Thursday August 30, 2007 3:34 pm
Apparently That Xbox 360 Red Light of Doom Problem Hasn’t Been Fixed
The image you see above isn’t some generic image we grabbed off the net - it’s my personal Xbox 360. I know what you might be thinking - another one? Yeah, another one - but there is a bit more to this story. This Xbox 360 you see above has been used for all of 20 minutes. You see, about three weeks ago my old box 360 crashed and was giving me the three Red Lights of Doom. I sent it in for repair, and today I finally got a replacement. This actually is a replacement - they didn’t fix the one I sent in, they just sent me a new one. This one happened to have been manufactured on 8/15/2007. Anyway, I got it in the mail, hooked everything up, went through the Dashboard configuration, and started playing a demo. Fatal Intertia. We got tired of that after about ten minutes, and decided to boot up the demo of Stranglehold. We got through the opening sequence when everything froze. Fair enough. I had to manually turn the Xbox 360 off because it wouldn’t even respond to the guide button. I turned it back on, and was presented with yes another Three Red Ring Circus.
Now, if that isn’t enough, this flies right in the face of something that Peter Moore told Engadget and Joystiq back at E3 - in mid-July:
I think that there is a lot of confusion with the consumer in exactly how this issue has been remedied. Not just with the extension of the warranty but with the hardware. Exactly what has had to go on to fix the problems that people have been having?
I’m not sure that the consumer needs to understand the complex technical fixes that we need to do for the multiple different problems that come together to create the three flashing red lights. I think the ability for us, all the consumer cares about is my console going to be ok? And if it isn’tm are they going to fix it and take care of it immediately? And if I [already] paid them to fix it, will I get my money back? And the answer is yes to those questions.
But are you guaranteeing or insuring that the systems that are rolling off the assembly lines now and the systems that will be returned to consumers will be fixed properly this time. It won’t be a situation where there are multiple replacements.
Yeah. I mean, nothing is perfect, guys. And the other two hardware companies have their problems as well. I can’t guarantee everyone in the world that we go fix one thing and then something else [won’t] happen. No I’d be stupid to make that guarantee. But I feel very, very good about the quality of hardware now. You guys know this, every day in the factories where we are building these and where we are learning more about it. Sony’s very good at it, Nintendo is very good at it, and we’re very good at it. You’re constantly tweaking, moving parts around, you’re renegotiating with suppliers because your goal is to continuously raise the quality of the box, and bring the price down. Because you have to get your costs down to be able to move your pricing to the level you want. If your costs never came down, then price would never change.
So yes, you can’t guarantee that something won’t go wrong - we get that. But at the very least, Microsoft, you should be able to guarantee that if something like this does happen, that you have some sort of expedited method for dealing with it so that your consumers who spend hundreds of dollars on your hardware aren’t sitting without it for 8-12 weeks because of your hardware problems. Also, I think it is a fair expectation that if you said everything would change in mid-July, that a console manufactured a month later would be clear of these issues.
UPDATE: As always, there are trolls who are claiming that this story must be made up, because a console manufactured over two weeks ago could in no way make the 8 hour plane trip from where it was made all the way over to here in Seattle in that timeframe. I must be some sort of Sony or Nintendo fanboy, just making up the story - they want images to prove I’m not lying. I grabbed a couple of shots of the back of the console, which you can check out after the break.
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Comments
Similar #### happend to me, I got a replacement July 28 2007 box and it died with under 10 hours of use when I got an achievement in Catan. I had it for 1 whole week. I hadn’t even played anything but Live Arcade games. That replacement is system has been at the repair center for a week tomorrow August the 31st and I’m still awaiting another. I used the digital camera method and saw I had the new heatsinks, but obviously they were not enough for that hardcore 3 hour Live Arcade marathon I decided to have that weekend not too long ago.
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How do you know it was new and not a refurb? Does it have HDMI on the back of it? All the new ones have HDMI. Just curious as to how you knew the manufactured date. Most people I know who got theirs replaced got a refurb.
K
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I was wondering the same thing, how did you know the MFD on the unit? Was it on that had the HDMI connector on it? Do you have additional pics of your console.
I actually find it very difficult to beleive that M$ is that stupid.
