USER'S MANUAL

Of
Intel H55 Express Chipset

Based
M/B for Intel LGA 1156 Processors

NO. G03-XBH55MINI-F
Rev: 1.0

Release date: April, 2010

Trademark:
* Specifications and Information contained in this documentation are furnished for information use only, and are

subject to change at any time without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by manufacturer.
 Environmental Safety Instruction
z Avoid the dusty, humidity and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any
area where it may become wet.

z 0 to 40 centigrade is the suitable temperature. (The figure comes from the request of
the main chipset)

z Generally speaking, dramatic changes in temperature may lead to contact malfunction

and crackles due to constant thermal expansion and contraction from the welding
spots’ that connect components and PCB. Computer should go through an adaptive
phase before it boots when it is moved from a cold environment to a warmer one to
avoid condensation phenomenon. These water drops attached on PCB or the surface
of the components can bring about phenomena as minor as computer instability
resulted from corrosion and oxidation from components and PCB or as major as short
circuit that can burn the components. Suggest starting the computer until the
temperature goes up.

z The increasing temperature of the capacitor may decrease the life of computer. Using
the close case may decrease the life of other device because the higher temperature in
the inner of the case.

z Attention to the heat sink when you over-clocking. The higher temperature may
decrease the life of the device and burned the capacitor.

Environmental Protection Announcement

Do not dispose this electronic device into the trash while discarding. To minimize pollution
and ensure environment protection of mother earth, please recycle.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION OF INTEL H55 MOTHERBOARDS
1-1 FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD................................................................1
1-1.1 SPECIAL FEATURES OF MOTHERBOARD .................................2
1-2 ITEM CHECKLIST.........................................................................................2
1-3 SPECIFICATION ...........................................................................................3
1-4 LAYOUT DIAGRAM ......................................................................................4
CHAPTER 2 HARDWARE INSTALLATION
2-1 CPU INSTALLATION ..................................................................................5
2-2 MEMORY MODULE INSTALLATION...........................................................6
2-3 EXPANSION SLOTS.....................................................................................7
CHAPTER 3 CONNCTORS, HEADERS & JUMPERS SETTING
3-1 CONNECTORS .............................................................................................7
3-2 HEADERS .....................................................................................................10
3-3 JUMPER SETTING .......................................................................................12
CHAPTER 4 USEFUL HELP
4-1 HOW TO UPDATE BIOS ..............................................................................13
4-2 TROUBLE SHOOTING .................................................................................13

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 Chapter 1
Introduction of Intel H55 Motherboards
1-1 Features of Motherboard
The Intel H55 Express chipset based motherboard series are based on Intel H55
Express chipset technology which supports the innovative Intel LGA 1156 socket
Intel® Core™ i7, Intel® Core™ i5（Lynnfield & Clarkdale）, Core™ i3 and Pentium®
Processor.
The Intel H55 Express chipset based motherboard series comes with an integrated
DDRIII memory controller for dual channel DDRIII 1066 /DDRIII 1333 MHz system
memories which are expandable to 8 GB capacity and the new generation of PCI
Express interface for the latest graphics AMD cards. The Intel H55 Express chipset
motherboard series are absolutely the ultimate solution for game enthusiasts and
applications, and it also meets the demanding usage of computing of gaming,
multimedia entertainment and business applications.
The motherboard provides four serial ATA2 interfaces of 3.0 Gb / s data transfer rate
for six serial ATA devices.
The H55 Express chipset Based motherboard provides Gigabit LAN function by using
Gigabit LAN chip which support 10M / 100M / 1Gbps data transfer rate. Embedded
6-channel ALC 662 HD CODEC is fully compatible with Sound Blaster Pro®
standards that offer you with the home cinema quality and absolutely software
compatibility.
The H55 Express chipset based motherboard series offer one PCI-Express2.0 x16
graphics slot, two PCI Express 2.0 x1 I/O slots and one 32-bit PCI slot guarantee the
rich connectivity for the I/O of peripherals.
Embedded USB controllers as well as capability of expanding to 8 of USB2.0
functional ports delivering 480Mb/s bandwidth of rich connectivity, these
motherboards meet the future USB demands which are also equipped with hardware
monitor function on system to monitor and protect your system and maintain your
non-stop business computing.
Some special features--- CPU Vcore 7-Shift/CPU Smart Fan/OC-CON/G.P.I.
Function/3D Audio in this motherboard is designed for power user to use the
over-clocking function in more flexible ways. But please be caution that the
over-clocking may cause the failure in system reliability. This motherboard provides
the guaranteed performance and meets the demands of the next generation
computing. But if you insist to gain more system performance with variety possibilities
of the components you choose, please be careful and make sure to read the detailed
descriptions of these value added product features, please get them in the coming
section.

