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Very very very very very silent Xbox360 |
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I have had my Xbox360 since launchday and during all these years, shutting it off has always put a smile on my face! 
No, not because of the games, but because the noise from it stops as well. 
I got myself a spanking new Elite, with the same noisy problem.
There are thousands of forumthreads depicting the hunt for "Jasper" with the hope that it will be quieter and better.
The same amount of threads dealing with "RRoD" and how to solve it.
Ever since I saw Lian Li showcasing their PC-XB01 case, it has been a dream for me to get my hands on one  and see what could be done with it in order to get a real silent Xbox360.
 
Lian Li has put together a great guide of how to "rip" Xbox360 apart.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/tw/product/upload/manual/XB-01-E.pdf
I followed it manicly and the only thing you need to keep in mind is that you have all the different Torx-bits (or screwdrivers) needed before you start.
I wanted to achieve more than just some "simple" fixes or workarounds. I am a fan (no pun intended) of Noctua and their product lineups (fans and heatsinks) so the goal was to see if it could be done.
Below are some pictures of my attempts to fit two Noctua NH-U9D0 coolers (originally for the AMD Opteron CPU).
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=22&lng=en
Not much space there. Will the bolthole pattern match for the heatsink brackets?
Will the heatsinks cover the processor surfaces evenly?
Real tight... flanges collide with each other... This is where you should know that these heatsinks are not symmetrical - easily seen on this picture:
This is solved by turning the heatsinks so they are facing "away" from each other and they will fit!
This is looking good, time to clean the CPU/GPU from the old cooling paste and check that the heatsinks really covers the entire surface.
Here, I just applied paste to the GPU, fastened the heatsink to it and then removed it to take this picture and see that the heatsink is flat and parallell to the GPU surface.
Warning: Since the Noctua heatsinks can only be fastened with 2 screws (unless you have the ability to create new brackets that allows for more screws) I first applied the paste to see that the pressure from the heatsink is spread evenly. If you would fasten one of the screws too much or too little, the pressure would spread unevenly and it is very easy to cause damage to the circuits. After this "pressure test" I removed all excessive paste and used handstrength to fasten the screws
until the heatsink were totally flat to the GPU - then I *carefully* used a screwdriver to fasten it some more.
Time to put it all together again!
This picture shows the washers and the nuts you will need to buy as they are not part of the heatsink nor the case.
Time to hook things up and testdrive. Running some Zuma to put a little load to the GPU as well.
After a couple of hours of testing different games, fan direction etc., I was satisfied enough to try the setup in the Lian Li case.
I have been gaming along for a couple of hours without any noticeable problems, additionally it seems that the Xbox doesn't need to change the RPM of the fans, not even when putting some load on the CPU, which I think means that the CPU/GPU temperatures are low.
Noctua fans datasheet
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Model Noctua NF-B9
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) 1600 RPM
Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1300 RPM
Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1000 RPM
Airflow 64,3 m3/h
Airflow with L.N.A. 52,6 m3/h
Airflow with U.L.N.A. 41,1 m3/h
Acoustical Noise 17,6 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with L.N.A. 13,1 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A. 7,9* dB(A)
I don't have an RPM-meter, but I estimate that the fans are running at 1100-1200 RPM and with 2 fans we'll probably be speaking of a 'noise' of approximately 13-15dB during gaming.
Using another set of words - I can't tell if the Xbox is on or not, when my laptop is buzzing away in the same room.
Next step would be to record the noise.
I am still testing the fan-setups: 2x92mm, 1x120mm and 1x92mm or 1x120mm.
What woud be most silent during CPU/GPU load?
Noctua provides different speedsetups - L.N.A and U.L.N.A (see data above).
Using the U.L.N.A will make the setup much warmer, so I am running the L.N.A on both 92mm fans.
Today, it feels as I have come a long way in chasing the silent Xbox 360. Why? See below:
1) I couldn't record the noise using my DV-cam as the DV-cam were noisier ;-P
2) Tried another camera but then the Xbox PSU were noisier than the console
3) Now I just want to game, not work 
A video is available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl-h1AQsZEc
It should be very quiet, so I guess you'll need to pump up the volume to even hear when I tap on the case.
And now I can finally use it as a media extender without being bothered by the noise 
Questions to the community:
1) Which game is "toughest" for the Xbox 360 to handle?
2) Is it possible to swap the DVD for the HD-DVD from the external unit?
Resply in the Tystpc.nu forum
Update: Playing HD-DVD seems to 'heat things up' far more than any game I have tested yet.
Trying to boot the Xbox without the internal DVD but with the HD-DVD was no joy either
I will keep looking for a way though.
2009-08-15 Update It's still running and no problem with my Live account
MVH
/3DBlaster
(Janne Ström)
PS: I am somewhat involved in TystPC.nu that is affiliated with Noctua, so I am biased to some extent but not alone to like their hardware.
WARNING! This will void your Xbox 360's warranty!
Or as Lian Li puts it in their disclaimer for their PC-XB01 case:
Use the XB01 at your own risk, the Xbox360 warranty is voided once you break the seals to open up the case. PC-XB01's warranty will only cover the XB01 chassis itself, and will not include the Xbox 360 or any of its associated components.
Xbox 360 registered trademarks are the property of Microsoft Corporation.
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