Inside an Xbox 360 Jasper: Ben Heck dissects the mythical console, then tells you how to find one
By Benjamin Heckendorn 
posted Dec 10th 2008 6:05PM
posted Dec 10th 2008 6:05PM
"Gentlemen! I give you... JASPER!" [lightning crackles, thunder sound FX]
Ace modder Benjamin J Heckendorn (aka "Benheck") has found -- and immediately dissected -- an Xbox 360 Jasper. As widely reported, it was inside an Arcade unit. In the following story, he not only details what he finds inside, but will also clue you in on how you too can find this model on store shelves. Read on for the exclusive Engadget look at the guts and the glory!
This was a FDOU team Xbox 360, manufactured on 10-22-08, lot # 0842X.
For starters the Jasper does indeed have a large amount of on-board memory. With NXE installed, the system shows an "MU" having 214MB free. It'll be interesting to see if the 60GB Pro Jaspers have this... I would bet yes, having NXE on-board would be handy, but as we all know it still runs even with your hard drive removed.
That's all well and good, but enough of this running the Xbox, let's rip it apart! It's a "super unboxing!"
Here are the main internals of the unit. The GPU still has the extended heat pipe installed -- guess they're not taking any chances with this one. Good for them! CPU heatsink has not changed from the Falcon.
Looks like a Phillips drive. I took a picture of this since some people obsess over which DVD drive they use. Moving on...
The motherboard thus far. The amount / locations of toroidal coils and electrolytic capacitors has not changed at all from the Falcon unit. In fact I've come across Falcon units that actually use much smaller caps on the right hand side of the CPU, but as we all know there's scores of hardware revisions.
I would suspect this sticker pretty much confirms what this unit is. In the past this location would have stickers saying things like "RMA Heatsink" -- so apparently they called it a Return Materials Authorization heatsink in-house? Interesting. I like "extended heatpipe" heatsink personally... to each his or her own I guess.
So far so normal...
Whoa! The bottom-mounted memory is back -- who woulda thought? As the world's foremost buyer of Xbox 360's (I pretty much have to be) I've seen this flip-flop a lot... some have bottom memory, some don't, some with bottom memory had pads heat sinking it to the RF shield, again, some don't. Weird.
X-clamps haven't changed, nor has the layout of the circuitry below the GPU. Well, nothing drastically noticeable...
Hello, what's this? Traces for some kind of controller and a memory unit. This is right under the ring of light, wonder what the purpose could be?
OK here's the star of the show -- the new GPU. The main body is the same size as the past GPU's, which I did not expect, but there are a lot less components on the surface and the main heat die is considerably smaller and not centered on the package, either.
Old 90nm GPU for reference.
The CPU hasn't changed much from the Falcon.
I'll do some heat tests with this unit once I inevitably slap it into an Xbox 360 laptop. Now let's move onto how you can spot one of these new units in the store!
The Xbox 360 box has a hole at the top of it where the bar code of the console is visible. Clerks usually scan this when you buy one. What you need to do it look at the lower left corner of this box. If you peer closely you can make out at least half of the voltage/amperage rating of the unit. The # of amps used by the 12 volt rail is the key to determining which console it is. The photos below show this in detail.
14.2 amps equals a Falcon unit (65nm CPU, 90nm GPU). Please keep in mind there's nothing wrong with having one of these, I play mine a lot and it's fine. You might not be able to see the whole voltage listing just through the peep-hole, but you should at least be able to see if a 14.2A or 12.1A is just to the left of the "5V".
12.1 amps equals a Jasper unit (65nm CPU, 65nm GPU). This voltage rating is also listed above the power input, but of course you can't see that when it's in the box.
There has been a lot of discussion about lot #'s, power supply ratings, and things of that nature being used to find Jaspers. I have found those to be unreliable. For instance, this Jasper was lot #0842X. However at Circuit City today I saw a 0843X Arcade unit, but it was 14.2 amps.
Also this particular Jasper came with a 175W power supply (like the Falcons used). They are probably trying to use up all the older PSU's and thus it was packed with the unit. Keep in mind that even if this Xbox only needs 150W it's not a issue to power it with a 175W supply, just like people who put 700W PSU's in their PC's for no apparent reason.
Above we see the power port of the Jasper 360. Note how it has a slit in the middle of the top plastic bar. The plugs on the PSU's are designed in a way to be forwards not backwards compatible. That is, an original 203W PSU will fit in any Xbox 360, but because of these 'keying", a new 150W PSU will only fit in an Jasper. Likewise a Falcon PSU will fit in a Jasper but not vice-versa.
So yes, check the amperage rating of the unit at the back -- it's the most sure-fire way to find a Jasper from what I have seen.
OK that's about it for the Jasper autopsy. I look forward to using these in my Xbox 360 laptop-building endeavors!
