M5A78L-M LX3 Series
• M5A78L-M LX3
• M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
Contents
About this guide......................................................................................................... vi
Chapter 1:
Special features............................................................................................1-1
Before you proceed......................................................................................1-3
Motherboard overview .................................................................................1-4
Central Processing Unit (CPU)....................................................................1-6
System memory..........................................................................................1-10
Expansion slots..........................................................................................1-16
PCI slot .........................................................................................1-16
Jumpers.......................................................................................................1-17
Connectors..................................................................................................1-19
Software support........................................................................................1-25
Chapter 2:
iii
BIOS setup program.....................................................................................2-4
Menu bar.........................................................................................2-5
Scroll bar.........................................................................................2-6
Main menu.....................................................................................................2-7
Advanced menu............................................................................................2-9
Chipset..........................................................................................2-13
PCIPnP .........................................................................................2-14
Power menu ................................................................................................2-16
Boot menu...................................................................................................2-19
Security.........................................................................................2-20
Tools menu..................................................................................................2-22
Exit menu ....................................................................................................2-23
iv
Safety information
Electrical safety
•
To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet
before relocating the system.
•
When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables
for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible,
disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
•
•
•
Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all
power cables are unplugged.
Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices
could interrupt the grounding circuit.
Ensure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not
sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power
company.
•
If the power supply is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service
technician or your retailer.
Operation safety
•
•
•
•
Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, 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 temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area
where it may become wet.
•
•
Place the product on a stable surface.
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified service
technician or your retailer.
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and configuring the
motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This guide contains the following parts:
•
Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it
supports.
•
Chapter 2: BIOS information
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus.
Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
vi
Where to find more information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software
updates.
1.
2.
ASUS websites
The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software
products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.
Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty flyers,
that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the
standard package.
Conventions used in this guide
To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used
throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to
complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to
complete a task
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task..
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.
Typography
Bold text
Italics
Indicates a menu or an item to select.
Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.
<Key>
Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign
means that you must press the enclosed key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or
Return key.
<Key1> + <Key2> + <Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key
names are linked with a plus sign (+).
vii
M5A78L-M LX3 Series specifications summary
CPU
AMD® Socket AM3+ for AMD® FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II /
Sempron™ 100 series processors
AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology
Supports AMD® AM3/AM3+ CPU up to 95W
Chipset
AMD® 760G(780L) / SB710
Front side bus
Memory
Up to 5200 MT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0 interface
Dual-channel memory architecture
2 x 240-pin DIMM slots support maximum 16GB unbuffered ECC and non-
ECC DDR3 1866 / 1600 / 1333 / 1066MHz memory modules
* AMD® FX™ Series CPU on this motherboard supports up to DDR3
1866MHz as its standard memory frequency.
** Due to CPU specification, AMD® AM3 CPUs on this motherboard support
up to DDR3 1333MHz.
List).
**** Use a 64-bit Windows® OS if you want to install 4GB or more memory
on the motherboard.
Graphics
Integrated ATI Radeon™ HD 3000 GPU
Supports max. shared memory of 1GB
Supports RGB with max. resolution of 2560 x 1440 (@75Hz)
Supports Microsoft® DirectX 10
Supports Hybrid CrossFireXTM (For Windows Vista or later versions)
CrossFireX™.
Expansion slots
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot
1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slot
1 x PCI slot
Storage / RAID
LAN
4 x Serial ATA 3Gb/s connectors support RAID 0, 1, 10 and JBOD
Qualcomm Atheros Gb LAN
Audio
Realtek® ALC887 8-channel* High Definition Audio CODEC
* Use the chassis with HD audio module in the front panel to support 8-
channel audio output.
