Sapphire Audio AMD 890GX User manual

USER'S MANUAL
Of
AMD 890GX & AMD SB850
Based
M/B for Socket AM3
AMD Processor
NO. G03-HA12-F
Rev
： 1.0
Release date: October, 2010
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.

ii
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
ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY INSTRUCTION ...........................................................iii
USER’S NOTICE.........................................................................................................iv
MANUAL REVISION INFORMATION.........................................................................iv
COOLING SOLUTIONS ..............................................................................................iv
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION OF AMD 890GX MOTHERBOARDS
1-1 FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD .............................................................................1
1-1.1 SPECIAL FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD...............................................2
1-2 SPECIFICATION.........................................................................................................3
1-3 PERFORMANCE LIST................................................................................................4
1-4 LAYOUT DIAGRAM....................................................................................................5
CHAPTER 2 HARDWARE INSTALLATION
2-1 HARDWARE INSTALLATION STEPS.......................................................................7
2-2 CHECKING MOTHERBOARD'S JUMPER SETTING................................................7
2-3 INSTALL CPU.............................................................................................................8
2-3-1 GLOSSARY...................................................................................................8
2-3-2 ABOUT AMD AM3 CPU INSTALLATION.................................................9
2-4 INSTALL MEMORY ....................................................................................................10
2-5 EXPANSION CARDS..................................................................................................10
2-5-1 PROCEDURE FOR EXPANSION CARD INSTALLATION..........................10
2-5-2 ASSIGNING IRQS FOR EXPANSION CARD ..............................................10
2-5-3 EXPANSION SLOTS.....................................................................................11
2-6 CONNECTORS AND HEADERS ..............................................................................12
2-6-1 CONNECTORS .............................................................................................12
2-6-2 HEADERS .....................................................................................................15
2-7 STARTING UP YOUR COMPUTER ...........................................................................18
CHAPTER 3 INTRODUCING BIOS
3-1 ENTERING SETUP .....................................................................................................20
3-2 GETTING HELP ..........................................................................................................20
3-3 THE MAIN MENU........................................................................................................21
3-4 STANDARD BIOS FEATURES ..................................................................................22
3-5 ADVANCED BIOS FEATURES..................................................................................23
3-6 ADVANCED CHIPSET FEATURES ...........................................................................24
3-6-1 ONBOARD VGA CONFIGURATION .........................................................25
3-6-3 PCI EXPRESS CONFIGURATION ............................................................26
3-7 INTEGRATED PERIPHERALS...................................................................................27
3-8 POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP...............................................................................28
3-9 MISCELLANEOUS CONFIGURATION.....................................................................29
3-10 PC HEALTH...............................................................................................................30
3-11 POWER USER OVERCLOCK SETTING..................................................................30
3-11-1 MEMORY CONFIGURATION ..................................................................32
3-12 BIOS SECURITY ......................................................................................................33
3-13 LOAD STANDARD/OPTIMAL DEFAULTS ..............................................................34
3-14 SAVE CHANGES AND EXIT/DISCARD CHANGES AND EXIT ..............................34
CHAPTER 4 DRIVER & FREE PROGRAM INSTALLATION
MAGIC INSTALL SUPPORTS WINDOWS XP/VISTA/7.....................................................36
4-1 DOTNET INSTALL MICROSOFT DOTNETX 3.5 DRIVER....................................37
4-2 ATI INSTALL ATI INTEGRATED DRIVER PACK.................................................37
4-3 SOUND INSTALL AL888 HD AUDIO CODEC DRIVER........................................38
4-4 LAN INSTALL GIGABIT ETHERNET NIC DRIVER ..............................................39
4-5 USB3.0 INSTALL NEC USB3.0 DRIVER...............................................................40
4-6 RAIDDISK INSTALL ATI SATA DRIVER AND UTILITY ...........................................41
4-7 NORTON INSTALLNORTON 2009 ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM ............................41
4-8 HDMI INSTALL ATI HDMI AUDIO DRIVER...............................................................41
4-9 FUSION INSTALL FUSION DRIVER AND TOOLS.................................................42
4-10 OVERCLOCK INSTALL OVERCLOCK DRIVER AND UTILITY.............................42
4-11 HOW TO UPDATE BIOS ............................................................................................44
TABLE OF CONTENT