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1-1.1 Special Features of motherboard
CPU Vcore 7-Shift—Shift to Higher Performance
The CPU voltage can be adjusted up by 7 steps for the precisely over-clocking of
extra demanding computing performance.

CPU Smart Fan—Noise Management System

It’s never been a good idea to gain the performance of your system by sacrificing its
acoustics. CPU Smart Fan Noise Management System is the answer to control the
noise level needed for now-a-day’s high performance computing system. The system
will automatically increase the fan speed when CPU operating loading is high, after
the CPU is in normal operating condition, the system will low down the fan speed for
the silent operating environment. The system can provide the much longer life cycle
for both CPU and the system fans for game use and business requirements.

OC-CON —High-polymer Solid Electrolysis Aluminum Capacitors

The working temperature is from 55 degrees Centigrade below zero to 125 degrees
Centigrade, OC-CON capacitors possess superior physical characteristics that can
be while reducing the working temperature between 20 degrees Centigrade each time,
intact extension 10 times of effective product operation lives, at not rising degrees
Centigrade of working temperatures each time a relative one, life of product decline
10% only too.

G.P.I. Function—Green power indicator function

The full name of G.P.I technology is Green Power Indicator technology, obviously
technology utilized to low power consumption. G.P.I is a technology with remarkable
power saving function.

3D Audio—3D Audio Sound Effect

OP with two-stage Butterworth filter and quadruple noninverting amplifier enhances
bass effect under the 100MHz range to perfect audio effect, brings you stunning
shock experience in video game, true-to-life simulated feeling when watching films
and the greatest touch as that in the concert. There is a 3D Audio button integrated on
the board. Press down the button to enable 3D audio effect or press again to disabled
it.

1-2 Item Checklist

5 Intel H55 Chipset based motherboard
5 DVD for motherboard utilities
5 User’s Manual
5 SATA Cable(s)
5 I/O back panel shield

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1-3 Specification
Spec Description
Design z U-ATX form factor, PCB size: 20.0cmx24.5cm
Chipset z Intel H55 Express Chipset
z supports the innovative Intel LGA 1156 socket Intel®,
CPU Socket Core™ i7, Core™ i5（Lynnfield & Clarkdale）, Core™ i3
and Pentium® Processor
z DDRIII module slot x 2
z Support 2pcs DDRIII 1066/DDRIII 1333 memory modules
Memory Sockets
expandable to 8 GB
z Support dual channel function
z 1pcs PCI-Express2.0 x16by16 lane slot
Expansion Slots z 2pcs PCI-Express2.0 x1 slot
z 1pcs 32-bit PCI slot
z The Intel H55 chipset supports four internal Serial ATA
Serial ATA2 ports for six SATA devices providing 3.0 Gb/sec data
transfer rate.
Gigabit LAN z Integrated Realtek PCI-E Gigabit LAN chip
z Supports Fast Ethernet LAN function provide
10Mb/100Mb/ 1Gb /s data transfer rate.
z Realtek ALC 662 HD Audio Codec integrated
6-CH HD Audio z Support 6-channel 3D surround & Positioning Audio
z Audio driver and utility included
BIOS z AMI 32MB SMT Flash ROM
z PS/2 keyboard connector x1
z PS/2 mouse connector x1
z HDMI Connector x1
z DVI Connector x1
z VGA Connector x1
z SATA connector x4
Multi I/O
z USB2.0 port x4 and header x2
z RJ-45 LAN connector x1
z Audio connector x1 (6-CH Audio)
z Front Panel Audio Header x1
z Serial Port headerx1
z HDMI-SPDIF header x1

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 1-4 Layout Diagram
RJ-45 LAN

