EVGA X79 Motherboard Table of Contents Motherboard ........................... 1 Before You Begin… ........................5 Parts NOT in the Kit ........................6 Intentions of the Kit ........................6 Motherboard ........................... 7 Motherboard Specifications ......................7 Unpacking and Parts Descriptions..................... 9 Unpacking ............................9 Equipment............................
Page 4
Post Port Debug LED and LED Status Indicators ...............25 Post Port Debug LED ........................25 LED Status Indicators ........................25 Installing Drivers and Software ....................26 Windows 7/Vista/XP Driver Installation ................26 POST Codes ..........................27 EVGA Glossary of Terms ......................32 Compliance Information ......................35...
Also, with built in EVGA EVBot support*, you can overclock on the fly from the palm of your hand. Uncompromised Features – This board is loaded with the latest technologies like a full UEFI BIOS, USB 3.0 Ports, SATA III/6G support, PCI-E 3.0** ports, E-SATA, a...
Socket 2011 CPU Cooling Device PCI Express Graphics Card Power Supply EVGA assumes you have purchased all the necessary parts needed to allow for proper system functionality. For a full list of supported CPUs on this motherboard, please visit www.evga.com/support/motherboard...
EVGA X79 Motherboard EVGA X79 Motherboard Motherboard Specifications Size ATX form factor of 12 inches x 9.6 inches EATX form factor of 12 inches x 10.3 inches Microprocessor support Intel Socket 2011 Processor Operating systems Supports Windows 7 / Vista / XP...
Page 8
EVGA X79 Motherboard SATA Ports SATA ports up to 3G (300 MB/s) data transfer rate SATA ports up to 6G (600 MB/s) data transfer rate Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID5 and RAID 10 ESATA Onboard LAN...
EVGA X79 Motherboard Unpacking and Parts Descriptions Unpacking The EVGA X79 Motherboard comes with all the necessary cables for adding a motherboard to a system case. If replacing a motherboard, you may not need many of these cables. Equipment The following accessories are included with the EVGA X79 Motherboard:...
Page 10
EVGA X79 Motherboard 2-Port USB 2.0 / 1394a Firewire Bracket Provides two additional USB ports and 1 additional 1394a Firewire port to the back panel of the chassis. 2-Port USB 3.0 Bracket (Optional) Allows addition of 2 USB 3.0 ports by Connecting to the motherboard header.
EVGA X79 Motherboard Hardware Installation This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The topics covered in this section are: Preparing the motherboard Installing the CPU Installing the Cooling Device Installing the memory Installing the motherboard Connecting cables...
EVGA X79 Motherboard Preparing the Motherboard Installing the CPU Be very careful when handling the CPU. Hold the processor only by the edges and do not touch the bottom of the processor. Use the following procedure to install the CPU onto the...
EVGA X79 Motherboard Align the notches on the CPU to the notches in the socket. Lower the processor straight down into the socket. Note: Make sure the CPU is fully seated and level in the socket. Lower the load plate so it is resting on the CPU.
EVGA X79 Motherboard Installing System Memory (DIMMs) Your new motherboard has four 240-pin slots for DDR3 memory. These slots support 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB DDR3 DIMMs. There must be at least one memory slot populated to ensure normal operation.
EVGA X79 Motherboard Installing the Motherboard The sequence of installing the motherboard into a system case depends on the chassis you are using and if you are replacing an existing motherboard or working with an empty system case. Determine if it would be easier to make all the connections prior to this step or to secure the motherboard and then make all the connections.
EVGA X79 Motherboard Securing the Motherboard into a System Case Most system cases have a base with mounting studs or spacers to allow the motherboard to be secured to the chassis and help to prevent short circuits. If there are studs that do not align with a mounting hole on the motherboard, it is recommended that you remove that stud to prevent the possibility of a short circuit.
EVGA X79 Motherboard 24pin ATX Power (PW1) is the main power supply connector located along the right edge of the board. Make sure that the power supply cable and pins are properly aligned with the connector on the motherboard. Firmly plug the power supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure.
EVGA X79 Motherboard 8-pin ATX 12V Power ( PW12-1 & PW12-2 , the 8-pin ATX 12V power connections, are PW12-1 & PW12-2 (optional) used to provide power to the CPU. Align the pins to the connector and press firmly until seated. If your motherboard has two 8-pin connectors, the secondary is optional for improved overclocking.
EVGA X79 Motherboard Connecting Internal Headers Front Panel Header The front panel header on this motherboard is one connector used to connect the following four cables. PWRLED Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two pins of the connector. The Power LED indicates the system’s status.
