Want to get a Xbox 360. But kinda worried about the red lights. What causes that?

November 9th, 2008 | by xboxrepair |
xbox 360 red lights
dta2us asked:


I have been hearing a lot about the Xbox 360’s red lights of death. I really would like to know what causes that. I really want to get a 360, because a lot of good games have been coming out for it. So can anyone tell me what causes the red lights? Thanks for the answers that I get.

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  1. 4 Responses to “Want to get a Xbox 360. But kinda worried about the red lights. What causes that?”

  2. By IRideABike on Nov 10, 2008 | Reply

    its THE RiNG of DEATH, but its just random, and you cant do anything about it. it could be for overheating or just a screw up in the system, but there are ways to get rid of it

  3. By kitlerc on Nov 12, 2008 | Reply

    From what I know, it is a combination of cheap glue to hold the motherboard down and a poor cooling system.

    Microsoft extended their warranty for the 360 by three years if those red lights happen. (So save your receipt)

    I suggest getting a third party cooling system like this one.

    That might help prevent it. (Of everyone I know, only one person with a 360 has NOT had the ring of death and he is also the only one that had an extra cooling system)

  4. By superdork on Nov 12, 2008 | Reply

    The most likely cause is overheating due to a poor heat sink and a design flaw.

    Basically, the curvature of the 360 reduces the air flow, so the air tends to stay in an area, and as the air accumulates, it gets hotter and hotter until it just melts the soldering that holds the parts together. Notice how the PS3 has a convex design, while the 360 has a concave design. It’s this difference that’s making the 360 overheat.

    MS won’t say what’s really causing the red ring of death, so anything that anybody says is just speculation, or maybe MS doesn’t really know. Maybe that’s why Peter Moore jumped ship and joined EA.

  5. By prekinpdx on Nov 14, 2008 | Reply

    superdork has it right. Remember, all 360’s have a 3 year warranty covering the 3 red light problem. They will fix for free if it happens under 3 years since it is bought new. There is also a one year warranty on all 360’s covering everything. Both warranties are free and come with every new 360.

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