ASROCK A88M-G/3.1 User manual

A88M - G/3.1A88M - G/3.1
A88M - G/3.1A88M - G/3.1

Version 1.0
Published December 2015
Copyright©2015 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”
ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com

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 Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots) 15
2.5 Jumpers Setup 16
2.6 Onboard Headers and Connectors 17
2.7 AMD Dual Graphics Operation Guide 22
2.8 M.2_SSD (NGFF) Module Installation Guide 24
3. Software and Utilities Operation 27
3.1 Installing Drivers 27
3.2 A-Tuning 28
3.3 ASRock Live Update & APP Shop 31
4. UEFI SETUP UTILITY 37
4.1 Introduction 37
4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar 37
4.1.2 Navigation Keys 38

4.2 Main Screen 38
4.3 OC Tweaker Screen 39
4.4 Advanced Screen 42
4.4.1 CPU Conguration 43
4.4.2 North Bridge Conguration 44
4.4.3 South Bridge Conguration 45
4.4.4 Storage Conguration 46
4.4.5 Super IO Conguration 47
4.4.6 ACPI Conguration 48
4.4.7 USB Conguration 50
4.4.8 Trusted Computing 51
4.5 Tool 52
4.6 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen 54
4.7 Boot Screen 55
4.8 Security Screen 57
4.9 Exit Screen 58

A88M-G/3.1
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English
1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing ASRock A88M-G/3.1 motherboard, a reliable motherboard
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 A88M-G/3.1 Motherboard (Micro ATX Form Factor)
ASRock A88M-G/3.1 Quick Installation Guide
ASRock A88M-G/3.1 Support CD
2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
1 x I/O Panel Shield
1 x Screw for M.2 Socket

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1.2 Specications
Platform • Micro ATX Form Factor
• Solid Capacitor design
CPU • Supports Socket FM2+ 95W / FM2 100W processors
• 4 + 2 Power Phase design
Chipset • AMD A88X (Bolton-D4)
Memory • Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology
• 4 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: 64GB (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.
• 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3 @ x4 mode)
• 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot
• 1 x PCI Slot
• Supports AMD Quad CrossFireXTM, CrossFireXTM and
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

A88M-G/3.1
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• Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz
• 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 with Content Protection (Realtek
ALC1150 Audio Codec)
• Premium Blu-ray Audio support
• 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
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM1143)
(Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection))
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM1143)
(Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection))

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4
• 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (AMD A88X (Bolton-D4)) (Supports
ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 2 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: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in
/ Front Speaker / Microphone
Storage • 8 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID
0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and Hot
Plug
• 1 x M.2_SSD (NGFF) Socket 3, supports type
2230/2242/2260/2280 M.2 PCI Express module up to
Gen2 x4 (20 Gb/s)
* If PCIE3 is occupied, M2_1 will be disabled.
* Supports ASRock U.2 Kit
Connec-
tor
• 1 x COM Port Headerr
• 1 x TPM Header
• 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 1 x 3-pin)
• 2 x Chassis Fan Connectors (2 x 4-pin)
• 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)
(Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protec-
tion))
• 1 x USB 3.0 Header by AMD A88X (Bolton-D4)
(Supports 2 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection
(ASRock Full Spike Protection))
BIOS
Feature
• 64Mb 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, CPU Voltage multi-adjustment

A88M-G/3.1
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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
Hardware
Monitor
• CPU/Chassis temperature sensing
• CPU/Chassis Tachometer
• CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan
• CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control
• 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.
Certica-
tions
• FCC, CE, WHQL
• ErP/EuP Ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is re-
quired)

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1.3 Motherboard Layout
SOCKET FM2b
1
64Mb
BIOS
A88M-G/3.1
RJ-45 LAN
USB 3.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
CPU_FAN2
2
3
26
VGA1
DVI1
HDMI
CHA_FAN2
USB 2.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
PS2
Keyboard
/Mouse
USB 3.1
T: USB31_TA_1
B: USB31_TC_1
Top:
Central/Bass
Center:
REAR SPK
Top:
LIN E IN
Center:
FRONT
Bottom:
Optical
SPDIF
Bottom:
MIC I N
CMOS
Battery
PCI Express 3.0
ATX12V1
CPU_FAN1
ATXPWR1
USB3.1
DDR3_A1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_A2 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_B1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_B2 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
USB3_3_4
45
6
7
SATA3_7
SATA3_8
9
11
8
10
12
13
14
16
19202122232425 18 1517
SATA3_5
SATA3_2SATA3_4
SATA3_1 SATA3_3
SATA3_6
USB_3_4
1
USB_5_6
1
COM1
1
1
HD_AUDIO1
CLRMOS1
1
1
TPMS1
PLED1
1
PCIE1
PCIE3
PCI1
PCIE2
CHA_FAN1
HDLED RESET
PLED PWRBTN
PANEL1
1
M2_1

