Intel P55 User manual

USER'S MANUAL
Of
Intel P55 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-XBLUEP55-F
Rev: 1.0
Release date: Aug., 2009

i
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
ENVIROMENTAL SAFETY INSTRUCTION................................................................iii
USER’S NOTICE.........................................................................................................iv
MANUAL REVISION INFORMATION.........................................................................iv
COOLING SOLUTIONS ..............................................................................................iv
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION OF P55 EXPRESS CHIPSET MOTHERBOARDS
1-1 FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD .............................................................................1
1-1.1 SPECIAL FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD...............................................2
1-2 SPECIFICATION.........................................................................................................4
1-3 PERFORMANCE LIST................................................................................................5
1-4 LAYOUT DIAGRAM....................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 2 HARDWARE INSTALLATION
2-1 HARDWARE INSTALLATION STEPS.......................................................................8
2-2 CHECKING MOTHERBOARD'S JUMPER SETTING................................................8
2-3 INSTALLING CPU.......................................................................................................9
2-3-1 GLOSSARY...................................................................................................9
2-3-2 ABOUT INTEL LGA 1156 CPU SOCKET.................................................10
2-3-3 LGA 1156 CPU INSTALLATION GUIDE......................................................11
2-3-4 INTEL REFERENCE THERMAL SOLUTION ASSEMBLY..........................13
2-4 INSTALLING MEMORY..............................................................................................14
2-5 EXPANSION CARDS..................................................................................................15
2-5-1 PROCEDURE FOR EXPANSION CARD INSTALLATION..........................15
2-5-2 ASSIGNING IRQ FOR EXPANSION CARD.................................................15
2-5-3 PCI-EXPRESS SLOT.....................................................................................16
2-5-4 INSTALLING THE CROSSFIRE/SLI BRIDGE CARD ..................................17
2-6 CONNECTORS, HEADERS........................................................................................18
2-6-1 CONNECTORS .............................................................................................18
2-6-2 HEADERS .....................................................................................................21
2-7 STARTING UP YOUR COMPUTER ...........................................................................24
CHAPTER 3 INTRODUCING BIOS
3-1 ENTERING SETUP.....................................................................................................25
3-2 GETTING HELP ..........................................................................................................25
3-3 THE MAIN MENU........................................................................................................26
3-4 STANDARD BIOS FEATURES ..................................................................................27
3-5 ADVANCED BIOS FEATURES..................................................................................28
3-5-1 CPU FEATURES ...........................................................................................29
3-6 ADVANCED CHIPSET FEATURES...........................................................................30
3-7 INTEGRATED PERIPHERALS...................................................................................30
3-7-1 ONBOARD SATA FUNCTION......................................................................31
3-7-2 ONBOARD DEVICE FUNCTIONS................................................................31
3-7-3 ONBOARD SUPER IO FUNCTION ..............................................................32
3-8 POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP...............................................................................32
3-9 PNP/PCI CONFIGURATION.......................................................................................33
3-10 PC HEALTH STATUS.................................................................................................34
3-10-1 SMART FAN CONFIGURATION...............................................................34
3-11 MISCELLANEOUS CONTROL...................................................................................35
3-12 PASSWORD SETTINGS.............................................................................................36
3-13 LOAD OPTIMAL DEFAULTS/LOAD STANDARD DEFAULTS................................37
3-14 SAVE CHANGES AND EXIT/ DISCARD CHANGES AND EXIT................................37
CHAPTER 4 DRIVER & FREE PROGRAM INSTALLATION
MAGIC INSTALL SUPPORTS WINDOWS 2000/XP/VISTA/7............................................37
4-1 INF INSTALL INTELP55 CHIPSET SYSTEM DRIVER...................................38
4-2 SOUND INSTALL ALC HD AUDIO CODEC DRIVER............................................39
4-2 SOUND INSTALL ALC 888 HD AUDIO CODEC DRIVER.....................................40
4-4 LAN INSTALL REALTEK GIGABIT ETHERNET NIC DRIVER.........................41
4-5 RAID INSTALL JMICRON AHCI/RAID DRIVER ..............................................41
4-6 NORTON INSTALL NORTON INTERNET SECURITY 2009..................................42
4-7 PC-HEALTH INSTALL MYGUARD HARDWARE MONITOR UTILITY..................42
4-8 RAID DISK INSTALL JMICRON AHCI/RAID DISK .............................................43
4-9 AHCI/RAID INSTALL INTEL AHCI /RAID DRIVER...............................................43
4-10 HOW TO UPDATE BIOS ............................................................................................44
4-11 INTEL PLATFORM RAID FUNCTION INTRODUCTION...........................................45
TABLE OF CONTENT

iii
4-12 PRO MAGIC PLUS FUNCTION INTRODUCTION.....................................................48
4-13 G.P.I.FUNCTION LED DISPLAY................................................................................49
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.

