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ASUS M5A97 Owner's Manual

1. 22 9cm 9 0in gt rr cr BE KBMS pem CHA FAN2 CPU FAN PWR FAN EP UO EATX12V USB3_12 T EI She Toaz z ilils 3 R r9 USB56 S SHE Im 3 3 alg x EEES 8 zial S e 3 3 2 m a 4 USB34 zlzlzl2l i z z a s 84 Sa A a j 21 5 wmo ella X 212 lz o O LAN1 USB12 ajaj ole Q m q Coy AMD odl 5 AUDIO a 970 C g E S kd CHA FAN cH E EATXPWRO e PCIEX16 1 L m PCIEX1 1 E Lithium Cell SATA6G 6 Super tr Vo PCIEX1 2 fi AMD SATA6G 5 M5A97 SB950 EH PCIEX16 2 PCH a o Bios ALC sB_PWR SATA6G 2 SATA6G 4 7 m mi o SPDIF OUT E USB1112 USB910 USB78 cirtc PANELSATASG SATAGG 3 RABE zuEsS EsLIESEEIEDERD 1 1 1 V i JX AN Refer to 2 2 8 Connectors for more information about rear panel connectors and internal connectors Chapter 2 Hardware information Layout contents Connectors Jumpers Slots CPU and chassis fan connectors 4 pin CPU_FAN 4 pin CHA_FAN1 2 3 pin PWR_FAN ATX power connectors 24 pin EATXPWR 8 pin EATX12V AM3 CPU Socket DDR3 DIMM slots DRAM LED DRAM_LED MemOK switch AMD SB950 Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s connectors 7 pin SATA6G_1 6 Standby power LED SB_PWR 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
2. M5A97 MemOK switch Refer to section 2 2 7 Onboard LEDs for the exact location of the DRAM LED The DRAM LED also lights when the DIMM is not properly installed Turn off the system and reinstall the DIMM before using the MemOK function The MemOK switch 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 fail to boot due to BIOS overclocking press the MemOK switch to boot and load BIOS default settings A message will appear during POST reminding you that the BIOS has been restor
3. cerneret nnnenecintniencn teneat senten mecs 1 8 1 Product highlights 1 3 2 DIP Dual Intelligent Processors TPU TurboV Processing Unit amp EPU Energy Processing Unit E 1 3 3 ASUS Innovative Design ee 1 3 4 ASUS unique features essen Chapter 2 Hardware information 2 1 Before you proceed eese esee eeente tese tnn ttn tn tatnen nna 2 2 Motherboard overview 2 2 1 Motherboard layout reete ntn nnnnns 2 2 2 2 2 Central Processing Unit CPU sse 2 4 2 2 8 System memory sene tete 2 2 4 EXparisiorslols a scies inean Ei eph re enr 2 2 5 JUMP sx ineat aie mm inu amen na rcd emn edens 2 2 6 Onboard switches 2 2 7 Onboard LEDS tf rette ie ete 2 2 8 Internal connectors sssssseeeeeeenntetntnnns 2 3 Building your computer system eese 2 21 2 8 1 Additional tools and components to build a PC system 2 21 2 3 2 CPW installatign cct ro terit trees 2 22 2 3 3 CPU heatsink and fan assembly installation 2 23 2 3 4 DIMM installation een 2 26 2 3 5 Motherboard installation see 2 27 2 3 6 ATX Power connection esee tenete tentent tonno 2 29 2 3 7 SATA device connection seen 2 30 2 3 8 Expansion Card i
4. goldfingers CrossFireX bridge bundled with graphics cards 5 Connect two independent auxiliary power sources from the power supply to the two graphics cards separately 6 Connect a VGA or a DVI cable to the graphics card 5 2 Chapter 5 ATI Quad GPU CrossFireX technology support 5 1 4 Installing the device drivers Refer to the documentation that came with your graphics card package to install the device drivers AN Ensure that your PCI Express graphics card driver supports the ATI CrossFireX technology Download the latest driver from the AMD website www amd com 5 1 5 Enabling the ATI CrossFireX technology After installing your graphics cards and the device drivers enable the CrossFireX feature through the ATI Catalyst Control Center in Windows environment Launching the ATI Catalyst Control Center To launch the ATI Catalyst Control Center 1 Right click on the Windows desktop and select m d Catalyst TM Control Center You can also Sort By right click the ATI icon in the Windows notification Refresh area and select Cayalist Control Center 2 The Catalyst Control Center Setup Assistant appears when the system detects the existance of multi graphics cards Click Go to continue to the Catalyst Control Center Advanced View window Enabling Dual CrossFireX technology 1 Inthe Catalyst Control Center window click Graphics Settings CrossFireX Configure 2
5. Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 5 6 Onboard Devices Configuration 4 9 TMUIZi BIOS Utility Advanced Mode Ai Tweakel Advanced iced Onboard Devices Configuration gt Asmedia USB 3 0 Controller Enabled Realtek LAN Controller Realtek PXE OPROM gt Serial Port Configuration gt SB HD Azalia Configuration Asmedia USB 3 0 Controller Enabled Enabled Enables the Asmedia USB 3 0 controller Disabled Disables the controller Asmedia USB 3 0 Battery Charging Support Enabled This item appears only when you set the Asmedia USB 3 0 Controller to Enabled and allows you to enable or disable the Asmedia USB 3 0 fast battery charging support for USB 3 0 devices complying with the BC 1 1 regulation Configuration options Enabled Disabled Realtek LAN Controller Enabled Enabled Enables the Realtek LAN controller Disabled Disables the function Realtek PXE OPROM Disabled This item appears only when you set the Realtek LAN Controller to Enabled and allows you to enable or disable the Realtek PXE OptionROM of the Realtek LAN controller Configuration options Enabled Disabled Serial Port Configuration The sub items in this menu allow you to set the serial port configuration Serial Port Enabled Allows you to enable or disable the serial port COM Configuration options Enabled Disabled Change Settings IO 3F8h IRQ 4 This item appears only when you set the Serial Port to Enabled and
6. aoe 385 5 6 5 6 CHA FAN1 CHA FAN zh CHA FAN IN CHA FAN PWR GND Do not 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 The CPU FAN connector supports the CPU fan of maximum 1A 12 W fan power Only the 4 pin CPU FAN CHA FAN1 2 connector supports the ASUS Fan Xpert feature Chapter 2 Hardware information 7 ATX power connectors 24 pin EATXPWR 8 pin EATX12V These connectors 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 EATX12V EATXPWR a A 8888 43 Volts C enD L1 IRAR 12 Volts C L 1 5 Volts Is Y 1Yt 12 Volts 4f 5 Volts L 5V Standby fICH 5 Volts oF OP Power OK 1C 5 Volts on s ae TOET Sub o 5 Volts oO 2229 GND E 1C GND gs wees 5 Volts ICH PSON o GND GND L 3 o 3 Volts 1C L 1 12 Volts o 5 3 Volts LC jn Volts boo COCCI oom PIN 1 M5A97 ATX power connectors A ASUS M5A97 For a fully configured system we r
7. POI Express frequency tuning from 100MHz up to 150MHz at 1MHz increment Overclocking protection ASUS C P R CPU Parameter Recall Back panel I O ports 1 x PS 2 keyboard Purple 1 x PS 2 mouse Green 1 x Optical S PDIF Output 1 x LAN RJ45 port 6 x USB 2 0 1 1 ports 2 x USB 3 0 2 0 ports blue 8 channel audio I O ports continued on the next page xii M5A97 specifications summary Internal I O connectors BIOS features Manageability Support DVD contents Accessories Form factor 3 x USB 2 0 1 1 connectors support additional 6 USB ports 1 x COM connector 6 x SATA 6 0 Gb s connectors 1 x CPU fan connector 4 pin 2 x Chassis fan connectors 2 x 4 pin 1 x S PDIF Out header 1 x MemOK button 1 x Front panel audio connector 1 x System panel connector 1 x Power Fan connector 1 x 3 pin 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x 24 pin EATX Power connector 1x8 pin EATX 12V Power connector 32 Mb Flash ROM UEFI BIOS PnP DMI 2 0 WfM 2 0 SM BIOS 2 5 ACPI 2 0a Multi language BIOS ASUS EZ Flash 2 WIM 2 0 DMI 2 0 WOL by PME WOR by PME PXE Drivers ASUS utilities ASUS Update Anti virus software OEM version 2 x Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s cables 1 x I O Shield 1 x User Manual ATX form factor 12 in x 9 in 30 5 cm x 22 9 cm Specifications are subject to change without notice 1 1 Welcome Thank you for buying an ASUS M5A97 motherboard The motherboard delivers a hos
8. 9 System panel connector 20 8 pin PANEL Clear RTC RAM 3 pin CLRTC USB connectors 10 1 pin USB78 USB910 USB1112 Serial port connector 10 1 pin COM1 Front panel audio connector 10 1 pin AAFP Digital audio connector 4 1 pin SPDIF_OUT ASUS M5A97 2 3 2 2 2 Central Processing Unit CPU The motherboard comes with an AM3 AMS socket designed for AMD FX Series Phenom Il Athlon Sempron 100 Series Processors uum H 0 _____ uj c0 LC as tawny DH oo a L1 B a Wc Cem M5A97 CPU socket AM3 2 4 Chapter 2 Hardware information 2 2 3 System memory The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 3 DDR3 Dual Inline Memory Modules DIMM sockets 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 Bt DIMM A2 ce T DIMM_B2 Sst om ca Cocac M5A97 240 pin DDR3 DIMM sockets Recommended memory configurations 2 5 ASUS M5A97 Memory configurations You may install 1GB 2GB and 4GB unbuffered ECC and non ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets AN You may install varying memory sizes in Channel A and Channel B The system maps the total size of
9. Adval 3 Ai Tweakei Advanced iced Onboard Devices Configuration gt ASmedia USB 3 0 Controller ASmedia USB 3 0 Battery Charging Support Realtek PXE OPROM 7 Serial Port Configuration Enabled gt SB HD Azalia Configuration Submenu item Pop up window Scroll bar Navigation keys Menu bar The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items M _For changing the basic system configuration Tweake For changing the overclocking settings For changing the advanced system settings Monit For displaying the system temperature power status and changing the fan settings For changing the system boot configuration For configuring options for special functions For selecting the exit options and loading default settings ASUS M5A97 3 3 3 4 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 Ai Tweaker Advanced Monitor Boot Tool and Exit on the menu bar have their respective menu items Back button This button appears when entering a submenu Press lt Esc gt or use the USB mouse to click this button to return to the previous menu screen 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 lt Enter gt Pop up window Sel
10. Connect to 7 1 channel Speakers ASUS M5A97 2 35 2 4 Starting up for the first time After making all the connections replace the system case cover Be sure 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 Turn on the devices in the following order a Monitor b External SCSI devices starting with the last device on the chain gv ds c Ns C 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 or POST While the tests are running the BIOS beeps see the BIOS beep codes table below 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 the jumper settings and connections or call your retailer for assistance 9 E E c I M BIOS Beep Description VGA detected One short beep Quick boot set to disabled No keyboard detected One continuous beep followed b
11. Current Memory Frequency xxxxMHz Current NB Fruquency xxxxMHz Current HT Link Speed xxxxMHz Ai Overclock Tuner OC Tuner CPU RATIO Memory Frequency CPU NB Frequency HT Link Speed CPU Spread Spectrum PCle Spread Spectrum EPU Power Saving Mode gt DRAM Timing Control gt DRAM Driving Control American Megatrenc Scroll down to display the following items Chapter 3 CPU Load Line Calibration CPU NB Load Line Calibration CPU amp NB Voltage Offset Mode Sign CPU Offset Voltage CPU NB Offset Mode Sign CPU NB Offset Voltage CPU VDDA Voltage DRAM Voltage NB Voltage NB HT Voltage NB 1 8V Voltage SB Voltage ASUS M5A97 3 8 Current CPU Speed xxxxMHz Displays the current CPU speed Target CPU Speed xxxxMHz Displays the target CPU speed Current Memory Frequency xxxxMHz Displays the current memory frequency Current NB Frequency xxxxMHz Displays the current NB frequency Current HT Link Speed xxxxMHz Displays the current HT Link speed Ai Overclock Tuner Auto 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 Allows you to individually set overclocking parameters D O C P Allows you to select a DRAM O C profile and the related parameters will be adjusted automatically CPU Bus PEG Frequ
12. 3 BIOS setup DRAM Voltage Auto Allows you to set the DRAM voltage The values range from 1 200000V to 2 500000V with a 0 006250V interval NB Voltage Auto Allows you to set the Northbridge voltage The values range from 1 100000V to 1 250000V with a 0 006250V interval NB HT Voltage Auto Allows you to set the Northbridge HyperTransport voltage The values range from 1 200000V to 1 400000V with a 0 006250V interval NB 1 8V Voltage Auto Allows you to set the Northbridge 1 8V voltage The values range from 1 800000V to 2 100000V with a 0 005000V interval SB Voltage Auto Allows you to set the Southbridge voltage The values range from 1 1000000V to 1 8000000V with a 0 005000V interval ASUS M5A97 3 13 3 5 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 SUS UEFI BIOS Utility Advanced Mode _ Advanced gt North Bridge gt SATA Configuration gt USB Configuration gt CPU Core On Off Function gt Onboard Devices Configuration 3 5 1 CPU Configuration The items in this menu show the CPU related information that the BIOS automatically detects A The items shown in this screen may be different due to the CPU you installed PSUS UEFI BIOS Utility Advanced Mode E wm Adv
13. ASUS Update Updates the BIOS in Windows environment ASUS EZ Flash 2 Updates the BIOS using a USB flash drive 3 ASUS BIOS Updater Updates and backups the BIOS in DOS environment using the motherboard support DVD and a USB flash drive Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities A Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS file to a USB flash disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future Copy the original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or BIOS Updater utilities 3 10 1 ASUS Update utility The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage save and update the motherboard BIOS in Windows environment The ASUS Update utility allows you to Save the current BIOS file Download the latest BIOS file from the Internet Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS file Update the BIOS directly from the Internet View the BIOS version information This utility is available in the support DVD that comes with the motherboard package LA ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet Service Provider ISP Launching ASUS Update After installing Al Suite II from the motherboard support DVD launch ASUS Update by clicking Update ASUS Update on the AI Suite Il main menu bar LA Quit all Windows applications before you update the BIOS using this utility Chapter 3 BIOS setup Updating the BIOS through the Internet To update the BIOS through the Int
