ASROCK FM2A88X Extreme6 User manual

1
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
Version 1.0
Published August 2013
Copyright©2013 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

2ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
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.
Manufactured under license under U.S. Patent Nos: 5,956,674; 5,974,380; 6,487,535;
7,003,467 & other U.S. and worldwide patents issued & pending. DTS, the Symbol, &
DTS and the Symbol together is a registered trademark & DTS Connect, DTS Interactive,
DTS Neo:PC are trademarks of DTS, Inc. Product includes soware.
© DTS, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

3
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
Motherboard Layout
SOCKET FM2b
AMD
A88X
(Bolton-D4)
Chipset
ATXPWR1
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)
SATA3_7_8
SATA3_5
SATA3_3_4SATA3_1_2
CPU_FAN1 CPU_FAN2
PWR_FAN1
PCIE4
PCIE2
PCIE5
PCIE1
PCIE3
PCI2
PCI1
HD_AUDIO1
1
1
CLRCMOS1
USB3_5_6
SPEAKER1
1
CHA_FAN1
HDLED RESET
PLE D PWRB TN
1
PANE L 1
1
USB_4_5
1
USB_2_3
1
USB_0_1
FM2A88X Extreme6+
RoHS
Top:
RJ-45
USB 3.0
T: USB3
B: USB4
USB 3.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
eSATA3_6
USB 2. 0
T: USB6
B: USB7
PS2
Keyboard
/Mouse
1
PLED1
CHA_FAN3
CHA_FAN2
Super
I/O
CMOS
BATTERY
IR1
1
CI1
1
DP_1
HDMI
CROSS_FIRE_PWR1
Dr.
Debug
RESET POWER
COM1
ATX1 2V 1
Top:
CTR BA SS
Center:
REAR SPK
Bottom:
Optical
SPDIF
Top:
LINE I N
Center:
FRONT
Bottom:
MIC IN
LAN
VGA1
DVI1
HDMI_IN1
64Mb
BIOS
BIOS_A1
BIOS_A_LED1
64Mb
BIOS
BIOS_B1
BIOS_B_LED1
BIOS_SEL1
A B
Purity
Sound
TM

4ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
No. Description
1 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
2 Power Fan Connector (PWR_FAN1)
3 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
4 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN2)
5 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1)
6 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A2, DDR3_B2)
7 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
8 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_5_6)
9 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_7_8)
10 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_3_4)
11 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_1_2)
12 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_5)
13 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
14 Power Switch (PWRBTN1)
15 Reset Switch (RSTBTN1)
16 BIOS Selection Switch (BIOS_SEL1)
17 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
18 Power LED Header (PLED1)
19 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
20 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
21 USB 2.0 Header (USB_0_1)
22 USB 2.0 Header (USB_2_3)
23 USB 2.0 Header (USB_4_5)
24 Infrared Module Header (IR1)
25 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)
26 COM Port Header (COM1)
27 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)
28 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2)
29 XFire Power Connector (CROSS_FIRE_PWR1)
30 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN3)

5
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 USB 2.0 Ports (USB_6_7)* 10 Microphone (Pink)
2 D-Sub Port 11 Optical SPDIF Out Port
3 DisplayPort (DP_1) 12 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_34)
(AMD A88X (Bolton-D4))
4 eSATA Connector 13 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_1_2)
(ASMedia ASM1042)
5 LAN RJ-45 Port** 14 HDMI-In Port
6 Central / Bass (Orange) 15 HDMI-Out Port
7 Rear Speaker (Black) 16 DVI-D Port
8 Line In (Light Blue) 17 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
9 Front Speaker (Lime)***
1011121314151617
1 2 3 754
6
9
8

6ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
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* It is recommended to install the USB Keyboard/Mouse cable to USB 2.0 ports (USB_6_7)
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. 9)
Rear Speaker
(No. 7)
Central / Bass
(No. 6)
Line In or
Side Speaker
(No. 8)
2V -- -- --
4V V -- --
6V V V --
8V V V V
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.

7
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ motherboard, a reliable
motherboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It
delivers excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commit-
ment to quality and endurance.
This Quick Installation Guide contains introduction of the motherboard and step-by-
step installation guide. More detailed information of the motherboard can be found
in the user manual presented in the Support CD.
Because the motherboard specications and the BIOS software might be
updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without no-
tice. In case any modications of this manual occur, the updated version
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 FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard (ATX Form Factor)
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Quick Installation Guide
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Support CD
4 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
1 x I/O Panel Shield
ASRock Reminds You...
To get better performance in Windows®8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit, it is
recommended to set the BIOS option in Storage Conguration to AHCI
mode. For the BIOS setup, please refer to the “User Manual” in our sup-
port CD for details.

8ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
1.2 Specications
Platform - ATX Form Factor
- Premium Gold Capacitor design (100% Japan-made
high-quality conductive polymer capacitors)
A-Style - Home Cloud
- Purity SoundTM
- HDMI-In
CPU - Supports Socket FM2+ 95W / FM2 100W processors
- Digi Power design
- 8 + 2 Power Phase design
Chipset - AMD A88X (Bolton-D4)
Memory - Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology
- 4 x DDR3 DIMM Slots
- Supports DDR3 2600+(OC)/2400(OC)/2133(OC)/1866/1600/
1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory (see CAUTION 1)
* DDR3 2600+ is only supported with two DIMMs.
- 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)
Expansion Slot - 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2/PCIE4: single at x16
(PCIE2); dual at x8 (PCIE2) / x8 (PCIE4))
* 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 (PCIE5 @ x4 mode)
- 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slots
- 2 x PCI Slots
- Supports AMD Quad CrossFireXTM, 3-Way CrossFireXTM,
CrossFireXTM and Dual Graphics
Graphics - Integrated AMD Radeon HD 8000/7000 series graphics in
A-series APU
- DirectX 11.1, Pixel Shader 5.6 with FM2+ CPU. DirectX 11,
Pixel Shader 5.0 with FM2 CPU.
- Max. shared memory 2GB
- Four VGA output options: D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI and
DisplayPort Ports
- Supports Quad Monitor with FM2+ CPU. Supports Triple
Monitor with FM2 CPU.
- Supports HDMI Technology with max. resolution up to
1920x1200 @ 60Hz

9
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
- Supports Dual-link DVI-D with max. resolution up to
2560x1600 @ 60Hz
- Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz
- Supports DisplayPort 1.2 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K
(4096x2400) @ 60Hz or 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 60Hz
- Supports DP++
- Supports Multi-Streaming
- Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and
HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI Port (Compliant HDMI
monitor is required) (see CAUTION 3)
- 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, HDMI and DisplayPort Ports
- Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with DVI-D,
HDMI and DisplayPort Ports
Audio - 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150
Audio Codec)
- Premium Blu-ray Audio support
- Supports Purity SoundTM
- 115dB SNR DAC with Differential Amplier
- TI® NE5532 Premium Headset Amplier (Supports up to
600 ohm headsets)
- Direct Drive Technology
- EMI Shielding Cover
- PCB Isolate Shielding
- Supports DTS Connect
LAN - PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
- Qualcomm®Atheros®AR8171
- Supports Qualcomm®Atheros®Security Wake On Internet
Technology
- Supports Wake-On-LAN
- 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-Out Port
- 1 x HDMI-In Port
- 1 x DisplayPort

10 ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
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- 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
- 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
- 1 x eSATA Connector
- 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (AMD A88X (Bolton-D4))
- 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (ASMedia ASM1042)
- 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 - 7 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
Connector - 1 x IR Header
- 1 x COM Port Header
- 1 x Chassis Intrusion Header
- 1 x Power LED Header
- 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 1 x 3-pin)
- 3 x Chassis Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 2 x 3-pin)
- 1 x Power Fan Connector (3-pin)
- 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
- 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector
- 1 x XFire Power Connector
- 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
- 3 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 6 USB 2.0 ports)
- 1 x USB 3.0 Header by AMD A88X (Bolton-D4)
(Supports 2 USB 3.0 ports)
- 1 x Dr. Debug with LED
- 1 x Power Switch with LED
- 1 x Reset Switch with LED
- 1 x BIOS Selection Switch
BIOS Feature - 2 x 64Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI
support (1 x Main BIOS and 1 x Backup BIOS)
- Supports Secure Backup UEFI Technology
- Supports “Plug and Play”
- ACPI 1.1 compliance wake up events
- Supports jumperfree
- SMBIOS 2.3.1 support
- DRAM, VDDP, VDDR Voltage multi-adjustment
Support CD - Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version),
CyberLink MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial, Google Chrome
Browser and Toolbar, Start8 (30 days trial)
Hardware - CPU temperature sensing
Monitor - Chassis temperature sensing

11
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
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 2600/2400/2133/1866/1600MHz memory speed is
supported depends on the CPU you adopt. If you want to adopt
DDR3 2600/2400/2133/1866/1600 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 un-
der Windows®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. xvYCC and Deep Color are only supported under Windows®8
64-bit / 8 / 7 64-bit / 7. Deep Color mode will be enabled only
if the display supports 12bpc in EDID. HBR is supported under
Windows®8 64-bit / 8 / 7 64-bit / 7.
- CPU Fan Tachometer
- Chassis Fan Tachometer
- CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan
- CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control
- CASE OPEN detection
- Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore
OS - Microsoft® Windows®8.1 32-bit / 8.1 64-bit / 8 32-bit /
8 64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit / XP 32-bit
Certications - FCC, CE, WHQL
- ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)
* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com

