EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

User Guide

EVGA SR-3 DARKSpecs and Initial Installation-1-

EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Table of Contents
User Guide ............................................................................................................... - 1 EVGA SR-3 DARK ................................................................................................... - 1 Specs and Initial Installation..................................................................................... - 1 Before You Begin… ................................................................................................. - 4 Parts NOT in the Kit ............................................................................................................. - 5 Intentions of the Kit .............................................................................................................. - 5 Motherboard Specifications .................................................................................................. - 6 Unpacking and Parts Descriptions ........................................................................................ - 8 EVGA SR-3 DARK Motherboard LED reference ............................................................. - 10 EVGA SR-3 DARK Motherboard Component Legend ..................................................... - 16 PCIe Slot Breakdown ......................................................................................................... - 28 M.2 / U.2 Slot Breakdown .................................................................................................. - 29 Preparing the Motherboard ................................................................................................. - 30 Installing the CPU and Cooling Device .............................................................................. - 30 Installing the CPU Cooling Device .................................................................................... - 32 Installing System Memory.................................................................................................. - 33 Installing the I/O Shield ...................................................................................................... - 34 Installing the Motherboard...................................................................................... - 34 Securing the Motherboard into a System Case ................................................................... - 35 Installing M.2 devices ............................................................................................. - 37 Installing M.2 Key-M Socket 3 Devices ............................................................................ - 37 Tested CPU and Memory ................................................................................................... - 39 Tested M.2 Key-M ............................................................................................................. - 41 Tested U.2........................................................................................................................... - 42 Connecting Cables .............................................................................................................. - 43 --2-

EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Onboard Buttons ................................................................................................................. - 51 First Boot ................................................................................................................ - 53 M.2 SSD, PCIe SSD, and NVMe SSD Installation steps ................................................... - 55 Internal RAID Controller ......................................................................................... - 57 Fan Header DC and PWM setup ........................................................................... - 98 Setting Up SLI and PhysX.................................................................................... - 102 Creative Labs Sound Blaster Pro Studio........................................................................... - 107 Installing Drivers and Software ............................................................................ - 134 Windows 10 Driver Installation ........................................................................................ - 134 Warranty and Overclocking .............................................................................................. - 136 Troubleshooting ................................................................................................... - 137 Replacing a BIOS chip ..................................................................................................... - 137 Flashing the BIOS ............................................................................................................ - 140 Flashing the BIOS Without a CPU ................................................................................... - 143 SSD / HDD is not detected ............................................................................................... - 144 System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “C” ........................................... - 146 System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “55” ......................................... - 147 System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “d7” ......................................... - 147 Have a question not covered above, or want some online resources? .............................. - 148 Multifunction LED Indicator ............................................................................................ - 149 POST Beep codes ............................................................................................................. - 151 POST Port Debug LED .................................................................................................... - 152 POST Codes ........................................................................................................ - 153 EVGA Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................ - 158 Compliance Information ....................................................................................... - 161 --3-

EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Before You Begin…
The EVGA SR-3 DARK merges two extreme performance lines of EVGA
motherboards to bring balance with the force of exceptional performance andengineering to the Intel® C622 chipset. Much like its predecessors, the SR-3
DARK is designed for ultra-enthusiasts looking to pull every last ounce ofperformance from the Intel XEON® W-3175X CPU. The SR-3 DARK features
a 24 Phase VRM design, along with four right-angle 8pin High Current
connectors to provide maximum power for overclocking. Six SMT DIMMs
enable high-frequency and low latency RAM overclocking. The 16-layer PCB isstudded with multiple sensors to track a variety of temperatures and voltages
across the board, which can be displayed on the dual-LED displays.
For its other features, the SR-3 DARK contains Creative Audio, one Intel®
Gigabit NICs, two Intel® 10GbE NICs, onboard power/reset/CMOS buttons,
PCIe disable switches, triple BIOS support, 8 smart fan headers, and multiple
storage and I/O options. If you’ve been holding out for a serious motherboard
to upgrade, the time is at hand.
Lastly, a motherboard is only as good as its BIOS, and the EVGA SR-3 DARK
features EVGA’s newest UEFI/BIOS GUI with a focus on overclocking andfunctionality in a lean, straightforward package. You won’t need to be an expert
to configure your motherboard, but if you are, you’ll find features unavailable
anywhere else.

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Parts NOT in the Kit
This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new
EVGA SR-3 DARK Motherboard. However, it does NOT contain thefollowing items, which must be purchased separately in order to make thesystem fully functional and install an Operating System:❑

Intel® Socket 3647 Processor❑

DDR4 System Memory❑

CPU Cooling Device and Mounting Kit❑

PCI-Express Graphics Card❑

Power Supply❑

Hard Drive or SSD❑

Keyboard / Mouse❑

Monitor❑(Optional) Optical Drive❑(Optional) Custom watercooling hardware/liquid to actively use the
PCH/VRM waterblocko

The PCH/VRM area will be sufficiently cooled in a passive
configuration (i.e. in stock configuration). A custom watercooling kit is
not required for regular operating conditions. If a custom watercooling
kit is installed, either port may be used as an inlet or outlet. A 6mm
Allen Key (not included) is required to remove the stop fittings.

EVGA assumes you have purchased all the necessary parts needed to allow for
proper system functionality. For a full list of supported CPUs on thismotherboard, please visit www.evga.com/support/motherboard

Intentions of the Kit
When replacing a different model motherboard in a PC case, you may need toreinstall your operating system, even though the current HDD/SSD may
already have one installed. Keep in mind, however, you may sometimes alsoneed to reinstall your OS after a RMA even if your motherboard remains thesame due to issues that occurred prior to replacing the motherboard.
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EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Motherboard Specifications❑ Size:EATX form-factor of 11.99 inches x 12.99 inches (305x330mm)
Socket LGA 3647 Narrow 30u❑ Microprocessor support:
Intel® Socket 3647 XEON® W-3175X/Cascade Lake-SP Processors❑ Operating Systems:
Supports Windows 10 64bit❑ System Memory support:
Supports Hexa-Channel DDR4 up to 4000MHz+
Supports up to 192GB of DDR4 memory, including ECC LRDIMM andECC RDIMM.
❑ USB 2.0 Ports:
2x from Intel® C622 PCH – 2x internal via 1 FP headers
Supports transfer speeds up to 480 Mbps with full backwards compatibility❑ USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports:
10x from Intel® C622 PCH – 8x external, 2x internal via 1 FP headers
Supports transfer speeds up to 5Gbps with full backwards compatibility❑ USB 3.1 Gen2 Ports:
2x from ASMedia ASM3142 – 2x external (1x Type-C, 1x Type-A),
Supports transfer speeds up to 10Gbps with full backwards compatibility*Type-C may require a Type-A adapter for backwards compatibility❑ SATA Ports:
Intel® C622 PCH Controller
6x SATA 3/6 Gbit/s (600 MB/s) data transfer rate
- Support for RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, AND RAID10- Supports hot plug
4x sSATA 3/6 Gbit/s (600 MB/s) through Mini-SAS HD connector datatransfer rate
- Support for RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, AND RAID10- Supports hot plug
1x VROC Key Header- Support for RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, AND RAID10- RAID 1/5/10 requires a VROC Upgrade Key (sold separately)-6-

EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)❑ Onboard Audio:

Creative Core3D Quad-Core Audio Processor (CA0132)- Supports 5.1 Channel audio with Optical S/PDIF Out❑ Onboard LAN:
2x Intel® X557-AT2 10GbE (1000/10000) Ethernet PHY
1x Intel® i219LM Gigabit (10/100/1000) Ethernet PHY
Ethernet Teaming Supported❑ Power Functions:Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
Supports S0 (normal), S3 (suspend to RAM), S4 (Suspend to disk - depends
on OS), and S5 (soft - off)
❑ PCI Express Expansion Slots:
6x PCIe x16 slot 4x16/8*, 2x8*LANES PER SLOT CAN VARY BASED ON DEVICES INSTALLED.
PLEASE SEE PAGE 28 FOR LANE BREAKDOWN.
❑ PCIe 3.0 Support:
Low power consumption and power management features❑ SLI and Crossfire Support:
4-Way SLI
3-Way Crossfire❑ Additional Expansion Slots:
2x M.2 Key-M 110mm slot PCIe/NVMe
2x U.2 slot
❑ Fan Headers:
2x 4-pin PWM controlled headers (CPU1/CPU2)
6x 4-pin PWM\DC headers
All fans can be controlled via Smart Fan in the BIOS.
ALL FAN HEADERS HAVE A MAXIMUM POWER LIMIT OF 2 AMP@ 12 VOLTS (24 WATTS) EXCEDING THIS LIMIT WILL CAUSEIRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE BOARD.

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EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Unpacking and Parts Descriptions
The following accessories are included with the EVGA SR-3 DARK
Motherboard:-8-

EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)-9-

EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

EVGA SR-3 DARK Motherboard LED
reference
The EVGA SR-3 DARK Motherboard has several LEDs indicating power, connectivity,
and activity. Below is the location of the LEDs and their function.

- 10 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

LED Legend
1. DIMM3 Fail
2. DIMM3 Active
3. DIMM2 Fail
4. DIMM2 Active
5. DIMM1 Fail6. DIMM1 Active
7. DIMM4 Active
8. DIMM4 Fail9. DIMM5 Active
10. DIMM5 Fail11. DIMM6 Active
12. DIMM6 Fail13. PE1 Enable
14. PE1 OK
15. PE2 Enable
16. PE2 OK
17. PE3 Enable
18. PE3 OK
19. PE4 Enable

20. PE4 OK
21. PE5 Enable
22. PE5 OK
23. PE6 Enable
24. PE6 OK
25. M.2 Key-M PM1 Status
26. M.2 Key-M PM1 Enabled
27. M.2 Key-M PM1 Activity
28. M.2 Key-M PM2 Status
29. M.2 Key-M PM2 Enabled
30. M.2 Key-M PM2 Activity
31. CATERR
32. VCORE Power
33. +1.8V Power
34. +3.3V Standby Power
35. +12V_CPU Power
36. VCCIO Power
37. +5V Standby Power
38. VSA Power

39. Memory Channel 1,2,3 Power
40. VCCIN Power
41. Memory Channel 4,5,6 Power
42. CPU FIVR Power Error
43. CPU Error
44. MSMI Power
45. +5V PSU Power
46. Slow Switch Status
47. Multi-function POST indicator
48. Power Button
49. Reset Button
50. U.2 PU1 Enable
51. U.2 PU1 OK
52. U.2 PU2 Enable
53. U.2 PU2 OK
54. BIOS1 ROM Active
55. BIOS2 ROM Active
56. BIOS3 ROM Active

1. Memory DIMM 3 Faila. RED: DIMM/Memory has failed POST
2. Memory DIMM 3 Statusa. WHITE: DIMM detected and present
3. Memory DIMM 2 Faila. RED: DIMM/Memory has failed POST
4. Memory DIMM 2 Statusa. WHITE: DIMM detected and present
5. Memory DIMM 1 Faila. RED: DIMM/Memory has failed POST
6. Memory DIMM 1 Statusa. WHITE: DIMM detected and present
7. Memory DIMM 4 Statusa. WHITE: DIMM detected and present- 11 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

8. Memory DIMM 4 Faila. RED: DIMM/Memory has failed POST
9. Memory DIMM 5 Statusa. WHITE: DIMM detected and present
10. Memory DIMM 5 Faila. RED: DIMM/Memory has failed POST
11. Memory DIMM 6 Statusa. WHITE: DIMM detected and present
12. Memory DIMM 6 Faila. RED: DIMM/Memory has failed POST
13. PCIe Status for PE1. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PE1 slot can be used with installed CPU.
14. PCIe Enabled for PE1. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PE1 slot can be used with installed CPU.
15. PCIe Status for PE2. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PE2 slot can be used with installed CPU.
16. PCIe Enabled for PE2. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PE2 slot can be used with installed CPU.
17. PCIe Status for PE3. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PE3 slot can be used with installed CPU.
18. PCIe Enabled for PE3. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PE3 slot can be used with installed CPU.
19. PCIe Status for PE4. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PE4 slot can be used with installed CPU.
20. PCIe Enabled for PE4. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PE4 slot can be used with installed CPU.
21. PCIe Status for PE5. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PE5 slot can be used with installed CPU.

- 12 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

22. PCIe Enabled for PE5. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PE5 slot can be used with installed CPU.
23. PCIe Status for PE6. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PE6 slot can be used with installed CPU.
24. PCIe Enabled for PE6. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabledor unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PE6 slot can be used with installed CPU.
25. M.2 Key-M Socket3 110mm (PM1) Status LED. The LED will remain off when
this PCIe slot is disabled or unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PM2 slot can be used with installed CPU.
26. M.2 Key-M Socket3 110mm (PM1) Enabled LED. The LED will remain off
when this PCIe slot is disabled or unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PM2 device present and detected.
27. M.2 Key-M Socket3 110mm Activity LED (PM1).
a. Blinking: Some M.2 devices may blink when detected/active.
28. M.2 Key-M Socket3 110mm (PM2) Status LED. The LED will remain off when
this PCIe slot is disabled or unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PM2 slot can be used with installed CPU.
29. M.2 Key-M Socket3 110mm (PM2) Enabled LED. The LED will remain off
when this PCIe slot is disabled or unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PM2 device present and detected.
30. M.2 Key-M Socket3 110mm Activity LED (PM2).
a. Blinking: Some M.2 devices may blink when detected/active.
31. CATERR - Catastrophic Error on the processor
a. RED: Processor error has occurred.
b. OFF: No error state detected in the CPU.
32. VCORE Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
33. +1.8V Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
34. +3.3V (VSB) Standby Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)- 13 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

35. +12V_CPU Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
36. VCCIO Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
37. +5V (VSB) Standby Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
38. VSA Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
39. Memory Power (Channel 1,2,3) [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
40. VCCIN Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
41. Memory Power (Channel 4,5,6) [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
42. CPU FIVR Power Error [Hidden by waterblock]a. RED: CPU Fully-Integrated Voltage Regulator shutdown.
b. OFF: CPU is operating in a normal state.
43. CPU Error LEDs [Hidden by waterblock]a. CPU Error LED0
i. RED: CPU Logic detected error; system halted.
b. CPU Error LED1
i. RED: CPU Logic detected error; system halted.
c. CPU Error LED2
i. RED: CPU Logic detected error; system halted.
44. MSMI Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
45. +5V (VCC) Power [Hidden by waterblock]a. WHITE: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec,
only that this specific voltage is detected)
46. SW Slow Mode ON
a. RED: Slow Mode switch has been set to enabled- 14 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

47. Multifunction POST Indicatora. During boot it will cycle many different hexadecimal post codes with arange of 00-FF and this indicates what aspect of the Power On Self Test
(POST) is currently running.
i. For a list of POST Codes, please see Page 153.
b. This indicator can be configured in BIOS to display hardware monitoring
information, such as voltage or temperature. After boot, these LEDs willshow either temperature or voltage, depending on user configuration in
the BIOS.
48. Power Button
a. RED: Motherboard is turned on and running.
49. Reset Button
a. WHITE: Reset button will typically flash in conjunction with HDD/SSD
LED. Depending on load, the button may flash or appear solid white attimes.
b. NVMe SSDs cannot be read for the purposes of the Reset LED.
50. U.2 PU1 Enabled. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabled or
unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PU1 port is enabled.
51. U.2 PU1 OK. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabled or
unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PU1 device present and detected.
52. U.2 PU1 Enabled. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabled or
unpopulated.
a. WHITE: PU1 port is enabled.
53. U.2 PU2 OK. The LED will remain off when this PCIe slot is disabled or
unpopulated.
a. GREEN: PU2 device present and detected.
54. BIOS1 Active LED
a. WHITE: Active BIOS Chip (only 1 will be lit at a time)
55. BIOS2 Active LED
a. WHITE: Active BIOS Chip (only 1 will be lit at a time)
56. BIOS3 Active LED
a. WHITE: Active BIOS Chip (only 1 will be lit at a time)- 15 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

EVGA SR-3 DARK Motherboard Component
LegendThe EVGA SR-3 DARK Motherboard with the Intel® C622 and PCH Chipset.
Figure 1 shows the motherboard and Figure 2 shows the back panel connectors

FIGURE 1. SR-3 DARK Motherboard Layout-- 16 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Component Legend
1. CPU Socket LGA3647
13. M.2 Socket 3 Key-M 110mm (PM2) 25. BIOS Selector Switch
2. Intel C622 PCH (Southbridge) 14. PCIe Slot x16/x8
26. CMOS Battery
3. PWM Fan Headers (2 amp)
15. PCIe Slot x8
27. PCIe Disable Switches
4. PWM/DC Fan Headers (2 amp) 16. Power Button
28. ProbeIt Headers
5. DDR4 Memory DIMM Slots
17. Reset Button
29. PC Speaker
6. 24-pin ATX power connector
18. CMOS Reset Button
30. BIOS Safeboot Button
7. Quad 8 pin EPS Power Connectors19. Multi-function POST indicator
31. USB 2.0 to SPI for BIOS Flash8. Supplemental PCIe 6 pin power 20. USB 3.1 Gen1 Header
32. SW Slow Switch
9. Intel Sata 6G RAID Ports
21. USB 2.0 Headers
33. VROC Header
10. Intel sSATA Mini-SAS 6G Port
22. Front Panel Audio Connector
34. Rear Panel I/O (Figure 2)
11. U.2 (SFF-8639) Port
23. Front Panel Connectors
M.2
Socket
3
Key-M
110mm
(PM1)
12.
24. Removable BIOS Chip**For a FULL description of the above legend, please see Page 19.

- 17 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Figure 2. Chassis Rear Panel Connectors

1. USB 3.1 Gen1
2. Intel i219LM Gigabit NIC
3. Intel X557-AT2 10GbE NIC

I/O Hub
4. BIOS/CMOS Reset
5. USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A
6. USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C

7. Analog Audio Jacks
8. Optical Out

Analog Audio Port Breakdown 2/2.1 Channel

4.0/4.1 Channel

5.1 Channel

Dark Green

Head Phone

Head Phone

Head Phone

Front Speaker /Front Speaker/

Front Speaker/

Light Green
Pink
Black
OrangeSpeaker+Sub Out Speaker+Sub Out Speaker+Sub Out
Mic / Line In

Mic / Line In

Mic / Line In

Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out
Center/Voice channel- 18 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Component Legend Descriptions
1. CPU Socket 3647
This is the interface for the Central Processing Unit (CPU), and supports Intel®
Xeon models compatible with the Intel® LGA3647 Socket, based on Intel
Xeon® W-3175X and Cascade Lake-SP architecture.
2. Intel® C622 PCH (Southbridge)
The Platform Controller Hub (PCH) handles the role that was previously heldby the South Bridge. The PCH allocates bandwidth to smaller PCIe slots, M.2,
USB, audio, etc. In simplified terms, the PCH works as a hub for peripherals
that are less bandwidth-intensive.
3. PWM Fan Headers
4-pin fan headers that control the fan speed based on a configurable curve or
static percentage. PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) works by pulsing power tothe fan at a constant rate and sending the RPM signal to the fan’s controller via
a Sense cable, rather than adjusting fan speed by increasing and decreasing
voltage. This method is preferable because it eliminates voltage-based fan stallpoints. Please see Page 98 for more in-depth PWM breakdown and PWM
controls within BIOS/UEFI. These fans can be controlled via Smart Fan or
manually within the BIOS.
4. PWM/DC Fan Headers
These ports may be used with both PWM and DC fans, and may be controlled
via Smart Fan or manually within the BIOS.
5. DDR4 Memory Slots
The memory slots support up to six 288-pin DDR4 DIMMs in Hexa-Channel
mode. Hexa-Channel mode will be enabled only upon using six sticks ofsupported memory, according to the installation guide above. 192GB of RAM is
supported in a 6x32GB configuration. At the time of this manual’s release, thismotherboard officially supports up to 4000MHz+ speeds. These speeds cannot
be guaranteed, however, because Intel® only certifies the speed of the memory
controller up to 2933MHz for Intel Xeon® W-3175-X and Cascade Lake-SP
processors.
6. 24-pin ATX power connector
The main power for the motherboard is located on the right side of the board
and parallel to the PCB; this is also described as a “90 degree / right-angle”
connector (See Page 44 for more specifics to the connector itself, and associated- 19 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

wiring/pinouts). The 24-pin connector IS directional and the connector needs
the tab on the socket to line up with the release clip located on the 24-pin
connector from the power supply. This connector pulls the bulk of the power
for all components; other connectors, such as CPU +12V EPS and PCIe (video
card AND motherboard sides), have been added to reduce the load and increase
longevity due to wiring and trace limitations.
7. Quad 8-pin EPS Connector
The +12V EPS are comprised of 90 degree right-angle dual-dedicated power
inputs for the CPU (See Page 45 for more specifics to the connector itself, andassociated wiring/pinouts). Carefully choose the correct power cable byconsulting with the installation manual for your power supply. This connector
is designed only to work with an EPS or CPU cable. System builders may makethe mistake of plugging in a PCIe 8-pin or 6+2-pin connector, which will
prevent the board from POSTing and possibly short or damage the board.
Although the cables appear similar, they are wired differently and attaching a
PCIe cable to an EPS connector may cause damage to the motherboard.
Alternatively, if no power cable is connected or detected, the system will not
POST and will hang at POST code “00.”*Note – EVGA recommends at least 2 (two) 8-pin EPS connectors be plugged
in to the motherboard. Although one 8-pin EPS connector may be sufficient toboot, less powerful processors and low-load scenarios may still cause the board
to shut off due to insufficient power. The 2 (two) 8-pin EPS connectors may beinstalled in any of the four connections; the order is inconsequential.
8. Supplemental PCIe 6-pin Power Connector
There is a 6-pin PCIe connector at the bottom of the motherboard (See Page 44
for more specifics to the connector itself, and associated wiring/pinouts). Thisconnector provides dedicated power to the PCIe x16 slots, augmenting the+12V power provided by the 24-pin and the GPU directly.
This is optional for a single card solution, but is recommended for SLI, CFX,
and dual-processor video cards.
9. Intel® SATA 6Gbit/s Ports
The Intel® C622 PCH has a 6-port SATA 3/6 Gbit/s controller (See Page 51
for specifics on the connectors). This controller is backwards compatible with
SATA and SATA II devices, and supports SSDs, HDDs and various types of
optical devices (CDROM, DVDROM, BD-ROM, etc). The controller also

