18 replies to this topic

[dave4shmups]

Last Fall, I started hearing about a cooler motherboard (evidently code-named "Falcon") and chip set being put into 360's. But since then, I've been told to look for a lot# of 734 or above, or a certain sku. The problem is, I got on the official XBOX forums, and there were people who got 360's with a higher lot # then 734 that weren't Falcon models.

IMO, the fact that MS won't comment on durability percentages isn't helping. Is there really a most durable model of 360, or is MS's attitude pretty much "To heck with consumers, they have a 3-year warranty?"?

[remowilliams]

The newer 'Falcon' motherboards run much cooler. You can tell by the power supply accompanying the unit. If the PS is 175 Watt, it's a Falcon - if it's 203 Watt it should be the older model.

My Elite is one of the Falcon ones, and it is most definitely quieter and cooler.

[dalton4life]

The magic number for lot numbers is 0738 and up. A few falcons my have slipped out a few of lot numbers earlier, but all with 0738 or higher will be falcons.

[NE146]

I wouldn't bother looking at lot #'s. I've bought no less than 6 360's since January (and have returned 5 ) and the only reliable thing that let me know it was the newer falcon was the power supply rating as remowilliams said. Look on the sticker on the outside of the box. It'll tell you right there.

[JamesD]

Just an FYI... my brother has a falcon board with an older power supply. After reading some of the boards it appears as it a couple revisions did this but everything in the major retailers now should be the newest model with the lower wattage power supply like mine.
Microsoft didn't produce enough machines to meet demands and they sold out just about everywhere by the end of January. They didn't start delivering again till sometime in February, that's when I bought mine.

[dave4shmups]

remowilliams, on Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:24 PM, said:

The newer 'Falcon' motherboards run much cooler. You can tell by the power supply accompanying the unit. If the PS is 175 Watt, it's a Falcon - if it's 203 Watt it should be the older model.

My Elite is one of the Falcon ones, and it is most definitely quieter and cooler.

Ok, thanks! The only problem there is that, how do you tell about the power supply before you get the thing home?

[moycon]

dave4shmups, on Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:17 PM, said:

The only problem there is that, how do you tell about the power supply before you get the thing home?

Quote

and the only reliable thing that let me know it was the newer falcon was the power supply rating as remowilliams said. Look on the sticker on the outside of the box. It'll tell you right there.

Edited by moycon, Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:24 PM.

[Breakpack]

360s come in boxes now???!!!

[dalton4life]

The label on the box isn't that accurate as far as the power supply goes. I've seen plenty that said 203w on the box, but had 175w power supplies in there.

[Mendon]

Really really hard to tell if any are reliable. I'm on my 4th 360 (a Premium with HDMI) yet a good friend has a launch day console that he has never had a problem with.

And, sad to say, my neighbor bought a brand new Elite with a 175w power supply last weekend from Best Buy. Two hours into Devil May Cry 4 the system froze. Only way he could get out of the freeze was to shut it down. When he powered back up, three red lights. He returned it and so far his replacement has been fine.

Ye take yer chances.


Mendon

[FastRobPlus]

My Xbox is made of pure Lexan. I think it's the most durable.

[JamesD]

dalton4life, on Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:38 AM, said:

The label on the box isn't that accurate as far as the power supply goes. I've seen plenty that said 203w on the box, but had 175w power supplies in there.

The two power supplies have different connectors. My brother's is different than mine so... it's gotta be 203w.

[Tan]

dalton4life, on Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:38 AM, said:

The label on the box isn't that accurate as far as the power supply goes. I've seen plenty that said 203w on the box, but had 175w power supplies in there.

I have an Elite that had 203 on the box but has the Falcon with a 175w power supply, so the sticker definitely is no longer an accurate indicator. My understanding is any machine that has a 2008 manufacturing date on it is 100% a Falcon.

[Mendon]

Its really a shame that there are so many problems with the 360 hardware. The software library, XBL, achievements (some don't like them but I enjoy playing a game and suddenly having the little green box pop up), Arcade, and more is so fantastic that many of us tend to overlook the bad aspects of the system and enjoy what we have.

Yet, when I read STORIES LIKE THIS ONE I become really upset and wonder if I will ever buy another 360 (if the need arises) because the customer service and corporate policies are really terrible. I mean, c'mon..... get a replacement console from MS but MS won't warranty the replacement???

Until I'm faced with the dilema of making another purchase or not, I'll continue to enjoy playing the many great games that are available for my 360.



Mendon

Edited by Mendon, Mon Apr 7, 2008 7:22 AM.