iv
USER’S NOTICE
COPYRIGHT OF THIS MANUAL BELONGS TO THE MANUFACTURER. NO PART OF THIS
MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARES DESCRIBED IN IT MAY BE
REPRODUCED, TRANSMITTED OR TRANSLATED INTO ANY LANGUAGE IN ANY FORM OR BY
ANY MEANS WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE MANUFACTURER.
THIS MANUAL CONTAINS ALL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR THE UTILIZATION OF THIS
MOTHER-BOARDS TO MEET THE USER’S REQUIREMENTS. BUT IT WILL CHANGE,
CORRECT AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. MANUFACTURER PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS
IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, AND WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMANGES FOR LOSS
OF PROFIT, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OF DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND
THE LIKE).
PRODUCTS AND CORPORATE NAMES APPEARING IN THIS MANUAL MAY OR MAY NOT BE
REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OR COPYRIGHTS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPANIES, AND
THEY ARE USED ONLY FOR IDENTIFICATION OR EXPLANATION AND TO THE OWNER’S
BENEFIT, WITHOUT INTENT TO INFRINGE.
Manual Revision Information
Reversion Revision History Date
1.0 First Edition Aug., 2009
Item Checklist
5Intel P55 Express chipset based Motherboard
5User’s Manual
5DVD for motherboard utilities
5Cable package
5I/O Back Panel Shield
Intel Core Processor Family
Cooling Solutions
As processor technology pushes to faster speeds and higher performance, thermal
management becomes increasingly crucial while building computer systems. Maintaining the
proper thermal environment is the key to reliable, long-term system operation. The overall
goal in providing the proper thermal environment is keeping the processor below its specified
maximum case temperature. Heat sinks induce improved processor heat dissipation through
increased surface area and concentrated airflow from attached fans. In addition, interface
materials allow effective transfers of heat from the processor to the heat sink. For optimum
heat transfer, Intel recommends the use of thermal grease and mounting clips to attach the
heat sink to the processor.
When selecting a thermal solution for your system, please refer to the website below for
collection of heat sinks evaluated and recommended by Intel for use with Intel processors.
Note, those heat sinks are recommended for maintaining the specified Maximum T case
requirement. In addition, this collection is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all
heat sinks that support Intel processors.

1
Chapter 1
Introduction of P55 Express Chipset Motherboards
1-1 Features of Motherboard
The P55 Express chipset based motherboard series are based on Intel P55 Express
chipset technology which supports the innovative Intel LGA 1156 socket Core™ i7
Quad Processor and Core™ i5 Quad Processor
The P55 Express chipset based motherboard series deliver the revolutionary levels of
performance enabling vivid, high-definition experiences and multi-tasking
responsiveness from state-of-the-art Intel quad-core technologies, AMD CrossFire
technology through the high bandwidth of 4 dual-channel DDRIII 1333/1066 MHz
system memories which are expandable to 16 GB capacity and the new generation of
PCI Express interface for the latest graphics AMD cards. The P55 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 six serial ATA2 interfaces of 3.0 Gb / s data transfer rate
for six serial ATA devices which supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 functions.
The P55 Express chipset Based motherboard provides Gigabit LAN function by using
Gigabit LAN chip which support 10M / 100M / 1Gbps data transfer rate. Embedded
8-channel ALC883 HD CODEC is fully compatible with Sound Blaster Pro®standards
that offer you with the home cinema quality and absolutely software compatibility.
The P55 Express chipset based motherboard series offer two PCI-Express2.0 x16
graphics slots with PE2 and PE5 being PCI Express 2.0 x16by8 lane slot. These two
graphics slots are fully compatible with the latest AMD CrossFireX Technology to
guarantee the fully operational Multi-GPUs graphics function and avoid the possible
installation error. Two PCI Express x1 I/O slots and two 32-bit PCI slots guarantee the
rich connectivity for the I/O of peripherals. Otherwise, the motherboard supports one
PCI-Express x4lane slot. When the switch card installed on the PE5, the bandwidth of
PE2 will be doubled.
Embedded USB controllers as well as capability of expanding to 12 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 Smart Fan/ CPU Vcore X-shift/OC-CON
／ G.P.I.
Function/3D Audio/DIY Clear/Power on Button/Reset Button 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