iii
4-12 AMD PLATFORM RAID FUNCTION INSTALLATION ..............................................44
4-13 PRO MAGIC PLUS FUNCTION INTRODUCTION.....................................................47
4-14 HAMMER UNIQUE OVERCLOCK TOOL ..................................................................50
4-15 G.P.I FUNCTION LED DISPLAY................................................................................57
APPENDIX I……………………………………………………………………………………………..58
APPENDIX II…………………………………………………………………………………………….60
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 SOFTWARE 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 TO USE 890GX MOTHERBOARD AND
WE DO ASSURE THIS MANUAL MEETS USER’S REQUIREMENT BUT WILL CHANGE, CORRECT
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 October, 2010
Item Checklist
5AMD890GX Platform Processor Chipset based motherboard
5User’s Manual
5DVD for motherboard utilities
54 in 1Cable Package
5I/O back panel shield
AMD AM3 Processor Family
Cooling Solutions
As processor technology pushes to faster speeds and higher performance with increasing
operation clock, thermal management becomes increasingly crucial while building computer
systems. Maintaining the proper computing environment without thermal increasing is the key to
reliable, stable, and 24 hours system operation. The overall goal is keeping the processor
below its specified maximum case temperature. Heatsinks induce improved processor heat
dissipation through increasing surface area and concentrated airflow from attached active
cooling fans. In addition, interface materials allow effective transfers of heat from the
processor to the heatsink. For optimum heat transfer, AMD recommends the use of thermal
grease and mounting clips to attach the heatsink to the processor.
Please refer to the website below for collection of heatsinks evaluated and recommended for
Socket AM3 processors by AMD. In addition, this collection is not intended to be a
comprehensive listing of all heatsinks that support Socket-AM3 processors.

1
Chapter 1
Introduction of AMD 890GX Motherboards
1-1 Features of motherboard
The AMD 890GX chipset motherboard series are based on the latest AMD 890GX
Chipset and the SB 850 chipset which supports: AMD Phenom™ II X 6, Phenom™ II
X 4, Phenom™ II X3 , Phenom™ II X2 processor; Athlon™ II X4; Athlon™ II X3;
Athlon™ II X2 processor and Sempron AM3 CPU under 125 power consumption.
With an integrated low-latency high-bandwidth DDRIII memory controller and a
highly-scalable Hyper Transport technology-based system bus up to HT 3.0. AMD
890GX Platform Processor Chipset motherboard series deliver the outstanding system
performance and professional desktop platform solution.
The AMD 890GX Series motherboards support new generation Socket AM3
processors with an integrated DDRIII memory controller for Dual channel DDRIII
800/DDRIII 1066 / DDRIII 1333 Module up to 16GB, also providing DDRIII 128Mb
GPU Memory. The motherboard supports ULTRA ATA 133 connectors and Serial
ATA3 with RAID 0, 1, 5,10 and JBOD functions which support up to two IDE and six
Serial ATA3 devices to accelerate hard disk drives and guarantee the data security
without failure in advanced computing performance.
The AMD 890GX motherboards provide 10/100/1000 LAN function with Gigabit LAN
chip which supports 10/100/1000Mbps data transfer rate. And the embedded
8-channel HD audio chip is fully compatible with Sound Blaster Pro standards that
offer you with the home cinema quality and satisfying software compatibility.
The AMD 890GX Series motherboards deliver outstanding value and performance for
gamers, with a true bandwidth design for Multi-GPU configurations. This high
bandwidth architecture in the AMD 890GX chipset is with the flexibility for single or
dual card configurations. The AMD 890GX chipset provides one PCI-Express
2.0x16@ 16 lanes graphics slot and one PCI-Express 2.0x16@ 4 lanes graphics slot
to support simultaneous operation of graphics cards for astonishing performance with
brilliant and intense 3D graphics.
AMD 890GX Series motherboard series offer one PCI-Express 2.0x16@ 16 lanes
graphics slot and one PCI-Express 2.0x16@ 4 lanes graphics slot. One PCI Express
x1 I/O slot tackling the most demanding multimedia tasks nowadays. The AMD
890GX motherboards also carry two 32-bit PCI slots and one mini-PCIE slot to
guarantee the rich connectivity for the I/O peripheral devices. This motherboard
support Hybrid CrossFireX function, the VGA Card on PE2 or PE3 will activate a
Hybrid CrossFire with the onboard VGA Card, the performance will be increased 15%
to 75%.
Embedded USB controllers as well as capability of expanding to 10 of USB2.0
functional ports delivering 480Mb/s bandwidth of rich connectivity and 2 of USB3.0
functional ports delivering 5Gbp/s bandwidth of rich connectivity, these motherboards