USB
Supports up to 8 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports at mid-board, 4 ports at the
back panel)
ASUS Unique
Features
ASUS MyLogo 2
ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS EPU
ASUS Anti-Surge
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
ASUS Fan Xpert
ASUS Core Unlocker
(continued on the next page)
viii
M5A78L-M LX3 Series specifications summary
Special features
100% All high quality conductive polymer capacitors (M5A78L-M LX3
PLUS only)
Back panel I/O ports
1 x PS/2 Keyboard port
1 x PS/2 Mouse port
1 x COM port
1 x D-Sub port
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
4 x USB 2.0 ports
3 x Audio jacks
Internal I/O connectors
2 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports
4 x SATA 3.0Gb/s connectors
1 x CPU fan connector
1 x Chassis fan connector
1 x Front panel audio connector
1 x Speaker connector
1 x System panel connector
1 x 24-pin EATX power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector
BIOS
16Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI v2.0, WfM2.0, ACPI v2.0a,
SM BIOS 2.7
Support DVD
Drivers
ASUS Update
ASUS PC Probe II
Anti-Virus software (OEM version)
Form factor
MicroATX form factor: 9.6 in x 7.4 in (24.4 cm x 18.8 cm)
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
ix
Package contents
Check your motherboard package for the following items.
KBMS
CPU_FAN
EPU
ATX12V
USB34
LAN1_USB12
CHA_FAN
AMD®
RS780L
AUDIO
PCIEX1_1
AR
8161
PCIEX16
16Mb
BIOS
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
Super
I/O
AMD®
Lithium Cell
CMOS Power
SB710
SATA3G_2 SATA3G_4
PCI1
ALC
SB_PWR
887-VD2
USB78
USB56
F_PANEL
AAFP
CLRTC
SPEAKER
USBPW5-8
SATA3G_1 SATA3G_3
ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series motherboard
2 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s cables
User Manual
1 x I/O Shield
User Guide
Support DVD
•
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
•
The illustrated items above are for reference only. Actual product specifications may
vary with different models.
x
Product introduction
1
1.1
Special features
Product highlights
1.1.1
AMD® FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II / Sempron™ 100 series CPU support
This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM3+ multi-core processors with unique L3
cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption. It features
dual-channel DDR3 memory support and accelerates data transfer rate up to 5200MT/s via
HyperTransport™ 3.0-based system bus. This motherboard also supports AMD® CPUs in the
new 32nm manufacturing process.
HyperTransport™ 3.0 support
HyperTransport™ 3.0 technology provides 2.6 times more bandwidth than HT1.0 that
radically improves system efficiency for a smoother and faster computing environment.
AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet Technology
This motherboard supports the AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet technology which monitors system
operation and automatically adjusts CPU voltage and frequency for a cool and quiet
operating environment.
Dual-Channel DDR3 1866 support
This motherboard supports DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates of 1866 /1600
/1333/1066 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest operating system,
3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications.
Hybrid CrossFireX™ support
ATI Hybrid CrossFireX™ technology greatly boosts graphics performance with an onboard
GPU and a discrete GPU.
*
Hybrid CrossFireX™ is supported by Windows® Vista or later versions only.
Gigabit LAN solution
The onboard LAN controller is a highly integrated Gb LAN controller. It is enhanced with an
ACPI management function to provide efficient power management for advanced operating
systems.
Serial ATA 3Gb/s technology and RAID support
This motherboard supports hard drives based on the Serial ATA (SATA) 3Gb/s storage
specification, delivering enhanced scalability and doubling the bus bandwidth for high-speed
data retrieval and save. It also supports RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 0+1 configurations for
Serial ATA hard drives.
1-1
ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series
100% All High-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors (M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
only)
This motherboard uses all high-quality conductive polymer capacitors for durability, improved
lifespan, and enhanced thermal capacity.
1.1.2
ASUS Exclusive Features
Core Unlocker
ASUS Core Unlocker simplifies the activation of a latent AMD® CPU-with just pressing a key.
Enjoy an instant performance boost by simply unlocking the extra cores, without performing
complicated BIOS changes.
ASUS Anti-Surge Protection
This special design protects expensive devices and the motherboard from damage caused
by power surges from switching power supply unit (PSU).
ASUS EPU
ASUS EPU is a unique power saving technology that detects the current system loadings and
adjusts the power consumption in real time.
ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly utility that allows you to update the BIOS without using a
bootable floppy disk or an OS-based utility.
ASUS MyLogo2™
This feature allows you to convert your favorite photo into a 256-color boot logo for a more
colorful and vivid image on your screen.
