Archive:Xbox hardware modifications

Section about hardware modifications. This will cover; harddrive replacing, fan replacing, fan 12volt mod, heatsink replacement, foam insulation, other silent/quiet mods, etc. However since this is a XBMC manual and not a Xbox manual this article is not prioritized, but feel free to help out and add to this article, (a good knowlage base of this kind of information is the xbox-scene.com tutorials, also checkout the Xbox General Questions and Answers FAQ in this manual).

Xbox-case modification

Contents to come (when someone like YOU adds it!).

Harddisk drive replacement

The original Xbox™ only has a 8GB harddrive and many people choose to replace it with a faster and larger harddisk drive.

Limitations and information to know before you start

• The two recommended harddrive brands that run cool and quiet in the Xbox are Samsung and Seagate.
  • You do not get more speed out of a 5400rpm than a 7200rpm harddrive, 5400rpm runs cooler and quiter.
  • Neither do you get a speed increase out of more harddrive cache so save money and get one with less.
• Up to 2TB (2048GB) in size. Upgrading your harddrive will also speedup Xbox loading and boot-up times.
  • Note: XBMC only supports F: and G: partitions for harddrives and 512GB per partition!
• If you want to install a harddrive larger than 137GB then you need a LBA48 compatible Xbox 'hacked' BIOS.
• If a partition is larger than 256GB, the harddrive needs to be formatted with 32k clusters, use XBpartitioner.
  • XBpartitioner is used to partition extra partitions such as F: and G: (not the default C:, E:, X:, Y: and Z:)
• Largest partition supported by a LBA48 BIOS and 32k clusters is 512GB, so 512GB+ need G: partition.
• If you want to continue to play on Microsoft Xbox Live online-gaming service then you must lock the harddrive.

HOW-TO replace the harddrive and partition/format it

Contents to come (when someone like YOU adds it!).

DVD-ROM drive replacement (PC DVD-ROM)

Since most original DVD-ROM drives that comes with the Xbox™ have problems reading CD-R media, a few people choose to replace that DVD-ROM Drive with a PC DVD-ROM Drive, which enables better compatibility of home-burned media like CD-R/RW, DVD+/-R/RW, and also allows faster loading times.

Limitations and information to know before you start

• Only very specific PC DVD-ROM drives manufactured by Samsung and also LG can be flashed with a hacked Xbox DVD-ROM firmware that allows it to read/play original Xbox games.
• No other PC DVD-ROM drives can read/play original Xbox games, instead you can only use them to play original DVD-Video movies and home-burned media like CD-R/RW, DVD+/-R/RW (including backed-up Xbox games).

HOW-TO replace the Xbox DVD-ROM drive with a PC DVD-ROM drive

Contents to come (when someone like YOU adds it!).

HOW-TO flash your PC DVD-ROM with a Xbox DVD-ROM drive firmware

Contents to come (when someone like YOU adds it!).

Fan modifications/replacements

Aside from sounding like a fighter jet taking off, the default Xbox fan is a custom design to fit in the space available so there's no easy straight swap. It is however, possible to fit an 80mm silent fan in there with some cutting, bending and persuading.

First off you're going to have to open up your 'box and remove the hard drive and DVD drive and thier plastic caddies to get access to the fan. The fan itself is held in by a pair of clips that come up from the lower chasis so use a screwdriver (or similar pokey thing) to unclip it. Next unplug the fan from the motherboard.

In order to fit your new fan into the space you'll need to remove the clips that held the fan in place. You can either neatly dremmel these off or, as I do, you can just grab hold of them with a pair of pliers and snap them off.

Next the fan itself will need a bit of trimming. You'll need to work out which is going to the bottom of your fan. Most fans will have an arrow on them indicating which direction the air flows, whilst some people recommend having the fan suck air into the case for maximum cleaning I've never had a problem with the default of blowing air out. You'll also want to work out which how you are going to route the cable.

Now is a good a time as any for a note on Xbox fan power supply: The default fan is a 12v unit running from a 6v source on the motherbard. You can either run your new fan from the motherboard at a reduced speed or run it from the 12v supply to the hard drive - most fans will come with an adapter. If you do decide to run it from the hard drive then you will loose the speed control within XBMC.

Once you work out how you are going to fit your fan you'll need to cut the bottom corners off to fit in the gap of the motherboard. Before you put the saw down you'll need to cut the corner off the hard drive tray, roughly the size of the warning sticker but use your own judgement. As this is going to hold the fan in place when you're done, remember that less is more - it's significantly easier to cut more out than it is to add some back!

Once you have trimmed the chassis and fan it's time to plug the fan in and re-assemble the case. It's worth doing a few test fittings and making any final adjustments to the fan and hard disk tray with a file at this point to ensure it all fits snugly and the case closes without forcing.

A note on fan speeds: Silent fans move less air than regular fans so don't provide as much cooling and running a 12v fan from the 6v on the motherboard provides even less. I'm running my fan at a fixed 100% and the system is at 49 degrees. I tried setting a temperature and using auto fan speed but as the 'box heated up the fan coulnd't keep pace and it ended up overheating and crashing. Still, even at 100% it's not audible from the other side of the room so this isn't really an issue.

Heatsink replacement and adding additional heatsinks

Contents to come (when someone like YOU adds it!).

PSU (Power-Suply) replacements (ATX PSU)

Contents to come (when someone like YOU adds it!).

Foam/rubber/bitunium installments (vibration/isolation mods)

Contents to come (when someone like YOU adds it!).

Other silent/quiet modifications

Contents to come (when someone like YOU adds it!).