How to Build Your Own PC by GIGABYTE Technology

Chapter 1 : Introduction

Chapter 3 : First Start Up

Why Build Your Own PC

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What is a PC

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Key PC Components

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BIOS Settings Installing the OS Driver Installation

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Chapter 4 : Unique GIGABYTE Features Chapter 2 : Hardware Installation Step 1 : Installing the Power Supply

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Step 2 : Preparing the Motherboard

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Step 3 : Installing the Motherboard

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Step 4 : Installing the Drives

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Step 5 : Installing the Graphics Card

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Step 6 : Finishing Touches

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Step 7 : Connecting the Peripherals, Speakers and Monitor

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The VRM Zone : The Heart of the PC Performance Tuning / Energy Saving Accelerated Connectivity 3TB+ HD Support

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Chapter 5 : GIGABYTE Z68 Series Features Intel® Smart Response GIGABYTE EZ Smart Response GIGABYTE mSATA Support Lucid Virtu™ Switchable Graphice Intel® Quick Sync Video

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How to Get Help All GIGABYTE products feature a serial number and it might not always be clear where this is located. We need this serial number to be able to help you, especially if there is a need for a product replacement for whatever reason. Take a look at the pictures below and you’ll see what it should look like. Once you’ve located your product serial number, you can find the contact details of your closest GIGABYTE representative at www.gigabyte.com.tw if you don’t know how to get in touch with us. You can also submit questions via the GIGABYTE Technical Service Zone which can be found in the Support and Downloads section on the GIGABYTE website. This puts you in touch with our engineers and they’ll do their best to help you resolve your problem. GIGABYTE Global Technical Service: http://ggts.gigabyte.com GIGABYTE Technical Service Zone: http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/technical-support.aspx

Published by Address

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD. No.6, Bao Chiang Road,Hsin-Tien Dist., New Taipei City 231, Taiwan Telephone (02) 8912-4000 Website www.gigabyte.com Publication date October 2011

Special Notice All registered trademarks mentioned in this book are owned by their respective holders. GIGABYTE owns the copyright of the contents in this book. No copy or reproduction of any form is allowed.

Chapter 1 : Introduction Congratulations, by picking up the GIGABYTE ‘PC Builders Guide’, you’ve just taken the first step towards building your own PC. At first, building your own PC might seem quite complicated and daunting, but don’t fret, GIGABYTE is here to help. This guide book contains easy-to-follow steps on how to assemble a modern PC so that you should be able to put together a complete PC system, on your very first attempt. This guide covers a number of key areas regarding selecting the right components and assembling the PC itself, as well as important information about installing software, drivers and getting the most out of a PC through the exclusive GIGABYTE utilities that can help the DIY PC builder to get the very best performance and features out of the hardware.

Why Build Your Own PC ? Many DIY PC enthusiasts will tell you that the sheer enjoyment of designing and building your own PC is enough to make the venture more than worthwhile, but the reality is that there are real advantages too. Firstly, by building your own PC, you are more than likely going to get better value for money than purchasing a major OEM or branded PC. The sum cost for the components of a DIY PC will in almost all cases total less than the price of a mainstream PC. Secondly, it’s important to appreciate that the components used by DIY builders are generally better quality than those selected by OEM PC vendors who are forced to be as competitive as possible to preserve margins. This often means a narrower and perhaps more dated choice of features. When building a PC you get to choose each individual component with care, ensuring that only the best quality products from reputable companies are used. That means that you get to research and evaluate each component in turn, leaving you free to select the brand names that you personally trust. Moreover, by selecting the very best quality components, you can ensure system stability overtime, meaning that your DIY PC should last a lot longer than a branded machine. Finally, once you have built your own PC, you’ll soon find that maintenance and periodic upgrades are a cinch. As the designer and creator of your own machine, you’ll be perfectly placed and more than capable of assessing any hardware upgrades or repairs, giving you a level of control that you’ll soon grow to appreciate.

A collection of computer components from GIGABYTE

What is a PC ? What we today refer to as a PC or a Personal Computer basically consists of the two key elements of hardware and software. Hardware is the “box” itself, or perhaps more precisely, the components inside it. The software is what allows you to “talk” to the hardware, although software has also evolved over the years and has largely become a lot easier to use. The two work in tandem, so having slow or inadequate hardware means that your software will run slowly. One piece of software every computer needs is an Operating System. Also known as the OS, this is the base platform upon which you run all of your software applications. There are many operating systems to choose from, although today the most popular is Microsoft® Windows 7 with some older systems also using Microsoft® Windows XP or Vista. Linux is also an operating system that is slowly gaining more popularity and is in general free to download and install. One of today’s most popular Linux distributions for example is Ubuntu. Once you’ve installed your operating system you’ll also need to install the device drivers, as without drivers your operating system will not work correctly and will not detect any peripherals like printers or cameras that you’ve installed. Many device drivers are built into the operating system, while newer OSes like Windows 7 can now automatically detect and install drivers making driver installation far easier than in the past. Although software installation can be complicated in some instances, this guide has been produced to specifically focus on the PC hardware, and the skills needed to construct a modern PC from the ground up.

A wide range of external peripherals can be attached to a computer, although some aren’t optional

Key PC Components Here are the key components needed to construct any modern PC system.

CPU Known as the Central Processing Unit or CPU, this component can be described as the brain of the PC and is responsible for the majority of data computing and logical analysis. The CPU is usually the first item to consider when planning what parts to get for your new PC, as it often dictates the rest of the components you need to get, since certain types of processors only work with certain motherboards, graphics cards, memory, etc. Second generation Intel® Core™ i7, Core™ i5 and Core™ i3 processors represent a broad spectrum of performance, features and price points that the PC builder can consider. All second generation Intel Core™ i7, i5 and i3 CPUs are based on the 32 nanometer Sandy Bridge architecture. Current Sandy Bridge based processors use the LGA1155 socket, and also integrate graphics and video capabilities, previously the responsibility of either the chipset or a graphics card. Intel processors can be purchased at a broad range of price points depending on clock speed, cached memory and features e.g. Current Intel® Core™ i7-2600K and i5-2500K CPUS for example allow for dynamic overclocking features which allows the end user to increase the clock speed and thus performance. Overclocking will be covered in more depth later in this guide.

Motherboard The motherboard, or mainboard, is the one component that really brings together all the others, and as such, is often considered one of the most important components of a PC, and one that should be chosen carefully. The motherboard connects together the CPU, the RAM, and all attached drives via the chipset, which can perhaps be best described as the central nervous system, or spine of the PC. The chipset is usually a differentiating feature of the motherboard, frequently a central element in the motherboard product name, i.e. the GA-Z68XP-UD4 motherboard is based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset. Today’s modern chipsets like the Intel® Z68 Express chipset are more compact than in previous two-chip solutions which used a North and South Bridge configuration. With the Intel® Z68 series, advanced features such as the memory controller, 2D/3D graphics and dedicated video decoding/encoding have been added to the CPU itself .This means that the chipset today is more commonly responsible for connectivity such as USB, SATA and PCI, PCI Express as well as audio and networking capabilities. The motherboard also supports a range of add-in-boards or cards that add additional functions such as dedicated graphics processing, which most commonly use PCI Express slots to interface with the board. Another important feature of the motherboard is the BIOS, or Basic Input Output System. This is the underlying software layer that connects individual hardware components together. It’s important that advanced users learn to configure the BIOS settings in order to manipulate boot priority, drive configurations and overclocking etc. This will be covered in more detail later in this guide. The motherboard is the interface between the various internal components inside a computer. We’ll tell you what goes where later in this book and help you make educated purchasing decisions

