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A88X-GAMER - CD

1. EATX12V EATXPWR PIN 1 i 412V DC GND 3 Volts GND l 12 Volts 5 Volts Log 12V DC GND 12V DC GND 12 Volts 5 Volts ui GND 5V Standby 5 Volts E Power OK 5 Volts GND GND d Eg 45 Volts GND q GND GND NE 45 Volts PSON GND GND 3 Volts 12 Volts 3 Volts 3 Volts O m J Wi mmm Imm an NI A88X GAMER ATX power connectors LN e We recommend that you use an ATX 12V Specification 2 0 compliant power supply unit PSU with a minimum of 300W power rating This PSU type has 24 pin and 8 pin 4 pin power plugs e f you intend to use a PSU with 20 pin and 8 pin 4 pin power plugs ensure that the 20 pin power plug can provide at least 15 A on 12 V and that the PSU has a minimum power rating of 300W The system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadeguate e DO NOT forget to connect the 8 pin 4 pin ATX 12V power plug Otherwise the system will not boot up e We recommend that you use a PSU with higher power output when configuring a system with more power consuming devices or when you intend to install additional devices The system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate ASUS A88X GAMER Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s connectors 7 pin SATA6G 1 8
2. ASUS A88X GAMER CLRTC 1 2 2 3 EJ CHE Normal Clear RTC i Default To erase the RTC RAM 1 2 KE Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord Move the jumper cap from pins 1 2 default to pins 2 3 Keep the cap on pins 2 3 for about 5 10 seconds then move the cap back to pins 1 2 Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer Hold down the Del 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 position Removing the cap will cause system boot failure e ifthe 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 e _ You do not need to clear the RTC when the system hangs due to overclocking For system failure due to overclocking use the CPU Parameter Recall C P R feature Shut down and reboot the system then the BIOS automatically resets parameter settings to default values ASUS A88X GAMER 1 11 1 7 Connectors 1 7 1 Rear panel connectors 1 2 3 4 9678 1 PS 2 keyboard mouse combo port This port is for a PS 2 keyboard or mouse 2 Optical S PDIF Out port This port connects an external audio output de
3. B amp O I CO i I de 1 ss a IDO d 4 USB3_34 i ASUS PIN 1 A88X GAMER USB3 5V USB3 5V IntA_P1_SSRX IntA_P2_SSRX IntA_P1_SSRX O IntA_P2_SSRX O GND IntA_P1_SSTX IntA_P2_SSTX m IntA_P1_SSTX K IntA_P2_SSTX m GND IntA P1 D IntA P2 D Int P1 D IntA P2 D GND D I LL lun A88X GAMER USB3 0 Front panel connector LN You can connect the ASUS front panel USB 3 0 bracket to this connector to obtain the front panel USB 3 0 solution ASUS A88X GAMER 1 19 TPM connector 20 1 pin TPM This connector supports a Trusted Platform Module TPM system which can securely store keys digital certificates passwords and data A TPM system also helps enhance network security protects digital identities and ensures platform integrity T E d n rem SB SUS STAT GND 3VSB SMBSCL LADO 3V LAD3 PCIRST FRAME PCICLK GS Selle le GND A88X GAMER TPM Connector Onboard LEDs Standby Power LED The motherboard comes with a standby power LED that lights up to indi
4. 1 20 SORWare SUppOTFL e AR 1 21 Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 1 Updating te E 2 1 2 2 BIOS setup program 2 eeeeeeueen Eesen 2 7 2 3 My e Miel 2 12 2 4 Main CT FFF HR FREE HEN RH FFRYND FRI HE 2 13 2 5 ART UE 2 15 2 6 Advanced MENU WE 2 21 2 7 MOBILOE MENU EEN 2 27 2 8 BOOMmMeni a cca 2 31 2 9 te el Ru TEE 2 37 210 XIU TE 2 39 Appendices NOICE EEN A 1 ASUS contact information e e nnne nnne nn nnns A 3 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 gualified service technician or your retailer Operation safety B
5. LA Specifications are subject to change without notice Product introduction 1 1 Before you proceed Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings AN e Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component e 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 e Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them e Whenever you uninstall any component place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component e 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 1 2 Motherboard overview Before you install the motherboard study the configuration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard fits Unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage to motherboard components 1 2 1 Placement direction When installing the motherboard place it into the chassis in the correct orientation The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image 1 2 2 Screw holes Place six scr
6. 7 USB 2 0 connectors 10 1 pin USB56 USB78 USB910 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 480Mbps connection speed IDO L E O INDI I IDO a LI sus A88X GAMER L3 DO ti GND USB 5V USB_P10 USB_P10 A88X GAMER USB2 0 connectors Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors Doing so will damage the l d Y motherboard 8 The USB 2 0 module is purchased separately USB 3 0 connector 20 1 pin USB3 34 This connector allows you to connect a USB 3 0 module for additional USB 3 0 front or rear panel ports With an installed USB 3 0 module you can enjoy all the benefits of USB 3 0 including faster data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps faster charging time for USB chargeable devices optimized power efficiency and backward compatibility with
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8. e _ Press the reset button on the system chassis e _ Press the power button to turn the system off then back on Do this option only if you failed to enter BIOS Setup using the first two options Using the power button reset button or the lt Ctrl gt lt Alt gt lt Del gt keys to force x reset from a running operating system can cause damage to your data or system We recommend to always shut down the system properly from the operating system LN e The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only and may not exactly match what you see on your screen e Ensure that a USB mouse is connected to your motherboard if you want to use the mouse to control the BIOS setup program e The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most conditions to ensure optimum performance If the system becomes unstable after changing any BIOS settings load the default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exit Menu or press hotkey F5 See section 2 10 Exit Menu e Ifthe system fails to boot after changing any BIOS setting try to clear the CMOS and reset the motherboard to the default value Refer to section 1 6 Jumpers on how to erase the RTC RAM e _ The BIOS setup program does not support the bluetooth devices BIOS menu screen The BIOS setup program can be used under two modes EZ Mode and Advanced Mode You can change modes by pressing F7 or
9. 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 particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna e Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver e Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected e Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help 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 IC Canadian Compliance Statement Complies with the Canadian ICES 003 Class B specifications This device complies with RSS 210 of Industry Canada This Class B device meets all the requirements of the Canadian interference causing equipment regulations T
10. Express 2 0 x1 slot This motherboard supports PCI Express x1 network cards SCSI cards and other cards that comply with the PCI Express specifications 1 5 5 PCI Express x16 slot This motherboard has two PCI Express x16 slots that support PCI Express x16 graphic cards complying with the PCI Express specifications LN e In single VGA card mode use the PCle 3 0 2 0 x16 1 slot gray for a PCI Express x16 graphics card to get better performance e Connect a chassis fan to the motherboard connector labeled CHA_FAN1 2 when using multiple graphics cards for better thermal environment IRO assignments for this motherboard PCIEx1 1 shared PCIEx16 1 PCIEx1 2 PCIEx16 2 Intel LAN controller shared OnChip SATA controller _ shared OnChip USB EHCI 1 2 3 4 shared shared shared _ shared shared shared PCI 1 shared PCI 2 shared PCI 3 shared OnChip USB EHCI 1 2 3 OnChip USB XHCI 1 OnChip USB XHCI 2 HD Audio Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 6 1 Jumpers 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
11. For better compatibility enable the CSM to fully support the non UEFI driver add on devices or the Windows UEFI mode Disabled Disable the CSM to fully support the Windows Security Update and Security Boot Z The following four items appear when you set Launch CSM to Enabled Boot Device Control UEFI and Legacy OpROM Allows you to select the type of devices that you want to boot up Configuration options UEFI and Legacy ODROM Legacy OpROM only UEFI only Boot from Network Devices Legacy OpROM first Allows you to select the type of network devices that you want to launch Configuration options Legacy OpROM first UEFI driver first Ignore Boot from Storage Devices Legacy OpROM first Allows you to select the type of storage devices that you want to launch Configuration options Both Legacy OpROM first Both UEFI first Legacy OpROM first UEFI driver first lgnore Boot from PCle PCI Expansion Devices Legacy OpROM first Allows you to select the type of PCle PCI expansion devices that you want to launch Configuration options Legacy OpROM first UEFI driver first Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 9 9 Secure Boot Allows you to configure the Windows Secure Boot settings and manage its keys to protect the system from unauthorized access and malwares during POST OS Type Windows UE Allows you to select your installed operating system Windows UEFI mode Executes the Microsoft Secure Boot
12. NC Line out_L MIC2 MICPWR Line out R PORT1 L PORT1 R PORT2 R SENSE_SEND PORT2 L HD audio compliant Legacy AC 97 o pin definition compliant definition A88X GAMER Front panel audio connector e We recommend that you connect a high definition front panel audio module to this connector to avail of the motherboard high definition audio capability e f you want to connect a high definition front panel audio module to this connector set the Front Panel Type item in the BIOS to HD See section 2 6 5 Onboard Devices Configuration for details e The front panel audio I O module is purchased separately Serial port connector 10 1 pin COM 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 RD O O lt DTR DSR CTS I I_ Erp 5 I l PIN 1 Mn anoor O xztr Oto SES ZE H Jemen 4 A88X GAMER O d E Um A88X GAMER Serial port COM connector The COM module is purchased separately Chapter 1 Product introduction
