Gigabyte motherboard BIOS update?

[Molda_22]

Hi!

i am getting new gaming PC in few days and i've read on few places, that it is important to have BIOS updated to latest version. I have the GIGABYTE GA-H97-D3H motherboard rev. 1.0 and i've even read that on this particular board, people have experienced complete system crashes and reboots until they updated the BIOS on it.

So is it really that big of a problem and how should i do it? There is BIOS update file to download on the Gigabyte website but i've read that you cannot just update BIOS as easily as drivers etc. That you have to somehow "flash" it.

Can someone help me with this issue? Thanks a lot.

(if its relevant - the specs are: Intel Xeon 1231, Gigabyte GTX 970 G1, 16 GB RAM, the above mentioned mobo, 1x SSD, 1x HDD...)

 

[McHenryB]

If you buy from a reputable retailer you should expect the BIOS on the m/b to be up-to-date. If not, I would only reflash it if you experience problems.

 

[Mattios]

Agree with above.

Also if it's the same as my Gigabyte motherboard, you just open an installer program in Windows and it is just like installing a program, except it updates the BIOS. Not hard to do.

 

[Molda_22]

So i shouldn't be panicking yet, just build the pc, set it up, boot and the see? I like to be prepared for possible problems, so if problems appear, what do you need in order to update the BIOS? (Gigabyte one)

 

[Mattios]

Go to the Gigabyte page for the motherboard, download the BIOS and apply it. Easy as that.

 

[Molda_22]

Ok, thanks for the answers, this is for the first time i hear bios update is so easy, because everywhere i read was that the process is much harder and involving flashing the motherboard etc. Guess gigabyte are doing things right.

 

[GearUp]

Q-Flash is very easy to use and preferable to the Windows update version. If your system has any issues at the time (as with the original BIOS which typically has several issues) then there could be an issue with reboot that would ruin the MOBO. You need a flash drive with the update. Any current USB thumb drive should work which has been the only issue.

 

[GearUp]

Gigabyte site doesn't seem to be working. I had wanted to see whether the latest BIOS was still available for my board.
Issues can include things you may not think about such as Antivirus or updates that occur while you are flashing the BIOS. It is much safer to eliminate those factors by doing the flash in the BIOS itself rather than through the OS.

 

[Mattios]

OP can use whichever he is most comfortable with. Personally I've never heard of these Windows issues, but I don't know everything.

Also Gigabyte motherboards have a backup BIOS so if one is corrupted then there is a second one available.

 

[GearUp]

OP can use whichever he is most comfortable with. Personally I've never heard of these Windows issues, but I don't know everything.
Too many ifs and maybes with OS method for my tastes. I installed the hardware monitoring and @BIOS utilities according to directions and it caused reboots several times a week so I removed them and all is good. Nothing exotic about my system. The hardware monitoring does little compared to what I've used. Even Windows provides a SMART drive status. The Windows update intelligently resumes if disconnected or interrupted but of course the BIOS file is small. Being small a checksum might be less useful. Antivirus is handy for checking a download but I disconnect Ethernet and disable antivirus for anything like this. I'm pleased with the system but I shouldn't need to compare even two basic installations myself.

Also Gigabyte motherboards have a backup BIOS so if one is corrupted then there is a second one available.

That is one reason to use their boards but again there is a big if. Reversion to a previous BIOS is less safe than you might think, especially if you've made hardware changes. I did check and saw the latest BIOS adds NVMe SSD capability so there is no rush for me and it is still in Beta.

 

[GearUp]

I have the GA-H97 Gaming 3 which is similar but otherwise your system deserves closer attention. I have assumed that my troubles were due to a failing hard drive. However the drive was not rejected until after I had disabled it (not many people may do this). At that point the drive had been functional, however detection still occurs. The Intel utility on another system shows error counts for nearly every parameter and the reallocated sector count is maxed but it had been functional and each parameter is marked as OK. Nevertheless the SMART function does not pass. Since it is 6 years old I should not blame the utilities.
Basically you should have no risks with new equipment but I update any firmware from the desktop, not through the internet. The @BIOS probably works nearly as reliably provided you only attempt that at the time.
The hardware monitor is more useful for graphics as in your case but I would think in-game results (provided by some games) are more meaningful.

 

[GuccizBud]

Thread's a year old, but for others coming here via Google search result, take a look here, it's your starting point for updating BIOS on Gigabyte™ motherboards :

How to Reflash Gigabyte™ Motherboard BIOS