2
to read the detailed descriptions of these value added product features, please get
them in the coming section.
1-1.1 Special Features of motherboard
CPU Smart Fan--- The 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.
CPU Vcore X-Shift--- Shift to Higher Performance
The CPU voltage can be adjusted up by 39 stages for the precisely over-clocking of
extra demanding computing performance.
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.
DIY Clear
These CMOS Buttons is to facilitate the clear COMS process for power user
overclocking function. The user can easily clear or restore COMS settings by pressing
down the button, without taking trouble to remove the case and locate the jumper for
clear CMOS. （Please remove or turn off the power supply before COMS clear）

3
Power on Button
You can easily start the computer by pressing down this button for a few seconds,
without troubling yourself to locate the front panel jumpers to find the Power on
jumper.
Reset Button
You can easily restart the computer by pressing down this button for a few seconds,
without troubling yourself to locate the front panel jumpers to find the reset jumper.

4
1-2 Specification
Spec Description
Design zATX form factor 4 layers PCB size: 30.5x21.5cm
Chipset zIntel P55 Express Chipset
CPU Socket
zIntel LGA 1156 socket Core™ i7 Quad Processor and
Core™ i5 Quad Processor
Memory Sockets
zDDRIII Module sockets x 4
zSupport 4 pcs DDRIII 1333MHz/ DDRIII 1066 memory
modules expandable to 16GB.
zSupport Dual- channel function
Expansion Slots
zPCI-Express2.0 x16 slot 2 pcs
zPCI-Express2.0 x1 slot 2pcs
z32-bit PCI slot x 2pcs
zPCI-Express x4lane slot 1pcs
Integrate IDE and
Serial ATA2 RAID
zThe Intel P55 chipset supports six internal Serial ATA ports
for six SATA devices with RAID0, RAID1, RAID5 and
PAID10 function providing 3.0 Gb/sec data transfer rate.
Dual Gigabit LAN
zIntegrated Realtek PCI-E Gigabit LAN chip
zSupports Fast Ethernet LAN function provide
10Mb/100Mb/ 1Gb /s data transfer rate.
8-CH HD Audio zRealtek ALC883 8-channel HD Audio Codec integrated
zSupport 8-channel 3D surround & Positioning Audio
zAudio driver and utility included
BIOS zAMI 16MB SMT Flash ROM
Multi I/O
zPS/2 keyboard connector
zCoaxial S/PDIF Out connector x1
zOptical S/PDIF Out connector x1
zESATA connectors x1, SATA connectors x6
zUSB2.0 port x 8 and headers x2
zRJ-45 LAN connector x1
zAudio connector x1 (8-CH Audio)
zSerial Port headerx1
zHDMI-SPDIF header x1
zIR header x 1

5
1-3 Performance List
The following performance data list is the testing result of some popular benchmark
testing programs. These data are just referred by users, and there is no responsibility
for different testing data values gotten by users (the different Hardware & Software
configuration will result in different benchmark testing results.)
CPU: I7 850
DRAM: APACER 1333MHz 2GB
VGA Card: H3650D3-LF
Hard Disk Driver: SEAGATE 320GB
BIOS: A01
OS: Windows XP Professional (SERVICE PACK 2)
P55
3D Mark 2001SE 34960
3D Mark 2003 13484
3D Mark 2005 10096
AQUAMRK3 N/A
PCMark2004
System / CPU / Memory 7590/9207/8110
Graph / HDD 4863/6437
Content Creation Winstone 2004
Business Winstone 2004 28.3
Winbench 99 V2.0:
Business/Hi-end Disk Winmark99 295002.3
Business/Hi-end Graphic Winmark N/A
SYSMark 2004: SISMark Rating(Internet Content Creation / Office Productivity )
SYSMark 2004 313
3D Creation/2D Creation
Web publication
Communication/Document Creation 201/419
DATA Analysis 188
SISOFT Sandra 2007 : 1.CPU Arithmetic Benchmark 2.Memory bandwidth Benchmark 3.CPU
Multi-Media Benchmar
k
ver:1140
1. Dhrystone ALU GIPS 66.94
Whetstone FPU iSSE3 GFLOPS 59.14
2.Int/Float Buffered iSSE2 GB/S 8.81/8.83
3.Integer/Floating-Point MPixel/S 118.77/95.83
UT2003 Benchmark (flyby/botmatch) 158.51/84.602921
Quake3 DEMO1 /DEMO2 FPS 116.4
DOOM 3 FPS N/A
Super Pi (1M) Second 15.05
CPUZ System / CPU Clock 1.52/2800.1MHz
UT2003Benchmark (flyby/bothmatch) 495.266907/201.326569

