Have you just purchased a brand new Xbox 360? You probably haven’t given much thought as to where to put it or if it’s to be placed upright on its side or positioned horizontally. Although this is a pretty mundane consideration, it can have a big impact on the consoles life span and with over heating problems.
The Xbox 360 has a long history of problems as compared to other game consoles. There are literally thousands of articles written on the various reliability issues of the Xbox.
In order to avoid becoming one of these statistics, you will want to do whatever you must to prolong the useful life of your console. I will discuss where you should place your console as well as the considerations of vertical and horizontal placement.
1.) The position of your Xbox.
This seems like a very small issue but remember that the Xbox has always been stricken with many problems. This machine is extremely delicate.
The advantage of positioning the console flat or horizontally is stability. It is impossible for it to be toppled over. Depending on its altitude off the floor, its impact with the floor can be very severe.
After hitting the floor, it’s days of trouble free use are over. You should also pay attention to the arrangement of its cords and cables since the console could get yanked. The cables shouldn’t be bunched up near its cooling vents.
The advantage of positioning your Xbox on its side is that this exposes more surface area to the air which keeps it cooler. A sensible plan of attack is to place it horizontally and if this causes the Xbox to run too hot, then place it vertically.
2.) The location of your console.
Why is location important? The reason is that the Xbox’s environment plays a big role in how warm it runs. The console’s cooling system will fail unless it’s located in an open and well ventilated environment.
The temperature of the air has to be cool and there mustn’t be any heat sources in the vicinity. In addition to this, its location should be clear of cigarette smoke and dust. Dust inside the console is like an insulator which will lock in the generated heat.
Cigarette smoke contains tar that makes the consoles inside sticky. This means that dust and other air borne particles stick to the consoles insides. The DVD drive is especially vulnerable to smoke and dust.
By implementing the above recommendations, you will increase the reliability and lifetime of your Xbox.
Got reliability problems with your Xbox 360? Get more Xbox 360 troubleshooting advice about fixing the Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Error.
