Overheating is a common problem with the Xbox 360. When this happens, it usually comes about gradually. Often it will take several hours of intense gaming before the problem shows up. In the more severe cases the console can heat up in a matter of minutes. But it's not that unusual to get overheating or the two red light error within of seconds of starting up.
For many people though, this just seems to be too bizarre to be believed and they start to wonder if their Xbox really is overheating or if the problem is something else altogether. However, if you do get the 2 red light error within a few seconds of a cold start up, there's a good chance that bad thermal compound is at fault. Thermal compound is used between the heat sink and the GPU (or the CPU). Its function is to facilitate the flow of excess heat out of the GPU and into the heat sink where the excess heat gets dissipated.
The purpose of thermal compound is to fill the tiny microscopic air gaps in the mating surface between the GPU and its heat sink. These air gaps would otherwise act as insulators that prevent heat from escaping the GPU and thus prevent its cooling. While the mating surfaces of the two components appear to be smooth to the naked eye, they are actually quite rough when viewed under magnification.
Because the GPU consumes a lot power, it puts out a lot of heat. This heat rapidly raises the temperature of the GPU which is a very small object. The temperature of small objects increase much more rapidly than large objects do when exposed to heat.
So if bad thermal paste is preventing proper cooling of the GPU, it will heat up very fast. A few seconds is all the time it needs to do this. This will trigger an immediate shutdown of the console and set off the 2 red light error. The GPU gets hot so fast that there is little time for the rest of the console to warm up. This is what baffles most people, because to them, the console still seems cool. But if they were able to touch the GPU at the moment of shutdown, they would find it very hot.
Hopefully this article will leave you better prepared if or when this should happen to you. Replacing the thermal paste means opening the console. So you have three options: do the job yourself, get it repaired by a professional, or use your warranty.
For many people though, this just seems to be too bizarre to be believed and they start to wonder if their Xbox really is overheating or if the problem is something else altogether. However, if you do get the 2 red light error within a few seconds of a cold start up, there's a good chance that bad thermal compound is at fault. Thermal compound is used between the heat sink and the GPU (or the CPU). Its function is to facilitate the flow of excess heat out of the GPU and into the heat sink where the excess heat gets dissipated.
The purpose of thermal compound is to fill the tiny microscopic air gaps in the mating surface between the GPU and its heat sink. These air gaps would otherwise act as insulators that prevent heat from escaping the GPU and thus prevent its cooling. While the mating surfaces of the two components appear to be smooth to the naked eye, they are actually quite rough when viewed under magnification.
Because the GPU consumes a lot power, it puts out a lot of heat. This heat rapidly raises the temperature of the GPU which is a very small object. The temperature of small objects increase much more rapidly than large objects do when exposed to heat.
So if bad thermal paste is preventing proper cooling of the GPU, it will heat up very fast. A few seconds is all the time it needs to do this. This will trigger an immediate shutdown of the console and set off the 2 red light error. The GPU gets hot so fast that there is little time for the rest of the console to warm up. This is what baffles most people, because to them, the console still seems cool. But if they were able to touch the GPU at the moment of shutdown, they would find it very hot.
Hopefully this article will leave you better prepared if or when this should happen to you. Replacing the thermal paste means opening the console. So you have three options: do the job yourself, get it repaired by a professional, or use your warranty.
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Got an Xbox that runs too hot? Get more troubleshooting advice about the red ring of death fix.
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