MSI C236M WORKSTATION User manual

1
Unpacking
Unpacking
Thank you for buying the MSI®C236M WORKSTATION motherboard. Check to make
sure your motherboard box contains the following items. If something is missing,
contact your dealer as soon as possible.
SATA Cable
Drivers & Utilities
Disc
Motherboard User
Guide
I/O Shield
Motherboard

2Safety Information
Safety Information
yThe components included in this package are prone to damage from electrostatic
discharge (ESD). Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure successful
computer assembly.
yEnsure that all components are securely connected. Loose connections may cause
the computer to not recognize a component or fail to start.
yHold the motherboard by the edges to avoid touching sensitive components.
yIt is recommended to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when
handling the motherboard to prevent electrostatic damage. If an ESD wrist strap
is not available, discharge yourself of static electricity by touching another metal
object before handling the motherboard.
yStore the motherboard in an electrostatic shielding container or on an anti-static
pad whenever the motherboard is not installed.
yBefore turning on the computer, ensure that there are no loose screws or metal
components on the motherboard or anywhere within the computer case.
yDo not boot the computer before installation is completed. This could cause
permanent damage to the components as well as injury to the user.
yIf you need help during any installation step, please consult a certified computer
technician.
yAlways turn off the power supply and unplug the power cord from the power
outlet before installing or removing any computer component.
yKeep this user guide for future reference.
yKeep this motherboard away from humidity.
yMake sure that your electrical outlet provides the same voltage as is indicated on
the PSU, before connecting the PSU to the electrical outlet.
yPlace the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place
anything over the power cord.
yAll cautions and warnings on the motherboard should be noted.
yIf any of the following situations arises, get the motherboard checked by service
personnel:
Liquid has penetrated into the computer.
The motherboard has been exposed to moisture.
The motherboard does not work well or you can not get it work according to user
guide.
The motherboard has been dropped and damaged.
The motherboard has obvious sign of breakage.
yDo not leave this motherboard in an environment above 60°C (140°F), it may damage
the motherboard.

3
Quick Start
Intel®LGA 1151 CPU
DDR4 Memory
Graphics Card
SATA Hard Disk Drive
SATA DVD Drive
A Package of Screws
Phillips Screwdriver
Chassis
Power Supply Unit
CPU Fan Thermal Paste
Quick Start
Preparing Tools and Components

4Quick Start
Installing a Processor
1
2
3
6
45
7
8
9

5
Quick Start
1
1
2
2
3
3
Installing DDR4 memory

6Quick Start
Connecting the Front Panel Header
1
2 10
9
JFP1
1 HDD LED + 2 Power LED +
3 HDD LED - 4 Power LED -
5 Reset Switch 6 Power Switch
7 Reset Switch 8 Power Switch
9 Reserved 10 No Pin
RESET SW
POWER SW
POWER LED+
POWER LED-
HDD LED
HDD LED
RESET SW
JFP1
HDD LED HDD LED -
HDD LED +
POWER LED -
POWER LED +
POWER LED

