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Coming to Terms with the Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death

September 3rd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

There is nothing worse than purchasing an expensive, high-tech piece of equipment, only to have it break. While the advancements in computers and video game systems have been astounding over the past decade, with progress comes risk. These machines, processing graphics, sound and memory at speeds unimaginable a few years ago, overheat easily, and can lost forever in their thought processes. The Xbox 360, one of the most-hyped video game systems of the latest generation, suffers from numerous hard drive failures, so numerous in fact that it has its own built-in warning system. The Xbox 360 red ring of death is a group of lights on the front of the machine that indicate various problems: when the normally green lights turn red, the user knows there is a serious issue, one that may not be resolved.

Deciphering the Codes

The Xbox 360 red ring of death is divided into four quadrants; consequently, there is meaning behind the various patterns of red and green lights. For example, a general hardware failure will turn every light except the first quadrant red, while if the system is overheating, the second quadrant will remain green. If every quadrant except the third is blinking red, this is once again a hardware problem. If the entire Xbox 360 red ring of death is blinking angrily, the user should be happy: it simply means the AV cable is not inserted properly and needs to be clicked back into place.

Users should know the various meanings behind the Xbox 360 red ring of death for a few reasons. Firstly, some of the problems are easily fixed and do not require shipping the game system to a repair center. No video game user wants to part with his or her system, unable to know whether or not it will ever be returned. Secondly, if the user does need to contact customer support, the representative will need to know exactly what the Xbox 360 red ring of death looks like in order to offer advice and suggestions. The repair process for an Xbox 360 red ring of death is lengthy and complicated; the problem must be identified and logged, and an empty box must be sent to the user’s home. Depending on the issue, the damaged parts will be packaged and shipped back to the repair center. Then the user has to sit and wait until the repaired system, or a new system altogether, is sent.

The Xbox 360 red ring of death is useful, if not a little depressing. A built-in indication system of hardware failure at first appears a little like a warning to not buy the system; however, the Xbox 360 itself, like most new electronics, simply has a few bugs to work out. Later releases of the system will undoubtedly experience the Xbox 360 red ring of death less frequently, and users will not need to live in fear. However, it is still advisable to purchase an extended warranty. The free 90-day variety will rarely cover any problems that arise, and when the extended warranty is one-tenth of the price of a replacement system, it is a smart choice.

The Most Common Xbox 360 Problems

August 28th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

The Xbox 360 is Microsoft’s latest product for the video game console, and is now one of the most widely loved consoles in the world. People all around the world own the Xbox 360, but it is important to understand that there are certain Xbox 360 problems that any owner and even potential owner should be aware of.

What are the Problems?

There are a few Xbox 360 problems that are known at this time, some which even render it unusable. Because of this the console has received somewhat of a bad reputation since its release in 2005, namely through articles that have portrayed and focused on the console’s poor reliability and high failure rates.

One of the first Xbox 360 problems occurred in the early months after the launch, and involved an overheating of the console. For one, the game console heats up very quickly during use and so over an extended period of time, the temperature inside reaches very high levels due to an insufficient cooling. Because of this, users should either make sure to turn the system off in reasonable intervals in order to keep it from getting too hot.

The issue of scratched disks was another of the first Xbox 360 problems to arise, and this problem also occurred within only a few months after the console’s release. The matter was investigated and what was found was that that the console lacks a mechanism to secure the disc solidly in place. As a result when a user is operating the console the disc inside can be damaged with even a small tilt or move of the console.

These Xbox 360 problems are very important to be aware of especially if you have not purchased the system yet but are considering it, because they may make you have a change of heart. The general feeling however is that these problems are not overshadowing the high quality of the system and the versatility and variety that it offers.

There are definitely many advantages offered by the Xbox 360 as well as unique features that you are not able to find with any other system.

Fixing Your System

If you do decide to purchase the Xbox 360 and end up experiencing any of the aforementioned problems, then there are ways to get it fixed. There are some reputable and reliable companies available that can help remove scratches on discs, repair systems that have shut down due to overheating, and so on, for a certain price of course.