14. Assignment 3 Move to the RAID Mode item and press Space to select a RAID mode to create 4 Move to the Assignment item by using the down arrow key and set Y to select the hard disk drives you want to include in the RAID set 5 Press Ctrl lt Y gt to save the setting 6 The utility prompts the following message Press Ctrl Y to input the LD name Please press Ctrl Y key to input the LD Name or press any key to exit If you do not input any LD name the default LD name will be used 7 Eeter an LD name and then press any key to continue 8 Press Ctrl Y to erase the MBR or you may press any key to abort the settings Fast Initialization Option has been selected It will erase the MBR data of the disks XPress Ctrl Y Key if you are sure to erase it lt Press any other key to ignore this option 9 Press Ctrl Y to enter the screen to modify the array capacity or press any key to use the maximum capacity 9 J g E er ec A 4 16 Chapter 4 Software support Deleting a RAID configuration A Take caution when deleting a RAID volume You will lose all data on the hard disk drives when you delete a RAID volume To delete a RAID volume 1 In the Main Menu press 3 to enter the Delete LD function 2 Selectthe RAID item you want to delete and press Del or lt Alt gt D Option ROM Utility c 2009 Advanced Micro Devices Inc
15. DVD that comes with the motherboard package and the software Chapter 5 Multiple GPU technology support This chapter describes the ATI CrossFireX feature and shows the graphics card installation procedures 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 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 CAUTION Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task A IMPORTANT Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task L4 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 Key Keys enclosed in the less than and greater than sign means that you must press the enclosed key Example Enter means that you must press the Enter or Return
16. Fromthe Graphics Adapter list select the graphics card to act as the display GPU 3 Select Enable CrossFireX 4 Click Apply and then click OK to exit the window ASUS M5A97 53 5 4 Chapter 5 ATI Quad GPU CrossFireX technology support ASUS contact information ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC Address Telephone Fax E mail Web site Technical Support Telephone Online support 15 Li Te Road Peitou Taipei Taiwan 11259 886 2 2894 3447 886 2 2890 7798 info asus com tw www asus com tw 86 21 38429911 support asus com ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL America Address Telephone Fax Web site Technical Support Telephone Support fax Online support 800 Corporate Way Fremont CA 94539 USA 1 510 739 3777 1 510 608 4555 usa asus com 1 812 282 2787 1 812 284 0883 support asus com ASUS COMPUTER GmbH Germany and Austria Address Fax Web site Online contact Technical Support Telephone Component Telephone System Notebook Eee LCD Support Fax Online support Harkort Str 21 23 D 40880 Ratingen Germany 49 2102 959911 www asus de www asus de sales 49 1805 010923 49 1805 010920 49 2102 9599 11 support asus com EUR 0 14 minute from a German fixed landline EUR 0 42 minute from a mobile phone eameufis VLOz Burpreu 32 Burxyje urBeq 0 sea dep RR Loz sz ew u
17. My Computer on the Windows desktop or start menu and then select Manage from the pop up window 3 Select Device Manager From the Universal Serial Bus controllers right click xxxxxx USB Floppy and then select Properties from the pop up window LA The name of the USB floppy disk Z drive varies with different vendors 4 Click Details tab The Vendor ID VID and Product ID PID are displayed t L T g 2 ee Misum USB Fogger E QO Zee LERTO E ELD AIA FE DARE 7482 ASUS M5A97 4 19 5 Browse the contents of the RAID driver disk to locate the file txtsetup oem 6 Double click the file A window appears allowing you to select the program for opening the oem file Winches Carnet open the Me rie nnecpom Te apar Urs Mn reins remit o hmm otal program oed o Winters Gh ipo viden ho lod M up adiit ahy to mo Can aay imt em o Rt uf depo o ros mm Mal die pmi antt sn de 7 Use Notepad to open the file eem Adre anita A wa Pai Type description that you want ta use for thus hand of fim C haay use the selected orog an to open thes hind of Ple eme F the program you want amp not in the ht or on your compute you can ipo for the crocea peter am on the Wib Ceru 8 Find the Hardwarelds SCSI Napa_i386_ahci8086 and Hardwarelds SCSI Napa_amd64_ahci sections in the txtsetup oem file 9 Typethe following line to the bottom of the two sections
18. Press lt Del gt during POST to enter the BIOS setup utility Set the optical drive as the primary boot device Insert the support DVD into the optical drive Save changes and exit BIOS When the Make Disk menu appears press lt 1 gt to create a RAID driver disk Insert a formatted floppy disk into the USB floppy disk drive then press lt Enter gt Follow the succeeding screen instructions to complete the process 0 Mog sr G0 I ee 4 5 2 Creating a RAID driver disk in Windows To create a RAID driver disk in Windows 1 Start Windows 2 Plug the USB floppy disk drive and insert a floppy disk 3 Place the motherboard support DVD into the optical drive 4 Go to the Make Disk menu and then click AMD AHCI RAID 32 64bit xxxx Driver to create a RAID driver disk Select USB floppy disk drive as the destination disk Follow the succeeding screen instructions to complete the process oa LA Write protect the floppy disk to avoid a computer virus infection 4 5 3 Installing the RAID driver during Windows OS installation AN If you use a SATA optical drive to run the OS installation disk we strongly recommend that you install the optical dirve to the SATA connectors 5 6 and set them to IDE mode To install the RAID driver for Windows XP 1 During the OS installation the system prompts you to press the F6 key to install third party SCSI or RAID driver 2 Press lt F6 gt and then insert the floppy disk with RAI
19. SPD Information DIMM Slot Slot 1 This item allows you to view the SPD information of the memory in each DIMM slot Configuration options Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3 Slot 4 3 8 3 ASUS O C Profile This item allows you to store or load multiple BIOS settings LA The Setup Profile Status items show Not Installed if no profile is created Lable Allows you to input the label of setup profile Save to Profile 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 from Profile Allows you to load the previous BIOS settings saved in the BIOS Flash Key in the profile number that saved your CMOS settings press Enter and then select Yes DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent the system boot failure We recommend that you update the BIOS file only coming from the same memory CPU configuration and BIOS version Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 9 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 Load Optimized Defaults 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 Sele
20. 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 of 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 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
21. key lt Key1 gt lt Key2 gt lt Key3 gt lf you must press two or more keys simultaneously the key names are linked with a plus sign 4 Example Ctrl Alt Del M5A97 specifications summary AMD Socket AM3 for AMD FX series processors up to 8 core Compatible with AMD Socket AM3 for AMD Phenom II Athlon II Sempron 100 Series Processors AMD 140W CPU Support AMD Cool n Quiet Technology Supports 32nm AM3 CPU Refer to www asus com for the AMD CPU support list Chipset AMD 970 SB950 System bus Up to 4800 MT s HyperTransport 3 0 4 x DIMM max 32 GB DDR3 2133 O C 1866 1600 1333 1066 MHz ECC non ECC un buffered memory Dual channel memory architecture Due to CPU spec AMD 100 series CPUs support up to DDR3 1066MHz With ASUS design this motherboard can support up to DDR3 1333MHz Refer to www asus com for the latest Memory QVL Qualified Vendors List When you install a total memory of 4GB or more Windows 32 bit operating system may only recognize less than 3GB We recommend a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are using a Windows 32 bit operating system Multi GPU Support Supports ATI Quad GPU CrossFirex Technology Expansion slots 2 x PCI Express 2 0 x16 slots Blue x16 speed Black x4 speed 2 x PCI Express 2 0 x1 slots 2 x PCI slots Storage AMD SB950 Chipset 6x SATA 6 0 Gb s ports with RAID 0 1 5 and 1
22. menu bar Using FAN Xpert Click Fan Name to select a fan and then click Setting to select a preset mode for your Selected fan Click to select a fan type Click to select a fan profile Click to apply the settings Click to discard the settings Fan setting Disable disables the Fan Xpert function Standard adjusts fan speed in a moderate pattern Silent minimizes fan speed for quiet fan operation Turbo maximizes the fan speed for the best cooling effect User Allows you to configure the CPU fan profile under certain limitations ASUS M5A97 4 9 t iz Q 4 a UO 4 3 5 Probe Il Probe Il is a utility that monitors the computer s vital components and detects and alerts you of any problem with these components Probe II senses fan rotations CPU temperature and system voltages among others With this utility you are assured that your computer is always at a healthy operating condition Launching Probe II After installing Al Suite Il from the motherboard support DVD launch Probe II by clicking Tool gt Probe Il on the Al Suite Il main menu bar Configuring Probe Il Click the Voltage Temperature Fan Speed tabs to activate the sensors or to adjust the sensor threshold values The Preference tab allows you to customize the time interval of sensor alerts or change the temperature unit Saves your configuration Loads your saved Loads the default Applies your configuration threshold val
23. messages and click Start to start auto overclocking 3 TurboV automatically overclocks the CPU saves BIOS settings and restarts the system After re entering Windows a message appears indicating auto tuning success Click OK to exit Using Extreme Tuning 1 Click the Auto Tuning tab and then click Extreme 2 Read through the warning messages and click Start to start auto overclocking 9 P E E er e A 4 6 Chapter 4 Software support 3 TurboV automatically overclocks the CPU and memory and restarts the system After re entering Windows a message appears indicating the current overclocking result To keep the result click Stop 4 If you did not click Stop in the previous step TurboV automatically starts further system overclocking and stability test An animation appears indicating the overclocking process Click Stop if you want to cancel the Overclocking process 5 TurboV automatically adjusts and saves BIOS settings and restarts the system After re entering Windows a message appears indicating auto tuning success Click OK to exit ASUS M5A97 4 7 9 gt fy cS er e A 4 3 3 EPU EPU is an energy efficient tool that satisfies different computing needs This utility provides several modes that you can select to save system power Selecting Auto mode will have the system shift modes automatically according to current system status You can also cust
24. motherboard information L4 If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer browse the contents of the support DVD to end locate the file ASSETUP EXE from the BIN folder Double click the ASSETUP EXE to run the DVD ASUS M5A97 4 1 4 2 2 Obtaining the software manuals The software manuals are included in the support DVD Follow the instructions below to get the necessary software manuals The software manual files are in Portable Document Format PDF Install the Adobe Acrobat Reader from the Utilities menu before opening the files 1 Click the Manual tab Click ASUS Motherboard Utility Guide from the manual list on the left 2 The Manual folder of the support DVD appears Double click the oed di PRIM folder of your selected software ten penton ey 3 Some software manuals are provided in different languages Double click the language to show the software manual 9 s y UU er o A The screenshots in this section are for reference only The actual software manuals containing in the support DVD vary by models 4 2 Chapter 4 Software support 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 3 1 Al Suite II Al Suite Il is an all in one interface that integrates several ASUS utilities and all
25. the CPU heatsink and CPU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary 2 23 To install the CPU heatsink and fan assembly 2 3 4 DIMM installation 2 26 Chapter 2 Hardware information Motherboard installation 2 3 5 L4 The diagrams in this section are for reference only The motherboard layout may vary with Pai models but the installation steps remain the same SKY VE xs TY UV CAP Ja r f ASUS M5A97 2 27 2 28 DO NOT overtighten the screws Doing so can damage the motherboard Chapter 2 Hardware information ATX Power connection 2 3 6 2 29 ASUS M5A97 2 3 7 SATA device connection 2 30 Chapter 2 Hardware information 2 3 8 Expansion Card installation To install PCle x16 cards ASUS M5A97 9 eg y a er e E N 2 3 9 Rear panel connection PS 2 Mouse port green 5 Audio I O ports 6 USB 3 0 ports 1 and 2 blue 2 Optical S PDIF Out port 3 USB 2 0 ports 1 6 7 PS 2 Keyboard port purple 4 LAN RJ 45 port and Refer to the tables on the next page
26. 0 support Realtek 8111E Gigabit LAN controller Realtek ALC887 8 channel High Definition Audio CODEC Supports Jack Detection Multi Streaming and Front Panel Jack Retasking Optical S PDIF Out port at back I O ASUS Noise Filter AMD SB950 Chipset 12xUSB 2 0 1 1 ports 6 ports at midboard 6 ports at the back panel ASMedia USB 3 0 controller 2xUSB 3 0 2 0 ports at back panel blue continued on the next page M5A97 specifications summary ASUS unique features ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors ASUS EPU Auto Tuning TurboV ASUS Power Design 4 42 Phase Power Design ASUS Exclusive Features ASUS UEFI BISO EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface MemOK Al Suite II Ai Charger ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution ASUS Fanless Design Heat sink solution ASUS Fan Xpert ASUS EZ DIY ASUS O C Profile ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS MyLogo 2 Precision Tweaker 2 Multi language BIOS ASUS Q Design ASUS Q Slot ASUS exclusive Precision Tweaker 2 overclocking features vCore Adjustable CPU voltage at 0 00625V increment vDDNB Adjustable CPU NB voltage at 0 00625V increment vNB Adjustable NB voltage at 0 00625V increment vNB HT bus Adjustable HT voltage at 0 00625V increment vDRAM bus Adjustable DRAM voltage at 0 00625V increment vSB Adjustable SB voltage at 0 00500V increment SFS Stepless Frequency Selection Internal Base Clock tuning from 100MHz up to 600MHz at 1MHz increment
