SFF.Network Gigabyte Announces Z690I Aorus Ultra Board Replacement Program Due to Hardware Failures

Finally... Four months...

It took more than four months but Gigabyte has finally issued an official announcement regarding the well known Z690I motherboard issues that have plagued owners since launch. In the press release, Gigabyte acknowledges WHEA PCIe errors when paired with "some" PCIe Gen4 GPUs. I tested it with a 3080, 3070, and 3060TI and ALL produced errors. However, I suppose there might be a card out there that didn't have an issue. Regardless, Gigabyte will allow owners to exchange or refund their boards, and have set up a website to facilitate the process.

A word of caution to users planning to do this: A search around the Internet will reveal numerous reports of Gigabyte denying RMA claims. Ensure you follow instructions carefully. Additionally, I suggest you make a continuous (uncut) video of you packing and sealing the board for return.

I will let you know now, we are exchanging our board with the new one, and will do a full write up on the experience, as well as a new review.



2022/05/10
May 10th, 2022 GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is committed to producing premium quality hardware.
While investigating reports of customers experiencing issues with their Z690I AORUS ULTRA, we discovered that there are certain cases of system instability and WHEA PCIe errors when paired with some PCIe Gen4 graphics cards. Setting the PCIe speed to Gen3 through the BIOS will eliminate these symptoms.
To address Z690I AORUS ULTRA owners who are currently experiencing instability issues as detailed above, GIGABYTE is offering a special program to upgrade users to the Z690I AORUS ULTRA PLUS motherboard or equivalent models, or users will also be eligible to apply for a refund. https://www.gigabyte.com/Press/News/1990
The special program will be applicable for all customers who have purchased the “Z690I AORUS ULTRA DDR4” or “Z690I AORUS ULTRA DDR5” motherboard from non-third-party retailers. Users who have just started or already completed their RMA process will also qualify. Please note program details may differ according to region.
From May 10, 2022 through November 30, 2022, GIGABYTE customers will be able to register for the program by submitting a claim on the website link below. Users will need to provide their general information, the motherboard’s serial number, and proof of purchase.
Program Website: https://member.aorus.com/z690i-aorus-ultra-exchange-refund
For more information and news, please visit the GIGABYTE AORUS website: https://aorus.com/
For more information and news on GIGABYTE products, please visit the official GIGABYTE website: http://www.gigabyte.com/

 

[rfarmer]

Thanks for the link.

 

[rfarmer]

I applied for an exchange, we'll see how long this takes. I would imagine they are pretty busy with this atm.

 

[AlexTSG]

I can't believe someone as big as Gigabyte doesn't pick something this bad up long before they ship it to customers. Very disappointing.

I've used two of their B550 boards in builds in the last year, and they've worked flawlessly, but something like this will make me think twice about getting components from them in the future.

 

[Revenant]

I can't believe someone as big as Gigabyte doesn't pick something this bad up long before they ship it to customers. Very disappointing.

I've used two of their B550 boards in builds in the last year, and they've worked flawlessly, but something like this will make me think twice about getting components from them in the future.

I doubt they didn't know. I think they just thought it was a BIOS issue and would be a quick software fix. The problem is that they took so long to acknowledge the issue.

Honestly, I've had good luck with Intel Z390 boards from Gigabyte, but after reading the nightmare stories from their support, I think I'll avoid them in the future for my personal rigs.

On a good note, the MSI Z690I that I replaced my board with has been one of the best experiences I've had. Everything just worked. It doesn't overcook the 12900K, and the one click overclocking is Prime95 stable. I'm still not a fan of their BIOS layout, but I really like their board.

 

[rfarmer]

Got approved for RMA and they sent me a shipping label, I will send it back on Monday and hope it doesn't take too long. Fortunately I still have my 8700k and z370.

 

[rfarmer]

Thought I would give an update on my RMA experience. Requested RMA on May 10, approve on May 13, sent back May 16, shipping notification from Gigabyte on May 28, received replacement on June 1. So 3 weeks all told, not bad considering how busy they probably are with this board.
I was concerned, check out the email Gigabyte sent me.



I don't know about you but to me that reads we received your Motherboard, tested it and now we are sending it back to you. I was sure they were sending the old one back. All good though, received a brand new Plus version.

So far the board seems perfect. No WHEA errors and I am showing full PCIe 4.0 speeds.

 

[Revenant]

Thought I would give an update on my RMA experience. Requested RMA on May 10, approve on May 13, sent back May 16, shipping notification from Gigabyte on May 28, received replacement on June 1. So 3 weeks all told, not bad considering how busy they probably are with this board.
I was concerned, check out the email Gigabyte sent me.

View attachment 1822

I don't know about you but to me that reads we received your Motherboard, tested it and now we are sending it back to you. I was sure they were sending the old one back. All good though, received a brand new Plus version.

So far the board seems perfect. No WHEA errors and I am showing full PCIe 4.0 speeds.

I haven't had the opportunity to send mine back yet. The wording on their reply is terrible though.