A88M-G/3.1
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English
No. Description
1ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
2 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
3 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN2)
42 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1)
52 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A2, DDR3_B2)
6 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
7USB 3.0 Header (USB3_3_4)
8SATA3 Connector (SATA3_7)
9SATA3 Connector (SATA3_ 8)
10 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_ 5)
11 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_6)
12 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
13 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_ 4)
14 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_ 3)
15 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_ 2)
16 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_1)
17 Power LED Header (PLED1)
18 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
19 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
20 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2)
21 USB 2.0 Header (USB_3_4)
22 USB 2.0 Header (USB_5_6)
23 TPM Header (TPMS1)
24 COM Port Header (COM1)
25 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)
26 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)

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1.4 I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1USB 2.0 Ports (USB_1_2) 9 Optical SPDIF Out Port
2D-Sub Port (VGA1) 10 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_1_2)
3 LAN RJ-45 Port* 11 HDMI Port
4 Central / Bass (Orange) 12 DVI-D Port (DVI1)
5Rear Speaker (Black) 13 USB 3.1 Type-A Port (USB31_TA_1)
6 Line In (Light Blue) 14 USB 3.1 Type-C Port (USB31_TC_1)
7 Front Speaker (Lime)*** 15 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
8Microphone (Pink)
2
1112
1
15 8913
14
10
5
4
7
6
3

A88M-G/3.1
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English
* It is recommended to install the USB Keyboard/Mouse cable to USB 2.0 ports (USB_1_2)
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
*** If you use a 2-channel speaker, please connect the speaker’s plug into “Front Speaker Jack”. See
the table below for connection details in accordance with the type of speaker you use.
Audio Output
Channels
Front
Speaker
(No. 7)
Rear Speaker
(No. 5)
Central / Bass
(No. 4)
Line In or
Side Speaker
(No. 6)
2V-- -- --
4VV-- --
6VVV--
8VVVV
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port
To enable Multi-Streaming, you need to connect a front panel audio cable to
the front panel audio header. After restarting your computer, you will nd the
“Mixer” tool on your system. Please select “Mixer ToolBox” , click “Enable
playback multi-streaming”, and click “ok”. Choose “2CH”, “4CH”, “6CH”, or
“8CH” and then you are allowed to select “Realtek HDA Primary output” to
use the Rear Speaker, Central/Bass, and Front Speaker, or select “Realtek
HDA Audio 2nd output” to use the front panel audio.

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2. Installation
This is an Micro ATX 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.

A88M-G/3.1
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English
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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12
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 and CPU_FAN2, see Page 6, No. 2, 3).
For proper installation, please kindly refer to the instruction manuals of
the CPU fan and the heatsink.

A88M-G/3.1
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2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)
This motherboard provides four 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM
slots, and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology.
Dual Channel Memory Conguration
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.
Priority DD R3 _ A1 DDR3_A2 DDR3_B1 DDR3_B2
1Populated Populated
2Populated Populated
3Populated Populated Populated Populated
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 or
three 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.
4. If you adopt DDR3 2600/2400/2133/1866/1600 memory modules on this
motherboard, it is recommended to install them on DDR3_A2 and DDR3_
B2 slots.

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1
2
3

A88M-G/3.1
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English
2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots)
There are 1 PCI slot and 3 PCI Express slots on this motherboard.
PCI Slots: PCI slots are used to install expansion cards that have the 32-bit PCI
interface.
PCIE Slots:
PCIE2 (PCIe 2.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express cards with x1 lane
width cards.
PCIE1 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width
graphics cards.
PCIE3 (PCIe 2.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x4 lane width
graphics cards.
PCIe Slot Congurations
For a better thermal environment, please connect a chassis fan to the moth-
erboard’s chassis fan connector (CHA_FAN1 or CHA_FAN2) when using
multiple 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.
PCIE1 PCIE3
Single Graphics Card x16 N/A
Two Graphics Cards in
CrossFireXTM Mode x16 x4