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SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2

1. zs b D RSATA_TXP1 RSATA_TXP2 RSATA TXN1 RSATA TXN2 D D _ 1 RSATA RXP2 RSATA RXN1 RSATA_RXN2 GND GND ps SATAGG 3 SATA6G 4 ND D E RSATA TXP3 RSATA TXP4 RSATA_TXN3 RSATA_TXN4 q A DI GND GND RSATA RXP3 RSATA RXP4 RSATA RXN3 RSATA_RXN4 GND GND SABERTOOTH 297 mark SATA6G_5 SATA6G_6 GND ND KI RSATA_TXP5 RSATA_TXP6 RSATA TXN5 RSATA TXN6 E GND GND RSATA_RXP5 RSATA_RXP6 O RSATA RXN5 RSATA RXN6 8 41 GND GND SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 Intel SATA 6 Gb s connectors NOTE Connect the right angle side of SATA signal cable to SATA device You may also connect the right angle side of SATA cable to the onboard SATA port to avoid mechanical conflict with huge graphics cards These connectors are set to AHCI Mode by default If you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these connectors set the SATA Mode item in the BIOS to RAID Mode Refer to section 3 6 3 SATA Configuration for details Before creating a RAID set refer to section 5 1 RAID configurations or the manual bundled in the motherboard support DVD ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 29 Digital audio connector 4 1 pin SPDIF OUT
2. for ULI T3 L 1 SABERTOOTH 297 mark O Ei e X Re SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 CPU LGA1150 4 Ensure that all power cables are unplugged before installing the CPU o Ensure that you install the correct CPU designed for LGA1150 only DO NOT install a CPU designed for LGA1155 and LGA1156 sockets on the LGA1150 socket 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 o 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 LGA1150 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 Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 24 System memory The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 3 DDR3 Dual Inline Memory Modules DIMM slots
3. SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 TB HEADER connector Z The add on Thunderbolt I O card and Thunderbolt cables are purchased separately _ ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 37 1 38 Chapter 1 Product introduction Basic installation 2 1 Building your PC system 2 1 1 Motherboard installation The diagrams in this section are for reference only The motherboard layout may vary with models but the installation steps are the same for all models PON 1 Install the ASUS Q Shield to the chassis rear I O panel 2 Place the motherboard into the chassis ensuring that its rear I O ports are aligned to the chassis rear I O panel ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 2 1 3 Place nine screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis DO NOT over tighten the screws Doing so can damage the motherboard 2 2 Chapter 2 Basic installation 2 1 2 CPU installation Ensure that you install the correct CPU designed for LGA1150 socket only DO NOT install a CPU designed for LGA1155 and LGA1156 sockets on the LGA1150 socket ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 2 3 2 1 3 CPU heatsink and fan assembly installation Apply the Thermal Interface Material to the CPU heatsink and CPU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary Sf Soin 2 4 Chapter 2 Basi
4. EE E SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 MemOK button AA Refer to section Onboard LEDs for the exact location of the DRAM LED The DRAM LED also lights up when the DIMM is not properly installed Turn off the system and reinstall the DIMM before using the MemOK function The MemOK button does not function under Windows OS environment During the tuning process the system loads and tests failsafe memory settings It takes about 30 seconds for the system to test one set of failsafe settings If the test fails the system reboots and test the next set of failsafe settings The blinking speed of the DRAM LED increases indicating different test processes Due to memory tuning requirement the system automatically reboots when each timing set is tested If the installed DIMMs still fail to boot after the whole tuning process the DRAM LED lights continuously Replace the DIMMs with ones recommended in the Memory QVL Qualified Vendors Lists in this user manual or on the ASUS website at www asus com If you turn off the computer and replace DIMMs during the tuning process the system continues memory tuning after turning on the computer To stop memory tuning turn off the computer and unplug the power cord for about 5 10 seconds If your system fails to boot up due to BIOS overclocking press the MemOK button to boot and load the BIOS default settings A message will appear during POST reminding you that
5. and Refer to the tables on the next page for LAN port LEDs and audio port definitions 2 12 Chapter 2 Basic installation e USB 3 0 devices can only be used as data storage only e We strongly recommend that you connect USB 3 0 devices to USB 3 0 ports for faster and better performance for your USB 3 0 devices Due to the design of the Intel 9 series chipset all USB devices connected to the USB 2 0 and USB 3 0 ports are controlled by the xHCI controller Some legacy USB devices must update their firmware for better compatibility e Multi VGA output supports up to three displays under Windows OS environment two displays under BIOS and one display under DOS LAN ports LED indications Activity Link LED Speed LED Status Description Status Description Orange Orange 100 Mbps connection Orange Blinking Data activity 1 Gbps connection Orange Blinking Ready to wake up LAN port then steady from S5 mode Audio 2 4 6 or 8 channel configuration ACT LINK SPEED 10 Mbps connection LED LED Headset 4 channel 6 channel 8 channel 2 channel C C Orange enter Subwoofer enter Subwoofer Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 2 13 2 3 2 Audio I O connections Audio I O ports orange light blue black lime pink Connect to Stereo Speakers INP
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7. i gt gt 3 52 Network Stack Driver Support Disabled Disabled Select to skip the network stack driver from loading during POST Enabled Select to load the network stack driver during POST Next Boot after AC Power Loss Normal Boot Normal Boot Returns to normal boot on the next boot after an AC power loss Fast Boot Accelerates the boot speed on the next boot after an AC power loss DirectKey DRCT Enabled Disabled Disables the DirectKey button The system will only power on or off when you press the DirectKey button Enabled Allows the system to power on and go to the BIOS Setup directly when you press the Reset button Connect the 2 pin connector of the chassis reset button cable to the onboard DRCT header Boot Logo Display Auto Auto Sets the boot logo to display during POST Full Screen Sets the boot logo display in full screen during POST Disabled Disables the boot logo display during POST LA The following item appears only when you set the Boot Logo Display to Auto and Full Screen Post Delay Time 3 sec This item allows you to select a desired additional POST waiting time to easily enter the BIOS Setup You can only execute the POST delay time during normal boot The values range from 0 to 10 seconds This feature only works when set under normal boot Z The following items appear only when you set the Boot Logo Display to Disabled Post Repor
8. Advanced Modes MEUM 1 T 359 Tini ee o cerro 7 lana LIES DIETE Ai Taraker Advinted Too ni Z e fyou have forgotten your BIOS password erase the CMOS Real Time Clock RTC RAM to clear the BIOS password See section Onboard buttons and switches for SE information on how to erase the RTC RAM via the Clear CMOS button LUI e The Administrator or User Password items on top of the screen show the default Not 65 Installed After you set a password these items show Installed 3 12 Chapter 3 BIOS setup Administrator Password If you have set an administrator password we recommend that you enter the administrator password for accessing the system Otherwise you might be able to see or change only selected fields in the BIOS setup program To set an administrator password 1 Select the Administrator Password item and press Enter 2 From the Create New Password box key in a password then press Enter 3 Confirm the password when prompted To change an administrator password 1 Select the Administrator Password item and press Enter 2 From the Enter Current Password box key in the current password then press Enter 3 From the Create New Password box key in a new password then press Enter 4 Confirm the password when prompted To clear the administrator password follow the same steps as in changing an
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10. AN A DDR3 module is notched differently from a DDR or DDR2 module DO NOT install a DDR or DDR2 memory module to the DDR3 slot DIMM B2 DIMM_A2 DIMM_A1 DIMM_B1 nsus SABERTOOTH 297 mark Ru X mmm 4 1 1 peg SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 240 pin DDR3 DIMM socket Recommended memory configurations ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 Memory configurations You may install 2 GB 4 GB and 8 GB unbuffered and non ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the DIMM Sockets NA 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 According to Intel CPU spec DIMM voltage below 1 65V is recommended to protect the CPU Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency For optimum compatibility we recommend that you obtain memory modules from the same vendor Due to the memory address limitation on 32 bit Windows OS when you install 4 GB or more memory on the motherboard the actual usable memory for the OS can be about 3 GB or less For effective use of memory we recommend that
11. des n L Favores Main Al Tweaker Moni Boot da Harare Nanna UTE 1 0 Corral 10 or iu du Exi Gd ee Warmer le Coit 2 FOL Arden bia ui iM HD Audio Controller Enabled This item allows you to use the Azalia High Definition Audio Controller Configuration options Disabled Enabled Z The following items appear only when you set the HD Audio Controller to Enabled _ Front Panel Type HD Audio This item allows you to set the front panel audio connector AAFP mode to legacy AC 97 or high definition audio depending on the audio standard that the front panel audio module supports HD Audio Sets the front panel audio connector AAFP mode to high definition audio AC97 Sets the front panel audio connector AAFP mode to legacy AC 97 SPDIF Out Type SPDIF SPDIF Sets to an SPDIF audio output HDMI Sets to an HDMI audio output ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 41 3 42 Asmedia USB 3 0 Controller Enabled This item allows you to enable the ASMedia USB 3 0 controller of your system Configuration options Disabled Enabled fF The following item appears only when you set the ASMedia USB 3 0 Controller to Enabled ASMedia USB 3 0 Battery Charging Support Disabled This item allows you to enable the ASMedia USB 3 0 battery charging support of your System Configuration options Disabled Enabled PCI EX16 3 Sl
12. Chip NO Timing 12 13 13 35 DIMM socket support Voltage Optional Apacer 78 BAGFR AFDOC XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 12 13 13 35 Apacer 78 CAGFF AFDOC XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 12 13 13 35 CORSAIR CMD16GX3M4A2666C11 Ver5 12 XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 11 13 13 35 G SKILL F3 2666CL10Q 16GBZHD XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 10 12 12 31 GEIL GOC332GB2666C11QC XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 11 13 13 32 KINGSTON KHX26C11T2K2 8X XMP DDR3 2500 MHz capability Vendors G SKILL DDR3 2400 MHz capability Vendors A DATA Part No F3 20000CL10Q 16GBZHD XMP Part No AX3U2400W4G11 DMV XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 16GB 4x 4GB 8GB 2x 4GB SS DS DS SS DS SS Chip Brand Chip Brand 2666 11 13 13 32 10 11 11 31 11 13 13 35 DIMM socket support Voltage Optional 1 65 DIMM socket support Voltage Optional A DATA AX3U2400W8G11 DMV XMP 16GB 2x 8GB DS 11 13 13 35 Apacer 78 BAGFL AFDOC XMP 8GB 2x 4GB DS 11 12 12 30 Apacer 783BAGF3 AFDOC XMP 8GB 2x 4GB DS 11 11 11 30 CORSAIR CMD16GX3M2A2400C10 Ver4 21 XMP 16GB 2x 8GB DS 10 12 12 31 CORSAIR CMD32GX3M4A2400C10 Ver5 29 XMP 32GB 4x 8GB DS 10 12 12 31 CORSAIR CMY16GX3M2A2400C10A Ver4 21 XMP 16GB 8x 2GB DS 10 12 12 31 CORSAIR CMY16GX3M2A2400C10R
13. q ASUS H Ss SABERTOOTH 297 marr a al CPU_OV 12 2 3 H ERIS 558 li a Disable Enable mm mu em Default SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 CPU_OV ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 27 1 2 8 Onboard LEDs 1 POST State LEDs The POST State LEDs provide the status of these key components during POST Power On Self Test CPU memory modules VGA card and hard disk drives If an error is found the critical component s LED stays lit up until the problem is solved DRAM LED CPU LED BOOT DEVICE LED VGA LED III SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 CPU DRAM BOOT_DEVICE VGA LED 1 28 Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 2 9 Internal connectors 1 Intel Z97 Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s connectors 7 pin SATA6G 1 6 brown These connectors connect to Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s hard disk drives via Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s signal cables If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives you can create a RAID 0 1 5 and 10 configuration with the Intel Rapid Storage Technology through the onboard Intel Z97 chipset SATA6G 1 SATA6G 2
14. ASST Fan 1 2 Q Fan Source DC Mode This item controls the assigned fan according to the selected temperature source Configuration options CPU MB VCORE VCORE BACK DRAM PCH Core USB3 0 PCIE 1 PCIE 2 T_Sensor1 T Sensor2 T_Sensor3 QB If you select T SENSOR 1 3 plug a thermistor cable to T SENSOR 1 3 headers and stick the thermistor cable s head to the desired component as the temperature source ASST Fan 1 2 Speed Low Limit 300 RPM This item allows you to disable or set the assistant fans warning speed Configuration options Ignore 200 RPM 300 RPM 400 RPM 500 RPM 600 RPM ASST Fan 1 2 Profile Standard This item allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the assistant fans Standard Set to make the assistant fan adjust automatically depending on the chassis temperature Silent Set to minimize the fan speed for quiet assistant fan operation Turbo Set to achieve maximum assistant fan speed Manual Set to assign detailed fan speed control parameters LA The following items appear only when you set the ASST Fan 1 2 Profile to Manual ASST Fan 1 2 Upper Temperature 70 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the upper limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 40 C to 90 C ASST Fan 1 2 Max Duty Cycle 100 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the maximum assistant fan duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning ASST Fan 1 2 M
15. Adding items to My Favorites To add BIOS items 1 Press F3 on your keyboard or click from the BIOS screen to open Setup Tree Map screen 2 Setup Tree Map screen select the BIOS items that you want to save in MyFavorites screen Main menu panel Selected shortcut items Submenu panel di Select an item from main menu panel then click the submenu that you want to save as favorite from the submenu panel and tap or click or press lt Enter gt on your keyboard Ff You cannot add the following items to My Favorite items e tems with submenu options e User managed items such as language and boot order e Configuration items such as Memory SPD Information system time and date 4 Click Exit ESC or press esc key to close Setup Tree Map screen 5 Go to My Favorites menu to view the saved BIOS items Li ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 11 3 4 Main menu The Main menu screen appears when you enter the Advanced Mode of the BIOS Setup program The Main menu provides you an overview of the basic system information and allows you to set the system date time language and security settings M UEFI EDS Linie ficyenced Mode TP 1 35 3 ig awe n2 DC 1 ero ee PF ee E i AB 7m d a LI Wy Favorites A Tweaker dant Boot Too Exit tartare Sene Security The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings hyd UEFI
16. Power Saving Level 3 Threshold Auto Lower value provides sufficient overclocking tolerance to enlarge the overclocking potential Higher value provides better power saving condition Use lt gt or lt gt key to adjust the value The values range from 0 A to 30 A at 1A increment Extreme Over voltage Disabled This item allows you to set higher voltages for overclocking When you enable this item you can choose a high level voltage to overclock but does not guarantee the CPU life Configuration options Disabled Enabled You can only enable this item when the onboard CPU jumper is set to ON Refer to section 1 2 7 Jumpers of this user guide for more details CPU Core Voltage Auto This item allows you to configure the amount of voltage fed to the CPU cores Increase the voltage when setting a high Core Frequency value Configuration options Auto Manual Mode Offset Mode Z The following item appears only when you set the CPU Core Voltage to Manual Mode CPU Core Voltage Override Auto This item allows you to set the CPU Core Voltage override Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 001V to 1 920 V with a 0 001 V interval Z The following items appear only when you set the CPU Core Voltage to Offset Mode Offset Mode Sign To offset the voltage by a positive value To offset the voltage by a negative value CPU Core Voltage Off
17. SVID Support Auto Set this item to Enabled when overclocking your system Disabling this item stops the CPU from communicating with the external voltage regulator Configuration options Auto Disabled Enabled Z The following item appears only when you set SVID Support to Enabled n SVID Voltage Override Auto This item allows you to set the SVID Voltage override By default this item takes the standard value of the installed CPU You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 001V to 2 440 V with a 0 001 V interval CPU Input Voltage Auto This item allows you to set an input voltage for the CPU by the external voltage regulator By default this item takes the standard value of the installed CPU You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 800 V to 2 700 V with a 0 010 V interval DRAM Voltage Auto This item allows you to set the DRAM voltage You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 1 20 V to 1 92 V with a 0 005 V interval N According to Intel CPU specifications DIMMs with voltage requirement over 1 65 V may damage the CPU permanently We recommend that you install the DIMMs with the voltage requirement below 1 65 V PCH Core Voltage Auto This item allows you to set the Core voltage for the PCH Platform Controller Hub You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to ad
18. 3 54 Chapter 3 BIOS setup NA Load Default PK This item allows you to load the downloaded PK from a USB storage device The PK file must be formatted as a UEFI variable structure with time based authenticated variable KEK Management The KEK Key exchange Key or Key Enrollment Key manages the Signature database db and Revoked Signature database dbx Z Key exchange Key KEK refers to Microsoft Secure Boot Key Enrollment Key KEK NA Delete KEK This item allows you to delete the KEK from your system Configuration options Yes No Load Default KEK This item allows you to load the downloaded KEK from a USB storage device Append Default KEK This item allows you to load the additional KEK from a storage device for an additional db and dbx loaded management The KEK file must be formatted as a UEFI variable structure with time based authenticated variable DB Management The db Authorized Signature database lists the signers or images of UEFI applications operating system loaders and UEFI drivers that you can load on the single computer NA Delete db This item allows you to delete the db file from your system Configuration options Yes No Load Default db This item allows you to load the downloaded db from a USB storage device Append Default db This item allows you to load the additional db from a storage device so that more images can be loaded securely The db fil
19. Chapter 5 RAID support This chapter describes the RAID configurations Where to find 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 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 vii Conventions used in this guide To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual DANGER WARNING Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task complete a task CAUTION Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to IMPORTANT Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task Z NOTE Tips and additional information to help you complete a task Typography Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select Italics Used to emphasize a word or a phrase lt Key gt Keys enclosed in the less than and greater than sign means that you must press the enclosed key Example lt Enter gt means that you must press the Enter or Return key lt Key1 gt lt Key2 gt lt Key3 gt If you must press two or more keys simultaneously the key names are linked with a plus si
20. Extreme Select to maintain the current VRM balance DO NOT remove the thermal module The thermal conditions should be monitored CPU Current Capability Auto This item provides a total power range for CPU overclocking A higher value setting provides higher power consumption delivery and extends the overclocking frequency range simultaneously Configuration options Auto 10096 11096 12096 13096 14096 Chapter 3 BIOS setup CPU Power Thermal Control 120 A higher temperature brings a wider CPU power thermal range and extends the overclocking tolerance to enlarge the overclocking potential Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values depend on the CPU installed AN DO NOT remove the thermal module The thermal conditions should be monitored DRAM Current Capability 100 This item adjusts the total power range for DRAM overclocking Set a higher value to provide a wider total power range and extends the overclocking frequency range simultaneously Configuration options 100 110 120 130 DRAM Switching Frequency Auto This item affects the overclocking range and system stability Set this item to Manual to manually set a fixed DRAM switching frequency for an increased overclocking range or enhanced system stability Z The following item appears only when you set the DRAM Switching Frequency to Manual Fixed DRAM Switching Frequency KHz 300 This item allows y
21. Max CPU Graphics Ratio Auto Auto This option allows you to automatically optimize the CPU Graphics Ratio depending on the system loading Manual This option allows you to set a value for an optimal CPU Graphics Ratio Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the CPU graphics ratio The minimum value depends on the installed CPU OC Tuner Keep Current Settings This item allows you to automatically overclock the CPU and DRAM frequencies and voltage for an enhanced system performance It also accelerates the CPU graphics performance to the extreme depending on the CPU graphics loading Configuration options Keep Current Settings Ratio First BCLK First Ensure that you installed an efficient CPU fan for CPU and graphics loading before selecting either BCLK First or Ratio First To keep the current overclocking tuner status select Keep Current Settings EPU Power Saving Mode Disabled The ASUS EPU Energy Processing Unit sets the CPU in its minimum power consumption settings Enable this item to set lower CPU VCCIN and Vcore voltages and achieve the best energy saving condition Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 17 3 18 DRAM Timing Control The subitems in this menu allow you to set the DRAM timing control features Use the lt gt or keys to adjust the value To restore the default setting type auto using the keyboard and press the Enter key
