Cooling issues with putting a 120GB hard drive in an xbox?

[Super_Geo]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to put a 120GB hard drive in my xbox. I heard that you should do some things to the xbox to make it cooler otherwise the new hard drive would overheat. Anyone with past experience on this? Thanks.

[Fluidic]

Some say that the 7200 RPM (rotations per minute) drives are too hot, while others say it doesn’t matter. Some even install their own cooling fan just to be safe. 5400 RPM drives are pretty hard to come by, nowadays, however, so a 7200 RPM 120GB drive should be fine.

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by Fluidic Digital
Some say that the 7200 RPM (rotations per minute) drives are too hot, while others say it doesn’t matter. Some even install their own cooling fan just to be safe. 5400 RPM drives are pretty hard to come by, nowadays, however, so a 7200 RPM 120GB drive should be fine.


Thanks for the info.

Does anyone know how hard these cooling fan installations are?

[KSlater65]

Most of the new drives aren't near as hot as some of the older drives. Try a Maxtor or WD drive. They seem cooler then some of the other brands.

[tegdream]

Originally posted by KSlater65
Most of the new drives aren't near as hot as some of the older drives. Try a Maxtor or WD drive. They seem cooler then some of the other brands.

yeah maxtor ir WD, they run cooler in my experiences!

[Stine]

but remember that if you puttin in a new hard drive make sure its lockable under your xbox or it will not boot!

I have a 80 GIG WD 7200 RPM in mine and does not get too hot.

[Fluidic]

How fast does the 8GB drive fill when running Xbox Live and other shit? I'm interested in upgrading the bios and putting in a 160GB drive -- but most everyone thinks it's pointless.

I'm not interested in "storing" games on my HD... so don't even mention that, or this thread will get locked. Were talking "legal" upgrades here -- LED upgrades, fan upgrades, BIOS upgrades, HD upgrades, etc. :)

[ryder_23]

why would you upgrade just to save regualar files? I still have 5000+ memory blocks left with xbox live and about 90 different game files.

[Ben]

Originally posted by ryder_23
why would you upgrade just to save regualar files? I still have 5000+ memory blocks left with xbox live and about 90 different game files.

You havent learned the "ways" yet ;)

[sputnik]

i dont think modding an xbox should be considered illegal chat...

considering how many people here have illegal mods on their cars...

[lint]

Originally posted by sputnik
i dont think modding an xbox should be considered illegal chat...

considering how many people here have illegal mods on their cars...

Not to mention all the "trade a carfax report for a ..." topics too.

[BigYellowMonkey]

Let's say, *hypothetically of course*, that I too had an xbox. And I put a WD 40GB Special Edition (8MB cache) in it. And a mod chip. And backed up *my own* games that I *OWN* and *PURCHASED WITH MY OWN HARD-EARNED MONEY* onto the hard drive. Then yes, I need larger than an 8GB (or 10GB, in the first revision of xbox's) HD. But if you're storing saved games and music on there, for the most part, your 8GB should never even come close to filling up. If you have a shitload of music, maybe a 20GB drive would be in order. But a 160? I don't think so. Now if you're *legally* backing up games onto your hard drive that *YOU PURCHASED WITH YOUR OWN HARD-EARNED MONEY* then you can use the space.
Oh, and you have to run a modified BIOS and dashboard with a modchip, and some BIOS's can't accept drives larger than like 120 or 130 GB. Only the first 120 or 130GB will be visible and available. The latest Xecuter BIOS and dash can handle up to 250GB I believe.

Here's the deal with HD locking:
-Some HD's can't be locked, and some can. Different for every brand and model.
-The stock HD in your xbox is locked
-A locked HD cannot be read in a PC, or in another xbox, but only in the xbox it was locked for.
-You can use apps both on your xbox and on your PC to unlock HD's.
-With a modchip, the HD does not need to be locked to boot. However, to go on xbox live, you must disable your mod chip, so your HD must be locked to play on xbox live.

Oh, and as far as I can *guess*, because I *don't have a modchip*, the Western Digital WD400JB (40GB/8MB cache) is lockable.

Hope this clears everything up.

-Biggie!

[BigYellowMonkey]

Oh yeah, and hypothetically speaking again, the 40GB/8MB cache WD drive is a 7200 RPM, and it causes no heat issues whatsoever. But just in case, the EvolutionX dashboard (the most popular modified dashboard) can display CPU and motherboard temperatures to help you keep tabs on it.

-Biggie!

[00redLUDE]

Originally posted by sputnik
i dont think modding an xbox should be considered illegal chat...

considering how many people here have illegal mods on their cars...

Good point!


:thumbsup:

[googe]

no, dont worry about a 7200rpm drive. Im pretty sure that rumor is unsubtantiated. I have been running with a 7200 rpm 120gb for like a year now.