American Megatrends MI956 User manual

MI956
Intel®Sandy Bridge / PCH
Mini-ITX Motherboard
USER’S MANUAL
Version 1.0

ii MI956 User’s Manual
Acknowledgments
AMI is a registered trademark of American Megatrends Inc.
PS/2 is a trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation.
Intel and Intel® Sandy Bridge DC Mobile Processor are
registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft
Corporation.
Fintek is a registered trademark of Fintek Electronics
Corporation.
All other product names or trademarks are properties of their
respective owners.

MI956 User’s Manual iii
Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................... 1
Product Description............................................................1
Checklist.............................................................................2
MI956 Specifications .........................................................3
Board Dimensions..............................................................4
Installations...................................................... 5
Installing the CPU ..............................................................6
Installing the Memory.........................................................7
Setting the Jumpers.............................................................8
Connectors on MI956.......................................................12
BIOS Setup.......................................................21
Drivers Installation......................................49
Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility.........................50
VGA Drivers Installation..................................................53
Realtek HD Audio Driver Installation ..............................56
LAN Drivers Installation ..................................................58
Intel® Management Engine Interface ...............................62
ASMedia USB 3.0 Drivers...............................................65
Appendix...........................................................67
A. I/O Port Address Map..................................................67
B. Interrupt Request Lines (IRQ)......................................68
C. Watchdog Timer Configuration...................................69

iv MI956 User’s Manual
This page is intentionally left blank.

INTRODUCTION
MI956 User’s Manual 1
Introduction
Product Description
The MI956F Mini ITX motherboard is based on the latest Intel®QM67
chipset. The platform supports 2nd generation Intel®Core processor
family with rPGA988B packing and features an integrated dual-channel
DDR3 memory controller as well as a graphics core.
The latest Intel®processors provide advanced performance in both
computing and graphics quality. This meets the requirement of customers
in the gaming, POS, digital signage and server market segment.
The Intel®QM67 is made with 32 nanometer technology that supports
Intel’s first processor architecture to unite the CPU and the graphics core
on the transistor level. The MI956F MiniITX board utilizes the dramatic
increase in performance provided by this Intel’s latest cutting-edge
technology. Measuring 170mm x 170mm, MI956F offers fast 6Gbps
SATA support (2 ports), USB3.0 (2 ports) and interfaces for DVI-D,
DVI-I, LVDS and HDMI displays. MI956AF features IntelActive
Management Technology 7.0.
MI956F FEATURES:
Supports Intel®2nd Generation Core i7/i5/i3 QC/DC mobile
processors
Two DDR3 SoDIMM, 1066/1333MHz, Max. 8GB memory
Dual Intel®PCI-Express Gigabit LAN
Integrated Graphics for DVI-I, DVI-D/HDMI/LVDS displays
4x SATA 2.0, 2x SATA 3.0, 8x USB 2.0, USB 3.0 (2 ports),
4x COM, Watchdog timer
1x PCI-E (x16), 1x Mini PCI-E
Optional AMT (MI956AF only)

INTRODUCTION
2 MI956 User’s Manual
Checklist
Your MI956 package should include the items listed below.
The MI956 Mini-ITX motherboard
This User’s Manual
1 CD containing chipset drivers and flash memory utility
Serial ATA cable

