» Profile
» Inbox
» Updates
» My People
» My Games
» Comments

» Follow GR on Twitter

» More Modern Warfare 2!

» Gallery of hotness
» Sexy Fan Art
» Sexy Cosplay
» Sexiest Game Gurus

Uncharted 2

Halo 3: ODST

Brutal Legend

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Fallout 3

Pokémon

Grand Theft Auto IV

Halo 3

Also known as: Halo III

RSS

GR Asks: Why does the Xbox 360 run so loud?

Our weekly segment that answers YOUR questions

Words: Brett Elston, GamesRadar US

47 Comments

Email this article

Bookmark

Bookmark this Article

Welcome to GR Asks, our weekly Q&A with the games industry that answers questions submitted by YOU. Is there something game-related you’ve never seen addressed? Message GRAsks and we may just get it answered!

GR Asks: Why does the Xbox 360 run so loud?

Answered by: Benjamin Heckendorn, creator of some amazing laptop Xbox units and featured in Official Xbox Magazine.

Above: An exaggeration

“Almost all of the noise on the Xbox 360 comes from the DVD drive, which spins at a very high rate. I'm not really sure what the RPM is, but I've run the DVD drives ‘open’ before and it's scary fast. I have no problems sticking my hands around running machinery, band saws, CNC machines, etc, but the 360's DVD drive scares me.

“If a person installs a game to the hard drive and runs it from there, the system is much quieter, which only goes to show how loud the DVD is.”

Above: Ben knows his stuff

“The PS3 has a more custom Blu-ray drive and thus is probably more efficient. As you may or may not be aware, the 360's DVD drive has a higher data transfer rate than the Blu-ray... because it spins so fast!”

Thanks, Ben!

GR Asks: “Why was Halo 3: Recon changed to Halo 3: ODST?”

Answered by: “Microsoft.”

Above: Before the change

“We've changed the name because we feel that it is a more accurate reflection of the game experience. The ODSTs (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) play a pivotal role in the human-Covenant struggle, and we want to make sure that everyone understands that you play as a member of this elite unit.

“While Halo 3: ODST is tied to Halo 3, playing as an ODST makes this experience quite different from others within the Halo universe.”

Hm. Guess they can’t all have interesting behind-the-scenes stories, can they? Thanks anyway, guys!

Want to ask GamesRadar a question? Simply send a message to GRAsks via our community features and we’ll try our best to find a definitive answer.

Apr 22, 2009

Why was Biohazard renamed Resident Evil?
Answered by Chris Kramer, Senior Director of Communications and Community at Capcom US

Why do some cartridge games still have loading screens?
Answered by Chris Charla, Foundation 9 Entertainment

47 Comments

Order Comments: Newest First | Oldest First

JollyCrisp - 7 months 14 days ago

first! (god just killed a kitten)
Microsoft needs to do something about that dvd drive next generation though. Seriously.

Report

Z-man427 - 7 months 14 days ago

the DVD drive sounding like an off balance chainsaw makes a surround sound system all the more enticing

Report

Morning Ninja - 7 months 14 days ago

Or now.

Report

michaelmcc827 - 7 months 14 days ago

Interesting, so I assume installing the game to the hdd would solve the noise problem? I personally don't have an issue with it though since I can't hear it over the game volume.

Report

Moschetto - 7 months 14 days ago

"we want to make sure that everyone understands that you play as a member of this elite unit."

The elite unit that no one but Halo nerds knew or cared about up til now? Makes sense.

Report

SpartanJedi117 - 7 months 14 days ago

Lol @ ODST/Recon thing
Also, why not ask why i cant play installed games on my 360 without the disc? (inb4 so i dont just rent the game and have it forever)

Report

may.be.vital - 7 months 14 days ago

Apparently Microsoft is going all digital next generation like OnLive but probably better as it will come later after we learn from OnLive's problems.

Anyway this will negate the need of the DVD drive and stop the noise!

Ya and the name change sucked.....

Report

cart00n - 7 months 14 days ago

My understanding of the Halo thing is that it takes place during BOTH the Halo 2 and 3 campaigns, so why not just call it Halo: ODST?

And while the 360 is NOTICEABLY quieter when a game is being read off of the HDD, it's STILL a pretty noisy box, most noticeable when I'm watching something off of Netflix. Those fans are pretty loud...

Report

garnsr - 7 months 14 days ago

I have a Jasper system, I believe, and have only run games off of the HDD, and mine isn't noisy, and doesn't get hot, that I've noticed. I've never noticed any noise while watching Netflix, either.

Report

Wesker1990 - 7 months 14 days ago

I want to know why microsoft have still not stopped the red ring of death i love my 360 but its my 6th one some people have been worse off and had theres repaired by microsoft and when they get them back they break right away i know microsoft have done alot to stop it from occuring but it should not have occured in the first place plus wats this bs concerning vip membership on xbox live i thought they all ready had enough of my money and all u get from this vip membership is better servers and connection i should already be getting that now let alone paying more for it oh yeah u also have the added fun of being able to invite silver members to your games wow no one has silver membership cause u can't do jack shit with it its like giving a blind man a copy of playboy fn pointless now ive got thast out of my system gd job microsoft

Report

jesusfrk15 - 7 months 14 days ago

i've really never cared in the least bit about the 360's running noise

Report

HungryBeaver - 7 months 14 days ago

the running noise scares me. my xbox has broken 4 times already and right before it does break, it gets noisier.

Report

Jedipimp0712 - 7 months 14 days ago

good question, but what i want to know is

why does microsoft use a points based system for purchasing things? id rather not since im left with only 40 points from the castle crashers king pack, and nothing on LIVE is 40 points, not even a picture pack. I would also like to know why there is not an online browser (they did make internet explorer, even though i use mozilla). and there should be a better music player, can't even fast forward during the songs that have a "secret song" at the end.

Report

Neotepen5 - 7 months 14 days ago

4 sum reason it only makes a loud noise when im playin cod 4...odd

Report

jar-head - 7 months 14 days ago

how about a 360 that does not need a coolent fan, and wont 110% of the time melt the 360? and HELP: How can you download a game to the hard drive to make it "quieter"?

Report

Ravenbom - 7 months 14 days ago

Every time I see ODST I read it as "Oh, STD!"
They really shouldn't be using letters that can form the acronym for Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
It sounds like something Niko might get from hookers in GTAIV.

Report

BoondockSaint54 - 7 months 14 days ago

I don't know why but my 360 actually got quieter when I got it back from my last Red Ring experience a month or two ago.

Report

toastedmilk - 7 months 14 days ago

the noise issue really bothered me when i first got my 360, but i got used to it quickly. not only does the game's sound usually drown it out, but it can't compete with the noise out my window. and if you think the 360 is loud, you should hear my laserdisc player.

Report

jorhorror - 7 months 14 days ago

Im glad that its only something like the dvd drive. cause sometimes I get really scared and think that my 360 is gonna explode and put the disk tray through my dome or somthing.

Report