2
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 7-shift / OC-CON / Debug
Port / E.R.P. Standards /3D Audio/DIY Clear/ Power on button/ Reset button in
this motherboard are designed for power user to use the over-clocking function in
more flexible ways. But please be caution that the over-clocking maybe causes the
fails in system reliabilities. 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.
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 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.
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.
Debug Port --- (The Professional Hardware Diagnosis System )
Being bugged of abnormal system failure through the tossed and turned nights no more, the
embedded Hardware Debug Port offers you the real-time visual system healthy for the demanding
usage of computing. No more bugging by unknown system failure and no more time wasted in the
first moment of 24-hour nonstop ping business computing, the embedded Debug Port will turn you
into a well training hardware professional with the seeing system situation. (The Post Code please
refer to appendix)
E.R.P. Standards—(Energy Using Product Standards)
The full name of E.R.P. Standards is Energy Using Product Standards, obviously technology
utilized to low power consumption. ERP 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.

3
DIY Clear-The CMOS button is to facilitate the clear CMOS process for power user overclocking
function. The user can easily clear or restore CMOS setting by pressing the button without tacking
trouble to remove the case and locate the jumper for clear CMOS .
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.
1-2 Specification
Spec Description
Design zATX form factor 4 layers PCB size: 30.5cm x23cm
Chipset zAMD 890GX North Bridge Chipset
zAMD SB 850 South Bridge Chipset
CPU Socket AM3
zSupport AMD AM3 CPU : Phenom™ II X 6, Phenom™ II X 4,
Phenom™ II X3 , Phenom™ II X2 processor; Athlon™ II X4; Athlon™
II X3; Athlon™ II X2 processor and Sempron AM3 CPU
zCPU Power consumption should be under125W
zSupport HT 3.0
Memory Slot
z240-pin DDRIII Module slot x 4
zSupport 4pcs DDRIII 1066 / 1333/ 800 Modules Expandable to 16GB
zDual channel supported
Expansion Slot
z1pcs PCI-Express 2.0x16 by 16 lane
z1pcs PCI-Express 2.0x16 by 4 lane
z1pcs PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slot
z2pcs 32-bit PCI slot
z1pcs of mini-PCIE slot
Integrate IDE and
Serial ATA2 RAID
zJMB chip support one IDE HD connector that deliver the data transfer
rate up to 133 MB/s for 2 IDE Devices
zSB 850 supports 6 Serial ATAIII 6 Gb/s connectors with RAID 0,
1 ,5,10 and JBOD function
Gigabit LAN Chip
zIntegrated Gigabit LAN chip.
zSupport Fast Ethernet LAN function of providing 10Mb/100Mb/1000
Mb/s data transfer rate
8 CH-Audio Chip
zRealtek Azalia 8-channel HD Audio Codec integrated
zSupport 8-channel 3D surround & Positioning Audio
zAudio driver and utility included
Sideport Memory zEmbedded DDR III 128Mb sideport memory
BIOS zAMI 16MB Flash ROM
Multi I/O
zPS/2 keyboard connector
zOptical SPDIF_OUT connectors
zHDMI connector / DVI connector / VGA connector
zRJ-45 connector x1
zUSB2.0 port x 4 and headers x3
zUSB3.0 port x 2
zAudio connector x1 (8CH Audio)
zSerial port header x1
zHDMI-SPDIF header x1
zIR header x1

