Customer Reviews

Xbox 360 XCLAMP Repair Kit - 3 Red Light X-Clamp Fix w/ 3.5g Arctic Silver 5 & Opening Unlock Toolkit

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I began having the symptoms of the RROD on my March 2007 Xbox console with GPU Rhea. It first shut down with an E74 error. Then started randomly freezing. Then colors started showing and graphical glitches started appearing. It was apparent my GPU was overheating. Then my console RROD once, but after cooling worked fine.

So I ordered this kit. Took about 1 week to arrive. Cam in a small manilla envelope and the parts were in small plastic bags. Came with "generic" cleaner and purifier that smelled a lot like lemon juice, much like you clean stainless steel grills off with. The cleaner bottle came with the sides squeezed in. No liquid escaped though. The kit included a website that you navigate to to get to the instruction PDF. The book wasn't as detailed as expected and some things you would have to imagine such as prying the X-Clamp off.

I have had previous knowledge on installing parts on and disassembling the Xbox 360. Following the instructions, it took about 25-30 minutes to install this kit. the T8 screwdriver was a bit small. Seemed like a T7 and could have caused stripping of the screws if you dont have an regular sized screwdriver.

As stated in a previous review, the screws attach through the motherboard and not the metal casing. The screws slightly raise the motherboard up causing you to tighten down the metal casing screws causing potential bowing. Also uses the overheating method to the GPU, which is potentially hazardous.

Console works like a charm for now. Will attempt to update if problems arise. I assume the last reviews haven't had issues, I shouldn't.

The Low Down: Pros- $20 for a $200 system repair.
- All tools included needed. No soldering, no hardware mod.
- Includes Arctic Silver 5, an amazing heat dissapating compound I use on my Intel Core i7.

Cons- Causes bowing in the motherboard
- Instructions needs internet and are at times unclear.
- Uses overheating method which may cause worse problems.

4/5 Rating, Recommended.

Took a little bit longer than they say, but I was more careful than most. Directions are good and easy to follow, but just a tip for some extra help search what your trying to do on Youtube for a visual of the process. My Xbox was just over 3 years old(barely out of the warranty) and it red ringed. I plan on buying a better fan and possibly a core cooler to keep it longer. Great fix, I will update if anything happens again in the near future..... I hope it doesn't.

I ordered this kit, because I had a xbox 360 that would turn on fine, but would freeze after 10-20 seconds or when I inserted a disc. I wasn't sure if this product was the solution for this problem, since I didn't have the 3 red lights, but I figured it was worth a shot. I just finished fixing my xbox 360, following the instructions provided (the kit comes with url's for two pdf files that contain the steps for fixing the system). It took me about 1.5-2.0 hours from start to finish (I was taking my time on certain steps), I fired up the system and it was working beautifully. I tested the system for a little bit before I completely reassembled the console. The temperature radiating from the heatsink was very much reduced. I reassembled the system completely and started it up once more, it seems to be working great. I will put the system through more rigorous tests, but I seriously doubt there will be any over-heating issues.

so this kits works for sure, however it comes with 8 bolts, when you put motherboard back into case the 8 new bolts line up perfectly with the 8 mini black torx screws and the torx actually go into the head of the new bolts. When this happens it makes it so that you cannot take apart your xbox easily the next time. I had to drill out all 8 torx screws to fix this problem. I suggest not using the 8 black torx screws and drilling out the old holes for them to allow the new bolts to slide further down in the metal case which will allow the motherboard to sit in a more natural position.

i bought this on christmas when my xbox pooped out on me.
took about 4 days to get the package. at first i did everything it said and i still got rrod, then overheated it and tightend the screws as hard as i could as it recommended, and bingo, all 4 green lights.
played a couple rounds of modern warfare 2, no jumps or freezes, i highly recommend this as a first resort!!!!

This product worked great! The instrutions were clear on the website. Wonder why Microsoft just doesn't sell this kit with every 360.

My X-Box 360 showed green lights but "no video" output. No red lights ever appeared for me. After installing the X-clamp replacement kit my "no video" problem was solved.

The kit comes with everything you need to do a perfect job. I did not use any washers on the back side of the motherboard since the screw heads do not touch any motherboard traces, plus I gained clearance underneath so the motherboard sits flat and all the connectors line up without any flexing of the motherboard.

Get this kit and do not install the washers on the back of the motherboard and you will have a perfect fit and fix.

