Quieting my Xbox360

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petertew

Gawd
Joined
Oct 4, 2005
Messages
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I'm not sure if anyone will find this at all interesting, but I thought I'd just post my experience with silencing my 360 on this forum in case anyone was thinking of doing the same and had any reservations about doing so.

The catalyst for wanting to make my 360 quieter is Mass Effect. I can't stand to hear my fans and DVD generate more noise than the actual game itself; plus, watching movies on the HDDVD drive is almost unbearable during quiet scenes.

So my two main problems are:
  1. overly noisy DVD drive
  2. annoyingly loud case fans

A friend of mine works with a guy who flashes 360 DVD drives on a regular basis, and I asked him if he'd be able to flash mine and get it running at 6 or 8 speed instead of the regular 12. He said sure, and now my DVD is running at 8x and I can't even hear it when the drive spins up. I still hear the laser unit moving back and forth, but that is very quiet and far less annoying. That fixes one of my problems but leaves the problem of noisy case fans unresolved.

So, in order to quiet down the case even further I will be picking up a Talismoon whispermax Xbox360 case fan replacement unit, and I will be picking up an 80mm fan as well. The Talismoon fan can be run at either 5v (silent according to all the reviews I've seen) or 12v (louder than the stock fan, but I don't plan on using it). In order to compensate for the reduced air flow since I will be running my fans at 5v I will add an 80mm fan to the front of the heatsink enclosure.

I will hopefully be able to start on this sometime next week, depending on delivery speed of the components, and I will be posting pics here as well as audio samples if everything goes well.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome, and yes I realize I'm voiding my warranty and possibly setting myself up for a RROD. Not a very good combo, I know.
 
On this subject... I just borrowed a 360 to play some lan games with the missus and I appear to have picked up a hairdryer by mistake. This thing is insane... doesn't matter if it's on the dash or playing a game it utterly roars.

I want to kill it with fire!

Some of the old 360s were truly, truly horrible in terms of noise. My (non falcon) elite is whisper quiet in comparison, even when playing a game on DVD.

Re your project... wouldn't it be better to see if you could grab one of the quieter DVD drives and flash that instead?
 
I got a huge tupperware type storage box, took the fucking thing (360) apart, put the dvd drive in a soundproofed case and cut a hole for two 120mm fans, the cables and a dvd slot.

Still hear it but not nearly as loud. They are noisy pos designs.
 
Psychotext said:
On this subject... I just borrowed a 360 to play some lan games with the missus and I appear to have picked up a hairdryer by mistake. This thing is insane... doesn't matter if it's on the dash or playing a game it utterly roars.

I want to kill it with fire!

Some of the old 360s were truly, truly horrible in terms of noise. My (non falcon) elite is whisper quiet in comparison, even when playing a game on DVD.

Re your project... wouldn't it be better to see if you could grab one of the quieter DVD drives and flash that instead?
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Mine isn't as loud as some other 360's I've heard, but it is still way louder than my roommates PS3, or my PS2, or DC, or any other console I've ever owned.

As for getting the quieter DVD I think that would have been more of a pain. I'd have to match the key from the 360 to the new DVD drive, or buy a new 360 or something. Slowing it down worked pretty well for me and the texture popping isn't any worse in Mass Effect or any other game than it was before. Just 2 different ways of solving the problem I guess.
 
My brothers friend has a old xbox 360, i think its a launch unit and it is damn loud, but my friends elite is super silent and my other friends pro is still quiet just not as quiet as the elite.
 
Using the hard drive to load games this fall should help with the noise (though not the fans, I guess).
 
While you are in there anyways, replace the x brackets with regular M5 screws to decrease your chances of the RROD. And definitely replace the thermal paste with arctic silver. That helps big time from keeping the case fans from ever needing to spin up full speed.
 
pigpen said:
While you are in there anyways, replace the x brackets with regular M5 screws to decrease your chances of the RROD. And definitely replace the thermal paste with arctic silver. That helps big time from keeping the case fans from ever needing to spin up full speed.
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Thanks for the advice; I'll definitely get the Artic Silver and see about the xclamps.
 