RAM The RAM or Random Access Memory of a PC is where data is primarily stored after being retrieved by the system hard drive. In the human brain analogy, RAM can be compared to short term memory, allowing data to be accessed and read quickly. Most modern Operating Systems, including Microsoft Windows 7, recommend at least 2 GB of RAM, although high performance systems may use 6 GB or more. Two key factors influence system performance and have a direct relationship with the CPU; bandwidth and clock speed. In this proportional relationship, faster CPU clock speeds and higher memory bandwidth channels equate to greater data transfer rates, which in turn lead to improved performance. Memory standards are continually evolving to keep up with the demands of modern CPUs. Today’s most common memory standard is DDR3 SDRAM (Double Data Rate 3, Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory). The memory type, clock speed and size supported by the motherboard is essentially determined by the integrated memory controller in the CPU. To further increase the memory bandwidth, a dual-channel memory architecture was developed which allows you to run the memory in two channels or pairs. Dual channel memory facilitates improved performance although you will need to install your memory modules in pairs to take advantage of this feature. In fact high performance Intel X58 and Intel X79 platforms actually use triple and quad channel memory architectures respectively. This allows the CPU to reach the high clock speeds required for these extreme performance components. An example of a Kingston DDR3 DIMM

Graphics Card The role of the graphics card has evolved in the last ten years or so, with first the chipset, and then more recently, the CPU itself taking a more important role in 2D and 3D graphics processing and video playback, the traditional role of the graphics card. Today, however, we find that graphics cards from NVIDIA® and AMD are a crucial element in modern PCs that are designed specifically for 3D gaming, adding a powerful GPU or Graphics Processing Unit that allows far faster frame-rates and vastly more life-like graphics rendering at far higher screen resolutions. Almost all modern graphics cards interface with the other components on the board via a PCI Express 2.0 slot on the board. Most motherboards will offer at least one PCIe x16 or a PCIe x8 lane specifically for connecting a graphics card. Some enthusiast motherboards provide up to four PCI Express slots so that two, three or a maximum of four graphics cards can be installed simultaneously using either SLI™ (NVIDIA®) or CrossFireX™ (AMD) technology, further boosting 3D graphics rendering performance. Most modern graphics cards offer a choice of VGA, DVI, HDMI or Display Port options which can connect up to three or four displays in a choice of extended or clone desktop configurations. High-performance graphics cards also require more power, with many modern cards requiring one or possibly two 6-pin or 8-pin power cables.

GV-N580SO-15I Graphics Card

Hard Disk Drives Hard disk drives are the most commonly used storage medium in today’s modern PCs although enthusiast users may prefer to also use a Solid State Drive to improve performance (see below). For the majority of users however, the hard drive is where the Operating System and Applications are installed as well as the storage of general user data which today includes videos, photographs, music and other media. Desktop hard drives are sold in the 3.5 inch form factor, as seen here in this image. In recent years, hard drive capacities have simply exploded, with many of today’s hard drives being described in TBs or Terabytes (n.b. 1 TB = 1000 GB). Most hard drives now use the SATA or Serial ATA bus interface to connect to the motherboard, and although there are different speeds on the market, the majority of hard drives sold today use a 7200rpm spindle accompanied by up to 32 MB of cache memory. Remember that PC motherboards usually offer several SATA ports, allowing you to connect and install several hard drives in one PC, so it’s not surprising that additional hard drives represent one of the most common upgrades for DIY PC builders looking to expand the storage capacity of their PC. Western Digital 750 GB 7200 rpm 3.5 inch SATA Hard Drive

SSDs Solid State Drives, or SSDs, store data on solid NAND memory chips as opposed to a mechanical spinning disk and have become increasingly popular with DIY PC builders when building desktop PCs due to their vastly superior read and write speeds. However, while SSD capacities remain fairly limited compared to regular mechanical hard drives, most users choose to install the Operating System and a few selected applications on the SSD which improves overall system responsiveness (especially with large applications like Photoshop or 3Dgame titles), while also using a regular 7,200rpm hard drive for data storage. Drives marketed as Hybrid Drives are also available on the market. These are mechanical 3.5 inch drives that also contain solid A 60 GB Corsair SSD state memory chips to speed up read and write times, offering performance somewhere between SSD and traditional mechanical drives. SDD drives are usually found in the smaller 2.5 inch form factor that you would normally associate with notebook PCs.

mSATA SSD More recently, we’ve begun so see SSD drives sold as mSATA modules which can be attached directly to the PC’s motherboard via a miniPCI Express slot. mSATA drives typically cost less than traditional SSDs in due to the fact that they require no external drive housing. mSATA drives usually use faster SLC NAND memory compare to many regular SSD drives. You can learn more about GIGABYTE’s mSATA compatible motherboards later in the guide on page 27.

Optical Drives Optical drives are drives that allow the PC to read removable disks like CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray disks via an optical laser. The DVD writer has become ubiquitous to the modrn PC in recent years, with blank DVD media in capacities of 4.7 GB and 8.5 GB (for dual layer discs), remaining a useful and affordable way to back up and store data such as images, photos, music and video. While blank DVDs are still far more affordable than using USB flash drives to share you data, they also have the advantage of working in most consumer DVD video players, and regardless of the dropping prices of larger USB based storage, an optical drive remains very useful to most users.

Blu-ray readers are of course essential for users who want to playback HD Blu-ray conent on their PC, which of course is helping to gradually displace DVD. Indeed, Blu-ray writers are now becoming more affordable with Blu-ray media also dropping price somewhat, allowing some users to take advantage of the 25 or 50 GB storage capacities of Blu-ray data disks. Modern DVD readers, writers and Blu-ray drives use the SATA interface and connect to the motherboard in the same way as hard drive and SSD media.

The Chassis The chassis, or case, in very simple terms is the box in which your finished PC will reside. The choice of CPU, motherboard and graphics will influence this decision regarding chassis. High performance components will generally require a larger, better ventilated, and better equipped chassis, while other systems can be optimized to be as compact as possible, e.g. a Home Theater PC. If the PC will house a full ATX motherboard, then it will require a larger, full tower chassis. Micro-ITX boards can be accomodated in a smaller chassis. Users who aim to employ multi-graphics solutions will also have to take into account size, and most likely opt for larger chassis. Some extreme gaming or overclocking motherboards in fact use the largest XL-ATX form factor for which thereare relatively few compatible chassis. If you choose an XL-ATX form factor motherboard, you can check the GIGABYTE website for a list of compatible chassis models. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also important to understand the role the chassis will play in terms of ventilation and cooling. Most chassis come equipped with internal cooling fans, designed to maintain airflow and prevent key components from overheating. Larger chassis generally tend to offer better ventilation, while aluminum chassis designs are also optimized to maintain stability. For the majoity of PC builds, your chassis will also be influenced according to aesthetics and style, but you may also want to consider additional features such as front access to USB ports an audio jacks.

The Power Supply The power is arguably the most important component in the PC, and yet it is frequently the most overlooked. Without a stable and reliable power supply, none of the other components will work at expected levels of stability. Modern power supplies follow a revamped ATX specification which offers more dedicated power for the CPU and additional power for the graphics cards. The most important feature of any power supply should be its realiability and effiiciency. Most GIGABYTE ODIN power supplies for example confrom to the 80% power efficiency rating and make a great choice for enthusiast and upper tier gaming systems. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important when choosing the power supply to consider what the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall thermal profile will be, i.e. how many watts should your newly built PC demand? Many modern CPUs and grapics cards will push the overall power profile beyond traditional 500 Watt or 600 Watt boundries, with top tier systems demanding as much as 1000 Watt power supplies, or higher if designed for extreme overclocking.