-Ben Heckendorn
www.benheck.com
Also this particular Jasper came with a 175W power supply (like the Falcons used). They are probably trying to use up all the older PSU's and thus it was packed with the unit. Keep in mind that even if this Xbox only needs 150W it's not a issue to power it with a 175W supply, just like people who put 700W PSU's in their PC's for no apparent reason.
Above we see the power port of the Jasper 360. Note how it has a slit in the middle of the top plastic bar. The plugs on the PSU's are designed in a way to be forwards not backwards compatible. That is, an original 203W PSU will fit in any Xbox 360, but because of these 'keying", a new 150W PSU will only fit in an Jasper. Likewise a Falcon PSU will fit in a Jasper but not vice-versa.
So yes, check the amperage rating of the unit at the back -- it's the most sure-fire way to find a Jasper from what I have seen.
OK that's about it for the Jasper autopsy. I look forward to using these in my Xbox 360 laptop-building endeavors!
-Ben Heckendorn
www.benheck.com
Are the PSU smaller in size now, if so by how much vs. the 230 and 175?
who the Heck cares
ALOT of people. me included. i saw ur joke there NOT funny
Good stuff. I wonder if they did anything about the jet engine sound that comes out of the previous version.
Who gives a crap about this, if they're still using the X-Clamps, which cause more issues than anything else in it. I mean, if I can do a five dollar fix of an RROD 360 by replacing the X-Clamps with screws, then why the hell can't Microsoft?
About the amperage required, I'm still not sure if that's a definite way to get a Jasper.
I'm living in Japan and read most of the threads around (all in Japanese) about Jasper being available here.
Some people already laid their hands on 12.1A consoles but those don't include the onboard memory and they are Pro consoles (actually, they are consoles coming in special packs, like the Last Remnant Pack, bundled with a 60GB hard drive).
One sure way to check would be to check the real power drawn by the console.
Some people here have checked the power wattage required to run the console and it's around 90W when idle in the NXE.
If yours is similar, then 12.1A would be definite and also means Pro consoles won't have onboard memory.
Otherwise, we'd still be pretty much in the dark...
Awesome, thank you so much!
Falcon Crest...Love it!
Great article, thanks Ben and Engadget.
Are the Jaspers only on the Arcade or can you get it on the Pro?
It still wont play crysis
good job Benheck
will you be doing this also for the ps3 once sony comes out with the 45nm chip
please please
i'll only buy one if the price drops and runs on less power
Hmmm, was at Bestbuy today looking at the Xboxn.
The slot in the box for the arcade version is quite small. But I noticed there are two different sizes for the number below the barcode. Could that be an easier way to tell if it is a Jasper? The larger type corresponds to the falcon picture and the smaller type to the Jasper one (see above).
Someone confirm please.
Well I went out last night to purchase what I thought would be a jasper. Looked around, and the Arcade bundles here had falcon units so I looked at the 60gb units and found a unit with #0845x with a manufacturing date of 11-7-2008. I couldn't get the box to reveal the voltage so I bought it hoping it might be based on the manufacturing date and lot number. Well I get home and it turns out to be a falcon unit. It's not a total letdown, since I've had a falcon elite before and it never red ringed in the 8 months I had it. Plus this falcon runs a lot quieter than my elite did, no drive chatter at power up and the fans seem quieter when a game is running. I tell you what though, I can see why microsoft makes these in foreign countries cause FIFO and of QS standards here would never give them any awards. Well off to rank up on some COD WaW.
Just came back from the first Best Buy I went to last night.. I checked a box for the hell of it when I was there shopping for gifts and sure enough they brought out some new boxes and one with the same lot number and team as mine but yields a Jasper unit... Damn you Microsoft...damn you..hehe
My 360's power supply says 16.5A its a Halo 3 special edition what kind is it?
I the same voltage on my Arcade version that I got for Christmas back in 07. I have a feeling we are in bad shape and awaiting a RROD soon....
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but using a larger power supply - while not necessary per se - will jack up your energy bill. Certainly quite marginal in the case of 150w v. 175w, but just because the xbox does not NEED it, does not mean that it's a waste.
On PCs that use 650w instead of 300w, it can actually play a role considering some PCs are on for 24/7.
That does not surprise me. Microsux is probably unloading their crap onto customers hoping that you won't bother them again.
they are evil.
I picked up a 360 Arcade package on Black Friday and was really hoping it was a Jasper! But I just confirmed that it's not, based on the 14.2 amps rating I can see on the bar code label through the hole in the retail box. I got this at Circuit City and I supposedly have until sometime in the first week of January to return it to them. The box is still sealed (it's a Xmas present for my kids). If I take it back to try to exchange it for a Jasper unit what excuse do I use? Do I just come out and tell them I want a "Jasper"?
Has anyone else tried to exchange a recently purchased 360 for a confirmed Jasper unit? I'd be interested in hearing about your experience.
