Practical advice on Xbox 360s

[DustyDrB]

I'm looking at getting a new 360 finally (been without one since my last one died three months ago). I tried doing a search on failure rates for the newer consoles, both the later elites and the slims (which I guess are too new to have accurate stats on). The searches, however, lead me to a bunch of older articles or just to random rants on forums. Anyone know where I can look?

I know some of you are thinking "just get a PS3". Not bad advice, but I still have a few games left (at least the ones that I didn't give away when I was drunk one night) for the 360 as well as my old hard drive with lots of save data that I want to transfer. So it's a nice thought and thanks, but my money will once again be going to the evil Microsoft corporation.

 

[LogicNProportion]

Get a new one.

Warranty the shit out of it.

My friend had a 360 that kepot breaking down, but he kept the warranty on it and would send it back.

He has 3 years worth of 1-month LIVE Membership cards from Microsoft.

 

[imnot]

Just don't overuse it, keep dust out of it ect.

I got mine in Febuary I think and its only crashed (not RROD) once.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

Get the 360 again. I can say this because mine has yet to breakdown in my 2 years of ownership.

 

[fix-the-spade]

The new 360 never RRoD's, because they took the lights out...

As with the old 360, the new ones seems to not be very well built.
The 'evidence' is pretty much all anecdotal, but it seems that even though they're much better than the early/Falcon models, you would still do well to get an extended warranty.

Otherwise, keep it fairly dust free and give it some space around it for airflow.

 

[Treeinthewoods]

While the specs on the new model show it uses less energy and runs cooler, it hasn't been out long enough for any reliable failure rate to be shown. Still, most of the old 360 problems were heat related so theoretically it should be a lot better. Also the large hard drive makes installing your games easy to do which is good for the console.

An article in Official Xbox Magazine took external temperatures at multiple points around the consoles and found it runs cooler then the Jasper's (which outperformed the old ones, which is what I am still using because I apparently have the devil's luck). Since it was comparing it to just other 360's (not the PS3) I think the article was worth trusting.

I haven't heard whether or not it's better to tower it or lay it down.

If my dinosaur dies I am so getting one!

 

[Mikeyfell]

Last time mine died i got a slim
it seems worth it

 

[StBishop]

While the specs on the new model show it uses less energy and runs cooler, it hasn't been out long enough for any reliable failure rate to be shown. Still, most of the old 360 problems were heat related so theoretically it should be a lot better. Also the large hard drive makes installing your games easy to do which is good for the console.

An article in Official Xbox Magazine took external temperatures at multiple points around the consoles and found it runs cooler then the Jasper's (which outperformed the old ones, which is what I am still using because I apparently have the devil's luck). Since it was comparing it to just other 360's (not the PS3) I think the article was worth trusting.

I haven't heard whether or not it's better to tower it or lay it down.

If my dinosaur dies I am so getting one!

Lay it down. There're no heat syncs only a big fan on the side which will work better if it's laying on it's side.

Make sure there is room above it or it'll red light (new RRoD) and power down until it cools to a workable temp.

It's also easy to keep it dust free due to the gloss case letting you know as soon as it's gathering dust.

They're good.

 

[spartan1077]

4 years, 3 xboxes but not one has broken down RROD sometimes but then you just shut it off and turn it back on in an hour. I have 2 of the xboxes that are some of the first ones so those sometimes are faulty but just keep a warranty and it should be perfect.

 

[Thunderhorse31]

Keep it in an open area, keep it clean, install games, don't tip it over while games are in the drive, buy an intercooler if you're paranoid, and treat it like it's a retarded baby in need of constant care.

You should be fine, hopefully. I've had mine for 4 years and haven't had a problem.

 

[Palademon]

In over two years, mine has broken once, and not from red ring.

 

[Xorph]

1. keep it off the carpet, static electricity decreases 360 life expectancy.
2. get an elite, they have lower break rates than regular 360s or arcades.
3. install games to your hard drive (but not Halo 3). installing the games means the xbox doesnt have to work nearly as hard to run them than if they arent installed, and your 360 will heat up much slower.
4. NEVER MOVE YOUR 360 WHILE ITS TURNED ON! this will almost always murder whatever CD is currently in the drive, as the xbox does not handle shifts in position very well
5. remove the CD before transporting your xbox.
6. keep it in an well ventilated, cool area. for example, a basement is cold, and if you leave the door to the upstairs open air will circulate.
7. Leave it on its side, not standing up, this makes it easier to read the disk since it doesnt have to take gravity into account while reading.

Don't install Halo 3 because Bungee has said that doing so can actually mess up the game

 

[Geekosaurus]

You'll just have to bite the bullet and hope yours doesn't shoot itself in the head.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

My first had a xenon chip, it lasted maybe five years, but it gave me problems all the time. After it finally keeled over I replaced it with one that has a Jasper chip. It is superior in every way. I've been told that the Slims have Jasper chips, and all the arcade models made after a certain date have Jasper chips as well. Just make sure that you get one with a Jasper chip and you'll be golden.

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

Just don't overuse it, keep dust out of it ect.

I got mine in Febuary I think and its only crashed (not RROD) once.

So you are saying that it breaks because I play it TOO much... Just get the new 360 S a halo version (if you like that) comes out on the 14th or 15th or something like that, they r smaller, quieter and have a lower failure rate.

 

[DustyDrB]

Thanks for the advice (and for the lack of flaming so far. That's startling, even here). I'm still trying to find actual data. Much of it is coming from surveys done through outlets like gameinformer and other similar sources. However, I believe such surveys are bound to be inaccurate due to the large number of people who just absolutely hate (or love) the 360 and will give a false report. Basically, if I see data that confirms a trend of reduced numbers of hardware failures, I'll get a new 360. If not, then I'll spend my money on something else I'm saving up for (a new acoustic guitar, a kayak, etc).

About surveys: I was watching something on CNN the other day. They were discussing a poll done by Fox News that asked if participants believe President Obama sympathizes with Islamic extremists. Around 50% of the people said they did believe that was the truth. Wisely, one of the reporters noted that some people (especially if you're a Fox News fan) are just hell bent against anything related to the Democratic party and they would say yes to a poll that asks if Obama was complicit in an secret assassination of Elvis Presley. I'm assuming we've all seen a lot of the back and forth irrational hate between some PS3 and 360 users, and I think they respond similarly in surveys. This is why I distrust such data.

 

[ICanBreakTheseCuffs]

if it's on its side keep stuff of it thats my only advice.

[edit]it helps the cooling

 

[migo]

Thanks for the advice (and for the lack of flaming so far. That's startling, even here). I'm still trying to find actual data.

You won't find any yet. The smartest thing to do is to wait at least a year for the data to start coming out, particularly to see what happens when people are out of the 1 year warranty period - that's what you really care about realistically. Getting one now is a total gamble. Getting an Xbox 360 (Super) Elite for cheaper with a 3 year warranty included is much less of a gamble, or alternatively since you still have your hard drive an Arcade if you can still find one.