ASROCK A68M-ITX User manual

Version 1.0
Published March 2016
Copyright©2016 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.
Copyright Notice:
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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”
ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com

AUSTRALIA ONLY
Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer
Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for
any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage caused by our goods. You are also entitled
to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the
failure does not amount to a major failure. If you require assistance please call ASRock Tel
: [phone] ext.123 (Standard International call charges apply)
e terms HDMI™ and HDMI High-Denition Multimedia Interface, and the HDMI
logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United
States and other countries.

Contents
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Package Contents 1
1.2 Specications 2
1.3 Motherboard Layout 6
1.4 I/O Panel 8
2. Installation 10
2.1 CPU Installation 11
2.2 Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink 12
2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM) 13
2.4 Expansion Slot (PCI Express Slot) 15
2.5 Jumpers Setup 16
2.6 Onboard Headers and Connectors 17
2.7 AMD Dual Graphics Operation Guide 21
3. Software and Utilities Operation 23
3.1 Installing Drivers 23
3.2 ASRock Live Update & APP Shop 24
4. UEFI SETUP UTILITY 30
4.1 Introduction 30
4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar 30
4.1.2 Navigation Keys 31
4.2 Main Screen 31
4.3 OC Tweaker Screen 32

4.4 Advanced Screen 35
4.4.1 CPU Conguration 36
4.4.2 North Bridge Conguration 37
4.4.3 South Bridge Conguration 38
4.4.4 Storage Conguration 39
4.4.5 ACPI Conguration 40
4.4.6 USB Conguration 42
4.5 Tool 43
4.6 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen 45
4.7 Boot Screen 46
4.8 Security Screen 48
4.9 Exit Screen 49

A68M-ITX R2.0
1
English
1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing ASRock A68M-ITX R2.0 motherboard, a reliable moth-
erboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It delivers
excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commitment to
quality and endurance.
In this documentation, Chapter 1 and 2 contains the introduction of the motherboard
and step-by-step installation guides. Chapter 3 contains the operation guide of the
software and utilities. Chapter 4 contains the conguration guide of the BIOS setup.
Because the motherboard specications and the BIOS software might
be updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without
notice. In case any modications of this manual occur, the updated ver-
sion will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You may
nd the latest VGA cards and CPU support lists on ASRock website as
well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com
If you require technical support related to this motherboard, please visit
our website for specic information about the model you are using.
www.asrock.com/support/index.asp
1.1 Package Contents
ASRock A68M-ITX R2.0 Motherboard (Mini-ITX Form Factor)
ASRock A68M-ITX R2.0 Quick Installation Guide
ASRock A68M-ITX R2.0 Support CD
2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
1 x I/O Panel Shield

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2
1.2 Specications
Platform • Mini-ITX Form Factor
• Solid Capacitor design
CPU • Supports Socket FM2+ 95W / FM2 100W processors
• Digi Power design
Chipset • AMD A68H (Bolton-D2H)
Memory • Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology
• 2 x DDR3 DIMM Slots
• Supports DDR3 2400+(OC)/2133/1866/1600/1333/1066
non-ECC, un-buffered memory (see CAUTION 1)
• Max. capacity of system memory: 32GB
(see CAUTION 2)
• Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Prole (XMP) 1.3 / 1.2
• Supports AMD Memory Prole (AMP) up to AMP 2400
Expan-
sion
Slot
• 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1: x16 mode)
* PCIE 3.0 is only supported with FM2+ CPU. With FM2
CPU, it only supports PCIE 2.0.
• Supports AMD Dual Graphics
Graphics • Integrated AMD RadeonTM R7/R5 Series Graphics in
A-series APU
• DirectX 11.1, Pixel Shader 5.0 with FM2+ CPU. DirectX
11, Pixel Shader 5.0 with FM2 CPU.
• Max. shared memory 2GB
• Three graphics output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI
• Supports Triple Monitor
• Supports HDMI with max. resolution up to 4K × 2K
(4096x2160) @ 24Hz
* Only FM2+ APU can support up to 4096x2160 resolution
display via HDMI port
• Supports Dual-link DVI-D with max. resolution up to
2560x1600 @ 60Hz
• Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz