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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.)
Performance Test Report
CPU: 955 AM3+
DRAM: Apacer 1333 1GX2
VGA Card: 3850X2
Hard Disk Driver: MAXTOR 80G SATA
BIOS: A01
OS: Windows XP Professional (SERVICE PACK 3)
3D Mark 2006 9461
3D Mark 2005 15134
AQUAMRK3 49275
PCMark2005
System / CPU / Memory 8405/9665/5864
Graph / HDD 8092/6147
Winbench 99 V2.0:
Business/Hi-end Disk Winmark99 34300
SySMark 2004: SISMark Rating(Internet Content Creation / Office Productivity )
SySMark 2004 422
3D Creation / 2D Creation 222/681
/ Web publication 497
Communication / Document Creation 189/375
/ Data Analysis 322
SiSOFT Sandra 2005 : 1.CPU Arithmetic Benchmark 2.Memory bandwidth Benchmark
3.CPU Multi-Media Benchmark
1.Dhrystone ALU MIPS 62646
Whetstone FPU iSSE2 FLOPS 70071/26742
2.Int/Float Buffered iSSE2 MB/S 10796MB/S 10822MB/S
3.Integer/Floating-Point
SSE2 MPIXEL/S
171082 /159074
UT2003 Benchmark (flyby/botmatch) 538.099426/169.749847
Super Pi (1M) Second 21.43s
CPUZ System / CPU Clock 200/16/3.2G/2000

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1-4 Layout Diagram
Rear I / O for HA12
Front Panel Header
ATA 133 IDE
Conn.(IDE1)
AM3 CPU Socket ATX Power Conn.
PCI Slot
Audio Connector
(
J1
)
RJ-45 Ove
r
USB2.0
Connectors
(UL1)
DDR III Slot x 4
ATX 12V
Power Connector
Realtek ALC888
Audio Decode
CDIN
Gigabit LAN Chip
USB Heade
r
(USB1, 2,3,)
Power Led Header
AMD 890GX Chipset
AMD SB 850 Chipset
Front Panel
AudioHeader
IR Header
Reset Button
Power on Button
CMOS1
HDMI-SPDIF
Header
CPUFAN
SATA III
Connectors
4-pin PWR Connector
CHA FAN
PCI Express 2.0 x16
by 4-lane
USB3.0 Connecto
VGA over DVI
Connector
PCI Express 2.0 x1
SYSFAN2
COM
Header
USB3.0 Connectors
PS/2 Keyboard
Port
RS-OUT
Line-OUT
CS-OUT
SS-OUT
MIC-IN
VGA
Connector
DVI
Connector
Line-IN
HDMI
Connector
RJ-45
Connector
SYSFAN1
Optical
SPDIF_OUT Connector
PS2 KB Port/ Optical
SPDIF_OUT Connectors
Mini-PCIE Slot
PCI Express 2.0 x16
by 16-lane
3D Audio Button JBAT1
Debug Port
G.P.I. LED
JP1
USB2.0 Connectors
USB2.0 Ove
r
HDMI
Connectors
Speaker Header
PCI Slot
USB2.0 Connectors
DDRIII 128Mb GPU Memory

