GIGABYTE Z97X-UD5H Motherboard Review

BIOS Features

GIGABYTE includes the latest version of their UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) implementation with the the Z97X-UD5H motherboard. The UEFI BIOS offers full keyboard and mouse support while using the BIOS pages with enhanced mouse navigation supported by right clicking the mouse – goes back to previous view if inside a settings pop-up or on a sub-menu page. Note that this right click functionality behaves this way in Classic Mode only. Right clicking in ST (Smart Tweak) Mode displays the Shortcuts menu. GIGABYTE also includes a screen capture utility, which generates a 1024×768 BMP image in normal resolution mode and a 1920×1080 BMP image in HD resolution mode on an attached USB drive upon clicking the F12 function key.

GIGABYTE continues to evolve their UEFI BIOS implementation with the Z97-board line, improving the usability and functioning of the BIOS with the new version. One of the nicest surprises was the ability to run the BIOS in HD mode without any special setup or cable configuration required.

BIOS Notable Features

GIGABYTE continues to innovate with their UEFI BIOS design, offering the user four different interfaces from which to modify system settings and monitor devices. The BIOS' four operational modes include Smart Tweak HD mode, Smart Tweak mode, Classic Mode, and Startup Guide mode. You can switch between ST mode and Classic mode using the F2 function key. Further, GIGABYTE integrated multi-language support into the BIOS with support for 18 languages besides English. On their configurable Home section, they integrated two additional tabs – Recent and Favorites – for easy access to more BIOS settings from a centralized location. The changes wouldn't be complete without additional visual tweaking options for the ST HD mode UI itself with options for changing the background theme and the resolution.

Startup Guide mode, Main page

The Startup Guide interface gives the user a fully graphical UI to set the most common options in the BIOS including BIOS active language, system fast boot, system time, drive boot sequence, SATA controller operational options, BIOS security, and interface-related startup options.

Startup Guide mode, System Language page

Selecting the System Language button from the Startup Guide main page opens the System Language page. From here, you can select one of 19 languages with which to customize the BIOS text and labels.

ST HD Mode

GIGABYTE simplified the UI interface for their HD mode, re-dubbing it Smart Tweak mode and allowing for user customization of only performance-related features. All settings and features present in the Smart Tweak interface also exist in the Classic mode interface.

Startup Guide mode, Start-up Options page

Selecting the Start-up Options button from the Startup Guide main page opens the Start-up Options page. This page allows the user to configure which interface is presented on BIOS startup. By default, the BIOS starts in the Startup Guide interface.

ST HD Mode, Home section, Recent page

ST HD Mode, Home section, Favorites page

GIGABYTE added new pages to the Home section of the ST BIOS, labeled Recent and Favorites. The Recent page hosts settings that you have recently accessed via the ST pages. The Favorites page houses common settings used for board performance configuration.

ST HD Mode, Save & Exit section, Preferences page, Wallpaper settings

ST HD Mode, Save & Exit section, Preferences page, HD Resolution settings

The Preferences page accessed from the Save & Exit section of the ST BIOS houses settings for configuring the look and feel of the Smart Tweak interface, including the background wallpaper and HD resolution. There are a total of five wallpapers that can be selected after clicking the Select button tied to the Background Wallpaper setting. The High Display Resolution setting allows the user to set the ST HD interface to two different resolutions, 1200 or 1600 pixels wide.

BIOS Walkthrough – Smart Tweak HD Mode Interface

Frequency section, Frequency page with CPU Base Clock set to Manual

Frequency section, Frequency page with CPU Base Clock set to base clock speed

Frequency section, Advanced CPU Core Settings page

Frequency section, Advanced CPU Core Settings page continued

Memory section, Memory page with XMP profile enabled

Memory section, Memory page, Memory Overclocking Profiles popup

Memory section, Channel A/B Memory Sub Timings page, Standard and Advanced Timing Control settings

Voltage section, Advanced Power Settings page

Voltage section, CPU Core Voltage Control page

Voltage section, CPU Core Voltage Control page with Offset settings active

Voltage section, Chipset Voltage Control page

Voltage section, DRAM Voltage Control page

Miscellaneous section, Miscellaneous page

Miscellaneous section, PC Health Status page

Miscellaneous section, PC Health Status page continued

Home section, Performance page

Home section, Your Name 1 page, Setup User Options popup

Home section, Favorites page, Select a Shortcut popup

Home section, Your Name 1 page, Shortcuts right-click menu popup

Save & Exit section, Save & Exit page

Save & Exit section, Save & Exit page, Save Profiles popup

Save & Exit section, Save & Exit page, Load Profiles popup