ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming II operation manual

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II

Motherboard

E17112 First Edition

September 2020

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, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification 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 identification or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.

Contents

Safety information ...................................................................................................... iv

About this guide .......................................................................................................... v

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II specifications summary ........................................ vi

Connectors with shared bandwidth .......................................................................... x

Package contents ...................................................................................................... xii

Installation tools and components ......................................................................... xiii

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

1.1 Before you proceed ...................................................................................1-1

1.2 Motherboard layout ....................................................................................1-2

Chapter 2: Basic Installation

2.1 Building your PC system ...........................................................................2-1

2.1.1 CPU installation...........................................................................2-1

2.1.2 Cooling system installation..........................................................2-2

2.1.3 DIMM installation.........................................................................2-5

2.1.4 M.2 installation ............................................................................2-6

2.1.5 Motherboard installation ..............................................................2-8

2.1.6 ATX power connection ................................................................2-9

2.1.7 SATA device connection ...........................................................2-10

2.1.8 Front I/O connector ...................................................................2-11

2.1.9 Expansion card installation .......................................................2-12

2.1.10 M.2 Wi-Fi module and antenna installation ............................... 2-13

2.2 BIOS update utility ................................................................................... 2-14

2.3 Motherboard rear and audio connections ............................................. 2-15

2.3.1 Rear I/O connection ..................................................................2-15

2.3.2 Audio I/O connections ...............................................................2-16

2.4 Starting up for the first time .................................................................... 2-19

2.5 Turning off the computer ........................................................................2-19

Chapter 3: BIOS and RAID Support

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

3.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................................. 3-2

3.3 EZ Update ...................................................................................................3-2

3.4 ASUS EZ Flash 3 ........................................................................................ 3-3

3.5 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ............................................................................3-4

3.6 RAID configurations ..................................................................................3-5

Appendix

Notices .................................................................................................................... A-1

ASUS contact information ...................................................................................... A-6

iii

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.

• Ensure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power company.

• If the power supply is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety

• Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package.

• Before using the product, ensure 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 qualified service technician or your retailer.

• Your motherboard should only be used in environments with ambient temperatures between 0°C and 40°C.

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need when installing and configuring 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. It includes description of the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.

• Chapter 2: Basic Installation

This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components.

• Chapter 3: BIOS and RAID Support

This chapter tells how to boot into the BIOS, upgrade BIOS using the EZ Flash Utility and support on RAID.

Where to find more information

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

1. ASUS website

The ASUS website (www.asus.com) provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products.

2. Optional documentation

Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty flyers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the standard package.

Conventions used in this guide

To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual.

CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components and injuries to yourself 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.

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II specifications summary

rd/2nd/1st

Gen AMD Ryzen™/ 2nd and 1st Gen AMD

CPU

Chipset

Memory

Graphics

Expansion Slots

Multi-GPU Support

Storage

AMD Socket AM4 for 3 Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics/ Athlon™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors*

* Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list.

AMD B450 Chipset

rd/2nd/1st

Gen AMD Ryzen™/ 2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with

3 Radeon™ Vega Graphics/ Athlon™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors

4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4 4400(O.C.) / 4000(O.C.) / 3866(O.C.) /

3600(O.C.) / 3466(O.C.) / 3200 / 3000 / 2800 / 2666 / 2400 / 2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory*

Dual channel memory architecture

* Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).

1 x DisplayPort 1.2

1 x HDMI™ 2.0b

rd/2nd/1st

Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors

2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (support x16 or x8 / x4 modes)

and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics

2 Processors

1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (supports x8 mode)

Athlon™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors

1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode)

AMD B450 chipset

1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode)*

3 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots

* PCIe x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCIe x1_1, PCIe x1_2, and PCIe x1_3.

Supports AMD 3-way CrossFireX™ Technology

Total supports 2 x M.2 slots and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

rd/2nd/1st

Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors

M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA modes)*

M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 3.0 x4 mode)**

2 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics

2 Processors

M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA modes)

2 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

Athlon™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors

M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 3.0 x2 & SATA modes)

2 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

(continued on the next page)

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II specifications summary

AMD B450 Chipset

4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

Storage

Ethernet

Wireless & Bluetooth

USB

Audio

Back Panel I/O Ports

Supports Raid 0, 1, 10

* When the M.2_1 slot is operating in SATA or PCIe mode, SATA6G_5/6 ports

will be disabled.

