Intel H55 User manual

USER'S MANUAL
Of
Intel H55 Express Chipset
Based
M/B for Intel LGA 1156 Processors
Trademark:
* Specifications and Information contained in this documentation are furnished for information use only, and are
subject to change at any time without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by manufacturer.
NO. G03-XBH55MINI-F
Rev: 1.0
Release date: April, 2010

i
Environmental Safety Instruction
zAvoid the dusty, humidity and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any
area where it may become wet.
z0 to 40 centigrade is the suitable temperature. (The figure comes from the request of
the main chipset)
zGenerally speaking, dramatic changes in temperature may lead to contact malfunction
and crackles due to constant thermal expansion and contraction from the welding
spots’ that connect components and PCB. Computer should go through an adaptive
phase before it boots when it is moved from a cold environment to a warmer one to
avoid condensation phenomenon. These water drops attached on PCB or the surface
of the components can bring about phenomena as minor as computer instability
resulted from corrosion and oxidation from components and PCB or as major as short
circuit that can burn the components. Suggest starting the computer until the
temperature goes up.
zThe increasing temperature of the capacitor may decrease the life of computer. Using
the close case may decrease the life of other device because the higher temperature in
the inner of the case.
zAttention to the heat sink when you over-clocking. The higher temperature may
decrease the life of the device and burned the capacitor.
Environmental Protection Announcement
Do not dispose this electronic device into the trash while discarding. To minimize pollution
and ensure environment protection of mother earth, please recycle.

ii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION OF INTEL H55 MOTHERBOARDS
1-1 FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD................................................................1
1-1.1 SPECIAL FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD .................................2
1-2 ITEM CHECKLIST.........................................................................................2
1-3 SPECIFICATION...........................................................................................3
1-4 LAYOUT DIAGRAM......................................................................................4
CHAPTER 2 HARDWARE INSTALLATION
2-1 CPU INSTALLATION ..................................................................................5
2-2 MEMORY MODULE INSTALLATION...........................................................6
2-3 EXPANSION SLOTS.....................................................................................7
CHAPTER 3 CONNCTORS, HEADERS & JUMPERS SETTING
3-1 CONNECTORS .............................................................................................7
3-2 HEADERS .....................................................................................................10
3-3 JUMPER SETTING .......................................................................................12
CHAPTER 4 USEFUL HELP
4-1 HOW TO UPDATE BIOS ..............................................................................13
4-2 TROUBLE SHOOTING .................................................................................13
TABLE OF CONTENT

1
Chapter 1
Introduction of Intel H55 Motherboards
1-1 Features of Motherboard
The Intel H55 Express chipset based motherboard series are based on Intel H55
Express chipset technology which supports the innovative Intel LGA 1156 socket
Intel® Core™ i7, Intel® Core™ i5（Lynnfield & Clarkdale）, Core™ i3 and Pentium®
Processor.
The Intel H55 Express chipset based motherboard series comes with an integrated
DDRIII memory controller for dual channel DDRIII 1066 /DDRIII 1333 MHz system
memories which are expandable to 8 GB capacity and the new generation of PCI
Express interface for the latest graphics AMD cards. The Intel H55 Express chipset
motherboard series are absolutely the ultimate solution for game enthusiasts and
applications, and it also meets the demanding usage of computing of gaming,
multimedia entertainment and business applications.
The motherboard provides four serial ATA2 interfaces of 3.0 Gb / s data transfer rate
for six serial ATA devices.
The H55 Express chipset Based motherboard provides Gigabit LAN function by using
Gigabit LAN chip which support 10M / 100M / 1Gbps data transfer rate. Embedded
6-channel ALC 662 HD CODEC is fully compatible with Sound Blaster Pro®
standards that offer you with the home cinema quality and absolutely software
compatibility.
The H55 Express chipset based motherboard series offer one PCI-Express2.0 x16
graphics slot, two PCI Express 2.0 x1 I/O slots and one 32-bit PCI slot guarantee the
rich connectivity for the I/O of peripherals.
Embedded USB controllers as well as capability of expanding to 8 of USB2.0
functional ports delivering 480Mb/s bandwidth of rich connectivity, these
motherboards meet the future USB demands which are also equipped with hardware
monitor function on system to monitor and protect your system and maintain your
non-stop business computing.
Some special features--- CPU Vcore 7-Shift/CPU Smart Fan/OC-CON/G.P.I.
Function/3D Audio in this motherboard is designed for power user to use the
over-clocking function in more flexible ways. But please be caution that the
over-clocking may cause the failure in system reliability. This motherboard provides
the guaranteed performance and meets the demands of the next generation
computing. But if you insist to gain more system performance with variety possibilities
of the components you choose, please be careful and make sure to read the detailed
descriptions of these value added product features, please get them in the coming
section.

