(Rumor) MS Adding 2nd GPU HeatSink for Better Cooling?

[hey69]

(Rumor) MS Adding 2nd GPU HeatSink for Better Cooling?
>> From logic-sunrise.com (translated from french to english):
Quote:
Our contact close to Microsoft had the kindness to forward to us by email the new weapon of Microsoft to fight against the phenomenon of the Ring of Death (ROD). This weapon is quite simply a new hardware configuration for the 360. As you can see from the pictures below, you'll notice the arrival of a new cooling unit located just below the Hitachi 59 DVD-drive whom this console had.

News-Source: logic-sunrise.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: hey69.com

 

[AlNom]

It seems to me that it'd be a lot better if that thing were placed within the fan-shell... tunnel...thing... instead of the front. What does the shell look like on its own?

Also, I wonder why they didn't use a larger heatsink for the CPU as there is a bunch of space in front of it.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Maybe the cpu doesnt get to hot? You'd assume the designers at MS know what they are doing.

 

[rounin]

Maybe the cpu doesnt get to hot? You'd assume the designers at MS know what they are doing.

The irony in this was too much to let slip by.

 

[Todd33]

What changed, the front little heat pipe thing?

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/system/microsoft/xbox360/no_cov.jpg

 

[AlNom]

It looks like nothing changed. It isn't the Elite motherboard, though this particular unit could have been a mock-up prototype.

edit: yes, the GPU heatsink was altered to accommodate the extra heat pipe.

Maybe the cpu doesnt get to hot? You'd assume the designers at MS know what they are doing.

Well, it's certainly got a much bigger heatsink than the GPU and it has it's own heat pipe looping from the bottom to the top, which itself is a pretty short distance.

It works fine I suppose, but I would just feel a bit safer if the extra metal were there.

 

[rbushner]

What changed, the front little heat pipe thing?

Yep, the part that looks like they just bolted it on to the old heatsink (the intercooler thing that is floating in front of the CPU heat sink).

It seems to me that it'd be a lot better if that thing were placed within the fan-shell... tunnel...thing... instead of the front.

The only reason I can theorize is the exhaust is too hot, and the CPU has more room for heat before failure than the GPU. But I'm guessing, I'd place it in the shroud too. I don't quite understand the orientation of it either. I'm just glad they are doing something.

 

[infinity4]

anyone know if this is actually going to work?

 

[AlNom]

The only reason I can theorize is the exhaust is too hot, and the CPU has more room for heat before failure than the GPU. But I'm guessing, I'd place it in the shroud too. I don't quite understand the orientation of it either. I'm just glad they are doing something.

I'm not sure I understand that theory though.

(Just thinking aloud)

The heat pipe to the extra Al fins should transfer heat fairly quickly away from the rather light-weight heatsink on the GPU, so placing the extra attachment within the shroud (thanks for the term!) in front of one of the fans should dissipate the heat far more effectively.

The shroud helps focus the airflow with by creating higher pressure within it. By placing the attachment outside in front of the CPU's heatsink, they are only going to create a hot spot well away from any active cooling; they're efficiently drawing heat away from the GPU, but it's also away from the active cooling

One could think of it as a person in a hot tub all inside a sauna, and there's a window with a shroud over it.

 

[function]

By the time air reaches the shroud it's already hot, so placing the extra heatsink infront of the CPU heatsink means it'll be better at cooling the GPU. This should also help take heat away from the DVD drive. Those seem to get pretty warm.

This looks like the kind of fix-it job you can retrofit to repaired or refurbished 360s. If it's real, I suspect it could be MS looking to the 11+ million consoles already out there rather than just the 90nm GPU machines still left to manufacture.

 

[22psi]

Wow pretty damn interesting! I am hoping everything is ironed out by the time the 65nm 360s hit.

Calling Acert93 to confirm this

 

[Shifty Geezer]

As I mentioned in the other thread, this doesn't do MS's legal standing any good if people say they were being sold defective goods, as the EU is sometimes warrant to do. MS have repeatedly denied there's any problem...so why revise the hardware to add more cooling? Adding more cooling at extra cost says it's needed, which means it should have been there from day 1.

 

[Skrying]

As I mentioned in the other thread, this doesn't do MS's legal standing any good if people say they were being sold defective goods, as the EU is sometimes warrant to do. MS have repeatedly denied there's any problem...so why revise the hardware to add more cooling? Adding more cooling at extra cost says it's needed, which means it should have been there from day 1.

Other way around, its a product enhancement in order to lower fan speed. Or some sort of spin that way.

 

[Graham]

Odd timing...

I would have expected pictures of a smaller cpu heat sink to be surfacing around now (hinting at 65nm)

 

[iceberg187]

Odd timing...

I would have expected pictures of a smaller cpu heat sink to be surfacing around now (hinting at 65nm)

No, they still have 10 million or so consoles out there and they need this for a variety of reasons, namely public trust. 65nm isn't going to come until fall

http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20070430PB208.html
Xbox 360 GPU to go to 65nm in fall, TSMC to see side benefits, says paper

These are for repaired consoles.

 

[pipo]

These are for repaired consoles.

It's good to see them doing something, but they sure took their time...

Was it really that hard to figure out?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It's good to see them doing something, but they sure took their time...
Was it really that hard to figure out?

It may have been held up more by suits saying they don't want the expense, than technicians pondering how to improve cooling. TRhe public denials of any issues with the hardware may have been mirrored in the boardroom too. I imagine some techncians in front of bosses not wanting to admit to under-rating the heat output of components, and saying there's no real problem. Maybe someone's reviewed returned box figures and seen they are too high, and finally said to sort it out?

All speculation mind, but possibilities. Never forget the human element of internal business politics.

 

[iceberg187]

It may have been held up more by suits saying they don't want the expense, than technicians pondering how to improve cooling. TRhe public denials of any issues with the hardware may have been mirrored in the boardroom too. I imagine some techncians in front of bosses not wanting to admit to under-rating the heat output of components, and saying there's no real problem. Maybe someone's reviewed returned box figures and seen they are too high, and finally said to sort it out?

All speculation mind, but possibilities. Never forget the human element of internal business politics.

Arne, dude on GAF that works with Microsoft said that they had a meeting about this a few months back. I would also propose that someone didn't want to be found culpable over this and that is why it took so long. Goes to show close *snickers* these people really are to these situations.

 

[Diamond.G]

Arne, dude on GAF that works with Microsoft said that they had a meeting about this a few months back. I would also propose that someone didn't want to be found culpable over this and that is why it took so long. Goes to show close *snickers* these people really are to these situations.

Who wants to take bets that Gates had a system die and was highly, highly irritated?

 

[swaaye]

The irony in this was too much to let slip by.

I'd think that cost cutting was to blame as usual. Blaming engineers is usually the wrong direction to go in. It would probably have a sweet carbon nanotube contraption if cost wasn't an issue.