ASROCK M8 User manual

User
Manual

Version 1.0
Published July 2014
Copyright©2014 ASRock Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this documentation may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or
translated in any language, in any form or by any means, except duplication of
documentation by the purchaser for backup purpose, without written consent of
ASRock Inc.
Products and corporate names appearing in this documentation may or may not
be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used
only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to
infringe.
Disclaimer:
Specications and information contained in this documentation are furnished for
informational use only and subject to change without notice, and should not be
constructed as a commitment by ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for
any errors or omissions that may appear in this documentation.
With respect to the contents of this documentation, ASRock does not provide
warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to
the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or tness for a particular
purpose.
In no event shall ASRock, its directors, ocers, employees, or agents be liable for
any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including damages for
loss of prots, loss of business, loss of data, interruption of business and the like),
even if ASRock has been advised of the possibility of such damages arising from any
defect or error in the documentation or product.
is device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
CALIFORNIA, USA ONLY
e Lithium battery adopted on this motherboard contains Perchlorate, a toxic substance
controlled in Perchlorate Best Management Practices (BMP) regulations passed by the
California Legislature. When you discard the Lithium battery in California, USA, please
follow the related regulations in advance.
“Perchlorate Material-special handling may apply, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate”
Website: http://www.asrock.com

Important Safety Instructions
Pay close attention to the following safety instructions before performing any of
the operation. Basic safety precautions should be followed to protect yourself from
harm and the product from damage:
•Operation of the product should be carried out by suitably trained, qualied, and
certied personnel only to avoid risk of injury from electrical shock or energy hazard.
•Disconnect the power cord from the wall outlet when installing or removing main
system components, such as the motherboard and power supply unit.
•Place the system on a stable and at surface.
•Use extreme caution when working with high-voltage components.
•When handling parts, use a grounded wrist strap designed to prevent static discharge.
•Keep the area around the system clean and clutter-free.
•Keep all components and printed circuit boards (PCBs) in their antistatic bags when
not in use.
•Handle a board by its edges only; do not touch its components, peripheral chips,
memory modules or contacts.

Setting up the Wireless Network
It is highly recommended to use a router that supports 802.11ac/802.11n at 5GHz
frequency. Please follow the instructions below to connect to 5GHz wireless network.
Step 1
Consult the user manual of your router to enter the conguration page for wireless
network. Check if your router is set to 5GHz. Under "Wireless Network Settings",
check the following congurations.
Enable Wireless: Check the box to enable the wireless function.
802.11 Mode: Select "Mixed 802.11ac" for 802.11ac/802.11n wireless clients.
Channel Width: Select "20/40/80 MHz (Auto)".
*Please note that your router's screen may appear dierent from the image
above. Please check the user manual of your router for more details.
Step 2
Right-click the WiFi icon at the bottom-right corner of your desktop screen.
Step 3
Right-click the wireless network and select Status. Check the wireless connection
status.

*If you wish to use an USB3.0 device and your router only supports up to 2.4GHz,
we sugguest connecting your USB3.0 device to the USB3.0 ports on the rear panel
for better WiFi signals.

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Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing M8, a reliable gaming barebone system produced under
ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It delivers excellent performance
with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commitment to quality and endurance.
1.1 Package Contents
•M8 Barebone System with:
M8 Chassis
Mini-ITX Motherboard (pre-installed)
Power Supply Unit (pre-installed)
System Fan (pre-installed)
•AC Power Cable
•Hexagon Screwdriver
•Screwdriver Set
•Screw Package
•System Key
•VGA Support
•6 x SATA Cable
•Support CD
•Quick Installation Guide
•User Manual
Because the hardware specications might be updated, the content of this documentation
will be subject to change without notice. In case any modications of this documentation
occur, the updated version will be available on ASRock’s website without further notice. If
you require technical support related to this product, please visit our website for specic
information about the model you are using. ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com.
If any items are missing or appear damaged, contact your authorized dealer.

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1.2 Product Specications
Color •Storm Black
Material •Steel Body / Aluminum + Plastic
Dimension •372mm (W) x 123mm (H) x 400mm (L)
Motherboard •ASRock Z97-M8
CPU •Supports 5th / New 4th and 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7/
i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors (Socket 1150)
Memory •Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 MHz, 2 x SO-DIMM
slots, Max. up to 16GB
VGA •Supports 1 x Dual-slot Graphics Card*
Optical Drive •1 x Slim Slot-in Super-Multi Drive
Hard Disk •Supports 3.5"HDD and 2.5"HDD
WiFi + BT •2T2R WiFi 802.11ac + BT v4.0
Front I/O •4 x USB 3.0, 1 x MIC, 1 x Headphone
•4-in-1 Card reader (SD3.0/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
Rear I/O •1 x 7.1HD audio with Creative Sound Core3D,
•1 x Intel Gigabit LAN, 4 x USB3.0, 4 x USB2.0,
•1 x eSATA2, 1 x DP, 1 x HDMI
All-In-One
OLED Button
•A-Command
Cooling •Top : 2 x 70mm fan, Bottom : 2 x 70mm fan

