 [. . . ] P8H61 R2. 0 Series
• P8H61 R2. 0 • P8H61 PLUS R2. 0 • P8H61/USB3 R2. 0

Motherboard

E7178 First Edition (V1) April 2012
Copyright © 2012 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. No part of this manual,  including the products and software described in it,  may be reproduced,  transmitted,  transcribed,  stored in a retrieval system,  or translated into any language in any form or by any means,  except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes,  without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired,  modified or altered,  unless such repair,  modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing. ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,  EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,  INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  [. . . ] com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PSCalculator. aspx?SLanguage=en-us for details. 

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GND GND

ASUS P8H61 R2. 0 Series

3. 	

Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard,  ensuring that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. 
CPU_FAN
GND CPU FAN PWR CPU FAN IN CPU FAN PWM

CPU and chassis fan connectors (4-pin CPU_FAN,  3-pin CHA_FAN)

CHA_FAN
P8H61/USB3 R2. 0

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0 fan connectors
Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Insufficient air flow inside the system may damage the motherboard components. •	 The CPU_FAN connector supports a CPU fan of maximum 1A (12 W) fan power. •	 Only the 4-pin CPU fan supports the ASUS Fan Xpert feature. 

4. 	

This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) port. Connect the S/PDIF Out module cable to this connector,  then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. 

Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT)

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0

SPDIF_OUT

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0 Digital audio connector
The S/PDIF module is purchased separately. 

Chapter 1: Product introduction

SPDIFOUT GND

+5V

Rotation +12V GND

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5. 	

These connectors connect to Serial ATA 3. 0 Gb/s hard disk drives and optical drives via Serial ATA 3. 0 Gb/s signal cables. 
SATA3G_4 SATA3G_3

Intel® H61 Serial ATA 3. 0Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA3G_1~4)

GND RSATA_TXP4 RSATA_TXN4 GND RSATA_RXN4 RSATA_RXP4 GND

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0

SATA3G_2
GND RSATA_RXP2 RSATA_RXN2 GND RSATA_TXN2 RSATA_TXP2 GND

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0 Intel® SATA 3. 0Gb/s connectors
•	 You must install Windows® XP Service Pack 3 or later version before using Serial ATA hard disk drives. •	 Due to H61 Chipset limitation,  AHCI Mode only works on Windows® Vista / Windows® 7. •	 To configure the SATA type in BIOS,  click Advanced Mode > Advanced tab > SATA Configuration > SATA Mode Selection. •	 When using hot-plug and NCQ on Windows® Vista / Windows® 7,  set the SATA Mode Selection item in the BIOS to [AHCI]. See section 2. 5. 3 SATA Configuration for details. 

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GND RSATA_RXP1 RSATA_RXN1 GND RSATA_TXN1 RSATA_TXP1 GND

GND RSATA_TXP3 RSATA_TXN3 GND RSATA_RXN3 RSATA_RXP3 GND

SATA3G_1

ASUS P8H61 R2. 0 Series

6. 	

These connectors are for USB 2. 0 ports. Connect the USB module cable to any of these connectors,  then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB connectors comply with USB 2. 0 specification that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed. 

USB 2. 0 connectors (10-1 pin USB56,  USB78,  USB910)

USB56
USB+5V USB_P6USB_P6+ GND NC

USB78
USB+5V USB_P8USB_P8+ GND NC

USB910
USB+5V USB_P10USB_P10+ GND NC USB+5V USB_P9USB_P9+ GND
PIN 1

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0

USB+5V USB_P5USB_P5+ GND

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0 USB2. 0 connectors
Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. The USB module cable is purchased separately. 

Chapter 1: Product introduction

USB+5V USB_P7USB_P7+ GND

PIN 1

PIN 1

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7. 	

This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions. 
PLED SPEAKER

System panel connector (20-8 pin F_PANEL)

PANEL
PIN 1

PWR Ground
PWRSW

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0

IDE_LED

IDE_LED+ IDE_LED-

RESET

* Requires an ATX power supply

P8H61/USB3 R2. 0 System panel connector •	 This 2-pin connector is for the system power LED. The system power LED lights up when you turn on the system power,  and blinks when the system is in sleep mode. Hard disk drive activity LED (2-pin IDE_LED) System power LED (2-pin PLED)

•	

•	 •	 •	

This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. The IDE LED lights up or flashes when data is read from or written to the HDD. System warning speaker (4-pin SPEAKER) This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning speaker. ATX power button/soft-off button (2-pin PWRSW) This 2-pin connector is for the system power button. Reset button (2-pin RESET)

This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for system reboot without turning off the system power. 

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Reset Ground

+5V Ground Ground Speaker

PLED+

PLED-

ASUS P8H61 R2. 0 Series

1. 11	
1. 11. 1	

Software support
Installing an operating system

This motherboard supports Windows® XP / Vista / 7 Operating Systems (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your hardware. 
•	 Motherboard settings and hardware options vary. •	 Ensure that you install Windows® XP Service Pack 3 or later versions / Windows® Vista Service Pack 1 or later versions before installing the drivers for better compatibility and system stability. 

1. 11. 2	

The Support DVD that comes with the motherboard package contains the drivers,  software applications,  and utilities that you can install to avail all motherboard features. 
The contents of the Support DVD are subject to change at any time without notice. Visit the ASUS website at www. asus. com for updates. 

Support DVD information

To run the Support DVD

Place the Support DVD to the optical drive. If Autorun is enabled in your computer,  the DVD automatically displays the Specials screen.  [. . . ] •	 •	 •	 Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. 

This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation. 

Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. 
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment. 

IC: Canadian Compliance Statement

Complies with the Canadian ICES-003 Class B speciﬁcations. This Class B device meets all the requirements of the Canadian interference-causing equipment regulations.  [. . . ]