Summary

• BIOS and UEFI differ in age, interface, and functionality, with UEFI supporting mouse navigation and networking.
• BIOS uses MBR, UEFI uses GPT, and BIOS works in 16-bit mode while UEFI can operate in 64-bit for faster booting.
• UEFI offers detailed hardware monitoring, supports newer hardware, and has advantages like faster booting and remote troubleshooting.

The differences between UEFI and BIOS may not seem significant to most, but the introduction of UEFI has made many computer settings more accessible to the masses. The goal of both is to allow users to customize some of their PC hardware settings before the PC loads into its operating system.

There are quite a few differences between the two. BIOS is older and has been around since the '80s, whereas the UEFI interface is much newer. UEFI uses a more graphical interface and allows the use of your mouse or keyboard, whereas BIOS requires you to use your keyboard to navigate the menu.

What is BIOS?

The original software to control your PC hardware

BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. It is the first software to run when your computer is started and controls the POST (Power On Self Test). It is non-volatile and stored on a small memory chip so that its settings are saved and stored even after powering off your PC. There is no need to install the BIOS as it comes preinstalled on all PC motherboards. Entering the BIOS is easy and can be done both before Windows loads and from within Windows as well.

Once you are in the BIOS, there are a myriad of options you can change. You can change your hard drive boot order, the date and time, power settings, view system voltages, check fan speeds, and more. Once you have made your changes, you simply save your changes and exit the BIOS. This will restart your PC and your settings will take effect and the BIOS will tell your hardware what to do.

What is UEFI?

The new, better-looking, easier-to-use interface for controlling your PC hardware

UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface and is the new-age replacement for BIOS. It has a lot more to offer than standard BIOS and is essentially a tiny piece of software. Similar to the BIOS, it allows you to control your computer's hardware and can even access the internet in some cases for updates. Manufacturers have more control over the appearance of UEFI thanks to its Graphical User Interface (GUI), so they can customize it to match their company's branding.

UEFI uses the GPT partitioning standard instead of the old MBR standard. This allows UEFI to boot from bigger drives of over 2TB and, theoretically speaking, there is no real limit on the size of drive it can boot from. It can boot in both 32-bit and 64-bit and supports Secure Boot allowing it to boot faster than BIOS and be checked for malware, ensuring nothing has tampered with the boot-up process.

When it comes to monitoring your computer's hardware, UEFI holds the advantage over BIOS, offering more detailed statistics for your memory and CPU. It also supports newer hardware such as PCIe and NVMe and will allow you to use USB 3.0 devices in the pre-boot environment.

What are the differences?

BIOS uses the Master Boot Record (MBR) and UEFI uses the GUID Partition Table (GPT). As such, BIOS saves all its information on a BIOS chip on the motherboard and UEFI saves its data to an EFI file on a storage device. Another big factor holding BIOS back is that is only works in 16-bit mode while UEFI can operate in 64-bit. The 64-bit mode in UEFI allows it to have higher addressable memory, which in turn makes it boot faster.

As mentioned, UEFI uses a more graphical interface, allowing it to look nicer and be easier to operate. You can also use your mouse when navigating UEFI, further making it easier to navigate. Another great feature UEFI holds over the traditional BIOS is its ability for networking support, which will not only allow you to update the UEFI firmware, but you can also troubleshoot the computer remotely, whether it has an operating system installed or not.

Is UEFI the better choice?

With all the advancements in technology since UEFI was released, it makes sense that BIOS is being phased out on new hardware. The limitations associated with BIOS would hinder the modern computer's performance. This is why UEFI is the better choice between the two, as it offers more functionality, better performance, and an easier to use graphical interface.