ASROCK Z87E-ITX User manual

Version 1.0
Published April 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 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.
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

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.

Z87E-ITX
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Motherboard Layout
Intel
Z87
PCIE1
DDR3_A1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_B1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
64Mb
BIOS
HDL ED R ESE T
PLED PWRBTN
PANEL1
1
1
HD_AUDIO1
CHA_FAN1
CPU_FAN1
USB 2.0
T: USBA0
B: USBA1
DVI1
HDMI
DP_1
Clr
CMOS
USB 3.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
eSATA5
Top:
RJ-45
USB 3.0
T: USB3
B: USB4
Top:
CTR BASS
Center:
REAR SPK
Bottom:
Optical
SPDIF
Top:
LINE IN
Center:
FRONT
Bottom:
MIC IN
MINI_PCIE1
WiFi-802.11n
Module
34
ATXPWR1
5
22
RoHS
Z87E-ITX
AUDIO
CODEC
ATX12V1
SATA3_5
SATA3_4
SATA3_3
SATA3_2
SATA3_1
SATA3_0
1 2
CMOS
Battery
USB3_5_6
1
TPMS1
1
SPEAKER1
CLRCMOS1
1
USB_2_3
1
USB_4_5
1
6
8
9
12
7
16 15
17
13
14
20
21 18
19
10
1
CI1
11
PS2
Keyboard
/Mouse

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mSATA/mini-PCIe
23

Z87E-ITX
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No. Description
1 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
2 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
3 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots (DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1)
4 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
5 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
6 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_5) (shared with eSATA)
7 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_5_6)
8 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_4) (shared with mSATA)
9 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_3)
10 TPM Header (TPMS1)
11 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)
12 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
13 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
14 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
15 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_1)
16 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_0)
17 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_2)
18 mini-PCI Express Slot (MINI_PCIE1)
19 WiFi-802.11n Module
20 USB 2.0 Header (USB_4_5)
21 USB 2.0 Header (USB_2_3)
22 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)
23 mSATA Connector (MINI_PCIE2)

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I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 USB 2.0 Ports (USB01) 9 Microphone (Pink)
2Display Port 10 Optical SPDIF Out Port
3eSATA Connector*** 11 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_34)
4 LAN RJ-45 Port 12 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_12)
5 Central / Bass (Orange) 13 Clear CMOS Switch
6 Rear Speaker (Black) 14 HDMI Port
7 Line In (Light Blue) 15 DVI-I Port
8 Front Speaker (Lime)** 16 PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Port
910111213141516
1 2 643
5
8
7

Z87E-ITX
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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. 8)
Rear Speaker
(No. 6)
Central / Bass
(No. 5)
Line In
(No. 7)
2V -- -- --
4V V -- --
6V V V --
8V V V V
*** e eSATA connector is shared with SATA3_5 connector.
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. 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.

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Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock Z87E-ITX 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.
In this manual, Chapter 1 and 2 contains the introduction of the motherboard
and step-by-step installation guides. Chapter 3 contains the operation guide of the
soware and utilities. Chapter 4 contains the conguration guide of the BIOS setup.
1.1 Package Contents
• ASRock Z87E-ITX Motherboard (Mini-ITX Form Factor)
• ASRock Z87E-ITX Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock Z87E-ITX Support CD
• 4 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
• 1 x I/O Panel Shield
• 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5GHz Antenna
• 1 x DVI-to-D-Sub Converter
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 manual 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.

Z87E-ITX
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1.2 Specications
Platform • Mini-ITX Form Factor
• Premium Gold Capacitor design (100% Japan-made high-
quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors)
A-Style • Home Cloud
• WiFi 802.11ac
CPU • Supports 4th Generation Intel® CoreTM i7 / i5 / i3 / Xeon® /
Pentium® / Celeron® in LGA1150 Package
• Digi Power Design
• 6 Power Phase Design
• DrMOS
• Supports Intel®Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
• Supports Intel®K-Series unlocked CPU
• Supports ASRock BCLK Full-range Overclocking
Chipset • Intel®Z87
Memory • Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology
• 2 x DDR3 DIMM slots
• Supports DDR3 2933+(OC)/2800(OC)/2400(OC)/2133(OC)/
1866(OC)/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
• 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot
• 1 x half mini-PCI Express slot: For WiFi + BT module
• 1 x mSATA/full mini-PCI Express slot
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 4400/4600
• Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 11.1
• Max. shared memory 1792MB