- 20 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

supports NCQ, TRIM, hot swap capability (provided the proper HDD/SSD
bays/racks are installed), and RAID levels 0/1/5/10.
10. Intel® sSATA Mini-SAS 6Gbit/s Port
The Intel® C622 PCH also supports an additional 4-ports of SATA 3/6 Gbit/s
through a Mini-SAS connector located behind the SATA Ports. This controller
is backwards compatible with SATA and SATA II devices, and supports SSDs,
HDDs and various types of optical devices (CDROM, DVDROM, BD-ROM,etc). The controller also supports NCQ, TRIM, hot swap capability (provided
the proper HDD/SSD bays/racks are installed), and RAID levels 0/1/5/10.
Note – A third-party mini-SAS to SATA cable* is required to use this connector(*not included and must be purchased separately).
11. U.2 Port (SFF-8639)
U.2, originally known as SFF-8639, is a high bandwidth connection specificallyengineered for next generation SSDs. U.2 brings PCIe x4 (Gen3) NVMe
performance to a 2.5” SSD form factor and provides a solution to potential
heating problems that may be present in some M.2 solutions. Port function
depends on BIOS Configuration.
12. M.2 Socket 3 Key-M 110mm (PM1)
M.2 is an SSD form factor standard, which uses up to four PCIe lanes andutilizes Gen3 speeds. Most popularly paired with NVMe SSDs, this standard
offers substantially faster transfer speeds and seek time than SATA interface
standards. All M.2 devices are designed to connect via a card-bus styleconnector and be bolted into place and powered by the connector, rather thanby a dedicated data cable and power cable.
This socket will support Key-M devices of 110mm, 80mm, 60mm, and 42mm
length.
This connector can utilize only PCIe/NVMe-based M.2 SSDs.
13. M.2 Socket 3 Key-M 110mm (PM2)M.2 is an SSD form factor standard, which uses up to four PCIe lanes andutilizes Gen3 speeds. Most popularly paired with NVMe SSDs, this standard
offers substantially faster transfer speeds and seek time than SATA interface
standards. All M.2 devices are designed to connect via a card-bus styleconnector and be bolted into place and powered by the connector, rather thanby a dedicated data cable and power cable.

- 21 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

This socket will support Key-M devices of 110mm, 80mm, 60mm, and 42mm
length.
This connector can utilize only PCIe/NVMe-based M.2 SSDs.
14. PCIe Slot x16/x8*
PCIe x16/x8 slots are primarily used for video cards. These full-length slots
will provide 8 or 16 lanes of bandwidth to a full-size card, and are backwardscompatible with x8, x4, and x1-length cards.
Xeon® W-3175X has up to 48 PCIe lanes available for routing, whereas Cascade
Lake-SP has 64 PCIe lanes.
15. PCIe Slot x8
PCIe x8 slots can be used for video cards or other devices. These full-length
slots will provide up to 8 lanes of bandwidth to a full-size card, and arebackwards-compatible with x8, x4, and x1-length cards.
16. Power Button
This is an onboard power button, and may be used in place of, or in
conjunction with, a front panel power button wired to the board.
Benching systems, or test benches before final assembly, are best served byusing the onboard power because it removes the need to wire a Power/Resetbutton or cross posts with a screwdriver, which is a semi-common practice.
This button provides a safer and easier option than jumpering the Power posts.
17. Reset Button
This is an onboard system reset button, and may be used in place of, or in
conjunction with, a front panel system reset button wired to the board.
Benching systems, or test benches before final assembly, are best served byusing the onboard power because it removes the need to wire a Power/Resetbutton or cross posts with a screwdriver, which is a semi-common practice.
This button provides a safer and easier option than jumpering the Power posts.
18. CMOS Reset Button
This button has two main uses: the first is standard practice to clear BIOS andpower on before updating the BIOS, and the second is standard practice whentroubleshooting instances when the motherboard fails to POST, such as after
upgrading RAM or CPU, installing new hardware, a failed overclock, etc. Thisbutton provides a much faster means of resetting than the previous method of
removing power from the board, removing the CMOS battery, and discharging
power to the board. In rare occasions the older method can help; pressing the- 22 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

clear CMOS button will normally allow you and your system back into thedefault BIOS.
19. Debug POST Indicator / Hardware Monitor
This is a four-digit POST code reader, which displays in sets of 7-digit LED.
The display can be configured to show data in regular decimal format, or
hexadecimal, which means the characters available (when working as intended)
are 0-9, A-F and has a cap of 255 characters.
During POST, the left set of LEDs will display the various POST codes as theycycle through the Power On Self-Test. The POST codes are listed in thetroubleshooting section on Page 153.
After the system boots, these same set of LEDs can be set to display a hardware
monitoring sensor, such as the CPU temperature in Celsius. This temperatureis specifically for the CPU socket, which will typically read slightly higher than agiven CPU core. To read this temp in Fahrenheit, take the value in Celsius,
multiply by 9/5 (or 1.8) and add 32.
The display can be used to show additional temperatures, or can be configured
in tandem with all 4 digits to provide live readings for voltages or temperatures.
For example, the LEDs can be configured to read voltages, such as 1.258 or 55C for CPU temp for when you are using LN2 extreme cooling. Detailed
configuration instructions for the Debug Indicator are provided on Page 149.
20. USB 3.1 Gen1 Header
The USB 3.1 Gen1 header is used to connect additional USB interface plugs to
the motherboard; these headers are most often used to connect themotherboard to the chassis to enable the USB 3.1 Gen1 ports on the chassis.
These will function similarly to the USB 3.1 Gen1 ports found on themotherboard’s rear I/O hub, but can also be used for the chassis’ front panel
USB, auxiliary ports that mount in the card slots, and certain devices that
directly connect to the header.
USB 3.1 Gen1 standard is 900ma @ 5V for unpowered devices. If your USB
device requires more power, it is recommended to attach a powered USB Hub.
USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A (found on the I/O Hub) shares the power limit of USB
3.1 Gen1 at 900ma @ 5V.
Note: USB 3.1 Gen1 is more commonly referred to as USB 3.0.

- 23 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

21. USB 2.0 Headers
The USB2.0 header is used to connect additional USB interface plugs to themotherboard; these headers are most often used to connect the motherboard to
the chassis to enable the USB2.0 ports on the chassis. These will function thesame as the USB2 ports found on the motherboard’s hardwired I/O hub, butthese can be used to attach to front panel USB, auxiliary ports that mount in thecard slots, and also some devices that directly connect to the header.
USB 2.0 standard is 500mA @ 5V per port (header total is 1000mA) for
unpowered devices. If your USB device requires more power than this, it isrecommended to attach a powered USB Hub.
22. Front Panel Audio Connector
This is a motherboard header, which is used to plug in the audio cableoriginating from most PC chassis to allow audio to be recorded from or played
through the audio connectors on the chassis. This header has a connector thatlooks similar to USB2 and will use the standard “HD Audio” jack. Somesystems may have two headers: one labeled HD Audio, and one labeled AC’97– an AC’97 cable is not compatible with this header on the SR-3 DARK.
23. Front Panel Connectors
The Front panel connectors are the four main chassis connections. These
include the Power Switch, Power LED, Reset Switch, and HDD LED. The
Power and Reset switches are both designed to use “Momentary Switches,”rather than “Latching Switches,” which means the connection between the two
posts needs to be made just briefly for it to work, as opposed to being held inplace. This is why the Power and Reset switches can be triggered with a screw
driver by simultaneously touching the + and - posts.
Power LED will power on with the system, indicating the system is on and canblink with CPU activity.
HDD LED will blink during access to the SATA ports; this is not activated for
M.2 SSDs.
24. Removable BIOS1 Chip
The ability to remove and replace the BIOS1 chip without requiring special
tools is a key feature on many of our boards, by adding a level of protection
against BIOS failures, bad BIOS flashes, BIOS corruption, etc. This feature also
allows EVGA to work with end-users if something happens to render the BIOS
chip unusable or a BIOS update is needed for CPU compatibility; rather thanreplacing the whole board, Customer Support can send a pre-flashed BIOS chip- 24 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

to get you up and running without requiring the end-user to send in themotherboard. Please see the walkthrough on Page 137 for further information.
25. BIOS Selector Switch
This switch toggles between physical BIOS chips. This board has 2 BIOS chips
as a permanent fixture, and the other is a replaceable chip listed above. Eachchip holds only the settings and profiles that have been saved to the BIOS chip
while active. This allows you to swap between three physically different BIOS
chips. This also makes it substantially easier to hotflash a BIOS if needed. If
instructions are needed for hotflashing a BIOS, please contact EVGA Customer
Service (Page 148 for contact info).
26. CMOS Battery
The +3V CMOS battery backup provides uninterruptable power to the
BIOS/UEFI to keep all of the settings; otherwise, each boot would behave likeyou just reset the BIOS. These batteries typically last several years and rarely
need to be replaced.
27. PCIe Disable Switches
These are DIP switches to physically disable power to a specific PCIe slot. By
default, all switches are in the “On” position when “up”. Move the switch
downwards to disable a specific slot. From right to left, the switches
correspond to PE1, PE2, PE3, PE4, PE5, and PE6. Switch 7 is disabled.
28. ProbeIt Header
The ProbeIt header is a means of live monitoring several different system
voltages in real-time with a multimeter. One terminal needs to connect to aground wire and the other to the specific you are trying to monitor. There are
two ProbeIt connectors: the left connector is J16, and the right connector is J5.
From left to right the function for the J16 connector: VCORE/Ground,+1.8V/Ground, +1.05VA/Ground, +3.3VSTB/Ground, and+12V_CPU/Ground.
From left to right the function for the J5 connector: VCCIN/Ground,
VDIMM_012/Ground, VDIMM_345/Ground, VSA/Ground, and
VCCIO/Ground.
29. PC Speaker
This is a small mono low-fidelity speaker permanently attached to themotherboard used mainly for debugging purposes. A POST beep may indicate- 25 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

a successful POST, various tones for USB initialization, and other beeps toindicate an issue during the post process. Please see Page 151 for more details.
30. BIOS SafeBoot Button
Pressing this button while the system is running will reboot the motherboard
directly into the BIOS without clearing CMOS. This feature is very useful forsituations where the motherboard is unable to complete boot due to a failed
overclock and the user does not want to erase the previous settings used.
31. USB to SPI for BIOS Flash
This USB port is designed to connect directly to the motherboard to allow themotherboard BIOS to be flashed, even if no CPU is installed. For more
information on how to flash your BIOS using this method, please see Page 143.
32. SW Slow Mode Switch
This switch forces the CPU clock ratio to the lowest possible value in real-time.
This can be helpful for benchmarking and performance tuning, especially withextreme overclocking. Active Slow Mode is indicated by a red LED near theswitch. This is a hardware-based function and does not need any BIOS settingsor software to operate.
33. VROC Header
VROC stands for Virtual RAID On CPU. The VROC header works inconjunction with PCIe SSDs. The header is used to provide an Intel® hardware
key that will unlock advanced RAID functions, such as RAID 1/5/10. SATARAID does not require a VROC key.
VROC will work with many SSDs, but is only bootable with Intel® SSDs.
34. Rear Panel IO (Figure 2)
This is the section referred to as the I/O Hub. This panel contains the
hardwired USB, Sound, and Ethernet connections. Please see Page 18 for acomponent level breakdown.
* There are two numeric references for PCI-Express: one is mechanical, which is theactual slot-length footprint, and the second is electrical, which is a reference of how
many PCIe lanes are routed to the slot. PCI-Express is a universal architecture,
permitting installation of x1 cards, such as audio card into an x16 slot. Many types ofcards can use a portion of PCIe lanes, while some applications only use a limited
number of lanes, such as compute apps. Using the entire length of a PCIe slot is
unnecessary, nor does it cause an adverse effect to use a shorter form-factor bus card ina slot that physically can hold a larger form-factor bus card.

- 26 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Card Slots
The SR-3 DARK features six x16 PCIe slots and two Socket 3 Key-M M.2 110mm
slots (PM1/PM2) (backwards compatible with Key-M 80mm, 60mm, and 42mm).

- 27 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

PCIe Slot Breakdown
PCIe Lane Distribution (Socket 3647 Intel Xeon®
W-3175X processors have 48 lanes, while Cascade
Lake-SP processors have 64 lanes.)❑ PE1 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE3)
❑ PE2 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE5)
❑ PE3 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PU1 and PU2)
❑ PE4 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE6, 10GbE LAN)
❑ PE5 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PM1 and PM2)
❑ PE6 – x16* (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with 10GbE LAN)*x16 Lanes for PE6 only with Cascade Lake-SP- 28 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

M.2 / U.2 Slot Breakdown
M.2 Lane Distribution❑ M.2 Key-M (110mm, Left side of board, PM1) – x4 from CPU

M.2 Enable/Disable is set within the BIOS
This M.2 Key-M slot shares lanes with PE5. Installing an M.2 device in
PM1 will also enable PM2 and disable PCIe slot PE5.
❑ M.2 Key-M (110mm, Between PE1 and PE2, PM2) – x4 from CPUo M.2 Enable/Disable is set within the BIOSo This M.2 Key-M slot shares lanes with PE5. Installing an M.2 device inPM2 will switch PE5 to x4 lanes.
ooU.2 Lane Distribution❑ U.2 (PU1) – x4 from CPUoo

U.2 Enable/Disable is set within the BIOS
This U.2 port shares lanes with PE3. Enabling PU1 will also enable PU2
and disable PE3.

❑ U.2 (PU2) – x4 from CPUo

U.2 Enable/Disable is set within the BIOSoThis U.2 port shares lanes with PE3. Enabling PU2 will switch PE3 tox4 lanes.

- 29 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Preparing the Motherboard
Installing the CPU and Cooling Device
Note:

EVGA strongly recommends that you completely disconnect AC power fromyour power supply prior to changing your CPU. This ensures the motherboard
will use the correct startup procedure for all onboard devices. If AC power is
not disconnected, the replacement is still supported, but may require
additional reboots to boot successfully.

Be very careful when handling the CPU. Hold the processor only by the edges and do
not touch the bottom of the processor.
Note:

Use extreme caution when working with the CPU to avoid damaging the pinsin the motherboard’s CPU socket!

Note:

Do not remove the socket cover until you are ready to install the CPU andCPU cooler. This installation guide was created without using a socket cover
to better illustrate the CPU Socket area.

Use the following procedure to install the CPU onto the motherboard.
Note: Installation steps may vary depending on your choice of cooler. These steps follow
using installation instructions of a standard Intel CPU cooler for this socket. Follow the
instructions of a third-party cooler if you purchase one separately.

Note: Make sure to thoroughly clean your hands before or wear anti-static gloves during the
installation. You will likely come into contact with the bottom of the CPU during the
installation. Debris, such as thermal paste or dust, can not only cover or scratch thebottom of the CPU – which can prevent the motherboard from completing POST – but
can also find its way into the CPU socket; this may not only prevent the motherboard
from completing POST, but may also void your warranty.

- 30 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

1. Place the CPU and clip upside-down on a clean, flat surface. Line up thecorresponding arrows on the CPU clip to the CPU, and lower the CPU onto
the clip until it latches into place.

Note:

Confirm your desired orientation for your CPU cooler and/or whether thecooler requires the CPU to be installed in a specific direction before following
the next steps. The cooler in this installation manual is intended to blow airfrom the front of the case through the back of the case, but can be mounted
to exhaust in either direction. A third-party cooler may not be as flexible.

2. Carefully lower the CPU and clip onto
the CPU cooler. Line up the clips to themounting holes and lower until the CPU
clips into place.

3. When properly installed, the CPU andclip will be fully inserted in each
mounting hole and the clip will be flush
against the CPU cooler.
You are now ready to install the CPU tothe motherboard. Remove the cover from the CPU socket if you have notalready done so.

- 31 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

4. Carefully pick up the CPU cooler. Alignthe notches on the CPU to the notches
in the socket, and also align themounting dowels to the holes in the clip.
When ready, lower the processor andcooler straight down into the socket.
Note:

The gold triangle key on the CPU
should match the triangle key on
the load plate.

5. Begin tightening the screws in the orderspecified by the CPU cooler installation
instructions. In this case, the cooler tells
us to fasten the cooler in the order of 1,
2, 3, and 4.
6. Continue fastening the CPU cooler until
all screws are fastened. Make sure to plug
the CPU cooler’s fan into one of the
CPU fan headers.

Note:

After removing the CPU socket cover, it is recommended to store it in case
you ever need to transport your motherboard. If you ever remove the CPU, it
is highly recommended to reinstall the socket cover.

Installing the CPU Cooling Device
There are many different cooling devices that can be used with thismotherboard. Follow the instructions that come with your cooling assembly.
- 32 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Installing System Memory
Your SR-3 DARK has (6) 288-pin slots for
DDR4 memory. Each slot supports up to
32GB DDR4 Unbuffered non-ECC DIMMs,
and ECC LRDIMM and ECC RDIMM.
There must be at least one memory slot
populated for the board to boot and operate.
The SR-3 DARK supports Hexa-Channel
DDR4 memory, a maximum of 192GB and
up to 4000MHz+ (OC) for Xeon® W-3175X
and Cascade Lake-SP. It is recommended to always use a 6 DIMM HexaChannel kit for the SR-3 DARK. Fill the memory slots in the following order:3, 6, 2, 5, 1, and 4. See chart below:

1 DIMM
2 DIMM
3 DIMM
4 DIMM
5 DIMM
6 DIMM

Slot 1
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
X
X

SR-3 DARK RAM Slot Fill Order
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
N/A
X
N/A
N/A
X
N/A
X
X
N/A
X
X
N/A
X
X
N/A
X
X
X

Slot 5
N/A
N/A
N/A
X
X
X

Slot 6
N/A
X
X
X
X
X

Use the following procedure to install memory DIMMs. Note that there is a key
notch near the center of the DIMM slots. This matches the gap on a DDR4
DIMM to ensure the memory is installed properly, and to prevent theincorrect installation of memory.
1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the module clip outward.
2. Align the memory module to the DIMM slot, insert the module
vertically into the slot, and press straight down to fully seat the module.
The plastic clips at top side of the DIMM slot should automaticallylock the DIMM into the connector.

- 33 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Note:

The memory controller on Xeon® W-3175X and Cascade Lake-SP CPUs run
at a default frequency of 2933MHz. Achieving memory speeds above
2933MHz may require using the XMP profile or manual setting of the memory
timings, frequency and voltages. Using an XMP profile for speeds over
2933MHz is considered overclocking.
Refer to the memory manufacturer specifications for the recommended
memory timings and settings.

Installing the I/O Shield
The motherboard kit comes with an I/O shield that is used to block internal
components from dust and foreign objects, while also promoting correct
airflow within the chassis.
Before installing the motherboard, install the I/O shield from the inside of thechassis. Press the I/O shield into place and make sure it fits securely.

Installing the Motherboard
Installing the motherboard into a system case depends on several factors:
whether you are replacing an existing motherboard, whether you are building a
new PC, and the type of chassis that will house your PC components. You mustfirst determine if it would be easier to secure the motherboard to the chassis or
if it would be easier to install other components prior to this step. It is normallyeasier to secure the motherboard first.