Chapter 2 : Hardware Installation So by this stage, we are assuming that you have done a little research regarding your new PC’s hardware configuration and made some important decisions regarding CPU, motherboard, memory, drives, chassis and power supply. Once you’ve made a trip or two to your local PC hardware vendor and acquired the necessary components, you are ready to get going. In addition to the PC components, you’ll also need a few other basic tools. Perhaps most important of these, is the humble screwdriver. We highly recommend investing in a pair of long handled, magnetic tipped screwdrivers, as these will give you access to difficult reach spaces within the chassis while also preventing screws from falling inside. You’ll need one standard flat screwdriver and one standard Phillips head screw driver. You may also find a pair of needle nosed pliers useful. Once you everything in place, you should have a collection of parts and tools similar to what you see below:.

PC Builders Tip 1 Before commencing with your PC’s hardware installation, be sure you have plenty of space. Many hardware components such as the hard drives and motherboard are delicate, so care should be taken not to drop or expose these components to physical shock. A large, flat surface like a table or workbench is ideal. Also, make sure you have plenty of light so that you can see inside the chassis.

Step 1 : Installing the Power Supply First, unpack and remove packaging from the chassis and power supply. With most chassis designs, the power supply will be fitted to the upper rear corner of the chassis, although many chassis designs now use the lower rear area of the chassis. First, remove the rear screws and side panels of the chassis, and lay it flat on its side, exposing the inside of the chassis. Place the power supply inside the chassis, lining up the screw holes. You’ll notice that the screw-holes are positioned so that they line-up with the power supply in one position only, making the installation straightforward and simple.

Step 2 : Preparing the Motherboard Before we can install the motherboard within the chassis, we need to prepare the motherboard by installing the CPU, Cooler and RAM. Firstly you’ll need to remove the plastic cover that protects the pins on the board’s socket, which are quite delicate (n.b on AMD systems the pins are located on the CPU itself). To remove the cover, simply lift up the metal lever, lean back the metal frame and remove the cover. At this point it is also useful to inspect the pins on the CPU socket, to ensure none are damaged or bent. To install the CPU, line up the indentations on either side of the CPU with the corresponding shapes on the board’s socket, these should ensure that the CPU fits snuggly into place. The CPU should not require any force, but should simply fall into place. The CPU is then secured by simply replacing the metal plate and securing the lever. Take extra care not to force the CPU or lever in place. If you encounter any resistance, re-check that the CPU is seated properly. Next we need to install the cooler. This is a heatsink and fan combined and is installed directly on the CPU to keep it cool during operation. Before installing the CPU cooler however, we first need to apply some thermal compound paste. Although many stock coolers come with thermal paste applied to the heat sink, many high-end or enthusiast cooler designs require the thermal paste to be manually applied. Place a small amount of paste in the center of the CPU, this should spread out evenly once the pressure of the cooler is applied. Standard coolers bundled with the CPU are relatively simple to install if you follow the bundled instruction booklet. If you are using a custom 3rd-party, rather than stock cooler, you should carefully follow the manufacturer’s installation guide. Some advanced cooler solutions can be taller and heavier and will often require you to use a mounting bracket under the board for added stability. The most important thing is to ensure a solid contact between the CPU and the flat surface of the cooler. Also ensure that the cooler is tightly fitted to the board so that it cannot come loose during transport etc. The final step when installing the cooler is to connect the fan’s power cable to the board. Most modern coolers use a four pin molex connector which attaches to the ‘CPU Fan’ header on the motherboard, usually situated close to the CPU socket.

Finally, we can add our RAM or system memory to the board. This is a relatively simply procedure where you insert the memory modules or DIMMs (dual in-line memory modules) to the memory slots on the board. The memory modules will only fit into the slots in one position, so you should find that the latches easily click into place on either side when you apply pressure evenly on both ends of the DIMM. Also, note that if the board has more than two memory slots, they are likely to be color coded. This is to help the user to apply dual or triple channel memory configurations. i.e. the modules must be used in matching pairs of two (dual channel) or three (triple channel) sets to take advantage of the motherboard’s high performance multi-channel memory configuration.

Step 3 : Installing the Motherboard Now we are ready to install the motherboard inside the chassis. To do this, we’ll first need to install some small brass stand-offs that will hold the motherboard in place within the chassis. Most chassis are designed to work with a variety of board shapes and sizes including the most common ATX and MicroATX standards. First you’ll need to work out which brass stand-offs your board requires. You can do this by simply lining up the board first and assessing which holes in your board you need to support. You can use a pair of pliers to then screw the stand-offs in place. Once the brass stand-offs are in place, you can add the I/O shield that came with your motherboard. This will most probably mean removing the pre-fitted I/O from the chassis first. Be careful while doing this as many pre-fitted I/O shields will have dangerously sharp aluminum edges once torn from the chassis. Once again, we suggest using pliers. Once you have the I/O shield in place, carefully lower the motherboard into the chassis, placing the motherboard’s I/O section gently against the I/O shield which will have some springy sections that you should use to maintain a gentle tension against the board. Now, you’re ready to screw the board to the brass stand-offs inside the chassis. Be careful not to over-tighten the screws, as you may want to remove them again one day. Next, we can install the power supply to the motherboard. This is a simple matter of attaching the 24-pin power cable the board’s 24-pin socket, followed by an additional 4 or 8-pin connector, which is connected to the board near the CPU. This is the 12v power rail for the CPU. Your power supply should have both 8 and 4-pin connectors, so you can simply connect the one that is needed. The final step now involves connecting the chassis itself to the motherboard, this is to add important functions to the chassis such as the power and reset switches, power and HDD LED lights and also additional USB, Firewire (1394) and audio ports to the chassis. This can be quite tricky, and will require some adequate lighting. First you need to identify the connectors that your chassis supports. These are fairly small connectors protruding firm the inside front of the chassis and they should be labeled ‘Power SW’, ‘Reset SW’, ‘Power+ LED’, ‘1394’ and ‘USB’ respectively.

Once you’ve identified these, you can then identify the relevant pin headers on the board. Most of these will be located on the opposite side from the CPU, near the edge. Most motherboard manufacturers label the pin headers on the board, but it may also be useful to consult the motherboard manual for additional assistance (these connectors do not carry dangerous voltage levels, so power and reset connectors for example can be attached in either direction).

Step 4 : Installing the Drives Your PC will, generally speaking, use two kinds of drives; optical drives used for reading and writing removal media such as DVDs and Blue-ray disks, and hard disk drives used as the system’s boot partition for the OS and also for general data storage. In this section we’ll show you how to install these drives in your PC. For general information about PC drives, refer to page 5. To install optical drives, most chassis’ require that you first remove or open the front panel. The power and reset switches and activity LEDs that we attached to the board earlier are usually found installed on the front panel, sometimes also with USB or Firewire (1394) ports. This means that although you can ‘pop-out’ the front panel, it may still be attached to the chassis by these connecting wires, if this is the case, just gently lay the front panel to one side as you install the optical drives. If in doubt, consult the chassis manufacturer’s manual. Some chassis however allow a front panel slot without removing the entire front panel. You may simply need to create a suitable slot in the front panel. The optical drive can then slide into the chassis from the front, and then reside in one of several available 5.25 inch drives bays. Your chassis will probably have several 5.25 inch bays. You can choose either bay, although most users prefer the upper drive bay for ease of access. Many chassis require you to first remove any temporary, inner drive bay shields, which should be carefully removed. As with the I/O shield earlier, the bay covers may have sharp edges, so remember to take care. Once the drive bays are accessible, you can remove your DVD or Blue-ray drive from its packaging and simply insert it, reverse side first, into the bay. Once the drive is in the bay, you can secure it using the screws included in the drive’s packaging, being careful to first line up the drive so that it sits flush with the chassis front panel. You will usually use four screws, two on each side of the drive, to ensure it’s secure. Many modern chassis use ‘tool-less’ drive install mechanisms that use latches or locks to secure the drive in place. If in doubt, consult the chassis manual or installation guide.

