As I was testing the ID11, I noticed differences in the thermal behavior based on how the case was positioned.
I tested three positions; case open, case vertical, and case horizontal.
This is the fifth post in a series of posts related to the Zotac ZBOX ZBOXHD-ID11.
Summary:
- Place the case in a vertical position for best cooling.
I used the Beta BIOS for testing. I let the system sit idle, placed it under load, then back to idle, while I recorded the fan speed and temperatures. The ambient temperature was 21C / 70F.
Below are the CPU temperature and fan speed graphs for an open case:
Below are the CPU temperature and fan speed graphs for a vertical case:
Below are the CPU temperature and fan speed graphs for a horizontal case:
Summary:
|
Case Placement |
Max CPU Temp |
Max Fan Speed |
| Open Lid | 55C | 1700RPM |
| Vertical | 59C | 2350RPM |
| Horizontal | 66C | 3300RPM |
From the data we can see that the fan does not appear to have sufficient ventilation, and that in the horizontal position the air flow appears to be severely restricted.
I am tempted to mod the case to allow for better airflow, maybe cut a larger opening for the intake, or replace the centrifugal blower fan with a conventional fan, something like the Scythe KAZE JYU SLIM.
Pieter Viljoen's Blog 
Am enjoying your postings bigtime; a question, though: Are you getting high-pitched buzzing from the entry point of the power plug during the off state? It disappears during power-on, or even during sleep when the blue light comes on intermittently.I suspect it is a design flaw rather than a RMA issue, possibly caused by the resistor coil or by the motherboard being poorly insulated from the chassis.
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Yes, same problem. When powered down or sleeping there is a high pitched noise. When powered on, no noise.I was planning on RMA'ing because of it, the noise gives me a headache.
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I am quite anxious to hear Zotac's official response; I have an engineer working on it and I'll share any news here.
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Hi, can you tell me at what rpm, the fan is not audible, barely audible, acceptable, noticable, and loud? Thanks.
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