PS/2 Mouse Line-IN

Connector VGA Connector HDMI Connector
Line-OUT
PS/2 Keyboard
Connector MIC-IN

DVI Connector USB Connectors

KB/MS Power On (JP1) CPU FAN1

PS2 KB/MS Port

(KB1) G.P.I LED

VGA Connector DDRIII Slot x 2

ATX 12V
Power Connector
DVI Connector

HDMI
Connector
ATX Power Conn.
USB Connectors
CPU Socket
RJ-45 Over
USB Connectors Gigabit LAN Chip

Audio Connector PCI Express2.0x16 by 16lane slot

SYSFAN1

Intel H55 Chipset

Realtek ALC662
Audio Decode
HDMI-SPDIF PCI Express 2.0x1 slots Serial-ATAII Connector
Header (SATA 1, 2, 3, 4)
JBAT

PCI Slot

Front Panel
Audio Header
3D Audio Button COM Header Power LED Header
USB Headers Speaker Header
Front Panel Header

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 Chapter 2
Hardware Installation
WARNING! Turn off your power when adding or removing expansion cards or
other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe
damage to both your motherboard and expansion cards.
2-1 CPU Installation
This motherboard provides an 1156-pin DIP, LGA 1156 Land Grid Array socket,
referred to as the LGA 1156 socket.
The CPU that comes with the motherboard should have a cooling FAN attached to
prevent overheating. If this is not the case, then purchase a correct cooling FAN
before you turn on your system.
NOTED! Be sure that there is sufficient air circulation across the processor’s
heat sink and CPU cooling FAN is working correctly, otherwise it
may cause the processor and motherboard overheat and damage,
you may install an auxiliary cooling FAN, if necessary.

To install a CPU, first turn off your system and remove its cover. Locate the LGA
1156 socket and open it by first pulling the level sideways away from the socket then
upward to a 135-degree angle. Insert the CPU with the correct orientation as shown
below. The notched corner should point toward the end of the level. Because the
CPU has a corner pin for two of the four corners, the CPU will only fit in the orientation
as shown.
When you install the CPU into the LGA 1156 socket, there’s no force required CPU
insertion; then press the level to locate position slightly without any extra force.

Alignment key

Pin-1
Indicator

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2-2 Memory Module Installation
This motherboard provides two 240-pin DDR III DUAL INLINE MEMORY MODULES
(DIMM) socket for DDR III memory expansion available to maximum memory volume
of 8 GB DDRIII SDRAM.
Valid Memory Configurations
Bank 240-Pin DIMM PCS Maximum Capacity
DIMM1 DDR III 1066/ DDR III1333 X1 4GB
DIMM2 DDR III 1066/ DDR III1333 X1 4GB
Total System Memory (Max 4GB) 2 8GB

Recommend DIMM Module Combination：

1. One DDRIII Memory Module ----Plug in DIMMM1.
2. Two DDRIII Memory Modules---Plug in DIMM1 & DIMM2 for Dual channel function

Dual channel Limited!

1. Dual channel function only supports when 2 DIMM Modules plug in either both DIMM1
& DIMM2.
2. Memory modules plugged in the same color DIMM must be of the same type, same
size, and same frequency for dual channel function.
Install DDR SDRAM modules to your motherboard is not difficult, you can refer to
figure below to see how to install DDRIII 1066/DDRIII 1333 SDRAM module.
DIMM1 (BANK0+BANK1)

DIMM2 (BANK2+BANK3)

DIMM1 & DIMM2: Dual Channel

NOTE! When you install DIMM module fully into the DIMM socket the eject
tab should be locked into the DIMM module very firmly and fit into its
indention on both sides.

Installation Tips：
Open the two plastic clips of memory slots then push down the module
vertically into the slot. See to it that the hole of the module fit into the notch of
the slot;
The two plastic clips will automatically close if the memory module is fitted in a
proper way.

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2-3 PCI Express Slots
The H55 Express chipset based motherboard series offer one PCI-Express2.0 x16
graphics slots. Two PCI Express 2.0 x1 I/O slot and one 32-bit PCI slot guarantee the
rich connectivity for the I/O of peripherals.

