Asus P8B-X User manual

Motherboard
P8B-X

ii
E6811
Second Edition V2
July 2011
Copyright © 2011 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
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, 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 USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),
EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY
DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR
INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND
SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY
OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL,
INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual 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.

iii
Contents
Contents ...................................................................................................... iii
Notices........................................................................................................ vii
Federal Communications Commission Statement........................... vii
Canadian Department of Communications Statement..................... vii
REACH .......................................................................................... vii
Safety information .................................................................................... viii
Electrical safety............................................................................... viii
Operation safety.............................................................................. viii
About this guide ......................................................................................... ix
How this guide is organized ..............................................................ix
Where to nd more information.........................................................ix
Conventions used in this guide ..........................................................x
Typography ........................................................................................x
P8B-X specications summary ................................................................. xi
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-3
1.2 Package contents......................................................................... 1-3
1.3 Serial number label...................................................................... 1-4
1.4 Special features............................................................................ 1-4
1.4.1 Product highlights ........................................................... 1-4
1.4.2 Innovative ASUS features ............................................... 1-6
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-3
2.2 Motherboard overview................................................................. 2-5
2.2.1 Placement direction ........................................................ 2-5
2.2.2 Screw holes .................................................................... 2-5
2.2.3 Motherboard layout ......................................................... 2-6
2.2.4 Layout contents............................................................... 2-8
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................. 2-10
2.3.1 Installing the CPU ......................................................... 2-10
2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan.............................. 2-13
2.3.3 Uninstalling the CPU heatsink and fan ......................... 2-14

iv
Contents
2.3.4 Installing the CPU heatsink in rack ............................... 2-15
2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-16
2.4.1 Overview ....................................................................... 2-16
2.4.2 Memory Congurations................................................. 2-16
2.4.3 Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 2-17
2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 2-17
2.5 Expansion slots.......................................................................... 2-18
2.5.1 Installing an expansion card ......................................... 2-18
2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ..................................... 2-18
2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ................................................... 2-19
2.5.4 PCI Express x8 slot (x4 link) ......................................... 2-20
2.5.5 PCI Express x16 slot (x16 link) ..................................... 2-20
2.5.6 PCI Express x1 slots (x1 link) ....................................... 2-20
2.5.7 PCI slots........................................................................ 2-20
2.5.8 Connecting the thermal sensor cable ........................... 2-21
2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-22
2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-26
2.7.1 Rear panel connectors.................................................. 2-26
2.7.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 2-27
Chapter 3: Powering up
3.1 Starting up for the rst time........................................................ 3-3
3.2 Powering off the computer.......................................................... 3-4
3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function.................................... 3-4
3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch.............................. 3-4
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 4-3
4.1.1 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ...................................... 4-3
4.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash Utility ..................................................... 4-4
4.1.3 BUPDATER utility............................................................ 4-5
4.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................... 4-7
4.2.1 BIOS menu screen.......................................................... 4-8
4.2.2 Menu bar......................................................................... 4-8
4.2.3 Menu items ..................................................................... 4-9

