Xbox 360 Repair – 3 Red Lights

Almost every Xbox 360 users will come across a common Xbox 360 problem – 3 red lights. Some called it as “Red Ring of Death” (RRoD). There are different codes that flash on the power switch to let you know what is wrong with your console. “Red Ring of Death” means you have a general hardware error. This problem has been actively discussed everywhere especially in the Xbox 360 related problem. Although 3 red lights is a common issue of Xbox 360 and a lot of complaints & hates everywhere, people still buy Xbox 360 console as it has many awesome game titles.

Although Microsoft did not published the main root cause of the problem, there are a lot of people taking their own risk of breaking the Xbox 360 console to find the root cause. By understanding the possible root causes, we can make the proper correction. Here are the summarized of the reasons as to why the Xbox 360 3 Red Lights happened:

1. Insufficient Air Circulation

Xbox 360 produces hot air when it is on. Therefore it is always recommended to place your console at an open air area to allow the proper airflow. So, if possible, try not to place your console in closed cabinet when you are using it.

2. Power Brick

If you observe the Xbox 360’s power brick, you will find a LED, which indicates the health of the power brick. If the power brick is overheated, the LED will change to red. It is worth getting the power brick on an open air area to allow the proper airflow. This is similar to the 1st root cause. Try to place the power brick at open air area which cannot be reached by children.

3. GPU   Soldering  Joints & The X-clamp

Many people claims that this is the main root cause of 3 red lights problem. When a gamer playing a Xbox 360 game for long hours, heat will slowly melting the GPU  soldering  joints. Due to the X-clamp design, it causes the GPU  soldering  joints becoming loose slowly and this is the time where the screen freeze happened intermittently. Eventually you will get the 3 red lights problem.

If you read the three root causes above carefully, you will notice that all these root cause are under a same category, which is “Overheated”. Therefore, if you are owning a new Xbox 360, which does not have the 3 red lights or any hardware problem, it is advisable to place your console at an open-air area or cool air-conditioned environment. You can also buy an additional external Xbox 360 cooling fan. The cooling fan does not cost much, but it will help to prolong your console’s lifespan. If possible, turn off your console for 30 minutes after playing game for about 1 hour.