ASROCK H81M User manual

Version 1.0
Published March 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.
e terms HDMITM 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.
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

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Motherboard Layout
Intel
H81
DDR3_A2 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_A1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
ATX12V1
CMOS
Battery
Super
I/O
USB 2.0
T: USB0
B: USB1
PS2
Keyboard
ATXPWR1
LAN
Top:
RJ-45
USB 3.0
T: USB0
B: USB1
Top:
Central/Bass
Center:
REAR SPK
Top:
LINE I N
Center:
FRONT
Bottom:
Optical
SPDIF
Bottom:
MIC IN
CLRCMOS1
1
1
SPEAKER1
IR1
1
HDLED RESET
PLED PWRBTN
PANEL1
1
USB8_9
1
USB6_7
1
COM1
1
1
HD_AUDIO1
H81M
SATA_ 1 SATA_ 5
CHA_FAN1
CHA_FAN2
PCI1
RoHS
CPU_FAN1
CPU_FAN2
32Mb
BIOS
HDMI1
VGA1
DVI1
PCI2
USB 2.0
T: USB4
B: USB5
Audio
CODEC
1
SPDIF1_OUT1
PCIE1
X Fa s t USB
X Fa s t RAM
X Fa s t LAN
Front USB 3.0
PWR_FAN1
1
TPMS1
1
1
LPT1
CI1
1
USB3_2_3
SATA_ 0 SATA_ 4
PCIE2

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No. Description
1 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
2 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
3 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN2)
4 Power Fan Connector (PWR_FAN1)
5 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_A2)
6 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
7 SATA2 Connector (SATA_5)
8 SATA2 Connector (SATA_4)
9 SATA3 Connector (SATA_0)
10 SATA3 Connector (SATA_1)
11 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_2_3)
12 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
13 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
14 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
15 USB 2.0 Header (USB6_7)
16 USB 2.0 Header (USB8_9)
17 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
17 TPM Header (TPMS1)
19 Print Port Header (LPT1)
20 COM Port Header (COM1)
21 Infrared Module Header (IR1)
22 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)
23 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)
24 SPDIF Out Connector (SPDIF_OUT)
25 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2)

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I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 USB 2.0 Ports (USB01) 8 Microphone (Pink)
2 D-Sub Port 9 Optical SPDIF Out Port
3 LAN RJ-45 Port* 10 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_01)
4 Central / Bass (Orange) 11 USB 2.0 Ports (USB45)
5 Rear Speaker (Black) 12 HDMI Port
6 Line In (Light Blue) 13 DVI-D Port
7 Front Speaker (Lime)** 14 PS/2 Keyboard Port
8914 10111213
1 2 3 5
4
7
6

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* ere are two LEDs on each 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
** 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
(No. 6)
2V -- -- --
4V V -- --
6V V V --
8V V V V
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port

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Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock H81M 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.
1.1 Package Contents
• ASRock H81M Motherboard (Micro ATX Form Factor)
• ASRock H81M Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock H81M Support CD
• 2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
• 1 x I/O Panel Shield
Because the motherboard specications and the BIOS soware 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 motherboard, please visit our website for specic information about the model
you are using. You may nd the latest VGA cards and CPU support list on ASRock’s
website as well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com.

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1.2 Specications
Platform • Micro ATX Form Factor
• All Solid Capacitor design
CPU • Supports 4th Generation Intel® CoreTM i7 / i5 / i3 / Xeon® /
Pentium® / Celeron® in LGA1150 Package
• 4 Power Phase Design
• Supports Intel® Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
Chipset • Intel® H81
Memory • Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology
• 2 x DDR3 DIMM slots
• Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buered
memory
• Max. capacity of system memory: 16GB
(see CAUTION)
• Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Prole (XMP)1.3/1.2
Expansion
Slot
• 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (PCIE1: x16 mode; PCIE2: x4
mode)
• 2 x PCI slots
• Supports AMD Quad CrossFireXTM and CrossFireXTM
Graphics • Intel® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs can
be supported only with processors which are GPU integrated.
• Supports Intel® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals : Intel® Quick
Sync Video with AVC, MVC (S3D) and MPEG-2 Full
HW Encode1, Intel® InTruTM 3D, Intel® Clear Video HD
Technology, Intel® InsiderTM, Intel® HD Graphics 4600
• Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 11.1
• Max. shared memory 1792MB
• ree VGA Output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI
• Supports HDMI Technology with max. resolution up to
1920x1200 @ 60Hz

