Wednesday, August 11, 2010

How to Handle an Overheating Xbox 360


By Ryan Edward

The Xbox 360 is undoubtedly one of the fastest selling game consoles on the market today. It also offers an immense selection of game titles, and much more. But, many gamers have discovered that overheating is a problem that commonly affects the Xbox 360. If you have experienced repeated crashing or freezing during game play with your Xbox 360, then chances are these problems occurred as a result of overheating.

You should know that the internal components of the Xbox 360, including the hard drive, CPU, and GPU, can produce a great deal of heat when used for many continuous hours. Theoretically, these components should not overheat, since there is a built in cooling system to prevent this from happening.

If you do have issues with crashing or freezing of your Xbox 360 games, checking the Xbox 360 console for areas that feel hot to the touch. If the console itself is much hotter than usual, the problem may be an overheated hard drive. The power unit can also become overheated, so you may want to check it as well.

In theory, Microsoft says that overheating shouldn't be a problem with the Xbox 360 because of the internal cooling system. This system is basically a series of fans that draw cool air in, and force hot air out. But, the fans on their own aren't really adequate to keep the Xbox 360 cool enough to avoid overheating. It's not that the fans are ineffective; usually it's because Xbox 360 owners don't properly maintain their consoles.

Many people prefer to keep the Xbox 360 in a media cabinet above or below the TV. This is not a good idea, since keeping the Xbox 360 in an enclosed space will not allow enough cool air to circulate. Instead, the fans will continuously be drawing in the trapped hot air, which will result in the Xbox 360 overheating.

The best way to avoid this is to play your Xbox 360 games out in the open by placing the console on a desk or table top. When the weather is warm, it's also a good idea to keep the Xbox 360 in a room with air conditioning. This will help the unit stay cool and prevent overheating.

Dust is another reason why an Xbox 360 might overheat. Over time, dust accumulates inside the game console and can reduce the effectiveness of the fans that are meant to cool the unit. In some cases, the cooling system might quit working at all, which can result in total hardware failure.

To prevent this, it's a good idea to clean the dust from inside your Xbox 360 every now and then. To do this, you should use a non-static brush, or you can spray a contact cleaner, which works extremely well to eliminate dust in electronic equipment.

In addition to these other measures, you can also limit the number of hours that you use your Xbox 360 continuously. If you're an avid gamer, chances are you enjoy spending many hours playing your Xbox 360 games. But, you need to understand that the system does have its limitations. You'll need to give your Xbox 360 a break after you've played your favorite games for a few hours.

By using these tips, you can prevent your Xbox 360 from overheating and keep it in top condition. This will allow you to enjoy your game console for a long time to come.

Ryan Edward has reviewed all of the so-called best Xbox 360 Repair Guides out there, and he offers his findings at his website. Find out which guide is best and how to get your Xbox 360 working again today. Please visit his website now for more information

Go to: http://www.ryanstips.com/xbox-fix/

Article Source:EzineArticles.com

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