You know, I thought I was going to get a newer 360 cause I bought mine back in early December. But that damn fan is loud as hell.
 
I've had that problem with my xbox 360 (which is now sold).. I could not find an easy fix and ended up replacing it
 
Here is how I made my 360 quiet. Traded it to a friend for his PS3. It fixed the noise problem real good too.
 
hdawg06 said:
Now all you need to fix is the game problem.
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Christmas 2006 wants it's extremely dated argument back.

As a by note, does anybody else think it is totally unacceptable for you to pull apart a console you paid good money for to then apply better thermal paste etc just to try and make it quiter/last longer? Truly shocking.
 
Tigerblade said:
Christmas 2006 wants it's extremely dated argument back.

As a by note, does anybody else think it is totally unacceptable for you to pull apart a console you paid good money for to then apply better thermal paste etc just to try and make it quiter/last longer? Truly shocking.
Click to expand...

bad argument to be making on a computer enthusiast site. who here hasn't upgraded the heatsinks / thermal paste / fans on their CPU's / vid cards? I know i've spent a hell of a lot more on those components than i did on my xbox. And speaking of which, another simple mod i performed on my very expensive computer case you can use on the xbox is to take off the honeycomb covering the fans on the motherboard chassis. Improves air flow and kills noise.
 
pigpen said:
bad argument to be making on a computer enthusiast site. who here hasn't upgraded the heatsinks / thermal paste / fans on their CPU's / vid cards? I know i've spent a hell of a lot more on those components than i did on my xbox. And speaking of which, another simple mod i performed on my very expensive computer case you can use on the xbox is to take off the honeycomb covering the fans on the motherboard chassis. Improves air flow and kills noise.
Click to expand...

Bad argument? You for real? If I was talking about the custom PC you just built, from seperate parts you sourced yourself then I wouldn't be arguing at all as that is the norm. Hell the last gaming rig I had ran with a pair of 512mb 7800GTX's, both not running with stock fans as I wanted to push them harder and faster....

The difference here is that you are paying for a games console, a thing you stick under your tv, plug into the wall, stick a disc in and away you go, no building, no fuss. You didn't build it did you? Why the fuck should you have to open it up to make it quieter/last longer?

To even defend that and compare it to building your own PC defies belief....you don't buy a console and then have to mod the 'standard' spec to improve it's lifespan.....well....I bet you never opened up any other games console you've ever owned to do the same.....I really can't believe that ppl are actually ok with this :eek:
 
Seriously people...do you play the 360 with it next to your head and the volume muted? I just don't understand how you can think it's SOOOOO loud.:rolleyes:
 
Tigerblade said:
The difference here is that you are paying for a games console, a thing you stick under your tv, plug into the wall, stick a disc in and away you go, no building, no fuss. You didn't build it did you? Why the fuck should you have to open it up to make it quieter/last longer?
Click to expand...

The 360 is exactly what you just described for most people. the same way buying a computer is for most people. For people who don't mind doing a little research and getting their hands dirty (nerds like us who frequent a computer hardware forum,) a couple cheap, simple mods can do wonders. Make a processor run faster, a vid card run cooler, or a 360 quieter. You act like opening a console to replace the heatsink brackets, or upgrade the thermal paste is some unfathomable task. For the general public is probably is, but i would think for the majority of the members on this site, it is relatively simple.
 
merlin704 said:
Seriously people...do you play the 360 with it next to your head and the volume muted? I just don't understand how you can think it's SOOOOO loud.:rolleyes:
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The sound of the fans is a distracting annoyance when I play certain games or watch movies. An annoyance like people who come into a thread without firsthand experience with the problem (i.e. you've never heard my 360) and try to infer that those of us who find the 360 unacceptably loud are somehow either gaming incorrectly or wasting time finding a solution.

