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XBox 360 Extra Cooling Fan (anti-RROD)

How to add an additional cooling fan to the XBox 360 to prevent the RROD

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My brother's XBox 360 (phat) decided to start showing the RROD, specifically 2 lights, which means inadequate cooling.
I opened up the 360, removed the old, solidified, thermal compound, applied new goo, and the RROD was gone. But the heat coming off the main heatsink still bothered me - it was running at 80+ C in less than 30 seconds of powering on, in a cold room no less.
Using rgall0's guide here (http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?/topic/549063-add-front-fan-header-to-360-motherboard/), I added a fan to the top of the 360 for more cooling.

I figured I'd provide a write-up with some of the minor notes that I didn't find in the other guides.

  • The original XBox 360 phat has a notorious cooling problem, which can ultimately cause the dreaded RROD.
  • The chip beneath the larger heatsink on the 360 seems to generate A LOT of heat, very quickly, so we need more cooling
  • Early models the 360 phat have an unused header for a 3-pin fan, and the voltage can be selected between 5V and 12V with a simple solder (see guide)
  • This will add some noise to your 360, but it should help keep the chips cool enough to prevent the RROD

  • 1 × Soldering iron
  • 1 × Solder
  • 1 × Rotary tool
  • 1 × 3-pin header male
  • 1 × 3-pin connector female

View all 6 components

  • 1
    Step 1

    Take apart XBox 360 using included iFixit guide to remove motherboard.

    This part is a bit tricky as you have to apply a bit of force in Steps 21 through 25.

  • 2
    Step 2

    Once removed, identify pin header and voltage selection solder points with rgall0's guide.

    If you want 12v then solder R7V7 together.

    If you want 5v then solder R7V6 together.

  • 3
    Step 3

    Solder pin header to board (I only used 2 pins for VCC and GND).

    I had to remove the smaller heatsink to get better access to the solder points.

View all 9 instructions

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