6
Jumpers
跳线 名称 描述
JP1 KB/USB Power On Enabled/Disabled 3-Pin Block
JP2/ JP3/ JP4/ JP5 PE1/Mini-PCIE function select 3-Pin Block
JBAT Clear CMOS Header 2-Pin Block
Connectors
Connector Name Description
ATXPWR1 ATX Power Connector 24-pin Block
ATX12V1 ATX 12V Power Connector 8-pin Block
J3 Power Connector 4-Pin Block
KB PS/2 Keyboard Connector 6-pin Female
SPDIF_OUT1 Optical SPDIF_OUT Connector 1-phone Jack
USB from CN1 USB3.0 Port Connector 4-pin Connector
USB from USB,UL1 USB2.0 Port Connector 4-pin Connector
RJ-45LAN from UL1 Gigabit LAN Port Connector 8-pin Connector
J1 8-CH HD Audio Connector 6- phone jack Conn.
IDE Primary IDE Connector 40-pin Block
SATAIII-1~SATAIII-6, Serial ATAIII Connectors 7-pin Connector
VGA D-Sub Connector 15-pin Connector
DVI1 Digital Visual Interface 29-pin Connector
HDMI High-Definition Multimedia 19-pin Connector
Headers
Header Name Description
AUDIO1 Front Panel SPEAKER, MIC header 9-pin Block
USB1, USB2,USB3, USB Port Headers 9-pin Block
SPEAK1 PC Speaker connector 4-pin Block
PWR LED1 Power LED 3-pin Block
JW_FP1 (HD LED/PWR
LED/ Reset/ Power Button)
Front Panel Header 9-pin Block
SYSFAN1/2, CHAFAN FAN Headers 3-pin Block
CPUFAN FAN Header 4-pin Block
CDIN1 CD Audio-In Header 4-pin Block
IR IR infrared module Headers 5-pin Block
COM1 Serial Port COM1 Header 9-pin Block
HDMI-SPDIF SPDIF Out header 2-pin Block
Expansion Sockets
Socket/Slot Name Description
ZIF Socket AM3 CPU Socket 938-pin PGAB CPU Socket
DIMM1~4 DDRIII Module Socket 240-pin DDRIII Module Socket
PCI1,PCI2 PCI Slots 32-bit PCI Local Bus Expansion slots
PE1 PCI-Express 2.0 x1Slot PCI-Express 2.0 x1 Expansion Slots
PE2,PE3 PCI-Express 2.0x16 Slot PCI-Express 2.0x16 Expansion Slots
MINIPCI1 Mini-PCIE Slot Mini-PCIE Expansion Slot
Chapter 2

7
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 and 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) USB function Enabled/Disabled: JP1/JP2
KB & USB Power On Setting
2-3 Closed: KB/USB Power ON Enabled
JP1
JP1
1-2 Closed: KB/USB Power ON Disable (Default)
(2) PE1/MINIPCIE1 slot function select：JP2/JP3/JP4/JP5
PE1/MINIPCIE1 Slot Function Select
2-3Closed: MiniPCIE1 slot function select
JP2/JP3/JP4/JP5
1-2 Closed: PCIe 2.0 x1 slot (PE1)function select
JP2/JP3/JP4/JP5
(3) CMOS RAM Clear (2-pin): JBAT
A battery must be used to retain the motherboard configuration in CMOS RAM
short 1-2 pins of JBAT to clear the CMOS data.
WARNNING：Please remove or turn off the power supply before CMOS clear!
To clear the CMOS, follow the procedure below:
1. Turn off the system and unplug the AC power

8
2. Remove ATX power cable from ATX power connector
3. Locate JBAT and short pins 1-2 for a few seconds, if shorted with the jump cap,
short for a few seconds then pull out the hat.
4. 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
CMOS Clear Setting
1-2 Short：CMOS Clear
JBAT
1-2 Open：Normal
2-3 Install 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 socket - the 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,
the speed of each line doubled from the previous PCI-E of 2.5 Gbps 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.

