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
There are many xbox-case mods available, ranging from stickers or replacing the xbox 'jewel' to replacing the xbox case. To remove the xbox case a torx 20 screwdriver is needed, and for the motherboard a torx 15 is used. For more information one of the best websites is www.xbox-scene.com

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
Visit (http://www.techfreaks.org/articles/modxbox2.shtml).

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

 * 1) Obtain a PC DVD-ROM drive.
 * 2) Open your XBox with Torx 10/20 screw drivers.
 * 3) Get a Y-splitter from your local computer store (creates another PC power supply for both DVD-ROM drive and Hard-Drive).
 * 4) Keep the power supply attached to your original xbox, and attach the Y-splitter to the end of the hard drive power supply.
 * 5) Connect both DVD-ROM drives and Hard-Drive to the machine and turn it on.
 * 6) Hope it works :P

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 their 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 chassis 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 cooling I've never had a problem with the default of blowing air out. You'll also want to work out 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 motherboard. 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 judgment. 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 they 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 from the motherboard and fixed at 100% within XBMC 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 couldn'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!).

Cooling modifications
Here are a few things you can do to drop the overall temperature, but remember under load it can still get warm.

Here's what to do.

1. Change the thermal paste on both the CPU and GPU Heatsinks

Items needed:

1. Isopropyl Alcohol

2.Q-tips or soft rag

3. Small flat head screw driver

4. Thermal Paste- Arctic Silver 5 or similar would be best

5. A flexible paper card like a standard business card

Step 1. You'll need to get the heatsinks plenty warm as this will make the heatsink gum (what i call it) warm up and be more sticky than solid making it easier to remove the heatsinks. This is mainly to remove the GPU heatsink as it's always stuck on there good. So plug in your xbox, leave it on for a few minutes or just get to business and play a movie, song, game what ever puts it under a bit of a load to warm it up.

Step 2. Shut it down, unplug it and remove the HDD and DVD drive exposing the heatsinks. Start with the CPU heatsink first since it's the easiest. Pull back the black retainer clip and use the small flat head screw driver to gently pry off the clip from the black plastic boarder and remove the clip once that is done. Do the same with the GPU heatsink, make sure the heatsink isnt too hot to touch, if so give it a minute to cool off. To remove the GPU heatsink just wiggle it back and forth to loosen it up and gently lift it off of the board.

Step3. Now you are left with a bunch of junk on the heatsinks and the CPU/GPU. We need to clean all of that stuff off of there so we have a nice clean surface to apply our new thermal paste. How to change thermal paste on CPU/GPU Heatsinks

Step 4. Now that you have a nice clean surface to work with you need to apply the thermal paste. There's always alot of talk about the best way to do this, I've tried many different methods and this has always worked best for me and been the easiest on XBOX and PC's. For the CPU put a small pea sized dot of thermal past on the CPU, then rest the CPU heatsink on top of it and lightly apply pressure. Pull off the heatsink and you'll see that you have almost a perfect coverage of the CPU and matching coverage on the heatsink. All you need is a thin layer on both sides and your all good to go. Put the heatsink back on and re-install the clip to secure it. The GPU is a little different since there is much more surface area to work with. Use the same method as the CPU heatsink but use a little more paste this time, not much, just a little more. Rest the GPU heatsink on the GPU and apply light pressure to disperse the paste and then remove it. Use a business card (credit card wont fit) to even out the past on the GPU and make a nice even layer over the entire chip. Do the same on the GPU heatsink too so that it's a nice thin layer. Re-install the GPU heatsink and clip and your all done!!!

2. Do the 80MM (silent) fan modification to move more air.

3. Cut the grille behind the fan to improve flow and cut out the metal grille's on the side of the xbox to help with flow too, just be careful when your cutting the grille by the power supply as you might cut a wire if it's close enough.

Remote power ON and OFF with DVD remote
A small hardware add-on can turn the xbox power ON and OFF with the DVD remote. The DIY project can be found on http://xirremote.tripod.com, there are commercial versions of this retrofit kit.