Rings of death (xbox 360 fatal error)

[gozza]

You do realise "RBM" the quote in your avatar suits you perfectly

[Lukeyson]

its interesting, @ work today had 3 people come in and say they had the 3 light error (general hardware failure) since they started playing Halo 3. Hope mine dont die

[FoxMulder]

Originally Posted by Franky

The new consoles (elite, halo 3 and premiums made from late may) have newer motherboards that don't overheat as much and have apparently fixed the issue, no doubt they will put one in yours.

I'd say give it some time, the newer motherboards don't change the main problem with the 360 and that is the solder process that they use. Also there is a good chance that you will get an older refurbished board placed in the 360 to "fix" it. Microsoft don't really address the problem, they bury their heads in the sand and hope it goes away.

Originally Posted by FordFella

I'm surprised the PS3 hasn't had similar issues. It almost definately has, but the consoles are probably repaired extremely fast by Sony, and the owners are bribed to make sure that word never gets out. All to ensure that Sony is percieved as "Better Quality".

The PS3 has had some minor issues (like any new electronic device) however unlike 360 owners, PS3 owners can keep their systems on for months at a time (and you have some people that do exactly that, with the Folding@Home program). The extra time that it took to get the Blu-Ray format standardized allowed them to over-engineer the console. The PS3 does actually run hotter than the 360, the main difference between them is the build quality.

[Grechie]

I'm a member over at the xbox 360 forums, and this is a very frequent problem.

I just hope mine never does it!

Surprisingly, there actually is still some launch consoles alive out there.

[Franky]

Originally Posted by FoxMulder

I'd say give it some time, the newer motherboards don't change the main problem with the 360 and that is the solder process that they use. Also there is a good chance that you will get an older refurbished board placed in the 360 to "fix" it. Microsoft don't really address the problem, they bury their heads in the sand and hope it goes away.



The PS3 has had some minor issues (like any new electronic device) however unlike 360 owners, PS3 owners can keep their systems on for months at a time (and you have some people that do exactly that, with the Folding@Home program). The extra time that it took to get the Blu-Ray format standardized allowed them to over-engineer the console. The PS3 does actually run hotter than the 360, the main difference between them is the build quality.

lol another sony fanboy. Actually i've read it's been fixed so I bought one, i'll let you know if I have any issues with it but I doubt they would spend billions on it and not fix it at all.

[TEaaron]

I got the rings of death about 6months ago. Rang microsoft gave them my serial number. They paid for the postage I got it back within a week with no problem.


Very good service.

[Dazza XLT]

Thread mine, I know.....

Would any of these fans help prevent the overheating, or would it add too much extra load to the Xbox to be of any help?
Does anybody know if fitting one will void the warranty?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA:IT&ih=005
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA:IT&ih=020

Cheers

Darran

[tempest]

Originally Posted by Darran

Thread mine, I know.....

Would any of these fans help prevent the overheating, or would it add too much extra load to the Xbox to be of any help?
Does anybody know if fitting one will void the warranty?


Cheers

Darran

i wouldnt use them on mine, ive heard bad stories about cooling fans in general and one mate who used one then his box dieda a week later!

got something to do with drawing power from the console like you said

[Dean C]

Just had mine repaired in November by Microsoft under warranty, mine was out of warranty but they still warrant this problem. I was expecting to be without the 360 for a month or so but it only took them 5 days to have back to me. I think they also extend the warranty on this problem.

[goldfire]

After market fans, providing their the ones that just clip in won't void your warranty. They CAN and in most cases DO help stabilize the system ( Did with my house mates ). But you may come to realize you no longer need it and can remove it, also keep in mind they can be as loud as all hell. We used to get the occasional RRoD but a quick replug of the power cord fixed it.

From what i've been told MS have pretty much given an unlimited warranty on current and previous gens of the 360 due to the massive amount of returns. So even if you purchased the first gen console, as long as the failure can be attributed to the overheating I'm pretty sure they just fix it.

[Homer1]

Originally Posted by Mongoose

Oh yes, the joys of american build quality and reliability.

Highly doubt they're US made?? I'd have thought they'd be from China, like the PS3.

[Daymoe]

I think they fit it out with a new heatsink, I'm not too sure. You could probably make the issue less frequent by taking off the heatsinks and replace the thermal paste with something better like Arctic Silver 5. But that'd void your warranty.

I know the new "Falcon" Xbox360s are on a 65nm platform. They've had a die shrink and they put out less heat and require a bit less power due to that.

[nommic]

They've also redesigned the heatsinks with the change over to 65nm I believe.

[FPVWEPN]

ps3's dont overheat !!!!!!!
There the bomb!!!!!!!!

[nommic]

And more expensive.

A lot of my friends have had their 360s repaired under warranty, none of them are too ****ed off about it. If they weren't under warranty though I'm sure they would be kicking up a stink.

[Ives]

Originally Posted by nommic

They've also redesigned the heatsinks with the change over to 65nm I believe.

So the new XBOX360 has got more torque?

[XR06T]

wow nice mine!

and i think nommic is right. hasn't been many 65nm failures i dont think..

[Bossxr8]

Read an article in a newspaper recently about the problem, and its been estimated that there is a 30-40% failure rate on XBox 360's.

I only know 3 people who have them and all 3 have failed, but at least they fix them quickly.

[Grechie]

Awww no, my console started freezing today and now its displaying the RROD!

Now i have to send it off. grrrr

[xy500]

Originally Posted by ef_classic

Nah, fact is Sony knows how to make a game console, Microsoft should just stick to there OS Monopoly.

thats right, its just microsoft doing what they do best, making money!
never had any dramas with sony and nintendo, they definitely know how to make a good console. after all isn't that why people buy a console? so they don't have to worry about their crappy microsoft computer crashing or overheating etc. even the only good alternative has just been bought out apparently (amd i think? )
:
anyway, you'd never catch me paying a cent for any xbox, not with the way they are now, 30-40% failure? that is an absolute joke. imagine a car manufacturer with that kind of statistic!

[XR06T]

mine works fine, its a great console!

so i might get rrod, send it off, 1 week later i get it back. no hair off my back!

[GS608]

happened to us a few days ago :(

called up Microsoft support and we're sending it off, this is our second 360, first one just overheated and died (wouldn't turn on) and now the RRoD..ah well..

[jeffb]

The problem mainly happens due to poor cooling. There are 2 main causes a poorly designed air cowling that goes over the fans and the use of lead free tin solder.

When they get a bit of age on them, the solder joints crack around the video ram and CPU. if they are out of warranty Microsoft will still fix them for a small fee ($100 or something) or you can pull it apart and get into it with a heatgun.

The fix was not a redesigned mainboard, but an extra heatsink attached to the graphics processor, as this is where the problem is most affected due to the poor cowling design.