ASROCK X299 Designer+ User manual

Version 1.0
Published July 2017
Copyright©2017 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

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)

English
1
X299 Designer+
ATXPWR1
X299 Designer+
Ultra M.2
PCIe G en3 x 4
Intel
X299
ATX12V1
LAN
LAN
PCIE1
Top:
Central/Bass
Center:
REAR SPK
Top:
LIN E IN
Center:
FRONT
Bottom:
Optical
SPDIF
Bottom:
MIC I N
PCIE3
HDLED RESET
PLED PWRBTN
PANEL1
1
USB_5_6
11
USB_7_8
1
HD_AUDIO1
PCIE5
SATA3_2_3
SATA3_4_5
PCIE4
CPU_FAN1
CPU_OPT/W_PUMP1
RoHS
8
9
11
12
13
SATA3_6_7
14
2021 18 25 24
CLRC
BTN1
SATA3_0_1
347
DDR4_B2 (64 bit, 288 -pin module)
DDR4_B1 (64 bit, 288 -pin module)
DDR4_A2 (64 bit, 288 -pin module)
DDR4_A1 (64 bit, 288 -pin module)
2
1
22 17
1
TPMS1
CLRMOS1
1
CHA_FAN1
CHA_FAN2
26
DDR4_C1 (64 bit, 288 -pin module)
DDR4_C2 (64 bit, 288 -pin module)
DDR4_D1 (64 bit, 288 -pin module)
DDR4_D2 (64 bit, 288 -pin module)
6
5
2066 Socket
Top:
RJ-45
USB 2.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
1
SPK_PLED1
M2_1
M2_3
USB 3.1
T: USB31_TA_1
B: USB31_TC_1
M2_2
VROC1
10
USB3_5_6
1
1
15
16
T B1
1
23
USB 3.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
USB 3.0
T: USB3
B: USB4
PCIE2
CHA_FAN3/
W_PUMP2
USB 2. 0
T: USB3
B: USB 4
PS2
Keyboard
/Mouse
1
USB_9_10
19
BIOS_A1
BIOS
BIOS_B_LED1
BIOS_B1
BIOS
BIOS_A_LED1
Purity
Sound 4
TM
Motherboard Layout

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No. Description
1 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_A1, DDR4_B1)
2 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_A2, DDR4_B2)
3 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
4 CPU Fan / Waterpump Fan Connector (CPU_OPT/W_PUMP1)
5 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_C2, DDR4_D2)
6 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_C1, DDR4_D1)
7 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
8 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
9 Virtual RAID On CPU Header (VROC1)
10 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_5_6)
11 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_0_1)
12 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_2_3)
13 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_4_5)
14 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_6_7)
15 Power LED and Speaker Header (SPK_PLED1)
16 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
17 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
18 Chassis Fan / Waterpump Fan Connector (CHA_FAN3/W_PUMP2)
19 USB 2.0 Header (USB_9_10)
20 USB 2.0 Header (USB_7_8)
21 USB 2.0 Header (USB_5_6)
22 TPM Header (TPMS1)
23 underbolt AIC Header (TB1)
24 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRMOS1)
25 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)
26 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2)

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X299 Designer+
I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 USB 2.0 Port (USB_3_4) 9 USB 3.1 Type-A Port (USB31_TA_1)
2 LAN RJ-45 Port (Intel® I219V)* 10 USB 3.1 Type-C Port (USB31_TC_1)
3 Central / Bass (Orange) 11 USB 2.0 Ports (USB_1_2)
4 Rear Speaker (Black) 12 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_1_2)
5 Line In (Light Blue) 13 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_3_4)
6 Front Speaker (Lime)** 14 Clear CMOS Switch
7Microphone (Pink) 15 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port (PS2_KB1)
8 Optical SPDIF Out Port
* 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 Orange 10Mbps connection
Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port
1
789
10
15
4
3
6
5
14 1112
2
13