Where to go for the Lowest Xbox 360 Prices

August 22nd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Of course whenever you are purchasing anything you want to pay the lowest possible price, without compromising any quality of course. The Xbox is one of the most recently released video game consoles from Microsoft, and can easily be considered as one of the most popular games in the world. It is a video game that is all about a new generation of extreme fun.

There are actually a few different versions of the Xbox 360 that are presently available, including the Xbox 360 Arcade and the Xbox 360 Core.

Find the Best Xbox 360 Prices

The Xbox 360 is a great game, but of course you want to save as much money as possible and this means taking the time to decide which companies offer the lowest Xbox 360 prices. Best Buy is one great option here and definitely one of the best places to go if you are looking for the most affordable Xbox 360 prices.

They are one of the world’s fastest growing specialty retailers of consumer electronics, personal computers and entertainment software. They offer all of their products at discounted prices to ensure that you are always getting the best deal.

Another company worth checking out for the lowest Xbox 360 prices is Shop Bot. They are a leading price comparison site that attracts tens of thousands of customers on a daily basis. They always make sure to offer the lowest possible price on all of their products and they commit to offering the largest choice of businesses and products supported by a trusted and quality service.

They are an online company that offers fantastic Xbox 360 prices and so as long as you have access to a computer and the Internet you will be able to take advantage of their fantastic deals. They are an effective and easy way to shop online and there is even actually a precise search facility offered here which allows customers to find the specific products and businesses that they are looking for, quickly and easily.

By finding the lowest Xbox 360 prices you will be saving money, and this can be handy, because then you can use this extra money to buy Xbox games or accessories. The Xbox is one of the most popular and widely loved video games in the world and it is really no wonder. For the video game enthusiast in your life it will definitely be a worthwhile buy, and make the receiver one happy camper.

A Great Bundle with the Xbox 360 Premium

August 16th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Coming in two different configurations, the Xbox 360 is one of the best selling home entertainment consoles in the market today. The basic version serves many people well, giving them basic functionality such as the ability to play some of the most popular games on the market and wireless capabilities. However, many people would prefer to have advanced features to allow them to do more with their console. For a slightly higher price tag, you can have an Xbox 360 Premium which comes bundled with lots of great enhancements and features.

Headsets and Hard Drives

The Xbox 360 Premium comes with many enhancements and bundled accessories over the standard edition. Perhaps the biggest improvement that many gamers enjoy is the inclusion of an internal hard drive so that they can store data files natively on their Xbox 360 console. With this hard drive, you can acquire downloadable content which improves and expands existing games while giving you more accessibility to patches and updates. However, you can also buy an external hard drive for your Xbox 360 Premium for additional storage space, but it’s unlikely that you’ll ever need one.

Also, the Xbox 360 Premium comes with a headset, so you can jump right onto Microsoft’s popular online service, Xbox Live (which comes with a free silver membership!), and start chatting with players around the world. This headset is one of the most popular on the market and will serve you well as you jump into the Xbox 360’s lively online environment. However, the Xbox 360 Premium comes with several additional benefits beyond all of this. You’ll also get a network cable to hook your Xbox 360 console up to your modem or router and cables to transmit an HD signal to your television. Not only that, but the Xbox 360 Premium also comes with backwards compatibility, so you’ll be able to play over 300 original Xbox titles on your Xbox 360.

With all of these additional benefits, the Xbox 360 Premium bundles enough accessories, equipment, and additional functionality to make it so that you would actually save money by buying the bundle instead of buying a standard Xbox 360, which would not even come with backwards compatibility. However by spending a little more, you get an internal hard drive, headset, network cable, HD cables, and backwards compatibility. With all of these great features and additions, most people have shown that they prefer the Xbox 360 Premium to its lightweight cousin.

Powering Up with the Xbox 360 Power Supply

August 10th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

With great power comes, well, great power. Most gamers probably never think about how much electricity their video game consoles eat up, but on average, some systems require more wattage than any other electronics in the living room. The Xbox 360 especially requires substantial power, more than twice that of the original Xbox and other consoles on the market. In order to fuel such a hunger for electricity, the Xbox 360 power supply is huge, and is the butt of many jokes. The Xbox 360 power supply is so large in fact that many gamers own multiple AC adapters to leave at different houses just so they do not have to carry it around. However, with so much power in such a condensed space, it is no wonder that the Xbox 360 suffers from many power-related issues.