22. The illustrated items above are for reference only Actual product specifications may vary with different models xiii Installation tools and components ay V a amp 1 bag of screws PC chassis Philips cross screwdriver m TN Power supply unit Intel LGA1150 compatible CPU Fan Intel LGA1150 CPU ooo DI SATA hard disk drive DIMM Graphics card optional SATA optical disc drive optional Z The tools and components in the table above are not included in the motherboard package NI XIV Product introduction 1 1 Special features 1 1 1 Product highlights LGA1150 socket for the 4th New 4th and 5th generation Intel Core i7 Intel Core i5 Intel Core i3 Pentium and Celeron processors This motherboard supports the 4th New 4th and 5th generation Intel Core i7 Intel Core 15 Intel Core i3 Pentium and Celeron processors in the LGA1150 package It provides great graphics and system performance with its GPU dual channel DDR3 memory slots and PCI Express 2 0 3 0 expansion slots Intel Z97 Express Chipset Intel Z97 Express Chipset is a single chipset that supports the LGA1150 socket for the 4th New 4th and 5th generation Intel Core i7 Intel Core i5 Intel Core i3 Pentium and Celeron processors It utilizes the serial point to point links which increases bandwi
23. This item allows you to select the source clock based on the assigned CPU strap for a better overclocking capability Configuration options BOhm dbl 7Ohm dbl GOhm dbl Ohm dbl 40hm dbl 3Ohm dbl 2Ohm dbl PLL Selection Auto This item is set to LC PLL by default for better stability Select SB PLL when the BCLK base clock frequency is far away from 100 MHz This may affect the function of other devices that need precise clock jitters Configuration options Auto LC PLL SB PLL Filter PLL Auto Set this item to high BCLK base clock mode when using a very high BCLK to improve overclocking capability Configuration options Auto Low BCLK mode High BCLK mode BCLK Frequency 100 This item allows you to set the BCLK base clock frequency to enhance the system performance Use the lt gt or lt gt to adjust the value The values range from 80 0 MHz to 300 0 MHz MN We recommend you to set the value based on the CPU specification as high BCLK frequencies may damage the CPU permanently Initial BCLK Frequency Auto This item allows you to start overclocking the system from the initial BCLK base clock frequency to the assigned BCLK frequency Use the lt gt or lt gt to adjust the value The value ranges depend on the value you set on BCLK Frequency ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 15 3 16 ASUS MultiCore Enhancement Auto Auto This item allows you to maximize the oveclocking performan
24. i Changing the values in this menu may cause the system to become unstable If this happens revert to the default settings Primary Timings DRAM CAS Latency Auto Configuration options Auto 1 31 DRAM RAS to CAS Delay Auto Configuration options Auto 1 31 DRAM RAS PRE Time Auto Configuration options Auto 1 31 DRAM RAS ACT Time Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM Command Rate Auto Configuration options Auto 1 2 Secondary Timings DRAM RAS to RAS Delay Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM REF Cycle Time Auto Configuration options Auto 1 511 DRAM Refresh Interval Auto Configuration options Auto 1 65535 DRAM WRITE Recovery Time Auto Configuration options Auto 1 16 DRAM READ to PRE Time Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM FOUR ACT WIN Time Auto Configuration options Auto 1 255 DRAM WRITE to READ Delay Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM CKE Minimum Pulse Width Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM CAS Write Latency Auto Configuration options Auto 1 31 Chapter 3 BIOS setup RTL IOL control DRAM RTL Initial Value Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM RTL CHA RO0DO Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM RTL CHA RO0D1 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM RTL CHA R1D0 Auto Configur
25. When set to Enabled this item allows the legacy OS to boot even without support for CPUs with extended CPUID functions Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 31 3 32 Execute Disable Bit Enabled Execute Disable prevents certain classes of malicious buffer overflow attacks when combined with a supporting OS SuSE Linux 9 2 RedHat Enterprise 3 Update 3 Configuration options Disabled Enabled Intel Virtualization Technology Disabled When set to Enabled a VMM can utilize the additional hardware capabilities provided by Vanderpool Technology Configuration options Disabled Enabled Hardware Prefetcher L2 Cache Enabled This item allows the CPU to prefetch commands and data in the L2 cache reduces the DRAM loading time and improves the system performance Configuration options Disabled Enabled Adjacent Cache Line Prefetcher Enabled This item allows the mid level cache L2 to prefetch adjacent cache lines reducing the DRAM loading time and improves the system performance Configuration options Disabled Enabled Boot Performance Mode Max Non Turbo Performance This item allows you to select the CPU performance state during system boot before the operating system takes control The CPU runs at a selected performance ratio based on CPU configuration Configuration options Max Non Turbo Performance Max Battery Turbo Performance D
26. gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 1 W t0 4096 W Package Power Time Window Auto Also known as Power Limit 1 this item allows you to maintain the time window for Turbo Ratio over TDP Thermal Design Power Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 1 to 127 in seconds Short Duration Package Power Limit Auto Also known as Power Limit 2 this item allows you to provide rapid protection when the package power exceeds the Power Limit 1 Use the lt gt Or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 1 W t0 4096 W CPU Integrated VR Current Limit Auto Allows you to set a higher current limit to prevent frequency and power throttling when overclocking Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 125 to 1023 875 with a 0 125 interval CPU Internal Power Switching Frequency Frequency Tuning Mode Auto This item allows you to increase or decrease the switching frequency of the internal regulator Decrease the switching frequency to reduce the power consumption or increase the switching frequency to enhance voltage stability When this item is set to or the Frequency Tuning Offset appears that allows you to set its value from 0 to 6 CPU Internal Power Fault Control Thermal Feedback Auto Allows your system to take precautionary actions to protect the CPU when the thermal condition of the external regul
27. 1 1 4 Safe amp Stable Guardian 1 3 11 5 EZ DIY aaa 1 4 1 1 6 ASUS Exclusive Features 1 5 1 1 7 Other special featUres ii 1 6 1 2 Motherboard overview rrrrrrrrarrriere rire ire rire iii iii 1 7 1 2 1 Before you proceed ssssssssssesseeeeene nennen 1 7 1 2 2 Motherboard layout dco cedet eie ub 1 8 1 2 3 Central Processing Unit CPU 1 10 1 2 4 System MEMONY fet 1 11 1 2 5 EX SIN SOUS cereis H 1 23 1 2 6 Onboard DUNONS risi 1 25 1 2 7 gt ato 1 26 1 2 8 Onboard LE cc 1 28 1 2 9 intemal connector 1 29 Chapter 2 Basic installation 2 1 Building VOUr PC SV SUSI c 2 1 2 1 1 Motherboard installation sese 2 1 2 1 2 2 3 2 1 3 CPU heatsink and fan assembly installation 2 4 2 1 4 DIMM WAS TAN ATION ss secs csse 2 6 2 1 5 POWOI Connection s sisien ari 2 7 2 1 6 SATA device CONNECHION ii 2 8 2 1 7 Front I O Connector 2 9 2 1 8 Expansion Card installation i 2 10 2 2 BIOS Update Utili iii 2 11 2 3 Motherboard rear and audio connections 2 12 2 3 1 Rear VO connection iii
28. 15 Li Te Road Peitou Taipei Taiwan 11259 Telephone 886 2 2894 3447 Fax 886 2 2890 7798 E mail info asus com tw Web site WWW asus com com Technical Support Telephone 86 21 38429911 Fax 86 21 5866 8722 ext 9101 Online support http www asus com tw support ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL America Address 800 Corporate Way Fremont CA 94539 USA Telephone 1 510 739 3777 Fax 1 510 608 4555 Web site http www asus com us Technical Support Support fax 1 812 284 0883 Telephone 1 812 282 2787 Online support http www service asus com ASUS COMPUTER GmbH Germany and Austria Address Harkort Str 21 23 D 40880 Ratingen Germany Fax 49 2102 959911 Web site http www asus com de Online contact http eu rma asus com sales Technical Support Telephone 49 1805 010923 Support Fax 49 2102 9599 11 Online support http www asus com de support ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 A 5 alnpeubis uaqug Aller owen O39 uonsog Bupyew Auuojuoo 93 166071 t LOC 32 uibeq 169A VL0c V0 8 Bueu 3935 3 99 110 1 610 219 ON 600 822 ON 03 6002 29 ON 8002 S2z1 ON 93 uonembey C dia 03 51 600 10 1 2002 89009 N3 LOZ Z Y 1 09609 N3 X CAT 9I 66 9002X
29. 2 ASUS OLG do 3 58 3 9 3 ASUS DRAM SPD Information iii 3 59 0 ec O 3 60 B rupnpEs 3 61 3 11 1 3 61 3 11 2 ASUS EZ FlASH 2 roms buie GR nxor ai 3 62 3 11 3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 3 63 Chapter 4 Software support 4 1 Installing an operating system eene 4 1 4 2 Support DVD information eene enne nnns 4 1 4 2 1 Running the support 00 chm vaut 4 1 4 2 2 Obtaining the software 4 3 4 3 Software INMOLMAUON Be 4 4 4 4 AISUNC 3 c 4 4 Theimal Radar Z Tem 4 7 4 4 1 s HR 4 11 4 4 2 EZ Upda 4 12 4 4 3 USB BIOS FIASHDACK sc cri 4 14 4 4 4 GG 4 16 4 4 5 SB 3 0 BOOS M c 4 19 4 4 6 System Information sss 4 20 4 4 7 USB 4 22 4 4 8 la 4 23 4 5 lai 4 24 4 6 Audio configurations 4 25 Chapter 5 RAID support 5 1 RAID coniigurations e 5 1 5 1 1 RAID definitionis etc 5 1 Sg Installing Serial ATA hard disks 5 2 5 1 3 Setting the RAID ite
30. 2x 8GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMY8GX3M2A1866C9 Ver3 24 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMZ16GX3M2A1866C10 Ver5 29 XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 10 11 10 30 CORSAIR CMZ16GX3M2A1866C9 XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 1866 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMZ32GX3M4X1866C 10 Ver3 23 XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 10 11 10 27 CORSAIR CMZ32GX3M4X1866C 10 Ver3 23 XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 10 11 10 27 CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9 Ver8 16 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9G Ver5 12 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 1866 9 10 9 27 Cricial BLE8G3D1869DE1TX0 16FED XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 1866 9 9 9 27 Crucial BLE4G3D1869DE1XT0 16FMD XMP 4GB continued on the next page 9 9 9 27 Chapter 1 Product introduction DDR3 1866 MHz capability Vendors G SKILL F3 14900CL10Q 32GBZL XMP DIMM socket support Voltage Optional 10 11 10 30 G SKILL F3 14900CL9D 8GBSR XMP 9 10 9 28 G SKILL F3 14900CL9Q 16GBXL XMP 9 10 9 28 G SKILL F3 14900CL9Q 16GBZL XMP 9 10 9 28 G SKILL F3 14900CL9Q 16GBZL XMP 9 10 9 28 G SKILL F3 1866C10Q2 64GZM XMP 10 11 10 30 G SKILL F3 1866C10Q2 64GZM XMP 10 11 10 30 G SKILL F3 1866C9Q 32GXM XMP 9 10 9 28 GEIL GEEL316GB1866C9DC XMP 1866 9 10 9 28 KINGSTON KHX1866C9D3K2 8GX
31. Asint SLB304G08 EGJ1B XMP Asint SLB304G08 EGN1B 304G08 GN1B Asint SLZ302G08 EGN1C 302G08 GN1C AVEXIR AVD3U16000904G 2CW XMP CORSAIR CMD16GX3M2A1600C9 Ver8 21 XMP CORSAIR CMD8GX3M2A1600C8 Ver5 12 XMP CORSAIR CMD8GX3M2A1600C9 Ver2 12 XMP CORSAIR CML16GX3M2A1600C10 Ver2 21 XMP CORSAIR CML8GX3M2A1600C9 Ver7 12 XMP CORSAIR CMV8GX3M1A1600C11 CORSAIR CMX8GX3M2A1600C9 Ver3 19 XMP CORSAIR CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10 Ver 3 24 XMP CORSAIR CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 XMP CORSAIR CMZ16GX3M4X1600C9 Ver8 16 XMP CORSAIR CMZ32GX3M4X1600C10 Ver2 2 XMP CORSAIR CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9 Ver8 16 XMP CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10 Ver3 23 XMP CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10 Ver8 21 XMP CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 XMP continued on the next page Chapter 1 Product introduction DDR3 1600 MHz capability Vendors Crucial Part No BLS4G3D1609DS1500 A6FMR XMP Voltage DIMM socket support Optional Crucial Elixir BLT4G3D1608DT1TXO A6FM XMP M2X2G64CB88G7N Elixir DG XMP N2CB2G80GN DG Elixir M2X4G64CB8HG5N Elixir DG XMP N2CB2G80GN DG G SKILL G SKILL F3 12800CL9D 8GBSR2 XMP F3 12800CL9Q 16GBXL XMP G Skill F3 12800CL9Q 16GBZL XMP G SKILL GEIL F3 1600C9Q 32GXM XMP GUP34GB1600C7DC XMP KINGMAX FLGE85F
32. BIOS file When found the utility reads the BIOS file and enters ASUS EZ Flash 2 automatically The system requires you to enter BIOS Setup to recover the BIOS setting To ensure system compatibility and stability we recommend that you press F5 to load default BIOS values N DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS Doing so can cause system boot failure ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 63 3 64 3 11 4 ASUS BIOS Updater ASUS BIOS Updater allows you to update the BIOS in DOS environment Z The screen captures used in this section are for reference only and may not be exactly the same as actually shown on your computer screen Before updating BIOS Prepare the motherboard support DVD and a USB flash drive Download the latest BIOS file and BIOS Updater from http support asus com and save them in your USB flash drive NTFS is not supported under DOS environment Ensure that your USB flash drive is in single partition and in FAT32 16 format Turn off the computer Ensure that your computer has a DVD optical drive Booting the system in DOS environment To boot the system in DOS 1 Insertthe USB flash drive with the latest BIOS file and BIOS Updater to the USB port 2 Boot your computer then press F8 to launch the select boot device screen 3 When the select boot device screen appears insert the Support DVD into the optical drive then select the optical drive as t
33. Enabled This item allows you to disable or enable the CPU C6 report to the operating system Configuration options Enabled Disabled C6 Latency Short This item allows you to set the duration of C6 latency for C6 state Configuration options Short Long CPU C7 Report CPU C7s This item allows you to disable or enable the CPU C7 report to the operating system Configuration options Disabled CPU C7 CPU C7s C7 Latency Long This item allows you to set the duration of C7 latency for C7 state Configuration options Short Long Package C State Support Auto This item allows you to set the a C state support for the CPU package Configuration options Auto Enabled C0 C1 C2 C3 C6 CPU C7 CPU C7s ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 6 2 PCH Configuration UEFI BSS Lindy irh 18 28 Lens wee Cornel My Favorites Main Ai Tweaker Monitor PCI Express Configuration This item allows you to configure the PCI Express slots PCle Speed Auto This item allows your system to automatically select the PCI Express port speed When set to Gen1 the PCI E port runs at PCI E 1 0 speed When set to Gen2 the PCI E port runs at PCI E 2 0 speed Configuration options Auto Gen1 Gen2 Intel Rapid Start Technology Disabled This item allows you to enable or disable Intel Rapid Start Technology Configuration options Enabled Disabled LA The following items appear on
34. OS Type Windows UEFI Mode Windows UEFI This item allows you to select your installed operating system Mode Execute the Microsoft Secure Boot check Only select this option when booting on Windows UEFI mode or other Microsoft Secure Boot compliant OS Other OS Get the optimized function when booting on Windows non UEFI mode Microsoft Secure Boot only supports Windows UEFI mode Ff The following item appears only when you set the OS Type to Windows UEFI mode Key Management This allows you to manage the Secure Boot keys Install Default Secure Boot keys This item allows you to immediately load the default Security Boot keys Platform key PK Key exchange Key KEK Signature database db and Revoked Signatures dbx When the default Secure boot keys are loaded the PK state will change from Unloaded mode to loaded mode Clear Secure Boot keys This item appears only when you load the default Secure Boot keys This item allows you to clear all default Secure Boot keys Save Secure Boot Keys This item allows you to save the PK Platform Keys to a USB storage device PK Management The Platform Key PK locks and secures the firmware from any permissible changes The system verifies the PK before your system enters the OS Delete PK This item allows you to delete the PK from your system Once the PK is deleted all the system s Secure Boot keys will not be active Configuration options Yes No
35. SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 65 4 After the BIOS Updater checks the selected BIOS file select Yes to confirm the BIOS update Are you sure you want to update the BIOS The BIOS Backup feature is not supported due to security regulations 5 Select Yes then press Enter When BIOS update is done press lt ESC gt to exit BIOS Updater 6 Restart your computer failure Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exit BIOS menu See section Exit menu for details AN DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot 3 66 Chapter 3 BIOS setup Software support 4 1 Installing an operating system e This motherboard supports 32 bit 64 bit Windows 7 32 bit 64 bit Windows 8 and 32 bit 64 bit Windows 8 1 operating systems OS e Motherboard settings and hardware options vary The setup procedures presented in this chapter are for reference only Refer to Windows operating system documentation for detailed information 4 2 Support DVD information The contents of the support DVD are subject to change at any time without notice Visit the ASUS website at www asus com for updates 4 2 1 Running the support DVD aN Ensure that you have an Administrator account before running the support DVD in Windows 7 Windows 8 or Windows 8 1 operating systems To run the support DVD i Plac
36. Taiwan In your reQuest please provide the name model number and version as stated in the About Box of the product for which you wish to obtain the corresponding source code and your contact details so that we can coordinate the terms and cost of shipment with you The source code will be distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANT Y and licensed under the same license as the corresponding binary object code This offer is valid to anyone in receipt of this information ASUSTeK is eager to duly provide complete source code as reQuired under various Free Open Source Software licenses If however you encounter any problems in obtaining the full corresponding source code we would be much obliged if you give us a notification to the email address gpl asus com stating the product and describing the problem please DO NOT send large attachments such as source code archives etc to this email address Contents Sra e vi AbOUFINS GUIE cc vii SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 specifications summary Leda xiii Installation tools and components eere xiv Chapter 1 Product Introduction 1 1 Special features c 1 1 1 1 1 Product Mong c c 1 1 1 1 2 Ultimate COOL Thermal Solutions 1 2 1 1 3 TUF Engine Power 1 3
37. 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 e Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna e Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver e Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected e Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help to assure compliance with FCC regulations Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user s authority to operate this equipment 4 The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 A 1 A 2 IC Canadian Compliance Statement Complies with the Canadian ICES 003 Class B specifications This device complies with RSS 210 of Industry Canada This Class B device meets all the requirements of the Canadian interference causing equipment regulations This device complies with Industr
38. This connector is for an additional Sony Philips Digital Interface S PDIF port Connect the S PDIF Out module cable to this connector then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis O Lm i e 5 iiu B SPDIF OUT H D O LL a9 5 22 NO e Se TEO SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 Digital audio connector YA The S PDIF module is purchased separately USB 3 0 connector 20 1 pin USB3_34 This connector allows you to connect a USB 3 0 module for additional USB 3 0 front or rear panel ports With an installed USB 3 0 module you can enjoy all the benefits of USB 3 0 including faster data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps faster charging time for USB chargeable devices optimized power efficiency and backward compatibility with USB 2 0 2 O USB3 12 USB3 34 8 ID IntA P2 D Xx xx IntA P1 Da IntA P2 D ra bb 55 E IntA P1 D mn et odd AS
39. Tuning Wizard F11 This button above the menu bar allows you to view and tweak the overclocking settings of your system It also allows you to change the motherboard s SATA mode from AHCI to RAID mode LA Refer to section 3 2 4 EZ Tuning Wizard for more information ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 5 3 6 Quick Note F9 This button above the menu bar allows you to key in notes of the activities that you have done in BIOS fF e The Quick Note function does not support the following keyboard functions delete cut copy and paste e You can only use the alphanumeric characters to enter your notes Hot keys This button above the menu bar contains the navigation keys for the BIOS setup program Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu and change the settings Scroll bar A scroll bar appears on the right side of a menu screen when there are items that do not fit on the screen Press the Up Down arrow keys or Page Up Page Down keys to display the other items on the screen General help At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the selected item Use F12 key to capture the BIOS screen and save it to the removable storage device Configuration fields These fields show the values for the menu items If an item is user configurable you can change the value of the field opposite the item You cannot select an item that is not user configurable A configurable field is
40. USB3 34 38114 USB 2 1 0 TPM GABBA TEE E Es EE Jt 2 6 12 2 QR Refer to Internal connectors and Rear I O connection section for more information about rear panel connectors and internal connectors 1 8 Chapter 1 Product introduction Layout contents Connectors Jumpers Slots 1 ATX power connectors 24 pin EATXPWR 8 pin EATX12V CPU optional chassis and assistant fan connectors 4 CPU FAN 4 pin CPU OPT 4 CHA FAN1 4 3 pin ASST_FAN1 2 7 Intel Z97 Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s connectors 7 pin SATA6G_1 6 1 29 brown 8 CPU Over Voltage jumper 3 pin CPU OV 1 27 9 Clear RTC RAM 3 pin CLRTC 1 26 10 DirectKey connector 2 pin DRCT 1 36 11 System panel connector 20 8 pin PANEL 1 35 12 USB 2 0 connectors 10 1 pin USB1112 USB1314 1 31 13 Thunderbolt header 5 TB HEADER 1 37 14 Thermal sensor connectors T SENSOR1 T SENSOR2 T_ 1 33 SENSOR3 15 Front panel audio connector 10 1 pin AAFP 1 33 16 Digital audio connector 4 1 pin SPDIF OUT 1 30 T 1 TPM connector 20 1 pin TPM 1 36 ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 9 1 2 3 Central Processing Unit CPU The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA1150 socket designed for the 4th New Ath and 5th generation Intel Core i7 Intel Core i5 Intel Core i3 Pentium and Celeron processors
41. XMP Silicon Power SP004GXLYU186NSA XMP 1866 9 11 9 27 Silicon Power SP008GXLYU186NSA XMP DDR3 1600 MHz capability Vendors Part No A DATA AD3U1600W4G11 4GB A DATA AD3U1600W8G11 8GB A DATA ADDU1600W4G11 B 4GB A DATA ADDU1600W8G11 B 8GB SS DS SS DS SS DS Chip Brand A DATA A DATA A DATA ELPIDA Chip NO 3WCD 1211A 3WCD 1211A DWND 1211A J4208EBBG GN F 1866 9 11 9 27 DIMM socket support Optional Timing Voltage 11 11 11 28 11 11 11 28 9 9 9 24 9 9 9 24 A DATA AX3U1600W4G9 8GB 2x DB XMP AGB SS 9 9 9 24 A DATA ui 600W8G9 16GB 2x B XMP 8GB AE32G1609U1 U 23EY4587MB6H AE34G1609U2 U 23EY4587MB6H AP38G1608U2K XMP a ASUS SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 DS continued on the next page 9 9 9 24 9 9 9 28 1 17 1 18 DDR3 1600 MHz capability Vendors Apacer Part No 78 B1GE3 9L10C AM5D5908DEQSCK DIMM socket ee support Timing Optional Apacer 78 B1GET 9K00C AM5D6008BQQSCK 11 11 11 28 78 C1GET 9K10C AM5D6008BQQSCK 11 11 11 31 AHU04GFA60C9Q3R XMP 11 11 11 28 Apacer AHU08GFA60CBT3R XMP 9 9 9 24 Asint SLA302G08 EGG1C XMP 302G08 GG1C 9 9 9 27 Asint SLA302G08 EGJ1C XMP 302G08 GJ1C 9 9 9 27 Asint SLA302G08 EGN1C 302G08 GN1C Asint SLA304G08 ENG1B 304G08 GN1B
