ASROCK FM2A88M-DG3+ User manual

FM2A88M-DG3+FM2A88M-DG3+
Z97 Pro4Z97 Pro4

Version 1.0
Published May 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”
ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com

Contents
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Package Contents 1
  
1.3 Motherboard Layout 6
1.4 I/O Panel 8
2. Installation 9
2.1 CPU Installation 10
2.2 Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink 11
2.3 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM) 12
2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots) 14
2.5 Jumpers Setup 15
2.6 Onboard Headers and Connectors 16
2.7 AMD Dual Graphics Operation Guide 21
3. Software and Utilities Operation 23
3.1 Installing Drivers 23
3.2 A-Tuning 24
3.3 ASRock APP Shop 30
3.4 Start8 36
4. UEFI SETUP UTILITY 39
4.1 Introduction 39
4.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar 39
4.1.2 Navigation Keys 40

4.2 Main Screen 40
4.3 OC Tweaker Screen 41
4.4 Advanced Screen 44
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
4.5 Tool 54
4.6 Hardware Health Event Monitoring Screen 57
4.7 Boot Screen 58
4.8 Security Screen 60
4.9 Exit Screen 61

FM2A88M-DG3+
1
English
1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing ASRock FM2A88M-DG3+ 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

         
be updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without
-
sion will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You may
     
well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com
If you require technical support related to this motherboard, please visit

www.asrock.com/support/index.asp
1.1 Package Contents
ASRock FM2A88M-DG3+ Motherboard (Micro ATX Form Factor)
ASRock FM2A88M-DG3+ Quick Installation Guide
ASRock FM2A88M-DG3+ Support CD
2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
1 x I/O Panel Shield

English
2

Platform  Micro ATX Form Factor
 All Solid Capacitor design
 High Density Glass Fabric PCB
CPU  Supports Socket FM2+ 95W / FM2 100W processors
Chipset  AMD A88X (Bolton-D4)
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®
 
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 x1 Slot
 1 x PCI Slot
 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
 
by independent display controllers
 
2560x1600 @ 60Hz
 Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz

FM2A88M-DG3+
3
English
 TM 2.0: New video post
processing capability for automatic jitter reduction on
home/online video
 
 Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with

Audio  5.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC662 Audio Codec)
 Supports Surge Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection)
LAN  PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
 Realtek RT L8111G R
 Supports Wake-On-WAN (see CAUTION 3)
 Supports Wake-On-LAN
 Supports Lightning/ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection)
 Supports LAN Cable Detection
 
 Supports PXE
Rear
Panel I/O
 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
 1 x D-Sub Port
 
 4 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock
Full Spike Protection))
 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (AMD A88X (Bolton-D4)) (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
Storage  4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID
0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and Hot
Plug

English
4
Connec-
tor
 1 x Print Port Header
 1 x COM Port Header
 1 x Chassis Intrusion Header
 1 x TPM Header
 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)
 1 x Chassis Fan Connector (4-pin)
 1 x Power Fan Connector (3-pin)
 1 x 24 pin ATX 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) (Sup-
ports 2 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection (AS-
Rock 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
 
Hardware
Monitor
 CPU temperature sensing
 Chassis temperature sensing
 CPU Fan Tachometer
 Chassis Fan Tachometer
 CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan
 CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control
 CASE OPEN detection
 
OS  Microsoft®Windows®8.1 32-bit / 8.1 64-bit / 8 32-bit / 8
64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit

FM2A88M-DG3+
5
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.
* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com
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®8.1 / 8 / 7. For Windows®64-bit OS with 64-
bit CPU, there is no such limitation. You can use ASRock XFast
RAM to utilize the memory that Windows®cannot use.
3. Wake-On-WAN allows you to wake up this system from remote
mobile devices, such as smart phones, tables, or other PCs.
It needs third-party softwares and applications to utilize this
feature.
-
tions
 FCC, CE, WHQL
 ErP/EuP Ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is re-
quired)

English
6
1.3 Motherboard Layout
SOCKET FM2b
3
1
ATXPWR1
CPU_FAN1
64Mb
BIOS
FM2A88M-DG3+
DDR3_A1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_B1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
USB_7_8
141718 13
USB 3.0
T: USB3
B: USB4
RJ-45 LAN
USB 2.0
T: USB5
B: USB6
PWR_FAN1
2
5
4
6
21
20
AMD
A88X
(Bolton-D4)
Chipset
USB 2. 0
T: USB1
B: USB 2
PS2
Keyb oard
/Mou se
VGA1
DVI1
8
SATA_
2
SATA_
4
SATA_
1
SATA_
3
1
USB_ 11_1 2
PCI Express 3.0
9
10
7
11
12
USB_9_10
PCIE1
1
CI1
HD_AUDIO1
1
1619
CHA_FAN1
15
1
TPM S1