PCI-E2.0 x1 slot

PCI-E2.0 x16@16 Lane Slot

PCI slot

Chapter 3
Connectors, Headers &Jumper Setting
3-1 Connectors
(1) Power Connector (24-pin block): ATXPWR1
ATX Power Supply connector: This is a new defined 24-pins connector that
usually comes with ATX case. The ATX Power Supply allows using soft power
on momentary switch that connect from the front panel switch to 2-pins Power
On jumper pole on the motherboard. When the power switch on the back of the
ATX power supply turned on, the full power will not come into the system board
until the front panel switch is momentarily pressed. Press this switch again will
turn off the power to the system board.
** We recommend that you use an ATX 12V Specification 2.0-compliant power
supply unit (PSU) with a minimum of 350W power rating. This type has 24-pin
and 4-pin power plugs.
** If you intend to use a PSU with 20-pin and 4-pin power plugs, make sure that the
20-pin power plug can provide at least 15A on +12V and the power supply unit
has a minimum power rating of 350W. The system may become unstable or may
not boot up if the power is inadequate.

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 ROW1 ROW2
ROW1 ROW2 PIN ROW1 ROW2
1 3.3V 3.3V
2 3.3V -12V
3 GND GND
4 5V Soft Power On
5 GND GND
6 5V GND
7 GND GND
8 Power OK -5V
9 +5V (for Soft Logic) +5V
10 +12V +5V
11 +12V +5V
12 +3V GND

Pin 1 Pin 1

20-Pin 24-Pin

** If you are using a 20-pin power plug, please refer to Figure1 for power supply
connection. Power plug form power supply and power connectors from
motherboard both adopt key design to avoid mistake installation. You can insert
the power plug into the connector with ease only in the right direction. If the
direction is wrong it is hard to fit in and if you make the connection by force if is
possible.

Figure1：20-pin power plug Figure 2：24-pin power plug

(2) ATX 12V Power Connector (8-pin block) : ATX12V1

This is a new defined 8-pin connector that usually comes with ATX Power
Supply. The ATX Power Supply which fully supports LGA 1156 processor must
including this connector for support extra 12V voltage to maintain system power
consumption. Without this connector might cause system unstable because the
power supply can not provide sufficient current for system.

Pin 1

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(3) PS/2 Mouse & PS/2 Keyboard Connector: KB1
The connectors are for PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 Mouse.
(4) USB Port connector: USB port fromUL1, USB1
The connectors are 4-pin connectors that connect USB devices with the 480
Mbit / sec data transfer rate to the system board.
(5) LAN Port connector: RJ-45 LAN ports from UL1
This connector is standard RJ45 over USB connectors for Network connection.
The connector supports 10MB/100MB/1G B/s data transfer rate
(6) Audio Line-In, Lin-Out, MIC: AUDIO
These Connectors are 6 Phone-Jack for LINE-OUT, LINE-IN, MIC audio
connections.
Line-in: (BLUE) Audio input to sound chip
Line-out: (GREEN) Audio output to speaker
MIC: (PINK) Microphone Connector
RJ-45 LAN

PS/2 Mouse Line-IN

Connector VGA Connector HDMI Connector
Line-OUT
PS/2 Keyboard
MIC-IN
Connector

DVI Connector USB Connectors

(7) Serial-ATA2 Port connectors: SATA1~SATA4

These connectors support the provided Serial ATA and Serial ATA2 IDE hard
disk cable to connect the motherboard and serial ATA2 hard disk drives.

SATA 4 SATA2

SATA 3 SATA1

Serial ATAII Connector

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3-2 Headers
(1) Line-Out/MIC Header for Front Panel (9-pin): FP_AUDIO1
These headers connect to Front Panel Line-out, MIC connector with cable.

Audio-GND
Audio-JD

LINE2-JD
MIC2-JD
KEY
AU D I O 2 10

P in 1
9

Sense-FB
MIC2-L
MIC2 -R

Lineout2 -R

Lineout2-L
L ine-O ut, MIC Headers

(2) USB Port Headers (9-pin): USB3/USB4

These headers are used for connecting the additional USB port plugs. By attaching
an option USB cable, your can be provided with two additional USB plugs affixed
to the back panel.

- DATA
+DATA
GND
VCC

Pin 1 OC
-DATA
+DATA
GND
VCC

USB Port Header

(3)Speaker connector: SPEAK
This 4-pin connector connects to the case-mounted speaker. See the figure
below.
(4) Power LED: PWR LED
The Power LED is light on while the system power is on. Connect the Power
LED from the system case to this pin.
(5) IDE Activity LED: HD LED
This connector connects to the hard disk activity indicator light on the case.
(6) Reset switch lead: RESET
This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted reset switch for rebooting your
computer without having to turn off your power switch. This is a preferred method
of rebooting in order to prolong the lift of the system’s power supply. See the
figure below.
(7) Power switch: PWR BTN
This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted power switch to power
ON/OFF the system.

