AndyLyman

iTrader: (1)

Anyone got a cooler fan for their 360?

Seen a few around - are they a good thing to have or not?

Which is the best - any recommendations?

cheers

Andy

gotmashed

There's been a lot of problems with them some have burnt out the power plug at the back others have made the xbox get hotter by trying to push the air in to the xbox built in fan and causing it to slow/stop

gotmashed

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3555/1027061858wr4.jpg

Nyko's Intercooler for the Xbox 360 causes more trouble than it's worth, according to Microsoft representative contacted by Elektriq. The problem is its construction: the Intercooler steals some of the power originating from the supply, decreasing the joules the console actually receives to inadequate levels. One representative even reported that the Intercooler has caused "scorch marks" on the console.

For those who simply must have a cooling accessory, one Microsoft representative suggested the Pelican Fan Stand, whose power comes from a USB input. Microsoft does not make a first-party cooling unit, although you're more than welcome to throw the console in the freezer in between play sessions.*

viperkick

TBH they should have maybe taken the thermal paste sticker off the gpu or the cpu ..
or even in my case put some on .. then i wouldnt of needed a cooling fan hay!! lol

Ghetto Dude3

is this true ??

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

No

The problems have been vastly improved with the new additional heatsink and improved clamp.

viperkick

and yes it was true

as i had the red light of death On me 360 so i took it apart and fixed it lol

but yes u are right in saying that they have inproved it

Iain Young

I'm using one of these for my elite. It's designed for laptops, but seems to do a good job of keeping the xbox nice and cool

portbags.com - no.1 supplier of Port designs Laptop bags in the UK

PeteBrant

Just a word of warning to anyone else thinking about doing this - it will void your warranty.

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

No it isn't, it wasn't a sticker, it was a thermal interface pad.

Coupe-Se

I've been using a Nyko intercoooler on my 360 for well over a year without a single issue. It is quite noisy but pumps serious amounts of warm air so seems to be doing its job vey well.

My 360 was bought in January 06, sits horizontaly in a cabinet and still works 100%. No rings of death, no problems. My 360 has had a few 12hour+ marathon sessions without any probs.

From personla experience I'd recommend one!

Iain Young

I wouldn't. I used to have one and kept getting crashes and occaisional hard drive errors. Got rid of the cooler, and all the problems went away. Drawing current from the power input on the back is not a good idea...

Coupe-Se

I am extremely sceptical about all this anecdotal evidence of coolers causing problems.

Before purchasing mine, I noted that several of the game shops I use had them fitted to their 360's that were running all day 7 days a week. I asked the respective shops why they had them fitted ( at that point there were few reprts of overhaeting issues and related fauilures) and the reason was obviously to aid the cooling of the units due to constant use. They were not having issues and still have them fitted and in use well over a year on.

I do not believe for one minute that the power supplies for the 360's are designed top such a tight tolerance so as only JUST be big enough to supply the requirement of the 360. The various 'Approved' peripherals such as rechargeable controller packs and Wifi unit all use power from the 360 power supply.

My power supply is located in the bottom of a wooden cabinet and though gets warm does not get hot which would result from drawing current up to/over its capacity and there is no sign of any heat stress to my cabinet.

The only issue that I can realistly imagine is the power supply lead not being inserted firmly and causing a high resistance on the connection which would definately cause issues.

Iain Young

It doesn't work like that. The power supply transforms the power from the mains to a specific voltage/ampage for use by the console. If you put a peripheral in between the power supply and the console (i.e. a cooler) then you reduce the current going into the console, which can cause problems (similar to having an underpowered psu in a pc for example). They can also introduce interference into the current (i.e. like a dirty power supply).

When you plug something into the usb port, the console knows what is causing the current drain, (as it is coming from an expected source), and so is able to extract the extra power from the psu.

I've seen numerous crashes caused by those coolers, only to have them go away when the cooler is detached. Having had one for a while, I wouldn't touch one again with a badge pole

Coupe-Se

If the power supply is large enough ie over-rated for 360's need ......... there will be zero current/volt drop. Current entering any device when a power supply is overloaded does not drop, its the voltage that is dragged down causing the current draw to increase.

I have never seen a power supply that supplied with a unit that runs anywhere near 100% capacity as it would shorten the life of the unit.

The power lead plugs directly into the intercooler which then supplies the console. The analogy of a USB port is completely different as this supply comes via the mother board.

You do not cause interference to the current either. A sudden draw on a supply can cause a volt drop spike or surge when it switches off, which is a disturbed supply or called interference.

The small dc fan motors on the intercooler come on at power-up and stay on. The current draw of the fans is so small that its is extremely unlikely to disturb the supply. The fact they stay running and do not switch on/off (which could theoretically cause a minor spike) also makes any interference from them unlikely.

The 360 power supply is rated at 16.5amps at 12volts. The intercooler draws 0.36amps at 12volts.

As I said previously a intercooler or power lead that is not plugged in FIRMLY could well lead to problems on a low voltage system due to high resistance.

PS 20+ years in the electrical industry working on all types of electrical/electronic systems.

Iain Young

All I know is that with the intercooler plugged in, the xbox would crash regularly (like every 10 minutes or so) reporting hard drive failure, whereas it ran fine for months without the cooler there. Plugged it in again, and it crashed straight away.

To me that sounds like the cooler isn't doing anything very healthy to the console

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I have one, on launch console, added it as I was getting crashes, graphics glitches, has been fine since.