mikeszekely Posted September 4, 2007 Posted September 4, 2007 Anyone get an HDMI equipped premium yet? I'm wondering if I should hook the 360 Elite up by HDMI when I get it or just leave it as component and save the HDMI for the PS3 again. Component can handle 1080i, and most (if not all) 360 games so far only support 720p and/or 1080i. The only advantage I can see is if you're going to get the HD-DVD drive and intend on watching a lot of HD-DVDs in 1080p (also assuming that you have a 1080p display, which I personally don't). Frankly, I filled my HDMI ports with the PS3 and an upconverting DVD player, and I'm content to leave my 360 component.
JB0 Posted September 4, 2007 Posted September 4, 2007 Component can handle 1080i, and most (if not all) 360 games so far only support 720p and/or 1080i. The only advantage I can see is if you're going to get the HD-DVD drive and intend on watching a lot of HD-DVDs in 1080p (also assuming that you have a 1080p display, which I personally don't). Frankly, I filled my HDMI ports with the PS3 and an upconverting DVD player, and I'm content to leave my 360 component. You fancypants people with your HDMI and your compnent video. ... Seriously, I wish the 360 "believed in" 800*600. It'd be a bit of a boost over 640*480, and my display(an old 32" Mitsubishi presentation monitor I was "gifted") can actually SUPPORT that(If it were in good shape, I've heard they can be "pushed" to 1024*768, but mine isn't and can't). I need to upgrade sets. I'm torn between taking my XBoxeses to the next level(XBox 1 won't even do progressive-scan over RGB. WTF?), or maintaining perfect compatibility with my legacy stuff(a lot of digital sets take offense at various older systems' non-standard abuses of NTSC).
Dante74 Posted September 4, 2007 Posted September 4, 2007 My 360 just died on me! Last week it froze up a couple of times and tonight it lit up with three different versions of the ring of death. I just called the supportcentre and UPS will pick it up in a couple of days. I've only had it for three months and it'll be gone for three to four weeks and Mass Effect will be released soon and so will PGR4 and Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed WHAAAAAAAAA! I should have gone with the Wii when I had the chance damnit. I'll be in my bed crying my eyes out...
Fort Max Posted September 4, 2007 Posted September 4, 2007 Mass Effects not out till Nov man, you'll have it back by then.
Apollo Leader Posted September 4, 2007 Author Posted September 4, 2007 My 360 just died on me! Last week it froze up a couple of times and tonight it lit up with three different versions of the ring of death. I just called the supportcentre and UPS will pick it up in a couple of days. I've only had it for three months and it'll be gone for three to four weeks and Mass Effect will be released soon and so will PGR4 and Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed WHAAAAAAAAA! I should have gone with the Wii when I had the chance damnit. I'll be in my bed crying my eyes out... Got any other systems? When my 360 pooped out, I just went back to playing some games on my PS2 that I had been meaning to get back to. If I may ask, which 360 did you have? How well did you have the system ventilated?
Apollo Leader Posted September 4, 2007 Author Posted September 4, 2007 Speaking of Halo 3, just 3 weeks to go! Right now I'm trying to plow my way through DW: Gundam. Pleasantly surprised to see that Bandai was able to rehire all the voice actors from the First Gundam TV series, Char's Counterattack, and most of the PS2 First Gundam games. Of course you can play it in Japanese too so major props to Bandai/Namco and Koei! Also working on Streets of Rage 2. Almost have all the achievements, but I almost think it's impossible to score 800,000 points or more on Hardcore mode.
Dante74 Posted September 5, 2007 Posted September 5, 2007 Got any other systems? When my 360 pooped out, I just went back to playing some games on my PS2 that I had been meaning to get back to. If I may ask, which 360 did you have? How well did you have the system ventilated? I've got a gamecube in a closet somewhere and a friend has my old Xbox. I guess I could do some side quests in the Windwaker, those are always fun. I got a regular 360 system with the standard HD (3 months old, very noisy disk drive, very loud ventilator, don't know what chipset it had or which production run it was from) and it was standing vertically next to my TV, which is plenty ventilated IMO. The first error from the ring of light was three flashing red leds (first third and fourth). After I unplugged the AV cable and put it in again I got the bottom right LED flashing red, after I removed the HD I got no LED's lighting up but instead I got a black screen with an error message saying I got error E71. The operator told me I got an internal hardware error, which I already figured.
Apollo Leader Posted September 5, 2007 Author Posted September 5, 2007 E71 I think is what I got after my system slowly died out over two weeks. Good luck with your replacement!