7
Quick Start
Installing the Motherboard
1
2

8Quick Start
Installing SATA Drives
1
23
4
5

9
Quick Start
1
4
5
Installing a Graphics Card
2
3

10 Quick Start
Connecting Peripheral Devices

11
Quick Start
Connecting the Power Connectors
JPWR1 JPWR2

12 Quick Start
Power On
1
4
2
3

13
Contents
Contents
Unpacking .............................................................................................................. 1
Safety Information................................................................................................. 2
Quick Start ............................................................................................................. 3
Preparing Tools and Components.......................................................................... 3
Installing a Processor............................................................................................. 4
Installing DDR4 memory ........................................................................................ 5
Connecting the Front Panel Header....................................................................... 6
Installing the Motherboard..................................................................................... 7
Installing SATA Drives............................................................................................. 8
Installing a Graphics Card...................................................................................... 9
Connecting Peripheral Devices ............................................................................ 10
Connecting the Power Connectors....................................................................... 11
Power On............................................................................................................... 12
Specifications....................................................................................................... 15
Block Diagram .................................................................................................... 19
Rear I/O Panel ..................................................................................................... 20
LAN Port LED Status Table................................................................................... 20
Audio Ports Configuration.................................................................................... 20
Realtek HD Audio Manager .................................................................................. 21
Overview of Components .................................................................................... 23
CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 25
DIMM Slots............................................................................................................ 26
PCI_E1~4: PCIe Expansion Slots.......................................................................... 27
SATA1~6: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors ....................................................................... 28
SE1_21: SATAe Connector.................................................................................... 28
JPWR1~2: Power Connectors............................................................................... 29
JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors ................................................................... 29
JUSB2, JUSB3: USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors........................................................... 30
JUSB1: USB 2.0 Connector .................................................................................. 30
JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................ 31
JTPM1: TPM Module Connector........................................................................... 31
JCOM1: Serial Port Connector ............................................................................. 31
CPUFAN1,SYSFAN1~2: Fan Connectors............................................................... 32
JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper........................................................... 33
XMP LED: XMP Status Indicator........................................................................... 33
EZ Debug LED: Debug LED Indicators ................................................................. 33

14 Contents
JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector....................................................................... 34
BIOS Setup ........................................................................................................... 35
Entering BIOS Setup............................................................................................. 35
Resetting BIOS...................................................................................................... 36
Updating BIOS....................................................................................................... 36
EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 37
Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 39
SETTINGS.............................................................................................................. 40
Advanced............................................................................................................... 40
Boot....................................................................................................................... 46
Security................................................................................................................. 47
Save & Exit............................................................................................................ 48
OC.......................................................................................................................... 49
M-FLASH .............................................................................................................. 55
OC PROFILE.......................................................................................................... 56
HARDWARE MONITOR.......................................................................................... 57
Software Description........................................................................................... 58
Installing Windows®7/ 8.1/ 10.............................................................................. 58
Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 58
Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 58
COMMAND CENTER ............................................................................................. 59
LIVE UPDATE 6...................................................................................................... 63
SHORTCUT MANAGER.......................................................................................... 65
M-CLOUD.............................................................................................................. 67
RAMDISK............................................................................................................... 70
NETWORK GENIE ................................................................................................. 71
Intel®Extreme Tuning Utility................................................................................ 73
RAID Configuration.............................................................................................. 74
Using Intel®Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM ........................................... 74
Degraded RAID Array ........................................................................................... 77
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................. 79
Regulatory Notices.............................................................................................. 80

15
Specifications
Specifications
CPU
Supports Intel®Xeon®E3-1200 v5 series processors, Core™
i3 processors, and Intel®Pentium®and Celeron®processors
for Socket LGA1151
Chipset Intel® C236 Chipset
Memory
y4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 64GB
Supports DDR4 2133 MHz
yDual channel memory architecture
ySupports ECC, un-buffered memory*
ySupports Intel®Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)**
** DDR4 2133 MHz and higher memory modules will only run at maximum of
DDR4 2133 MHz on XMP mode due to Intel®chipset limitation.
Expansion Slots
y2x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (support x16/x4)*
y2x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
* The PCI_E4 slot will only run PCIe 3.0 x2 speed when the PCI_E3 slot is
installed a device.
Onboard Graphics
y1x HDMI™port, supports a maximum resolution of
4096x2160@24Hz, 2560x1600@60Hz
y1x VGA port, supports a maximum resolution of
2048x1536@50Hz, 2048x1280@60Hz, 1920x1200@60Hz
y1x DVI-D port, supports a maximum resolution of
1920x1200 @60Hz
Multi-GPU ySupports 2-Way AMD®CrossFire™Technology
Storage
Intel®C236 Chipset
y6x SATA 6Gb/s ports
y1x SATAe port*
ySupports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10
ySupports Intel®Smart Response Technology for Intel
Core™ processors.
* SATAe port is backward compatible with SATA.
USB
Intel®C236 Chipset
y8x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports (4 ports on the
back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB
connectors)
y4x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (2 ports on the
back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB
connectors)
Continued on next page