27. 00 B 01 DATE 05 09 2071 DATE Unknown M5A97 ROM 2097152 2011 05 09 17 30 48 Enter Select or Load Tab Switch V Drive Info Up Down Home End Move B Backup Esc Exit Press lt Tab gt to switch between screen fields and use the lt Up Down Home End gt keys to select the BIOS file and press lt Enter gt BIOS Updater checks the selected BIOS file and prompts you to confirm BIOS update Are you sure to update BIOS Select Yes and press Enter When BIOS update is done press lt ESC gt to exit BIOS Updater Restart your computer failure For BIOS Updater version 1 04 or later the utility automatically exits to the DOS f DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot prompt after updating BIOS Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Setup Defaults item under the Exit BIOS menu See Chaper 3 of your motherboard user manual for details Ensure to connect all SATA hard disk drives after updating the BIOS file if you have disconnected them Chapter 3 BIOS setup Chapter 4 4 1 Installing an operating system This motherboard supports Windows XP 64 bit XP Vista 64 bit Vista 7 64 bit 7 operating systems OS Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your hardware LA Motherboard settings and hardware options vary Use
28. 000C8 XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS 8 9 8 24 1 65 E E G SKILL F3 16000CL9T 6GBTD XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS 9 9 9 24 1 6 G SKILL F3 16000CL7Q 8GBFLS XMP 8GB 4x2GB DS 7 9 7 24 1 65 s GEIL GUP34GB2000C9DC XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS a 9 9 9 28 1 65 E KINGSTON KHX2000C9AD3W1K2 AGX XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS 9 1 65 5 Transcend TX2000KLN 8GK 388375 XMP 4GB DS d 1 6 x AEXEA AXA3ES4GK2000LG28V XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS H 1 65 E Silicon Power SPOO2GBLYUZO0SO2XMP 2GB DS Team TXD32048M2000CO L XMP 2GB DS Team 307788 oo924 16 M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 1866MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU SS Chip p TN DIMM socket support Optional Vendors Part No Size DS Brand Chip NO Timing Voltage DIMM 2DIMM 4DIMM G SKILL F3 15000CL9D 4GBTD XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS B 9 9 9 24 1 65 G SKILL F3 14900CL9D 8GBSR XMP 8GB 2x4GB DS 9 10 9 28 1 5 KINGSTON KHX1866C9D3T1K3 6GX XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS 9 1 65 ocz OCZ3G1866LV4GK 4GB 2x2GB DS 10 10 10 1 65 ocz OCZ3RPR1866C9LV6GK 6GB 3x2GB DS 9 9 9 1 65 Super Talent W1866UX2G8 XMP 2GB 2x1GB SS 8 8 8 24 Team TXD32048M1866C9 XMP 2GB DS Team T3D1288RT 16 9 9 9 24 1 65 2 a B M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 1800MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU Vendors Part No 5s ED ChipNO Timing Voltage pad ibn F3 14400CL6D 4GBFLS XMP 4GB 2 x 2GB DS 6 8 6 24 1 65 F3 14400CL9D 4GBRL XMP 4GB 2 x 2GB DS 9 9 9 24 1 6 KINGSTON KHX1800C9D3T1K3 6G
29. 0880F EZ LZ NLS LYOMNWH 1449 ssouppy Hawg YALNdWOS snsv edoung ui oAnejueseudei pezuounv NVMN L Kuno3 D OH NVMIVL LL I3dlV L nOLIBd OY 314 17 0S ON A9 sseippy ONI S31n1dWOO Xe1snsv emoejnuew ene Kyuu0juo Jo uoneje oeg 33 peuBisiepun ay ay TOZ SZ AEN 3A amus juoprsoi1g 3uvq 9A9 g ourmN S_UOSIag dATIRJUASaIday uoneJodo parisopun osneo Kur jeu oouo1ojrojur Surpnour peAre er uapu Aue jdoooe jsnur MAp sty Z pue oouoropjur Ihjuueq osneo jou eur 3AP SL suonrpuoo om Sur opoj oui 01 yoalgns st uone1ed sop DDA ou Jo cr ed qr serduroo INAP SYL uoneuriojug amp 1ejuouro ddng s1ojerpey euonuojug q wedqng gq Wed DDA s10jerpey puonuoju yedqng p ued DOA s1ojerpey euoguojuru g uedqns c wed DOA Dd suomeorjroeds Surwojoj au 0 suuoguo L6VSIN 1equinwN JopoiN pseoqiayjow WEN jonpoJd jonpoud oq yey sa1epoop Kqo1oq SSSb 809 0TS LLLE 6EL OTS xey auoyd 6 Sr6 VO Mow rg Aem 9 e10d107 008 sso4ppy Teuopeuoju 19jndug0 snsy oweNn Aj1eq o qrsuodsoop v LLOT Z uonoes z Hed DA 19d ALINW3IOA4NOO AO NOILVAV TOAGA
30. 0ns 160ns 300ns 350ns DRAM Row Cycle Time Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 11 to 42 DRAM READ to WRITE Delay Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 3 to 17 DRAM WRITE to READ Delay DD Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 2 to 10 DRAM WRITE to WRITE Timing Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 2 to 10 DRAM READ to READ Timing Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 2 to 10 DRAM Refresh Rate Auto Configuration options Auto Every 7 8ms Every 3 9ms DRAM Command Rate Auto Configuration options Auto 1T 2T Chapter 3 BIOS setup DRAM Driving Control The configuration options for some of the following items vary depending on the DIMMs you install on the motherboard DCTO Information CKE drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 1x 1 25x 1 5x 2x CS ODT drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 1x 1 25x 1 5x 2x ADDR CMD drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 1x 1 25x 1 5x 2x MEMCLK drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 0 75x 1x 1 25x 1 5x Data drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 0 75x 1x 1 25x 1 5x DQS drive strength Auto Configuration option
31. 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 Del gt key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re enter data Except when clearing the RTC RAM never remove the cap on CLRTC jumper default ej position Removing the cap will cause system boot failure If the steps above do not help remove the onboard battery and move the jumper again to clear the CMOS RTC RAM data After clearing the CMOS reinstall the battery 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 ASUS M5A97 2 13 2 2 6 Onboard switches Onboard switches 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 switch Installing DIMMs that are incompatible with the motherboard may cause system boot failure and the DRAM LED near the MemOK switch lights continuously Press and hold the MemOK switch until the DRAM LED starts blinking to begin automatic memory compatibility tuning for successful boot CT um H
32. 2 0 connectors 10 1 pin USB78 USB910 USB1112 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 480 Mbps connection speed em oO Corr gt D F1 z USB1112 USB910 USB78 o G 9920 9920 5920 cu ALLE PPPs PPPs gs e iliis iliis tidak a MM MI MIN pnt hem midt PMIDILD B EEE RE 2R B uc B oc 20s 738 738 589 M5A97 USB2 0 connectors Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors Doing so will damage the motherboard L4 The USB module cable is purchased separately 4 Front panel audio connector 10 1 pin AAFP This connector is for a chassis mounted front panel audio I O 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 ce O LIE o GND PRESENCE SENSE1_RETUR SENSE2_RETUR AGND x NC NC a NC a PIN 1 AAFP PIN 1 o MIC2 MICPWR Line out R PORTI L PORT1 R PORT2 R ENSE_SEND PORT2L Line out L 7 HD audio compliant Legacy AC 97 pin defi
33. 4GB 2x2GB DS 6 8 6 24 1 65 t Mushkin 998805 XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS 6 8 6 24 1 65 PX7312G1600LLK XMP 12GB 3x 4GB DS PX538G1600LLK XMP 8GB 2x 4GB DS TXD32048M1600HC8 D XMP 2GB DS Team QUE 8 8 8 24 1 65 Q Q Q O o oo oio a 3 a E S E 8 N Cz 7 e o e m o m o m O o O o M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 1333MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU s DIMM socket support Vendors Part No Size So Chip Brand Chip NO Timing Voltage Optional 2 DIMM 4 DIMM A DATA AXDU1333GC2G9 XMP 2GB SS 9 9 9 24 1 25 1 35 A DATA AD63l1C1624EV 4GB DS A DATA 3CCA 1509A E Apacer 78 01GC6 9L0 1GB SS Apacer AMSD5808DEJSBG 9 E Apacer 78 B1GDE 9L10C 4GB DS Apacer AM5D5908CEHSBG 9 CORSAIR TW3X4G1333C9A rim DS 9 9 9 24 1 5 CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 8GB 2x DS 4GB CORSAIR XMP 9 9 9 24 1 5 7 7 7 24 1 65 oe D Q m w o i BL25664BN1337 16FF Crucial XMP 2GB rucial CT25664BA1339 16FF GI DS MICRON D9KPT ELPIDA EBJ10UE8BDF0 DJ F 1GB SS ELPIDA J1108BDSE DJ F ELPIDA EBJ20UF8BCFO DJ F 2GB SS Elpida J2108BCSE DJ F S id F3 10666CL8D 4GBHK 4GB 2x G SKILL XMP 2GB DS 8 8 8 21 1 5 F3 10666CL9D 8GBxL 8G8 2x pg 9 9 9 24 15 4GB GeT3ieaBiasacoac ORA DS 999 24 15 8GB 4x avpssaptssacrac SGB DS 7 7 7 24 45 ASUS M5A97 2 9 2 10 ss DIMM socket support ps Chip Brand Chip NO Timing Voltage Optional 2 DIMM 4 DIMM Vend
34. 7 4 3 4 3 2 TurboV EVO ASUS TurboV EVO introduces TurboV that allows you to manually adjust the CPU frequency and related voltages as well as Auto Tuning function that offers automatic and easy overlocking and system level up After installing Al Suite II from the motherboard support DVD launch TurboV EVO by clicking Tool gt TurboV EVO on the Al Suite II main menu bar TurboV TurboV allows you to overclock the CPU Bus PEG frequency CPU voltage CPU NB voltage and DRAM voltage in Windows environment and takes effect in real time without exiting and rebooting the OS j Refer to the CPU documentation before adjusting CPU voltage settings Setting a high o voltage may damage the CPU permanently and setting a low voltage may make the System unstable For system stability all changes made in TurboV will not be saved to BIOS settings and will not be kept on the next system boot Use the Save Profile function to save your customized overclocking settings and manually load the profile after Windows starts Auto Tuning Mode TurboV Load profile Target values Save the current settings as a new profile Current values Voltage g Adjustment Click to show bars hide more settings Undoes all changes without applying Applies all changes Click to restore 7 all start up immediately settings A For advanced overclock ability adjust first the BIOS items and then proceed more detailed adjustments in More Sett
35. 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 may contain copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License GPL and under the Lesser General Public License Version LGPL The GPL and LGPL licensed code in this product is distributed without any warranty Copies of these licenses are included in this product You may obtain the complete corresponding source code as defined in the GPL for the GPL Software and or the complete corresponding source code of the LGPL Software with the complete machine readable work that uses the Library for a period of three years after our last shipment of the product including the GPL Software and or LGPL Software which will be no earlier than December 1 2011 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 ship
36. D 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 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 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 Chapter 2 Hardware information 2 3 Building your computer system 2 3 1 Additional tools and components to build a PC system 1 bag of screws Philips cross screwdriver Y d SATA optical disc drive optional Graphics card optional L4 The tools and components in the table above are not included in the motherboard package ASUS M5A97 2 21 2 3 2 CPU installation The AMD AM3 socket is compatible with AMD AM3 and AM3 processors Ensure you use a CPU designed for the AM3 socket The CPU fits in only one correct orientation DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the connectors on the socket and damaging the CPU 2 22 Chapter 2 Hardware information 2 3 3 ASUS M5A97 CPU heatsink and fan assembly installation Apply the Thermal Interface Material to
37. D 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 or RAID 10 configuration through the onboard AMD SB950 controller SATA6G 6 SATA6G 2 SATA6G 4 SATA6G 3 T 3888888 A These connectors are set to AHCI Mode by default If you intend to create a Serial ATARAID set using these connectors set the SATA Mode item in the BIOS to RAID Mode Refer to section 3 5 3 SATA Configuration for details Before creating a RAID set refer to section 4 4 RAID configurations or the manual bundled in the motherboard support DVD When using NCQ set the SATA Mode in the BIOS to AHCI Mode Refer to section 3 5 3 SATA Configuration for details You must install Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later versions before using Serial ATA hard disk drives The Serial ATA RAID feature is available only if you are using Windows XP SP3 or later versions 2 Serial port connector 10 1 pin COM1 This connector is for a serial COM port Connect the serial port module cable to this connector then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis COM1 emu MM PIN 1 o0 peaa tig I a m gee L Meas m LO L 3 o Pee a NE M5A97 Serial port COM1 connector LA The COM module is purchased separately 2 16 Chapter 2 Hardware information 3 USB
38. D driver into the USB floppy disk drive Chapter 4 Software support 3 When prompted to select the SCSI adapter to install select the RAID driver for the corresponding OS version 4 Follow the succeeding screen instructions to complete the installation To install the RAID driver for Windows Vista or later 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 gt RAID and then select the RAID driver for the corresponding OS version Click OK 4 Follow the succeeding screen instructions to complete the installation LA 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 4 5 4 Using a USB floppy disk drive Due to OS limitation Windows XP may not recognize the USB floppy disk drive when you install the RAID driver from a floppy disk during the OS installation To solve this issue add the USB floppy disk drive s Vendor ID VID and Product ID PID to the floppy disk containing the RAID driver Refer to the steps below 1 Using another computer plug the USB floppy disk drive and insert the floppy disk containing the RAID driver 2 Right click
39. ID driver during Windows OS installation 4 18 4 5 4 Using a USB floppy disk drive sss 4 19 Chapter 5 Multiple GPU technology support 5 1 ATI CrossFireX technology eene nnne tenentes 5 1 5 1 1 Requirements wel 5 1 2 Before you begii retrait nra tran toten 5 1 5 1 3 Installing two CrossFireX graphics cards 5 2 5 1 4 Installing the device drivers sene 5 3 5 1 5 Enabling the ATI CrossFireX technology 5 3 vi Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions This device may not cause harmful interference and This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer s instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a partic
