How many times do you have to buy an xbox 360?

kuntasensei

The Jasper chipset is the latest Xbox 360 hardware. It uses 65nm chips for both the CPU and GPU, making it run considerably cooler and consume less power, and it has 256mb of on-board RAM for NXE and game saves. It should pretty much end the RROD issue for good. When shopping, peek through the serial number flap. To the left of the serial number and under the UL rating symbol, you should see the power rating. If it says 12V-14.2A, it's the previous chipset (codenamed Falcon) with 65nm CPU and 95nm GPU. If it says 12V-12.1A, it's a Jasper chipset.

Currently, they've only been seen in Arcade units released since an October build date, but the power rating is the only definite way to tell.

spwuinmk67

got ya, thanks for the info. Ive had my system since dec 06. returned it once for the rrod and they fixed it. now im getting a single red light on the bottom right, but im told its could have been from my intercooler which i just took off. we'll see

mantis

spwuinmk67 wrote: »

got ya, thanks for the info. Ive had my system since dec 06. returned it once for the rrod and they fixed it. now im getting a single red light on the bottom right, but im told its could have been from my intercooler which i just took off. we'll see

Thats the same problem mine has. E 74 error. I hate Microsoft, why can't Apple make a game system.

manman

mantis wrote: »

Thats the same problem mine has. E 74 error. I hate Microsoft, why can't Apple make a game system.

I'm with you in the sense that Apple usually make their products good enough so that you don't have to deal with their customer service. But in my experience, Apple's customer service is garbage compared to MSs. I guess when you're MS, you need that though :P

spwuinmk67

See im actually a big fan of apples customer service. I bought my new macbook, had a problem after 3 weeks, it couldnt find the hard drive. went to the store and they said it was a faulty connection where the motherboard and hard drive connect. I was given a number to call, and within 10 min the order was processed for a replacement. Had it in a week.

begbie

Bought one with the falcon chipset. Knock on wood, it hasn't failed on me. At least MS will cover 3yrs on any RRod.

$mitty

Conradicles wrote: »

Dude...buy a PS3 and be done with the whole mess.

Seriously...how can you stick with a product after it's crapped out on you so quickly 3 times? (or 11 :eek:)

I love games and movies and I could care less that system or console they're played on. I'd own every console if I could afford it, but I can't. So I went with the PS3 b/c it's the far superior piece of equipment. They rarely ever break down, they have much better movie playback capabilities with the bluray, and the games and online experience have caught up with XBox. It's also free to play online. I also put a 320 gb hard drive in it for $75 and I'm completely clueless at how to do those things, but Sony walks you thru how to do it in the manual and it doesn't void the warranty!

Ditch the XBox and bump up to the real next-generation gaming console. Sony releases Playstations once every 10 years. They make them to last. It doesn't happen by accident. XBox is great when it works, but it's still made by Microsoft. And we all know that means shotty performance.

$mitty

kuntasensei wrote: »

I only paid for two of them, the original and the spare. The rest were Microsoft refurbs, so I was only out the week or so that it took to send them in and get them back. They also threw in a few free games here and there for all the trouble I had, as well as a free year of Live when they lost my console for two months and I had to go through Microsoft corporate to get the issue resolved.

It should tell you a lot that I would rather go through all of that than to ever own a PS3. Sony's controllers are absolutely unusable in my hands, which is why I also never owned a PS2, whereas the 360 has the most comfortable controller I've ever used (with the possible exception of the Gravis Xterminator on the PC).

And y'know what? If both of mine died today, I'd go find a new 360 Arcade with the Jasper chipset and buy one immediately so I could get back on Xbox Live. Even with all the hassle and paying for the service, it's a far better experience than Playstation Network.

I feel you on the controllers, they're a bit on the small side. I found that if you go to Target (that's where I get them) you can buy silicone covers for them for like $8 and they make them feel much better in your hands. They fit perfectly on the controller and they come in a bunch of different colors if that matters to you too. I don't really care, but my wife LOVES the pink one! haha

kuntasensei

$mitty wrote: »

Seriously...how can you stick with a product after it's crapped out on you so quickly 3 times? (or 11 :eek:)

I love games and movies and I could care less that system or console they're played on. I'd own every console if I could afford it, but I can't. So I went with the PS3 b/c it's the far superior piece of equipment. They rarely ever break down, they have much better movie playback capabilities with the bluray, and the games and online experience have caught up with XBox. It's also free to play online. I also put a 320 gb hard drive in it for $75 and I'm completely clueless at how to do those things, but Sony walks you thru how to do it in the manual and it doesn't void the warranty!

Ditch the XBox and bump up to the real next-generation gaming console. Sony releases Playstations once every 10 years. They make them to last. It doesn't happen by accident. XBox is great when it works, but it's still made by Microsoft. And we all know that means shotty performance.

