ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi

** !! Bumpy !! **

This thread is in danger of dying ?

Those who have this board in operation, please state some interesting facts, like ...

- what CPU underclocked / stock / overclocked do you use ?
- what temperatures for CPU idle / load ... and Northbridge do you get ?
- does the Northbridge really gets that hot ?
- what modern PC games can the on board graphics handle ?
- what would be the minimum wattage of PSU for a system with that board ? 200W ? 300W ?
- can you use only one bank for RAM or do I have to use both banks ?
- there is only one optical output, right ?
I still need to transfer my Mini Disk collection to HDD and from MD Player to an optical input on the PC side would have been the ideal situation.
Looks like I have to buy a seperate audio card.
 
My incomplete rig:

Zotac 9300 itx mobo
Intel Q9650 using stock HSF (not OCed yet)
2 x 2gb Team Xtreem DDR 2 800 4-4-4-10 @ 1.9v

During my test, I got the following temps: (My room temps is around 36c, so HOT!)

CPU Temp: Idle 48c,45c,44c,45c respectively
Load 50c,46,4c7,45c respectively

NB: integrated GPU Idle 69c
Load 71c

NB: memory controller Idle 73c
Load 79c

I'm seriously considering getting a NB cooler because my temps above for the NB is a lil bit alarming. I just can't decide though on which NB cooler would best suit the Zotac 9300 itx board. Hope someone from this forum could share some insights about this :)
 
I'm planning on building a system with one of these shortly.

Just debating between which video-card (with an SG05)... actually curious which HSF's people have found work best in this combo, I've heard the Gemini II S is pretty decent and takes up a ton of room.

Could just go GTS250 for Nvidia simplicity, or 4870 for speed (but that's pushing the PSU pretty far too... )

D=
 
My incomplete rig:
Why incomplete ? Not finished yet ?

... Intel Q9650 using stock HSF (not OCed yet) ...
The 3.00GHz version of the Yorkfield, nice one.
Wasn't that quite expensive compared to the 2.66GHz Q9450 ?
I personally prefer stock frequency or maybe even underclocking to keep the temps down.
Good question: would you rather prefer a 3GHz DualCore or an underclocked Quadcore ?
Both have speedstep, reducing the frequency by 1 GHz if idle, right ?

... 2 x 2gb Team Xtreem DDR 2 800 4-4-4-10 @ 1.9v ...
I'm planning to get 2 x 4GB modules in order to use both banks to their full capacity.

... During my test, I got the following temps: (My room temps is around 36c, so HOT!) ...
Where do you live, in Africa ? lol ... 36c in April ... OMG.


... CPU Temp: Idle 48c,45c,44c,45c respectively ...
Hmm, I get with my E8400 Wolfdale 3.00GHz around 36c to 38c idle.
So the quad gets a little hotter, ok
I notice recently that after cleaning my PC and removing the thermal paste (between CPU and heatsink), resulted in a increase of approx 8 to 9 degrees.
Will have to get good thermal paste from somewhere again.

... Load 50c,46,4c7,45c respectively ...
Haven't checked my load temps yet.

...NB: integrated GPU Idle 69c
Load 71c

NB: memory controller Idle 73c
Load 79c
Where do you read the temperatures for the Northbridge ? In the BIOS ?
Considering that my GeForce 8800 GT shows a GPU temp of approx 44c idle (with a 3rd party cooler) then the 69c is really a bit too high I think.
A dedicated NB fan is a good idea. Will see if anyone knows more about that.
What's the difference in location between integrated graphics and memory controller ?
Are we talking about North and South bridge ?



I'm planning on building a system with one of these shortly.
... actually curious which HSF's people have found work best in this combo ...
Yeah, me too ... there're not many options with that board I guess.

... Could just go GTS250 for Nvidia simplicity, or 4870 for speed (but that's pushing the PSU pretty far too... )
Either card delivers sweet performance.
And my guess would be that the 300W PSU of the Sugo 05 is sufficient enough.
 
For GTS250, but for 4870 it has 2 x 6pin PCI-e power...

