Gigabyte Assassin 2 Manual

							G1.Assassin 2
User's Manual
Rev. 1001
12ME- G1ASIN2-1001R 
						

							MotherboardG1.Assassin 2Oct. 28, 2011
Oct. 28, 2011MotherboardG1.Assassin 2 
						

							Copyright
© 2011 GIGA-BYTE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. All rights reserved.
The trademarks mentioned in this manual are legally registered to their \
respective owners.
Disclaimer
Information in this manual is protected by copyright laws and is the pro\
perty of GIGABYTE. 
Changes to the specifications and features in this manual may be made by GIGABYTE without 
prior  notice.  No  part  of  this  manual  may  be  reproduced,  copied,  translated,  transmitted,  or 
published in any form or by any means without GIGABYTE's prior written p\
ermission.
Documentation Classifications
In order to assist in the use of this product, GIGABYTE provides the fol\
lowing types of documentations:
For quick set-up of the product, read the Quick Installation Guide inclu\
ded with the product. „
For detailed product information, carefully read the User's Manual. „
For product-related information, check on our website at: 
http://www.gigabyte.com
Identifying Your Motherboard Revision
The  revision  number  on  your  motherboard  looks  like  this:  "REV:  X.X."  For  example,  "REV:  1.0" 
means the revision of the motherboard is 1.0. Check your motherboard revision before updating 
motherboard BIOS, drivers, or when looking for technical information.
Example: 
						

							- 4 -
Table of Contents
Box Contents ....................................................................................................\
...............6
Optional Items  ....................................................................................................\
.............6
G1.Assassin 2 Motherboard Layout ........................................................................\
........7
G1.Assassin 2 Motherboard Block Diagram  ...................................................................8
Chapter 1  Hardware Installation ........................................................................\
.............9
1-1  Installation Precautions ...................................................................................9
1-2  Product Specifications ...................................................................................10
1-3  Installing the CPU and CPU Cooler...............................................................13
1-3-1  Installing the CPU ..................................................................................................13
1-3-2  Installing the CPU Cooler ......................................................................................15
1- 4  Installing the Memory ....................................................................................16
1- 4-1   4 Channel Memory Configuration.........................................................................16
1- 4-2 Installing a Memory  ...............................................................................................17
1-5  Installing an Expansion Card .........................................................................18
1-6  Setting up AMD CrossFireX™/NVIDIA SLI Configuration ..............................19
1-7  Back Panel Connectors .................................................................................20
1-8  Internal Connectors .......................................................................................22
Chapter 2  BIOS Setup ........................................................................\
..........................31
2-1  Startup Screen ...............................................................................................32
2-2  The Main Menu ..............................................................................................33
2-3   M.I.T. ..............................................................................................................35
2- 4   System .......................................................................................................\
....48
2-5  BIOS Features ...............................................................................................49
2-6   Peripherals .....................................................................................................51
2-7  Power Management .......................................................................................53
2-8  Save & Exit Setup ..........................................................................................55
Chapter 3  Drivers Installation ........................................................................\
...............57
3-1  Installing Chipset Drivers ...............................................................................57
3-2  Application Software ......................................................................................58 
						

