Page 2
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
Contents Safety information ...................... vi About this guide ......................vii CROSSBLADE RANGER specifications summary ..........ix Package contents ..................... xiii Installation tools and components ................. xiv Chapter 1: Product Introduction Special features..................1-1 1.1.1 Product highlights................ 1-1 1.1.2 ROG Gaming Features ............... 1-2 1.1.3...
Page 4
3.6.8 ROG Effects ................3-26 Monitor menu ................... 3-27 Boot menu ....................3-30 Tool menu ....................3-36 3.9.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 Utility ............3-36 3.9.2 Secure Erase ................3-36 3.9.3 Setup Animator [Disabled] ............3-37 3.9.4 Graphics Card Information ............3-37 ............
Page 5
GameFirst III ..................... 4-30 KeyBot....................... 4-33 4.10 ASUS Media Streamer ................4-35 4.11 ASUS Disk Unlocker ................4-37 4.12 RAMDisk ....................4-38 4.13 MemTweakIt ....................4-41 4.14 ROG CPU-Z ....................4-43 Chapter 5: RAID support RAID configurations .................. 5-1 ................5-1 5.1.2...
Safety information Electrical safety 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 cables are unplugged.
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. ASUS website The ASUS website (www.asus.com) provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Optional documentation that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the...
Page 8
Conventions used in this guide To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual. DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task. CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.
* The max. 64GB memory capacity can be supported with DIMMs of Memory 16GB (or above). ASUS will update the QVL once the DIMMs are available on the market. ** Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
Page 10
CROSSBLADE RANGER specifications summary ROG SupremeFX Audio 8-Channel High Definition Audio - SupremeFX Shielding Technology - ELNA ® Premium Audio Capacitors - Content Protection for Full Rate lossless DVD Audio, Blu-ray DVD, and HD-DVD audio content playback - Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, and Front Panel Jack-...
Page 11
- ASUS Fanless Design: Stylish Heatpipe & MOS Heatsink Solution - ASUS Fan Xpert3 ASUS EZ DIY - ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 - ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS Q-Design...
Page 12
1 x Sonic SoundStage button 1 x KeyBot button 64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS BIOS Features F12 PrintScreen, F3 Shortcut functions, and ASUS DRAM SPD...
Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. ROG CROSSBLADE RANGER Motherboard 2 x 2-in-1 SATA 6 Gb/s cables Cables 1 x I/O Shield 1 x 12-in-1 ROG cable label Accessories 1 x 2-in-1 Q-Connector kit 1 x ROG Door Hanger...
Installation tools and components 1 bag of screws Philips (cross) screwdriver PC chassis Power supply unit AMD FM2+ CPU AMD FM2+ compatible CPU Fan DDR3 DIMM SATA hard disk drive SATA optical disc drive (optional) Graphics card (optional) The tools and components in the table above are not included in the motherboard package.
This motherboard offers you the strategic USB 3.0 accessibility for both the front and rear panels, allowing you to experience the convenience of the latest plug and play connectivity solution at speed up to ten times faster than USB 2.0. ASUS CROSSBLADE RANGER...
GameFirst III ASUS GameFirst III is a network management software that features four preset packet user’s need. Users can also manually allocate bandwidth and adjust priority settings of each application to run faster and smoother.
ASUS Special Features AI Suite 3 With its user-friendly interface, ASUS AI Suite 3 consolidates all the exclusive ASUS features into one simple-to-use software package. It allows you to supervise fan speed control, voltage and sensor readings. This all-in-one software offers diverse and ease to use functions, with no need to switch back and forth between different utilities.
1.1.5 ROG rich bundled software KeyBot KeyBot is a built-in microprocessor that provides instant upgrade to your keyboard. You can directly to BIOS mode. This feature supports USB keyboards only. Kaspersky ® Anti-Virus ® Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal offers premium anti virus protection for individual users and ®...
