Gigabyte P67A-UD4 LGA 1155 ATX Motherboard Review

BIOS Features

Gigabyte didn’t choose to incorporate the new EFI BIOS we’ve seen from ASUS and MSI in their P67 offerings. Instead, they are using what they call a “hybrid EFI” BIOS that is based around an Award Software BIOS, which we flashed to version F6 that includes 3TB hard drive support. Gigabyte posted a couple frequently asked questions about their new hybrid EFI BIOS that is shipping with all H67 and P67 motherboards on their company blog that I thought would be interesting to re-post in our review. 

When asked about when they will implement a full GUI EFI BIOS, Gigabyte’s Colin Brix posted this response on Jan. 26: “We are still evaluating the best implementation, so that users get the best experience right out the gate, without them having to be our beta testers.”

Question 1: When will GIGABYTE introduce an EFI compatible BIOS for their motherboards? 

Answer 1: GIGABYTE has already introduced Hybrid EFI Technology that is fully compliant with EFI aware operating systems. This BIOS is shipping now with all GIGABYTE P67 and H67 chipset motherboards, and we have started introducing this BIOS on motherboards using other chipsets with the intention of making is available on all GIGABYTE motherboards. 

Question 2: Why did GIGABYTE choose to use a hybrid EFI instead of a standard EFI technology? 

Answer 2: GIGABYTE Hybrid EFI Technology allows us to quickly offer EFI functionality to a whole range of motherboards, not just the latest 6 series products, because it is based on GIGABYTE’s tried and tested BIOS. 

Question 3: Why does GIGABYTE’s Hybrid EFI Technology not support using a mouse or have a mouse-friendly graphical interface? 

Answer 3: Mouse support and the accompanying graphical interface are not part of the EFI spec. That’s why some motherboard makers have chosen to have mouse support with their EFI BIOS while others don’t. One of the features of the EFI BIOS is that it is modular, so mouse support and a graphical interface are additional modules that some vendors have added to their EFI BIOS. This also explains how GIGABYTE has been able to add an EFI module to our stable and reliable BIOS. GIGABYTE’s Hybrid EFI technology keeps the same familiar interface that millions of users are used to. It is quick, easy to use and overclockers can enter the BIOS and change settings as quickly (or even quicker) than if they were using a mouse. 

Question 4: What are the advantages of GIGABYTE’s Hybrid EFI Technology?

Answer 4: 

1. It supports booting from 2.2TB+ HDDs. GIGABYTE mentions 3TB+ because the next size up from a 2TB HDD is actually 3TB, not 2.2TB. GIGABYTE Hybrid EFI Technology provides headroom for a maximum disk and partition size of 9.4ZB (9.4 x 1021 bytes; kB, MB, GB, TB, PB, EB, ZB, YB, etc…)

2. It uses a reliable, tried and tested GIGABYTE Award BIOS that has been updated and improved over many years. Our BIOS is compatible with thousands of ICs, components and 3rd party products – a new BIOS needs a lot of compatibility testing before it is as mature as our Award BIOS. So basically we have the Best of Both Worlds with our Hybrid EFI Technology: stability of a mature BIOS and the 2.2TB+ support of an EFI BIOS. 

3. Because of its design, it is easier to be backwards compatible with older motherboard models -X58 chipset down to new G41 chipset models will be able to enjoy Hybrid EFI Technology. So we are protecting our customers buying decision and helping to future proof their purchase. No other EFI solution can offer this! 

4. GIGABYTE Hybrid EFI Technology is fully compliant with both EFI aware and non EFI aware operating systems. 

Main menu

MB Intelligent Tweaker menu

M.I.T Current Status under M.I.T. menu

Advanced Frequency Settings under M.I.T. menu

Advanced CPU Core Features under M.I.T. menu

Advanced Memory Settings under M.I.T. menu

Advanced Voltage Settings under M.I.T. menu

Miscellaneous Settings menu

Standard CMOS Features menu

Advanced BIOS Features menu

Integrated Peripherals menu

Power Management Setup menu

PC Health Status menu