Tigerblad said:
The difference here is that you are paying for a games console, a thing you stick under your tv, plug into the wall, stick a disc in and away you go, no building, no fuss. You didn't build it did you? Why the fuck should you have to open it up to make it quieter/last longer?

To even defend that and compare it to building your own PC defies belief....you don't buy a console and then have to mod the 'standard' spec to improve it's lifespan.....well....I bet you never opened up any other games console you've ever owned to do the same.....I really can't believe that ppl are actually ok with this.
Click to expand...

Please don't hijack my thread; I'm not trying to start some goddamn holy war over whether the 360 was poorly engineered or not. I just want people to be able to come in here and add some ideas on how to quiet it or get ideas themselves. As far as your point, I agree, but that doesn't change the fact that I need to do something to address the problem.

Now, does anyone know of a really good tutorial or video of someone attaching a 60mm or 80mm fan to the front of the heatsinks in the 360?
 
petertew said:
The sound of the fans is a distracting annoyance when I play certain games or watch movies. An annoyance like people who come into a thread without firsthand experience with the problem (i.e. you've never heard my 360) and try to infer that those of us who find the 360 unacceptably loud are somehow either gaming incorrectly or wasting time finding a solution.
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Still doesn't answer my question. Do you sit with your head next to the 360 and the volume on mute? My 360 sits about 6-8ft. from my couch and the only noise I hear is from the games I play. Same for the movies I watch as well..... I also never notice it when I am at my friends house and neither do they.
 
merlin704 said:
Still doesn't answer my question. Do you sit with your head next to the 360 and the volume on mute? My 360 sits about 6-8ft. from my couch and the only noise I hear is from the games I play. Same for the movies I watch as well..... I also never notice it when I am at my friends house and neither do they.
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That's because your group of friends are partially deaf and like cranking up your sound, and we all have ears that actually work and prefer not to do that.

See how I can make assumptions too?
 
merlin704 said:
Still doesn't answer my question. Do you sit with your head next to the 360 and the volume on mute? My 360 sits about 6-8ft. from my couch and the only noise I hear is from the games I play. Same for the movies I watch as well..... I also never notice it when I am at my friends house and neither do they.
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Congratulations! You never hear the high whine of the 360 fans, and yes I game with my head directly next to my 360 with my volume muted. Isn't that how all people play games? And as for you and your friends not noticing your Xboxs I could give a shit. I notice mine and that's why I'm fixing my 360. If yours is quiet and doesn't bother you great, but mine isn't and it does.

Seriously what is the point of your post? Are you trying to convince me that my 360 isn't loud? That I don't know how to operate it? That I'm wasting my time or money on this mod? What is your point in posting?
 
Tigerblade said:
Bad argument? You for real? If I was talking about the custom PC you just built, from seperate parts you sourced yourself then I wouldn't be arguing at all as that is the norm. Hell the last gaming rig I had ran with a pair of 512mb 7800GTX's, both not running with stock fans as I wanted to push them harder and faster....

The difference here is that you are paying for a games console, a thing you stick under your tv, plug into the wall, stick a disc in and away you go, no building, no fuss. You didn't build it did you? Why the fuck should you have to open it up to make it quieter/last longer?

To even defend that and compare it to building your own PC defies belief....you don't buy a console and then have to mod the 'standard' spec to improve it's lifespan.....well....I bet you never opened up any other games console you've ever owned to do the same.....I really can't believe that ppl are actually ok with this :eek:
Click to expand...

I have 2 360s, neither of them are loud.. 1 being a launch unit. I'm confused where you got to thinking people need to quiet their consoles. I hope you're not basing this off of one guy on the internet who made a tread? lol

I bought my console, plugged it in and away I went.
 
My 360 sits right beside my monitor and the only time I ever hear it (DVD drive) is when a game is loading with no music during a loading screen. My tiny 5.1 system makes it impossible to hear the fans or DVD drive during movie playback.
/shrug
 
I posted this on another forum... most 360s aren't insanely loud - but as you'll see here, some are:

I borrowed a 360 off a friend to do some LAN gaming with and when I turned it on I realised it's actually the noise spewing spawn of Satan. Decided to try and show the difference between it and my (Zephyr) elite which is ok noise wise, but not as good as the falcons I've heard.