13. NOTICE AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies and are used only for identification or explanation and to the owners benefit without intent to infringe Offer to Provide Source Code of Certain Software This product contains copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License GPL under the Lesser General Public License Version LGPL and or other Free Open Source Software Licenses Such software in this product is distributed without any warranty to the extent permitted by the applicable law Copies of these licenses are included in this product Where the applicable license entitles you to the source code of such software and or other additional data you may obtain it for a period of three years after our last shipment of the product either 1 for free by downloading it from http support asus com download or 2 for the cost of reproduction and shipment which is dependent on the preferred carrier and the location where you want to have it shipped to by sending a request to ASUSTeK Computer Inc Legal Compliance Dept 15 Li Te Rd Beitou Taipei 112 Taiwan In your request please provide th
14. Rd les ge e Main Aj am EEr Amuvanred Mond or aa a xil fl Haedware Wy noi Me veer Fm Ae gel i u LP Pu PS Seg M KO 216 1240 Cope 0 04a TN yN Te WE Adding items to My Favorites To add frequently used BIOS items to My Favorites 1 Press F3 on your keyboard or click EE to open Setup Tree Map screen 2 _ On the Setup Tree Map screen select the BIOS items that you want to save in My Favorites screen then click the plus sign to save it in My Favorites screen J You cannot add the following items to My Favorite items e items with submenu options e User managed items such as language and boot order e Configuration items such as Memory SPD Information system time and date Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 4 Main menu The Main menu screen appears when you enter the Advanced Mode of the BIOS Setup program The Main menu provides you an overview of the basic system information and allows you to set the system date time language and security settings fv P UEF NIAE SITES IT a i Moda Monitor Box Too xi Ehear Man oi 2 4 1 System Language English Allows you to choose the BIOS language version from the options Configuration options English Francais Deutsch jai rf y 8 amp 8 amp rh xc AAA Espanol Pycckwi4 et 01 2 4 2 System Date Day xx xx xxxx Allows you to set the system date 2 4 3 System Time xx xx xx Allows you to set the system time 2 4 4 Security The
15. Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings Z e If you have forgotten your BIOS password erase the CMOS Real Time Clock RTC RAM to clear the BIOS password See section 1 6 Jumpers for information on how to erase the RTC RAM e 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 A88X GAMER 2 13 Administrator Password If you have set an administrator password we recommend that you enter the administrator password for accessing the system Otherwise you might be able to see or change only selected fields in the BIOS setup program To set an administrator password 1 _ Select the Administrator Password item and press Enter 2 _ From the Create New Password box key in a password then press Enter 3 Confirm the password when prompted To change an administrator password 1 _ Select the Administrator Password item and press Enter 2 From the Enter Current Password box key in the current password then press Enter 3 From the Create New Password box key in a new password then press Enter 4 Confirm the password when prompted To clear the administrator password follow the same steps as in changing an administrator password but press Enter when prompted to create confirm the password After you clear the password the Administrator Password item on top of
16. a more efficient memory cooling system to support a full memory load 4 DIMMs or overclocking condition e Visit the ASUS website at www asus com for the latest QVL Installing a DIMM Unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components Failure to do so can cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the components Press the retaining clips outward e to unlock a DIMM socket DIMM notch Align a DIMM on the socket A such that the notch on the DIMM matches the DIMM slot key on the socket Unlocked retaining clip DIMM slot key A DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it fits in only one direction DO NOT force a DIMM into a socket in the wrong direction to avoid damaging the DIMM Firmly insert the DIMM into the socket until the retaining clips snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated Locked Retaining Clip Removing a DIMM To remove a DIMM 1 Simultaneously press the retaining clips outward to unlock the DIMM Chapter 1 Product introduction FN Support the DIMM lightly with your fingers when pressing the retaining clips The DIMM might get damaged when it flips out with extra force DIMM notch 2 Remove the DIMM from the socket 1 5 Expansion slots In the future you may need to install expansion cards The following sub sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support Unplug the power cord before adding or r
17. and loading default settings Menu items The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specific items for that menu For example selecting Main shows the Main menu items The other items My Favorites Ai Tweaker Advanced Monitor Boot Tool and Exit on the menu bar have their respective menu items Submenu items A greater than sign gt before each item on any menu screen means that the item has a submenu To display the submenu select the item and press lt Enter gt Language This button above the menu bar contains the languages that you can select for your BIOS Click this button to select the language that you want to display in your BIOS screen MyFavorite F3 This button above the menu bar shows all BIOS items in a Tree Map setup Select freguently used BIOS settings and save it to MyFavorite menu J Refer to section My Favorites for more information Q Fan Control F6 This button above the menu bar displays the current settings of your fans Use this button to manually tweak the fans to your desired settings EZ Tuning Wizard F11 This button above the menu bar allows you to view and tweak the overclocking settings of your system It also allows you to change the motherboard s SATA mode from AHCI to RAID mode Chapter 2 BIOS information Guick Note F9 This button above the menu bar allows you to key in notes of the activities that you have done in BIOS e The quick Note function does no
18. from the Advanced Mode EZ Mode button in the EZ Mode Advanced Mode screen ASUS A88X GAMER 2 7 2 8 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 Advanced Mode or press F7 The default screen for entering the BIOS setup program can be changed Refer to the FN Setup Mode item in section 2 8 Boot menu for details Displays the CPU motherboard temperature CPU voltage output CPU chassis power fan speed and SATA information FU UEF BOS Unity EZ Mode IN THI Kees EH EAN TI EHP eih Eala Led TEES U Displays the system properties of the selected mode Click or to switch EZ System Tuning modes Selects the display language of the BIOS setup program 1 362 V aeg ens IAC SERA mr Displays the CPU Fan s speed Click the button to manually tune the fans Loads optimized default settings Saves the changes and resets the system Click to go to Advanced mode Click to display boot devices Selects the boot device priority TF The boot device options vary depending on the devices you installed to the system Chapter 2 BIOS information Advanced Mode The Advanced Mode provides advanced options for experienced end users to configure the BIOS settings
19. the presence of USB devices at startup If detected the USB controller legacy mode is enabled If no USB device is detected the legacy USB support is disabled EHCI Hand off Disabled Enabled Enables the support for operating systems without an EHCI hand off feature Disabled Disables the function USB Single Port Control Allows you to enable disable individual USB ports USB3 1 2 3 4 Enabled Allows you to enable or disable an individual USB 3 0 port Refer to the section 1 2 3 Motherboard layout in this user manual for the locations of the USB ports Configuration options Enabled Disabled ASUS A88X GAMER 2 23 2 24 USB5 10 Enabled Allows you to enable or disable an individual USB port Refer to the section 1 2 3 Motherboard layout in this user manual for the locations of the USB ports Configuration options Enabled Disabled 2 6 4 NB Configuration IGFX Multi Monitor Disabled Enables or disables the Internal Graphics Device Multi Monitor support for add on VGA devices And the memory size of Internal Graphics Device will keep memory reserved Configuration options Disabled Enabled fF The IGFX Multi Monitor item must be enabled before using AMD Dual Graphics technology Primary Video Device PCIE PCI Video Selects the primary display device Configuration options IGFX Video PCIE PCI Video Integrated Graphics Auto Enables the integrated graphics controller Configurati
20. when you set Full Screen Logo to Disabled This item allows you to select a desired post report waiting time Configuration options 1 10 Until Press ESC 2 8 3 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 2 8 4 Wait for F1 If Error Enabled When this item is set to Enabled the system waits for the F1 key to be pressed when error occurs Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASUS A88X GAMER 2 33 2 34 2 8 5 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 2 8 6 Interrupt 19 Capture Disabled Enabled Allows the option ROMs to trap Interrupt 19 Disabled Disables this function 2 8 7 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 2 8 8 CSM Compatibility Support Module Allows you to configure the CSM Compatibility Support Module items to fully support the various VGA bootable devices and add on devices for better compatibility Launch CSM Enabled Auto The system automatically detects the bootable devices and the add on devices Enabled
21. DIEOOIeUON AS8X GAMER E9520 First Edition July 2014 Copyright 2014 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC All Rights Reserved No part of this manual including the products and software described in it may be reproduced transmitted transcribed stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language in any form or by any means except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC ASUS Product warranty or service will not be extended if 1 the product is repaired modified or altered unless such repair modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS or 2 the serial number of the product is defaced or missing ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS ITS DIRECTORS OFFICERS EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS LOSS OF BUSINESS LOSS OF USE OR DATA INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT
22. Ta jinn Schein y resin C UuDBBECIODL Fiori Wy Favontes Main ver zer Advanced Monitor Boot Tod wm Ed xadware Veneer Une pri PLP perd Oa Pipa made See 0 D E MEH a Chee rari Taaa tg ree ET ee PFU ati hid Hegoa Fai E zeg ka eg dw MIT NIS ang P erui RI tari e 507 nt de re ai dn e per i i e i lr OA i a gnn ASUS A88X GAMER 2 15 Scroll down to display the following items by E UEF wh My Favorites Main A Twenga LE Tod Let EHan Nonno deel a Eha begi cu Cyf mi cur Eg CRU petri eli pr Lynn rai Bode ET Les Du Eur LOI ES p s TE N n erie ht eed E pies di e eer ai mad DN dee EE aa E LE erum gt 0o 3g EREE BENE V TII Lais iugi Main Ay Fuer duet Advanced T Bi Llr ae HR Mly MT ZC Aug Loet irer uel Em ad Em urri ipai dl Pri Curri Dl y a DS aT J Voltags le ecast noy J Poma Deity Gone ors re an amd RP pee dim ee lod vg ie ma n eso i ild Lei Sci had L cher Fy Chapter 2 BIOS information Target CPU Speed xxxxMHz Displays the current CPU speed Target DRAM Speed xxxxMHz Displays the current DRAM speed 2 5 1 Ai Overclock Tuner Auto Allows you to select the CPU overclocking options to achieve the desired CPU internal freguency Select any of these preset overclocking configuration options Auto Loads the optimal settings for the system Manual Allows you to individually set overclocking parameters APU Freguency XXX T
23. The figure below shows an example of the Advanced Mode Refer to the following sections for the detailed configurations FN To switch from EZ Mode to Advanced Mode click Advanced Mode F7 or press F7 hotkey Configuration fields Guick Note F9 Pop up Menu Scroll bar Menu bar Language MyFavorite F3 Gfan Control F6 EZ Tuning Wizard F11 Hot Keys i s e 5 bk _ MM dg IN Advanced Mode 2114876 j 30 inpr Ti es Dum i creel Ch cp tasse pm EN hPa Racer Sa dd fa 04 57 get I ac Wied Ce RS HL PORT LI Cu Lu Haeriteds Main AL Ewer rj Na EA t Mini nr Hook Le Lea Elli aware NY HM MK Pian cow l aactzri KC eh WV wie Ge bw Kei es orale bag D SES Frac reos ir h l rte nbn pos H gry rur Mm ir FN 214 Aaron y r a a Ire General help Last modified settings Goes back to EZ Mode Menu items Displays the CPU temperature CPU and memory voltage output ASUS A88X GAMER 2 9 2 10 Menu bar The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items My Favorites For saving the freguently used system settings and configuration For changing the basic system configuration Ai Tweaker For changing the overclocking settings Advanced For changing the advanced system settings Monitor 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
24. 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 RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 10 and JBOD configuration through the onboard controller I geess Les set eg LI AS A88X GAMER O JE peg DFS O00 SATA6G_1 GND RSATA_TXP1 RSATA TXN1 RSATA RXN1 RSATA RXP1 2 o o SATA6G 2 RSATA TXP2 RSATA TXN2 GND RSATA RXN2 RSATA RXP2 o o SATA6G 3 RSATA TXP3 RSATA TXN3 GND RSATA RXN3 RSATA RXP3 E SATA6G_4 RSATA_TXP4 RSATA_TXN4 GND RSATA_RXN4 RSATA_RXP4 o o SATA6G 5 RSATA TXP5 RSATA TXN5 GND RSATA RXN5 RSATA RXP5 GND m SATA6G 7 RSATA TXP7 RSATA TXN7 RSATA_RXN7 RSATA_RXP7 o o o SATA6G 6 RSATA D RSATA ns RSATA E RSATA pss SATA6G 8 RSATA m RSATA pens RSATA bei RSATA pe A88X GAMER SATA 6 0Gb s connectors S right angle side NOTE Connect the right angle side of SATA signal cable to SATA device You may also connect the right angle side of SATA cable to the on
25. To recover the BIOS 1 _ Turn on the system 2 Insert the motherboard support DVD to the optical drive or the USB flash drive containing the BIOS file to the USB port 3 The utility automatically checks the devices for the BIOS file When found the utility reads the BIOS file and enters ASUS EZ Flash 2 automatically 4 The system requires you to enter BIOS Setup to recover the BIOS setting To ensure system compatibility and stability we recommend that you press F5 to load default BIOS values N DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS Doing so can cause system boot failure Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 1 4 ASUS BIOS Updater The ASUS BIOS Updater allows you to update BIOS in a 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 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 formatted using FAT32 16 on a 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 aN 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 3 Turn off
26. a ET Llanw gioia Cone i TT Toni een xg ig a di Hc bas F9 CF eri ma ke Care Main Al Tweaker Adwarwed Monibor EI nel Eni Ki arzes zg Moor gn DN Ti WM WYD c ROY RAD ELIT 2 8 1 Fast Boot Enabled Enabled Select to accelerate the boot speed Disabled Select to go back to normal boot LA The following four items appear when you set Fast Boot to Enabled een SATA Support All Devices All Devices All devices connected to SATA ports will be available during POST This process will extend the POST time Hard Drive Only Only hard drives connected to SATA ports will be detected during POST Any hardware change will disable fast boot Boot Drive Only Only boot drive connected to SATA ports will be detected during POST Any hardware change will disable fast boot USB Support Partial Initialization Disabled All USB devices will not be available until OS boot up for a fastest POST time Full Initialization All USB devices will be available during POST This process will extend the POST time Partial Initialization For a faster POST time only the USB ports with keyboard and mouse connections will be detected Chapter 2 BIOS information PS 2 Keyboard and Mouse Support Auto Select any of these settings when PS 2 keyboard and mouse are installed These settings only apply when Fast Boot is enabled Auto For a faster POST time PS 2 devices will only be available when the system boots up
27. ard Winning BIOS Design ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 continued on the next page Vii viii A88X GAMER specifications summary Back panel I O ports Internal I O connectors buttons switches BIOS features Operating System Support DVD Form factor 1 x PS 2 keyboard mouse combo port 1 x Optical S PDIF out port 1 x HDMI port 1 x DVI port 1 x RGB output port 1 X LAN RJ 45 port 4 x USB 2 0 1 1 ports 2 x USB 3 0 ports blue 6 x Audio jacks 1 x 19 pin USB 3 0 2 0 connector supports additional 2 USB 3 0 2 0 ports 3 x USB 2 0 1 1 connectors support additional 6 USB 2 0 1 1 ports 8 x SATA 6 0 Gb s connectors gray 1 x Front panel audio connector AAFP 1 x COM port connector 1 x TPM connector 1 x System panel connector 1 x 4 pin CPU fan connector 2 x 4 pin Chassis fan connectors 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x 24 pin EATX power connector 1 x 8 pin EATX 12V power connector 64 Mb Flash ROM UEFI AMI BIOS PnP DMI 2 0 WfM 2 0 SM BIOS 2 7 ACPI 2 0a Multi language BIOS ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS CrashFreen BIOS 3 F12 Printscreen function F3 My Favorites function and ASUS DRAM SPD Serial Presence Detect memory information Windows 8 1 8 1 64 bit Windows 8 8 64 bit Windows 7 7 64 bit Drivers ASUS utilities ASUS Update Anti virus software OEM version ATX form factor 12 in x 9 0 in 30 5 cm x 22 9cm
28. ation is defined by AMD VRM specifications and affects CPU voltage The CPU working voltage will decrease proportionally to CPU loading Higher load line calibration would get higher voltage and better overclocking performance but increase the CPU and VRM thermal This item allows you to adjust the voltage range from the following percentages to boost the system performance 0 Regular 60 Medium 80 High and 100 Extreme Configuration options Auto Regular Medium High Extreme Z The actual performance boost may vary depending on your CPU specifiation CPU NB Load Line Calibration Auto Allows you to select the CPU NB Load Line Calibration mode Configuration options Auto Regular High Extreme ASUS A88X GAMER 2 19 CPU Current Capability 100 This item provides wider total power range for overclocking A higher value brings a wider total power range and extends the overclocking frequency range simultaneously Configuration options 100 110 120 130 CPU NB Current Capability 100 This item provides wider total power range for overclocking A higher value brings a wider total power range and extends the overclocking frequency range simultaneously Configuration options 100 110 120 130 CPU Power Phase Control Standard Phase number is the number of working VRM phase Increasing phase number under heavy system loading to get more transient and better thermal performance Red
29. board SATA port to avoid mechanical conflict with huge graphics cards These connectors are set to AHCI mode by default If you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these connectors set the type of the SATA connectors in the BIOS to RAID See section 2 6 2 SATA Configuration for details e You must install Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later version before using Serial ATA hard disk drives The Serial ATA RAID feature is available only if you are using Windows XP SP3 or later version e When using hot plug and NCQ set the type of the SATA connectors in the BIOS to AHCI See section 2 6 2 SATA Configuration for details Chapter 1 Product introduction System panel connector 20 8 pin PANEL This connector supports several chassis mounted functions D O INDI I IDO L3 PWR LED SPEAKER LI JEE PLED PLED 5V Ground Ground Speaker L 1 i PAN E L PIN 1 E D a HDD LED LED PWP SW SW RESET A88X GAMER System panel connector Ground Reset Ground pes HDD LED System power LED 2 pin PWR_LED This 2 pin connector is for the system power LED Connect the chassis power LED cable to thi
30. cate 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 BEE i DI m o A88X GAMEI e SB PWR rr DO K OT OFF ii au Power Powered Off p Lum A88X GAMER Onboard LED Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 9 Software support 1 9 1 Installing an operating system This motherboard supports Windows 7 64 bit Windows 7 Windows 8 64 bit Windows 8 Windows 8 1 64 bit Windows 8 1 Operating Systems OS Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your hardware LA e Motherboard settings and hardware options vary Refer to your OS documentation for detailed information e Ensure that you install Windows 7 64 bit Windows 7 Windows 8 64 bit Windows 8 Windows 8 1 64 bit Windows 8 1 Service Pack before installing the drivers for better compatibility and system stability 1 9 2 Support DVD information The Support DVD that comes with the motherboard package contains the drivers so
