If you have a laptop or a branded PC, you may wonder if updating the BIOS voids its warranty.
Similarly, you might wonder whether updating the BIOS will void your PC motherboard’s warranty.
In this article, we’ll discuss how BIOS updates will affect the warranty of laptops, branded desktops, PC motherboards, and GPUs.
Table of Contents
Does A BIOS Update Void Your PC Or Laptop’s Warranty?
Generally, official BIOS updates from the manufacturer won’t void your PC or laptop’s warranty. On the other hand, unofficial BIOS updates might void the warranty, depending on your warranty agreement.
For example, if you used a third-party BIOS update to overclock your CPU, the warranty will not cover any damage done due to overclocking.
So you have to refer to the warranty agreement of your PC or laptop to be sure.
Does A BIOS Update Void Motherboard Warranty?
Usually, an official BIOS update from the manufacturer won’t void your motherboard’s warranty.
However, unofficial third-party BIOS updates might void the warranty depending on your warranty agreement.
So you have to refer to your motherboard’s warranty agreement to be sure about this.
Does Updating GPU BIOS Void Warranty?
GPUs also have a BIOS chip called the vBIOS or video BIOS.
Whether updating the vBIOS void the warranty depends on your GPU’s warranty agreement. Usually, official vBIOS updates from the manufacturer won’t void the warranty, but unofficial vBIOS updates might.
For example, if you used a third-party vBIOS to overclock your GPU and the GPU got damaged, the warranty won’t cover the damage.
Does Changing BIOS Settings Void Your Computer’s Warranty?
Changing the BIOS settings of laptops, branded desktops, and PC motherboards will not void their warranty.
BIOS settings are there to configure by the users according to their requirements. So changing BIOS settings is an expected use case, and it won’t affect the warranty.
Can A BIOS Update Damage Your PC’s Motherboard?
Official BIOS updates from the manufacturer won’t damage your motherboard.
However, incompatible BIOS updates can cause hardware issues on the motherboard and other PC components, including the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage drives.
Some incompatible BIOS updates can cause the motherboard and other PC components to overheat due to incorrect voltage levels. Some can also cause cooling fans to malfunction, which can overheat your PC and cause poor performance and random shutdowns.
A power outage during a BIOS update can also brick your motherboard if it doesn’t have a backup BIOS. In this case, you need to send the motherboard for repair, and they will flash the BIOS chip using special tools.
So remember to use a UPS during BIOS updates.
Can A GPU BIOS Update Damage Your GPU?
Incompatible vBIOS updates can change the voltage levels inside your GPU and damage it permanently. Some unofficial vBIOS updates can also overheat your GPU and slow it down.
Some third-party vBIOS updates allow you to exceed the safe overclock limits of your GPU. But your GPU might get damaged when you exceed safe overclock limits.
A power outage during a vBIOS update can brick your GPU. So always use a UPS during vBIOS updates.
GPU BIOS updates are usually unnecessary; you only need to update your GPU’s vBIOS if the manufacturer recommends it to fix a specific issue. Otherwise, all you need to do is regularly update the graphics driver. Graphics driver updates won’t modify your GPU’s vBIOS.
Conclusion
Generally, applying official BIOS updates provided by the manufacturer won’t void the warranty of laptops, branded desktops, or PC motherboards. However, always refer to your warranty agreement to be sure.
On the other hand, unofficial third-party BIOS updates might void the warranty of your laptop, branded desktop, or PC motherboard, depending on your warranty agreement.
Finally, changing BIOS settings won’t void the warranty of your laptop, branded desktop, or PC motherboard.