PC Builders Tip 2 When selecting a 3.5 inch drive bay for the hard drives, it’s often a good idea to select a bay that will offer the best cooling; hard drives are often in constant use within the PC and can get quite hot. This can lead to drive malfunction in the long term. This is especially true of your primary partition where your operating system will be installed, as this drive will be almost constantly spinning when the PC is in use. The lower front area of most PC chassis will be an area where cool air is drawn into the PC. You may even find that a cooling fan has been placed in this area specifically to draw cool air into the chassis. Selecting a hard drive bay in front of this ventilation point is preferable to other positions, offering your hard drive a better air flow and reduced operating temperatures.

Looking inside the chassis, you’ll find several 3.5 inch bays designed specifically for hard drive installation. Remove the hard drive from its packaging and install the drive into a 3.5 inch bay with the SATA and power connectors facing outwards. Secure the drive using one of the four screws included with the drive, or use the chassis’ drive locking mechanism. Again, we recommend that you check you chassis installation guide. Attaching the power and data cables to each of the drives is relatively simple; today’s modern hard drives and DVD / Blu-ray drives use standard SATA power cables which are quite simple to attach. Your power supply should have several SATA power cables which you can use. Take care to make the cabling as tidy as possible, as this will offer better air flow (see Builders Tip 3 below). Both hard drives and DVD drives will use regular SATA data cables that connect directly to the motherboard Most motherboards will have several SATA ports, often featuring both SATA 2.0 (3 Gb/s) and SATA 3.0 (6 Gb/s) ports. Modern hard drives that use a standard 7200rpm spindle will not require a faster SATA 3.0 port. Today’s SSD drives will benefit from the higher bandwidth offered by SATA 3.0 however. Consult your motherboard user manual to find out more about the SATA ports available on your motherboard.

PC Builders Tip 3

When connecting the data and power cables within your PC, it’s important to remember that air-flow within the chassis is crucial to keeping components such as the CPU, graphics card and drives cool and safe from over-heating. Untidy power and data cables can tend to disrupt air-flow within the chassis, so it’s always a good idea to try and keep the cabling as neat as possible. One useful tip is to wind the SATA data cables around pen or screwdriver, creating a spiral shape that will aid minimize waste cable and help keep things tidy.

Step 5 : Installing the Graphics Card For gaming and high-performance PCs, a discrete graphics card is an absolute must. Depending on your budget and 3D gaming needs, the graphics card you are installing could be quite a large and heavy piece of equipment. Some graphics cards also require additional power via a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors – so you should make sure your power supply is suitably equipped to power your graphics card. The graphics card is added to the system by slotting into one of the motherboard expansion slots. You’ll probably have more than one kind of expansion slot on your motherboard, with PCI Express and the older PCI slots present on most modern motherboards. PCI Express slots are available in x1, x4, x8 and x16 configurations, with x16 being the longest and x1 the shortest. Today’s graphics cards use the longest x16 PCI Express slot, which offers the maximum data bandwidth. If there is more than one PCI Express slot, you will probably have to install the card in the PCIe slot closest to the CPU. Consult your motherboard user manual if in doubt.

To install the graphics card, make sure that the motherboard is still powered off, and then carefully insert the card in to the relevant PCI Express slot. There is usually a clip that holds the card securely in place. You can now screw the card to the chassis using the latch on the front edge of the card. Again, make sure the card is secure, but try not over-tighten the screw. Next, attach the graphics card power cable or cables. Many more affordable graphics cards do not require additional power, while most mid-range cards require at least one six-pin power cord. It’s important to make sure that your power supply has the right connectors for your graphics card, and also has a sufficient power rating to provide the requisite power needs of the card, which can demand as much 140 watts under full load. Some graphics card manufacturers bundle power cord adapters in the retail box, allowing the user to power the card using one of the power supply’s regular molex connectors. It is also possible to use more than one graphics card at the same time for additional graphics performance. These configurations are called SLI™ (NVIDIA-cards) and CrossFireX™ (for AMD-based cards). In SLI™ and CrossFireX™ configurations, the two cards are installed using two of the PCI Express slots as usual, and then joined together by either an additional card (SLI™) or data ribbon (CrossFireX™). You will also have to configure your BIOS setting to enable SLI™ or CrossFireX™.

Step 6 : Finishing Touches It’s usually a good idea before replacing the door of chassis to take a moment to check that all components are installed correctly with both data and power cables. Many power supplies use modular cabling, which means that unnecessary and unused cables from the power supply can be removed; this will help reduce cable clutter. It is important to try and ensure that the cables are as neat as possible, as this will help to maintain good airflow within the chassis, keeping the components cool, which prevents overheating and possible malfunction. Many DIY builders use plastic ties to group together the cables and tie them to the side of the chassis, whereas some chassis allow you to hide cabling behind the motherboard tray. Take a look as this example below. With some practice you should be able to make the inside of the PC as tidy as possible, which greatly enhances airflow and means the components inside the PC will remain cool during prolonged usage which can greatly improve overall system longevity.

Once your chassis is closed, you can connect the monitor, mouse and keyboard in preparation for turning the PC on for the first time.

Step 7 : Connecting the Peripherals, Speakers and Monitor Before you turn on your newly built PC however, you’ll first need to connect a variety of peripheral devices such as the keyboard and mouse and also the audio speakers and monitor.

Connecting the Keyboard and Mouse Traditionally, both keyboard and mouse are connected to the PC using a PS/2 connector; with keyboards using a purple colored connector, and the mouse using a green colored connector. Although today, the majority of mice use a more modern USB 2.0 connector, many keyboards sold today still use the traditional PS/2 variety. It is for this reason that most motherboards sold today usually have at least one PS/2 connector on the motherboard’s back panel I/O. USB 2.0 keyboards can also be connected to one of the motherboard’s many USB ports, although it is recommended that you don’t use the blue USB 3.0 ports for keyboards, as these ports are designed to be used with storage devices that can take advantage of the higher bandwidth provided by USB 3.0 technology. Also, USB 3.0 ports will not function during operating system installation, i.e. they can only be used within the OS, after the correct drivers have been installed.

Connecting the Monitor Your graphics card or onboard graphics (depending on whether or not you chose to use a discrete or onboard graphics adapter) may well be equipped with a variety of display connectivity. The four main types of monitor / display connectivity are D-Sub, DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI. DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI are natively digital connection types and are better suited to most of today’s LCD and LED displays, although many still use the older, analog D-Sub connector. DisplayPort and HDMI are more commonly suited to high definition flat-screen displays and TVs, and are designed to also carry an integrated audio signal. Today, many high-end PC monitors have begun to support these standards. There is also the possibility that your monitor uses a D-Sub connector, but your graphics card or motherboard connector is DVI. If this is the case, you can attach a simple D-Sub to DVI converter to the monitor cable which will negate the issue. These converters are often supplied with the graphics card. In most other scenarios, it is simply a matter of connecting the appropriate cable to the appropriate port. If connecting multiple monitors, it is recommended that the second additional monitor be added after the OS installation.

Connecting the Audio Cables Many PC audio speakers, especially multi channel setups, will require several audio cables to be connected to the motherboard back panel. In this case, it is recommended that you follow the instruction manual supplied by the manufacturer for guidance – usually following the color-coding of the cables as a general rule. In many cases however, where only a single stereo channel audio is required, the green audio jack is the one used. If a microphone is also connected, it will usually use the pink audio jack.

