EVGA Z97 User manual

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User Guide
EVGA Z97 Stinger
Specs & Initial Installation
(Part 1)

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Table of Contents
Before you Begin………………………………………………………………………………..3
Parts Not in the kit……………………………………………………………………………...4
Intentions of the kit……………………………………………………………………………..4
Motherboard Spe ifi ations ...................................................................................................................... 5-6
Unpa king and Parts Des riptions ............................................................................................................... 7
Equipment ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
Hardware Legend ............................................................................................................................................ 8
PCI-E Slot Breakdown..…………………………………………………………..…....................9
Rear I/O Panel legend ...…………………………………………..................................................10
Preparing the Motherboard .........................................................................................................................11
Installing the CPU ................................................................................................................................... 11-12
Installing the Cooling Devi e ......................................................................................................................12
Installing System Memory (DIMMs) .........................................................................................................13
Complian e Information ..............................................................................................................................14

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Before You Begin…
Wel ome to a new lass of high performan e motherboards that boast 4
th
and 5th
Generation Intel® Core™ Pro essor ompatibility. The Z97 platform takes you to a
new level of performan e and effi ien y. We have refined the GUI BIOS interfa e,
reimagined power VRM that fo uses on effi ien y, added MPCIE support and loaded
with features like Creative Sound Core3D quad- ore audio pro essor, Intel Gigabit LAN,
native SATA 6G/USB 3.0 and more. All sitting on a 10 layer PCB to improve
performan e and effi ien y.
Did we also mention that this motherboard is designed for the over lo ker? Built from
the ground up to give you all the essentials that you need for over lo king, with a GUI
BIOS that is fo used on fun tionality, ultra high quality omponents and robust PCI-E
3.0 and memory tra e layout.
With these features and more, it is lear that the EVGA Z97 motherboards are
engineered to ex eed the best.

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Parts NOT in the Kit
This kit ontains all the hardware ne essary to install and onne t your new
EVGA Z97 Stinger Motherboard. However, it does NOT ontain the following
items that must be pur hased separately in order to make the system fully
fun tional and install an Operating System:
 Intel Socket 1150 Processor
 DDR3 System Memory
 CPU Cooling Device
 PCI Express Gr phics C rd
 Power Supply
 H rd Drive or SSD
 Keybo rd / Mouse
 Monitor
 (Option l) Optic l Drive
EVGA assumes you have pur hased all the ne essary parts needed to allow for
proper system fun tionality. For a full list of supported CPUs on this
motherboard, please visit www.evga. om/support/motherboard
Intentions of the Kit
This kit provides you with the motherboard and all onne ting ables ne essary
to install the motherboard into a PC ase.
When repla ing a motherboard in a PC ase, you will need to reinstall an
operating system even though the urrent storage drive may already have one
installed.

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EVGA Z97
Motherboard
Motherboard Specifications
 Size:
mITX form fa tor of 6.7 in hes x 6.7 in hes
 Microprocessor support:
Intel So ket 1150 Pro essor
 Oper ting Systems:
Supports Windows 8 / 7
 Cont ins Intel Z97 chipset
 System Memory support:
Supports Dual hannel DDR3 up to 2666MHz+.
Offi ially supports up to 16GB of DDR3 memory.
 USB 2.0 Ports:
6x from Intel Z97 PCH – 4x external
Supports hot plug
Supports wake-up from S1 and S3 mode
Supports USB 2.0 proto ol up to a 480 Mbps transmission rate
 USB 3.0 Ports:
6x from Intel Z97 PCH – 4x external, 2x internal
Supports transfer speeds up to 5Gbps
Ba kwards ompatible USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 support
 SATA Ports:
Intel Z97 PCH Controller
4x SATA 3 Ports up to 6G (600 MB/s) data transfer rate
- Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, AND RAID 10
1x eSATA port on rear I/O panel

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 Onbo rd LAN:
1x Intel i217 Gigabit Ethernet PHY
Supports 10/100/1000 Mb/se Ethernet
 Onbo rd Audio:
Creative Core3D Quad-Core Audio Pro essor (CA0132)
Supports 6- hannel (5.1) audio
Supports Opti al Output
 PCI-E 3.0 Support:
Low power onsumption and power management features
 Power Functions:
Supports ACPI (Advan ed Configuration and Power Interfa e)
Supports S0 (normal), S1 (power on suspend), S3 (suspend to RAM), S4
(Suspend to disk - depends on OS), and S5 (soft - off)
 Exp nsion Slots:
1x PCI-E 16x slot
1x MPCIE/MSATA slot
 1x Displ y Port (Full size)
 1x HDMI Port (Full size)

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Unpacking and
Parts Descriptions
Equipment
The following a essories are in luded with the EVGA Z97 Stinger
Motherboard:
The EVGA Z97 Stinger Motherboard
This PCI-E motherboard contains the Intel Z97 chipset.
I/O Shield
Installs in the system case to block radio frequency
transmissions protect internal components from dust foreign
objects and aids in proper airflow within the chassis.
2x SATA 3G/6G Data ables
Used to support the SATA protocol and each one connects a
single drive to the motherboard.
I/O over
This optional cover attaches to the PCB and covers the I/O
area
Installation D
Contains drivers and software needed to setup the
motherboard.
User Manual
The user manual you are reading right now!