Even if the only other parts in the system are a laptop DVD drive and HDD, then the motherboard/cpu, that's still a bit... I forget what the rails were but it seemed like it'd be barely enough.
 
For GTS250, but for 4870 it has 2 x 6pin PCI-e power...

Even if the only other parts in the system are a laptop DVD drive and HDD, then the motherboard/cpu, that's still a bit... I forget what the rails were but it seemed like it'd be barely enough.

You are correct sir. It would not be a good idea to use the HD4870 with that particular FSP 300W PSU that comes with the SG05. The FSP has 22A (264W) on the +12V rail which is not enough for a system + HD4870.
 
Why incomplete ? Not finished yet ?

Yes, I still don't have my ordered SG05. And still deciding if I can make that GTX 260 core 216 55nm video card work with the SG05 PSU

The 3.00GHz version of the Yorkfield, nice one.
Wasn't that quite expensive compared to the 2.66GHz Q9450 ?
I personally prefer stock frequency or maybe even underclocking to keep the temps down.
Good question: would you rather prefer a 3GHz DualCore or an underclocked Quadcore ?
Both have speedstep, reducing the frequency by 1 GHz if idle, right ?

Q9450 is cheaper but it isnt available anymore where I live, and I got a sweet deal on my Q9650. BTW Q9650 does not idle @ 1Ghz, I don't know how to make it idle at the speed. It idles @ 2.0Ghz. I'd prefer Q9650 for a lot of multi tasking.


Where do you live, in Africa ? lol ... 36c in April ... OMG.

LOL, No I don't live in Africa. I live in South East Asia.


Where do you read the temperatures for the Northbridge ? In the BIOS ?
Considering that my GeForce 8800 GT shows a GPU temp of approx 44c idle (with a 3rd party cooler) then the 69c is really a bit too high I think.
A dedicated NB fan is a good idea. Will see if anyone knows more about that.
What's the difference in location between integrated graphics and memory controller ?
Are we talking about North and South bridge ?

I use everest to read my temps for CPU, NB GPU and NB MCH(please someone correct me if I got this terms wrong). Zotac 9300 itx does not have a southbridge.


I really hope someone on this forum have tried a GTX 260 on a Zotac 9300 itx and a SG05 and tell me that it worked without any flaws. ;)
 
The GTX 260 wont work. I've seen reviews of the case done with a 4870, but that's the highest it's been pushed. That system had 4 GB RAM, an HDD, an AMD quad @ 105w, and a Jetway motherboard. It ran stable, so I'm guessing that would be fine. I've also seen setups with the GTS250 and 4850 working. You'd be draining both of your 12v rails trying to push that PSU, if it didn't give up and explode first. If it did run, anything else you plugged in such as fans, hard drives, etc, would be drained of all power.
 
The GTX 260 wouldn't even fit in the SG05. The GTS 250 is 9" and it barely has enough room in the case. Technology just hasn't progressed enough yet to cram that calibre of a card into the SG05. Wait until the next generation 40nm and they should release a smaller, lower power, "green" version of the GTX 260 or 285 that only needs 1 power connector.

If the video card requires more than 1 PCI-E connector then you're just not going get it to work in the SG05 because of size/power issues. For right now though, having a 3ghz+ quad core and video card that's equivalent to an 8800 Ultra in such a small package is pretty darn good to me. :cool:
 
Thanks for all the insight/s regarding the GTX 260 and the SG05 PSU question. I'll take all your advices and hold off my plan to buy a video card for my ITX build until Q3 or Q4 of 2009 or until the energy efficient GTX 260 comes out. I'm planning to use my ITX build for a very long time so I intend to cram as much efficient FPS power to it.

BTW: Can you guys suggest a good CPU and NB cooler for the Zotac 9300 itx? For the CPU cooler, more choices are the following:
1. Scythe Shuriken
2. Silverstone NT05 (I can't find one though)

And for the NB HSF:
1. Thermalright HR-05
2. Akasa AK-210

If you have a better suggestion, please let me know. TIA!
 
