Hi All, need advice on which mod chip to get Options

[moorsky]

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

hi there , just to say first what a great place this is to be ...and second , yes i do need help.. ....can anyone give advice on which is the best mod chip to get installed on my kids xbox. Basically i am very fresh behind the ears when it comes to xbox but not with puters....it's getting aquainted and familiar with s/ware , the lingo and terminology of the whole thing......so.....i am basically looking for ( if there is one available ) , a modchip which is hassle free ( until i get up to speed with all of the above ) ie..no need to mess about with bios and the likes...a mod chip which i can get installed for me which is already "preset" ? and ready to go.......

I dare say i will catch up and familiarise myself and get involved with he xbox factor , but until then is there a modchip available with this spec ?......

It is a learning experience i think , but i really don't want to balls up my kids xbox just because i "thought" i knew what i was doing....

any advice and help for me is very very much appreciated in advance.......

[Xombe]

Modchips can't be sold "preset". You have to flash them with a hacked (re: illegal) BIOS yourself in order to do anything decent (play backups, run emulators, etc.).

First of all, get familiar with xbins, and get your stuff there, and NEVER ask for anything illegal here (note: it's pretty much all illegal).

As for a solid chip that won't break the bank but offer reliablity (and a fall-back in case you do screw up), go for a chip that can hold more than one bios, like the Xecutor 2.6.

It's not as fancy as the latest chips (called 4th generation), but is a great chip at a great price. The link I gave also includes the 1.6 rebuild module. You see, there are many versions of Xbox, from the first 1.0 model to the latest 1.6b model.

1.6 and 1.6b version Xboxes require extra soldering to make the modchips work, and this "rebuild PCB" makes that easier. If you have an Xbox manufactured before about April of 2004, then you won't have to worry about that.

The BIOS you flash to the chip is most crucial, as the chip is just a means to hold/run the BIOS. If you're PC literate, you know what BIOS stands for and what it does.

You basically have to circumvent the normal Xbos BIOS with a hacked (re: illegal) BIOS if you want to do anything fun.

There will be about a dozen guys in here claiming this chip is better than that chip, etc. Just do a lot of reading, and find what suits YOU and YOUR budget.

Do a lot of reading, but ask questions when need be. Read the text below this message to see what I mean.

Welcome to X-S!

Ah, and this welcome guide is a very important read, as it covers all the basics and the lingo.

[moorsky]

Xombe , thank you v. much for the advice you gave me...i will take what you said on board and learn to crawl before i walk. thanks for the info and will do as you advise...ie read and learn.....moorsky.........

[Brummie]

I was in the same boat as you a couple of months ago, I've only ever soldered about two things in my whole life so I didn't fancy going at my new xbox with a hot soldering iron.

So I went for the Zenium Ice with the solderless kit.

It took about half an hour to install the chip, you can find all the picutres and intructions you need on xbox-scene.

I have a v1.4 xbox, I think that if you have a v1.6 you may have to solder some points.


With this chip you get a usb adaptor, if you have a usb pen drive you can use it with the adaptor to then flash your chip with your new bios, (This was so easy)

Your best bet is to do your homework and search the forums all the info you need is there.

[anticrap1234]

xenium ice is very noob friendly

[mlapaglia]

isn't it great when we can all just get along and no flaming the newb's...

or people trying to get their post counts up..

for any newb to the mod scene you should definately read the "total newbie's guide to modding" and the such in the pinned topics. they can help out TREMENDOUSLY, especially for someone that is already computer literate

[moorsky]

thanks to all who responded to my plea for help...it was and still is as i am really new to this..........

the reason i posted this request for help and advice is that i didn't want to mess up my kids' xbox because of my xbox inexperience....i was not trying to up my post count ( if you notice i only registered with this community a couple of days ago and my first post was a help req. for advice )..............

i genuinely only seeked an honest answer from experienced peeps which i felt i could trust within this community to help me through my inexperience......

when i gain more experience in this area i will contribute to others here in the manner in which i have been helped........

i hope that i haven't upset any mods or members by doing this...but thanks again for all who helped........moorsky......

[cpu_junkie3]

Yeah man I just my Xboxed modded in the middle of last month, I choose to put in an Xecuter 3 chip, those are pretty good and so are Xenium and Smart XX.

If your going to browse the web or have a server tho, you might want to go with Smart XX, Xenuim and Xecuter are pretty good for gaming and being online with Linux.