31. check Only select this option when booting on Windows UEFI mode or other Microsoft Secure Boot compliant OS Other OS Get the optimized function when booting on Windows non UEFI mode Windows Vista XP or other Microsoft Secure Boot non compliant OS Only on Windows UEFI mode that Microsoft Secure Boot can function properly Z The following item appears when OS Type is set to Windows UEFI mode Key Management This item appears only when you set OS Type to Windows UEFI mode It allows you to manage the Secure Boot keys Install Default Secure Boot keys Allows you to immediately load the default Security Boot keys Platform key PK Key exchange Key KEK Signature database db and Revoked Signatures dbx When the default Secure boot keys are loaded the PK state will change from Unloaded mode to loaded mode Clear Secure Boot keys This item appears only when you load the default Secure Boot keys This item allows you to clear all default Secure Boot keys Save Secure Boot Keys Allows you to save the PK Platform Keys to a USB storage device PK Management The Platform Key PK locks and secures the firmware from any non permissible changes The system verifies the PK before your system enters the OS Delete PK Allows you to delete the PK from your system Once the PK is deleted all the system s Secure Boot keys will not be active Configuration options Yes No Load PK from File Allows you to load t
32. d software products Refer to the ASUS contact information 2 Optional documentation Your product package may include optional documentation such as warranty flyers that may have been added by your dealer These documents are not part of the standard package Conventions used in this guide To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual DANGER WARNING Information to prevent injury to yourself when completing a task CAUTION Information to prevent damage to the components when completing a task IMPORTANT Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task NOTE Tips and additional information to help you complete a task wi 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 key lt Key1 gt lt Key2 gt lt Key3 gt If you must press two or more keys simultaneously the key names are linked with a plus sign vi Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items Motherboard ASUS A88X GAMER motherboard Cables 2 x Serial ATA 6 0 Gb s cables Accessories 1 x Q Shield Application DVD Support DVD Documentation User Guide Z If any of the above items is damaged or missing contact your reta
33. d to turn on the system Ctrl Esc Sets the Ctrl Esc key on the PS 2 keyboard to turn on the system Power Key Sets Power key on the PS 2 keyboard to turn on the system This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead ASUS A88X GAMER 2 25 Power On By PME Disabled Disabled Disables the PME to wake up 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 Ring to generate a wake event Enabled Enables Ring to generate a wake event 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 Hour Minute Second will become user configurable with set values RTC Alarm Date Days This item appears only when you set the previous item to Enabled and allows you to select RTC alarm time days When you set the time to zero the RTC alarms everyday Use lt gt and keys to adjust the time Hour Minute Second Allows you to set the RTC alarm time Use lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the time 2 6 7 Network Stack Network Stack Disabled This item allows user to disable or enable the UEFI network stack Configuration options Disabled Enabled fF The following two items appear only when you
34. dai pezuouiny NYMIVI LL I3dlv L nOLI3d PH 31 11 094 ON AY Ssejppy ONI H31fd WOO MPLSNSV 101m0ejnuejy MTH HT 30 AWS MI poubisiapun ou a Ruunioyuo5 JO uoneuejoog 93 F 0P 49A PLO 91 mj Sq Appendices omgeu3rs Ju9pisoJd suey 9A9 S 9uIeN S UOSIOq oAnjuoso1dos uone1edo poursopun osneo Aew yey eouaropiojur SUIPNIOUT PIATI oou919j193uI Aue 3doooe jsnui IMAP STU 7 pue ooualoprojur njurru osneo jou ABUT IMAP SIU I SUODIDUOO OM SUTMOTIOF ou 0 P fqns st uoneod sejny DIA ou Jo ST med yum sorjJduroo oorAop stu uoneuri0ju A1e29uouig ddns s1ojerpes euonuojuru g wedgng CT ued DIA P suoneorrooeds Surwo 0 ou 0 SULIOJUOI H3alNv 9 X88V JOQUINN I PON p4eoqJ8u1o N euieN 19npoJd jonpoijd y yey so1ejoop Kqoroq SSSt 809 0IS LLL 6 L 0IS ON Xej ououq 6 Sp6 VI Mowag Aem o9 e10d107 008 SS9IPPY euoreuoju 1oj3nduro snsy oureN Aed o qrsuodsoq LLOT 7 uonoeg 7 Jed DIA Jed ALINYOANOD AO NOLLV IV IOHG A 4
35. ded LA The DBX file must be formatted as a UEFI variable structure with time based authenticated AE variable 2 36 Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 8 10 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 Z e To select the boot device during system startup press F8 when ASUS Logo appears e _ To access Windows OS in Safe Mode press F8 after POST 2 8 11 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 2 9 Tool 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 ri 8 MER IMS RARI LU pecora ME 04 579 age YTT Sle d Wr Ger My Favorita Main A Twoeawer Btvanced Mionibor Boot 2 9 1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Utility Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2 Press Enter to launch the ASUS EZ Flash 2 screen LA For more details see section 2 1 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 2 9 2 Setup Animator Enabled Enables or disables the Setup animator Configuration options Disabled Enabled ASUS A88X GAMER 2 37 2 38 2 93 ASUS Overclocking Profile This item allows you to store or load mu
36. e GPU Boost to accelerate the integrated GPU for extreme graphics performance Configuration options Auto Turbo Mode Extreme Mode Manual Mode GPU Engine Freguency Auto This item appears only when the GPU Boost is set to Manual Mode and allows you to set the GPU Engine Frequency Configuration options Auto GPU O C 434MHz GPU O C 1688MHz 2 5 7 OC Tuner OC Tuner automatically overclocks the freguency and voltage of CPU and DRAM for enhancing the system performance Press lt Enter gt and select OK to start automatic overclocking 2 5 8 DRAM Timing Control The sub items in this menu allow you to set the DRAM timing control features Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the value To restore the default setting type auto using the keyboard and press Enter Changing the values in this menu may cause the system to become unstable If this 2 happens revert to the default settings 2 5 9 APU Voltage Offset Mode Offset Mode To offset the voltage by a positive or negative value CPU Offset Mode Sign To offset the voltage by a positive value To offset the voltage by a negative value CPU Offset Voltage Auto Allows you to set the CPU Offset voltage The values range from 0 00625V to 0 36250V with a 0 00625V interval N Refer to the CPU documentation before setting the CPU voltage Setting a high voltage may damage the CPU permanently and setting a low voltage may make t
37. e entering OS Configuration options AHCI IDE Chapter 2 BIOS information SATA Port 5 6 7 8 RAID This item only appears when OnChip SATA Type is set to RAID If SATA ports 5 6 7 8 are configured as RAID the ports can only be used under Windows OS with the reguested drivers installed Set to IDE instead of RAID to access devices on SATA ports 5 6 before entering OS Configuration options RAID IDE OnChip SATA MAX Speed SATA 6 0Gb s Sets the maximum onboard SATA port speed Configuration options SATA 6 0Gb s SATA 3 0Gb s S M A R T Status Check Enabled S M A R T Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology is a monitor system When read write of your hard disk errors occur this feature allows the hard disk to report warning messages during the POST Configuration options Enabled Disabled SATA6G 1 8 Press lt Enter gt to rename the AMD SATA ports 2 6 3 USB Configuration The items in this menu allow you to change the USB related features The USB Devices item shows the auto detected values If no USB device is detected the item shows None USB Device Enable Enabled Allows you to enable or disable all USB ports Configuration options Disabled Enabled Legacy USB Support Enabled Enabled Enables the support for USB devices on legacy operating systems OS Disabled The USB devices can be used only for the BIOS setup program Auto Allows the system to detect
38. e 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 gpl asus com stating the product and describing the problem please DO NOT send large attachments such as source code archives etc to this email address Contents Safety information eeeeeeeee niens iii V ADOUL E TEE iv Package CONTENTS E vi A88X GAMER specifications summary eene vi Chapter1 Product introduction 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1 9 Before you proceed 1 rrrsrsrireeiine eene nennen 1 1 Motherboard overview ener 1 1 Accelerated Processing Unit APU 1 3 Systent memory eege eege 1 7 EXPANSION SIOLS eegene 1 9 Allee 1 11 Belle 1 12 Onboard LEDS
39. eatsink and fan assembly installation Apply the Thermal Interface Material to the APU heatsink and APU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary ASUS A88X GAMER 1 5 To uninstall the APU heatsink and fan assembly Chapter 1 Product introduction 1 4 System memory 1 4 1 Overview This motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 3 DDR3 Dual Inline Memory Modules DIMM sockets A DDR3 module has the same physical dimensions as a DDR2 DIMM but is notched differently to prevent installation on a DDR2 DIMM socket DDR3 modules are developed for better performance with less power consumption The figure illustrates the location of the DDR3 DIMM sockets CH ECH DIMM A1 SCH DIMM A2 Channel Sockets Channel A DIMM A1 and DIMM A2 EH DIMM B1 SCH DIMM B2 Channel B DIMM B1 and DIMM B2 BEE ee ri ei LL ITI o pum mom LULU e numm A88X GAMER 240 pin DDR3 DIMM sockets 1 4 2 Memory configurations You may install 1GB 2GB 4GB and 8GB unbuffered non ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets LN e You may install varying memory si
40. ed 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 I0 3F8h IRQ 4 This item appears only when you set the Serial Port to Enabled and allows you to select the Serial Port base address Configuration options IOZ3F8h IRO 4 lO 2F8h IRQ 3 IOZ3E8h IRQ 4 IO 2E8h IRQ 3 2 6 6 APM Deep S4 Disabled Allows you to enable or disable entering deep S4 sleep mode The system in deep S4 state can be woken up via power button Configuration options Enabled Disabled Deep S5 Disabled Allows you to enable or disable entering deep S5 sleep mode The system in deep S5 state can be woken up via power button Configuration options Enabled 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 The system goes into either off or on state whatever the system state was before the AC power loss WOL include AC Power Loss Disabled Disabled Disables Wake On LAN after a power failure G3 state Enabled Enables Wake On LAN after a power failure G3 state Power On By PS 2 Keyboard Disabled Disabled Disables the Power On by a PS 2 keyboard Space Bar Sets the Space Bar on the PS 2 keyboar
41. efore installing the motherboard and adding components 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 be exposed to moisture Place the product on a stable surface If you encounter technical problems with the product contact a qualified service technician or your retailer About this guide This user guide contains the information you need when installing and configuring the motherboard How this guide is organized This guide contains the following parts Chapter 1 Product introduction This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it supports It includes descriptions of the switches jumpers and connectors on the motherboard Chapter 2 BIOS information This chapter discusses changing system settings through the BIOS Setup menus Detailed descriptions fo the BIOS parameters are also provided 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 an
