Zotac RTX2070 Mini Zero Fan Bios Mod explained

Arrandale

Trash Compacter
Original poster
Jan 14, 2018
41
32
Hi,
i loved my 2070 Mini the moment i took it out of the box - very pretty and most importantly, very tiny. But sadly it was pretty loud at idle because Zotac does not allow the fans to run below 34% PWM, which is roughly 1000RPM.
At first, i thought Bios Modding newer Nvidia cards was impossible until i found a Patched Version of NVFlash on TechPowerUp, which finally recognised my GPU.
In the following step by step guide I will explain the process i took to flash my specific model [Zotac Mini with a non A Chip and Samsung GDDR6].

Important: i have tested Sound over HDMI and it works flawlessly with my BENQ Monitor.
Setting the fan to any value between 1 and 25% PWM will not work. The fans can either run at 0% or 25+%. Otherwise the fans will permanently try and fail to power up.

To save you any hassle in trying to find a different BIOS for this exact card, those are the ones i tried before:

- Gigabyte RTX 2070 Windforce: the card ran fine, though the fans turned off completely and could not be turned on
- Gigabyte RTX 2070 Mini: same as the Windforce
- MSI RTX 2070 Armor: the card had a hard time figuring out when to boost, sometimes it would go back to 2D clocks during 3D load and not go back until the application is restarted, fan control and clock/voltage/power limit control were very buggy, or did not work at all.
- EVGA RTX 2070 Black: despite the fact that it has no factory OC, the card uses an A Series chip and is therefore incompatible.

This BIOS should potentially work for all RTX 2070 cards with the non-A chip, though there might be bugs like i had with the BIOS Versions listed above. Just try them out and choose the one that works best. Cards with A Series Chip can only accept a BIOS from another card with A Series chip, just like the non A are only compatible with one another. Remember that! NVFlash will not let you flash an incompatible one anyway, so don't be scared to try.

Preparation:


1. Remove all other graphics adapters and drivers [except for the card you want to flash ;)] from the system.
This is more of a method to prevent issues further down the line, and make sure everything goes smoothly.
It can be hard at times to make NVFlash recognise your card, which is most often due to other adapters being installed, or leftover drivers from formerly installed/used GPUs. It is best to physically remove them from the system, but uninstalling their drivers will suffice.
I use the integrated GPU of my Intel Processor to power my second monitor, and had to disable the internal graphics in the Bios entirely so NVFlash would work. The setting on my AsRock board is called iGPU-Multimonitoring and can be found in the Chipset Settings tab of the advanced menu.

2. Revert all your CPU/GPU/RAM overclocks back to stock.
A bluescreen or crash during the flashing process could possibly brick the card, so absolute stability is required. Just save your OC/UV settings as a profile in the BIOS and reset it to factory presets.

3. Download an arrange all the files you need for the process.
Create a folder called "nvflash" in the Root Directory of your boot drive C:. This should work for all operating systems, though since i use Windows, this guide will be based on that.
Download, and move the following files to the folder you created:

- NVFlash64 patched by Vipeax: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoxPUgqEumCSnQ2aSxHSKrabeuVh
- Zero Fan Bios [Inno3D RTX 2070 X2]: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoxPUgqEumCSnQ-id-8Pus28_zBU
- Backup Stock Zotac 2070 Mini Bios: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoxPUgqEumCSnQzqhMpzHPmIkqpm

Unzip the NVFlash64.zip file using WinRar/7zip.

THE FLASHING

!!!DISCLAIMER!!! Proceed at your own risk. Flashing a BIOS usually is not very risky, and the utility itself will prevent you from doing much wrong. Still i wont stand liable in case something goes wrong, though i will gladly assist you in fixing the issue.

1. Rightclick on the Windows icon in the Taskbar and open an admin command line window.
2. Navigate to the folder you created by typing the following: "cd C:\nvflash".
3. Make sure NVFlash recognises your GPU by typing: "nvflash64 --list".
4. Flash the provided BIOS [again, only use the BIOS from the Link if you have the exact same model of card, i cannot verify if it will work properly on other cards] by typing: "nvflash64 -6 I3D2070X2.rom".
5. The utility will ask you to confirm your command, do so and wait for it to finish. The image may flicker or temporarily turn black during this process. This is normal.
6. After the utility finishes flashing the card, reboot your system. The card is now flashed with a Zero Fan Bios, congratulations!
7. Apply the tweaks i provided below in EVGA PrecisionX1[https://www.evga.com/precisionx1/] or apply your own optimisations. This will of course also work in MSI Afterburner or other utilities, though i would strongly recommend PX1 for its stellar fan control options and tidy interface. Make sure the program you use is up to date and works properly with the Turing cards.
-> Edit: Turns out PX1 does not really work too well for me. It was unreliable and sometimes would not start at all, so i would advise you to use Afterburner instead.

