Xbox 360 Slim 250gb HDD

[Sherardp]

Just wanted to share this with you guys. I bought the slim 4gb model and opted to buy the 250gb HDD from China/Hong Kong. These drives cost about 40-50 bucks depending on where you shop. Installed and checked the drive, it formats to about 228gb. I think the OEM HDD is 150.00 bucks or so. Consider the cost savings and buy on Ebay. They work with no issues. Just an FYI if anyone is buying the slim or thinking on it.

[kuntasensei]

Another FYI: There are a ton of these going on Ebay that are faked up enclosures with 250gb SATA drives stuck in them that have been formatted for the 360. Since the interface on the new 360 Slim is basically standard SATA, this technically works. However, like most of the drives done this way for the original Xbox 360, since they don't use the exact authorized brand and firmware of drive that Microsoft uses in their retail enclosures, you should expect to eventually possibly have your console banned for modding... the way a dashboard update did for all the people who tried to use their own drives on the original 360.

Just saying... Buyer beware. The $80 you save now could cost you a $200 console the next time Microsoft wields the banhammer.

[VR3]

FWIW

You can also use external drives on the 360..... so 1TB external ran through a USB port works too.

[Sherardp]

Another FYI: There are a ton of these going on Ebay that are faked up enclosures with 250gb SATA drives stuck in them that have been formatted for the 360. Since the interface on the new 360 Slim is basically standard SATA, this technically works. However, like most of the drives done this way for the original Xbox 360, since they don't use the exact authorized brand and firmware of drive that Microsoft uses in their retail enclosures, you should expect to eventually possibly have your console banned for modding... the way a dashboard update did for all the people who tried to use their own drives on the original 360.

Just saying... Buyer beware. The $80 you save now could cost you a $200 console the next time Microsoft wields the banhammer.

You can even use the old HDD, just remove it from the old shell align it with the connectors and it works. You even use a WD hard drive, buy the shell and it will work also. I don't think it would bet you banned from Live though.

[aboroth00]

FWIW

You can also use external drives on the 360..... so 1TB external ran through a USB port works too.

Yeap with all the externals onsale from BF, why not?

[mmadden28]

FWIW

You can also use external drives on the 360..... so 1TB external ran through a USB port works too.

Did you confirm this? I was under the impression that the max external drive the 360 would recognize is 32GB (well at least max external drive formatted partition).

[mmadden28]

You can even use the old HDD, just remove it from the old shell align it with the connectors and it works. You even use a WD hard drive, buy the shell and it will work also. I don't think it would bet you banned from Live though.

I was wondering that myself. With all the price gouging going on for the new model 360 250GB Kinect bundles on the Amazon Marketplace and lack of stock everywhere else--I was considering getting the 4GB model (which could be found for retail)and using my old 20GB drive.

Luckily, just last week I found a 250GB Kinect bundle for non-marked up retail ($399.99) tax free and only $3 shipping. I effin hate the Amazon Marketplace sometimes--fricken aholes just buy up all the stock they can just to flip it (right now the lowest price is $150 above retail).


Anybody looking for a Kinect sensor alone--Amazon has them back in stock at reg retail (ha ha ha AM sellers)

[EndersShadow]

Its not that easy. You can only use a max of 16 gigs of storage regardless of if your connecting up a 1TB HD. Its a limitation they put in place so you dont go to newegg to buy an external HDD rather than theirs.

[ballen823]

I was wondering that myself.

I bought a 4GB slim on Black Friday from Amazon and just moved my old 250GB HD into it over the weekend. You need a torque 6 and torque 10 screwdriver head....or you can pry it open with a flathead like I did. I had a 10, but didn't have the 6.

I ordered a cheap HD enclosure from some HK website - still haven't received it, but should be here any day. It fits in there without one though.

[mmadden28]

So where is the 4GB? Embedded internally? or in the HDD spot?

[Demiurge]

So where is the 4GB? Embedded internally? or in the HDD spot?

Its not like the old ones, but its in the same spot:



I wouldn't mess with installing non-Microsoft drives in the XBox itself. They've banned people's accounts for less and just isn't worth the risk, IMO. Of course, flash drives and external hard drives are another matter, though they limit the size of those (as has been mentioned).

I just bought the 250GB model because I knew I'd never use more than that and its worth the peace of mind that XBox won't lay the banhammer on me.