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You just got a 360 back from the repair center (which we all know takes 1 1/2 weeks +) and the first thing you play is a couple of demos....... I call BS
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Manufacture date is on the back of the box above the serial number.
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Exactly. The manufacturer’s date is stamped right on the back of the Xbox 360...very easy to tell. Just look at the back.
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I call ########.
You didn’t even
1) Mention if it has HDMI
2) Open it to check if it has the new fans
3) Mention if it is a falcom board (unlikely)
You just threw your sensationalist claim into the worlds because your serial sticker says August? Give me a break, why would Microsoft send you a brand new 360 with the new falcon board if nobody else on the planet has one?
Do your research next time.
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Wow Zak, you are so awesome!
1) Why is it necessary to mention if it has HDMI? Is that the requirement in order to expect that your console will work? No, it does not have HDMI.
2) You seriously expect me to open up an Xbox 360 that I just got so that I can look at the fans, and thusly, void the warranty?
3) How am I supposed to know what kind of board it has?
The bottom line is, the stamp on back of the console says the date - 8/15/2007. That is all I know. I never mentioned receiving any specific board, did I?
Go back and re-read the post.
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Dude I read your article but may I quote your title:
“Apparently That Xbox 360 Red Light of Doom Problem Hasn’t Been Fixed”
Your reply clearly shows us that you didn’t bother to do the slightest research. If you had you would know that:
1) all new 360’s have HDMI. If yours doesn’t it clearly wasn’t produced on 8/15/2007, maybe its just a refurbished one
2) you can check if it has the new cooling without opening it
3) the latest board (falcon) has HDMI
If you had at least checked that you had the new cooling you could have made a claim like “Apparently the new cooling solution doesn’t fix RROD” or “Refurbished consoles are still subject to RROD”. But to claim that the problem hasn’t been fixed at all requires to make sure that you have the latest hardware or at the very least the latest cooling solution.
You didn’t thus my angry post earlier.
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Hey there,
did you by any chance put it in a closed place?
for instance, a place where the heat blown out the back wasn’t really free?
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“You guys know this, every day in the factories where we are building these and where we are learning more about it.”
1. you design this thing
2. you manufacture this thing
Now you’re learning more about it?
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@ ZakMcRofl
First of all the New 360 Board is called the Zyphon or something and all that has is the extra Heatsinks nothing else. The Falcon is supposed to have the 65nm chip in it but, has yet to be released and of course will have HDMI. If it doesn’t have an HDMI port then it sounds like Microsoft may have sent him a refirb and relabled the Manufacturing date it should probably say Refurbished on 8-15-2007.
What I really still can’t beleive is that people who bought 360’s have gone thru sometimes 2,3,4 or even 6 consoles and are still loyal to the System if I was on my 3rd one and it died I would be so pissed I would sue the hell out of them so I could get some answers because this is clearly unacceptable to the consumer. They finally admit there is a problem but won’t specify what it is clearly in my book they can’t be trusted just yet. If this continues to happen I promise there will be such a recall or else there will be one of the biggest Class action Lawsuits ever and we all know they don’t want that. I am going to wait for the Falcon boards to be relased before i get one and hopefully that will solve it. Ohh also you can tell what kind of board you have in you 360 by looking at the box it came in. It will say somewhere on the Box probably on the bottom where it say what region it’s from NTSC etc etc etc… If it says Zyphon or something then all it has is the new Heatsinks. Good luck to all hopefully your system can last for longer than 24 Hours.
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ZakMcRofl is spot on. Manufactured on 8-15 and already in this guys hands?? BS like a MFr. Even a refurb couldn’t get in and out of the system that fast. If it was refurbed, it would have the new motherboard in it, the Zephyr: WITH HDMI and the new heat sink cooling solution. Without these two pieces of information, this just sounds like straight horse shiat.
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So yeah, its 8/15/2007 when everyone right now is still getting new units from major US etailers with July mfg dates?
No mention of HDMI, no pic of the back, just some closeup shot of the front of a 360 with an LE faceplate (because the first thing I do when I get an item replaced by warranty is dress it up and play demos to verify its working properly) and we’re supposed to believe this is a brand new console 2 weeks old thats 1 month younger then what anyone else has?
