- 5 stars: 1 (100%)
- 4 stars: 0 (0%)
- 3 stars: 0 (0%)
- 2 stars: 0 (0%)
- 1 star: 0 (0%)
Xbox One is a fantastic gaming system, but man, does that little black box get hot! Especially after 12-16 hours in Fallout 4. Yes, the XB1 has a large internal fan, but it's lethargic: it draws a small volume of fresh air and pushes out an equally small volume of hot air out the top. Some say this is enough: 'That's way they designed it!' I know, I've read all those articles (and so have you, I'm guessing). But you're reading this review now because, like me, you've come to realize that 'design myth' is just that: a myth. I'm being polite here; you may have another word for it. Put simply: That box is too damn hot. And heat is killer for high-end electronics.
My solution is simple and relatively inexpensive (especially considering the cost of a new XB1). It's also two-pronged:
PART ONE: This fan. Place it on top of the exhaust vent to help pull hot air up and out. (Use a deflector to redirect air flow if your XB1 is in a cramped location like a bookcase.) Fan can use one of the two USB slots on back of XB1.
PART TWO: (and this is important) A side vent fan of some sort. Blowing in. Another 120mm sitting on the outside? Maybe. It's so quiet, I may try that. The fan I chose however was the DOBE integrated side-vent fan. Available on Amazon. (There are several fans of identical design which makes me think there's one manufacturer and many distributors - I chose DOBE because their ad was almost in English). Snap out the old vent/dust cover (use a thin butter knife and throw out the plastic pry included) and then snap in the fan unit. It's a good fit and utilizes the side USB port (I didn't even know it was there). The design gives you back two USB ports to compensate but I haven't tried them (I've read there may be data transfer issues vis-''-vis external HDDs but that's beyond the cooling focus here).
The two fan approach works quite nicely for me: At the end of a 12-hour Fallout 4 session recently, I lifted the top fan off and put my hand right on the exhaust vent and could barely discern the heat. What a difference!
DOWNSIDE? Only from the integrated side-vent fan: A slight fan-hum is audibly discernable even on the low setting. I think I can live with it though given the results. The AC Infinity fan on the other hand is whisper quiet. When the DOBE stops working I may just buy a second 120mm and stick it along the side vent and see how that works. Hope that helps all you XB1 gamers out there have a cool summer! It fits well with our furniture setup.