Troubleshooting the Xbox 360

The Xbox 360, a relatively new video game console, has already racked up numerous complaints. It is frequently plagued with problems, from general hardware failures to overheating. A lot of these problems, however, can be pinpointed to the power supply. Put bluntly, the Xbox 360 power supply overheats a lot, especially when it is hidden beneath shelves, in cabinets or on carpets. With such a large frame and such a large current, the AC adapter needs to breathe; it needs to be exposed to fresh air in order to cool down. Some gamers even hang their AC adapters on strings, exposing them to air on all sides. As ridiculous as this image is, many players contest that their Xbox 360 systems no longer freeze every 20 minutes; instead, they can play happily for hours without experiencing any overheating.

Many third-party companies have sought to introduce an Xbox 360 power supply less prone to overheating. Modeling the units after PC equipment, many of these AC adapters come with built-in fans. However, these supplies have proven even less reliable than the official Microsoft versions, although Microsoft claims they are developing a better, more resilient Xbox 360 power supply. Many gamers have taken the issue into their own hands, especially when their AC adapters burn out and they are required to purchase new ones. By modifying existing PC power units and other technical equipment, they have literally constructed, from scratch, supplies that appear to work better than the originals. While there is always a risk in modifying the Xbox 360, including the loss of the warranty, desperate times call for desperate measures, and many players refuse to suffer through interrupted game play anymore due to the poorly-designed Xbox 360 power supply.

Essential Xbox 360 Parts

August 4th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

The hardware segment of Xbox 360 involves various parts, including both internal components and external kits or accessories. The internal parts of Xbox 360 are together known as console. In this article, let us have some idea about few essential Xbox 360 parts. Here we go.

Central Processing Unit

Quite obviously, this is one of the most important parts of Xbox 360. The Central Processing Unit or CPU is referred to as Xenon at Microsoft. In IBM, it is known as Waternoose. The CPU consists of ROM storing which is used to decrypt the data of the game.

Graphics Processing Unit

The Graphics Processing Unit or GPU is one of the integral and essential parts of Xbox 360. For the first time, the GPU was designed by NVIDIA. Comprised of two distinct silicon dies, GPU houses 500 MHz clock-speed for each of the 90 nm chipset attached with the system.

Memory

Essentially the console consists of GDDR3 RAM with 512 MB capabilities, as offered by either Samsung or Qimonda. Its transmission rate is 1.4GHz and available on 128-bit bus. With the help of uniform memory architecture, the entire memory is shared between CPU and GPU.

System Bandwidth

The Xbox 360 is capable to offer an extensive range of system bandwidth. This high range of bandwidth is essentially required for the purpose of z-buffering, anti-aliasing and alpha blending, the three most fundamental criterion needed to render high quality graphics.

Audio

The games designed to play on Xbox 360 usually support 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound format. The console is solely dependent on 256 audio channels in addition to 320 autonomous decompression channels. The audio parts of Xbox 360 support 32-bit processing and 16-bit surrounding sound.

Video

The core packages as well as premium packages built prior to 2007 do not house any digital video output attached with it. In such products, VGA or component video is responsible for producing HD-quality output. At present, console hardware is able to offer support to an extensive range of HDTV and SDTV resolutions.

Storage

The Premium version of Xbox 360 hosts removable 20GB Hard Disk (HDD). However, it is not a mandatory feature for many standard games expect games like Football Manager 2006. The Elite version of Xbox 360 houses 120GB Hard Disk.

Attachment to Accessories

The in-built 100BASE-TX Ethernet port is designed to attach accessories to the console system. Apart from that, Xbox 360 also houses a maximum of four wireless connectors which help to attach racing wheel to the system. Additionally, connection to Xbox Live can be made using wireless network adapter, although this is an optional feature.

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