GPU Cooling Mod Cures Xbox 360 RRoD Problem

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Disclaimer: this may not be a cure for every RRoD situation.

One Xbox 360 gamer decided he wasn't going to be beaten by the dreaded Red Ring of Death (RRoD). Rather than purchasing a new console, he enlisted a fellow friend and modder "rbz" to take a peek at te problem. According to rbz here in this BenHeck post, he applied "the usual thermal compound fix etc.," and it seemed to work... for roughly two hours.

rbz assumed that Microsoft "sacrificed the GPU's heatsink" in order to cram the optical drive into the console's design. But screwing a fan onto the heatsink also meant that the optical drive had to come out and be mounted externally onto the casing. While this isn't exactly attractive, it definitely did the trick.

The process took eight steps: screw the fan onto the GPU heatsink, replace the tiny SATA cable with a longer one, modify the fan plastic so that it fits together again, and then cut few holes in the top of the Xbox-- one to further help ventilation, and another for the optical drive cables. The other steps included testing, closing the console, and mounting the drive.

"It worked fine, even the eject button," the post reads. "It hasnt given him any problems since. This will fix your xbox RRoD (for good, I think) but however you'll have to make your drive external."

Kevin Parrish

Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then, he’s loved all things PC-related and cool gadgets ranging from the New Nintendo 3DS to Android tablets. He is currently a contributor at Digital Trends, writing about everything from computers to how-to content on Windows and Macs to reviews of the latest laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and more. 

52 Comments Comment from the forums
  • flaminggerbil
    It's getting hot enough to stain the drive black?! Nice design Microsoft.
    Reply
  • builderbobftw
    Goos think my last Xbox RROD'd , and I bought a PC and don't have to deal with this shit anymore.
    Reply
  • danimal_the_animal
    OMG!

    KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!!!!!!

    The new xboxes that are arcade units emit COLD AIR!

    problem solved
    Reply
  • dlpatague
    Just buy this water cooling kit from Koolance: http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=328
    Reply
  • ArgleBargle
    Won't this mod get you banned from Xbox Live?
    /s
    Reply
  • FKSSR
    danimal_the_animal


    Is this still an issue in the Elite models, though?
    Reply
  • badaxe2
    FKSSRdanimal_the_animalIs this still an issue in the Elite models, though?

    Since the problem is apparently tied to models with a hard drive, it may very well be.
    Reply
  • restatement3dofted
    A new PC and Steam was my permanent fix for the RRoD.
    Reply
  • lawsudz
    @fkssr

    An optical drive is not a hard drive.
    Reply
  • rooket
    restatement3doftedA new PC and Steam was my permanent fix for the RRoD.
    true.. I haven't touched my xbox360 since I got back on steam mearely with a core2duo.

    and now that I've tried (a non-steam game) starcraft 2 and found that it automatically defaults all options to Ultra, why would I even need to bother with 360 any more? PC is just as or more fun than a 360. and no monthly fee on top of paying monthly for internet access already.
    Reply