42. eld 4 _ 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 the Right Left arrow keys 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 e This function can support devices such as a USB flash disk with FAT 32 16 format and single partition only e DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exit menu See section 2 10 Exit Menu for details ASUS A88X GAMER 2 3 2 4 2 1 3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS file when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process You can restore a corrupted BIOS file using the motherboard support DVD or a USB flash drive that contains the BIOS file LN e Before using this utility rename the BIOS file in the removable device into A88XGMR CAP e The BIOS file in the motherboard support DVD may be older than the BIOS file published on the ASUS official website If you want to use the newer BIOS file download the file at http support asus com and save it to a USB flash drive Recovering the BIOS
43. emoving expansion cards Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components 1 5 1 Installing an expansion card To install an expansion card 1 Before installing the expansion card read the documentation that came with it and make the necessary hardware settings for the card 2 Remove the system unit cover if your motherboard is already installed in a chassis 3 _ Remove the bracket opposite the slot that you intend to use Keep the screw for later use 4 _ Align the card connector with the slot and press firmly until the card is completely seated on the slot 5 _ Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier 6 _ Replace the system cover 1 5 2 Configuring an expansion card After installing the expansion card configure it by adjusting the software settings 1 Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings if any See Chapter 2 for information on BIOS setup 2 Assign an IRO to the card 3 Install the software drivers for the expansion card EN When using PCI cards on shared slots ensure that the drivers support Share IRG or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments Otherwise conflicts will arise between the two PCI groups making the system unstable and the card inoperable ASUS A88X GAMER 1 9 1 5 3 PCI slot The PCI slot supports cards such as a LAN card SCSI card USB card and other cards that comply with PCI specifications 1 5 4 PCI
44. ernal connectors 1 CPU and chassis fan connectors 4 pin CPU FAN and 4 pin CHA_FAN1 2 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 CPU FAN CHA FAN2 CHA FAN IN CHA FAN PWR SET a GND 250 za Z coi DOD D o O o CHA_FAN1 CHA FAN PWR CHA FAN IN 45V GND Es E i I Im Joo NI A88X GAMER Fan connectors DO NOT forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors Insufficient air flow inside e the system may damage the motherboard components These are not jumpers DO NOT place jumper caps on the fan connectors e The CPU FAN connector supports a CPU fan of maximum 2A 24W fan power K e Only the 4 pin CPU FAN and CHA Fan1 2 support the ASUS Fan Xpert2 feature Chapter 1 Product introduction 2 ATX power connectors 24 pin EATXPWR 8 pin ATX12V These connectors are for an ATX power supply The plugs from the power supply are designed to fit these connectors in only one orientation Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the connectors completely fit
45. ews into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis N Do not overtighten the screws Doing so can damage the motherboard ASUS A88X GAMER 1 1 il Ben DO E cd Place this side Si towards the rear E of the chassis ASUS A88X GAMER 1 2 3 Motherboard layout 1 2 09 NO a 22 9cm 9 0in KBMS_USB34 CPU_FAN G VRM EATX12V TISTI SEIE 8 9 8 cua Fana A EVE ETE A c lsll lt s s 2 e ellel e iL ollellel e c st t st Kei H N N N N N WT JBA USB3_12 Y SSES g o o x a g 8 gt llzallz a s LAN_USB12 gt llallaellal z 1 allo llalla x o lo iia lla Ie ella elll s clic a CHA FAN1 Dun Dun AUDIO Kos Page ASUS 5 A88X GAMER 1211 PCIEX16_1 Super PCH o AMD EZ TT SATA6G 56 sATA6G_4 SATA6G 3 SATA6G 2 SATA6G 1 95 PCIEX16 2 SUPREMEFX d IALCI mum 64Mb x USO PCI2 Oe 3 POS SB PWR O 5 COM E USB910 USB78 USB56 SINT T EEE 13 11 d 1 2 Chapter 1 Product intr
46. ftware applications and utilities that you can install to avail all motherboard features Z 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 To run the Support DVD Place the Support DVD into the optical drive If Autorun is enabled in your computer the DVD automatically displays the Specials screen Click Drivers Utilities AHCI RAID Driver Manual Contact and Specials tabs to display their respective menus Z The following screen is for reference only Click an icon to display Support DVD motherboard information Click an item to install TF If Autorun is NOT enabled on your computer browse the contents of the Support DVD to locate the file ASSETUP EXE from the BIN folder Double click the ASSETUP EXE to run the DVD ASUS A88X GAMER 1 21 Chapter 1 Product introduction BIOS information 2 1 Updating BIOS The ASUS website publishes the latest BIOS versions to provide enhancements on system stability compatibility and performance However BIOS updating is potentially risky If there is no problem using the current version of BIOS DO NOT manually update the BIOS Inappropriate BIOS updating may result to system s failure to boot Carefully follow the instructions in this chapter to update your BIOS when necessary LN Visit http www asus com to download the latest BIOS file for this motherboard The following utilities all
47. he downloaded PK from a USB storage device Load KEK from File Allows you to load the downloaded KEK from a USB storage device ASUS A88X GAMER 2 35 Append KEK from file Allows you to load the additional KEK from a storage device for an additional db and dbx loaded management fF The KEK file must be formatted as a UEFI variable structure with time based authenticated variable DB Management The db Authorized Signature database lists the signers or images of UEFI applications operating system loaders and UEFI drivers that you can load on the single computer Delete the db Allows you to delete the db file from your system Configuration options Yes No Load db from File Allows you to load the downloaded db from a USB storage device Append db from file Allows you to load the additional db from a storage device so that more images can be loaded securely TF The DB file must be formatted as a UEFI variable structure with time based authenticated variable lt DBX Management The dbx Revoked Signature database lists the forbidden images of db items that are no longer trusted and cannot be loaded Delete the DBX Allows you to delete the DBX file from your system Configuration options Yes No Load DBX from File Allows you to load the downloaded DBX from a USB storage device Append DBxX from file Allows you to load the additional DBX from a storage device so that more db s images cannot be loa
48. he system unstable VDDNB Offset Mode Sign To offset the voltage by a positive value To offset the voltage by a negative value VDDNB Offset Voltage Auto Allows you to set the VDDNB Offset voltage The values range from 0 00625V to 0 37500V with a 0 00625V interval Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 5 10 DRAM Voltage Auto Allows you to set the DRAM voltage The values range from 1 35V to 1 90V with a 0 005V interval 2 5 11 SB 1 1V Voltage Auto Allows you to set the Southbridge 1 1V voltage The values range from 1 10V to 1 40V with a 0 01V interval 2 5 12 1 1VSB Voltage Auto Allows you to set the 1 1 VSB voltage The values range from 1 1V to 1 4V with a 0 1V interval 2 5 13 APU1 2V Voltage Auto Allows you to set the APU Accelerated Processor Unit voltage With AMD FM2 APU the values range from 1 20V to 1 80V With AMD FM2 APU the values range from 1 05V to 1 25V 2 5 14 VDDA Voltage Auto Allows you to set the VDDA voltage The values range from 2 5V to 2 8V with a 0 1V interval LA e The values of the CPU Offset Voltage VDDNB Offset Voltage DRAM Voltage SB 1 1V Voltage 1 1VSB Voltage APU1 2V Voltage and VDDA Voltage items are labeled in different color indicating the risk levels of high voltage settings e The system may need better cooling system to work stably under high voltage settings 2 5 15 DIGI VRM CPU Load Line Calibration Auto Load line Calibr
49. his device complies with Industry Canada license exempt RSS standard s Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause interference and 2 this device must accept any interference including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device Cut appareil num rique de la Classe B est conforme la norme NMB 003 du Canada Cet appareil num rique de la Classe B respecte toutes les exigences du R glement sur le mat riel brouilleur du Canada Cet appareil est conforme aux normes CNR exemptes de licence d Industrie Canada Le fonctionnement est soumis aux deux conditions suivantes 1 cet appareil ne doit pas provoquer d interf rences et 2 cet appareil doit accepter toute interf rence y compris celles susceptibles de provoquer un fonctionnement non souhait de l appareil ASUS A88X GAMER A 1 A 2 Canadian Department of Communications Statement This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES 003 VCCI Japan Compliance Statement VCCI Class B Statement PRA RT WCH HA Ee CHEI Z En i x ist WN mai VICO D SS This is a Class B product based on the standard of the VCCI Council If this is used near a radio or television receiver in a domestic environment
50. his item appears only when you set the Ai Overclock Tuner item to Manual 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 90 0MHz to 300 0MHz 2 5 2 Memory Freguency Auto Allows you to set the memory operating freguency Configuration options Auto DDR3 800MHz DDR3 1066MHz DDR3 1333MHz DDR3 1600MHz DDR3 1866MHz DDR3 2133MHz DDR3 2400MHz i Selecting a very high memory frequency may cause the system to become unstable If this S happens revert to the default setting 2 5 3 CPU Ratio Auto Allows you to set the ratio between the CPU Core Clock and the FSB Freguency Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the ratio The valid value ranges vary according to your CPU model 2 5 4 NB Freguency Auto Allows you to adjust the NB frequency Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the value You can also key in the desired value using the numeric keypad 2 5 5 EPU Power Saving Mode Disabled Allows you to enable or disable the EPU power saving function Configuration options Disabled Enabled EPU Setting Auto This item appears only when the EPU Power Saving Mode is set to Enabled and allows you to set power saving mode Configuration options Auto Light Power Saving Mode Medium Power Saving Mode Max Power Saving Mode ASUS A88X GAMER 2 17 2 5 6 GPU Boost Auto Allows you to enable th
