A firmware update for Gigabyte's RGB lighting controller is reportedly causing issues for users, as pointed out by various social media posts online. In a recent case, Charlie (@ghost_motley) on X highlighted a concern with a firmware package for the RGB controller listed on the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master motherboard support page, which added support for Windows Dynamic Lighting.
The firmware update in question is the Gigabyte IT5701/ 5702 RGB lighting controller firmware upgrade package with version 1.0.0.9 dated 24 November, 2024. After installing the update and rebooting, the user noticed that not only was Windows Dynamic Lighting unavailable, but the motherboard’s onboard RGB lighting was completely non-functional. Their PC would shut down normally; however, the CPU fan continued to spin. Re-running the tool made no difference, and the update managed to brick the Q-Flash Plus feature (Gigabyte’s BIOS update utility) from working on the particular motherboard.
As pointed out, performing a quick search for terms like “bricked Gigabyte LED update” or “IT5701/IT5702 Gigabyte” reveals multiple forum threads detailing similar problems. The issue is clearly widespread and is not just limited to the above-mentioned motherboard but across Gigabyte’s 600 and 700 series motherboards with RGB lighting.
A similar case, posted by u/PuzzleheadedClue7694 on Reddit, involves a Gigabyte B650 GAMING X AX (rev. 1.3) motherboard. The user claims to have followed the procedure of updating the firmware, only to notice that the progress was stuck and the PC had to be restarted after five minutes. This ended in the RGB lighting being stuck on a rainbow pattern, and using Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion software did not help either. The user went on to use SignalRGB, a popular unified RGB control software, which could not recognize the RGB headers on the motherboard.
Another user on Reddit ended up with a bricked Gigabyte B650E Aorus Elite AX V2 motherboard after attempting the same IT5701/5702 RGB controller firmware update. According to u/vReadyyy, they ran the flash.bat file with administrator privileges, but during the update process, the PC stopped responding. Eventually, the user was forced to shut the system down. Upon reboot, the system failed to POST with the CPU debug LED indicator turned on. Despite recovery attempts including CMOS reset and Q-Flash BIOS recovery, the board remained unresponsive.
We have reached out to Gigabyte for a statement regarding the issue; however, the company wasn't immediately available for comment. For now, users of Gigabyte 600 and 700 series motherboards are advised to avoid flashing the IT5701/5702 RGB controller firmware update. In addition to that, updating the firmware using the Gigabyte Control Center (GCC) utility for Windows can also potentially create problems; thus, we do not recommend taking that path.
A possible solution for those who were unable to successfully apply the update is this guide, which explains the issue and offers a step-by-step process on how to safely update the RGB controller firmware and possibly fix the issue. However, if this process still does not solve the problem, you may have a hardware-level issue and need to visit the Gigabyte service center.
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