42. administrator password but press Enter when prompted to create confirm the password After you clear the password the Administrator Password item on top of the screen shows Not Installed User Password If you have set a user password you must enter the user password for accessing the system The User Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed After you set a password this item shows Installed To set a user password 1 Select the User Password item and press Enter 2 From the Create New Password box key in a password then press Enter 3 Confirm the password when prompted ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 13 To change a user password 1 Select the User Password item and press Enter 2 From the Enter Current Password box key in the current password then press Enter 3 From the Create New Password box key in a new password then press Enter 4 Confirm the password when prompted To clear the user password follow the same steps as in changing a user password but press Enter when prompted to create confirm the password After you clear the password the User Password item on top of the screen shows Not Installed 3 5 Ai Tweaker menu The Ai Tweaker menu items allow you to configure overclocking related items Be cautious when changing the settings of the Ai Tweaker menu items Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction The configurat
43. 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 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 setup This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided Chapter 4 Software support This chapter describes the contents of the support DVD that comes with the motherboard package and the software
44. ensure that you have installed the USB storage device to your computer s USB port that supports USB BIOS Flashback Refer to section 2 3 1 Rear I O connection of this user guide for more details To download the updated BIOS 1 From the USB BIOS Flashback screen click or tap Check for New BIOS Update Wait for the system to check the latest BIOS version 2 After the utility detects a new BIOS click or tap from the Save to field select the USB flash drive then click or tap Download SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 After the download is complete click or tap OK ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 15 4 4 4 Push Notice This utility allows you get the detailed status of your system to your smart device You can also send messages to your smart device using this utility Before using this utility ensure that you pair your computer with your smart device For pairing information refer to section Pairing your computer and smart device Launching Push Notice on your computer To launch Push Notice click or tap ERES on the top right corner of the Al Suite 3 main menu then select Push Notice Push Notice screen Click or tap to enable or disable Push Notice Tick to select the smart device Click or tap to Click or tap to discard the settings apply the settings Z You can also enable the Push Notice via the Push Notice shortcut on the lower right corner of your screen To do this click or tap lt lt th
45. forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors Insufficient air flow inside the system may damage the motherboard components These are not jumpers Do not place jumper caps on the fan connectors o Ensure that the CPU FAN cable is securely installed to the CPU fan connector aN The CPU_FAN connector supports the CPU fan of maximum 1A 12 W fan power The CPU_FAN CHA_FAN and ASST_FAN connectors support the TUF Thermal Radar 2 feature To fully use the fan control function ensure that you connect only an assistant fan to the ASST_FAN connectors 1 32 Chapter 1 Product introduction 6 Front panel audio connector 10 1 pin AAFP This connector is for a chassis mounted front panel audio module that supports either HD Audio or legacy AC 97 audio standard Connect one end of the front panel audio I O module cable to this connector SENSE1 RETUR SENSE2 RETUR GND PRESENCE AGND NC NC C B La AAFP SABERTOOTH 297 PIN 1 PIN 1 NC Line out L MIC2 MICPWR Line out R PORTIL PORTIR PORT2R SENSE_SEND PORT2L Ei 3 HD audio compliant Legacy AC 97 pin definition compliant definition SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 Analog front panel co
46. menu or N to go back to the CREATE VOLUME menu ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 5 5 Deleting a RAID set Be cautious when deleting a RAID set You will lose all data on the hard disk drives when e you delete a RAID set To delete a RAID set 1 From the utility main menu select 2 Delete RAID Volume and press Enter The following screen appears Name Level Drives Capacity Status Bootable olume0 RAIDO Stripe 2 298 0GB Normal Yes Deleting a volume will reset the disks to non RAID ALL DISK DATA WILL BE DELETED This does not apply to Recovery volumes N Select ESC Previous Menu DEL Delete Volume 2 Use the up down arrow key to select the RAID set you want to delete and then press Delete The following warning message appears This does not apply to Recovery volumes Are you sure you want to delete volume Volume0 Y N 3 Press Y to delete the RAID set and return to the utility main menu or press N to return to the DELETE VOLUME menu 5 6 Chapter 5 RAID configurations Exiting the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM utility To exit the utility 1 From the utility main menu select 5 Exit then press Enter The following warning message appears Are you sure you want to exit Y N 2 Press Y to exit or press N to return to the utility main menu 5 2 Installing the RAID driver during Windows OS installation To install the RAID drive
47. points to adjust the fans operating speed 3 Click Apply to save the changes then click Exit ESC 3 8 Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 2 4 EZ Tuning Wizard EZ Tuning Wizard allows you to overclock your CPU and DRAM computer usage and CPU fan to their best settings You can also easily set RAID in your system using this feature EZ Tuning Wizard il System OC setup RAID setup Tuning your system settings To tune your settings 1 Press lt F11 gt on your keyboard or click from the BIOS screen to open EZ Tuning Wizard screen then click Next 2 Selecta PC scenario Daily Computing or Gaming Media Editing then click Next 3 Select the CPU fan type Box cooler Tower cooler or Water cooler that you installed then click Next If you are not sure of the CPU fan type click l m not sure The system automatically detects the CPU fan type la P 4 Click Next then click Yes to confirm auto tuning e AA N amp 2s sl 1 i gt N ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 9 3 3 My Favorites My Favorites is your personal space where you can easily save and access your favorite BIOS items hye DEIS PE m Ci F E i dena 1 9 730 Sie 7 leg D Par Ran Spa LET F n Main A Tweaker Advantedo EID n Boat Too Lxil Harare Mansa LL 216 dan Csi 2 Araria ia uig X 3 10 Chapter 3 BIOS setup
48. the BIOS has been restored to its default settings We recommend that you download and update to the latest BIOS version from the ASUS website at www asus com after using the MemOK function ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 25 1 2 7 Jumpers 1 Clear RTC RAM 3 pin CLRTC This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock RTC RAM in CMOS You can clear the CMOS memory of date time and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data The onboard button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS which include system setup information such as system passwords Ic Ll Lj i q Asus G L 1 SABERTOOTH 297 wane 2 1 CLRTC a 12 23 s m H m Normal Clear RTC iii Default SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 Clear RTC RAM To erase the RTC RAM 1 Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord 2 Move the jumper cap from pins 1 2 default to pins 2 3 Keep the cap on pins 2 3 for about 5 10 seconds then move the cap back to pins 1 2 3 Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer Hold down the lt Delete gt key during the boot proc
49. the jumper settings and connections or call your retailer for assistance BIOS Beep Description VGA detected One short beep Quick boot set to disabled No keyboard detected One continuous beep followed by two No memory detected short beeps then a pause repeated One continuous beep followed by three No VGA detected short beeps One continuous beep followed by four Hardware component failure short beeps 7 At power on hold down the Delete key to enter the BIOS Setup Follow the instructions in Chapter 3 2 5 Turning off the computer While the system is ON press the power button for less than four seconds to put the system on sleep mode or soft off mode depending on the BIOS setting Press the power switch for more than four seconds to let the system enter the soft off mode regardless of the BIOS setting 2 16 Chapter 2 Basic installation BIOS setup 3 1 Knowing BIOS LA The new ASUS UEFI BIOS is a Unified Extensible Interface that complies with UEFI architecture offering a user friendly interface that goes beyond the traditional keyboard only BIOS controls to enable a more flexible and convenient mouse input You can easily navigate the new UEFI BIOS with the same smoothness as your operating system The term BIOS in this user manual refers to UEFI BIOS unless otherwise specified BIOS Basic Input and Output System stores system hardware settings such as storage device configuration overcl
50. the motherboard support DVD or a USB flash drive when the BIOS file fails or gets corrupted 4 ASUS BIOS Updater Updates the BIOS in DOS environment using the motherboard support DVD and a USB flash disk drive 3 11 1 EZ Update The EZ Update is a utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in Windows environment e EZ Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an ISP Internet Service Provider e This utility is available in the support DVD that comes with the motherboard package e Refer to section EZ Update of this user guide for more information ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 61 3 62 3 11 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 allows you to update the BIOS without having to use a bootable floppy disk or an OS based utility Z Before you start using this utility download the latest BIOS from the ASUS website at www asus com To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2 1 Insertthe USB flash disk that contains the latest BIOS file to the USB port 2 Enter the Advanced Mode of the BIOS setup program Go to the Tool menu to select ASUS EZ Flash Utility and press Enter to enable it Linien Artara Moda fad T 5 TEH i agg A I mm ia fee P 3 Press lt Tab gt to switch to the Drive field 4 the Up Down arrow keys to find the USB flash disk that contains the latest BIOS and then press Enter
51. this option only if you failed to enter BIOS Setup using the first two options After doing either of the three options press lt Delete gt key to enter BIOS e The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only and may not exactly match what you see on your screen e Ensure that a USB mouse is connected to your motherboard if you want to use the mouse to control the BIOS setup program e system becomes unstable after changing any BIOS setting load the default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exit menu or press hotkey lt F5 gt See sectionExit Menu for details e system fails to boot after changing any BIOS setting try to clear the CMOS and reset the motherboard to the default value See section Onboard buttons and switches for information on how to erase the RTC RAM via the Clear CMOS button e The BIOS setup program does not support the Bluetooth devices BIOS menu screen The BIOS Setup program can be used under two modes EZ Mode and Advanced Mode You can change modes from the Exit menu or from the Exit Advanced Mode screen Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 2 1 EZ Mode By default the EZ Mode screen appears when you enter the BIOS setup program The EZ Mode provides you an overview of the basic system information and allows you to select the display language system performance mode and boot device priority To acces
52. upper limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 40 C to 90 C Chassis Fan 1 4 Max Duty Cycle 100 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the maximum chassis fan duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning Chassis Fan 1 4 Middle Temperature 45 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to set the value for Chassis Fan Middle Temperature Chassis Fan 1 4 Middle Duty Cycle 60 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the chassis fan middle duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning Chassis Fan 1 4 Lower Temperature 40 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the chassis fans lower temperature The values may differ via Qfan tuning Chassis Fan 1 4 Min Duty Cycle 60 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the minimum chassis fan duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning Chapter 3 BIOS setup Allow Fan Stop 1 3 Disabled These items allow the chassis fans to run at 0 duty cycle when the temperature of the source is dropped below the lower temperature Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASST Fan 1 2 Q Fan Control Enabled These items allow you to set the assistant fans Q Fan control feature into DC Mode PWM Mode or disable these Q Fan controls from your motherboard Configuration options Disabled DC Mode PWM Mode LA The following items appear only when you set the Assistant Fan 1 3 Q Fan Control to PWM Mode or DC Mode
53. 0C9DC XMP GET38GB2200C9ADC XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 4GB 2x 2GB 8GB 2x 4GB SS DS DS DS 2400 11 12 11 29 DIMM socket support Chi Chi n Optional Brand NO Timing Voltage 9 10 9 28 1 65 9 11 9 28 1 65 Chapter 1 Product introduction DDR3 2133 MHz capability Vendors A DATA Part No AX3U2133W4G10 DR XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 10 11 11 30 Voltage DIMM socket support Optional A DATA AX3U2133W8G10 DR XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 10 11 11 30 Apacer 78 BAGE4 AFDOC XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 9 9 9 24 Apacer AHU04GFB33CAQ3R XMP 4GB 11 13 13 31 CORSAIR CMD16GX3M2A2133C9 Ver4 21 XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 9 11 11 31 CORSAIR CMD32GX3M4A2133C9 Ver4 21 XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 9 11 11 31 CORSAIR CMD8GX3M2A2133C9 Ver1 5 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 9 11 10 27 CORSAIR CMD8GX3M2B2133C9 Ver5 12 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 9 11 11 31 CORSAIR CMY8GX3M2A2133C11R Ver4 21 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 11 11 11 27 CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A2133C11R Ver4 21 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 11 11 11 27 G SKILL F3 17000CL11Q2 64GBZLD XMP 64GB 8x 8GB 11 11 11 30 G SKILL F3 17000CL9Q 16GBZH XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 9 11 10 28 G SKILL F3 2133C10Q 32GSR XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 10 12 12 31 G SKILL F3 2133C11Q 32GZL XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 11 11 11 31 KINGSTON KHX2133C11D3K4 16GX XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 1
54. 1 12 11 30 KINGSTON KHX21C11T3FK8 64X XMP 64GB 8x 8GB 9 9 9 24 Silicon Power SP004GXLYU213NSA XMP 4GB 2133 11 12 11 30 Silicon Power SP008GXLYU213NSA XMP 8GB 2133 11 12 11 30 Transcend TX2133KLH 16GK XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 2133 10 11 10 27 Transcend DDR3 2000 MHz capability Vendors TX2133KLN 8GK XMP Part No AXA3ES4GK2000LG28V XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 4GB 2x 2GB 2133 10 11 10 27 Voltage DIMM socket support Optional SLA302G08 ML2HB XMP 4GB H5TQ2G83BFRH9C GUP34GB2000C9DC XMP 4 2x 2GB ASUS SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 1 15 1 16 DDR3 1866 MHz capability Vendors CORSAIR Part No CMD16GX3M2A1866C9 Ver5 29 XMP 16GB 2x 8GB DIMM socket support Voltage Optional 1866 9 9 9 27 CORSAIR CMD16GX3M4A1866C9 Ver4 13 XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMD16GX3M4A1866C9 Ver8 16 XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMD32GX3M4A1866C9 Ver3 24 XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMD8GX3M2A1866C9 Ver4 13 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB CORSAIR CMD8GX3M2A1866C9 Ver5 12 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMD8GX3M2A1866C9 Ver8 16 XMP 8GB 2x 4GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMT32GX3M4X1866C9 Ver3 23 XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 9 10 9 27 CORSAIR CMY16GX3M2A1866C9 Ver 4 21 XMP 16GB
55. 2 12 2 3 2 Audio connections 2 14 2 4 Starting up for the first time rin 2 16 2 5 Turning off THE compultelt i 2 16 Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 1 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 5 3 6 3 7 3 8 3 9 3 10 3 11 Knowing BIOS cm S 3 1 BIOS setup program 3 2 3 2 1 zn 3 3 3 2 2 Advanced ModE sensara 3 4 3 2 3 Q Fan Control s 3 7 3 2 4 EZ NZA osom 3 9 lc 3 10 Mensais 3 12 AlTWweakermentdi aic 3 14 Advanced e 3 30 3 6 1 CPU COMMGUFALOMN Mer P 3 31 3 6 2 POEFECONIGUIRION aaa 3 34 3 6 3 PCH Storage Configuration i 3 35 3 6 4 System Agent Configuration i 3 37 3 6 5 USB 3 38 3 6 6 Platform Misc Configuration 3 39 3 6 7 Onboard Devices 3 41 3 6 8 T S 3 43 3 6 9 Network Stack 3 44 3 6 10 Intel R Rapid Storage 3 45 Monitor MENU 3 46 cfe e acciai 3 51 HE m 3 57 3 9 1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Ucci 3 57 3 9
56. 2 mode PCI Express sharing mode PCle x16 3 Rear USB 3 0 E1 E2 Enabled x4 mode Disabled We recommend that you provide sufficient power when running CrossFireXTM or SLI mode Connect a chassis fan to the motherboard connector labeled CHA FAN1 4 when using multiple graphics cards for better thermal environment IRQ assignments for this motherboard PCle x16 3 PCle x1 1 PCle x1 2 PCle x1 3 SMBus Controller SATA 0 GbE Controller EHCI 0 XHCI Controller shared _ High Definition Audio shared Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 2 6 Onboard buttons Onboard buttons allow you to fine tune performance when working on a bare or open case system This is ideal for overclockers and gamers who continually change settings to enhance system performance 1 MemOK button Installing DIMMs that are not compatible with the motherboard may cause system boot failure and the DRAM LED near the MemOK switch lights continuously Press and hold the MemOK button until the DRAM LED starts blinking to begin automatic memory compatibility tuning for successful boot edo d T e A SABERTOOTH Z97 mark 2 EE em
57. 2khz 24bit true BD lossless sound BD audio layer content protection Supports jack detection multi streaming and front panel jack retasking Optical S PDIF out ports at rear I O Intel Z97 Express Chipset supports ASUS USB 3 0 Boost 4x USB 3 0 2 0 ports at mid board for front panel support 2x USB 3 0 2 0 ports at rear panel blue 8x USB 2 0 1 1 ports 4 ports at mid board 4 ports at rear panel ASMedia USB 3 0 controller supports ASUS USB 3 0 Boost 2xUSB 3 0 2 0 ports at rear panel blue Ultimate COOL Thermal Solution TUF Thermal Radar 2 TUF ICe TUF ENGINE Power Design 8 2 Digital Phase Power Design TUF Components 10K Ti Cap New Alloy Choke amp MOSFET certified by military standard ASUS DIGI Power Control Utility Safe amp Stable Guardian Angel TUF ESD Guards MemOK continued on the next page SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 specifications summary USB 3 0 Boost featuring speedy USB 3 0 transmission USB BIOS Flashback with USB BIOS Flashback Wizard for EZ BIOS download scheduling USB Charger featuring quick charging function for all smart devices ASUS Remote GO with Cloud GO Remote Desktop Remote Keyboard amp Mouse File Transfer ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface Turbo LAN to experience smooth online gaming with lower pings and less lags Push Notice monitors your PC status with smart devices in real
58. 4 pin SPEAKER This 4 pin connector is for the chassis mounted system warning speaker The speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings ATX power button soft off button 2 pin PWRSW This connector is for the system power button Pressing the power button turns the system on or puts the system in sleep or soft off mode depending on the operating system settings Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds while the system is ON turns the system OFF Reset button 2 pin RESET This 2 pin connector is for the chassis mounted reset button for system reboot without turning off the system power ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 35 10 TPM connector 20 1 pin TPM This connector supports a Trusted Platform Module TPM system which securely store keys digital certificates passwords and data A TPM system also helps enhance the network security protects digital identities and ensures platform integrity ASUS 1 SABERTOOTH Z97 E 1 o Q PWRDWN GND 3VSB SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 TPM connector 11 DirectKey connector 2 DRCT This connector is for the chassis mounted button that supports the DirectKey
59. 5 Press Tab to switch to the Folder Info field 6 Press the Up Down arrow keys to find the BIOS file and then press Enter to perform the BIOS update process Reboot the system when the update process is done Chapter 3 BIOS setup i e This function can support devices such as a USB flash disk with FAT 32 16 format and single partition only e DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exit menu See section 3 10 Exit Menu for details 3 11 3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS file when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process You can restore a corrupted BIOS file using the motherboard support DVD or a USB flash drive that contains the BIOS file amp The BIOS file in the motherboard support DVD may be older than the BIOS file published on the ASUS official website If you want to use the newer BIOS file download the file at http support asus com and save it to a USB flash drive Recovering the BIOS To recover the BIOS 1 Turn on the system Insert the motherboard support DVD to the optical drive or the USB flash drive containing the BIOS file to the USB port The utility automatically checks the devices for the
60. 9 9 24 Silicon Power SP004GXLYU160NSA XMP 1600 9 9 9 27 Silicon Power SPO008GXLYU160NSA XMP 1600 9 9 9 27 Team TED34GM1600C11BK H5TC2G83EFR 11 11 11 28 Team TED38GM1600C11BK H5TQ4G83AFR 11 11 11 28 Team TLD34G1600HC9BK XMP 9 9 9 24 Team TLD38G1600HC9BK XMP 9 9 9 24 Team TXD34096M1600HC9 D XMP Hynix H5TC2G83BFRH9A 9 9 9 24 Transcend TS1GLK64V6H 620945 SAMSUNG K4B4G0846B Transcend TS1GLK64W6H SAMSUNG K4B4G0846B 11 11 11 28 1 Transcend TS512MLK64W6H SAMSUNG K4B4G0846B 11 11 11 28 2 UMAX 84E44G93UM 16BPSYW UMAX U2S96D30TP 16 1600 11 11 11 28 UMAX 84E48G93UM 16BPSYW U2S96D30TP 16 1600 11 11 11 28 Chapter 1 Product introduction DDR3 1333 MHz capability Vendors AMD AE32G1339U1 U AMD DIMM socket support Timing Voltage Optional 23EY4587MB3H AMD AE34G1339U2 U AMD 23EY4587MB3H Apacer 78 B1GDE 9L10C Apacer AM5D5908CEHSBG Asint SLA302G08 EDJ1C ASint 302G08 DJ1C Asint SLA304G08 EDJ1B Asint 304G08 DJ1B Asint SLB304G08 EDJ1B Asint 304G08 DJ1B BUFFALO D3U1333 1G Elpida J1108BFBG DJ F BUFFALO D3U1333 2G Elpida J1108BFBG DJ F BUFFALO D3U1333 4G NANYA NT5CB256M8BN CG CORSAIR CMV8GX3M1A1333C9 9 9 9 24 CORSAIR CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 9 9 9 24 CORSAI
61. C8KL9A XMP KINGMAX KINGMAX FLGF65F C8KL9A XMP KINGMAX KINGSTON KHX16009CD3K2 8GX XMP KINGSTON KHX1600C9D3B1 4G XMP KINGSTON KINGSTON KHX1600C9D3K3 12GX XMP KHX1600C9D3K3 6GX XMP KINGSTON KHX1600C9D3K3 6GX XMP KINGSTON KINGSTON KHX1600C9D3K4 16GX XMP KHX1600C9D3K6 24GX XMP KINGSTON KHX1600C9D3LK2 8GX XMP KINGSTON KINGSTON KHX1600C9D3P1K2 8G KHX16C10B1K2 16X XMP KINGSTON KHX16C9K2 16 KINGSTON KINGSTON KHX16C9P1K2 16 KVR16N11 4 KINGSTON D2568JPUCPGGBU KINGSTON KVR16N11 4 Hynix H5TQ2G83CFRPBC Micron MT16JTF1G64AZ 1G6E1 Micron D9QBJ Micron MT8JTF51264AZ 1G6E1 Micron D9QBJ Micron MT8KTF25664AZ 1G6M1 MICRON D9PFJ continued on the next page ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 19 1 20 DDR3 1600 MHz capability Vendors Patriot Part No PV316G160C9K XMP DIMM socket support Timing Voltage Optional 1600 9 9 9 24 Patriot PV316G160C9K XMP 1600 9 9 9 24 SanMax SMD 4G28N1P 16KM ELPIDA J4208BBBG GN F 1600 SanMax SMD 4G68HP 16KZ Hynix H5TQ2G83BFRPBC SanMax SMD 4G68NG 16KK ELPIDA J2108BDBG GN F SanMax SMD 8G28NP 16KM ELPIDA J4208BBBG GN F 1600 Silicon Power SP002GBLTU160V02 XMP S POWER 20YT5NG 9 11 11 28 Silicon Power SP004GBLTU160V02 XMP S POWER 20YT5NG 9
