Sapphire Audio Pure Platinum A75 User manual

User’s Manual
Sapphire Pure Platinum A75
AMD A75 Chipset for FM1 Socket
Mainboard
TRADEMARK
All products and company names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
These specifications are subject to change without notice.
Manual Revision 1.1
August 18, 2011

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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Statement
This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with instructions contained
in this manual, may cause harmful interference to radio and television
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur
in a particular installation.
If this product does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the product into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Í Note1: Connecting this device to peripheral devices that do not comply with Class
B requirements, or using an unshielded peripheral data cable, could also
result in harmful interference to radio or television reception
Note2: The user is cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s
authority to operate this product.
Note3: To ensure that the use of this product does not contribute to
interference, it is necessary to use shielded I/O cables
CE: Radiation of EN 55022 & Immunity of EN 55024
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Statement
To protect the global environment, this product must be sent to separate collection
facilities for recovery and recycling.
DISPOSAL
Do not dispose of this product as unsorted municipal waste. Collect such
waste separately for special treatment.

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction ..............................................................1
1-1 Mainboard Specifications ........................................................... 1
1-2 Package Contents ..................................................................... 4
1-3 Mainboard Layout ...................................................................... 5
Chapter 2 Installation ................................................................ 9
2-1 Before You Begin ....................................................................... 9
2-2 Installing the I/O Shield .............................................................. 9
2-3 Securing to the Chassis ............................................................. 9
2-4 Installing the CPU and Fan Heatsink ....................................... 10
2-5 Installing System Memory ........................................................ 10
Memory configurations ............................................................. 11
Memory Installation .................................................................. 11
2-6 Installing Expansion Cards ...................................................... 12
PCI-E Slots ............................................................................... 12
Mini PCI-E Slot ......................................................................... 12
PCI Slots .................................................................................. 13
2-7 Connecting Cables .................................................................. 13
Connecting Power Supply Cables ............................................ 13
Connecting Serial ATA (SATA) Cables ...................................... 14
Connecting to the Internal Headers and Connectors ............... 15
Front Panel Header ............................................................ 15
USB2.0 Headers ................................................................. 16
USB3.0 Headers ................................................................. 16
CFPA Header ...................................................................... 17
S/PDIF Header ................................................................... 17
Fan Headers ....................................................................... 18
2-8 Diagnostics LED ...................................................................... 19
2-9 LED Status Indicators .............................................................. 19

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2-10 Onboard Buttons .................................................................... 20
Clear CMOS Button ................................................................. 20
Reset and Power Button .......................................................... 20
2-11 Dual BIOS Switch ................................................................... 21
Chapter 3 Configuring the BIOS ............................................22
3-1 Select Boot Device .................................................................. 22
3-2 Enter BIOS Setup .................................................................... 22
3-3 Main Menu ............................................................................... 24
3-4 Performance Menu .................................................................. 25
Memory Configuration .............................................................. 26
Voltage Configuration ............................................................... 28
3-5 Advanced Menu ....................................................................... 30
PCI Subsystem Settings ........................................................... 31
ACPI Settings ........................................................................... 34
CPU Configuration ................................................................... 35
IDE Configuration ..................................................................... 36
USB Configuration ................................................................... 37
H/W Monitor ............................................................................. 38
Onboard Device ....................................................................... 40
3-6 Chipset Menu ........................................................................... 41
North Bridge ............................................................................. 41
South Bridge ............................................................................ 43
3-7 Boot Menu ............................................................................... 46
3-8 Security Menu .......................................................................... 48
3-9 Save & Exit Menu .................................................................... 49
Chapter 4 Driver Installation ................................................51
4-1 Driver Install ............................................................................. 51
4-2 TRIXX Utility ............................................................................ 52
4-3 Hardware monitor gadget ........................................................ 53
Chapter 5 POST Code ..........................................................54
Chapter 6 Appendix ..............................................................59