Note:

Make sure that the CPU fan assembly has enough clearance for yourinstalled DIMMs, expansion cards, and for the case side panels to lock into
place. Also, make sure the CPU fan assembly aligns with the vents on thecase side and back panels; correctly aligned, airflow will properly exhaustfrom the chassis. The CPU fan assembly orientation will depend upon both
the CPU fan manufacturer’s instructions and your chosen chassis.

- 34 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Securing the Motherboard into a System Case
Most system cases require installation of standoffs into the chassis to allow themotherboard to be mounted to the chassis and prevent short circuits. If there are
any studs that do not align with a motherboard mounting hole, we recommend thatyou remove that standoff to prevent the possibility of a short circuit. Furthermore,ensure that all standoffs are fully tightened prior to mounting the motherboard to
the chassis. Please review the installation manual included with your chassis for theproper installation of the motherboard standoffs.
1. Carefully place the motherboard onto the standoffs located inside thechassis.
2. Align the mounting holes with the standoffs.
3. Align the connectors to the I/O shield and/or I/O cover.
4. Ensure that the fan assembly aligns with the chassis vents according to the
fan assembly instruction.
5. Secure the motherboard with thirteen (13) screws (See next page for mounthole location). Ensure that each screw is lined up with and fastened to its
corresponding standoff under the board. Double-check alignment to makesure nothing gets cross-threaded.
Tip: If you have difficulty fastening some of the screws, especially near the
I/O hub, first try to loosely fasten all other screws on the motherboard, but
don’t completely tighten the screws. This may help to hold the board inplace, allowing you to thread and fasten the remaining screws. Once all
screws are properly threaded, remember to go back and tighten the rest of
the screws.
6. See the picture below for a zoomed-in view of a hole to place over a
standoff, as well as the locations of standoff holes for the SR-3 DARK.

- 35 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

1. All safe locations to secure the board to a standoff are circled in blue.
2. Keep in mind that when the screws are installed, but not fullytightened, the motherboard should have 1-2mm of movement; this canhelp when mounting cards or tight-fits with other components.
3. Once the board is properly aligned, be sure to fully-tighten the board to
the chassis before proceeding.

- 36 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Installing M.2 devices
Installing M.2 Key-M Socket 3 Devices
Securing an M.2 device to the motherboard requires a few extra steps compared to othercurrent drive or slot-based connectors. M.2 devices used on this motherboard - Socket
3 (for SSDs) – are installed differently.
Below are images from an installation of an SSD on one of the Socket 3 Key-M 110mm
slot of the SR-3 DARK.
1. Before you can install an M.2 device, you mustfirst remove the screw that comes pre-attached to
the Socket 3’s retention standoff; this will be used
to keep the device in place. The standoff is placedat the 80mm interval for the Socket 3 slot. There
are also additional standoffs available for different
size drives, such as 110mm NVMe SSDs.
Next add one thermal pad – included with the SR3 DARK accessories – to the outlined area to theright.
2. After adding the thermal pad, the motherboard will look like the image below. This
thermal pad will assist with cooling your M.2 Key-M device.

- 37 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

3. Insert the M.2 device at a slight angle ofapproximately 45 degrees to the board.
This will allow the contacts (colloquiallycalled “Gold Fingers”) to seat completely
into the slot. If the device is fully seated,
you should be able to release it and thedevice will rest at an angle of about 30
degrees on its own, as shown in the picture
to the right.
4. Gently push the M.2 device down on
the raised end. There will be some tension- this is normal - then use the screw you
removed in Step 1 to secure the device.
At right, you can see that the contacts will
be nearly invisible when the device isproperly seated and the copper mounting
semi-circle is partially visible around thescrew.
Incorrect installation Example:*NOTE* This is one of the most common examples of an incorrect installationof an M.2 device. Do not intentionally attempt this, or complete your installation
with this example. Doing so could cause damage to the device or the M.2 port.
Using the image below, notice how the gold fingers fail to fully seat in the M.2 slot. This
often occurs if the drive was pushed into the slot from a nearly parallel starting position,rather than an angle, causing the M.2 device to not seat fully. As a result, this may causea drive detection failure by the BIOS, the drive will be detected with the description ingibberish (e.g. characters in the name, such as @, #, $, %, *, etc.) and/or notifications
that the drive has corrupt data stored on it.
Moreover, if the device’s connection looks like this, then screwing down the device may
be impossible (a VERY tight fit, at best), which is another sign that the device is notseated properly.
In conclusion, if the install device looks similar to the image below, please remove andreseat it using the instructions above. DO NOT POWER THE SYSTEM ON IF
THE CONNECTOR RESEMBLES THIS PICTURE.
- 38 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

For further M.2 setup instructions, please see Page 55.

Tested CPU and MemoryCPU
XEON® W-3175X
XEON® 8180
XEON® W-3275M
XEON® W-3275
XEON® W-3265M
XEON® W-3265
XEON® W-3245M
XEON® W-3245
XEON® W-3235
XEON® W-3225
XEON® W-3223

Core Count Frequency PCI-E Lanes
Skylake-X
28 Cores + HT
3.1 GHz
Skylake-SP
28 Cores + HT
2.5 GHz
Cascade Lake-SP
28 Cores + HT
2.5 GHz28 Cores + HT
2.5 GHz
24 Cores + HT
2.7 GHz
24 Cores + HT
2.7 GHz
16 Cores + HT
3.2 GHz
16 Cores + HT
3.2 GHz
12 Cores + HT
3.3 GHz
8 Cores + HT
3.7 GHz
8 Cores + HT
3.5 GHz

48
48
64
64
64
64
64
64
64
64
64

*Note – additional CPU testing is ongoing at the time of this manual, including
additional Skylake-SP processors. For the most current list of supported CPUs, please
visit https://www.evga.com/support/motherboard/.

- 39 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

MemoryG.SKILL
F4-2133C15Q-16GRR
G.SKILL
F4-2133C15Q-32GRR
Crucial
CT4G4DFS8213.8FA1
CORSAIR
CMK32GX4M4A2133C13CORSAIR
CMK16GX4M4A2133C13CORSAIR
CMK64GX4M8A2133C13
G.SKILL
F4-2133C15D-8GRR
Kingston
HX421C14FBK4/16
CORSAIR
CMK32GX4M2A2400C14
G.SKILL
F4-2400C15Q-16GRRCORSAIR
CMK16GX4M4A2400C14CORSAIR
CMD32GX4M4A2400C14
G.SKILL
F4-2400C15Q-64GRKG.SKILL
F4-2400C14Q-16GRK
mushkinBlackline 997199F
G.SKILL
F4-2400C15D-8GRR
G.SKILL
F4-2666C15Q-16GRRCORSAIR
CMD16GX4M4A2666C15CORSAIR
CMD16GX4M4A2666C16CORSAIR
CMK16GX4M4A2666C15
Kingston
HX426C15K4/16
Kingston
HX426C15FBK4/32
CORSAIR
CMK16GX4M4A2800C16
G.SKILL
F4-2800C16Q-16GRRCORSAIR
CMD16GX4M4B3000C15
Kingston
HX430C15PBK4/16
CORSAIR
CMK16GX4M4B3000C15
G.SKILL
F4-3000C15Q-32GVRCORSAIR
CMK32GX4M4C3000C15CORSAIR
CMK32GX4M4B3200C16W
Kingston
HX432C16PBK4/16
CORSAIR
CMD16GX4M4B3200C16
G.SKILL
F4-3200C16Q-32GVK
Kingston
HX432C15PBK2/8
G.SKILL
F4-3200C16Q-32GTZR
G.SKILL
F4-3466C16Q-16GVKG.SKILL
F4-3466C16Q-64GTZSWG.SKILL
F4-3600C17Q-16GVKCORSAIR
CMD32GX4M4B3600C16
G.SKILL
F4-3733C17Q-32GTZRECC RDIMM
Kingston
KSM26RD8/16HAI*Note – additional memory testing is ongoing at the time of this manual. Tested kits
include 2- and/or 4-DIMM kits of the same model up to 6-DIMMs total. When used inthis configuration, XMP profiles may not be supported. For the most current list of
supported memory, please visit https://www.evga.com/support/motherboard/.

- 40 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Tested M.2 Key-M
PCIE INTERFACEADATA
ASX800NP-256GM-C 256G M.2 PCIE
Samsung MZ-V7E250 970 EVO
Samsung MZ-V7P512 970 PRO
Samsung MZ-VKV512 950 PRO
Samsung MZ-V6P512 960 PRO
Samsung MZ-VPV2560 256G SM951 NVME
Samsung MZ-HPU128T/004 128G XP941
Samsung MZ-HPV1280 128G SM951
Samsung MZ-V6E250 250G 960EVO
Samsung MZ-VPW2560 256G SM961
Samsung MZ-VLW2560 256G PM961
Samsung MZ-VLB2560 256G PM981
INTEL
600P SERIES SSDPEKKW512G7 M.2 512G PCIEINTEL
600P SERIES SSDPEKKW256G7 M.2 256G PCIEINTEL
760P SERIES SSDPEKKW010TB M.2 1TB PCIE
Kingston SKC1000240G
Kingston SHPM2280P2H/240G
PLEXTOR PX-128M8PeG M.2 128G PCIETOSHIBA THNSN5256GPU7 M.2 256G PCIEWD
PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G-1006 512G NVME M2WD
PC SN700 WDS100T2X0C-00L350 1T NVME M2
CORSAIR MP500 CSSD-F240GBMP500 240G PCIE3.0 NVME M2- 41 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Tested U.2
U.2 (SSD):
Brand
Intel

Part Number
750 SSDPE2MW400G4

Size
400GB

Interface
U.2 NVME w\Cable- 42 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Connecting Cables
Note: the following images do not necessarily represent thephysical orientation of their respective headers on the EVGA SR-3
DARK. Rather, these graphical representations are designed toprovide a basic physical footprint and the cable pinouts for eachcomponent.
The locations of these components can be found in the Component
Legend on Pages 16-17.
This section takes you through all the necessary connections on themotherboard. This will include:❑ Power Connections

24pin ATX power (PW1)
EPS 8-pin 12V power
6-pin PCIe power❑ Internal Headers

Front Panel connectors (Power/Reset/LEDs)
Fan Headers (PWM for CPU and PWM/DC for case fans )USB 2.0 Header
USB 3.1 Gen1 Header
USB to SPI Header (for flashing BIOS)
Audio Header
SATA
U.2❑ Rear I/O Panel- 43 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

24pin ATX Power (ATX_PWR_24P)

ATX_PWR_24p is the main power supply connector located along the lower-right edge of the board. Make sure that the power supply cable and pins areproperly aligned with the connector on the motherboard. Firmly plug thepower supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure.
The 24-pin Power Connector may be standard or right-angled depending on
your motherboard model. The SR-3 DARK motherboard uses a right-angle
24pin ATX connector.

6-pin PCIeThe 6-pin PCIe connector present on the motherboard provides additional
power to the PCIe slots, rather than pulling it all from the 24-pin main
power. It is advised to plug in this connector when using SLI, especially withhigher-end graphic cards. It is strongly recommended to plug in this connector
for 3-way and 4-way SLI, regardless of GPU.
- 44 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

EPS 8-pin 12V Power (PWR 8P)

EPS PWR 8P, the 8-pin ATX 12V power connection(s), is used to provide

power to the CPU. Align the pins to the connector and press firmly until
seated. Additional EPS, if present, is optional for improved overclocking.
Please remember to make sure that the tab on the EPS socket is aligned withthe release clip on the cable.
NOTE: If the tab and release clip are on opposite sides, yet the power
connector fits, then you are using a PCIe 8-pin cable, which WILL damage theboard if powered on. Please review installation instructions from your power
supply manufacturer to verify which connectors may be used for the CPU
power.
IMPORTANT: The SR-3 DARK features four (4) 8pin EPS connectors.
EVGA strongly recommends to connect at least two (2) EPS connectors
to provide sufficient power to your CPU and motherboard, even for lightor low-load applications. Three or more EPS connectors from a power
supply or power supplies are suggested for extreme overclocking.

- 45 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Front Panel Header

The front panel header on this motherboard is used to connect the following
four cables:❑ PWRLED

Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two pins of the connector.
The Power LED indicates the system’s status. When the system is poweredon, the LED will be on.
❑ PWRSW
Attach the power button cable from the case to these two pins. Pressing
the power button on the front panel turns the system on and off rather
than using the onboard button.
❑ HD_LED

Attach the hard disk drive indicator LED cable to these two pins. The
HDD indicator LED indicates the activity status of the hard disks.

❑ RESET

Attach the Reset switch cable from the front panel of the case to thesetwo pins.
Note:

Some system cases may not have all four cables. Be sure to match thename on the connectors to the corresponding pins.

- 46 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Fan Header

This motherboard line only features 4-pin fan headers, which are backwards
compatible with 3-pin fan connectors. The CPU1 and CPU2 fan headers
control fans via PWM. The remaining headers control fans by either PWM or
DC controls. The headers have an absolute safe power limit of 2 Amp @ 12
Volts (24 Watts). These headers are for your CPU heatsink and chassis coolingfans.

- 47 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

USB HeadersThis motherboard contains USB 3.1 and 3.0 ports that are exposed on the rear
panel of the chassis.
The motherboard contains 1x 19-pin internal header connectors onboard thatcan be used to connect an optional external bracket or device containing up totwo (2) USB 3.1 Gen1 ports.

❑

Please note that these headers are often referred to as USB 3.0 internal
headers, but the correct designation is USB 3.1 Gen 1.

❑

Connect the end(s) of the cables to the USB 3.1 Gen 1 headers on themotherboard.

- 48 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

The motherboard contains 1x 9-pin internal header connectors onboard thatcan be used to connect an optional external bracket or devices containing up totwo (2) USB 2.0 ports.

The SR-3 DARK also features an onboard USB 2.0 port header, near the CPU
Fan headers. This header has a specific purpose – to allow you to flash theBIOS without an installed CPU using the included USB flash drive. For more
information on flashing the BIOS without a CPU, please see Page 143.

- 49 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Front Panel Audio Header

Front panel audio supports HD Audio for stereo/gaming headphones or 2.1
speakers, and a Mic.
NOTE: HD Audio headers are not compatible with AC’97 connectors, which
may be used on older chassis. Connecting an AC’97 cable/connector to yourmotherboard may damage either or both the motherboard and the cableconnected to it.

- 50 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Drive Headers (SATA/ U.2)
SATA 3/6Gbit/s is the current standard for HDD/SSD/Optical interface.
These cables are the data interconnect for the motherboard. Your
HDD/SSD/Optical interface will still require a separate power connection
from your power supply.

SATA ports on this platform natively support full AHCI and RAID functions.
AHCI is enabled by default, but the controller can be put into RAID mode in
the BIOS. RAID mode supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10 through the Intel®
controller. RAID-ready ports also have full AHCI functionality.
The Intel® sSATA III ports provide an additional four (4) SATA ports througha mini-SAS HD connector. These ports also use the Intel SATA controller toprovide additional storage ports.
U.2 is a newer PCIe storage standard that has the advantage of the performanceof a M.2 SSD and the ease of installation of a 2.5 inch form factor SSD. U.2
shares resources with PE1 and can be enabled or disabled in BIOS.

See Page 57 for RAID levels supported and explanations for how
they work.

Onboard Buttons
These onboard buttons include RESET, POWER and Clear CMOS. These
functions allow you to easily turn on/off the system, reset the system or clear
the CMOS.
- 51 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Clear CMOS Button
The motherboard uses CMOS RAM tostore set parameters. Clear the CMOS bypressing the Clear CMOS button on themotherboard PCB or on
the external I/O Panel.
External Clear CMOS Button

RESET and POWER Button
These onboard buttons allow you to easily turn on/off the system. Thesebuttons allow for easy debugging and testing of the system during
troubleshooting situations.
The POWER button has an integrated LED, indicating the system’s status.
When the system is powered on, the LED remains a solid red.
The RESET button has an integrated LED, indicating the activity status of thehard disk drives and will flicker accordingly.

- 52 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

First Boot
BIOS Update
When you power on the system for the first time(or after a BIOS update/reset) it may take a little
longer than expected, and follow with a warning
message on the screen reading “BIOS checksum
error”. This is completely normal.
Depending on when the motherboard waspurchased, compared to when it was released,
there may be a BIOS update for it. If you haveinternet access on another PC and a USB
Thumb Drive, it is highly recommended todownload the current BIOS and flash the newer
BIOS before attempting anything else.
If there is an updated BIOS, download and extract it onto a thumb drive
formatted for FAT32, go to the EXTRAS section, select “BIOS Update,” andto navigate to where your ROM file is stored. Press Enter to update.
**IMPORTANT NOTE. DO NOT CUT POWER OR REBOOT THE
SYSTEM DURING A BIOS UPDATE; YOU WILL LIKELY RENDER
THE ACTIVE BIOS UNBOOTABLE**
Once the BIOS is updated, you will be greeted with the same screen as before
stating that there is a Checksum error. Please press “Delete” to go into the
BIOS/UEFI.
The C622 chipset is designed for UEFI mode and Windows 10 natively.
However, Legacy mode is included if your older hardware is not compatible
with UEFI. In most cases, there is very little setup needed on these boards.

Memory Setup
To setup the Memory, use the arrow keys or your mouse to select the“Memory” setting. Select the “Memory Profiles” pulldown and select XMPProfile 1. This will automatically set some basic memory information, such as
speed, latency and voltage. You may set the memory speed manually, if you’d- 53 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

prefer, but the XMP will generally get the memory running at the memory
manufacturer’s specification with little to no effort.

HDD/SSD/M.2/U.2 Setup
Next, click “Boot” from the menu list at the top. “Boot Option #1” should
show the device that you intend to install your operating system.
If you are using a standard SSD/HDD connected to a SATA port, but thedevice is not present in the Boot Option #1 menu, scroll down to “UEFI Hard
Disk Drive BBS Priorities” at the bottom. In this menu, the top item will be“1st Boot” and will have a pulldown menu on the right. Click on the pulldown
menu and select the intended drive; this will make the drive appear on theprevious menu. If the drive continues to be missing, please check thetroubleshooting section on Page 144.
If you plan on using an M.2 or U.2 as a boot device, click on or navigate to the“Advanced” menu, select “Onboard Device Configuration” and enable thedesired port.
Once this is done, press F10 to save and exit, plug in your operating systeminstallation medium (likely a thumb drive) and Windows 10 should be able toboot to M.2 or U.2 without issue.
*Note* Some device manufacturers require specific drivers for HDDs or SSDs
(such as M.2) before Windows can detect the drive for installation. Please makesure to consult the manufacturer’s instructions for your HDD or SSD before
attempting to install Windows to determine if additional drivers are needed.

- 54 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

M.2 SSD, PCIe SSD, and NVMe SSD
Installation steps
M.2 is a very fast card bus that can use multiple connecter types to connect many types ofdevices, such as WiFi or SSDs, in a very small and power efficient package. M.2 devices
can be connected via an M.2 card slot or through PCIe by using an M.2 to PCIe adapter.
There are also PCIe native drives of this nature, such as the Intel® 750. NVMe stands for
Non-Volatile Memory Express, and is a high-performance standard for M.2/PCIe SSDs.
Some NVMe drives require device drivers during the Operating System installation to berecognized as a boot drive for M.2 and PCIe varieties.
M.2/PCIe share resources with other components on the motherboard, which may limit
some hardware combinations. PLEASE SEE CHART ON PAGE 29 FOR A
DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF SHARED RESOURCES.

M.2 Physical Installation

1. Please see Page 37 for M.2 physical installation instructions.

PCIe Physical Installation

1. Install the SSD into any available PCIe slot with at least x4 Lanes available (Gen3
Lanes are preferred for better speed, but Gen2 Lanes will still outperform the top
end of SATA SSDs).
a. Please refer to Page 28 under PCIe Lane Breakdown for lane specifics,
as the PCIe slot must be at least x4 electrically.
2. Attach the SSD’s mounting bracket to the back of the case.
3. Native PCIe drives will not normally require a separate power or data cableattached; all power and data transfers are done through the PCIe slot.

BIOS Setup and Windows Installation for M.2 and PCIe NVMe
SSDs
1. Remember, NVMe is a new standard and older operating systems do not havenative support. Many NVMe drives require certain steps to make the drivebootable, even with current operating systems.
PLEASE FULLY READ THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH
YOUR M.2 or PCIe NVMe SSD BEFORE INSTALLATION.
2. After reviewing your SSD’s instructions and its respective Physical installation
instructions above, power on the PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI by pressing the
Delete key repeatedly.
3. Once in BIOS/UEFI, navigate to the “BOOT” section. Then go down to the“CSM Configuration” heading and press enter, or click on it with your mouse.
- 55 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

a.

