Zotac GF 9300-I-E

[pauleley]

HI will the http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?ZOT-GF93IE]Novatech : GF9300-I-E Zotac GF 9300-I-E Nvidia (Socket 775) DDR2 motherboard Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Support, Single Channel DDR2, 3 x 3Gb SATA, 12x USB 2.0, 1 x E-SATA, 5.1 HD Audio, Gigabit LAN : novatech.co.uk
Zotac GF 9300-I-E

With a Novatech : BX80571E6500 Intel Pentium Dual Core E6500 2 x 2.93Ghz 2MB Cache 1066 FSB Dual Core Processor Dual Core Technology, 2.93GHz clock speed, 2MB L2 Cache, 45nm Technology, 3yr Warranty : novatech.co.uk
make a Good fast CarPC.
I have a slow 1.2gig lol

[SUNAJ]

Sure thing. Have the same board
Extreem fast. Windows 7 and CF3.0

[MrBean]

It is a very nice board, I have one- but, there is caveat, if you get the older model:

There is a concern with resuming from S3 or Hiberbation, where the main CPU fanspeed will remain very low, and incapable of cooling the cpu down proper when under load -the only thing that fixes this is shutdown proper everytime, and not use hibernation or S3.

I believe this was fixed in the newer (version) boards though, but you'll need to confirm this.....

I have ordered the newly released Zotac H-55 board, supporting Clarkedale (with integrated on-die graphics) cpu's.

Maybe go for that, and drop in th e very affordable i3 530 cpu at 2.93gig- same as my setup.

My board is in customs, and I will have it Tuesday or Wednesday - long weekend here in Australia - it came in just to lae on Friday to collect

If you want to wait a few days, I will do a mini-review and post my findings.

Kind regards,
MrBean

[pauleley]

Thanks MrBean a mini-review will be cool

[MrBean]

No worries, will do.

Btw, I just updated my original 9300 WiFi ITX's bios, but the same issues with fan speed upon resume from S3 - fan speed stays low, even though I've set the manual option in the bios, and to full.

So,mine is one of the first revisions, please check to see if the latest ones fix this bug - only a concern if you plan on using S3/Hibernate.

I will do a review once I get the new H55, which should be deliveered tomorrow or Wednesday.

[MrBean]

Hello, just some feedback:

I have received my new H55 board this afternoon, and first impressions:

The good:
1) Pretty quick bios, start loading Windows taskbar qaround 8-9 seconds after post, should be in desktop in around 17-18 seconds, and playing music in CF3.1 after 25 seconds from cold boot.
2)Easy to setup drivers in Windows- I used an old Disk/OS from my Commell LV-677 setup, it booted straight to Windows, I uninstalled old, and installed new drivers - no issues.
3) Feels very snappy, running defauly clocks - I even set all the voltages lower in the bios to run temps a bit cooler still - will help once I go fully passive with this setup.
4) With integrated controllers on the cpu die, you only have a very cool running Southbridge besides the main cpu - cooling is a doddle.


The bad:
1) Comes with (pre-)production bios it seems - you need to pop onto Zotac's website to grab the latest, which fixes a few issues, and give you a few more bios options for fine-tuning to your liking.
2) There seems to be a bug with the button located on the I/O panel underneath the WiFi antennas - this is supposed to be an on/off switch, but, once you have started this PC, it seems you cannot switch it off via this switch again - pressing/releasing only fires up the PC - you have to shutdown from within the OS.
3) Pretty iffy manual, not the usual quality booklet you would expect from the leader in ITX motherboards.

Nothing else, running pretty well, and I'm fairly impressed- significantly easier to get up and going vs the 9300 Zotac ITX WiFi setup - but then again, I have always favored Intel chipsets - if anything, they are very stable.

Will do a proper review on the weekend though, I will keep you posted.

Kind regards,
MrBean

[MrBean]

2) There seems to be a bug with the button located on the I/O panel underneath the WiFi antennas - this is supposed to be an on/off switch, but, once you have started this PC, it seems you cannot switch it off via this switch again - pressing/releasing only fires up the PC - you have to shutdown from within the OS.

Mmm...always a good thing there is a manual, and I should RTFM from time to time. The button on the back is no power button, but actually an external CMOS reset button.

Bummer.

But, good in a way, as you do not need to rip the system apart to start up the PC.

As mentioned in the earlier post, I will review on the weekend- just running a few stability tests currently, with lowered voltages, and looking yummy.

I prefer it over the 9300WiFi ITX board, which is already a good board to have.

[MrBean]

Another small update for you:

System is on standard Intel Heatsink/Fan cooler, and here I'm running 4 instances of Prime95, loading the system up 100% on all 4 cores - 2 physical, 2 hyperthreading....

Temps never exceeds mid to high 50's (deg C), and that is brilliant - aircooler on PWM control, and fan potting away at around 2k3, pretty quiet I have to admit.

Anyway, refer to screenie, and the fact that I'm undervolting the cpu - I will test stability overnight, and then set all voltage settings to lowest it can go, and run 48hour test then.

If it pass, I'll leave voltages undervolted, as this will contribute to a cooler running system, with the added benefit of overall lower power-consumption

Noice.

[Gobanna]

Are the temp values under a heavy load?

Nevermind ... loading the system up 100% on all 4 cores - 2 physical, 2 hyperthreading....

[pauleley]

Thanks MrBean
What Power supplie are you runing as i only have a M2-ATX, 160w LinITX.com - M2-ATX - 160W Intelligent Car PSU
Do you think this will run the Zotac H-55 with a i3
Thanks