Poll: Xbox 360 Intercoolers

[Jamess]

I have noticed that the back of my xbox 360 arround the vent gets fairly warm after I have been playing for a while. I was thinking about buying an intercooler but I haven't heard anything about them. Does anyone know wether they are worth it or not?

- as the replies will likely address your question, complete with reasons, the unnecessary poll has been removed.

 

[TheGhostOfSin]

I think they void the warranty, not sure though it's just something I heard.

 

[Jamess]

Oh that would suck, but make sense seeing as I have never seen a microsoft intercooler, just third party ones.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Some third party coolers are reported to make the problem worse... they cool the unit down, yes, but when they're doing so they drain power from the rest of the unit leading to disc skips and performance problems. I suppose one with its own power supply would be reasonable, but to be honest the best solution is just to leave a lot of air space around the console itself and keeping it away from heat sources like baseboard heaters and direct sunlight.

-- Steve

 

[PxDn Ninja]

When the 360 launched, there was a pelican brand intercooler that actually caused the system to overheat because it didn't move air fast enough and ended up just blocking up the back vents. I would advise against it.

 

[Baby Tea]

Yeah man, it's a bad move. I used to work at an EB Games (Or 'Gamestop' to everyone else not in Canada) and we had guys who brought their systems in to us (What are WE gonna do?) with the cooler MELTED right on the back.

Bad idea.

Seriously, just make sure is has good airflow at the rear of the machine. Being in an entertainment unit is fine (Mine is with no problems), so long as it isn't jammed against the back or anything.

 

[Jamess]

Alright guys thanks for the feedback I think I am just gonna follow your advice.

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

I got one, and while it did keep it cooler in the summer, when it crashed from heat, it did cause random freezing....

 

[Russia208]

hmm, get a ps3...sorry.

 

[sirdanrhodes]

There is only one single intercooler I can "sorta" recommend, the cooler king. It gives you loads of different video outputs, including a VGA port. But it still requires more power to run it, and can short it out.

 

[TheGhostOfSin]

hmm, get a ps3...sorry.

PS3 overheat worse in my experience.

 

[Pipotchi]

I recommend placing your 360 on a couple of ceramic plates. It helps dissapate the heat, doesnt void the warranty and costs about £2

Works for me anyways

 

[TOGSolid]

I recommend placing your 360 on a couple of ceramic plates. It helps dissapate the heat, doesnt void the warranty and costs about £2

Works for me anyways

Winner

Basically, if you want to help your 360 out, get it elevated and get airflow going around it without actually forcing air in or out of it. Mine hasn't had any overheat issues (I keep my apartment fairly cool though, so I do have ambient temps working in my favor), but if I had to, I'd definitely get it elevated, and put a small little room fan I've got blowing air towards it from the side of the machine. Won't void the warranty in any way shape or form and will help immensely.
It'll also be way cheaper than any 360 add-on part and even potentially free since you may have a small little fan laying around somewhere already. Grab a couple of books or some wood scrap or something to lift the 360 off of the surface and you're ready to rock.

 

[tehuberer]

u can always not play as much?

 

[Sirisaxman]

My roommate bought an intercooler, not sure which brand. Made his 360 RROD. Don't waste your money.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

hmm, get a ps3...sorry.

PS3 overheat worse in my experience.

I guess you are in the .2% or w/e the rate for PS3's are.

No one is safe!

 

[haveyouseen_mywallet]

i wouldn't dude, i would just try to keep it in a well ventilated area, somewhere that a lot of air could get through it. should be fine if you do that.

 

[TOGSolid]

u can always not play as much?

If a system can't handle at least three days of straight gaming, there is something wrong with it.

Ahh,I miss the good ole days when I could do multi-day marathon gaming sessions without passing out and waking up with keyboard key imprints on my forehead. Getting older sucks.

 

[Fire Daemon]

I took my 360 over to a friends place. He had an Intercooler, I didn't. His over heated, mine didn't. At the time it was at least 35 degrees Celsius, maybe more. His PC CPU reached 60 but the PC is kept inside a little box on the side of his desk.

Intercoolers don't help much, what does help is keeping your 360 in a well ventilated area. And don't keep it standing up. If you stand up the 360 you block the bottom fan and this can cause it to overheat more often.

The 360 does get hot after an hour or so but this doesn't mean it's going to break. Just keep it in a well ventilated area on it's side and you wont need an Intercooler.

 

[morrie man]

I think that getting one does the world of good.I bought one because constantly overheated, freezed up and i constantly had to wait. So far i have had no problems with my xbox and i dont reagret anything it was only £20 and was deliveerd free. The cooler is a brilliant idea and if you dont have one and your xbox keeps breaking then i sujest you get one.