Which Xbox mod chip to get?

[norkusa]

I think somebody deleted my post I made in the Video Game forum yesterday about *gasp* Xbox mod chips instead of moving it here, so I'm posting it again....

I'm thinking about getting a mod chip for my Xbox for emulation purposes, but there are so many to choose from. Which is the best chip to get? I'm really scared of destroying my Xbox while installing it, so I'd prefer a non-solder chip but I hear that those can be flaky. An on/off switch is also a must since I'm on live allot and don't want to get banned. Any suggestions? Also, what are the reputable places to order from?

[WiseSalesman]

I'm interested in much the same. Anyone with current info, please reply.

Furthermore, I've heard that Microsoft is now able to detect a chipped XBox even if you have a switch, by scanning the contents of your harddrive. True or false?

[Flack]

This is the article Spong posted, which is making the rounds.

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"Microsoft has launched a fresh attack on the Xbox modification community, with the Xbox Live online gaming service now scanning all machines and requesting information on the machine’s hard disc, which it is believed will be used as part of a service cull against hackers.

The coded request was picked up on Sunday and various community sites have been monitoring the situation since then. As of this point, no one has reported that they have had their Live access denied as a result of fitting an aftermarket drive.

However, far from being a security check, the sniffing out of the Xbox’s mass storage component may well be a check on the extent to which console operators make use of the hard drive. As you will know, the future storage media for the Xbox project is up in the air, with an apparent confirmation coming late last week from a third party that solid state flash memory would take the place of the piracy-riddled, often problematic hard disc."

[Flack]

I forgot, I believe the most popular xbox mod chip is the Xecutor. I think (?) they are solderless. Check out Chipzone for some more info, I have ordered probably 30 or so chips from them over the years and never had a problem, I have used my credit card repeatedly with them and they are quite reliable. I even ordered a pre-modded PS2 from them at one point and they were very quick and friendly.

[Jorpho]

Gee, what did you do with so many chips?

[Flack]

Gee, what did you do with so many chips?

Chips cost $5 and people paid $20 to have them installed. I didn't always have the well paying job I have now.

[NE146]

Which Xbox Modchip should I get

Yknow.. I think you guys are in the wrong forum for this kind of thing. Here's the exact same topic with a lot more replies. I'd take a look at the later ones.

http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=8970

In the end.. it doesn't really matter. There are a bunch of factors to consider.. but as long as you get one that works with your version of xbox (some work with only the early ones, while others work with all of them), you should be in the clear for the most part. But it's like saying "which brand of notebook should I use?". Heck I dunno. You can go to a site like www.modchipman.com and see what chips they're hawking and that'll give you an idea of what the current popular ones are with the 'best seller' lists or something. Or of course you can forego that and use an exploit. You just gotta kind of figure it out yourself or find someone near you that can do it for you.

[Tooth Protector]

I own an X-ecuter 2.2 lite and I'm a very happy camper indeed. I purchased it from the following vendor:

http://www.mods4less.com/catalog/default.php

They were very quick in their delivery; I'd recommend them. As for the solderless mod chips, I would not recommend them. Some friends of mine have told me that they tend to dislodge themselves much too easily.

As far as installing the chip is concerned, if you aren't a skilled solderer then your best bet is to ask someone who is to do the installation for you. I'm a novice solderer, and I thought I totally boogered up my Xbox--I got a big glob of solder stuck to some motherboard traces and wasn't able to suck all of it back up. Fortunately, a friend of mine who does amplifier repair for a living was able to save my Xbox and I've been cool ever since.

I can't recommend modding an Xbox highly enough. Among other things, modding the Xbox allows you to use the Xbox Media Player application to play just about any kind of audio or video file under the sun.

Hope that helps,
Tim

[Flack]

Hey Tooth, thanks for the input and welcome to the boards! I've been wondering about those solderless chips, so far I haven't been able to find anyone with anything good to say about them.

[cagams]

Aladdin advance - http://www.modchip-sbox.com/xbox-Aladdin-Adv1-4.shtml

[SirDrexl]

I really think you should get another XBox (which you don't do anything to) to get on Live. Even if you're safe for now, who's to say they won't start doing something down the line, like scanning hard drives? Whoops, I guess that's already happening. By the time you find out about a new tactic they're using to detect modded consoles, it may be too late.

The Xecuter chips come in one of two kinds: Pro and Lite. The Pro has a couple of extra banks on it (so you can put four BIOSes on there and switch between them; the Lite lets you switch between two if I'm not mistaken), and has a cable to connect it to a parallel port on a PC for flashing externally. You can also buy a programmer for the Lite for about $15 if you have to flash it this way. I would recommend, after finding out exactly how to do it, getting the Lite, since you can always get the programmer later on should you need it.

Before buying a modchip, though, you may want to try flashing the XBox's TSOP. The TSOP is the chip on the XBox's motherboard that contains the BIOS. IF you know what you are doing, it is possible, after bridging a few points on the board with solder, to flash this chip and eliminate the need for a modchip entirely, since all a modchip is anyway is a replacement for this chip with an alternate BIOS on it.

When I got my modchip, I got the Pro, since I didn't want to make another mistake and be without a way to flash it externally in case I screwed up the flashing. The reason I got the chip in the first place was because I had tried to flash my TSOP and didn't know I had to make a 1Meg BIOS file from the 256K file I downloaded so it would fit my console, which was one of the original ones with a 1Meg TSOP. What I did made my XBox useless (except as a paperweight) until I got the chip. I thought I was sure to make another mistake, and didn't want to wait and pay extra shipping to get the programmer for the Lite soon afterwards.

So, I spent the extra $12-15 for the Pro, and just my luck, I haven't had to flash it externally at all. I've flashed it several times without a problem. The only thing I've used the extra BIOS banks for is trying out different color mods (changing the color of the XBox logo that comes up when you turn it on) or disabling the XBox logo entirely. Still, I like knowing that I could flash it externally if I had to.

There is a solderless version of the Lite chip that costs about $15 more. It comes with something that tries to hold the contacts on the chip against the points on the XBox's motherboard. The problem is that this can drift out of alignment. I didn't think the soldering I did for my chip was that difficult , and I would recommend not getting the solderless chip.