lever with your
Load lever
thumb (A), and then move it to the
right (B) until it is released from the
retention tab.
To prevent damage to the socket
pins, do not remove the PnP cap
unless you are installing a CPU.
ASUS P7F-X Series 2-9
Retention tab
3. Lift the load lever in the direction
of the arrow until the load plate is
completely lifted.
4. Remove the PnP cap from the CPU
socket.
Load plate
PnP cap
5. Position the CPU over the socket,
ensuring that the gold triangle is on
the bottom-left corner of the socket,
and then t the socket alignment
CPU notches
keys into the CPU notches.
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!
2-10 Chapter 2: Hardware information
Gold
triangle
mark
Alignment keys
C
B
A
6. Apply some Thermal Interface
Material to the 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 preapplied 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.
7. Close the load plate (A), and then
push down the load lever (B),
ensuring that the front edge of the
load plate slides under the retention
knob (C).
8. Insert the load lever under the
retention tab.
ASUS P7F-X Series 2-11
2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan
The Intel® LGA1156 processor requires a specially designed heatsink and fan
assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition and performance.
• When you buy a boxed Intel® processor, the package includes the CPU fan
and heatsink assembly. If you buy a CPU separately, ensure that you use
only Intel®-certied multi-directional heatsink and fan.
• Your Intel® LGA1156 heatsink and fan assembly comes in a push-pin
design and requires no tool to install.
• Use an LGA1156-compatible CPU heatsink and fan assembly only. The
LGA1156 socket is incompatible with the LGA775 and LGA1366 sockets in
size and dimension.
If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, ensure that the
Thermal Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU heatsink or CPU
before you install the heatsink and fan assembly.
Ensure that you have installed the motherboard to the chassis before you install
the CPU fan and heatsink assembly.
To install the CPU heatsink and fan:
1. Place the heatsink on top of the
installed CPU, making sure that the
four fasteners match the holes on
the motherboard.
B
A
B
2. Push down two fasteners at a time
in a diagonal sequence to secure
A
the heatsink and fan assembly in
place.
A
B
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B
1
A
Orient the heatsink and fan assembly such that the CPU fan cable is closest to
the CPU fan connector.
1
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