For Windows 10: Set “Launch Storage OpROM Policy” to “UEFI”.
Then set “Launch CSM” to “Disable”.
4. Press F10 to save and exit the BIOS/UEFI.
5. Press Del on reboot to reenter BIOS/UEFI.
a. If you are using a SSD-attached via PCIe, proceed to Step 6.
b. If you are using the motherboard’s M.2 slot, proceed to Step 8.
6. If you are using an SSD connected via PCIe (e.g. an Intel® 750) or through an
adapter that connects an M.2 SSD to PCIe, go to “Advanced – PCIe
Configuration” and verify that the device shows on the slot you have it installed.
a. Verify the lane count and PCIe Generation. It should state “x4 Gen3”.
7. Next check the Dashboard on the upper right. The populated slot, lanes used,
and PCIe Generation should all match the information found in the previous
step.
a. Proceed to Step 9 when done.
8. If you are using an SSD connected to the motherboard’s M.2 slot and the drive
is not auto-detected, re-enter the BIOS/UEFI and go to “Advanced – Onboard
Device Configuration,” and confirm that the appropriate “M.2 Socket3” slot is
enabled. The SR-3 DARK is designed to auto-detect M.2 devices and enable theM.2 slot automatically, but you should confirm that the setting is enabled if you
have difficulty getting the device to appear in the BIOS or the OS.
9. Go to the “Boot” Section, set “Boot Mode Select” to UEFI, and set first bootdevice to “Hard Disk:Windows Boot Manager”.
10. Press F10 to save and exit. Insert/Connect your Operating System install media
and reboot.
11. Begin the Windows installation. During the drive selection step, you may needto load additional drivers that are provided by the SSD’s manufacturer, which
would be covered in the SSD manual. If these steps are not followed you will
likely be unable to install the Operating System to the SSD and make it bootable.

- 56 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Internal SATA, sSATA, VROC RAID
Controller
This section introduces RAID, RAID levels, and the basics of the controller integrated
into the PCH. It covers the basics of what RAID does, how RAID works, and why you
may or may not want to use RAID.
This section is GREATLY simplified; those who have experience with RAID especially from the server side - will find this a VERY rudimentary simplification of aprocess that is quite complex on the back-end. The descriptions of the RAID levels are
not based on the back-end logic from the controllers, but rather just a breakdown as avisual reference to understand the basics.
For the sake of explanation in this section, every drive representation here is assumed tobe 1 Terabyte (for ease of math); also the reference of P-Drive is “Physical” drive, andL-Drive is referencing “Logical” drives; physical drives are the physical drive you
installed, whereas the logical drive is what Windows sees in Disk Management. This is anecessary distinction because RAID is a form of drive virtualization; taking several
physical drives and making one logical drive out of them. You can add a minimum of
two drives up to a maximum of six drives depending on the configuration (for thiscontroller specifically) and the operating system will see only one logical device.

RAID LEVELSALL RAID LEVELS: All RAID levels will lose some capacity through the process ofmaking the array. A small amount of disk space is used, in part, to maintain connections
to data across drives, but the quality and size of drives used can impact the amount.
A general rule of thumb for final array capacity is this: Take the number of drives, thearray type, and individual drive capacity (for this RAID breakdown all drives are 1TB)
and multiply it out as shown below for the specific RAID type you intend to use:
RAID0 = (Number of Drives) * (Drive capacity)
RAID1 = Capacity of one drive, as all data is copied on both drives
RAID5 = (Number of drives – one drive) * (Drive capacity)
RAID10 = (Half the number of drives) * (Drive capacity)
To account for capacity lost both due to maintaining the array as well as what is lost
during the formatting process, multiply the product by .85 and you should see a volume
close to this number once the array is partitioned. This will vary based on type of drive,- 57 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

its quality, and many other factors; but the number should give you a ballpark estimate
on what to expect as a final capacity once formatted.
Please see below for examples of what to expect when you build an array of each type.
Each RAID type will use diagrams to illustrate functional and non-functional forms ofeach RAID; all green items indicate a drive that is functional, and red indicates a drivethat has failed.

BEFORE BUILDING AN ARRAY, CONFIRM THAT YOUR
SSDs OR HDDs ARE THE SAME MAKE, MODEL, AND
CAPACITY. MIXING DRIVES CAN RESULT IN ODDPERFORMANCE ISSUES, ARRAYS DE-SYNCING, LARGESCALE DATA CORRUPTION, AND/OR
UNRECOVERABLE ARRAY FAILURE.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INTENDED HDD SUPPORTS
RAID; IF NOT, THE DRIVE MAY CAUSE CONSTANTDESYNCRONIZATION ISSUES DUE TO DATA TTLTIMERS NOT SENDING AN “ALL IS WELL” SIGNAL
WITHIN THE EXPECTED TIMEFRAME, WHICH WILLSEND THE CONTROLLER THE MESSAGE THAT THE
DRIVE HAS FAILED OR DISCONNECTED.
If you are unsure about any of the bolded section above, please contact the drive
manufacturer’s customer service to make sure the device is supported for RAID. If thedrive is not, the controller cannot work around it and make it function as intended.

RAID0: This type of array is often referred to as “Striping” or a “Striped Array.”
RAID0 takes a data set and spreads it equally across two (2) or more drives. The logic
behind this array is that reading a single file, for example, will be much faster if the file isspread across two (2) or more drives and read from both drives simultaneously; thus
reducing the time each drive spends in the read process by at least 50% rather thanbeing read from one source. The file is then reassembled once the data hits RAM. Thisis similar, in theory, to how multi-channel memory or SLI works: load balancing forstorage.

- 58 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Because RAID0 is only designed to distribute the data being written across multiple
devices to improve performance there is **NO FAULT TOLERANCE**, meaning if
one drive fails, the array fails. It MAY be possible to recover the data but that usuallyrequires a data recovery service, which is not guaranteed and is usually very expensive.
RAID0 is typically only limited by the controller; however, you will get severely
diminishing performance returns after 4 drives. If you go above 4 drives, you will also
see more capacity loss after creating the array.
The Good• it can greatly increase the read/write speed of drives• The most storage capacity-friendly use of drive space compared to other arraytypes.
The Bad• RAID0 has no redundancy, which makes it very volatile, if you lose even 1
drive, you lose everything.
• If you use this method, make sure to back up often.
Below is the breakdown of RAID0’s function and the breakdown of a drive failure inthis type of array. Wherever you see the section labelled “DATA” at the bottom turn
red, this indicates an array failure.

RAID 0 (2 Drive)
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-AB

DATA-AB

DATA-AB

L-DRIVE = ≃ 2TB

As RAID0 has no fault tolerance, even a single drive failure compromises the array andrenders the array Failed and unrecoverable.

- 59 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

The array depictions below show how this issue scales to larger arrays. In fact, due tothe lack of fault tolerance, the potential failure rate actually increases because of theaddition of more drives that can physically fail.
RAID 0 (4 Drive)
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-D

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-D

DATA-ABCD

DATA-ABCD

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-D

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-D

DATA-ABCD

DATA-ABCD

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-D

DATA-ABCD

L-DRIVE = ≃ 4TB

RAID1: This type of array is referred to as “Mirroring” or a “Mirrored Array.”

RAID1 uses two (2) physical drives and writes ALL data to both drives simultaneously
providing a 1 to 1 mirror, giving you a live 100% redundancy. If a drive fails while data
is being written, you will still be up and running. In most cases, when a failure occurs,
you will experience a stutter in performance and a small but noticeable slow down.
Next, you’ll likely see a popup warning from IRST alerting you that a drive has failed oris disconnected, and your array’s status has been changed to “Degraded”.
RAID1 (at least on these PCH driven controllers) are limited to 2 drives. Because this isa mirror, you will use 50% of your capacity in redundancy.

- 60 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

The Good• RAID1 allows you to suffer a catastrophic failure of 1 drive with no ill effects tothe data being stored.
• Because data is stored on 2 drives at once, read speeds typically increase a little,
but not to the speed of RAID5 and, certainly, not to the speed of RAID 0.
The Bad• RAID1 is not a storage capacity-friendly array, because the capacity will belimited to 1 drive.
o Due to the capacity available on modern drive solutions, this issue may
not be as significant as it once was.
• Write speed will be a bit lower than a single drive.
In the charts below, you can see the effect of fault tolerance when using a mirror array:because all data has a direct 1-to-1 duplicate on the mirrored drive, you can suffer acatastrophic failure of a drive and still retain your data.
For a RAID1 array to lose its data, both drives must fail.
RAID 1 (2 Drive)

L-DRIVE = ≃ 1TB

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

DATA-A

DATA-A

DATA-A

DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-AP-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

DATA-A

DATA-A

DATA-A

DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-A

RAID5: RAID5 is a stripe with Fault Tolerance, which attempts to bridge the gap

between speed and redundancy. This level will always reserve a capacity equivalent to
one drive for fault tolerance, regardless of the overall capacity. This means that if you- 61 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

use four 1TB drives to create your RAID5, you will only have the capacity of three 1TB
drives; likewise, if you use five 1TB drives to create your array, you will only have thecapacity of four 1TB drives. RAID5 requires a minimum of three drives, and the
maximum is set by the RAID controller; this level works well when using between fourto six drives, but sees diminishing returns beyond six.
Similar to RAID1, or any other current type of array with fault tolerance, a RAID5 arrayis still usable even while it is experiencing a missing or failed drive resulting in the array
functioning in a degraded state. Performance will suffer in a degraded state until themissing drive is replaced and the software rebuild process is completed. During therebuild process, performance will be severely degraded and can take several hours,
depending on the size of the array and percentage of capacity used.
The Good• Most space efficient array-type that also has fault tolerance.
• Initial array builds quickly• Read/write speed is very good; faster than RAID1 but slower than RAID0
The Bad• Rebuilding an array can take a long time on an integrated PCH controller,
especially when using a very large array with multiple drives or capacity.
o For this reason, RAID5 is sometimes more beneficial on a dedicated
RAID controller.
• If more than one drive fails at once (not likely, but still possible) you will suffera total loss of data; the array will behave like a RAID0 losing a drive.
• RAID5 is close to outliving its usefulness because it was created, in part, tocreate large size arrays with fault tolerance. Due to the capacity available on
modern drives, other RAID solutions are now better and with fewer downsides.
RAID5 protects data rotating parity (there are several terms coined by different RAID
manufacturers over the years for RAID5 and they all mean roughly the same thing),
which means taking small portions of data, duplicating them and putting them onto
different drives. When a drive that has failed is replaced, its data is recreated by theremaining drives in the array, which will require a very high volume of small data
segments copied back over to the replacement drive while also maintaining the array’s
index of data. Once the rebuild is complete, current data can be read from the newdrive and new data can be written to it.
The RAID5 diagram below is a bit more complicated than the others, due to the natureof how data is distributed. In the diagram you will see that there is one more Physical- 62 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

drive than there is data set. This method of data distribution shows that as long as you
have three (3) copies of each data set (Data-A, Data-B, and DATA-C), the array will befunctional and capable of rebuilding when you add in replacement drive in. And while
this is not mathematically correct for HOW the data distribution works, it is a goodvisualization to understand the basics of how it works.
L-DRIVE = ≃ 3TB

RAID 5 (4 Drive)
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-B
DATA-C
DATA-A

DATA-C
DATA-A
DATA-B

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-B
DATA-C
DATA-A

DATA-C
DATA-A
DATA-B

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-B
DATA-C
DATA-A

DATA-C
DATA-A
DATA-B

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-ABC

L-Drive = DATA-ABC

L-Drive = DATA-ABC

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-B
DATA-C
DATA-A

DATA-C
DATA-A
DATA-B

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-B
DATA-C
DATA-A

DATA-C
DATA-A
DATA-B

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

DATA-B
DATA-C
DATA-A

DATA-C
DATA-A
DATA-B

DATA-A
DATA-B
DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-ABC

DATA-ABC

L-Drive = DATA-ABC

RAID10: RAID10 is the only level of nested RAID currently supported by the
integrated PCH controller. Nested RAID is the process where a controller makes
multiple RAID arrays, treating each of them as their own device and applies them to
ANOTHER RAID level. This type of virtualization allows you to have an array where
each node has its own level of redundancy.
In the instance of RAID10, it is two (2) or more Mirrored arrays (RAID1s) that are
striped together (RAID0). In effect, this is RAID0 where every physical drive (nowlogical drive due to nested RAID functions) in the array is internally redundant via a
mirror. This means you can lose a drive and the data set is still present; when the drive
is replaced, it is replicated by the data internal to that node.
RAID10 is highly scalable. RAID10 always scales in two (2) drive increments, startingwith a minimum of four (4) drives. This motherboard series supports a four (4) drive
RAID10 array, with no option for scalability. Lastly, RAID10 is a mirrored array, whichmeans it shares the same 50% drive capacity, since all data has a 1:1 copy.
The Good• Excellent Fault Tolerance• Good rebuild times- 63 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Vastly superior rebuild times compared to the previous 0+1
methodology of nested RAID.
• Overall performance is good; comparable or slightly faster than RAID5.
The Bad• Low space efficiency.
o With the capacity of modern drives, this will likely be less of aconsideration than in previous years.
o

The fault tolerance works a bit differently in RAID10 than in others because the arrayhas nodes with internal redundancy. In other words, although a four drive array can lose
two drives and remain operational, it greatly depends on WHICH two drives fail. If
both drives from the same node fail, then half of the data is gone and the array has
failed. However, every node, regardless of the number of total nodes, can suffer one
internal failure with no adverse effects.
L-DRIVE = ≃ 2TB

RAID 10 (4 Drive)
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-AB- 64 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

While the SR-3 DARK controller will support a four drive RAID10 array, RAID10 canscale indefinitely provided the controller supports more drives. Every pair of drives
adds an additional mirrored node, which increases the theoretical number of failures thearray can suffer before a loss of data occurs. However, an array can still fail due to bothdrives on a node failing.

- 65 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

In the case of a drive
failure, the array controller
will notify you. When you
replace a failed drive in the
RAID10, rebuilding thearray is mostly seamless.
For example, look at thearray on the second row to
the right. P-Drive1 failed,
but P-Drive2 is still working
and uses the same data.
The array will pull datafrom P-Drive2 during therebuild, so the array can beused normally while PDrive2 copies ALL of its
data back to the drive
replacing P-Drive1.
The rebuild process will
only rebuild 1TB worth ofdata because only one nodefailed. There will be a
performance hit during therebuild process, which canbe further delayed if VERY
data intensive applications
are used, but overall
performance of the array
will still be fast enough to
run effectively during therebuild. RAID10 rebuilds
much more quickly than its
predecessor RAID0+1.

L-DRIVE = ≃ 3TB

RAID 10 (6 Drive)
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-C

P-DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-ABC
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-C

P-DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-ABC
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-C

P-DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-ABC
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-C

P-DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-ABC
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-C

P-DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-ABC
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-A

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-B

P-DATA-C

P-DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-A

L-Drive = DATA-B

L-Drive = DATA-C

L-Drive = DATA-ABC- 66 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

RAID0+1: RAID0+1 is a form of nested RAID that was widely used on previous
generation boards. Although EVGA C622 series motherboards do not use this typeof array, it is listed here to show the improvements made by RAID10, and to clear up acommon misperception that RAID0+1 and RAID10 are the same.
A RAID0+1 array is created from two (2) stripe sets that are mirrored together. Similar
to RAID10, RAID 0+1 requires a minimum of four drives, and is highly scalable in two
drive increments. Again, because RAID0+1 is a mirrored array, it shares the same 50%
drive capacity, meaning that four 1TB drives in RAID0+1 will result in a 2TB array.
Where 0+1 differs from 10 is in how the drives are split, and the data distributed. While
RAID10 is created using two or more mirror sets striped together, RAID0+1 is two
striped sets mirrored together. When scaling with additional drives (in multiples of two),
RAID10 adds the drives as another mirrored set to the striped array, whereas RAID0+1
splits the drives between the two stripes to maintain the mirror. To the end-user, thefinal result appears very similar; however, the significant differences lie in fault tolerance
and recovery.
In a RAID0+1, ANY drive failure results in half of the array becoming effectively failed.
If one drive fails, that stripe fails, and the mirrored stripe takes over. When the failed
drive is replaced, the entire capacity of the mirrored array must be rewritten to the failed
array, rather than one drive’s worth of capacity (i.e. RAID10). This makes the
RAID0+1 array more volatile than RAID10, despite being fault tolerant, and can also
increase rebuild times at an exponential margin for large arrays.
Like RAID10, RAID0+1 can afford to lose up to half the number of drives in the arrayand still be protected; however, this is contingent on the failed units being all from thesame stripe set. If one drive fails from both stripe sets at once, the entire array is lost.
The Good• Fastest of the standard nested RAID types• Performance scales with drive count.
The Bad• Build times can be substantially longer than RAID10 due to the volume of data
being moved, and is typically close to the rebuild times of RAID5.
• Low space efficiency, only 50% of total drive capacity is usable in the array.
• 1 drive failure drops a full stripe set.

- 67 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

L-DRIVE = ≃ 2TB

RAID 0+1 (4 Drive)
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE1

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE4

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE4

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE3

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

L-Drive = DATA-AB

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

L-Drive = DATA-AB

L-Drive = DATA-AB

Motherboard controllers that support RAID0+1 (such as certain older generation
EVGA motherboards) will generally support 4 or 6 drive arrays of this type; othercontrollers can allow this array type to scale indefinitely. Each pair of drives adds to thedrive count for the stripes and increases the theoretical volume of failures the array cansuffer before a loss of data occurs. However, this type of array can fail due to any two
drives on different stripes failing at once; this is RAID0+1’s main drawback.
Theoretically, at six drives and above, RAID0+1 should have slightly faster read/write
speeds compared to RAID10 because the stripes are larger without the overhead of aninternal mirror. This is because RAID10 increases both the number of mirror sets as
the array scales upwards and the backend calculations needed to maintain the arrays,
whereas RAID0+1 only increases stripe size.

- 68 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

As you can see, thedifference between
RAID0+1 and RAID10 issignificant when looking at
how data is stored.
Although the drive volume
scaling and the level of fault
tolerance is the same,internalizing theredundancy can make asignificant difference
overall to the array.
In the examples to theright, you can see that when
one drive fails the entire
stripe set fails; for a
RAID0+1, you would needto rewrite 3TB worth ofdata back onto the failed
node when rebuilding,rather than 1TB for thesame drive count on a
RAID10.
RAID10 is the current
standard on Intel® PCH
based RAID controllers,largely because the fault
tolerance for it is a bit more
forgiving and the rebuild
speed is overall significantly
faster than its RAID0+1
predecessor.

L-DRIVE = ≃ 3TB

RAID 0+1 (6 Drive)
P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

L Drive = DATA-ABC

L Drive = DATA-ABC
L Drive = DATA-ABC

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

L Drive = DATA-ABC

L Drive = DATA-ABC
L Drive = DATA-ABC

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

L Drive = DATA-ABC

L Drive = DATA-ABC
L Drive = DATA-ABC

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

L Drive = DATA-ABC

L Drive = DATA-ABC
L Drive = DATA-ABC

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

L Drive = DATA-ABC

L Drive = DATA-ABC
L Drive = DATA-ABC

P-DRIVE1

P-DRIVE2

P-DRIVE3

P-DRIVE4

P-DRIVE5

P-DRIVE6

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

DATA-A

DATA-B

DATA-C

L Drive = DATA-ABC

L Drive = DATA-ABC
L Drive = DATA-ABC- 69 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Which types of RAID can I use with my setup?

1 Drive – No RAID arrays are supported
2 Drives – RAID0 for speed (do regular backups) or RAID1 for data protection.
3 Drives – RAID0 for speed (do regular backups) or RAID5 for speed and protection.
4 Drives – RAID0 for speed (do regular backups), RAID5 for speed and protection,
RAID10 for the best balance of Speed and protection.
5 Drives – RAID0 for speed (do regular backups), but it will start to show diminishingreturns on performance; and RAID5 for speed and protection.
6 Drives - RAID0 for speed (do regular backups), but very marginal performancedifference over 4 or 5 drive stripes; and RAID5 for speed and protection.
Also, you can run more than one array on your controller, so long as the total is undersix (6) drives.

