[SOLVED] How can I keep a launch XBox 360 Alive...?

[RARusk]

" I love your signature. Because... awesome. Sad that there's Hot Topic merch these days, though."

One of the best lines from the book. The only problem I have with the Watchmen shirts they are selling is that they only go up to 2XL and I wear a 3XL (would like a 4XL because I like to wear my clothing loose) and I want one.

While we're on the subject of the upcoming movie, as some of you know, there's been a suit going on between Fox and Warner Brothers over the movie. Well, a judge ruled in favor of Fox not too long ago. This has raised fears of a possible delay or worse. We'll know more around Jan. 20th.

And this rant on that subject is good for a few laughs.

[ProgrammingAce]

The intercooler creates another issue inside the 360. Heat sinks work by moving air across them to transfer heat. Notice there aren't any air holes on the front of the 360. So when you put an intercooler on the back, it sucks more air out of the system. Since there's a limited ammount of air coming in, and extra air coming out, congradulations you've just created a vacuum inside your 360. Where there's a vacuum, there's less air. You may in fact be raising the temperature of the heat sinks.

Notice the tiny little holes on the side of the system? They don't let a whole lot of air in. The 360 is designed to operate exactly as it is. The intercooler may actually break a system that may have functioned perfectly otherwise.

[c0ldb33r]

There's a guy that's been working at a local EB Games for years. He swears that Microsoft won't honour warranties for systems that have had an intercooler hooked up to them.

I don't know how they could tell, but I thought I'd just pass this along.

[eugenek]

Also, don't unnecessarily power-cycle the machine. If you're going to be away for 15 minutes, just leave the system on, don't turn it off. The power cycle puts a lot of stress on the high lead solder bumps.

[Poofta!]

Kinda funny how there's no link to actually order the thing. (at least not that I could find.)

all pc case manufacturers are like this. they do not sell direct. you would have to go to a reseller.

[Nebagram]

Wish I'd found this thread before my launch machine just RROD'd itself. :-( (MS are taking it in though so that's all well and good)

[aclbandit]

Wish I'd found this thread before my launch machine just RROD'd itself. :-( (MS are taking it in though so that's all well and good)

Well, that's good that they'll fix it, and most likely you'll wind up with one of the newer ones with HDMI and actual built-in wireless. I'm gonna try to send mine in when it kicks it, too.

Also, does this mean that mine is the last remaining living launch 360 now?

Kidding, of course. I think?

[aclbandit]

Also, I looked up info on the intercooler, and according to a lab test, it doesn't actually draw power from the 360 that would negatively affect it.

BTW, does anyone know if I could use BOTH the intercooler AND the underfan? I'm fine with minor modification of the underfan if it doesn't fit (i.e., I can dremel some plastic away if that's all I need to do).

[carlcarlson]

Well, that's good that they'll fix it, and most likely you'll wind up with one of the newer ones with HDMI and actual built-in wireless. I'm gonna try to send mine in when it kicks it, too.

Also, does this mean that mine is the last remaining living launch 360 now?

Kidding, of course. I think?

Built in wireless? Did I miss something?

And yeah, don't use an Intercooler. Whenever I get a 360 lot with one I just throw it away, they cause nothing but trouble.

[GM80]

Built in wireless? Did I miss something?

No, that's not true. Perhaps he was thinking about the 256MB built-in memory on the Jasper boards.

[PapaStu]

Well, that's good that they'll fix it, and most likely you'll wind up with one of the newer ones with HDMI and actual built-in wireless. I'm gonna try to send mine in when it kicks it, too.

No it doesn't. MS has STACKS of refurb'd Xenon 360's that are being passed out as replacements when your unit dies. My 'fresh' 360 (#3, second replacement sytem) which I got in the beginning of December has no HDMI or a newer board. I asked when talking to the tech, you will not get a new system, you will either get your original unit fixed, or you will get a refurb'd unit, and your refurb'd unit isn't very likely to have a new board in it.

[ProgrammingAce]

Also, I looked up info on the intercooler, and according to a lab test, it doesn't actually draw power from the 360 that would negatively affect it.

