X360 Halo3 w/Falcon chip (65nm)?

[Turok]

Hello everyone.

After researching to see if H3 is worth it (since IMO H2 sucked, mostly MP vs H1.) I was also researching about the consoles and the 65nm Falcon chip. While I looked around, I stumbled upon this thread from forums.Xbox.com:

http://forums.xbox.com/1/15804553/Sh....aspx#15804553

It seems that a few Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition consoles are shipping with the longly anticipated 65nm refresh. Consoles with dale lot "#0734" or newer seem to have the 65nm Falcon chip with a new heatsink.

Further through the thread, a test was posted:

Checking power consumption is really the only way to tell any differences in electronics. "New Design" can be printed all over but still you have to test it out to find out how much the new design helped. I used the same power supply, cables and hard drive for both tests. The Halo 3 console used .7 amps, this is measured from the AC side of the power supply, the Elite used 1.0 amps. That is 33.3% less amps, and very hard to make a human error doing this very simple test.

I went to the trouble of doing the test again this time taking pictures.

http://users.cescowildblue.com/jwsteed/images/Elite.jpg

http://users.cescowildblue.com/jwsteed/images/Halo.jpg

...they also show pics of the chip. I trimmed a 90nm X360 chip so you can compare:

90nm


65nm


BTW, my final verdict was to get the X360 H3 + H3 . This game better be good when it gets here, since it cost me $460 (w/S&H)!

[tbone8ty]

about time

though i think xbox360 has lost all its luster to me.

id rather get a ps3

and plus there are so many awesome pc games coming out including gears of war and crysis.

id rather spend 400 on a new graphics card and games.

[Turok]

about time

though i think xbox360 has lost all its luster to me.

id rather get a ps3

and plus there are so many awesome pc games coming out including gears of war and crysis.

id rather spend 400 on a new graphics card and games.

Well yes, but my 7950gx2 holds on pretty well at the moment, and my plan is to wait for the next-gen of cards from nVidia and ATi to upgrade for Crysis, UT2k7, GoW, etc. I still have enough funds for GoW and Crysis when it releases in a month, and ATM I'm getting Halo3 and The Orange Box.

The reason I chose to invest on Halo3 was because I really liked Halo1, but I thought Halo2 was terrible, and since I hear Halo3 combines the best of both and is more like Halo1, I decided to go with it.
I watched several gameplay footages and have read people's opinion (Especially those who didnt like H2), and the game seems less n00bish than Halo2's MP and it's pretty rich in content. Looks like a game that could last like Counter Strike or Quake3. On top of that, in case any other good X360 games release, I already have the console and with the 65nm refresh

[Metroid]

Microsoft still has not convinced me to buy its fantasied Xbox 360, my mind for games works the same way as any RPG gamer. Xbox 360 has low level games, the controller is still bad designed and clumsy. The only thing they have of advantage over Nintendo and Sony is the online gaming play. The way Microsoft is acting is right, because its base of consoles sold is installed in north American. Microsoft said, the first next generation video game launched would be the console winner entrusted on the video game history. So now I ask what about the Mega Drive/Genesis first launched in 1988 and was surpassed by the Super Nintendo launched 2 years later in 1990? What about the RIP Dreamcast? and now I say what about the XBox 360? RIP too? If was not for the money Microsoft has would had been a long time. They make blank statements. I hope they will learn the lesson and create something worth in the next generation because this one has finished and the great winner is Nintendo.

First thing you will notice when you open a XBOX 360 box is the AC Adapter is *HUGE*. I don't mean just big, but it's the size of a red brick and seems ominous the first time you pull it out of the box.

Anyone 2 kilos AC adapter? Its AC adapter is heavier than the Wii. lol

65nm good work, sorry but this is not for me.

Have fun Microsoft with the north American market.