6
1-4 Layout Diagram
CPU Socket
ATX Power Conn.
PCI Slot
CPU FAN
RJ-45 Over
USB Connector
CD Audio In
Speaker Header
Power LED Header
PCI Express 2.0 x1
HDMI-SPDIF
Front Panel Audio
USB Headers Front Panel Header
3D Audio Button
SYSFAN1
ATX 12V
Power Connector
RJ-45 LAN
Coaxial
SPDIF_OUT
Optical
SPDIF_OUT
Line-IN
MIC-IN
PS/2 Keyboard
Connector USB Connectors RS-OUT
CS-OUT
ESATA
DDR3 Socket x 4
USB
p
orts ove
r
ESATA port
4-pin PWR Connector
USB Connectors
USB Connectors SS-OUT
CMOS1
USB Connector
PS/2 KB Over
USB
p
orts
Coaxial/Optical
SPDIF_OUT
Connectors
Reset
Power on Button
Serial-ATAII Connecto
r
(SATA 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Gigabit LAN Chip
Audio Connector
PCI Express x4lane slot
PCI Express2.0 x
16by8lane
Floppy Connector
COM Header
P55 Express
PCI Express 2.0 x1
8 CH HD Audio
PCI Express2.0 x
16by8lane

7
Jumpers
Jumper Name Description Page
JBAT CMOS RAM Clear 3-pin Block P.8
JP1 KB/MS Power On Enabled/Disabled 3-pin Block P.9
JP2/JP3 USB Power On Enabled/Disabled 3-pin Block P.9
Sockets and Slots
Socket/Slot Name Description Page
CPU Socket LGA 1156 CPU Socket LGA 1156 CPU Socket P.10
DIMM1~DIMM4 DDRIII Module Sockets 240-pin DDRIII Module Sockets P.14
PCI1 ~PCI2 PCI Slots 32-bit PCI Local Bus Expansion slots P.16
PE1 , PE4 PCI-Express2.0 x 1 Slot PCI-Express2.0 x 1 Expansion Slots P.16
PE2,PE5 PCI-Express 2.0x 16
Slots PCI-Express2.0 x16 Expansion Slots P.16
PE3 PCI-Express x 4 Slots PCI-Express x4 Expansion Slots P.16
Connectors
Connector Name Description Page
ATXPWR ATX Power Connector 24-pin Block P.18
ATX12V ATX 12V Power Connector 8-pin Block P.18
J1 Large 4-pin Power Connector 4-pin Block P.18
KB from UK1 PS/2 Keyboard Connector 6-pin Female P.19
USB from UK1, US1,UL
and USB1 USB 2.0 Port Connectors 4-pin Connector P.19
RJ45 LAN from UL1 RJ-45 LAN Port Over USB Connectors. 8-pin Connector P.19
AUDIO 8-CH Audio Connector 6 phone jack
Connector P.19
SATA~SATA6 Serial ATA2 Connector 7-pin Connector P.20
E-SATA from US1 External Serial ATA2 Connectors 7-pin Connector P.20
SPDIF_ Out1 Coaxial S/PDIF Out Connector 1-pin Connector P.21
SPDIF_ Out2 Optical S/PDIF Out Connector 1-pin Connector P.21
Headers
Header Name Description Page
FP_AUDIO SPEAKER, MIC header 9-pin Block P.21
USB1,USB2,USB3 USB Port Headers 9-pin Block P.21
SPEAK PC Speaker header 4-pin Block P.21
PWR LED Power LED header 3-pin Block P.21
JW_FP(PWR
LED/Reset/
HD LED/PWR BTN)
Front Panel Header
(including Power LED/ IDE activity
LED/Reset switch / Power On Button lead)
9-pin Block P.21
CPUFAN CPUFAN Header 4-pin Block P.22
SYSFAN1, SYSFAN2 System FAN Headers 3-pin Block P.22
CDIN CD Audio-In Header 4-pin Block P.22
IR IR Header 5-pin Block P.23
COM1 Serial Port Header 9-pin Block P.23
HDMI-SPDIF SPDIF-Out header 2-pin Block P.23

