Gigabyte Unveils a UEFI BIOS--At Long Last
With the release of its X79 boards in the very near future, Gigabyte now has its own DualBIOS UEFI, and it looks pretty nice. Check out the video below for a tour.
The new UEFI has two modes: Advanced and 3D BIOS. The advanced mode is essentially the same old Gigabyte BIOS, but dressed up a bit and navigable with the mouse as well as the keyboard.
The 3D BIOS, however, is rather unique; you get a 3D image of the motherboard. When you hover over a given section or component of the board, that part is highlighted and a little window pops up to give you more information, such as what settings germane to that item you can adjust, as well as a way to change those settings right then and there.
From the 3D BIOS, you can also view the CPU, base clock, and memory frequencies in real time. Another neat feature is that and you can click to rotate the image of the board to get a different view.
Gigabyte also announced a new 3D Power tool, which you can apparently access from the 3D BIOS. Using a Gigabyte app (Hey, when did we start calling non-mobile applications “apps”?), users can control the power flowing to the CPU by tweaking the frequency, phase, and voltage.
These developments portend good things for the new X79 boards from Gigabyte, which we’re looking forward to working with.
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The 3D BIOS mode is pretty cool looking! |
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'Hey, when did we start calling non-mobile applications “apps”?" In 1985, when the Atari ST computer series was released. Programs using the GUI were usually named something-or-other.app, while programs that didn't access the GUI were usually .prg file types. Apple seems to have forgotten the concept of "prior art" when they tried to trademark "The App Store." |
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Not bad... Though I was one of the few people who liked the old and outdated BIOS, it's still nice to see one more jump on the bandwagon, and a major one at that... I don't know how EFI will feel seeing as how I never used it but man do those interfaces look cool... |
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"Looks great , it's about time, but I also feel that they shouldn't hold it exclusive for X79 only. The 1155 platform is where its at for gamers, at least until the results come up on The LGA2011 platform which will be a more expensive and will likely prove to be not a better option for it, at least for the mainstream and mid level enthusiast, even though its beast. Still, great looking Bios with robust features, specially that it displays the Motherboard model, that's sure eye catching." |
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The UEFI BIOS interface is a cool thing. It's something that was lacking in motherboard technology for a long time. I have it in 3 ASRock boards and in one ASUS board too. But this 3D interface looks more like a gimmick to me, rather than something that would be useful. If I end up with one of these boards, I'll most likely look at it a few times myself and maybe show it off to people who come around, but otherwise, I'll ignore it in favor of the regular UEFI BIOS interface. There is nothing wrong with it the way it is now.. |
I have to slightly disagree on you... I think of the X79 as a testbed for Gigabyte's EFI BIOS, I mean they've loaded their motherboards with the same old AWARD BIOS that you may think is old and convoluted but I think works fine. Like they say, if it ain't broke; why fix it? Granted, newer is better but their EFI BIOS has never been tested by the public and while certain companies may of been lucky to jump on the bandwagon earlier, Gigabyte was not so lucky, therefore they have to put their BIOS on one high-end motherboard to test out public reaction... Still don't deny that it looks good; nice to see one of the last remaining major motherboard manufactures jump on the EFI bandwagon. |
Wheatley:
"@Taylor, I agree, it's the right platform to make its debut, but Like I said , It should not be exclusive to the X79, at a later time they should implement it to 1155 boards as well. *continues* here: @neil, I have to disagree on that note, I don't see it as a gimmick, rather a useful feature that encourages a novice to learn the ins and out of their system, and make it easier to assemble and troubleshoot any problems in their build without the need of a professional. How well and how useful did Gigabyte implement the 3D bios remains to be seen, but I think I think they got it right."
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Gigabyte did not state that the BIOS was exclusive to their boards. I don't see why you're worried about this, obviously they're going to do it; I mean if ASUS and MSI did the same thing you'd be saying the same thing about that as well...
I disagree on the claim that it can 'troubleshoot any problems in their build without the need of a professional.", nonetheless encourage a novice to learn the ins and outs of their system... I mean all it's doing is showing an image of the motherboard, nothing more, nothing less... I suppose it can help novices understand the components in which the overclocking works but other then that, I don't think that the encouragement factor is there... You do forget that most of the ins and outs are covered on the internet and the manual which comes with the motherboard; also note that there is also a picture of the motherboard online in 360 degrees in most sources and overclocking guides readily available on the internet. While your claim is adiment, I have to somewhat support realneil's claims that it is a gimmick, even though it looks very, very cool. |
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"Well then, I guess you didn't pay attention to the video. Hit the play button and watch from the 1:12 mark. As you can see, if you mouse over to a section of the motherboard, you have the option to click on it and perform a task *compatible* for that component. So its no gimmick. I also noted that the highlight feature is automatic and rotates back continuously, so I would assume in an event of mouse failure, you would hit enter when the highlight reaches the area desired to work with. " "Anyhow, if you feel fine with using the regular bios that you are familiar with , that's fine, but these EUFI bios certainly make the user PC experience a whole lot easier and better."
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You kidding me? I watched the video when I was writing that comment and my comment on how it helps novices overclock is based on that... I also note that there are smaller functions such as onboard devices but what I'm relating to is the overclocking. In fact most of the stuff highlighted relates to adjusting the settings on what you highlighted. Frankly speaking, it's an easier way to get to the CPU overclocking, the drive settings, the onboard devices, the PCI-E overclocking... This is the same stuff that you see in the BIOS but in an easier to access way... None of it is specifically tailored to anything, in fact you can use all of the settings in the 3D mode in the advanced mode... Of course tailored isn't the word to describe it, the word you were looking for is grouped together...
I have no problem with UEFI nor am I against using it... I was just stating that the regular BIOS is fine for what it does and one of the reasons Gigabyte hasn't changed it until now... UEFI does look better but this is the first BIOS I've seen to take advantage of it, most just seem to replicate the BIOS but add a few clickable buttons to take advantage of the interface. Newer does equal better, but only when used properly. |
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This does look cool, but the old style worked fine. If it ain't broke, don't fix. I love Gigabyte boards as Abit is no longer making them. |
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A little late to the party but butter late than never welcome to the club Gigabyte. |
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yep I a bit late to getting the UEFI interface up for those that would prefer to use it.Looks like they did a pretty good job with it as well.May not be as daunting as the familiar blue screen bios and seems that it would not only be convenient but pretty safe for many to feel comfortable doing so. |
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Nice nice... I was fine with the old BIOS and these nice GUI's make us techies a bit less useful. The Dell Machines that I have at my job have a UEFI BIOS and they are certainly nice and easy to use. That 3D view looks kind of cool but I agree with realneil that it seems like a bit of a gimmick. |
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about time, would of thought they would have been there a while ago. |
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