The motherboard comes with an AMD FM2+ socket designed for AMD A-series and Athlon™ Series processors. CROSSBLADE RANGER CPU socket FM2+ correct orientation. DO NOT force the APU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the APU!
The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) slots. A DDR3 module is notched differently from a DDR or DDR2 module. DO NOT install a DDR or DDR2 memory module to the DDR3 slot. CROSSBLADE RANGER 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets Recommended memory configurations ASUS CROSSBLADE RANGER...
Page 24
Memory configurations You may install 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB unbuffered and non-ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets. excess memory from the higher-sized channel is then mapped for single-channel operation. recommend that you install memory modules of the same version or date code (D/C) from the same vendor.
Page 34
We suggest that you install the modules into slots A2 and B2 for better compatibility. Supports four (4) modules inserted into both the red and black slots as two pairs Visit the ASUS website for the latest QVL. 1-20 Chapter 1: Product introduction...
The button also lights up when the system is plugged to a power source indicating that you should shut down the system and unplug the power cable before removing or installing any motherboard component. CROSSBLADE RANGER Power-on button RESET button (RESET) Press the reset button to reboot the system.
Page 38
If the installed DIMMs still fail to boot after the whole tuning Vendors Lists) in this user manual or on the ASUS website at www.asus.com. continues memory tuning after turning on the computer. To stop memory tuning, turn off the computer and unplug the power cord for about 5–10 seconds.
Page 39
Clear CMOS button (CLR_CMOS) Press this button to clear the BIOS setup information only when the systems hangs due to overclocking. CROSSBLADE RANGER Clear CMOS button KeyBot button (KeyBot) Press this button to activate the KeyBot feature. KEYBOT CROSSBLADE RANGER KeyBot button The KeyBot feature supports USB keyboards only.
Page 40
Sonic SoundStage button (SOUNDSTAGE) Press this button to activate the Sonic SoundStage feature. SOUNDSTAGE CROSSBLADE RANGER Sonic SoundStage button when you press the Sonic SoundStage button. 4.6 ROG audio features of this user guide. Slow Mode switch Slow Mode switch allows your system to provide better overclocking margins when using the LN2 cooling system.
When enabled, the LN2 Mode jumper allows your system to eliminate the cold bugs in the processor during POST. It allows the processor to run at an extremely low temperature and helps the system boot fast. LN2_MODE CROSSBLADE RANGER LN2 mode setting 1.2.8 Onboard LEDs Hard Disk LED (HD_LED) The Hard Disk LED is designed to indicate the hard disk activity.
Page 42
BOOT_DEVICE_LED VGA_LED DRAM_LED CPU_LED CROSSBLADE RANGER CPU/DRAM/ BOOT_DEVICE/VGA/HD LED KeyBot LED (KEYBOT_LED) This LED lights up when the KeyBot button is pressed. KEYBOT_LED CROSSBLADE RANGER KeyBot LED 1-28 Chapter 1: Product introduction...
Page 43
USB BIOS Flashback LED (FLBK_LED) FLBK_LED CROSSBLADE RANGER BIOS Flashback LED Q-Code LED (Q_CODE) The Q-Code LED design provides you with a 2-digit error code that displays the system status. Refer to the Q-Code table on the following page for details.
Page 44
Q-Code table Code Description Not used Power on. Reset type detection (soft/hard). AP initialization before microcode loading System Agent initialization before microcode loading PCH initialization before microcode loading Microcode loading AP initialization after microcode loading System Agent initialization after microcode loading PCH initialization after microcode loading Cache initialization 0C –...
Page 45
Reserved for future AMI progress codes S3 Resume Failed S3 Resume PPI not Found S3 Resume Boot Script Error S3 OS Wake Error EC – EF Reserved for future AMI error codes (continued on the next page) ASUS CROSSBLADE RANGER 1-31...
Page 46
Q-Code table Code Description Recovery condition triggered by user (Forced recovery) Recovery process started F5 – F7 Reserved for future AMI progress codes Recovery PPI is not available Recovery capsule is not found Invalid recovery capsule FB – FF Reserved for future AMI error codes DXE Core is started NVRAM initialization Installation of the PCH Runtime Services...