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** 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. 6)
Rear Speaker
(No. 4)
Central / Bass
(No. 3)
Line In
(No. 5)
2V -- -- --
4V V -- --
6V V V --
8V V V V
To enable Multi-Streaming, you need to connect a front panel audio cable to the front
panel audio header. Aer 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.
Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock X299 Designer+ 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 X299 Designer+ Motherboard (ATX Form Factor)
• ASRock X299 Designer+ Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock X299 Designer+ Support CD
• 1 x I/O Panel Shield
• 1 x ASRock SLI_HB_Bridge_2S Card (Optional)
• 4 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
• 3 x Screws for Ultra M.2 Sockets (Optional)
• 1 x ASRock U.2 Kit (Optional)
• 1 x ASRock underbolt 3 AIC (Optional)
• 1 x TBT Header Cable (Optional)
• 1 x DisplayPort Cable (Optional)
• 1 x Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort Adapter Cable (Optional)

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X299 Designer+
Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock X299 Designer+ 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 X299 Designer+ Motherboard (ATX Form Factor)
• ASRock X299 Designer+ Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock X299 Designer+ Support CD
• 1 x I/O Panel Shield
• 1 x ASRock SLI_HB_Bridge_2S Card (Optional)
• 4 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
• 3 x Screws for Ultra M.2 Sockets (Optional)
• 1 x ASRock U.2 Kit (Optional)
• 1 x ASRock underbolt 3 AIC (Optional)
• 1 x TBT Header Cable (Optional)
• 1 x DisplayPort Cable (Optional)
• 1 x Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort Adapter Cable (Optional)
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 mother-
board, 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 • ATX Form Factor
• 8 Layer PCB
CPU • Supports Intel® CoreTM X-Series Processor Family for the
LGA 2066 Socket
• Digi Power design
• 11 Power Phase design
• Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0
* Please note that the 4-Core processors only support Intel®
Turbo Boost Technology 2.0.
Chipset • Intel® X299
Memory • Quad Channel DDR4 Memory Technology
• 8 x DDR4 DIMM Slots
• Supports DDR4 4400+(OC)*/4266(OC)/4133(OC)/4000
(OC)/3866(OC)/3800(OC)/3733(OC)/3600(OC)/3200(OC)/2
933(OC)/2800(OC)/2666/2400/2133 non-ECC, un-buered
memory
* e maximum memory frequency supported may vary by
processor type.
* Please refer to Memory Support List on ASRock’s website for
more information. (http://www.asrock.com/)
• Supports non-ECC RDIMM (Registered DIMM)
• Max. capacity of system memory: 128GB
• Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Prole (XMP) 2.0
• 15μ Gold Contact in DIMM Slots
Expansion
Slot
• 4 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots*
* If you install CPU with 44 lanes, PCIE1/PCIE2/PCIE3/PCIE5
will run at x16/x4/x16/x8.
* If you install CPU with 28 lanes, PCIE1/PCIE2/PCIE3/PCIE5
will run at x16/x4/x8/x0.
* If you install CPU with 16 lanes, PCIE1/PCIE2/PCIE3/PCIE5
will run at x16/x4/x0/x0 or x8/x4/x8/x0.
* Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
• 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x1 Slot**

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X299 Designer+
** If PCIE4 slot is occupied, M2_2 slot will support M.2 PCI
Express module up to Gen3 x2 (16 Gb/s).
• Supports AMD Quad CrossFireXTM, 3-Way CrossFireXTM
and CrossFireXTM ***
• Supports NVIDIA® Quad SLITM, 3-Way SLITM and SLITM***
*** 3-Way CrossFireXTM and 3-Way SLITM are only supported
with CPU with 44 lanes.
• 15μ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1 and PCIE3)
Audio • 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek
ALC1220 Audio Codec)
• Premium Blu-ray Audio support
• Supports Surge Protection
• Supports Purity SoundTM 4
- Nichicon Fine Gold Series Audio Caps
- 120dB SNR DAC with Dierential Amplier
- TI® NE5532 Premium Headset Amplier for Front Panel
Audio Connector (Supports up to 600 Ohm headsets)
- Pure Power-In
- Direct Drive Technology
- PCB Isolate Shielding
- Impedance Sensing on Line Out port
- Individual PCB Layers for R/L Audio Channel
- 15μ Gold Audio Connector
• Supports DTS Connect
LAN • Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
• Giga PHY Intel® I219V
• Supports Wake-On-LAN
• Supports Lightning/ESD Protection
• Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az
• Supports PXE
Rear Panel
I/O
• 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
• 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• 4 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM3142)
(Supports ESD Protection)
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM3142)
(Supports ESD Protection)

