Asus P8B-MX User Manual

P8B-M series
Motherboard
E7387
First Edition May 2012
Copyright © 2012 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the
product is defaced or missing.
ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or
copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
ii

Contents

Contents ...................................................................................................... iii
Notices ........................................................................................................ vii
Federal Communications Commission Statement ........................... vii
Canadian Department of Communications Statement ..................... vii
REACH ..........................................................................................vii
Safety information .................................................................................... viii
Electrical safety ............................................................................... viii
Operation safety .............................................................................. viii
About this guide ......................................................................................... ix
How this guide is organized ..............................................................ix
Where to nd more information .........................................................ix
Conventions used in this guide ..........................................................x
Typography ........................................................................................x
P8B-M series specications 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 ................................................................. 2-5
2.2.1 Placement direction ........................................................ 2-5
2.2.2 Screw holes .................................................................... 2-5
2.2.3 Motherboard layout ......................................................... 2-6
2.2.4 Motherboard layout ......................................................... 2-7
2.2.5 Layout contents ............................................................... 2-8
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................. 2-10
2.3.1 Installing the CPU ......................................................... 2-10
2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan .............................. 2-13
2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan ......................... 2-14
2.3.4 Installing the CPU heatsink in rack ............................... 2-15
iii
Contents
2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-16
2.4.1 Overview ....................................................................... 2-16
2.4.2 Memory Congurations ................................................. 2-16
2.4.3 Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 2-17
2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 2-17
2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-18
2.5.1 Installing an expansion card ......................................... 2-18
2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ..................................... 2-18
2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ................................................... 2-19
2.5.4 PCI Express x8 slots (x4 link) ....................................... 2-19
2.5.5 PCI Express x16 slot (x16 link) ..................................... 2-19
2.5.6 PCI slot ......................................................................... 2-19
2.5.7 Installing ASMB5 management card ............................. 2-20
2.5.8 Connecting the thermal sensor cable ........................... 2-21
2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-22
2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-27
2.7.1 Rear panel connectors .................................................. 2-27
2.7.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 2-28
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 CrashFree BIOS 3 ................................................ 4-3
4.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash ............................................................... 4-4
4.1.3 BUPDATER ..................................................................... 4-5
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 Menu items ..................................................................... 4-9
4.2.4 Submenu items ............................................................... 4-9
4.2.5 Navigation keys ............................................................... 4-9
iv
Contents
4.2.6 General help ................................................................... 4-9
4.2.7 Conguration elds ......................................................... 4-9
4.2.8 Pop-up window ............................................................... 4-9
4.2.9 Scroll bar ......................................................................... 4-9
4.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 4-10
4.3.1 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] ....................................... 4-10
4.3.2 System Time [xx:xx:xx] ................................................. 4-10
4.3.3 Security ......................................................................... 4-10
4.4 Event Logs menu ....................................................................... 4-12
4.5 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 4-14
4.5.1 ACPI Settings ................................................................ 4-14
4.5.2 Trusted Computing ........................................................ 4-15
4.5.3 WHEA Conguration ..................................................... 4-15
4.5.4 CPU Conguration ........................................................ 4-16
4.5.5 North Bridge .................................................................. 4-18
4.5.6 South Bridge ................................................................. 4-18
4.5.7 SATA Conguration ....................................................... 4-19
4.5.8 Intel TXT(LT) Conguration ........................................... 4-20
4.5.9 USB Conguration ........................................................ 4-20
4.5.10 Onboard Devices Conguration .................................... 4-21
4.5.11 APM .............................................................................. 4-22
4.5.12 Serial Port Console Redirection .................................... 4-23
4.6 Monitor menu ............................................................................. 4-25
4.7 Boot menu .................................................................................. 4-26
4.8 Tool menu ................................................................................... 4-28
4.9 Exit menu .................................................................................... 4-28
Chapter 5: RAID conguration
5.1 Setting up RAID ............................................................................ 5-3
5.1.1 RAID denitions .............................................................. 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 conguration utilities .............................................. 5-4
5.2 LSI Software RAID Conguration Utility .................................... 5-5
5.2.1 Creating a RAID set ........................................................ 5-6
v
Contents
5.2.2 Adding or viewing a RAID conguration ....................... 5-12
5.2.3 Initializing the virtual drives ........................................... 5-13
5.2.4 Rebuilding failed drives ................................................. 5-17
5.2.5 Checking the drives for data consistency ..................... 5-19
5.2.6 Deleting a RAID conguration ....................................... 5-22
5.2.7 Selecting the boot drive from a RAID set ...................... 5-23
5.2.8 Enabling WriteCache .................................................... 5-24
5.3 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM Utility ............. 5-25
5.3.1 Creating a RAID set ...................................................... 5-26
5.3.2 Creating a Recovery set ............................................... 5-27
5.3.3 Deleting a RAID set ...................................................... 5-29
5.3.4 Resetting disks to Non-RAID ........................................ 5-30
5.3.5 Recovery Volume Options ............................................ 5-31
5.3.6 Exiting the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology utility ........ 5-32
5.3.7 Rebuilding the RAID ..................................................... 5-32
5.3.8 Setting the Boot array in the BIOS Setup Utility ............ 5-34
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 ................................ 6-6
6.2 Intel® chipset device software installation ............................... 6-15
6.3 LAN driver installation ............................................................... 6-17
6.4 VGA driver installation............................................................... 6-20
6.5 Management applications and utilities installation ................ 6-23
6.5.1 Running the support DVD ............................................. 6-23
6.5.2 Drivers menu ................................................................. 6-23
6.5.3 Utilities menu ................................................................ 6-24
6.5.4 Make disk menu ............................................................ 6-24
6.5.5 Contact information ....................................................... 6-24
Appendix: Reference information
A.1 P8B-M block diagram ...................................................................A-3
A.2 P8B-MX block diagram ................................................................A-4
ASUS contact information .......................................................................... 1
vi