62. ND 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 Offer to Provide Source Code of Certain Software This product contains copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License GPL under the Lesser General Public License Version LGPL and or other Free Open Source Software Licenses Such software in this product is distributed without any warranty to the extent permitted by the applicable law Copies of these licenses are included in this product Where the applicable license entitles you to the source code of such software and or other additional data you may obtain it for a period of three years after our last shipment of the product either 1 for free by downloading it from http support asus com download or 2 for the cost of reproduction and shipment which is dependent on the preferred carrier and the location where you want to have it shipped to by sending a reQuest to ASUSTeK Computer Inc Legal Compliance Dept 15 Li Te Rd Beitou Taipei 112
63. OR Rice Lt Et HoT MERESATIO SSO A TRA Se Salt ARE MEL VC This is a product for which interference was measured at the present installation site and confirmed to comply with the standard of Voluntary Control Council for Interference by Information Technology Equipment VCCI Before using the equipment at any location other than the present installation site the member shall measure interference for confirmation and register the result to VCCI Appendices KC Korea Warning Statement Bu 717 bu HESS 2 xp e ARS 935 77 7 2 4 73 944 AE 4425 sr BE xe ARA 2 ded Q4 PIE 41244 523 99993 299 Ayre Y 44 uh REACH Complying with the REACH Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulatory framework we published the chemical substances in our products at ASUS REACH website at http csr asus com english REACH htm DO NOT throw the motherboard in municipal waste This product has been 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 electronic products DO NOT throw the mercury containing button cell battery in municipal waste This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the battery should not be placed in municipal waste ASUS Recycling Ta
64. PM 500 RPM 600 RPM CPU Fan Profile Standard This item allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the CPU fan Standard Set to make the CPU fan adjust automatically depending on the CPU temperature Silent Set to minimize the fan speed for quiet CPU fan operation Turbo Set to achieve maximum CPU fan speed Manual Set to assign the detailed fan speed control parameters Z The following items appear only when you set the CPU Fan Profile to Manual CPU Upper Temperature 70 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the upper limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 20 C to 75 C CPU Fan Max Duty Cycle 100 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the maximum CPU fan duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning CPU Middle Temperature 25 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to set the value for CPU Middle Temperature The range of the values depends on the CPU installed CPU Fan Middle Duty Cycle 20 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the CPU fan middle duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning CPU Lower Temperature 20 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the CPU fan s lower temperature The values range from 20 to 75 CPU Fan Min Duty Cycle 20 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the minimum CPU fan duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 47 3 48 Chassis Fan 1 4 Q Fan Con
65. R CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 Ver2 12 9 9 9 24 CORSAIR CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 Ver5 11 9 9 9 24 CORSAIR CMX8GX3M1A1333C9 Ver2 2 9 9 9 24 CORSAIR CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 XMP 9 9 9 24 G SKILL F3 10666CL9D 8GBXL 9 9 9 24 GEIL GG34GB1333C9DC GL1L128M88BA15B 9 9 9 24 GEIL GVP34GB1333C9DC 9 9 9 24 GEIL GVP38GB1333C9DC 9 9 9 24 INNODISK M3UN 2GHJBC09 Hynix H5TQ2G83CFRH9C 9 9 9 24 INNODISK 40 9 Hynix H5TQ2G83CFRH9C X 9 9 9 24 KINGMAX FLFE85F C8KL9 KINGMAX KFC8FNLBF GXX 12A KINGMAX FLFE85F C8KL9 KINGMAX KFC8FNLXF DXX 15A KINGMAX FLFF65F C8KL9 KINGMAX KFC8FNLXF DXX 15A KINGSTON KVR1333D3E9S 4G Elpida J2108ECSE DJ F KINGSTON KVR1333D3N9H 4G ELPIDA J2108BDBG GN F KINGSTON KVR13N9S8H 4 ELPIDA J4208BBBG GN F continued on the next page ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 21 DDR3 1333 MHz capability Vendors Mach Xtreme DIMM socket Chip NO Timing Voltage Optional MXD3U133316GQ Mach Xtreme MXD3V13332GS Mach C2S46D30 D313 Xtreme MICRON MT8JTF25664AZ 1G4M1 MICRON D9PFJ Patriot PSD32G13332 Patriot PM128M8D3BU 15 RiDATA C304627CB1AG22Fe RIDATA C304627CB1AG22Fe RIDATA E304459CB1AG32Cf RiDATA E304459CB1AG32Cf Silicon Power SP001GBLTU133502 S POWER 10 5 Silicon Power SP002GBLTU133V02 S POWER 20YT3NG 9 9 9 24 Silic
66. RM Switching Frequency to Manual Fixed CPU VRM Switching Frequency KHz 300 This item allows you to set a higher frequency for a quicker transient response speed Use the lt gt or lt gt to adjust the value The values range from 300 KHz to 500 KHz with an interval of 50 KHz VRM Spread Spectrum Disabled This item allows to enhance the system stability Configuration options Disabled Enabled Active Frequency Mode Disabled This item allows to enhance the power saving condition of your system Configuration options Disabled Enabled CPU Power Phase Control Auto This item allows you to set the power phase control of the CPU Configuration options Auto Standard Optimized Extreme Power Phase Response DO NOT remove the thermal module when setting this item to Power Phase Response The thermal conditions should be monitored LA The following item appears only when you set the CPU Power Phase Control to Power Phase Response Power Phase Response Fast This item allows you to set a faster phase response for the CPU to increase system performance or to slower phase response to decrease DRAM power efficiency Configuration options Ultra Fast Fast Medium Regular CPU Power Duty Control T Probe DIGI VRM Duty Control adjusts the current of every VRM phase and the thermal conditions of every phase component T Probe Select to maintain the VRM thermal balance
67. S SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 5 4 6 Al Suite 3 Main menu The Al Suite 3 main menu gives you easy access controls and insight to what s going on with your computer allowing you to optimize performance settings while at the same time ensuring system stability The Al Suite main menu includes is a quick access menu bar that allows you to swiftly launch any of the integrated ASUS utilities Click or tap 88 on the top right corner of the menu to launch the menu bar Click or tap to launch Al Suite 3 menu bar The Ai Suite 3 screenshots in this section are for reference only and can vary depending on motherboard model Al Suite 3 main menu bar USB BIOS Thermal Radar2 Ai Charger EZ Update Flashback Push Notice USB 3 0 Boost System USB Charger Version Information LS e Some functions in the Al Suite main menu in this user guide may vary depending the motherboard model e Refer to the software manual in the support DVD or visit the ASUS website at www asus com for detailed software configuration Chapter 4 Software support Thermal Radar 2 Thermal Radar 2 lets you control fans monitor your graphics card temperature and other key components in real time or auto tune your thermal settings Fan Control Allows you to configure the settings of the fans installed on your system You can also load or save a fan s profile to tune the thermal condition of your system Click or tap to load saved profiles Click
68. SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 m o i M om gt E8886 First Edition April 2014 Copyright 2014 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 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 A
69. US i HLL Eg GND IntA P2 SSTX N IntA_P1_SSTX Int P2 SSTX 44955945 3 IntA_P1_SSTX EEQGEEGEES GND IntA_P2_SSRX SABERTOOTH Z97 wank 2 IntA_P1_SSRX IntA_P2_SSRX IntA_P1_SSRX Vbus Vbus PIN 1 0 40 1 lt 0 t5g f E OC ZRE ZK GS Ej 9 55 88 88 lt x 10 28 55 lt lt lt S SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 USB3 0 connectors These connectors are based on xHCI specification We recommend you to install the related driver to fully use the USB 3 0 ports under Windows 7 or later Windows OS Chapter 1 Product introduction 4 USB 2 0 connectors 10 1 pin USB1112 USB1314 These connectors are for USB 2 0 ports Connect the USB module cable to any of these connectors then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis These USB connectors comply with USB 2 0 specification that supports up to 48 MBps connection speed No DI E CJ o sn BS i USB1314 USB1112 d dada dada SABERTOOTH 297 mark 0002 0 00202 0 22520z DIDOZ PIN 1 PIN 1 GND GND USB 5V USB 5
70. UTS Connect to 2 1 channel Speakers INPUTS 2 14 Chapter 2 Basic installation Connect to 4 1 channel Speakers Connect to 5 1 channel Speakers AUDIO AUDIO AUDIO INPUTS INPUTS INPUTS Connect to 7 1 channel Speakers 9 9 o o Op ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 2 15 2 4 Starting up for the first time 1 After making all the connections replace the system case cover Ensure that all switches are off Connect the power cord to the power connector at the back of the system chassis Connect the power cord to a power outlet that is equipped with a surge protector S8 d Turn on the devices in the following order a M Monitor b External SCSI devices starting with the last device on the chain System power 6 After applying power the system power LED on the system front panel case lights up For systems with ATX power supplies the system LED lights up when you press the ATX power button If your monitor complies with the green standards or if it has a power standby feature the monitor LED may light up or change from orange to green after the system LED turns on The system then runs the power on self tests POST While the tests are running the BIOS beeps refer to the BIOS beep codes table or additional messages appear on the screen If you do not see anything within 30 seconds from the time you turned on the power the system may have failed a power on test Check
71. V USB P11 v umm gg rr up imam gt 28 8 SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 USB2 0 connectors DO NOT connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors Doing so will damage the motherboard aN You can connect the front panel USB cable to the ASUS Q Connector USB dark brown first and then install the Q Connector USB to the USB connector onboard if your chassis supports front panel USB ports Z The USB 2 0 module is purchased separately ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 5 optional chassis and assistant fan connectors 4 CPU FAN 4 pin CPU OPT 4 pin CHA FAN1 4 3 pin ASST FAN1 2 Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard cPU FAN QcPU ASST FANI qum ao ao S o E ars zZz zZ ZZZ 5 2 iit iit 218 unm VOOO e i CHA FAN2 Q ASST FAN2 Q CHA FAN4 12V lt lt on 1 2575 rae gt OOO SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 Fan connectors FAN3 CHA FAN gt oO 2 lt LL I CHA FAN PWR CHA FAN IN 5V GND CHA FAN IN 5V B B N DO NOT
72. Ver4 21 XMP 16GB 2x 8GB DS 10 12 12 31 CORSAIR CMZ16GX3M2A2400C10 Ver4 21 16GB 2x 8GB continued on the next page ASUS SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 DS 10 12 12 31 DDR3 2400 MHz capability Vendors G SKILL F3 19200CL10Q 32GBZHD XMP 32GB 4x 8GB DIMM socket support Voltage Optional 10 12 12 31 G SKILL F3 19200CL11Q 16GBZHD XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 11 11 11 31 G SKILL F3 19200CL9D 4GBPIS XMP 4G 2x 2G 9 11 9 28 G SKILL F3 19200CL9Q 16GBZMD XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 9 11 11 31 G SKILL F3 2400C11Q 32GXM XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 11 13 13 31 GEIL GOC316GB2400C10QC XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 10 11 11 30 GEIL GOC316GB2400C11QC XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 11 11 11 30 Kingston KHX2400C11D3K4 8GX XMP 8GB 4x 2GB 11 13 11 30 KINGSTON KHX24C11K4 16X XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 11 13 13 30 KINGSTON KHX24C11T2K2 8X XMP 8GB 2x 4GB KINGSTON KHX24C11T3K2 16X XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 2400 11 13 13 32 KINGSTON KHX24C11T3K4 XMP 16GB 4x 4GB 2400 11 13 13 30 KINGSTON KHX24C11T3K4 32X XMP 32GB 4x 8GB 9 9 9 24 Mushkin 997122R XMP 16GB 2x 8GB 2400 10 12 12 28 Silicon Power SP004GXLYU240NSA XMP 4GB 2400 11 13 13 32 Transcend DDR3 2200 MHz capability Vendors TX2400KLN 8GK XMP Part No GET34GB220
73. an interference causing equipment regulations Cet appareil num rique de la Class B respecte toutes les exigences du R glement sur le mat riel brouilleur du Canada NCC Taiwan Wireless Statement ap WES AMT TEH m AURREN AE ERRORE EE FRESE MAE RAAE TA A ae See EEA RIE HEDESUTEPSEH E p 5 25GHz E 535GHz B MES miei dios M E PESA 5250 5 350GHz SERERE PEE FF Japan RF Equipment Statement ORG 15 5 350 RARO TARAA ETH KC RF Equipment 149 ee EA AA xcu usque RERO ND EAD ae e 212 vaa yad 44 ded Google License Terms Copyright 2014 Google Inc All Rights Reserved Licensed under the Apache License Version 2 0 the License you may not use this file except in compliance with the License You may obtain a copy of the License at http www apache org licenses LICENSE 2 0 Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing software distributed under the License is distributed on an AS IS BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND either express or implied See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License gt 5 n A 4 Appendices ASUS contact information ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC Address
74. anning and other business systems Use a minimum of three identical hard disk drives for this setup RAID 10 is data striping and data mirroring combined without parity redundancy data having to be calculated and written With the RAID 10 configuration you get all the benefits of both RAID 0 and RAID 1 configurations Use four new hard disk drives or use an existing drive and three new drives for this setup ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 5 1 5 2 5 1 2 Installing Serial ATA hard disks The motherboard supports Serial ATA hard disk drives For optimal performance install identical drives of the same model and capacity when creating a disk array To install the SATA hard disks for a RAID configuration 1 Install the SATA hard disks into the drive bays 2 Connect the SATA signal cables 3 Connect a SATA power cable to the power connector on each drive 5 1 3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS You must enable the RAID function in the BIOS Setup before creating RAID sets using SATA HDDs To do this 1 Enter the BIOS Setup during POST 2 Go to the Advanced menu gt SATA Configuration and then press lt Enter gt 3 Set the SATA Mode item to RAID Model 4 Save your changes and then exit the BIOS Setup Z Refer to Chapter 3 for details on entering and navigating through the BIOS Setup Due to chipset limitation when SATA ports are set to RAID mode all SATA ports run at RAID mode together Chapter 5 RAID configura
75. ap to apply the settings Click or tap to discard the settings Click or tap to select the type of USB device that you wish to charge when the system is off Ensure to connect your USB device into the USB port that supports this utility Refer to section 2 3 1 Rear I O connection of your user guide for more details LA e USB Charger does not support USB hubs and USB extension cables and generic USB cables e The USB Charger may not recognize some ASUS devices due to a special design 4 22 Chapter 4 Software support 4 4 8 Version Displays the installed software or utilities and their current version ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 23 4 24 4 5 Turbo LAN Turbo LAN is a network traffic shaping technology that lowers lag and helps reduce delays during data transfers or when playing online games It allows you to set programs or application s network priorities to currently running games or applications Turbo LAN features an intuitive user interface and an Advance Mode that tweakers can use to configure hardcore controls or settings To launch Turbo LAN click or tap the on the desktop Displays the Network Adapter Displays the current connection information and bandwidth usage status Adjust the slider to set a program or application s priority Click to delete an application or program on the list Click to view the programs Click to open Click to open an item under these utilities Adva
76. ation options Auto 1 63 DRAM RTL CHA R1D1 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM RTL 000 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM RTL RO0D1 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM RTL R1D0 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM RTL CHB R1D1 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 DRAM IO L CHA RO0DO Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM IO L CHA R0D1 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM IO L CHA R1D0 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM IO L CHA R1D1 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM IO L CHB_RODO Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM IO L R0D1 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM IO L CHB_R1D0 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 DRAM IO L CHB_R1D1 Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 Third Timings tRDRD Auto Configuration options Auto 1 7 tRDRD_dr Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 tRDRD_dd Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 20 tWRRD Auto Configuration options Auto 1 63 tWRRD dr Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 tWRRD dd Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 tWRWR Auto Configuration options Auto 1 7 tWRWR dr Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 tWRWR d
77. ator exceeds the threshold Configuration options Auto Disabled Enabled CPU Integrated VR Fault Management Auto Disable this item to prevent tripping the Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator when doing over voltage We recommend you to disable this item when overclocking Configuration options Auto Disabled Enabled Chapter 3 BIOS setup CPU Internal Power Configuration CPU Integrated VR Efficiency Management Auto This item allows you to improve the power rating when the CPU is in low power state or make the FIVR fully integrated voltage regulator work in high performance at all times Configuration options Auto High Performance Balanced Power Decay Mode Auto This item allows your system to improve the power saving mode on the Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator as the processor goes into low current state Configuration options Auto Disabled Enabled Idle Power in Response Auto This item allows you to set the slew rate for the Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator when it enters manual override mode Configuration options Auto Regular Fast Idle Power out Response Auto This item allows you to set the slew rate for the Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator when it exits manual override mode Configuration options Auto Regular Fast Power Current Slope Auto This item allows you to enhance the power saving condition or the system overclocking capability Select a higher power current s
78. atures Select Ignore if you do not wish to display the detected temperatures CPU Fan Speed xxxx RPM or Ignore N A CPU Optional Fan Speed xxxx RPM or Ignore N A Chassis Fan 1 4 Speed xxxx RPM or Ignore N A ASST Fan 1 2 Speed xxxx RPM or Ignore N A The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU chassis power and assistant fan speed in rotations per minute RPM If the fan is not connected to the motherboard the field shows N A Select Ignore if you do not wish to display the detected speed CPU Core 0 3 Voltage 3 3V Voltage 5V Voltage 12V Voltage The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard voltage regulators Select Ignore if you do not want to detect this item Chapter 3 BIOS setup CPU Q Fan Control Auto This item allows you to set the CPU Q Fan operating mode Auto Detects the type of CPU fan installed and automatically switches the control modes PWM Mode Enables the CPU Q Fan control feature in PWM mode for 4 pin CPU fan DC Mode Enables the CPU Q Fan control feature in DC mode for 3 pin CPU fan Disabled Disables the Q Fan control Z The following items appear only when you set the CPU Q Fan Control to Auto PWM Mode and DC Mode CPU Fan Speed Low Limit 300 RPM This item allows you to set the low limit warning for CPU Fan speed Configuration options Ignore 200 RPM 300 RPM 400 R
79. c installation To uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan assembly 2 1 4 DIMM installation Chapter 2 Basic installation 2 1 5 ATX Power connection ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 2 7 2 1 6 SATA device connection 2 8 Chapter 2 Basic installation 2 1 7 Front I O Connector To install ASUS Q Connector Ground Reset d Ground To install USB 2 0 connector To install front panel audio connector ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 2 9 2 1 8 Expansion Card installation To install PCle x16 cards 2 10 Chapter 2 Basic installation 2 2 BIOS update utility USB BIOS Flashback USB BIOS Flashback allows you to easily update the BIOS without entering the existing BIOS or operating system Simply insert a USB storage device to the USB port press the USB BIOS Flashback button for three seconds and the BIOS is updated automatically To use USB BIOS Flashback 1 Place the bundled support DVD to the optical drive and install the USB BIOS Flashback Wizard Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation 2 Insert the USB storage device to the USB Flashback port We recommend you to use USB 2 0 storage device to save the latest BIOS version for better compatibility and stability 3 Launch the USB BIOS Flashback Wizard to automatically download the latest BIOS version 4 Press the BIOS Flashback button for three seconds until a flashing light appears which indicates that th
80. ce optimized by ASUS core ratio settings Disabled This item allows you to set to default core ratio settings CPU Core Ratio Auto This item allows you to set the CPU core ratio limit per core or synchronize automatically to all cores Configuration options Auto Sync All Cores Per Core When the CPU Core Ratio is set to Per Core the following items appear 1 Core Ratio Limit Auto Select Auto to apply the CPU default Turbo Ratio setting or manually assign a 1 Core Limit value that must be higher than or equal to the 2 Core Ratio Limit 2 Core Ratio Limit Auto Select Auto to apply the CPU default Turbo Ratio setting or manually assign a 2 Core Limit value that must be higher than or equal to the 3 Core Ratio Limit N If you assign a value for 2 Core Ratio Limit do not set the 1 Core Ratio Limit to Auto 3 Core Ratio Limit Auto Select Auto to apply the CPU default Turbo Ratio setting or manually assign a 3 Core Limit value that must be higher than or equal to the 4 Core Ratio Limit AN If you assign a value for 3 Core Ratio Limit do not set the 1 Core Ratio Limit and 2 Core Ratio Limit to Auto 4 Core Ratio Limit Auto Select Auto to apply the CPU default Turbo Ratio setting or manually assign a 4 Core Limit value that must be higher than or equal to the 3 Core Ratio Limit If you assign a value for 4 Core Ratio Limit do not set the 1 Core Ratio Limit 2 Core Ratio z Limit and 3 Core Ra