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto-recovery tool that allows you to restore a corrupted BIOS
file using the bundled support DVD or a USB flash disk that contains the BIOS file.
ErP ready
The motherboard is European Union´s Energy-related Products (ErP) ready, and ErP
requires products to meet certain energy efficiency requirements in regards to energy
consumptions. This is in line with ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and energy-
efficient products through product design and innovation to reduce carbon footprint of the
product and thus mitigate environmental impacts.
1-2
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.2
Before you proceed
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change
any motherboard settings.
•
•
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 or a metal object, such as the power supply case, to avoid damaging them due
to static electricity.
•
•
Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.
Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the
bag that came with the component.
•
Before you install or remove any component, switch off the ATX power supply and
detach its power cord. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard,
peripherals, or components.
Standby Power LED
The motherboard comes with a standby power LED that lights up to indicate that the system
is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft-off mode. This is a reminder that you should shut down
the system and unplug the power cable before removing or plugging in any motherboard
component. The illustration below shows the location of the onboard LED.
SB_PWR
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
ON
OFF
Standby Power Powered Off
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS Onboard LED
1-3
ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series
1.3
Motherboard overview
Placement direction
1.3.1
When installing the motherboard, ensure that you place it into the chassis in the correct
orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in
the image below.
1.3.2
Screw holes
Place six screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis.
DO NOT overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.
Place this side towards
the rear of the chassis.
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
1-4
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.3.3
Motherboard layout
M5A78L-M LX3 Series motherboards include M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS and M5A78L-M LX3
models. The package contents vary from models. The layout illustrations in this user guide
are for M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS only.
1
2
3
4
4
5
6
3
18.8cm(7.4in)
KBMS
CPU_FAN
EPU
ATX12V
USB34
LAN1_USB12
CHA_FAN
AMD®
RS780L
AUDIO
PCIEX1_1
AR
8161
PCIEX16
16Mb
BIOS
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
Super
I/O
AMD®
Lithium Cell
CMOS Power
SB710
SATA3G_2 SATA3G_4
7
8
7
PCI1
USB78
ALC
887-VD2
SB_PWR
USB56
F_PANEL
SPEAKER
AAFP
SATA3G_1 SATA3G_3
CLRTC
USBPW5-8
13 12
11
10
1
9
1-5
ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series
1.3.4
Layout contents
Connectors/Jumpers/Slots/LED
Page
1. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW 1-4, USBPW 5-8)
1-18
2. Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR)
1-18
1-21
1-24
1-6
3. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V)
4. CPU and chassis fan connectors (4-pin CPU_FAN and 3-pin CHA_FAN)
5. AMD CPU socket
6. DDR3 DIMM slots
1-10
1-22
1-3
7. SATA 3.0Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA3G_1~4)
8. Standby power LED (SB_PWR)
9. System panel connector (10-1 pin F_PANEL)
10. Speaker connector (4-pin SPEAKER)
11. USB 2.0 connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB78)
12. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC)
1-23
1-23
1-24
1-17
1-20
13. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)
1.4
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
This motherboard comes with an AM3+ socket designed for FX™ / Phenom™ II / Athlon™ II /
Sempron™ 100 series processors.
The AM3+ socket has a different pinout from the AM2+/AM2 socket. Ensure that you use a
CPU designed for the AM3+ socket. The CPU fits in only one correct orientation. DO NOT
force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the CPU!
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS CPU socket AM3+
1-6
Chapter 1: Product introduction
To uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan assembly
1
2
3
4
5
1-9
ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series
1.5
System memory
Overview
1.5.1
This motherboard comes with two Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) Dual Inline Memory Modules
(DIMM) sockets.
A DDR3 module has the same physical dimensions as a DDR2 DIMM but is notched
differently to prevent installation on a DDR2 DIMM socket. DDR3 modules are developed for
better performance with less power consumption.
The figure illustrates the location of the DDR3 DIMM sockets:
Channel
Sockets
DIMM_A1
DIMM_B1
Channel A
Channel B
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets
1-10
Chapter 1: Product introduction
|