MSI B360-A Pro User Manual

Unpacking

Thank you for buying the MSI® B360-A PRO motherboard. Check to make sure your motherboard box contains the following items. If something is missing, contact your dealer as soon as possible.

I/O Shield

Drivers & Utilities

Disc

Motherboard

M.2 Screw x1

Case Badge

SATA Cable x2

Unpacking

Safety Information

y The components included in this package are prone to damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD). Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure successful computer assembly.

y Ensure that all components are securely connected. Loose connections may cause the computer to not recognize a component or fail to start.

y Hold the motherboard by the edges to avoid touching sensitive components.

y It is recommended to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when handling the motherboard to prevent electrostatic damage. If an ESD wrist strap is not available, discharge yourself of static electricity by touching another metal object before handling the motherboard.

y Store the motherboard in an electrostatic shielding container or on an anti-static pad whenever the motherboard is not installed.

y Before turning on the computer, ensure that there are no loose screws or metal components on the motherboard or anywhere within the computer case.

y Do not boot the computer before installation is completed. This could cause permanent damage to the components as well as injury to the user.

y If you need help during any installation step, please consult a certified computer technician.

y Always turn off the power supply and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing or removing any computer component.

y Keep this user guide for future reference.

y Keep this motherboard away from humidity.

y Make sure that your electrical outlet provides the same voltage as is indicated on the PSU, before connecting the PSU to the electrical outlet.

y Place the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place anything over the power cord.

y All cautions and warnings on the motherboard should be noted.

y If any of the following situations arises, get the motherboard checked by service personnel:

 Liquid has penetrated into the computer.  The motherboard has been exposed to moisture.  The motherboard does not work well or you can not get it work according to user

guide.

 The motherboard has been dropped and damaged.  The motherboard has obvious sign of breakage.

y Do not leave this motherboard in an environment above 60°C (140°F), it may damage the motherboard.

Safety Information

Quick Start

Preparing Tools and Components

Intel® LGA 1151 CPU

DDR4 Memory

SATA DVD Drive

CPU Fan Thermal Paste

Chassis

SATA Hard Disk Drive

Power Supply Unit

Graphics Card

Phillips Screwdriver

A Package of Screws

Quick Start

Installing a Processor

http://youtu.be/bf5La099urI

Quick Start

Installing DDR4 memory

http://youtu.be/T03aDrJPyQs

DIMMB2 DIMMB2

DIMMA2 DIMMA2 DIMMA2

DIMMB1

DIMMA1

Quick Start

Connecting the Front Panel Header

RESET SW

POWER SW

POWER LED+

POWER LED-

HDD LED

http://youtu.be/DPELIdVNZUI

Quick Start

2 10

JFP1

1 HDD LED + 2 Power LED +

3 HDD LED - 4 Power LED -

5 Reset Switch 6 Power Switch

7 Reset Switch 8 Power Switch

9 Reserved 10 No Pin

HDD LED

POWER LED

RESET SW

HDD LED

JFP1

HDD LED HDD LED +

POWER LED POWER LED +

Installing the Motherboard

BAT1

Quick Start

Installing SATA Drives

http://youtu.be/RZsMpqxythc

Quick Start

Installing a Graphics Card

http://youtu.be/mG0GZpr9w_A

Quick Start

Connecting Peripheral Devices

Quick Start

Connecting the Power Connectors

http://youtu.be/gkDYyR_83I4

ATX_PWR1

PCIE_PWR1

CPU_PWR1

Quick Start

Power On

Quick Start

Contents

Unpacking .............................................................................................................. 1

Safety Information ................................................................................................. 2

Quick Start ............................................................................................................. 3

Preparing Tools and Components .......................................................................... 3

Installing a Processor ............................................................................................. 4

Installing DDR4 memory ........................................................................................ 5

Connecting the Front Panel Header ....................................................................... 6

Installing the Motherboard ..................................................................................... 7

Installing SATA Drives.............................................................................................8

Installing a Graphics Card ...................................................................................... 9

Connecting Peripheral Devices ............................................................................ 10

Connecting the Power Connectors ....................................................................... 11

Power On............................................................................................................... 12

Specifications ....................................................................................................... 15

Block Diagram .................................................................................................... 19

Rear I/O Panel ..................................................................................................... 20

LAN Port LED Status Table................................................................................... 20

Audio Ports Configuration .................................................................................... 20

Realtek HD Audio Manager .................................................................................. 21

Overview of Components .................................................................................... 23

CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 25

DIMM Slots ............................................................................................................ 26

PCI_E1~6: PCIe Expansion Slots .......................................................................... 27

M2_1: M.2 Slot (Key M) ......................................................................................... 28

SATA1~5: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors ....................................................................... 29

CPU_PWR1, ATX_PWR1, PCIE_PWR1: Power Connectors .................................. 30

JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors ................................................................... 31

JUSB4: USB 3.1 Gen1 Connector ......................................................................... 31

JUSB1~2: USB 2.0 Connectors ............................................................................. 32

CPU_FAN1,SYS_FAN1~5, PUMP_FAN1: Fan Connectors .................................... 33

JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................34

JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector ....................................................................... 34

JTPM1: TPM Module Connector ........................................................................... 35

JTBT1: Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector ...................................................... 35

JCOM1: Serial Port Connector ............................................................................. 36

JLPT1: Parallel Port Connector ........................................................................... 36

JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper ........................................................... 37

Contents

EZ Debug LED ....................................................................................................... 37

BIOS Setup ........................................................................................................... 38

Entering BIOS Setup ............................................................................................. 38

Resetting BIOS ...................................................................................................... 39

Updating BIOS ....................................................................................................... 39

EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 40

Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 42

SETTINGS .............................................................................................................. 43

Advanced ............................................................................................................... 43

Boot ....................................................................................................................... 50

Security ................................................................................................................. 50

Save & Exit ............................................................................................................ 52

OC .......................................................................................................................... 53

M-FLASH .............................................................................................................. 59

OC PROFILE .......................................................................................................... 60

HARDWARE MONITOR .......................................................................................... 61

Software Description ........................................................................................... 63

Installing Windows® 10 ......................................................................................... 63

Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 63

Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 63

APP MANAGER ..................................................................................................... 64

LIVE UPDATE 6 ...................................................................................................... 65

COMMAND CENTER ............................................................................................. 67

X-BOOST ............................................................................................................... 71

SMART TOOL ......................................................................................................... 73

RAMDISK............................................................................................................... 75

NETWORK MANAGER ........................................................................................... 76

Intel® Optane™ Memory Configuration .............................................................. 78

System Requirements ......................................................................................... 78

Installing the Intel Removing the Intel

Troubleshooting .................................................................................................... 81

Optane™ memory ................................................................ 78

Optane™ memory ............................................................... 80

Troubleshooting .................................................................................................. 82

Regulatory Notices .............................................................................................. 83

Contents

Specifications

CPU

Chipset Intel

Memory

Celeron

*Please refer to www.msi.com for more information on compatible memory.

y Supports 8th Gen Intel

processors for Socket LGA1151

B360 Chipset

Core™, Pentium® Gold and

y 4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 64GB y Supports DDR4 2666/ 2400/ 2133 MHz* y Dual channel memory architecture y Supports non-ECC UDIMM memory y Supports Intel

Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

Expansion Slots

y 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (supports x16/ x4 mode)* y 4x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots

y 1x DisplayPort 1.2, supports a maximum resolution of

Onboard Graphics

4096x2304 @ 60Hz

y 1x DVI-D port, supports a maximum resolution of

1920x1200 @ 60Hz

Multi-GPU y Supports 2-Way AMD

B360 Chipset

Intel

y 5x SATA 6Gb/s ports* y 1x M.2 slot (Key M)

 Supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s, 2242/ 2260/

Storage

2280/ 22110 storage devices*

 Intel

Optane™ Memory Ready

* SATA1 port will be unavailable when an M.2 SATA SSD module has been installed in the M.2 slot.

** Before using Intel updated the drivers and BIOS to the latest version from MSI website.

Optane™ memory modules, please ensure that you have

y Intel® B360 Chipset

 2x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) ports (1

Type-A port and 1 Type-C port on the back panel)

USB

 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB connector)

 6x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (2 Type-A ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB connectors)

CrossFire™ Technology

Continued on next page

Speciﬁcations

Continued from previous page

Audio

y Realtek y 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio

LAN 1x Intel

y 1x PS/2 keyboard/ mouse combo port y 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports y 1x DVI-D port y 1x DisplayPort

Back Panel Connectors

y 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A port y 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port y 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports y 1x LAN (RJ45) port y 6x audio jacks

y 1x 24-pin ATX main power connector y 1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector y 1x 6-pin ATX PCIe power connector y 5x SATA 6Gb/s connectors y 1x USB 3.1 Gen1 connector (supports additional 2 USB 3.1

