GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Owner's Manual

GA-F2A88XM-HD3

User's Manual

Rev. 3001

12ME-F288HD3-3001R

Motherboard

GA-F2A88XM-HD3

Motherboard

GA-F2A88XM-HD3

Aug. 23, 2013

Disclaimer

Information in this manual is protected by copyright laws and is the property of GIGABYTE.

Changes to the specications and features in this manual may be made by GIGABYTE without prior notice.

No part of this manual may be reproduced, copied, translated, transmitted, or published in any form or by any means without GIGABYTE's prior written permission.

 In order to assist in the use of this product, carefully read the User's Manual.  For product-related information, check on our website at: http://www.gigabyte.com

Identifying Your Motherboard Revision

The revision number on your motherboard looks like this: "REV: X.X." For example, "REV: 1.0" means the revision of the motherboard is 1.0. Check your motherboard revision before updating motherboard BIOS, drivers, or when looking for technical information. Example:

Table of Contents

GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Motherboard Layout ........................................................................4

GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Motherboard Block Diagram ........................................................... 5

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation ..................................................................................... 6

1-1 Installation Precautions ................................................................................... 6

1-2 Product Specications ..................................................................................... 7

1-3 Installing the APU ............................................................................................ 9

1-4 Installing the Memory .................................................................................... 10

1-5 Installing an Expansion Card ......................................................................... 10

1-6 Setup of the AMD Dual Graphics Conguration ........................................... 10

1-7 Back Panel Connectors ..................................................................................11

1-8 Internal Connectors ....................................................................................... 13

Chapter 2 BIOS Setup .................................................................................................. 19

2-1 Startup Screen ............................................................................................... 19

2-2 M. I .T. .............................................................................................................. 20

2-3 System Information ........................................................................................ 23

2-4 BIOS Features ............................................................................................... 24

2-5 Peripherals ..................................................................................................... 26

2-6 Power Management .......................................................................................28

2-7 Save & Exit .................................................................................................... 30

Chapter 3 Appendix ...................................................................................................... 31

3-1 Conguring SATA Hard Drive(s) .................................................................... 31

3-2 Drivers Installation ......................................................................................... 34

Regulatory Statements ............................................................................................. 35

Contact Us ................................................................................................................ 36

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GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Motherboard Layout

KB_MS_USB

VGA

ATX_12V

DVI

USB_HDMI

Socket FM2+

ATX

USB30_LAN

AUDIO

F_AUDIO

Realtek GbE LAN

iTE® Super I/O

CODEC

SPDIF_O

COM

CPU_FAN

CLR_CMOS

SYS_FAN

F_USB30

DDR3_2

AMD A88X

SATA 3

DDR3_1

BAT

PCIEX16

PCIEX1

PCI

PCIEX4

LPT

GA-F2A88XM-HD3

M_BIOS

B_BIOS

F_USB2

F_USB1 F_PANEL

Box Contents

5 GA-F2A88XM-HD3 motherboard 5 Motherboard driver disk 5 Two SATA cables 5 User's Manual 5 I/O Shield

The box contents above are for reference only and the actual items shall depend on the product package you obtain. The box contents are subject to change without notice.

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6 7

SATA 3

GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Motherboard Block Diagram

1 PCI Express x16

APU CLK+/- (100 MHz)

DISP CLK+/- (100 MHz)

DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333 MHz

Dual Channel Memory

HDMI

DVI-D

D-Sub

Dual BIOS

8 SATA 6Gb/s

4 USB 3.0/2.0

8 USB 2.0/1.1

PCIe CLK

(100 MHz)

PCIe CLK

(100 MHz)

1 PCI Express x4

PCI Express Bus

1 PCI Express x1

PCI Express Bus

PCI Bus

LAN

RJ45

Realtek

GbE LAN

AMD APU

x16

UMI

AMD A88X

LPC

Bus

iTE®

Super I/O

CODEC

1 PCI

S/PDIF Out

PCI CLK

Speaker Out)

(33 MHz)

MIC (Center/Subwoofer

Line In (Rear Speaker Out)

Line Out (Front Speaker Out)

For detailed product information/limitation(s), refer to "1-2 Product Specications."

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COM

LPT

PS/2 KB/Mouse

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

1-1 Installation Precautions

The motherboard contains numerous delicate electronic circuits and components which can become

damaged as a result of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Prior to installation, carefully read the user's

manual and follow these procedures:

• Prior to installation, make sure the chassis is suitable for the motherboard.

• Prior to installation, do not remove or break motherboard S/N (Serial Number) sticker or

warranty sticker provided by your dealer. These stickers are required for warranty validation.

• Always remove the AC power by unplugging the power cord from the power outlet before

installing or removing the motherboard or other hardware components.

• When connecting hardware components to the internal connectors on the motherboard, make

sure they are connected tightly and securely.

• When handling the motherboard, avoid touching any metal leads or connectors.

• It is best to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when handling electronic com-

ponents such as a motherboard, CPU or memory. If you do not have an ESD wrist strap, keep

your hands dry and rst touch a metal object to eliminate static electricity.