2
1-1.1 Special Features of motherboard
CPU Vcore 7-Shift—Shift to Higher Performance
The CPU voltage can be adjusted up by 7 steps for the precisely over-clocking of
extra demanding computing performance.
CPU Smart Fan—Noise Management System
It’s never been a good idea to gain the performance of your system by sacrificing its
acoustics. CPU Smart Fan Noise Management System is the answer to control the
noise level needed for now-a-day’s high performance computing system. The system
will automatically increase the fan speed when CPU operating loading is high, after
the CPU is in normal operating condition, the system will low down the fan speed for
the silent operating environment. The system can provide the much longer life cycle
for both CPU and the system fans for game use and business requirements.
OC-CON —High-polymer Solid Electrolysis Aluminum Capacitors
The working temperature is from 55 degrees Centigrade below zero to 125 degrees
Centigrade, OC-CON capacitors possess superior physical characteristics that can
be while reducing the working temperature between 20 degrees Centigrade each time,
intact extension 10 times of effective product operation lives, at not rising degrees
Centigrade of working temperatures each time a relative one, life of product decline
10% only too.
G.P.I. Function—Green power indicator function
The full name of G.P.I technology is Green Power Indicator technology, obviously
technology utilized to low power consumption. G.P.I is a technology with remarkable
power saving function.
3D Audio—3D Audio Sound Effect
OP with two-stage Butterworth filter and quadruple noninverting amplifier enhances
bass effect under the 100MHz range to perfect audio effect, brings you stunning
shock experience in video game, true-to-life simulated feeling when watching films
and the greatest touch as that in the concert. There is a 3D Audio button integrated on
the board. Press down the button to enable 3D audio effect or press again to disabled
it.
1-2 Item Checklist
5Intel H55 Chipset based motherboard
5DVD for motherboard utilities
5User’s Manual
5SATA Cable(s)
5I/O back panel shield

3
1-3 Specification
Spec Description
Design zU-ATX form factor, PCB size: 20.0cmx24.5cm
Chipset zIntel H55 Express Chipset
CPU Socket
zsupports the innovative Intel LGA 1156 socket Intel®,
Core™ i7, Core™ i5（Lynnfield & Clarkdale）, Core™ i3
and Pentium® Processor
Memory Sockets
zDDRIII module slot x 2
zSupport 2pcs DDRIII 1066/DDRIII 1333 memory modules
expandable to 8 GB
zSupport dual channel function
Expansion Slots z1pcs PCI-Express2.0 x16by16 lane slot
z2pcs PCI-Express2.0 x1 slot
z1pcs 32-bit PCI slot
Serial ATA2 zThe Intel H55 chipset supports four internal Serial ATA
ports for six SATA devices providing 3.0 Gb/sec data
transfer rate.
Gigabit LAN zIntegrated Realtek PCI-E Gigabit LAN chip
zSupports Fast Ethernet LAN function provide
10Mb/100Mb/ 1Gb /s data transfer rate.
6-CH HD Audio zRealtek ALC 662 HD Audio Codec integrated
zSupport 6-channel 3D surround & Positioning Audio
zAudio driver and utility included
BIOS zAMI 32MB SMT Flash ROM
Multi I/O
zPS/2 keyboard connector x1
zPS/2 mouse connector x1
zHDMI Connector x1
zDVI Connector x1
zVGA Connector x1
zSATA connector x4
zUSB2.0 port x4 and header x2
zRJ-45 LAN connector x1
zAudio connector x1 (6-CH Audio)
zFront Panel Audio Header x1
zSerial Port headerx1
zHDMI-SPDIF header x1

4
1-4 Layout Diagram
CPU Socket
ATX Power Conn.
PCI Slot
CPU FAN1
RJ-45 Over
USB Connectors
Power LED Header
Speaker Header
Front Panel
Audio Header
USB Headers
SYSFAN1
ATX 12V
Power Connector
RJ-45 LAN
Line-IN
MIC-IN
PS/2 Keyboard
Connector
VGA Connector
DDRIII Slot x 2
USB Connectors
HDMI
Connector
PS2 KB/MS Port
(KB1)
JBAT
Serial-ATAII Connecto
r
(SATA 1, 2, 3, 4)
Audio Connector
COM Header
PCI Express2.0x16 by 16lane slot
Line-OUT
HDMI Connector
PS/2 Mouse
Connector
KB/MS Power On (JP1)
DVI Connecto
r
Realtek ALC662
Audio Decode
HDMI-SPDIF
Header
Front Panel Header
Intel H55 Chipset
PCI Express 2.0x1 slots
Gigabit LAN Chip
G.P.I LED
DVI Connector
VGA Connector
USB Connecto
r
s
3D Audio Button