v
Contents
4.2.4 Submenu items ............................................................... 4-9
4.2.5 Navigation keys............................................................... 4-9
4.2.6 General help ................................................................... 4-9
4.2.7 Conguration elds ......................................................... 4-9
4.2.8 Pop-up window ............................................................... 4-9
4.2.9 Scroll bar......................................................................... 4-9
4.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 4-10
4.3.1 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx]....................................... 4-10
4.3.2 System Time [xx:xx:xx] ................................................. 4-10
4.3.3 Security ......................................................................... 4-10
4.4 Event Logs menu ....................................................................... 4-12
4.5 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 4-14
4.5.1 ACPI Settings................................................................ 4-14
4.5.2 Trusted Computing........................................................ 4-15
4.5.3 WHEA Conguration ..................................................... 4-15
4.5.4 CPU Conguration ........................................................ 4-16
4.5.5 North Bridge.................................................................. 4-18
4.5.6 South Bridge ................................................................. 4-18
4.5.7 SATA Conguration ....................................................... 4-19
4.5.8 Intel TXT(LT) Conguration........................................... 4-20
4.5.9 USB Conguration ........................................................ 4-20
4.5.10 Onboard Devices Conguration.................................... 4-21
4.5.11 APM .............................................................................. 4-23
4.5.12 Serial Port Console Redirection.................................... 4-24
4.6 Monitor menu ............................................................................. 4-26
4.7 Boot menu .................................................................................. 4-27
4.8 Tool menu ................................................................................... 4-29
4.9 Exit menu.................................................................................... 4-29
Chapter 5: RAID conguration
5.1 Setting up RAID............................................................................ 5-3
5.1.1 RAID denitions .............................................................. 5-3
5.1.2 Installing hard disk drives................................................ 5-4
5.1.3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS ........................................ 5-4

vi
Contents
5.1.4 RAID conguration utilities.............................................. 5-4
5.2 Intel®Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM Utilitys............. 5-5
5.2.1 Creating a RAID set ........................................................ 5-6
5.2.2 Creating a Recovery set ................................................. 5-7
5.2.3 Deleting a RAID set ........................................................ 5-9
5.2.4 Resetting disks to Non-RAID ........................................ 5-10
5.2.5 Recovery Volume Options .............................................5-11
5.2.6 Exiting the Intel®Rapid Storage Technology utility........ 5-12
5.2.7 Rebuilding the RAID ..................................................... 5-12
5.2.8 Setting the Boot array in the BIOS Setup Utility............ 5-14
Chapter 6: Driver installation
Chapter summary ..................................................................................... 6-2
6.1 RAID driver installation ............................................................... 6-3
6.1.1 Creating a RAID driver disk ............................................ 6-3
6.1.2 Installing the RAID controller driver ................................ 6-6
6.2 Intel®chipset device software installation................................. 6-9
6.3 LAN driver installation............................................................... 6-11
6.4 VGA driver installation............................................................... 6-14
6.4.1 XGI Volari Z9s VGA Driver (R1.0x) ..................................... 6-14
6.4.2 ASPEED AST1100 VGA Driver (R2.0x) .............................. 6-16
6.5 Management applications and utilities installation ................ 6-18
6.5.1 Running the support DVD ............................................. 6-18
6.5.2 Drivers menu................................................................. 6-18
6.5.3 Utilities menu ................................................................ 6-19
6.5.4 Make disk menu............................................................ 6-19
6.5.5 Contact information....................................................... 6-19
Appendix: Reference information
A.1 P8B-X block diagram (R1.0x) ......................................................A-3
A.2 P8B-X block diagram (R2.0x) ......................................................A-4
ASUS contact information .......................................................................... 1

vii
Notices
Federal Communications Commission Statement
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful interference, and
• This device must accept any interference received including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed
to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee
that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined
by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Canadian Department of Communications Statement
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the
Canadian Department of Communications.
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is
required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modications
to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.
REACH
Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction
of Chemicals) regulatory framework, we publish the chemical substances in our
products at ASUS REACH website at http://csr.asus.com/english/REACH.htm.

viii
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.
• Make sure 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 devices on it, carefully read all
the manuals that came with the package.
• Before using the product, make sure 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 become wet.
• Place the product on a stable surface.
• If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied
service technician or your retailer.
DO NOT throw the motherboard in municipal waste. This product has been
designed to enable proper reuse of parts and recycling. This symbol of the
crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical and electronic
equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for
disposal of electronic products.
DO NOT throw the mercury-containing button cell battery in municipal waste.
This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the battery should not
be placed in municipal waste.

