ASUS A78M-A (01) PDF DOCUMENT

Electrical Safety:

• To prevent electrical shock, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system.

• When adding or removing devices, ensure the power cables for the devices are unplugged before connecting signal cables. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before adding a device.

• Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure all power cables are unplugged.

• Ensure your power supply is set to the correct voltage for your area. If you are unsure, contact your local power company.

• If the power supply is broken, do not attempt to fix it yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.

Operation Safety:

• Before installing the motherboard and adding components, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package.

• Before using the product, ensure all cables are correctly connected and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.

• To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors, slots, sockets, and circuitry.

• Avoid dust, humidity, and extreme temperatures. Do not place the product where it may be exposed to moisture.

• Place the product on a stable surface.

• Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component. Before handling components, use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object to avoid damage from static electricity.

• Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs.

• When you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in its original bag.

The Standby Power LED (SB_PWR) on the ASUS A78M-A motherboard lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft-off mode. It serves as a reminder to shut down the system and unplug the power cable before removing or plugging in any motherboard component. An ON state indicates Standby Power, while an OFF state indicates the system is Powered Off.

Before installing, unplug the power cord to prevent physical injury and damage to components.

1. Placement Direction: Place the motherboard into the chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with the external I/O ports should be positioned towards the rear of the chassis.

2. Screw Holes: Secure the motherboard to the chassis by placing six screws into the holes indicated by circles on the board. Do not overtighten the screws, as this can damage the motherboard.

Ensure you are using an APU designed for the FM2+ socket. Do not force the APU into the socket to avoid damage.

1. Unlock the socket by pulling the lever sideways and then lifting it up.

2. Align the gold triangle on the APU with the triangle marking on the socket corner. Carefully insert the APU into the socket.

3. Push the lever down and lock it into place to secure the APU.

4. If necessary, apply Thermal Interface Material (thermal paste) to the APU surface before installing the heatsink and fan.

To install the APU heatsink and fan assembly:

1. Place the heatsink and fan assembly onto the retention module, ensuring the clips align with the tabs on the module.

2. Press down on one of the clips to attach it to the retention module tab.

3. Press down on the second clip to attach it to the other tab.

4. Rotate the cam lever to secure the heatsink and fan assembly in place.

5. Connect the fan cable to the CPU_FAN connector on the motherboard.

To uninstall the APU heatsink and fan assembly:

1. Disconnect the CPU fan cable from the motherboard connector.

2. Rotate the cam lever to release the pressure from the heatsink.

3. Unhook the retention clip on one side.

4. Unhook the retention clip on the other side.

5. Gently lift the heatsink and fan assembly off the APU.

Memory Configuration Guidelines:

• The motherboard has four DDR3 DIMM sockets, divided into Channel A (DIMM_A1, DIMM_A2) and Channel B (DIMM_B1, DIMM_B2).

• You can install 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB unbuffered non-ECC DDR3 DIMMs.

• For optimal compatibility, always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. It is recommended to use memory modules of the same version or date code (D/C) from the same vendor.

• If using a 32-bit Windows OS with 4GB or more memory, only about 3GB will be usable. It is recommended to use a 64-bit Windows OS to install 4GB or more memory.

Installation Steps:

1. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward.

2. Align the notch on the DIMM with the key on the socket. Insert the DIMM vertically and firmly into the socket.

3. The plastic clips at both ends of the socket will automatically lock the DIMM in place. A click indicates that the DIMM is correctly seated.

To remove a DIMM:

Simultaneously press the retaining clips outward to release the DIMM from the socket.

Unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards.

1. Before installation, read the documentation for your expansion card and make any necessary hardware settings on the card.

2. Remove the system unit cover.

3. Remove the metal bracket opposite the slot you intend to use. Keep the screw for later use.

4. Align the card’s connector with the expansion slot and press down firmly until the card is completely seated.

5. Secure the card to the chassis using the screw you removed earlier.

6. Replace the system cover.

After installation, turn on the system, change any necessary BIOS settings, assign an IRQ if needed, and install the software drivers for the card.

The Clear RTC RAM jumper (CLRTC) allows you to clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters.

1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord.

2. Locate the 3-pin CLRTC jumper on the motherboard. Move the jumper cap from the default position (pins 1-2) to pins 2-3.

3. Keep the cap on pins 2-3 for about 5-10 seconds.

4. Move the jumper cap back to the default position (pins 1-2).

5. Plug in the power cord and turn ON the computer.

6. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process to enter BIOS setup and re-enter the system data.

Note: Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap from the CLRTC jumper’s default position. Doing so will cause a system boot failure.

The function of the audio ports depends on the channel configuration. To configure an 8-channel (7.1) audio output, you must use a chassis with an HD audio module in the front panel.

The LAN (RJ-45) port has two LEDs that indicate activity and speed.

Activity/Link LED:

• OFF: No link

• ORANGE: Linked

• BLINKING: Data activity

Speed LED:

• OFF: 10Mbps connection

• ORANGE: 100Mbps connection

• GREEN: 1Gbps connection

ASUS EZ Flash 2 allows you to update the BIOS without using an OS-based utility. First, download the latest BIOS file for the motherboard.

1. Insert a USB flash disk containing the latest BIOS file into a USB port.

2. Enter the Advanced Mode of the BIOS setup program. Go to the Tool menu, select ASUS EZ Flash 2 Utility, and press <Enter>.

3. Press <Tab> to switch to the Drive field.

4. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to find the USB flash disk with the BIOS file, then press <Enter>.

