Gigabyte Z170 Gaming Boards Get Firmware Upgrade to Thunderbolt 3

Gigabyte’s first-generation Intel Skylake motherboards, the Z170 gaming series, will receive Thunderbolt 3 functionality via a firmware update. Gigabyte may carry out the upgrade after certification from Intel.

The three motherboards that can benefit from the firmware upgrade are the GA-Z170X-Gaming G1, GA-Z170-Gaming GT and the GA-Z170X-Gaming 7. Users who want to upgrade their motherboard can upgrade the firmware of the Gigabyte download website. Once installed, the functionality should be readily available through the USB-C interface on the back of the motherboards.

Thunderbolt 3 can achieve theoretical speeds of 40Gbit/s and is therefore up to twice as fast as Thunderbolt 2. Thunderbolt 3 also supports DisplayPort 1.2, which can drive monitors with a display of up to 60fps at 4k.