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• ree VGA Output options: DVI-I, HDMI and DisplayPort
• Supports Triple Monitors
• Supports HDMI Technology with max. resolution up to 4K ×
2K (4096x2304) @ 24Hz
• Supports DVI-I with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz
• Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution up to 3840x2160 @
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-I, HDMI and DisplayPort
ports
• Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) / HD-DVD playback
with DVI-I, HDMI and DisplayPort ports
Audio • 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150
Audio Codec)
• Premium Blu-ray audio support
• TI® NE5532 Premium Headset Amplier (supports up to 600
Ohms headsets)
• Supports DTS Connect
LAN • Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
• Giga PHY Intel® I217V
• Supports Intel® Remote Wake Technology
• Supports Wake-On-LAN
• Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az
• Supports PXE
Wireless
LAN
• Supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
• Supports Dual-Band (2.4/5 GHz)
• Supports High speed wireless connection up to 867Mbps
• 2 antennas to support 2 (Transmit) x 2 (Receive) diversity
technology
• Supports Bluetooth 4.0 / 3.0 + High speed class II

Z87E-ITX
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Rear Panel
I/O
• 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
• 1 x DVI-I Port
• 1 x HDMI Port
• 1 x DisplayPort
• 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• 1 x eSATA Connector
• 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
• 4 x USB 3.0 Ports
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED
LED)
• 1 x Clear CMOS Switch
• HD Audio Jack: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front
Speaker / Microphone
Storage • 6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage Technology
12 and Intel Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and
“Hot Plug” (SATA3_5 connector is shared with the eSATA
port; SATA3_4 connector is shared with the mSATA/mini-
PCI Express slot)
• 1 x eSATA connector, supports NCQ, AHCI and “Hot Plug”
functions
• 1 x mSATA 6.0 Gb/s connector (Solid-State Drive
connector), supports NCQ, AHCI functions and Full-size
mini-PCI Express modules
Connector • 1 x Chassis Intrusion header
• 1 x TPM header
• 1 x CPU Fan connector (4-pin)
• 1 x Chassis Fan connector (4-pin)
• 1 x 24 pin ATX power connector
• 1 x 8 pin 12V power connector (High Density Power
Connector)
• 1 x Front panel audio connector
• 2 x USB 2.0 headers (support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
• 1 x USB 3.0 header (supports 2 USB 3.0 ports)

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BIOS
Feature
• 64Mb 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, MeshCentral, Splashtop Streamer, Intel®
• Extreme Tuning Utility (IXTU)
Hardware
Monitor
• CPU/Chassis Temperature Sensing
• CPU/Chassis Tachometer
• CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan (Allow Chassis Fan Speed Auto-
Adjust by CPU Temperature)
• CPU/Chassis Fan Multi-Speed Control
• 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)
* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com

Z87E-ITX
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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.
Due to limitation, the actual memory size may be less than 4GB for the reservation for sys-
tem usage under Windows® 32-bit operating systems. Windows® 64-bit operating 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.

Z87E-ITX
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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 UEFI 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.
ASRock Easy RAID Installer
ASRock Easy RAID Installer can help you to copy the RAID driver from the
support CD to your USB storage device. Aer 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.

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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.
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 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 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!
ASRock Home Cloud
is motherboard supports remote wake with the onboard Intel 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.

Z87E-ITX
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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.

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1.4 WiFi-802.11n Module and ASRock WiFi 2.4GHz Antenna
WiFi + BT Module
is motherboard comes with an exclusive WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + BT v4.0
module that oers support for WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac connectivity standards and
Bluetooth v4.0. WiFi + BT module is an easy-to-use wireless local area network
(WLAN) adapter to support WiFi + BT. Bluetooth v4.0 standard features Smart
Ready technology that adds a whole new class of functionality into the mobile
devices including Apple’s most recent iPhone 4S. BT 4.0 also includes Low Energy
Technology and ensures extraordinary low power consumption for PCs. e
2T2R WiFi solution sets a WiFi high speed standard and oers max link rate up to
866Mbps.
* e transmission speed may vary according to the environment.
* e WiFi + BT module is supported under Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit only.
WiFi + BT Module
Antenna Ports
ASRock WiFi 2.4GHz Antenna

Z87E-ITX
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is is a Mini-ITX 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