[mmadden28]

...

I wouldn't mess with installing non-Microsoft drives in the XBox itself. They've banned people's accounts for less and just isn't worth the risk, IMO. Of course, flash drives and external hard drives are another matter, though they limit the size of those (as has been mentioned).

Wait--ah OK, for some reason I thought Ballen823 was talking about swapping a 250GB from another older 360. I just remembered the older models only came in 20, 60 and 120 GB sizes IIRC. My thinking was that you can take a drive from a old XBox to save a few bucks, that way its still a MS drive.

My question was really about why buy a new HDD enclosure if you could just use the one the 4GB is in, assuming its located in the drive bay.

...
I just bought the 250GB model because I knew I'd never use more than that and its worth the peace of mind that XBox won't lay the banhammer on me.

That's pretty much what I did and why, but it would be nice to know if its doable, at least with a legal MS drive from a failed unit. I have a 20GB drive laying around right now that would certainly be better than a 4GB. Or I could give that drive to my sister who just got the 4GB version (she didn't talk to me first) assuming the mod did trigger any bans.

[ballen823]

Wait--ah OK, for some reason I thought Ballen823 was talking about swapping a 250GB from another older 360. I just remembered the older models only came in 20, 60 and 120 GB sizes IIRC. My thinking was that you can take a drive from a old XBox to save a few bucks, that way its still a MS drive.

My question was really about why buy a new HDD enclosure if you could just use the one the 4GB is in, assuming its located in the drive bay.



That's pretty much what I did and why, but it would be nice to know if its doable, at least with a legal MS drive from a failed unit. I have a 20GB drive laying around right now that would certainly be better than a 4GB. Or I could give that drive to my sister who just got the 4GB version (she didn't talk to me first) assuming the mod did trigger any bans.

I actually was talking about installing an official MS HD - they made 250GB drives for the old 360's right before they announced the Slims. I, of course, bought one of these drives, and certainly would have held off if I knew they weren't going to be compatible with their new hardware.

My thought is that it is still a MS drive, and the fact that it's 250GB, I should be safe. I guess technically they could ban it, but if they went about banning consoles with non-standard drives, I'd assume they'd start by looking for drives that aren't 250GB (since they don't sell the Slim with any other HD size). I'd also assume there is something on the drive that tells them that it's an official MS drive.

The 4GB in the new Slims is flash memory (from my understanding). The drive bay is empty when you buy a 4GB model.

[BorisBoris]

Microsoft has never banned anyone for using an unofficial hard drive.. this has been going on for about 4+ years now (Trasnferring the files to a normal drive to make it 360 compatible)

This will only work with available sizes of course, (250, 60, 120) and if you do it yourself or if you bought it online make sure it comes with the correct partition 2 flash, if whoever flashed it hasn't transfered over those files you won't be able to play old Xbox 1games since that partition is what holds the Xbox1 emulator.

The flashed hard drives are seen by the system exactly as any other Microsoft drive. They even show up with the "Microsoft" badge in the title bar.

The only things Microsoft has banned a CONSOLE for in the past 4-5 years they have been doing ban waves would be the "Jtag" jailbreak and firmware modification on the DVD-drive (Playing pirated copies)

[Sherardp]

Hard drive works like a charm and Kinect is great fun.

[disneyjoe7]

Just wanted to share this with you guys. I bought the slim 4gb model and opted to buy the 250gb HDD from China/Hong Kong. These drives cost about 40-50 bucks depending on where you shop. Installed and checked the drive, it formats to about 228gb. I think the OEM HDD is 150.00 bucks or so. Consider the cost savings and buy on Ebay. They work with no issues. Just an FYI if anyone is buying the slim or thinking on it.

What are you saving $50 bucks or so? Given the 4gb model is $199 and the 250gb model is $299, the drive being $50.

BTW if I was to use a XBox as a Windows Media Extender would it be worth it to buy the 250gb model over the 4gb?

[Sherardp]

What are you saving $50 bucks or so? Given the 4gb model is $199 and the 250gb model is $299, the drive being $50.

BTW if I was to use a XBox as a Windows Media Extender would it be worth it to buy the 250gb model over the 4gb?

Yes I would buy the 250gb model anyway. Cost savings can be up to 100.00 if you can get a good deal on the 4gb model. I use mine as a media extender and it works very well.

[disneyjoe7]

Thanks