• Prior to installing the motherboard, please have it on top of an antistatic pad or within an

electrostatic shielding container.

• Before unplugging the power supply cable from the motherboard, make sure the power supply

has been turned off.

• Before turning on the power, make sure the power supply voltage has been set according to

the local voltage standard.

• Before using the product, please verify that all cables and power connectors of your hardware

components are connected.

• To prevent damage to the motherboard, do not allow screws to come in contact with the

motherboard circuit or its components.

• Make sure there are no leftover screws or metal components placed on the motherboard or

within the computer casing.

• Do not place the computer system on an uneven surface.

• Do not place the computer system in a high-temperature environment.

• Turning on the computer power during the installation process can lead to damage to system

components as well as physical harm to the user.

• If you are uncertain about any installation steps or have a problem related to the use of the

product, please consult a certied computer technician.

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1-2 ProductSpecications

APU  FM2+ Socket:

- AMD A series processors

- AMD Athlon™ series processors (Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest CPU support list.)

Chipset  AMD A88X

Memory  2 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory

Onboard Graphics

Audio  Realtek® ALC887 codec

LAN  Realtek® GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)

Expansion Slots

Multi-Graphics Technology

* Due to a Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical

memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than the size of the physical memory installed.

* The maximum 64 GB of system memory can be supported using 16 GB (or above)

memory modules. GIGABYTE will update the memory support list on the ofcial website when the memory modules are available on the market.

 Dual channel memory architecture  Support for DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333 MHz memory modules  Support for AMD Memory Prole (AMP)/Extreme Memory Prole (XMP) memory

modules (Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest supported memory speeds and memory modules.)

 APU with integrated AMD Radeon™ HD 8000/7000 series graphics:

* To use the onboard graphics ports, you must install an AMD APU with integrated

graphics.

- 1 x D-Sub port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200

- 1 x DVI-D port, supporting a maximum resolution of 2560x1600

* Support for 2560x1600 resolution requires both a monitor and cable that support

Dual Link DVI.

* The DVI-D port does not support D-Sub connection by adapter.

- 1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2160

* The resolution of 4096x2160 can be supported when using an FM2+ APU; the

maximum resolution supported is 1920x1200 when using an FM2 APU.

* Support for HDMI 1.4a version.

- Maximum shared memory of 2 GB

 High Denition Audio  2/4/5.1/7.1-channel

* To congure 7.1-channel audio, you have to use an HD front panel audio module

and enable the multi-channel audio feature through the audio driver.

 Support for S/PDIF Out

 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)

* For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed,

be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.

(The PCIEX16 slot conforms to PCI Express 3.0 standard.)

* To support PCI Express 3.0, you must install an FM2+ APU.

 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4)  1 x PCI Express x1 slot

(The PCIEX4 and PCI Express x1 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)

 1 x PCI slot  Support for AMD Dual Graphics technology

* Only A series APUs support AMD Dual Graphics.

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Storage Interface  Chipset:

8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors

- Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, and JBOD

USB  Chipset:

- 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header)

- 8 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers)

Internal Connectors

 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector  1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector  8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors  1 x APU fan header  1 x system fan header  1 x front panel header  1 x front panel audio header  1 x S/PDIF Out header  1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header  2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers  1 x serial port header  1 x parallel port header  1 x chassis intrusion header  1 x Clear CMOS jumper

Back Panel Connectors

 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port  1 x D-Sub port  1 x DVI-D port  1 x HDMI port  2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports  4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports  1 x RJ-45 port  3 x audio jacks (Line In, Line Out, Mic In)

I/O Controller  iTE® I/O Controller Chip

Hardware Monitor

 System voltage detection  APU/System temperature detection  APU/System fan speed detection  APU/System fan speed control

* Whether the fan speed control function is supported will depend on the

cooler you install.

BIOS  2 x 64 Mbit ash

 Use of licensed AMI EFI BIOS  Support for DualBIOS  PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.6, ACPI 2.0a

™

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Unique Features  Support for @BIOS

 Support for Q-Flash  Support for Xpress Install  Support for EasyTune

* Available functions in EasyTune may differ by motherboard model.

 Support for Smart Recovery 2  Support for ON/OFF Charge

Bundled Software

Operating System

 Norton® Internet Security (OEM version)

 Support for Windows 8.1/8/7 32-bit/64-bit

* If you plan to install Windows 8.1, please download the latest drivers from GIGABYTE's

website.

 Support for Windows XP-32bit

* To support Windows XP 32-bit, you must install an AMD FM2 Trinity APU.

Form Factor  Micro ATX Form Factor; 24.4cm x 17.4cm

* GIGABYTE reserves the right to make any changes to the product specications and product-related information without

prior notice.

* Please visit the Support & Downloads\Utility page on GIGABYTE's website to check the supported operating system(s)

for the software listed in the "Unique Features" and "Bundled Software" columns.

1-3 Installing the APU

Read the following guidelines before you begin to install the APU:

• Make sure that the motherboard supports the APU.

(Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest APU support list.)

• Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing the APU to prevent hardware damage.

• Locate the pin one of the APU. The APU cannot be inserted if oriented incorrectly.