A68M-ITX R2.0
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English
• Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC
and HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI Port
(Compliant HDMI monitor is required)
• Supports Blu-ray Stereoscopic 3D with HDMI Port
• Supports AMD Steady VideoTM 2.0: New video post
processing capability for automatic jitter reduction on
home/online video
• Supports HDCP with DVI-D and HDMI Ports
• Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with
DVI-D and HDMI Ports
Audio • 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC887 Audio Codec)
* To congure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it is required to use an
HD front panel audio module and enable the multi-channel
audio feature through the audio driver.
• Supports Surge Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection)
• ELNA Audio Caps
LAN • PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
• Realtek RTL8111GR
• Supports Wake-On-WAN
• Supports Wake-On-LAN
• Supports Lightning/ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection)
• Supports LAN Cable Detection
• Supports Energy Efcient Ethernet 802.3az
• Supports PXE
Rear
Panel I/O
• 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
• 1 x D-Sub Port
• 1 x DVI-D Port
• 1 x HDMI Port
• 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock
Full Spike Protection))
• 4 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock
Full Spike Protection))
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and
SPEED LED)
• HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone

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4
Storage • 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,
RAID 1 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
Connec-
tor
• 1 x Chassis Intrusion Header
• 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)
• 1 x Chassis Fan Connector (4-pin)
* CPU_FAN1 and CHA_FAN1 can auto detect if 3-pin or
4-pin fan is in use.
• 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
• 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector
• 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
• 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Sup-
ports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 1 x USB 3.0 Header by ASMedia ASM1042A (Supports
2 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock
Full Spike Protection))
BIOS
Feature
• AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support
• Supports “Plug and Play”
• ACPI 1.1 Compliant wake up events
• Supports jumperfree
• SMBIOS 2.3.1 support
• DRAM, VDDP, SB Voltage multi-adjustment
Hardware
Monitor
• CPU/Chassis temperature sensing
• CPU/Chassis Tachometer
• CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan
• CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control
• CASE OPEN detection
• Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore
OS • Microsoft® Windows®10 32-bit / 10 64-bit / 8.1 32-bit / 8.1
64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit
* For the updated Windows®10 driver, please visit
ASRock's website for details: http://www.asrock.com
* Carrizo FM2r2 processor supports Windows®10 64-bit/
8.1 64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit only.

A68M-ITX R2.0
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English
WARNING
Please realize that there is a certain risk involved with overclocking,
including adjusting the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking
Technology, or using third-party overclocking tools. Overclocking may
affect your system’s stability, or even cause damage to the components
and devices of your system. It should be done at your own risk and
expense. We are not responsible for possible damage caused by
overclocking.
CAUTION!
1. Whether 2400/2133/1866/1600MHz memory speed is support-
ed depends on the CPU you adopt. If you want to adopt DDR3
2400/2133/1866/1600 memory module on this motherboard,
please refer to the memory support list on our website for the
compatible memory modules.
ASRock website http://www.asrock.com
2. Due to the operating system limitation, the actual memory size
may be less than 4GB for the reservation for system usage
under Windows® 10 / 8.1 / 7. For Windows®64-bit OS with 64-
bit CPU, there is no such limitation.
* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com
Certica-
tions
• FCC, CE, WHQL
• ErP/EuP Ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is re-
quired)

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6
1.3 Motherboard Layout
PCIE1
AMD
A68H
(Bolton-D2H)
Chipset
Front USB 3.0
Top:
LINE IN
Center:
FRONT
Bottom:
MIC IN
Top:
RJ-45
USB 2.0
T: USB2
B: USB3
USB 3.0
T: USB0
B: USB1
HD_AUDIO1
1
BIOS
ROM
A68M-ITX
HDLED RESET
PLED PWRBTN
1
PANEL1
CMOS
Battery
SATA3_2
SATA3_4
SATA3_1
SATA3_3
SOCKET FM2b
USB 2.0
T: USB0
B: USB1
PS2
Keyboard
/Mouse
VGA1
DVI1
HDMI1
1
USB3_2_3
PCI Express 3.0
USB4_5
1
USB6_7
1
RoHS
ATXPWR1
DDR3_B1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_A1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
1
CLRCMOS1
CI1
1
CPU_FAN1
SPEAKER1
1
CHA_FAN1
ATX12V1

