What's the benefit of UEFI and install Windows in UEFI mode?

[Springf]

I recently just build a new setup with Asus P8Z77-V LK, this motherboard comes with UEFI boot and legacy BIOS boot support.

So I tested install windows 7 in both mode, and I didn't find any advantage of UEFI consider it is a new technology been promoted quite a lot for recent years.

The benefit I found is: a graphic BIOS setup, which is useless to most users if you don't OC. Even you did, I still find using keyboard to navigate through the menu is much easier than mouse.

Faster boot time? very negligible, could be 31 seconds compare to 28 seconds. As I timed use my stopwatch, the value could include a few seconds human error as well.

Support boot from > 2.2TB HDD? nowadays most user use SSD as boot drive so this really doesn't matter.

GPT disk partition? don't see any benefit here compare to legacy MBR...

Anyone can enlighten me what is the advantage of UEFI here?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Dominato3r]

nvm

 

[Springf]

nvm

Sorry, I don't get you....

 

[infoiltrator]

well, ya know, UEFI is just, ya know, larger.
The old specification was limiting BIOS options and display.

 

[Bubbaleone]

....Anyone can enlighten me what is the advantage of UEFI here?

Thanks a lot!

The introduction of GPT created the issue that the traditional BIOS can not boot from GPT formatted drives. Newer operating systems can read, initialize, and format drives so that the GPT format can be used on storage drives, but they just can't boot from GPT formatted drives using the old BIOS. The exception is on UEFI motherboards. UEFI replaces the PC BIOS so systems can boot from GPT formatted drives. But there is much more to UEFI than just allowing boot support from GPT drives.

The MBR can only hold enough information to define partitions on drives less than 2.2TB in size. This is where GPT steps in. GPT is becoming an option out of necessity because of the MBR size limitations. With todays drives of 2, 3, and 4TB we need the GPT partition format option in order to utilize all the available disk space on these huge drives. Basically; GPT reserves a portion of the hard drive, in addition to the part reserved for the MBR. GPT uses this reserved disk space to store even more information about the hard drive and its partitions, allowing for hard drive sizes up to 9.4 ZB (zettabytes).

 

[KeypoX]

Larger harddisks, faster boot times, graphical UI

Run mac on 'pcs'

 

[Binky]

A graphical UI is better than white text on a blue background...

Also, some manufacturers give you a windows app that you can use to change bios settings. You may never need to boot into the bios ever again. I'd say that's an advantage (for some users).

 

[cl-scott]

At a slightly more generic level, the BIOS was still a 16-bit real mode program, and thus it was generally so slow and clunky that the OS would bypass it as much as possible. The UEFI is also a bit less heavy. It initializes the hardware and generally just gets out of the way, handing things over to the bootloader.

 

[Mark R]

UEFI provides a number of advances:

Support for large HDDs (via GPT).

Unified driver platform for hardware components (e.g. graphics, SCSI card, etc.) allowing hardware to be used during Boot/Installation/No OS/OS missing drivers.

Basic level OS in motherboard ROM, capable of running simple apps (e.g. from USB sticks) and performing maintenance, such as partitioning and formatting drives.

 

[mv2devnull]

The introduction of GPT created the issue that the traditional BIOS can not boot from GPT formatted drives.

BIOS can, but not every bootloader of every OS can.

BIOS has limitations due to its age. UEFI is a replacement without the burden of legacy. Well, by the time it gets fully adopted, it probably will have legacy and moss.

 

[Springf]

Thanks for all for the replies...

It looks like the UEFI advantage is mainly on the UEFI iteself (faster boot, enable boot > 2.2 TB, graphic UI, Pre-OS operations), this answers my first question.

But for second question, install Windows 7 in UEFI mode seems doesn't provide any advantage for us.

 

[mv2devnull]

The purpose of hardware and software is not to provide advantages to the users but to the vendors. Or do I misinterpret tales like this:
http://arstechnica.com/information-...othing-or-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it/

 

[Modelworks]

UEFI was an idea that really came too late. At the time it was considered it would have been revolutionary but they waited too long to implement .Consumers want something they can plug in and it works and they don't care about tweaking settings . The BIOS that exist now on a pc are adequate for the majority of users since a lot of the features of UEFI are now in a lot of the BIOS. By the time UEFI is common it wouldn't surprise me if people that really care about it are over 1% of users.

 

[Modelworks]

At a slightly more generic level, the BIOS was still a 16-bit real mode program, and thus it was generally so slow and clunky that the OS would bypass it as much as possible. The UEFI is also a bit less heavy. It initializes the hardware and generally just gets out of the way, handing things over to the bootloader.

OS haven't used the BIOS beyond booting in a very long time. Even XP doesn't rely on the BIOS beyond booting. UEFI is too little too late.

 

[Continuity28]

But for second question, install Windows 7 in UEFI mode seems doesn't provide any advantage for us.

The reason you would boot from the Windows installation media in UEFI mode is to get Windows to partition the drive using GPT instead of MBR.