40. RAID Mode Capacity GB Status RAID 0 XXXXXX Functional I1 Up i Down PaUp PaDn Switch page Del Alt D Delete LD 3 The utility prompts the following messages Press Ctrl Y to delete the RAID volume Dispalying a RAID set information To display a RAID set information 1 In the Main Menu press 2 to enter the LD View LD Define Menu function 2 Selecta RAID item and press Enter to display its information Option ROM Utility c 2009 Advanced Micro Devices Inc LD No LD Name RAID Mode Drv Capacity GB Strip Block Cache Mode Port ID Drive Model Capabilities Capacity GB T iz Q 4 a lt 1 ASUS M5A97 417 4 18 4 5 Creating a RAID driver disk A floppy disk with the RAID driver is required when installing Windows XP operating system on a hard disk drive that is included in a RAID set For Windows Vista or later operating systems use either a USB flash drive with the RAID driver or the support DVD AN The motherboard does not provide a floppy drive connector You have to use a USB floppy disk drive when creating a SATA RAID driver disk Windows XP may not recognize the USB floppy disk drive due to Windows XP limitation To work around this OS limitation refer to section 4 5 4 Using a USB floppy disk drive 4 5 1 Creating a RAID driver disk without entering the OS To create a RAID driver disk without entering the OS Boot your computer
41. S ceret trenes aia 3 28 3 10 1 ASUS Update utility 2 22 129 2 1 tette tinet 3 28 3 402 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility eterne 3 31 340 3 ASUS BIOS Updater ccn enm cities 3 32 Chapter 4 Software support 4 1 Installing an operating system eren 4 1 4 2 Support DVD information neret 4 1 4 2 1 Running the support DVD ener 4 1 4 2 2 Obtaining the software manuals see 4 2 4 3 Software information eerte entente tnn nnnnnn trennen 4 3 4 3 1 Al Suite II niit itte tein toten itte 4 3 4 3 2 T rboV EVO ink ani M 4 4 4 3 3 i 4 8 4 3 4 FAN o T 4 9 4 3 5 PROG mr 4 10 4 3 6 Al Charderg ete etti etii es 4 11 4 3 7 Audio configurations esent 4 12 Contents 4 4 RAID configurations eene tenente tente tenete tenen 4 13 4 4 1 RAID definiti NS E M 4 13 4 4 2 Installing Serial ATA hard disks se 4 14 4 4 8 Setting the RAID item in BIOS sees 4 14 4 4 4 AMD Option ROM Utility 4 15 4 5 Creating a RAID driver disk eese 4 18 4 5 1 Creating a RAID driver disk without entering the OS 4 18 4 5 2 Creating a RAID driver disk in Windows 4 18 4 5 8 Installing the RA
42. Saving Mode to Enabled and allows you to select the power saving mode Configurations options Auto Light Power Saving Mode Medium Power Saving Mode Max Power Saving Mode DRAM Timing Control The configuration options for some of the following items vary depending on the DIMMs you install on the motherboard DRAM CAS Latency Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 4 to 12 ASUS M5A97 3 9 3 10 DRAM RAS to CAS Delay Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 5 to 12 DRAM RAS PRE Time Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 5 to 12 DRAM RAS ACT Time Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 15 to 30 DRAM READ to PRE Time Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 4 to 7 DRAM RAS to RAS Delay Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 4 to 7 DRAM WRITE to READ Delay Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 4 to 7 DRAM CAS write Latency Auto You can key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 5 to 12 DRAM WRITE Recovery Time Auto Configuration options Auto 5 6 7 8 10 12 DRAM REF Cycle Time Auto Configuration options Auto 90ns 11
43. U Lower Temperature setting Chassis Q Fan Control Disabled Disabled Disables the Chassis Q Fan control feature Enabled Enables the Chassis Q Fan control feature Chassis Fan Speed Low Limit 600 RPM This item appears only when you enable the Chassis Q Fan Control feature and allows you to disable or set the chassis fan warning speed Configuration options Ignore 100 RPM 200 RPM 300 RPM 400 RPM 500 RPM 600 RPM Chassis Fan Profile Standard This item appears only when you enable the Chassis Q Fan Control feature and allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the chassis fan Standard Sets to Standard to make the chassis fan automatically adjust depending on the chassis temperature Silent Sets to Silent to minimize the fan speed for quiet chassis fan operation Turbo Sets to Turbo to achieve maximum chassis fan speed Manual Sets to Manual to assign detailed fan speed control parameters LA The following four items appear only when you set Chassis Fan Profile to Manual Chassis Upper Temperature 70 Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the upper limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 40 C to 90 C Chassis Lower Temperature 40 Displays the lower limit of the chassis temperature Chassis Fan Max Duty Cycle 60 Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the maximum chassis fan duty cycle The values range from 60 to 100 When
44. X XMP 6GB 3 x 2GB DS Chapter 2 Hardware information M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 1600MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU S t DIMM socket support Vendors Part No Size SS Chip Chip NO Timing Voltage Optional DS Brand 2DIMM 4DIMM A DATA AX3U1600GC4G9 XMP 4GB DS 9 9 9 24 1 55 1 75 A DATA AX3U1600XC4G79 XMP 4GB DS 7 9 7 21 1 55 1 75 ORSAIR CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 XMP 16GB 4x4GB DS 9 9 9 24 1 5 ORSAIR CMP6GX3M3A1600C8 XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS 8 8 8 24 1 65 rucial BL12864BN1608 8FF XMP 2GB 2x1GB SS 8 8 8 24 1 65 3 rucial BL25664BN1608 16FF XMP 2GB 8 8 8 24 1 65 SKILL F3 12800CL9D 4GBNQ XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS 9 9 9 24 1 5 SKILL F3 12800CL8D 8GBECO XMP 8GB 2x4GB DS 8 8 8 04 1 35 EIL GUP34GB1600C7DC XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS 7 7 7 24 1 6 EIL GVP38GB1600C8QC XMP 8GB 4x2GB DS 8 8 8 28 1 6 E KINGMAX FLGD45F B8MF7 XMP 1GB SS KHX1600C9D3T1BK3 6GX XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS 9 1 65 OCZ3G16004GK 4GB 2x2GB DS 8 8 8 1 7 OCZ3BE1600C8LV4GK 4GB 2x2GB DS 8 8 8 1 65 t uper Talent WP160UX4G9 XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS uper Talent WB160UX6G8 XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS AEXEA AXA3PS2G1600S18V XMP 2GB DS S Asint SLZ3128M8 EGJ1D XMP 2GB DS Asit amp IAgMe S K Memory EKM324L28BP8 I16 XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS K Memory EKM324L28BP8 116 XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS lixir M2P2G64CBBHC9N DG XMP 2GB GF1008 GoodRam GR1600D364L9 2G 2GB DS GoodRam Ko jy KINGTIGER KTG2G1600PG3 XMP 2GB Mushkin 996805 XMP
45. ails ASUS M5A97 3 31 3 32 3 10 3 ASUS BIOS Updater The ASUS BIOS Updater allows you to update BIOS in DOS environment This utility also allows you to copy the current BIOS file that you can use as a backup when the BIOS fails or gets corrupted during the updating process f The succeeding utility screens are for reference only The actual utility screen displays may not be same as shown Before updating BIOS 1 Prepare the motherboard support DVD and a USB flash drive in FAT32 16 format and single partition 2 Download the latest BIOS file and BIOS Updater from the ASUS website at http support asus com and save them on the USB flash drive NTFS is not supported under DOS environment Do not save the BIOS file and BIOS Updater to a hard disk drive or USB flash drive in NTFS format Do not save the BIOS file to a floppy disk due to low disk capacity 3 Turn off the computer and disconnect all SATA hard disk drives optional Booting the system in DOS environment 1 Insert the USB flash drive with the latest BIOS file and BIOS Updater to the USB port 2 Boot your computer When the ASUS Logo appears press F8 to show the BIOS Boot Device Select Menu Insert the support DVD into the optical drive and select the optical drive as the boot device Ple elect boot d SATA XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX USB XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX UEFI XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Enter Setup 3 When the Make Disk menu appears select the Fr
46. allows you to change settings Configuration options IO 3F8h RQ 4 IO 2F8h IRQ 3 IO 3E8h IRQ 4 IO 2E8h IRQ 3 ASUS M5A97 3 19 3 20 SB HD Azalia Configuration Allows you to change the HD Azalia configuration Enabled Enables the High Definition Audio Azalia device Disabled Disables the device LA The following two items appear only when you set the HD Audio Azalia Device item to Enabled Azalia Front Panel HD Allows you to set the Azalia front panel audio connector AAFP type to legacy AC 97 or high definition audio depending on the audio standard that the front panel audio module supports HD 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 SPDIF for SPDIF audio output HDMI Sets to HDMI for HDMI audio output 3 5 7 APM Cb Advanced ErP Ready Enabled ErP Ready Enabled Allows the BIOS to switch off some power at S5 to get the system ready for ErP requirement When this item is set to Enabled all other PME options will be switched off Configuration options Enabled Disabled FF The following items appear only when you set the ErP Ready to Disabled Restore AC Power Loss Power Off Power On The system goes into on state after an AC power loss Power Off The system goes into off state after an AC power loss Last State T
47. anced Disabled Enabled 3 14 Chapter 3 BIOS setup Cool n Quiet Disabled Enabled Enables the AMD Cool n Quiet function Disabled Disables this function C1E Support Disabled Auto Allows automatic selection of C1E support function Disabled Disables this function SVM Enabled Enabled Enables the AMD Secure Virtual Machine mode Disabled Disables this function 3 5 2 North Bridge Configuration Ai Tweaker Advanced iced North Bridge Configuration gt IOMMU Mode Disabled gt Memory Configuration Initate Graphic Adapter PEG PCI IOMMU Mode Disabled Allows you to disable the IOMMU mode or select 64MB IOMMU is supported on Linux based systems to convert 32bit I O to 64bit MMIO Configuration options Disabled 64MB Memory Configuration Allows you to set the related memory configurations Bank Interleaving Auto Allows you to enable the bank memory interleaving Configuration options Auto Disabled Channel Interleaving Auto Allows you to enable the channel memory interleaving Configuration options Disabled Auto ECC Mode Enabled Allows you to enable or disable the ECC mode Configuration options Disabled Enabled Power Down Enable Disabled Allows you to enable or disable the DDR power down mode Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASUS M5A97 3 15 3 16 Memory Hole Remapping Enabled Allows you to enable or disable me
48. cally improves your system boot success Get your system up and running in no time 1 3 4 ASUS unique features ASUS Power Solutions ASUS Power solutions intelligently and automatically provide balanced computing power and energy consumption ASUS Quiet Thermal Solutions ASUS Quiet Thermal solution makes system more stable and enhances the overclocking capability Fan Xpert ASUS Fan Xpert intelligently allows you to adjust the CPU fan speed according to different ambient temperatures caused by different climate conditions in different geographic regions and your PC s loading The built in variety of useful profiles offer flexible controls of fan speed to achieve a quiet and cool environment ASUS M5A97 1 3 Fanless Design stylish heatsink solution The stylish heatsink features a 0 dB thermal solution that offers users a noiseless PC environment Not only the beautiful shape upgrades the visual enjoyment for motherboard users but also the heatsink design lowers the temperature of the chipset and power phase area through high efficient heat exchange Combined with usability and aesthetics the ASUS stylish heatsink will give users an extremely silent and cooling experience with the elegant appearance ASUS EZ DIY ASUS EZ DIY feature collection provides you with easy ways to install computer components update the BIOS or back up your favorite settings ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode The new ASUS UEFI BIOS is an Unified Extensible Fi
49. card to get better performance InCrossFireX mode use the PCle 2 0 x16 1 and PCle 2 0 x16 2 slots for PCI Express x16 graphics cards to get better performance We recommend that you provide sufficient power when running CrossFireX mode Connect a chassis fan to the motherboard connector labeled CHA FAN1 2 when using multiple graphics cards for better thermal environment See page 2 18 for details IRQ assignments for this motherboard A PCIE x16 1 shared PCIE x16 2 PCIE x16 3 shared PCIE x16 4 shared PCI Slot1 shared PCI Slot2 shared Realtek 8111E LAN shared ASM USB3 0 shared Onchip SATA Controller shared Onchip USB1 shared Onchip USB2 shared Onchip Azalia S 2 12 Chapter 2 Hardware information 2 2 5 Jumper 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 te T CLRTC 12 253 CET Normal Clear RTC Default M5A97 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
50. chassis fans for better thermal environment Visit the ATI Game website http game amd com for the latest certified graphics card and the supported 3D application list 5 1 2 Before you begin For ATI CrossFireX to work properly you have to uninstall all existing graphics card drivers before installing ATI CrossFireX graphics cards to your system To uninstall existing graphics card drivers 1 Close all current applications 2 For Windows XP go to Control Panel Add Remove Programs For Windows Vista go to Control Panel Programs and Features 3 Select your current graphics card driver s 4 For Windows XP select Add Remove For Windows Vista select Uninstall 5 Turn off your computer ASUS M5A97 5 1 5 1 3 Installing two CrossFireX graphics cards AN The following pictures are for reference only The graphics cards and the motherboard layout may vary with models but the installation steps remain the same 1 Prepare two CrossFireX ready graphics cards 2 Insertthe two graphics card into the PCIEX16 slots If your motherboard has more than two PCIEX16 slots refer to Chapter 2 in this user manual for the locations of the PCIEX16 slots recommended for multi graphics card installation 3 Ensure that the cards are properly seated on the slots 4 Align and firmly insert the CrossFireX bridge connector to the goldfingers on each graphics card Ensure that the connector is firmly in place