51. ield values can cause the system to malfunction tL UEF BEDD Ltility Advanced Mode dch 00 409 Tm Br Up Matz Al PWE IAE 2 6 1 CPU Configuration The items in this menu show the CPU related information that the BIOS automatically detects aN The items shown in submenu may be different due to the CPU you installed AMD PowerNow function Enabled Enables or disables the AMD PowerNow function Configuration options Enabled Disabled NX Mode Enabled Enables or disables the No execute page protection function Configuration options Enabled Disabled SVM Enabled Enables or disables CPU virtualization Configuration options Disabled Enabled CPB Mode Auto Disables the CPB Core Performance Boost mode or set it to Auto for automatic configuration Configuration options Disabled Auto APM Master enable Enabled Allows you to enable or disable Application Power Management APM function Configuration options Enabled Disabled ASUS A88X GAMER 2 21 C6 Mode Enabled Enables or disables C6 mode Configuration options Enabled Disabled IOMMU Disabled Set this item to Enabled to show IOMMU Mode Configuration options Enabled Disabled Bank Interleaving Enabled Enables or disables the bank memory interleaving Configuration options Enabled Disabled Channel Interleaving Enabled Enables or disables the channel memory interleaving Configuration options Enabled Di
52. iler A88X GAMER specifications summary Chipset Graphics AMD FM2 socket for AMD A Series Athlon series processors Supports CPU up to 4 cores AMD Turbo Core Technology 3 0 support The AMD Turbo Core Technology 3 0 support depends on the APU types Refer to www asus com for the AMD APU support list AMD A88X FCH 4 x DIMMs max 64GB DDR3 2400 O C 2250 O C 2200 O C 2133 1866 1600 1333 MHz non ECC unbuffered memory Dual channel memory architecture Support AMD Memory Profile AMP memory Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of indivudal PUs The maximum 64GB memory capacity can be supported with 16GB or above DIMMs ASUS will update the memory QVL once the DIMMs are available in the market Refer to www asus com for the latest Memory QVL Qualified Vendors List Integrated AMD Radeon R HD8000 HD7000 Series Graphics in A Series APU Multi VGA output support HDMI DVI RGB ports Supports HDMI with max resolution 4096 x 2160 24Hz 1920x1200 60Hz Supports DVI with max resolution of 2560x1600 9 60Hz Supports RGB with max resolution of 1920x1600 9 60Hz Maximum shared memory of 2048MB Supports AMD Dual Graphics technology Only FM2 CPU can support up to 4096 x 2160 resolution via the HDMI port Refer to http www amd com us products technologies dual graphics Pages dual graphics aspx 3 for the discrete GPUs that support Dual Graphic
53. it may cause radio interference Install and use the eguipment according to the instruction manual KC Korea Warning Statement Ba 7 7 PRA Vr 447334 e zz FAAR haells TmE AAAA Asaz XE S425 sm DE dead 44 gt adot dq File dn 44 223 99923 299 r 4 di da REACH Complying with the REACH Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulatory framework we published the chemical substances in our products at ASUS REACH website at http csr asus com english REACH htm DO NOT throw the motherboard in municipal waste This product has been designed to enable proper reuse of parts and recycling This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product electrical and electronic eguipment should not be placed in O 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 ASUS Recycling Takeback Services ASUS recycling and takeback programs come from our commitment to the highest standards for protecting our environment We believe in providing solutions for you to be able to responsibly recycle our products batteries other components as well as the packaging materials Please go to http csr asus com english Takeback htm for detailed recycling information in different regions Appe
54. ltiple BIOS settings TF The Overclocking Profile items show Not assigned if no profile is created 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 lt Enter gt and then select Yes Z e DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent the system boot failure e We recommend that you update the BIOS file only coming from the same memory CPU configuration and BIOS version Profile Name Key in the profile name to save current BIOS settings to profile 1 to 8 Save to Profile Saves the current BIOS settings to profile number 1 to 8 Load Save Profile from to USB Drive This item allows you to load or save profile from your USB drive load and save profile to your USB drive 2 9 4 ASUS SPD Information DIMM Slot DIMM_A1 Displays the Serial Presence Detect SPD information of the DIMM module installed on the selected slot Configuration options DIMM_A1 DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 DIMM_B2 Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 10 Exit menu The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal default values for the BIOS items and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items You can access the EZ Mode from the Exit menu JELES UE ORNS Unity Advanced Mode dee 04 5R9 Gra Geyer Dente censeas Vu Wty Favorites Main AL Tweawer Blvanced Monito Boot an Klee arg MI SH Load Optimized Defau
55. lts This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup menus When you select this option or if you press lt F5 gt a confirmation window appears Select 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 lt Esc gt a confirmation window appears Select Yes to discard changes and exit Launch EFI Shell from USB drives This option allows you to attempt to launch the EFI Shell application shellx64 efi from one of the available USB devices ASUS A88X GAMER 2 40 Chapter 2 BIOS information Appendices Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions e This device may not cause harmful interference e This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide
56. mperatures Select Ignore if you do not wish to display the detected temperatures 2 7 3 CPU Chassis Fan 1 2 Speed xxxx RPM or Ignore N A The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU chassis fan 1 2 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 2 7 4 CPU Voltage 3 3V Voltage 5V Voltage 12V Voltage The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard voltage regulators Select Ignore if you do not want to detect this item 2 7 5 CPU Q Fan Control Auto Auto Detects the type of CPU fan installed and automatically switches the mode control Disabled Disables the Q Fan control DC Mode Enables the CPU Q Fan control feature in DC mode for 3 pin CPU fan PWM Mode Enables the CPU Q Fan control feature in PWM mode for 4 pin CPU fan fF The following items appear only when you set the CPU Q Fan Control to Auto CPU Fan Speed Lower Limit 200 RPM This item allows you to set the low limit warning for CPU Fan speed Configuration options Ignore 100 RPM 200 RPM 300 RPM 400 RPM 500 RPM 600 RPM CPU Fan Profile Standard This item allows you to set the appropriate performance level of the CPU fan Standard Set to make the CPU fan adjust automatically depending on the CPU temperature Silent Set to mi
57. n fields and use the lt Up Down Home End gt keys to select the BIOS file and press Enter BIOS Updater checks the selected BIOS file and prompts you to confirm BIOS update Are you sure to update BIOS re A Select Yes and press Enter When BIOS update is done press lt ESC gt to exit BIOS Updater Restart your computer DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure prompt after updating BIOS EN e For BIOS Updater version 1 30 or later the utility automatically exits to the DOS e Ensure to load the BIOS default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability Select the Load Optimized Defaults item under the Exit menu Refer to section 2 10 Exit menu for details e Ensure to connect all SATA hard disk drives after updating the BIOS file if you have disconnected them Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 2 BIOS setup program Use the BIOS Setup program to update the BIOS or configure its parameters The BIOS screens include navigation keys and brief online help to guide you in using the BIOS Setup program Entering BIOS Setup at startup To enter BIOS Setup at startup e Press Delete during the Power On Self Test POST If you do not press Delete POST continues with its routines Entering BIOS Setup after POST To enter BIOS Setup after POST e Press lt Ctrl gt lt Alt gt lt Del gt simultaneously
58. ndices 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 3842991 1 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 41 812 282 3777 41 510 608 4555 usa asus com 41 812 282 2797 41 912 284 0883 support asus com ASUS COMPUTER GmbH Germany and Austria Address Fax Web site Online contact Technical Support Telephone Support Fax Online support Harkort Str 21 23 D 40880 Ratingen Germany 49 2102 95991 1 www asus de www asus de sales 49 1805 010923 49 2102 9599 11 support asus com EUR 0 14 minute from a German fixed landline EUR 0 42 minute from a mobile phone Manufacturer Address Authorised representative in Europe Address ASUS A88X GAMER ASUSTeK Computer Inc AF No 150 LI TE RD PEITOU TAIPEI 112 TAIWAN R O C ASUS Computer GmbH HARKORT STR 21 23 40880 RATINGEN GERMANY A 3 uous Auer eanyeuBis OWEN O39 uonsog LEEOP L 49A Bumeu Aiu0Juo9 93 7107 bunaew 32 Duixige uifeq o 469A Y L02 20 9L 91eq uoneje 2oq Bumeu 3935 9A199410g SHOH 13 59 LL02 CX 102 219 ON
59. nimize the fan speed for quiet CPU fan operation Turbo Set to achieve maximum CPU fan speed Manual Set to assign the detailed fan speed control parameters LA The following items appear only when you set the CPU Fan Profile to Manual When CPU FAN is in PWM Mode CPU Upper Temperature 70 C Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the upper limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 20 C to 75 C Chapter 2 BIOS information CPU Fan Max Duty Cycle 9c 100 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the maximum CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 2096 to 1009e When the CPU temperature reaches the upper limit the CPU fan will operate at the maximum duty cycle CPU Middle Temperature 25 C Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the CPU middle temperature The values range from 209C to 759C CPU Fan Middle Duty Cycle 9c 20 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the middle 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 Lower Temperature 20 C Displays the lower limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 20 C to 75 C CPU Fan Min Duty Cycle 20 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the minimum CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 20 to 100 When the CPU temperature is under 40 C the CPU fan will operate at the minimum duty c
