My XBox 360 just crapped out. No RRoD or anything but it freezes up after about 5 minutes of use pretty much every time I turn it on. It’s not a overheating issue since I took the console out of the cabinet and ran it ice cold and the problem persists. Some Googling makes it look like it’s probably a video chip issue.
I’ve got one of the older, pre-2007 models, the XBox 360 Pro 20GB without the HDMI connection. All in all, it’s a outdated piece of kit. I’m not much of a gamer really, I hardly play any XBox games these days and I’m holding out on signing up for XBox Live Gold until I spring for Madden 2010 and get a couple buddies online. I do however use my XBox fairly often as a DVD player and a media extender to watch Netflix and downloaded videos from my PC. Eventually I expect to use Hulu on the XBox too.
So, with that preamble out of the way, I’m looking for some advice on what to do about replacing this unit. Its out of warranty. I can get it “repaired” through Microsoft for $99. This is the cheapest option, and would probably serve my purposes but there’s a couple caveats. This old unit is loud as shit and I’d love to quiet it down some, so simply having a new MB slapped in there isn’t really ideal. Also, I’d like to use HDMI to connect to my Receiver which this unit lacks.
I could buy a refurbished unit online for anywhere between $100-$200 depending on the model I chose. I could get a HDMI unit with a larger HD and all, but it’s still be the older design. Not sure how much quieter the newer units are than my 2006 model, but I assume they aren’t as quiet as the new slimline models.
If I decide to buy a new unit, how important is it to get the top of the line model? It’s got built in WiFi which is a plus as I can get rid of the network cable I have running along my wall, but I’m pretty sure I’m not going to ever use that 250GB of storage under my current usage. I’m not that big on Kinect, so those bundles aren’t a consideration. If I got the 4GB model how limiting would that be? Is something coming in the future that would require me to store content in large amounts? Does storage space impact Netflix or other online content?
The last consideration is if sending my current unit in for repair would net me a newer unit. Perhaps they don’t repair 2006 models any more and they would just send me a replacement refurbished model from the newer orginal 360 series. Anyone have any experience there?
I can’t really answer for you where the ideal spot on your “price to quietness” scale lies, but based on what you’ve put down here, I see absolutely no reason for you to go for a “top of the line” new model. The $200 model with the 4GB flash memory card is going to be just fine for you, especially since you can plunk a 16GB USB stick into it for extra storage if you need it. I don’t really see any reason to pay up for the hard drive now - you can always add it later if your habits change.
So that said, definitely do NOT pay $200 for a refurbished model. It’s just not giving you what you’re after. You don’t need storage for Netflix streaming - only for videos you’ve actually purchased through Zune or something. (Note: You can stream a lot of videos and music to a 360 from a windows PC, so you can sidestep a lot of storage issues that way.)
I can’t tell you if you might end up with a new(er) 360 by sending yours in for repair - it probably depends on a lot of different factors, such as what is actually wrong with your device, part availability, blah blah etc.
Just speaking from my own experience, but the refurbished XBox 360 consoles are dodgy. After we had a RRoD we sent back the console, MS sent us a refurbished console, and the refurb died two days later. A second refurb died about four months in.
Finally we gave up and bought a brand new one, and it’s worked as intended ever since. Even though the refurbished consoles were coming to us free (as both also died to the RRoD), it was worth it to not have to cram the console in the box, wait for six weeks, take time off of work to pick up the refurbished console from the UPS Center, etc. And if you’re going to spend money on a console, then it’s a no-brainer to go with a new one.
Yeah, buying a refurbished unit wasn’t really something I planned on doing, but I figured I’d include it in the list of options.
I’m a little concerned with what I’ve read regarding the 4GB model. Supposedly that is 4GB of flash memory and games that require a Hard Drive simply aren’t playable on that version unless you buy a HD. Now, I’m not much of a gamer but I do intend to play games occasionally and if say the new Halo game is the greatest thing since sliced bread but it requires a HD to play I might be stuck paying extra for a HD.
