Originally posted by: NamelessMC
Originally posted by: nuonce
Originally posted by: iseestars
My comment is the same as when the xbox360 first came out. Were the RROD's stored upright when they died, playing a specific game, etc... Seems like nobody bothers to comment, but I remember at least initially when 360's were dieing it was due to people using them vertically and blocking the air intake. I've had mine for nearly 2 years now (got it around launch) and have had 0 problems. I've always stored it and used it horizontally so that it always gets proper ventilation.
Also it seemed several of those complaining of RROD were using Bioshock at the time. Possible some bug in the code that has some bizarre chase condition leading to xbox360 death? I'm temped to get this for the HDMI, but if these really have that bad failure rate I'll just stick with mine until xbox1296 comes out.
Anyone have feedback?
I would bet that Bioshock stresses the video card on the 360 harder then ever with these awesome graphics. The majority of RROD's are from the video card overheating. Congrats on your flawless 360 but I would recommend throwing on some extra cooling just to be safe.
I find it amazing that so many people can comment on the stability of a product as if to suggest they know it top to bottom, yet clearly their understanding of the situation is very vague and probably from word of mouth/assumption.
To be blunt: I'm sorry, but you're wrong and most of the people commenting on RROD's are wrong as well.
First - It's not a video issue at all. The heat issue isn't even an "over-heating issue" really, but more or less a manufacturing default. The CPU has an "X-Clamp" that braces the heatsink flush onto the CPU (Not GPU) and for some reason the thermal adhesive that comes stock on said heatsink causes the X-Clamp to not sit flush with the motherboard. This causes the heatsink itself to tilt to one angle or another after extreme heat conditions and eventually leads to the clamp not making contact at all. Thus you have ROD (Ring of death). In over 75% of the circumstances where 360's fail because of this, the processor itself is 100% working, but the clamp and heatsink are no longer making contact. And as most of you are aware, with newer technology, it shuts down as soon as it notices fluctuations in temperature. The 360 has temperature protocols just like PC's do. The 3 light ROD is similar to the LED's on the back of modern motherboards letting you know why a system won't post.
Proof? There's lots of FAQ's and guides on how to
fix 360's with ROD errors, simply by opening up the set and replacing the thermal adhesive along with modifying the X-Clamp to make the heatsink sit flush on the processing units. If they were over-heating/failing, do you really think simply replacing the X-clamp on the heatsink would fix it? No, it'd be a blown chip and would require a new motherboard/replaced CPU/GPU. The only reason people have to fix them themselves is because they mod their 360 and can't send it in.
Second - All 360's, even launch 360's with expired warranties are fully covered by Microsoft's new blanket 3 year warranty. This holds to be true as long as your 360 is not modified or tampered with prior to failure. You can't really cry about that clause either, because it's not really in a company's best interest to condone or encourage pirating or homebrew software by allowing people to make warranty claims with modified hardware. I've had two Xboxes and a Playstation 2 that were sold in parts because I couldn't get them fixed from being modified, it's what modders have to come to terms with, else we're not complete modders. No reward without risk, as they say. Microsoft is very professional about handling warranty returns on 360's and nowadays, if you return a Premium in warranty, you'll get a shiny new Zephyr motherboard with a brand new serial code with the new heatsink, quieter fans and brand spanking new components.
Third - All NEW production 360 Premiums don't have the ROD problem. They are manufactured on Post August Zephyr motherboards, which have HDMI, the new X-Clamp heatsink, the better fan and even the quieter DVD drives.
There's nothing wrong with 360's, there's everything wrong with flawed logic.
To anyone reading, buy a 360, love your 360, don't mess with the warranty sticker and you're A-Okay.