• Apply an even and thin layer of thermal grease on the surface of the APU.

• Do not turn on the computer if the APU cooler is not installed, otherwise overheating and damage of the APU may occur.

• Set the APU host frequency in accordance with the APU specications. It is not recommended

that the system bus frequency be set beyond hardware specications since it does not meet the

standard requirements for the peripherals. If you wish to set the frequency beyond the standard

specications, please do so according to your hardware specications including the APU, graphics

card, memory, hard drive, etc.

Installing the APU

Locate the pin one (denoted by a small triangle) of the APU socket and the APU.

A Small Triangle Mark-

ing Denotes Pin One

of the Socket

FM2+ Socket

A Small Triangle

Marking Denotes

APU Pin One

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APU

1-4 Installing the Memory

Read the following guidelines before you begin to install the memory:

• Make sure that the motherboard supports the memory. It is recommended that memory of the same capacity, brand, speed, and chips be used.

(Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest supported memory speeds and memory modules.)

• Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing the memory to prevent hardware damage.

• Memory modules have a foolproof design. A memory module can be installed in only one direction. If you are unable to insert the memory, switch the direction.

DualChannelMemoryConguration

This motherboard provides two DDR3 memory sockets and supports Dual Channel Technology. After the memory

is installed, the BIOS will automatically detect the specications and capacity of the memory. Enabling Dual

Channel memory mode will double the original memory bandwidth. The two DDR3 memory sockets are divided into two channels and each channel has one memory socket as following:

 Channel A: DDR3_2  Channel B: DDR3_1

Due to APU limitations, read the following guidelines before installing the memory in Dual Channel mode.

1. Dual Channel mode cannot be enabled if only one DDR3 memory module is installed.

2. When enabling Dual Channel mode with two memory modules, it is recommended that memory of the same capacity, brand, speed, and chips be used for optimum performance.

1-5 Installing an Expansion Card

Read the following guidelines before you begin to install an expansion card:

• Make sure the motherboard supports the expansion card. Carefully read the manual that came with your expansion card.

• Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing an expansion card to prevent hardware damage.

1-6 SetupoftheAMDDualGraphicsConguration

A. System Requirements

- AMD A series processor

- Windows 8/7 operating system

- An AMD Dual Graphics technology-supported motherboard (with the BIOS updated to the latest version)

and correct driver (make sure the onboard graphics driver version is Rev. 8.982 or above)

- An AMD Radeon™ HD 6000 series graphics card that supports AMD Dual Graphics technology (for more

details, please visit AMD's ofcial website) and correct driver

B.InstallingtheGraphicsCardsandConguringBIOSSetup

Step 1: Observe the steps in "1-5 Installing an Expansion Card" and install an AMD Dual Graphics technology-supported graphics card on the PCIEX16 slot. Plug the monitor cable into the graphics card and start up your computer. Step 2: Enter BIOS Setup to set the following items under the Peripherals\GFXConguration menu:

- Set Integrated Graphics to Force.

- Set UMA Frame Buffer Size to 512M or above.

Save the settings and exit BIOS Setup. Restart your computer.

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C.ConguringtheGraphicsCardDriver

After installing the graphics card driver in the operating system, go to the AMDVISIONEngineControlCenter. Browse to Performance\AMD Radeon™ Dual Graphics and ensure the Enable AMD Radeon Dual Graphics check box is selected.

(Note) Make sure the drivers for the Chipset, onboard graphics, and external graphics card are properly

installed.

1-7 Back Panel Connectors

USB 2.0/1.1 Port

The USB port supports the USB 2.0/1.1 specication. Use this port for USB devices such as a USB keyboard/mouse, USB printer, USB ash drive and etc.

PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Port

Use this port to connect a PS/2 mouse or keyboard.

D-Sub Port

The D-Sub port supports a 15-pin D-Sub connector and supports a maximum resolution of 1920x1200

(the actual resolutions supported depend on the monitor being used).

Connect a monitor that supports D-Sub connection to this port.

DVI-D Port

The DVI-D port conforms to the DVI-D specication and supports a maximum resolution of 2560x1600.

Connect a monitor that supports DVI-D connection to this port. Please note that the actual resolutions supported are dependent on the monitor being used and support for 2560x1600 resolution requires both a monitor and cable that support Dual Link DVI.

HDMI Port

output. You can use this port to connect your HDMI-supported monitor. The maximum supported resolution is 4096x2160

(Note 1)

The HDMI port is HDCP compliant and supports Dolby True HD and DTS HD

Master Audio formats. It also supports up to 192KHz/24bit 8-channel LPCM audio

(Note 2)

, but the actual resolutions supported are dependent on the monitor being used.

After installing the HDMI device, make sure to set the default sound playback device to HDMI.

A.TripleDisplayCongurations:

Triple-display congurations are supported after you install motherboard drivers in OS. Only dual-display

congurations are supported during the BIOS Setup or POST process.

(Note 1) The DVI-D port does not support D-Sub connection by adapter. (Note 2) The resolution of 4096x2160 can be supported when using an FM2+ APU; the maximum resolution

supported is 1920x1200 when using an FM2 APU.

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