Inside Microsoft's Xbox 360
by Anand Lal Shimpi, Kristopher Kubicki & Tuan Nguyen on November 16, 2005 5:09 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
What's in the Box, in the Box? (Taking it Apart)
Microsoft has shown the world that it's very swift when it comes to recovering from errors that it has made. With the original Xbox design, Microsoft was definitely testing new ground and thus had little experience when it came to protecting its intellectual property and hardware. The original Xbox was largely easy to open by most people with the most common of tools and was quickly adopted by the modding community as the ultimate "utility" console.
In an attempt to circumvent those with modified Xboxes, Microsoft added security and authentication features to its Xbox Live service that would detect whether an Xbox was in its original form or not. But the mod community did not sit idle and not long after, mod chips were introduced that were able to switch on and off between original BIOS mode and "modified" BIOS mode.
Microsoft has clearly announced to the public that it has designed the Xbox 360 from the ground up to thwart those who want to crack open the case -- even simply for a look inside. They have stated that the unit will be screwless (partially true) and be extremely difficult to disassemble -- unfortunately only partially true.
With a few simple tools we were able to disassemble the entire unit, removing every component from the system without any damage. If you plan to take apart your Xbox 360 -- and we must warn that doing so will void your warranty immediately -- the following tools are needed:
- Three torx screw drivers in the following sizes: T6, T7 and T12
- One small flat head screw driver or small and thin wedge
- A 2 inch long and thin (roughly 1.5mm thick) metal stick
- A 2 inch long and flat (less than 1mm thick) plastic or metal stick
- A pair of thin pliers
With those tools in hand, we're ready to disassemble the Xbox 360.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
91 Comments
View All Comments
preciousstone - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - link
this is nice, i found this tutorial via a wholesaler whom is selling this item at very attracting price.thanks!
preciousstone - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - link
in case u will need the site address?http://www.volumerate.com/details.vr/sku.6116">http://www.volumerate.com/details.vr/sku.6116
covert0001 - Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - link
I have just replaced the "x" clamps on a friends board after previously repairing 2 others with 3"rlod".I used this method-
Removed x clamps and heat sinks
Cleaned dice and sinks thoroughly with methanol and cotton buds
Put a spot of artic silver on the dice
Mounted heat sinks with m5 machine screws, nylon washers and washers
Let the board warm up till the 2 red lights came on and then let it cool
This method worked a treat on both others
The problem with this one is it plays a game for about 5-10 minutes then just freezes up. If i switch it off then back on it comes up with the 3 reds again. I can manage to get it to work again but the screen eventually freezes again and 3 reds. Any ideas what could be causing this or to solve this would be greatly appreciated
steveyoung123456789 - Friday, December 9, 2011 - link
NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THE FUCK YOUR TALKING ABOUT!xBublizZ - Sunday, April 1, 2012 - link
I know!JoeMontana1616161616 - Friday, July 5, 2019 - link
Shut the fuck up and go sit your ass back on the bench, Steve.itsmyfallt - Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - link
i was going to paint my 360, but dont want to screw over my warranty, is there any way that you can take the outer shell apart and not leave any visible evidence(besides the color change) that you have taken the shell off and tooled around with it?xboxrox - Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - link
here are a few more details of the insides -http://www.teardown.com/press/Port_Xbox_360_PR_112...">http://www.teardown.com/press/Port_Xbox_360_PR_112...
jugaaru - Friday, November 18, 2005 - link
I guess the anandtech server is getting hammered, I guess its the first full blown review. Nice work anyway.kmmatney - Thursday, November 17, 2005 - link
Just google "cpu dice" - I found this quote right away:"AMD is not in a position to move its product line to dual-core until it brings on an additional fab--either it's own Fab 36 or a foundry," Kevin Krewell, an analyst for In-Stat and editor of the Microprocessor Report, said Thursday. "Dual core equals two regular CPU dice, so it's not cost effective for AMD to ship dual-core [chips] for the same price as single-core. AMD needs to keep dollars per wafer growing, and aggressive pricing of dual-core would reduce it."
Looks like many people use to term dice. So for you guys bitching and moaning for Anand to chaneg it - guess what - No Dice!