60. oduction 1 2 4 Layout contents Connectors Jumpers Slots LED ATX power connectors 24 pin EATXPWR 8 pin ATX12V CPU and chassis fan connectors 4 pin CPU_FAN and 4 pin CHA_FAN1 2 AMD FM2 socket DDR3 DIMM slots USB 3 0 connector 20 1 pin USB3_34 SATA 6 0 Gb s connectors 7 pin SATA6G 1 8 Standby power LED SB PWH System panel connector 20 8 pin PANEL Clear RTC RAM 3 pin CLRTC USB 2 0 connectors 10 1 pin USB56 USB78 USB910 TPM header 20 1 pin TPM Serial port connector 10 1 pin COM Front panel audio connector 10 1 pin AAFP 1 2 3 d 5 6 7 8 9 1 3 Accelerated Processing Unit APU This motherboard comes with a FM2 socket designed for AMD A Series and Athlon Series processors AN Ensure that you use an APU designed for the FM2 socket The APU fits in only one correct orientation DO NOT force the APU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the APU o DI DI on DI A88X GAMER CPU socket FM2 ASUS A88X GAMER 1 3 APU installation 1 3 1 ion Product introduct Chapter 1 1 4 1 3 2 APU h
61. ol feature to Enabled Chassis Fan 1 2 G Fan Source CPU The assignment fan will be controlled according to the selected temperature source Configuration options CPU MB Chassis Fan 1 2 Fan Speed Low Limit 600 RPM This item appears only when you enable the Chassis G Fan Control feature and allows you to disable or set the chassis fan warning speed Configuration options Ignore 200 RPM 300 RPM 400 RPM 500 RPM 600 RPM Chassis Fan 1 2 Profile Standard This item 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 FN The following four items appear only when you set Chassis Fan 1 2 Profile to Manual Chassis Fan 1 2 Upper Temperature 70 C Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the upper limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 409C to 759C Chassis Fan 1 2 Max Duty Cycle 9c 100 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the maximum CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 6096 to 1009e When the CPU temperature reaches the upper limit the CPU fan will operate at the maximum duty cycle Chassis Fan 1 2 Middle Tem
62. on options Auto Force UMA Frame Buffer Size Auto This item appears only when you set the previous item to Force Configuration options Auto 32M 64M 128M 256M 512M 1G 2G 2 6 5 _ Onboard Devices Configuration HD Audio Device Enabled Enabled Enables the High Definition Audio Controller Disabled Disables the controller Z The following two items appear only when you set the HD Audio Device item to Enabled Front Panel Type HD Allows you to set the front panel audio connector AAFP mode to legacy AC 97 or high definition audio depending on the audio standard that the front panel audio module supports HD 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 Depop Enabled Enabled Enables the audio output Disabled Disables the audio output SupremeFX Lighting LED Enabled This item allows both Red line LED and SupremeFX logo LED turn on or off at the same time by your setting Configuration options Enabled Disabled Chapter 2 BIOS information Intel LAN Controller Enabled Enabled Enables the Intel LAN controller Disabled Disables the controller Intel PXE OPROM Disabled This item appears only when you set the Intel LAN Controller item to Enabled and allows you to enable or disable the Rom of the Realtek LAN controller Configuration options Enabled Disabl
63. or rebooted when the PS 2 devices have not been reconnected or changed If you disconnect or change PS 2 devices before restarting the system PS 2 devices will not be available and BIOS setup program will not be accessible via PS 2 devices Full Initialization For full system control PS 2 devices will be available during POST at any circumstances This process will extend POST time Disabled For the fastest POST time all PS 2 devices will not be available until your computer enters the operating system Network Stack Driver Support Disabled Disabled Select to skip the network stack driver from loading during POST Enabled Select to load the network stack driver during POST Next Boot after AC Power Loss Normal Boot Normal Boot Returns to normal boot on the next boot after AC power loss Fast Boot Accelerates the boot speed on the next boot after AC power loss 2 8 2 Boot Logo Display Auto Auto Adjust automatically for Windows requrement Full Screen Maximize the boot logo size Disabled Hide the logo during POST POST Delay Time 3 sec This item appears only when you set Full Screen Logo to Enabled This item allows you to select the desired additional POST waiting time to easily enter the BIOS setup You can only execute the POST delay time during Normal Boot The values range from 0 to 10 seconds Z This feature will only work under normal boot Post Report 5 sec This item appears only
64. ow you to manage and update the motherboard BIOS setup program 1 EZ Update Updates the BIOS in Windows environment 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Updates the BIOS using a USB flash drive 3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 Restores the BIOS using the motherboard support DVD or a USB flash drive when the BIOS file fails or gets corrupted 4 ASUS BIOS Updater Updates the BIOS in DOS environment using the motherboard support DVD and a USB flash disk drive ASUS A88X GAMER 2 1 2 1 1 EZ Update The EZ Update is a utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in Windows environment FN e EZ Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an ISP Internet Service Provider e This utility is available in the support DVD that comes with the motherboard package e Refer to section EZ Update for more information 2 1 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS EZ Flash 2 allows you to update the BIOS without having to use a bootable floppy disk or an OS based utility at www asus com fF Before you start using this utility download the latest BIOS from the ASUS website 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 2 Utility and press Enter to enable it Chapter 2 BIOS information 3 _ Press the Right Left arrow keys to switch to the Drive fi
65. perature 45 C Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the Chassis Fan middle temperature The values range from 409C to 759C Chassis Fan 1 2 Middle Duty Cycle 9c 60 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the middle CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 6096 to 10096 When the CPU temperature reaches the upper limit the CPU fan will operate at the maximum duty cycle Chassis Fan 1 2 Lower Temperature 40 C Displays the lower limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 40 C to 75 C Chapter 2 BIOS information Chassis Fan 1 2 Min Duty Cycle 9c 60 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the minimum CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 6096 to 1009e When the CPU temperature is under 409C the CPU fan will operate at the minimum duty cycle Allow Fan Stop Disabled When this item is set to Enabled the selected fan is controlled based on the temperature source 2 7 7 Anti Surge Support Disabled This item allows you to enable or disable the Anti Surge function Configuration options Disabled Enabled 2 8 Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options rd UEF HIDE Utdty Advenced N 00 41 r gis DL IDBEC Ch Conai Orrori Pri oi CF TL t AEn Maen weaker Arwnmced AMEnniror Inn al E Gardar Moor ASUS A88X GAMER 2 31 2 32 Scroll down to display the following items F 8 UES REDE Utity Advanced Mode i 00 41 o
66. s technology continued on the next page A88X GAMER specifications summary Expansion slots Multi GPU Support Storage ASUS Gaming features 1 x PCI Express 3 0 2 0 x16 slot gray 9x16 mode 1 x PCI Express 2 0 x16 slot black max x4 mode 2 x PCI Express 2 0 x1 slots 3 x PCI slots Only FM2 processors can support PCle 3 0 Supports AMD Guad GPU CrossFirex Technology AMD A88X FCH Bolton D4 chipset 8x Serial ATA 6 Gb s connectors with RAID 0 1 5 10 and JBOD support Intel Gigabit LAN SupremeFX 8 Channel High Definition Audio CODEC Supports Jack Detection Multi Streaming and Front Panel Jack Retasking High quality 115dB SNR stereo playback output Audio Features SupremeFX Shielding Technology ELNA premium audio capacitors Headphone AMP Optical S PDIF out port at the back panel AMD A88X FCH Bolton D4 chipset 4x USB 3 0 2 0 ports 2 ports at the back panel blue 2 ports at mid board 10 x USB 2 0 1 1 ports 4 ports at the back panel 6 ports at mid board Gamer s Guardian ESD Guards on RGB LAN Audio KBMS and USB 3 0 2 0 ports DRAM Overcurrent Protection 10K Black Metallic Capacitors Stainless steel back I O DIGI VRM Performance Optimization ASUS Al Suite 3 ASUS USB 3 0 Boost ASUS Fan Xpert2 ASUS GPU Boost ASUS Disk Unlocker ASUS Turbo V EVO ASUS EPU ASUS Ai Charger ASUS Q Design ASUS Q DIMM ASUS Q Slot ASUS Q Shield Aw
67. s 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 HDD_LED This 2 pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED Connect the HDD Activity LED cable to this connector The HDD 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 Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds while the system is ON turns the system OFF Reset button 2 pin RESET This 2 pin connector is for the chassis mounted reset button for system reboot without turning off the system power ASUS A88X GAMER Front panel audio connector 10 1 pin AAFP This connector is for a chassis mounted front panel audio I O module that supports either High Definition Audio or AC 97 audio standard Connect one end of the front panel audio I O module cable to this connector DI EB B I 5 a im LUI H SENSE1_RETUR SENSE2_RETUR AGND NC NC C AGND NC AAFP A88X GAMER r EER a PIN 1
68. sabled Core Leveling Mode Automatic mode Allows you to change the number of working Compute Unit on the system Configuration options Automatic mode One core per processor One Compute Unit One core per Compute Unit 2 62 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 OnChip SATA Channel Enabled Enables or disables onboard channel SATA port Configuration options Disabled Enabled OnChip SATA Type AHCI Allows you to set the SATA configuration IDE Set to IDE when you want to use the Serial ATA hard disk drives as Parallel ATA physical storage devices RAID Set to RAID when you want to create a RAID configuration from the SATA hard disk drives 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 SATA Port 5 6 7 8 AHCI This item only appears when OnChip SATA Type is set to AHCI If SATA ports 5 6 7 8 are configured as AHCI the ports can only be used under Windows OS with the requested drivers installed Set to IDE instead of AHCI to access devices on SATA ports 5 6 befor
