Asus M5A78L-M PLUS/ USB3 User manual

Motherboard
M5A78L-M PLUS/
USB3

ii
E11584
First Edition
April 2016
Copyright © 2016 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any
means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written
permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless
such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the
product is defaced or missing.
ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
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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 USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),
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DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
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This product contains copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License (“GPL”),
under the Lesser General Public License Version (“LGPL”) and/or other Free Open Source Software
Licenses. Such software in this product is distributed without any warranty to the extent permitted by the
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Where the applicable license entitles you to the source code of such software and/or other additional data,
you may obtain it for a period of three years after our last shipment of the product, either
(1) for free by downloading it from http://support.asus.com/download
or
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In your request please provide the name, model number and version, as stated in the About Box of the
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The source code will be distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY and licensed under the same license as
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archives, etc. to this email address).

iii
Contents
Safety information ...................................................................................... iv
About this guide ......................................................................................... iv
Package contents ....................................................................................... vi
M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 specications summary..................................... vi
Chapter 1 Product introduction
Motherboard overview ............................................................................. 1-1
Central Processing Unit (CPU)................................................................ 1-7
System memory........................................................................................ 1-8
Chapter 2 BIOS information
BIOS setup program................................................................................. 2-1
BIOS menu screen.................................................................................... 2-2
Exit menu................................................................................................... 2-4
Appendix
Notices.......................................................................................................A-1
ASUS contact information .......................................................................A-5

iv
Safety information
Electrical safety
• To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet
before relocating the system.
• When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables
for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible,
disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
• Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all
power cables are unplugged.
• Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices
could interrupt the grounding circuit.
• Ensure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not
sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power
company.
• If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
Operation safety
• Before installing the motherboard and adding components, carefully read all the manuals
that came with the package.
• Before using the product, ensure all cables are correctly connected and the power
cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.
• To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors,
slots, sockets and circuitry.
• Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area
where it may be exposed to moisture.
• Place the product on a stable surface.
• If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring the
motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This guide contains the following parts:
• Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it
supports. It includes descriptions of the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the
motherboard.
• Chapter 2: BIOS information
This chapter discusses changing system settings through the BIOS Setup menus.
Detailed descriptions for the BIOS parameters are also provided.

v
Where to nd more information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software
updates.
1. ASUS websites
The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software
products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.
2. Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty yers,
that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the
standard package.
Conventions used in this guide
To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used
throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when
completing a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when
completing a task
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.
Typography
Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select.
Italics Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.
<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign
means that you must press the enclosed key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or
Return key.
<Key1> + <Key2> + <Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key
names are linked with a plus sign (+).

vi
M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 specications summary
(continued on the next page)
Package contents
Check your motherboard package for the following items.
Motherboard ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 motherboard
Cables 2 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s cables
Accessories 1 x I/O Shield
Application DVD 1 x Support DVD
Documentation 1 x User Manual
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
CPU
AMD® Socket AM3+ for AMD®FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II / Sempron™ 100
series processors
AMD®Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology
Supports CPU up to 125W
* Refer to www.asus.com for AMD®CPU support list.
Chipset AMD®760G(780L) / SB710
Memory
Dual-channel memory architecture
4 x DIMM slots support maximum 32GB unbuffered ECC and non-ECC DDR3 2000(O.
C.)/1866(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz memory modules
* Due to OS limitation, when installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more, Windows®
32-bit operation system may only recognize less than 3GB. Hence, a total installed memory
of less than 3GB is recommended.
** AMD®FX™ Series CPU on this motherboard supports up to DDR3 1866MHz as its
standard memory frequency.
*** AMD®AM3 100 and 200 series CPU support up to DDR3 1066MHz.
****Refer to www.asus.com or the user manual for the latest Memory QVL (Qualied Vendors
List).
Graphics
Integrated ATI Radeon 3000
- Supports HDMI™ Technology with maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200 (1080P)
@60Hz
- Supports DVI-D with HDCP compliant with maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600
@60Hz
- Supports RGB with maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440 @75Hz
Maximum shared memory of 1GB
Hybrid CrossFireX™ Support
*Refer to www.amd.com for the Hybrid CrossFireX™selected GPUs.
Expansion
slots
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot
1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slot
1 x PCI slot
LAN Realtek®8111H Gigabit LAN Controller
Storage 6x Serial ATA 3Gb/s connectors support RAID 0, RAID 1,RAID 10 and JBOD