** When the M.2_2 slot is occupied by an M.2 device, PCIe x16_1 will run at x8

mode.

I211-AT 1Gb Ethernet

1 x Intel

ASUS LANGuard

M.2 slot only (Key E) (Support PCIe interface)*

* Wi-Fi module is sold separately.

Rear USB (Total 8 ports)

2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (2 x Type-A)

4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (3 x Type-A, 1 x USB Type-C

)

2 x USB 2.0 ports (2 x Type-A)

Front USB (Total 4 ports)

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header supports additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports

1 x USB 2.0 header supports additional 2 USB 2.0 ports

ROG SupremeFX 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC S1220A

- Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs

- Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking

- High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input

- Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback*

Audio Features:

- SupremeFX Shielding Technology

- Dual OP Amplifiers

- Rear optical S/PDIF out port

- Premium Japanese audio capacitors

- Audio cover

* Due to limitations in HDA bandwidth, 32-Bit/192kHz is not supported for

7.1-Channel audio.

2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (2 x Type-A)

4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (3 x Type-A, 1 x USB Type-C

)

2 x USB 2.0 ports (2 x Type-A)

1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI™ port

I211-AT 1Gb Ethernet port

1 x Intel

5 x Audio jacks

1 x Optical S/PDIF out port 1 x BIOS FlashBack™ button

1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port

(continued on the next page)

vii

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II specifications summary

Fan and cooling related

1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header

1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header

1 x 4-pin AIO_PUMP header

3 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers

Power related

1 x 24-pin Main Power connector

1 x 8-pin +12V Power connector

Storage related

2 x M.2 slots (Key M)

6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

Internal I/O connectors

Special Features

USB

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header supports additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports

1 x USB 2.0 header supports additional 2 USB 2.0 ports

Miscellaneous

1 x AURA Addressable RGB header

2 x AURA RGB Strip headers

1 x Clear CMOS header

1 x COM port header

1 x Front Panel Audio header (AAFP)

1 x System Panel header

1 x TPM header

1 x Thermal Sensor header

ASUS Q-Design

- ASUS Q-DIMM

- ASUS Q-LED (DRAM [yellow],CPU [red], VGA [white], Boot Device [yellow green)

- ASUS Q-Slot

ASUS Thermal Solution

- Aluminum M.2 heatsink

- Aluminum heatsink design

ASUS EZ DIY

- BIOS Flashback™ button

- BIOS FlashBack™ LED

- Clear CMOS header

- Pre-mounted I/O shield

- SafeSlot

AURA Sync

- AURA RGB headers

- Addressable RGB header

(continued on the next page)

viii

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II specifications summary

ROG Exclusive Software

- RAMCache III

- ROG CPU-Z

- GameFirst VI

- Sonic Studio III + Sonic Studio Virtual Mixer

- Sonic Radar III

- Overwolf

- Anti-virus software

ASUS Exclusive Software Features

Armoury Crate

- Aura Creator

- Aura Sync

- AI noise cancelling microphone

Software Features

BIOS

Manageability

Operating System

Form Factor

AI Suite 3

- 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5

TPU

EPU

DIGI+ VRM

Fan Xpert 4

Turbo app

- EZ update

AI Charger

UEFI BIOS

ASUS EZ DIY

- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

- ASUS EZ Flash 3

- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode

256 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS

WOL by PME, PXE

10 - 64 bit

Windows

ATX Form Factor

12 inch x 9.6 inch (30.5cm x 24.4cm)

Specifications are subject to change without notice. Please refer to the ASUS website for the latest specifications.