8
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 Hardware installation Steps
Before using your computer, you had better complete the following steps:
1. Check motherboard jumper setting
2. Install CPU and Fan
3. Install System Memory (DIMM)
4. Install Expansion cards
5. Connect IDE Front Panel /Back Panel cable
6. Connect ATX Power cable
7. Power-On and Load Standard Default
8. Reboot
9. Install Operating System
10. Install Driver and Utility
2-2 Checking Motherboard’s Jumper Setting
(1) CMOS RAM Clear (3-pin): JBAT
A battery must be used to retain the motherboard configuration in CMOS RAM
short 1-2 pins of JBAT to store the CMOS data.
ATTENTION：Please unplug the AC power before you Clear CMOS.
To clear the CMOS, follow the procedure below:
1. Turn off the system and unplug the AC power
2. Remove ATX power cable from ATX power connector
3. Locate JBAT and short pins 2-3 for a few seconds
4. Return JBAT to its normal setting by shorting pins 1-2
5. Connect ATX power cable back to ATX power connector
Note: When should clear CMOS
1. Troubleshooting
2. Forget password
3. After over clocking system boot fail

9
CMOS RAM Clear Setting
2-3 Closed Clear CMOS
JBATJBAT
1-2 Closed Normal
(2) KB/MS Power on Function Enabled/Disabled: JP1
(3) USB Power On function Enabled/Disabled: JP2/JP3
USBPower-OnSetting
2-3 closed USB Power On Enabled
JP2/ JP3JP2 / JP3
1-2 closed USB Power On Disable
(Default)
2-3 Installing CPU
2-3-1 Glossary
Chipset (or core logic) - two or more integrated circuits which control the interfaces
between the system processor, RAM, I/O devises, and adapter cards.
Processor slot/socket - the slot or socket used to mount the system processor on
the motherboard.
Slot (PCI-E, PCI, RAM) - the slots used to mount adapter cards and system RAM.
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect - a high speed interface for video cards,
sound cards, network interface cards, and modems; runs at 33MHz.
PCI Express2.0- Peripheral Component Interconnect Express2.0, developed in 2003,
Keyboard/Mouse Power On Setting
2-3 Closed KB/MS Power ON Enabled
JP1
JP1
1-2 Closed KB/MS Power ON Disable (Default)

10
the speed of each line doubled from the previous PCI-E of 2.5Gbps to 5 Gbps.
Serial Port - a low speed interface typically used for mouse and external modems.
Parallel Port - a low speed interface typically used for printers.
PS/2 - a low speed interface used for mouse and keyboards.
USB - Universal Serial Bus - a medium speed interface typically used for mouse,
keyboards, scanners, and some digital cameras.
Sound (interface) - the interface between the sound card or integrated sound
connectors and speakers, MIC, game controllers, and MIDI sound devices.
LAN (interface) - Local Area Network - the interface to your local area network.
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) - the program logic used to boot up a computer
and establish the relationship between the various components.
Driver - software, which defines the characteristics of a device for use by another
device or other software.
Processor - the "central processing unit" (CPU); the principal integrated circuit used
for doing the "computing" in "personal computer"
Front Side Bus Frequency - the working frequency of the motherboard, which is
generated by the clock generator for CPU, DRAM and PCI BUS.
CPU L2 Cache - the flash memory inside the CPU, normal it depend on CPU type.
2-3-2 About Intel LGA 1156 CPU Socket
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.