51. commend that you not change the default BIOS settings except in the following circumstances Anerror 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 Inappropriate settings of the BIOS may result to instability or failure to boot We strongly cos recommend that you change the BIOS settings only with the help of a trained service personnel 3 2 BIOS setup program ABIOS setup program is provided for BIOS item modification When you start up the computer the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program Press lt Del gt during the Power On Self Test POST to enter the Setup utility Otherwise POST continues with its test routines If you wish to enter Setup after POST press Ctrl Alt Delete or press the reset button on the system chassis to restart the system You can also turn the system off and then turn it back on to restart the system Do this last option only if the first two failed A The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only and may not exactly match what you see on your screen Ensure that a USB mouse is connected to your motherboard if you want to use the mouse to control the BIOS setup program Ifthe system becomes unstable after changing any BIOS setting load the default settings to
52. ct Yes to load the default values Save Changes amp Reset Once you are finished making your selections choose this option from the 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 Yes 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 Esc 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 devices that have a filesystem ASUS M5A97 3 27 3 28 3 10 Updating BIOS The ASUS website publishes the latest BIOS versions to provide enhancements on system stability compatibility or 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 in the system s failure to boot Carefully follow the instructions of this chapter to update your BIOS if necessary Visit the ASUS website 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
53. ecommend 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 450 W Do not forget to connect the 8 pin EATX12 V power plug otherwise the system will not boot We recommend that you use a PSU with 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 If you are uncertain about the minimum power supply requirement for your system refer to the Recommended Power Supply Wattage Calculator at http support asus com PowerSupplyCalculator PSCalculator aspx SLanquage en us for details 2 19 2 20 System panel connector 20 8 pin PANEL This connector supports several chassis mounted functions PLED SPEAKER TEET T me d 5 ad EES Oo wo Ww 29099 za POSA PANEL DISSI ls E PIN 1 A ev ov a E i _ qu Es 83 EN a i5 in cup w mm jo 4a a i EU L 3 4 IDE_LED PWRSW RESET Co M5A97 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_LE
54. ect a menu item and press lt Enter gt to display a pop up window with the configuration options for that item Scroll bar Ascroll 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 Navigation keys At the bottom right corner of the menu screen are the navigation keys for the BIOS setup program Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu and change the settings General help At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the selected item 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 highlighted when selected To change the value of a field select it and press Enter to display a list of options Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 3 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 ASUS UEFI BIOS Utility Advanced Mo System Date System Time gt Security Security The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings SS UEFI BIOS U
55. ed 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 2 14 Chapter 2 Hardware information 2 2 7 Onboard LEDs 1 Standby Power LED The motherboard comes with a standby power LED The green LED lights up to indicate that the system is ON in sleep mode or in soft off mode This is a reminder that you should shut down the system and unplug the power cable before removing or plugging in any motherboard component The illustration below shows the location of the onboard LED ce D CT 2 DRAM LED SB_PWR ON OFF Standby Power Powered Off DRAM LED checks the DRAM in sequence during motherboard booting process If an error is found the LED next to the error device will continue lighting until the problem is solved This user friendly design provides an intuitional way to locate the root problem within a second ce T CT ASUS M5A97 DRAM LED 2 15 2 2 8 Internal connectors 1 AMD SB950 Serial ATA Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s connectors 7 pin SATA6G 1 6 These connectors are for the Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk drives and optical disc drives If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives you can create a RAI
56. eeDOS command prompt item by pressing the item number 4 Atthe FreeDOS prompt type d and 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 Chapter 3 BIOS setup Backing up the current BIOS To backup the current BIOS file using the BIOS Updater Ensure that the USB flash drive is not write protected and has enough free space to save the file 1 Atthe FreeDOS prompt type bupdater o filename and press lt Enter gt D gt bupdater oOLDBIOS1 rom Filename Extension The filename is any user assigned filename with no more than eight alphanumeric characters for the filename and three alphanumeric characters for the extension 2 The BIOS Updater backup screen appears indicating the BIOS backup process When BIOS backup is done press any key to return to the DOS prompt ASUSTek BIOS Updater for DOS V1 18 09 06 22 BOARD BMBISTI FOX s VER 0140 H 00 B 01 VER Unknown DATE 05 09 2027 DATE Unknown PATH AW BIOS backup is done Press any key to continue Be BIOS ASUS M5A97 3 33 3 34 Updating the BIOS file To update the BIOS file using BIOS Updater 1 At the FreeDOS prompt type bupdater pc g and press lt Enter gt D gt bupdater pc g The BIOS Updater screen appears as below ASUSTek BIOS Updater for DOS V1 18 09 06 22 BOARD IMBAST VER 0140 H
57. en 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 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 6 Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 4 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 configuration options for this chapter vary depending on the CPU and DIMM model you installed on the motherboard Lol Ai Tweaker Advanced Current CPU Speed xxxxMHz Target CPU Speed xxxxMHz
58. ency XXX This item appears only when you set the Al Overclock Tuner item to Manual or D O C P and allows you to adjust the CPU and VGA frequency to enhance the system performance Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the value You can also key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 100 0MHz to 600 0MHz PCIE Frequency XXX This item appears only when you set the Al Overclock Tuner item to Manual or D O C P and allows you to adjust PCIE frequency to enhance the system performance Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the value You can also key in the desired value using the numeric keypad The values range from 100 0MHz to 150 0MHz DRAM O C Profile DDR3 1600MHz This item appears only when you set the AI Overclock Tuner item to D O C P and allows you to select a DRAM O C profile which applies different settings to DRAM frequency DRAM timing and DRAM voltage Configuration options DDR3 1600MHz DDR3 1800MHz DDR3 1866MHz DDR3 2000MHz DDR3 2133MHz DDR3 2200MHz DDR3 2400MHz OC Tuner CANCEL OC Tuner utility automatically overclocks the frequency and voltage of the CPU and DRAM Press Enter to start auto tuning It takes around five minutes and the system will reboot for several times until auto tuning is completed Configuration options CANCEL OK Ff The configuration options for the following sub items vary depending on the CPU DIMMs you install on
59. ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exit menu See section 3 9 Exit Menu for details fthe system fails to boot after changing any BIOS setting try to clear the CMOS and reset the motherboard to the default value See section 2 2 5 Jumper for information on how to erase the RTC RAM The BIOS setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible Being a menu driven program it lets you scroll through the various submenus and select from the available options using a keyboard or a USB mouse 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 button in the EZ Mode Advanced Mode screen ASUS M5A97 3 1 3 2 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 access the Advanced Mode click Exit Advanced Mode then select Advanced Mode L4 The default screen for entering the BIOS setup program can be changed Refer to the Setup Mode item in section 3 7 Boot menu for details Selects the display language of the Clicks to display all fan BIOS setup program speeds if available Displays the CPU motherboard temperature Exits the BIOS setup program without savi
60. equency 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 3 4 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 A Visit the ASUS website for the latest QVL 2 6 Chapter 2 Hardware information M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 2000MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU i i DIMM socket support Optional Vendors Part No Size sss Ship Chip Timing Voltage port Op Brand NO 1DIMM 2DIMM 4DIMM A DATA AX3U2000GC4G9B XMP 4GB DS 9 11 9 27 1 55 1 75 CORSAIR CMT6GX3M3A2000C8 XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS gt 8 9 8 24 1 65 s G SKILL F3 16000CL9T 6GBPS XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS 9 9 9 24 1 65 7 G SKILL F3 16000CL7Q 8GBFLS XMP 8GB 4x2GB DS 7 9 7 24 1 65 7 x M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 1866MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU p SS Chip Chip DIMM socket support Optional Vendors Part No Size Timin Voltage DS Brand NO g 9 DIMM 2DIMM 4 DIMM CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9 XMP 8GB 2x4GB DS 9 10 9 27 1 5 D J KINGSTON KHX1866C9D3T1K3 3GX XMP 3GB 3x 1GB SS 1 65
61. ernet 1 From the ASUS Update screen select Update BIOS from Internet and then click Next 2 Select the ASUS FTP site nearest you to avoid network traffic If you want to enable the BIOS downgradable function and auto BIOS backup function check the checkboxs before the two items on the screen 3 Select the BIOS version that you want to download Click Next 4 You can decide whether to change the BIOS boot logo which is the image appearing on screen during the Power On Self Tests POST Click Yes if you want to change the boot logo or No to continue 5 Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the update process ASUS M5A97 3 29 Updating the BIOS through a BIOS file To update the BIOS through a BIOS file 1 From the ASUS Update screen select Update BIOS from file and then click Next 2 Click Browse to locate the BIOS file and then click Next 3 You can decide whether to change the BIOS boot logo Click Yes if you want to change the boot logo or No to continue 4 Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the update process L4 The screenshots in this section are for reference only The actual BIOS information vary by models Refer to the software manual in the support DVD or visit the ASUS website at www asus com for detailed software configuration 3 30 Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 10 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility The ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS withou
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63. for LAN port LED and audio port definitions Due to USB 3 0 controller limitation USB 3 0 devices can only be used under Windows OS environment and after the USB 3 0 driver installation USB 3 0 devices can only be used as data storage only 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 2 32 Chapter 2 Hardware information LAN port LED indications Activity Link LED Speed LED ACT LINK SPEED LED LED No link 10 Mbps connection ORANGE Linked ORANGE 100 Mbps connection BLINKING Data activity GREEN 1 Gbps connection LAN port Audio 2 4 6 or 8 channel configuration a Headset 4 channel 2 channel Line Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out 6 channel 8 channel Mic In Mic In Mic In Mic In Center Subwoofer Center Subwoofer Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Side Speaker Out ASUS M5A97 2 33 2 3 10 Audio I O connections Audio I O ports orange light blue black gray Connect to Stereo 2 1 channel Speakers lime pink 2 34 Chapter 2 Hardware information Connect to 4 1 channel Speakers Rear Front i gg M p Connect to 5 1 channel Speakers AUDIO AUDIO AUDIO INPUTS INPUTS INPUTS died a la Y Ie 9 P E Li y M
64. he system goes into either off or on state whatever the system state was before the AC power loss Power On By PS 2 Device Disabled Allows you to use PS 2 device to turn on the system This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead Configuration options Disabled Enabled Chapter 3 BIOS setup Power On By PME Device Disabled Disabled Disables the PME to wake up from S5 by PCI PCIE devices Enabled Allows you to turn on the system through a PCI PCIE LAN or modem card This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead Power On By Ring Disabled Disabled Disables to power up the computer when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in Soft off mode Enabled The computer could be powered up when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in Soft off mode rA The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and applications are fully running Thus connection cannot be made on the first try Turning an external modem off and then back on while the computer is off causes an initialization string that turns the system power on Power On By RTC Disabled Disabled Disables RTC to generate a wake event Enabled When set to Enabled the items RTC Alarm Date Days and System Time will become user configurable with set values 3 6 Monitor menu The Monitor menu displays the system tem
65. id USBWID xxxx amp PID xxxx usbstor HardwareIds SCSI Napa i386 ahci8086 id PCINVEN 1002 amp DEV 4392 amp CC 0104 ahcix86 id PCINVEN 1002 amp DEV 4391 amp CC 0106 ahcix86 id PCINVEN 1002 amp DEV 4393 amp CC 0104 ahcix86 id USB VID O3EE amp PID 6901 usbstor HardwareIds SCSI Napa amd64 ahci id PCIWEN 1002 amp DEV 4392 amp CC 0104 ahcix64 id PCIWEN 1002 amp 8DEV 4391 amp CC 0106 ahcix64 id PCI VEN 1002 amp DEV 4393 amp CC 0104 ahcix64 id USB VID O3EE amp PID 6901 usbstor Add the same line to both sections The VID and PID vary with different vendors 9 s y UU er e EE A Ww S4 10 Save and exit the file 4 20 Chapter 4 Software support 5 1 ATI CrossFireX technology The motherboard supports the ATI Quad GPU CrossFireX technology that allows you to install multi graphics processing units GPU CrossFireX cards 5 1 1 Requirements In Dual CrossFireX mode you should have two identical CrossFireX ready graphics cards or one CrossFireX ready dual GPU graphics card that are ATI certified Ensure that your graphics card driver supports the ATI CrossFireX technology Download the latest driver from the AMD website www amd com Ensure that your power supply unit PSU can provide at least the minimum power required by your system See Chapter 2 for details L4 We recommend that you install additional