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Intel Z97 Stinger Motherboard
The EVGA Z97 Stinger Motherboard with the Intel Z97 and PCH Chipset. Figure 1
shows the motherboard and Figure 2 shows the ba k panel onne tors
FIGURE 1. Z97 Stinger Motherbo rd L yout

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1. CPU Socket 1150 7. Intel SATA 6G/3G Ports 13. Reset Button
2. Intel Z 7 Southbridge 8. Front Panel Connectors 14. PCI-E Slot 16x/8x
3. CPU Fan Header (1 amp PWM)
. Debug LED / CPU Temp Monitor 15. Mini PCI-E/mSATA
4. DDR3 Memory DIMM Slots 1-2
10. USB 3.0 Headers 16. Back Panel Connectors (Figure 2)
5. 24-pin ATX power connector 11. CMOS Battery 17. 8 pin EPS Connector
6. Fan Headers (1 amp DC) 12. Power Button 18. Removable BIOS Chip
PCI-E Slot Breakdown
PCI-E Lane Distribution
 PE1 – x16

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Figure 2. Ch ssis Re r P nel Connectors
1. USB 2.0 4. eSata 7. HDMI
2. USB 3.0 5. NIC Port 8. Optical Out
3. BIOS/CMOS Reset 6. Display Port . Analog Audio Output Jacks
Analog Audio Port Breakdown 2/2.1 (Channel) 4.0/4.1 (Channel) 5.1 (6 Channel)
Blue Line in Line In Line in
Green Line Out/ Front Speaker/ Front Speaker/
Speaker Out Speaker+Sub Out Speaker+Sub Out
Pink Mic In Mic In Mic In
Black
Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out
Orange
Center/Voice channel

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Preparing the Motherboard
Installing the CPU
Be very areful when handling the CPU. Hold the pro essor
only by the edges and do not tou h the bottom of the
pro essor.
Note: Use extreme caution when working with the CPU,
not to damage any pins in the CPU socket on the
motherboard!
Use the following pro edure to install the CPU onto the motherboard:
 Remove the plasti prote tive so ket over by pulling it straight up. Be sure not
to damage any of the pins inside the so ket.
 Unhook the so ket lever by pushing down and away
from the so ket.
 Pull the so ket lever ba k and the load plate will lift.
 Open the load plate and make sure not to damage
any of the pins inside the so ket.
Note: After removing the CPU socket cover, it is recommended to store it in
case you ever need to transport your motherboard. If you ever remove the
CPU, it is highly recommended to reinstall the socket cover.

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 Align the not hes on the CPU to the not hes in the
so ket.
 Lower the pro essor straight down into the so ket.
Note: Make sure the CPU is fully seated and level in
the socket.
 Lower the load plate so it is resting on the CPU.
 Carefully lo k the lever ba k into pla e.
Installing the CPU Cooling Device
There are many different ooling devi es that an be used with this
motherboard. Follow the instru tions that ome with your ooling assembly.

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Installing System Memory (DIMMs)
Your Z97 Stinger has (2) 240-pin slots for DDR3 memory. These slots support
2GB, 4GB and 8GB DDR3 DIMMs. There must be at least one memory slot
populated to ensure normal operation.
The Intel Z97 hipset supports dual hannel memory; supports a
maximum of 16GB of DDR3 and up to 2666MHz+ in dual hannel
onfiguration. It is required to populate slot 1 first. Board will not
boot if slot 1 is not populated.
Use the following pro edure to install DIMMs. Note that there is
only one gap near the enter of the DIMM slots. This slot mat hes
the slot on the DIMM to ensure the omponent is installed properly.
 Unlo k a DIMM slot by pressing the module lips on both sides
outward.
 Align the memory module to the DIMM slot, and insert the module
verti ally into the DIMM slot, pressing straight down to seat the
module. The plasti lips at top side of the DIMM slot automati ally
lo k the DIMM into the onne tor.
Note: The memory controller on most Haswell and Broadwell CPUs runs at a
default frequency of 1600MHz. To achieve memory speeds above 1600+
may require manual setting of the memory timings, frequency and voltages
and/or overclocking of the CPU.
Refer to the memory manufacturer specifications for the recommended
memory timings. For overclocking support you can visit our forums:
http://forums.evga.com/

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Compliance Information
FCC Compliance Information
This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. 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. 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 the 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:
(1) Increase the separation between the equipment and signal source, or (2) connect the equipment to an outlet on a
circuit different from that to which the signal source is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced computer
technician for help. The use of shielded cables for connection of peripheral devices to the PC systems is required to
ensure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
CE Compliance Information
Generic Radiation Interference Standard for Information Technology Equipment. (EN 55022: 2006, Class B), (EN 61000-
3-2: 2006), (EN 61000-3-3: 1995 + A1: 2001 + A2: 2005). Warning: This is a Class B product. In a domestic environment
this product may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measure. Generic
Immunity Standard for Information Technology Equipment. (EN 55024: 1998 + A1: 2001 + A2: 2003).
Trademark & Copyright Information
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reason, all copies of Software and materials must be immediately returned to EVGA and the Original Purchaser shall be
liable to EVGA.com CORP for any and all damages suffered as a result of the violation or default.
Legal Information
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Ver. 2