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
This device may not cause harmful interference, and
This device must accept any interference received including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is
required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modications
to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

REACH

Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction
of Chemicals) regulatory framework, we publish 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 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 qualied service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety

Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all
the manuals that came with the package.
Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected and the
power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.
To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.
Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in
any area where it may become wet.
Place the product on a stable surface.
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied
service technician or your retailer.
viii
throw the motherboard in municipal waste. This product has been
DO NOT
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.
throw the mercury-containing button cell battery in municipal waste.
DO NOT
This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the battery should not be placed in municipal waste.

About this guide

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

How this guide is organized

This 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 conguration
This chapter provides instructions for setting up, creating, and conguring
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
conguring 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+Del>
Command
exactly as shown, then supply the required item or value enclosed in brackets.
Example: At the DOS prompt, type the command line:
x
Means that you must type the command
format A:/S
P8B-M series specications summary
P8B-M P8B-MX
Processor Support / System Bus
Core Logic Form Factor ASUS Features Fan Speed
Memory Total Slots
Expansion Slots (follow SSI Location #)
Storage SATA Controller Intel® C204:
Networking LAN
Graphic VGA
Control Rack Ready
(Rack and Pedestal dual use)
ASWM Enterprise
Capacity Memory Type
Total PCI/PCI-X/ PCI-E Slots
Slot Location 1 Slot Location 2 Slot Location 3
Slot Location 4
1 x Socket LGA1155 Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 Processor v2 Family
Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 Processor Family Intel® Core™ i3-2100 Processor Family Intel® Pentium™ G8x0/G6x0 Intel® Celeron™ G5x0/G4x0
Intel® C204 Chipset Intel® C202 Chipset Micro ATX, 9.6” x 9.6” V
V
V
4 (2 Channels) Maximum up to 32GB DDR3 1066/1333/1600* ECC UDIMM
* DDR3 1600 can only be supported with Intel® Xeon®
E3-1200 v2 Processor.
4 3
1 x PCI 32bit/33 MHz
1 x PCI-E x8 (Gen2 x4 link) 1 x PCI-E x16 (Gen3*/Gen 2 x16 link)
* Gen3 link can only be supported with Intel® Xeon®
E3-1200 v2 Processor.
1 x PCI-E x8 (Gen2 x4 link)
- 2 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
- 4 x SATA 3Gb/s ports
- Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (RST) supports software RAID 0, 1, 10 & 5 (Windows)
LSI MegaRAID driver:
- Supports software RAID 0, 1 & 10 (Windows & Linux)
2 x Intel 82574L 1 x Management LAN
Aspeed AST2050 + 16MB VRAM
(continued on the next page)
-
Intel® C202:
- 6 x SATA 3Gb/s ports
- Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (RST) supports software RAID 0, 1, 10 & 5 (Windows)
LSI MegaRAID driver:
- Supports software RAID 0, 1 & 10 (Windows & Linux)
xi
P8B-M series specications summary
Onboard I/O Connectors
Rear I/O Connectors
Management Solution
Monitoring CPU
Environment
*Specications are subject to change without notice.
TPM Header PSU Connector
USB Connectors
Fan Header SMBus Chassis
Intruder Serial Port
Header External Serial
Port External USB
Port VGA Port RJ-45 PS/2 KB/Mouse Software Out of Band
Remote Management
Temperature FAN RPM
1 24-pin ATX power connector + 8-pin ATX 12V power
connector 1 x USB connector (Type A USB socket)
2 x USB pin header (up to 4 devices) 5 x 4pin 1 1
1
1
2
1 2 + 1 Management Port 1 ASWM Enterprise Optional ASMB5-iKVM for KVM-over-Internet
V
V Operation temperature: 10°C – 35°C
Non operation temperature: -40°C – 70°C 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 P8B-M series