Optimising the fan curve

Using the settings below, my card ran at 75°C with 1450RPM fan speed and 1800MHz clock speed.

A picture says more than a thousand words, so i took a screenshot of my configuration in AB for you to copy:
It is not in English unfortunately as i was not able to find a language setting. But it should be comprehensible anyway.

This is what your Zotac 2070 Mini will look like in GPU-Z with the new Bios [Inno3D uses NVIDIA as a Vendor ID, which i find very satisfying. Having it say "MSI" would be pretty annoying, knowing that it is a Zotac card ;)]:

I hope i covered everything, Happy flashing!

Greetings
 
Last edited:

lasek

Average Stuffer
Feb 22, 2017
68
52
thanks for the detailed steps.

Did you manage to run it at 0rpm ? (adjusting the slider below 25% in manual mode in Afterburner)

My MSI 2070 ITX minimum fan speed is 40% by default. After flashing it's 25%.

Meanwhile the Gigabyte version runs idle 0% natively :)
 

Arrandale

Trash Compacter
Original poster
Jan 14, 2018
41
32
thanks for the detailed steps.

Did you manage to run it at 0rpm ? (adjusting the slider below 25% in manual mode in Afterburner)

My MSI 2070 ITX minimum fan speed is 40% by default. After flashing it's 25%.

Meanwhile the Gigabyte version runs idle 0% natively :)

Hi,
yes 0% Fan is possible. Light use like Video Playback will make the GPU put out too much heat to be cooled passively. This makes the fans spin up to 25% and back down to 0% repeatedly in cycles of a few minutes, which i find annoying. I ended up just leaving the card at 25% Fan minimum.
You can put in any % Fan you like, but under 25% [about 850rpm] the fan will not power up.
 

lasek

Average Stuffer
Feb 22, 2017
68
52
ok thanks;
can't get 0% on my MSI with the bios you shared.
actually, I can't go under 1270 rpm (40%) with stock, gigabyte or inno bios :(
 
Last edited:

smitty2k1

King of Cable Management
Dec 3, 2016
967
492
I really want someone to figure out a zero rpm bios that will work with my Gigabyte 1050ti low profile. I removed the built in 50mm fan and strapped a pair of 80mm fans to it. The min 40% fan speed is brutal!

Nice write-up btw :)
 

Arrandale

Trash Compacter
Original poster
Jan 14, 2018
41
32
ok thanks;
can't get 0% on my MSI with the bios you shared.
actually, I can't go under 1270 rpm (40%) with stock, gigabyte or inno bios :(

Oh man that sucks... have you tried any other BIOS?

I really want someone to figure out a zero rpm bios that will work with my Gigabyte 1050ti low profile. I removed the built in 50mm fan and strapped a pair of 80mm fans to it. The min 40% fan speed is brutal!

Nice write-up btw :)

I have the single fan GTX 1050 Ti, which does have the Zero Fan Mode. You could try to flash its BIOS:
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/195549/gigabyte-gtx1050ti-4096-170623-1
 

lasek

Average Stuffer
Feb 22, 2017
68
52
I've tried also the EVGA black, with the same results.
Much regrets I did not go for the Gigabyte model on this one.
 

Arrandale

Trash Compacter
Original poster
Jan 14, 2018
41
32
I've tried also the EVGA black, with the same results.
Much regrets I did not go for the Gigabyte model on this one.

The Gigabyte really does seem like the best SFF 2070. I went for the Zotac because i got it for effectively 70€ less than the Gigabyte was, otherwise i would also have gone with the GB.
Maybe you can still send it back?
 

lasek

Average Stuffer
Feb 22, 2017
68
52
no, it's been two months since the purchase, the gigabyte was not available at that time in my country, and I thought the MSI would be not that loud, especially given that their previous generation model supported 0dB.

anyway, maybe something will come up !
 