ix
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring
the motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This user guide contains the following parts:
• Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new
technologies it supports.
• Chapter 2: Hardware information
This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform
when installing system components. It includes description of the switches,
jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.
• Chapter 3: Powering up
This chapter describes the power up sequence and ways of shutting down
the system.
• Chapter 4: BIOS setup
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup
menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
• Chapter 5: RAID conguration
This chapter provides instructions for setting up, creating, and conguring
RAID sets using the available utilities.
• Chapter 6: Driver installation
This chapter provides instructions for installing the necessary drivers for
different system components.
• Appendix: Reference information
This appendix includes additional information that you may refer to when
conguring the motherboard.
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.

x
Conventions used in this guide
To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following
symbols used throughout this manual.
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 (+).
Example: <Ctrl+Alt+Del>
Command Means that you must type the command
exactly as shown, then supply the required
item or value enclosed in brackets.
Example: At the DOS prompt, type the
command line: format A:/S
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself
when trying to complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components
when trying to complete a task.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a
task.
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a
task.

xi
P8B-X specications summary
Processor Support / System Bus 1 x Socket LGA1155
Intel®Xeon®E3-1200 Processor Family
Intel®Core™ i3-2100 Processor Family
Core Logic Intel®C202 Chipset
Form Factor ATX, 12” x 9.6”
ASUS Features Fan Speed
Control
V
Rack Ready
(Rack and
Pedestal dual
use)
V
ASWM 2.0 V
Memory Total Slots 4 (2 Channels)
Capacity Maximum up to 32GB
Memory Type DDR3 1066/1333 ECC UDIMM
Expansion
Slots
(follow SSI
Location #)
Total PCI/PCI-X/
PCI-E Slots
6
Slot Location 1 1 x PCI 32bit/33 MHz
Slot Location 2 1 x PCI 32bit/33 MHz
Slot Location 3 1 x PCI-E x8 (Gen 2 x4 link)
Slot Location 4 1 x PCI-E x1 (Gen 2 x1 link)
Slot Location 5 1 x PCI-E x1 (Gen 2 x1 link)
Slot Location 6 1 x PCI-E x16 (Gen 2 x16 link)
Storage SATA Controller Intel®C202:
6 SATA 3Gb/s ports (RAID supported)
- Intel®Rapid Storage Technology(RST) supports
software RAID 0, 1, 10 & 5(Windows)
Networking LAN 2 x Intel 82574L
Graphic VGA XGI®Z9s + 64MB VRAM (R1.0x)
ASPEED®AST1100 + 64MB VRAM (R2.0x)
Onboard I/O
Connectors
TPM Header 1
PSU Connector 24-pin ATX power connector + 8-pin ATX 12V
power connector
USB
Connectors
1 * USB connector (Type A USB socket)
2 * USB pin header (up to 4 devices)
Fan Header 5 x 4pin
Chassis
Intruder
1
Serial Port
Header
1
(continued on the next page)

xii
P8B-X specications summary
*Specications are subject to change without notice.
Rear I/O
Connectors
External Serial
Port
1
External USB
Port
2
VGA Port 1
RJ-45 2
PS/2 KB/Mouse 1
Monitoring CPU
Temperature
V
FAN RPM V
Environment Operation temperature: 10°C – 35°C
Non operation temperature: -40°C – 70°C
Non operation humidity: 20% – 90%
(Non condensing)

1
Product
introduction
This chapter describes the motherboard
features and the new technologies it supports.

ASUS P8B-X
Chapter summary 1
1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-3
1.2 Package contents......................................................................... 1-3
1.3 Serial number label...................................................................... 1-4
1.4 Special features............................................................................ 1-4

ASUS P8B-X 1-3
1.1 Welcome!
Thank you for buying an ASUS®P8B-X motherboard!
The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies, making it
another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards!
Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it, check the
items in your package with the list below.
1.2 Package contents
Check your motherboard package for the following items.
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
Standard Gift Box
Pack Standard Bulk Pack
Cables SATA 3G cable 6 --
Accessories IO shield 1 1
Plate for LGA1155 1 1
Application CD Support CD 1 1
Documentation User Guide 1 1
Packing Qty. 1pc per carton 10pcs per carton

