My Xbox 360 red ringed right before a big Halo night.

Was in my dorm room last Thursday. Heard the fans go nuts, then three red lights. Tried the towel trick for maybe 20 minutes. No luck. Opened it up, found the thermal paste was basically dust. Cleaned it and reapplied some Arctic Silver. Booted up fine. Anyone know a better fix for the GPU heat sink?

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3 Comments

the_logan5mo ago

Actually, the towel trick is really bad for the console... it just bakes the board even more. You got lucky it worked at all. That method warps the motherboard over time. Replacing the thermal paste was the right move, but the real fix needs more. The GPU heat sink needs new thermal pads too, and you have to make sure the X-clamps aren't putting uneven pressure. Might want to look up the bolt mod fix if it happens again.

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charlie_roberts874mo ago

Used to swear by the towel trick myself but yeah, you're totally right, that was dumb luck.

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williams.amy5mo ago

Has anyone tried just using a small fan to blow on the console? I mean, the_logan is right about the long term fix, but a little extra air flow might help keep it cool in the meantime. Idk, maybe it's just me but that always seemed to help mine.

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