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Chapter 1 Introduction
1-1 Mainboard Specifications
APU
Supports AMD®Llano APU with FM1 socket
*Please refer to Appendix for supporting APU and Dual Graphics configuration
Chipset
AMD A75 (Hudson D3) chipset
Graphics
On-die AMD Radeon HD 6xxx series graphic
Three independent display and supporting dual display with HDMI/DVI and
HDMI/Display Port
Port Supported resolution
DVI-D 1920x1200@60MHz
HDMI 1920x1200@60MHz
Display Port 2560x1600@60MHz
*Please refer to Appendix for supporting APU and Dual Graphics configuration
System Memory
Four 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM DIMM sockets
Supports 1.5v DDR3-1066/ 1333/ 1600/ 1866(OC) DIMMs with dual channel
architecture
Supports x16 and x8 DIMMs, non-ECC, unbuffered DIMMs
Supports up to 16GB system memory
USB Ports
Six USB 2.0 ports (four at rear panel, two onboard headers), supporting
transfer speed up to 480Mbps
Four USB 3.0 ports (two at rear panel, two onboard headers) backward
compatible with USB 2.0, supporting transfer speeds up to 4.8Gbps
Supports wake-up from S1, S3 and S4 modes

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SATA Ports
Five SATA3 ports with 6Gb/s data transfer rate
One E-SATA port at real panel
Supports RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10
Supports AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface)
Onboard LAN
One Gigabit Ethernet from Marvell 88E8059 Gigabit controller
Bluetooth
Atheros AR3011 is a highly integrated, all-CMOS, single chip with Bluetooth®
2.1 + EDR supported
Onboard Audio
Supports 8-channel High-Definition audio from Realtek ALC892 codec
Supports S/PDIF header
Supports Jack-detection, Multi-Streaming and Front Panel Jack-retasking
function
Expansion Slots
One PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot
Two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots
One PCI-Express 2.0 x4 slot
One Mini PCI-E slot
Two PCI Slots
I/O
Onboard Fintek F71889A LPC bus I/O controller
Supports Hardware Monitoring for fan speed monitoring, CPU and system
temperature
Back Panel I/O Ports
1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse port
4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x Bluetooth
1 x E-SATA port

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1 x Display port
1 x DVI-D port
1 x HDMI port
1 x RJ45 LAN port
2 x USB 3.0 ports
6 audio jacks
Internal I/O Connectors
1 x 24-pin ATX power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
5 x SATA3 connectors
4 x USB2.0 headers
2 x USB3.0 headers
1 x Front Panel header
1 x S/PDIF header
1 x Front Audio header
1 x CPU Fan and 5 x DC Fan connectors
BIOS
16Mb SPI Flash with AMI based BIOS
Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
Supports dual BIOS switch
Special Features
Onboard diagnostic 7-Segment LED with CPU temperature display
Onboard buttons include Clear CMOS, RESET and POWER
Supports Windows based OC utility “Trixx” and Win7 HW monitor gadget tool
Form Factor
ATX form factor of 305mm x 245mm
Operating systems:
Supports Windows Vista and Windows 7

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1-2 Package Contents
Your Sapphire mainboard comes with the following accessories.
1. Mainboard 2. I/O Shield
3. Quick Installation Guide 4. Driver CD
5. USB3.0 Front Panel Cable 6. SATA Data Cable *4

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1-3 Mainboard Layout
The following figure shows the location of components on the mainboard. See
following page for description.
See next page for details

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Item Component description
1 AMD CPU Socket FM1
2 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) Chip
3 DDR3 DIMM Slots 1-4
4 PCI-E 2.0 x16 Slot *1
5 PCI-E 2.0 x1 Slot *2
6 PCI-E 2.0 x4 Slot *1
7 PCI Slot *2
8 Mini PCI-E Slot
9 24-Pin ATX Power Connector
10 8-pin ATX_12V Power Connector
11 SATA3 Connectors *5
12 Front Panel Header
13 Debug LED Display
14 USB 2.0 Header *4
15 USB 3.0 Header *2
16 Power Button
17 Reset Button
18 Clear CMOS Button
19 S/PDIF Header
20 Front Panel Audio Header
21 CPU Fan Header
22 3 - p i n F a n H e a d e r * 5
23 Mainboard Battery
24 PC Speaker
25 16Mb SPI Flash
26 Dual BIOS Switch
27 Back Panel Connectors (see below for detail)

