Overheating during use of your Xbox is the number one cause for the red ring of death failure. Because of its poor design, it generates too much heat and it is unable to cool itself because of an undersized cooling system. To make matters worse, the newer and more sophisticated games place a greater work load on the Xbox which adds to the overheating problem.
When the Xbox gets too hot, the mother board tends to warp and flex. The soldering on the mother board also gets flexed causing tiny cracks to form. Over time with repeated flexing, solder joints can weaken and break.
Another problem caused by repeated heating is degradation of the thermal compound between the CPU and its heat sink. The thermal compound between the GPU and its heat sink can also break down over time. The thermal compound provides a heat conducting join between the CPU (or GPU) to its heat sink. When the thermal compound degrades, the heat sinks can’t keep the CPU or GPU cool.
So the key to avoiding and maybe fixing the red ring of death is to do everything you can to keep it cool. This means keeping the cooling vents clear of obstructions and dust. It means using your Xbox in cool ventilated areas in your home. Do not use or store it near any sources of heat.
The power brick must also be kept cool. Another suggestion is to limit the hours of gaming that you do. Give your Xbox a good rest every few hours so that it can cool off.
There are other circumstances that can cause the red ring of death and some can even give you a false ring of death error. But the most serious and common reason for the red ring of death is overheating. Repeated overheating can seriously damage your Xbox 360.
Marc Sandford is a gaming addict and writer. Get more Xbox trouble shooting information about fixing the Xbox 360 ring of death.
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