Modded XB01 case quiets your Xbox like a RROD (without all the failing)

Not merely content with the noise-reducing XB01 Xbox 360 chassis, Swedish modder Janne Ström decided to throw in a pair of heavy-duty Noctua NH-U9DO coolers (usually intended for AMD Dual Opteron server processors) to see if he could even further eradicate the console's aural annoyances -- and indeed, it sounds (or rather, doesn't) like it worked. For those not following the scene, the XB01 is a voluminous case made by Lian-Li you can put your Xbox 360's guts into for a decidedly less noisy experience, so think of this as a mod-within-a-mod. It won't make disc drive any quieter, but with the New Xbox Experience's disc installation option, that noise can be avoided. The extra fans also doesn't make the case any easier on the eyes, of course, but anyone interested in the XB01 probably isn't putting style points high on their list of priorities. Go ahead and listen, very closely, to the results in the video after the break.

[dotAaron @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:36AM]

I feel the need to make some Microsoft joke but i will reserve myself :P

[gonintendo @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:43AM]

Thank you.

[ddd @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:56AM]

???? Just get a PS3, it works, got Blu-ray, and better games... Jesus, aren't you Americans tired of settling for second best all the time?

[OneLove @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:43PM]

xbox 360 is a fan?

[Jon Doe. @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:29PM]

I don't know....is Sony...wait that would be third.

[zioncat @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:38PM]

I like the new case but come on. Why am I going to buy an addional case that comes close to 200 bucks. The 360's that are out now do not die. I have had an elite for some time and now that you can save the games to the hard drive is there really any point of swapping out the case. Well just to say you have a modded 360 is about it.

[Testies, Testies, 1, 2... 3? @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:45PM]

I couldn't help but watch that riveting video twice...

[sndmn23 @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:37AM]

I actually think the XB01 looks pretty cool. Kinda huge, but still pretty sleek. Apparently Engadget thinks it's ugly though. Thoughts?

[Wolfticket @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:51AM]

Lian-Li don't make ugly cases. Utilitarian maybe, but not ugly.

[Kamokazi @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:34AM]

This just furthers my theory that Engadget editors are robots. This thing has many similarities to a Mac Pro, with one major difference...

...Brushed Aluminum.

Which is clearly the first algorthim in thier gadget sexiness subroutine:

If finish == 'Brushed Aluminum'
Then(
isSexy++;
)
Else(
isSexy=0;
);

I'm on to your evil scheme. Oh yes.

[renmimby @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:52AM]

"Lian-Li don't make ugly cases. Utilitarian maybe, but not ugly."

Er... http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/23/lian-lis-pc-888-if-the-burj-al-arab-were-a-pc-chassis/

[Dr Robotnik @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:41AM]

When MS shoved a PowerPC G5 in a small box, they should had looked at apples heat issues in the iMac G5, or the MASSIVE cooling in the PowerMacintosh G5. The G5 is a server/workstation CPU, not a Desktop or Video Game console CPU.

[Finnschi @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:47AM]

Your so right with that, but they wanted something fast, and reliable, so they stepped away from the windows enviroment, would you like a BSOD on you gaming mashine? so the G5 was a natural choice, even tho sony did better with the Cell cpu... and maybe M$ just thought , hey lets copy whatever Apple is doing it worked before ! so i am waiting for a switch to Intel .... hehe

[ArcticFox @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:52AM]

What are you babbling on about, a CPU has no bearing on wether a device will BSOD or not, so switching to PPC based wont make it any less likely to BSOD, its the software crashing that creates BSOD.

The 360 doesnt use a G5 powerPC and it still runs under a windows environment of sorts, im sure i read the kernel is based on windows.

As for copying Apple, give it a fucking rest Apple isnt the benchmark for copying apart from the pippin Apple dont make gaming machines so its pretty hard for Microsoft to copy them.

[Dr Robotnik @ Dec 22nd 2008 2:44PM]

Wow...I did not say they copied...the tri core CPU in the 360 is based off of the IBM PowerPC G5, it just doesnt look like they looked at OTHER G5 POWERED COMPUTERS.

As in the apple ones I mentioned, some IBM servers, and some open source thing that went nowhere.

[Alex L. @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:45AM]

Well, if the fans weren't lit they wouldn't look ugly now, would they?

[musback @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:47AM]

All i can hear are my own pc fans :-(
So i guess he's proven his point.

[NHAnimator @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:15AM]

Let's see Ben Heck make THAT puppy portable!

[Michael @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:15PM]

he already did, its the same guts, just a new case

[sinai @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:56AM]

when will people understand: the problem isn't the fan, it's the DVD drive!

[Jul @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:23PM]

what he said. just copy the games to the hdd and most of the noise will disappear. no need for a new case.

[A.C.E.R. @ Dec 23rd 2008 1:09AM]

meh, you can slow the drive down as much as you want, just choose the proper iextreme flash

[NewGalactic @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:00PM]

Does anyone know if it is easy to mod a 360 with a new DVD drive?

[dvdman98 @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:01PM]

It is not possible. The drive has some sort of encryption handshake with the console (TPM?). It has to be a 360 drive or it won't work.

[A.C.E.R. @ Dec 23rd 2008 1:16AM]

All you need to do is get your drive key from the DVD drive's firmware. Then you can buy a replacement and flash the replacement with your original key and spoof the brand (if needed).

You can even get the key from a busted drive, and if it doesn't power up you can pull the chip out and dump the firmware with an inexpensive chip reader.

[lamarmarcl @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:30PM]

anyone ever thought about cooling it with mineral oil?...i know pcs have done this for awhile...wonder if its been done for the 360 yet

[Alex Gonzalez @ Dec 22nd 2008 2:30PM]

I don't get it...I've had my 360 for over a year (Oct. '07 console) and never RRoDed. My friend's has RRoDed twice.

[3DBlaster @ Dec 22nd 2008 2:35PM]

Agree about the DVD sound level, but with the new interface and the possibility to copy the game to HDD only then made this mod any sense (to me).

/3DBlaster

[Zed @ Dec 22nd 2008 8:08PM]

Copying to HD is definitely the way to go, because then the dvd drive only spins for 2 seconds to verify you have the DVD then stops. Even the overpriced 120gb HD would be cheaper than these mods and not void warranty, and if you're lucky enough to find the specific HD for hdhackr then you can get the upgrade for $50.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Dec 22nd 2008 2:52PM]

I guess I outta get my ears checked because I don't care about the small amount of fan noise coming off of my 360.. Hell, I don't even find that the optical drive spoils my gaming experience.

[Woof @ Dec 23rd 2008 2:09AM]

I have the lian li case too and i like it a lot.I have it standing and it looks like a Pc case.It actually looks pretty good beside my PS3.I would love to do this mod too but i think i will need some instruction from the guy.Basicaly what parts he used...especialy the heatsinks.I wish i could be able to get in touch with him :/

[Jan Ström @ Dec 23rd 2008 5:51AM]

The site is now translated in to English
http://www.silentxbox.com
And there you also find URL's to the parts needed.
Thanks again for all the positive feedback
Best Regards
/Janne

[bigmikebrooklyn @ Dec 29th 2008 6:07PM]

note to editor:
"...extra fans DON'T make the case..." not "...doesn't make the case..."
plural.
sorry to nit pick grammaticalities, but y'all are journalists, right?