Gen1 ports)

y 2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0

ports)

y 1x 4-pin CPU fan connector

Internal Connectors

y 1x 4-pin water pump fan connector y 5x 4-pin system fan connectors y 1x Front panel audio connector y 2x Front panel connectors y 1x Series port connector y 1x Parallel port connector y 1x TPM module connector y 1x Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector y 1x Chassis Intrusion connector y 1x Clear CMOS jumper

ALC892 Codec

I219-V Gigabit LAN controller

I/O Controller NUVOTON NCT6797 Controller Chip

Continued on next page

Speciﬁcations

Hardware Monitor

Continued from previous page

y CPU/System temperature detection y CPU/System fan speed detection y CPU/System fan speed control

From Factor

BIOS Features

Software

y ATX Form Factor y 12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.4 cm x 24.3 cm)

y 1x 128 Mb flash y UEFI AMI BIOS y ACPI 6.1, SM BIOS 2.8 y Multi-language

y Drivers y APP MANAGER y SUPER CHARGER y COMMAND CENTER y LIVE UPDATE 6 y SMART TOOL y RAMDISK y FAST BOOT y X-BOOST y DPC LATENCY TUNER y NETWORK MANAGER y CPU-Z MSI GAMING

y Intel

Extreme Tuning Utility y Google Chrome™ ,Google Toolbar, Google Drive y Norton™ Internet Security Solution

Continued on next page

Speciﬁcations

Special Features

Continued from previous page

y Audio

 Audio Boost

y Network

 Intel

LAN with Network Manager

y Storage

 Turbo M.2

y Fan

 Pump Fan  Smart Fan Control

y LED

 EZ DEBUG LED

y Protection

 PCI-E Steel Armor

y Performance

 Multi GPU – CrossFire Technology  DDR4 Boost  USB with Type A+C  INTEL Turbo USB 3.1 Gen 2

y Stability

 7000+ Quality Test

y VR

 VR Ready

y BIOS

 Click BIOS 5

Speciﬁcations

Block Diagram

DisplayPort DVI-D

2 Channel DDR4 Memory

CPU

1 x M.2

5 x SATA 6Gb/s

2 x USB 3.1 Gen2

4 x USB 3.1 Gen1

6 x USB 2.0

PCI Express Bus

Switch

P/S2 Mouse / Keyboard

PCI Express Bus

LPC Bus

NV6797

Super I/O

DMI 3.0

chipset

Realtek ALC892

Audio Jacks

PCIe x1 slot

Block Diagram

Rear I/O Panel

PS/2

Audio Ports

LAN

USB 3.1 Gen2

DisplayPort

USB 2.0

DVI-D

LAN Port LED Status Table

Link/ Activity LED

Status Description

Off No link

Yellow Linked

Blinking Data activity

Audio Ports Configuration

USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C

USB 3.1 Gen1

Speed LED

Status Description

Off 10 Mbps connection

Green 100 Mbps connection

Orange 1 Gbps connection

Channel

Audio Ports

2 4 6 8

Rear Speaker Out ● ● ●

Center/ Subwoofer Out ● ●

Side Speaker Out ●

Mic In

Line-Out/ Front Speaker Out ● ● ● ●

Line-In

(●: connected, Blank: empty)

Rear I/O Panel

Realtek HD Audio Manager

After installing the Realtek HD Audio driver, the Realtek HD Audio Manager icon will appear in the system tray. Double click on the icon to launch.

Device Selection

Advanced Settings

Application Enhancement

Main Volume

Profiles

Jack Status

Connector Strings

y Device Selection - allows you to select a audio output source to change the related

options. The check sign indicates the devices as default.

y Application Enhancement - the array of options will provide you a complete guidance

of anticipated sound effect for both output and input device.

y Main Volume - controls the volume or balance the right/left side of the speakers that

you plugged in front or rear panel by adjust the bar.

y Profiles - toggles between profiles. y Advanced Settings - provides the mechanism to deal with 2 independent audio

streams.

y Jack Status - depicts all render and capture devices currently connected with your

computer.

y Connector Settings - configures the connection settings.

Auto popup dialog

When you plug into a device at an audio jack, a dialogue window will pop up asking you which device is current connected.

Each jack corresponds to its default setting as shown on the next page.