BS. More like its a unit refurbed from old stock and they slapped some new sticker on it without applying the new heatsink. Or, you’re full of crap and just looking to generate some ad revenue from the increase in hits over this story.
There’s no question the RRoD are a pretty big issue that has plagued the 360 since launch but I don’t buy what you’re selling.
Until I see substantiated evidence (legit pics) I call shens.
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You guys are so critical on something that you really know nothing about. I had the same EXACT experience with my replacement box. Received the new box, the date on mine was 7-24-07, refurbed or new, doesn’t matter, the date on back said 7-24-07. Played it for maybe 2 hours, and 3 red rings, even upon startup.
Bottom Line, Microsoft needs to fix this issue ASAP. Their is no other company in the world that would be able to mass produce a defunct product like this and get away with it.
My only hope is that when they send me the new box, it works, and from what I have read, they are delaying all repair shipments as of now. No reason for it, but possibly to get out there the new 65nm chip boxes with HDMI is the only conclusion I can come to.
~ Some will, Some won’t, So what. Next!
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It’s FAKE
F-A-K-E
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Guys, I want to tell you that I have had several rrod-situations with my current 360, but I am still playing it. Something as simple as a powercable that wasn’t plugged in correctly lead to the dreaded rrod’s. I installed extra cooling by putting a Nyko Intercooler at the back, this stops the powercable from attaching 100%. Normally it stays ok, but sometimes it is too loose.
Just to let you guys know.
I do still think Microsoft should take all 360 back, fix them properly and then send back the 360 you originally sent in.
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the problem is BIG anyway, until they will not come out with the new chipset/heatsink the problem still exists
+ if they will make that gpu heatsink from copper probably the rate of defective can be reduced, but until then, we will face the truth
cheers fix360guy.com
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My replacement system had no HDMI, but have the photos to prove mine had the new heat sinks. Whether it was really manufactured on the date the serial sticker said or not doesn’t matter, they’re still sending out #### with new heat sinks that are supposed to work. As for my 3 Red Rings, I checked all the damn plugs and everything was connected properly. I took off the hard drive, still nothing but 3 red rings. I tried all that #### with the Indian guy on the phone. Believe whatever you want but the author of this article is not the only person to have this #### happen to them. I have all my ####### Microsoft e-mails, the old serial numbers ect. and I’m still waiting for my 2nd replacement unit in over a month’s time.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/kfelon/newheatsink.jpg
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I probably shouldn’t admit this, but as soon as my xbox 360 crapped out i went to best buy and bought a new one. I used that one while they had mine for the first 25 days, then returned it for a refund. Then I went to walmart and bought another one, and returned it about 10 days later when mine finally came back from MS.
MS brags about how awesome their warranty is, but if you have to send the box away every few months for repairs, well, I paid too much for it to sit around and wait.
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We just updated the article with images of the back of the console for all the naysayers who, for some reason, think we would just make this up. As if we don’t have anything better to do with our time.
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I had the same problem. My original 360 died the start of last month which I had for about a year. A few weeks later I they sent another 360 and it died after four days. The manufactured date on the 360 they sent me had a July 07 date but it was still a refurbish console. All they did was stick a new mfg/serial number sticker on the back so that they can register it.
I could tell mine wasnt new cause of all the scuf marks it had near the bottom of the console where the usb ports are at and aslo on the side of the console you could see some scratches.
People I know who have got new ones sent back to them had the protective plastic on the DVD drive (the chrome part) and over the small black sensor. Mine had finger marks all over the chrome part of the DVD drive and the black sensor was all marked up.
I never checked if mine had the new headsink but it was a lot louder compared to my original 360 so I knew something was up with it and then it died four days later. Also the note they sent me (which im sure most people get) is it stats that its a “replacement console”, they never said anything about mine being new even with the July 07 mfg date.
I just hope the next 360 I get back is fixed. Its taking them longer to get it back to me so maybe thats a good thing.
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If it doesnt have HDMI its not new! it doesnt matter what the case says.
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Right - but in that case, now we have a dishonesty problem. If it wasn’t manufactured on 8/15/07, and the console says that it WAS manufactured on that date, something is seriously wrong.