INTRODUCTION
MI956 User’s Manual 3
MI956 Specifications
Product Name
MI956AF/MI956F
Form Factor
Mini-ITX
CPU Type
- Intel®2nd generation CoreTM i7/i5/i3 QC/DC mobile processor
- rPGA package, 37.5 x 37.5 mm
- TDP: QC = 45W~ 55W/ DC = 35W
**Sandy Bridge CPU is NOT socket compatible with Arrandale
CPU Speed
Up to 2.7GHz
Cache
Up to 8MB
CPU Socket
rPGA 988B
Chipset
Intel®QM67 PCH; 25 x 27 mm package size
BIOS
AMI BIOS, support ACPI Function
Memory
Intel®2nd generation CoreTM i7/i5/i3 QC/DC mobile processor integrated memory
controller
DDRIII 1067/1333 MHz
- SO-DIMM x 2 (w/o ECC), Max. 8GB
VGA
- Intel®2nd generation CoreTM i7/i5/i3 mobile processor integrated Gfx
DVI-I X 1 (thru Level shifter ASM1442)
DVI-D X 1 (thru Level shifter ASM1442)
HDMI X 1 (thru Level shifter ASM1442)
LVDS : DF13 x 2 for supporting dual channel 24-bit
LAN
1. Intel® Lewisville 82579LM GbE PHY[MI956AF only]
or 82579VGbE PHY [MI956F only]
2. Intel®82583V as 2nd GbE
USB
USB 2.0 host controller, supports 8 ports w/ two EHCI, 7 UHCI controllers
Integrated USB 2.0 Rate Matching Hub.
- 4 ports in the rear panel
- Others reserved for onboard pin header ( 4 ports, 2.54mm pitch)
USB 3.0 host controller [ASMedia # ASM1042], support 2 ports
-2 ports in the rear panel
Serial ATA
Intel®QM67 PCH built-in SATA controller, supports total 6 ports
2 x SATA(3.0) 6Gbps+ 4 x SATA (2.0) 3Gbps ports (2 FIS based Port Multiplier)
Audio
Intel®QM67 PCH built-in High Definition Audio controller+ ALC892 w/ 7.1 CH
LPC I/O
Fintek F81865-I (Ver. C)
COM1 (RS232/422/485), COM2/COM3/COM4 (RS232), Hardware
Monitor (2 thermal inputs,4 voltage monitor inputs & 2 fan headers) [CPU FAN
controllabl, but not the system fan]
COM1/2 with pin-9 with power for 2 ports (500 mA for each port)
Digital IO
4 in & 4 out
IAMT(7.0)
Intel®QM67 PCH built-in (MI956AF only)
- Intel®Active Management Technology ver. 7.0
Expansion
Slots
- PCI-Express (16x) *1 [PEG]
- Mini PCI-Express (1x) *1 @ Solder side
[Reserved mounting holes for Half-sized also]
Edge
Connector:
DVI-D + DVI-I stack connector; Dual DB9 stack connector for COM #1, #2
Dual USB(3.0) dual stack connector; HDMI stack connector
Gbit LAN RJ-45 + dual USB(2.0) stack connector x2
RCA Jack 3x1 for HD Audio
Onboard
Header/
Connector
2 ports x SATA III [Blue color]; 4 ports x SATA II
2x5 pin-header x2 for 4 ports USB; 2x5 pin-header for front panel audio
2x10 pin-header for COM3 (RS232) & COM4 (RS232)
2x5 pin-header for Digital IO; 4-pin box header for LCD backlight control
Watchdog Timer
Yes (256 segments, 0, 1, 2…255 sec/min)
System Voltage
ATX
Others
LAN Wakeup, EuP/ErP feature (Fintek F75160), UL 60950-1 2nd Edition
compatible
Board Size
170mm x 170mm

INTRODUCTION
4 MI956 User’s Manual
[
Board Dimensions

INSTALLATIONS
MI956 User’s Manual 5
Installations
This section provides information on how to use the jumpers and
connectors on the MI956 in order to set up a workable system. The topics
covered are:
Installing the CPU................................................................................6
Installing the Memory..........................................................................7
Setting the Jumpers..............................................................................8
Connectors on MI956........................................................................12

INSTALLATIONS
6 MI956 User’s Manual
Installing the CPU
The MI956 board supports rPGA988B socket for Intel® Sandy Bridge
Dual Core mobile processors.
The processor socket comes with a screw to secure the processor. As
shown in the left picture below, loosen the screw first before inserting the
processor. Place the processor into the socket by making sure the notch
on the corner of the CPU corresponds with the notch on the inside of the
socket. Once the processor has slide into the socket, fasten the screw.
Refer to the figures below.
NOTE:
Ensure that the CPU heat sink and the CPU top surface are in
total contact to avoid CPU overheating problem that would
cause your system to hang or be unstable.