15 Ways to Avoid the 3 Red Rings of Death for the Xbox 360

Microsoft royally screwed up big time. They rushed the system to the market with inadequate quality controls because they wanted to have a one-year head start on Sony's Playstation 3. They repeatedly stated their desire for the extra time, over and over again, as if it's some sort of acceptable excuse for the poor quality of the system.

That is one of the lamest alibis I have ever heard in my not-so-long life.

When the system launched there were immediate shortages, something that can also be blamed on the "rush" if you will, thus a lot of people couldn't purchase the console if they wanted it. Then, a few months later, scattered reports popped up everywhere that the system was faulty and at a high chance of breaking down.

This scared off a lot of would be buyers who then decided to wait for the Playstation 3, with me being one of them. Of course, once the PS3 released with its disappointing launch games, exorbitant price, lack of support for VGA monitors and old HDTV sets, I decided to wait.

I finally caved in and purchased a 360 when Mass Effect was released. I simply had to play that game and I basically said: "screw it" to the hardware problems.

I should have been a little more clear headed because I ended up buying a launch style system with the 90 nanometer CPU and no extra heatsink, two months later hello RROD!

I sent it off to Microsoft and got my system back two weeks later. It ran, but I decided to sell it off anyway, and purchase a system with the "Falcon" chipset which comes with the 65 nanometer CPU and extra heatsinks. I also decided to purchase the Arcade model because it was the cheapest and I didn't need the TV shows or other content, I only wanted to play the games.

Now in order to keep it running I have devised a whole system to make sure it keeps running. It's maddening, but my system has been chugging along for more than a year now, and if you want to buy the console or want to keep your current one running, then here's my advice.

1. Make sure the system has a Falcon chipset. Check the back of the power brick, and if it says 175w, then you have a Falcon with a smaller and cooler Xenon CPU and extra heatsinks to dissipate heat. If however, you own an earlier model, then I suggest you do what I did, and get rid of it.

2. Don't buy a system with a hard drive, I know it sounds crazy, but in my experience, a hard drive completely blocks the air vents on the top and increases heat. The Arcade option is your best bet and since the price drop, it costs a cool $199 in the US of A, some fifty dollars cheaper than the Wii.

3. Don't buy a used system, especially not from eBay.

4. Keep your system out in the open. Don't even think of thrusting it in the back of your entertainment center.

5. Keep your system horizontal. Yeah, yeah it looks cooler standing, but doing so blocks the bottom vents.

6. Make absolutely sure that no cables block the vents in the back of your system.

7. Do not keep the console near any other electronic device or household items that cause heat.

8. Run your 360 in an air-conditioned room. If possible, park your system right in front of the AC.

9. Get a stand fan and point it towards the console, especially if you can't afford the AC utility bill and make sure that the power brick is cooled too.

10. Keep your system on a hard surface.

11. Don't open your system yourself or you will void the warranty.

12. Don't mod your system or install mod-chips. There are no useful homebrew applications out right now and honest and law abiding citizens such as yourself would never pirate games right? Right?!

13. Don't buy any third-party intercoolers for the 360, they do a terrible job and end up hurtling your console to its death. If you, however, think that intercoolers are a good idea, then get the "Nyko Intercooler EX". Many users swear by this product and gaming site IGN vouches for it (IGN's review is in the sources) I, however, recommend against it.

14. Once every week (Yes! Once every week) disconnect all cables from your console and your power brick and remove all the dust. Don't forget to clean underneath the console and the power brick.

15. Every couple of hours save your game and shutdown your system completely for fifteen minutes for it to cool down. Unacceptable? Well, think about how you would also avoid eyestrain.

If you follow these instructions, then you will definitely extend the life of your console.

May your journey through Xbox 360 gaming be RROD free.