Intercooler not so cool after all [Updated]
Reports are filtering in that the Nyko Intercooler is doing more harm than good, if an article from gwn is anything to believe. It seems that the Cooler could actually damage and make your 360 redundant with continued use, and MS will leave you hanging out to dry, as they don’t endorse it.
Update: Nyko has contacted us about the discussed problems and they’re issuing a formal response soon to GWN’s conclusions that contain no hard factual evidence for the claims. We’ll post about this as soon as we receive it.
It seems that Microsoft customer support have come out and openly said that the Cooler causes problems:
The first Microsoft rep stated that the device simply drains too much power from the 360. He explained that the console requires a specific amount of power, especially during startup, and that everything was built to supply the machine with the power it needs. The Intercooler drains a bit of that power right from the start, so the console is now getting less juice. Especially during the startup of the system, explained the rep, this can cause problems as the 360 is trying to supply electricity to all its parts and somewhere along the line won’t have enough to get everything running. This can allegedly lead to all sorts of technical problems up to and including the complete death of the system.
Yup, you read that right. The Intercooler does apparently cause all sorts of problems during start up. And that’s only the first rep.
A second representative didn’t go into any of that, but did say that they have seen cases where the Intercooler caused “scorch marks” on both the console and the peripheral. Where the Intercooler meets the AC input of the 360, he said, there has been multiple cases of brown discoloration, the result of too much heat where the two parts connect. In fact, if a console is sent to tech support and any evidence of that specific discoloration exists, Microsoft will promptly send the 360 back to the owner untouched.
So since Microsoft do not officially endorse the product, it’s tough luck to anyone who bought one and then their 360 fails. Fortunately, I have one of these connected to my 360 the whole time (yeah yeah, say what you like!). I’ve had it since April, and have had absolutely no problems with it. My 360 hasn’t faultered, it hasn’t shown any signs of getting the three red lights of doom, and it certainly hasn’t scorched the 360. Nyko had this to say on the matter:
“As with most new products on the market, the Intercooler has an extremely small defective rate and is a very reliable product. We would like to assure you that Nyko stands by its products one-hundred percent, and will provide customer service and support for the Intercooler for the entirety of your ownership.”
It would have been nice of them to openly state that the product has a known fault on their website, to inform others at least. Especially a defect that can prevent your console being repaired. But the response is to be expected. After all, what company doesn’t stand by their own product 100%? It is worrying though that MS are now refusing to repair any console that shows signs of having this attached, because if anything did go wrong with mine, I would in trouble.
Nyko obviously have other products that I assume are not endorsed by MS, so it would be interesting to see their views if, for example, the Media Remote locks up a 360. Are they going to throw out your claims of a fix then? (Interestingly, the Cooler that arrived at Xboxic was faulty on arrival. Makes you think, no?)
If you’ve had any experiences, good or bad, I’d love to hear them, so post them in the comments section below, as usual!
Thanks to Predator GR, dimx82 and VALKYREMISSILE for the links!
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I wondered that actually about power sourcing and thankfully didn’t buy one. Something that could plug into the USB would be better
Aren’t you glad Curry, the model you asked for reviewing was DOA?
Damn imagine bricking the 360 with a device what should prolong it’s lifetime?
Shitty it is!
I have have a launch Xbox 360 and an intercooler since April and have not had a problem. In fact, I can tell my Xbox 360 is running cooler. I pulled it off and I don’t see any “brown discoloration”.
if you need a cooler there somthing wrong your 360
I disagree, I’ve had many a time when I’ve been playing Oblivion and can tell the system is getting too hot, and I can see a noticeable difference in the game depending on the temperature of the system.
I have have a launch Xbox 360 and an intercooler since April and have not had a problem. In fact, I can tell my Xbox 360 is running cooler. I pulled it off and I don’t see any “brown discoloration”.
Just a silly question: what about the HD-DVD-drive they announced? Won’t that drain some of the available power as well?
And another thing; isn’t it quite stupid to bundle a console with a PSU that apparently is barely able to feed enough juice to the unit on its own? How much power does a WiFi-dongle need? How much power does it take to feed four controllers?
And how much power does this Intercooler need anyway?
I’d assume, like any external drive, the HD-DVD drive will have its own PSU anyway.
With regards to the controllers - there’s no kinetic energy needed to power them - the system doesn’t have to make something move - so it’ll take a lot less power. I’d assume the USB ports are well within required voltage limits anyway.
That is a possibility as well; I assumed it was going to be one of those slimline-rigs used in laptops and such.
And I’m referring to wired controllers, as I can imagine that not everyone would want to spend an extra $whatever on the wireless version.
A memorycard needs juice too, by the way.
Yes the HD-DVD will have its own powersupply and linked to the system via the USB on the back, the wireless access thing will then plug into a USB port on the HD-DVD
The 360 was designed to power a few peripherals through the USB ports, such as the wireless adaptor or recharge kit. That is NOT the same as having power tapped off at the input.
My 360 only gets lukewarm, even after hours of use. But it’s also in a well-ventilated spot away from other heat sources.
Oh, and the discolouration is proof of a faulty connector (does not connect properly, sparks fly, the connector heats up and there is your discolouration), not of a couple of fans taking too much juice.
waste of money and time
I got my 360 in April and got the Nyko fan around summer time. I use it EVERYDAY when I play not because of overheating, but for insurance. Not a single problem to this day and NO discoloration. Like Nyko said, some products can be faulty. Im not worried because I should have seen signs of damage by now.