66. ings ey fy E er e A 4 4 Chapter 4 Software support Using Advanced Mode Click More Settings and then click the Advanced Mode tab to adjust the advanced voltage settings Advanced mode Voltage Target values Adjustment bars without applying immediately all start up settings CPU Ratio Allows you to manually adjust the CPU ratio 1 Click More Settings and then click the CPU Ratio tab 2 Dragthe adjustment bar upwards or downwards to the desired value Click to restore Applies all changes all start up immediately settings Undoes all changes without applying N Set the CPU Ratio Setting item in BIOS to Auto before using the CPU Ratio function in TurboV Refer to Chapter 3 of your motherboard user manual for details The CPU Ratio bars show the status of the CPU cores which vary with your CPU model ASUS M5A97 Undoes all changes Applies all changes q i oO at E O Auto Tuning ASUS TurboV EVO includes two auto tuning modes providing the most flexible auto tuning options AN The overclocking result varies with the CPU model and the system configuration To prevent overheating from damaging the motherboard a better thermal environment is strongly recommended Fast Tuning fast CPU overclocking Extreme Tuning extreme overclocking for CPU and memory Using Fast Tuning 1 Click the Auto Tuning tab and then click Fast 2 Read through the warning
67. installing the motherboard and adding devices on it carefully read all the manuals that came with the package Before using the product ensure all cables are correctly connected and the power cables are not damaged If you detect any damage contact your dealer immediately To avoid short circuits keep paper clips screws and staples away from connectors Slots sockets and circuitry Avoid dust humidity and temperature extremes Do not place the product in any area where it may become wet Place the product on a stable surface If you encounter technical problems with the product contact a qualified service technician or your retailer viii 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 Chapter 2 Hardware information This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components It includes description of the switches jumpers and connectors on the motherboard Chapter 3 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
68. llows you to set the CPU amp NB Voltage Mode Different sub items appear according to the CPU amp NB Voltage Mode item setting Configuration options Offset Mode Manual Mode Offset Mode Sign This item appears only when you set the CPU amp NB Voltage item to Offset Mode and allows you to set the offset mode sign Configuration options CPU Offset Voltage Auto This item appears only when you set the CPU amp NB Voltage item to Offset Mode and allows you to set the CPU Offset voltage The values range from 0 006250V to 0 7V with a 0 006250V interval CPU NB Offset Mode Sign This item appears only when you set the CPU amp NB Voltage item to Offset Mode and allows you to set the offset mode sign Configuration options CPU NB Offset Voltage Auto This item appears only when you set the CPU amp NB Voltage Mode item to Offset Mode and allows you to set the CPU NB Offset voltage The values range from 0 00625V to 0 5V with a 0 00625V interval CPU Manual Voltage Auto This item appears only when you set the CPU amp NB Voltage item to Manual Mode and allows you to set a fixed CPU voltage CPU NB Manual Voltage Auto This item appears only when you set the CPU amp NB Voltage item to Manual Mode and allows you to set a fixed CPU NB voltage CPU VDDA Voltage Auto Allows you to set the CPU VDDA voltage The values range from 2 20V to 2 80V with a 0 00625V interval Chapter
69. ly restores the CPU default settings when the system hangs due to overclocking failure C P R eliminates the need to open the system chassis and clear the RTC data Simply shut down and reboot the system and the BIOS automatically restores the CPU parameters to their default settings Chapter 1 Product Introduction 2 1 Before you proceed Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings N Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component Before handling components use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or a metal object such as the power supply case to avoid damaging them due to static electricity Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them Whenever you uninstall any component place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component Before you install or remove any component ensure that the ATX power supply is Switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard peripherals or components ASUS M5A97 2 1 2 2 Motherboard overview 2 2 1 Motherboard layout o o o
70. mory remapping around memory hole Configuration options Disabled Enabled DCT Unganged Mode Enabled Allows you to select unganged mode or ganged mode Configuration options Disabled Enabled Initiate Graphic Adapter PEG PCI Allows you to select the primary boot graphic controller Configuration options PEG PCI PCI PEG 3 5 3 SATA Configuration While entering Setup 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 Cb Advanced ed SATA Configuration gt gt SB SATA Configuration SB SATA Configuration Allows you to set SATA options OnChip SATA Channel Enabled Allows you to enable or disable serial ATA Configuration options Enabled Disabled SATA Port Port4 AHCI IDE Set to IDE when you want to use the Serial ATA hard disk drives as Parallel ATA physical storage devices AHCI Set to AHCI 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 Set to RAID when you want to create a RAID configuration from the SATA hard disk drives SATA Port5 Port6 AHCI Allows you to set the SATA port 1 4 mode This item can o
71. nction Setup Mode EZ Mode Advanced Mode Sets Advanced Mode as the default screen for entering the BIOS setup program EZ Mode Sets EZ Mode as the default screen for entering the BIOS setup program 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 L4 To select the boot device during system startup press F8 when ASUS Logo appears To access Windows OS in Safe Mode do any of the following Press lt F5 gt when ASUS Logo appears Press lt F8 gt after POST Boot Override These items displays the available devices The number of device items that appears on the screen depends on the number of devices installed in the system Click an item to start booting from the selected device ASUS M5A97 3 25 3 26 3 8 Tools menu The Tools menu items allow you to configure options for special functions Select an item then press lt Enter gt to display the submenu gt ASUS EZ Flash2 Utility gt ASUS SPD Information gt ASUS O C Profile 3 8 1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2 When you press lt Enter gt a confirmation message appears Use the left right arrow key to select between Yes or No then press lt Enter gt to confirm your choice LA For more details see section 3 10 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 3 8 2 ASUS
72. ng the CPU 5V 3 3V 12V voltage output changes saves the changes and resets the system CPU chassis fan speed or enters the Advanced Mode Exit Advanced Mode I I if Mon English i BIOS Version 0140 Build Date 05 09 2011 Ww CPU Type AMD Phenom TM II x 4 945 Processor Speed 3032 MHz Tuesday 01 01 2008 Total Memory 1024 MB DDR3 1333MHz i Temperature F volage E Fan Speed CPU_FAN M CHA FAN1 CHA FAN2 N A PWR FAN C System Performance Performance Energy Saving W Boot Priority Use the inouse to drag or keyboard to navigate fo decide the boot priority Boot Menu F8 Default F5 Selects the boot device priority Power Saving mode Loads optimized default Displays the system properties of the selected Normal mode ASUS Optimal mode mode on the right hand side geo 9 s Selects the boot device priority fo The boot device options vary depending on the devices you installed to the system The Boot Menu F8 button is available only when the boot device is installed to the System Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 2 2 Advanced Mode The Advanced Mode provides advanced options for experienced end users to configure the BIOS settings The figure below shows an example of the Advanced Mode Refer to the following sections for the detailed configurations LA To access the EZ Mode click Exit then select ASUS EZ Mode Back button Menu items Menu bar Configuration fields General help 9 THU zi Utility
73. nition compliant definition M5A97 Front panel audio connector AN 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 If you want to connect a high definition front panel audio module to this connector set the Front Panel Select item in the BIOS setup to HD Audio if you want to connect an AC 97 front panel audio module to this connector set the item to AC 97 By default this connector is set to HD Refer to 3 6 6 Onboard Devices Configuration for details ASUS M5A97 2 17 2 18 Digital audio connector 4 1 pin SPDIF_OUT 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 te T 5V 9 SPDIFOUT amp u SPDIF OUT M5A97 Digital audio connector f The S PDIF module is purchased separately 6 CPU chassis and power fan connectors 4 pin CPU FAN 4 pin CHA FAN1 2 3 pin PWR FAN Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard ensuring that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector CHA FAN2 CPU FAN PWR FAN wee gig EE
74. nly be configured as IDE when SATA Port Port4 is set to IDE Configuration options AHCI IDE Chapter 3 BIOS setup When the SATA Porti Port 4 and the SATA Port5 Port 6 items are set to AHCI the information of the SATA connectors 1 6 can be seen only under the OS environment or during POST For Windows XP OS you have to install the AHCI driver so that you could use the SATA connectors 1 6 in AHCI mode under the OS environment AN If you use a SATA optical drive to run the Windows XP OS installation disk we strongly recommend that you install the optical drive to the SATA connectors 5 6 and set them to IDE mode S M A R T Status Check Enabled Enabled Enables the S M A R T feature Disabled Disables the S M A R T feature SATA Hot Plug on Port1 6 Disabled These items appear only when you set SATA Port1 Port6 to AHCI and allow you to enable or disable the SATA port hot plug support Configuration options Enabled Disabled 3 5 4 USB Configuration The USB Configuration menu allows you to change the USB settings Tweakei Advanced gt d USB Configuration gt Legacy USB Support Enabled Legacy USB3 0 Support Enablec EHCI Hand off gt SB USB Configuration The USB Devices item shows the auto detected values If no USB device is detected the item shows None Legacy USB Support Enabled Auto Allows the system to detect the presence of USB devices at startup If de
75. nstallation 2 31 2 3 9 Rear panel connection eene esee teet tnt nta tntnnes 2 32 2 8 00 Audio I O connections seen 2 34 24 Starting up for the first time eerte 2 36 2 5 Turning off the computer Contents Chapter 3 BIOS setup 3 1 Mein geck 3 1 3 2 BIOS setup program we 3 1 3 2 1 IA Dem A TT 3 2 3 2 2 Advanced Modes uineis m t mai dire aser e RR 3 3 3 3 Main menu 3 4 Ai Tweaker MNU 3 7 3 5 Advanced MENU i ssasccesssccsstencesesiessscessesascsetsntocasseroscassesssinesedstesensneses nesstin 3 14 3 5 1 CPU Configurations citer fretis 3 14 3 5 2 North Bridge Configuration 3 15 3 5 3 SATA Configuration cr en tottr treten 3 16 3 5 4 USB Configuration 5 2 rent reet reiten iet 3 17 3 5 5 CPU Core On Off Function sse 3 18 3 5 6 Onboard Devices Configuration es 3 19 3 5 7 ide eles 3 20 3 6 Monitor MENU oc cinesi sinc ni oen oso cranes ER o RE RES MERE cu A SR inanan ainan 3 21 3 7 Ru 3 24 3 8 EDUlEuIm 3 26 3 8 1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 it tide letta dia didi 3 26 3 8 2 ASUS SPD Informations iicet riter 3 26 3 8 3 ASUS 0 0 Profile 8 1 ite a ieee 3 26 3 9 adum 3 27 3 10 Updating BIO
76. ol feature CPU Fan Profile Standard This item appears only when you enable the CPU Q Fan Control feature and allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the CPU fan Standard Sets to Standard to make the CPU fan automatically adjust depending on the CPU temperature Silent Sets to Silent to minimize the fan speed for quiet CPU fan operation Turbo Sets to Turbo to achieve maximum CPU fan speed Manual Sets to Manual to assign detailed fan speed control parameters CPU Fan Speed Low Limit 600 RPM This item appears only when you enable the CPU Q Fan Control feature and allows you to disable or set the CPU fan warning speed Configuration options Ignore 100 RPM 200 RPM 300 RPM 400 RPM 500 RPM 600 RPM LA The following four items appear only when you set CPU Fan Profile to Manual CPU Upper Temperature 70 Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the upper limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 20 C to 75 C CPU Lower Temperature 20 Displays the lower limit of the CPU temperature Chapter 3 BIOS setup CPU Fan Max Duty Cycle 20 Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the maximum CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 20 to 100 When the CPU temperature reaches the upper limit the CPU fan will operate at the maximum duty cycle CPU Fan Min Duty Cycle 20 Set the minimum CPU fan duty cycle when CPU temperature is lower than the CP
77. omize each mode by configuring settings like CPU frequency GPU frequency vCore Voltage and Fan Control Launching EPU After installing Al Suite Il from the motherboard support DVD launch EPU by clicking Tool EPU on the AI Suite Il main menu bar Displays the following message if no VGA power saving engine is detected Displays current mode The items lighting up means power saving engine is activated Displays the amount of CO2 reduced Shifts between the display of Total and Current CO2 reduced Displays the current CPU power Advanced settings for each mode Displays the system Multiple system properties of each mode operating modes Select From EPU Installation to show the CO2 that has been reduced since you installed EPU e Select From the Last Reset to show the total CO2 that has been reduced since you click the Clear button MESSER 4 8 Chapter 4 Software support 4 3 4 FAN Xpert Fan Xpert intelligently allows you to adjust both the CPU and chassis fan speeds according to different ambient temperatures caused by different climate conditions in different geographic regions and your PC s system loading The built in variety of useful profiles offer flexible controls of fan speed to achieve a quiet and cool environment Launching FAN Xpert After installing Al Suite Il from the motherboard support DVD launch FAN Xpert by clicking Tool gt Fan Xpert on the Al Suite II main