I recorded two files (using my mobile... so don't expect anything special!) with the 360s playing the same game just after bootup (so they haven't even had a chance to get hot yet). Only difference is that the satan model is vertical... other than that the distance from the machine to the mic is the same.

Elite MP3
Satan MP3

If you set your vol so you can clearly hear the elite you'll get the best comparison... :p
Click to expand...

[Edit - Satan model is a Dec 2006 manufacture date]
 
I'm not really sure why anyone is bothering to log on here to tell me that their 360 is quiet, or that they can't hear it over the sound of their games. I should start a thread about how I need to wear glasses when I go to the movies so the image isn't blurry. I'm sure if I did that I'd have people writing replies like, "I don't understand why you need glasses when you go to movies. When I go I can see just fine without them. Are you sure you aren't standing right next to the screen squinting?"

Please quit posting shit telling me how quiet your 360's are, I, and the rest of the people with loud ones, are happy for you, but we don't care.
 
petertew said:
Please quit posting shit telling me how quiet your 360's are, I, and the rest of the people with loud ones, are happy for you, but we don't care.
Click to expand...

You are telling us how loud your 360 is so why can't we tell you how quiet ours are....

Besides, my post was meant as tongue-in-cheek though sarcasm isn't directed well on the intarwebs...
 
OK, I just ordered the Talismoon Whisper Max fans off of ebay; they should be showing up here sometime around Wed or Thur.
 
merlin704 said:
You are telling us how loud your 360 is so why can't we tell you how quiet ours are....

Besides, my post was meant as tongue-in-cheek though sarcasm isn't directed well on the intarwebs...
Click to expand...

Start a thread about quiet Xbox360's. I'm not stopping you from telling anyone how quiet your 360 is; I'm just pointing out how stupid and pointless your posts have been with respect to the thread I started.

If you want to contribute to the thread by writing something like, "My 360 is quiet, and I think the reason is..." fine, otherwise go turn on some swordmetal while you fantasize about Swords, Battles, Fighting, Dragons, Wizards, Demons, Knights, Kings, Magic, Sorcery, Hellfire, Steel, Metal, War, Killing Servants, Storms, Lightning, Drinking Ale, Spilling Blood, Hammers, etc.
 
theNoid said:
I have 2 360s, neither of them are loud.. 1 being a launch unit. I'm confused where you got to thinking people need to quiet their consoles. I hope you're not basing this off of one guy on the internet who made a tread? lol

I bought my console, plugged it in and away I went.
Click to expand...


So you can catagorically say that the 360 as a whole is a completely silent machine? :eek:

Classic :D I base my opinions on the hoovers I've played on thank you very much, and there are millions that think the same.

By the way, how did you get on with your borked 2.40 update? :D :rolleyes:

petertew said:
Please don't hijack my thread; I'm not trying to start some goddamn holy war over whether the 360 was poorly engineered or not. I just want people to be able to come in here and add some ideas on how to quiet it or get ideas themselves. As far as your point, I agree, but that doesn't change the fact that I need to do something to address the problem.
Click to expand...

I'm not here to judge the engineering merits of the 360, I'm here in shock that ppl actually defend the company that actually sells them substandard stuff, comparing it to building and maintaining their own PC.

Good luck in getting it sorted tho.
 
My first 360 was really loud all the time (dvd drive and fans). It was really incredibly annoying. Once I upgraded to an Elite the system has been MUCH quieter. The DVD drive is still a little annoying, but not nearly as bad as it was. Those trying to make blanket statements that all 360s are quiet are either blinded by fanboyism or really lucky with the ones they have seen.

So my solution to your noise issue... upgrade to a new one. :) Seriously though, I think some Arctic Silver and new fans should help a lot.
 
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