I have had the 360 since day 1, never bought any cooling shit and I have never had a problem.
Like they say, if you even need this thing then you already have a problem.
I had an intercooler and sometimes when i started my system it would give me the ring of death then i would unplug it and the system would work fine then put it back and it would be ok. So it was just when it felt like giveing me the ring so i took it back to eb games and the guy told me i am the first to return it and he has one on his console so its just like nyko says its just a few who will have this problem.
IF U NEED COOLER TO PREVENT THE OVERHEATING IT MEANS THERES SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR 360!!!
^ YES THATS TRUE ^
IF U NEED COOLER TO PREVENT THE OVERHEATING IT MEANS THERES SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR 360!!!
Or maybe you just need to put your 360 in a spot with better ventilation. Like not on the carpet, not on top of your surround sound receiver, not closely surrounded by games or porn or sleeping cats or beer bottles.
For thos eof us with tight spaces within out entertainment centers, it’s nice to have a little help moving that hot air away from the system. I too can attest to the fact that my xbox360 would get sliggish after long gaming sessions with Oblivion (And it’s not because of the system cache filling up.. I clear that shit out regularly) It was a heat issue… you can even notice preformance degradation when while navigating the dashboard if the 360 is really hot… Since slapping the NYKO intercooler on my 36, I haven’t has any of these issues. If “Power during start-up” becomes an issue, I will simply toggle the intercooler to OFF until the console is up and running… no biggie
my 360 is consistantly cooler with the intercooler (tested by placing my hand on the side of the unit) and as I’ve had 7 borked 360’s anything that keeps the temperature down is all good by me.
If the cooler isn’t attached as snugly as possible the rings of deat will come up. If it is loose at all, you just have to tighten it and you will be fine. I’m sure many have seen the rings and just assumed their system was screwed and sent it back…
I had one scorch and melt inside the 360 , was back in May and MS replaced my 360 and Nyko replaced my intercooler .. It was giving me red lights and It took alot of strenght too actually get it out of the 360 but once I did the 360 worked again without the intercooler but I got it replaced anywho ..
I got another one inside my 360 now , i think it was the weight of the cable pulling the intercooler downward till the prongs touched the plastic thus shorting it out … Thats how it appeared too me anyway
This thing fucked with my console and i returned it right away, It ended up messing with the grease inside and it started kinda coming out of the system and drying up. No problems since I returned it though. And when i spoke to nyko they said there was no way it messed with the mechanics grease inside the system.
Bought an Intercooler and it was DOA out of the box.
Now i’m just going to return for refund.
The intercooler is a waste of money, and now it looks like it’ll ruin the system as well. I have no idea why anyone would buy the damn thing, it’s a wasted and doesn’t do anything more than what the stock fans are doing. News flash, you are going to feel heat come out the back, that’s normal, if it didn’t feel warm to hot then you’d have a real problem. It’s just like a pc boys, and it feels like the same heat that’s kicked out them as well. Stop wasting your money on these stupid gimmicks.
by the way, I’ve had mine since release day 1, never have had any problems. Nothing at all, and have never used one of these damn cooler things.
I have a intercooler and it does keep it cooler
How about microcrap! puts the right fans in the first place
if u need a COOLER to prevent the overheat there is problem in your 360..go return it..but if u even used NYKO then u wont get ur stuff back when it breaks down..
console keeps itself cool when u just place it in area where is space..best is to keep it side ways II
like this ——- not like II up..and its suppose to give warm air from the back..dont be scared on that..if it dont give the warm/hot air then theres a problem or ur living at artic circle..DONT BUY THE THING!!
Well Ive had a USB cooler on my 360 for around 6 months now and there was no sign of overheating at all. On Saturday I got the 3 red lights of death and my 360 is now dead. So these coolers basically dont do anything, you will still get the red lights if you have a launch 360. Its a matter of when rather than if it will fail on you. Sorry if I sound like the bringer of death but I’m really annoyed. The guy on the phone at MS support was acting like he had never heard of the problem before aswell.
sonofla tell that to the 3 xbox 360’s I sent back with overheating problems that were setup next to an open window, or to the guy who has been cooking on his heatsink the system doesn’t cool as well as it should.
I had the first run of the intercooler fans (the ones with the manual switch) I got the red lights with those fans. Now if you look they redesigned the fans and took the switch off (the new fans come in a box not bubble pack) So far the fans have been fine and my 360 perfect. I have a day one launch system. I use to get occasional freeze ups untill I bought the new design fans.
mine works great and the games play lag free
I”ve run my 360 for a year without any trouble…no cooling fan…
I’m scared of cooling fans. I won’t buy one. Neither should you.
Have a great day!
shit just bought one from play.com and then i find this news
shit anyone wanna buy a fan
Well I got my system and intercooler way back last January so well over a year ago. I have been using them without any problem but now 16 months later all of a sudden it fried my system and yes the thing did melt to my power outlet on the back of the system so no xbox will not repair it. I have already begun the hunt to get a new system.
ha ha wow i just kinda found this using a Google image search and seeing as i have one of these use it every time and my Xbox has the 3redlights of doom and destruction i figured it did this and before i was stupid and opened my 360 cause i was bored so now they’ll never fix it i really hate you nyko i hate you!!!! :’(
(sigh at least i can use my cool sig) __2D__
www.begoart.net