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Power Supply •SFX PSU 600W (M8-600W sku) / SFX PSU 450W (M8-
450W sku)

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1.3 Unique Features
ASRock A-Tuning
A-Tuning is ASRock’s multi purpose soware suite with a new interface, more new
features and improved utilities, including XFast RAM, Dehumidier, Good Night
LED, FAN-Tastic Tuning, OC Tweaker and a whole lot more.
ASRock Instant Flash
ASRock Instant Flash is a BIOS ash utility embedded in Flash ROM. is conve-
nient BIOS update tool allows you to update the system BIOS in a few clicks without
preparing an additional oppy diskette or other complicated ash utility. Just save
the new BIOS le to your USB storage and launch this tool by pressing <F6> or
<F2> during POST to enter the BIOS setup menu to access ASRock Instant Flash.
Please be noted that the USB ash drive or hard drive must use FAT32/16/12 le
system.
ASRock APP Charger
Simply by installing the ASRock APP Charger makes your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch
charge up to 40% faster than before on your computer. ASRock APP Charger allows
you to quickly charge many Apple devices simultaneously and even supports
continuous charging when your PC enters into Suspend to RAM (S3), hibernation
mode (S4) or power o (S5).
ASRock XFast USB
ASRock XFast USB can boost the performance of your USB storage devices. e
performance may depend on the properties of the device.
ASRock XFast LAN
ASRock XFast LAN provides faster internet access, which includes the benets
listed below. LAN Application Prioritization: You can congure your application’s
priority ideally and add new programs to the list. Lower Latency in Game: Aer
setting online game’s priority higher, it can lower the latency in games. Trac
Shaping: You can watch Youtube HD videos and download simultaneously. Real-
Time Analysis of Your Data: With the status window, you can easily recognize
which data streams you are currently transferring.

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ASRock XFast RAM
ASRock XFast RAM is included in A-Tuning. It fully utilizes the memory space
that cannot be used under Windows® 32-bit operating systems. ASRock XFast RAM
shortens the loading time of previously visited websites, making web surng faster
than ever. And it also boosts the speed of Adobe Photoshop 5 times faster. Another
advantage of ASRock XFast RAM is that it reduces the frequency of accessing your
SSDs or HDDs in order to extend their lifespan.
ASRock X-FAN
Greater air ow, faster heat dissipation! ASRock X-FAN allows the motherboard to
breathe smoothly. It will be automatically activated only when the system rises to a certain
temperature under heavy-loading. Normally, ASRock X-FAN will remain deactivated to
give users the quietest computing experience
ASRock Crashless BIOS
ASRock Crashless BIOS allows users to update their BIOS without fear of failing. If
power loss occurs during the BIOS updating process, ASRock Crashless BIOS will
automatically nish the BIOS update procedure aer regaining power. Please note
that BIOS les need to be placed in the root directory of your USB disk. Only USB 2.0
ports support this feature.
ASRock OMG (Online Management Guard)
Administrators are able to establish an internet curfew or restrict internet access
at specied times via OMG. You may schedule the starting and ending hours of
internet access granted to other users. In order to prevent users from bypassing
OMG, guest accounts without permission to modify the system time are required.
ASRock Internet Flash
ASRock Internet Flash downloads and updates the latest UEFI rmware version
from our servers for you without entering Windows®OS. Please setup network
conguration before using Internet Flash.
ASRock UEFI System Browser
ASRock System Browser shows the overview of your current PC and the devices
connected.
ASRock Dehumidier Function
Users may prevent motherboard damages due to dampness by enabling
“Dehumidier Function”. When enabling Dehumidier Function, the computer
will power on automatically to dehumidify the system aer entering S4/S5 state.

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ASRock Interactive UEFI
ASRock Interactive UEFI is a blend of system conguration tools, cool sound eects
and stunning visuals. e unprecedented UEFI provides a more attractive interface
and more amusment.
ASRock Fast Boot
With ASRock’s exclusive Fast Boot technology, it takes less than 1.5 seconds to
logon to Windows 8 from a cold boot. No more waiting! e speedy boot will
completely change your user experience and behavior.
ASRock Restart to UEFI
Windows® 8 brings the ultimate boot up experience. e lightning boot up speed
makes it hard to access the UEFI setup. ASRock Restart to UEFI allows users to
enter the UEFI automatically when turning on the PC. By enabling this function,
the PC will enter the UEFI directly aer you restart.
ASRock Good Night LED
ASRock Good Night LED technology oers you a better sleeping environment by
extinguishing the unessential LEDs. By enabling Good Night LED in the BIOS, the
Power/HDD LEDs will be switched o when the system is powered on. Good Night
LED will automatically switch o the Power and Keyboard LEDs when the system
enters into Standby/Hibernation mode as well.
ASRock USB Key
In a world where time is money, why waste precious time everyday typing
usernames to log in to Windows? Why should we even bother memorizing those
foot long passwords? Just plug in the USB Key and let your computer log in to
windows automatically!
ASRock Key Master
What good is a weapon if you are unable to wield it prociently? Key Master
enhances your mouse and keyboard with customizable macros, sniper modes, scroll
speed, key repeat rates and repeat delay, turning your boring old keyboard and
mouse into lethal weapons.
ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning
ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning is included in A-Tuning. Congure up to ve dierent
fan speeds using the graph. e fans will automatically shi to the next speed level
when the assigned temperature is met.

