Hardware Worth upgrading to Xbox Slim?

[DinohScene]

Doom 3 BFG is probably to counteract piracy.
The XBLA versions are placed in the DVD as GOD packages, their easy to copy and if they where copied to the HDD then they could also be copied to USB drives and be redistributed to others which don't have the game.
Atleast that's my theory behind.
I haven't seen the disc structure of Doom tho.

As for Halo 3.
The few seconds that it loads the map hardly makes a difference.
I'd rather wait a second or to lower on one or 2 days then having to deal with annoying DVD noises + extra wear and tear on an already delicate piece of hardware.


Fan noise can be slightly blocked out tho.
Cutting away the metal fanmesh on the back of the chassis does eliminate some noise but most of the noise comes from the plastic fanduct.
If you'd remove that then the console would be nice and silent actually.
But yeah that would involve soldering a fan on the Mobo to move air away from the heatsinks as the back fans don't draw heat away as much anymore.



As for reliability.
That's a matter of keeping it clean and also user responsibility.
If you keep the console in a well vented area and pretty dust free then it'll last far longer.
RRoD is not inevitable but it can be post poned.
Friend of mine still plays with a launchday Xenon (hours on end) and it never even 2RL'd

 

[driverdis]

Doom 3 BFG is probably to counteract piracy.
The XBLA versions are placed in the DVD as GOD packages, their easy to copy and if they where copied to the HDD then they could also be copied to USB drives and be redistributed to others which don't have the game.
Atleast that's my theory behind.
I haven't seen the disc structure of Doom tho.

As for Halo 3.
The few seconds that it loads the map hardly makes a difference.
I'd rather wait a second or to lower on one or 2 days then having to deal with annoying DVD noises + extra wear and tear on an already delicate piece of hardware.


Fan noise can be slightly blocked out tho.
Cutting away the metal fanmesh on the back of the chassis does eliminate some noise but most of the noise comes from the plastic fanduct.
If you'd remove that then the console would be nice and silent actually.
But yeah that would involve soldering a fan on the Mobo to move air away from the heatsinks as the back fans don't draw heat away as much anymore.



As for reliability.
That's a matter of keeping it clean and also user responsibility.
If you keep the console in a well vented area and pretty dust free then it'll last far longer.
RRoD is not inevitable but it can be post poned.
Friend of mine still plays with a launchday Xenon (hours on end) and it never even 2RL'd

the doom and doom 2 games on the DVD are XBLA that is unlocked when run from the disk similar to the Xbox Live Arcade and Plants vs Zombies game disk but you cannot copy it from there and have it run fully standalone unless its on a jtag/rgh.

cutting the metal fanmesh eliminates some noise but weakens the chassis more.
cutting the plastic does not sound like a bad idea but its ugly looking as a result.

for extra cooling,
I opted for a Talismoon Legacy fan and it glows green and moves more air but it makes the console louder. but its my falcon JTAG so i do not mind since I have have the SMC set to shutdown at jasper max temps and to keep console ~65c max temp.

I also know someone who has a launch day xenon and theirs works fine also. I seem to have bad luck since i have been through a falcon that lasted 9 months and a jasper that was defective and lasted a week.

RRoD will happen with all fat xbox 360's, and possibly slim 360's eventually since they were not designed to last years like the PS1/PS2/Xbox1/GameCube/ and previous generations were.

I still installed my copy of Halo 3 anyway also and waited the extra few seconds but some people did not like the extra wait times.

With a slim, you can just play and not need to resort to case and chassis cutting to reduce noise since its near silent. and the disk drive is not as loud.

 

[DinohScene]

That's exactly what I said lol.


It doesn't weaked the chassis.
It's only the fan mesh and not the entire sector.


Talismoon fans actually don't "cool" that great.
It's more for the LED's imho then for cooling ;p
I don't know if they still come with that turbo knob?
Only they will they be more effective.



RRoD's happen due to the solderballs being solely composed of tin instead of a tin/lead alloy.
Tin is way less flexible as tin/lead and tends to snap off more quickly, resulting in an RRoD.



Slim does has some advantages over the Phat but if you take good care of both consoles then those advantages are pretty much moot.
(early 360's ofcourse heat up quicker due to their CPU/GPU dies being 90/80/65 nm vs 45 nm in the Slim)
But with proper care they should last the entire Gen.

 

[Harsky]

4 month late update but today the Xbox 360 is dead due to RROD. What makes it even difficult to accept is that I planned to trade the console towards an Xbox slim on the day it died. Anyways, I did have some experience in opening up the console in preparation to flash the DVD drive which I decided against in the end. Is there any recommended DIY kit to fix a RROD?

 

[DinohScene]

Xecuters Clamp fix will work but...
It just dies in another couple of months.

Best is to get it reflowed for 50 quid ;]

 

[Harsky]

Xecuters Clamp fix will work but...
It just dies in another couple of months.

Best is to get it reflowed for 50 quid ;]

Even if I do plan on getting it reflowed, the fact that it's an older model with NO HDMI port means that I won't get top money for it. On the other hand, I don't feel comfortable with using a cheap temporary fix that'll cause the new owner headaches.

Off topic, I'm loving my Xbox slim especially with the built in Wifi. Just a shame it's got the "other people's house" smell wafting from the fans when I run it.

 

[DinohScene]

I mean reballed.
Sorry my bad xd
Reballing is the only permanent RRoD fix ;]

Then a Clamp Fix will suffice.
Let it heat a bit so the solder balls will reattach to themselves ;]

 

[Joe88]

just heatgun it and get rid of it
as you said, it will be somebody else's problem now

 

[Harsky]

Well, I think I'll go for the clamp fix. There's a lot on ebay but is there any specific kits I should be on the lookout for?

 

[DinohScene]

Xecuters.
Call me a fanboy but meh, they do the job pretty well ;]

 

[Harsky]

Little update. I spent £4 on a cheap RROD kit. Not too sure if the thermal paste is top quality but I did end up with WAY more washers and bolts than I expected. The only advice I can give is this. TWO alcohol wipes are NOT enough to get rid of the thermal paste but thankfully I had a bunch of the wipes from a first aid box.

So far, it all works and the RROD is now gone but I guess I won't find out if it'll last since I'll just get rid of it to another person.

 

[DinohScene]

Neat!
That the RRoD is gone that is.

Yeh, it's indeed their problem.