[Turok]

Microsoft still has not convinced me to buy its fantasied Xbox 360, my mind for games works the same way as any RPG gamer. Xbox 360 has low level games, the controller is still bad designed and clumsy. The only thing they have of advantage over Nintendo and Sony is the online gaming play. The way Microsoft is acting is right, because its base of consoles sold is installed in north American. Microsoft said, the first next generation video game launched would be the console winner entrusted on the video game history. So now I ask what about the Mega Drive/Genesis first launched in 1988 and was surpassed by the Super Nintendo launched 2 years later in 1990? What about the RIP Dreamcast? and now I say what about the XBox 360? RIP too? If was not for the money Microsoft has would had been a long time. They make blank statements. I hope they will learn the lesson and create something worth in the next generation because this one has finished and the great winner is Nintendo.

First thing you will notice when you open a XBOX 360 box is the AC Adapter is *HUGE*. I don't mean just big, but it's the size of a red brick and seems ominous the first time you pull it out of the box.

Anyone 2 kilos AC adapter? Its AC adapter is heavier than the Wii. lol

65nm good work, sorry but this is not for me.

Have fun Microsoft with the north American market.

To be honest, the only thing that sells on the Xbox is the Halo series, and it's true that M$'s Xbox only survived because of their money. M$ market their only good games very aggressively here in the US, and a good example of this was Halo3. Gears of Wars did very well too, but I would consider that a PC game, since I bet M$ paid them to rush GoW for the X360 release first, and then delay the PC version.

I really liked the N64 and games like Super Smash, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Perfect Dark, etc. but I have migrated away from console games in general and have mainly focused on PC games, because: 1) Multilayer games have the longest life-time; 2) PC's usually have the best hardcore multilayer games; and 3) Because I have a stronger preference for games that are quick and fun, such as FPS and RTS games Series like Zelda, MGS, Halo (Except Halo2) seem to be one of the few exceptions.

Yes, I could have bought a Wii with the new Super Smash for a multiplayer game, but games like Halo3 seem a bit more massive, with more freedom, and I really like eye-candy

[Syn.]

Microsoft still has not convinced me to buy its fantasied Xbox 360, my mind for games works the same way as any RPG gamer. Xbox 360 has low level games, the controller is still bad designed and clumsy. The only thing they have of advantage over Nintendo and Sony is the online gaming play. The way Microsoft is acting is right, because its base of consoles sold is installed in north American. Microsoft said, the first next generation video game launched would be the console winner entrusted on the video game history. So now I ask what about the Mega Drive/Genesis first launched in 1988 and was surpassed by the Super Nintendo launched 2 years later in 1990? What about the RIP Dreamcast? and now I say what about the XBox 360? RIP too? If was not for the money Microsoft has would had been a long time. They make blank statements. I hope they will learn the lesson and create something worth in the next generation because this one has finished and the great winner is Nintendo.

First thing you will notice when you open a XBOX 360 box is the AC Adapter is *HUGE*. I don't mean just big, but it's the size of a red brick and seems ominous the first time you pull it out of the box.

Anyone 2 kilos AC adapter? Its AC adapter is heavier than the Wii. lol

65nm good work, sorry but this is not for me.

Have fun Microsoft with the north American market.

its never about the console it selfs, its always about the games you get to play on them.

X360 has the biggest game catalouge that makes it the better console to get because you will get more for your money.

Fair comments about the controler but talking about the brick is just being picky.

Turok dont forget GTAIV for X360 in 3 months time.

[FatHippo]

tbh, I think microsoft is doing great with the x360 so far, atleast they are outdoing the main archiraval sony... sony is just sucking very badly this gen

[jkabaseball]

the new xbox 360's with HDMI that came out are the 65nm chips too, they are rediciously cooler, i just got one

[DilTech]

They still haven't shrunk down the gpu, and as such means this one will still suffer the RROD.

the new xbox 360's with HDMI that came out are the 65nm chips too, they are rediciously cooler, i just got one

Not all of them are...

[Warboy]

They still haven't shrunk down the gpu, and as such means this one will still suffer the RROD.



Not all of them are...

Well, My mom just brought a elite and it has a 65nm CPU...


PS. Yes My mom brought a 360 for halo 3....She is a gamer too.

[JargonGR]

Well this is how I proceeded this time:

1) I built a nice quad core PC with SLIed GTX a Prelude x-fi and a 30" monitor (overclocked ofc)

2) Then I bought a wii so I can play with friends or my wife from time to time.

