The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
My 360 RRODd - should I get one of the new models?
poshniallo
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My 360 RRODd today - 3 quarters. It hasn't recovered since.
To be honest, I never bothered following this much when the 360 came out. I've had it about 4 or 5 years, so even the 3-year-extension of the warranty for RRODs won't help.
Now I could get it repaired, but that seems, from my googling, to be expensive and unreliable.
So I'm thinking of getting one of those new ones. To my surprise, they only seem to come in 250gb and 4gb versions. I don't download movies or Games on Demand - my 20gb HDD on this one is just saves, Live Arcade titles and one installed to HD game. I've heard that the new ones are very quiet, but I don't know if it's quiet enough that I wouldn't want to install to the HD any more.
I guess there are add-on HDDs for the 4gb new version.
So what does H&A think? New one or repair?
Oh, I live in Japan if that matters, though I doubt it does.
To be honest, I never bothered following this much when the 360 came out. I've had it about 4 or 5 years, so even the 3-year-extension of the warranty for RRODs won't help.
Now I could get it repaired, but that seems, from my googling, to be expensive and unreliable.
So I'm thinking of getting one of those new ones. To my surprise, they only seem to come in 250gb and 4gb versions. I don't download movies or Games on Demand - my 20gb HDD on this one is just saves, Live Arcade titles and one installed to HD game. I've heard that the new ones are very quiet, but I don't know if it's quiet enough that I wouldn't want to install to the HD any more.
I guess there are add-on HDDs for the 4gb new version.
So what does H&A think? New one or repair?
Oh, I live in Japan if that matters, though I doubt it does.
I figure I could take a bear.
poshniallo on
0
Posts
I remember reading there were troubles with that sort of thing back when RROD was a hot topic.
I don't know how much you've looked into the new model but I've read a few people say that they cannot RROD, which while technically true it isn't what it seems. Simply put, the new Xbox doesn't have any red color LEDs, so the error can still happen, you just won't get a red ring.
I'd be careful of the 4gb, as that's a painfully small amount of storage. I had a 20gb previously and was urged to upgrade because my game saves alone had me down to about 500mb of free space. The 250 is nice, as even if you don't download a lot of games, you can install tons and not have to worry about uninstalling/re-installing over and over again. I've also begun using the "Games on Demand" store and have been immensely happy to pick up a few older titles digitally, from my couch and have them ready to play in a short while.
You can recover your gamertag. It's pretty simple, actually. You'll want to grab hold of a transfer cable to move everything from the old HDD to the new one.
The chances of a RROD happening are very slim due to motherboard revisions. The original 360 had a 90nm cpu and a 90nm gpu, which was like having two bonfires in a confined space; the motherboard warped and, due to the way the chips were mounted and secured, hairline cracks and whanot happened easily. Now they're significantly smaller than that and on the same die, so both power and heat generation are way down. Also, as a result, it doesn't sound like a jet engine taking off anymore.
You're out of the warranty and it will be annoying and a considerable portion of the cost of just getting a new machine.
Hard Drive:
The new slims are not compatible with the old hard drives and vice versa. It is a much more cost effective to buy it bundled with the hard drive than to get one later. You will find some cheaper non-MS brand hard drives that claim compatibility, but you will be taking a risk of getting banned from XBL. The 4GB is way too small for all of the save games and arcade titles. Additionally, it the 4GB is INCOMPATIBLE with certain games and features, such as Halo Reach online coop.
Here's how to Move/Recover your Gamertag on a new console (go to the recover section)
and
Migrate your XBL Arcade licences - NOTE: For this one, you'll have to check whether the licence transfer tool requires the first xbox to be working (I don't think it does, but since you can only do it once ever 12months, I'm not going to try it just to see how it works).
This bundle is only $299 - 250GB, headset and controller, Alan Wake, Forza 3, 1 month Gold XBL
I'm always more inclined to just upgrade but my wife wanted to make sure I did some research first.
We've been weighing the pros/cons of getting a refurbished Elite versus the Slim, $100 difference.
All the reviews are 50/50 of the refurbished ones. I would hate to go through the process of having it shipped and then having to return it again due to shoddy parts or risk having it fail again a year from now.
It seems the fine folks of PA seem to agree that upgrading is the best route.
-Louis C.K.
For about $5 in parts (basically bolts, nuts and shims) you can usually fix a RROD yourself.
I'm not saying it's a bad decision to buy a new one (when this inevitably happens to me, I'm totally getting a new one), just don't expect it to outlast the warranty by much.
A manager at Gamestop told me Microsoft isn't making non-Kinect bundles right now but I tend to not trust Gamestop employees (especially this particular location). If that's true that's insanity. I already own a Kinect and I'm sure I'm not the only customer in this situation.
Though it sucks to shell out this money I'm excited to have upgraded. I've been using 20gb up to this point and it was getting dire. Especially since DLC is getting up to a GB and higher, at least the Mass Effect 2 one's were.
-Louis C.K.
Now, I can re-download my Live Arcade games, right? And DLC? So, is the transfer cable thing just for my saves or what?
Games on Demand is pretty awesome, but it's still in the infancy stages. I've been sticking to the $20-30 games which is close enough to used retail to not make me cringe. My closest Gamestop is a bit far, so it's nice to be able to download. When they begin, in earnest, doing digital/physical releases simultaneously it'll be even more worthwhile as it's the same $60 regardless of where you go.
The other option for transferring saves/games is to just buy a few gigs on a stick and format it for the xbox. You get the added bonus of a memory stick with the small hassle of it being a little more of a process.
BOLD FACED LIE! I'm personally pleased with my slim after my NTSJ 360 died.