ASROCK Z170A-X1/3.1 User manual

Version 1.0
Published October 2015
Copyright©2015 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

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Z170A-X1/3.1
Motherboard Layout
Intel
Z170
DDR4_A2 (64 bit, 288-pin module)
DDR4_A1 (64 bit, 288-pin module)
DDR4_B2 (64 bit, 288-pin module)
DDR4_B1 (64 bit, 288-pin module)
ATX12V1
ATXPWR1
PCIE2
Top:
RJ-45
USB 3.0
T: USB0
B: USB1
PCIE4
HDLED RESET
PLED PWRBTN
PANEL1
1
USB4_5
1
1
SPK_PLED1
1
HD_AUDIO1
PCIE1
CPU_FAN1
RoHS
5
7
8
9
10
11
12
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
124
3
Z170A-X1/3.1
CMOS
Battery
CLRMOS1
1
PCIE3
USB3_4_5
1
CHA_FAN1
CHA_FAN2
SATA3_2SATA3_4 SATA3_0
SATA3_3SATA3_5 SATA3_1
USB2_3
1
1
TPMS1
PCIE5
USB 3.1
T: USB31_TA_1
B: USB31_TC_1
Front USB 3.0
PCI Express 3.0
BIOS
USB 3.0
T: USB0
B: USB1
USB 3.0
T: USB2
B: USB3
DVI1
Top:
LINE I N
Center:
FRONT
Bottom:
MIC IN
PS2
Keyboard
PS2
Mouse
6
LAN
AUDIO
CODEC

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No. Description
1 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
2 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
3 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_A1, DDR4_B1)
4 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_A2, DDR4_B2)
5 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
6 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_4_5)
7 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
8 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRMOS1)
9 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_2)
10 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2)
11 Power LED and Speaker Header (SPK_PLED1)
12 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_0)
13 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
14 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_1)
15 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_3)
16 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_5)
17 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_4)
18 USB 2.0 Header (USB2_3)
19 USB 2.0 Header (USB4_5)
20 TPM Header (TPMS1)
21 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)

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Z170A-X1/3.1
I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 PS/2 Mouse Port 7 USB 3.1 Type-C Port (USB31_TC_1)
2 LAN RJ-45 Port* 8 USB 3.0 Ports (USB_01)
3 Line In (Light Blue) 9 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_23)
4 Front Speaker (Lime)** 10 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_01)
5Microphone (Pink) 11 DVI-D Port
6 USB 3.1 Type-A Port (USB31_TA_1) 12 PS/2 Keyboard Port
* ere are two LEDs on the 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
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port
1
12 6
7
891011
2
5
4
3

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Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 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 Z170A-X1/3.1 Motherboard (ATX Form Factor)
• ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 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 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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Z170A-X1/3.1
1.2 Specications
Platform • ATX Form Factor
• Solid Capacitor design
CPU • Supports 6th Generation Intel® CoreTM i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/
Celeron® Processors (Socket 1151)
• 5 Power Phase design
• Supports Intel® Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
• Supports Intel® K-Series unlocked CPUs
• Supports ASRock BCLK Full-range Overclocking
Chipset • Intel®Z170
Memory • Dual Channel DDR4 Memory Technology
• 4 x DDR4 DIMM Slots
• Supports DDR4 3466+(OC)*/3200(OC)/2933(OC)/2800(OC)
/2400(OC)/2133 non-ECC, un-buered memory
• Supports ECC UDIMM memory modules (operate in non-
ECC mode)
* 3466+(OC) memory frequency can only be achieved when a
single memory module is installed (Single channel memory).
* Please refer to Memory Support List on ASRock's website for
more information. (http://www.asrock.com/)
• Max. capacity of system memory: 64GB
• Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Prole (XMP) 2.0
• 15μ Gold Contact in DIMM Slots
Expansion
Slot
• 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2: x16 mode; PCIE4: x4
mode)*
* Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
• 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x1 Slots (Flexible PCIe)
• 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 510/530

