ASROCK Z97E-ITX/ac User manual

Version 1.1
Published July 2014
Copyright©2014 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

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.
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.

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Motherboard Layout
Intel
Z97
PCIE1
DDR3_A1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
DDR3_B1 (64 bit, 240-pin module)
64Mb
BIOS
HDL ED RE SET
PLE D PWR BTN
PANE L1
1
1
HD_AUDIO1
CHA_FAN1
CPU_ FAN 1
USB 2.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
DVI1
HDMI
DP_1
CLRCBTN1
USB 3.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
HDMI_IN
Top:
RJ-45
USB 3.0
T: USB3
B: USB4
Top:
CTR BASS
Cente r:
REAR SPK
Botto m:
Optic al
SPDIF
Top:
LINE IN
Cente r:
FRONT
Botto m:
MIC IN
MPCIE1
WiFi-802.11ac
Module
ATXPWR1
RoHS
Z97E-ITX/ac
AUDIO
CODE C
ATX1 2V 1
SATA3 _2
SATA3 _3
CMOS
Batte ry
USB 3_ 5_ 6
1
TPM S1
1
SPEA KER 1
CLR MOS 1
1
USB _5 _6
1
USB _3 _4
1
1
CI1
PS2
Keybo ard
/Mous e
SATA3 _0
SATA3 _1
SATA3 _4_5

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M2

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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 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
5 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
6 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_5_6)
7 TPM Header (TPMS1)
8 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)
9 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
10 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
11 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
12 SATA3 and SATA Express Connectors (SATA3_4_5)
13 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_1)
14 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_3)
15 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_2)
16 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_0)
17 USB 2.0 Header (USB_3_4)
18 USB 2.0 Header (USB_5_6)
19 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)

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I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 USB 2.0 Ports (USB_1_2) 10 Microphone (Pink)
2 Antenna Ports 11 Optical SPDIF Out Port
3 DisplayPort 1.2 12 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_3_4)
4 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_1_2) 13 HDMI-In Port
5 LAN RJ-45 Port* 14 Clear CMOS Switch
6 Central / Bass (Orange) 15 HDMI-Out Port
7 Rear Speaker (Black) 16 DVI-I Port
8 Line In (Light Blue) 17 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
9 Front Speaker (Lime)**
1011121314151617
1 2 3 754
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9
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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. 9)
Rear Speaker
(No. 7)
Central / Bass
(No. 6)
Line In
(No. 8)
2V -- -- --
4V V -- --
6V V V --
8VVVV
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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WiFi-802.11ac Module and ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna
WiFi-802.11ac + 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. 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 867Mbps.
* e transmission speed may vary according to the environment.
* e WiFi + BT module is supported under Windows® 8.1 / 8.1 64-bit / 8 / 8 64-bit /
7 / 7 64-bit only.
ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna
Antenna Ports
WiFi + BT Module

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Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac 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 Z97E-ITX/ac Motherboard (Mini-ITX Form Factor)
• ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Support CD
• 2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
• 1 x I/O Panel Shield
• 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna
• 1 x Screw for M.2_SSD (NGFF) Socket 3
• 1 x Stando for M.2_SSD (NGFF) Socket 3
Because the motherboard specications and the BIOS soware might be updated, the
content of this manual will be subject to change without notice. In case any modica-
tions 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.

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1.2 Specications
Platform • Mini-ITX Form Factor
• High Density Glass Fabric PCB
CPU • Supports 5th Generation Intel® CoreTM i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/
Celeron® Processors (Socket 1150)
• Supports New 4th and 4th Generation Intel® Xeon®/CoreTM i7/
i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors (Socket 1150)
• Digi Power design
• 6 Power Phase design
• Supports Intel® Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
• Supports Intel® K-Series unlocked CPUs
• Supports ASRock BCLK Full-range Overclocking
Chipset • Intel® Z97
Memory • Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology
• 2 x DDR3 DIMM Slots
• Supports DDR3 3200+(OC)/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
• 15 Gold Contact in DIMM Slots
Expansion
Slot
• 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1: x16 mode)
• 1 x mini-PCI Express Slot: For WiFi + BT Module
• 15Gold Finger in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)
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
• ree graphics output options: DVI-I, HDMI and DisplayPort
1.2

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• Supports Triple Monitor
• Supports HDMI with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K
(4096x2160) @ 24Hz
• Supports DVI-I with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz
• Supports DisplayPort 1.2 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K
(4096x2160) @ 24Hz or 4K x 2K (3840x2160) @ 60Hz
• Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and
HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI Port (Compliant
HDMI monitor is required)
• Supports HDCP with DVI-I, HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2
Ports
• Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with DVI-I,
HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports
Audio • 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150
Audio Codec)
• Premium Blu-ray Audio support
• Supports Surge Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)
• Nichicon Fine Gold Series Audio Caps
• TI® NE5532 Premium Headset Amplier (Supports up to 600
Ohm headsets)
• Supports DTS Connect
LAN • Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
• Giga PHY Intel® I218V
• Supports Intel® Remote Wake Technology
• Supports Wake-On-LAN
• Supports Lightning/ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection)
• 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

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• Supports Bluetooth 4.0 / 3.0 + High speed class II
Rear Panel
I/O
• 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
• 1 x DVI-I Port
• 1 x HDMI-Out Port
• 1 x HDMI-In Port
• 1 x DisplayPort 1.2
• 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full
Spike Protection))
• 4 x USB 3.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full
Spike 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 • 6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage Technology
13 and Intel Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and
Hot Plug
• 1 x SATA Express Connector (shared with SATA3_4,
SATA3_5 and M.2_SSD (NGFF) Socket 3)
* Support to be announced
• 1 x M.2_SSD (NGFF) Socket 3, supports M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s
module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen2 x2 (10 Gb/s)
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 (Hi-Density 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))

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BIOS
Feature
• 64Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support
• ACPI 1.1 Compliant wake up events
• SMBIOS 2.3.1 support
• CPU, DRAM, PCH 1.05V, PCH 1.5V Voltage multi-adjust-
ment
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
• CASE OPEN detection
• Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore
OS • Microso® Windows® 8.1 32-bit / 8.1 64-bit / 8 32-bit / 8 64-
bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit
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
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.
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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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
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 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

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2.3 Installing Memory Modules (DIMM)
is motherboard provides two 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM slots,
and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology.
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.
1. For dual channel conguration, you always need to install identical (the same
brand, speed, size and chip-type) DDR3 DIMM pairs.
2. It is unable to activate Dual Channel Memory Technology with only one memory
module installed.
3. It is not allowed to install a DDR or DDR2 memory module into a DDR3 slot;
otherwise, this motherboard and DIMM may be damaged.

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1
2
3