81. city operating up to six times faster than a hard drive only system to boost the system s overall performance 4th Generation Intel Core processors family support Intel Smart Response Technology Anoperating system must be installed on the HDD to launch Intel Smart Response Technology The SSD is reserved for caching function Intel Smart Connect Technology Your computer can receive fresh updates for selected applications even when the system is in sleep mode This means less time waiting for applications to update and sync with the cloud leading to a more efficient computing experience Intel Rapid Start Technology Intel Rapid Start Technology allows your computer to quickly resume from a low power hibernate state in seconds Saving your system memory to the designated SSD it provides your computer a faster wake up response time while still keeping the energy use low Complete USB 3 0 integration This motherboard offers you the strategic USB 3 0 accessibility for both the front and rear panels allowing you to experience the convenience of the latest plug and play connectivity solution of speed up to ten times faster than USB 2 0 1 1 2 Ultimate COOL Thermal Solutions Thermal Radar 2 Thermal Radar 2 uses multiple sensors to control motherboard temperatures automatically adjusting fan speeds for better system stability and power efficiency It also provides customizable fan management that displays real tim
82. ctors are for ATX power supply plugs The power supply plugs are designed to fit these connectors in only one orientation Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the connectors completely fit earxi2y EATXPWR 8888 Eu 3 Volts GND ANNAN 12 Volts 5 Volts 12 Volts 5 Volts 5V Standby 5 Volts Power OK 5 Volts BRA GND GND oOoano 5 Volts GND 2222 U OOOO GND GND n 5 Volts PSON SABERTOOTH 297 wu 1 Ur ies Le 3 Volts 12 Volts 3 Volts 3 Volts PIN 1 Ej m rm E L C I SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 ATX power connectors LN e Fora fully configured system we recommend that you use a power supply unit PSU that complies with ATX 12 V Specification 2 0 or later version and provides a minimum power of 350 W e DONOT forget to connect the 4 pin 8 pin EATX12 V power plug Otherwise the system will not boot e We recommend that you use a PSU with a higher power output when configuring a system with more power consuming devices The system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate e want to use two or mor
83. d Auto Configuration options Auto 1 15 Dec WRD Auto Configuration options Auto 0 1 tRDWR Auto Configuration options Auto 1 31 tRDWR dr Auto Configuration options Auto 1 31 tRDWR dd Auto Configuration options Auto 1 81 MISC MRC Fast Boot Auto This item allows you to enable disable or automatically set the MRC fast boot Configuration options Auto Enabled Disabled DRAM CLK Period Auto This item allows you to set a DRAM clock period Configuration options Auto 1 14 Channel A B DIMM Control Enable Both DIMMs This item allows you to enable or disable the DIMMs on channels A and B Configuration options Enable Both DIMMS Disable DIMMO Disable DIMM1 Disable Both DIMMS Scramble Setting Optimized ASUS This item allows you to set the optimized mode to enhance system stability Configuration options Optimized ASUS Default MRC MCH Full Check Auto Enable this item to enhance the stability of your system Disable this item to enhance the DRAM overclocking capability Configuration options Auto Enabled Disabled Chapter 3 BIOS setup Skew Control This item contains the transmitter and receiver s rising and falling slopes and their time controllers Adjust these items to enhance the DRAM overclocking capability and stability Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value Transmitter Rising Slope Auto Configura
84. d giving users plug and play convenience Follow the installation wizard to install the Realtek Audio Driver from the support DVD that came with the motherboard package If the Realtek audio software is correctly installed you will find the Realtek HD Audio Manager icon on the taskbar Double click or tap on the icon to display the Realtek HD 1 1 ty ti Audio Manager Realtek HD Audio Manager Realtek HD Audio Manager Configuration option tabs vary with the audio devices connected Advanced settings Set default device button Control settings panel Analog and digital connector status ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 25 Selecting an audio output Realtek HD Audio Manager allows you to select the type of audio output depending on the output device that you are using To select an audio output 1 Insertthe audio device s jack to the Line Out lime port If the audio device s jack is already inserted to the corresponding port click or tap on the Realtek HD Audio Manager 2 On the pop up window tick the Wiich dial you png nt audio device that you plugged to the Line Out port then click or tap re Next cepe a If you select Headphone click or tap to select the type of headphone installed then click or tap OK b If you select Front Speaker Selaci Out click or tap to select the type of speaker installed then click or tap OK Lita gt
85. d cables providing billions of colors and bi directional communications thus enabling the fastest refresh rates and the highest resolution digital display through a single cable Also it supports HDCP copy protection for Blu ray discs Simply output 3D signals through the connected DisplayPort cable with your 3D display then you can sit back and enjoy a perfect 3D animation experience HDMI Support High Definition Multimedia Surface HDMI is a set of digital video standards that delivers multi channel audio and uncompressed digital video up to 4K 2K resolution visuals through a single cable Supporting HDCP copy protection such as HD DVD and blu ray discs HDMI provides you with the highest quality home theater experience ErP Ready The motherboard is European Union s Energy related Products ErP ready and ErP requires products to meet certain energy efficiency requirement in regards to energy consumptions This is in line with ASUS vision of creating environment friendly and energy efficient products through product design and innovation to reduce carbon footprint of the product and thus mitigate environmental impacts Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 2 Motherboard overview 1 2 1 Before you proceed Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings AN Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component Before handling components u
86. d up and simplify the DIY process ASUS Q shield ASUS Q Shield s special design makes it convenient and easy to install on your motherboard With better electric conductivity it ideally protects your motherboard against static electricity and shields it against EMI Electronic Magnetic Interference ASUS Q connector ASUS Q Connector is a unique adapter that allows you to easily connect or disconnect the chassis front panel cables to one module eliminating the hassle of plugging one cable at a time and making the connection quick and accurate Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 1 6 ASUS Exclusive Features Remote GO ASUS Remote GO leads the way to a more enjoyable home entertainment With ASUS Remote GO you can wirelessly stream media files to DLNA devices remotely control and access your computer using your smart device and easily transfer files between your computer and smart device Conveniently use and enjoy these ASUS Remote GO functions e Cloud GO Allows you to control files and sync them all across cloud services in a few clicks e ASUS Media Streamer Allows you to stream media files to a DLNA supported devices Remote Desktop Allows you to view your computer s desktop and remotely operate your computer in real time from your smart device File Transfer Allows you to transfer files between your computer and smart device USB 3 0 Boost ASUS USB 3 0 Boost which supports USB 3 0 standard UASP USB Attac
87. disable PCle NAND Configuration options Disabled Enabled Aggressive LPM Support Disabled This item is designed for LPM link power management support with a better energy saving conditions When disabled the hot plug function of SATA ports are disabled Configuration options Disabled Enabled S M A R T Status Check Enabled S M A R T Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology is a monitoring system that shows a warning message during POST Power on Self Test when an error occurs in the hard disks Configuration options On Off Alternate ID Disabled This item allows the system to report the alternate Device ID Configuration options Disabled Enabled Hot Plug Disabled SATA6G 1 SATA6G 6 These items allow you to enable disable SATA Hot Plug Support Configuration options Disabled Enabled Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 6 4 System Agent Configuration UEFI Ley ue 18 999 See Wu Favorites klair Al Tasaker Graphics Configuration This item allows you to select a primary display from CPU and PCle graphical devices Primary Display Auto This item allows you to select the primary display from CPU and PCle devices Configuration options Auto CPU Graphics PCIE CPU Graphics Multi Monitor Disabled This item allows you to enable the iGPU Multi Monitor The iGPU shared system memory size is fixed 64 MB Configuration options Disabled Enabled DMI Configuration This
88. dth and enhances the system s performance It natively supports up to six USB 3 0 ports for up to ten times faster transfer rate than USB 2 0 and enables the iGPU function for Intel integrated graphics performance PCI Express 3 0 PCI Express 3 0 PCle 3 0 is the PCI Express bus standard that provides twice the performance and speed of PCle 2 0 It provides an optimal graphics performance unprecedented data speed and seamless transition with its complete backward compatibility to PCle 1 0 2 0 devices Dual Channel DDR3 1866 1600 1333 MHz Support The motherboard supports the dual channel DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates of DDR3 1866 1600 1333 MHz to boost the system s performance and to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of 3D graphics multimedia and Internet applications Quad GPU SLI and Quad GPU CrossFireX Support This motherboard features the most powerful Intel Z97 platform that optimizes PCle allocation in multi GPU SLI and CrossFireX solution giving you a brand new gaming enjoyment ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 1 Intel Smart Response Technology Intel Smart Response Technology an important part of Green ASUS eco friendly computing reduces load and wait time eliminates unnecessary hard drive spin thus lowering power usage and uses an installed SSD requires 18 6 GB available space as a cache for frequently accessed data or applications It combines SSD performance and hard drive capa
89. e 2 Inthe AutoPlay dialog box click or tap Run ASSETUP exe then select the Utilities tab m Run ASSETUP exe Published by ASUSTeK Computer Inc General options Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer View more AutoPlay options in Control Pane 3 the Utilities tab click or tap Al Suite 3 then follow the succeeding onscreen instructions Chapter 4 Software support Windows 8 and Windows 8 1 OS 1 Place the Support DVD into the optical drive then follow onscreen instructions 2 From the ASUS motherboard support DVD main menu select the Utilities tab and click or tap Al Suite 3 3 Follow the succeeding onscreen instructions If the ASUS motherboard support DVD main menu did not appear try the following a Goto the Start Screen then click or tap the Desktop app b On the lower left corner of the Desktop click or tap File Explorer then select your DVD drive and tap or double click or tap the Setup application Launching Al Suite 3 Windows 7 OS From the Desktop click or tap Start gt All Programs gt ASUS gt Al Suite 3 gt Al Suite 3 You can also launch Al Suite in Windows 7 by clicking or tapping E on the Notification area Windows 8 and Windows 8 1 OS To launch AI Suite 3 in Windows 8 or Windows 8 1 tap the AI Suite 3 app on the Start Screen or if you re using a mouse click or tap the Al Suite 3 app on the Start Screen JT UO ASU
90. e BIOS Flashback function is enabled 5 Wait until the light goes out indicating that the BIOS updating process is completed USB BIOS Flashback button USB BIOS Flashback port LA For more BIOS update utilities in BIOS setup refer to the section Updating BIOS in x Chapter 3 e Do not unplug portable disk power system or use the CLR_CMOS jumper while BIOS update is ongoing otherwise update will be interrupted In case of interruption please follow the steps again e light flashes for five seconds and turns into a solid light this means that the BIOS Flashback is not operating properly This may be caused by improper installation of the USB storage device and filename file format error If this scenario happens please restart the system to turn off the light e Updating BIOS may have risks If the BIOS program is damaged during the process and results to the system s failure to boot up please contact your local ASUS Service Center ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 DAI 2 3 Motherboard rear and audio connections 2 3 1 Rear I O connection Rear panel connectors 1 USB 2 0 ports 7 10 15 HDMI port USB 3 0 ports 5 6 support ASUS USB DisplayPort 3 0 Boost Bottom port supports USB BIOS Flashback and USB Charger LAN RJ 45 port 7 USB 3 0 ports E1 E2 USB BIOS Flashback button A Audio I O ports
91. e high end PCI Express x16 cards use a PSU with 1000W power or above to ensure the system stability 1 34 Chapter 1 Product introduction 9 System panel connector 20 8 pin PANEL This connector supports several chassis mounted functions 18 Bi PLED SPEAKER IDO si 1 a FE q ca gt iilo p NN Il EJ SABERTOOTH 297 mank J PANEL SEEE PIN 1 _ g 5 2 KI 23 E Sa LJ C inni m 1 HDD LED PwRSW RESET SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 System panel connector System power LED 2 pin PLED This 2 pin connector is for the system power LED Connect the chassis power LED cable to this connector The system power LED lights up when you turn on the system power and blinks when the system is in sleep mode Hard disk drive activity LED 2 pin IDE LED This 2 pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED Connect the HDD Activity LED cable to this connector The IDE LED lights up or flashes when data is read from or written to the HDD System warning speaker
92. e motherboard CPU and VGA zone cooling status and promotes extended system longevity power saving solution and noise reduction TUF ICe ASUS TUF have forged a brand new microchip that delivers incredibly precise temperature monitoring and fan controls With the TUF ICe you can be assured that monitoring of onboard temperature sensors and fan speeds is always ultra accurate whether you are adjusting settings manually or using the automatic one click organization Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 1 3 TUF Engine Power Design Digital Power Control ASUS DIGI Power Control features the revolutionary and innovative digital VRM DRAM and CPU Voltage controllers These controllers offers ultra precise memory and voltage tuning for optimal system efficiency stability and performance TUF Components TUF new Alloy Chokes TUF 10K Ti Caps and TUF MOSFET certified by military standard The motherboard s TUF components features improved military standard robust TUF new alloy chokes titanium solid state capacitors and MOSFETs The TUF alloy choke is 13 6 cooler for extra unbeatable durability Its 10K Titanium capacitors has 20 more temperature tolerance and provides five times longer lifetime usage while the military grade certified TUF MOSFETs offers lower RDS on 1 1 4 Safe amp Stable Guardian Angel TUF ESD Guards TUF ESD Electrostatic Discharge Guards provides protection against electrostatic discharges wh
93. e must be formatted as a UEFI variable structure with time based authenticated variable ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 55 3 56 DBX Management The dbx Revoked Signature database lists the forbidden images of db items that are no longer trusted and cannot be loaded Delete dbx This item allows you to delete the dbx file from your system Load Default dbx This item allows you to load the downloaded dbx from a USB storage device Configuration options Yes No Append Default This item allows you to load the additional dbx from a storage device so that more db s images cannot be loaded The dbx file must be formatted as UEFI variable structure with time based authenticated variable Boot Option Priorities These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available devices The number of device items that appears on the screen depends on the number of devices installed in the system e access Windows OS Safe Mode press F8 gt after POST Windows 8 not supported e select the boot device during system startup press F8 when ASUS Logo appears Boot Override These item displays the available devices The number of device items that appear on the screen depends on the number of devices installed in the system Click an item to start booting from the selected device Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 9 Tool menu The Tool menu items allow you to configure options for special f
94. e the Support DVD into the optical drive 2 In the AutoPlay dialog box click or tap Run ASSETUP EXE AUS DVD Drive D MB Support CD Always do this for software and games Fara Run ASSETUP exe ublished by ASUSTeK Computer Inc General options Open falder E view files using Window 5 Ex irer View more AutoPlay options in Control Pane fF If the AutoPlay dialog box does not appear browse the contents of the support DVD and double click or tap bin ASSETUP EXE to launch the ASUS motherboard support DVD main menu ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 1 Support DVD main menu The Drivers menu shows the available The Manual menu contains the list of device drivers if the system detects The AHCI RAID Driver supplementary user guides Click or tap installed devices Install the necessary menu contains the an item to open the folder of the user drivers to use the devices RAID AHCI driver disk guide Click or tap The Utilities menu to display the shows the applications ASUS contact and other software information that the motherboard ASUS nie nibnmed level bers ira supports ADIE Lado a de Click or tap an da rl icon to display DVD motherboard information Click or tap an item to install gt 9 o et gt 4 2 Chapter 4 Software support 4 2 2 Obtaining the software manuals The software manuals are included in the support DVD Follow the instructio
95. en click or tap then select Pairing your computer and smart device To pair your computer and smart device Pn i 1 On your smart device tap to launch Push Notice Push Notice 2 Tap Push Scan then tap the name of your computer that you want to pair with N To pair your computer and smart device ensure that both are connected to the same wireless network 4 16 Chapter 4 Software support Setting up PC Mode alerts of your computer This feature allows you to restart shut down or put your computer to sleep mode and sends an alert to your smart device Tick these to enable mode alerts Tick to select the smart device Set the day and time to enable the PC modes Set the minutes to send the alert before the PC mode s activation Key in your messages for more information Setting up PC Status alerts This feature allows you to send alerts of the unusual activities of the voltage temperature and fan settings of your computer to your smart device Tick to select the smart device Tick to select and send alerts to your smart device Tick to send alert when the components selected are back to its normal status ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 17 Sending messages to your smart device This feature allows you to send messages to your smart device Z You can also send messages via the Push Notice messaging shortcut on the lower right corner of your screen To do this click or tap lt lt t
96. ess and enter BIOS setup to re enter data Except when clearing the RTC RAM never remove the cap on CLRTC jumper default position Removing the cap will cause system boot failure Z e steps above do not help remove the onboard battery and move the jumper again to clear the CMOS RTC RAM data After the CMOS clearance reinstall the battery e You do not need to clear the RTC when the system hangs due to overclocking For system failure due to overclocking use the C P R CPU Parameter Recall feature Shut down and reboot the system so the BIOS can automatically reset parameter settings to default values e to the chipset behavior AC power off is required to enable C P R function You must turn off and on the power supply or unplug and plug the power cord before rebooting the system 1 26 Chapter 1 Product introduction 2 Over Voltage jumper 3 pin CPU OV The CPU Over Voltage jumper allows you to set a higher CPU voltage for a flexible overclocking system depending on the type of the installed CPU To gain more CPU voltage setting insert the jumper to pins 2 3 To go back to its default CPU voltage setting insert the jumper to pins 1 2 19 a
97. etects the bootable devices and the add on devices Enabled For better compatibility enable the CSM to fully support the non UEFI driver add on devices or the Windows UEFI mode Disabled Disables the CSM to fully support the non UEFI driver add on devices or the Windows UEFI mode Z The following items appear only when you set the Launch CSM to Enabled Boot Devices Control UEFI and Legacy OpROM This item allows you to select the type of devices that you want to boot Configuration options UEFI and Legacy OpROM Legacy OpROM only UEFI only Boot from Network Devices Legacy OpROM first This item allows you to select the type of network devices that you want to launch Configuration options Legacy OpROM first UEFI driver first Ignore ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 53 Boot from Storage Devices Legacy OpROM first This item allows you to select the type of storage devices that you want to launch Configuration options Both Legacy OpROM first Both UEFI first Legacy OpROM first UEFI driver first Ignore Boot from PCI E PCI Expansion Devices Legacy OpROM first This item allows you to select the type of PCle PCI expansion devices that you want to launch Configuration options Legacy OpROM first UEFI driver first Secure Boot This item allows you to configure the Windows Secure Boot settings and manage its keys to protect the system from unauthorized access and malwares during POST
98. ey in a profile name Save to Profile This item allows you to save the current BIOS settings to the BIOS Flash and create a profile Key in a profile number from one to eight press Enter and then select Yes Load Save Profile from to USB Drive This item allows you to load or save profile from your USB drive load and save profile to your USB drive Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 9 3 ASUS DRAM SPD Information This item allows you to view the DRAM SPD information pid BIDS Joby Med 19 059 by Fares Main Aj Take rot Were 1 Copa ae con pi a radi ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 59 m p im la F a Le n 4 N OT P 1 3 60 3 10 Exit menu The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal default values for the BIOS items and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items You can access the EZ Mode from the Exit menu pral LEE BIDS Linie ficyenced Mode e a 1 zh 349 tinge vee eae Valeria jam Favorites AbTweaker Adwinted Monia Boa Load Optimized Defaults This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup menus When you select this option or if you press lt F5 gt a confirmation window appears Select OK to load the default values Save Changes amp Reset Once you are finished making your selections choose this option from t
99. function Connect the button cable that supports DirectKey from the chassis to this connector on the motherboard LIL K SABERTOOTH 297 wu B Hn a Lar I PIN 1 SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 DirectKey connector gt Ensure that your chassis comes with the extra button cable that supports the DirectKey feature Refer to the technical documentation that came with the chassis for details Chapter 1 Product introduction 12 Thunderbolt header 5 pin TB HEADER This connector is for the add on Thunderbolt I O card that supports Intels Thunderbolt Technology allowing you to connect up to six Thunderbolt enabled devices and a DisplayPort enabled display in a daisy chain configuration pae N T T E B DM i 1 E SABERTOOTH Z97 mark 2 LJ E TB HEADER ol E uil rT ME