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Reactions: Arrandale

princess_daphie

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jan 26, 2019
209
193
I don't have the 2070 but the 2060 and I had initially bought the Zotac twin fan model and was quite disappointed because it ended up being larger than advertised (thus it did not fit in my geeek A30) and it had this 40% minimum fan speed which made them spin around 1200rpm or so if I remember correctly and thus the noisiest part of my build.

so I returned it and bought the gigabyte itx version of the rtx 2060. I've been quite pleased with it and I love the zero fan mode however I have to say that even the gigabyte itx card has issues with PWM fan speeds:

when setting the fan to 0% it does stop, which is fine, but any speed between 1 and 33% causes the fans to alternatively spin up real fast and stop causing quite a lot of noise!

my end game now is a custom fan curve that is zero % up to 65C and then goes from zero to 35% in a straight line and goes faster with more heat. combining this with afterburner's hysteresis setting of 10-15C it allows for allows always off on desktop and on in games.
 

Frung

Chassis Packer
Mar 1, 2018
16
7
Also have the Gigabyte RTX 2060 MINI, are you using the AORUS software or only Afterburner? AORUS has that nice temperature limit option that I dont find in Afterburner, but ive set the power limit to 85 and it hits the power limit 1st anyways. So I'm thinking of just using the Afterburner and thats it. Also can confirm that my fan behaves the same way you described.

Also, all this happens in the vertical Node 202, have 2x 120mm fans Artic Cooling PST PWM CO, 1 intake over the GPU, 1 outtake next to it, without the dust filter. This setup seems really good for temps of all the components, this way no heat rises from GPU to CPU, it all gets exhausted out. CPU is i5 8400 on Giga Z370N, cooled by stock Cryorig C7 over the CPU dust filter. All vents are PWM controlled with custom curves over BIOS CPU sensor. Anyone know how to hook them up to GPU temp sensor perhaps?
 

princess_daphie

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jan 26, 2019
209
193
Also have the Gigabyte RTX 2060 MINI, are you using the AORUS software or only Afterburner? AORUS has that nice temperature limit option that I dont find in Afterburner, but ive set the power limit to 85 and it hits the power limit 1st anyways. So I'm thinking of just using the Afterburner and thats it. Also can confirm that my fan behaves the same way you described.

Also, all this happens in the vertical Node 202, have 2x 120mm fans Artic Cooling PST PWM CO, 1 intake over the GPU, 1 outtake next to it, without the dust filter. This setup seems really good for temps of all the components, this way no heat rises from GPU to CPU, it all gets exhausted out. CPU is i5 8400 on Giga Z370N, cooled by stock Cryorig C7 over the CPU dust filter. All vents are PWM controlled with custom curves over BIOS CPU sensor. Anyone know how to hook them up to GPU temp sensor perhaps?

AFAIK, you can limit temperature and power, either "locked" together, or not, using the little link icon in Afterburner.


 

Frung

Chassis Packer
Mar 1, 2018
16
7
Ah, tyvm. I was using an old Afterburner skin which didn't have those controls ;) Now i have the problem of random complete system crash when using the Afterburner instead of AORUS software. Ironically, Afterburner runs anyways, cause it launches the statistics server which I use to globally limit FPS for G-Freesync. If i use AORUS for fans, I don't have a problem, weird really.
 

princess_daphie

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jan 26, 2019
209
193
Ah, tyvm. I was using an old Afterburner skin which didn't have those controls ;) Now i have the problem of random complete system crash when using the Afterburner instead of AORUS software. Ironically, Afterburner runs anyways, cause it launches the statistics server which I use to globally limit FPS for G-Freesync. If i use AORUS for fans, I don't have a problem, weird really.

damn. i know *some* games and software sometimes end up crashing because of AB running, but it seems to me like the very latest version has stopped causing me so many headaches... or maybe it's when i switched from my previous rx 560 to my new rtx 2060. can't tell for sure. hope you fix your issues! i know for periods of time, i had to be selective with AB.

as for Aorus software, i think i've downloaded it already, but still haven't gotten to try it. everytime i try a custom "afterburner-like" software from different vendors (evga, zotac, etc.) they seem like imitations with less features...
 

timginter

Cable-Tie Ninja
Apr 21, 2019
197
80
Hi,
i loved my 2070 Mini the moment i took it out of the box - very pretty and most importantly, very tiny. But sadly it was pretty loud at idle because Zotac does not allow the fans to run below 34% PWM, which is roughly 1000RPM.
At first, i thought Bios Modding newer Nvidia cards was impossible until i found a Patched Version of NVFlash on TechPowerUp, which finally recognised my GPU.
In the following step by step guide I will explain the process i took to flash my specific model [Zotac Mini with a non A Chip and Samsung GDDR6].