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8
• 4 x USB 3.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED
LED)
• 1 x Clear CMOS Switch
• 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, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage Technology
15 and Intel Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and
Hot Plug*
* If M2_1 is occupied by a SATA-type M.2 device, SATA3_0 will
be disabled.
* If M2_2 is occupied by a SATA-type M.2 device, SATA3_1 will
be disabled.
* If M2_3 is occupied by a SATA-type M.2 device, SATA3_4
and SATA3_5 will be disabled.
* If M2_3 is occupied by a PCIe-type M.2 device, SATA3_4,
SATA3_5, SATA3_6 and SATA3_7 will be disabled.
• 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_2), supports M Key type
2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module
and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)**
• 2 x Ultra M.2 Sockets (M2_1 and M2_3), support M Key
type 2230/2242/2260/2280 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and
M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)**
** If PCIE4 slot is occupied, M2_2 slot will support M.2 PCI
Express module up to Gen3 x2 (16 Gb/s).
** Supports Intel® OptaneTM Technolog y
** Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
** Supports ASRock U.2 Kit
Connector • 1 x Virtual RAID On CPU Header
• 1 x TPM Header
• 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
• 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)
* e CPU Fan Connector supports the CPU fan of maximum
1A (12W) fan power.

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X299 Designer+
• 1 x CPU Optional/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin)
* e CPU Optional/Water Pump Fan supports the water cooler
fan of maximum 1.5A (18W) fan power.
• 2 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Con-
trol)
• 1 x Chassis Optional/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin)
* e Chassis Optional/Water Pump Fan supports the water
cooler fan of maximum 1.5A (18W) fan power.
* CHA_FAN1 and CHA_FAN2 can auto detect if 3-pin or 4-pin
fan is in use.
• 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Con-
nector)
• 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connec-
tor)
• 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold Audio Connec-
tor)
• 1 x underbolt AIC Connector (5-pin)
• 3 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 6 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports
ESD Protection)
• 1 x USB 3.0 Headers (Support 2 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports
ESD Protection)
BIOS
Feature
• 2 x AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support (1
x Main BIOS and 1 x Backup BIOS)
• Supports Secure Backup UEFI Technology
• ACPI 6.1 Compliant wake up events
• SMBIOS 3.0 Support
• CPU, DRAM, VPPM, VTTM, PCH 1.0V, VCCMPHY,
VCCIO, VCCST, VCCSA, VCCSFR, VCCPLL, CLK VDD,
PEGRCOMP Voltage Multi-adjustment
Hardware
Monitor
• Temperature Sensing: CPU, CPU Optional/Water Pump,
Chassis, Chassis Optional/Water Pump Fans
• Fan Tachometer: CPU, CPU Optional/Water Pump, Chassis,
Chassis Optional/Water Pump Fans
• Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU tempera-
ture): CPU, CPU Optional/Water Pump, Chassis, Chassis
Optional/Water Pump Fans
• Fan Multi-Speed Control: CPU, CPU Optional/Water Pump,
Chassis, Chassis Optional/Water Pump Fans

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• Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore, DRAM,
PCH 1.0V, VCCIO, VCCSA, VCCSFR
OS • Microso® Windows® 10 64-bit
Certica-
tions
• FCC, CE
• ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)
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 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

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11
X299 Designer+
1.3 ASRock Thunderbolt 3 AIC Installation Guide
Card Layout
No. Description
1underboltTM 3 Type-C Port
2underboltTM 3 Type-C Port
3DisplayPort IN Port
4 Mini DisplayPort IN Port
5 PCI Express 3.0 Interface
6TBT Header
1
2
5
6
3
4