							- 5 -
3-3 Technical Manuals .........................................................................................58
3- 4  Contact........................................................................................................\
...59
3-5 System .......................................................................................................\
....59
3-6  Download Center ...........................................................................................60
3-7  New Utilities ...................................................................................................60
Chapter 4  Unique Features ........................................................................\
...................61
4-1  Xpress Recovery2 ..........................................................................................61
4-2  BIOS Update Utilities .....................................................................................64
4-2-1  Updating the BIOS with the Q-Flash Utility ..........................................................64
4-2-2  Updating the BIOS with the @BIOS Utility ............................................................67
4-3  EasyTune 6 ........................................................................\
............................68
4- 4  Q-Share .........................................................................................................69
4-5  Smart 6™  .......................................................................................................70
4-6  eXtreme Hard Drive (X.H.D) ..........................................................................74
4-7  Cloud OC .......................................................................................................\
75
4-8  TouchBIOS........................................................................\
.............................76
Chapter 5  Appendix ........................................................................\
..............................77
5-1  Configuring SATA Hard Drive(s) ....................................................................77
5-1-1  Configuring Intel X79 SATA Controllers ................................................................77
5-1-2  Configuring Marvell 88SE9172 SATA Controllers ................................................83
5-1-3  Installing the SATA RAID/AHCI Driver and Operating System ............................89
5-2  Bigfoot Killer Network Manager .....................................................................96
5-3  Configuring Audio Input and Output ..............................................................98
5-3-1  Configuring 2/4/5.1/7.1-Channel Audio .................................................................98
5-3-2  Configuring S/PDIF Out ........................................................................\
................99
5-3-3  Creative Software Suite ........................................................................\
..............100
5-3- 4  Enabling Dolby Digital Live/DTS Connect Encoding ..........................................101
5-3-5 Configuring Audio Recording ........................................................................\
......103
5-4  Troubleshooting ...........................................................................................104
5- 4-1  Frequently Asked Questions ........................................................................\
.......104
5- 4-2 Troubleshooting Procedure .................................................................................105
5- 4-3  Regulatory Statements ........................................................................................107 
						

							- 6 -
Box Contents
G1.Assassin 2 5 motherboard
Motherboard driver disk 5
User's Manual 5
Quick Installation Guide 5
Four SATA cables 5
I/O Shield 5
3.5" Front Panel with 2 USB 3.0/2.0 ports 5
One 2-Way SLI bridge connector 5
One 3-Way SLI bridge connector 5
One 2-Way CrossFireX bridge connector 5
One GC-WIFI 5
Optional Items
2-port USB 2.0 bracket (Part No. 12CR1-1UB030-5*R) †
2-port SATA power cable (Part No. 12CF1-2SERPW-0*R) †
The box contents above are for reference only and the actual items shall depend on the product package you obtain. 
The box contents are subject to change without notice. 
						

							- 7 -
G1.Assassin 2 Motherboard Layout
KB_MS_USBCPU_FANATX_12V_2X
ATX
F_AUDIO
AUDIO
B_BIOS
PCIEX8
DDR3_2DDR3_4DDR3_1DDR3_3
BAT
F_PANEL
Intel® X79
CLR_CMOS
FAN1
M_BIOS
PCIEX1_1
PCIEX16_1
SPDIF_OF_USB1
LGA2011
G1.Assassin 2
HS
R_USB30
USB_ESATA2
USB_LAN
PCI
F_USB30
PCIEX1_2
iTEIT8728
TPM
F_USB2
F_USB3
Marvell 88SE9172
USB_ESATA1
FAN4
FrescoFL1009
CREATIVE CA20K2
Marvell 88E1118R
Bigfoot KillerE2100
PCIEX16_2
FAN2FAN3
GSATA376
SATA2
SATA310
FrescoFL1009
32
SATA254
System2 Temp. sensor 
System3 Temp. sensor
 
System1 Temp. sensor 
Marvell 88SE9172 
						

							- 8 -
G1.Assassin 2 Motherboard Block Diagram
PS/2 KB/Mouse
LGA2011
CPU
CPU CLK+/- (100 MHz)
2 SATA 6Gb/s
Dual BIOS
14 USB 2.0/1.1 (Note)
DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz
4 Channel Memory
LPC Bus
Intel® X79
x1
2 USB 3.0/2.0
FrescoFL1009iTE
IT8728
x1
2 USB 3.0/2.0
PCI Express Bus
PCI Express Bus
PCIe CLK
(100 MHz)
2 PCI Express x1
x1
2 SATA 6Gb/s
x1
Marvell 88SE9172
x1
DMI 2.0 
4 SATA 3Gb/s
FrescoFL1009
PCIe CLK
(100 MHz)
2 PCI Express x16
x16x16
1 PCI Express x8
x8
PCI Express Bus
x1
LAN
RJ45
Marvell 88E1118R phy
 BigFoot Killer E2100
Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out
Line Out
MIC
Line In
S/PDIF Out
Side Speaker Out
Surround Speaker Out
CREATIVE
CA20K2
x1
PCI Bus
1 PCI
PCI CLK
(33 MHz)
PCI Express Bus
2 SATA 6Gb/s
x1
Marvell 88SE9172
(Note) 
Two share the same ports with eSATA. 
						