11
2-3-3 LGA 1156 CPU Installation Guide
1. Please make sure that CPU socket is facing towards
you and the level is on you left hand side. 2. Press down the level and move it to the left side to
make sure it is freed from the hook and then open it
upwards about 135 degree.
3. Open the level upwards about 135 degree and the metal
protection plate will be pulled up at the same time.
4. Remove the plastic protective cap from the socket.
(Put it to the original place if CPU is not installed. Do
not touch the metal contact point of the CPU socket).
Alignment key
Pin-1
Indicator

12
5. Make sire that golden finger in the right place as shown in the above illustration and match the two
alignment keys on the CPU with two points of the socket. CPU can only be correctly installed with
this direction. Incorrect installation might cause damage to CPU.
6．Put down the load plate in the direction shown above.
7. Press down the load level and move it rightwards make
sure it is locked under the notch.
2-3-4 Intel Reference Thermal Solution Assembly
1. Put the heat sink vertically above the
CP-installed socket and make sure to align
the four fasteners with four holes around
the socket.
2．Revolve the four fasteners in the
counter-clockwise direction.
Pin-1
Indicator
Alignment
Key Alignment Key
Align the
fastener with
the hole

13
3. Press down two fasteners down in the
oblique crossing direction as shown above.
4. Turn over the motherboard carefully to
make sure the fastener insert in the right
direction.
Notice：
Please apply thermal interface material to the CPU HIS surface;
The heat sink and installation steps are for reference use only; Installation
steps might differ depending on different heat sink models;
Please use Intel original heat sink for better heat dissipation or other heat sinks
that has pass Intel certification.
2-4 Install Memory
This motherboard provides four 240-pin DDR III DUAL INLINE MEMORY MODULES
(DIMM) socket for DDR III memory expansion available to maximum memory volume
of 16GB 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
DIMM3 DDR III 1066/ DDR III1333 X1 4GB
DIMM4 DDR III 1066/ DDR III1333 X1 4GB
Total System Memory (Max16GB) 4 16GB
Dual channel Limited!
1. Dual channel function only supports when 2 DIMM Modules plug in either both DIMM1
& DIMM3, or four DIMM Modules plug in DIMM1~DIMM4.
2. Memory modules for dual channel function must be the same type, same size, 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.
Motherboard

14
DIMM1 (BANK0+BANK1) DIMM2 (BANK2+BANK3)
DIMM3 (BANK4+BANK5) DIMM4 (BANK6+BANK7)
D
IMM1 & DIMM3: Dual Channel 1
Graph 2-4
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.
We suggest that priority given to DIMM1 and DIMM3 in multi-DIMM installation.
System won’t start when you only install memory DIMM in DIMM2 and DIMM4.
2-5 Expansion Cards
2-5-1 Procedure For Expansion Card Installation
1. Read the documentation for your expansion card and make any necessary
hardware or software setting for your expansion card such as jumpers.
2. Remove your computer’s cover and the bracket plate on the slot you intend to
use.
3. Align the card’s connectors and press firmly.
4. Secure the card on the slot with the screen you remove above.
5. Replace the computer system’s cover.
6. Set up the BIOS if necessary.
7. Install the necessary software driver for your expansion card.
2-5-2 Assigning IRQs for Expansion Card
Some expansion cards need to set up the IRQ to operate. An IRQ must be assigned
exclusively to single interface use only. There are 16 IRQs available but most of them
are already being used.
Standard Interrupt Assignments
IRQ Priority Standard function
0 N/A System Timer
1 N/A Keyboard Controller
2 N/A Programmable Interrupt

15
3 * 8 Communications Port (COM2)
4 * 9 Communications Port (COM1)
5 * 6 Sound Card (sometimes LPT2)
6 * 11 Floppy Disk Controller
7 * 7 Printer Port (LPT1)
8 N/A System CMOS/Real Time Clock
9 * 10 ACPI Mode when enabled
10 * 3 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
11 * 2 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
12 * 4 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port
13 N/A Numeric Data Processor
14 * 5 Primary IDE Channel
15 * 1 Secondary IDE Channel
* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.
2-5-3 PCI Express Slot
The P55 Express chipset based motherboard series offer two PCI-Express2.0 x16
graphics slots with PE2and PE5 being PCI Express 2.0 x16@8lane slot. These two
graphics slots are fully compatible with the latest AMD CrossFireX Technology to
guarantee the fully operational Multi-GPUs graphics function and avoid the possible
installation error. Two PCI Express 2.0 x1 I/O slots and two 32-bit PCI slots guarantee
the rich connectivity for the I/O of peripherals. Otherwise, the motherboard provides
one PCI-Express x4lane slot.
PCI-E2.0 x16@8 Lane Slot
PCI-E2.0 x16@8 Lane Slot
PCI slots
PCI-E2.0 x1 slots
PCI-E x4lane Slot
PCI-E2.0 x1 slots