Yea I got a Falcon (6-8-08) at Best Buy. Then I found out about the Jasper...took it back , no problem, no questions. I told them I was looking for a Jasper Unit and they were clueless. But I used all the hints and a worker opened it up for me on the side and then .......BINGO Jasper 12 amp 12volt 150 power supply.
"The key is read the back of the box if it says 256mb internal memory that all you need."
Good Luck. Call the store and find out there return policy.
If you want to return it just go to the store and say you would like to exchange your unit for a different one which you believe will be a better unit. I know that Circuit City's here in Michigan keep their 360s out back so you might have to have them bring you a few out until you find a Jasper. Since your unit is sealed it shouldn't be a problem. For people that have one from Best Buy it would be wise to send someone inside and find a Jasper unit (usually make big floor displays with them, well at least here they do). You can tell them that you had some issues with your current model and want to exchange with the one you friend brings to the desk. I know you have like 30 days with Best Buy and right now if you purchased during the holiday season you get even longer in some cases since they extend their policy. So if any issues end up surfacing during my 30 days with my falcon unit, back to Best Buy I go..
I picked up a 360 Arcade package on Black Friday and was really hoping it was a Jasper! But I just confirmed that it's not, based on the 14.2 amps rating I can see on the bar code label through the hole in the retail box. I got this at Circuit City and I supposedly have until sometime in the first week of January to return it to them. The box is still sealed (it's a Xmas present for my kids). If I take it back to try to exchange it for a Jasper unit what excuse do I use? Do I just come out and tell them I want a "Jasper"?
Has anyone else tried to exchange a recently purchased 360 for a confirmed Jasper unit? I'd be interested in hearing about your experience.
I actually got an Xbox 360 Elite Jasper. I think most of the holiday xboxes are jasper.
I got a 360 Arcade version. Ordered it from Dell on 12/6. It's a Jasper. To the left of the bar code over MADE IN CHINA it indicates 12.1A. Also got 20% off the $199.00, so it was a great deal. Mfr date November 3, 2008. I knew nothing about Xbox, and learned a lot from reading the forums. Hopefully, this will work out. Got a 60G hard drive kit, too, and a wireless router. Haven't plugged in the router yet, but if it doesn't work out, we'll consign it to the room upstairs and hard connect it.
i was already up on my game about getting a xbox 360 "jasper" thanks to the guys at (www.xbox360-hacks.com) i got me a "jasper" xbox 360 (january 3, 2009) the guys at (www.xbox360-hacks.com) is very helpful just like (ben heck) is they show very clear images on how to tell if its a "jasper" or not. i went to the store i told the guy i wanna buy a (xbox 360) i wrote down on a piece of paper and i wrote exactly what (www.xbox360-hacks.com) and ben heck said which is this (12v----12,1A;5v----1A ) all you do is remember the middle number which is (12,1A)if you see that it's a xbox 360 jasper the guy at the store was very helpful all i did is hand him the piece of paper i said im looking for this number on the back on the xbox 360 so he said ok he looked for me and they had the "jasper" (xbox 360) i was so happy its the (arcade version)( xbox 360) with a built in (256mb) memory so the new dashboard can be installed on that memory. when i got home!!!!! ("oh my god"!!!!!!) i hooked it up and turned it on it runs sooo smooth and quiet and it don't get hot at all it gets warm almost to cold my Instinct is telling me that this (xbox 360) "jasper" is the one no more 3 red lights or 1 red light no more jasper is the friendly motherboard go get you one!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll call you on this one. The Jasper been in the new Xbox 360 since September. My arcade has 256mb of memory installed. September is when i bought it. I down loaded the Xbox 350 dashboard. If it still had the 16mb of memory you wouldn't be able to down load the new dashboard.
Well I'm in the market now for a new 360 though a part inside of me is saying no because I don't think its justified to purchase a new Xbox 360 because mine wasn't built reliably. My Playstation 3 is working very well without any problems. My 360 well that was another story, after sending back 3 times to Microsoft for RROD repairs, now the video doesn't work, and now my video fix (modified towel fix) isn't doing much anymore. So after attempting to repair it with the instructions for RROD online hasn't done anything either, where I got an RROD now I get nothing.
Has anyone looked up the Hynix or Samsung NANDFlash Chip, it comes up on the manufacturers site as being 2Gb!!
Just bought one from http://www.dealsvista.com.
Yeah.
It is a Jasper
I just bought a holiday bundle Xbox 360 from Dell. It has a manufacture date of 11-8-2008, but guess what. It is not even a Falcon, but rather a Zypher (16.5a and the piece in the middle of the power plug). I would take pictures just to prove my point, but Dell is going to take it back because I have not opened it. Good I read all these forums before actually opening the item and playing it. This was my first Xbox and it will be my last. How could they still ship an item that they know to have such poor reliability?