360 broke, gift card issued. Elite questions

[NeverSeen]

Hi all!

So like many others my Xbox 360 has the three red rings. It also has an issue with going from black to white on dvd's leaving the screen tinted green (think matrix).

Because i knew this thing would break eventually i purchased the Circuit City warranty on it. I called them today and they said they would trade me my broke unit for a $400 gift card.

I'm planning on using the GC to buy an elite system. I will only have to pay the $80 difference (less than the cost of buying a separate wireless receiver i need anyways), tax, and warranty cost if i decide to get it again.

Has anyone heard anything about the Elites going down also, or are they not going to have the 3 ring issue. Would they be covered under the new 3 year warranty from Microsoft?

Besides HDMI, wireless, the 120GB HDD, and black color is there really anything different or special about it?

Thanks!

 

[avaserfi]

I haven't specifically heard of the newer elites breaking down but I have heard that the problem with 360s was partially due to their processor running hot. I think in August a newer 360s will be released with a smaller but cooler running processer (same power). These should alleviate the three ring issue.

Other than the listed differences I don't think the elite is much different.

 

[NeverSeen]

...damn it. Wireless controllers not WiFi. That makes it WAY less worth it... *shrug*

How can I backup my HDD before sending it back in?? Can i buy one of hose little memory card things and put all my profiles on it? I don't have anything else on the HDD right now besides the profiles...

 

[avaserfi]

...damn it. Wireless controllers not WiFi. That makes it WAY less worth it... *shrug*

You should just save yourself the money and buy a ps3 get your HD content and 5 free movies . Also, you won't have to worry about breakage. Ps3 estimated breakdown is between 1-3%.

 

[abboudc]

Has anyone heard anything about the Elites going down also, or are they not going to have the 3 ring issue. Would they be covered under the new 3 year warranty from Microsoft?

Besides HDMI, wireless, the 120GB HDD, and black color is there really anything different or special about it?

Thanks!

Yes, some of the Elites have the same problem (Guitar Hero 2 patch is reported to have killed some of them). It is, after all, the same hardware. They are covered under Microsoft's 3 year warranty for RRoD. The warranty is shorter for other issues.

Besides HDMI, the bigger hard drive, and color, there are no other differences.

 

[abboudc]

...damn it. Wireless controllers not WiFi. That makes it WAY less worth it... *shrug*

How can I backup my HDD before sending it back in?? Can i buy one of hose little memory card things and put all my profiles on it? I don't have anything else on the HDD right now besides the profiles...

If you're planning on going wifi, i'd recommend the Linksys WGA54G. It'll turn any wired network connection wireless. I originally purchased one for my PS2, but now use it for the 360. It's much better than buying an Xbox 360 one.

Unless you've only used your console "offline", you shouldn't need to backup your profiles. As soon as i connected the Elite, signed in, it knew my gamerscore, achievements, etc, as it's all stored on Live's servers. You'll lose all your game saves though.

One other note, the Elite is much quieter than the premium, but still way louder than the ps3 or wii.

 

[NeverSeen]

You should just save yourself the money and buy a ps3 get your HD content and 5 free movies . Also, you won't have to worry about breakage. Ps3 estimated breakdown is between 1-3%.

Thought about it for a minute. Only problem with that is I can't use my 360 games, controllers, and various accessories with the PS3. I would lose all the money I paid for them and then need to rebuy them for the PS3. Makes it to costly at this point in time. I will end up getting the HD DVD add on that now comes with the 5 DVDs and dropped $20, if I decide I need it.
Oh, and I've owned 4 PS2's from about a year after they came out until the time I bought the 360 3 months after launch. All died on their own, both the large sized one and the small one. Sony lost me with the PS2. Glad i bought the warranty on that .

If you're planning on going wifi, i'd recommend the Linksys WGA54G. It'll turn any wired network connection wireless. I originally purchased one for my PS2, but now use it for the 360. It's much better than buying an Xbox 360 one.

I'll look into that. I'm very much so against using the 360 one unless i find it for cheap.

