Summary of the content on the page No. 1
M5A78L-M LX3 Series
• M5A78L-M LX3
• M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS
Motherboard
Summary of the content on the page No. 2
E8025 Second Edition January 2013 Copyright © 2013 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”). Product warranty or service will not be extended if:
Summary of the content on the page No. 3
Contents Safety information ...................................................................................................... vi About this guide ......................................................................................................... vi M5A78L-M LX3 Series specifications summary .................................................... viii Package contents ........................................................................................................ x Chapter 1: Prod
Summary of the content on the page No. 4
2.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ................................................................2-3 2.2 BIOS setup program .....................................................................................2-4 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen ..........................................................................2-5 2.2.2 Menu bar .........................................................................................2-5 2.2.3 Navigation keys .............................................................
Summary of the content on the page No. 5
Appendices Notices ..................................................................................................................... A-1 ASUS contact information ...................................................................................... A-3 v
Summary of the content on the page No. 6
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
Summary of the content on the page No. 7
Where to find more information Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. 1. ASUS websites The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information. 2. 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
Summary of the content on the page No. 8
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 ® * Refer to www.asus.com for the AMD CPU support list ® Chipset AMD 760G(780L) / SB710 Front side bus Up to 5200 MT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0 interface Memory Dual-channel memory architecture 2 x 240-pin DIMM slots support maximum 16GB unbuffered ECC and non- ECC DDR3 1866 / 1600 / 1333 / 1
Summary of the content on the page No. 9
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
Summary of the content on the page No. 10
F_PANEL Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. KBMS CPU_FAN EPU ATX12V USB34 LAN1_USB12 CHA_FAN ® AMD AUDIO RS780L PCIEX1_1 AR 8161 PCIEX16 16Mb BIOS M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS Super ® Lithium Cell I/O AMD CMOS Power SB710 SATA3G_2 SATA3G_4 PCI1 ALC SB_PWR 887-VD2 USB78 USB56 AAFP CLRTC SPEAKER SATA3G_1 SATA3G_3 USBPW5-8 ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series motherboard 2 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s cables 1 x I/O Shield User Guide Support DVD • If any of the above items is damaged or mis
Summary of the content on the page No. 11
Product introduction 1 1.1 Special features 1.1.1 Product highlights ® 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
Summary of the content on the page No. 12
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 Thi
Summary of the content on the page No. 13
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
Summary of the content on the page No. 14
1.3 Motherboard overview 1.3.1 Placement direction 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 P
Summary of the content on the page No. 15
F_PANEL 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 AUDIO RS780L PCIEX1_1 AR 8161 PCIEX16 16Mb BIOS M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS Super ® Lithium Cell AMD I/O CMOS Power SB710 SATA3G_2 SATA3G_4 7 PCI1 ALC SB_PWR 8 887-VD2 USB78 USB56 AAFP CLRTC
Summary of the content on the page No. 16
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 3. A TX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V) 1-21 4. CPU and chassis fan connectors (4-pin CPU_F AN and 3-pin CHA_FAN) 1-24 5. AMD CPU socket 1-6 6. DDR3 DIMM slots 1-10 7. SATA 3.0Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA3G_1~4) 1-22 8. Standby power LED (SB_PWR) 1-3 9. System panel connector (10-1 pin F_PANEL) 1-23 10. Speaker connector (4-pin SPEAK
Summary of the content on the page No. 17
1.4.1 CPU installation 1 2 3 4 1-7 ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series
Summary of the content on the page No. 18
1.4.2 CPU heatsink and fan assembly installation Apply the Thermal Interface Material to the CPU heatsink and CPU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary. To install the CPU heatsink and fan assembly 1 2 3 4 5 1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction
Summary of the content on the page No. 19
To uninstall the CPU heatsink and fan assembly 1 2 3 4 5 1-9 ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 Series
Summary of the content on the page No. 20
1.5 System memory 1.5.1 Overview 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 Channel A DIMM_A1 Channel B DIMM_B1 M5A78L-M LX3 PLUS M5A78L-M LX3