Connecting the PC Power Cable The final step is to connect the PC power cable to the power supply installed in your PC. This is very straight forward, as all PCs use the same three prong power cable to connect to the main power source. However, you should note that the power supply will also have an ‘On/Off’ switch. Of course, this should be in the ‘On’ or ‘1’ position before you press the power button on the front of the PC.

Chapter 3 : First Start Up If all of the component parts have been installed correctly, you should hear a clear single beep sound the first time you turn on, or ‘boot’ the PC. You will also hear the CPU and other cooling fans begin to spin. At this stage you will also see the BIOS POST screen on your monitor. POST means Power On Self Test. The PC will enter POST each time it is turned on, checking what components and drives are connected to the system as well a brief function check. POST will also display the motherboard and BIOS version as well the hard drives and memory installed on the motherboard. If there is a problem detecting these components, your PC will remain, or ‘hang’ on the POST screen, often with a warning message. It is possible, however, that the POST screen is hidden behind a static ‘logo’ image. To disable this and observe the POST screen, simply press the Tab button on your keyboard as the system boots. It’s also possible to disable the ‘logo’ screen within BIOS.

Model Name BIOS Version

Z68XP-UD3P E8 . . . . <DEL>: BIOS Setup <F9>: XpressRecovery2 <F12>: Boot Menu <End>: Qflash 05/10/2011-Z68-7A89WG0KC-00 POST Screen

Function Keys

BIOS Settings BIOS means ‘Basic Input Output System’, and is basically the most basic software level of any PC. The settings within BIOS will allow you to configure how all the PC’s hardware will connect to the motherboard. BIOS software typically has far more settings than most users will ever to need to use, so we’ll be going through the basic BIOS configurations in this guide, outlining the key features you will need to configure to when installing your operating system.

CMOS Setup Utility-Copyright (C) 1984-2011 Award Software  MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)  Standard CMOS Features  Advanced BIOS Features  Integrated Peripherals  Power Management Setup  PC Health Status

ESC: Quit F8: Q-Flash

: Select Item F10: Save & Exit Setup

Load Fail-Safe Defaults Load Optimized Defaults Set Supervisor Password Set User Password Save & Exit Setup Exit Without Saving F11: Save CMOS to BIOS F12: Load CMOS from BIOS

Change CPU's Clock & Voltage

To enter BIOS you will have to press or hold down the ‘Delete’ key on your keyboard during POST. Once in BIOS, you will usually navigate around the setting using the up and down arrows of your keyboard, using the ‘Enter’ key to select. Some BIOS designs may also use ‘Page up’ and ‘Page down’ keys to select sub-settings parameters. The first screen in BIOS you will see is the ‘Main Menu’ screen, which displays a number sub-sections including Standard BIOS Features, Advanced BIOS Features and several other sub-sections. Within each section you will find dozens of configuration options that control exactly how your motherboard will interact with your other components. You can also monitor and check your PC’s health status including CPU, Chipset and motherboard temperatures as well as system fan speeds etc.

CMOS Setup Utility-Copyright (C) 1984-2011 Award Software Advanced BIOS Features Item Help [Press Enter] Quick Boot [Disabled] Menu Level  EFI CD/DVD Boot Option [Auto] First Boot Device [Hard Disk] Second Boot Device [CDROM] Third Boot Device [USB-FDD] Password Check [Setup] HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability [Disabled] Limit CPUID Max. to 3 (Note) [Disabled] (Note) No-Execute Memory Protect [Enabled] Delay For HDD (Secs) [0] Full Screen LOGO Show [Enabled] Init Display First [PCI] Onboard VGA [Auto] On-Chip Frame Buffer Size [64MB+2MB for GTT]

 Hard Disk Boot Priority

We don’t suggest that entry-level users make changes to F10: Save ESC: Exit F1: General Help : Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value these and other more advanced BIOS sections. The F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Defaults F7: Optimized Defaults standard features menu will give you access to the systems internal clock (time and date) and show also how much memory or RAM is detected and being used as well as the drives installed etc. Before we install our OS, we will need to change the system boot priority. This allows the PC to boot from an installation disk or USB stick so we can begin the OS install. The boot priority settings are in the ‘Advanced’ BIOS section. Once you have checked that the drives are detected correctly in this section, use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to change the settings so that the optical or DVD drive is selected as the first boot device. If you are booting from USB stick, you should ensure that it is first in the list.* After pressing F10 to save BIOS changes and re-boot, your new PC will boot from the target drive and automatically begin the operating system installation.

lnstalling the OS There are several operating systems that you can choose to install in your new PC, including a range of free open source Linux-based systems such as Unbuntu, Debian, Fedora and many others. However, the majority of PC users will be most familiar with Microsoft Windows operating systems. The latest Microsoft Windows OS is Windows 7, which uses a simple GUI-based installation process. For the purpose of this guide we will use Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, although the installation process will be the same for any version of Windows 7.

Once you set the boot priority so that the PC boots straight from the OS disk, the Windows 7 installation will automatically begin. After some preliminary software is installed, you’ll be asked to select language, time and keyboard/mouse settings – after making these selections simply press ‘next’. You will then be asked a series of questions and be asked to agree to a legal disclaimer. Follow these steps until you arrive at the install page shown below. You will be asked, ‘Where do you want to install Windows?’. This is essentially asking which hard drive to want to use as your primary disk partition where Windows 7 will be installed. Your hard drive will be shown in the central window as ‘Disk 0 Unallocated Space’. If you select this disk and press ‘New’ to create a new partition, you will then be asked to decide the size of the partition. Many users prefer not to use the entire disk as the primary boot partition, choosing to create a smaller partition within the hard drive and use that as the primary boot partition. The remaining space can then be used a dedicated storage partition which need not be erased on subsequent future OS installs. After you have chosen the size of your primary boot partition (at least 50 GB is recommended), select that partition and press ‘Next’. Windows will then inform you that it will also create additional partitions for system files. Windows 7 will then start the installation process. Depending on hardware performance, Windows 7 will take between 15–30 mins. Windows will reboot several times during the installation process. It is recommended that you return to BIOS and re-order the boot priority after the first re-boot, selecting the Windows hard drive as the first boot device. Once the installation process has completed we must then install the hardware device drivers.

Driver Installation In order to function correctly, the hardware components of the board (Chipset, Network and Audio chips for example) need a small piece of software known as a ‘driver’ to correctly interface with the Windows OS. All GIGABYTE motherboards come with a utility disk which includes a One-Click Driver Installation utility; a simplified, automated driver installation process that is much less time-consuming than a manual installation requiring several re-boots. Once the operating system and drivers are installed, you can then begin installing your favorite software applications, many of which are available for free including a range of open source developed applications including web browsers, media and entertainment playback applications and many others. *If you are installing a hard drive that is 2.2 GB capacity or more, please refer to the GIGABYTE 3TB+ Unlock Utility on page 24.

Chapter 4 : Unique GIGABYTE Features As an industry-leading motherboard manufacturer, GIGABYTE motherboards are designed with a range of exclusive features that help make GIGABYTE motherboards the very best option when building your own PC. In this section, we want to outline some of the new features you will currently find on GIGABYTE motherboards based on the Intel® Z68 and Intel® H61 Express Chipsets that support the latest high performance Intel® Core™ i7, i5 and i3 processors.