78. ors Part No Size Hynix HMT325U6BFR8C H9 ps ss PR H5TQ2G83BFR FLFE85F C8KM9 SS Kingmax KFC8FNMXF BXX 15A FLFF65F C8KM9 4GB DS Kingmax KFC8FNMXF BXX 15A KHX1333C9D3UK2 4GX 4GB 2x XMP 2GB KINGSTON KVR1333D3N9K2 4G dep x DS KINGSTON D1288JEMFPGD9U MICRON MT8JTF25664AZ 1G4D1 2GB SS Micron D9LGK MICRON MTISITFS1204A2 4GB DS Micron D9LGK 4GB 2x ocz OCZ3G1333LV4GK 2681 DS 8GB 2x ocz OCZ3G1333LV8GK is j ps PC310600U 9 10 A0 8 PSC ASP1GF3FGF msc PC310600U 9 10 B0 ac DS PSC ASP1GF3FGF SAMSUNG M378B5273DH0 CH9 4GB DS Samsung K4B2G08460 SAMSUNG M378B1G73AHO CH9 8GB DS SAMSUNG K4B4G0846A HCH9 Transcend odes ANON 2GB SS Hynix H5TQ2G83BFR Transcend Easa KASN 4GB DS Micron D9LGK ACTICA ACT4GHUS4B8H1333H 4GB DS Hynix H5TQ2G83AFR ACT4GHU72D8H1333H 4GB DS Hynix H5TQ2G83AFR ECC D3U1333 2G 2GB DS Elpida J1108BFBG DJ F D3U1333 4G 4GB DS NANYA NT5CB256M8BN CG 4GB 2 x 26B PS EK Memory EKM324L28BP8 113 Elixir M2F2G64CB88D7N CG 2GB SS Elixir M2CB2G8BDN CG M2F4G64CB8HD5N CG 4GB Elixir M2CB2G8BDN CG GR1333D364L9 2G 2GB Qimonda IDSH1G 03A1F1C 13H KINGTIGER F10DA2T1680 KINGTIGER KTO1339PS1208NST KINGTIGER KTG2G1333PG3 PSD32G13332 Prtriot PM128M8D3BU 15 Patriot PGS34G1333LLKA P DS 7 7 7 20 17 Silicon Power SP001GBLTE133S01 1GB SS NANYA NT5CB128M8AN CG Silicon Power SPOO2GBLTE133S01 2GB DS NANYA NT5CB128M8AN CG Team Era 024133307 GB ss Team T3D1288LT 13 TIDOM 175 Team pr ama
79. ows users to launch and operate these utilities simultaneously Installing Al Suite II To install Al Suite Il on your computer 1 Place the support DVD to the optical drive The Drivers installation tab appears if your computer has enabled the Autorun feature 2 Click the Utilities tab then click Al Suite II 3 Follow the onscreen instructions to complete installation Using Al Suite II Al Suite II automatically starts when you enter the Windows operating system OS The Al Suite Il icon appears in the Windows notification area Click the icon to open the Al Suite II main menu bar Click each button to select and launch a utility to monitor the system to update the motherboard BIOS to display the system information and to customize the settings of AI Suite Il Click to customize the interface settings Click to show the system information Click to update the motherboard BIOS Click to monitor sensors The applications in the Tool menu vary with models or CPU frequency Click to select a utility Shortcut to the Auto Tuning vt Mode under TurboV EVO D 2 The Auto Tuning button appears only on models with the TurboV EVO function c po The screenshots of AI Suite Il in this user manual are for reference only The actual screenshots vary with models Refer to the software manual in the support DVD or visit the ASUS website at www asus com for detailed software configuration ASUS M5A9
80. p1eoqJeu10N N O lt Ln E6441 First Edition V1 May 2011 Copyright 2011 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 AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT
81. ped to by sending a request to ASUSTeK Computer Inc Legal Compliance Dept 15 Li Te Rd Beitou Taipei 112 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 WARRANTY 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 gp 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 NOU COS M i Safety information About this me iii M5A97 specifications summary rere eren nennen tnn treten trente tnn x Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 1 Welcome 1 1 1 2 Package contents esee cesses senses cesses tenni treni tre annann nnna 1 3 Special feat res
82. perature power status and allows you to change the fan settings PSUS UEFI BIOS Utility Advanced Mode Monitor MB Temperature VCORE Voltage 3 3V Voltage 5V Voltage 12V Voltage VDDA2 5V Voltage CPU Fan Speed Chassis Fan 1 Speed Chassis Fan 2 Speed Power Fan Speed CPU Q Fan Control CPU Fan Profile Cpu Fan Speed Low Limit Chassis Q Fan Control ASUS M5A97 3 21 3 22 CPU Temperature MB Temperature xxx C xxx F The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU and motherboard temperatures Select Ignore if you do not wish to display the detected temperatures VCORE Voltage 3 3V Voltage 5V Voltage 12V Voltage VDDA2 5V 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 CPU Fan Speed xxxx RPM or Ignore N A Chassis Fan 1 2 Speed xxxx RPM or Ignore N A Power Fan Speed xxxx RPM or Ignore N A The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU chassis and power fan speeds 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 Q Fan Control Enabled Allows you to enable or disable the CPU Q Fan control function Disabled Disables the CPU Q Fan control feature Enabled Enables the CPU Q Fan contr
83. rmware Interface that offers a user friendly interface that goes beyond traditional keyboard only BIOS control to enable more flexible and convenient mouse input Users can easily navigate the new UEFI BIOS with the same smoothness as their operating system It natively supports hard drives larger than 2 2TB in 64 bit with full storage space utilization helping deliver far more exciting computing than traditional BIOS version The exclusive EZ Mode displays frequently accessed setup info while the Advanced Mode is for experienced performance enthusiasts that demand far more intricate system settings ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 is a user friendly utility that allows you to update the BIOS without using a bootable floppy disk or an OS based utility ASUS MyLogo2 This feature allows you to convert your favorite photo into a 256 color boot logo for a more colorful and vivid image on your screen ASUS O C Profile The motherboard features the ASUS O C Profile that allows you to conveniently store or load multiple BIOS settings The BIOS settings can be stored in the CMOS or a Separate file giving you the freedom to share and distribute your favorite settings Precision Tweaker 2 Allows you to fine tune the VCore VDDNB voltage in 0 00625V steps and DRAM voltage in 0 00625V steps to achieve the most precise setting for the ultimate overclocking configuration C P R CPU Parameter Recall The BIOS C P R feature automatical
84. s Auto 0 75x 1x 1 25x 1 5x Processor ODT Auto Configuration options Auto 240 ohms 20 120 ohms 20 60 ohms 2096 DCT1 Information CKE drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 1x 1 25x 1 5x 2x CS ODT drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 1x 1 25x 1 5x 2x ADDR CMD drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 1x 1 25x 1 5x 2x MEMCLK drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 0 75x 1x 1 25x 1 5x Data drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 0 75x 1x 1 25x 1 5x DQS drive strength Auto Configuration options Auto 0 75x 1x 1 25x 1 5x Processor ODT Auto Configuration options Auto 240 ohms 20 120 ohms 20 60 ohms 2096 ASUS M5A97 3 11 3 12 Some of the following items are adjusted by typing the desired values using the numeric keypad and press the lt Enter gt key You can also use the lt gt lt gt keys to adjust the value To restore the default setting type auto using the keyboard and press the lt Enter gt key CPU Load Line Calibration Auto Allows you to select the CPU Load Line mode Configuration options Auto Disabled Enabled CPU NB Load Line Calibration Auto Allows you to select the CPU NB Load Line mode Configuration options Auto Disabled Enabled CPU amp NB Voltage Offset Mode A
85. s Adjust your display configurations experiment with the 3D settings and check the effects with a real time 3D rendered previews within ATI Catalyst Control Center Chapter 1 Product Introduction ErP ready The motherboard is European Union s Energy related Products ErP ready and ErP requires products to meet certain energy efficiency requirements 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 1 3 2 DIP Dual Intelligent Processors TPU TurboV Processing Unit amp EPU Energy Processing Unit TPU Unleash your performance with Al Suite II utility ASUS Auto tuning feature can intelligently optimize the system for fast yet stable clock speeds and the TurboV gives you the freedom to adjust CPU frequencies and ratios to optimize performance under varied system conditions EPU The ASUS EPU Energy Processing Unit provides total system power management by detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power usage for critical PC components in real time helping save power and money 1 3 3 ASUS Innovative Design MemOK MemOK quickly ensures memory boot compatibility This remarkable memory rescue tool requires a mere push of the button to patch memory issues MemOK determines failsafe settings and dramati
86. s and then exit the BIOS Setup A See section 3 6 3 SATA Configuration for details Chapter 4 Software support 4 4 4 AMD Option ROM Utility To enter the AMD Option ROM utility 1 Boot up your computer 2 During POST press Ctrl lt F gt to display the utility main menu The Main Menu allows you to select an operation to perform The Main Menu options include View Drive Assignments shows the status of the hard disk drives LD View LD Define Menu displays the existing RAID set information creates a RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 or RAID 10 configuration Delete LD Menu deletes a selected RAID set and partition Controller Configuration shows the system resources configuration Press 1 2 3 or 4 to enter the option you need press lt ESC gt to exit the utility exactly match the items on your screen L4 The RAID BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference only and may not To create a RAID volume using more than four hard disk drives ensure that the SATA connectors 5 6 are set to RAID mode i 7 hd a o K UO ASUS M5A97 4 15 Creating a RAID volume To create a RAID volume 1 Inthe Main Menu press 2 to enter the LD View LD Define Menu function 2 Press Ctrl lt C gt and the following screen appears LD No LD Name M Strip Block Fast Init Gigabyte Boundary Cache Mode Port ID Drive Model Capabilities Capacity GB
87. s 2GB DS Team T8D1288LT 13 7 7 7 2 1546 Side s SS Single sided DS Double sided DIMM support 1DIMM Supports one 1 module inserted into any slot as Single channel memory configuration We suggest that you install the module into A2 slot 2 DIMMs Supports two 2 modules inserted into either the blue slots or the black slots as one pair of Dual channel memory configuration We suggest that you install the modules into slots A2 and B2 for better compatibility 4DIMMs Supports four 4 modules inserted into both the blue and black slots as two pairs of Dual channel memory configuration A When overclocking some AMD CPU models may not support DDR3 1600 or higher frequency DIMMs Visitthe ASUS website for the latest QVL Chapter 2 Hardware information 2 2 4 Expansion slots Ensure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components Slot No Slot Description PCle 2 0 x16_1 slot blue at x16 mode PCle 2 0 x1_1 slot PCle 2 0 x1_2 slot PCle 2 0 x16_2 slot black at x4 mode PCI slot 1 PCI slot 2 1 PCI Express operating mode VGA configuration x16 Recommend for single VGA Dual VGA PCle card x16 Single VGA PCle card ASUS M5A97 2 11 A n single VGA card mode use the PCle 2 0 x16_1 slot blue for a PCI Express x16 graphics
88. storage capacity The RAID 5 configuration is best suited for transaction processing relational database applications enterprise resource planning 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 M5A97 4 18 t i 7 a o Oo e g gei et t A 4 14 4 4 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 4 4 3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS You must enable the RAID function in the BIOS Setup before creating RAID volume s using SATA HDDs To do this 1 Enterthe BIOS Setup during POST 2 Goto UEFI Advanced Mode and go to the Advanced menu gt SATA Configuration gt SB SATA Confituration and then press Enter Set the type of the SATA connectors to RAID Save your change
89. t ocz OCZ3G1866LV4GK 4GB 2x 2GB DS Super Talent W1866UX2G8 XMP 2GB 2x1GB SS M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 1800MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU T Chip Chip P DIMM socket support Optional SES iue SSDS Brand No Timing Voltage pu 2 DIMM a py G SKILL F3 14400CL6D 4GBFLS XMP 4GB 2x2GB DS 6 8 6 24 1 65 KHX1800C9D3T1K3 p KINGSTON KGXXMP 6GB 3x 2GB DS s 1 65 M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 1600MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU H SS Chip Chip qim DIMM socket support Optional Vendors Part No Size DS Brand NO ming Voltage 2 DIMM ARTE DATA AX3U1600XC4G79 XMP 4GB DS 7 9 7 21 1 55 1 75 CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 XMP 8GB 2x4GB DS 8 8 8 24 1 5 CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 XMP 8GB 2x4GB DS 9 9 9 24 1 5 Crucial BL12864BN1608 8FF XMP 2GB 2x 1GB SS 8 8 8 24 1 65 i DS Crucial BL25664BN1608 16FF XMP 2GB i gt 8 8 8 24 1 65 G SKILL F3 12800CL9D 8GBRL XMP 8GB 2x4GB DS 9 9 9 24 1 5 G SKILL BOBECOXHE 8GB 2x4GB DS 88824 135 KINGSTON KHX1600C9D3K3 6GX XMP 6GB 3x2GB DS 9 1 65 Kingston a alae 6GB 3x2GB DS ASUS M5A97 2 7 2 8 M5A97 Motherboard Qualified Vendors Lists QVL DDR3 2000MHz capability for AMD AM3 CPU SS Chip s ar DIMM socket support Optional Vendors Part No Size DS Brand Chip NO Timing Voltage 1DIMM ABE BP A DATA AX3U2000GC4G9B XMP 4GB DS 9 11 9 27 1 55 1 75 CORSAIR CMT6GX3M3A2
90. t having to use a bootable floppy disk or an OS based utility 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 Insert the 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 MODEL M5 M File Path fs0 Drive Folder Info fs0 05 09 11 10 23p 4194304 M5A97 ROM File Info MODEL v Help Info Enter Selector Load Tab Switch Up Down PageUp PageDown Home End Move Esc Exit F2 Backup 3 Press lt Tab gt to switch to the Drive field Press the Up Down arrow keys to find the USB flash disk that contains the latest BIOS and then press lt Enter gt 5 Press lt Tab gt 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 A This function can support devices such as a USB flash disk with FAT 32 16 format and N single partition only 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 9 Exit Menu for det