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® P8B-M series 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 Standard Bulk Pack P8B-M P8B-MX P8B-M series
SATA 6G cable
Cables
Accessories
Application CD Support CD Documentation User Guide
Packing Qty.
SATA 3G cable COM port cable IO shield Plate for LGA1155
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
2 — 4 6 — 1 — 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1pc per carton 10pcs per carton
Optional items Description
ASMB5-iKVM Remote Management solution provides KVM over IP solution.
ASUS P8B-M series 1-3

1.3 Serial number label

For faster and quicker troubleshooting solutions from the ASUS Technical Support team, provide the product’s serial number containing 12 characters such as
xxS2xxxxxxxx as shown in the gure below.
P8B-M
xxS2xxxxxxxx
Made
in
China
合格

1.4 Special features

1.4.1 Product highlights

Latest processor technology
This motherboard supports Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2/Core™ i3-2100 processors in LGA1155 package, which has memory and PCI Express controller integrated to support 2-channel DDR3 memory (4 DIMMs) and PCI Express 3.0, providing great graphics performance. Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2/Core™ i3-2100 processor is one of
the most powerful and energy efcient CPU in the world.
Intel® Dynamic Turbo Boost Technology
Intel® Dynamic Turbo Boost Technology 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 efcient 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) feature, which allows your computer to run on 64-bit operating systems and access larger amounts of system memory for faster and
more efcient computing.
1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction
DDR3 memory support
The motherboard supports the 2-channel DDR3 memory that features
data transfer rates of DDR3 1600*/ 1333 / 1066 MHz to boost the system’s
performance, and to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of server and
workstation applications. The 2-channel DDR3 architecture also manages trafc
with bandwidth of up to 21GB/s, and reduces voltage thus reducing power usage and heat generation.
* DDR3 1600 can only be supported with Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2 Processor.
PCI Express® 3.0
PCI Express® 3.0 (PCIe 3.0) is the PCI Express bus standard that provides an optimal graphics performance, unprecedented data speed, and seamless transition with its complete backward compatibility to PCIe 1.0/2.0 devices.
* PCIE 3.0 can only be supported with Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2 Processor.
Intel® 82574L Gigabit LAN Solution
This motherboard features the built-in dual server class Intel which helps reduce CPU usage, thus increasing throughput to achieve highly­reliable network connections, outstanding performance, and better support for diverse operating systems.
Intel® 82574L chipset is VMware-certied to support the virtualization technology.
®
Gigabit LAN ports,
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® C204 chipset. The Serial ATA II specication 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.
Serial ATA III technology
The motherboard supports the Serial ATA III technology through the Serial ATA interface and Intel® C204 chipset, delivering up to 6Gb/s data transfer rates. Additionally, get enhanced scalability, faster data retrieval, double the bandwidth of current bus systems.
ASUS P8B-M series 1-5
USB 2.0 technology
The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 specication,
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.
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 Fan Speed technology
The ASUS Fan Speed technology smartly adjusts the fan speeds according to the
system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efcient operation.
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.
Chapter 2:
Hardware
2
information
Chapter summary
2
2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-3
2.2 Motherboard overview ................................................................. 2-5
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................. 2-10
2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-16
2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-18
2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-22
2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-27
ASUS P8B-M 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.
ASUS P8B-M series 2-3
Onboard LEDs
1. Standby Power LED (SB_PWR1)
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.
2. BMC LED (BMC_LED1)
The green heartbeat LED blinks per second to indicate that the ASMB5 is
working normally.
The heartbeat LED functions only when you install the ASUS ASMB5.
2-4 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.2 Motherboard overview

