I know I know… I’ve taken too long to blog about this, but if it’s any consolation, I think I’ve finally fixed my XBox360 for sure!

Background Info: I got the dreaded Three Red Rings of Death problem on my XBox360 with error code “0020″. I tried almost every fix available out there:

• Towel Trick - Worked only once, died a few days later, too risky. Don’t bother.
• Heat Gun Trick - Worked for a few weeks then died. Too much work in my opinion. Don’t bother.
• Team-Xecuter RROD Repair Kit - Didn’t work for me, but some swear by it. Worth a shot.
• X-Clamp Fix - XBox360 has been up for 6 months!

The X-Clamp Fix seems to be one of the most popular fixes that actually do work. Basically, the idea is to get rid of the clamps that hold the heat sinks to the CPU & GPU, instead replacing them with screws, washers & bolts that keep them locked in place. This leaves the motherboard with little room to warp, hence no three red rings of death.

Initially, I went to Bunnings and every other hardware store you could think of to buy the parts (I live in Sydney Australia). My advice to you is to not bother. While everyone had the right washers, no one had the screws of the right length. The width was right, but then length was too long, so if I had got them I would’ve had to saw off part of the screw. Too much work and not worth the hassle. Also, no one had nylon washers.

Fortunately, there are heaps of sellers on eBay that sell the kit. My advice is to not bother sourcing the parts yourself (unless you live in a country that has a range like Home Depot from the US). I bought the kit from these guys. It was cheaper getting the kit from them then sourcing the parts myself. Plus everything they provided were the right length & width. They also provide instructions and have their own support forum. What more can you ask for?

There are 8 screws, 16 metal washers and 16 nylon washers in the pack.

So what’s involved? You have to take your XBox360 apart, remove the clamps and then the heat sinks. I used ArticClean to clean off the old thermal paste, and applied new Artic Silver 5 thermal paste. Full instructions can be found easily within a google search but if you want direct links and youtube videos just leave a comment and I’ll update the post.

Well, so far so good. It’s been six months and I’ve not experienced any problems with the XBox360. Remember, I still had my Team Xecuter’s heat pads in there, so I’m recommending a combination of the X-Clamp and Team Xecuter RROD kit to ensure a more permanent fix.

Then again, I’ve only use it for games now as I bought myself a PS3 (more of that to come in a later post… this time I’ll try to blog more regularly I promise)!