More Work Than Expected
If your computer does not boot anymore because your BIOS settings always get reset, then maybe your CMOS battery is empty. You can check the state of the CMOS battery in Windows, for example with the open source software Open Hardware Monitor.
Search for VBAT (voltage of battery). If a VBAT sensor shows a low value, then the CR2032 battery is probably empty. A healthy value should be around 3V since CR2032 batteries deliver 3 Volt.
The X570 AORUS XTREME REV. 1.0 has two temperature/fan controller chips, the ITE IT8688E and the ITE IT879XE. That’s why you will find two VBAT sensor values for this board. Both measure the voltage of the same battery, however, the value could be slightly different due to precision issues.
How To Replace the Battery
You might think, replacing a CMOS battery should be easy on a ~700€ mainboard that has won an iF Design and a Reddot Design award. Far from it! Especially if your PC is already fully assembled and connected to peripherals.
When it comes to the CMOS battery, the design of the mainboard is an embarrassing failure and Gigabyte should be ashamed. Spoiler: You have to disassemble EVERYTHING. But enough talking, here are the steps!
Disclaimer
While I strive to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the content, I cannot guarantee that following these instructions will not result in damage to your computer or other property. By using the information provided, you agree to do so at your own risk. I am not liable for any loss, injury, or damage resulting from the use of this information. Always consult a professional technician if you are unsure about any aspect of the replacement process.
1. Locate the battery
Remove the graphics card from the PCIe slot and everything that covers the M.2 slots. You should end up with a metal plate/heatsink without any screws and you should see the edges of the battery below the heatsink.
Now you might wonder, how the f*** can I remove this last heatsink? There are no screws so what is the trick? Maybe some mechanism unlocks it? Well, enjoy the ride!
2. Remove the backplate
Yep! You have to remove the backplate if you want to remove this last heatsink! Isn’t that wonderful? However, for just replacing the battery you could also try a potential shortcut which I will explain later.
So remove the board, turn it around and remove the 11 screws. I recommend putting them in the same pattern on a table since they have different sizes.
Note that there is some rubber between the backplate and the board. In my case it was a bit sticky when pulling the backplate off but it was NOT glued together so it should be easily removable.
3. Screw off the plate that covers the battery
Remove these two screws and the standoff in the middle (which also acts as screw).
You should now be able to remove the final plate/heatsink and you should see the three holes where the two screws and the standoff were holding the plate.
4. Replace the battery
Finally you have access to the battery and can replace it! Thank you Gigabyte for letting customers of your 700€ motherboard waste lifetime. We love to unplug our PCs, detach peripherals and disassemble everything. Just to replace a battery! Design awards well-deserved!
5. Verify the new battery works
Now that you have replaced the battery you might want to check the VBAT sensor values again. As I said, a healthy value should be around 3V.
Potential shortcut
There is a potential shortcut. You still have to remove the mainboard but you might be able to skip the backplate removal. First, remove ONLY this screw near the center of the backplate.
This will unloose the heatsink only on the side near the battery because this particular screw not only holds the backplate, but also the heatsink on the front. As you can see, the screw goes through the hole near the battery.
Now you could try to gently lift the heatsink a bit on that side but be careful to not break anything on the other side where the heatsink is still locked! You might be able to lift it a few centimeters.
Then put something between the heatsink and the mainboard to keep it lifted, for example a small spacer between the flat surface (above the yellow circle) and the heatsink. That might give you enough space to replace the battery but it could be tricky. Good luck!
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