And yet, Sony's in last place right now. Microsoft may have hosed the original release trying to beat Sony to the punch, but with the Jasper chipset out, I think I'll stick with the 360 and its vastly superior online community. But I'm not hatin' on Sony... To each his own.

hockeyboy

I must have been lucky on my 360. Bought it a month after it came out, and it has worked like a charm ever since. I think it might have overheated one time but that's it.

metal83

I'm on my 4th 360 since launch.
The last time mine went, i was impatient and didn't feel like waiting for MS to fix it, so i just bought the Elite (mainly for the 120gig HD and i loved that it was black) and sold the other 360 once i got it back.

No problems with the Elite so far, it has the Falcon chipset which i guess is supposed to be a bit better or whatever. It's been a year and a half with my current 360, still running strong (leans over to the coffee table and knocks on wood lol).

mantis

I'll go on record to say this, if it breaks again and it's out of warranty, I'm done with Xbox. I will not spend another dime on a 360. My Sony Ps3 has been perfect from day one and I'll play more games there. I'm not really into gaming hardcore anyway , I just enjoy playing with people online that i have known for years now. It's cool but not at this expense. Eff Microsoft and there NO ABILITY to build good products.

polkatese

My second 360 (refurb replacement) died again with RROD. Called MS and was told that the standard warranty has expired, which is wrong, since RROD issue has 3 years life. Well, bought the unit in December 05 (a month or so after release), failed RROD sometimes in March 07 (Paid but then got a refund, it was $139). Second unit failed last night, Feb '09, also with RROD. Here are my questions:

1. Is the warranty for RROD begins at the original unit purchase date or replacement date?
2. If I get it replaced again, assuming OOW, pay $99 for another refurb, what is my chance of getting a newer chipset?
3. If I go out and buy one with the latest chipset, are these generation still plagued by RROD?

What would you do if you were me?

TIA

tcrossma

polkatese wrote: »

My second 360 (refurb replacement) died again with RROD. Called MS and was told that the standard warranty has expired, which is wrong, since RROD issue has 3 years life. Well, bought the unit in December 05 (a month or so after release), failed RROD sometimes in March 07 (Paid but then got a refund, it was $139). Second unit failed last night, Feb '09, also with RROD. Here are my questions:

1. Is the warranty for RROD begins at the original unit purchase date or replacement date?
2. If I get it replaced again, assuming OOW, pay $99 for another refurb, what is my chance of getting a newer chipset?
3. If I go out and buy one with the latest chipset, are these generation still plagued by RROD?

What would you do if you were me?

TIA

Warranties are always from the date of original purchase. If you have to pay for a replacement, that unit will likely come with its own warranty (probably 90 days).

I don't know the answer to your other chipset questions.

polkatese

Thanks Tcrossma, if that's the case, then my unit is OOW a couple of months ago (oh well). I am hoping that I don't have to do this again, at least not for another 3 years, so I rather spend the cost for fixing it again ($99) toward a purchase of a new unit with no likelihood to get another RROD.

wingnut4772

I have my Elite vertical and not in a cabinet. I put little rubber feet on the bottom four corners for better ventilation. I will check the power deal but I just got it a week ago.

polkatese

Here is a thought: if I get an 360 Arcade for $200, and uses all of the accessories in place already (including 20gb HDD), would it works? this Arcade unit is exactly the same unit as the PRO model that I have, right?

kuntasensei

Yes, if you get a new Arcade, you just sync up your wireless controllers and slap the hard drive on it. Then you get the benefit of the new hardware instead of paying Microsoft to throw a new mobo in your other one.

The Jasper chipset should eliminate the major cause of RROD, which is heat from the GPU warping the mainboard. The Jaspers use a 65nm GPU and CPU, requiring less power to run them and producing less heat. The Jasper chipset also puts 256mb of ram on the mainboard to handle the NXE dashboard without external storage (it'll show up like you have an external memory unit plugged in when you go to storage options).

As to how to get one of the Jasper chipsets, get the arcade package with Kung Fu Panda and one other game packed in and you've got fair odds. The only surefire way to ensure that it's a Jasper is to push open the serial number slot on the box and look at the power rating on the label. If it's 14 amps, it's a Zephyr chipset (i.e. 65nm CPU, 95nm GPU). If it's like 12.1A, it's a Jasper.

The only difference between the Pro and Arcade as far as hardware goes is the color of the drive tray. Other than that, it's just the pack-ins.

polkatese

Thanks kuntasensei. That's what I figure would be good way to ensure no more RROD. Well, if Jasper failed to remedy RROD, then MS has bigger problem. Other than the power brick changes, everything else is backward compatible, right? (hopefully I don't lose MS points that I have, assuming that the data is sitting on the HDD).

I'll check BB to see what stock they have. Thanks again.

dborzz

I bought 2 and that was enough for me. No wonder they are beating PS3 in overall sales eh?

metal83

I suppose it has nothing to do with the fact that there are better games on the 360, and that multiplatform games look and play better than they do on the PS3, in my opinion at least.

dborzz

being an owner of both, I will have to agree that yes there are better games for the 360, but as for looking or sounding better you might wanna check your connections because the PS3 is a little superior in those areas IMHO!!! Not to mention you'll only have to buy one, and that's the point of this thread. lol

BeRad

The first thing I did to my xbox was slap an Intercooler on the back of it. It makes some noise but also sucks mass amounts of hot air out of the box. Mine has the original chipset, but with the better gpu heat sink. So far, no probs at all.