100. gn viii SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 specifications summary Chipset Expansion slots Multi GPU support LAN LGA1150 socket for the 4th New 4th and 5th generation Intel Core i7 Intel Core i5 Intel Core i3 Pentium and Celeron processors Supports 22nm CPU Supports Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2 0 The Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2 0 support depends on the CPU types Refer to www asus com for the complete CPU support list Intel Z97 Express Chipset 4 x DIMM max 32 GB DDR3 1866 1600 1333 MHz non ECC un buffered Memory Dual channel memory architecture Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile XMP Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs Please refer to Memory QVL Qualified Vendors List for details Refer to www asus com or this user guide for the complete the Memory QVL Qualified Vendors List 2 x PCI Express 3 0 2 0 x16 slots Single at x16 Dual at x8 x8 1 x PCI Express 2 0 x16 slot black Max at x4 mode compatible with PCle x1 and x4 devices 3 x PCI Express 2 0 x1 slots The PCle 2 0 x16 slot shares bandwidth with USB3 E1 E2 ports at back The PCle 2 0 x16 slot default setting is in x2 mode Integrated Graphics Processor Intel HD Graphics support Multi VGA output support DisplayPort HDMI port Supports DisplayPort 1 2 with max resolution 4096 x 2160 24Hz 3840 x 2160 60Hz Supports HDMI with
101. he Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved When you select this option or if you press lt F10 gt a confirmation window appears Select OK to save changes and exit Discard Changes amp Exit This option allows you to exit the Setup program without saving your changes When you select this option or if you press lt Esc gt a confirmation window appears Select Yes to discard changes and exit ASUS EZ Mode This option allows you to enter the EZ Mode screen Launch EFI Shell from filesystem device This option allows you to attempt to launch the EFI Shell application shellx64 efi from one of the available filesystem devices Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 11 Updating BIOS The ASUS website publishes the latest BIOS versions to provide enhancements on system stability compatibility and performance However BIOS updating is potentially risky If there is no problem using the current version of BIOS DO NOT manually update the BIOS Inappropriate BIOS updating may result to system s failure to boot Carefully follow the instructions in this chapter to update your BIOS when necessary Visit http www asus com to download the latest BIOS file for this motherboard The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard BIOS setup program 1 EZ Update Updates the BIOS in Windows environment 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Updates the BIOS using a USB flash drive 3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 Restores the BIOS using
102. he boot device Please select boot device ASUS DVD ESTSAOT 4069MB USB DISK 2 0 9 VEE FAT USB DISK 2 0 398924MB SETUP and 45 to move selection ENTER to select boot device BSC tO boort using Chapter 3 BIOS setup When the booting message appears press Enter within five 5 seconds to enter FreeDOS prompt ISOLINUX 3 20 2006 08 26 Copyright C 1994 2005 H Peter Anvin A Bootable DVD CD is detected Press ENTER to boot from the DVD CD If no key is pressed within 5 seconds the system will boot next priority device automatically boot On the FreeDOS prompt type d then press Enter to switch the disk from Drive C optical drive to Drive D USB flash drive Welcome to FreeDOS http www freedos org C gt d D gt Updating the BIOS file To update the BIOS file 1 Onthe FreeDOS prompt type bupdater pc g and press Enter D bupdater pc g On the BIOS Updater screen press Tab to switch from Files panel to Drives panel then select D 2 ASUSTeK BIOS Updater for DOS V1 30 2014 01 01 KALEL 1 lt DIR gt Z97ST2 CAP 0305012 2014 02 10 21 14 34 Drives panel Files panel Tab Switch V Drive Info Esc Exit Enter Select or Load Up Down Home End Move Press lt Tab gt to switch from Drives panel to Files panel then press lt Up Down or Home 3 End gt keys to select the BIOS file and press lt Enter gt ASUS
103. hed SCSI Protocol significantly increases a USB device s transfer speed up to 170 faster than the already impressive USB 3 0 transfer speed It automatically accelerates data speeds for compatible USB 3 0 peripherals without the need for any user interaction USB Charger With a dedicated onboard controller quick charge all your smart devices such as smartphones tablets and more all up to three times faster even when the system is powered off in sleep or hibernation mode USB BIOS Flashback USB BIOS Flashback offers a hassle free updating solution for your ultimate convenience Install a USB storage device containing the BIOS file press the BIOS Flashback button for about three seconds and the UEFI BIOS is automatically updated even without entering the existing BIOS or operating system It also allows you to regularly check for UEFI BIOS updates and download the latest BIOS automatically Al Suite 3 With its user friendly interface ASUS Al Suite 3 consolidates all the exclusive ASUS features into one simple to use software package It allows you to supervise fan speed control voltage and sensor readings This all in one software offers diverse and ease to use functions with no need to switch back and forth between different utilities ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 5 1 1 7 Other special features DisplayPort Support DisplayPort is a digital display interface standard that delivers up to 10 8 Gbps of bandwidth over standar
104. hen click or tap then select sj Tick to select the smart device Click or tap to send your message Click or tap to key Click to clear all the Click to save the in your message text on the text box text message Viewing your computer status on your smart device a Tap on your smart device to launch Push Notice Push Notice Tap to view PC to delete PC mode alerts alerts Tap to view PC status alerts Tap to view PC sent messages Tap to scan more host computers 4 18 Chapter 4 Software support 4 4 5 USB 3 0 Boost USB 3 0 Boost technology supports UASP USB Attached SCSI Protocol that automatically speeds up the transfer rates of your USB storage devices Launching USB 3 0 Boost To launch USB 3 0 Boost click or tap on the top right corner of the Al Suite 3 main menu then select USB 3 0 Boost Using the USB 3 0 Boost Click or tap to enable the USB device s normal data transfer rate Click or tap to enable UASP or Click or tap to select a USB device Turbo Mode for a faster data transfer rate aN Ensure to connect your USB 3 0 device to the USB 3 0 ports that support USB 3 0 Boost Refer to section 2 3 1 Rear I O connection of your user guide for more details Z e USB 3 0 Boost automatically detects the USB 3 0 devices that support UASP For a list of UASP supported USB 3 0 devices visit the ASUS website at www asus com e The data transfer speed varies with USB device
105. highlighted when selected To change the value of a field select it and press Enter to display a list of options Last Modified button This button shows the items that you last modified and saved in BIOS Setup Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 2 3 Q Fan Control The Q Fan Control allows you to set a fan profile or manually configure the operating speed of your CPU and chassis fans Click to select a fan to be Click to activate Click to activate DC Mode configured PWM Mode Fran uring i4 e area pri more De we liit ey dI ete pres died DNI ICE You cati dhig mise Dia ite io Manual amd manualy e cLtlbLitbal jii CPL EAM CHA FAN CHAZ FAN LHAS TAN FAN Select a profile to apply to Click to apply the fan setting our fans i y Click to undo the Click to go back to main menu changes Select to manually configure your fans ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 7 Configuring fans manually Select Manual from the list of profiles to manually configure your fans operating speed Fran you ard n mo ha idea dI feta ed Sio ra Tube ord Fidi You cati alia mare Dia Wine to Maiiual ond manualy adige Br Link oca ai di CHAT FAN CHAZ FAN UHAS FAN CFA FAM Speed points Click or tap to manually configure your fans To configure your fans 1 Select the fan that you want to configure and to view its current status 2 Click and drag the speed
106. i E ue pate 21 Cos I M AF Lom vog or Leg TEL Enid x ha Fab lt Lac Ll 2 18 A arrian Iu 3 30 Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 6 1 CPU Configuration The items in this menu show the CPU related information that the BIOS automatically detects The items in this menu may vary based the CPU installed y UEFI EOS Lipi Ahanoa Mice ae a o T oer Cera g ierg riii pai Seite 1 8 28 L 1 zac Vk E PLE LUE E Dt grt Wain Mondor Boot hor utt Hanne ence Ll 21 Arrian Ii Intel Adaptive Thermal Monitor Enabled This item allows you to protect the CPU by decreasing its frequency as it reaches the thermal throttle point The thermal monitor includes TM1 Thermal monitor 1 TM2 Thermal monitor 2 and EMTTM Enhanced Multi threaded Thermal Monitoring Configuration options Disabled Enabled Hyper threading Enabled This item allows the processor to appear as two logical processors allowing the operating system to schedule two threads or processes simultaneously Configuration options Disabled Enabled Active Processor Cores All This item allows you to select the number of CPU cores to activate in each processor package Configuration options All 1 2 3 Limit CPUID Maximum Disabled
107. ices Launching Ai Charger To launch Ai Charger click or tap on the top right corner of the Al Suite 3 main menu then select Ai Charger Z Ai Charger is available only in selected motherboard models Ai Charger screen Tick to enable or Click or tap to apply disable Ai Charger the selection LN e Check the manufacturer if your USB device is a Battery Charging Specification 1 1 BC 1 1 compliant or compatible device e Actual charging speeds may vary depending on the charging rate and specifications of your USB device e To ensure normal charging function disconnect and reconnect your USB device every time you enable or disable Ai Charger e does not support USB hubs USB extension cables and generic USB cables ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 11 4 12 4 4 2 EZ Update EZ Update is a utility that allows you to automatically update your motherboard s software drivers and BIOS easily With this utility you can also manually update the BIOS and select the boot logo that displays during POST Launching EZ Update To launch EZ Update click or tap on the top right corner of the Al Suite 3 main menu then select EZ Update Using EZ Update Click or tap to automatically update your motherboard driver software and firmware Click or tap to search and select the BIOS file Click or tap to select a Click or tap to boot logo update the BIOS Chapter 4 Software
108. ich can damage the motherboard s components The ASUS exclusive Anti Static chip and circuit design and the I O shield provide four times better protection and ensure the motherboard s lifespan MemOK MemOK the remarkable memory rescue tool allows you to simply press a button to patch memory issues ensure memory boot compatibility determine fail safe settings and dramatically improve the system s bootup ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 1 5 ASUS EZ DIY ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode ASUS UEFI BIOS a UEFI compliant architecture offers the first mouse controlled intuitive graphical BIOS interface that goes beyond the traditional keyboard only BIOS controls providing you with more flexibility convenience and easy to navigate UEFI BIOS than the traditional BIOS versions It offers you with dual selectable modes and native support for hard drives larger than 2 2 TB ASUS UEFI BIOS includes the following new features New My Favorites function allows you to quickly access the frequently used items New quick Note function allows you to take notes in the BIOS environment New Last Modified log allows you to view all your modified settings F12 BIOS snapshot hotkey F3 Shortcut for most accessed information ASUS DRAM SPD Serial Presence Detect information detecting faulty DIMMs and helping with difficult POST situations ASUS Q Design ASUS Q Design enhances your DIY experience All of Q Slot and Q Shield design spee
109. iddle Temperature 45 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to set the value for ASST Fan Middle Temperature ASST Fan 1 2 Middle Duty Cycle 60 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the chassis fan middle duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 49 3 50 ASST Fan 1 2 Lower Temperature 40 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the assistant fans lower temperature The values may differ via Qfan tuning ASST Fan 1 2 Min Duty Cycle 60 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the minimum assistant fan duty cycle The values may differ via Qfan tuning Allow Fan Stop 1 3 Disabled These items allow the assistant fans to run at 0 duty cycle when the temperature of the source is dropped below the lower temperature Configuration options Disabled Enabled Fan Overtime 1 minutes This item allows you to set a time in minutes of the assistant fans operation prior to system shutdown These assistant fans dissipate any remaining heat and extend the critical component s longevity dissipating heat as much as 7 C in just 10 minutes Configuration options Disabled 1 minute 3 minutes 5 minutes 10 minutes Anti Surge Support Enabled This item allows you to enable or disable the OVP Over Voltage Protection and UVP Under Voltage Protection functions This causes the system to automatically shut down when the voltage exceeds the safe range that pr
110. ion options for this section vary depending on the CPU and DIMM model you installed on the motherboard Scroll down to display other BIOS items 118 80 Em mie 1 8 269 bres avery Boece EI ter iani ae wy Favored Wain Awaited Monier Bon ce View ni Mat Crea Ba fh PL iub Da Ia CFI CE ENS I PLI eerie Eua LXI I DRAM ES E dap r DEAM Haguea Pat wif eet i i e RE Lei piaci Raiz i i prm n Aha ee e LMIIPSIES Edo LI Py I pae 0 88 gr j Lan finde iT Lll dl Dope POL bia porri jing Chapter 3 BIOS setup Ai Overclock Tuner Auto This item allows you to select the CPU overclocking options to achieve the desired CPU internal frequency Select any of these preset overclocking configuration options Auto Loads the optimal settings for the system Manual Automatically optimizes the CPU ratio and BCLK frequency Z The following item appears only when you set the Ai Overclocking Tuner to Manual CPU Strap Auto This item allows you to select a strap close to your target BCLK base clock for an extreme overclocking or leave it at Auto for the BIOS to upgrade Configuration options Auto 100MHz 125MHz 166MHz 250MHz The following item appears only when you set the CPU Strap to 100MHz 125 MHz 167MHz or 250MHz Source Clock Tuner Auto
111. item allows you to control various DMI direct media interface to run at PCI E 2 0 speed DMI Gen 2 Enabled Set this item to Enabled to run DMI at PCI E 2 0 speed Configuration options Enabled Disabled NB PCle Configuration This item allows you to configure the NB PCI Express settings PCIEx16 1 2 Link Speed Auto This item allows you to configure the PCIEx16 speed for slots 1 and 2 Configuration options Auto Gen1 Gen2 Memory Configuration This item allows you to configure the memory configuration parameters Memory Scrambler Enabled Set this item to Enabled to support high frequency DRAMs for a better stability Configuration options Enabled Disabled Memory Remap Enabled Set this item to Enabled to support DRAM address remapping for 64 bit operating Systems Configuration options Enabled Disabled mM la Oo E Q ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 37 3 38 3 6 5 USB Configuration The items in this menu allow you to change the USB related features LEE parse Ley Hoda esa 482099 Gu My Faro be Aj aake Ff The Mass Storage Devices item shows the auto detected values If no USB device is detected the item shows None Legacy USB Support Enabled Enabled Your system supports the USB devices in legacy operating systems Disabled Your USB devices can be used for BIOS setup only and cannot be recognized i
112. just the value The values range from 0 70 V to 1 80 V witha 0 0125 V interval e The values of the CPU PLL Voltage CPU Manual Voltage CPU Offset Voltage iGPU Manual Voltage iGPU Offset Voltage DRAM Voltage VCCSA Voltage VCCIO Voltage and PCH Voltage items are labeled in different color indicating the risk levels of high voltage settings e The system may need better cooling system for a more stable performance under high voltage settings PCH VLX Voltage Auto This item allows you to set the I O voltage on the PCH Platform Controller Hub You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 1 2000 V to 2 0000 V with a 0 0125 V interval VTTDDR Voltage Auto This item allows you to set the termination voltage for the system memory You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 6000 V to 1 0000 V with a 0 0125 V interval Chapter 3 BIOS setup DRAM CTRL REF Voltage Auto This item allows you to set the DRAM reference voltage on the control lines from the memory bus You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 39500x to 0 63000x with a 0 00500x interval To set a value for the DRAM reference voltage we recommend you to set a value close to the standard value which is 0 500000x DRAM DATA REF Voltage on CHA CHB Auto This item allows you to set the DRAM reference voltage on the data li
113. keback Services ASUS recycling and takeback programs come from our commitment to the highest standards for protecting our environment We believe in providing solutions for you to be able to responsibly recycle our products batteries other components as well as the packaging materials Please go to http csr asus com english Takeback htm for detailed recycling information in different regions RF Equipment Notices CE European Community Compliance Statement The equipment complies with the RF Exposure Requirement 1999 519 EC Council Recommendation of 12 July 1999 on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields 0 300 GHz This wireless device complies with the R amp TTE Directive Wireless Radio Use This device is restricted to indoor use when operating in the 5 15 to 5 25 GHz frequency band Exposure to Radio Frequency Energy The radiated output power of the Wi Fi technology is below the FCC radio frequency exposure limits Nevertheless it is advised to use the wireless equipment in such a manner that the potential for human contact during normal operation is minimized ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 A 3 FCC Bluetooth Wireless Compliance The antenna used with this transmitter must not be co located or operated in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter subject to the conditions of the FCC Grant Bluetooth Industry Canada Statement This Class B device meets all requirements of the Canadi
114. lope levels for power saving enhancement or lower power current slope levels for system overclocking enhancement Configuration options Auto LEVEL 4 LEVEL 4 Power Current Offset Auto This item allows you to increase or decrease the output current sensed by the CPU It finds the balance between optimal regulating while staying below the current threshold Configuration options Auto 100 87 596 75 0 62 5 50 0 37 5 25 096 12 5 0 12 5 25 0 37 5 50 0 62 5 75 0 87 5 100 Power Fast Ramp Response Auto This item allows you to enhance the response of the CPU voltage regulator during the load transients Use the lt gt or lt gt to adjust the value The values range from 0 00 to 1 50 Configuration options Auto 0 00 1 50 CPU Internal Power Saving Control Power Saving Level 1 Threshold Auto Lower value provides sufficient overclocking tolerance to enlarge the overclocking potential Higher value provides better power saving condition Use lt gt or lt gt key to adjust the value The values range from 0 A to 80 A at 1 A increment ASUS SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 3 25 3 26 Power Saving Level 2 Threshold Auto Lower value provides sufficient overclocking tolerance to enlarge the overclocking potential Higher value provides better power saving condition Use lt gt or lt gt key to adjust the value The values range from 0 A to 50 A at 1 A increment
115. ly when you set the Intel Rapid Start Technology to Enabled Entry on S3 RTC Wake Enabled The system automatically wakes up and set to Rapid Start Technology S3 mode Configuration options Enabled Disabled Entry After 0 This item allows you to set the RTC wake up timer at S3 entry The time ranges from 0 minute immediately to 120 minutes Active Page Threshold Support Enabled The system automatically goes into sleep mode when the partition size is not enough for the Intel Rapid Start Technology to work Configuration options Enabled Disabled Active Memory Threshold 0 This item supports Intel Rapid Storage Technology when the partition size is greater than the Active Page Threshold size When set to zero 0 it will go to Auto mode and checks if the partition size is enough at S3 entry LA Ensure that the caching partition size is larger than the total memory size I ty E rt WW 3 34 Chapter 3 BIOS setup Hybrid Hard Disk Support Disabled This item allows you to enable or disable the hybrid hard disk support for a faster resume time Configuration options Enabled Disabled Intel Smart Connect Technology This item allows the system to support Intel Smart Connect Technology that periodically refreshes selected applications when the system is in sleep mode Configuration options Enabled Disabled 3 6 3 PCH Storage Configuration While entering Setu
116. m in BIOS 5 2 5 1 4 Intel Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM utility 5 3 5 2 Installing the RAID driver during Windows OS DURST aN e 5 7 Appendices occa D n A 1 ASUS contact INfOrmatiOn ccccccccssssssececcecsseseeceeeecneecesececeeceneceeeeeeeanenenseeeseeenees A 5 vi 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
117. max resolution 4096x2160 24Hz 2560x1600 60Hz Supports Intel InTru 3D Quick Sync Video Clear Video HD Technology Insider Maximum shared memory of 512 MB DP 1 2 Multi Stream Transport compliant supports DP 1 2 monitor daisy chain up to 3 displays Supports NVIDIA Quad GPU SLI Technology Supports AMD Quad GPU CrossFireX Technology Intel 1218 V Gigabit LAN controller Dual interconnect between the integrated LAN controller and physical layer PHY continued on the next page SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 specifications summary Storage Exclusive TUF Features Intel Z97 Express Chipset with RAID 0 1 5 10 and Intel Rapid Storage Technology 13 support 6 x SATA 6Gb s ports with RAID 0 1 5 10 support Supports Intel Smart Response Technology Intel Rapid Start Technology Intel Smart Connect Technology These functions will work depending on the CPU installed Realtek ALC1150 8 channel High definition audio CODEC Audio shielding ensures precision analog digital separation and greatly reduced multi lateral interference Separate layer for left and right track ensuring both sound deliver equal quality Top notch audio sensation delivers according to the audio configuration Audio amplifier to enhance the highest quality sound for headphone and speakers High Quality 112dB SNR stereo playback output Line out at rear and 104dB SNR recording input Line in support Absolute pitch 19
