Overheating is a common problem with the Xbox 360. When this happens, it usually comes about gradually. Often it will take several hours of intense gaming before the problem shows up. In the more severe cases the console can heat up in a matter of minutes. But it's not that unusual to get overheating or the two red light error within of seconds of starting up.
For many people though, this just seems to be too bizarre to be believed and they start to wonder if their Xbox really is overheating or if the problem is something else altogether. However, if you do get the 2 red light error within a few seconds of a cold start up, there's a good chance that bad thermal compound is at fault. Thermal compound is used between the heat sink and the GPU (or the CPU). Its function is to facilitate the flow of excess heat out of the GPU and into the heat sink where the excess heat gets dissipated.
If the thermal compound has dried out or was improperly applied, the heat sink will be unable to draw off heat from the GPU (or CPU). While some heat is still able to get across the mating surface of the GPU and its heat sink, it won't be enough to prevent overheating.
There is a lot of electrical power flowing through the GPU which means it's generating lots of heat. It's also a small object which means it will get hot very fast. Small objects will always get hot faster than larger objects when exposed to the same amount of heat. This phenomenon can be seen everyday when you boil water. We all know that a cup of water will come to a boil faster then a gallon of water when you place it on the stove at the same heat setting.
If the heat sink cannot do its job because of bad thermal compound, then the temperature of the GPU will get too high within a few seconds of startup. This will cause the Xbox to shut down with two blinking red lights. The interesting thing about this is that this shut down will happen before the rest of the console has a chance to warm up. This fact causes many people to doubt whether overheating is even occurring. But rest assured that it is. If you had a thermal probe attached to the GPU, you would be able to see its extreme temperature.
Hopefully this article will leave you better prepared if or when this should happen to you. Replacing the thermal paste means opening the console. So you have three options: do the job yourself, get it repaired by a professional, or use your warranty.
For many people though, this just seems to be too bizarre to be believed and they start to wonder if their Xbox really is overheating or if the problem is something else altogether. However, if you do get the 2 red light error within a few seconds of a cold start up, there's a good chance that bad thermal compound is at fault. Thermal compound is used between the heat sink and the GPU (or the CPU). Its function is to facilitate the flow of excess heat out of the GPU and into the heat sink where the excess heat gets dissipated.
If the thermal compound has dried out or was improperly applied, the heat sink will be unable to draw off heat from the GPU (or CPU). While some heat is still able to get across the mating surface of the GPU and its heat sink, it won't be enough to prevent overheating.
There is a lot of electrical power flowing through the GPU which means it's generating lots of heat. It's also a small object which means it will get hot very fast. Small objects will always get hot faster than larger objects when exposed to the same amount of heat. This phenomenon can be seen everyday when you boil water. We all know that a cup of water will come to a boil faster then a gallon of water when you place it on the stove at the same heat setting.
If the heat sink cannot do its job because of bad thermal compound, then the temperature of the GPU will get too high within a few seconds of startup. This will cause the Xbox to shut down with two blinking red lights. The interesting thing about this is that this shut down will happen before the rest of the console has a chance to warm up. This fact causes many people to doubt whether overheating is even occurring. But rest assured that it is. If you had a thermal probe attached to the GPU, you would be able to see its extreme temperature.
Hopefully this article will leave you better prepared if or when this should happen to you. Replacing the thermal paste means opening the console. So you have three options: do the job yourself, get it repaired by a professional, or use your warranty.
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Got reliability problems with your Xbox 360? Find out more about the red ring of death fix.
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