Important: i have tested Sound over HDMI and it works flawlessly with my BENQ Monitor.
Setting the fan to any value between 1 and 25% PWM will not work. The fans can either run at 0% or 25+%. Otherwise the fans will permanently try and fail to power up.

To save you any hassle in trying to find a different BIOS for this exact card, those are the ones i tried before:

- Gigabyte RTX 2070 Windforce: the card ran fine, though the fans turned off completely and could not be turned on
- Gigabyte RTX 2070 Mini: same as the Windforce
- MSI RTX 2070 Armor: the card had a hard time figuring out when to boost, sometimes it would go back to 2D clocks during 3D load and not go back until the application is restarted, fan control and clock/voltage/power limit control were very buggy, or did not work at all.
- EVGA RTX 2070 Black: despite the fact that it has no factory OC, the card uses an A Series chip and is therefore incompatible.

This BIOS should potentially work for all RTX 2070 cards with the non-A chip, though there might be bugs like i had with the BIOS Versions listed above. Just try them out and choose the one that works best. Cards with A Series Chip can only accept a BIOS from another card with A Series chip, just like the non A are only compatible with one another. Remember that! NVFlash will not let you flash an incompatible one anyway, so don't be scared to try.

Preparation:


1. Remove all other graphics adapters and drivers [except for the card you want to flash ;)] from the system.
This is more of a method to prevent issues further down the line, and make sure everything goes smoothly.
It can be hard at times to make NVFlash recognise your card, which is most often due to other adapters being installed, or leftover drivers from formerly installed/used GPUs. It is best to physically remove them from the system, but uninstalling their drivers will suffice.
I use the integrated GPU of my Intel Processor to power my second monitor, and had to disable the internal graphics in the Bios entirely so NVFlash would work. The setting on my AsRock board is called iGPU-Multimonitoring and can be found in the Chipset Settings tab of the advanced menu.

2. Revert all your CPU/GPU/RAM overclocks back to stock.
A bluescreen or crash during the flashing process could possibly brick the card, so absolute stability is required. Just save your OC/UV settings as a profile in the BIOS and reset it to factory presets.

3. Download an arrange all the files you need for the process.
Create a folder called "nvflash" in the Root Directory of your boot drive C:. This should work for all operating systems, though since i use Windows, this guide will be based on that.
Download, and move the following files to the folder you created:

- NVFlash64 patched by Vipeax: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoxPUgqEumCSnQ2aSxHSKrabeuVh
- Zero Fan Bios [Inno3D RTX 2070 X2]: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoxPUgqEumCSnQ-id-8Pus28_zBU
- Backup Stock Zotac 2070 Mini Bios: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoxPUgqEumCSnQzqhMpzHPmIkqpm

Unzip the NVFlash64.zip file using WinRar/7zip.

THE FLASHING

!!!DISCLAIMER!!! Proceed at your own risk. Flashing a BIOS usually is not very risky, and the utility itself will prevent you from doing much wrong. Still i wont stand liable in case something goes wrong, though i will gladly assist you in fixing the issue.

1. Rightclick on the Windows icon in the Taskbar and open an admin command line window.
2. Navigate to the folder you created by typing the following: "cd C:\nvflash".
3. Make sure NVFlash recognises your GPU by typing: "nvflash64 --list".
4. Flash the provided BIOS [again, only use the BIOS from the Link if you have the exact same model of card, i cannot verify if it will work properly on other cards] by typing: "nvflash64 -6 I3D2070X2.rom".
5. The utility will ask you to confirm your command, do so and wait for it to finish. The image may flicker or temporarily turn black during this process. This is normal.
6. After the utility finishes flashing the card, reboot your system. The card is now flashed with a Zero Fan Bios, congratulations!
7. Apply the tweaks i provided below in EVGA PrecisionX1[https://www.evga.com/precisionx1/] or apply your own optimisations. This will of course also work in MSI Afterburner or other utilities, though i would strongly recommend PX1 for its stellar fan control options and tidy interface. Make sure the program you use is up to date and works properly with the Turing cards.
-> Edit: Turns out PX1 does not really work too well for me. It was unreliable and sometimes would not start at all, so i would advise you to use Afterburner instead.