Configuring the Array for SATA and sSATA
Please note that this section was configured, in part, with an earlier version of the
EVGA GUI BIOS. The current GUI BIOS may look different, but will follow a similar
set of steps to create and repair a RAID volume.
Attach all SATA and/or sSATA devices you intend to use, and make sure power is
attached. Power the system on. Press the “Delete” key repeatedly to enter BIOS. Once
into BIOS you will need to enable the RAID function of the board.
From BIOS, click on (or navigate with your arrow keys) the “Advanced” tab at the top,
and then on “SATA Configuration.”- 70 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

In the “SATA Mode Selection” at the top, the default will be AHCI. Click on the arrow
to the right side of AHCI or navigate to it with your keyboard and press “Enter” toopen the pulldown menu. Select RAID from the list.
RAID mode not only includes the RAID controls, but also shares the same
options/functions/commands as AHCI; you may continue using your AHCI devices
normally when the SATA Configuration is set to RAID mode.
The SATA Information menu shows a list of all drives currently detected by thecontroller; make sure the list in your BIOS matches what you have plugged in. If it does
not, reseat cables on the device(s) in question. If the issue persists, please check thetroubleshooting section on Page 148.

Once RAID is enabled and all devices are detected, press F10 to save and exit. Uponreboot, repeatedly press “Delete” to reenter the BIOS. Once in the BIOS, go back to
the “Advanced” tab where you’ll find new items at the bottom of the list called “Intel®
VROC sSATA Controller” and “Intel® VROC SATA Controller.”- 71 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Once in the RAID controller, you will see a list of all detected drives and a “Create
RAID Volume” button. To begin, click on “Create RAID Volume” or navigate to thebutton and hit “Enter.”Choose a name for the volume. The controller allows up to 15 characters; you can use
numbers and letters, but not special characters.

- 72 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Next, select your intended array type. This can be done by either clicking on the downarrow and clicking on the RAID level you want, or pressing the enter key and using thedown arrow to select the RAID level and pressing Enter again. Please see the top halfof Page 70 for a quick reference on different RAID levels and RAID types based onyour total number of drives.

Next, select the drives you want to use for the array. Select the down arrow and the “X”
for each drive you want to include in the array.

Strip size (also called “block size” in other controllers) can be selected manually at 16k,
32k, 64k, or 128k. The controller will determine the default strip size after looking at
your drives and array type. Although there are some limited instances where this must
be set manually, it is highly recommended to leave this at default.
- 73 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

The controller defaults the capacity to the maximum available space for the RAID.
Leaving the capacity at default is recommended because reducing the size is notbeneficial, except in limited cases.
To complete the setup process, please select “Create Volume” at the bottom of thepage. Depending on the array type, drive type, and volume this can take a few seconds
to a few minutes.

Once the array is completed you will see the text shown on the next page, or somethingsimilar based on the array type and drives used. At this point, the array is ready to use.

If your array will be your boot drive, the operating system will normally detect the arrayand see it as a single drive (this is expected), it *MAY* detect it as a RAID array; eitherway, the OS installation will show the size of the array, not a single drive, and allow you
to install the OS to the array without any further steps. However, depending on the OSversion, you may need to install RAID drivers for the RAID array to be detected.
If this is meant to be a secondary array, your next step is to partition and format thearray within Windows. Please see Page 93 for setup in Windows 10.

- 74 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Repairing an array within UEFI
This guide will show you how to repair a degraded array from within the UEFI. For
testing purposes, a drive was intentionally removed from a RAID5 array and wiped toguarantee that the array rebuild behaved the same as if a new replacement drive wasadded to a degraded array.
If a drive fails and the array becomes degraded, you will typically see an alert inWindows, during the controller booting (Legacy mode only), or while checking the arraystatus within UEFI. If a drive fails in an array with redundancy (a RAID5 array, in thiscase), the controller will report the array as “Degraded” (see pic below). This means thatthe array has a node down, the data is still intact, but your fault tolerance is reduced.

Highlight the degraded array with your mouse or navigate to it with your keyboard andselect it to bring you into the array screen (see image on next page), which will show you
your array status and any drives that are not currently configured in a RAID array. The
Non-RAID Physical Disks list will display any remaining drives on the controller,
whether it is a random storage drive, a boot drive, or a replacement drive installed toreplace a failed unit. For this example, you will see a degraded array and a “Non-RAID
Physical Disk,” which we’ve attached to repair the degraded array.
The drive attached is an exact match to the other drives in our RAID 5; however, you
can use a different drive if it is the same size and preferably same type/series, as well.
**ALL DATA ON THAT DRIVE WILL BE REMOVED AND WILL NOT BERECOVERABLE WHEN ADDING IT INTO THE ARRAY**- 75 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

The controller will
also give you thisinformation, but it
cannot beoverstated thatusing a drive withdata on it will
result in the total
loss of all previous data in favor of the data on the array.
Select the degraded RAID volume, then select “Rebuild” on the following menu.

Next, you will see a list of all attached HDD/SSDs that can be used to rebuild the array.
Select the disk, then click on it or press enter.

- 76 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Once the process has started you will see the status change to “Rebuilding.”**Important Notice**: The controller will not begin the rebuilding process until you
have booted back into Windows; this queues the rebuild but does not start the process.
The rebuilding duration will vary. Fast drives in uncomplicated arrays with small
amounts of data can rebuild very quickly. Large platter drive-based arrays, especially in
RAID5, can take several hours to rebuild. The duration of the rebuild process willfurther increase based on the usage of both the array and the CPU during the process.
The rebuild process can be monitored from the “Intel® Rapid Storage Technology”(RSTe) utility in Windows, which is effectively the software front-end for the Intel®
SATA controller. The rebuild status can be viewed in the “Manage” tab, located on the
top of the IRST Window. Please see the image at the top of Page 92 to see an example
of where to find the rebuilding % in the IRST.

- 77 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Configuring A VROC Array For M.2/PCIe/U.2 NVMe Devices
The SR-3 DARK also supports RAID 0/1/5/10 arrays through the Intel® Virtual RAID
on CPU controller, or “VROC”. Supported devices and more information about
VROC can be found here: https://www.intel.com/vroc
The VROC RAID controller is split in to three (3) zones across the Volume
Management Device, or “VMD”. You may RAID up to three devices per VMD Group.
Each VMD Group can be configured as a bootable array, provided that each device ison the same VMD Group. As a result, configuring a VROC RAID requires you to first
install each device in the appropriate M.2, U.2, or PCIe slot/port. Although the VMD
screen may be viewed at any time in the BIOS via the Advanced Menu -> CPU Storage
Configuration, here is a more practical list of VMD Groups:
VMD Groups for VROC RAIDVMD Group
Device
VMD 0
PE1
VMD 0
PE3 / U.2(PU1)
VMD 0
U.2(PU2)
VMD 1
PE2
VMD 1
PE5 / M.2(PM1)
VMD 1
M.2(PM2)
VMD 2
PE4
VMD 2
PE6*
*Note - PE6 is only supported on a 48 lane CPU

See Pages 16 and 17 of the Component Legend for the physical location of each device.

Enabling Devices For A M.2/PCIe/U.2 NVMe VROC Array
To create a VROC array for NVMe devices, first install your devices to the appropriate
slots/ports. For the purposes of this guide, we are installing all devices to VMD 1. Thismeans that we will install a PCIe NVMe SSD to PE2, and M.2 NVMe SSDs to PM1 andPM2. The motherboard configuration will look something like this:- 78 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

The next step is to change the CPU Storage Configuration to enable each VMD
slot/port as a PCIe SSD Card. First, go into the BIOS, select the Advanced menu, andthen the CPU Storage Configuration:

Inside the CPU Storage Configuration, each VMD slot/port will be listed. Click the
dropdown box for each installed VMD device and select “PCIe SSD Card” to both
enable the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU menu, and to make the device visible later
when you select your devices for your RAID:

Once finished, save, restart, and tap the Delete key to BIOS.
Note – When you set a VMD device to PCIe SSD Card, you will prevent the slot/port
from being used for any purposes other than storage. In other words, this will disable
the slot/port for VGA, audio cards, and WiFi/BT cards.

- 79 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Enabling Devices For An M.2/PCIe/U.2 NVMe VROC Array
Once devices are configured as PCIe SSD Cards, the Intel® Virtual RAID On CPU
menu will be enabled in the BIOS. Enter the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU menu toconfigure your RAID:

Once in the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU menu, you can create your RAID array. The
steps are similar to creating a RAID array through either the SATA or sSATA controller,
which can be found on Pages 72-74.
Note:

One important difference between using the SATA/sSATA RAID controller
and the VROC RAID controller is that the VROC RAID controller is limited to
RAID0 unless a VROC Upgrade Key is purchased and installed to the VROC
Key slot on the motherboard. The VROC Key slot can be located on Pages
16 and 17, component 33 of the Component Legend for the physical location.

Our installation guide continues using a RAID0. However, as noted above, if you wish
to create a RAID1, RAID5, or RAID10 over VROC, you will need to connect a VROC
Upgrade Key to the VROC Key Slot:

VROC Upgrade Keys are not provided with theSR-3 DARK and must be purchased separately.
- 80 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

For purposes of our illustration, we created a RAID0 for this guide:

Note:

RAID arrays can be created over multiple VMD controllers by enabling the“Enable RAID spanned over VMD Controllers” option. Because various
devices share PCIe lanes, this can be an effective way to avoid disabling aslot or port that you need for another device. Moreover, this is the only
method of obtaining a RAID10 across PCIe-based NVMe SSD drives.
However, VROC RAIDs spanned over multiple VMD Controllers cannot be
configured as a boot device. Only VROC RAIDs configured within the same
VMD controller may be configured as a boot device.

Once the array is completed you will see the array shown, similar to the SATA/sSATA
RAID array shown on Page 74. At this point, the array is ready to use.

Installing an OS to an M.2/PCIe/U.2 NVMe VROC Array
Similar to RAID arrays for legacy OS, bootable VROC arrays require drivers for the OS
to see the drive during the installation and to complete installation. If you are only using
your VROC array as a non-bootable storage array, then you may install the drivers after
the OS install via the Intel® RSTe drivers. During your OS installation, however, youwill need to select the correct driver.
Once you reach the screen to install drivers, you will need to either use the USB drive
included with the SR-3 DARK, or download the Intel® RSTe “F6” drivers from Intel’s
website. The proper driver name for the VROC driver needed follows the form of“VROC_6.X.X.XXX”. For an example, see the screenshot below.

- 81 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Select the VROC_f6_iaVROC driver, as shown above. The OS should recognize thearray properly and you should be able to continue your installation.
Note:

If for some reason you have difficulties installing your OS to a SATA/sSATA
RAID array, select the F6 “iaStoreE” driver instead.

This completes the guide for creating and/or installing an OS to your VROC array.

- 82 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology)
The IRST is the software front-end for the Intel® SATA controller. It is recommended
to install the IRST drivers after installing the Intel® Chipset Drivers – the main
motherboard drivers. This guide walks you through not only the building, but also therepairing of an array from within Windows, since it may be more convenient to build
new arrays within the OS rather than from within the UEFI. All forms of RAID thatcan be built in the UEFI are available in IRST; the IRST may be more convenient forsome people due to a more detailed UI than the UEFI.

This guide will illustrate how to create a RAID1 array using the IRST. Using the screen
above, we know that three (3) SSDs are currently attached to the controller and theother three (3) INTEL® SATA ports are empty (this can vary board to board based on
how many Intel® SATA ports are present). If you plan to create another type of array,please ensure that you have the correct number of drives attached and shown on thestatus screen in IRST for your intended array before you start.
Referring to the above image, again, locate and click the hyperlink halfway down thewindow that says “Create a Custom Volume.” An array creation window will open:- 83 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

SATA will be selected by default. PCIe primarily refers to PCIe / M.2 based NVMe
drives; the same basic steps do apply to both, however. Select SATA, and “Real-time
protection (RAID1).” Then, click Next at the bottom of the window.
RAID1 can only support two (2) drives. Left-click the open boxes from the list below
to select your two preferred drives. You may also name the array anything you like.
Although you have the option to define volume size, it is recommended to leave thearray at 100%, which is the default.

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In the Advanced tab, you can select the option to “Initialize Volume,” which will occur
after the array is created. If the array is not initialized now, it can be initialized later in“Disk Management.” See Page 93 for Disk Management instructions.
When done, click “Next” at the bottom.

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Review the summary provided on the confirmation screen. If you are unsure about any
selections made, click the “Back” key and make your corrections. When ready, click“Create Volume” at the bottom. This typically takes between a few seconds to a couple
minutes depending on the size and complexity of the volume. Once finished, you will
see the message below. The array is now ready to be partitioned, formatted, and used.

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Once you click the OK button on the RAID creation window you will be brought backto the main window, “Status” tab. If the option to initialize was selected, theinitialization status will be shown below, circled in red.

If you select the “Manage” tab, you can see a bit more in-depth information on the array
and additional options to manage or change the array.
Before thedrive can beused,however, thedrive must be
partitioned,
formatted,
and assigned
a drive letter.
Please see
Page 93 for
instructions.

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Repairing an array within IRST
This section of the guide will illustrate how to repair a degraded array from within the
IRST. For purposes of this guide, we are repairing a degraded RAID 1 array using athird drive plugged into the controller, but not currently in use.
Below, you can see a degraded array, and one of its drives reported as missing/failed.
The data on the other drive is still intact, but the fault tolerance is offline due to themissing/failed drive. The IRST also shows several warnings, the "!" for "Status," a"!" forthe portion of the array missing (showing the degradation of the logical drive), and the"!" for the physical drive, which also states 0GB – a further indicator of a faulty drive.
You can repair the array from here or from the Manage tab at the top of IRST.

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The “Manage” tab shows the array specifically, and not just the controller as a whole.

Next to “Status: Degraded,” left-click the hyperlink labeled “Rebuild to another disk.”This will bring a pop-up window over the IRST showing a list of attached drives thatcan be used for the repair (see pic on next page):- 90 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Select the drive you wish to use for the repair and click the “Rebuild” button.

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The rebuild process will begin. As with any RAID array with Fault Tolerance, therebuilding time depends on several factors, such as array size, array type, CPU, etc. You
will then see the Rebuild % status in the Manage tab. Once repairs are complete, thearray will update to “Status: Normal.”- 92 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Partitioning and Formatting a drive
Once you have created your array, either from UEFI or from IRST, you will not initially
see your array in “This PC.” This is expected, because even though you have created thearray, you have not yet prepared the array to be used.

To begin, you’ll need to go into Disk Management.
Windows 10: Right-click on the Windows Start buttonand select “Disk Management.” Alternatively, press the
Windows Key + X on your keyboard and select “DiskManagement.”- 93 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

After “Disk Management” loads, you’ll see a pop-up to Initialize Disk if you’ve added a
new drive or created a new array.
Generally, it’s recommended to select “GPT,” unless you need backwards compatibility
with an old OS or PC. When you’ve made your choice, click “OK.”
Note: If you previously initialized your array through IRST, you will skip this step andmove on to the New Simple Volume Wizard in the next step.

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Before you can assign a drive letter to a drive or array, the initialized disk must be
partitioned. If you are following this guide and just initialized your drive or array, the
New Simple Volume Wizard will automatically pop-up.
If your drive or array is initialized, but not partitioned, the disk will appear in DiskManagement as “Unallocated,” as shown in the image below. Right-click on the box
containing “Unallocated” and select “New Simple Volume” (this text may vary slightly
based on operating system). The New Simple Volume Wizard will pop-up.
When the window below opens, click “Next.”- 95 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Leave the size at default to create a partition using the entire volume of disk space, thenclick “Next.” Select the drive letter you want to represent this drive, then click “Next.”
Note: The drive letter does NOT have to be a consecutive letter with previous drive(s).
Also, the wizard will not allow you to accidentally select the letter of a drive in use.

The next step is to format the partition. Select your File System; NTFS is default, andgenerally recommended for most large drives. Check the box for “Perform a quick
Format.” You may rename the volume, or leave it at default. Click “Next” when ready.

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After the quick format is completed, you will see the last Window of the wizard, asummary of the process, then click “Finish.” The drive is now usable.

To confirm, go back to File Explorer in Windows. Click on “This PC” and check thedrives section. You should have a new empty drive there, with the letter you designated.

At this point the process of building an array and making it usable is completed.

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Fan Header DC and PWM setup
The SR-3 DARK supports both 4-pin PWM fans and 3-pin DC fans. The motherboard
uses eight 4-pin fan headers, including 2x CPU FAN (PWM), a CHA FAN (PWM/DC),a PWR FAN (PWM/DC), 3x SYS FAN (PWM/DC), and an AUX FAN (PWM/DC).
You can locate each header on Pages 16 and 17, component numbers 3 and 4.
To configure the fans in BIOS/UEFI, first power on / restart the PC. During the
POST sequence, press [Delete] repeatedly to get into the BIOS. Once in the BIOS, use
the arrow keys or your mouse to navigate, whichever is easier, and make your way to the“Advanced” – “H/W Monitor Configuration” menu.

Once into the H/W Monitor section, you can see the temperature monitors across the
top. Below the monitors, each fan is already configured in Smart mode, which means
the fan controller is using a Smart curve for fan controls. Each fan can be set to a
separate fan curve. To set a Smart curve, please see the guide starting at the top of thenext page.

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The +/- buttons next to Smart allow you to set your fans at a static speed percentage,
instead of a curve. If you set the speed too low, however, the fan may stall; the stall
speed will vary from fan to fan.
Below the fans, you will see the six (6) PWM/DC fans: SYS_FAN1, SYS_FAN2,
SYS_FAN3, CHA_FAN, PWR_FAN, and AUX_FAN. The fan controller willautomatically detect and set the fan to either PWM or DC.
Alternatively, the PWM/DC fan headers can be set to either PWM Mode or DC Mode,
which can be selected by clicking on the pulldown menu. DC Mode will power theheader using the static percentage set and the fan’s maximum speed. PWM Mode will
power the header and communicate via pulse with a supported PWM fan.
PWM mode is necessary if you are running a PWM fan powered by a different
connector, such as a molex, SATA, or 3-pin header not on the motherboard. If you
don’t select PWM mode in this scenario, the fan may run at 100%, or behave erratically,
regardless of the Smart Profile or percentage that you set above.

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To set a Smart curve, select the “Smart Fan Settings” and enter the menu.

First, choose the temperature monitor the PWM controller will use to monitor for its
temp information. It’s recommended to link the fan control to the CPU, which is
predominantly the most important temperature in the system. The exception is when
you have 32GB of heavily overclocked RAM, which may cause PWM temps to be aconcern. If this is a concern, set the fan control to the PWM temp.
Once you’ve set the Fan Control reference point, you can set the Default fan speed.
The fan speed will increase once the temperature reference point has heated up enoughto hit the Level 1 Temperature. Once it hits the Level 1 Temperature the fan controls
will override the Default speed setting based on the temperature at the time.

There are four tiers of temp control, with Level 4 fan speeds generally recommended to
be set at Max. The example above uses a fairly aggressive fan curve, but you can set thisas high or low as you wish. Make sure, however, to stay below 5-10C of the Max safe
load temp for your specific processor, which can be found at Ark.Intel.com. All Smart
Fan Settings have the same controls and can be setup the same way.

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When monitoring temperatures vs. fan speed, you may notice a variance in ramp
up/down temps; this is due to a function EVGA hardcodes into the BIOS called
Hysteresis. Hysteresis builds in a buffer to control fan speed behavior. This feature
prevents a constant ramp up/down from happening when your system sits exactly at thetemp you set for SMART fan controls. For example, if your setting is at 30C and you
hit 31C, the fan will ramp up and cool down to 29C, letting the fan slowdown, whichlets the system heat back up to 31C again, repeating indefinitely and causes the system tosound like it’s breathing. Hysteresis adds a 4C +/- buffer for CPU and PWM, and 2C+/- for SYS. This means that once a fan based on the CPU or PWM temp brings you
down to 30C, it will not ramp back up until 34C, so you have a buffer. If you base thefan control on the SYS temp, you will only see 2C variance.

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Setting Up SLI and PhysXSLI and PhysX are NVIDIA developed technologies supported by EVGA
motherboards. SLI is a means of dividing the graphical load between multiple video
cards, similar in theory to how dual- or quad-channel memory works, or even how
RAID0 works. However, the software (e.g. game) needs to support SLI to gain fromthis technology.
PhysX is an NVIDIA technology that can be assigned to a graphics card or CPU for
programs supporting NVidia PhysX. As long as the PhysX driver is installed, which
occurs during a normal NVidia GeForce driver installation, the system will allocate
resources to support PhysX based on CPU or GPU load. You may, however, go into
the NVIDIA Control Panel and dedicate the CPU or a GPU to this function manually.
For a complete list of NVIDIA PhysX supported titles, please see this link:
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/physx/games.
SLI requires two or more video cards that support SLI; have the same GPU family(GTX 2080 Ti, GTX 980, etc.); have the same memory type (GDDR6, GDDR5X, etc.),
volume (11GB, 8GB, etc.), and datapath width (128bit, 256bit, 384bit, etc.). SLI also
requires a motherboard that supports SLI, and an SLI or NVLink bridge for each cardin SLI. Providing the above conditions are met, compatible graphics cards withdifferent GPU and/or memory clock speeds will not prevent SLI from being enabled.
Note: For questions and concerns regarding NVidia Surround ™ and full setup instructions,please see http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/surround/systemrequirements. As the possible combinations of setups between SLI, monitors, andcabling are far too vast to label in this manual, also see http://www.geforce.com/whatsnew/guides/how-to-correctly-configure-geforce-gtx-680-surround for a basic setup
walkthrough.