EVGA X79 Motherboard Firewire 1394a (1394b Optional) The IEEE 1394a expansion cable bracket is provided in the box but if you do not require the additional external connections, you do not need to install it. Select motherboards have a Firewire 1394b header. 1394a or 1394b devices can be used on it.
EVGA X79 Motherboard USB Headers This motherboard contains USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports that are exposed on the rear panel of the chassis. The motherboard also contains 10-pin internal header connectors onboard that can be used to connect an optional external bracket containing up to four (4) USB 2.0 ports.
EVGA X79 Motherboard Audio The audio connector supports HD audio standard and provides two kinds of audio output choices: the Front Audio and the Rear Audio. Connector Signal PORT1_L Front Audio Connector AUD_GND PORT1_R PRECENCE_J PORT2_R SENSE1_RETURN SENSE_SEND Empty PORT2_L...
EVGA X79 Motherboard PCI-E x1 Slots There are PCI-E x1 slots that are designed to accommodate less bandwidth- intensive cards, such as a sound or network card. PCI-E x16/x8 Slots These PCI-E slots are reserved for Graphics Cards and PCI-E x1, x4, x8 and x16 devices.
Clear CMOS button either onboard or on the external I/O Panel. External Clear CMOS Button (EVGA X79 FTW Motherboard) RESET and POWER Button These onboard buttons allow you to easily turn on/off the system. These buttons allow for easy debugging and testing of the system during troubleshooting situations.
EVGA X79 Motherboard Post Port Debug LED and LED Status Indicators Post Port Debug LED Provides two-digit POST codes to show why the system may be failing to boot. It is useful during troubleshooting situations. This Debug LED will also display current CPU socket temperatures after the system has fully booted into the Operating System.
32bit and 64bit versions of Windows 7, Vista and XP. The kit comes with a CD that contains utilities, drivers, and additional software. The CD that has been shipped with the EVGA X79 Motherboard contains the following software and drivers:...
EVGA X79 Motherboard POST Codes This section provides the AMI POST Codes for the EVGA X79 Motherboard during system boot up. The POST Codes are displayed on the Debug LED readout located directly onboard the motherboard. Debug LED with CPU...
Page 28
EVGA X79 Motherboard OEM pre-memory initialization codes Memory initialization. Serial Presence Detect (SPD) data reading Memory initialization. Memory presence detection Memory initialization. Programming memory timing information Memory initialization. Configuring memory Memory initialization (other). Reserved for ASL (see ASL Status Codes section...
Page 29
EVGA X79 Motherboard is failed Internal CPU error reset PPI is not available Reserved for future AMI error codes S3 Resume is stared (S3 Resume PPI is called by the DXE IPL) S3 Boot Script execution Video repost OS S3 wake vector call...
Page 30
EVGA X79 Motherboard South Bridge DXE SMM initialization is started South Bridge devices initialization South Bridge DXE Initialization (South Bridge module specific) ACPI module initialization CSM initialization 7A– Reserved for future AMI DXE codes 80– OEM DXE initialization codes Boot Device Selection (BDS) phase is started...
Page 31
EVGA X79 Motherboard Ready To Boot event Legacy Boot event Exit Boot Services event Runtime Set Virtual Address MAP Begin Runtime Set Virtual Address MAP End Legacy Option ROM Initialization System Reset USB hot plug PCI bus hot plug Clean-up of NVRAM...
EVGA X79 Motherboard EVGA Glossary of Terms AC – Alternating Current ACPI - Advanced Configuration and Power Interface AFR – Alternate Frame Rendering APIC - Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller ACPI – Advanced Configuration and Power Interface BCLK – Base Clock (or operating frequency of base system bus)
Page 33
EVGA X79 Motherboard GPU – Graphics Processing Unit HDD - Hard Disk Drive HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface HDR – High Dynamic Range Lighting HPET - High Precision Event Timer HT – Hyper-Threading HSF - Heat Sink Fan I/O - Input/Output...
Page 34
SPP - System Platform Processors SSD – Solid State Drive TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol USB - Universal Serial Bus VDroop - VCore Voltage Drop VGA - Video Graphics Array VREG – Voltage Regulator 1337 – This is reserved for the EVGA Elite!
Original Purchaser. Upon termination, for any reason, all copies of Software and materials must be immediately returned to EVGA and the Original Purchaser shall be liable to EVGA.com CORP for any and all damages suffered as a result of the violation or default.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the X79 and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers