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Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.
My Favorites....................2-9 Main menu ....................2-10 Ai Tweaker menu ..................2-11 Advanced menu ..................2-12 Monitor menu ....................2-12 Boot menu ....................2-13 Tools menu ....................2-14 2.10 Exit menu ....................2-14 Appendices Notices ........................A-1 ASUS contact information ..................A-4...
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.
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. 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.
Supports AMD Memory Profile (AMP) memory • The maximum 32GB memory capacity can be supported with 16GB or above DIMMs. ASUS will update the memory QVL once the DIMMs are available in the market. • Refer to www.asus.com for the latest Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors List).
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ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution - ASUS Fanless Design: Stylish Heatsink Solution - ASUS Fan Xpert ASUS EZ DIY - ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 - ASUS EZ Flash 2 - ASUS MyLogo 2™...
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64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.0, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.6, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFreen BIOS 3, F12 Printscreen function, F3 Shortcut function and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information...
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 A55BM-A/USB3 Standby Power Powered Off A55BM-A/USB3 Onboard LED ASUS A55BM-A/USB3...
Motherboard overview Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard fits into it. Ensure that you unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. 1.2.1 Placement direction When installing the motherboard, ensure that you place it into the chassis in the correct...
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1-11 11. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPWF) 1-12 12. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT) 1-19 13. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM) 1-20 14. Standby power LED (SB_PWR) 15. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP) 1-19 ASUS A55BM-A/USB3...
Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) This motherboard comes with an FM2+ socket designed for AMD A-series accelerated ® processors with AMD Radeon™ HD 7000/8000 series graphics. ® A55BM-A/USB3 A55BM-A/USB3 CPU socket FM2+ Ensure that you use an APU designed for the FM2+ socket. The APU fits in only one correct orientation.
1.3.2 APU heatsink and fan assembly installation Apply the Thermal Interface Material to the APU heatsink and APU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary. To install the APU heatsink and fan assembly ASUS A55BM-A/USB3...
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To uninstall the APU heatsink and fan assembly Chapter 1: Product introduction...
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 Channel A DIMM_A1 Channel B DIMM_B1 A55BM-A/USB3 A55BM-A/USB3 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets ASUS A55BM-A/USB3...
• The maximum 32GB memory capacity can be supported with 16GB or above DIMMs. ASUS will update the memory QVL once the DIMMs are available in the market. • The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect (SPD), which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module.
Expansion slots In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. Unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components.
CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup information such as system passwords. CLRTC A55BM-A/USB3 Normal Clear RTC (Default) A55BM-A/USB3 Clear RTC RAM ASUS A55BM-A/USB3 1-11...
To erase the RTC RAM: Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3. Keep the cap on pins 2-3 for about 5-10 seconds, then move the cap back to pins 1-2. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer.
PS/2 Mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse. Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port. This 15-pin port is for a VGA monitor or other VGA-compatible devices. LAN (RJ-45) port. This port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. ASUS A55BM-A/USB3 1-13...
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LAN port LED indications ACT/LINK SPEED Activity/Link LED Speed LED Status Description Status Description No link 10Mbps connection Orange Linked ORANGE 100Mbps connection LAN port Orange (Blinking) Data activity GREEN 1Gbps connection Orange (Blinking Ready to wake up then steady) from S5 mode Line In port (light blue).
These are not jumpers! DO NOT place jumper caps on the fan connectors. • The CPU_FAN connector supports a CPU fan of maximum 2A (24 W) fan power. • The CPU_FAN and CHA_FAN connectors support the ASUS Fan Xpert feature. ASUS A55BM-A/USB3 1-15...
The system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate. • If you are uncertain about the minimum power supply requirement for your system, refer to the Recommended Power Supply Wattage Calculator at http://support.asus. com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PSCalculator.aspx?SLanguage=en-us for details. 1-16 Chapter 1: Product introduction...
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ATA hard disk drives. The Serial ATA RAID feature is available only if you are using Windows XP SP3 or later version. ® • When using hot-plug and NCQ, set the type of the SATA connectors in the BIOS to [AHCI]. ASUS A55BM-A/USB3 1-17...