16 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Audio
yRealtek®ALC892 Codec
y7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
ySupports S/PDIF output
LAN 1x Realtek RTL8111H Gigabit LAN controller
Back Panel
Connectors
y1x PS/2 keyboard/ mouse combo port
y2x USB 2.0 ports
y4x USB 3.1 Gen1 ports
y1x VGA port
y1x HDMI™port
y1x DVI-D port
y1x LAN (RJ45) port
y1x Clear CMOS button
y1x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector
y5x OFC audio jacks
Internal Connectors
y1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
y1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
y6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
y2x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (support additional 4 USB 3.1
Gen1 ports)
y1x USB 2.0 connector (supports additional 2 USB 2.0 ports)
y1x 4-pin CPU fan connector
y2x 4-pin system fan connectors
y1x Clear CMOS jumper
y1x Front panel audio connector
y2x Front panel connectors
y1x TPM module connector
y1x Chassis Intrusion connector
y1x Serial port connector
I/O Controller NUVOTON NCT6793D Controller Chip
Hardware Monitor
yCPU/System temperature detection
yCPU/System fan speed detection
yCPU/System fan speed control
Form Factor ym-ATX Form Factor
y9.6 in. x 9.6 in. (24.4 cm x 24.4 cm)
Continued on next page

17
Specifications
Continued from previous page
BIOS Features
y1x 128 Mb flash
yUEFI AMI BIOS
yACPI 5.0, PnP 1.0a, SM BIOS 2.8
yMulti-language
Software
yDrivers
yCOMMAND CENTER
yLIVE UPDATE 6
ySHORTCUT MANAGER
yFAST BOOT
ySUPER CHARGER
yM-CLOUD
yRAMDISK
yNETWORK GENIE
yIntel®Extreme Tuning Utility
yNorton™Security
yGoogle Chrome™,Google Toolbar, Google Drive
yCPU-Z
Continued on next page

18 Specifications
Continued from previous page
MSI Exclusive
Features
yCLICK BIOS 5
EZ Mode & Advanced Mode Switching
Board Explorer
Hardware Monitor
yMILITARY CLASS 4
Military Class Component
Military Class Stability and Reliability
ESD Protection
EMI Protection
Humidity Protection
Circuit Protection
High Temperature Protection
VGA Armor PCIe Slots
yCOMMAND CENTER
System Monitor
Smart Fan Control
ySHORTCUT MANAGER
Customize every key to suit your needs in one powerful
application
Up to 16 steps macro programming
User friendly, easy to use application
yRAMDISK
yLIVE UPDATE 6
yM-CLOUD
yCPU-Z
Specification
Highlights
yDDR4 Boost Support
Dual-Channel DDR4 Memory Support
Isolated DDR4 Circuit Design
DDR4 XMP Ready
yPCI Express 3.0 Support
2-Way AMD CrossFireTM Support
yNVMe / AHCI Driver Support
yAudio Boost
Isolated Audio PCB
High Quality Audio Capacitors
yEZ Debug LED

19
Block Diagram
Block Diagram
LPC Bus
Dual Channel DDR4 Memory
USB 3.1 Gen1
(5 Gbps)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s
USB 2.0
PCI Express Bus
P/S2 Mouse / Keyboard Audio Jacks
DMI 3.0
C236
CPU
NCT6793D
Super I/O
Realtek
ALC892
x2
x1
VGA HDMI DVI-D
PCIe x1 slot
1 x SATA Express
(2 x SATA 6Gb/s)
PCI Express Bus
PCIe x16 slot
x4
x1
PCIe x1 slot

20 Rear I/O Panel
Rear I/O Panel
PS/2 LAN
USB 2.0 USB 3.1 Gen1
USB 3.1 Gen1
DVI-D
VGA
Link/ Activity LED
Status Description
Off No link
Yellow Linked
Blinking Data activity
Speed LED
Status Description
Off 10 Mbps connection
Green 100 Mbps connection
Orange 1 Gbps connection
LAN Port LED Status Table
Audio Ports Configuration
Audio Ports
Optical S/PDIF-Out
Clear CMOS
yClear CMOS button - Power off your computer. Press and hold the Clear CMOS
button for 5 seconds to reset BIOS to default values.
Audio Ports Channel
2468
Center/ Subwoofer Out ● ●
Rear Speaker Out ●●●
Line-In/ Side Speaker Out ●
Line-Out/ Front Speaker Out ●●●●
Mic In
(●: connected, Blank: empty)