							- 9 -Hardware Installation
1-1 Installation Precautions
The motherboard contains numerous delicate electronic circuits and components which can become 
damaged as a result of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Prior to installation, carefully read the user's 
manual and follow these procedures:
Prior to installation, make sure the chassis is suitable for the motherb\
oard. •
Prior to installation, do not remove or break motherboard S/N (Serial Number) sticker or warranty  •
sticker provided by your dealer. These stickers are required for warrant\
y validation.
Always  remove  the  AC  power  by  unplugging  the  power  cord  from  the  power  outlet  before  •
installing or removing the motherboard or other hardware components.
When connecting hardware components to the internal connectors on the motherboard, make  •
sure they are connected tightly and securely.
When handling the motherboard, avoid touching any metal leads or connect\
ors. •
It is best to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when handling electronic com- •
ponents such as a motherboard, CPU or memory. If you do not have an ESD wrist strap, keep 
your hands dry and first touch a metal object to eliminate static electricity.
Prior  to  installing  the  motherboard,  please  have  it  on  top  of  an  antistatic  pad  or  within  an  •
electrostatic shielding container.
Before unplugging the power supply cable from the motherboard, make sure the power supply  •
has been turned off.
Before turning on the power, make sure the power supply voltage has been set according to  •
the local voltage standard.
Before using the product, please verify that all cables and power connectors of your hardware  •
components are connected.
To  prevent  damage  to  the  motherboard,  do  not  allow  screws  to  come  in  contact  with  the  •
motherboard circuit or its components.
Make sure there are no leftover screws or metal components placed on the motherboard or  •
within the computer casing.
Do not place the computer system on an uneven surface •.
Do not place the computer system in a high-temperature environment. •
Turning on the computer power during the installation process can lead to damage to system  •
components as well as physical harm to the user.
If you are uncertain about any installation steps or have a problem related to the use of the  •
product, please consult a certified computer technician.
Chapter 1  Hardware Installation 
						

							Hardware Installation- 10 -
1-2 Product Specifications
CPUSupport for Intel Š® Core™ i7 processors in the LGA2011 package
(Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest CPU support list.)
L3 cache varies with CPU Š
ChipsetIntel Š® X79 Express Chipset
Memory4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory Š  *   Due to Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than \
4 GB.
4 channel memory architecture Š
Support for DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules Š
Support for non-ECC memory modules Š
Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules Š
    (Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest supported memory speeds and memory 
modules.)
Audio1 x Creative CA20K2 chip Š
Support for Dolby Š® Digital Live and DTS™ Connect
Support for X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Š® and EA X® Advanced HD™ 5.0 technologies 
High Definition Audio Š
2/4/5.1/7.1-channel Š
Support for S/PDIF Š Out
LAN1 x Bigfoot Killer E2100 chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) Š
1 x Marvell 88E1118R phy Š
Expansion Slots2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2) Š  *   For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16_1 slot; if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots.1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8) Š
  (All PCI Express x16 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.)
2 x PCI Express x1 slots Š
 (All PCI Express x1 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)1 x PCI slot ŠMulti-Graphics 
Technology
  ŠSupport for 3-Way/2-Way AMD CrossFireX™ / NVIDIA SLI technology  *   The  PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2  slots  operate  at  up  to  x8  mode  when  3-Way  AMD CrossFireX™/NVIDIA SLI is enabled.
Storage InterfaceChipset: Š  -   2  x  SATA  6Gb/s  connectors  (SATA3  0/SATA3  1)  supporting  up  to  2  SATA 6Gb/s devices -   4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATA2 2~SATA2 5) supporting up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s devices
 - Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10  *   When  a  RAID  set  is  built  across  the  SATA  6Gb/s  and  SATA  3Gb/s  channels,  the system  performance  of  the  RAID  set  may  vary  depending  on  the  devices  being connected.