Before you install the motherboard, study the conguration 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 eight (8) 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
ASUS P8B-M series 2-5

2.2.3 Motherboard layout

P8B-M
2-6 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.2.4 Motherboard layout

P8B-MX
ASUS P8B-M series 2-7

2.2.5 Layout contents

Slots/Soocket Page
1. CPU sockets
2. DDR3 sockets
3. PCI Express x8 / PCI Express x16 / PCI slots 2-18
Jumpers Page
1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC1) 2-22
2. VGA controller setting (3-pin VGA_SW1) 2-23
3. CPU Fan and Chassis Fan control setting (3-pin CPUFAN_SEL1, CHAFAN_SEL1)
4. LAN controller setting (3-pin LAN_SW1, LAN_SW2) 2-24
5. RAID conguration utility selection (3-pin RAID_SEL1) 2-24
6. Force BIOS recovery setting (3-pin RECOVERY1) 2-25
7. Chassis intrusion connector (2-pin CHASSIS) 2-26
8. ME rmware force recovery setting (3-pin ME_RECOVERY1) 2-26
Rear panel connectors Page
1. PS/2 mouse port (green) 2-27
2. RJ-45 port for iKVM 2-27
3. PS/2 keyboard port (purple) 2-27
4. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2 2-27
5. Serial (COM1) port 2-27
6. Video Graphics Adapter port 2-27
7. LAN 1 (RJ-45) port 2-27
8. LAN 2 (RJ-45) port 2-27
2-23
2-10
2-16
2-8 Chapter 2: Hardware information
Internal connectors Page
1. Serial ATA connectors (SATA 6Gb/s: 7-pin SATA1, SATA2 [Blue]) (SATA 3Gb/s: 7-pin SATA3, SATA4, SATA5, SATA6 [Black])
Serial ATA connectors (SATA 3Gb/s: 7-pin SATA1-6 [Black])
2. Hard disk activity LED connector (4-pin HDLED1)
3. USB connector (10-1 pin USB34, USB56; A-Type USB7)
4. CPU, front and rear fan connectors (4-pin CPU_FAN1, FRNT_FAN1, FRNT_FAN2, FRNT_FAN3, REAR_FAN1)
5. Serial General Purpose Input/Output connector (6-1 pin SGPIO1)
6. Thermal sensor cable connectors (3-pin TR1)
7. Serial port connectors (10-1 pin COM1/COM2)
8. BMC header (BMC_FW1)
9. Power Supply SMBus connector (5-pin PSUSMB1)
10. TPM connector (20-1-pin TPM)
11. ATX power connectors (24-pin ATXPWR1, 8-pin ATX12V1)
12. System panel connector (20-1 pin PANEL1)
13. Auxiliary panel connector (20-2 pin AUX_PANEL1)
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ASUS P8B-M series 2-9

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

A
B
The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA1155 socket designed for the Intel® Xeon E3-1200 v2/Core™ i3-2100 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 LGA1155 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.
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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 by lifting the tab only.
Load plate
PnP cap
Cap tab
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!
ASUS P8B-M series 2-11
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.
2-12 Chapter 2: Hardware information
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