5
Chapter 2
Hardware Installation
WARNING! Turn off your power when adding or removing expansion cards or
other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe
damage to both your motherboard and expansion cards.
2-1 CPU Installation
This motherboard provides an 1156-pin DIP, LGA 1156 Land Grid Array socket,
referred to as the LGA 1156 socket.
The CPU that comes with the motherboard should have a cooling FAN attached to
prevent overheating. If this is not the case, then purchase a correct cooling FAN
before you turn on your system.
NOTED! Be sure that there is sufficient air circulation across the processor’s
heat sink and CPU cooling FAN is working correctly, otherwise it
may cause the processor and motherboard overheat and damage,
you may install an auxiliary cooling FAN, if necessary.
To install a CPU, first turn off your system and remove its cover. Locate the LGA
1156 socket and open it by first pulling the level sideways away from the socket then
upward to a 135-degree angle. Insert the CPU with the correct orientation as shown
below. The notched corner should point toward the end of the level. Because the
CPU has a corner pin for two of the four corners, the CPU will only fit in the orientation
as shown.
When you install the CPU into the LGA 1156 socket, there’s no force required CPU
insertion; then press the level to locate position slightly without any extra force.
Alignment key
Pin-1
Indicato
r

6
2-2 Memory Module Installation
This motherboard provides two 240-pin DDR III DUAL INLINE MEMORY MODULES
(DIMM) socket for DDR III memory expansion available to maximum memory volume
of 8 GB DDRIII SDRAM.
Valid Memory Configurations
Bank 240-Pin DIMM PCS Maximum Capacity
DIMM1 DDR III 1066/ DDR III1333 X1 4GB
DIMM2 DDR III 1066/ DDR III1333 X1 4GB
Total System Memory (Max 4GB) 2 8GB
Recommend DIMM Module Combination ：
1. One DDRIII Memory Module ----Plug in DIMMM1.
2. Two DDRIII Memory Modules---Plug in DIMM1 & DIMM2 for Dual channel function
Dual channel Limited!
1. Dual channel function only supports when 2 DIMM Modules plug in either both DIMM1
& DIMM2.
2. Memory modules plugged in the same color DIMM must be of the same type, same
size, and same frequency for dual channel function.
Install DDR SDRAM modules to your motherboard is not difficult, you can refer to
figure below to see how to install DDRIII 1066/DDRIII 1333 SDRAM module.
DIMM2(BANK2+BANK3) DIMM1(BANK0+BANK1)
DIMM1 & DIMM2: Dual Channel
NOTE! When you install DIMM module fully into the DIMM socket the eject
tab should be locked into the DIMM module very firmly and fit into its
indention on both sides.
Installation Tips：
Open the two plastic clips of memory slots then push down the module
vertically into the slot. See to it that the hole of the module fit into the notch of
the slot;
The two plastic clips will automatically close if the memory module is fitted in a
proper way.

7
2-3 PCI Express Slots
The H55 Express chipset based motherboard series offer one PCI-Express2.0 x16
graphics slots. Two PCI Express 2.0 x1 I/O slot and one 32-bit PCI slot guarantee the
rich connectivity for the I/O of peripherals.
Chapter 3
Connectors, Headers &Jumper Setting
3-1 Connectors
(1) Power Connector (24-pin block): ATXPWR1
ATX Power Supply connector: This is a new defined 24-pins connector that
usually comes with ATX case. The ATX Power Supply allows using soft power
on momentary switch that connect from the front panel switch to 2-pins Power
On jumper pole on the motherboard. When the power switch on the back of the
ATX power supply turned on, the full power will not come into the system board
until the front panel switch is momentarily pressed. Press this switch again will
turn off the power to the system board.
** We recommend that you use an ATX 12V Specification 2.0-compliant power
supply unit (PSU) with a minimum of 350W power rating. This type has 24-pin
and 4-pin power plugs.
** If you intend to use a PSU with 20-pin and 4-pin power plugs, make sure that the
20-pin power plug can provide at least 15A on +12V and the power supply unit
has a minimum power rating of 350W. The system may become unstable or may
not boot up if the power is inadequate.
PCI-E2.0 x16@16 Lane Slot
PCI slot
PCI-E2.0 x1 slot