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After years of highly pleasurable gaming on your Xbox 360 it finally happens, the awful red rings of death. Those three blinking lights that spell doom for your gaming addiction. Rather than throwing the expensive brick through a wall, what are your options?

First, you could buy a new Xbox 360. The new console is only $299, and it offers HDMI Output. The older version only had the HD Components. The problem is it’s very difficult to find TV’s that will share nicely with multiple component level connections. While on the other hand you can find many TV’s that have multiple HDMI inputs.

Another bit of good news with buying a new 360 is that the hard drives are larger as well. Gone are the miniscule 20gb hard drives, now you can get 60gb with the Xbox basic, and 120gb with the elite. Not a bad upgrade at all.

The new 360s have been redesigned as well, so that most of the issues with overheating should be avoided now. It does appear that the newer versions have much smaller failure rates. Time will tell if the new 360s will stand the test of time and heat.

Second, you could consider fixing it yourself. There are multiple sites that show you techniques to remove and resolder the pieces together. Not for the weak, or those with no experience. But, there are plenty of stories across the internet of enterprising souls who have succeeded in fixing their Xbox’s themselves.

A viable third option would be to send the console back to Microsoft. Microsoft will fix the console anytime within 3 years of purchase, so chances are you still are under warranty. If however you’ve cracked the case yourself, or had other work done on the console then you’ll have no choice but to pay the price Microsoft demands. Currently they charge $140 if you send them an xbox 360 out of warranty.

As a fourth alternative, there are plenty of independent repair firms that will fix xbox 360’s. These repairs start at around $69 and go to around $200. Make sure you look for a company with a good warranty, and that guarantees their work.

There are plenty of choices to fix your ailing xbox 360. It depends on which choice you choose on what your results may be. It’s worth it though based upon the excellent quality of gaming we can get on the 360. Now if there were only a way to get a blueray drive on the 360.

Tags: Computers and Technology