I’m sure you have seen the $75+shipping Blaster360 product from Xecuter that’s been in the news. If you still want to flash new feature firmware updates & backup your original 360 games without opening the case every time or paying a lot for add-on hardware, here is a nice simple functional mod for you. This mod requires opening the case. To flash and update you need a compatible VIA chip-set. If you don’t want to do this yourself contact me Jason@Teamxbox for installation services..

Do it yourself “Blaster360″ cheapmod. (if your having me flash your 360 I can do this mod for you). Above are some pics of the blaster360.

1. One short sata cable is all thats needed.
2. Wire cutters work great to cut the metal case shielding.
3. Simple plug & play installation. Quick, functional, works flawless.
4. Most people will only flash periodically, so popping the plastic end off to get access isn’t really a chore.

Total cost? = You can do 2 of these mods for $6.00+ shipping
(Buy sata cable here)(Save even more)

See more on xbox-scene…
See more thread two…

—new update—
Because of the frequent 3rlod problems this mod is no longer recommended. Its not good to modify the case if your sending it back to ms.

Xeno Top Gear is available. This is Xeno’s answer to the Blaster360. A much cheaper version ($45+shipping). The cheapmod enables the same functions, without the buttons. xenotopgear.com
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Simply grab the wire and pull it out. (No need to make your sata connections inside the case)

So which one is the better drive and quieter? Well the Samsung is the best of the two but both fail miserably compared to the BenQ. The BenQ is not firmware flashable yet so if you buy a new xbox 360 with it, you will have to wait to get it modded.

If you have a Samsung drive that is really loud, flashing the firmware to ixtreme will allow you to slow down your dvd drive to 4x and make it much less noisy or you can leave it stock and have faster loading times.

Pros of slower drives 4x-8x speed:
- Less noisy
- Less wear on the laser
- Reads cheap media better
Cons of 4x-8x speed:
- Longer loading times(2-3 sec on avg)
Note: Ms cant detect if you change drive speeds.

Use this link to find the dvd-rom drive model that you want…
360drives Dvd Drive Database

First establish what drive you want, 360 core, premium or elite. Now, look for the shop you are planning to get your 360 from. Now write down all of the lot numbers. Take those to the store and ask them if they have a 360 with that same lot number.

Date on back of my elite with 78fk drive is (:MFR 2007-03-06)

Updated… 5/2/07

3 Versions:
- Hitachi 79fk (Hackable, but requires a modchip)
- Hitachi 78fk (Hackable using slax and fwtoolbox 3.x-4.x)
- BenQ/Lite On (Currently soft moddable)

The 79fk requires you to remove epoxy and install a 9wire passkey(the rest is the same as 78fk).

Find out more… BenQ…
Find out more… 79fk…

(Note: New BenQ drives are light gray not black in color like shown)