3) I built a Home Theater system with 52" HDTV, an HTPC and a 6000 Euros sound setup.

4) Then I said wtf get a PS3 to enjoy on the HDTV and new sound system. So I got it.

5) Damn I am sick, I wanted an Xbox 360 too. So guess wha? I got an Elite.

The fun part is that the time I have to play is mostly 8 hours per week because we are going out all the time or friends are coming.

In 1000 years I will get my moneys worth back!

All I have to say though is that out of the three machines the PS3 has impressed me the most and I think that it is not overpriced at all for what it comes with out of the box.

-wi-fi
-Blue Ray
- Second controller and 2 games pack (Europe)
- Much better DVD play quality compared to the xbox (upscaling to 1080p is really nice on my TV although I play movies through my HTPC)

If you add the cost of a wi-fi adapter to the xbox 360 Elite (shame on them) and the fact that it had not even a single game bundled (I got 2 controllers and 2 games with the PS3) then it is really much more expensive.


Nevertheless I got the Xbox360 for the exclusives and because I had Halo 1,2 and have not played them.

[Cobalt]

You got stung on that 360 deal if you didn't even get any games with it. All the shops around where I live offer at least one free game with it and usually 2 with £20 extra on the cost, saves £70-80.

[jkabaseball]

I took back my 360, got a brand new one with the new chip and $50 back so IDK if that is a bad deal or not.

I didn't think that the elite had the new chip, but i could be wrong.

[Turok]

the new xbox 360's with HDMI that came out are the 65nm chips too, they are rediciously cooler, i just got one

The first Platinums with HDMI didn't have the 65nm refresh, and the X360 Halo3 edition also has HDMI and the 65nm refresh.

I don't know why people are saying this CPU refresh wont make and difference with respect to the RRoD
The X360's cooling basically works by vacuuming the air from inside the case, through the heatsinks and through the ducts, and then releasing it to the back. If they replaced both the CPU and GPU heatsinks, and the GPU heatsink extends to the CPU air channel, and on top of that the CPU is much cooler now, then the rate of dissipation should be more efficient and the ambient temp. inside the case will lower.

Yes, it's not the best way to approach this situation, but if you think about it all they are looking for is the minimum to prevent overheating so they don't have to spend on repairs, and they obviously also want to increase profit so they reduce the die size of the CPU to make X360 production cheaper. I'm guessing they would get worse yields trying to shrink ATi's GPU, which is probably mostly known to ATi engineers.

[disruptfam]

Well this is how I proceeded this time:

1) I built a nice quad core PC with SLIed GTX a Prelude x-fi and a 30" monitor (overclocked ofc)

2) Then I bought a wii so I can play with friends or my wife from time to time.

3) I built a Home Theater system with 52" HDTV, an HTPC and a 6000 Euros sound setup.

4) Then I said wtf get a PS3 to enjoy on the HDTV and new sound system. So I got it.

5) Damn I am sick, I wanted an Xbox 360 too. So guess wha? I got an Elite.

The fun part is that the time I have to play is mostly 8 hours per week because we are going out all the time or friends are coming.

In 1000 years I will get my moneys worth back!

All I have to say though is that out of the three machines the PS3 has impressed me the most and I think that it is not overpriced at all for what it comes with out of the box.

-wi-fi
-Blue Ray
- Second controller and 2 games pack (Europe)
- Much better DVD play quality compared to the xbox (upscaling to 1080p is really nice on my TV although I play movies through my HTPC)

If you add the cost of a wi-fi adapter to the xbox 360 Elite (shame on them) and the fact that it had not even a single game bundled (I got 2 controllers and 2 games with the PS3) then it is really much more expensive.


Nevertheless I got the Xbox360 for the exclusives and because I had Halo 1,2 and have not played them.

millionaire???

[Dainas]

millionaire???

That or fearless master of the credit card.

Have had friends who did pretty much the above(super home theater+all consoles+mega PC) and then go on and finance a car that had to be worth their annual income. I don't even have a student loan 3 years in, thank god.

[Jodiuh]

Is it quieter? Does it run cooler?

[DilTech]

Well, My mom just brought a elite and it has a 65nm CPU...