A68M-ITX R2.0
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English
No. Description
1 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)
2 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
3 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
4ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
5 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
6 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1)
7 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
8 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
9SATA3 Connector (SATA3_4)
10 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_3)
11 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_2)
12 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_1)
13 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_2_3)
14 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
15 USB 2.0 Header (USB4_5)
16 USB 2.0 Header (USB6_7)
17 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)

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1.4 I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 USB 2.0 Ports (USB01)* 7 USB 2.0 Ports (USB23)*
2 D-Sub Port 8 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_01)
3 LAN RJ-45 Port** 9HDMI Port
4 Line In (Light Blue) 10 DVI-D Port
5 Front Speaker (Lime)*** 11 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
6 Microphone (Pink)
* It is recommended to install the USB Keyboard/Mouse cable to USB 2.0 ports (USB01 or
USB23) instead of USB 3.0 ports.
** There are two LEDs on the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indica-
tions.
Activity / Link LED Speed LED
Status Description Status Description
Off No Link Off 10Mbps connection
Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port
2
910
1
11 7
3
8 6
5
4

A68M-ITX R2.0
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English
*** To congure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it is required to use an HD front panel audio module and enable
the multi-channel audio feature through the audio driver.
Please set Speaker Conguration to “7.1 Speaker”in the Realtek HD Audio Manager.
Function of the Audio Ports in 7.1-channel Conguration:
Port Function
Light Blue (Rear panel) Rear Speaker Out
Lime (Rear panel) Front Speaker Out
Pink (Rear panel) Central /Subwoofer Speaker Out
Lime (Front panel) Side Speaker Out

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2. Installation
This is a Mini-ITX form factor motherboard. Before you install the motherboard,
study the conguration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard ts into it.
Pre-installation Precautions
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard
components or change any motherboard settings.
Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the
power 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, and/or components.
1. Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any
component.
2. To avoid damaging the motherboard components due to static elec-
tricity, NEVER place your motherboard directly on the carpet or the
like. Also remember to use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safety
grounded object before you handle components.
3. Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs.
4. Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded anti-
static pad or in the bag that comes with the component.
5. When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the mother-
board to the chassis, please do not over-tighten the screws! Doing
so may damage the motherboard.

A68M-ITX R2.0
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2.1 CPU Installation
Step 1. Unlock the socket by lifting the lever up
to a 90oangle.
Step 2. Position the CPU directly above the
socket such that the CPU corner with
the golden triangle matches the socket
corner with a small triangle.
Step 3. Carefully insert the CPU into the
socket until it ts in place.
The CPU ts only in one correct
orientation. DO NOT force the CPU
into the socket to avoid bending of
the pins.
Step 4. When the CPU is in place, press it
rmly on the socket while you push
down the socket lever to secure the
CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab
to indicate that it is locked.

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2.2 Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink
After you install the CPU into this motherboard, it is necessary to install a
larger heatsink and cooling fan to dissipate heat. You also need to spray
thermal grease between the CPU and the heatsink to improve heat dis-
sipation. Make sure that the CPU and the heatsink are securely fastened
and in good contact with each other. Then connect the CPU fan to the
CPU FAN connector (CPU_FAN1, see Page 6, No. 3). For proper instal-
lation, please kindly refer to the instruction manuals of the CPU fan and
the heatsink.

A68M-ITX R2.0
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English
2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)
This motherboard provides two 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM
slots, and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology.
The DIMM only ts in one correct orientation. It will cause permanent dam-
age to the motherboard and the DIMM if you force the DIMM into the slot at
incorrect orientation.
1. For dual channel conguration, you always need to install identical (the
same brand, speed, size and chip-type) DDR3 DIMM pairs.
2. It is unable to activate Dual Channel Memory Technology with only one
memory module installed.
3. It is not allowed to install a DDR or DDR2 memory module into a DDR3
slot; otherwise, this motherboard and DIMM may be damaged.

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1
2
3

A68M-ITX R2.0
15
English
2.4 Expansion Slot (PCI Express Slot)
There is 1 PCI Express slot on this motherboard.
PCIE Slot: PCIE1 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width
graphics cards.
Before installing an expansion card, please make sure that the power supply
is switched off or the power cord is unplugged. Please read the documenta-
tion of the expansion card and make necessary hardware settings for the
card before you start the installation.