I have been trying to read everything I can about the xbox mods, but it all confuses me. I am looking for someone that has the time to point me in the right direction. I just want an xbox to play backup games, play dvds (if the a/v is good enough), and maybe music - that is it. Here is what I need to do(I think) : I need to buy an xbox (not sure if it should be new or used because of the versions, and I am replacing all the parts anyways right? etc.) I need a chip - which one? Hard drive - will any HD do? 250GB? Should I do the installation myself or pay someone to do it? I am not dumb, but have never worked on something like this before and would hate to ruin it, if that is really possible. Can someone help me decide what is the best way to go about all of this? What should I buy, where, how? Sorry for not knowing anything. PM me if you can take a moment to help. Thanks
I suggest getting a used unit if possible. Anything manufactured in 2003 or before is fine. The chip I would reccomend is the duox 2. It is the easiest one that I have installed. RE the HDD, it's up to you. HOw much do you know about partitions and stuff. That you might want someone else to do. The hardest part of the chip is the DO point. See the diagram at psxtune.com and you'll understand. Good luck!
Get a used box. A 1.2-1.5 are the easiest to mod. You dont need a mod chip, you can flash the onboard TSOP. A mod chip is better if you need to be able to disable it for xbox live but for your needs, I wouldn't bother. It's actually easier to solder the 2 bridge points for flashing the TSOP than it is to install a mod chip. I've done both, modded around 15 boxes so far, and, after scraping the D0 (d zero) point with an exacto knife to get better contact just to get a mod chip to work; dropping 2 tiny globs of solder is much easier!! v1.6 and above cant be TSOP modded. V1.0 and v1.1 can be, and also have a 1mb TSOP vs 256kb in the 1.2-1.5 but you have to solder on the under side of the board and remove around 10 more screws to get the mobo out. The main thing you'll need for any TSOP mod is an original '007 Agent Under Fire' or 'Mech Asault' game, must be original, not 'GAME OF THE YEAR' editions. These allow running of the exploit to flash the TSOP. The only trick left is getting the flashing program onto a memcard to run the exploit. pm me and I can get you all the instructions you'll need. In my experience, a solderless modchip is a gamble, I've had some install and start flashing(correct alignment) within 10 seconds, others.... never would align and ended up TSOP flashing. harddrives: the biggest you can afford, no real benifit from 7200rpm in an xbox, just more heat(possibly) 300gb no problem. software: no worries, complete iso installers are avalible that will give you DVD player, media players, emulators, all in one. very user friendly
Ok, thanks. You say a V1.0 - 1.1 has a 1mb TSOP. What exactly does a larger TSOP do for you? Also, will I need a new DVD drive? Are there any worries with buying an older xbox - anything that can burn out or wear out? What is the best way to make sure that I get hold of one that is a V1.0 or 1.1 box? I mean if I am trying to buy it from some kid that doesn't know, how do I find out? Also, I saw the website for Dream X machines or something along those lines and it said that their machines were 5.1 surround enabled. Will mine be, or what do I need to do to do this? Also, how is the A/V quality on these things? From the sound of everything, it seems like maybe I need someone to do it for me, just because they might already have '007 Agent Under Fire' or 'Mech Asault' and the software, or is this something I can buy easily? If I do decide to have someone do this for me, what is the best way to do that. What should I look out for or make sure they do, how much, etc? Thanks again for the replies.