Unless you've only used your console "offline", you shouldn't need to backup your profiles.

Offline only. I'd really not like to loose my profiles and saves. Any thoughts on back up?


Should I be concerned about 1.3HDMI on this unit, or will it suffice and still be better than the component I'm using now.

 

[avaserfi]

Component will work just fine. I think the big difference will be with the HD DVD player which will not be able to send a 1080p signal to your TV via component although there is a company trying to fix that problem.

 

[techgurudude]

Just so you know, the XBox 360 does support 1080p over component. Now, there could be an issue specifically with using the HD DVD drive, which I am not sure about, but I do think I remember hearing something about that in the past.
As for your game saves, look into getting a hard drive adapter. It is called the Xbox 360 connectivity kit, and allows you to hook your 360 hard drive to your computer with a sata cable. There are different ones available, do a search on ebay for xbox 360 connectivity kit or xbox 360 hdd adapter. You can then use a program called Xplorer360, it can be found at xbox-scene.com. I don't have enough posts to leave a link, but if you want a link to the specific page for the program, just send me a pm.

You should be able to backup your hard drive, then copy the data to your new hard drive when you get it.

 

[avaserfi]

Just so you know, the XBox 360 does support 1080p over component. Now, there could be an issue specifically with using the HD DVD drive, which I am not sure about, but I do think I remember hearing something about that in the past.
As for your game saves, look into getting a hard drive adapter. It is called the Xbox 360 connectivity kit, and allows you to hook your 360 hard drive to your computer with a sata cable. There are different ones available, do a search on ebay for xbox 360 connectivity kit or xbox 360 hdd adapter. You can then use a program called Xplorer360, it can be found at xbox-scene.com. I don't have enough posts to leave a link, but if you want a link to the specific page for the program, just send me a pm.

You should be able to backup your hard drive, then copy the data to your new hard drive when you get it.

As I said the HD DVD player won't be able to send a 1080p signal over component I never mentioned games. The reason for this block on component audio is due to copyright laws otherwise HDMI wouldn't be quiet so sought after.

 

[NeverSeen]

As I said the HD DVD player won't be able to send a 1080p signal over component I never mentioned games.

No worries, i have a couple of monster HDMI cables laying around in a drawer with all my misc monster stuff i aquired on employee discount . TV is a Hitachi 50VF820 (720P/1080i) with 2 HDMI slots so I will be just fine. I just read some concern about it having the HDMI1.3 and the PS3 having a newer? HDMI.

If/when i get the elite I fully plain on using HDMI to the TV and optical to the AVR. Currently i have the monster component/optical set. Maybe i will sell those and my old PS2 kit (monster component, optical, power cord) or not. who knows.

This will all be installed in my nearly complete DHT room with 7.1. so I'm very much so looking forward to the HD DVD and all.

 

[abboudc]

Offline only. I'd really not like to loose my profiles and saves. Any thoughts on back up?

The easiest (and cheapest) way to do it would be to take it to a friends house and go online with it. There are other methods, most of them are going to cost you a few bucks or will require your hard drive being hooked up to a working 360.

Going online will only save your profile, not your game saves, so you may prefer one of the other methods. The connectivity kit should work.

The 120GB HD comes with the cable you need to transfer everything from another drive, but that cable doesn't come with the elite.

 

[NeverSeen]

http://cgi.ebay.com/360SATA-XBOX-360-HDD-SATA-Adapter-w-free-SATA-Cable_W0QQitemZ230156611283QQihZ013QQcategoryZ122517QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Is this what you are talking about? Cheap... but how does it work heh.

 

[abboudc]

http://cgi.ebay.com/360SATA-XBOX-360-HDD-SATA-Adapter-w-free-SATA-Cable_W0QQitemZ230156611283QQihZ013QQcategoryZ122517QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Is this what you are talking about? Cheap... but how does it work heh.

I've never seen that specific one, but yes, that's the general idea. Hook up the drive to your computer, copy the files. Hook the new drive up, copy the files.