vii
M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 specications summary
(continued on the next page)
Audio
Realtek®ALC 887 Audio CODEC
- Audio Shielding: Ensures precision analog/digital separation and greatly reduces
multi-lateral interference
- Dedicated audio PCB layers: Separate layers for left and right channels to guard
the quality of the sensitive audio signals
- Premium Japanese-made audio capacitors: Provide warm, natural and
immersive sound with exceptional clarity and delity
USB - 4 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 ports (2 ports at mid-board; 2 ports at the rear panel)
- 8 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports (4 ports at mid-board; 4 ports at the rear panel)
ASUS unique
features
- ASUS MyLogo 2
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS FAN Xpert
- ASUS Anti-Surge
- ASUS EPU
- ASUS AI charger
- Turbo Key
Rear panel
I/O ports
1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse combo port
1 x HDMI port
1 x DVI-D port
1 x D-Sub port
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
3 x Audio jacks support 8-channel audio output
Internal
connectors
2 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 connectors support additional 4 USB 2.0/ 1.1 ports
1 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 connector supports additional 2 USB 3.0/ 2.0 ports
6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s connectors
1 x Front panel audio connector (AAFP)
1 x Printer connector
1 x COM connector
1 x S/PDIF Out connector
1 x System panel connector
1 x 4-pin CPU fan connector
1 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connector
1 x 24-pin EATX power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x Clear CMOS header
1 x Speaker connector
BIOS
features 16 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI v2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS V2.5, ACPI V2.0a

viii
M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 specications summary
Support DVD
Drivers
ASUS utilities
EZ Update
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
OS support Windows®XP (32-bit / 64-bit),
Windows®7 (32-bit / 64-bit)
Form factor uATX form factor: 9.0 in. x 9.6 in. (22.9 cm x 24.4 cm)
Specications are subject to change without notice.

ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 1-1
Product introduction
1
Motherboard overview
• Unplugthepowercordfromthewallsocketbeforetouchinganycomponent.
• Beforehandlingcomponents,useagroundedwriststraportouchasafelygrounded
objectorametalobject,suchasthepowersupplycase,toavoiddamagingthemdue
tostaticelectricity.
• Beforeyouinstallorremoveanycomponent,ensurethattheATXpowersupplyis
switchedofforthepowercordisdetachedfromthepowersupply.Failuretodoso
maycauseseveredamagetothemotherboard,peripherals,orcomponents.
• Unplugthepowercordbeforeinstallingorremovingthemotherboard.Failuretodoso
cancauseyouphysicalinjuryanddamagetomotherboardcomponents.
Place this
side towards
the rear of the
chassis
ScantheQRcodetogetthedetailedpindenitions.
M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3
PCIEX16
PCIEX1_1
PCI1
AAFP F_PANEL
USB3_E34
ATX12V
EATXPWR
CPU_FAN
Super
I/O
ALC
887-VD
Realtek
8111H
ICS
483B
KBMS_USB34
HDMI
CLRTC
SPEAKER
22.9cm(9.0in)
24.4cm(9.6in)
AMD®
760G
AMD®
SB710
DDR3 DIMM_B1 (64bit, 240-pin module)
SOCKET AM3+
DDR3 DIMM_B2 (64bit, 240-pin module) DDR3 DIMM_A1 (64bit, 240-pin module) DDR3 DIMM_A2 (64bit, 240-pin module)
SATA3G_4 SATA3G_5 SATA3G_6
SATA3G_1 SATA3G_2 SATA3G_3
AUDIO
LAN_USB12
USB3_E12
CHA_FAN
SPDIF_OUT
LPT
DVI VGA
16Mb
BIOS
BATTERY
ASM
1042A
ASM
1042A
ASM
1445
EPU
USB56COM USB78
1 2 4
10 69 8 71114
15
13 12
3
1
5
16
17