BTW, does anyone know if I could use BOTH the intercooler AND the underfan? I'm fine with minor modification of the underfan if it doesn't fit (i.e., I can dremel some plastic away if that's all I need to do).

I don't know how much clearer i can be. If you use an intercooler, you're a moron. Lab tests don't change the laws of physics.

[Skelix]

I can tell you 100% for sure they will not honor any warranties if you use an intercooler.

Also I have received a brand new 360 from them as a replacment, but usually I received refurbished.

As for keeping it alive, flip a coin. Just use it enjoy it and get a new one when it breaks. It will ultimately break on you, usually about the time you say, "wow I can't believe it's still working", or "wow thats cool free DLC they're gonna release soon" or if you brag and tell someone you have a launch one, or "I've never had a problem with the elite."

I think these sayings or thoughts are the real source of the RROD...

[aclbandit]

No, that's not true. Perhaps he was thinking about the 256MB built-in memory on the Jasper boards.

I was talking about the onboard wireless network connectivity that comes in the newer units, but not the older ones.

[ProgrammingAce]

I was talking about the onboard wireless network connectivity that comes in the newer units, but not the older ones.

Unless they slipped something in while i wasn't looking, that's a big goose egg.

I don't know where you bought your 360, but they must have slipped you a Wii or PS3 instead...

[Sabz5150]

Ummm... don't play it?

[c0ldb33r]

I was talking about the onboard wireless network connectivity that comes in the newer units, but not the older ones.

uhhhh what? do you mean for the wireless controllers? because the 360 doesn't have onboard wireless network connectivity.

oh, wait...

I think we've been trolled.

[aclbandit]

uhhhh what? do you mean for the wireless controllers? because the 360 doesn't have onboard wireless network connectivity.

oh, wait...

I think we've been trolled.

That's really weird... I checked Wikipedia, and... you're right. I guess I must have mistaken logging into XBox Live locally on that other 360 with logging in online. Wow, that's kind of silly. My "new" one dropped an obvious error message when I logged in without network connection, and the "old" one (a newer model) didn't, so I had assumed it had connected. That's really weird. Guess I was mistaken?

[shopkins]

No it doesn't. MS has STACKS of refurb'd Xenon 360's that are being passed out as replacements when your unit dies. My 'fresh' 360 (#3, second replacement sytem) which I got in the beginning of December has no HDMI or a newer board. I asked when talking to the tech, you will not get a new system, you will either get your original unit fixed, or you will get a refurb'd unit, and your refurb'd unit isn't very likely to have a new board in it.

That was my experience. I didn't get a new one with HDMI. I checked the manufacturing date on the one that I got back and it was from about the same time or possibly even older than the one I sent them. Considering that I got an E-mail saying my system was fixed a couple hours after I got one saying they received it, I reckoned they just confirmed the RROD and pulled a refurb off the shelf to send to me. And probably refurbed my broken system and have it there waiting to send to some poor sucker when they get around to it.

Does anyone think playing in a colder room would help? My 360 died after a 12-hour Fallout 3 session near the start of winter. I know that's a long time to play it, but it was also a cold day and I had the heat up pretty high.

Oh, and some people don't even seem to know to take advantage of the return policy. I was at Gamestop yesterday and the employee there was pretty much yelling at a kid who came in to buy, from what I gathered, his third 360 in a year. The guy said it was getting to the point where he felt bad about selling them to the kid and was convinced that he must play it all the time. He suggested "go outside" at least once.

[eugenek]

Does anyone think playing in a colder room would help? My 360 died after a 12-hour Fallout 3 session near the start of winter. I know that's a long time to play it, but it was also a cold day and I had the heat up pretty high.

I don't think it will make a huge difference. I feel like there's too much emphasis placed on curbing heat while the system is already on. I mean, it's a factor, no doubt, but once it's on and you already have decent ventilation, I doubt that an ambient room temperature a few degrees higher is anywhere near as damaging as the thermal expansion when you first power the system up. It's like bending a paper clip back and forth--eventually it will break. That was the problem with those defective NVIDIA high lead bumps a couple of years ago and I wouldn't be surprised if it still was.