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.4 Special features
1.4.1 Product highlights
Latest processor technology
This motherboard supports the latest Intel®Xeon®E3-1200/Core™ i3-2100
processors in LGA1155 package, which has memory and PCI Express controller
integrated to support 2-channel (4 DIMMs) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 2.0
lanes, providing great graphics performance. Intel®Xeon®E3-1200/Core™ i3-2100
processor is one of the most powerful and energy efcient CPU in the world.
Intel Dynamic Turbo Boost Techonology
Intel®Dynamic Turbo Boost Technology opportunistically and automatically
allows the processor to run faster than the marked frequency if the processor is
operating below power, temperature and current limits. This technology increases
performance of both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.
Intel Hyper Threading
The thread-level parallelism on each processor makes more efcient use of the
processor resources, higher processing throughout and improved performance on
today's multi-threaded software.
Intel®EM64T
The motherboard supports Intel®processors with the Intel®EM64T (Extended
Memory 64 Technology). The Intel®EM64T feature allows your computer to run on
64-bit operating systems and access larger amounts of system memory for faster
and more efcient computing.
1.3 Serial number label
Before requesting support from the ASUS Technical Support team, you must take
note of the motherboard's serial number containing 12 characters xxS2xxxxxxxx
shown as the gure below. With the correct serial number of the product, ASUS
Technical Support team members can then offer a quicker and satisfying solution
to your problems.
xxS2xxxxxxxx
P8B-X Made
in
China
合格

ASUS P8B-X 1-5
DDR3 memory support
The P8B-X supports UDIMM DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates
of 1333/1066 MHZ to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of server and
workstation applications. The 2-channel DDR3 architecture boosts system
performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidth of up to 21GB/s.
Furthermore, the supply voltage for the memory is reduced from 1.8 V for DDR2 to
just 1.5V for DDR3. This voltage reduction limits the power consumption and heat
generation of DDR3 which makes it an ideal memory solution.
PCIe 2.0
This motherboard supports the latest PCIe 2.0 device for twice the current speed
and bandwidth. This enhances system performance while still providing backward
compatibility to PCIe 1.0 devices.
Intel®82574L LAN Solution
The motherboard comes with dual Gigabit LAN controllers and ports which provide
a total solution for your networking needs. The onboard Intel®82574L Gigabit LAN
controllers use the PCI Express interface and could achieve network throughput
close to Gigabit bandwidth.
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST)
The Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST) intelligently manages the
CPU resources by automatically adjusting the CPU voltage and core frequency
depending on the CPU loading and system speed or power requirement.
Serial ATA II technology
The motherboard supports the Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s technology through the Serial
ATA interface and Intel® C202 chipset. The Serial ATA II specication provides
twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new
features, including Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Power Management (PM)
Implementation Algorithm, and Hot Swap. Serial ATA allows thinner, more exible
cables with lower pin count and reduced voltage requirements.
USB 2.0 technology
The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 specication,
dramatically increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB
1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1.

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction
Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring
The CPU temperature is monitored to prevent overheating and damage. The
system fan rotations per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection.
The chip monitors the voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical
components.
1.4.2 Innovative ASUS features
ASUS Fan Speed technology
The ASUS Fan Speed technology smartly adjusts the fan speeds according to the
system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efcient operation.

2
Chapter 2: Hardware
information
This chapter lists the hardware setup
procedures that you have to perform
when installing system components. It
includes description of the jumpers and
connectors on the motherboard.

ASUS P8B-X
Chapter summary 2
2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-3
2.2 Motherboard overview................................................................. 2-5
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................. 2-10
2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-16
2.5 Expansion slots.......................................................................... 2-18
2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-22
2.7 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-26