My girlfriend recently got addicted to Rock Band and playing Bass, and steadily has been itching to play it since our mutual friend who had the Xbox moved away.
I have no problem getting an Xbox but I don't want the basic deal. I mean, c'mon, that plastic casing is weaksauce and the component design sucks so much the thing breaks itself.
SO. I'm thinking about buying one of these:
Lian-Li Xbox Case
Basically, you dismantle the xbox, put it in the case, and voila - stylish, modern case that is designed to do one thing: cool the Xbox.
Has anyone done this? In dismantling the Xbox, I'll probably void the warranty, but is there a way to put it back together in case something else breaks (that can't be fixed) and I need to send it in?
Posts
If your Xbox red rings within 3 years with this case, it costs you $100, however much effort it takes to relocate it to a new case, and $100-something for the repair because you voided the free included 3-year warranty on the problem you were trying to solve.
If your Xbox red rings after 3 years without this case, you're out the cost of a new Xbox, or a $100-something repair.
If your Xbox red rings after 3 years with this case, you're out the cost of a new Xbox, or a $100-something repair, plus the $100 for the case.
What exactly is the upside?
Voiding the warranty doesn't seem like all that great an idea.
Also, the last I heard (about a year ago) all Xbox came with 1 year warranty, glad to know they're stepping it up. I saw the Elite is $100 off right now, we might end up purchasing that.
Then again, I'm still on my launch Xbox 360, with no repairs. I'm well past the warranty. Still seems like a bad idea...
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/microsite6/xb01user01.html
That's a whole lot of fuckin' around to get it in a case that may or may not help at all. And looks ugly aswell.
Steam | Live
Regardless, this is a waste of money.
:shock:
Yeah, fuck that. You're far more likely to fuck something up while dicking around with the guts of your 360 than you are to suffer a RROD.
And you'd need to buy a set of Torx screwdrivers, unless you happen to have some lying around. Add another $20 or so to the cost.
::edit:: However taking it apart isn't too hard.
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
A larger, better ventilated case such as the Lian-Li might delay it. However:
Investing over 50% in the protection of the value of a commodity product is not a good idea in general. You could just set the $100 aside (or better yet, invest it even in a low-yield savings account) and probably be better off just replacing your existing one in two years when the 360 is on clearance at K-B Toys for $100.
Or, just put $40-50 into an extended warranty. 25% is marginal for what I consider worthwhile on warranties though.
Any geek that doesn't have a set of Torx screwdrivers should be ashamed of himself.
However...
First off, the Duke was fucking awesome...you shut your mouth. Best controller ever.
But consider the rest sprinkled with lime. Monetarily, it's a terrible investment. So the only real reason to do so would be because you actually enjoy the look of the case. But from what I can tell, that's basically a MiniATX case that they modified (slightly) for use with the Xbox and then marked up (either because Xbox modders are dumb enough to pay for it or due to economies of scale working against them, either way). If you want me to buy your third-party case for my Xbox, make it at least feel custom. Not, "look guys, I threw my Xbox into a PC case aren't I awesome?"
Because that shit be mad stupid yo.
That being said, unless you have a good amount of experience taking apart electronics, stay away from this idea.
You will end up with a $300 paperweight. And everyone is going to laugh at you.
Just stick with the generous (face-saving) RRoD warranty extension and replace your X-box when it does break, and by that time, it will probably be cheaper.
This kind of pre-emptive measure is going to do nothing but make you look foolish when your machine 'pre-emptively' breaks because you effectively diddled it.
As for the aesthetics of the case....
It's modern = it's black. So you don't notice the eventual discoloration.
Unless you really really want to customize it, why? Are you going to put fans with LEDs in it? Going to water-cool it? You're trading a big black case for a bigger black case? It would only work to confuse potential thieves.
This.
But, I would wait to do it for awhile. Let MS repair it for you while you can get them to.
Also, make one of these:
I just bought one, and I leave it horizontal (for now, at least), and I want to try to avoid problems.
It's one of the new ones, so it shouldn't have issues, but it pays to be cautious.
Steam | Live
My box got an E74 error (single red). It says repair cost is $0 (which it should be, since I have had it little more than a year).
Do I have to pay to ship it, or is the shipping label they have me print paid by MS?
Because screw them in the [choose orifice] if their friggin machine bails after one year of mild usage, then they expect me to foot the bill...
Edit: I think I just found on their website that they pay for shipping both ways and repair due to the type of error. Still...one year old console? Really?
I've been using my loud-as-hell launch 360 since, well, launch.
Would a few Jenga(tm) blocks udnerneath it do the same thing? Not over the air holes, obviously, but would it accomplish the same purpose?
Perfectly. I had some cardboard squares propping it up before, and commissioned a buddy to weld/ paint that up for me, after the cardboard got ragged.
Even if you prop it up with some books around the edges, and leave a gap in the middle, it helps a ton. If you can point a big fan at it (from a distance, not real close) I'm sure that would be really good for it, as well.
My unit (heh, unit) was a launch unit, but has been sent in and replaced with refurbs 5 times now. Then I said fuck it and did the previously mentioned X-Clamp mod, and haven't had a problem in the 6 months of heavy use since then.
360 is the lead platform.
Well, I'm not confident enough to crack mine open (yeah, I'm beyond the warranty, but I'm broke as it is, I'd sit and wait than risk screwing up). But elevating the thing is probably doable, though for some reason, I can't find my Jenga(tm) set. I do have a nice, sturdy, very thin cardboard box that my Zune Headphones came in, that has a big section cut out for display (not the plastic insert, just the box). That's probably better than a similarly sized paperback book.
Like you, I keep my Xbox 360 in an entertainment furniture unit thingy. Open back though.
Oh, mines open backed too, that's the wall.
My 360 has E74'd. I have taken my hard drive off it (120gb, came with the 360) in preparation for boxing it up. MS says they will fix it and I have shipping label, etc, but if I end up buying a new console, can I buy the bottom-of-line with small or no hard drive and just connect my 120gb from my previous 360 to it without problems?
Actually, that's not all that bad. The most difficult part of that process is opening the existing 360 case. That part is such a pain in the ass, but its understandable why that is.
The deterrent here would be the price and whether there really is value, not the work involved.
NintendoID: Nailbunny 3DS: 3909-8796-4685
You'll have to use the license transfer utility. Its MS' web based utility, so do a google search. You can do this once/year.
You might want to make sure support transferred the licenses from the failed console to the replacement before doing this. (Access DLC while offline or with another account that did not purchase the content.)
NintendoID: Nailbunny 3DS: 3909-8796-4685