Zotac Zbox HD-ID11 (1 Viewer)

[Kian]

the waf for this box is terrible when you do everything out of the box. the thing is, that the installed BIOS driver switches the CPU fan to full speed once it reaches 50°C. and this temperature is reached almost immediately. and the fan noise actually is comparable to an old (non-slim) xbox360, so it is actually really loud. after installing the BIOS update (available on zotacs offical website), the cpu fan resembles a whispering as it only gets loud when reaching 65°C, more like a PS3 slim fan noise. So even after an BIOS update you will hear the fan but i do not notice it when sleeping in my bed and being 3 meters away from the zbox, even after watching 2 1080p movies one after another

 

[Jay_UK]

Hi all,

Just ordered Tompa's setup. Same unit, Kingston 64GB SSDNow V, same memory...

Wish me luck! (hopefully all my content will play fine) - If not I'm gonna cry!

J.

 

[gingertom]

Keep us updated on your progress Jay. Might just get one myself for the back room.

 

[tompa]

Hi all,

Just ordered Tompa's setup. Same unit, Kingston 64GB SSDNow V, same memory...

Wish me luck! (hopefully all my content will play fine) - If not I'm gonna cry!

J.

Nice!

Well I'm very pleased with my setup!

... had to work some more on HD content in mp though, no progress here during the summer...
/tompa

 

[Mouch.net]

Maybe ZBOXHD-AD01 coulb become an Alternative...
Would just be interesting to know how the Perfomance scales comparing to ATOM/ION systems (especially regarding 1080i).

 

[Jay_UK]

Hi there,

I looked at the ZBOXHD-AD01 as I prefer AMD to Intel (and I know a HD3200 is ok for SD/HD) - but I couldn't a retailer/reseller in the UK who stocked it.

No real update regarding the bits I purchased (I only ordered them yesterday) - But I know some have shipped today

Just for info I purchased the following items:

Zotac - Scan.co.uk: ZBOXHD-ID11-B - Zotac Z-Box Mini PC, Black, Intel Atom D510Dcore, Nvidia Next Gen ION - see specs
Kingston SSD - Kingston 64GB SSDNow V SSD 2.5" SATA-II - Read.. | Ebuyer.com
Memory 2GB - Kingston DDR2 2GB 800MHz/PC2-6400 Laptop Memory Sodimm.. | Ebuyer.com

Thanks,

J.

 

[gingertom]

Thanks for the links there Jay.

 

[SpudR]

jay - what OS?

 

[Jay_UK]

SpudR

Chances are W7x64 (or maybe W7x32)

Most my machines are 64bit, but I might be adventurous and run 32bit for a change (need to check driver support for x64)

J.

 

[Jay_UK]

Hi there,

I thought I'd just post an update before I finish my build (got a bit carried away) - Should have spoted sooner!

A few comments/observations (don't want to repeat everything that has been covered before).

The unit itself is a nice design, albeit the side panel/top could be better (but what do you expect for the price).
There are plenty of ports (USB, DVI, HDMI, etc).
I built mine using a USB CD/DVD drive using Windows x64 (remember to set AHCI in the BIOS before you start)
It runs warm (hot!)
I downloaded all the MS updates, and then installed all the Zotac drivers/updates
I suffered the dreaded noisy full speed fan issue. I tried flashing the BIOS using the "defaults" and it was still noisy/fast and I got BIOS checksum errors each time I rebooted (even when I told it to load the defaults)
So I downloaded the latest AMI BIOS tool and reflashed (this time I did not go with the defaults, I specified a full erase/flash).
Hey presto it flashed ok - no checksum errors
I adjusted the BIOS options for the fan (as per another website blog) and its nice and quiet now
I use the supplied bracket to mount it on the back of my TV (LG 22") - the bracket actually makes to total unit size quite big, and unfortunately for me, where it mounts on the TV is quite high, so its visible from the top of the TV - it could have been an inch or two lower (might make a new thin bracket myself)

I've installed Avast Antivirus on there, with QuickTime alternative, and Mediaportal Client.

I'm just in the process of configuring/importing all my pictures/music/TV settings - Its not the fatest thing on the planet!

I still have to upgrade to a newer SVN (to allow for Sky EPG), install SAF (wish me luck!), install and configure all the plugins (MovingPictures, TVSeries, FanArt, Online Videos, etc), Change the DShowhelper, etc....

J.