How to Update the ROG Xbox Ally X to BIOS 319 & the New GPU Driver

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The ROG Xbox Ally X just got a BIOS and GPU driver update. We'd been on BIOS 317 for quite a while, and BIOS 319 is now out alongside a new graphics driver and MCU firmware. With the new X20 version of the ROG Xbox Ally X launching with its OLED screen (I picked mine up for a review and some videos), I'm not surprised ASUS has some updates out. Here's what's in them and how I installed everything through Armoury Crate SE.

I don't currently have the white version of this device, so I haven't checked whether the same updates are out for that one. If you have it, check Armoury Crate SE, the ASUS support website or MyASUS.

What's in BIOS 319 and the new driver

On the ASUS support site for the ROG Xbox Ally X, BIOS 319 is available for direct download now, but the notes don't say much beyond "Optimize system performance." With the X20 version out, I'm sure ASUS had to make some updates for that device.

The new GPU drivers weren't on the support site for direct download yet when I checked. They usually show up a few days, or up to a couple of weeks, after they land in Armoury Crate SE, so they should be there soon. I didn't see anything else new on the site.

In Armoury Crate SE, three updates were waiting, all dated October 14:

• MCU firmware
• BIOS 319, replacing BIOS 317
• A new graphics driver for the GPU, dated October 10, replacing the May driver I'd been on. That's about five months newer.

Armoury Crate SE itself also got an update with a few changes. The updates list looks a little different and is organized differently now, with a section for preview updates and things like that. I'm not getting into that one much here, but you'll probably get it along the way too.

From what I've heard, this driver is specifically supposed to help with the remastered version of The Witcher 3. More on that below.

Before you start

• Plug the ROG Xbox Ally X into its power supply. BIOS updates usually ask you to be plugged in anyway.
• I do like to do all my updates from the Windows desktop rather than Xbox mode.
• If you want to see what you're on before updating, the GPU driver version shows in the AMD Adrenalin app, and Windows' System Information shows the BIOS version. Under Components → Display there you can quickly see the GPU driver version too.

How to install BIOS 319 and the GPU driver

1. From the Windows desktop, open Armoury Crate SE and go to the Updates tab once it loads.
2. Scroll down. I didn't even have to check for updates: the MCU firmware, BIOS and graphics driver were already listed.
3. Make sure you're plugged into power, then hit Update all. Armoury Crate SE downloads all the updates and installs them automatically.
4. Expect the screen to flash a lot during the install. I don't know if that was from the GPU driver or something else.
5. When it's done, you'll be prompted to restart. The BIOS update runs during the restart. For me, everything took about 5 minutes or so to go through.
6. Back on the desktop, open Armoury Crate SE again. The MCU firmware, BIOS and graphics driver should all show as installed.
7. Check System Information to confirm you're on BIOS 319, and Components → Display to confirm the new October driver.
8. On the next restart I got one more small firmware update to finish up, and I had to plug back in for that one.

If you've been through past BIOS, GPU driver and firmware updates on this device, this will feel pretty familiar. If you prefer, you can also download BIOS 319 directly from the ASUS support site instead of using Armoury Crate SE.

If the Adrenalin app doesn't show up the way it should afterward, check the Microsoft Store. Sometimes it doesn't update automatically and you have to update it there.

How it ran afterward

I didn't have any issues with the update at all. I haven't had a chance to compare games against BIOS 317 or 314 or the older GPU drivers yet. I ran Gears, and it all seemed fine, with no crashes or problems and similar performance to what I was already getting. I also ran a couple of other games to make sure there was no crashing, and everything ran fine and smoothly.

I hadn't played The Witcher 3 remaster on this device before, so I downloaded it with the new driver and BIOS installed. I didn't see any of the graphical glitches or texture issues I'd heard people talking about on the Z2 Extreme. Everything ran really well for me, and I'm looking forward to getting more into this one. It's been so busy that I haven't had time to play the remaster, and I really want to. If you were having problems with it on the Xbox Ally X before, I think you'll be fine now with this new driver. Beyond that, I didn't look at anything else yet.

My take

ASUS, along with Xbox, has done a pretty good job of keeping this device updated, and it's nice to see the updates still rolling out about a year after launch. I'd love to see that continue, given all the changes this thing has had over the past year.