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.
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/