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I/O Back Panel
The I/O back panel for this mainboard is shown below. When installing the
mainboard into the computer case, use the bundled I/O shield to protect this
back panel.
1. PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Port
This connector is used for a keyboard or mouse. You can plug a PS/2
keyboard or mouse directly into this connector.
2. USB 2.0 Ports (Four)
The mainboard provides an OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) Universal
Serial Bus root for attaching USB devices such as a keyboard, mouse or
other USB-compatible devices. Supports data transfer rates up to 480Mb/s.
3. Bluetooth
Bluetooth wireless technology is an interface intended for wireless
control/data communication
4. ESATA Port
The ESATA (External SATA) port provides connection to ESATA hard drives.
5. Display Port
The DisplayPort is a digital display interface standard. This connector is used
to connect a monitor with DisplayPort inputs.
6. DVI-D Port
The DVI-D (Digital Visual Interface-Digital) port provides a high-speed
digital interconnection between the computer and its display device.
Connect a monitor that supports DVI-D connection to this port. The DVI-D
port does not support analogue VGA monitors using a passive DVI to VGA
adapter.

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7. HDMI Port
The HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) provides an all-digital
audio/video interface to transmit the uncompressed audio/video signals
and is HDCP compliant. Connect the HDMI audio/video device to this port.
Dual Display Configurations:
This mainboard provides three ports for video output: DVI-D, HDMI and
Display port. Please refer to table below for dual display configurations
supported.
Supported configurations
HDMI + DVI-D
HDMI + Display Port
Note: If you use both DVI-D and Display Port, only Display Port can output.
8. LAN Ports with LEDs
The mainboard provides one standard RJ-45 jack for connecting to a Local
Area Network (LAN). Two LEDs are built into the RJ-45 LAN connector.
These LEDs indicate the status of the LAN.
9. USB 3.0 ports (two)
USB 3.0 ports are backwardly compatible with USB 2.0 devices. Supports
data transfer rates up to 4.8Gb/s (SuperSpeed).
10. Audio ports
This mainboard provides 2, 6 or 8 channel audio. It is easy to differentiate
between the audio functions by referring to the color of the jacks.
Ports 2 channel 6 channel 8 channel
Blue Line-In Line-In Line-In
Lime Line-Out Front Stereo-Out Front Stereo-Out
Pink Min-In Min-In Min-In
Orange -- Center/Subwoofer Center/Subwoofer
Black -- Rear Stereo-Out Rear Stereo-Out
Gray -- -- Side Stereo-Out
LED LED Color LED state Indicates
A Green
Off LAN link is not established
On LAN link is established
Blinking LAN activity is occurring
B
N/A Off 10 Mb/s data rate
Green On 100 Mb/s data rate
Yellow On 1000 Mb/s data rate

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Chapter 2 Installation
2-1 Before You Begin
Please take note of all precautions before you install anything on to the
mainboard or change any of the mainboard settings.
Turn off the power to your system and discharge your body’s static electric
charge by touching a grounded surface—for example, the metal surface of the
power supply—before performing any hardware procedure.
The manufacturer assumes no liability for any damage, caused directly or
indirectly, by improper installation of any components by unauthorized service
personnel. If you do not feel comfortable performing the installation, consult a
qualified computer technician.
Damage to system components, the mainboard, and injury to you may result if
power is applied during installation.
2-2 Installing the I/O Shield
The mainboard comes complete with an I/O shield. When installed in the chassis,
the shield blocks radio frequency transmissions, protects internal components
from dust and foreign objects, and promotes correct airflow within the chassis.
Install the I/O shield before installing the mainboard in the chassis. Place the
shield inside the chassis. Press the shield into place so that it fits tightly and
securely. If the shield does not fit, obtain a properly sized shield from the chassis
supplier.
2-3 Securing to the Chassis
When installing the mainboard, you have to secure the mainboard into the
chassis by fastening with nine screws. Please refer to your chassis manual for
instructions on installing.