12 ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
1.3 Unique Features
ASRock A-Tuning
A-Tuning is ASRock’s multi purpose software suite with a new
interface, more new features and improved utilities, including
XFast RAM, Dehumidier, Good Night LED, FAN-Tastic Tun-
ing, OC Tweaker and a whole lot more.
ASRock Instant Boot
ASRock Instant Boot allows you to turn on your PC in just a few
seconds, provides a much more efcient way to save energy,
time, money, and improves system running speed for your sys-
tem. It leverages the S3 and S4 ACPI features which normally
enable the Sleep/Standby and Hibernation modes in Windows®
to shorten boot up time. By calling S3 and S4 at specic timing
during the shutdown and startup process, Instant Boot allows
you to enter your Windows®desktop in a few seconds.
ASRock Instant Flash
ASRock Instant Flash is a BIOS ash utility embedded in Flash
ROM. This convenient BIOS update tool allows you to update
system BIOS without entering operating systems rst like MS-
DOS or Windows®. With this utility, you can press the <F6> key
during the POST or the <F2> key to enter into the BIOS setup
menu to access ASRock Instant Flash. Just launch this tool and
save the new BIOS le to your USB ash drive, oppy disk or
hard drive, then you can update your BIOS only in a few clicks
without preparing an additional oppy diskette or other compli-
cated ash utility. Please be noted that the USB ash drive or
hard drive must use FAT32/16/12 le system.
ASRock APP Charger
If you desire a faster, less restricted way of charging your
Apple devices, such as iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, ASRock has
prepared a wonderful solution for you - ASRock APP Charger.
Simply install the APP Charger driver, it makes your iPhone
charge much quickly from your computer and up to 40% faster
than before. ASRock APP Charger allows you to quickly charge
many Apple devices simultaneously and even supports continu-
ous charging when your PC enters into Standby mode (S1),

13
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
Suspend to RAM (S3), hibernation mode (S4) or power off (S5).
With APP Charger driver installed, you can easily enjoy the mar-
velous charging experience.
ASRock XFast USB
ASRock XFast USB can boost USB storage device perfor-
mance. The performance may depend on the properties of the
device.
ASRock XFast LAN
ASRock XFast LAN provides a faster internet access, which
includes the benefits listed below. LAN Application Prioritiza-
tion: You can congure your application’s priority ideally and/or
add new programs. Lower Latency in Game: After setting online
game’s priority higher, it can lower the latency in games. Trafc
Shaping: You can watch Youtube HD videos and download si-
multaneously. Real-Time Analysis of Your Data: With the status
window, you can easily recognize which data streams you are
transferring currently.
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 Crashless BIOS
ASRock Crashless BIOS allows users to update their BIOS
without fear of failing. If power loss occurs during the BIOS up-
date process, ASRock Crashless BIOS will automatically nish
the BIOS update procedure after regaining power. Please note
that BIOS les need to be placed in the root directory of your
USB disk. Only USB2.0 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

14 ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
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 re-
quired.
ASRock Internet Flash
ASRock Internet Flash searches for available UEFI firmware
updates from our servers. In other words, the system can auto-
detect the latest UEFI from our servers and ash them without
entering Windows®OS.
ASRock UEFI System Browser
ASRock UEFI system browser is a useful tool included in
graphical UEFI. It can detect the devices and configurations
that users are currently using in their PC. With the UEFI system
browser, you can easily examine the current system congura-
tion in UEFI setup.
ASRock UEFI Tech Service
Contact ASRock Tech Service by sending a support request
from the UEFI setup utility if you are having trouble with your
PC.
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 dehumidi-
fy the system after entering S4/S5 state.
ASRock Easy RAID Installer
ASRock Easy RAID Installer can help you to copy the RAID
driver from a support CD to your USB storage device. After
copying the RAID driver to your USB storage device, please
change “SATA Mode” to “RAID”, then you can start installing the
OS in RAID mode.
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.

15
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
ASRock Interactive UEFI
ASRock Interactive UEFI is a blend of system configuration
tools, cool sound effects and stunning visuals. The unprec-
edented UEFI provides a more attractive interface and brings a
lot more amusing.
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! The speedy boot will completely change your user
experience and behavior.
ASRock X-Boost
Brilliantly designed for combo overclocking, ASRock X-Boost
Technology is able to unleash the hidden power of your CPUs.
Simply press “X” when turning on the PC, X-Boost will automati-
cally overclock the relative components to get up to 15.77%
performance boost! With the smart X-Boost, overclocking CPU
can become a near one-button process.
ASRock Restart to UEFI
Windows®8 brings the ultimate boot up experience. The light-
ning boot up speed makes it hard to access the UEFI setup. AS-
Rock Restart to UEFI technology is designed for those requiring
frequent UEFI access. It is included in ASRock’s exclusive all-
in-one A-Tuning tuning program that allows users to easily enter
the UEFI automatically when turning on the PC next time. Just
simply enable this function; the PC will be assured to access the
UEFI directly in the very beginning.
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 FAN-Tastic Tuning
ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning is included in A-Tuning. Congure
up to ve different fan speeds using the graph. The fans will
automatically shift to the next speed level when the assigned
temperature is met.

16 ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
2. Installation
This is an 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.
English

17
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
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.
English

18 ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
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 3, No. 3 or CPU_FAN2, see
Page 3, No. 4). For proper installation, please kindly refer to the instruc-
tion manuals of the CPU fan and the heatsink.

19
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
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 DDR3_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.

20 ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard
English
1
2
3