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Firmware
Gigabyte’s updated “UC BIOS 2.0” starts in Easy Mode, is laid out logically, and displays a wealth of information about the system, including processor, RAM, fan speeds, and several selectable options, such as XMP profiles, RAM tweaks, Re-Size BAR support, Smart Fan 6 access, and more. The Ice boards use a white/very light gray background with black text, and are easy to read.
In advanced mode, all headings are still displayed across the top; they are now larger ‘buttons’ and can be easily selected with a mouse. The highlight bar (where you are on the page) is a light blue here and easy to see. Every option you need and want is at your fingertips, and you don’t have to drill down several layers to reach the most commonly used functions – especially if you populate your selections in the Favorites section.
Another cool feature is that the new 64MB BIOS includes a “DriverBIOS” function to pre-install your Wi-Fi driver, allowing you to get online. This feature is beneficial for Windows 11 25H2 users, who are required to have an internet connection to use the Microsoft account and install the OS.
Software
Gigabyte Control Center (GCC) is a one-stop solution for controlling various functions, including RGB and Fan control, hardware monitoring, and overclocking. It’s also helpful in finding, downloading, and installing driver updates for your system. It’s a simple application that does its job. It’s also a much cleaner tool than the previous App Center It earns our approval for the breadth of functionality it offers users.
Test System / Comparison Products
We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 (23H2) 64-bit OS with all updates applied as of late September 2024 (this includes the Branch Prediction Optimizations for AMD). Hardware-wise, we’ve updated the RAM kits (matching our Intel test system), cooling, storage, and video card. Unless otherwise noted, we use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS that is publicly available. The hardware we used is as follows:
Test System Components
CPU | |
Cooling | |
Storage | |
RAM | Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 CL36 (KF560C36BBEAK2-32) |
RAM | Teamgroup T-Froce Delta DDR5-7200 CL34 (FF3D518G7200HC34ABK) |
RAM | Klevv Cras XR5 RGB DDR5-8000 (KD5AGUA80-80R380S) |
RAM | Kingston Renegade Fury DDR5-8200 CU-DIMM (KF582C40RS-24) |
GPU | |
PSU | |
Software | 11 64-bit (23H2 - 22631.4169) |
Graphics | NVIDIA Driver 561.09 |
Sound | Integrated HD audio |
Network | Integrated Networking (GbE to 10 GbE) |
Benchmark Settings
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
Procyon | Version 2.8.1352 64 |
| Row 2 - Cell 0 | Office 365, Video Editing (Premiere Pro 24.6.1), Photo Editing (Photoshop 25.1.2, Lightroom Classic 13.5.1) |
3DMark | Version 2.29.8294.0 64 |
| Row 4 - Cell 0 | Speed Way and Steel Nomad (Default) |
Cinebench R24 | Version 2024.1.0 |
| Row 6 - Cell 0 | Open GL Rendering Benchmark - Single and Multi-threaded |
Blender | Version 4.2.0 |
| Row 8 - Cell 0 | Full benchmark (all 3 tests) |
Application Tests and Settings | Row 9 - Cell 1 |
LAME MP3 | Version SSE2_2019 |
| Row 11 - Cell 0 | Mixed 271MB WAV to mp3: Command: -b 160 --nores (160Kb/s) |
HandBrake CLI | Version: 1.8.2 |
| Row 13 - Cell 0 | Sintel Open Movie Project: 4.19GB 4K mkv to x264 (light AVX) and x265 (heavy AVX) |
Corona 1.4 | Version 1.4 |
| Row 15 - Cell 0 | Custom benchmark |
7-Zip | Version 24.08 |
| Row 17 - Cell 0 | Integrated benchmark (Command Line) |
POV-Ray | Version 3.7.0.0 |
| Row 19 - Cell 0 | Integrated benchmark (Command Line) |
Game Tests and Settings | Row 20 - Cell 1 |
Cyberpunk 2077 | Ultra RT Preset: - 1920 x 1080, DLSS - Balanced. |
F1 2024 | Ultra High Preset - 1920 x 1080, 16xAF/TAA, Great Britain (Clear/Dry), FPS Counter ON |
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