I am also planning a Zotac 9300 / SG05 build. It fits every aspect of what I'm looking for in a machine. I'm in college and I have very little space in my room for anything (even something as space efficient as a mid tower pc), so being as small as this is, and it can game very well on top of that, it is literally my perfect pc.

I'm going to be recycling an E6400 I've got, as a temporary processor until I've got more money. Is this an adequate heatsink for cooling it. I also plan on buying a fan for it. The reason I ask is because I've read that with a bit of modification, the fan can actually be mounted on the underside of the heat sink. This seems like it'd be rather ideal, allowing for some space around the heat sink.

Anyone know if this will work / fit in the SG05? It is a bit on the pricey side, but I don't really know a whole lot about what can and can't fit in the SG05. Reading through here I've found a couple heatsinks, but they all seem to go right up to under the power supply. Is this acceptable? I just seem to think that this would build up a crap-ton of heat.
 
In the SG05 the ideal way to cool a cpu regardless of the heatsink type would be to have it sucking air away from the heatsink and up through the power supply and out the back. The clearance is so small that having a cpu fan blowing downward through the heatsink fins would conflict with the power supply fan trying to suck air in from the bottom.

Here's a pic of my setup:



Note the continuous flow. With this I can keep a Q6600 at 3ghz running 35c idle and 55c load. Cool air comes in through front and gets blown into the cpu heatsink. The cpu fan sucks cool air up through heatsink and heat from cpu cooler gets pushed through the power supply by the cpu fan and exhausted by the power supply exhaust fan.
 
CompuG##K is right the best you are going to get in the sg-05 (unless you can shoehorn in water cooling) is the setup he has pictured. I have the same setup cooling wise on a kuma 7750 on the J&W Minix and even when over clocked to 3.2 at 1.4 vcore (1.425 actual) my load temps are at 40c and the idle is at 18c.

edit: some of the airflow flows around the power supply through the top vent as well.
 
That's running with a Gemini II s right?

That's correct. It was one of the only coolers I could find that could both cool a mildly overclocked Q6600 and would also fit within the SG05. The power supply I'm using isn't the stock power supply. It is the Seasonic 350w sfx power supply with a 120mm hole cut in the bottom of it for airflow. The stock psu should work similarly in the same airflow setup since it too has a bottom vent and is physically smaller, allowing more airflow to go around it.
 
Yep, that's the plan for me... but probably a fast dual-core with stock PSU, GTS250 and 2.5" 500GB and a slot-loading DVD burner.

I priced it out around $700 or less...
 
it may but I have yet to find any place that has it for sale ...besides the fact it doesn't even show up on the coolermaster site... besides that, it's a nice looking cooler...
if you can find any other info besides the link you posted it would be great appreciated, since I've been looking for that cooler for a while now with no luck
 
Well they just released the V8 and V10, so I think it's part of their new series... I figure a V4 and V6 will be released shortly =)
 
My SG05 just arrived today. My 9300-ITX comes next week. I've got the chassis stripped down and ready for some interior paint. Also gonna work on a mod to allow 2 3.5" HDD's, instead of just 1. Gonna sacrifice the DVD burner though.
 
What do you mean by "interior paint" ? Sorry, but I;m not familiar with modding stuff.
And yea, I think that's a good idea to get rid of the DVD bay.
For the few time I'd need a DVD drive, I could just plug one in.
 
I'm painting the interior of the case. It's bare metal when you get a case. I'm priming and painting it matte black
 
Wow, make sure to post some pics about it, otherwise it never happened ... ;)
 
I think I will order one Vertex SSD drive (60GB) from OCZ together with the Zotac motherboard.

Any objections ?
 
Anyone get the audio working with Windows 7 x64 Beta build?
If so what drivers did you load?
 
I think I got it to work with the one that is on the CD with Vista compatibility.
 
Yea, I had to set compatibility mode to Vista then run it.
Default it is set to XP. Now it is Windows 7 with audio and sweet!
 
Is anyone else having smart fan issues with this motherboard? I can't get the PC health status menu to show up in BIOS, and my fans are REALLY loud. I tried a BIOS update, and talked to a Zotac rep, who said that they disabled the smart fan function, and the OC functions as well, because people were toasting the boards. I'm skeptical at the least. Considering the fact that he just walked away from our conversation without really giving me an answer, I wanna know what other owners of this board have.
 