Installation:
1. Physically install your graphics cards, then install an SLI or NVLink bridge; examples
include a Flexible bridge (included with this motherboard), an EVGA HB Bridge or
NVLink Bridge. Current NVidia graphics drivers support 600 Series cards up throughGTX 2080 Ti and Titan RTX cards. Driver support is determined by NVIDIA; pleasecheck GeForce.com to confirm compatibility with drivers and SLI.

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Once the graphics cards are physically installed, connect an SLI or NVLink Bridge; yourcards should look similar to either picture below:

2. After the cards are installed, have power connected, and the SLI/NVLink bridge is
attached, boot into Windows. The graphics driver will normally identify the cards andautomatically configure the driver. If not, then you may need to reinstall the driver.

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Once finished, you will receive a popup in the lower right corner stating that you havean SLI capable setup and it needs to be configured. If you did not see the message, thenfirst verify that both cards are detected and functioning
without system errors from Windows Device manager.
Right-click on the Start menu and select Device Manager.
Under “Display Adapters” you should see the type andnumber of video cards you have installed.

3. Once you have verified there are no detection/driver
installation issues with the cards, you can enable SLI.
Right-click on the desktop and select “NVIDIA Control
Panel” (“NCP”).
Next, select “Configure SLI, Surround, PhysX” under the“3D Settings” menu. The default is “Disable SLI.”To enable SLI, click “Maximize 3D Performance,” circled in
red below, and click “Apply” at the bottom.

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Before you can enable SLI, the NCP may ask you to close certain programs andprocesses; you cannot continue further until this is completed.
At this point the display may go black a few times, or appear to change resolution andback again quickly; this is normal. Also, if you are running a G-Sync monitor, it will turnoff and on during this process, which may take between 5-20 seconds, approximately.
4. Once finished, your SLI configuration should look similar to the image below. The
key aspects that show all is well are circled.

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5. OPTIONAL. With multiple cards,
you can assign one to PhysX, but we
do not advise choosing that OVER
SLI, because SLI will provide
substantially larger performance gains.
In general, leaving PhysX on “AutoSelect (recommended)” isrecommended. When left on Auto,your PC will adjust the PhysX duties
based on overall system load, which, inmany cases, will be the CPU.
Otherwise, manually setting the PhysX
processor is best when a spare graphics
card is in the system.
While SLI is a direct performance enhancement PhysX is used for visual enhancement,
allowing the physics of various items in the environment to be calculated live. A
dedicated PhysX card keeps the load localized to a device that has no other current
function. Although frame rates may only increase slightly, a dedicated PhysX card keeps
the frame rate from spiking in either direction when there are very intense and abrupt
uses of PhysX. For certain titles that heavily utilize PhysX, a dedicated PhysX card canbe beneficial to help stabilize the frame rate.
If you do not have a spare card to dedicate to PhysX then it is advised to leave the
PhysX Setting to "Auto-Select (recommended)." The general rule of thumb for needing
dedicated PhysX is this: Does your game support NVidia PhysX? (Yes or No). If “No,”then a dedicated PhysX card serves no purpose. If “Yes,” then the next step is to see if
your GPU has a high usage rate while playing normally. Use a program like EVGA
Precision XOC to monitor the GPU usage of all current video cards. If the GPU isconsistently over 75% usage, the GPU usage occasionally maxes out and the frame ratedrops in moments of intense action, then dedicating a card may be beneficial. However,if this does not occur in your setup, then leaving your system to handle the PhysX load
without a dedicated card should be fine, since the default setting will balance the PhysX
processing between the GPU and CPU based on load at any given moment.
If you need further help setting up SLI/PhysX, please contact EVGA Customer Service.

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Creative Labs Sound Blaster Pro Studio
The SR-3 DARK uses a 5.1 Creative Labs CA0132 audio controller. This section will
cover installation of the controller (in Windows 10) and the basic configuration options
that are available in the software.
To begin, use your installation DVD or download the current Creative drivers fromwww.evga.com/support/download. Once the zip file is downloaded, extract the folder.
Open the “Creative” folder, go into the “Audio” folder and launch “Setup.” Oncelaunched, select “Next” on the installation window, select “Modify,” then click “Next.”
The install options for software components will appear, and click “Next” when you’reready to proceed. *Note*: Depending on your version of Windows and/or installedsoftware, you may only have the option to Install the Sound Blaster software, rather
than Modify, Repair, or Remove.

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You’ll have one last prompt to go back and make any last minute changes before
proceeding with the installation. When ready, click “Install” to begin the installation
with the selected options. Once the install process is complete, click “Finish.” A final
window will pop-up informing you that the installation is complete and prompt you toreboot to complete the installation.

Once you have rebooted and re-entered Windows, there should be a
new shortcut in the system tray with a Blue-Green box around SB.
When you mouse over the icon, it reads “Sound Blaster Recon 3Di
Control Panel.” Left-click on the icon, and the Sound Blaster suite will
launch.

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The below images are all composites, showing the tooltips for multiple buttons andmenus on screen at the same time to reduce picture clutter; your experience will differ,as each button and panel must be hover at individually to see the same tooltips in theSound Blaster Recon 3Di Control Panel.
Once the Pro Studio software is open, you can configure several aspects of your audio.
The “SBX Pro Studio” is the first section on the left menubar. The SBX Pro Studio is a virtual studio that will takeyour audio source, simulate the effects based on yoursettings, then outputs the resampled audio to yourspeakers. Disable the SBX Studio if you prefer the naturalsound of your audio. Please see the next page for an imageof this section.
At the upper-left of the Pro Studio area is the On/Off for
the SBX controls. It is on by default, and must remain on
to use any of the available SBX options.
“Surround” can be enabled or disabled. SBX Surroundprovides immersion control to enhance the natural senseof audio depth and spaciousness by creating virtual
surround sound channels. Stereo content or multi-channel
content played over stereo speakers and headphones willsound as if it's coming from all sides while voices remain
centered in front and original balance and timbre ispreserved. The effect is simulated by remixing the audio
source based on the virtual speaker configuration, adjusted by the slider bar. If you havea quadraphonic or 5.1 speaker configuration, this setting is unnecessary for surround;however, this setting can enhance the effect. The “Test” button plays an audio file withsurround features to help you adjust the slider until you are satisfied with the surroundeffect. This setting is essential if you are trying to use a stereo configuration (i.e.
headphones) with simulated surround (i.e. for gaming).
“Crystalizer” enhances the dynamic range of your compressed audio source to give youa more realistic experience. When audio is compressed, it loses some data around thehigh and low frequency range. Crystalizer simulates some of the lost data to restore thelost dynamic range to enhance the sound, often enhancing percussive sounds. Move theslider bar to the left to lessen the effect, and move the bar right to increase the effect.
The “Bass” setting fills in the missing low frequency tones and gives the extra impact fora better entertainment experience. This does not change the bass source, but rather- 109 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

amplifies it. A subwoofer is not necessary, but the quality of your audio equipment will
determine how far you can raise the slider before the audio becomes distorted“Crossover Frequency” should be adjusted based on your audio equipment. This setting
controls the frequency cutoff for speakers and subwoofer. To properly adjust thissetting, please see the guide for crossover frequency on Page 120.
“Smart Volume” addresses the problem of abrupt volume level changes during audio
playback by automatically and continuously measuring volume, and intelligently applying
gain and attenuation to compensate for those changes. This helps to reduce the sudden
dips and spikes in volume in order to sustain a narrower decibel range. In other words,
it will “chop off” decibel levels higher and lower based on the range specified by the
options. There are three presets and each can be adjusted using the slider. “Normal”
keeps the volume skewed towards a centered decibel level. “Loud” skews the volume
towards a higher decibel range. Finally, “Night” skews the volume level towards alower decibel range.
The last check box is “Dialog Plus.” This volume control amplifies voices to makedialog clearer in the midst of other audio content, including music, action sounds, orother ambient noises.

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The next section is“CrystalVoice,” which
covers microphone
controls. Using the image
to the right, the pulldown
menu displays the current
default recording, andallows you to switch
between other connectedrecording devices, if present. The upper-right button,
outlined in red, allows you to select whether the recording

device is a Rear Microphone or Line-In device.

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The CrystalVoice menu can be enabled or disabled by clicking the On/Off button. If
you prefer the sound of your recorded voice without enhancement, leave this off.
Mic Recording Volume adjusts the level of volume that will be picked up by the mic –including background noise – and played back to listeners or captured by a recording.
This setting is the easiest way to make quick adjustments to your voice level.
Mic Boost is used to increase the gain of the recording device. Whereas Mic Recording
Volume is more of a fine-tune option for volume, Mic Boost is designed to make sure
you’re at the correct volume level to allow for fine-tuning.
“CrystalVoice,” similar to the SBX above, enables the voice tools in the lower section.
Similar also to the SBX, disable this if you prefer the natural sound of your recording
audio rather than utilize the features.
“FX” will be covered on the next page.
“Smart Volume” automatically adjusts the loudness of the speaker's voice to maintain aconsistent volume level. This makes it convenient for the speaker to converse normally,
regardless of whether the speaker is close to or far away from the microphone.
“Noise Reduction” is used to help filter out background noise such as other voices, fannoise or any other ambient sound that a mic might hear.
“Acoustic Noise Cancellation” is used to eliminate echoes and enables your listener(s) tohear you more clearly. Enabling this setting will cut down on audio artifacts caused byproximity to walls or unusual room acoustics, as well as noise picked up from your front
speakers.

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CrystalVoice FX enables the speaker's voice to be altered with a variety of effects, which
can be used to enhance the tone of the speaker's voice, create interesting accents, or tosound like a completely different person.
The “FX” checkbox enables several preset voice modifications. Neutral will leave yourvoice as it naturally sounds (this is the default option while you have the FX box
checked); all other options from the pulldown menu will modify your voice based on
their settings.
Needless to say, this feature is designed to have fun with the person to whom you are
speaking. Neither Creative nor EVGA guarantees that you will actually sound like anyof these options.

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Scout mode is a setting specifically for video games and, more specifically, first-person
shooters. Enabling Scout Mode will reduce the sound from music, voices, explosions,etc. and amplify the sounds of footsteps, brush, and ambient noises without raising theoverall volume. This setting is specifically meant for an advantage in competitive play.
It is NOT recommended for RTS/TBS games, RPGs, TV/Movies, or anything else
where you would prefer an immersive experience.
Creative added the option to configure Hot Keys to enable/disable this feature. Even if
you enjoy using this feature, you may not want to keep it enabled the entire time you areplaying, or you may prefer to use it only in certain circumstances. By creating a Hot Key
configuration, you can quickly enable or disable Scout Mode without leaving your game.

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The “Speaker/Headphones” section will provide
configuration options for Speakers in a 2.0/2.1, 5.1
Surround, or Headphones. Please review the Component
Legend on Page 18 to make sure you connect your audio
device(s) to the correct port(s).
At the top, you’ll notice a slider bar for Speakers or
Headphones. This option only has two selections, andswitches between your Speaker and Headphone settings.
You’ll also see a pulldown menu, which features
Headphones, 2.0/2.1 and 5.1.
Selecting Headphones from the pulldown menu switches the slider at the top to use theheadphones port; selecting 2.0/2.1 or 5.1 switches the slider at the top to Speakers, touse the speaker ports. Although headphones can be plugged into either the Light Greenor DARK Green port, it is highly recommended to use the DARK Green port, as thisenables certain features to be configured properly for headphones (e.g. SBX Surround).
By default, the selected speaker option is 2.0/2.1. This setup requires your audio device
to be plugged into the Light Green port. The only configuration option provided forthis setup is whether your speakers are Full-Range.
Speakers either fall into full-range or component speakers. Despite the speaker icon
switching between large and small when the full-range option is enabled or disabled,
respectively, actual speaker size has little to do with whether they are full-range or not.
Full-range speakers are designed using drivers that can independently output audio
across a wide frequency response of 20Hz-20,000Hz +/- 3dB at the same volume level.
When this setting is enabled, Creative will disable its crossover filter and send the full
frequency range to the speakers, whereupon the speakers will engage its own hardware
crossover filters to appropriately direct audio to the individual drivers.
If your speakers are not full-range, they will not have necessary hardware components toplay low frequencies, nor are they designed for that purpose. When the full-range
option is unchecked, the Pro Studio will instead send the full-signal out using crossover
filters or, as the Pro Studio calls it, bass redirection. This sort of signal will send out thefull audio frequency such that the majority of the frequency will go to the speakers, but
direct the low frequencies to a subwoofer. This way, you’ll still get the same sound, but
you must select the correct options.

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To determine if your speakers are full-range or not, you must look at the minimum
frequency response of your speakers. The concern is not the high-end of the frequency
response, but rather the low-end. As noted above, if your speakers are not rated for aminimum of 20Hz, then they are not full-range speakers. Here are some considerations:
•

•

•

•
•

•

Assume your speakers are not full-range. Modern speaker design uses a
subwoofer to handle the relatively small percentage of content you hear in an
audio signal. Low frequency content, more commonly known as sub-bass, isgreatly amplified by the subwoofer, which explains why the smallest percentageof your audio content can often be the loudest. The subwoofer allows the
speakers to concentrate on the remaining 99%+ of the audible frequency
bandwidth.
Generally, if your speakers came with a subwoofer, they are not full-range
speakers. As noted above, subwoofers are designed, in part, to allow speakers
to stay clear of the low frequencies. When examining the specs of the speakers,
make sure to look at the frequency response specifically of the speakers, and notjust the specs of the speaker system. Sometimes, the most easily available specs
may include the subwoofer, which can go as low as 18Hz +/-2 dB; theminimum frequency of the speakers, however, may be much higher.
If you have a 2.0 stereo setup, look for the frequency response specs. If they do
not have at least a 20Hz to 20kHz range, then they are not full-range speakers.
You may try full-range, but you will lose any audio data below the minimum
frequency of your speakers or may hear distortion at lower frequencies.
Headphones tend to be full-range speakers, as they are designed to operate
without a subwoofer. However, the quality of your headphones will determine
whether you should configure them as full-range or not.
If you use a receiver or your speaker system is run through your subwoofer, do
not use the full-range setting in the Creative panel without consulting the
instructions for your receiver or speaker system, since it’s possible that youraudio system prefers to be set to full-range, so that the receiver or speakersystem will utilize its own crossover settings once receiving the full audio range.
Lastly, audio equipment quality will have the greatest effect on whether you
should set full-range, or not. Very few speakers are properly designed for fullrange audio, and if they are, then they will likely be very expensive.

Two last considerations: First, do not set Headphones to full-range if using the SBXSurround option, as Surround will not work properly in full-range mode. Second, do
not enable full-range mode for 5.1 audio or the bass redirection will not work properly.
The only exceptions to 5.1 and full-range is that you either 1) have a full or partial set of- 116 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

full-range speakers in your setup, or 2) you are using a receiver or speaker system that
prefers to handle the low frequency crossover at the receiver or speaker system, rather
than using the Pro Studio to configure the crossover settings for low frequencies.
Below is the example of both standard and full-range speakers. When Full-Range ischecked, the speaker icons enlarge to show full-range is enabled.
The “Test” button at the bottom will play sounds from both satellite speakers to ensure
they are functioning properly, or you can click just one to test that specific speaker.

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In 5.1 mode, you can toggle the center channel, subwoofer, and rear satellite speakers on
and off from this menu. If any of the satellites are disabled, the sound readjusts toensure you receive full sound, albeit balanced through the selected speakers.

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In the lower section there is an option
for “Full-Range” speakers. You must
set the front speakers to Full-Range
before the Full-Range option becomes
available for Surround speakers. If you
are unsure if your speakers are full-range
or not, please see the previous section
on Page 116.
As in the previous section, enabling FullRange will show the speaker icon larger
than when disabled. In the images tothe right, you’ll see the three options forfull-range speakers illustrated.
The top image shows a 5.1 system withno full-range speakers enabled. The
middle image shows only the front
channel in full-range mode and thesatellites and subwoofer in standard
mode. Lastly, the bottom image showsthe entire surround system in full-range
mode. The checkboxes enable them,and the visual differences in the speakerreference will show at a quick glance
which are actively in full-range mode.

The last section is “Bass Management.” Clicking on “Bass Redirection” enables the
Crossover Frequency slider to balance what goes to the subwoofer and satellites. Thissetting generally will not provide much benefit to headphones, because the bass
redirection occurs inside the headphone through its own crossover filters.

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On a system that does not use full-range speakers, this is a crucial setting for ensuringthat your speaker system correctly plays low frequencies. The default frequency is set to
80Hz, but your system may need adjustment.
To properly set the crossover frequency, look at the specs for both your speakers andsubwoofer. Some pre-assembled speaker systems may tell you what to set the crossover
frequency to in your instruction manual. If not, then look for the minimum frequency
response of your speakers (i.e. 75Hz, 80Hz, 175Hz, etc.), and the maximum frequency
response of your subwoofer (i.e. 60Hz, 80Hz, 120Hz). Once you have that information,
you can set the crossover frequency.
Ideally, you’ll want to make sure that the crossover settings provide enough room to set
the crossover frequency a little higher than your speakers’ minimum frequency response,
which will reduce distortion and provide a smoother transition to your subwoofer. A
good rule of thumb is to set the crossover frequency about 20Hz higher than yourminimum speaker frequency response. However, you may run into three different
scenarios:
First, the frequency response of your speakers (e.g. 60Hz) and subwoofer (e.g. 100Hz)
nicely overlap. This is ideal. Using the general rule above, you would set the crossover
frequency to 80Hz and call it a day. You should still test the audio to ensure it is free ofdistortions, but this provides enough room to pass the low frequencies to the subwoofer
and keep the higher frequencies to the speakers, without creating a conflict.
Second, the maximum frequency response of your subwoofers is exactly the same as theminimum frequency response of your speakers. In this case, you must set the crossover
frequency exactly to where the subwoofer and speakers meet.
Third, you may have a situation where your speakers’ minimum frequency response (e.g.
100Hz) is higher than your subwoofer’s maximum frequency response (e.g. 80Hz). Thisshould only happen if you purchased the subwoofer separately from the speakers. This
setup cannot work properly, and you must replace either the speakers or subwoofer.
Although you can adjust the setting to either the subwoofer’s maximum frequency
response or your speakers’ minimum frequency response, you’ll lose the audio data
between those frequencies.
The last option is “Subwoofer Gain.” When enabled, there will be significantly morebass and subwoofer volume. This is a simulated gain, so you may find increased
distortion based on the amount you set, and the quality of your subwoofer.

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As with any speaker or microphone setting, your audio equipment will have a significant
effect on audio quality and effectiveness of multiple settings. For example, somemicrophones already equip some degree of noise or echo cancellation and do not benefit
further from Creative’s CrystalVoice options. Likewise, even for microphones that do
not have built-in noise or echo cancellation, Creative’s cancellation effects may create
distortion or other audio problems. Similarly, two different sets of speakers or
headphones may require vastly different settings to provide the best sound quality for agiven game or type of music. This guide will help you to get started and understand thebasics of getting around the Creative control panel, but it will be up to you to test yourown equipment to determine the effectiveness and usefulness of the various settings
outlined above in the Creative Sound Blaster Pro Studio guide.

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The Mixer section is where you can control volume levels,
balance, input jacks, stereo volume for all input and output
devices, and master volume for all sections.
The top setting is “Speakers,” which is the Windows main
volume; this is the same control attached to the system tray
speaker icon for every Windows-based PC. Click the gear
icon to the right of Speakers to open the controls for theindividual satellite components.
The second option down is “SPDIF-Out.” This slider willcontrol master S/PDIF volume for the optical out
component on the IO Hub, which is a header dedicated for
attaching a receiver, TV, or sound bar. Click on the gear icon
to the right to open the option for left and right channel volume balance.
The third component down is the “Input Device” icon, which allows you to configure
the Rear Input Device.
The last selection under Recording is the “What you hear” slider, which is the mastervolume for Creative’s stereo mix recording feature. This feature is separate frommicrophone settings.

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The “Equalizer” section provides a software-based EQ
with several preset built-in tools to manually to makecustom balances for any type of music, game, or movie.
By default, the equalizer is disabled, leaving all frequency
bands at a median.

