How To Keep Your Xbox 360 Cool
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One of the better gaming systems that has entered the market in recent years is certainly the Xbox 360. However it seems that there is always going to be a rain cloud around somewhere with every ray of sunshine. With the Xbox that rain cloud is the “red ring of death”.
The red ring of death is a flashing three quarter ring of light that signals the failure of a chip on the motherboard. This flaw has its origin in Microsoft’s decision to get the product to market before a number of design and manufacturing issues could be resolved. A significant design mistake is a very weak cooling system that is barely able to keep the internal chips cool.
This frequent overheating inter-reacts with the design faults and bugs to produce the red ring of death failure mode. Therefore it is in your best interest to keep your Xbox 360 as cool as possible. How this is done is the subject of this article.
First, every effort must be made to keep the cooling vents free of obstructions. Although a lot of people see this as obvious, what they don’t realize are the ways that the vents are accidentally blocked. This mostly occurs by placing the Xbox on very compliant surfaces like beds, rugs, sofas, and pillows.
Putting the Xbox in sealed off areas that have no ventilation is another way that the Xbox is commonly overheated. Places that restrict the free flow of air include racks, bookcases, cabinets, or simply a tight cluttered area. Since we all tend to arrange things in a way that saves space, this oversight is common.
More of the Xbox’s surface can be exposed to the air by tipping it on its side. You can also try pointing a small fan at it for more cooling.
The Xbox should be kept away from any sources of heat. Typical sources around the home include heaters, radiators, furnaces and stoves. Keep the air conditioner on in very warm and humid weather. Also try not to put your Xbox in direct sunlight.
Keeping the power brick cool is also very important. An internal fan is used by the power brick to flush out all of the excess heat. Too many people keep the power brick inside enclosed chambers or in areas with little or no air circulation. This must be avoided. Since heavy carpeting will block air flow, it is best to keep it off the floor on an elevated surface where there is more exposure to cooling air currents.
This advice is preventative and is best used when your Xbox is brand new. If your Xbox isn’t new and you’ve had your screen freeze up, then your Xbox has already seen too much heat which automatically shuts down internal chips. This is a clear symptom of overheating and that more attention to the cooling issue is required. This screen freeze up is the precursor to the red ring of death.