Just using it as a temporary holder for some of the stuff going into out (Geno and mine) Star Trek project. I will take this to a small LAN party tomorrow. It has a QX9650 (having issues with clocks on the Zotac 9300 mini-ITX mobo) and Geforce 280 . . .Silverstone Zeus 1200 M PSU. Need to clock it correctly I guess . . . .only 6-9 multiplier available . . . .

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A PC case made of plexiglass !
Is that custom built ? Awesome idea. I have vivid images about what I would like to design.
Wasn't that difficult to glue together ?
But what about fingerprints ... easy to keep clean ? I'm getting exited.
 
A PC case made of plexiglass !
Is that custom built ? Awesome idea. I have vivid images about what I would like to design.
Wasn't that difficult to glue together ?
But what about fingerprints ... easy to keep clean ? I'm getting exited.

That is a customized Danger Den Torture rack. No glue. It goes together with screws and nuts.
 
Are there two hard drives and one DVD drive in that case? How did you do that? There are only two SATA ports on the zotac... did you attach one by USB port?
 
Are there two hard drives and one DVD drive in that case? How did you do that? There are only two SATA ports on the zotac... did you attach one by USB port?

The Zotac has an eSATA port on the back panel. Probably attached the optical drive to that.
 
What fans are those on the back of the rad's... AC Ryans?

I'm trying to find a cool fan for the front of an SG05... simple LED's to show through the grills being the only light in the case...

Was thinking of going with White LED's.

Right now I got the build priced at $600 with a 500GB Laptop drive, 4GB ram, 9300 Zotac, EVGA GTS250, Silverstone SG05, Sony Slim Slot-loading DVD burner, Gemini II S, and some other misc stuff... then finally the processor (Depending if I buy used or not) should bring it up to $680-700 for an E7200.

The idea was to remove the 3.5" HDD cage and use the laptop drive instead... should be fairly quiet, just depends on what I put up front for the 120 I think.
 
I've spent the better part of this week trying to track down why my new HTPC build's audio occasionally stutters during SPDIF playback of dolby/dts encoded streams. It is completely random, does not coincide with any kind of video slowdown or stutter and ONLY does it with SPDIF passthrough of 5.1+ streams. It's just a very slight random "skip" of the audio cutting out for a split second then right back to business. I've checked latency on the computer and Windows XP/Vista/7 with a multitude of drivers/codec packs/media players etc etc. Now here's the kicker;

If I take the case enclosure off, it stops skipping.

Now, the computer IS a tiny HTPC build using the Zotac 9300 board in an Apex MI-100 enclosure (pretty cramped). However, I have already done a lot of things to make sure airflow in the case is adequate, so much so that without further extensive modding, I do not see how I can reduce the heat any more.

Has anyone ever heard of an issue like this? I don't understand how a difference of a few degrees could be causing such a problem. Could it just be a faulty/finicky board? Everything else is flawless. In fact I can play back full 1080p rips and never see CPU usage over 50%. I've pegged prime95 on both cores while playing back these rips and the video was still smooth. Never BSOD'd, hasn't been overclocked, memtest passes, prime95 stable for 12 hours.

The temps DO get a little warm. With the case enclosure on, the e5200 45nm chip sits @ 50C idle and can reach up to 58-60C during playback. With the enclosure off, the temperature drops ~8 degrees on both idle and playback.

I am using a Silverstone NT07 on the cpu for cooling and there are two 120MM fans providing airflow from the sides of the case. I relocated the hard drive to the bottom of the case with rubber standoffs to create air pockets above and beneath it. I even created a little "cubby" for all the wiring so it's all out of the way as much as possible.

I really am out of ideas. Is it the ambient case temp causing the onboard sound to get hot and cause errors? All I am doing is passing the dolby/dts signal through optical so my receiver can decode it. I've tried 5 different cables including coax with same results.

My OCD won't let me rest until this is fixed, help me [H]!





 
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