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Click on the “EQ” button in the upperleft corner to enable the “EQ”
functionality.
Once enabled, the pulldown menu for
EQ presets and manual controls becomes
available. The default EQ setting is“Flat,” which means no specificoptimization. There are 10 EQ presets tochoose from. We recommend testing tosee how accurate they will be for yourspecific audio system, since the presets
are meant to be compatible with a wide
range of audio devices.
If you opt to make a custom
profile, adjust the sliders to fit
your sound system and audio
preferences. Enter a profile
name, then click Save.

After the profile has been set,
named and saved, the profile will now appear in the
pulldown menu for use; see the image to the right.
The selection will go into effect instantly, as soon
as you select a new EQ mix even if there are music,
movies, games running.

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The final tab of the Sound Blaster Audio Suite is the“Advanced Features” tab. This tab has the singular option
to enable or disable “Play stereo mix to digital output”.

Check this box to enable output through SPDIF andspeaker simultaneously. With this enabled, however, there
can be significant latency between the analog and digital
output.
To play Stereo Mix, make sure to enable the “Play stereo mix to digital output” first.
Next, configure the Speakers as the default playback device under the Windows Control
Panel for Playback Devices.
With Stereo Mix enabled, audio effects like SBX Pro Studio, EAX, Equalizer and others
can be applied to the digital output. Without this feature, audio effects can only be heard
through analog speakers or through headphones out.
As noted above, enabling this may create some latency between the audio source andaudio playback. Here’s an example of what this means: When streaming television,
movies, or other recordings, you likely will not notice any difference; the latency isn’t
enough to bother your immersion or even suggest that there is latency. However, if
you’re playing a game with this setting enabled, and the game requires you to press abutton at exactly the moment you hear a sound, you’ll likely find that there is a smallenough latency to throw you off. You’ll know the latency is caused by this setting if you
disable this setting, set the Windows Default Playback device to Digital Output (SPDIF),
test the game again, and find your success rate increases significantly. There is no “cure”
for this latency since audio must be remixed before it can be passed to the output. If
this latency causes problems, then you will need to simply set Digital Output as yourdefault playback device.
The last section on the left menu is the profile section. This will allow you to save all
settings done across all sections as a preset, and load the profile as needed.

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Using the ELEET X1 Software SuiteEVGA ELEET X1 is a monitoring and tuning software designed for EVGA
motherboards, which is available on the included USB drive and the EVGA website atwww.evga.com/eleetx1.
After installation, run ELEET X1. The left-hand side of the display contains system
information about your motherboard, including the CPU, per-core CPU clock
speed/voltage/temperature, and memory information. This information is displayed inreal-time and is available at all times, regardless of which tab is selected.
The first tab is “Overclocking,” which covers adjustments to each Core multiplier, Meshratio and various voltages, which provides a level of voltage control similar to what isavailable in the BIOS.

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As seen above, there are options for multiple voltages, and two options for your CPU
Vcore and Vmesh: Adaptive and Override voltages. Adaptive allows for a tighter
voltage profile to keep voltage and heat to a minimum, while Override is more of abrute-force method of setting your voltage. One primary advantage of using a stable
Adaptive voltage is that it allows your CPU to properly take advantage of C-States andenergy saving features, which can extend the lifespan of your CPU.
Adaptive requires you to set both a Target Voltage and an Offset Voltage. Start by
setting your Target Voltage, which represents the voltage necessary to run stable (orclose to it), even under load. One way to determine this is by stress-testing your CPU
with your desired overclock. Offset voltage can then be used to fine-tune additional
voltage that may be required under load or stress situations.
Override is simply a static voltage. Outside of extreme benching, this setting is typicallynot needed or ideal for the longevity of the CPU, since voltages are meant to fluctuate
based on load. Alternatively, this can be used in the early stages of overclocking to findyour Target voltage, before switching back to Adaptive.

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Other voltages do not utilize the Adaptive or Override voltage settings. Instead, theseuse a pulldown menu to select preset voltages, as shown above. The voltages for thesecomponents are set by detection during POST, and ELEET X1 will open the pulldown
to the currently detected voltage. Please be careful when adjusting voltages, as there arerisks to running electronics out of spec. Although EVGA warranties overclocking,other components are manufactured by different brands (i.e. RAM and CPU), which
may have different policies towards overclocking.
When your changes are complete, click “Apply” to accept and apply the new settings, or
click “Default” to restore stock settings.
To Save a profile, first configure and apply any and all settings. Next, click on any of the
profiles on the right side of the screen. Saved profiles show a ring around the profile,
while empty profiles have no outline. When you click on one of the profiles, it will befilled in. If you have previously saved a profile here, click “Load” to apply your profile.
Once loaded, you may close ELEET X1 and continue to use the new settings.

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The next tab is “Monitoring,” which contains real-time system information of voltages,
temperatures, and fan speed information. Please note that all readings on this page arepulled from motherboard sensors, and change dynamically. Temperatures and voltages
are measured at fixed intervals, which can often make the readings appear to jump backand forth. Furthermore, voltages on modern motherboards often closely respond tochanges in load, meaning that voltage readings will change based on load and usage,
which is normal.

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The Monitoring page only supports a static readout of each voltage, temperature, andfan speed. Settings cannot be adjusted or manipulated on this page.

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The “System” tab provides more detailed information on the motherboard, CPU, andmemory. Here, you can find the motherboard specs and BIOS date and version.

Additional CPU details are provided, including the Stepping, Revision, Instructions, andCache layout.

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Lastly, additional memory information is available for secondary memory timings, aswell as the type and number of channels being used.
Note – The “Memory” tab is not available for the SR-3 DARK, because themotherboard does not support memory timing adjustments through the software.
Adjustments may still be made in the BIOS.

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The Setup menu gives you control over basic program and OS startup behavior, alongwith the ability to check for new updates.
This has been the ELEET X1 utility overview, which should give you a solid start tounderstanding and using the ELEET X1 software suite.
*EVGA ELEET X1 is still undergoing final testing and design modifications at the timeof this manual’s printing. Final GUI design, menus, and functionality may be subject tochange.

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Installing Drivers and Software

Note:

It is important to remember that before installing the drivers included in thekit, you must first load or install your operating system. The motherboard
natively supports 64bit versions of Windows 10.

The kit comes with a USB flash drive that contains utilities, drivers, andadditional software.
The USB flash drive that has been shipped with the EVGA SR-3 DARK
Motherboard contains the following software and drivers:❑ Chipset Drivers❑ Audio Drivers❑ RAID Drivers❑ LAN Drivers❑ ME Drivers❑ EVGA ELEET X1❑ User’s Manual

Windows 10 Driver Installation
1. Insert the USB flash drive included in your EVGA SR-3 DARK
motherboard kit into a USB port on your case or a USB port on themotherboard’s rear I/O panel.
2. Double-click the “Autorun” application file.

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3. The EVGA Driver Utility Screen will appear.

4. EVGA strongly recommends that you install the motherboard drivers first,
followed by rebooting your system. Next, install the Intel Rapid Storage
drivers and reboot.
5. The Driver Utility Screen also contains helpful links to give you more
information about your new EVGA motherboard and additional resources
to get started. The SR-3 DARK manual is available through this utility andwithin the USB flash drive directly.
6. EVGA also encourages you to register your motherboard online by either
clicking on the Online Registration button in the Driver Utility, or byvisiting https://www.evga.com/register.

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Warranty and Overclocking
EVGA’s motherboard and graphics card components are designed for and intended forenthusiasts. To be perfectly clear, overclocking will NOT VOID your EVGA
warranty. This means that you are free to do any type or level of overclocking you like,including traditional means, such as by using the BIOS/UEFI (for motherboards);
software overclocking with EVGA utilities, such as Precision X1 or ELEET X1; or eventhird-party software utilities. If the motherboard or card fails due to overclocking,you’re covered.
Likewise, EVGA understands that enthusiasts are not always satisfied with the provided
stock cooling options. Replacing heatsinks, fans, or thermal grease will NOT VOID
your warranty. Want to install a waterblock on your new motherboard or graphics card?
No problem. Planning on a long benching session with a DICE/LN2 pot? Good luckon the benching, but your warranty will still be intact after you’ve set new world records.
Of course, there are some limitations to our warranties. If an EVGA motherboard orgraphics card sustains physical (i.e. damage to the PCB or component due to slippage
with a hand tool) or liquid damage, the warranty is void. Similarly, permanent changes
to components or the PCB will void your warranty, including the removal of preattached components soldered to the board, or the addition of components that are notremovable without heat or solvents. In other words, you may use Precision X1 to raisethe voltage on your graphics card while overclocking, but you may not solder on anotherpower connector as an alternative.
If the product fails within the warranty period, you must return the product to its
original factory configuration. This means ALL original heatsinks and fans must be
reattached as they were when it was first shipped. Even if the product no longer works,
it must be returned to its original state before sending it in. If you no longer have theoriginal heatsinks you may be charged for the missing parts.
The EVGA warranty covers overclocking ONLY to EVGA products; EVGA is NOT
responsible for damage caused to components manufactured by other companies.
Before overclocking your system, check with the manufacturer of your othercomponents to ensure that you will not void the warranty on those parts due tooverclocking. Due to the uniqueness of every system, EVGA Customer Support cannot
assist you with overclocking. For overclocking assistance, please visit our Community
Forums at http://forums.evga.com.

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Troubleshooting
Replacing a BIOS chip
Replacing a BIOS chip is typically unnecessary. In most cases, this is only needed after
one of the following:•••

Power failure during a BIOS update
Failed overclock that does not recover after a hard CMOS reset
Your motherboard was purchased just as a new line of CPUs were being
released and you purchased the motherboard and one of the new CPUs at thesame time (e.g. The Intel® Broadwell CPUs launched approximately ninemonths after the Z97 motherboards launched). Chances are, if you purchased
the board and CPU together in that timeframe, retail motherboards may nothave the latest BIOS with compatibility added for that new CPU, and the board
may need a BIOS update to be able to POST successfully.

FOR ANY AND ALL INSTANCES WHERE YOU THINK YOU MAY NEEDA REPLACEMENT BIOS CHIP, PLEASE CALL CUSTOMER SERVICEIMMEDIATELY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPLACE THE BIOS CHIP
WITH ONE **NOT** SUPPLIED BY EVGA, AS EVGA CANNOT
OTHERWISE GUARANTEE COMPATIBILITY. CONTACTINFORMATION, HOURS, AND LOCATIONS FOR ALL EVGA CUSTOMERSUPPORT OFFICES CAN BE FOUND HERE:
http://www.evga.com/about/contactus/- 137 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

The steps for replacement below assume you have already contacted EVGA Customer
Support and have received a pre-flashed replacement chip directly from EVGA.
Note:

Steps 2, 3 and 4, and the images for each were devised using another EVGA
motherboard. The SR-3 DARK BIOS chip socket is visually different, but thestep methodology will be the same. Confirm that the BIOS chip “mark”, as
noted in Step 2 and 3, properly aligns with the white arrow on the SR-3 BIOS
socket, as seen in Step 1.

1. Locate the housing for the chip on themotherboard. It should be located behind
the SATA ports, near the right side for theSR-3 DARK. The chip will NOT beplainly visible, but under a set of grayplastic doors that keep the chip in place.
2. There is a circular mark on the bottom
right of the BIOS chip, which is used foralignment (Circled in red) with the whitearrow next to the socket (Circled in blue).
This chip **IS DIRECTIONAL** andinserting the replacement backwards willcause immediate failure of themotherboard and BIOS chip, including
the potential for fire or smoke from the socket.
a.

As a tip, the doors will only close
correctly if the chip is mated withthe socket. If the chip is notproperly aligned, the door will not
fully close without force, which
will cause warping or damage tothe door.

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3. Remove the BIOS chip by lifting it straight up.
Set it aside and insert the replacement chip.
Once installed, close the left door first and theright door second, making sure both latch into
place; you will feel a click when this happens. It
is normal if the chip moves a little in the socket
when closing the left door. Lastly, close theright door. Once both doors are closed, you’ve
successfully replaced the BIOS chip.

4. NOTE: THE IMAGES BELOW ARE USED TO SHOW WHAT
HAPPENS IF YOU ATTEMPT TO INSTALL THE BIOS CHIP**INCORRECTLY**:a.

If the chip is not properly aligned,
the pins will seat but the top mayslightly overhang the socket, making
it impossible to properly seat thedoor.

b. When you push the left door, thechip will lift off the right side pins
and the door will *NOT* fully close;even if you attempt to close the rightdoor, it will not close completely. In
the last picture, you can see the resultof trying to close both doors with thechip installed incorrectly: neither will
fully close. If forced, you will breakthe doors off.

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Flashing the BIOS
The motherboard BIOS of your SR-3 DARK will sometimes need to be updated tocorrect bugs, improve performance, and sometimes add features. The latest
motherboard BIOS can be found at https://www.evga.com/drivers. Select theMotherboard tab, select the C622 Chipset, 160-CX-W999 for the motherboard, andselect BIOS to see the most recent BIOS versions.
You may update the motherboard BIOS in several ways, as we provide a method toflash via Windows, update via USB from within the BIOS, or update using the force
method described below in the section, “Flashing the BIOS Without a CPU”.
For ease of use, you may use the included USB flash drive provided with yourmotherboard kit. If you use a different USB flash drive, please make sure to properly
format the flash drive to FAT32 before trying to flash the BIOS.
A. To flash via Windows:
a. Download the latest motherboard BIOS from the EVGA Download page,linked above.
b. Unzip the downloaded file to your desktop.
c. Make sure to close all open software and applications.
d. Open the folder and double-click the “Update.bat” file.
e. The flash utility will begin. If prompted, type “Y” to begin the flash.
f. DO NOT TURN OFF THE MOTHERBOARD UNTIL THE FLASH ISCOMPLETE.
g. When complete, the motherboard will automatically shut down. Power on themotherboard to go into the motherboard BIOS.
h. When you see the SR-3 DARK splash screen, quickly tap the Delete key toenter the BIOS. Confirm that the BIOS has been updated to the latest version
by checking the BIOS version (located in the bottom-right of the screen) with
the BIOS version you downloaded.
Note:

If the flash box immediately closes after running Update.bat, you may need to
run Update.bat from a command prompt with administrator privileges, or rightclick Update.bat and select “Run as administrator”.

B. To flash from within the SR-3 DARK BIOS:
a. Download the latest motherboard BIOS, and unzip the file to your desktop.
b. Drag the unzipped folder into your USB flash drive.

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c. Reboot the motherboard. When the SR-3 DARK splash screen appears, tap the
Delete key to enter the BIOS.
d. Once inside the BIOS, navigate to the
EXTRAS tab, and select BIOS Update:e. Navigate to the folder containing the BIOS
files. Select the correct .bin file from thedropdown list.
f. After selecting the file, confirm that you wish
to update the motherboard BIOS.
g. After confirming the download, you’ll see anindication that the BIOS is updating.

DO NOT POWER OFF THE MOTHERBOARD WHILE THE BIOS IS
UPDATING.
h. Once the update is finished, themotherboard will power off. Power on themotherboard and enter the BIOS, using themethod described above. It is normal to see
an error message after updating your BIOS
such as the one below:i.

Confirm that the BIOS has been updated to the latest version by checking theBIOS version (located in the bottom-right of the screen) with the BIOS version
you downloaded.
Note:Your USB flash drive must be formatted as FAT32, or this method of flashing
the BIOS will not work. The USB flash drive included with your motherboard isalready properly formatted to FAT32. If you plan to use your own USB flash
drive, however, please make sure the file system is correct before attempting
this method.

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C. To flash from power on state:
A third method of flashing the BIOS can be done without going into the BIOS
or from within Windows. The steps for flashing directly from power on arelocated below, in the “Flashing the BIOS Without a CPU” section. These steps
will explain how to prepare the USB flash drive included with your SR-3 DARK
motherboard to update with a newer BIOS using the method below.
a.

Plug in the USB flash drive included with your SR-3 DARK
motherboard, and boot into Windows.
b. Navigate to the USB flash drive so you can view the installed folders.
In the root of the flash drive, you should notice a file named“EVGAW999” or “EVGAW999.bin”. We highly recommend that you
make a backup of this file, in case you discover an issue with the new
BIOS or are unable to boot after flashing the new BIOS.

c. Download the latest BIOS for the SR-3 DARK fromhttps://www.evga.com/drivers, and unzip the file to your desktop.
d. Inside the folder will also be a .bin file with the name of the new BIOS.
Right-click the .bin file and select “Rename”. Change the name to“EVGAW999.bin”.
e. Replace the existing EVGAW999.bin file in the EVGA USB flash drivewith the new BIOS that you downloaded and renamed.
f. At this point, you are ready to begin the BIOS update. Follow thesteps in the “Flashing the BIOS Without a CPU” in the section below.

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Flashing the BIOS Without a CPU
If your motherboard cannot boot, or you are unable to see picture on your display, there
can be a number of potential causes preventing your motherboard from completing a
successful boot. Some of these are listed and explained below.
If other troubleshooting does not resolve your issue, or you’ve purchased thismotherboard with a BIOS version prior to official support for your compatible Intel®
CPU, you may need to flash the BIOS.
Note:

Before you begin, make sure that your USB flash drive is formatted as
FAT32, or this method of flashing the BIOS will not work, as noted above.
If you plan to use the included USB flash drive with the latest BIOS version
from the EVGA Website, please make sure to first follow the steps listed
above for the “To flash from power on state” section to prepare the flash
drive. Once the latest BIOS is placed in the root folder and renamed
EVGAW999.bin, you are ready to proceed with the BIOS update.

In order to flash the BIOS without picture, you must follow these steps:
1. Turn off your SR-3 DARK motherboard, if on, and turn your power supply off
by flipping the switch to the “Off” position.
2. Plug in the included USB flash drive to the USB 2.0 to SPI
header, as noted in the component legend on Page 16,component 31, or refer to this image:
3. Make sure the 24pin power connector from your power supply
is plugged in to the motherboard.
4. When ready, flip your power supply switch to the “On”
position and hold down the reset key.
5. Continue holding down the reset key, as the POST LED
counts down from 4.
6. When the flash begins, release the reset key. The POST LED will cycle in aclockwise manner during the flash process.
DO NOT TURN OFF THE MOTHERBOARD. IF THE MOTHERBOARD
IS TURNED OFF PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE FLASH PROCESS,THE BIOS MAY BECOME IRREVERSIBLY DAMAGED.

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The flash process may take up to 6 minutes. When finished, the motherboard willautomatically reboot. If you have not installed a CPU and at least one 8-pin CPU power
connector, the POST LED will stop at “00”. If this occurs, turn off the motherboard
and power supply and install any remaining hardware components before attempting toboot again.

SSD / HDD is not detected
It is important to note that, as with *ALL* storage devices, if there is a connectivity
issue, make sure it is enabled in BIOS. Likewise, if there is a device that shares
bandwidth with your SSD or HDD (Pages 28 and 29), make sure that the desired device
is enabled in BIOS, or all other troubleshooting that comes after this section is moot.
If you’ve physically installed a drive that is not detected in Windows, by Windows setup,or within BIOS, please try the following steps. Component troubleshooting is primarily
accomplished through process of elimination testing to deduce a faulty component or abad connection.
Device is not receiving power:
For devices with external power, such as SATA or U.2, make sure power is connected tothe drive, and that the other side of the cable is attached to the correct port on your
PSU. If you are using a mechanical drive (either a platter HDD or an optical drive) you
should hear the motor spin up when you first power on the system. Similarly, if you put
your hand on the device you should feel the drive spin up, warmth from the motor, anda light on the front from an optical drive. If you see, hear, and feel this, then the device
is receiving power, and you may skip to the next section. If you do not see, hear, or feel
this, first try the cable on a device that you know works; if the cable works, then theissue is the device in question.
However, if you replace the device and the issue persists, then it is either the PSU, oneof its modular cables or the port the cable is plugged into. If you are using a modular
cable, try a different cable in the same PSU port, and also test on a different port toisolate the source of the problem. In many cases, the PSU manufacturer may be able toreplace the cable if it is bad.
Device has power, but does not show up in the BIOS:
If the device is getting power, then we should expect to see the drive in BIOS, unless
you are using a third party controller; for devices on third-party controllers, go to Page
93 to see if the device(s) show up in Windows Disk Management. If the drive does not- 144 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

show in the SATA Configuration screen in BIOS, make sure the SATA cable is firmlyseated on both the drive side and the motherboard. As noted above, if you are using adevice on a connector that shares its bandwidth, you will need to check and/or change
the BIOS setting related to your device.
If you’ve already done this, test a different device using the same cable and SATA port
to see if the issue persists. If the issue is not resolved, test a different SATA cable, or adifferent SATA port. Always be sure to test each step separately, otherwise, if several
aspects are changed and drives are now detected, then you will not know what change
actually fixed it. If other devices work on the ports and with the same cables, then theissue is the device in question. If testing shows that either one or more of the ports are
bad with a different device, then the motherboard is likely the issue. If one or more of
the cables test bad with a different device, then replacing the cable(s) should resolve theissue.
M.2 devices have a bit less to test due to their connection that provides data and power
through a single socket. M.2 devices are installed at an angle, gently pushed down flushwith the motherboard, and then fastened into place. M.2 drives only fit one way, andcannot fit upside-down; however, you can have a bad connection if the card is notpushed all the way into the slot before bolting it down. Please refer to Page 37 for M.2
hardware installation, and Page 55 for setup.
Device has power, is seen in BIOS, but cannot be found in Windows:
Lastly, if the device was just added, other troubleshooting in this section has been done,
the device has power and shows up in the BIOS, but is not seen in Windows, then it
may be that the drive needs to be initialized, partitioned, and formatted in Windows.
See Page 93 for instructions.