As for being satisfied, that is a hard thing for anyone to say, my Xbox is loaded (all apps and 5 dashes) and it does not have certain things I would like it to have, Im not satisfied yet so you might want to remember that.

oh and are you doing this yourself

[edudlive]

I'll recommend either the Xecuter 2.6 (with solderless if you have a pre-1.6) or Xenium ICE (with solderless if you have a pre-1.6)

Both are good, and not TOO expensive (I just ordered my ICE on Wednesday and it cost $73 for the chip, solderless, usb adapter, and shipping....the Xecuter 2.6 with solderless is around $~60 I think

Just get whatever will fit your budget

[moorsky]

thanks again for the quick responses...and to cpu_junkie3...well no i'm not going to do it myself.

i am getting someone who knows what they're doing to do it...( best all round i think for the time being )

i don't think i'll be doing anything to the xbox until i know what i'm doing and what i'm talking about.

the more i read , the more i can and will comprehend , but until i have a competent amount of know-how , then i won't be touching anything....i see alot of peeps in this community having probs and they seem to know what they're doing and talking about...so what chance would i have ?

i really do appreciate the help you guys have given me and was really just asking what was the best/reliable one to get for the xbox so i could tell the guy who is going to install it which one i wanted.

ps.....the xbox was purchased at xmas 2004 ...so i think that it will be an earlier model..........thanks again......moorsky........

[Snowboard8422]

isn't it great when we can all just get along and no flaming the newb's...

or people trying to get their post counts up..

for any newb to the mod scene you should definately read the "total newbie's guide to modding" and the such in the pinned topics. they can help out TREMENDOUSLY, especially for someone that is already computer literate

Lol i agree, But this is "Newbie Chat"

[Xombe]

Lol i agree, But this is "Newbie Chat"

Well said..!

mlapaglia, if you were being sincere, good on ya!

If you were passive-agressively trying to be sarcastic and infer ANY thing that exactly what you said, well, I think you know what I'll tell you to go do with yourself...

Futhermore, this guy is trying to make his kid happy, and if that doen't stike a chord for you, well, that's your business, but he come out with a straight-up honest and well worded post.

Instead of the RTFM bit, you perhaps could've show him a LINK or two, huh... (you know, like I showed him the Noob Welcome Guide by direct link, etc... see the value in that .

NO ONE here, not even Heinrich et all can say they started anywhere but where he (and we all) did. I'm not trying to come down on you, but I take this guy as a breath of fresh air in a world of, "dud, how can i make mi box leet so itll play pstwo games tell me cause my freind did it and i swa it and im cool so i can doo all tht shit" noobs...

Give a good newbie a helping hand, or don't hand out anything. Read my sig for some insight/

Note to moorsky: There are a lot of options out there, but notice how the Xecutor 2.6 pops up more than once (due to its price and stability)...

Learn more about the BIOSes, and xbins, etc., and feel free to ask a few more questions before making an order (or for that matter, where you order from, and if you wan't a hard drive upgrade and how big, etc...).

And a Xmas 2004 era box OUGHT to be a 1.4 (or maybe 1.5) as you surmised.

If you want to know for sure, all you have to do is open the case as look at the text on a certain chip (the video encoder chip, if it says "Focus" you have a 1.6).

[moorsky]

thanks mate...you helped alot...as did others....

a wee bit of info i did get was the info on the underside of the xbox as follows...

K : 1.00.4817.01
D : 1.00.4817.01

mfg date....2002-10-22
ser.no........3043083 24305
prod. id......331 3043083 24305

i think after doing some checking on this community that the kernel and d/board is 4817...is this right ?

and i think that it may be a v1.1 ??? not sure tho....( china built )

thanks again for all help given...i will contribute to this comm. in a constructive and helpful manner when experience allows me to......lol

no point in doing it just yet ...eh !....lol

[Xombe]

No sweat.

And, ah, some very helpful info you got there. You box is most certainly a 1.1, and here's why.

That's gonna make it a breeze to mod, and you can even save some cash by not having to buy the LPC Rebuild Module (mentioned in the first X2.6 sales link I gave), as you won't need it.

You've got the go ahead to use any chip you want and any bios you want. Lucky man.

I'm stll gonna push the Xecuter 2.6 (for a number reasons I'll get into later if you ask), but do a bit of checking to see which suits you.

Congrats on the easy to mod box!

-Xombe