SYMPTOMS: I was having pre-RROD issues with my 3.5yr old 1st gen XBOX 360. I have never seen an RROD on my console, but my unit started losing colors (from what was originally 24bit color to what looked like around 4bit color) making most games unplayable. Apparently the X-Clamp that holds the heat sink to the GPU on the XBOX 360 motherboard is too tight and causes the board to flex under the GPU. After many heating and cooling cycles some of the balls on the GPU's BGA package can start to pull away from the flexed board. In my case I apparently started losing some of my Red, Green, and Blue output balls, but not enough Power and GND input balls to trigger a GPU failure and a RROD. Another symptom I was experiencing was that every few power cycles on the 360 I would have a solid black display with working audio, but no video. . . and again no error lights.

RESULTS: My XBOX 360 is now working as good as new thanks to this repair kit! The product did work as advertised, so I am giving it a positive review. However read on if you would like to hear about a new problem that this kit introduces that might only delay the need to use a superior X-Clamp replacement kit.

CONCERN #1: There are no detailed specs listed in this product description so you have no way of knowing how long the screws are until after you receive this kit. I was very disappointed when I received my kit because I realized that the screws are too short to protrude through the XBOX 360's metal shield case on the bottom of the motherboard. Instead this fix keeps the large M5 screw heads inside the metal case between the motherboard and the metal case. With this setup my motherboard did NOT fit correctly back into the XBOX 360. The M5 screw heads are too large and force the 360's motherboard to rest a few millimeters above where it should. The only way to get it to fit with all connectors around the edge of the board fully exposed was to tighten down the original torx screws on the outside of the metal case which caused the motherboard to bend at all 4 sides. My 360 motherboard is now bowed such that all the edges are lower than the CPU and GPU in the center of the board where the kit M5 screws push the center of the motherboard upward. Therefore while this kit allows you to remove the more significant X-Clamp bend at the GPU, it introduces an entirely new motherboard bend across the whole motherboard. The new bend amount is likely less than the original bend, but I am concerned that the problem could happen again eventually after more heating and cooling cycles. I feel like I have not solved the problem, but only delayed it.

SOLUTION TO CONCERN #1: Do not buy this kit. If you live in the US (where the metric system is an afterthought) then I also don't recommend running around town trying to buy the kit components yourself as M5 cheesehead screws and M5 nylon washers can be very difficult to find, even at specialty hardware stores I visited (in addition to the big brand national chains). Instead use the kits and the install methods described on either of the following sites that use longer M5 screws that will allow your XBOX 360 motherboard to lay completely flat in its case without any bending. The downside of using one of these other kits is that the 8 torx screw holes in the metal case are too small to fit the wider M5 screws so you do need to use a drill to widen 8 of the existing holes in the case. . .this is not tough as long as you own a drill.

Llama.com: [...]
Team hybrid (adds an additional precision sanding step): [...]
CONCERN #2: [...]

TIP: While you have your XBOX 360 open I would suggest installing this Whisper 360 fan from Talismoon that is quieter then the original 360 fan and improves the airflow. I have been using this fan since day 1 of my 360's 3.5yrs and I think its part of the reason why I have never seen a full RROD.

http://www.amazon.com/Whisper-Fan-360-Xbox/dp/B000H1V56U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1249573579&sr=8-1

NOTE: I do not recommend the newer Whisper Max fan by Talismoon as it sounds like a jet engine while in Max mode.

The perfect Kit to buy if you are good in fixing things and if your Xbox 360 is not under warranty and you are able to open your xbox 360 it can be tricky,once open just do what its meant for and this kit will have your system up and running with no Red Ring of Death and since you already open the xbox get an extra fan to install it for extra cooling you would find them in the internet not so expensive but worth putting in as long as you keep your system a little cooler it's worth putting in,Other than that this kit worked for me and now my xbox 360 is up and running in just about an hour or 2 I'm back in my games,but remember not to rush repairs the longer you take to get the job done right the better you do. good luck-Just Buy it- Everything is Ready in package including openning tools for the Xbox 360.

Hey i bought this RROD fix kit after finding a xbox with the RROD in the trash now i must say the only cons about this product is that the instructions where not really all that clear i would advise you to go to http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-Xbox-360-Red-Ring-of-Death-Fix-Kit/3550/1 and check out this guide because it is much more clear than the one provided i had a problem with my order and it came damaged the little bottle had been crushed and most of the contents spilled but half of it was left but it was all i really needed. First off this is th ebest kit to buy because it comes with the Artic Silver 5 which is one of the best thermal paste today. This will work and there is one last thing that is very important to do, After you are finished installing the screws, washers and the paste you have to turn your xbox on for a few mins like 2 or 3 and let it heat up at this point you should still have the RROD but dont worry and you let it heat up for a few mins turn it off let it cool down and if you did it the right amount of time it should be working brand new. This defiantly works because i know it worked for me!