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I recently had my xbox brick-up and had to send it in. Mine was 2005 and has been very reliable. Honestly I can say I knew this day would come. When asked why am I still loyal to Xbox eventhough it is obvious that the hardware is faulty. Its simple. Games. No other console has games that I want. My problem is that there are no consequences to Microsoft for admitting to producing faulty equipment with full knowledge of it. The law states that since the product is not a danger to the user that a recall is not warranted. There needs to be a recall or proof that the problem has been corrected. So far there has been neither… But they do have Halo 3, Bioshock, Mass Effect. Not fair. Damn you Sony for not capitalizing on this. Sorry for the rant.
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easy fix for this… buy a playstation 3
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I got my replacement back on tuesday afternoon the 28th of august and guess what it had a mfg date of 08/07/07 and it was brand new and it doesnt have aN HDMI either because I sent in a core, and since core’s are still being made and they dont offer a HDMI plug on them there are some out there that are NEW without HDMI. It is totally believable that this guy had this happen to his console. I really feel for all you haters out there that think this is some conspiracy. This is the best part and nobody will probably believe this but my 2 yr old console I sent back I had opened and broke my warranty sticker but I just didnt tell the chic at xbox it was gone and it got fixed LMAO.
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Check your power supply, same thing happened to me, but plugged it into my friends power brick, and it worked fine
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The MFR Date is what decides your warranty. When you get a refurb, they don’t give you a sticker from 06 that would be a year older than your console you just bought. Instead they give you a new MFR date so your three years are reset.
It doesn’t necessarily mean it was actually built on the assembly line on that date.
It’s still bad that your console crapped out. But they probably didn’t send you a new unit. That’s a refurb. It probably takes longer than that to ship the units over here from China.
Either way, Microsoft should stress test their refurbs before sending them out. It’s ridiculous that this would happen to you after just getting it back. Either that or you live in the desert and play your 360 in the sun with sand blowing in it.
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YOu guys are a bunch of cry baby f*ck ups...M$ fanboyism at it most pathetic...grow up…
$hitbox360 is a pile and it’s obvious that you idiots are willing to take anything up your a$$ for M$...PATHETIC!
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LOL!!!!
This is the funniest #### I’ve ever read, I swear someday an Xbox360 will over heat, explode and take out half a neighborhood and you Microsoft fanboys will still defend your crappy console.
“It killed my family but the system is still good!”
“Halo 3 rules!!! even though I can’t play it...”
You guys are lame asses
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The people having issues with the new boxes should consider their location or environment.
People still having RRODs are usually living in places where the temperature is higher on average, and the 360s are placed in relative hot environments or crowded places. If you have a new 360 with the heatsinks, place it in a wide open, good airflow location, you should have 0 problems.
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2 points:
1. Notice the network connection...it’s hardly sitting in the case properly...looks like it’s jammed up into the case...that looks like a defect right there.
2. My refurb has the original manufacture date on it, not a replaced one (with no indication in that area its a refurb)...unless it was refurbed all the way back in 2006.
Whether or not this is true, there is a serious problem if there’s a discrepancy between the serial dates and the quality of the systems. This dude got shafted one way or the other.
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same happened to me but only worked for 2 hours. They replaced my console which was origanally with the platnium trim with a core. Now it took over 2 weeks to get my first replacement only for them to send me a defaulty 360 that worked 2 hours while i was playing bioshock demo. I then got tree red lights. Now i have been waiting over a week and yesterday just got the empty box to send it in. Hey microsoft if your stupid S**t fails. You should pay the extra money for overnight delivery. Its your F*****G mistake so we shouldnt have to wait 2-6 weeks. Also whoever said its about the enviroment your in Your F*****G stupid and should be shot. My xbox was on glass in a 70 degree room. We keep the ac always cold. It has nothing to do with the temp where you live. So stfu. It has top do with a faulty unreliable product that microsoft cant back up. Or even the decincy to ship out replacements and make sure they work.
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so has msoft fixed the 3 ring problems in its most recently produced consoles??
also what is the diff between the elite and the premium consoles? is it worth the extra dough?
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What a piece of junk. Tell William to suck on my wee.
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I still think the 360 rocks.
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Even with all the evidence, I still think Andru is lying and the MS has made a great console.
