October 16, 2007

XBOX 360 Hardware Failure: RED RING OF DEATH- Preventing the Inevitable?

The "Red Ring Of Death" is not a topic that people talk about cheerfully. The XBOX 360 is a remarkable piece of gaming machinery, which makes the "Red Ring Of Death" even more saddening as it literally stops the XBOX 360 in it's tracks and causes it to stop functioning. But the thing is, if no one talks about this issue (cheerful or not), how can we prevent it? Or, the better question is, can it even be prevented?

Some would have you believe that the "Red Ring Of Death" is inevitable and that every current XBOX 360 owner will go through this nightmare. Why? Because the heat is so great that it slowly damages the system's delicate parts overtime, thereby making the console unplayable. Since it's not a question of if, but when, why should players even worry about it? Why not just cross that bridge when they get to it? Well, because there are other opinions out there. Some people feel that the "Red Ring Of Death" is actually preventable with the right precautions. They say that by taking the right measures, you can possibly avoid or, at the very least, prolong your X-BOX 360's life.

So, what are the precautions you can take to avoid seeing the "Red Ring Of Death"? As far as the experts can tell, proper ventilation and a much lower internal temperature will do the trick. Obviously, you can't alter the design of the XBOX 360 itself; so adding more air holes or another cooling unit (heat sink) is out of the question. However, you don't have to approach the problem internally, you can approach it externally.

Give the XBOX 360 a cooler and more open environment and you should be able to control it's aggressive heat increases. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the XBOX 360 is still going to run hot; but by taking the temperature down a few degrees and providing a more adequate supply of air, the system should run more smoothly and allow it to slowly leave the "danger zone". The big question, though, is "how can this be done?"

Honestly, it's really not that hard to do. All you need is some (stationary) house fans and an air conditioner. Keep the AC temperature cool and the fans pointed at the system when you are playing. 2 fans, one on either side of the XBOX 360, is ideal. Obviously, you don't want to be freezing your butt off while you're play; therefore, a temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit should work just fine. However, if you can manage it, 65 degrees is even better and more effective. The fans should keep a nice air flow going through the system and the room temperature (which is cooled by the AC) should help bring down & maintain the 360's internal temperature. Also, be sure to keep your XBOX-360 as close to your AC vents as possible; and in winter move it away from the vents.


Suffering from the "Red Ring Of Death"? Then Click Here To Find Out What You Can Do to Fix the problem.

1 comment:

Vaughan said...

I must have sent my 360 back about four times because of the red ring of death. Another useful article!