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction
ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V)
CorrectlyorienttheATXpowersupplyplugsintotheseconnectorsandpushdown
rmlyuntiltheconnectorscompletelyt.
• Forafullyconguredsystem,werecommendthatyouuseapowersupplyunit
(PSU)thatcomplieswithATX12VSpecication2.0(orlaterversion)andprovides
aminimumpowerof300W.
• Ifyouareuncertainabouttheminimumpowersupplyrequirementforyoursystem,
refertotheRecommendedPowerSupplyWattageCalculatorathttp://support.
asus.com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PSCalculator.aspx?SLanguage=en-usfor
details.
CPU and chassis fan connectors (4-pin CPU_FAN, 4-pin CHA_FAN)
Connectthefancablestothefanconnectorsonthemotherboard,ensuringthatthe
blackwireofeachcablematchesthegroundpinoftheconnector.
Donotforgettoconnectthefancablestothefanconnectors.Insufcientairowinside
thesystemmaydamagethemotherboardcomponents.Thesearenotjumpers!Donot
placejumpercapsonthefanconnectors!TheCPU_FANconnectorsupportsaCPUfan
ofmaximum2A(24W)fanpower.
Onlythe4-pinCPUfansupportstheASUSFanXpertfeature.
AMD®AM3+ CPU socket
InstallAMD®CPUintothissurfacemountAM3+socket,whichisdesignedforAMD®FX™
Series/Phenom™II/Athlon™II/Sempron™100Series.
Formoredetails,refertoCentral Processing Unit (CPU).
DDR3 DIMM slots
Install1GB,2GB,4GB,and8GB,unbufferedECCandnon-ECCDDR3DIMMs
intotheseDIMMsockets.
Formoredetails,refertoSystem memory.
Clear RTC RAM (2-pin CLRTC)
ThisheaderallowsyoutocleartheCMOSRTCRAMdataofthesystemsetup
informationsuchasdate,time,andsystempasswords.
To erase the RTC RAM:
1. TurnOFFthecomputerandunplugthepowercord.
2. Useametalobjectsuchasascrewdrivertoshortthetwopins.
3. PlugthepowercordandturnONthecomputer.
4. Holddownthe<Del>keyduringthebootprocessandenter
BIOSsetuptore-enterdata.
CLRTC
+3V_BAT GND
PIN 1

ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 1-3
Ifthestepsabovedonothelp,removetheonboardbatteryandshortthetwopinsagain
tocleartheCMOSRTCRAMdata.AfterclearingtheCMOS,reinstallthebattery.
Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA3G_1~6)
TheseconnectorsconnecttoSerialATA3.0Gb/sharddiskdrivesviaSerialATA
3.0Gb/ssignalcables.IfyouinstallSerialATAharddiskdrives,youcancreatea
RAID0,RAID1,RAID10andJBODcongurationthroughtheonboardcontroller
• TheseconnectorsaresettoIDEmodebydefault.IfyouintendtocreateaSerial
ATARAIDsetusingtheseconnectors,setthetypeoftheSATAconnectorsinthe
BIOSto[RAID].
• YoumustinstallWindows®XPServicePack3orlaterversionbeforeusingSerial
ATAharddiskdrives.TheSerialATARAIDfeatureisavailableonlyifyouare
usingWindows®XPSP3orlaterversion.
• Whenusinghot-plugandNCQ,setthetypeoftheSATAconnectorsintheBIOSto
[AHCI].
Speaker connector (4-pin SPEAKER)
This4-pinconnectorisforthechassis-mountedsystemwarningspeaker.The
speakerallowsyoutohearsystembeepsandwarnings.
System panel connector (10-1 pin F_PANEL)
Thisconnectorsupportsseveralchassis-mountedfunctions.