Apollo Leader Posted September 5, 2007 Author Posted September 5, 2007 Anyone into Guitar Hero Who isn't? Seriously the last time I played GHII on my 360, I had three songs left to beat on hard. Still trying to figure out the best way to get the 1,000 note or 400,000 point achievements (been trying Freebird on medium and X-Stream on hard).
mikeszekely Posted September 5, 2007 Posted September 5, 2007 standing vertically next to my TV A lot of my friends who've had their units die kept their units vertical. Mine's a launch, and it's never been anything but horizontal. The only other person I know personally (sorry internet friends) who's 360 hasn't been sent back to Microsoft (not launch; maybe from six months after) also keeps his horizontal. Quick question, for those of you who've sent some back and for those of you who are still on your first, how do you orient your unit?
Alpha OTS Posted September 5, 2007 Posted September 5, 2007 A lot of my friends who've had their units die kept their units vertical. Mine's a launch, and it's never been anything but horizontal. The only other person I know personally (sorry internet friends) who's 360 hasn't been sent back to Microsoft (not launch; maybe from six months after) also keeps his horizontal. Quick question, for those of you who've sent some back and for those of you who are still on your first, how do you orient your unit? I've had mine since chrimmas of last year and it's been nothing but vertical. About three months back I did buy one of those bottom clinging fans as a small bit of preventive maintenance because of all of the ring of death stories floating around. I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but I've been conscious to make sure it's well ventilated.
JsARCLIGHT Posted September 5, 2007 Posted September 5, 2007 I've had mine since around September of last year. For the first about 6 months it was horizontal with one of those Nyko intercoolers on it on top of my entertainment center with lots of room around it to breathe. After reading several threads online at various places badmouthing the Nyko intercooler, even blaming it for causing system failures, I replaced it with a "Fan Stand" that has it's own AC adapter and it now sits vertical on the hardwood floor next to an AC vent (my PS3 took it's spot of honor on top of the entertainment center... what can I say, the PS3's design is pure sex while the Xbox 360's design is like a pale fat kid in a white T shirt at the pool). I've never had any red rings or system failures (knock on wood). Drive noise has actually decreased having it vertical on the floor... or it seems that way.
David Hingtgen Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Horizontal, but mine didn't have a RROD/overheat/general failure. I still blame one of the dashboard updates (since it started that very day).
myk Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 (edited) Quick question, for those of you who've sent some back and for those of you who are still on your first, how do you orient your unit? My launch day unit RROD'd in January of '06, and that unit was always vertical. My replacement unit since then has been vertical as well, with no glitches or failures to speak of...yet... Edited September 6, 2007 by myk
Chowser Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 My original (bought Feb. 06) has sat horizontal till it got replaced in Aug. 07, the replacement is also horizontal. If I get the Elite, I'll move the premium to the basement and stand it vertical and see if it makes any difference.
Steve68 Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Mine is a launch unit or at least I purchased it 2 weeks before x-mas 2005. It's been horizontal since day one. I also put little rubber feet under the unit to raise it up about 1/2 inch. Not sure if that did anything, but it only cost about $1 for the feet. No problems yet
yellowlightman Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 The biggest problem with keeping it the 360 vertical was the tendency to f' up DVD's if the system got bumped. If it wasn't for that I'd keep my system vertical all the time...
mikeszekely Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Well, I don't think the handful of people who replied are the most scientific sample, so although the replies so far give me the feeling that horizontal seems slightly healthier than vertical, the number of deaths in each position is just as likely to level out with a larger sample. Enough people have reported problems, or a lack thereof, in both positions, so I suppose it's a matter of personal preference and neither position is inherently healthier for the unit. I do like Steve68's idea of attaching feet to the bottom, though. I may try it, but then again, my unit works (well enough that I've put over 30 hours of Dynasty Warriors Gundam in over the past week), so I'm actually afraid to so much as move the damn thing for fear of jinxing it. If it ain't broke...
Fort Max Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Mine's vertical, well spaced out from other electronics (including the power brick) and it's also kept in the shadow of my television.