- 145 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

System does not POST, and POST code
indicator reads “C”
When the system powers on, the POST code indicator should cycle through several
different codes before booting. However, if the boot process does not complete, you
should look at the LED indicator, as it will give you diagnostic information. When a
POST code indicator cycles through codes and stops at a specific code, this is anindication that initialization of a specific component or process on the board failed. If
you power on the board and it goes directly to “00,” and nothingelse, that is an indication of a CPU-related issue. If the board
cannot detect the CPU in the socket, the POST code display will
display a “00”, as well. It is not likely a faulty CPU, although it ispossible; instead, it is most likely a CPU power issue. To theright of the CPU socket, there are four 8-pin power connectors(outlined in BLUE in the image to the right). These connectors
are the main power for the CPU, and without power from the
PSU the system cannot fully power on and initialize; at least two
must be plugged in. All of these connectors are equivalent.
Make sure the plug is fully-seated and also make sure that the tabon the socket and the release on the power connector are on thesame side (see the box in BLUE on the second picture for thetab on the EPS connector). If the connectors do not line up, then you have plugged in a
PCIe 8-pin into the EPS connector, which may cause irreparable damage to themotherboard or the CPU.
For the SR-3 DARK,
attempting to plug in an 8-pin
PCIe plug will likely damage
the motherboard’s PCB due
to the right-angle connectors.
If the PSU is modular, make sure the cable is fully-seated on the PSU side, as well. Also,
only use cables from your PSU manufacturer for your specific PSU, because using acable designed for a different PSU may have catastrophic effects. Finally, ensure thatthe cable on the PSU side is plugged into the connector for the CPU, typically labelled“CPU” or “EPS,” but consult your power supply manual for the correct plug.

- 146 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

System does not POST, and POST code
indicator reads “55”A POST code error reading “55” indicates a memory issue. Verify that memory is
installed, and that is it properly seated. Make sure that the memory is on the official
support list at www.evga.com/support/motherboard and click on “EVGA SR-3
DARK.” If the memory is not on the list, it may still work because EVGA is unable totest every memory kit released. However, this motherboard will not support ECC
UDIMM modules.
If your memory should work on this motherboard, the next step is to bring it down to
one stick of memory in “DIMM slot 3” and retest. If this is your first boot with themotherboard and the board will not POST, your next step is to press the “Reset
CMOS” button. The system will power on when the Reset CMOS button is pressed,
which is normal. This should allow the system to boot up. When you see the EVGA
SR-3 DARK screen, press “Del” to enter BIOS, set the XMP (instructions are coveredin first boot section on Page 53), press F10 to save and exit, which will reboot thesystem. If the system reboots successfully, you can power down and install the rest of
the memory to retest.

System does not POST, and POST code
indicator reads “d7”If the motherboard cannot detect a Keyboard, the system will fail to POST with a “d7”POST code. When this happens, some video card / monitor setups will display amessage on screen about a Keyboard error, while others will just remain blank. If thishappens, power down the system and reseat the USB connector. Make sure theKeyboard is NOT in the USB 3.1 Type-A connector, as this port may require drivers toinitialize and fully function. However, this error can sometimes happen with older
wireless keyboards, as well. If this is the case, we recommended that you plug in a
regular USB keyboard, reboot, enter BIOS, and go to Advanced – USB Configuration.
Make sure “Legacy USB Support” is set to “enabled,” then press F10 to save an exit.
Your keyboard should now work, and the board should POST past “d7.”- 147 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Have a question not covered above, or wantsome online resources?
If you have any issues or questions, you can find a lot of valuable help and informationon our website, including contact information for our US Technical Support/Customer
Service.
▪

You may find all of the motherboard drivers at
http://www.evga.com/support/download/ . Select the ““Motherboard” tab,then select “Intel C622” from the Family tab, then “160-CX-W999” from thepart number pulldown. Next, select either “All” or the specific component that
requires a driver, then select your operating system and click “Submit”▪

You may find the list of officially supported CPUs and System RAM for yourmotherboard, including the minimum required BIOS revision forcompatibility, at: http://www.evga.com/support/motherboard/. BIOS
updates are cumulative, so they will always support products from the previous
version, except when specified otherwise.

▪

For our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) database, go to:
http://www.evga.com/support/knowledgebase/▪

To visit our Community Forums, go to: http://forums.evga.com/▪

For our Community Forums section dedicated to C622 motherboards, go to:https://forums.evga.com/EVGA-X299SR3-Series-f105.aspx▪

Just finished building or upgrading your system and want to show it off? Makea ModsRigs Profile here: http://www.modsrigs.com/ and create a page
dedicated entirely to YOUR system!

▪

Still building your rig? Make a build log here:
http://forums.evga.com/EVGA-MODS-RIGS-f33.aspx▪

Want to join the online EVGA Gaming Community? Sign up and play withlike-minded gamers here: http://www.evga.com/TEAMEVGA/- 148 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Multifunction LED Indicator
EVGA SR-3 DARK board is equipped with a versatile display to allow real-timemonitoring of system status during and after the BIOS POST process. The operating
mode can be configured in the BIOS Setup in the Advanced menu, and then H/W
Monitor Configuration. The Debut Port Display setting selects the OS display mode.
There are multiple modes available:
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑

BIOS Only – displays only BIOS POST completion.
CPU Temperature – displays external CPU die temperature sensor readout inreal-time. Use this mode to read negative temperatures.
PWM Temperature – displays VRM temperature sensor readout in real-timeafter BIOS POST completion.
SYS Temperature – displays motherboard bay temperature sensors.
CPU VIN – displays CPU VCORE after BIOS POST completion.
Channel Voltage (0/1/2) – displays DIMM voltage for slots (0/1/2) after BIOS
POST completion.
Channel Voltage (3/4/5) – displays DIMM voltage for slots (3/4/5) after BIOS
POST completion.
VSA – displays System Agent CPU voltage after BIOS POST completion.
VCCIO Voltage – displays I/O voltage after BIOS POST completion.
UPPLL – displays PCH PLL voltage after BIOS POST completion.
VCCACLK – displays analog VCC voltage for internal clock PLL after BIOS
POST completion.
DIMM VTT C012 – displays DIMM termination voltage after BIOS POST
completion.
Disabled - completely deactivates 80Port LED display

The Debug Port Display menu the BIOS Setup allows you to pick specific sensors to be
displayed on the 80Port.
These temperatures and voltages can also be seen in the BIOS setup window in realtime, for a quick overview.
The recommended settings to display during overclocking are “CPU Vcore” and “CPU
Temperature.”- 149 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)- 150 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

POST Beep codes
POST beeps are used in conjunction with the POST Code indicator to help determine
the root cause when your system fails to boot. However, modern UEFI/BIOS
motherboards also use the speaker to convey helpful information, such as USB device
detection. As a result, users
Beep Codes
may become confused about# of Beeps Description
the number of beeps emitted,
1
Invalid Password
making the POST code beep 4Some of the Architectural Protocols are not Available
5
No Console Output Device detected
while still helpful - not as useful
5
No Console Input Device detected
as it once was.
6Flash Update Failed

Many motherboards will beep
7
Reset Protocol is not available
1-2 times per USB device
8
Platform PCI resource requirements cannot be met
plugged in at boot; some will
beep more based on functions of the device. These detection beeps may occur at thesame time as the system’s POST beeps, sometimes making it a challenge to separate the
POST beeps from the USB initialization. Since the POST code indicator now fills mostof the role previously held by audible beeps, there are far fewer POST beeps to help
debug problems, compared to previous motherboard generations.
1 Beep: This relates to BIOS boot passwords. The BIOS will beep, indicating that apassword is required to boot. If you incorrectly enter your BIOS password when
prompted by the BIOS, you will receive one beep.
4 Beeps: This is an error relating to some small recovery errors, which can occur whencoming out of sleep/hibernate.
5 Beeps: This error is stating it cannot detect a keyboard. This can also indicate a video
card is not detected.
6 Beeps: This relates to either a failed BIOS update, or a failed Intel® ME Firmware
update.
7 Beeps: This relates to a failed CPU INIT request. EFI/UEFI Reset protocol is used
when a processor INIT call is used and was not successful. This returns either an“EFI_UNSUPPORTED” error if the INIT type is not supported or an“EFI_Device_Error” if the error occurs while generating the INIT; either will result inseven (7) POST beeps.
8 Beeps: Error given when an incompatible PCI Express device is installed and cannot
initialize properly.

- 151 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

POST Port Debug LED
Provides two-digit diagnostic POST codes that shows system boot status and can also
show why the system may be failing to boot. The LED is extremely useful during
troubleshooting situations.
This Debug LED will display a series of hexadecimal (0-F) codes during the POST andwill display current CPU socket temperatures after the system has fully booted into the
Operating System. See the “POST CODE” section below for more detailed
descriptions of specific POST Codes.
Debug LED with CPU
Temperature Monitor- 152 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

POST Codes
This section provides the AMI POST
Codes for the EVGA SR-3 DARK
Motherboard during system boot up.
The POST Codes are displayed on the
Debug LED readout located directly on
the motherboard. See Page 16 and 17,
component 19 of the Component Legend
for physical location.

Debug LED with CPU
Temperature Monitor

This Debug LED will switch to display
the user’s 80Port Configuration settings after POST (see Page 149). Please notethat if you see the Debug LED constantly switching numbers after entering
Windows, the Debug LED is showing temperature or voltage information, andis NOT reporting errors.

AMI POST Codes
1

Power on. Reset type detection (soft/hard).

2

AP initialization before microcode loading

3

North Bridge initialization before microcode loading

4South Bridge initialization before microcode loading

5

OEM initialization before microcode loading6

Microcode loading

7

AP initialization after microcode loading

8

North Bridge initialization after microcode loading

9

South Bridge initialization after microcode loading

0A

OEM initialization after microcode loading

0B

Cache initialization

0C-0D Reserved for future AMI SEC error codes
0E

Microcode not found- 153 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

0F

Microcode not loaded

10

PEI Core is started

11-14 Pre-memory CPU initialization is started
15-18 Pre-memory North Bridge initialization is started
19-1C Pre-memory South Bridge initialization is started
1D-2A OEM pre-memory initialization codes
2B

Memory initialization. Serial Presence Detect (SPD) data reading

2C

Memory initialization. Memory presence detection

2D

Memory initialization. Programming memory timing information

2E

Memory initialization. Configuring memory

2F

Memory initialization (other).

30

Reserved for ASL (see ASL Status Codes section below)

31

Memory Installed

32

CPU post-memory initialization is started

33

CPU post-memory initialization. Cache initialization

34

CPU post-memory initialization. Application Processor(s) (AP) initialization

35

CPU post-memory initialization. Boot Strap Processor (BSP) selection

36

CPU post-memory initialization. System Management Mode (SMM) initialization

37-3A Post-Memory North Bridge initialization is started
3B-3E Post-Memory South Bridge initialization is started
3F-4E OEM post memory initialization codes
4F

DXE IPL is started

50

Memory initialization error. Invalid memory type or incompatible memory speed

51

Memory initialization error. SPD reading has failed

52

Memory initialization error. Invalid memory size or memory modules do not match.

53

Memory initialization error. No usable memory detected

54

Unspecified memory initialization error.

55

Memory not installed

56

Invalid CPU type or Speed

57

CPU mismatch

58

CPU self-test failed or possible CPU cache error

59

CPU micro-code is not found or micro-code update is failed

5A

Internal CPU error- 154 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

5B

reset PPI is not available

5C-5F Reserved for future AMI error codes
E0

S3 Resume is stared (S3 Resume PPI is called by the DXE IPL)

E1

S3 Boot Script execution

E2

Video repostE3

OS S3 wake vector callE4-E7 Reserved for future AMI progress codes
E8-EB S3 Resume Failed
EC-EF Reserved for future AMI error codes
F0

Recovery condition triggered by firmware (Auto recovery)

F1

Recovery condition triggered by user (Forced recovery)

F2

Recovery process started

F3

Recovery firmware image is found

F4

Recovery firmware image is loaded

F5-F7 Reserved for future AMI progress codes
F8

Recovery PPI is not available

F9

Recovery capsule is not foundFA

Invalid recovery capsule

FB–FF Reserved for future AMI error codes
60

DXE Core is started

61

NVRAM initialization

62

Installation of the South Bridge Runtime Services

63-67 CPU DXE initialization is started
68

PCI host bridge initialization

69

North Bridge DXE initialization is started

6A

North Bridge DXE SMM initialization is started

6B-6F North Bridge DXE initialization (North Bridge module specific)
70

South Bridge DXE initialization is started

71

South Bridge DXE SMM initialization is started

72

South Bridge devices initialization

73-77 South Bridge DXE Initialization (South Bridge module specific)
78

ACPI module initialization- 155 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

79

CSM initialization

7A–7F Reserved for future AMI DXE codes
80–8F OEM DXE initialization codes
90

Boot Device Selection (BDS) phase is started

91

Driver connecting is started

92

PCI Bus initialization is started

93

PCI Bus Hot Plug Controller Initialization

94

PCI Bus Enumeration

95

PCI Bus Request Resources

96

PCI Bus Assign Resources

97

Console Output devices connect

98

Console input devices connect

99

Super IO Initialization

9A

USB initialization is started

9B

USB Reset

9C

USB Detect

9D

USB Enable

9E–9F Reserved for future AMI codes
A0

IDE initialization is started

A1

IDE Reset

A2

IDE Detect

A3

IDE Enable

A4

SCSI initialization is started

A5

SCSI ResetA6

SCSI Detect

A7

SCSI Enable

A8

Setup Verifying Password

A9

Start of Setup

AA

Reserved for ASL (see ASL Status Codes section below)

AB

Setup Input Wait

AC

Reserved for ASL (see ASL Status Codes section below)

AD

Ready To Boot event- 156 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

AE

Legacy Boot event

AF

Exit Boot Services event

B0

CPU Memory controller configuration

B1

Runtime Set Virtual Address MAP End

B2iMC init

B3

Memory training

B4

Memory training

B5

Memory training / timing training

B6

Memory training

B7

Memory training

B8-BF Memory training / DRAM final configuration
C0–CF OEM BDS initialization codes
D0

CPU initialization error

D1

North Bridge initialization error

D2South Bridge initialization error

D3

Some of the Architectural Protocols are not available

D4

PCI resource allocation error. Out of Resources

D5

No Space for Legacy Option ROM

D6

No Console Output Devices are foundD7

No Console Input Devices are found

D8

Invalid password

D9

Error loading Boot Option (Load Image returned error)

DA

Boot Option is failed (Start Image returned error)- 157 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

EVGA Glossary of Terms
AC – Alternating Current
ACPI - Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
AHCI – Advanced Host Controller Interface
APIC - Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller
BCLK – Base Clock (or operating frequency of base system bus)
BIOS - Basic Input Output System
CMOS - Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
CPU – Central Processing Unit
DC – Direct Current
DDR - Double Data Rate
DIMM - Dual In-line Memory Module
DMI – Direct Memory Interface
DP – Display PortDRAM - Dynamic random access memory
DVI – Digital Video Interface
ELEET/ELEET X – EVGA motherboard monitoring and tuning software
FIVR – Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator
GHz – Gigahertz
GPIO (Thunderbolt) – General Purpose Input/Output
GPU – Graphics Processing Unit
GUI – Graphical User Interface
HDD - Hard Disk Drive
HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface
HDR – High Dynamic Range (Lighting)
HPET - High Precision Event Timer
HT – Hyper-Threading
HSF - Heat Sink Fan- 158 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

I/O - Input/Output
IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IGP - Integrated Graphics Processors
IMC – Integrated memory controller
IOH – Input/Output Hub
IRQ - Interrupt Request
JBOD - Just a Bunch of DisksJEDEC - Joint Electron Device Engineering Council
LAN - Local Area Network
LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
LGA – Land Grid Array
LN2 – Liquid Nitrogen Cooling
MAC - Media Access Control
M.2 – A card bus based standard commonly used for VERY fast SSD’s, and WiFi.
MCP - Media and Communications Processor
Intel® ME – Intel® Management Engine
MHz – Megahertz
MMIO – Memory Mapped I/O
NB - Northbridge
NCQ - Native Command Queuing
NIC - Network Interface Card
NTFS - New Technology File System
NVMe – Non-Volatile Memory Express
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
PATA - Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment
PCB - Printed Circuit Board
PCH – Platform Controller Hub
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect
PCIe - Peripheral Component Interconnect Express- 159 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

PLL – Phase Locked Loop
POST – Power on Self-Test
PWM – Pulse Width Modulation
QDR - Quad Data Rate
QOS – Quality of Service
QPI – Quick Path Interconnect
RAID - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
RAM – Random Access Memory
ROM – Read Only Memory
RGB - Red Green BlueSATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
SAS – Serial Attached SCSISB - Southbridge
SCSI - Small Computer System Interface
SFR – Split Frame Rendering
SLI - Scalable Link Interface
SPD - Serial Presence Detect
S/PDIF - Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format
SPP - System Platform Processors
SSD – Solid State Drive
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
Thunderbolt – High-speed hot-swappable interface (similar function to USB)
U.2 – High-Speed storage interface also referred to as SFF-8639
UDP – User Datagram Protocol
UEFI – Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
USB - Universal Serial Bus
VDroop - Voltage Droop
VGA - Video Graphics Array
VREG – Voltage Regulator- 160 -EVGA SR-3 DARK (160-CX-W999)

Compliance Information

FCC Compliance Information
This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may notcause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmfulinterference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off andon, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: (1) Increase theseparation between the equipment and signal source, or (2) connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different fromthat to which the signal source is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced computer technician for help. The useof shielded cables for connection of peripheral devices to the PC systems is required to ensure 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 the equipment.

CE Compliance Information
Generic Radiation Interference Standard for Information Technology Equipment. (EN 55022: 2006, Class B), (EN 610003-2: 2006), (EN 61000-3-3: 1995 + A1: 2001 + A2: 2005). Warning: This is a Class B product. In a domestic environment
this product may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measure. Generic
Immunity Standard for Information Technology Equipment. (EN 55024: 1998 + A1: 2001 + A2: 2003).

Trademark & Copyright Information
2001-2020 EVGA Corp. EVGA, the EVGA logo and combinations thereof are trademarks of EVGA Corp. All brand names,
company names, service marks, logos, and trademarks of the company, or its affiliates or licensors are trademarks orregistered trademarks of the company or its subsidiaries, affiliates or licensors in the US and other countries. Other
company, products and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. EVGA reserves the right to terminate
this license if there is a violation of its terms or default by the Original Purchaser. Upon termination, for any reason, all copiesof Software and materials must be immediately returned to EVGA and the Original Purchaser shall be liable to EVGA.com
CORP for any and all damages suffered as a result of the violation or default.

Legal Information
All material including but not limited to, text, data, design specifications, diagnostics, graphics, logos, reference boards, files,
images, drawings, and software including this document and the software itself (together and separately) is owned,
controlled by, licensed to, or used with permission by EVGA Corporation and is protected by copyright, trademark, and otherIntellectual property rights. All is being provided “as is”, EVGA Corporation makes no warranties, whether express or
implied, statutory or otherwise with respect to the materials and expressly disclaims all implied warranties of noninfringement, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall the liability of EVGA Corporation for
claims arising from the use of the materials by anyone exceed the original purchase price of the materials (or replacementof the materials at EVGA Corporation’s option). All information furnished is believed to be accurate and reliable. However,
EVGA Corporation assumes no responsibility for the consequences of use of such information or for any infringement ofpatents or other rights of third parties that may result from its use, or use of the Software. No license is granted by implicationor otherwise under any patent or patent rights of EVGA Corporation except as expressly provided herein. All specifications
mentioned in this publication are subject to change without notice.

Ver. 2- 161 -