What Causes Red Ring of Death on the Xbox 360?

A common problem of Streamyx Xbox 360 Streamyx when three flashing red lights from three Streamyx to twelve o'clock appear around the power button on the front of the Xbox -- the upper right quadrant is the only one that does not flash red. This is commonly referred to as the Xbox 360 red ring of death and indicates that the unit is experiencing Streamyx general hardware failure.

Basically, there could be any number of things wrong with your Xbox 360. However, the most common cause of the red ring of death is GPU and/or CPU Streamyx caused by the Xbox overheating.

Dust and Heat Can Cause the Red Ring of Death

Dust and heat are the most common causes of the Xbox 360 red ring of death. The Xbox console uses fans, vented openings, and heat sinks for cooling. If the flow of air becomes obstructed by dust, pet hair, or improper placement of the unit, it will become overheated.

Dust can also get into the fan axles and cause them to bind up. The dragging fans can place an extra demand on the power supply which can disrupt the constant voltage needed for the motherboard and the graphics processing unit (GPU) and the central processing unit (CPU). As a result, they will stop working and lock up, and you will get the Xbox 360 red ring of death.

The Nyko Intercooler Can Contribute to the Red Ring of Death

The Xbox 360 red ring of death can also be caused by the addition of the Nyko Intercooler. The Nyko Intercooler is an unlicensed peripheral fan cooling system that attaches to the AC input of the Xbox and is supposed to solve the overheating problems of the Xbox 360.

However, it's possible for the intercooler to drain power from the console which can overheat the AC power input and result in hardware failure. Using a Nyko Intercooler can void your warranty if the RMA (return material authorization) processor notices the "brown discoloration" around the system's AC input that can be caused by using the intercooler.

GPU or CPU Failure Can Cause the Red Ring of Death

Failure of the GPU and the CPU can also cause the Xbox 360 red ring of death. In the Xbox 360, these are both BGA (ball grid array) chips which use nonflexible solder balls to conduct electrical signals.

The heatsink, which absorbs heat from these chips, is clamped to the chips by a mechanism that creates upward pressure on a small point in the center of the chip. This pressure causes the motherboard to flex since it is secured to the base at the edges only (unlike a PC where the motherboard is screwed down in multiple areas).

So, the motherboard flexes breaking the solder connections on the CPU and GPU creating an intermittent problem which gets progressively worse.

These x-clamps can be replaced and this will fix this problem.

An Overheating AC Adapter Can Cause the Red Ring of Death

The AC adapter (power brick) can also overheat and cause the Xbox 360 red ring of death. If it's sitting on the floor and not getting proper ventilation, it can overheat and cause hardware problems in the Xbox 360.

Please see this article if you'd like information on how to prevent red ring of death.

If you'd like information on fixing the red ring of death, please see RedRingOfDeathCure.com

While 100Mbps just became the high broadband watermark here in the States, Virgin Media in the UK is already testing 200Mbps DOCSIS 3.0 cable connectivity, according to the Financial Times and the Guardian. But do you need it? Can servers provide it? Can Virgin deliver the 50Mbps speeds they’re promising Streamyx Who cares, it’s fast,