System panel connector (10-1 pin PANEL) This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions. F_PANEL PWR_LED PWR_BTN PIN 1 A55BM-A/USB3 +HDD_LED RESET A55BM-A/USB3 System panel connector • System power LED (2-pin PWR_LED) This 2-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power LED cable to this connector.
• If you want to connect a high definition front panel audio module to this connector, set the Front Panel Type item in the BIOS to [HD]. • The front panel audio I/O module is purchased separately. ASUS A55BM-A/USB3 1-19...
USB 2.0 connectors (10-1 pin USB34, USB56) These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB connectors comply with USB 2.0 specification that supports up to 480Mbps connection speed.
Place the Support DVD into the optical drive. If Autorun is enabled in your computer, the DVD automatically displays the Specials screen which contains the unique features of ASUS motherboard. Click Drivers, Utilities, Make Disk, Manual, Contact and Specials tabs to display their respective menus.
Managing and updating your BIOS Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS file to a USB flash disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update utility.
2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS file when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. You can restore a corrupted BIOS file using the motherboard support DVD or a USB flash drive that contains the updated BIOS file.
2.1.4 ASUS BIOS Updater The ASUS BIOS Updater allows you to update BIOS in DOS environment. This utility also allows you to copy the current BIOS file that you can use as a backup when the BIOS fails or gets corrupted during the updating process.
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Insert the DOS-bootable USB flash drive with the latest BIOS file and BIOS Updater to your computer’s USB port. Boot your computer. When the ASUS Logo appears, press <F8> to show the BIOS Boot Device Select Menu. Select the USB flash drive as the boot device. The DOS screen appears.
• Press the reset button on the system chassis. • Press the power button to turn the system off then back on. Do this option only if you failed to enter BIOS Setup using the first two options. ASUS A55BM-A/USB3...
The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your screen. • Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com to download the latest BIOS file for this motherboard. •...
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Power Saving mode • The boot device options vary depending on the devices you installed to the system. • The Boot Menu(F8) button is available only when the boot device is installed to the system. ASUS A55BM-A/USB3...
BIOS settings. The figure below shows an example of the Advanced Mode. Refer to the following sections for the detailed configurations. To access the EZ Mode, click Exit, then select ASUS EZ Mode or press F7. Back button Menu items...
Favorites page. You cannot add the following items to My Favorites: • Items with submenu options • User-configurable items such as language and boot device order • Configuration items such as Memory SPD Information, system time and date ASUS A55BM-A/USB3...
Main menu The Main menu screen appears when you enter the Advanced Mode of the BIOS Setup program. The Main menu provides you an overview of the basic system information, and allows you to set the system date, time, language, and security settings. •...
Be cautious when changing the settings of the Ai Tweaker menu items. Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction. The configuration options for this section vary depending on the CPU and DIMM model you installed on the motherboard. Scroll down to display the following items: ASUS A55BM-A/USB3 2-11...
Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices. Be cautious when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction. Monitor menu The Monitor menu displays the system temperature/power status, and allows you to change the fan settings.
Scroll down to display the following items: Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Scroll down to display the following items: ASUS A55BM-A/USB3 2-13...
Tools menu The Tools menu items allow you to configure options for special functions. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the submenu. 2.10 Exit menu The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal default values for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items.
Appendices Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference. • This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation.
IC: Canadian Compliance Statement Complies with the Canadian ICES-003 Class B specifications. This device complies with RSS 210 of Industry Canada. This Class B device meets all the requirements of the Canadian interference-causing equipment regulations. This device complies with Industry Canada license exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.
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ASUS Recycling/Takeback Services ASUS recycling and takeback programs come from our commitment to the highest standards for protecting our environment. We believe in providing solutions for you to be able to responsibly recycle our products, batteries, other components as well as the packaging materials.
+1-812-282-3777 +1-510-608-4555 Web site usa.asus.com Technical Support Telephone +1-812-282-2787 Support fax +1-812-284-0883 Online support support.asus.com ASUS COMPUTER GmbH (Germany and Austria) Address Harkort Str. 21-23, D-40880 Ratingen, Germany +49-2102-959911 Web site www.asus.de Online contact www.asus.de/sales Technical Support Telephone +49-1805-010923* Support Fax...