EVGA Z270 FTW-K System manual

EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277)
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User Guide
EVGA Z270 FTW-K
Specs and Initial Installation

EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277)
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Table of Contents
User Guide ............................................................................................................... - 1 -
EVGA Z270 FTW-K .................................................................................................. - 1 -
Specs and Initial Installation..................................................................................... - 1 -
Before You Begin… ................................................................................................. - 4 -
Parts NOT in the Kit ............................................................................................................. - 5 -
Intentions of the Kit .............................................................................................................. - 5 -
Motherboard ............................................................................................................. - 6 -
Motherboard Specifications .................................................................................................. - 6 -
Unpacking and Parts Descriptions ........................................................................... - 9 -
Intel Z270 FTW-K Motherboard LED reference ................................................................ - 10 -
Intel Z270 FTW-K Motherboard Component Legend ........................................................ - 14 -
PCI-E Slot Breakdown ....................................................................................................... - 26 -
M.2 and U.2 Slot Breakdown ............................................................................................. - 26 -
Preparing the Motherboard ................................................................................................. - 27 -
Installing the CPU .............................................................................................................. - 27 -
Installing the CPU Cooling Device .................................................................................... - 28 -
Installing System Memory (DIMMs) ................................................................................. - 29 -
Installing the I/O Shield ...................................................................................................... - 30 -
Installing the Motherboard...................................................................................... - 30 -
Securing the Motherboard into a System Case ................................................................... - 31 -
Installing M.2 devices ......................................................................................................... - 33 -
Tested CPU and Memory ................................................................................................... - 36 -
Tested U.2........................................................................................................................... - 39 -
Tested M.2 Key-M ............................................................................................................. - 40 -
Tested M.2 Key-E............................................................................................................... - 40 -

EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277)
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Connecting Cables .............................................................................................................. - 41 -
Onboard Buttons ................................................................................................................. - 52 -
First Boot ................................................................................................................ - 53 -
M.2 SSD, PCI-E SSD, and NVMe SSD Installation steps ................................................. - 55 -
Internal RAID Controller ......................................................................................... - 57 -
Fan Header DC and PWM setup ........................................................................... - 92 -
Setting Up SLI and PhysX...................................................................................... - 96 -
Realtek HD Audio Manager ............................................................................................. - 100 -
Configuration of the Killer NIC Software .............................................................. - 118 -
Installing Drivers and Software ............................................................................ - 135 -
Windows 10/8/7 Driver Installation ................................................................................. - 135 -
Warranty and Overclocking .............................................................................................. - 136 -
Troubleshooting ................................................................................................... - 137 -
Replacing a BIOS chip ..................................................................................................... - 137 -
SSD / HDD is not detected ............................................................................................... - 140 -
System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “C” ........................................... - 142 -
System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “55” ......................................... - 143 -
System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “d7” ......................................... - 143 -
Have a question not covered above, or want some online resources? .............................. - 144 -
POST Beep codes ............................................................................................................. - 145 -
POST Port Debug LED .................................................................................................... - 146 -
POST Codes ........................................................................................................ - 147 -
EVGA Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................ - 152 -
Compliance Information ....................................................................................... - 155 -

EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277)
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Before You Begin…
EVGA welcomes you to the next generation of Intel performance: the Z270
FTW-K! The Z270 platform supports the newest Kaby Lake-S processors and
is backwards-compatible with existing Socket-1151 Skylake processors. EVGA
Z270 motherboards further refine high-performance with multiple options for
all the latest SSD options with support for U.2, M.2 and PCI-E drives and is
Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready – a revolutionary higher-density memory
interface, based on 3D XPoint Technology, delivers a new generation of SSDs
designed to obliterate loading times for gamers. However, the Z270 platform
also supports all the features you’ve come to expect from EVGA, including up
to 64GBs of Dual-channel DDR4 memory at maximum memory speeds of up
to 3600MHz+ (OC), Gigabit-NIC support, USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Type-A and
Type-C support, Intel HD Graphics, an updated UEFI\BIOS GUI, PWM fan
control and a variety of SATA options to fit everyone’s needs. The Z270 FTW-
K is built with a 6-layer PCB, featuring a CPU socket with 150% higher Gold
content powered by an Advanced 11-phase Digital VRM (6 Phase VCore,
3Phase VGT, 2 Phase Memory PWM), providing industry-leading stability for
all your applications.
Furthermore, this board is designed not ONLY for overclockers, but also for
gamers with NVIDIA® 2-Way SLI + PhysX Support without the need for PLX
chips, blazing-fast networking featuring the Killer E2400 NIC and an Intel i219,
Dual M.2 Key-M, U.2, SATA Express and much more!
Lastly, a motherboard is only as good as its BIOS, and the EVGA Z270 FTW-
K features an updated UEFI\BIOS GUI with a focus on overclocking and
functionality in a lean, straight-forward package. You won’t need to be an
expert to configure your motherboard, but if you are, you’ll find features
unavailable anywhere else.
Combining the best of current technology with the latest innovations, EVGA is
further refining motherboard performance!

EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277)
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Parts NOT in the Kit
This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new
EVGA Z270 FTW-K Motherboard. However, it does NOT contain the
following items, which must be purchased separately in order to make the
system fully-functional and install an Operating System:
 Intel Socket 1151 Processor
 DDR4 System Memory
 CPU Cooling Device
 PCI Express Graphics Card
 Power Supply
 Hard Drive or SSD
 Keyboard / Mouse
 Monitor
 (Optional) Optical Drive
EVGA assumes you have purchased all the necessary parts needed to allow for
proper system functionality. For a full list of supported CPUs on this
motherboard, please visit www.evga.com/support/motherboard
Intentions of the Kit
When replacing a different model motherboard in a PC case, you may need to
reinstall your operating system, even though the current HDD/SSD may
already have one installed. Keep in mind, however, you may sometimes also
need to reinstall your OS after a RMA even if your motherboard remains the
same due to issues that occurred prior to replacing the motherboard.