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Specications
Platform • Dimensions: 3.3-in x 4.1-in
Chipset • Intel® JHL6540 underbolt™ 3 Controller
External
Connectors
• 2 x underbolt™ 3 Type-C Ports (with up to
40Gbps bandwidth)
* Supports daisy-chaining of up to six
underbolt™ devices
• 1 x DisplayPort IN Port
• 1 x Mini DisplayPort IN Port
• 1 x TBT Header
Interface • PCI Express 3.0 x4 interface
Graphics • Supports underboltTM 3 interface with max.
resolution of 5K (5120 x 2880) @ 60Hz for one
display over a single cable connection
• Supports underboltTM 3 interface with max.
resolution of 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 60Hz for
dual displays over a single cable connection
• Supports up to two streams (eight lanes) of
DisplayPort video bandwidth ; supports daisy-
chaining of multiple DisplayPort monitors
Data Rate • Supports 40Gbps bi-directional bandwidth
per channel with underbolt™ 3 port
1. Intel® underbolt™ 3 is backwards compatible with all underbolt™
cables and devices.
2. e illustrations in this guide are for reference only. e motherboard
layout may vary with models.

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13
X299 Designer+
1 Installing the Thunderbolt 3 AIC
1. Power o the PC and unplug the power cord. Detach all other cables from the PC.
2. Remove the PC cover.
3. Align and insert the card into a PCI Express 3.0 slot on the motherboard. Press rmly
until the card is securely seated in place.
4. Connect one end of the TBT Header Cable to the TBT Header (A) on the underbolt
3 AIC. en connect the other end of the cable to the underbolt AIC Connector
(TBT1) (B) on the motherboard.
TBT Header Cable
B
A

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14
5. Connect one end of the DisplayPort Cable to the DisplayPort IN Port (A) on the
underbolt 3 AIC. en connect the other end of the cable to the DisplayPort Port (B)
on your graphics card.
6. Connect one end of the Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort Adapter Cable to the Mini
DisplayPort Port (A) on the underbolt 3 AIC. en connect the other end of the
cable to the DisplayPortPort (B) on the graphics card.
DisplayPort Cable
Mini DisplayPort to
DisplayPort Adapter Cable
or
A
B
A
B

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15
X299 Designer+
7. Replace the PC cover.
8. Reconnect the power cord and any other cables that were disconnected.
en power on the PC.
2 Connecting the Thunderbolt™ Cable
Connect the underboltTM cable from your underbolt-enabled device to the
underboltTM 3 Port on the underbolt 3 AIC.
* e underboltTM cable is not included in the package.
A
B
A
B
or
underbolt™ cable

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16
3 Enabling the Thunderbolt™ Function
Aer hardware installation is completed, enter the BIOS Setup and enable the Intel®
underbolt™ function in BIOS setup.
4 Installing the Thunderbolt Software in Windows
Place the Support CD into your CD-ROM drive and follow the on-screen
instructions to complete the installation.

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17
X299 Designer+
1.4 ASRock U.2 Kit Installation Guide
Specications
Size • 2.36-in x 0.86-in, 5.9 cm x 2.2 cm
Interface • U.2 to M.2 converter
• M.2 (NGFF) PCI Express x4 interface
• Supports data transfer rate up to PCIe Gen3
x4 (32 Gb/s)
Connector • 1 x Mini-SAS HD Connector (Supports PCIe
3.0 x4 SSD)
Step 1
Connect one end of the Mini-SAS HD
Cable (Mini-SAS HD Connector) to
the Mini-SAS HD Connector ( ) on
the ASRock U.2 Kit.
Connect the other end of the Mini-SAS
HD Cable (U.2 Connector) to the U.2
Connector ( ) on your 2.5” SSD.
* e Mini-SAS HD Cable comes with
your SAS SSD package.
Step 2
Align and gently install the ASRock
U.2 Kit into the M.2 Socket on the
motherboard.
*Please be aware that the ASRock U.2
Kit only ts in one orientation.
en tighten the screw to secure it into
place.
A
A
B
B

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18
is 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.
• Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard
components. Failure to do so may cause physical injuries 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