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2-4 Installing the CPU and Fan Heatsink
Follow the steps below to install the CPU & cooler correctly.
1. Open the socket lever and rise to a 90
degree angle. 
2. Align the CPU pin one (small triangle
marking) and gently insert the CPU into
the socket then close the socket lever.
ÍNote:
Apply some thermal paste on surface
of CPU for better heat dispersion.
3. Place the cooler on the CPU. Engage one
side of the clip onto the CPU mount first
then press down the other side of the
clip.
4. Turn the lever from left to right to fasten
the CPU cooler. If in doubt, refer to your
CPU cooler manual for installing the
cooler.
5. Connect the 4-wire fan cable to the 4-pin
CPUFAN header on the mainboard.
PS:
Pictures for installation reference only, the
actual board may be slightly different.
1
2
3
4
5

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2-5 Installing System Memory
This mainboard has four 240-pin DIMM sockets for DDR3 memory. These slots
support 1GB, 2GB and 4GB DDR3 DIMMs up to max. 16GB
Make sure that you install memory modules of the same type and density in
different channel DIMM slots for Dual-Channel mode.
There must be at least one memory bank populated to ensure normal operation
and always insert the memory module into the DIMM slot 2 first.
Memory configurations
Use the following the recommendations for installing memory.
DIMM Quantity
Location
1 D I M M
(Single Channel)
2 DIMMs
(Dual Channel)
3 DIMMs
(Dual Channel)
4 DIMMs
(Dual Channel)
DIMM#1 (Black) -- -- V V
DIMM#2 (Blue) V V V V
DIMM#3 (Black) -- -- -- V
DIMM#4 (Blue) -- V V V
( “ V” = Memory installed, “--“ = No memory installed)
Memory Installation
DDR3 and DDR2 memory modules are physically different. Please only install
DDR3 DIMMs in this mainboard.
To install the DIMM, follow these steps:
1. Pull both clips on either side of the slot outwards. Align the DIMM module
with the slot.
2. Press straight down until the plastic clips close and the module fits tightly
into the DIMM slot.
DIMM#1
DIMM#2
DIMM#4
DIMM#3

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2-6 Installing Expansion Cards
The mainboard provides one PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot, one PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot,
two PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots, one Mini PCI x1 slot and two PCI slots.
PCI-E Slots
The design of this motherboard supports PCI-E interface expansion cards
complying with the PCI Express specification.
To install a PCI Express card:
1. Place the card in an available PCI Express slot and press down on the card
until it is completely seated in the slot. If the card is not seated properly, it
could cause a short across the pins.
2. Secure the card’s metal bracket to the chassis back panel with a screw.
Mini PCI-E Slot
The Mini PCI-E Slot is used to connect compliant Mini PCI-Express x1 devices
such as a wireless network card, USB card or other devices.
To install a Mini PCI-E card:
1. Remove screws and align the notch on the Mini PCI card edge connector
with the tab in the slot.
PE1
PCI-E2.0 x1 slot (with x1 link, Black)
PE5
Mini PCI-E slot (with x1 link)
PE2
PCI-E2.0 x16 slot (with x16 link, Blue)
PE3
PCI-E2.0 x1 slot (with x1 link, Black)
PE4
PCI-E2.0 x4 slot
(
with x4 link
,
Black
)
PCI2
PCI Slot
(
Black
)
PCI1
PCI Slot (Black)