JsARCLIGHT Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 From my feeble understanding of how the guts of the 360 are laid out and my equally feeble understanding of the whole "heat breaks its mind" problem I don't actually see any scientific proof to it sitting one way or the other affecting when or if the unit fails. About the only failure that might be attributed to how the system sits might possibly be DVD drive failure, which I have heard of with the 360 but not in any way as prevalent as the 3RROD failures. It seems to me the more appropriate question would be how long the unit is used with what regularity and what operating temperature it resides at. After all, excessive heat causing a warping (and resulting chip popping) of the circuit board seems to be the prime cause of the 3RROD issue rather than the boxes' orientation. That would lead me to believe that that heat warping is going to occur anyway given the right temperatures no matter what position the unit is in. The sad thing is box itself uses a really poor heat ducting system in which the rear fans "pull" heat away from the metal finned heatsink through a plastic duct and throw it out the back of the unit. The case has intake "breathing holes" in the top and bottom (or the sides of you lay it horizontal) which are pretty much ineffective for air circulation... mostly because the top holes are all but blocked from a smooth airflow pattern by the hard drive and the bulky DVD drive. That leaves really only the bottom holes for true "intake" air. And seeing as there is no "positive" air intake system like a fan, the unit really only passively "gasps" for outside air from that bottom vent. Standing it vertical or laying it horizontal would not affect it's ability to breathe at all really as it more or less is stagnant air. I myself figured that the "fan stand" accessory would be a good choice as it actively forces a circulation of air up into that bottom vent, thus theoretically creating more of a "flow" rather than more or less a cesspool of tepid air. Allowing the system more circulating air to get in and pushing that cooler air over the heatsink would present the potential for slightly cooler operating temperatures I'd assume.
Apollo Leader Posted September 6, 2007 Author Posted September 6, 2007 Have always played my 360 and PS2 horizontally. Since the systems I'm playing at a given moment sits on a moveable printer cart, I figure there's no reason I should risk getting the system knocked over. And of course there's the issue of the discs getting damaged by playing them vertically.
Mechafan Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 I keep mines horizontally now. It still over heats but I get less disk scratching. Since I have the HD-DVD drive now, all my movies will be played from there so they do not ge scratched up.
eugimon Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 putting a fan on top of a fan, when the two are not synched is a bad idea, those fan stands seem like a good idea but my experience with such setups is that either the outside fans cause interference and restrict airflow or they push too hard and the vent holes can't keep up, trapping heat.
JsARCLIGHT Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 I figure either way if left alone it's a crap design and its eventually going to burn up... and the worst that can happen if I add a fan stand to try to cool it down more is that it's a crap design and it will eventually burn up. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
eugimon Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 true true, case is just too small and cramped for decent air flow
emajnthis Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 I figure either way if left alone it's a poo design and its eventually going to burn up... and the worst that can happen if I add a fan stand to try to cool it down more is that it's a poo design and it will eventually burn up. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. My brother realized the same thing, so he took his apart, drilled holes throughout the case (especially around the CPU), purchased aftermarket fans, and used AS5 for thermal compound. The higher quality fans push air faster and quieter than the crappy fans they used.
Fly4victory Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Quick question, for those of you who've sent some back and for those of you who are still on your first, how do you orient your unit? My "launch unit" 360 was vertical for the first four months and then horizontal until it died labor day weekend. Still waiting for the box from microsoft. So what game killed your box. Gundam Destiny Warriors did it for mine.
mikeszekely Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 doesn't that void the warranty? Yep. But what do you do? Leave it alone and wait for the inevitable failure to be replaced by Microsoft, or try to improve the unit you have and at best not have any issues, at worst, you have to buy a new unit? The Core pack is getting cheap enough now that I'd almost be tempted to just buy another unit anyway if mine died so I could still play while the original is in the shop, and then when it came back I'd have a backup.
Chowser Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Has anyone tried buying on of those USB powered fans? I might pick on up and hook it to the back of the 360. I would just use it to push air around the outside of the 360. I wouldn't have it blow air into it, just have it going to keep the hot air moving away.
eugimon Posted September 7, 2007 Posted September 7, 2007 Yep. But what do you do? Leave it alone and wait for the inevitable failure to be replaced by Microsoft, or try to improve the unit you have and at best not have any issues, at worst, you have to buy a new unit? The Core pack is getting cheap enough now that I'd almost be tempted to just buy another unit anyway if mine died so I could still play while the original is in the shop, and then when it came back I'd have a backup. well, I'd rather leave it alone and let MS replace it rather than monkey around with it and be out 350 bucks when/if it breaks.
JsARCLIGHT Posted September 7, 2007 Posted September 7, 2007 That's my thinking as well. I'll take steps to "remedy" something but always in the realm of the benign... no case cracking. If I had no warranty and no other recourse I'd probably crack mine open and tinker with it but as it stands that 3 year warranty is quite a safety blanket.
mikeszekely Posted September 7, 2007 Posted September 7, 2007 Has anyone tried buying on of those USB powered fans? I might pick on up and hook it to the back of the 360. I would just use it to push air around the outside of the 360. I wouldn't have it blow air into it, just have it going to keep the hot air moving away. I've heard that, since they draw power from the system, they actually cause the system to heat faster, and do more harm than good. I can't confirm or deny that, though, as I've never used one.
Recommended Posts