91. t of new features and latest technologies making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards Before you start installing the motherboard and hardware devices on it check the items in your package with the list below 1 2 Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items 2 x Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s cables 1xASUS I O Shield L4 If any of the above items is damaged or missing contact your retailer The illustrated items above are for reference only Actual product specifications may vary with different models ASUS M5A97 1 1 1 3 Special features 1 3 1 Product highlights AMD FX Phenom II Athlon I Sempron 100 series CPU support This motherboard supports AMD Socket AM3 multi core processors with unique L3 cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption It features dual channel DDR3 memory support and accelerates data transfer rate up to 5200MT s via HyperTransport 3 0 based system bus This motherboard also supports AMD CPUs in the new 32nm manufacturing process AMD 970 Chipset AMD 970 Chipset is designed to support up to 4800MT s HyperTransport 3 0 HT 3 0 interface speed and PCI Express 2 0 x16 graphics It is optimized with AMD s latest AM3 and multi core CPUs to provide excellent system performance and overclocking capabilities DDR3 2133 0 C 1866 1600 1333 1066 support This motherboard supports DDR3 memor
92. tected the USB controller legacy mode is enabled If no USB device is detected the legacy USB support is disabled Enabled Enables the support for USB devices on legacy operating systems OS Disabled Disables the function Legacy USB3 0 Support Enabled Enabled Enables the support for USB 3 0 devices on legacy operating systems OS Disabled Disables the function ASUS M5A97 3 17 3 18 EHCI Hand off Disabled Enabled Enables the support for operating systems without an EHCI hand off feature Disabled Disables the function SB USB Configuration Allows you to set SB USB options OHCI HC Bus 0 Dev 18 Fn 0 Enablea Configuration options Enabled Disabled OHCI HC Bus 0 Dev 19 Fn 0 Enablea Configuration options Enabled Disabled OHCI HC Bus 0 Dev 22 Fn 0 Enablea Configuration options Enabled Disabled OHCI HC Bus 0 Dev 20 Fn 5 Enablea Configuration options Enabled Disabled 3 5 5 CPU Core On Off Function I i Tweaker Advanced ed CPU Core On Off Function gt ASUS Core Unlocker Disabled CPU Core Activation Auto ASUS Core Unlocker Disabled Enabled Enables the ASUS Core Unlocker to get the full computing power of the processor Disabled Disables this function CPU Core Activation Auto This item lets user turn off core except core 1 user can turn off 2nd 3rd 4th 5th etc core manually Configuration options Auto Manual
93. the chassis temperature reaches the upper limit the chassis fan will operate at the maximum duty cycle Chassis Fan Min Duty Cycle 60 Set the minimum chassis fan duty cycle when chassis temperature is lower than the chassis Lower Temperature setting ASUS M5A97 3 23 3 24 3 7 Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options i UEFI BIOS Utility Advanced Mode Full Screen Logo Wait for F1 If Error Option ROM Messages Interrupt 19 Capture Setup Mode Bootup NumLock State On On Sets the power on state of the NumLock to On Off Sets the power on state of the NumLock to Off Full Screen Logo Enabled Enabled Enables the full screen logo display feature Disabled Disables the full screen logo display feature Set this item to Enabled to use the ASUS MyLogo 2 feature Wait For F1 If Error Enabled Enabled The system waits for the lt F1 gt key to be pressed when error occurs Disabled Disables this function Option ROM Messages Force BIOS Force BIOS The third party ROM messages will be forced to display during the boot sequence Keep Current The third party ROM messages will be displayed only if the third party manufacturer had set the add on device to do so Chapter 3 BIOS setup Interrupt 19 Capture Disabled Enabled Allows Option ROMs to trap interrupt 19 when this item is set to Enabled Disabled Disables this fu
94. the lower sized channel for the dual channel configuration Any excess memory from the higher sized channel is then mapped for single channel operation We recommend that you install the memory modules from the blue slots for better overclocking capability Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency For optimum compatibility we recommend that you obtain memory modules from the same vendor AMD FX Series CPU on this motherboard supports up to DDR3 1866MHz as its standard memory frequency Due to CPU spec AMD 100 series CPUs support up to DDR3 1066MHz With ASUS design this motherboard can support up to DDR3 1333MHz When overclocking some AMD CPU models may not support DDR3 1600 MHz or higher frequency DIMMs Due to the memory address limitation on 32 bit Windows OS when you install 4GB or more memory on the motherboard the actual usable memory for the OS can be about 3GB or less For effective use of memory we recommend that 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 512Mb 64MB chips or less Memory chip capacity counts in Megabit 8 Megabit Mb 1 Megabyte MB The default memory operation fr
95. the motherboard Chapter 3 BIOS setup CPU Ratio Auto Allows user can manually adjust the maximum non CPB mode CPU ratio The value will be limit to CPU base or factory setting Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the ratio The valid value ranges vary according to your CPU model Memory Frequency Auto Allows you to set the DDR3 operating frequency Configuration options Auto B00MHz 1066MHz 1333MHz 1600MHz Selecting a very high DRAM frequency may cause the system to become unstable If this happens revert to the default setting CPU NB Frequency Auto Allows you to set the ratio between the NB in CPU Clock and the CPU Bus Frequency Configuration options Auto 1400MHz 1600MHz 1800MHz 2000MHz HT Link Speed Auto Allows you to select the HyperTransport link speed Configuration options Auto B00MHz 1000MHz 1200MHz 1400MHz 1600MHz 1800MHz 2000MHz CPU Spread Spectrum Auto Auto Automatic configuration Disabled Enhances the BCLK overclocking ability Enabled Sets to Enabled for EMI control PCle Spread Spectrum Auto Auto Automatic configuration Disabled Enhances the PCIE overclocking ability Enabled Sets to Enabled for EMI control EPU Power Saving Mode Disabled Allows you to enable or disable the EPU power saving mode Configuration options Enabled Disabled EPU Setting Auto This item appears only when you set the EPU Power
96. the setup procedures presented in this chapter for reference only Refer to your OS documentation for detailed information Ensure that you install the Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later versions before installing the drivers for better compatibility and system stability 4 2 Support DVD information The support DVD that comes with the motherboard package contains the drivers software applications and utilities that you can install to avail all motherboard features V 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 Place the support DVD into the optical drive The DVD automatically displays the Highlights menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer Click each menu tab and select the items you want to install The Drivers menu shows the available The Make Disk menu The Manual menu contains device drivers if the system detects contains items to the list of supplementary user installed devices Install the necessary create the RAID AHCI manuals Click an item to open drivers to use the devices driver disk the folder of the user manual The Utilities Click the Highlights tab to display the software information menu shows the applications and other software that the rea Click the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information Click an item Click an icon to install to display DVD
97. tility Advanced Mo Main Security gt User Password YA If you have forgotten your BIOS password erase the CMOS Real Time Clock RTC RAM to clear the BIOS password See section 2 2 5 Jumpers for information on how to erase the RTC RAM The Administrator or User Password items on top of the screen show the default Not Installed After you set a password these items show Installed ASUS M5A97 3 5 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 lt Enter gt 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 lt Enter gt 3 From the Create New Password box key in a new password then press lt Enter gt 4 Confirm the password when prompted To clear the administrator password follow the same steps as in changing an 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 scre
98. ues for changes each sensor 9 gt fy Ss er e A 4 10 Chapter 4 Software support 4 3 6 Ai Charger Battery Charging Version 1 1 BC 1 1 a USB Implementers Forum USB IF certified USB charging function is designed to make USB charging faster than the standard USB devices If your USB device supports the BC 1 1 function when you connect your USB device to your System the system automatically detects your USB device and starts a fast USB charging The charging speed may get 3 times faster than that of the standard USB devices l Check your USB device manufacturer if it fully supports the BC 1 1 function The actual charging speed may vary with your USB device s conditions Ensure to remove and reconnect your USB device after enabling or disabling Ai Charger to ensure normal charging function 9 1 Ai Charger Y 3 a V Speed t i 7 a o Oo ASUS M5A97 4 11 9 s y UU er e A 4 12 4 3 7 Audio configurations The Realtek audio CODEC provides 8 channel audio capability to deliver the ultimate audio experience on your computer The software provides Jack Detection 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 and giving users plug and play convenience Follow the installation wi
99. ular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna ncrease the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help f The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required 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 Canadian Department of Communications Statement This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES 003 REACH Complying with the REACH Registration Evaluation 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
100. y that features data transfer rates of 2133 0 C 1866 1600 1333 1066 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest 3D graphics multimedia and Internet applications The dual channel DDR3 architecture enlarges the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance AMD SB950 Chipset The AMD SB950 Southbridge natively supports the next generation SATA 6 0 Gb s data transfer rate and PCI Express 2 0 interface AMD Cool n Quiet Technology This motherboard supports the AMD Cool n Quiet technology which monitors system operation and automatically adjusts CPU voltage and frequency for a cool and quiet operating environment True USB 3 0 Support Experience ultra fast data transfers at 4 8 Gb s with USB 3 0 the latest connectivity standard Built to connect easily with next generation components and peripherals USB 3 0 transfers data 10X faster and is also backward compatible with USB 2 0 components Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s technology The AMD SB950 chipset natively supports the next generation SATA 6 0 Gb s data transfer rate enhances scalability provides faster data retrieval and doubles the bandwidth of the current bus systems ATI Quad GPU CrossFireX Support ATI s CrossFireX boosts image quality along with rendering speed eliminating the need to scale down screen resolution to get high quality images CrossFireX allows higher antialiasing anisotropic filtering shading and texture setting
101. y two short No memory detected beeps then a pause repeated One continuous beep followed by three short No VGA detected beeps One continuous beep followed by four short beeps Hardware component failure 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 pressing the power switch for less than four seconds puts the system on sleep mode or soft off mode depending on the BIOS setting Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds lets the system enter the soft off mode regardless of the BIOS setting 2 36 Chapter 2 Hardware information 3 1 Knowing BIOS L The new ASUS UEFI BIOS is an Unified Extensible Firmware Interface offering a user friendly interface that goes beyond traditional keyboard only BIOS controls to enable more flexible and convenient mouse input Users can easily navigate the new UEFI BIOS with the same smoothness as their 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 overclocking 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 optimum performance We re
102. y with the total capacity over 2TB cannot be set as a boot disk A RAID array over 2TB can only be set as a data disk only If you want to install a Windows operating system to a hard disk drive included in a RAID set you have to create a RAID driver disk and load the RAID driver during OS installation Refer to section 4 5 Creating a RAID driver disk for details 4 4 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
103. zard 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 on the icon to display the Realtek HD Audio Manager Realtek HD Audio Manager A Realtek HD Audio Manager for Windows Vista Set default device Minimize Exit button button button GARE aww Device Configuration eevancet option tabs Wee lus B Ue uA settings Cl Connector settings Analog and digital Control connector settings status window Information Aem E button B Realtek HD Audio Manager for Windows XP Exit button Configuration options Minimize button Control settings window Information button Ff 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 4 4 RAID configurations The motherboard comes with the AMD SB850 chipset that allows you to configure Serial ATA hard disk drives as RAID sets The motherboard supports the following RAID configurations RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 and RAID 10 You must install Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later versions before using Serial ATA hard disk drives The Serial ATA RAID feature is available only if you are using Windows XP SP2 or later versions Due to Windows XP Vista 7 limitation a RAID arra

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