PS. Yes My mom brought a 360 for halo 3....She is a gamer too.

So I take it the system is from lot 734 or above then. Anything below that is still 90nm.

[crash5s]

Only because of game catalogue, which is probably more like politics and lobbyists. Microsoft lobbied the producers better than Sony did this time around.

This isn't exactly the case.

For a while Sony had a great line-up loaded with exclusives. The issue was that they had to much trouble selling PS3's. For some it was the price, but in a lot of cases people simply got fed up with all their lies and BS surrounding the console and wouldn't buy it.

Game publishers need an install base to make profit off their games, with the PS3 not selling as well as predicted it's bleeding exclusives to the 360 like crazy because developers aren't stupid.

This creates a death spiral where the PS3 can't sell because it lacks good exclusives, and nobody wants to make a good exclusive for it because the user base is to small.

You know it's bad when even Japanese companies that want Sony to win out are grumbling in public.

It probably doesn't help the fact that the dev tools for the 360 are reportedly better.

[tbone8ty]

Is it quieter? Does it run cooler?

yeah any temp. benchmarks out yet?

need some comparison between new and old.

ud think with such a market for cooling such as in the pc gaming market, that somebody would design an add-on heatsink cooler for the xbox360.

like have heatpipes go from the gpu into the top part of the cpu heatsink where there is more air flow.

anyways

[Turok]

yeah any temp. benchmarks out yet?

need some comparison between new and old.

ud think with such a market for cooling such as in the pc gaming market, that somebody would design an add-on heatsink cooler for the xbox360.

like have heatpipes go from the gpu into the top part of the cpu heatsink where there is more air flow.

anyways

There are several 3rd party heatsinks and waterblocks that work for the x360, but most wouldn't like to open their X360 if they don't have to or if they're not going to mod it, since they'll lose their warranty.

I've been looking at some user opinions, and supposedly it does feel cooler from the exhaust and it's a bit more silent. All I found were amperage comparisons, which can be seen on my first post above. I've never owned an x360, but when I get mine I guess I can give my point-of-you on it.

I think the best solution to cool the x360 would be to simply make two reasonably sized, tower style (like the CPU HS) copper heatsinks separated from each other and with their own ducts. The exhaust on the 360 has 2x fans, so I would give 1x fan per heatsink. This way, the heat from the GPU doesn't spread onto the CPU and vise verse, and both chips would probably dissipate heat quicker instead of building up in the case.

[Jodiuh]

Too bad everyone ed about the "large" Xbox and now it's successor wound up in a box even smaller. How much better everything would have been if it was standard Home Theater Receiver sized...bigger heatsinks, fans, and more airflow. For shame...

EDIT: And freakin' BLACK from the start would have been nice M$!

[JargonGR]

millionaire???

It's not a matter of millionaire, lets say I work hard enough so I can afford it at the age of 32.

That or fearless master of the credit card.

Have had friends who did pretty much the above(super home theater+all consoles+mega PC) and then go on and finance a car that had to be worth their annual income. I don't even have a student loan 3 years in, thank god.

The home theater, consoles and mega PC is nothing cost wise compared to 100, 000 Euros (and over) car unless you are really loaded and get those amplifiers that cost $50,000 per 2 channels and speakers for 160,000$ per pair (oh yes there are such).

Nevertheless, a car buy is much different for each person and for example in my country you see lots of super expensive cars owned by people that their income (or their house for that matter) makes you go wtf? For my I prefer to put my money on land and property.


Now I really hope my new Xbox360 Elite is the revised chip but even if it is not I don't care since MS could always replace it.

[jkabaseball]

Now I really hope my new Xbox360 Elite is the revised chip but even if it is not I don't care since MS could always replace it.

The Elites have the old one, but i guess they are made from highly tested and cream of the crop picked hardware

[numberlpete]

just got the premeir with the new motherboard that has hdmi on it and it has the new heatsinks too. It was $349 and was purchased in houston tx at Fry's electronics yesterday. Is there anything i can do to check if it has 65nm cpu or even the 65nm gpu that doesnt involve taking off the heatsink? If i need to take heatsink off i will, i want to help everyone know which models have the new chips.