[FastRobPlus]

Mendon, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 8:20 AM, said:

Yet, when I read STORIES LIKE THIS ONE I become really upset and wonder if I will ever buy another 360 (if the need arises) because the customer service and corporate policies are really terrible. I mean, c'mon..... get a replacement console from MS but MS won't warranty the replacement???

Mendon

So... to paraphrase the article" "If you don't have 3 flashing red lights you have a 1 year warranty and that angers me. And like all other consoles and consumer devices, the replacement console you get does not get a fresh 1 year warranty like I think it should. It just continues your existing warranty and that angers me. And if you ever go out of warranty you have to pay a flat repair fee just like all other consoles and consumer electronics and that agners me."

Is that about it?

[Mendon]

FastRobPlus, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 4:41 PM, said:

So... to paraphrase the article" "If you don't have 3 flashing red lights you have a 1 year warranty and that angers me. And like all other consoles and consumer devices, the replacement console you get does not get a fresh 1 year warranty like I think it should. It just continues your existing warranty and that angers me. And if you ever go out of warranty you have to pay a flat repair fee just like all other consoles and consumer electronics and that agners me."

Is that about it?

Just the part about not getting a warranty on a replacement console, only the balance of your old warranty. The rest of the authors comments (like a detailed price list of what was repaired) is trivial - nitpicking, to me.

As an explanation, buy a 360 and suppose it fails after 11 months. Ship it in, and when you get a console back you have one month warranty on it (unless they discount the time in transit to and from repair, then you might have days). Pay $100 for the same repair, and on the same console, and you get a full 1yr/3yr warranty.

That to me is a crap policy.


Mendon


UPDATE: I stand corrected on one point: its not just the balance of your warranty you receive on a repair. According to the MS Support page, if MS repairs your console while under warranty, you get either the balance of your existing warranty or 90 days, whichever is longer. If you pay for a repair, you get the balance of your existing warranty or 1yr, whichever is longer.

Still think its a crap policy... if MS warrants a repair for a year when a $100 repair fee is charged, then MS should warrant every repair they make for a year. Shouldn't be a difference in length of warranty just because a repair fee was charged.

Edited by Mendon, Tue Apr 8, 2008 6:00 AM.

[FastRobPlus]

Mendon, on Tue Apr 8, 2008 6:29 AM, said:

FastRobPlus, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 4:41 PM, said:

So... to paraphrase the article" "If you don't have 3 flashing red lights you have a 1 year warranty and that angers me. And like all other consoles and consumer devices, the replacement console you get does not get a fresh 1 year warranty like I think it should. It just continues your existing warranty and that angers me. And if you ever go out of warranty you have to pay a flat repair fee just like all other consoles and consumer electronics and that agners me."

Is that about it?

Just the part about not getting a warranty on a replacement console, only the balance of your old warranty. The rest of the authors comments (like a detailed price list of what was repaired) is trivial - nitpicking, to me.

As an explanation, buy a 360 and suppose it fails after 11 months. Ship it in, and when you get a console back you have one month warranty on it (unless they discount the time in transit to and from repair, then you might have days). Pay $100 for the same repair, and on the same console, and you get a full 1yr/3yr warranty.

That to me is a crap policy.


Mendon


UPDATE: I stand corrected on one point: its not just the balance of your warranty you receive on a repair. According to the MS Support page, if MS repairs your console while under warranty, you get either the balance of your existing warranty or 90 days, whichever is longer. If you pay for a repair, you get the balance of your existing warranty or 1yr, whichever is longer.

Still think its a crap policy... if MS warrants a repair for a year when a $100 repair fee is charged, then MS should warrant every repair they make for a year. Shouldn't be a difference in length of warranty just because a repair fee was charged.

I'm glad you caught this bit about the 90-days or remainder of warranty, whichever is greater. Some companies do not do this.
What you are asking - full new 1-year warranty on all free repairs is not somehting that I have heard of any consumer electronics company offering.

Interestingly, Cell Phones often have an infinite warranty becuase they are tied to subscriptions. So do cable TV boxes and leased cars. I am not a big fan of "subscription as a service" models, but that is one way I see the consumer electronics industry heading - especially if the next few generation of game systems continue to get more expensive and broadband uptake keeps pace.

[Atariboy]

My 360 got the red rings of death today after surviving since November of 2006 when I bought it. Would go weeks between being used for most of the time but its seen regular use the last couple months and bought the farm just now.

There has to be three red flashing rings for it to be covered?

Edited by Atariboy, Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:35 PM.

[moycon]

Atariboy, on Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:32 PM, said:

There has to be three red flashing rings for it to be covered?

Yep three rings. I'm convinced that every first year 360 is eventually going to get them. No way around it.