Fan on Pieter Viljoen's Blog

Zotac ZBOXHD-ID11 Case Positioning Impact on Fan Noise

Thu, 27 May 2010 19:55:00 +0000

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.

Zotac ZBOXHD-ID11 Beta BIOS Reduces Fan Speed and Noise

Wed, 26 May 2010 21:18:00 +0000

In a previous post I measured the fan speed and noise under load, and I found it to be unacceptably high.
Zotac support notified me that a new Beta BIOS is available that addresses the issue.
In this post I measure the difference between the release BIOS and the Beta BIOS.

This is the fourth post in a series of posts related to the Zotac ZBOX ZBOXHD-ID11.

Summary:

The Beta BIOS reduces the fan speed and noise significantly.
The default BIOS values need some adjustment to get acceptable results.
Similar results may be possible with the current BIOS by setting the target temperature to 65C.

The Beta BIOS was first announced on the global Zotac site, it only later appeared on the US site. I would recommend that ID11 owners look for updates on the global site instead of the US site.
The Beta BIOS is available for download from here.

Zotac ZBOXHD-ID11 Fan Speed and Noise

Wed, 19 May 2010 00:38:00 +0000

In my previous post I discussed my initial impressions of the Zotac ZBOXHD-ID11.
In this post I continue my review, focusing on fan speed and noise.

This is the second post in a series of posts related to the Zotac ZBOX ZBOXHD-ID11.

Summary:
- High fan speed and noise while under load.
- Fan never returns to silent operation after load is removed.
- Need DXVA capable player for video playback.

[Update: 26 May 2010]
I tested the Beta BIOS, and it produced significantly better results. Effectively the new BIOS runs the CPU at 65C vs. 50C, as such you may be able to achieve the same results with the current BIOS by simply changing the CPU temperature threshold to 65C.