USB 3.0 connector (20-1 pin USB3_E34)
ConnectaUSB3.0moduletothisconnectorforadditionalUSB3.0frontorrear
panelports.ThisconnectorcomplieswithUSB3.0specicationsandprovides
fasterdatatransferspeedsofupto5Gbps,fasterchargingtimeforUSB-
chargeabledevices,optimizedpowerefciency,andbackwardcompatibilitywith
USB2.0.
USB 2.0 connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB78)
ConnecttheUSBmodulecabletoanyoftheseconnectors,theninstallthemodule
toaslotopeningatthebackofthesystemchassis.TheseUSBconnectorscomply
withUSB2.0specicationsandsupportupto480Mbpsconnectionspeed.
Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM)
Thisconnectorisforaserial(COM)port.Connecttheserialportmodulecableto
thisconnector,theninstallthemoduletoaslotopeningatthebackofthesystem
chassis.
LPT connector (26-1 pin LPT)
TheLPT(LinePrintingTerminal)connectorsupportsdevicessuchasaprinter.
LPTstandardizesasIEEE1284,whichistheparallelportinterfaceonIBMPC-
compatiblecomputers.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction
Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT)
ThisconnectorisforanadditionalSony/PhilipsDigitalInterface(S/PDIF)port.
ConnecttheS/PDIFOutmodulecabletothisconnector,theninstallthemoduleto
aslotopeningatthebackofthesystemchassis.
Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)
Thisconnectorisforachassis-mountedfrontpanelaudioI/Omodulethatsupports
eitherHDAudioorlegacyAC`97audiostandard.Connectoneendofthefront
panelaudioI/Omodulecabletothisconnector.
• Werecommendthatyouconnectahigh-denitionfrontpanelaudiomoduletothis
connectortoavailofthemotherboard’shigh-denitionaudiocapability.
• Ifyouwanttoconnectahigh-denitionfrontpanelaudiomoduletothisconnector,
settheAzalia Front PanelitemintheBIOSsetupto[HDAudio].Ifyouwantto
connectanAC’97frontpanelaudiomoduletothisconnector,settheitemto
[AC97].Bydefault,thisconnectorissetto[HDAudio].
PCI Express slot
ThePCIslotsupportscardssuchasaLANcard,SCSIcard,USBcard,andother
cardsthatcomplywithPCIspecications.
PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot
ThismotherboardsupportsPCIExpressx16networkcards,SCSIcards,andother
cardsthatcomplywiththePCIExpressspecications.
PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot
ThismotherboardsupportsPCIExpress2.0x1networkcards,SCSIcards,and
othercardsthatcomplywiththePCIExpressspecications
WhenusingPCIcardsonsharedslots,ensurethatthedriverssupport“ShareIRQ”orthat
thecardsdonotneedIRQassignments.Otherwise,conictswillarisebetweenthetwoPCI
groups,makingthesystemunstableandthecardinoperable.
IRQ assignments for this motherboard
A B C D E F G H
PCIEx16_1 – – shared – – – – –
PCIEx1_1 shared – – – – – – –
PCIslot – – – – shared – – –
RealtekLANcontroller – – shared – – – – –
HDaudio shared – – – – – – –
OnChipSATA – – – – – – shared –
OnChipOHCI1 shared – – – – – – –
OnChipOHCI2 – – shared – – – – –
ASM1042A1 – – – shared – – – –
ASM1042A2 –shared – – – – – –

ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 1-5
1. PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port.ThisportisforaPS/2keyboard/mouse.
2. Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port.This15-pinportisforaVGAmonitororother
VGA-compatibledevices.
3. LAN (RJ-45) port.ThisportallowsGigabitconnectiontoaLocalAreaNetwork(LAN)
throughanetworkhub.
Rear panel connectors
24 53
6
7810
1
11 9
4. Line In port (light blue).Thisportconnectstothetape,CD,DVDplayer,orother
audiosources.
5. Line Out port (lime).Thisportconnectstoaheadphoneoraspeaker.Inthe2.1,4.1,
5.1and7.1-channelcongurations,thefunctionofthisportbecomesFrontSpeaker
Out.
6. Microphone port (pink).Thisportconnectstoamicrophone.
Refertotheaudiocongurationtableforthefunctionoftheaudioportsin2.1,4.1,5.1,or
7.1-channelconguration.
LAN port
Speed
LED
Activity Link
LED
LAN port LED indications
Activity/Link LED Speed LED
Status Description Status Description
OFF Nolink OFF 10Mbpsconnection
ORANGE Linked ORANGE 100Mbpsconnection
BLINKING Dataactivity GREEN 1Gbpsconnection

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction
Audio 2.1, 4.1, 5.1, or 7.1-channel conguration
Port Headset
2.1-channel 4.1-channel 5.1-channel 7.1-channel
LightBlue(Rearpanel) LineIn RearSpeakerOut RearSpeakerOut RearSpeakerOut
Lime(Rearpanel) LineOut FrontSpeakerOut FrontSpeakerOut FrontSpeakerOut
Pink(Rearpanel) MicIn MicIn Bass/Center Bass/Center
Lime(Frontpanel) ---SideSpeakerOut
To congure a 7.1-channel audio output:
 UseachassiswithHDaudiomoduleinthefrontpaneltosupporta7.1-channelaudio
output.
7. USB 2.0 ports.These4-pinUniversalSerialBus(USB)portsareforUSB2.0/1.1
devices.
8. USB 3.0 ports.These9-pinUniversalSerialBus(USB)portsareforUSB3.0/2.0
devices.
• DuetoUSB3.0controllerlimitations,USB3.0devicescanonlybeusedundera
Windows®OSenvironmentandafterUSB3.0driverinstallation.
• ThepluggedUSB3.0devicemayrunonxHCIorEHCImode,dependingonthe
operatingsystem’ssetting.
• USB3.0devicescanonlybeusedfordatastorage.
• WestronglyrecommendthatyouconnectUSB3.0devicestoUSB3.0portsforfaster
andbetterperformancefromyourUSB3.0devices.
9.DVI-D port.ThisportisforanyDVI-Dcompatibledevice.
DVI-DcannotbeconvertedtooutputfromRGBSignaltoCRTandisnotcompatiblewith
DVI-I.
10. HDMI port. ThisportisforaHigh-DenitionMultimediaInterface(HDMI)connector,
andisHDCPcompliantallowingplaybackofHDDVD,Blu-Ray,andotherprotected
content.
11. USB 2.0 ports.These4-pinUniversalSerialBus(USB)portsareforUSB2.0/1.1
devices.

ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 1-7
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
ThemotherboardcomeswithanAM3+socketdesignedforAMD®FX™
Series/Phenom™II/Athlon™II/Sempron™100SeriesProcessors.
TheAM3+sockethasadifferentpinoutfromtheAM2+/AM2socket.Ensurethatyouusea
CPUdesignedfortheAM3+socket.TheCPUtsinonlyonecorrectorientation.DONOT
forcetheCPUintothesockettopreventbendingthepinsanddamagingtheCPU!
Installing the CPU
UnplugallpowercablesbeforeinstallingtheCPU.
ApplytheThermalInterfaceMaterialtotheCPUheatsinkandCPUbeforeyouinstallthe
heatsinkandfanifnecessary.
1
3
2
4

1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction
System memory
Overview
ThismotherboardcomeswithfourDoubleDataRate3(DDR3)DualInlineMemoryModules
(DIMM)sockets.
ADDR3modulehasthesamephysicaldimensionsasaDDR2DIMMbutisnotched
differentlytopreventinstallationonaDDR2DIMMsocket.DDR3modulesaredevelopedfor
betterperformancewithlesspowerconsumption.
ThegureillustratesthelocationoftheDDR3DIMMsockets:
Channel Sockets
ChannelA DIMM_A1&DIMM_A2
ChannelB DIMM_B1&DIMM_B2
DIMM_A1
DIMM_A2
DIMM_B1
DIMM_B2
• YoumayinstallvaryingmemorysizesinChannelAandChannelB.Thesystem
mapsthetotalsizeofthelower-sizedchannelforthedual-channelconguration.Any
excessmemoryfromthehigher-sizedchannelisthenmappedforsingle-channel
operation.
• AlwaysinstalltheDIMMSwiththesameCASLatency.Foranoptimumcompatibility,
werecommendthatyouinstallmemorymodulesofthesameversionordatacode
(D/C)fromthesamevendor.Checkwiththevendortogetthecorrectmemory
modules.
• Duetothememoryaddresslimitationon32-bitWindows®OS,whenyouinstall4GB
ormorememoryonthemotherboard,theactualusablememoryfortheOScanbe
about3GBorless.Foreffectiveuseofmemory,werecommendthatyoudoanyofthe
following:
- Useamaximumof3GBsystemmemoryifyouareusinga32-bitWindows®OS.
 - Installa64-bitWindows®OSifyouwanttoinstall4GBormoreonthe
motherboard.
 - Formoredetails,refertotheMicrosoft®supportsiteathttp://support.microsoft.
com/kb/929605/en-us.
• ThismotherboarddoesnotsupportDIMMsmadeupof512Mb(64MB)chipsorless.
VisittheASUSwebsiteatwww.asus.comforthelatestQVL.

ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 1-9
Installing a DIMM
1
2
3
To remove a DIMM
B
A
A

BIOS information
2
• ScantheQRcodetoviewtheBIOSupdateguide.
• BeforeusingtheASUSCrashFreeBIOS3utility,renamethe
BIOSleintheremovabledeviceintoM78LMPU3.ROM.
BIOS setup program
UsetheBIOSSetupprogramtoupdatetheBIOSorcongureitsparameters.TheBIOS
screensincludenavigationkeysandbriefonlinehelptoguideyouinusingtheBIOSSetup
program.
Entering BIOS Setup at startup
To enter BIOS Setup at startup:
Press<Delete>duringthePower-OnSelfTest(POST).Ifyoudonotpress<Delete>,POST
continueswithitsroutines.
Entering BIOS Setup after POST
To enter BIOS Setup after POST:
• Press<Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del>simultaneously.
• Presstheresetbuttononthesystemchassis.
• Pressthepowerbuttontoturnthesystemoffthenbackon.Dothisoptiononlyifyou
failedtoenterBIOSSetupusingthersttwooptions.
Usingthepowerbutton,resetbutton,orthe<Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del>keystoforceresetfroma
runningoperatingsystemcancausedamagetoyourdataorsystem.Werecommendyou
alwaysshutdownthesystemproperlyfromtheoperatingsystem.
• TheBIOSsetupscreensshowninthissectionareforreferencepurposesonly,and
maynotexactlymatchwhatyouseeonyourscreen.
• VisittheASUSwebsiteatwww.asus.comtodownloadthelatestBIOSleforthis
motherboard.
• IfthesystembecomesunstableafterchanginganyBIOSsetting,loadthedefault
settingstoensuresystemcompatibilityandstability.SelecttheLoad Optimized
DefaultsitemundertheExitmenuorpresshotkeyF5.
• IfthesystemfailstobootafterchanginganyBIOSsetting,trytocleartheCMOSand
resetthemotherboardtothedefaultvalue.SeesectionMotherboard overviewfor
informationonhowtoerasetheRTCRAM.
ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3
2-1

BIOS menu screen
Select Screen
Select Item
+- Change Option
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit
v02.61 (C)Copyright 1985-2016, American, American Megatrends, Inc.
M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 BIOS Setup
Main Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit
Suspend Mode [Auto]
ACPI 2.0 Support [Enabled]
ACPI APIC support [Enabled]
APM Conguration
HW Monitor Conguration
Anti Surge Support [Enabled]
Select the ACPI state
used for System
Suspend.
Pop-up window
Version 0202
Power Settings
Options
S1 (POS) only
S3 only
Auto
Menu bar
Sub-menu items Navigation Keys
Menu items Conguration elds General help
Menu bar
Themenubarontopofthescreenhasthefollowingmainitems:
Main   Forchangingthebasicsystemconguration
Advanced Forchangingtheadvancedsystemsettings
Power  Forchangingtheadvancedpowermanagement(APM)conguration
Boot   Forchangingthesystembootconguration
Tools  Forconguringoptionsforspecialfunctions
Exit   Forselectingtheexitoptionsandloadingdefaultsettings.
Toselectanitemonthemenubar,presstherightorleftarrowkeyonthekeyboarduntilthe
desireditemishighlighted.
Navigation keys
Atthebottomrightcornerofamenuscreenarethenavigationkeysforthatparticularmenu.
Usethenavigationkeystoselectitemsinthemenuandchangethesettings.
Someofthenavigationkeysdifferfromonescreentoanother.
2-2
Chapter 2: BIOS information

Menu items
Thehighlighteditemonthemenubardisplaysthespecicitemsforthatmenu.Forexample,
selectingMainshowstheMainmenuitems.
Theotheritems(Advanced,Power,Boot,Tools,andExit)onthemenubarhavetheir
respectivemenuitems.
Submenu items
Asolidtrianglebeforeeachitemonamenuscreenmeansthattheitemhasasubmenu.To
displaythesubmenu,selecttheitemandpress<Enter>.
Conguration elds
Theseeldsshowthevaluesforthemenuitems.Ifanitemisuser-congurable,youcan
changethevalueoftheeldoppositetheitem.Youcannotselectanitemthatisnot
user-congurable.
Acongurableeldisenclosedinbrackets,andishighlightedwhenselected.Tochangethe
valueofaeld,selectitthenpress<Enter>todisplayalistofoptions.
Pop-up window
Selectamenuitemthenpress<Enter>todisplayapop-upwindowwiththeconguration
optionsforthatitem.
General help
Atthetoprightcornerofthemenuscreenisabriefdescriptionoftheselecteditem.
ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3
2-3