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 PWR LED

PWRBTN
PWRLED
PWRBTN
VCC5

GND
PWRLED
Pin 1
JW FP
SPEAK
Pin 1 Pin 1

HDDLE

RSTSW
VCC5

GND
VCC5
SPKR

NC
GND
NC

RESET
HDLED
System Case Connections

(8) FAN Headers: SYSFAN1, (3-pin), CPUFAN1 (4-pin)

These connectors support cooling fans of 350mA (4.2 Watts) or less, depending
on the fan manufacturer, the wire and plug may be different. The red wire
should be positive, while the black should be ground. Please connect the fan’s
plug to the board taking into consideration the polarity of connector.

CPUFAN
1 4

SYSFAN1 3

(9) Serial COM Port header: COM1

COM1 is a 9-pin block header.

Pin1

Serial COM Port 9-pin Block

(10) SPDIF Out header: HDMI_SPDIF1

The SPDIF output is capable of providing digital audio to external speakers or
compressed AC3 data to an external Dolby digital decoder. Use this feature only
when your stereo system has digital input function.

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 HDMI_SPDIF_OUT GND

1 2

HDMI_SPDIF Header

3-3 Jumper Setting

(1) CMOS RAM Clear (2-pin): JBAT
A battery must be used to retain the motherboard configuration in CMOS RAM,
short 1-2 pins of JBAT to clear the CMOS data.
To clear the CMOS, follow the procedure below:
1. Turn off the system and unplug the AC power
2. Remove ATX power cable from ATX power connector
3. Locate JBAT and short pins 1-2 for a few seconds, if shorted with the jump cap,
short for a few seconds then pull out the hat.
4. Connect ATX power cable back to ATX power connector
Note: When should clear CMOS
1. Troubleshooting
2. Forget password
3. After over clocking system boot fail

JBAT
1-2 Open： Normal 1-2 Short： CMOS Clear

CMOS Clear Setting

(2) KB/MS Power on Function Enabled/Disabled: JP1

JP1 JP1

1-2 Closed KB/MS Power ON Disable (Default) 2-3 Closed KB/MS Power ON Enabled

Keyboard/Mouse Power On Setting

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 Chapter 4
Useful Help
4-1 How to Update BIOS
Step1. Prepare a bootable disk. (You may make one by click START click RUN type
SYS A: click OK)
Step2. Download upgrade tools and the latest BIOS files of the motherboard from
official website and then make a copy of it to your bootable floppy disk after
decompressing these files
Step3. Insert the disk into A: start your computer and then type in
“A:\xxxxxx.BAT”(xxxxxxx being the file name of the latest BIOS )
Step4. Type Enter to update and flash the BIOS. The system will restart
automatically when BIOS is upgraded.
4-2 Trouble Shooting
Problem Solution
No power to the system to the all power light 1. Make sure power cable is security
don’t illuminate, fan inside power supply plugged in. 2. Replace cable. 3. Contact
doesn’t turn on. technical support.
System inoperative. Keyboard lights are on , Using ever pressure on both ends of the
power indicator lights are lit, and hard drive DIMM , press down firmly until the module
is spinning. snaps into places.
System doesn’t boot from hard disk drive, 1. Check cable running from disk to disk
can be booted from optical drive. controller board. .Make sure both ends are
securely plugged in, check the drive type in
the standard CMOS setup. 2. Backing up the
hard drive is extremely important .All hard
disks are capable of breaking down at any
time.
System only boots from optical drive .Hard 1. Back up date and applications files. 2.
disk can be read and applications can be Reformat the hard drive. Reinstall
used but booting from hard disk is applications and date using backup disks.
impossible.
Screen message says “Invalid Review system ‘s equipment .Make sure
Configuration” or “CMOS Failure” correct information on is in setup.
Can not boot system after installing second 1. Set master /slave jumpers correctly. 2.
hard drive. Run SETUP program and select correct
drive types. Call the drive manufacture for
compatibility with other drives.

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