Rear I/O Panel

Audio jacks to headphone and microphone diagram

Audio jacks to stereo speakers diagram

AUDIO INPUT

Audio jacks to 7.1-channel speakers diagram

AUDIO INPUT

Front

Center/

Subwoofer

Side

Rear

Rear I/O Panel

Overview of Components

M2_1

PCI_E1

PCI_E2

PCI_E3

PCI_E4

PCI_E5

PCI_E6

CPU_PWR1

SYS_FAN1

PCIE_PWR1

BAT1

CPU Socket

CPU_FAN1

DIMMA1

DIMMA2

DIMMB1

DIMMB2

PUMP_FAN1 SYS_FAN5

SYS_FAN4 EZ Debug LEDs

ATX_PWR1

JUSB4

JBAT1

SATA▼2▲3

SATA▼4▲5

SATA1

JTPM1 JTBT1

JFP1

JAUD1

SYS_FAN2

JCOM1

JLPT1

JCI1

JUSB2

SYS_FAN3

JUSB1

JFP2

Overview of Components

Component Contents

Port Name Port Type Page

CPU_FAN1,SYS_FAN1~5, PUMP_FAN1 Fan Connectors 33

CPU_PWR1, ATX_PWR1, PCIE_PWR1 Power Connectors 30

CPU Socket LGA1151 CPU Socket 25

DIMMA1/ A2/ B1/ B2 DIMM Slots 26

JAUD1 Front Audio Connector 34

JBAT1 Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper 37

JCI1 Chassis Intrusion Connector 34

JCOM1 Serial Port Connector 36

JFP1, JFP2 Front Panel Connectors 31

JLPT1 Parallel Port Connector 36

JTBT1

JTPM1 TPM Module Connector 35

JUSB1~2 USB 2.0 Connectors 32

JUSB4 USB 3.1 Gen1 Connector 31

M2_1 M.2 Slot (Key M) 28

PCI_E1~6 PCIe Expansion Slots 27

SATA1~5 SATA 6Gb/s Connectors 29

Overview of Components

Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector

CPU Socket

Distance from the center of the CPU to the nearest DIMM slot.

50.77 mm

Introduction to the LGA 1151 CPU

The surface of the LGA 1151 CPU has two notches and a golden triangle to assist in correctly lining up the CPU for motherboard placement. The golden triangle is the Pin 1 indicator.

Important

Always unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing or removing

the CPU.

Please retain the CPU protective cap after installing the processor. MSI will deal with Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) requests if only the motherboard comes with the protective cap on the CPU socket.

When installing a CPU, always remember to install a CPU heatsink. A CPU heatsink is necessary to prevent overheating and maintain system stability.

Confirm that the CPU heatsink has formed a tight seal with the CPU before booting your system.

Overheating can seriously damage the CPU and motherboard. Always make sure the cooling fans work properly to protect the CPU from overheating. Be sure to apply an even layer of thermal paste (or thermal tape) between the CPU and the heatsink to enhance heat dissipation.

Whenever the CPU is not installed, always protect the CPU socket pins by covering the socket with the plastic cap.

If you purchased a separate CPU and heatsink/ cooler, Please refer to the documentation in the heatsink/ cooler package for more details about installation.

This motherboard is designed to support overclocking. Before attempting to overclock, please make sure that all other system components can tolerate overclocking. Any attempt to operate beyond product specifications is not recommended. MSI operation beyond product specifications.

does not guarantee the damages or risks caused by inadequate

Overview of Components

DIMM Slots

DIMMA1 DIMMB1

Channel A Channel B

DIMMA2 DIMMB2

Memory module installation recommendation

DIMMB2 DIMMB2

DIMMA2 DIMMA2 DIMMA2

DIMMB1

DIMMA1

Important

Always insert memory modules in the DIMMA2 slot first.

Due to chipset resource usage, the available capacity of memory will be a little less than the amount of installed.

Based on Intel CPU specification, the Memory DIMM voltage below 1.35V is suggested to protect the CPU.

Please note that the maximum capacity of addressable memory is 4GB or less for 32-bit Windows OS due to the memory address limitation. Therefore, we recommended that you to install 64-bit Windows OS if you want to install more than 4GB memory on the motherboard.

Some memory may operate at a lower frequency than the marked value when overclocking due to the memory frequency operates dependent on its Serial Presence Detect (SPD). Go to BIOS and find the Memory Try It! to set the memory frequency if you want to operate the memory at the marked or at a higher frequency.

It is recommended to use a more efficient memory cooling system for full DIMMs installation or overclocking.

The stability and compatibility of installed memory module depend on installed CPU and devices when overclocking.

Overview of Components

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