9
2-3-2 About AMD AM3 CPU Installation
This motherboard provides a socket AM3 surface mount, Zero Insertion Force (ZIF)
socket, referred to as the mPGA socket supports AMD AM3 processor.
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.
WARNING! Be sure that there is sufficient air circulation across the processor’s
heatsink 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 ZIF
socket and open it by first pulling the level sideways away from the socket then
upward to a 90-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.
CPU ZIF mPGAB Socket
Colden Arrow
Socket AM3
When you put the CPU into the ZIF socket, No force required to insert of the CPU,
and then press the level to locate position slightly without any extra force.
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 8GB DDRIII SDRAM.
Valid Memory Configurations
Bank 240-Pin DIMM PCS Maximum Capacity
Bank 0, 1 (DIMM1) DDRIII 800/ 1066 / 1333 X1 4GB
Bank 2, 3 (DIMM2) DDRIII 800/ 1066 / 1333 X1 4GB
Bank 4, 5 (DIMM3) DDRIII 800/ 1066 / 1333 X1 4GB
Bank 6, 7 (DIMM4) DDRIII 800/ 1066 / 1333 X1 4GB
Total System Memory (Max2GB) 4 16GB
Dual channel Limited!
1. Dual channel function only supports when 2 DIMM Modules plug in either both DIMM1
& DIMM2, or four DIMM Modules please plug in DIMM1~DIMM4.

10
2. Memory modules 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 a 240-Pin DDRIII 800/ 1066 / 1333 SDRAM
module.
DIMM2(BANK2+BANK3) DIMM1(BANK0+BANK1)
DIMM4 (BANK6+BANK7) DIM M3 (BANK4+BANK5)
DIMM1 & DIMM2: Dual Channel 1
D
IMM3 & DIMM4: Dual Channel 2
Graph 2-4
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.
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 an IRQ to operate. Generally, an IRQ must exclusively
assign to one use. In a standard design, there are 16 IRQs available but most of
them are already in use.
Standard Interrupt Assignments
IRQ Priority Standard function
0 N/A System Timer
1 N/A Keyboard Controller

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2 N/A Programmable Interrupt
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.
NOTE! If using PCI cards on shared slots, make sure that the drivers
support “Shared IRQ”or that the cards don’t need IRQ assignments.
Conflicts will arise between the two PCI groups that will make the
system unstable or cards inoperable.
2-5-3 Expansion Slots
AMD 890GX Series motherboard series offer one PCI-Express 2.0x16@ 16 lanes
graphics slot and one PCI-Express 2.0x16@ 4 lanes. One PCI Express2.0 x1 I/O slot
tackling the most demanding multimedia tasks nowadays. The AMD 890GX
motherboards also carry two 32-bit PCI slot and one mini-PCIE slot to guarantee the
rich connectivity for the I/O peripheral devices.
2-6 Connectors and Headers
2-6-1 Connectors
PCI-E2.0 x1 Slot
32-bit PCI Slot PCI-E 2.0 x16 Slot by 16-lane
Mini-PCIE Slot
PCI-E 2.0 x16 Slot
by4-lane
32-bit PCI Slot

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(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.
** If you are using a 20-pin power plug, please refer to Figure1 for power supply
connection. Power plug form power supply and power connectors from
motherboard both adopt key design to avoid mistake installation. You can insert
the power plug into the connector with ease only in the right direction. If the
direction is wrong it is hard to fit in and if you make the connection by force if is
possible.
Figure1：20-pinpowerplug Figure2：24-pin power plug
(2)ATX 12V Power Connector (8-pin block): ATX12V1
Pin 1
ROW1 ROW2
24-Pin
ROW1 ROW2
Pin 1
20-Pin
PIN ROW1 ROW2
1 3.3V 3.3V
2 3.3V -12V
3 GND GND
4 5V Soft Power On
5 GND GND
6 5V GND
7 GND GND
8 Power OK -5V
9 +5V (for Soft Logic) +5V
10 +12V +5V
11 +12V +5V
12 +3V GND

