Xbox 360 - The Causes And How To Prevent The Red Ring Of Death
Ever since the first Xbox 360 hit the market in 2005
, the red ring of death (RROD) has been the scourge of gamers worldwide. If you have the ring of death, then you belong to a not so exclusive club. You are among millions with this problem.
This article will answer two FAQ's concerning the cause and prevention of the red ring of death.
1.) What brings about the red ring of death?
The main cause is the console overheating. The Xbox has a CPU and GPU chip set that is very heat intensive.
The heat generation gets particularly acute when playing high definition games with 3 D graphics for long periods of time. There's also inadequate space for the electronics which make the cooling process extremely hard.
Long periods of exposure to heat causes damage to the mother board. The lead free solder can develop minuscule cracks that grow over time.
Another common occurrence is that the thermal compound or thermal paste inside the Xbox will get broken down by high heat levels. Degraded thermal paste means that the heat sinks can't draw away heat from the GPU and CPU.
2.) Are there ways to prevent the red ring of death from happening?
There are some preventative measures that you can do to minimize your risk. Try to avoid long nonstop use of your Xbox.
After playing for an hour or two, turn the machine off and give it a chance to cool off. The warmer your room is, the shorter your gaming session should be.
The Xbox should be used in a place that's cool with plenty of ventilation. People often make quick decisions out of convenience that undermines the cool operation of the Xbox.
Don't use your Xbox in a an enclosed cabinet with no ventilation or above other electronics which generate heat.
Keep the fan intakes clear of dust and grit so that cooling air can be drawn into the Xbox. Never put objects of any kind up against the fan intakes.
If you have a dusty room, then dust will get sucked into the Xbox. The mother board inside the console will eventually get covered in dust. This dust layer is an insulator which will trap the heat from the electronics causing overheating.
In conclusion, two questions were answered that dealt with cause and prevention of the red ring of death. Although there are plenty of other questions not answered here, cause and prevention questions are among the most important.