If the $199 4GB model does everything I want and can play every game I want that’s probably the way to go so long as adding a HD later is truly as good as the 250GB model.
I recommend a new unit with a hard drive if you’re going to be playing games at all. Installing games to the HD is a lot less hard on your console than playing them from the disc (though you still need the disc inserted to play).
Well, now my box is RRoD. Doesn’t really change anything, but I’ve been tinkering with it. Debating whether I should try cracking the box open and reseating the heat sinks to try and fix the issue or not or if I should just say screw it and buy a new one. I can trade the parts for this thing for about $32 at Gamestop but with Sales tax I’m not really saving anything over ordering online.
AFAIK Basically no games require the hard drive on the Xbox 360 - the only issue I know of at current is Halo:Reach split screen co-op and multiplayer requires the hard drive (and not just adding a flash drive). I believe they are going to patch that. Were I you though I would buy the 4gb console + 16gb flash drive and save the extra $$.
I think the enclosure is different, so to add the hard drive to the new console at the very least you need to remove the hard drive from the old xbox 360 enclosure, and may need a new different one. If you got a refurbed arcade obviously you could then just add the hard drive as-is, but I think the new hardware is a better bet.
The only things I can think of that will ultimately cause you to require more than the 4gb are game installs and map packs. Netflix works fine in an old school arcade with no hard drive or flash drive added at all - just the 512MB that came with it. (You just have to have a gold account)
As has been mentioned, I don’t believe there’s any such thing as a 360 game that “requires” a hard drive. Many can be IMPROVED by the presence of a storage device, but I see no reason there would be any difference between the 4GB memory card and a proper hard drive - every title I’ve ever played that wanted storage just prompted me to select a storage device.
That said, If that outfit jacobsta811 linked is credible, $13 seems like a small price to pay to re-use your old storage and not worry about having to transfer or redownload anything that might be on there.
Well, if I buy a new 4GB model anyone have suggestions on what I should do with the old bricked unit? Seems like a waste to trash it. I suppose I could EBay it, anyone have any success there?
I misspoke. I watch Netflix on my girlfriend’s internet ready TV, not the XBox, that’s one of the reasons I’m gonna go Gold.
I ordered a Xbox 360 4GB from Amazon over the weekend and will get it tomorrow supposedly. Still not sure what the heck I ought to do with the old one. Maybe I’ll crack it open and see if I can get it working again, it’s basically garbage anyways. What to do with it after I get it working however is another unknown.
I only think that works on the original XBox, not on the 360. Plus what would it gain me over the 360? It plays all the media I want it to. I think I read that XBMC can act as a emulator for old school games systems which would be pretty sweet, but I’m not sure.
Final Fantasy 11 (the MMORPG one) does. And the backwards compatibility with XB1 games also requires it to hold the emulator partition. If neither of these is a concern, there’s no NEED for a HDD, but it’s still something you might benefit from. Games are a lot quieter when you install them, and it saves wear on the drive.
You can, however, use up to 16GB of an external USB hard drive as 360 storage (or 32GB if you plug in two drives). It won’t let you use XB1 games, but you can use it for game installs.
Saving games to the HD and playing some of the older XB1 games that I never properly enjoyed tempts me to get a Hard Drive, but I have a tough time justifying a $100 ($130 if bought separately) up-charge for a damn HD.
Maybe I’ll try the hack with my old HD to try and bridge the gap before laying out the cash.
I know that FF11 required the hard drive when it was a choice between that or memory cards, it may or may not work with the new USB drive function that was added, I don’t play the game, so can’t test it.
The XB1 backwards compatibility absolutely requires the hard drive and not a memory card or USB drive. It relies on a separate partition to hold the emulator files. As a matter of fact, if you go to a less reputable source and get a “fake” 360 hard drive (or make one yourself) to save money over MS’s outrageous prices, it will work with saves and installs, but not XB1 games.