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This is a new defined 8-pins connector that usually comes with ATX Power
Supply. The ATX Power Supply which fully supports Socket AM3 processor
must including this connector for support extra 12V voltage to maintain system
power consumption. Without this connector might cause system unstable
because the power supply can not provide sufficient current for system.
Pin 1
(3) Keyboard Connector: KB
The connector is for PS/2 keyboard
(4) USB Port connector: UL1/ USB for USB2.0; CN1 for USB3.0
The connectors are 4-pin connector that connects USB devices to the system
board.
(5) LAN Port connector: UL1 for RJ45 LAN
The connector is standard RJ45 connector for Network. It supports
10M/100Mb/1000Mb s data transfer rate
(6) Audio Line-In,
Lin-Out, MIC, RS-Out, CS-Out，SS-Out connector : J1
These Connectors are 6 Phone-Jack for LINE-OUT, LINE-IN, MIC, RS-Out,
CS-Out，SS-Out audio connections.
Line-in: (BLUE) Audio input to sound chip
Line-out: (GREEN) Audio output to speaker
MIC: (PINK) Microphone Connector
RS-OUT: (BLACK) Rear-Surround audio output
CS-OUT: (ORANGE) Center/ Subwoofer audio output
SS-OUT: (GRAY) Side-Surround audio output
(7) Large 4-Pin Power Connector ：J3 Power Connector
USB2.0 Connectors
PS/2 Mouse
P
o
r
t
RS-OUT
Line-OUT
CS-OUT
SS-OUT
MIC-IN
VGA
Connector
DVI
Connector
Line-IN
HDMI
Connector
RJ-45
Connector
Optical
SPDIF_OUT Connector
USB3.0 Connectors
USB2.0 Connectors

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The connectors are 4-pin connector that supports extra 12V / 5V power to your
system
(8)Primary IDE Connector (40-pin block): IDE
This connector supports the provided IDE hard disk ribbon cable. After
connecting the single plug end to motherboard, connect the two plugs at other
end to your hard disk(s). If you install two hard disks, you must configure the
second drive to Slave mode by setting its jumpers accordingly. Please refer to
the documentation of your hard disk for the jumper settings.
IDE Connector
Pin 1
IDE1
•Two hard disks can be connected to each connector. The first HDD is referred
to as the “Master” and the second HDD is referred to as the “Slave”.
•For performance issues, we strongly suggest you don’t install a CD-ROM or
DVD-ROM drive on the same IDE channel as a hard disk. Otherwise, the system
performance on this channel may drop.
(9) Serial-ATAIII Port connector: SATAIII-1~SATAIII-6
This connector supports the provided SATA III hard disk cable to connecting the
motherboard with serial ATAIII hard disk.

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SATAIII-1
SAT
A
III-2
SATAIII-3
SAT
A
III-
4
SAT
A
III-
5
SAT
A
III-6
SATA III Connectors
(10) D-Sub 15-pin Connector: VGA
VGA is the 15-pin D-Subminiature female connector; it is for the display devices,
such as the CRT monitor, LCD monitor and so on.
(11) Digital Visual Interface: DVI1
This interface standard designed to maximize the visual quality of digital display
devices such as flat panel LCD computer displays and digital projectors.
(12) High-Definition Multimedia Interface: HDMI
This point-to-point interface is for audio and video signals designed as a
single-cable solution for home theater and consumer electronics equipment.
NOTE! DVI and HDMI Connector can not be used at the same time.
(13) Optical SPDIF _OUT header: SPDIF_OUT1
The SPDIF output is capable of providing digital audio to external speakers or
compressed AC3 data to an external Dolby digital decoder. Use this feature only
when your stereo system has digital input function. SPDIF_OUT1(above KB
connector) is optical SPDIF_OUT connector.
2-6-2 Headers
(1) Line-Out/MIC Header for Front Panel (9-pin): AUDIO1
These headers connect to Front Panel Line-out, MIC connector with cable.
Line-Out, MIC Headers
AUDIO
Pin 1
Lineout2-L Lineout2-R
Sense-FB
Audio-GND
LINE2-JD
Audio-JD
2
9
10
KE
Y
MIC2-L
MIC2-JD
MIC2-R
(2)USB Port Headers (9-pin): USB1/USB2/USB3
These headers are used for connecting the additional USB port plug. By
attaching an option USB cable, your can be provided with two additional USB
plugs affixed to the back panel.