The VRM Zone : The Heart of the PC The VRM (voltage regulation module) Zone is arguably the most important area of a motherboard, providing and regulating the power for the CPU, one of the most energy-intensive component on the board. Power is delivered from the PC’s power supply to the motherboard’s VRM array, and to the CPU in what are known as phases. Each phase has three separate components; a capacitor, a MOSFET and a choke. The quality of these components will directly affect the power-efficiency and overall Capacitor power consumption of the motherboard, and also, therefore the PC. Some high-end GIGABYTE motherboards can utilize up to 24 phases, providing the most stable and efficient power Choke delivery possible. Over the years GIGABYTE has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience that has been put into practice to gradually refine and improve its VRM technology, selecting better quality components with the primary aim of improving overall power delivery.

MOSFET

50,000 Hour Japanese Solid Capacitors One crucial part of a motherboard’s VRM is the capacitor. GIGABYTE motherboards use solid capacitors developed by leading Japanese manufacturers. These solid capacitors have a longer life span compared to traditional electrolytic capacitors, with an average lifespan of 50,000 hours. These solid capacitors provide better overall stability, reliability and are better equipped to meet the power needs of today’s high-end processors memory and other components. GIGABYTE selects Japanesemade solid capacitors to help your PC to remain stable and reliable over an extended lifespan.

1 year = 24 hr. x 365 days = 8,760 hr. 5 years = 8,760 hr. x 5 = 43,800 hr. * 50,000 hr. work time is calculated at 85°C temperature.

Low RDS(on) MOSFETs MOSFETs are a major component in your motherboard’s VRM (voltage regulation module). The MOSFET (metal-oxidesemiconductor field-effect transistor) is a type of transistor that acts like a gate, switching power on and off according to the needs of the CPU. GIGABYTE uses Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs which are smaller and more optimized than traditional MOSFTEs. This helps to reduce energy wastage through unnecessary residual heat dissipation, which results in tangible energy savings, beneficial for both end-users and the environment without impacting system performance.

Driver MOSFETs The traditional Voltage Regulator Module of the motherboard consists of choke, capacitors, MOSFETs and a Driver IC. Driver MOSFETs however, integrate the MOSFET and driver IC in one component. This integration offers clear benefits in terms of achieving higher power transfers and increased efficiency at higher switching frequencies that satisfy the growing Mounting area power requirements of today’s high performance reduced by 50% ! processors.

Power Efficiency

Driver-MOSFET

Traditional MOSFET

Driver-MOSFET

Traditional MOSFET Loading

Ferrite Core Chokes Another important element in the VRM are the core chokes. Many GIGABYTE motherboards are equipped with ferrite core chokes which have much better energy-efficiency compared to more common and traditionally used iron core chokes. Ferrite core chokes reduce overall core energy-loss with better energy storage and regulation as well as emitting lower EMI interference. Ferrite is also less prone to corrosion compared to iron chokes which can suffer from rust over time.

2X Copper PCB Many GIGABYTE motherboards are manufactured using a thicker and more robust PCB which contains double the traditional copper content. These 2x copper PCBs provide a more effective thermal cooling solution by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone, throughout the entire PCB. In fact, it is estimated that GIGABYTE 2x copper boards can deliver up to 50oC cooler operating temperatures than traditional motherboards. Choosing a GIGABYTE motherboard that features a 2x copper PCB will help to prevent your PC from overheating, and also help to extend your PC’s overall lifespan

Core Energy Loss

Ferrite Core Choke

25% Lower

Iron Core Choke

2x Copper PCB PCB

0.070 mm (70 µm)

0.035 mm (35 µm)

PCB layer cross-section image, magnified 200x

Maximum CPU Power Delivery In order to get the absolute best performance and efficiency from the CPU, it’s crucial that the motherboard provides the utmost power delivery. As well as using the very best components, many high-end GIGABYTE motherboard models are equipped with the very latest technologies that make sure that your CPU gets the absolute maximum power it needs. Special attention is paid to the design of the motherboard Voltage Regulator Module (VRM). By adding more power phases in the VRM there can be more power available to your CPU. GIGABYTE offers motherboards that can provide up to 24 power phases. Technologies such as Dual Power Switching and Driver MOSFETs ensure your CPU can enjoy more efficient and accurate power delivery from the motherboard than was previously possible.

Dual CPU Power GIGABYTE's proprietary Dual Power Switching Technology allows CPU VRM power phases to split evenly into 2 sets of power engines that operate in tandem. This allows 1 set of power phases to rest while the other is active as opposed to a traditional power design where all the power phases are always active. GIGABYTE Dual CPU Power effectively halves the amount of work done by each set of power phases to significantly increase motherboard durability and reliability.

Normal Loading 12 Power Phases are active with Dynamic 6-Gear Switching

Heavy Loading

Full 24 Power Phases are active with Dynamic 6-Gear Switching

6 ar Ge 5 ar Ge 4 ar Ge r 3 a Ge r 2 a Ge r 1 a Ge

Performance Tuning / Energy Saving Touch BIOS™

GIGABYTE Touch BIOS™ is a user-friendly way to interact with your board’s BIOS, allowing for a more intuitive user experience that also supports touch screen monitors. Touch BIOS ™ uses easy to recognize icons to represent the main BIOS features allowing users to modify BIOS system settings via a more simplified interface. You will also find icons to quickly access GIGABYTE applications and utilities such as Quick Boost and @BIOS. Touch BIOS™ to makes it as easy as possible to navigate, using large icons that allow users to navigate with a mouse or finger on a touch enabled monitor. Users can also customize the Touch BIOS™ homepage according to their needs, rearranging icon order, adding frequently used icons and even deleting unused ones. GIGABYTE Touch BIOS™ is Windows® based, so users no longer need to reboot into the BIOS in order to make system changes. This helps save time for users wanting to make quick system setting changes with settings applied at the next system reboot.

EasyTune™ 6 EasyTune™ 6 makes it easier than ever to control key hardware settings you would ordinarily have to control using the system’s BIOS. Essentially designed for easy overclocking of your PC, EasyTune™ 6 allows you to modify key performance parameters such as CPU clock and multiplier settings, memory speeds and timings and also the VGA clock and memory settings. Once you have made changes to your PC’s settings, EasyTune™ 6 allows you to save these settings as a unique profile, allowing you to easily switch back and forth between different performance settings.

The EasyTune™ 6 Quick Boost feature allows you to overclock your system with one click of a button, adjusting your system to settings that have been pre-determined and tested by GIGABYTE engineers. EasyTune™ 6 also shows you detailed information about your PC hardware, including real-time data regarding CPU and board temperatures and adjustable system fan speeds. EasyTune™ 6 is included on the GIGABYTE driver and Utility DVD and also available as a free download from the GIGABYTE website.

Hotkey OC™ Once you have created an overclocking profile using GIGABTE EasyTune™ 6, GIGABYTE Hotkey™ OC allows you to apply and access that hardware profile with just the touch of a button. GIGABYTE Hotkey™ OC allows you to set up to four hotkeys for four different profiles at a time. The hot keys that can be assigned are any combination of ‘Ctrl+ Alt+ Function keys (F1 to F12)’ or ‘Ctrl+ Alt+ Number keys (1 to 9 and 0) on your keyboard’, giving you quick and easy access to the profiles so you can change between them on the fly. GIGABYTE Hotkey™ OC is useful if you want to quickly and easily alter the performance profile of your PC according to the needs of the application you are running; for example, from graphics intensive settings, to extreme CPU or memory settings. Hotkey™ OC is easy to set up and configure and can be downloaded from your motherboard’s product page.