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Wow, denial is a powerful thing apparently. Even with hundreds of broken XBOX360 reports and people getting broken ones as replacements, people think it’s a conspiracy or just MS-bashing… I’m amazed, but have to give props to MicroSoft for creating such a dedicated following.
Denial FTW!
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whatever. i like my 360. Its the best gaming console out right now for the money. Yeah so there’s hardware problems, doesnt stop people from buying ipods, why should it stop people from buying xbox 360s? Also, the customer service is great. They replaced my xbox when the red lights showed up, exended my warranty, and gave me an extra month of xbox live. BUT I COULDNT PLAY FOR 3 WEEKS !!!! WAAAAAHHHHHHH.... get a life.....
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i have an xbox and eager waiting to get a 360 but concerned about the problem. clearly there is a big problem but not all units are dying.
i’d like to here from someone who’s hasn’t died and get their take on why their’s hasn’t died. hours played, hours used straight without stopping, ventilation, etc.
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Mine was perfectly fine, I kept the power brick high up on a speaker away from all other things that could block the air flow and kept the 360 itself well ventilated to the point I would slide it part of the way out of my cabinet under the tv to give it alot of breathing room. I also removed every other system out of the cabinet except a GameCube that sat next to it. There’s no warning with this #### it just happens, you don’t even have to be playing a long session. For me I played about 2 hours of Catan and got the RROD the second I got an achievement. I love the 360 but it’s obviously an extremely flawed system that needed alot more quality control & testing with the builds meant for the general public.
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Tired of the red ring showing up? Send your system to www.VideoGame911.com. They repair the red ring of death, they have repaired two of my systems and now I am sending in the third. Since we use the systems heavily, I wanted to get them done so I didn’t have to keep sending them back. My friend told me they had a fast turnaround normally, both of mine were back in like 2-3 days but I paid for upgraded shipping as I am on west coast.
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Yhea! as some guy stated, I found a solution......buy a PS3 and let your friends buy a 360, that way you can still play halo 3, but not get into any troubles regarding RROD!!!!
BTW, the 3 360’s they had, earned a free ride on the coffin, want proof?, ask your friends, at least 1 have a fucked up 360
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XBOX 360 repair service
fix360guy dot com
Los Angeles Area and OC Area
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XBOX 360 repair service - fix360guy.com - provided in Los Angeles, CA area and Orange county area also entire USA
http://www.fix360guy.com
fix360guy at fix360guy.com
located in Long Beach, CA
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I sent mine away with error code 0020 cos it fucked up they sent me it back with error code 0102 lol useless. Microsoft has all this money and they put it together with crappy cheap parts. Not only that i can’t get it exchanged for a new one and i can’t play it there probably send it back broke again and i’ll have to keep sending it back and fourth till my warranty runs out. If i’d known all this when i paid £300 for it 6 or 7 months ago i would have never of brought the peace of ####.
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I see in the picture he has his serial number blacked out. Too bad he forgot to black out the number below the bar code. Which is the same number. LOL.
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Okay, here’s the deal for all of you, including the columnist who wrote the original piece.
When you return your 360 for repair, they slap a new mfg date on the back so you get three years of coverage from that date (the full warranty).
All new 360’s have the newer falcon board if they have the hdmi port. If you have an hdmi port, you are good to go as microsoft says this new board fixes the problem.
If you send your box off and get one without the hdmi port back, they just reattached the chip to the board and likely added a larger heatsink. Will this fix the machine forever? Not likely.
Do what I did, invest in a new 360 arcade and add the stuff from your old system (wireless controllers, hard drive, etc.).
These ship with the new boards and you get the added benefit of HDMI.
Good luck.
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If MS would listen to the modding comunity, they could fix the xboxes, and never have any more problems. This is how the RROD’s happen and why:
The heatsinks are held in place by “X clamps”. The clamps are reverse bent, and they have a little nub in the center. They pull very hard on the board, which causes the little nub to push up on the processors. When the system overheats due to underpowered fans rated for 12v but running at 5v, (not to mention the dvd drive right on top of the chip, which generates temendous heat) the lead free cheap solder they use actually melts, and allows the chips to lose their connections with the board. Remove x-clamps, replace with proper screws and washers, some good thermal paste, and wire the stock fans to run 12v, and no more problems, ever......
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