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ASRock Easy Driver Installer
For users that don’t have an optical disk drive to install the drivers from our support CD,
Easy Driver Installer is a handy tool in the UEFI that installs the LAN driver to your
system via an USB storage device, then downloads and installs the other required drivers
automatically.

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Chapter 2 Product Overview
is chapter provides diagrams showing the location of important components of
the M8.
2.1 Front View
4 5 6
2
1
3
No. Description
1 A-Command (All-In-One OLED Button)
2 Optical disk drive eject button
3 4 x USB 3.0 ports
4 4-in-1 Card reader (SD3.0/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
5Microphone jack
6 Headphone jack

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2.1.1 The Function of A-Command
e A-Command is a multipurpose controller knob which is used to cycle through
various functions.
Controlling A-Command
• Rotate the knob to toggle among main functions or options.
• Press once to conrm your selection.
Powering on the System
Press A-Command to turn on the system power. Wait until the operating system
loads automatically.
Powering o the System
When the OLED shows the M8 Logo / Date and Time, press A-Command and select
"Yes" to turn o the system power.
Before Entering Windows
ere are three main functions before entering the OS.

Aer the logo appears for ten seconds, the screen shows date and time.
e display will go o if you leave it idle for ve minutes.

Toggle on/o the light in the case.

Toggle the time on/o.
If this option is set to on, M8 Logo / Date and Time screens are available. If
this option is set to o, M8 Logo / Date and Time screens are hidden.

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Under Windows:
ere are six main functions aer entering the OS.

Aer the logo appears for ten seconds, the screen shows date and time.
e display will go o if you leave it idle for ve minutes.

Increase/decrease the volume level by turning the knob right/le.

Toggle among three power management modes – Eco, Standard or Speed.

Toggle among various types of critical information to check the system’s
status. e OLED screen shows the CPU frequency, CPU usage, LAN usage, or
APM* data.
*APM (Actions per minute) measures the number of keyboard/mouse-clicking
action that you can perform in a minute. To nd out how fast your ngers can
move, press A-Command once to start counting APM. Press A-Command
once again to stop it.

Toggle on/o the light in the case, or enable the Good Night LED function*.
On: Toggle on the light in the case
O: Toggle o the light in the case
All o: Toggle o the light in the case; enable the Good Night LED function
*ASRock Good Night LED technology oers you a better sleeping environment
by extinguishing the unessential LEDs. By enabling Good Night LED, the
Power/HDD LEDs will be switched o when the system is powered on. Good
Night LED will automatically switch o the Power and Keyboard LEDs when
the system enters into Standby/Hibernation mode as well.

Toggle the time on/o.
If this option is set to on, M8 Logo / Date and Time screens are available. If
this option is set to o, M8 Logo / Date and Time screens are hidden.

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2.2 Rear View
No. Description
1 PCIe slot covers
2I/O panel
3 AC input power connector
1
2 3

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2.2.1 I/O Panel
1 2
3
18
174
6 7
5
11
10
12
13 14
15 16
8 9
2
4
7
5

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No. Description No. Description
1 Line In port (light blue) 10 eSATA2 port**
2 Line Out port (lime) 11 DisplayPort
3Center/Subwoofer port (orange) 12 HDMI port
4 Rear Speaker Out port (black) 13 USB3.0 port
5 LAN RJ-45 port* (Intel Gigabit LAN) 14 USB3.0 port
6 USB2.0 ports 15 USB3.0 port
7 USB2.0 ports 16 USB3.0 port
8 USB2.0 ports 17 Optical SPDIF Out port
9 USB2.0 ports 18 Microphone port (pink)
* ere are two LEDs on the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications.
Activity / Link LED Speed LED
Status Description Status Description
O No Link O 10Mbps connection
Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection
** e eSATA connector is shared with SATA3_4 connector.
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port

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2.3 Inside View
12
3
5
7 8
6
11
15
16
12
17
14
9
13
10
4
No. Description
1 Riser card retention bracket
2 VGA card holder
3 Hard disk drive tray (compatible with 4 x 2.5" HDD or 1 x 3.5 HDD)
4 ODD + 2.5" HDD Tray
(compatible with 1 x slot-in ODD and 1 x 2.5" HDD)
5 Power supply unit
6 Power panel connector
7 SATA 3.0 connectors
8 USB2.0 connector
9 PCIe slot

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10 Front audio connector
11 USB3.0 connector
12 Auxiliary fan connector
13 2T2R WiFi Module (802.11ac)
14 CPU socket
15 DIMM sockets
16 Chassis fan connector
17 ATX 12V power connector
Hard drives are not included with this system.