Cloud OC™ Cloud OC™ is an application that allows you control your PC’s overclocking settings over a network or via the Internet. If your PC is online and using a compatible GIGABYTE motherboard, Cloud OC™ will give you complete control over how your PC is tuned in terms of CPU, Memory, VGA, and PCI-E frequencies and voltages. These parameters are accessible using your smart phone, tablet or notebook PC – or indeed any device with an online web browser. You can also enjoy real-time PC system status monitoring for settings such as CPU temperature, cooling fan speeds, CPU VCore and system temperatures, as well as additional control of system power states with restart, power off, suspend, and hibernate options. Cloud OC™ is included on the GIGABYTE Driver and Utility DVD and as a free download from the GIGABYTE website.

Dynamic Energy Saver (DES) GIGABYTE has developed the Dynamic Energy Saver 2, a unique Windows-based software utility that makes your PC tangibly more efficient by dynamically monitoring key hardware components such as the CPU to see how much power is required and automatically adjusting the power delivered. In the case of the CPU, Dynamic Energy Saver 2 can turn off CPU power cycles when possible to reduce overall system power consumption. With Dynamic Energy Saver 2 installation on your PC, you can also control the power delivered to the graphics card, hard drives, chipset, memory and system fans of your PC. This can further reduce overall power consumption and help save energy.

The Dynamic Energy Saver 2 interface also gives you detailed information about how much energy has been saved. Dynamic Energy Saver 2 is available for Intel-based systems only, and is included on the GIGABYTE Driver and Utility DVD, and as a free download from the GIGABYTE website.

Accelerated connectivity GIGABYTE 333 Onboard Acceleration GIGABYTE 333 Onboard Acceleration motherboards are a range of the latest technologies that are designed help speed up data transfer, including SuperSpeed USB 3.0 technology, SATA Revision 3.0 (6 Gb/s) technology and an unprecedented 3x USB power boost on all USB ports for more power hungry USB devices.

＊3x USB power is a maximum theoretical value. Actual performance may vary by system configuration.

＊USB 3.0 10x performance is a maximum theoretical value. Actual performance may vary by system configuration.

GIGABYTE 3x USB Power Boost is designed to deliver the best possible compatibility and stability for USB connected devices by delivering up to 3 times as much power to devices such as external storage drives or optical drives, by supplying sufficient power through a single USB port. This will also help free-up USB ports for using multiple USB devices on one motherboard which can often require power from more than one port .

Utilizing the new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard, users can enjoy a 10x data transfer speed boost over previous generation USB 2.0 based devices. USB 3.0 features dual-simplex transfer for simultaneous data transfer from PC to USB device for improved data transfer efficiency. This is particularly useful when transferring large files and data sets onto portable media such as USB connected hard drives.

GIGABYTE motherboards now feature the latest SATA Revision 3.0 which has a faster data transfer capacity of up to 6Gbp, as compared to SATA 2.0 which only offers 3Gps.

＊SATA3 RAID 0 4x and SATA3 2x performance are maximum theoretical values. Actual performance may vary by system configuration. 21

One Fuse per USB Port All GIGABYTE motherboards are designed to offer the utmost safety for your peripherals and connected devices; this is especially true in the case of your motherboard’s USB connectivity. On a GIGABYTE motherboard, each USB port has its own dedicated power fuse. This is unlike most traditional motherboard designs where typically one fuse will be used for two or even four ports; in this case if one fuse is blown, you will lose the functionality of several ports, which may also have a device connected at the time of failure, which can be an especially harmful event for data storage devices. Ensuring that all USB ports have dedicated individual fusing, GIGABYTE help prevent unwanted USB port failure, while safe-guarding your important data during transfer. GIGABYTE One Fuse per USB Port Design

Fuse 1

Traditional One Fuse Design for Multi-USB Ports e

Blown Fus

Fuse 1

Fuse 2 USB 1

Fuse

Blown Fus

USB 1

Fuse 2 USB 1

USB 2

Fuse 3

ses l Other Fu nctiona Still Fu

USB 1 tional Non Func

USB 2

Fuse 4 USB

USB

B Ports l Other US nctiona Still Fu

USB 2

Ports All USBnctional Non Fu

USB

GIGABYTE ON/OFF Charge™ GIGABYTE's 3x USB power uses an entirely new hardware design that also incorporates GIGABYTE ON/OFF Charge™ Technology. This provides a special set of white and red colored onboard USB pin-headers that can easily be connected to your system's front USB 2.0 ports. These ports act as quick charge ports for your mobile device, so that when your smart phone or tablet is plugged into the quick charge USB port, the device will charge far faster, almost as fast as having it plugged into a wall adapter. Additionally, ON/OFF Charge™ means that many devices can be charged even when your PC is turned off, so even if you forget to plug it into your charger after you've synced up your music, it will be fully charged when you need it. ON/OFF can reduce the charging time by up to 40 percent thanks our special GIGABYTE design, meaning it Quick Charge for iPhone / iPad / iPod touch only takes about two hours to fully Suspend Suspend PC charge your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, Charge time Power Working Standby to RAM to DISK Shutdown Quick something that would take in excess of (Lower is Better) Charge (S0) (S1) (S3) (S4) (S5) three hours using a standard USB port. GIGABYTE ON/OFF Charge™ technology is available on an extensive range of GIGABYTE motherboards. Please consult the official GIGABYTE website model list to confirm that it is available on the motherboard of your choice.

GIGABYTE ON/OFF Charge

Yes

Yes*

Traditional Design

Up to

40% Faster

*Due to certain mobile phone limitations, users may need to connect the mobile phone to their PC before the PC enters S4/S5 mode to enable a quick charge from non ON/OFF Charge USB ports.

3TB+ HD Support GIGABYTE 3TB+ Unlock Utility GIGABYTE 3TB+ Unlock Utility allows GIGABYTE motherboards to recognize and use unallocated space on new 3TB and larger hard disc drives. The utility is freely available from the utilities page of the official GIGABYTE website, and is designed to optimize hard drive storage space by allowing the user to create a virtual drive with space that exceeds 2048GB, the maximum amount of storage recognized by 32bit versions of operating systems such as Windows XP. While these virtual drives are limited to 2048GB, users can create up to 128 partitions, as long as there is additional unallocated space on the drive. With MBR partitions, the number of partitions is limited to 8. GIGABYTE 3TB+ Unlock is currently supported on all motherboards models. More information is available on the GIGABYTE website.

DualBIOS™+ HDD Support All GIGABYTE motherboards are equipped with two BIOS ROMs so that your BIOS can be automatically recovered in case of failure, corruption or improper updating – all major causes of motherboard malfunction that can result in the board being returned to the manufacturer for repair. With two physical BIOS ROMs integrated onboard, GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ allows quick and seamless recovery, automatically refreshing the corrupted ROM from the back up ROM. GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ also now supports Hybrid EFI technology that combines the benefits of GIGABYTE’s mature BIOS platform including stability and compatibility with 3rd party products including support of 3TB+ hard drives, including booting without the need for partitioning, enables more data storage on a single hard drive. Automatically recovers Main BIOS data from the Backup BIOS when the Main BIOS has crashed or failed

to Failure Au

Main BIOS

Recove ry

Backup BIOS

Additional GIGABYTE Technologies GIGABYTE Super4™ GIGABYTE Super4™ motherboards are the latest range of next-generation desktop motherboards based on the Intel® H61 Express Chipset with support for 2nd generation ‘Sandy Bridge’ Intel® Core™ CPU and also the latest AMD A series motherboards supporting the A-Series ‘Llano’ APUs. GIGABYTE Super4™ motherboards are geared towards giving entry-level DIY PC builders the very best quality components and are equipped with a wide range of GIGABYTE features that make them the most compelling platform on the market today. All GIGABYTE Super4 motherboards focus on four key elements that make them stand out from the crowd.