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• Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 12
• Supports DVI-D with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz
• Supports Accelerated Media Codecs: HEVC, VP8, VP9
• Supports HDCP with DVI-D Port
• Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with DVI-D
Port
Audio • 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892
Audio Codec)
* To congure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it is required to use an HD
front panel audio module and enable the multi-channel audio
feature through the audio driver.
• Premium Blu-ray Audio support
• Supports Surge Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)
• ELNA Audio Caps
LAN • Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
• Giga PHY Intel® I219V
• Supports Wake-On-LAN
• Supports Lightning/ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection)
• Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az
• Supports PXE
Rear Panel
I/O
• 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port
• 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port
• 1 x DVI-D Port
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM1142)
(Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM1142)
(Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 6 x USB 3.0 Ports (Intel® Z170) (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

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Z170A-X1/3.1
Storage • 6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage Technology
14 and Intel Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and
Hot Plug
Connector • 1 x TPM Header
• 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
• 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 2 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Con-
trol)
• 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
• 1 x 8 pin 12V 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 Protection))
• 1 x USB 3.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports
ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
BIOS
Feature
• AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support
• ACPI 5.0 Compliant wake up events
• SMBIOS 2.7 Support
• CPU, GT_CPU, DRAM, VPPM, PCH 1.0V, VCCIO, VCCSA
Voltage Multi-adjustment
Hardware
Monitor
• CPU/Chassis temperature sensing
• CPU/Chassis Fan Tachometer
• CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by
CPU temperature)
• CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control
• Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore
OS • Microso® Windows® 10 64-bit / 8.1 64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-
bit
* To install Windows® 7 OS, a modied installation disk with
xHCI drivers packed into the ISO le is required. Please refer to
page 137 for more detailed instructions.
* For the updated Windows® 10 driver, please visit ASRock’s
website for details: http://www.asrock.com

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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 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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Z170A-X1/3.1
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

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2.1 Installing the CPU
1. Before you insert the 1151-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.
1
2
A
B

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Z170A-X1/3.1
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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Z170A-X1/3.1
2.2 Installing the CPU Fan and Heatsink
1 2
CPU_FAN

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2.3 Installing Memory Modules (DIMM)
is motherboard provides four 288-pin DDR4 (Double Data Rate 4) DIMM slots,
and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology.
Dual Channel Memory Conguration
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.
Priority DDR4_A1 DDR4_A2 DDR4_B1 DDR4_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) DDR4 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, DDR2 or DDR3 memory module into a DDR4 slot;
otherwise, this motherboard and DIMM may be damaged.

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Z170A-X1/3.1
1
2
3

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2.4 Expansion Slots (PCI Express Slots)
ere are 5 PCI Express slots on the motherboard.
PCIe slots:
PCIE1 (PCIe 3.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express x1 lane width cards.
PCIE2 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width graphics cards.
PCIE3 (PCIe 3.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express x1 lane width cards.
PCIE4 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x4 lane width graphics cards.
PCIE5 (PCIe 3.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express x1 lane width cards.
PCIe Slot Congurations
For a better thermal environment, please connect a chassis fan to the motherboard’s chassis
fan connector (CHA_FAN1 or CHA_FAN2) when using multiple graphics cards.
Before installing an expansion card, please make sure that the power supply is switched o
or the power cord is unplugged. Please read the documentation of the expansion card and
make necessary hardware settings for the card before you start the installation.
PCIE2 PCIE4
Single Graphics Card x16 N/A
Two Graphics Cards in
CrossFireXTM Mode x16 x4

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Z170A-X1/3.1
2.5 Jumpers Setup
e illustration shows how jumpers are setup. When the jumper cap is placed on
the pins, the jumper is “Short”. If no jumper cap is placed on the pins, the jumper
is “Open”. e illustration shows a 3-pin jumper whose pin1 and pin2 are “Short”
when a jumper cap is placed on these 2 pins.
Clear CMOS Jumper
(CLRMOS1)
(see p.1, No. 8)
CLRMOS1 allows you to clear the data in CMOS. To clear and reset the system
parameters to default setup, please turn o the computer and unplug the power
cord from the power supply. Aer waiting for 15 seconds, use a jumper cap to
short pin2 and pin3 on CLRMOS1 for 5 seconds. However, please do not clear the
CMOS right aer you update the BIOS. If you need to clear the CMOS when you
just nish updating the BIOS, you must boot up the system rst, and then shut it
down before you do the clear-CMOS action. Please be noted that the password,
date, time, and user default prole will be cleared only if the CMOS battery is
removed.
Clear CMOSDefault

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2.6 Onboard Headers and Connectors
System Panel Header
(9-pin PANEL1)
(see p.1, No. 13)
Connect the power
switch, reset switch and
system status indicator on
the chassis to this header
according to the pin
assignments below. Note
the positive and negative
pins before connecting
the cables.
GND
RESET#
PWRBTN#
PLED-
PLED+
GND
HDLED-
HDLED+
1
GND
PWRBTN (Power Switch):
Connect to the power switch on the chassis front panel. You may congure the way to turn
o your system using the power switch.
RESET (Reset Switch):
Connect to the reset switch on the chassis front panel. Press the reset switch to restart the
computer if the computer freezes and fails to perform a normal restart.
PLED (System Power LED):
Connect to the power status indicator on the chassis front panel. e LED is on when the
system is operating. e LED keeps blinking when the system is in S1/S3 sleep state. e
LED is o when the system is in S4 sleep state or powered o (S5).
HDLED (Hard Drive Activity LED):
Connect to the hard drive activity LED on the chassis front panel. e LED is on when the
hard drive is reading or writing data.
e front panel design may dier by chassis. A front panel module mainly consists of power
switch, reset switch, power LED, hard drive activity LED, speaker and etc. When connect-
ing your chassis front panel module to this header, make sure the wire assignments and the
pin assignments are matched correctly.
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 to the motherboard.

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Z170A-X1/3.1
Power LED and Speaker
Header
(7-pin SPK_PLED1)
(see p.1, No. 11)
Please connect the
chassis power LED and
the chassis speaker to this
header.
Serial ATA3 Connectors
(SATA3_0:
see p.1, No. 12)
(SATA3_1:
see p.1, No. 14)
(SATA3_2:
see p.1, No. 9)
(SATA3_3:
see p.1, No. 15)
(SATA3_4:
see p.1, No. 17)
(SATA3_5:
see p.1, No. 16)
ese six SATA3
connectors support SATA
data cables for internal
storage devices with up
to 6.0 Gb/s data transfer
rate. To minimize the
boot time, use Intel® Z170
SATA ports (SATA3_0)
for your bootable devices.
USB 2.0 Headers
(9-pin USB2_3)
(see p.1, No. 18)
(9-pin USB4_5)
(see p.1, No. 19)
ere are two headers
on this motherboard.
Each USB 2.0 header can
support two ports.
USB 3.0 Header
(19-pin USB3_4_5)
(see p.1, No. 6)
Besides six USB 3.0 ports
on the I/O panel, there
is one header on this
motherboard. Each USB
3.0 header can support
two ports.
1
+5V
DUMMY
PLED+
PLED+
PLED-
DUMMY
SPEAKER
SATA3_2SATA3_4 SATA3_0
SATA3_3SATA3_5 SATA3_1
DUMMY
GND
GND
P+
P-
USB_PWR
P+
P-
USB_PWR
1
1
ID
IntA_P_D+
IntA_P_D-
GND
IntA_P_SSTX+
IntA_P_SSTX-
GND
IntA_P_SSRX+
Vbus
IntA_P_D+
IntA_P_D-
GND
IntA_P_SSTX+
IntA_P_SSTX-
GND
IntA_P_SSRX+
IntA_P_SSRX-
Vbus
IntA_P_SSRX-