~ 13 ~
2. Plug the Mini PCI card firmly into the slot at a 45-degree angle until it clicks
into place.
3. Secure the Mini PCI-E card with accompanied screws.
PCI Slots
The two PCI slots provided supports a variety of expansion cards such as a LAN
card, USB card, SCSI card and other cards that comply with PCI specifications.
When installing a card into the PCI slot, be sure that it is fully seated. Secure the
card’s metal bracket to the chassis back panel.
2-7 Connecting Cables
This section takes you through all the necessary connections on the mainboard.
Connecting Power Supply Cables
24-pin ATX Power
PW1 is the main power supply connector. Make sure that the power supply
cable pins are properly aligned with the connector on the mainboard. Firmly
plug the power supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure.
Í Note: If you’d like to use the 20-pin ATX power supply, please plug in your power
supply cable aligned with pins 1 & 13. The 24-pin main power connector
is backwardly compatible with ATX power supplies with 20-pin connectors.
8-pin ATX 12V Power
PW2, the 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, is used to provide power to the CPU.
Align the power plug to the connector and press firmly until seated.
24-pin ATX Power connector 8-pin ATX Power connector

~ 14 ~
Connecting Serial ATA (SATA) Cables
SATA cables support the Serial ATA protocol. Each cable can be used to connect
one internal SATA drive to the mainboard.
The S1 to S3 connectors are SATA3 compliant and work at speeds of up to 6
Gb/s.
Attach one end of the SATA cable to one of the
SATA connectors on the board and attach the othe
r
end of the cable to the SATA drive
S1: SATA 3.0
SATA3 0 (bottom)
SATA3 1 (top)
S3: SATA 3.0
SATA3 4
S2: SATA 3.0
SATA3 2 (bottom)
SATA3 3 (top)

~ 15 ~
Connecting to the Internal Headers and Connectors
Front Panel Header
The front panel header on this motherboard is used to connect the front panel
switches and LEDs.
PWR_LED
Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two pins of the connector.
The Power LED indicates the system’s status.
System Status Power LED indicates
On The LED is on
Off The LED is off
S1 The LED is on
S3 The LED will blink
S4 The LED is off
PW_ON
Attach the power button cable from the case to these two pins. Pressing the
power button on the front panel turns the system on and off rather than
using the onboard button.
HD_LED
Attach the hard disk drive indicator LED cable to these two pins. The HDD
indicator LED indicates the activity status of the hard disks.
RESET
Attach the Reset switch cable from the front panel of the case to these two
pins. The system restarts when the RESET switch is pressed.
Header Pin Signal
HD_LED 1 HD_PWR
3 HD Active
PWRLED 2 PWR LED+
4 PWR LED-
RESET 5 Ground
7 RST BTN
PWRSW
6 PWR BTN
8 Ground
No Connect 9 +5V
Empty 10 Empty

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1
VCC
2
USB1-
USB1+
Ground
No Connect
Empty
USB0-
USB0+
Ground
USB2.0 Headers
This mainboard contains four (4) USB 2.0 ports that are exposed on the rear
panel of the chassis. This mainboard also contains two 10-pin onboard header
connectors that can be used to connect to four (4) external USB 2.0 devices.
Refer to the following steps:
1. Secure the bracket to either the front or rear panel of your chassis (not all
chassis are equipped with the front panel option).
2. Connect the cable(s) to the USB 2.0 header on the mainboard.
USB3.0 Headers
This mainboard contains Two (2) USB 3.0 ports that are exposed on the rear
panel of the chassis. This mainboard also contains one onboard header
connectors that can be used to connect to two (2) external USB 3.0 devices.
For real panel, refer to the following steps:
1. Secure the bracket to rear panel of your chassis.
2. Connect the cable(s) to the USB 3.0 header on the mainboard.
For front panel, refer to the following steps:
1. Remove the cover plate from the selected drive bay.
2. Push the USB3.0 cable into the drive bay. Align the screw holes with the
appropriate holes in the drive bay and tighten the mounting screws.
3. Connect the USB3.0 connector of cable to the USB3.0 header on the
mainboard.
USB3.0 Headers
This mainboard is provided
the USB3.0 front panel cable
accessories