Hey there,
My names Dillon.
I to have fallen victim to my 'falcon' chipset xbox 360 dying on me when I was having a gaming marathon.
I am now preparing to purchase another one, this time it will be the 60GB Pro 'jasper' version, which i think are the best (my own opinion). The 60GB has had a small difference in the build that creates more breathing space for the 360 console.
Firstly the 60GB build difference has had four of the ram chips removed from the bottom of the motherboard, and the top ram chips doubled in capacity (both 'falcon' and 'jasper' 60GB versions have this design). They do not suffer overheating problems as much as the older falcon and zypher chipset versions which have the original build of the ram chips being placed on the bottom. Having said that, being able to create more breathing space within the console itself, Microsoft have reduced the chances of getting the dreaded 'RRoD'. This should make the 60GB consoles more reliable.
Secondly, of my understanding the 60GB versions have a system where they can store the games on the HHD itself but require the disc of the game you are playing for piracy reasons, thus making the new 360 quiter, have faster loading times, possibly keeping the console heat generation at a lower temprature and come with 16:10 aspect ratio over VGA or HDMI, and work in 1,440 x 900 and 1,680 x 1,050 resolutions unlike the older versions that read from the disc, which may in some cases sractch or crack the discs (my oblivion game is on the verge of snapping in half because of all the cracks)
Lastly, there are many ways to keep your 360 cool, here are some that I have come across and will use always. By placing your 360 in the coldest room in your household, preferably the basement or in a brickwalled interior room. Now the placement within the chosen room, make sure where-ever you decide to place your xbox it has ample breathing space, better yet is by a window that you have open or somewhere in the room where airflow passes through, this is one of, if not the most important things. 360's tend to run better when they are horizontal as you can see on your console, they have vents on every single side of the console except on the side of the disc tray (front). Now by placing the 360 upon something that sits about 2inches+ above the surface, making sure no vents are blocked, this will increase the airflow within the console which can also be done with the power box, and I reccommend it be done. Another option I have come across are having fans pointed at the back of the console where the heat is excreted. An option I prefer is purchasing a fan mod which will clip onto the back of your console via the power input (some other modded fans have their own power supply) and the power cable is connected via the fan mod (easy stuff). I would advise you do your research on the fans before you go ahead and buy it, if you want to take that option. I myself will be getting the 'Nyko Intercooler EX' which is an improvement on older version 'Nyko Intercooler'. Another option that helps expand the life of your 360 is to simply not spend countless hours doing gaming marathons on it, although its fun on xbox live, system link or simply 2 or more players, these should be avoided as the 360 can only take so much pressure. By keeping it at 2-3 hour play times and atleast 45min to an hour cooldown times should see your 360's life expanded. And one last thing, just because you may take this advice and use it with your own setup does not mean the the 'RRoD' will not come knocking at your door at some point, these are steps to prevent that from happening to your 360 before it's time.
What not to do is tip the console while there is a disc in there (common sense), and leave it in direct sunlight (obviously heats the console up, again, common sense), moving the console around lots (another factor why mine broke, I can hear a few loose things inside)
How to spot a 'jasper' 60GB 360, unlike the older versions of the 360 which can use over 175W, the newer 'jasper' versions only require a 150W's. They run off 12. 1A. There are a few ways to spot them, such as looking at the power box of the 360, but that would require purchasing and opening the box of a 360. Heres an easy way to find one without having purchase it. On the box where the barcode is, there will be a small hole that you can peer into and see the console itself. Now on the bottom left hand side of the hole on the console there will be 5V, now to the left of that will either be 14. 2A or 12. 1A. This tells you whether it is a 'jasper' version or not. The lesser 12. 1A is the 'jasper' version, easily understood as the power consumption is less of that of the 14. 2A are either the 'falcon' and/or 'zypher' versions (I am uncetain of which) which require a greater power consumption.
In my opinion if Microsoft had held off on the early release date, they could have greatly reduced the 'RRoD' percentage that effected so many xbox 360 owners. Microsoft sacreficed breathing space for the 'sleek' design, in comparrison to the PS3, which are larger. In reality it is a marketing scheme, but didnt work in their favour when they had to recall their products that contained the design fault. Be that as it may, I still love my 360's and cant wait to get my new one today after work!
If there are things you would like to add that I have forgotten or simply got wrong, by all means correct me.
Peace, Dillon.
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