Xbox education needed

[Nish]

Pretty sure my Son's Xbox One is finally on its way out. Power cord is making strange, noises like a fan is failing or rattling around and something in the deck, either a hard drive of cooling fan is starting to sound like a plane taking off from time to time.

Thoughts on how to keep this 8 year old system ticking?

About what I know is the new ones are the X and the S. What's are the pros and cons for you guys that use them?

He's not someone that needs all the latest and greatest, just likes to play.

[redsquirrel]

I’d start with opening the thing and giving it a quick inspection. Sometimes there’s a large accumulation of dust that could be causing some noise, but if you run it with the case off and the noise occurs, you’ll definitely be able to find the source.

Loud noises in computers usually equals fan or hd motor issue which can be easily or cheaply corrected. Not typically indicative of a full on failure.

Great guides on YouTube for Xbox tear downs and possibly even something related to exactly what you’re experiencing if you find the source of the noise.

[Hobbes]

You could try running the system without the cover to see if you can pinpoint the sound.

Replacing the power supply isn't terribly expensive but note that the third party ones can have loud fans in them.

The new Series S and Series X styles have some nice benefits. They both load games a lot faster and keep them running in memory so you can hop right back in. The Series X model is a bit more powerful and can run games in 4k. Note that the Series S does not have a disc drive.

[Twisted G]

The series x and s will play the new games. Not sure how long they will keep making new games play on the previous gen console. .

[Chuck E Ducky]

Sounds like a power supply issue and the fans are dusty. I cracked my old one cleaned it all up and the performance was way better. lil powder graphite and I spaced the fan cover out with lil paintball orings on the mount screws to help with fan clearance. It’s probably getting too hot because the fan is dusty or it’s not getting good ventilation. Heat will kill it quickly so it’s best to be proactive.

I kept my old one going a while but when the new one came out. I just built a gaming PC and never looked back. Your controllers and accessories will work with a PC too. Lots of new builds come with Xbox network built in and play all the same games better. If it’s truly dead the gaming PC is the way to go imo.

[Chuck E Ducky]

It came pre installed on my Nvidia Gaming card. Xbox Live built in. Lots of gaming services are moving to digital platforms and the cloud. Basically everything I did with my Xbox the PC dose better faster cleaner. I ran my controller on my PC for a while until I upgraded to a Azeron Cyborg controller and Gaming mouse. It made the transition super easy I wish I did it sooner + the Pc is easily upgraded so it’s much more future proof.

I’m pretty sure it’s just a download option. As long as your current system can handle the service. It’s basically an App now. It can be attached to a TV/ projector if still want the living room feels to. Bigger the screen longer the latency tho. (Don’t know how competitive he plays)

[Nish]

He only plays single player or with someone next to him on the couch. This might be a good option for us.

[RAZRBAKK]

I second the PC build. While I don't have the utter disdain that Zeta brings to every discussion, I think a PC build is a much better route than a console. Especially since most Xbox games are available on PC, and there are even more PC games available through various platforms(Steam, Epic Games, etc.).

The biggest advantage to PC is the longevity. When a single component is failing or obsolete, you can usually just replace it.

[Tarsun2]

seems legit. xbox is Microsoft...

ohhhh i remember the origional xbox and the red ring of death lol

had mine running a constant 12v to the fans, some ducting work, and iirc had a bigger heat sink.

havent play that in quite a long time. i think i have a 360 as well but its in a box somewhere. (probably next to the SEGA Genesis and PS1)

[SignOfZeta]

Except for the Switch, all new game systems are unreliable needy time vampires that you’d be very lucky to last eight years. I’d rather keep all my 16-bit stuff than waste any time and money on these bleeding edge doorstops. My Super Nintendo, Genesis, Neo etc are 30 years old and still do the work.

[Nish]

Except for the Switch, all new game systems are unreliable needy time vampires that you’d be very lucky to last eight years. I’d rather keep all my 16-bit stuff than waste any time and money on these bleeding edge doorstops. My Super Nintendo, Genesis, Neo etc are 30 years old and still do the work.

As valid an opinion as that may be. As long as he remains on the honor role while being a varsity athlete in 2 sports and dual enrolling in college (as a 15year old) I'm going to do my best to provide what ever he wants to use to relax. As long as it's legal.

[Seajay]

Sounds like it just needs cleaning. See if there is an electronics repair shop that offers cleaning services for consoles (not gamestop).
My PS4 Pro still works perfectly and I just cleaned it and re-did the thermal application layers (TIM/Thermal Pads). If consoles get loud it's usually just because they are dirty.

[JonM]

The power supply has a fan in it that eventually fails over time. See if you can isolate the noise to the PSU. If that's where it it, a replacement power supply is easily found online.

[glaman5266]

I had to replace the cooling fan in our fat XB1 some years ago. Did the same as yours, sounding like a ship taking off once in a while, along with a chirping. Eventually it started overheating, so bought a new fan off eBay for maybe $15-20 and did it myself. It's not too bad IMO. Though I'd open it up first & see how clogged everything is.

My personal gripes about Microsoft aside, the Series X is a great console. Everything loads faster. Playing old 360 games on it is a treat again & a few of those have a Series X/S patch where they'll run with better/updated graphical fidelity. If you don't mind spending the cash the Series X is a good buy.

M$ recently announced that they're no longer developing any games for the XB1, if that factors into your decision. If you'll want any upcoming titles from any M$ studio you'll need either a PC or a Series X/S.