Page 47
Legacy Boot event Exit Boot Services event Runtime Set Virtual Address MAP Begin Runtime Set Virtual Address MAP End Legacy Option ROM Initialization System Reset USB hot plug PCI bus hot plug (continued on the next page) ASUS CROSSBLADE RANGER 1-33...
Page 48
Q-Code table Code Description Clean-up of NVRAM B8– BF Reserved for future AMI codes CPU initialization error System Agent initialization error PCH initialization error Some of the Architectural Protocols are not available PCI resource allocation error. Out of Resources No Space for Legacy Option ROM No Console Output Devices are found No Console Input Devices are found Invalid password...
RSATA_RXN2 RSATA_RXP1 RSATA_RXP2 CROSSBLADE RANGER SATA 6.0Gb/s connectors AHCI] by default. If you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these connectors, set the SATA Mode item in the BIOS to [RAID]. Refer to section SATA Configuration for details.
Page 50
IntA_P2_D+ CROSSBLADE RANGER USB3.0 front panel connector The USB 3.0 module is purchased separately. You can connect the ASUS front panel USB 3.0 bracket to this connector to obtain the front panel USB 3.0 solution. 1-36 Chapter 1: Product introduction...
Page 51
USB34 PIN 1 PIN 1 PIN 1 CROSSBLADE RANGER USB2.0 connectors Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will damage the motherboard! install the Q-Connector (USB) to the USB connector onboard if your chassis supports front panel USB ports.
Page 52
Legacy AC’97 pin definition compliant definition CROSSBLADE RANGER Front panel audio connector connector, set the Front Panel Type item in the BIOS setup to [HD] or [AC97]. Direct connector (2-pin DRCT) This connector is for the chassis-mounted button that supports the DirectKey function.
Page 53
CHA_FAN1 CHA_FAN3 CHA_FAN2 CROSSBLADE RANGER Fan connectors inside the system may damage the motherboard components. These are not jumpers! Do not place jumper caps on the fan connectors! The CPU_FAN connector supports the CPU fan of maximum 1A (12 W) fan power.
Page 54
The system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate. power or above to ensure the system stability. refer to the Recommended Power Supply Wattage Calculator at http://support.asus. com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PSCalculator.aspx?SLanguage=en-us for details. 1-40...
Page 55
PIN 1 +HDD_LED- PWR_SW RESET CROSSBLADE RANGER System panel connector This 2-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power LED cable to this connector. The system power LED lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode.
Page 56
This connector is for the Front Base. ROG_EXT CROSSBLADE RANGER ROG extension connector www.asus.com for more information about the Front Base. TPM connector (20-1 pin TPM) This connector supports a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) system, which securely the network security, protects digital identities, and ensures platform integrity.
The diagrams in this section are for reference only. The motherboard layout may vary with models, but the installation steps are the same for all models. Install the ASUS Q-Shield to the chassis rear I/O panel. Place the motherboard into the chassis, ensuring that its rear I/O ports are aligned to the chassis’...
Page 58
Place nine screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis. DO NOT over tighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard. Chapter 2: Basic Installation...
APU installation Ensure that you use a APU designed for the FM2+ socket. The APU fits in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the APU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the APU! ASUS CROSSBLADE RANGER...
2.1.3 APU heatsink and fan assembly installation Apply the Thermal Interface Material to the APU heatsink and APU before you install the heatsink and fan if necessary. To install the APU heatsink and fan assembly Chapter 2: Basic Installation...
Page 61
To uninstall the APU heatsink and fan assembly ASUS CROSSBLADE RANGER...
2.1.7 Front I/O Connector To install ASUS Q-Connector To install USB 2.0 connector To install front panel audio connector AAFP USB 2.0 To install USB 3.0 connector USB 3.0 ASUS CROSSBLADE RANGER...