The Xbox 360 to Get Cooler
Yes, literally speaking, Microsoft has made an announcement
to deal with the Xbox 360’s chronic overheating problems by enhancing the level
of cooling in the Xbox 360. Microsoft has installed a new heatpipe and heatsink
to cool the AMD Xenon chipset in the console. The new heatpipe and heatsink will reduce overall case
temperature and prevent the dreaded, so called “red ring of death,” an indicator that one’s system has croaked from heat stroke. However, it’s unclear whether Microsoft will include such
cooling solutions in new units, or just in units that have been shipped to them
for repair.
The Xbox 360 has been notorious for its high rate of failure
due to heat, especially those that were shipped during late 2005. Experts
believe that the problem lies in the 90nm chips in the system, which run at
relatively high temperatures in contrast to 65nm chips. There are plans to replace
the 90nm chips with cooler 65nm versions starting in the fall.