Connectors with shared bandwidth

A D

rd/2nd/1st

Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors

Configuration 1 2

PCIEX16_1 x16 x8

PCIEX16_2 - x4

Configuration 1 2

PCIEX16_3 x4 x1

PCIEX1_1 - x1

PCIEX1_2 - x1

PCIEX1_3 - x1

Configuration 1 2

M.2_1 PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA -

SATA6G_56 - V

Configuration 1 2

M.2_2 - PCIe 3.0 x4

PCIEX16_1 x16 x8

and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors

Configuration 1

PCIEX16_1 x8

PCIEX16_2 -

Configuration 1 2

PCIEX16_3 x4 x1

PCIEX1_1 - x1

PCIEX1_2 - x1

PCIEX1_3 - x1

Configuration 1 2

M.2_1 PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA -

SATA6G_56 - V

Configuration 1

M.2_2 -

PCIEX16_1 x8

Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

Motherboard 1 x ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II motherboard

1 x Addressable RGB extension cable

Cables

Miscellaneous

Installation Media 1 x Support DVD

Documentation 1 x User manual

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

1 x RGB extension cable

4 x SATA 6Gb/s cables

1 x Cable ties pack

1 x M.2 Rubber Package

1 x M.2 SSD screw package

1 x ROG Strix stickers

1 x ROG Strix thank you card

xii

Installation tools and components

Phillips (cross) screwdriver

PC chassis Power supply unit

AMD AM4 CPU AMD AM4/AM3 compatible CPU Fan

DDR4 DIMM SATA hard disk drive

SATA optical disc drive (optional) Graphics card (optional)

M.2 SSD module (optional) 1 Bag of screws

The tools and components in the table above are not included in the motherboard package.

xiii

xiv

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

Product Introduction

1.1 Before you proceed

Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings.

• Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component.

• Before handling components, use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or a metal object, such as the power supply case, to avoid damaging them due to static electricity.

• Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.

• Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component.

• Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the ATX power supply is switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals, or components.

Chapter 1

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II

1-1

1.2 Motherboard layout

Chapter 1

1-2

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

Layout contents Page

1. CPU socket 1-4

2. DIMM slots 1-5

3. Expansion slots 1-7

4. Fan and Pump headers 1-9

5. Power connectors 1-10

6. M.2 slot 1-11

7. SATA 6Gb/s port 1-12

8. USB 3.2 Gen 1 header 1-13

9. USB 2.0 header 1-14

10. Addressable RGB LED header 1-15

11. AURA RGB header

12. Clear CMOS header 1-17

13. COM port header 1-18

14. Front Panel Audio header 1-19

15. M.2 slot (Key E) 1-19

16. System Panel header 1-20

17. Thermal Sensor header 1-21

18. TPM header 1-22

19. Q-LEDs 1-22

20. BIOS FlashBack™ LED 1-23

1-16

Chapter 1

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II

1-3

1. CPU socket

The motherboard comes with a Socket AM4 designed for 3

and 1

Chapter 1

Graphics Processors.

rd/2nd/1st

Gen AMD Ryzen™/ 2nd

Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics/ Athlon™ with Radeon™ Vega

• The AM4 socket has a different pinout design. Ensure that you use a CPU designed for the AM4 socket.

• The CPU fits 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.

• Ensure that all power cables are unplugged before installing the CPU.

1-4

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

2. DIMM slots

The motherboard comes with Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) slots designed for DDR4 (Double Data Rate 4) memory modules.

A DDR4 memory module is notched differently from a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 module. DO NOT install a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 memory module to the DDR4 slot.

Recommended memory configurations

Chapter 1

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II

1-5

Memory configurations

You may install 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB unbuffered and non-ECC DDR4 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.

Chapter 1

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

• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect (SPD), which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module. Under the default state, some memory modules for overclocking may operate at a lower frequency than the vendor-marked value.

• For system stability, use a more efficient memory cooling system to support a full memory load or overclocking condition.

• Always install the DIMMS with the same CAS Latency. For an optimum compatibility, we recommend that you install memory modules of the same version or data code (D/C) from the same vendor. Check with the vendor to get the correct memory modules.

• Visit the ASUS website for the latest QVL.

1-6

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

3. Expansion slots

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

Chapter 1

Please refer to the following tables for the recommended VGA configuration and Hyper M.2 configuration.

ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II

1-7

+ 49 hidden pages