69. set the previous item to Enabled Ipv4 PXE Support Enabled This item allows user to disable or enable the lpv4 PXE Boot support Configuration options Disabled Enable Ipv6 PXE Support Enabled This item allows user to disable or enable the Ipv6 PXE Boot support Configuration options Disabled Enabled Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 7 Monitor menu The Monitor menu displays the system temperature power status and allows you to change the fan settings by P UEF RES dicheamited Moda 1 mi 00 40 igw sfiori A n ria Cante I IL ru IE Fr aic a Flos 2E d LI My Favorites Main Ab Tweaker Advanced Mosto Fool Exit Kit aerduare Man Mae Ten LF PZ pep SI ELI CPL Fan pel Chah Fan i Seed Chana ir FU Wrage RA M LN Wey Lie a NF MTH uw VOTRE fv P UEF DS Utility ER Y m Mace El e Kaal P 40 E Lir EN EFI o rri FIR ri herp anag fe faite Meum hh nn 00 41 TL IT d E My Favorites kiain AlTweaker Advinted Morar Bot r o Exil Eihera Mencor CFR Far Tapas Luxus Li rad EXE ui Le GP has FT La EM In Labini hirsi taig GE Gorra Let Fant Fon y AME Sorge Supe D SE All ae Ap t 2 7 1 Qfan Tuning Click this item to automatically detect the lowest speed and configure the minimum duty cycle for each fan ASUS A88X GAMER 2 27 2 28 2 1 2 CPU Temperature MB Temperature xxx C xxxoF The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU and motherboard te
70. t support the following keyboard functions delete cut copy and paste e _ You can only use the alphanumeric characters to enter your notes Hot keys This button above the menu bar contains the navigation keys for the BIOS setup program Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu and change the settings Scroll bar A scroll bar appears on the right side of a menu screen when there are items that do not fit on the screen Press the Up Down arrow keys or Page Up Page Down keys to display the other items on the screen General help At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the selected item Use lt F12 gt key to capture the BIOS screen and save it to the removable storage device Configuration fields These fields show the values for the menu items If an item is user configurable you can change the value of the field opposite the item You cannot select an item that is not user configurable A configurable field is highlighted when selected To change the value of a field select it and press lt Enter gt to display a list of options Last Modified button This button shows the items that you last modified and saved in BIOS Setup ASUS A88X GAMER 2 11 2 12 2 3 My Favorites My Favorites is your personal space where you can easily save and access your favorite BIOS items tis UEF COS Utility Advanced Moda Pm un Li 00 399 lE Lr aie dd So Jw Cart i Vira ERT Ei
71. the 7 1 channel configuration Audio 2 1 4 1 5 1 or 7 1 channel configuration Headset 4 1 channel 5 1 channel 7 1 channel 2 1 channel Light Blue Line In Line in Line in Line in Lime Line Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Orange Center Subwoofer Center Subwoofer Black Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Gray Side Speaker Out Pink Mich Mic In Mic in Mic in 11 USB 2 0 ports These 4 pin Universal Serial Bus USB ports are for USB 2 0 1 1 devices 12 USB 3 0 ports 1 and 2 These two 9 pin Universal Serial Bus USB ports are for USB 3 0 2 0 devices TF e DO NOT connect a keyboard mouse to any USB 3 0 port when installing Windows operating system e 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 e USB 3 0 devices can only be used as data storage only e We strongly recommend that you connect USB 3 0 devices to USB 3 0 ports for faster and better performance for your USB 3 0 devices 13 DVI D port This port is for any DVI D compatible device DVI D can t be converted to output RGB Signal to CRT and isn t compatible with DVI I 14 HDMI port This port is for a High Definition Multimedia Interface HDMI connector and is HDCP compliant allowing playback of HD DVD Blu ray and other protected content ASUS A88X GAMER 1 13 1 7 2 Int
72. the computer and disconnect all SATA hard disk drives optional Booting the system to a 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 lt F8 gt 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 Please select boot device SATA XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX USB XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX UEFI XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Enter Setup and to move selection ENTER to select boot device ESC to boot using defaults 3 When the Make Disk menu appears select the FreeDOS 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 Md D gt ASUS A88X GAMER 2 5 Updating the BIOS file To update the BIOS file using BIOS Updater 1 2 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 30 A88X GAMER BOARD BUHKHOWH 0205 VER Unknown 06 20 2014 DATE Unknown PATH AEN A88XGMR CAP 8194 2014 06 20 15 25 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 scree
73. the screen shows Not Installed User Password If you have set a user password you must enter the user password for accessing the system The User Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed After you set a password this item shows Installed To set a user password 1 _ Select the User Password item and press Enter 2 _ From the Create New Password box key in a password then press Enter 3 Confirm the password when prompted 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 Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 5 Ai Tweaker menu The Ai Tweaker menu items allow you to configure overclocking related items A Be cautious when changing the settings of the Ai Tweaker menu items Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction YA The configuration options for this section vary depending on the CPU and DIMM model you installed on the motherboard ML WEF S205 Unity Advanced Mode i E 00 559 STE
74. ucing phase number under light system loading to increase VRM efficiency Standard Proceeds phase control depending on the CPU loading Optimized Loads the ASUS optimized phase tuning profile Extreme Proceeds the full phase mode Manual Adjustment Allows manual adjustment A DO NOT remove the thermal module when switching to Extreme and Manual Adjustment The thermal conditions should be monitored Manual Adjustment Fast This item appears only when you set the previous item to Manual Adjustment Select Ultra Fast for a faster response The reaction time will be longer when Regular is selected Configuration options Ultra Fast Fast Medium Regular CPU Voltage Frequency 300 Switching frequency will affect the VRM transient response and component thermal Setting a higher frequency gets faster transient response Use the lt gt and lt gt keys to adjust the value The values range from 200k Hz to 350k Hz with a 50k Hz interval CPU Power Duty Control T Probe T Probe Maintains the VRM thermal balance Extreme Maintains the VRM current balance A N Do not remove the thermal module while changing the DIGI VRM related parameters The thermal conditions should be monitored Chapter 2 BIOS information 2 6 Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices MN Be cautious when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items Incorrect f
75. vice via an optical S PDIF cable 3 Video Graphics Adapter VGA port This 15 pin port is for a VGA monitor or other VGA compatible devices 4 _ LAN RJ 45 port This port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network LAN through a network hub LAN port LED indications Activity Link LED Speed LED ACT LINK SPEED LED LED uel Off No link OFF 10Mbps connection Orange Linked ORANGE 100Mbps connection Orange Data activity GREEN 1Gbps connection Blinking Orange Ready to wake LAN port Blinking up from S5 then stead mode 5 Center Subwoofer port orange This port connects the center subwoofer speakers 6 Rear Speaker Out port black This port connects the rear speakers in a 4 1 channel 5 1 channel or 7 1 channel audio configuration 7 Line in port light blue This port connects to the tape CD DVD player or other audio sources 8 Line Out port lime This port connects to a headphone or a speaker In the 4 1 5 1 and 7 1 channel configurations the function of this port becomes Front Speaker Out Chapter 1 Product introduction 9 _ Microphone port pink This port connects to a microphone 10 Side Speaker Out port gray This port connects to the side speakers in a 7 1 channel audio configuration Z e Refer to the audio configuration table for the function of the audio ports in 2 1 4 1 5 1 or 7 1 channel configuration e _ For 8 channel speaker you may refer to
76. ycle When CPU FAN is in DC Mode CPU Upper Temperature 70 C Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the upper limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 40 C to 75 C CPU Fan Max Duty Cycle 100 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the maximum CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 60 to 100 When the CPU temperature reaches the upper limit the CPU fan will operate at the maximum duty cycle CPU Middle Temperature 45 C Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the CPU middle temperature The values range from 40 C to 75 C CPU Fan Middle Duty Cycle 60 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the middle CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 60 to 100 When the CPU temperature reaches the upper limit the CPU fan will operate at the maximum duty cycle CPU Lower Temperature 40 C Displays the lower limit of the CPU temperature The values range from 40 C to 75 C CPU Fan Min Duty Cycle 60 Use the lt gt or lt gt keys to adjust the minimum CPU fan duty cycle The values range from 60 to 100 When the CPU temperature is under 40 C the CPU fan will operate at the minimum duty cycle ASUS A88X GAMER 2 29 2 30 2 7 6 CHA FAN1 2 Q Fan Control Enabled Disabled Disables the CHA FAN1 2 Q Fan control feature Enabled Enables the CHA FAN1 2 Q Fan control feature FN The following items appears only when you set the Chassis Fan 1 2 G Fan Contr
77. zes in Channel A and Channel B The system maps the total size of the lower sized channel for the dual channel configuration Any excess memory from the higher sized channel is then mapped for single channel operation Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency For optimal compatibility we recommend that you install memory modules of the same version or date code D C from the same vendor Check with the retailer to get the correct memory modules e 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 if you want to install 4GB or more on the motherboard e This motherboard does not support DIMMs made up of 512Mb 64MB chips or less ASUS A88X GAMER 1 7 1 8 1 4 3 A 1 4 4 e The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect SPD which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module Under the default state some memory modules for overclocking may operate at a lower frequency than the vendor marked value To operate at the vendor marked or at a higher frequency refer to section 2 5 Ai Tweaker menu for manual memory frequency adjustment e Forsystem stability use

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