FM2A88M-DG3+
7
English
No. Description
1
2 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
3 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1)
4 TPM Header (TPMS1)
5 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
6USB 3.0 Header (USB_11_12)
7SATA3 Co nnector (SATA _ 2)
8SATA3 Co nnector (SATA _ 4)
9SATA3 Co nnector (SATA _ 3)
10 SATA3 Connector (SATA _1)
11 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
12 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
13 USB 2.0 Header (USB_9_10)
14 USB 2.0 Header (USB_7_8)
15 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
16 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
17 Print Port Header (LPT1)
18 COM Port Header (COM1)
19 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)
20 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)
21 Power Fan Connector (PWR_FAN1)

English
8
1.4 I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 USB 2.0 Ports (USB_1_2) 6 USB 2.0 Ports (USB_5_6)
2 LAN RJ-45 Port* 7 USB 3.0 Ports (USB_3_4)
3 Line In (Light Blue) 8 D-Sub Port
4Front Speaker (Lime) 9
5Microphone (Pink) 10 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
* 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
124
3
5678
9
10

FM2A88M-DG3+
9
English
2. Installation
This is a Micro ATX form factor motherboard. Before you install the motherboard,

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-

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.

English
10
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
 

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
   
down the socket lever to secure the
CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab
to indicate that it is locked.

FM2A88M-DG3+
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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. 2). For proper instal-
lation, please kindly refer to the instruction manuals of the CPU fan and
the heatsink.

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12
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.
e DIMM only ts in one correct orientation. It will cause permanent damage 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.

FM2A88M-DG3+
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English
1
2
3

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14
2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI and PCI Express Slots)
There are 1 PCI slot and 2 PCI Express slots on this motherboard.
PCI Slot: PCI slot is used to install expansion cards that have the 32-bit PCI
interface.
PCIE Slots:
PCIE1 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width
graphics cards
PCIE2 (PCIe 2.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express cards with x1 lane
width 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.

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2.5 Jumpers Setup
The illustration shows how jumpers are
setup. When the jumper cap is placed on
pins, the jumper is “Short”. If no jumper cap
is placed on pins, the jumper is “Open”. The
illustration shows a 3-pin jumper whose
pin1 and pin2 are “Short” when jumper cap
is placed on these 2 pins.
Jumper Setting Description
Clear CMOS Jumper
(CLRCMOS1)
(see p.6, No. 16)
Note: CLRCMOS1 allows you to clear the data in CMOS. To clear and reset the
system parameters to default setup, please turn off the computer and unplug
the power cord from the power supply. After waiting for 15 seconds, use a
jumper cap to short pin2 and pin3 on CLRCMOS1 for 5 seconds. However,
please do not clear the CMOS right after you update the BIOS. If you need
             
-

GUID and MAC address will be cleared only if the CMOS battery is removed.
Clear CMOSDefault
If you clear the CMOS, the case open may be detected. Please adjust the
BIOS option “Clear Status” to clear the record of previous chassis intrusion
status.

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2.6 Onboard Headers and Connectors
Onboard headers and connectors are NOT jumpers. Do NOT place
jumper caps over these headers and connectors. Placing jumper caps
over the headers and connectors will cause permanent damage of the
motherboard!
USB 2.0 Headers Besides four default USB 2.0
(9-pin USB_7_8) ports on the I/O panel, there
(see p.6 No. 14) are two USB 2.0 headers on
this motherboard. Each USB 2.0
header can support two USB
2.0 ports.
(9-pin USB_9_10)
(see p.6 No. 13)
Serial ATA3 Connectors These four Serial ATA3
(SATA_1: see p.6, No. 10) (SATA3) connectors support
(SATA_2: see p.6, No. 7) SATA data cables for internal
(SATA_3: see p.6, No. 9) storage devices. The current
(SATA_4: see p.6, No. 8) SATA3 interface allows up to
6.0 Gb/s data transfer rate.
DUMMY
GND
GND
P+
P-
USB_PWR
P+
P-
USB_PWR
1
USB 3.0 Header Besides two default USB 3.0
(19-pin USB_11_12) ports on the I/O panel, there is
(see p.6 No. 6) one USB 3.0 header on this
motherboard. This USB 3.0
header can support two USB 3.0
ports.
IntA_PB_D+
Dummy
IntA_PB_D-
GND
IntA_PB_SSTX+
GND
IntA_PB_SSTX-
IntA_PB_SSRX+
IntA_PB_SSRX-
VbusVbus
Vbus
IntA_PA_SSRX-
IntA_PA_SSRX+
GND
IntA_PA_SSTX-
IntA_PA_SSTX+
GND
IntA_PA_D-
IntA_PA_D+
SATA_2 SATA_4
SATA_1 SATA_3
Front Panel Audio Header This is an interface for the front
(9-pin HD_AUDIO1) panel audio cable that allows
(see p.11 No. 20) convenient connection and
control of audio devices.
J_SENSE
OUT2_L
1
MIC_RED
OUT_RET
OUT2_R
MIC2_R
MIC2_L
GND
PRESENCE#