Gigabyte Z690I AORUS ULTRA PLUS (rev. 1.0)

Launch Stability & Compatibility

The firmware lifecycle begins with the initial release vF1, rapidly expanding in vF2 to support the Intel Core i9-12900KS and improve compatibility for DDR5 6000MHz memory modules. Update vF20 introduces full support for Intel 13th Gen processors, optimizing PCIe Gen5 stability and noting a requirement for Intel VMD driver v19.5 to prevent crashes in RAID configurations. Memory architecture is further refined in vF21 to synchronize the linkage between Resizable BAR and 4G Decoding, while vF23 enables support for non-binary 24GB and 48GB DIMM capacities and resolves blank display issues on RTX 3060 series GPUs during system initialization.

Feature Maturity & Hardware Support

Mid-cycle updates focus on ecosystem integration and firmware hardening. Version vF24 addresses backdoor vulnerabilities identified by Eclypsium Research and prepares the platform for next-generation processors. vF25 enables proprietary BIOS setting monitoring within HWiNFO64, while vF26 enforces SPD write protection to prevent data corruption on non-compliant memory modules. Update vF27 integrates Microcode 0x11D and redesigns the user interface, followed by vF28 which mitigates the LogoFAIL UEFI vulnerability and exposes Gaussian & Neural Accelerator (GNA) controls.

Critical Security & Power Management

Recent firmware prioritizes processor longevity and platform hardening. Version vF29 enforces Intel Default Settings and integrates Microcode 0x12B to resolve Vmin Shift Instability, encompassing the 0x125 eTVB algorithm fix and the 0x129 voltage clamp. Following the vF30b iteration, vF30d and the stable vF30 deploy Microcode 0x12F to provide advanced mitigation for Vmin Shift Instability and apply Microcode 0x3A to address security advisories INTEL-SA-01153, INTEL-SA-01224, INTEL-SA-01247, and INTEL-SA-01322. Finally, vF31 enables Pre-boot DMA Protection and IOMMU by default while adding support for Intel 120/120F processors, culminating in vF32 which enforces Secure Boot as the system default.