Kinda crappy though, that I have to add a big, loud fan to the thing to keep it from failing. That, wireless adapter, and xbox live subscription... It all adds up to be more than my ps3 cost me (and I got 5 free blu-ray's with that one too!!).

metal83

dborzz wrote: »

being an owner of both, I will have to agree that yes there are better games for the 360, but as for looking or sounding better you might wanna check your connections because the PS3 is a little superior in those areas IMHO!!! Not to mention you'll only have to buy one, and that's the point of this thread. lol

My connections are fine thank you very much...:p

I never said 360 games sound better, just that they look better, not a night and day difference or anything though. I mean seriously, the edge usually goes to 360 in regards to graphics on most game reviews, with a few exceptions here and there. But like you, that's just my opinion, maybe i just haven't played enough games on my PS3 since i really only use it for bluray movies. I just hate the damn PS3 controller, it drives me nuts....lol

I've had to buy two PS3's so far actually, my first one kept locking up on me. I actually just exchanged it for another one though, and yeah i haven't heard of many people having to do that.

Ok, i love them both, they are both great systems. If i didn't despise the PS3 controller then maybe i'd play more games on it....lol

metal83

BeRad wrote: »

The first thing I did to my xbox was slap an Intercooler on the back of it.

Those intercoolers are junk and are known to cause more harm then good. Seriously, google it and you'll see what i'm talking about.

polkatese

kuntasensei wrote: »

Yes, if you get a new Arcade, you just sync up your wireless controllers and slap the hard drive on it. Then you get the benefit of the new hardware instead of paying Microsoft to throw a new mobo in your other one.

The Jasper chipset should eliminate the major cause of RROD, which is heat from the GPU warping the mainboard. The Jaspers use a 65nm GPU and CPU, requiring less power to run them and producing less heat. The Jasper chipset also puts 256mb of ram on the mainboard to handle the NXE dashboard without external storage (it'll show up like you have an external memory unit plugged in when you go to storage options).

As to how to get one of the Jasper chipsets, get the arcade package with Kung Fu Panda and one other game packed in and you've got fair odds. The only surefire way to ensure that it's a Jasper is to push open the serial number slot on the box and look at the power rating on the label. If it's 14 amps, it's a Zephyr chipset (i.e. 65nm CPU, 95nm GPU). If it's like 12.1A, it's a Jasper.

The only difference between the Pro and Arcade as far as hardware goes is the color of the drive tray. Other than that, it's just the pack-ins.

well, I went to my local BB and all the 360 arcade boxes that they have in stock, none of them has Kungfu Panda bundle. However, The Elite and regular boxes have KFP. Btw, there is no easy way to check if it is Jasper or not, in fact, no voltage specs in the outer boxes either. Needless to say, I went home empty handed, although I rather do this than end up with another older generation unit.

polkatese

well, as it turned out, the 360 Arcade without KFP is good to go too, as far as the new batch of Jasper. I bought one, and confirmed it is a Jasper. Have it installed, and as Kuntasensei advice, slapped the old HDD, synch the wireless controllers, put the new power brick, off I go. Hopefully this one last forever (yeah, right). Now back to the scheduled programming.

Thanks everyone!

mantis

polkatese wrote: »

well, as it turned out, the 360 Arcade without KFP is good to go too, as far as the new batch of Jasper. I bought one, and confirmed it is a Jasper. Have it installed, and as Kuntasensei advice, slapped the old HDD, synch the wireless controllers, put the new power brick, off I go. Hopefully this one last forever (yeah, right). Now back to the scheduled programming.

Thanks everyone!

Never in the history of products has a product(except Denon) failed so much. Microsoft as a company is horrible. I stand my statement. I will not buy another one. Once this one is done, I'm done.

Dan:mad:

avelanchefan

polkatese wrote: »

well, I went to my local BB and all the 360 arcade boxes that they have in stock, none of them has Kungfu Panda bundle. However, The Elite and regular boxes have KFP. Btw, there is no easy way to check if it is Jasper or not, in fact, no voltage specs in the outer boxes either. Needless to say, I went home empty handed, although I rather do this than end up with another older generation unit.

It is actually very easy to find out if you are getting a Jasper or not, all you have to do is look at the LOT# on the back of the 360 box (near the sku#), and go to www.360drives.com to see what board is on that specifc LOT.

As you can see here you can break it down into region area and date, where it was bought etc....not really all that difficult. I wish I would have known earlier and I could have saved you the stress of buying one and seeing whether it was a jasper or not before opening it.

http://www.360drives.com/list?v_videomode=ntsc&v_country=US&v_perpage=50

SolidSqual

mantis wrote: »

Never in the history of products has a product(except Denon) failed so much. Microsoft as a company is horrible. I stand my statement. I will not buy another one. Once this one is done, I'm done.

Dan:mad:

You'll be back . . .