A NOTE TO ALL XBOX 360 OWNERS WITH A NYKO 360 INTERCOOLER ATTACHED!!!!
I've had my 360 for about 4 or 5 months, and I got a Nyko Intercooler about two months later.
In the past month, I've been getting the "three red lights of death" almost constantly. My first clue that it had to do with the Intercooler was that when I moved it slightly while the system was on, the three red lights turned on and the system shut down. I then tried to take the Intercooler out of the system, but it wouldn't budge. I figured that it may have melted to the system. Think of it: a plastic housing being put into a metal junction to power the system.
Just today, I finally got it out with some good-ol' flathead screwdrivers as fulcrums.
THIS is what I saw:
The Intercooler REALLY DID melt the power connection at certain points. So for those of you using the intercooler, TAKE IT OUT NOW.
I just got off the phone with Xbox Customer Support: They said that they couldn't do anything about it because it was a third party accessory that damaged the system.
If anyone else has had this problem, call Nyko Customer Support. They said that Nyko will replace the intercooler AND the 360 at no charge! Just have them send you a UPS code, and then mail the system (without the hard-drive) and intercooler to Nyko. You'll get a new system in the mail!
Thanks for posting that, I've heard they screw up 360's and I work at EBGames, and I will not sell them to anyone, now I have proof. I'll probly put those pics on my PSP to show other people.
Apparently, I'm not the only one to have had a problem like this. Summary of all the reviews: Yes, the Intercooler does keep the system cooler than without it, but it burns the power socket's guts in the process (it takes at least two months I guess for it to start doing damage. But the bottom line here is to NOT buy the Intercooler at all.
Jesus, that scares the hell out of me, good thing I don't ever touch my 360 while I'm playing it! Shit, might catch my whole entertainment center on fire! Goodbye moola! lol.
I know when I was reading in the game magazine about those, we kinda thought about getting one, but I guess we won't now. Lately, we have just been using a regular fan and pointing it towards the 360. Seems to work just as good. And it's not loud either. I heard the cooling system is a bit loud.
I keep my 360 with my AC vent pointing at it, and I would play Saint's Row for 9 hours straight without my 360 freezing up or getting too hot. And it's in a room with 3 computer on constantly, so tha room is usually hotter than tha rest of tha house, but still had no problems.
I just went home to take the intercooler off of my 360 and to inspect it for damage. There wasn't any issue with mine, but I had only been using it for a week. I would imagine that the problem is that the power connector must generate some heat of it's own. I wish the guys that designed this thing would've done some more testing on it.
Oh yeah, and GREAT POST BILLYZ! Thanks for getting the word out on this issue. I would've been oblivious to the problem if you wouldn't have given us all a heads up like that. Great Job Man!
Dadgumit! I just bought one of those things yesterday.(leave it to me to find this after i buy one) I guess I will take mine off and live with the 360 freezing all the freakin time.
Apparently, I'm not the only one to have had a problem like this. Summary of all the reviews: Yes, the Intercooler does keep the system cooler than without it, but it burns the power socket's guts in the process (it takes at least two months I guess for it to start doing damage. But the bottom line here is to NOT buy the Intercooler at all.
if you actually summarize the whole page from this eb games article 76 people thought it was awesome had no problem and only 28 or so had negative feedback that doesn't mean this is a bad product in fact this article points to the opposite it's just like the percentage of people who first bought the 360 some had bad experiances and decided that this was a bad system and would never buy it one guy even tried to sue microsoft the majority loved it , the jury is still out on this one yes I bought one from the first batch of intercoolers and after 4 month a slight brown mark appeared but it was on the outside plug no damage to my console , nyko replaced it for free and I also bought a second one for back up one has an on/off switch the other doesn't I alternate between both and sometimes use neither no real problems but I can see using nothing on your 360 is even riskier the hot temps it gives off not only make your game disc hotter than a pancake but think about what it might be doing to the inside circuits scary !!!!! i'm not gonna pull my intercooler off anytime soon
I understand what you are saying, and all your points are valid. I have removed mine because I don't want to chance a $20 cooling unit destroying my $399 console. I understand Nyko has owned up to the damaged units, which is quite admirable, but I'm just going to wait for Microsoft to put out their own unit, that way I don't have to deal with a "third party".
The chances are that the "intercooler" will NOT damage your console, but I don't like to chance this kind of stuff.
On a side note: Does anybody find the name of this product ironic? The "Intercooler" is actually an "External" cooling unit. I enjoy the little things in life, and this one made me laugh! hahah
I do software testing for a living, and the fact of the matter is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to create the perfect product. I'm sure Nyko did extensive testing to ensure a fine product, but it is difficult to similate the myriad of scenarios and setups folks have. It is possible that the damage you have seen billyz90 is due to improper ventilation or something to that extent. There again, I'm not accusing you have improper use, but you never do know! As stated earlier, later iterations of this product will undoubtedly be improved upon and incorporated into the end products. Welcome the the lifecycle of electronics! hahah
In reply to NINJARICK, #24: Valid points, but it's better to not risk it.
Most of those positive reviews most likely came from people who hadn't encountered the problem yet. As mentioned, it does take time for the damage to occur.
There are several, safer ways to keep your 360 from overheating. Keeping the system in a horizontal position helps, especially if it's somewhat elevated from the surface it's sitting on. Try to keep it away from corners and walls that can obstruct air flow, and in a well-ventilated area. Having a fan nearby isn't a bad idea. Oh, and don't play it for several continuous hours.
With a fan that could cause bodily damage to the system, you really are better off not risking that. Even though Nyko is pretty good to replace the damaged system and accessory, it's better to simply not go through the hassle of having to do so.