5. Press <Tab> to switch to the Folder Info field.

6. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to find the BIOS file, and press <Enter> to begin the update process.

7. Reboot the system when the update process is complete.

Important Notes:

• This function supports USB flash disks formatted with FAT32/16 on a single partition only.

• Load the BIOS default settings (Load Optimized Defaults under the Exit menu) after updating to ensure system compatibility and stability.

• DO NOT shut down or reset the system while the BIOS is updating to prevent boot failure.

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility can automatically recover a corrupted BIOS file using the motherboard support DVD or a USB flash drive containing the BIOS file.

Before starting, rename the BIOS file on your USB flash drive to A78MA.CAP.

1. Turn on the system.

2. Insert the support DVD into the optical drive or the USB flash drive with the renamed BIOS file into a USB port.

3. The utility will automatically check the devices for the BIOS file. When found, it will read the file and enter the ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility.

4. The system will prompt you to enter BIOS Setup to recover settings. To ensure system stability, press <F5> to load the default BIOS values.

Warning: DO NOT shut down or reset the system during the BIOS recovery process, as this can cause a system boot failure.

You can enter the BIOS setup program using one of the following methods:

• At startup: Press the <Delete> key during the Power-On Self Test (POST) immediately after turning on the computer.

• After POST:

• Press <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del> simultaneously to restart the system, then press <Delete> during POST.

• Press the reset button on the system chassis, then press <Delete> during POST.

• Press the power button to turn the system off and then back on, then press <Delete> during POST.

You can set passwords in the Security menu within the BIOS Advanced Mode.

To set a password (Administrator or User):

1. Select either the Administrator Password or User Password item and press <Enter>.

2. In the “Create New Password” box, type your desired password and press <Enter>.

3. Confirm the password when prompted.

To change a password:

1. Select the password item you wish to change and press <Enter>.

2. In the “Enter Current Password” box, type the current password and press <Enter>.

3. In the “Create New Password” box, type the new password and press <Enter>.

4. Confirm the new password when prompted.

To clear a password:

Follow the steps for changing a password, but when prompted to create a new password, just press <Enter> without typing anything. The password status will change to “Not Installed”.

To restore the motherboard’s default BIOS settings for optimal stability and compatibility:

1. Enter the BIOS setup program.

2. Navigate to the Exit menu.

3. Select the Load Optimized Defaults option and press <Enter>.

4. A confirmation window will appear. Select Yes to load the default values.

Alternatively, you can press the <F5> key at any time within the BIOS setup to bring up the confirmation window for loading optimized defaults.

After making your desired changes in the BIOS setup:

1. Navigate to the Exit menu.

2. Select Save Changes & Reset and press <Enter>.

3. A confirmation window will appear. Select Yes to save your changes and restart the computer.

Alternatively, you can press the <F10> key from any screen in the BIOS setup. This will bring up the “Save & Reset” confirmation window directly.

In the BIOS, navigate to Advanced > SATA Configuration to manage your SATA devices.

• OnChip SATA Channel: [Enabled]/[Disabled] – Enables or disables the onboard SATA controller.

• OnChip SATA Type: Allows you to set the SATA configuration mode.

• [IDE]: Use for Serial ATA hard disk drives as Parallel ATA physical storage devices.

• [RAID]: Use to create a RAID configuration from SATA hard disk drives.

• [AHCI]: (Advanced Host Controller Interface) Enables advanced Serial ATA features that increase storage performance on random workloads. This is the default setting.

• OnChip SATA MAX Speed: [SATA 6.0Gb/s]/[SATA 3.0Gb/s] – Set the maximum speed for better HDD compatibility.

• S.M.A.R.T. Status Check: [Enabled]/[Disabled] – Enables or disables the Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology to report warning messages from the hard disk during POST.

You can control fan speeds in the BIOS under the Monitor menu using the Q-Fan Control features.

For the CPU Fan:

1. Set CPU Q-Fan Control to [Enabled].

2. Fan Speed Low Limit: Set a minimum RPM warning threshold (e.g., 200 RPM) or select [Ignore].

3. Q-Fan Profile: Choose a preset performance level.

• [Standard]: The fan speed adjusts automatically based on CPU temperature.

• [Silent]: Minimizes fan speed for quiet operation.

• [Turbo]: Maximizes fan speed for cooling performance.

• [Manual]: Allows you to set detailed fan speed control parameters, including Upper/Lower Temperature and Max/Min Duty Cycle(%).

The same options are available for the chassis fan under Chassis Q-Fan Control.

You can change the boot device priority in two ways:

1. EZ Mode (Graphical Interface):

• When you first enter the BIOS, you will be in EZ Mode.

• Under the “Boot Priority” section, you will see icons for your available boot devices (e.g., hard drive, optical drive, USB drive).

• Simply drag and drop the icons into your desired boot order.

2. Advanced Mode:

• Enter Advanced Mode (press F7).

• Go to the Boot menu.

• Under Boot Option Priorities, you will see items like “Boot Option #1”, “Boot Option #2”, etc.

• Select an option and press <Enter> to choose a device from the list for that priority level.

To select a boot device for the current startup session without permanently changing the boot order in the BIOS:

1. Boot your computer.

2. When the ASUS Logo appears during the Power-On Self Test (POST), press the <F8> key.

3. The BIOS Boot Device Select Menu will appear.

4. Use the arrow keys to highlight the device you want to boot from (e.g., a specific hard drive, USB flash drive, or optical drive).

5. Press <Enter> to boot from the selected device.

This action only affects the current boot and does not alter the default boot priority sequence saved in the BIOS settings.