Ben Heck looks under the 60GB Xbox 360's hood

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 7th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Tech guru Ben Heck has taken a sledgehammer and hacksaw to the new 60GB Xbox 360 to see what changes have been made inside. What he found was ... well, pretty much the same stuff that's been there for a bit. Sure, there's the bigger hard drive, but the only other main difference seems to be the placement of some (allegedly) heat-tastic memory chips.

There may be some other differences for those looking further back into the Xbox 360's past, but it seems like Heck is jumping off from the point where the extra heatsink had been added. If you've got an original Xbox 360 from way back in the day, there may be a few other changes, but all the cool kids have had their RRoD by now and gotten newer Xbox 360 iterations.

Tags: ben-heck, ben-heckendorn, benjamin-heckendorn

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

why not the LS2LS7? @ Aug 7th 2008 12:38PM

If only you got a new iteration when your machine RRoDed. My most recent 360 is the loudest one I've had yet. Nothing like the later models that actually are fairly quiet as long as the optical drive is not spinning.

Bam! @ Aug 7th 2008 12:41PM

Funny, I've got a launch Xbox and still no problems at all! Probably sees about 2h a use per week though.

Fenix @ Aug 7th 2008 12:44PM

Mine was a launch model and it just died this past weekend. It got probably about 2 hours usage everyday.

...And I thought I was immune.

:P

The POWARRR of Geometry Wars 2 was too much I guess lol!

Tiptup300 @ Aug 7th 2008 1:04PM

Me too, I did have overheating issues at one point, but I just took it apart and there was a blanket of dust, (about a cm thick) covering nearly the entire mobo.

BananaBoat @ Aug 7th 2008 3:20PM

I still have a launch day Xbox 360 as well, and it's never given me any problems. Well, that's not exactly true, I've had blue dot screen artifacts before (which is, you guessed it, a symptom of overheating or of a power supply that isn't keeping up). It was on a 100+ degree day though, after hours of playing, so I'd say it was more my fault than anything.

It's a shame that isolated cases of RROD thrown into the internet echo chamber have basically defined the first couple of years of the 360. While others were complaining about the RROD, I've been playing some of the best games that have probably ever come out (in 3D anyway) on the 360. I'd call myself lucky to have never gotten the RROD, but I think it's safe to say that I can't afford to jinx it as this point.

Ghen @ Aug 7th 2008 3:38PM

Truely BAM I'd force it to break now before the warranty gets hairy. It WILL break... just depends on when.

Fenix @ Aug 7th 2008 12:41PM

Good to see MS is really trying to put RRoD to an end all around but If I ever HAVE to get another 360. It will be an Elite.

john @ Aug 7th 2008 12:53PM

I got an Elite when they came out in May (my first 360). I used it quite a bit (as much as my job would allow). Less than a year later it failed due to a disc read error. It couldn't read the disc and it would make a noise like a fork stuck in a garbage disposal. Apparently a magnet in the drive mechanism had come lose and was rattling around in there. Luckily it didn't damage my discs at all. I sent it in (for free) and the replacement has been fine so far, and the drive is noticeably quieter as well.

I am wary of it happening again after a year, so I'm excited about the fall update adding the ability to copy games to the hard drive. It should cut down on drive wear and tear, as well as some of the heat.

Still, I haven't had a RROD yet, so that's good.

Cyro @ Aug 7th 2008 2:18PM

Thats what I got. An Elite. No problems here. I have had it for a year now. I play around 3-4 hours a day.

But I am not taking any chances. I have 2 intercoolers hooked up to it. They both are powered by their own power supply, and an additional fan pointing to the hottest point on the 360. (which is the lower right hand corner.) I use it standing up.

There is so much air flowing through that 360 that the case doesnt even warm up. :P

PS: The good thing is that once I power down the xbox 360 I still leave the intercoolers on so they keep sucking out the hot air from within until the air comes out completely cold.

This should make it RROD free.

philmcphail @ Aug 7th 2008 3:06PM

@ John n Cyro n Fenix

Damn man, your comments has freaked my out about turning on my 360 again. I bought my 360 during the major time of the RROD CRISIS (back in late 07) and that purchase worried me shitless. John, hearing about your Elite crapping out due to that disc tray thing and Fenix about your RROD, gets me thinking about all of that again. I have the HDMI model but like no protection (external fan) and hearing that my 360 can K.O. not just from RROD has my scared once again.

Jim @ Aug 7th 2008 12:51PM

Yeah. I just got one of the Dark Knight 360s in the mail the other day (ONE OF THE JOKER ONES!!!!) and its loud as hell compared to my older one.

eilegz @ Aug 7th 2008 12:59PM

too bad it will still RROD since its the same 90nm GPU. its basically a falcon with 60GB and new liteon crappy drive.

dabamf @ Aug 7th 2008 1:18PM

It's that the NetScape logo on your icon? Haven't seen that in years!

+1

Raikage (GOLDEN Gun Of The Patriots) @ Aug 7th 2008 1:01PM

It haz Bleu Rayz?!?!?!

deaftly @ Aug 7th 2008 1:03PM

Still on 360 #1 since Feb 06, HAH!*

*just fucked myself

Fenix @ Aug 7th 2008 1:11PM

Maybe...lol

I'm actually glad my 360 crapped out when it did. Other than GeoWars 2 and Braid coming I was in a gaming drought. I was really just rotating playing B:BC, Halo3, COD4 and Gears. Come next month and on through the end of the year all the heavy hitters are coming so I just re-opened my Gamefly account. Actually I got my wife to open one so I can get the XBL free 400 MSpoints offer. Theres about 25 games in my Queue for 360 and PS3 titles.