118. n the boot devices list Auto Your system automatically detects the presence of USB devices at startup If any USB devices are detected the legacy USB support is enabled Intel xHCI Mode Smart Auto Auto The xHCI is automatically enabled and runs at USB 3 0 mode when the xHCI driver is installed in the operating system Smart Auto Upon detection the xHCI driver supports the USB 3 0 mode during both POST and operating system Enabled Enables the xHCI controller Disabled Disables the xHCI controller EHCI Hand off Disabled Enabled Enables the support for operating systems without an EHCI hand off feature Disabled Disables the EHCI Hand off support Chapter 3 BIOS setup Mass Storage Devices Auto This item allows your system to detect the devices according to their media formats Configuration options Auto Floppy Forced FDD Hard Disk CD ROM USB Single Port Control This item allows you to enable or disable the individual USB ports f Refer to section 1 2 2 Motherboard layout for the location of the USB ports 3 6 6 Platform Misc Configuration The items in this menu allow you to configure the platform related features PCIE Native Power Management Disabled This item allows you to enhance the power saving feature of PCI Express and perform ASPM operations in the operating system Configuration options Disabled Enabled The following item appears only when you set the PCI Exp
119. nced Mode Using the Advance Mode The Advance Mode allows you to configure the priorities of your programs or applications or configure your network device To go to the Advanced Mode click or tap The Advanced Mode contains the following utilities Preferences Allows you to control the network s traffic to optimize the program s performance favor ping time and avoid packet loss Protocols Allows you to set priority to the network adapter and its protocol to reduce delay during data transfer and maintain the speed of Internet access Programs Allows you to set priority to the programs or applications Traffic Shaping Allows you set the priority to the network adapter and its protocol to reduce delay during data transfer and speeds up the Internet access Adapter Info Displays the information about the installed network adapter in your system Online Budgets Allows you to set an online budget time to your network adapters Traffic Analysis Allows you to assign protocols and programs in one set Chapter 4 Software support 4 6 Audio configurations The Realtek audio CODEC provides 8 channel audio capability to deliver the ultimate audio experience on your computer The software provides Jack Sensing function S PDIF Out support and interrupt capability The CODEC also includes the Realtek proprietary UAJ Universal Audio Jack technology for all audio ports eliminating cable connection errors an
120. nes on Channels A and B You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 39500x to 0 63000x with a 0 00500x interval To set a value for the DRAM reference voltage we recommend you to set a value close to the standard value which is 0 500000x Clock Crossing Voltage Auto This item allows you to increase the value of the clock crossing voltage boot when the rising edge of the BCLK DN is equal to the falling edge of the BCLK D You can use the lt gt or keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 1 V to 1 9 V with a 0 00625 V interval CPU Spread Spectrum Auto This item allows you to enhance the BCLK overclocking capability or reduce the EMI electromagnetic disturbance generated by the BCLK Set this item to Enabled for EMI reduction or set this item to Disabled to enhance BCLK overclocking Configuration options Auto Disabled Enabled ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 29 3 6 Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices Be cautious when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction UEFI PICS Linie idos Moda ARE UU 1 8 779 Lu Safe cero ere 4 Wain da x LL r LH Lora x1 ME YO e Lea Balm Age om fi aon Oa aec v ml
121. nnector aN e We recommend that you connect a high definition front panel audio module to this connector to avail of the motherboard s high definition audio capability e If you want to connect a high definition or an AC 97 front panel audio module to this connector set the Front Panel Type item in the BIOS setup to HD or AC97 7 Thermal Sensor connectors 2 pin T SENSOR1 T SENSOR2 T SENSOR3 These connectors are for the thermistor cables that monitor the temperature of the devices and the critical components inside the motherboard Connect the thermistor cable and place the sensor on the device or the motherboard s component to detect its temperature Tos T SENSORS3 GND SENSOR IN SABERTOOTH Z97 mark 2 GND T_SENSOR2 niet SENSOR IN T_SENSORI ala eno SENSOR IN SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 T_SENSOR connectors ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 33 8 ATX power connectors 24 pin EATXPWR 8 pin EATX12V These conne
122. ns below to get the necessary software manuals fF The software manual files are in Portable Document Format PDF Install the Adobe Acrobat Reader from the Utilities tab before opening the files To read about your motherboard s utility guide 1 Click or tap Manual tab gt ASUS Motherboard Utility Guide 2 From the Manual folder open the folder of the software manual that you wish to read 3 Some software manuals are provided in different languages Open the language s folder to view the software manual JT i Q The screenshots in this section are for reference only The actual software manuals containing in the support DVD vary by models ASUS SABERTOOTH 297 MARK 2 4 3 O gt 9 U et D Ja 4 4 4 3 Software information Most of the applications in the support DVD have wizards that will conveniently guide you through the installation View the online help or readme file that came with the software application for more information 4 4 Al Suite 3 Al Suite 3 is an all in one interface that integrates several ASUS utilities and allows you to launch and operate these utilities simultaneously Installing Al Suite 3 aN Ensure that you have an Administrator account before installing Al Suite 3 in Windows 7 Windows 8 or Windows 8 1 operating systems To install Al Suite 3 on your computer Windows 7 OS 1 Place the Support DVD into the optical driv
123. nsor Thermal Sensor headers 1 x S PDIF Out header 1 x TPM header 1 x Thunderbolt header 5 pin for ASUS ThunderboltEX series support 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 64 Mb Flash ROM UEFI AMI BIOS PnP DMI 2 7 WfM 2 0 SM BIOS 2 7 ACPI 5 0 Multi language BIOS ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 My Favorites Quick Note Last Modified Log F12 PrintScreen function F3 Shortcut functions and ASUS DRAM SPD Serial Presence Detect memory information 4 x Serial ATA 6Gb s cables 1 x ASUS SLI bridge connector 7cm 1 x ASUS Q Shield 1x2in 1 Q connector 1 x TUF Inside sticker 1 x TUF Certification card 1 x TUF 5 Year Warranty manual by region 1 x User s manual 2 0 DMI 2 7 WOL by PME PXE Drivers Anti virus software OEM version ASUS TUF CPU Z ASUS Utilities ATX form factor 12 0 in x 9 6 in 30 5 cm x 24 4 cm YA Specifications are subject to change without notice Xii Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items gt ASUS 297 MARK 2 Technical documentations Support DVD motherboard certification and warranty card PP anu 0 2 Ra 1010 o9 o ico 125 ica 4 x Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s cables pone un n connector 1 ASUS Q Shield M 1 x 2 in 1 ASUS Q Connector kit LA If any of the above items is damaged or missing contact your retailer
124. ocking settings advanced power management and boot device configuration that are needed for system startup in the motherboard CMOS In normal circumstances the default BIOS settings apply to most conditions to ensure optimal performance DO NOT change the default BIOS settings except in the following circumstances An error message appears on the screen during the system bootup and requests you to run the BIOS Setup You have installed a new system component that requires further BIOS settings or update N Inappropriate BIOS settings may result to instability or boot failure We strongly recommend that you change the BIOS settings only with the help of a trained service personnel When downloading or updating the BIOS file rename it as Z97ST2 CAP for this a motherboard ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 1 3 2 BIOS setup program Use the BIOS Setup to update the BIOS or configure its parameters The BIOS screen include navigation keys and brief onscreen help to guide you in using the BIOS Setup program Entering BIOS at startup To enter BIOS Setup at startup press Delete during the Power On Self Test POST If you do not press Delete POST continues with its routines Entering BIOS Setup after POST To enter BIOS Setup after POST Press lt Ctrl gt lt Alt gt lt Delete gt simultaneously Press the reset button on the system chassis Press the power button to turn the system off then back on Do
125. olume name It should be 16 characters or less RAID Level RAIDO Stripe This item allows you to select the RAID level Configuration options RAIDO Stripe RAID1 Mirror RAID5 Parity Recovery Select Disks This item shows the connected SATA devices compatible for setting up RAID On their dropdown lists select X to set up the RAID Strip Size 32KB This item allows you to strip the size of your RAID setup Configuration options 4KB 8KB 16KB 32KB 64KB 128KB Capacity MB 0 This item allows you to set the RAID capacity ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 45 3 46 3 7 Monitor menu The Monitor menu displays the system temperature power status and allows you to change the fan settings Scroll down to display the other BIOS items M LACE BIS Linien fictanced Moda E E Pei d lu UC 18 339 Sige Ele alieni Par T acad Aj er Bont do Lxil Harare Vienna nad a feel ne ee ENTE WE Ll dl Dope JOIA bia greedy Qfan Tuning Click this item to automatically detect the lowest speed and configure the minimum duty cycle for each fan CPU Temperature MB Temperature Thermal Radar Temperature xxx C XXX F The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU motherboard and thermal radar temper
126. on Power SP004GBLTU133V02 S POWER 20YT3NG 9 9 9 24 UMAX 84E44G93UM 13BPSYW UMAX U2S96D30TP 13 1333 9 9 9 24 UMAX 1 22 84E48G93UM 13BPSYW UMAX U2S96D30TP 13 1333 9 9 9 24 Side s SS Single sided DS Double sided DIMM support 1 Supports one 1 module inserted into any slot as Single channel memory configuration We suggest that you install the module into A1 slot 2 Supports two 2 modules inserted into either the beige slots or the brown slots as one pair of Dual channel memory configuration We suggest that you install the modules into slots A1 and B1 for better compatibility 4 Supports four 4 modules inserted into both the beige and brown slots as two pairs of Dual channel memory configuration e 505 exclusively provides hyper DIMM support function e Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs Load the X M P settings in the BIOS for the hyper DIMM support e Visit the ASUS website for the latest QVL Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 2 5 Expansion slots 4 Unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components LI mt PCIEX1_1 PCIEX1_2 E mes Hr ii p j EET IST ETE Slot No Slot Description ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 23 PCle x16 3 Configuration x
127. or tap to switch between items Click or tap to save the settings of the new profile Fan Overtime settings Dust de Fan settings VGA Allows you to configure the thermal settings of an installed ASUS graphics card aN The VGA tab on Thermal Radar 2 appears only when you install an optional ASUS graphics card into your system The VGA feature of Thermal Radar 2 supports ASUS NVidia 700 Series graphics card only VGA Auto Mode The system loads the optimal values for the graphic card s thermal settings Press to perform dynamic adjustments Click to save a new profile on the power and fan speed of the installed graphics card Click to load a saved profile ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 7 4 8 VGA Smart Mode Manually adjust the acceleration and deceleration time of the graphic card s fans Click to apply changes Displays the graph of the Click the sliders to Click to undo changes thermal settings adjust the settings L Click to save a new profile Click to load a saved profile VGA RPM Mode Allows you to manually adjust the fan s speed in rpm aN Press the Fan Tuning button if this item is disabled or grayed out L Click to save a new profile Move the slider up or down Click to load a saved profile to adjust the settings Chapter 4 Software support Thermal Tuning This function optimizes your system s cooling solution based on your system s cu
128. ot black bandwidth Enabled X2 mode The PClex 16 3 slot runs at X2 mode ASMedia USB 3 0 controller is enabled X4 mode The PClex 16 3 slot runs at x4 mode for a high performance support LA When you set this item to X4 mode ASMedia USB 3 0 controller is disabled Intel LAN Controller Enabled This item allows you to enable or disable the Intel LAN controller Configuration options Disabled Enabled Z The following item appears only when you set the Intel LAN Controller to Enabled Intel PXE OPROM Disabled This item allows you to enable or disable the Intel LAN PXE Preboot Execution Environment option ROM Configuration options Enabled Disabled Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 6 8 Configuration wes BIOS Lay uum 18 319 e Vy Fannie Main Al xi Mino cor ErP Ready Disabled This item allows you to switch off some power at S4 S5 or S5 to get the system ready for ErP requirement When set to Enabled all other PME options are switched off Configuration options Disabled Enabled S4 S5 Enabled 55 Restore AC Power Loss Power Off This item allows your system to go to ON state OFF state or both states after an AC power loss When setting your system to Last State it goes to the previous state before the AC power loss Configuration options Power Off Power On Last State Power On By PCI E Disabled This item allows
129. otects the motherboard s components Configuration options Disabled Enabled Chapter 3 BIOS setup Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options UEF BIS Linie idos Moda a Li p i Amm ini 1 8 339 EIL iero On DE LU O 1 Far har eux e Favorites Monitor do Lxil Harare Nanna L abiea Boot Configuration Fast Boot Enabled Disabled This item allows your system to go back to its normal boot speed Enabled This item allows your system to accelerate the boot speed fF The following items appear only when you set the Fast Boot to Enabled SATA Support All Devices All Devices All devices connected to SATA ports are available during POST This process extends the POST time Hard Drive Only Only hard drives connected to SATA ports are detected during POST Boot Drive Only Only boot drives connected to a SATA ports are detected during POST USB Support Partial Initialization Disabled All USB devices will not be available until OS boot up for a fastest POST time Full Initialization All USB devices will be available during POST This process will extend the POST time Partial For a faster POST time only USB ports with keyboard and Initialization mouse connections will be detected ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 51 P Eee PIN u GS s
130. ou to set a higher frequency for an increased overclocking range or a lower frequency for an enhanced system stability Use the lt gt or lt gt to adjust the value The values range from 300 KHz to 500 KHz with an interval of 50 KHz DRAM Power Phase Control Auto Optimized Set to the ASUS optimized phase tuning profile Extreme Set to the full phase mode AN DO NOT remove the thermal module when setting this item to Extreme The thermal conditions should be monitored Internal CPU Power Management The subitems in this menu allow you to set the CPU ratio and their features Enhanced intel SpeedStep Technology Enabled This item allows the operating system to dynamically adjust the processor voltage and cores frequency resulting to a decreased average power consumption and decreased average heat production Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 23 3 24 Turbo Mode Enabled This item allows you to enable your core processor s speed to run faster than the base operating frequency when it is below operating power current and temperature specification limit Configuration options Disabled Enabled Z The following items appear only when you set the Turbo Mode to Enabled Turbo Mode Parameters Long Duration Package Power Limit Auto Allows you to limit the Turbo Ratio s time duration that exceeds the TDP Thermal Design Power for maximum performance Use the lt
131. p the BIOS automatically detects the presence of SATA devices The SATA Port items show Not Present if no SATA device is installed to the corresponding SATA port Scroll down to display the other BIOS items LEFI PEW iiy Musis a i go Sie eee o Ala ini n zz Main Al Tweaker Boot do Lidl Harare Nanna d um LL 16 JOIA arrian nia jim e L4 gt A j P gt E y oU a i ar a i Si b ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 35 SATA Mode Selection AHCI This item allows you to set the SATA configuration Disabled Disables the SATA function IDE Mode Set to IDE Mode when you want to use the Serial ATA hard disk drives as Parallel ATA physical storage devices AHCI Mode Set to AHCI Mode when you want the SATA hard disk drives to use the AHCI Advanced Host Controller Interface The AHCI allows the onboard storage driver to enable advanced Serial ATA features that increases storage performance on random workloads by allowing the drive to internally optimize the order of commands RAID Mode Set to RAID Mode when you want to create a RAID configuration from the SATA hard disk drives fF The following item appears only when you set the SATA Mode Selection to RAID Pcie Nand Configuration Auto This item allows you to enable or
132. r for Windows OS 1 During the OS installation click Load Driver to allow you to select the installation media containing the RAID driver 2 Insert the USB flash drive with RAID driver into the USB port or the support DVD into the optical drive and then click Browse 3 Click the name of the device you ve inserted go to Drivers RAID and then select the RAID driver for the corresponding OS version Click OK 4 Follow the succeeding screen instructions to complete the installation Before loading the RAID driver from a USB flash drive you have to use another computer to copy the RAID driver from the support DVD to the USB flash drive To set up a Windows UEFI operating system under RAID mode ensure to load the UEFI driver for your optical drive ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 5 7 5 8 Chapter 5 RAID configurations Appendices Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions e This device may not cause harmful interference e 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
133. ress Native Power Management to Enabled Native ASPM Disabled Enabled Windows Vista OS controls the ASPM active state power management support for devices Disabled BIOS controls the ASPM support for the device ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 39 PCH PCI Express options DMI Link ASPM Control Disabled This item allows you to control the Active State Power Management on both NB NorthBridge side and SB SouthBridge side of the DMI Link Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASPM Support Disabled This item allows you to select the ASPM state for energy saving conditions Configuration options Disabled LOs L1 LOsL1 Auto SA PCI Express options DMI Link ASPM Control Disabled This item allows you to control the Active State Power Management on both CPU and PCH platform controller hub Both DMI link ASPM control items of the CPU and PCH sides must be enabled for the ASPM to take effect Configuration options Disabled LOs L1 LOsL 1 PEG ASPM Support Disabled This item allows you to select the ASPM state for energy saving conditions or use the ASUS optimized energy saving profile Configuration options Disabled LOs L1 LOsL 1 Auto 3 40 Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 6 7 X Onboard Devices Configuration Scroll down to view the other BIOS items hye fichanced Node z 1 ELI 1 1 eo isp up o eee 1 0 5 Ese Quan harm Sp
134. rrent thermal settings It allows you to configure your CPU chassis and the exclusive TUF Turbo fans to achieve the best balance between cooling performance and low noise Click or tap to automatically start the Thermal Tuning process Thermal Status Displays the current status of the thermal condition of your system Click or tap to run the assessment report of your current thermal settings Recorder Displays and monitors the status of the thermal setting and condition of your system __ Click or tap to scroll down up ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 9 DIGI Power Control ASUS DIGI Power Control features the revolutionary and innovative digital VRM and DRAM Voltage controllers These controllers offers ultra precise memory and voltage tuning for optimal system efficiency stability and performance 4 10 Click or tap to go the CPU configurations screen Click or tap to go the DRAM configurations screen Click or tap to go back Click or tap to switch Click or tap to undo __ Click or tap to apply to the previous screen between items the changes the changes DIGI Power Control DRAM Click or tap to go back Click or tap to undo Click ortap to apply to the previous screen the changes the changes Chapter 4 Software support 4 4 1 Ai Charger Ai Charger allows you to fast charge your portable BC 1 1 mobile devices on your computer s USB port three times faster than the standard USB dev
135. s For a higher data transfer performance use a USB 3 0 device ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 19 4 4 6 System Information This utility allows you get the detailed information of the motherboard CPU and memory settings Launching the System Information To launch System Information click or tap on the top right corner of the Al Suite 3 main menu then select System Information Viewing the motherboard information Click or tap the MB tab to view the motherboard s information Viewing the CPU information Click or tap the CPU tab to view the processor s information 4 20 Chapter 4 Software support Viewing the SPD information Click or tap the SPD tab to view the memory s information ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 21 4 4 7 USB Charger USB Charger allows you to quick charge your portable USB devices even if your computer is off in sleep mode or hibernate mode fF Before using USB Charger ensure to disable the ErP Ready item from the Advanced gt ae APM gt ErP Ready in the Advanced mode of the BIOS Setup program Launching USB Charger To launch USB Charger click or tap on the top right corner of the AI Suite 3 main menu then select USB Charger USB Charger screen Click or tap to detect the connected USB device Indicates that the connected USB device is in charging mode Click or tap to fast charge your USB device Click or tap to stop charging your USB device Click or t
136. s the Advanced Mode click Exit Advanced Mode then select Advanced Mode or press F7 hot key for the advanced BIOS settings The default screen for entering the BIOS setup program can be changed between EZ Mode or Advanced Mode Refer to the Setup Mode item in section 3 8 Boot menu for details Displays the system properties of the selected mode Click lt or gt to switch EZ System Tuning modes Displays the CPU motherboard temperature CPU voltage output CPU chassis power fan Selects the display language Creates storage RAID and speed and SATA information of the BIOS setup program configures system overclocking by UEFI BIDS Litio EZ Made C Lie i LE Port III A I PRESO CC a a ANLOT t Sm E pr f CA E r _ Wie LET Ln Adarna bona 7 A I p Enables or disables the SATA RAID mode for Intel Rapid Storage Technology Shows the Displays the Advanced bootable devices mode menus I Saves the changes and Selects the boot resets the system device priority Loads optimized default settings YA The boot device options vary depending on the devices you installed to the system SZ ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 3 3 2 2 Advanced Mode The Advanced Mode provides advanced options for experienced end users to configure the BIOS se
137. se 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 ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 1 7 1 2 2 Motherboard layout USB7 10 LIDULI CPU OPT CPU FAN EATX12V BIOS FLBK Pil ILLA HDMI_DP 64bit 240 pin module 64bit 240 pin module 64bit 240 pin module 3 o e o A E3DRAM LED LGA1150 LAN1_USB3_56 USB3_E12 DDR3 DIMM A1 DDR3 DIMM A2 DDR3 DIMM B1 DDR3 DIMM B2 AUDIO EATXPWR ASM ASST FAN2 1042A ABUS H CPU LED I PCIEX1_1 Intel 1218 BOOT DEVICE LEDEA VGA LED I PCIEX16 1 SABERTOOTH 297 mark e Intel 797 PCIEX1_2 USB3_12 6 SATA6G 3 SATA6G 1 ATA6G 6 SATA6G 4 SATAeG 2 N TUF PCIEX16_2 PCIEX1_3 TPU Super VO 8 SATA6G_5 S E 1150 T_SENSOR3 CPU OV ETAT T_SENSORI PCIEX16_3 E mE 9 LPC_DEBUG SPDIF_OUT CHA_FAN4 DRCT EE gj HEADER