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• Supports DVI-D with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz
• 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 (Compliant HDMI
monitor is required)
• Supports HDCP function 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 ALC892
Audio Codec)
• Premium Blu-ray audio support
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 Ecient Ethernet 802.3az
• Supports PXE
Rear Panel
I/O
• 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port
• 1 x D-Sub Port
• 1 x DVI-D Port
• 1 x HDMI Port
• 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• 4 x USB 2.0 Ports
• 2 x USB 3.0 Ports
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED
LED)
• HD Audio Jack: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front
Speaker / Microphone

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Storage • 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and “Hot
Plug” functions
• 2 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and “Hot
Plug” functions
Connector • 1 x IR header
• 1 x Print Port header
• 1 x COM port header
• 1 x Chassis Intrusion header
• 1 x TPM header
• 2 x CPU Fan connectors (1 x 4-pin, 1 x 3-pin)
• 2 x Chassis Fan connectors (1 x 4-pin, 1 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 Front panel audio connector
• 1 x SPDIF Out connector
• 2 x USB 2.0 headers (support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
• 1 x USB 3.0 header by Etron EJ168A (supports 2 USB 3.0
ports)
BIOS
Feature
• 32Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with Multilingual GUI support
• ACPI 1.1 Compliance Wake Up Events
• SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support
• CPU, DRAM, PCH 1.05V, PCH 1.5V Voltage Multi-adjust-
ment
Support
CD
• Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Soware (Trial Version), Cyber-
Link MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial, Google Chrome Browser and
Toolbar, Start8, Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility (IXTU)
Hardware
Monitor
• CPU/Chassis Temperature Sensing
• CPU/Chassis/Power Fan Tachometer
• CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan (Allow Chassis Fan Speed Auto-
Adjust by CPU Temperature)
• CPU/Chassis Fan Multi-Speed Control

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• CASE OPEN detection
• Voltage Monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore
OS • Microso® Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit compliant
Certica-
tions
• FCC, CE, WHQL
• ErP/EuP Ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)
Please realize that there is a certain risk involved with overclocking, including adjust-
ing the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking Technology, or using third-
party overclocking tools. Overclocking may aect 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
Due to limitation, the actual memory size may be less than 4GB for the reservation
for system usage under Windows® 32-bit operating systems. Windows® 64-bit operat-
ing systems do not have such limitations. You can use ASRock XFast RAM to utilize
the memory that Windows® cannot use.

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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 Standby mode (S1), 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 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 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 On/O Play Technology
ASRock On/O Play Technology allows users to enjoy the great audio experience
from the portable audio devices, such like MP3 player or mobile phone to your
PC, even when the PC is turned o (or in ACPI S5 mode)! is motherboard also
provides a free 3.5mm audio cable (optional) that ensures users the most convenient
computing environment.
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/LAN 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!

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ASRock Home Cloud
is motherboard supports Security Wake On Internet Technology with the
onboard Qualcomm® Atheros® LAN, so you can connect with your PC from
anywhere in the world. You will be able to power your PC on or turn it o, monitor
and take control of it remotely with another smartphone, tablet or computer.
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.
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.

is is a 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.
• Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard.
Failure to do so may cause physical injuries to you and damages to motherboard
components.
• In order to avoid damage from static electricity to the motherboard’s components,
NEVER place your motherboard directly on a carpet. Also remember to use a grounded
wrist strap or touch a safety grounded object before you handle the components.
• Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs.
• Whenever you uninstall any components, place them on a grounded anti-static pad or
in the bag that comes with the components.
• When placing screws to secure the motherboard to the chassis, please do not over-
tighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.
Chapter 2 Installation

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2.1 Installing the CPU
1. Before you insert the 1150-Pin CPU into the socket, please check if the PnP cap is on
the socket, if the CPU surface is unclean, or if there are any bent pins in the socket.
Do not force to insert the CPU into the socket if above situation is found. Otherwise,
the CPU will be seriously damaged.
2. Unplug all power cables before installing the CPU.
2
1
A
B

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4
5
3

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Please save and replace the cover if the processor is removed. e cover must be placed
if you wish to return the motherboard for aer service.

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2.2 Installing the CPU Fan and Heatsink
1 2
CPU_FAN