One Fuse per USB Port DualBIOS™ 3TB+ HDD Support (Hybrid EFI Technology) 50,000 hr. Japanese Solid Capacitors

Overclocking IC Ultra Durable™ 2 3x USB Power Boost + ON/OFF Charge™

Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs Ferrite Core Chokes Lower CPU Zone Temperature High Power Efficiency

High-End 108dB HD Audio

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 motherboards use a range of exclusive technologies that guarantee DIY PC builders the absolute best protection for their PC, with built-in features that prevent common malfunction threats users encounter on a day-to-day basis

Humidity Protection There is nothing more harmful to the longevity of your PC than moisture, and most parts of the world experience moisture in the air as humidity at some point during the year. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic motherboards have been designed to make sure that humidity is never an issue, incorporating a new Glass Fabric PCB technology that repels moisture caused by humid and damp conditions. Using a new kind of PCB material which reduces the amount of space between the fiber weave, Glass Fiber PCB technology makes it more difficult for moisture to penetrate compared to traditional motherboard PCBs. This offers much better protection from short circuit and system malfunction caused by humid and damp conditions.

New Glass Fabric PCB Traditional Glass Fabric PCB

Electrostatic Protection GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic motherboards use high quality IC microchips that are rated with higher electro-static discharge (ESD) resistance than traditional IC implementations. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic motherboards use ICs with up to 3 times the ESD resistance levels compared to traditional ICs. This helps to better protect the motherboard, its components and the PC in general against potential damage caused by static electricity, a common threat to today’s PCs. High ESD Resistance ICs

Traditional ESD Resistance ICs

Enhanced USB Port Protection

Power Failure Protection If your home experiences a sudden power outage for any reason, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic motherboards are equipped to ensure that you won’t be dealing with a fatal malfunction. All GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic motherboards use patented DualBIOS™ technology to provide fail safe protection for the BIOS on your motherboard, automatically refreshing your BIOS from a back up version in the case of a critical power outage. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic motherboards also feature special anti-surge ICs that protect your motherboard, and your PC, from any surge in power delivery that may occur, helping to ensure that your PC is equipped to deal with any kind of irregular and inconsistent power delivery.

Sur g by A e Prev nti- ente d Sur ge IC

Surge Protection Level*

Pow e Wit r Surg h e Ant out i-Su rge IC

Anti-Surge IC Without Anti-Surge IC *Anti-Surge ICs may vary by model

High Temperature Protection GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic motherboards feature specially selected components that make your PC capable of higher temperatures in more extreme conditions, while at the same time preventing your PC from overheating. Using all solid capacitors for the GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 Classic range both reduces overall board temperatures while, making the motherboard more robust at higher temperatures. The choice of Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs also helps to reduce operating temperatures significantly compared to traditional MOSFET solutions. These component technologies combine to guarantee enhanced longevity and stability for your PC.

Cap Comparison Component Lifespan

All Solid Cap Design Traditional Cap Design hr. of work time is * 50,000 calculated at 85°C temperature.

MOSFET Comparison* Average Temp

Lower RDS(on) MOSFET Design Traditional MOSFET Design * Lower RDS(on) MOSFET design may vary by model

GIGABYTE Smart 6™ GIGBAYTE Smart 6™ is a collection of six software utilities that provide DIY PC builders with a comprehensive system management suite that puts you in absolute control of your PC. These include Smart QuickBoost to enable faster system booting speeds, Smart QuickBoost to enable easy system performance and overcloking settings, Smart Recovery for easy file and data recovery, Smart DualBIOS™ for easy recovery of corrupted BIOS, Smart Recorder for easy recording of system events and changes and also Smart TimeLock for simple scheduling of your PC’s resources.

GIGABYTE eXtreme Hard Drive (XHD) GIGABYTE eXtreme Hard Drive (X.H.D). GIGABYTE eXtreme Hard Drive (X.H.D) provides a quick and easy way to boost your hard drive performance simply by adding another hard drive. GIGABYTE XHD essentially sets up a RAID 0 disk configuration, which means that your data will spread across two hard drives so that hard drive access times are greatly improved with data being accessed simultaneously from both drives. This will greatly improve your overall drive performance and give you a more responsive PC experience

108dB HD Audio If you’re looking forward to enjoying the latest HD multimedia titles including the latest Blu-ray content on your DIY PC, then it’s also important that your PC has audio playback hardware capable of the required audio quality. Most GIGABYTE motherboards offer excellent 7.1 surround sound audio, backed by a proprietary converter that is able to achieve 108dB noise ratio (SNR) playback quality. This means that users will enjoy a better audio experience with lower levels of noise and hiss when enjoying the latest HD content.

Chapter 5 : GIGABYTE Z68 Series Features The new Intel® Z68 Express Chipset combines the best features from both the Intel® P67 and H67 platforms in one complete package, which allow you to get the most out of your “Sandy Bridge’ processor. Here are those features plus others that you’ll find on our GIGABYTE Z68 series motherboards.

Intel® Smart Response Intel® Smart Response Technology is an affordable alternative to using an expensive Soild State Drive or SSD. Intel® Smart Response Technology allows users to experience system performance similar to SSD only systems by using intelligent block-based caching of frequently used applications to improve system performance and responsiveness. With GIGABYTE Z68 motherboards, we have found that Intel® Smart Response Technology can boost system performance to outperform hybrid drive systems (i.e. mechanical drives that also use solid state memory to improve performance) by more than 100% using PC Mark Vantage hard drive specific tests. In PC Mark Vantage overall testing, we found Intel® Smart Response Technology delivered a 4X overall performance improvement compared to traditional HDD-only systems.

*4X+ Faster than HDD-only system in PC Mark Vantage (HDD Score)

GIGABYTE EZ Smart Response™ The GIGABYTE EZ Smart Response™ utility is a simple application that allows users to quickly and easily configure their system for Intel® Smart Response Technology. With traditional Intel® Smart Response set ups, users needed to enter the BIOS in order to configure their system for RAID mode. This required a complete system reinstall of the operating system. Once that processes was complete, users then needed to install the Intel® Rapid Storage Utility as well as configure Intel's Smart Response Technology. GIGABYTE EZ Smart Response™ does all of this automatically, without users having to perform a complicated install process. This allows them to quickly and effortlessly enjoy a significant boost in system performance without the additional hassle of re-installing the OS.

GIGABYTE mSATA Support Selected GIGABYTE Z68 series motherboards feature onboard mSATA drive connectors which are designed specifically to leverage Intel® Smart Response Technology. The mSATA port uses a Mini PCI Express interface and is located directly on the motherboard where a small mSATA SDD module can be installed as an alternative to installing a regular 2.5 inch SSD drive within the chassis. Many mSATA SSDs offer superb performance at competitive price points, making these mSATA enabled motherboards a very attractive option.

Lucid Virtu™ Switchable Graphics The Intel® Z68 Express Chipset suppots LucidLogix Virtu™ GPU Virtualization technology. This allows users to dynamically switch between the onboard graphics built-in to their Intel® Core™ CPU and their high-end, discrete 3D graphics cards. Seeing as most discrete graphics cards use a substantial amount of energy, this kind of switchable graphics helps to dramatically reduce PC graphics power consumption while boosting performance when it is needed most.

Video Transcoding

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Power Saving

Intel® Quick Sync Video Intel® Quick Sync Video is fast way to create, edit, synchronize or sharing video content. The Intel “Sandy Bridge’ architecture in the latest 2nd generation Core™ processors includes a specific algorithm that can encode and decode heavily compressed video files very quickly compared to traditional CPUs. In fact, Intel Quick Sync Video technology means that you can enjoy up to 5X faster media processing than any other solution, for incredibly fast conversion of video files for portable media players or online sharing.

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