138. set Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 001 V to 0 999 V with a 0 001 V interval CPU Cache Voltage Auto This item allows you to set the amount of voltage fed to the CPU uncores including its cache Increase the voltage when setting a high CPU cache frequency Configuration options Auto Manual Mode Offset Mode Z The following item appears only when you set the CPU Cache Voltage to Manual Mode Chapter 3 BIOS setup CPU Cache Voltage Override Auto This item allows you to set the CPU Cache Voltage override By default this item takes the standard value of the installed CPU You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 001V to 1 920 V with a 0 001 V interval The following items appear only when you set the CPU Core Voltage to Offset Mode Offset Mode Sign To offset the voltage by a positive value To offset the voltage by a negative value CPU Cache Voltage Offset Allows you to set the CPU cache voltage offset By default this item takes the standard value of the installed CPU You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 001V to 0 999 V with a 0 001 V interval CPU System Agent Voltage Offset Mode Sign To offset the voltage by a positive value To offset the voltage by a negative value CPU System Agent Voltage Offset Auto This item allows yo
139. support Manually update the BIOS and selecting a boot logo Click or tap to search an image file for your boot logo Click or tap to go back to ino EZ Update main screen Glickcortapito odo After you click or tap BIOS Update button click or tap Flash to update the BIOS and upload the boot logo in your system ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 4 13 4 4 3 USB BIOS Flashback USB BIOS Flashback allows you to check and save the latest BIOS version to a USB storage device Use this utility to quickly check for the latest available BIOS and set the BIOS download schedule Launching USB BIOS Flashback To launch USB BIOS Flashback click or tap on the top right corner of the Al Suite 3 main menu then select USB BIOS Flashback Z USB BIOS Flashback is available only in selected motherboard models Using USB BIOS Flashback Set a schedule for the BIOS Update download Click or tap to cancel the download schedule setting Click or tap to apply the download schedule setting Click or tap to check for a new BIOS update available for download Scheduling the BIOS download 1 In the Download Setting field tick Schedule days then select the number of days for the BIOS download schedule 2 Click or tap Apply to save the BIOS download schedule Click or tap Cancel to cancel the download schedule Chapter 4 Software support Downloading the latest BIOS Before you start downloading
140. t 5 sec This item allows you to select a desired POST report waiting time Configuration options 1 sec 10 sec Until Press ESC Bootup NumLock State Enabled This item allows you to enable or disable power on state of the NumLock Configuration options Disabled Enabled Wait For F1 If Error Enabled This item allows your system to wait for the F1 key to be pressed when error occurs Configuration options Disabled Enabled Chapter 3 BIOS setup Option ROM Messages Enabled Enabled The third party ROM messages will be displayed during POST Disabled Disables the ROM messages and displays only the ASUS logo during POST Interrupt 19 Capture Disabled This item allows you to trap Interrupt 19 by the option ROMs Configuration options Disabled Enabled Above 4G Decoding Disabled This item allows you to decode the 64 bit capable devices above 4G address space Ensure that your system supports 64 bit PCI decoding Configuration options Disabled Enabled Setup Mode EZ Mode Advanced Mode This item allows you to go to Advanced Mode of the BIOS after POST EZ Mode This item allows you to go to EZ Mode of the BIOS after POST CSM Compatibility Support Module This item allows you to configure the CSM Compatibility Support Module items to fully support the various VGA bootable devices and add on devices for better compatibility Launch CSM Enabled Auto The system automatically d
141. time Other Special Features Al Suite 3 ASUS Q Connector ASUS Q Shield ASUS Q LED CPU DRAM VGA Boot Device LED ASUS Q Slot ASUS Q DIMM ASUS O C Profile ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 EZ Update Disk Unlocker ASUS EZ Flash 2 Multi language BIOS 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI port 1 x Optical S PDIF Output 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button 1 X LAN RJ45 port 4 x USB 3 0 2 0 ports blue 1 supports USB BIOS Flashback 4 x USB 2 0 1 1 ports 8 channel Audio I O ports Rear Panel I O Ports continued on the next page SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 specifications summary Internal I O connectors BIOS features Accessories Manageability Support DVD contents Form factor 2 x USB 3 0 2 0 connectors support additional 4 USB 3 0 2 0 ports 19 pin moss green 2 x USB 2 0 1 1 connectors support additional 4 USB 2 0 1 1 ports 6 x SATA 6Gb s connectors brown 1x CPU Fan connector 4 pin moss green for both 4 pin PWM mode and 3 pin DC mode CPU coolers control with auto detection support 1x CPU OPT Fan connector 4 pin Black for both 4 pin PWM mode and 3 pin DC mode CPU coolers control 4 x Chassis Fan connectors 4 pin Black for both 4 pin PWM mode and 3 pin DC mode CPU coolers control 2 x Assistant Fan connectors 3 pin White Front panel audio connector AAFP 24 pin EATX Power connector 8 pin EATX 12V Power connector System Panel Q Connector 1 x MemOK Button 1 x DRCT DirectKey header 3x T Se
142. tio to Auto Min CPU Cache Ratio Auto This item allows you to set the minimum possible ratio on the Uncore part of the processor Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values depend on the CPU installed Max CPU Cache Ratio Auto This item allows you to set the maximum possible ratio on the Uncore part of the processor Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values depend on the CPU installed Chapter 3 BIOS setup Internal PLL Overvoltage Auto This item allows you to enable the internal PLL Overvoltage for K SKU CPUS to get the extreme overclocking capability Configuration options Auto Enabled Disabled BCLK Frequency DRAM Frequency Ratio Auto Auto The BCLK frequency to DRAM frequency ratio is set to the optimized setting 100 133 The BCLK frequency to DRAM frequency ratio is set to 100 133 100 100 The BCLK frequency to DRAM frequency ratio is set to 100 100 DRAM Frequency Auto This item allows you to set the memory operating frequency The configurable options vary with the BCLK base clock frequency setting Select the auto mode to apply the optimized setting Configuration options DDR3 800MHz DDR3 1066MHz DDR3 1333MHz DDR3 1400MHz DDR3 1600MHz DDRS3 1800MHz DDR3 1866MHz DDR3 2000MHz DDR3 2133MHz DDR3 2200MHz DDR3 2400MHz DDR3 2600MHz DDR3 2666MHz DDR3 2800MHz DDR3 2933MHz DDR3 3000MHz DDR3 3200MHz DDR3 3400MHz
143. tion Advanced For changing the advanced system settings For displaying the system temperature power status and changing the Monitor fan settings For changing the system boot configuration For configuring options for special functions For selecting the exit options and loading default settings For changing the overclocking settings Menu items The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specific items for that menu For example selecting Main shows the Main menu items The other items My Favorites Ai Tweaker Advanced Monitor Boot Tool and Exit on the menu bar have their respective menu items Submenu items A greater than sign gt before each item on any menu screen means that the item has a submenu To display the submenu select the item and press Enter Language This button above the menu bar contains the languages that you can select for your BIOS Click this button to select the language that you want to display in your BIOS screen MyFavorites F3 This button above the menu bar shows all BIOS items in a Tree Map setup Select frequently used BIOS settings and save it to MyFavorites menu Z Refer to section 3 3 My Favorites for more information Q Fan Control F6 This button above the menu bar displays the current settings of your fans Use this button to manually tweak the fans to your desired settings Z Refer to section 3 2 3 QFan Control for more information EZ
144. tion options Auto 0 31 Transmitter Falling Slope Auto Configuration options Auto 0 31 Transmitter Control Time Auto Configuration options Auto 0 31 Receiver Rising Slope Auto Configuration options Auto 0 31 Receiver Falling Slope Auto Configuration options Auto 0 31 Receiver Control Time Auto Configuration options Auto 0 31 External DIGI Power Control CPU Load line Calibration Auto Load line is defined by Intel specification and affects CPU power voltage The CPU working voltage decreases proportionally to CPU loading Higher load line calibration could get higher voltage and good overclocking performance but increases the CPU and VRM thermal conditions Select from levels 1 to 9 to adjust the CPU power voltage from 0 to 125 Configuration options Auto Level 1 Level 9 LA The actual performance boost may vary depending on your CPU specification DO NOT remove the thermal module The thermal conditions should be monitored CPU VRM Switching Frequency Auto This item affects the VRM transient response speed and the component thermal production Select Manual to configure a higher frequency for a quicker transient response speed Configuration options Auto Manual M DO NOT remove the thermal module The thermal conditions should be monitored ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 21 3 22 Z The following item appears only when you set the CPU V
145. tions 5 1 4 Intel Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM utility To enter the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM utility 1 Tum on the system 2 During POST press Ctrl lt I gt to display the utility main menu Intel R Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM v10 5 1 1070 Copyright C 2003 10 Intel Corporation 1 Create RAID Volume 2 Delete RAID Volume 3 Reset Disks to Non RAID RAID Volumes None defined Physical Devices Port Device Model 0 1 2 3 ST3160812AS ST3160812AS ST3160812AS ST3160812AS N Select Serial 9LS0HJA4 9LSOF4HL 3LSOJYL8 9LSOBJ5H All Rights Reserved 4 Recovery Volume Options 5 Acceleration Options 6 Exit Size 149 0GB 149 0GB 149 0GB 149 0GB ESC Exit Type Status Vol ID ENTER Select Menu The navigation keys at the bottom of the screen allow you to move through the menus and select the menu options The RAID BIOS setup screens shown this section are for reference only and may not exactly match the items on your screen Z The utility supports maximum four hard disk drives for RAID configuration ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 Creating a RAID set To create a RAID set T From the utility main menu select 1 Create RAID Volume and press Enter The following screen appears CREATE VOLUME MENU Name RAID Level Disks Strip Size Capacity Sync Create volume HELP Enter a unique
146. trol 1 4 Enabled These items allow you to set the chassis fans Q Fan control feature into DC Mode PWM Mode or disable these Q Fan controls from your motherboard Configuration options Disabled DC Mode PWM Mode LA The following items appear only when you set the Chassis Fan 1 4 Q Fan Control to PWM Mode or DC Mode Chassis Fan 1 4 Q Fan Source DC Mode This item controls the assigned fan according to the selected temperature source Configuration options CPU MB VRM PCH Core T_SENSOR1 If you select T_SENSORI plug a thermistor cable to T SENSOR header and stick the thermistor cable s head to the desired component as the temperature source Chassis Fan 1 4 Speed Low Limit 1 4 300 RPM This item allows you to disable or set the chassis fan warning speed Configuration options Ignore 200 RPM 300 RPM 400 RPM 500 RPM 600 RPM Chassis Fan 1 4 Profile Standard This item allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the chassis fan Standard Set to make the chassis fan adjust automatically depending on the chassis temperature Silent Set to minimize the fan speed for quiet chassis fan operation Turbo Set to achieve maximum chassis fan speed Manual Set to assign detailed fan speed control parameters Z The following items appear only when you set the Chassis Fan Profile to Manual Chassis Fan 1 4 Upper Temperature 70 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the
147. ttings The figure below shows an example of the Advanced Mode Refer to the following sections for the detailed configurations fF To switch from EZ Mode to Advanced Mode click Advanced Mode or press F7 hotkey Q Fan control TTT EZ Tuning Wizard MyFavorite 4 Quick Note Language Hot Keys LEFI Be ii M Lcr mri ad ode ea o t pa PE Cun EJ diary Lr IT Ter I perdu A ine M E 1 dara Bai Fie ERE Dh TRE TTL Advanted kontor 20 Nanna imbarca mae FU Cora Bara LI PL Lu PU Cade Bal ina PLL eel ee rey Dh Frecucrey xul aom re E i RE EE A I ib F ee Se T E LADA LI Fpl y xd bim A ai mi LL 2 o ERE s gore wad ling Da Sub menu item description Configuration fields Scrollbar Last modified settings Menu items Goes back to EZ Mode Displays the CPU motherboard temperature 1 CPU and memory voltage output 3 4 Chapter 3 BIOS setup Menu bar The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items For saving the frequently used system settings and configuration Main For changing the basic system configura
148. ty E et La I 4 26 Chapter 4 Software support RAID support 5 1 RAID configurations The motherboard comes with the Intel Rapid Storage Technology that supports RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 10 and RAID 5 configuration 5 1 1 RAID definitions RAID 0 Data striping optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and write data in parallel interleaved stacks Two hard disks perform the same work as a single drive but at a sustained data transfer rate double that of a single disk alone thus improving data access and storage Use of two new identical hard disk drives is required for this setup RAID 1 Data mirroring copies and maintains an identical image of data from one drive to a second drive If one drive fails the disk array management software directs all applications to the surviving drive as it contains a complete copy of the data in the other drive This RAID configuration provides data protection and increases fault tolerance to the entire system Use two new drives or use an existing drive and a new drive for this setup The new drive must be of the same size or larger than the existing drive RAID 5 stripes both data and parity information across three or more hard disk drives Among the advantages of RAID 5 configuration include better HDD performance fault tolerance and higher storage capacity The RAID 5 configuration is best suited for transaction processing relational database applications enterprise resource pl
149. u to set the amount of voltage fed to the system agent of the CPU including its PCIE controller and the PCU power control unit Increase the voltage to enhance the overclocking capability You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 001 V to 0 999 V with a 0 001 V interval CPU Analog I O Voltage Offset Mode Sign To offset the voltage by a positive value To offset the voltage by a negative value CPU Analog I O Voltage Offset Auto This item allows you to set the amount of voltage fed to the analog portion of the I O on the CPU By default this item takes the standard value of the installed CPU Increase the amount of voltage to enhance the overclocking capability You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 001 V to 0 999 V with a 0 001 V interval CPU Digital I O Voltage Offset Mode Sign To offset the voltage by a positive value To offset the voltage by a negative value CPU Digital I O Voltage Offset Auto This item allows you to set the amount of voltage fed to the digital portion of the I O on the processor By default this item takes the standard value of the installed CPU Increase the amount of voltage to enhance the overclocking capability You can use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 0 001 V to 0 999 V with a 0 001 V interval ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 27 3 28
150. unctions Select an item then press Enter to display the submenu LIEF BIOS bibe Boences Mode NL MEET CO Do Coe TII IE S 1 D ILLE A Tweaker An red Monitor Boni Hardware Men cor Setup Animator This item allows you to enable or disable the Setup animator Configuration options Disabled Enabled 3 91 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Utility This item allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2 When you press Enter a confirmation message appears Use the left right arrow key to select between Yes or No then press Enter to confirm your choice 7 For more details refer to section ASUS EZ Flash 2 CS P EP e PME NA lege Be tk wa rot DIG N P 9 sl 1 Ry N ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 57 3 58 3 9 2 ASUS O C Profile This item allows you to store or load multiple BIOS settings WEF pars 1 Mods esa 40 050 Gu Favorites Main AlTweaker Advanced Load from Profile This item allows you to load the previous BIOS settings saved in the BIOS Flash Key in the profile number that saved your BIOS settings press lt Enter gt and then select Yes Z e DONOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent the system boot failure e We recommend that you update the BIOS file only coming from the same memory CPU configuration and BIOS version Profile Name This item allows you to k
151. volume name that has no special characters and is 16 characters or less 2 Enter a name for the RAID set and press Enter 3 When the RAID Level item is selected press the up down arrow key to select a RAID level to create and then press Enter 4 When the Disks item is selected press Enter to select the hard disk drives you want to include in the RAID set The SELECT DISKS screen appears SELECT DISKS 5 4 Chapter 5 RAID configurations 5 Use the up down arrow key to select a drive and then press Space to select A small triangle marks the selected drive Press Enter after completing your selection 6 Use the up down arrow key to select the stripe size for the RAID array for RAID 0 10 and 5 only and then press Enter The available stripe size values range from 4KB to 128KB The following are typical values e RAID 0 128KB e RAID 10 64KB e RAID 5 64KB We recommend a lower stripe size for server systems and a higher stripe size for multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video editing 7 When the Capacity item is selected enter the RAID volume capacity that you want and press Enter The default value indicates the maximum allowed capacity 8 When the Create Volume item is selected press Enter The following warning message appears Are you sure you want to create this volume Y N 9 Press Y to create the RAID volume and return to the main
152. y Canada license exempt RSS standard s Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause interference and 2 this device must accept any interference including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device Cut appareil num rique de la Classe B est conforme la norme NMB 003 du Canada Cet appareil num rique de la Classe B respecte toutes les exigences du R glement sur le mat riel brouilleur du Canada Cet appareil est conforme aux normes CNR exemptes de licence d Industrie Canada Le fonctionnement est soumis aux deux conditions suivantes 1 cet appareil ne doit pas provoquer d interf rences et 2 cet appareil doit accepter toute interf rence y compris celles susceptibles de provoquer un fonctionnement non souhait de l appareil 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 VCCI Japan Compliance Statement VCCI Class B Statement LI og i YLE This is a Class B product based on the standard of the VCCI Council If this is used near a radio or television receiver it may cause radio interference Install and use equipment according to the instruction manual ORES RRR AT See ROME SHARE Hh 4 YCC B
153. ynamic Storage Accelerator Disabled This item allows you to accelerate the performance of the SSDs Solid State Drives by dynamically adjusting the power management during heavy multitasking Configuration options Enabled Disabled CPU Power Management Configuration This item allows you to manage and configure the CPU s power Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology Enabled This item allows your system to adjust the CPU s voltage and cores frequency resulting in decreased power consumption and heat production Disabled The CPU runs at its default speed Enabled The system controls the CPU speed Turbo Mode Enabled This item allows you to automatically set the CPU cores to run faster than the base operating frequency when it is below the operating power current and temperature specification limit Configuration options Enabled Disabled Chapter 3 BIOS setup CPU C states Auto This item allows you to set the power saving of the CPU states Configuration options Auto Disabled Enabled The following items appear only when you set the CPU states to Enabled Enhanced C1 state Enabled This item allows your CPU to reduce power consumption when the system is in idle mode Configuration options Enabled Disabled CPU C3 Report Enabled This item allows you to disable or enable the CPU C3 report to the operating system Configuration options Enabled Disabled CPU C6 Report
154. you do any of the following Use a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are using a 32 bit Windows OS Install a 64 bit Windows OS when you want to install 4GB or more on the motherboard For more details refer to the Microsoft support site at http support microsoft com kb 929605 en us This motherboard does not support DIMMs made up of 512 Mb 64 MB chips or less Memory chip capacity counts in Megabit 8 Megabit Mb 1 Megabyte MB 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 To operate at the vendor marked or at a higher frequency refer to section Ai Tweaker menu for manual memory frequency adjustment For system stability use a more efficient memory cooling system to support a full memory load 4 DIMMs or overclocking condition Memory modules with memory frequency higher than 2133MHz and their corresponding timing or the loaded XMP profile is not the JEDEC memory standard The stability and compatibility of the memory modules depend on the CPU s capabilities and other installed devices Chapter 1 Product introduction SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 2666 MHz capability Vendors Apacer Part No 78 BAGFF AFCOC XMP 8GB 2x 4GB
155. you to enable or disable the Wake on LAN function of the onboard LAN controller or other installed PCI E LAN cards Configuration options Disabled Enabled Power On By RTC Disabled This item allows you to enable or disable the RTC Real Time Clock to generate a wake event and configure the RTC alarm date When enabled you can set the days hours minutes or seconds to schedule an RTC alarm date Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 3 43 3 6 9 Network Stack Configuration Network stack Disabled This item allows you to disable or enable the UEFI network stack Configuration options Disabled Enabled fF The following item appears only when you set the Network Stack to Enabled Ipv4 ipv6 PXE Support Enabled This item allows you to enable or disable the Ipv4 Ipv6 PXE wake event Configuration options Disabled Enabled 3 44 Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 6 10 Intel R Rapid Storage Technology UEFI BIOS Ahane Hode c0 D ar Cori TII IE n ti F ig ae ILES Main Al Tweaker Wontar Boot Too Exit Mansa toi ET Create RAID Volume This item allows you to create a RAID volume LA This item only appears when at least one HDD is connected to the Intel SATA ports and set to RAID mode Name Volume1 This item allows you to key in a volume name for your RAID setup LN Use only alphanumeric characters for your RAID v

SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2

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