Xbox 360 Gets a New, Quieter Drive

[Tan]

Good news if you're in the market for a new 360. Microsoft is putting an end to all those "my 360 is too loud" complaints. They've stopped using the Toshiba-Samsung and Hitachi-LG drives (found inside current 360s) and have started replacing them with BenQ's quieter VAD6038, which is based on a Philips design. The new drive is also said to load games a bit faster. Great news for newcomers, as for the rest of us—it's back to the whirring. – Louis Ramirez

Gizmodo

[s1lence]

I'm assuming its out then? I just got a new 360 replacement from MS and I will say that the drive on this one is alot quieter then my previous one.

[James]

Hopefully mine will break in a few months so I can get it replaced with a new one under warranty. 

[Tynstar]

I am going to get my 360 replaced. Is there anyway to tell what drive is in the system without opening it?

[James]

I am going to get my 360 replaced. Is there anyway to tell what drive is in the system without opening it?

The disc tray is different depending on the manufacturer. I'll look for that comparison picture. Not sure if there would be one for the new drive yet, though.

Edit: Here are the old ones, I'll look around for the BenQ one...

http://www.llamma.com/xbo..._DVD_Drive_Comparison.htm

Edit2: I think this Philips one is pretty much the same one. It's got the same product code except for a 37 at the end instead of a 38. New one is on the left.

[img width=150 height=128]http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/8472/allthreedvdsxshd6.th.jpg[/img]

[Tan]

Mine has a Samsung in it and once the game is started I don't hear it anymore, depends on the type of game your playing I guess. Then again if the Dreamcast doesn't bother me then these won't either.

[Tynstar]

Mine is really loud and when it stops making noise that means it is frozen.

[Arrrhalomynn]

Hmpf, they should've gotten a quiet one from the start. Now I'm screwed with this noisemaker.

[phoenix1967]

Any option for existing 360 owners to get a replacement drive? Kind of like they did with the old xbox1 power cord?

[captain_nintendo]

Any option for existing 360 owners to get a replacement drive? Kind of like they did with the old xbox1 power cord?

I doubt it.

[Tan]

Any option for existing 360 owners to get a replacement drive? Kind of like they did with the old xbox1 power cord?

There's nothing wrong with the Hitachi or Samsung drives, they are just louder, that's not enough reason to replace them as it doesn't affect their overall performance.

[Ando]

...We just got our new 360 two days ago. They couldn't have added this earlier? TT_TT

[James]

The Xbox 360 is going to be on BBC's Watchdog programme next Tuesday. Apparently a bunch of people emailed them complaining about its failure rate and Watchdog decided to feature it.

[phoenix1967]

The Xbox 360 is going to be on BBC's Watchdog programme next Tuesday. Apparently a bunch of people emailed them complaining about its failure rate and Watchdog decided to feature it.

The failure rate of the new drive? Or are the Euro units experiencing different failures?

[James]

I thought I'd keep it to the thread about improving the 360 but didn't make myself clear. Going by the amount of angry internet people, no 360 can be expected to last more than six months. Because of this, the BBC programme Watchdog are going to have a report on the Xbox 360.

Watchdog brings problems into the public eye, often embarrassing the company in question into doing something about it. Maybe Microsoft will extend the warranty by an extra couple of months, maybe they'll tell everyone to sod off and buy a PS3.

Mine's been fine since October but I haven't really played on it for a while. The noise gets irritating but I eventually get used to it after about ten minutes.