Is my 360 hosed?

[jerri blank]

Last night I started seeing some display problems with our 360, a launch-era core model. It starts happening after the console warms up, which makes me think the GPU is coming unseated or something. We're getting no RRODs.

Is this worth trying to have repaired? Or even if we replace it, is it worth trying to fix after the fact and reselling as an as-is refurb (with full disclosure of the problem, of course)?

[Morberis]

What are the display problems?

My first system went when on startup or soon after it would display alternating lines of colour, as if it had taken the real image and shredded it is that what you're talking about? That ended up in a RROD after I started it up enough times.

[jerri blank]

There's a little vertical striping, most evident against a dark scene, and there's a shimmery pattern, almost like every other pixel is bad. It's kinda hard to describe. It's a less severe version of what happened to my first 360 just before it kicked the bucket.

[RickH]

The solder on the graphics chip has been consistently named as one of the culprits. I remember my first one freezing up with a purple checkerboard pattern a few days before it finally RRODed.

The upside, Arcades are now cheap and compare favorably to the risk/reward of an extended warranty. Along with a new unit, you get an extra power supply (quite resellable), an extra wireless controller (a $50 value!), a memory card, and some free XBLA games on a disc.

[jerri blank]

Yeah, we broke down and got one. There's an added benefit that I forgot about - unlike my relatively ancient Core unit, this one has an HDMI port. So I'm trying to decide whether to get an HDMI cable.

[Talisker]

So I'm trying to decide whether to get an HDMI cable.
$4.74 (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=3992&seq=1&format=2) (+shipping, but should still be under eight bucks total).

[jerri blank]

Holy crap. Thanks. :)

[Talisker]

Holy crap. Thanks. :)
That's pretty much the universal reaction people have to monoprice if they've always bought cables at the store :)

[mkozlows]

And the reaction people have to Best Buy if they normally use Monoprice.

I really thought that once HDMI got less early-adoptery, Best buy would have $9 cables and the like. I'm amazed that they still only have hose-job cables.