Optimising the fan curve

Using the settings below, my card ran at 75°C with 1450RPM fan speed and 1800MHz clock speed.

A picture says more than a thousand words, so i took a screenshot of my configuration in AB for you to copy:
It is not in English unfortunately as i was not able to find a language setting. But it should be comprehensible anyway.

This is what your Zotac 2070 Mini will look like in GPU-Z with the new Bios [Inno3D uses NVIDIA as a Vendor ID, which i find very satisfying. Having it say "MSI" would be pretty annoying, knowing that it is a Zotac card ;)]:

I hope i covered everything, Happy flashing!

Greetings
Hi Arandale,

Huge thanks for posting this!

Is your card working OK with the I3D2070X2.rom BIOS? On mine, the bottom DisplayPort stopped working after flashing it. The 0% fan works, but I got weird stuttering in Windows - monitor on 144Hz but looks like 50Hz - cursor and windows (when dragged) seem to jump instead of moving fluently. I re-flashed original BIOS and DisplayPort works again. The weird stuttering is gone, too.
 

smitty2k1

King of Cable Management
Dec 3, 2016
967
492
Oh man that sucks... have you tried any other BIOS?



I have the single fan GTX 1050 Ti, which does have the Zero Fan Mode. You could try to flash its BIOS:
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/195549/gigabyte-gtx1050ti-4096-170623-1
Thanks! I came to the same conclusion that the Gigabyte 1050ti D5 version would be ideal to try flashing. I successfully flashed the card but was unable to control the fan speed. I was able to set the fan to 0% in afterburner etc. but unfortunately the fan would never spin regardless of what I set it to. I'm guessing it is because my low profile 1050ti has a 3 pin fan header and the D5 has a 4 pin fan header.
 

glow

Trash Compacter
Feb 5, 2019
48
19
Thanks! I came to the same conclusion that the Gigabyte 1050ti D5 version would be ideal to try flashing. I successfully flashed the card but was unable to control the fan speed. I was able to set the fan to 0% in afterburner etc. but unfortunately the fan would never spin regardless of what I set it to. I'm guessing it is because my low profile 1050ti has a 3 pin fan header and the D5 has a 4 pin fan header.
Well, a 3pin leaves open some hope, since that 3rd pin is usually a sense wire. 2pin typically means no control whatsoever (maybe not even on/off).
 

smitty2k1

King of Cable Management
Dec 3, 2016
967
492
Well, a 3pin leaves open some hope, since that 3rd pin is usually a sense wire. 2pin typically means no control whatsoever (maybe not even on/off).

Yeah with the default vBIOS I'm able to sort of control the fans (min 40% fan speed adjustable up to 100% but it doesn't seem to linearly respond to fan control). With the D5 vBIOS I was able to adjust the range from 0-100% but no actual outputs.

If Speedfan was updated to support the B450 chipset I'd just be able to use a motherboard header :(

Also, RIP Speedfan.
 

Arrandale

Trash Compacter
Original poster
Jan 14, 2018
41
32
Hi Arandale,

Huge thanks for posting this!

Is your card working OK with the I3D2070X2.rom BIOS? On mine, the bottom DisplayPort stopped working after flashing it. The 0% fan works, but I got weird stuttering in Windows - monitor on 144Hz but looks like 50Hz - cursor and windows (when dragged) seem to jump instead of moving fluently. I re-flashed original BIOS and DisplayPort works again. The weird stuttering is gone, too.

Hi,
yes my card is working very well with the Inno3D Bios. Your issues might be because of the driver, have you uninstalled it with DDU and reinstalled it? That ususally fixes issues like that.

Thanks! I came to the same conclusion that the Gigabyte 1050ti D5 version would be ideal to try flashing. I successfully flashed the card but was unable to control the fan speed. I was able to set the fan to 0% in afterburner etc. but unfortunately the fan would never spin regardless of what I set it to. I'm guessing it is because my low profile 1050ti has a 3 pin fan header and the D5 has a 4 pin fan header.

Finding a BIOS that works perfectly can be challenging.
You can try other GTX 1050 Ti Zero Fan Bios, i am sure at least one will work well:

GB Windforce: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/188245/gigabyte-gtx1050ti-4096-161013
MSI GamingX: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/192254/msi-gtx1050ti-4096-170126
EVGA SSC: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/193809/evga-gtx1050ti-4096-170207-1
ASUS Strix: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/192938/asus-gtx1050ti-4096-170122-1