:D

iFester @ Aug 7th 2008 1:14PM

Yep, your Kool-Aid avatar will be shouting "OHHNOOZ!" soon enough.

juju187 @ Aug 7th 2008 1:18PM

O YEAH!

Noshino @ Aug 7th 2008 1:41PM

Fenix,

How can you play 25 titles in so little time? D:

Do you try to get 100% on every game? man, the only game that I haven't gotten 100% on was MGS4 and Rogue Galaxy (but that has more to do with the fact that there is just too much shit to do on Rogue Galaxy that even after 200hrs+ I haven't finished it D: )

Fenix @ Aug 7th 2008 2:20PM

Noshino

Not all 25 of those games come out this year. Basically I'll try to beat all the games I play and enjoy. I usually have a target mark of at least 600-1000gp on every game I play. If I really end up liking it of course.

Not sure how the trophies would work out but I guess I would do my best to get the platinum one if possible or at least 60 to 80% of them. Most titles only require a week or weekend to do this if you really look at it.

See, I'm usually always asking people or reading on "how long is the game?" or "how many hours did it take you to beat it?" and I'll work those hours into my schedule. Weekends (if we dont have plans) are a main playing time for me though.

zero2dash @ Aug 7th 2008 1:19PM

'but all the cool kids have had their RRoD by now and gotten newer Xbox 360 iterations.'

Mine has RRoD'd twice and 2 ringed now as well because some idiot at the repair center left a sheet of stickers inside of my system. TWICE. They left them in, I sent it back - they STILL left them in after they were supposed to remove them.

I'd be charting out a trip, pitchfork in hand, if I wasn't being promised a console exchange with one that "all the modern revisions and hardware changes" (ie an Opus). I've sent my system in twice in the last month, and what have I gotten back? The same Xenon system I've had since November 2006.

Only they gave me free stickers these last two times.

jron @ Aug 7th 2008 1:24PM

My 360 that was manufactured in 11/05 finally RRoD'd the other week. I thought I was also immune to it. It was played about 10 hours a week on average.

daddycool @ Aug 7th 2008 1:48PM

I have much respect for Mr. Ben Heck so I'm not trying to dis anybody here, but with all of this hardware hacking people are doing, how come we still don't have a way to upgrade the hard drive yet?

Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Aug 7th 2008 1:57PM

I wish there was a way to crack open the casing and slap in your own 2.5" SATA HDD in there. : (

AoE @ Aug 7th 2008 2:01PM

Uhh..... we do have a way to upgrade the hard drive? Google HDDHackr ;)

borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Aug 7th 2008 2:08PM

Dunno, for some devices you get used to being able to do what you please. Probably some brilliant person already figured out how to shoehorn in a standard drive. However, hacks for the masses seem to depend on a glaring security flaw that's easy to exploit. DeCSS for example.

At least Microsoft had the grace to make hard drives replaceable without a service center.

Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Aug 7th 2008 1:57PM

My Falcon 360 is running in a cabinet below my TV, no problems so far in the three months I've had it, whereas my PS3 lasted a wonderful two week! XD

j.howlett @ Aug 7th 2008 2:15PM

i've had my ps3 about a year now and run it like mad nearly every day. only problem was a corrupt file that made my system reboot while i was trying to arrange my video clips. my podcast and movies were all out of order.

John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Aug 7th 2008 5:33PM

pretty sure that your ps3 would be under warranty. First I have heard about a hardware failure in that console.

Ethan @ Aug 8th 2008 7:24AM

Why is your model working at all relevant to that his doesn't? Neither are indicative of overall reliability, and the "week or two" scenario is always going to happen to somebody in electronics.

A friend of mine bought an HP PC that must've looked fine in testing, but kicked the bucket after mere days. His replacement was fine. And I myself imported a DS lite when it came out in japan, with a weak power switch that broke after a month (not particularly spectacular I know) and I only got a replacement after it had come out in the UK.

And the 360 is reliable now, so why are we still talking about a redundant issue?

borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Aug 7th 2008 2:01PM

I'm planning on buying a 360 come Spring. I really, really hope that models available then are engineered to last. I haven't heard as much RRoD chatter, but is that because the new models are better or because everyone's tired of talking about it?

Fenix @ Aug 7th 2008 2:22PM

Pretty certain you'll be ok. Especially with this new 60gb unit.

AoE @ Aug 7th 2008 2:23PM

It's because the RROD turned out to be an engineering error, which they've since corrected. Any 360 you buy new these days is not susceptible to the RROD.

Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Aug 7th 2008 3:04PM

Don't worry about it, the new 360s are pretty damn safe and reliable. Now as for the PS3, I'm worried about its Blu-Ray drive crapping out in some units.

borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Aug 7th 2008 4:35PM

"I'm worried about its Blu-Ray drive crapping out in some units."

Mine's fine, and I bought it near launch! Huh, why did I feel a sudden sense of deja vu?

ANt @ Aug 7th 2008 3:41PM

Intercolers on 360 is a sure way to burn your unit out fast.

I am waiting for my second 360 to come back from MS. Actually getting it back tomorrow. The unit was bought 8 months ago, was out in the open getting air, and was taken great care of. So, if you think your immune to a RROD, you are one hundred percent wrong. My nephews 360 RROD'ed on him after having it for six months!! So much for the "FALCON" chipset.

And MS isn't extending my warranty which F-ing sucks!!!