ASROCK X79 Extreme6 User manual

1
ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
English
Copyright Notice:
No part of this installation guide may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or trans-
lated 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 guide may or may not be registered
trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identifica-
tion or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.
Disclaimer:
Specifications and information contained in this guide are furnished for informational use
only and subject to change without notice, and should not be constructed as a commit-
ment by ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions that may
appear in this guide.
With respect to the contents of this guide, ASRock does not provide warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties or condi-
tions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall ASRock, its
directors, officers, employees, or agents be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, or
consequential damages (including damages for loss of profits, loss of business, loss of
data, interruption of business and the like), even if ASRock has been advised of the pos-
sibility of such damages arising from any defect or error in the guide or product.
This 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
The 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
Published December 2011
Copyright©2011 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.

2ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
English
Motherboard Layout (X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6)
1 Power Fan Connector (PWR_FAN1) 26 Reset Switch (RSTBTN1)
2 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slot (DDR3_A1, Black) 27 Power Switch (PWRBTN1)
3 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slot (DDR3_A2, Black) 28 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1, Black)
4 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slot (DDR3_B1, Black) 29 System Panel Header (PANEL1, Black)
5 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slot (DDR3_B2, Black) 30 Power LED Header (PLED1)
6 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1) 31 Dr. Debug
7 2011-Pin CPU Socket 32 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN3)
8 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN2) 33 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
9 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1) 34 USB 2.0 Header (USB_8_9, Black)
10 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slot (DDR3_D2, Black) 35 USB 2.0 Header (USB_6_7, Black)
11 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slot (DDR3_D1, Black) 36 USB 2.0 Header (USB_4_5, Black)
12 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slot (DDR3_C2, Black) 37 Consumer Infrared Module Header (CIR1, Gray)
13 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slot (DDR3_C1, Black) 38 Front Panel IEEE 1394 Header
14 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1) (FRONT_1394, Black)
15 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_A2, Gray) 39 Infrared Module Header (IR1)
16 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_4_5, Black) 40 COM Port Header (COM1)
17 Intel X79 Chipset 41 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1, Black)
18 SB Fan Connector (SB_FAN1) 42 HDMI_SPDIF Header (HDMI_SPDIF1, Black)
19 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_A0_A1, Gray) 43 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE4, Black)
20 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_0_1, Gray) 44 PCI Slot (PCI2, Black)
21 SATA2 Connectors (SATA2_2_3, Black) 45 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3, Black)
22 SATA2 Connectors (SATA2_0_1, Black) 46 PCI Slot (PCI1, Black)
23 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1) 47 PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot (PCIE2, Black)
24 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2) 48 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1, Black)
25 SPI Flash Memory (64Mb) 49 SLI / XFIRE Power Connector
DDR3_A1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_A2 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
ATX12V1
SLI/XFIRE_PWR1
ATXPWR1
PWR_FAN1
CPU_FAN1
CPU_FAN2
CHA_FAN1
CHA_FAN2
Intel
X79
PCIE1
Super
I/O
LAN
PHY
CMOS
Battery
64Mb
BIOS
24.4cm (9.6 in)
30.5cm (12.0 in)
Dr.
Debug
PWRBTN1
RSTBTN1
HDLED RESET
PLED PWRBTN
PANEL1
1
1
SPEAKER1
PLED1
1
SB_FAN1
CLRCMOS1
1
FRONT_1394
1
IR1
1
COM1
1
USB_4_5
1
CIR1
1
USB_8_9
1
USB_6_7
1
Designed in Taipei
4 Channels DDR3
Front USB 3.0
ErP/EuP Ready
3-Way SLI
RoHS
12345678910 11 12 13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
2728
29
3031
32
33
343536
373839
40
41
42
43
44
X Fast USB
2 oz Copper PCB
X Fast LAN
DDR3_B1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
SATA2_0_1 SATA2_2_3 SATA3_0_1
DDR3 2400+
1
USB3_4_5
45
46
47
48
PCI Express 3.0 Ready
49
SATA3_A0_A1
DDR3_B2 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_D2 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_D1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_C2 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_C1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
AUDIO
CODEC
PCIE3
PCIE2
PCIE4
PCI1
PCI2
SATA3_A2
PS2
Mouse
PS2
Keyboard
Clr
CMOS
Coaxial
SPDIF
Optical
SPDIF
USB 3.0
T: US B2
B: USB3
Top:
RJ-45
USB 2.0
T: US B0
B: USB1
USB 2.0 T: US B4 B: USB5
eSATA3
IEEE 1394
Top: SIDE SPK
Center: REAR SPK
Bottom: CTR BASS
Top: LINE IN
Center: FRONT
Bottom: MIC IN
USB 3.0
T: US B0
B: USB1
CHA_FAN3
1
HD_AUDIO1
1
HDMI_SPDIF1

3
ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
English
I/O Panel (X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6)
* There are two LED next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED
indications.
LAN Port LED Indications
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
1 PS/2 Mouse Port (Green) 10 Microphone (Pink)
2 Coaxial SPDIF Out Port 11 IEEE 1394 Port (IEEE 1394)
* 3 LAN RJ-45 Port *** 12 eSATA3 Connector
4 USB 2.0 Ports (USB45) 13 USB 2.0 Ports (USB01)
5 Side Speaker (Gray) 14 USB 3.0 Ports (USB_23)
6 Rear Speaker (Black) 15 USB 3.0 Ports (USB_01)
7 Central / Bass (Orange) 16 Optical SPDIF Out Port
8 Line In (Light Blue) 17 Clear CMOS Switch (CLRCBTN)
** 9 Front Speaker (Lime) 18 PS/2 Keyboard Port (Purple)
ACT/LINK
LED
SPEED
LED
LAN Port
** If you use 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.
TABLE for Audio Output Connection
Audio Output Channels Front Speaker Rear Speaker Central / Bass Side Speaker
(No. 9) (No. 6) (No. 7) (No. 5)
2 V -- -- --
4 V V -- --
6 V V V --
8 V V V V

4ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
English
To enable Multi-Streaming function, you need to connect a front panel audio cable to the front
panel audio header. After restarting your computer, you will find “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 Rear Speaker, Central/Bass, and Front Speaker, or select “Realtek
HDA Audio 2nd output” to use front panel audio.
*** eSATA3 connector supports SATA Gen3 in cable 1M.

5
ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
English
ASRock Game Blaster (X79 Extreme6/GB)
ASRock Game Blaster is packed with the new earthshattering Creative Sound
Core3D quad-core sound and voice processor. It is designed to deliver sound and
voice with unbeatable quality and accurate 3D positional audio. It also boosts gam-
ing performance, enables dual LAN with teaming function, and allows users to
morph their voice into miscellaneous characters which is amusingly funny.
*** HDMI_SPDIF Header
** Front Panel Audio Header
* LAN RJ-45 Port
Coaxial SPDIF Out Port
Optical SPDIF Out Port
4 x 1/8” Mini Jacks
PCIE Gold Fingers
ASRock Game Blaster is a proprietary card instead of a standard PCI-E x1 card.
Thus, it is only supported by some of ASRock’s motherboards. Please refer to
ASRock’s website for the motherboard support list.

6ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
English
* There are two LEDs next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED
indications.
LAN Port LED Indications
Activity/Link LED SPEED LED
Status Description Status Description
Off No Link Off 10Mbps connection
Blinking Data Activity Green 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection
** Front Panel Audio Header
(9-pin F_AUDIO1)
ACT/LINK
LED
SPEED
LED
LAN Port
J_SENSE
OUT2_L
1
MIC_RET
PRESENCE#
GND
OUT2_R
MIC2_R
MIC2_L
OUT_RET
*** HDMI_SPDIF Header
(3-pin HDMI_SPDIF1)
1
DUMMY
SPDIF OUT
GND
**** The onboard audio will be disabled when ASRock Game Blaster is installed, but you can still
enable it in the UEFI setup. If ASRock Game Blaster is installed, THX TruStudioTM function
of the onboard audio Realtek ALC898 is not supported.

7
ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
Specifications
Platform - Size: 4.3-in x 3.0-in, 11.0 cm x 7.5 cm
- Premium Gold Capacitor design (100% Japan-made high-
quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors)
Chipset - Creative Sound Core3D quad-core sound and voice
processor
- Powerful 32-bit 200Mhz QUAD-Processor SIMD DSP
- 102dB 24-bit DAC
- 101dB 24-bit ADC
Output Features - Supports Stereo / 2.1 Speakers / 5.1 Surround / 7.1
Surround-EX / Headphones
- Front Panel Headphone Out with built-in amplifier (shared
with jack 4)
- Coaxial SPDIF Out Port
- Optical SPDIF Out Port
Input Features - Line in / Microphone in shared with 1/8" mini jack (jack 3)
- Front Panel Microphone In
Audio - Supports THX TruStudioTM PRO
- Supports CrystalVoice
- Supports EAX1.0 to EAX5.0
- Supports Full Blu-ray Profile 2.0 Audio Decoder
- Supports Blu-ray Audio
- Supports AES-128 Encryption/Decryption Engine
LAN - Broadcom BCM57781
- PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
- Supports Wake-On-LAN
- Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az
- Supports Dual LAN with Teaming function (for motherboards
with Broadcom LAN)
- Supports PXE
Rear Panel I/O I/O Panel
- 1 x Coaxial SPDIF Out Port
- 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
- 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED
LED)
- 4 x 1/8" mini jacks
Connector - 1 x HDMI_SPDIF header
- 1 x Front panel audio connector
OS - Microsoft®Windows®7 / 7 64-bit / VistaTM / VistaTM 64-bit
compliant
English

8ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 motherboard,
a reliable motherboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality con-
trol. It delivers excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s
commitment 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 specifications and the BIOS software might be
updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without no-
tice. In case any modifications of this manual occur, the updated version
will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You may find
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 specific information about the model you are using.
www.asrock.com/support/index.asp
1.1 Package Contents
ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
(ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Quick Installation Guide
ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Support CD
5 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
1 x I/O Panel Shield
1 x Front USB 3.0 Panel
4 x HDD Screws
6 x Chassis Screws
1 x Rear USB 3.0 Bracket
1 x ASRock SLI_Bridge_2S Card
1 x ASRock 3-Way SLI-2S1S Bridge Card
1 x ASRock Game Blaster (X79 Extreme6/GB)
ASRock Reminds You...
To get better performance in Windows® 7 / 7 64-bit / VistaTM / VistaTM 64-
bit, it is recommended to set the BIOS option in Storage Configuration to
AHCI mode. For the BIOS setup, please refer to the “User Manual” in our
support CD for details.
English

9
ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
English
1.2 Specifications
Platform - ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm
- Premium Gold Capacitor design (100% Japan-made high-
quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors)
CPU - Supports Intel®CoreTM i7 processor family for the LGA 2011
Socket
- Digi Power Design
- 12 + 2 Power Phase Design
- Supports Intel®Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
- Supports Hyper-Threading Technology (see CAUTION 1)
- Supports Untied Overclocking Technology
Chipset - Intel®X79
Memory - Quad Channel DDR3 Memory Technology (see CAUTION 2)
- 8 x DDR3 DIMM slots (see CAUTION 3)
- Supports DDR3 2400+(OC)/2133(OC)/1866(OC)/1600/1333/
1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory
- Supports DDR3 ECC, un-buffered memory with Intel®
Workstation 1S Xeon®processors E5 16xx/26xx/46xx series
in socket LGA 2011
- Max. capacity of system memory: 64GB (see CAUTION 4)
- Supports Intel®Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)1.3/1.2
Expansion Slot - 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (PCIE1 @ x16 mode;
PCIE3 @ x16 mode; PCIE4 @ x8 mode) (see CAUTION 5)
- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot
- 2 x PCI slots
- Supports AMDTM Quad CrossFireXTM, 3-Way CrossFireXTM
and CrossFireXTM
- Supports NVIDIA®Quad SLITM, 3-Way SLITM and SLITM
Audio ASRock Game Blaster Audio
(X79 Extreme6/GB) - Supported by the bundled ASRock Game Blaster
- Creative Sound Core3D quad-core sound and voice
processor
- Supports THX TruStudioTM PRO
- Supports CrystalVoice
- Supports EAX1.0 to EAX5.0
Onboard Audio
- 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection
(Realtek ALC898 Audio Codec)
- Premium Blu-ray audio support
- Supports THX TruStudioTM

10 ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB / X79 Extreme6 Motherboard
English
Audio - 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection
(X79 Extreme6) (Realtek ALC898 Audio Codec)
- Premium Blu-ray audio support
- Supports THX TruStudioTM
LAN - PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
- Broadcom BCM57781
- Supports Wake-On-LAN
- Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az
- Supports Dual LAN with Teaming function with the bundled
ASRock Game Blaster (X79 Extreme6/GB)
- Supports PXE
Rear Panel I/O I/O Panel
- 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port
- 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port
- 1 x Coaxial SPDIF Out Port
- 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
- 4 x Ready-to-Use USB 2.0 Ports
- 1 x eSATA3 Connector
- 4 x Ready-to-Use USB 3.0 Ports
- 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED
LED)
- 1 x IEEE 1394 Port
- 1 x Clear CMOS Switch with LED
- HD Audio Jack: Side Speaker/Rear Speaker/Central/Bass/
Line in/Front Speaker/Microphone (see CAUTION 6)
SATA3 - 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors by Intel®X79, support RAID
(RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 and Intel Rapid
Storage 3.0), NCQ, AHCI and "Hot Plug" functions
- 3 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors by ASMedia ASM1061,
support NCQ, AHCI and “Hot Plug” functions
USB3.0 - 4 x Rear USB 3.0 ports by TI®, support USB 1.0/2.0/3.0 up
to 5Gb/s
- 1 x Front USB 3.0 header (supports 2 USB 3.0 ports) by
ASMedia ASM1042, supports USB 1.0/2.0/3.0 up to 5Gb/s
Connector - 4 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 and Intel Rapid Storage 3.0),
NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug functions
- 5 x SATA3 6.0Gb/s connectors
- 1 x IR header
- 1 x CIR header
- 1 x COM port header
- 1 x HDMI_SPDIF header