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Enable 'idle fan off' feature

MarkyB916

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Hi.

I recently purchased a Zotac GTX 1660 card only to find that they have disabled the 'idle off' feature (i.e fans switch off completely when idle). Instead, they run at minimum 30% of max rpm.

I am aware that this is a known issue and my users have raised threads around it. My question is whether anyone has figured out a way to enable the feature. I have checked out the BIOS cross flash method but wondered if any one is aware of a way of simply modifying the existing BIOS to turn the feature on.

I know that, in the past there were some tools such as BIOS tweakers that allowed users to change settings but there does not seem to be anything for modern cards.

Or. If anyone has experience of flashing the BIOS on these cards (ZOTAC GTX 1660 Super twin fan) let me know. I am looking at the MSI GTX 1660 Super 6 GB (Gaming X) BIOS as a possible candidate.

Many thanks.
 
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I recently purchased a Zotac GTX 1660 card only to find that they have disabled the 'idle off' feature (i.e fans switch off completely when idle). Instead, they run at minimum 30% of max rpm.
What do you mean by "disabled the feature"?
Most Zotac card don't stop fans in idle. That's it.

BIOS tweaks exist for people who want to turn this feature off, i.e. when it was included by the manufacturer (and there's no official way).

If you need this, just buy other cards.
Cross flashing is such a fantastic idea. Be sure to do it with your card before you "help" others. :)
 
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Have you tried using afterburner to adjust the custom fan curve?
 

MarkyB916

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By "disabled the feature", I mean "disabled the feature".

"Most Zotac cards don't stop fans in idle. That's it.". Some do e.g. Zotac GTX 950. That's it.

Thanks for your "help"

Have you tried using afterburner to adjust the custom fan curve?

Hi.

Thanks. But yes I have.

Even though you can adjust the curve to 0% in the software, the BIOS doesn't allow the fans to go below their stock settings.

Thanks for the help anyway.
 
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Thats not how this works. It's not just a matter of bios, hardware has to be designed around that feature as well. If fan is not designed to spin down at 0% PWM signal, than no amount of bios tweaking will stop it.
 
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I recently purchased a Zotac GTX 1660 card only to find that they have disabled the 'idle off' feature (i.e fans switch off completely when idle). Instead, they run at minimum 30% of max rpm.

Return it and get another one which has the feature.
 
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MarkyB916

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Thats not how this works. It's not just a matter of bios, hardware has to be designed around that feature as well. If fan is not designed to spin down at 0% PWM signal, than no amount of bios tweaking will stop it.
Hhhm. Fair point.

I'm basing my assumptions around previous threads where people seemed to be able to turn this feature on by cross flashing their BIOS with a different manufacturers which seemed to suggest it was a BIOS setting.

I've taken the easy option and returned the card for a replacement card which has the feature.

Thanks for your help.

Return it and get another one which has the feature.
Already done :)
 
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By "disabled the feature", I mean "disabled the feature".
This wasn't included in the first place, so it couldn't be "disabled". That's the point.
You're trying to *add* a feature, not enable one.

Each motor has a starting voltage, i.e. a minimal potential needed to make it move.
To stop a fan, it has to get voltage below this starting voltage (which is higher than 0).

Cards that can stop fans in low load are designed to do it. Their voltage controller can provide voltage lower than the starting value.
Cards that don't have this feature may not be able to do it. In fact, they may be designed to make this impossible as a safety measure (i.e. fan is always on if the GPU is on).

So even if you successfully flash the BIOS (which is already unlikely) there's a big enough chance the card won't support stopping fans - simply because, for example, fans start spinning at 2.9V and your card physically can't apply less than 3V.
Simple enough?

Also, don't try any voltage tricks or modding, because the card will likely interpret 0 RPM as a fan failure.

If you wanted a card that stops fans in idle, you should have bought a card which does it. It's a fairly common feature nowadays.

So yes, I was trying to help as in: suggest a path that fixes your problem and doesn't cause more issues. Return/sell the card and buy what you need. It's not that difficult.
 
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S1ngle

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By "disabled the feature", I mean "disabled the feature".

"Most Zotac cards don't stop fans in idle. That's it.". Some do e.g. Zotac GTX 950. That's it.

Thanks for your "help"



Hi.

Thanks. But yes I have.

Even though you can adjust the curve to 0% in the software, the BIOS doesn't allow the fans to go below their stock settings.

Thanks for the help anyway.
how did u turn this feature on ?
from bios or any program like msi afterburner?
 

MarkyB916

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how did u turn this feature on ?
from bios or any program like msi afterburner?
Do you mean how did I re-enable the 'idle off' feature?

You can't do it using msi afterburner (or similar) as it's hardwired into the cards BIOS.

Initially I returned the card for a replacement with the feature built in but then decided to try and see if I could do it by cross flashing the BIOS so bought another card and tried it.

Although successful. I wouldn't recommend this method unless you are prepared to risk bricking your card which could prove costly. Also, check the comment by hojnikb. He makes a valid point about fan design.

If you check some of the other threads/forums there's plenty of info on how to do it and also why you shouldn't.

As I say. I wouldn't endorse the cross-flash method unless you can afford the risk. If you want to have the idle-off feature then do what I did initially and buy a card with this pre-enabled.

TBH, even the cards that don't have the idle off feature are pretty much silent anyway.
 
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