How To Update Gigabyte BIOS

If you want to fix any issues with the motherboard or make your motherboard more compatible with the latest hardware, you would want to update your BIOS. However, updating BIOS is not always necessary and should only be performed if the update provides drastic improvement to the board. 

There is some catch to updating the BIOS, which have discussed in the article.

So, without further delay, let us get right into it.

How to Check if the BIOS Is Up-to-date?

To check if your motherboard’s BIOS can be updated, you need to check its current version to the latest BIOS version for your motherboard on the internet. 

You can follow the steps mentioned below to check your current BIOS version.

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Type msinfo32.exe to open the System Information dialog box.
3. Here, on the right panel, corresponding to BIOS Version/Date, you can see your motherboard’s current BIOS version.
   

How to Update Gigabyte BIOS?

Before we start with the methods to update the BIOS, power loss during an update can cause permanent motherboard failure. Therefore, it is always recommended to use a UPS while performing a BIOS update.

Unless you face any compatibility issues or issues with the board in general, you do not need to perform a BIOS update.

However, these risks are almost eliminated these days due to the integrated BIOS backup system in the motherboard.

Now, as we have that out of the way, let us see how we can update gigabyte BIOS.

Gigabyte App Center

Gigabyte developed its App Center to easily launch the Gigabyte application on your computer. Download its latest drivers and update BIOS. Furthermore, using this application BIOS update will be a piece of cake as you do not even need to enter the BIOS.

Unfortunately, Gigabyte’s App Center is only compatible with Gigabyte products.

Here is how you can update BIOS using the Gigabyte’s App Center.

1. Download the Gigabyte App Center.
2. Once the download is complete, install and run the App Center.
3. Click on the downward-facing arrow.
   
4. Now click on the Not Installed tab
5. Here, check @BIOS and click on Install.
6. Once the installation is complete, run @BIOS.
7. Then, go to the Update from Server tab.
8. Select the closest server.
9. The application will automatically detect your motherboard details and provide you with its latest BIOS version.
10. Click on this file and select Next
11. The application will now prompt you to a Face-Wizard screen. You can ignore this and click on Next.
12. Now, click on OK.
13. The App Center will now ask you to save the current BIOS file. Select Yes.
14. Once the backup is complete, the BIOS update process will start.
15. Please do not interrupt the update process, as it can cause your motherboard to malfunction.
16. When the process is complete, your computer will reboot.
17. Now, check the System Information to check the BIOS version.

Q-flash Method

The newer version of the motherboard has an option in the BIOS named Q-flash, which lets you update the BIOS through the BIOS itself. If your motherboard does not support Q-flash, you can manually update the BIOS from the motherboard.

Please follow the steps mentioned below to update the BIOS.

Download the Latest BIOS

You can download the BIOS update from Gigabyte’s motherboard support page. Here, search your motherboard. Click on BIOS and download the latest BIOS version.

Extract And Rename the File

Once downloaded, extract the file and copy all the file and paste it onto the USB drive. Make sure that you format the USB drive before copying the BIOS update files.

Rename this file to GIGABYTE.bin. This name will depend on the motherboard’s manufacturer.

Update the BIOS

Once you copy the file onto the USB drive, follow these steps to update the BIOS.

1. Insert the USB drive on any one port of the motherboard’s I/O port. 
   
2. Turn on the system and enter the BIOS by pressing the Delete key,
3. Once you are in the BIOS, search for Q-flash settings or press the F8 key to enter Q-flash. Alternately, press the End key when booting the computer to enter the Q-flash menu.
4. Now, select Update BIOS From Drive, then choose Flash Disk.
5. Then click the file with the .F7 extension.
6. Before the update starts, select Normal update.
   

Once the update begins, do not turn off the system until the entire process is completed.

Once the update is complete, the system should restart. Now, open System Information to check your current BIOS version.

Q-Flash+ Method

Alternately, you can also use the Q-Flash+ method to update your BIOS without using a CPU, monitor, or even RAM. 

Follow these steps to perform a BIOS update.

1. Download and extract the BIOS update file from Gigabyte Motherboard’s official site.
2. Format the USB drive and copy the extracted file to the drive.
3. Rename one of the files you extracted, which consumes the highest space, to GIGABYTE.bin.
4. Now, insert the USB drive into the white USB port on the motherboard.
   
5. Turn on the motherboard.
6. The LED light next to the white USB port should flash/flicker, indicating that the BIOS update is in progress.
   
7. Once the update is complete, this LED light stops flashing. 

Now turn on the system and check the BIOS version. You will see that the update was successful, and the BIOS has been updated.

When Do I Need to Update BIOS?

Updating BIOS does not increase your system performance. It also does not make your PC perform faster. Furthermore, if there’s nothing wrong with the motherboard, it is not recommended to tinker with the motherboard’s BIOS.

Some reasons you may need to update the BIOS.

• Compatibility issues between Motherboard and latest hardware
• Corrupted BIOS
• Provides improved security
• Addresses and solves boot issues