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Jasper: The Friendly Xbox?
Streamlining a console’s manufacturing process has been a part of the videogame industry since its earliest days. Efficiencies are maximized, costs are cut, and quality improves. But it’s been especially important for Microsoft in this generation as they try to rid themselves of the public black eye endured by the ongoing “Red Ring of Death” problem, which resulted in an abnormally high rate of hardware failure on the Xbox 360.
In late 2007 Microsoft released a new motherboard, codenamed “Falcon,” to replace the launch design, called “Xenon.” It wasn’t the first hardware revision, but it was the most significant to that date because it shrunk the CPU from a 90-nanometer die size to 65nm, meaning the smaller chip would draw less power and generate less heat — the latter being the alleged primary culprit for most RROD failures.
While the Falcons have certainly seemed to be an improvement (time will tell, since the earliest versions only recently turned a year old), it’s the latest revision we’ve really been waiting for. Dubbed “Jasper,” the new motherboard tackles the primary culprit for the excess heat — the GPU — head-on by shrinking it approximately 30 percent to 65nm, while also packing Falcon’s 65nm CPU.
So is this The One? Are the days of coffins, repair centers, and frustration finally over? Read on — we’re going to run some tests, then completely disassemble both a Xenon and a Jasper to discover the truth.
How To Identify A Jasper
By the time you read this, the 2008 holiday season will have likely wiped away most of the old Xbox 360 stock, leaving Jaspers as the majority of what you’ll see in stores. But at press time we still had a tough time tracking down a Jasper, and when we did it was only an Arcade SKU; we couldn’t find any Pros or Elites. Here’s how to make sure your next 360 is a more-reliable Jasper:
(1) Check the Lot Number
On the right side of the box, look above the UPC bar code. If the Lot No. is 0844 or above, the odds are good that it’s a Jasper. The earliest documented Jaspers are from Lot No. 0843.
(2) Check the Build Date
Peek in the cardboard-cutout window on the top of the box. If the console was manufactured in November 2008 or later, you likely have a Jasper. Ours was built on 10/14, and due to its 175W power supply (see below) and sticker on the motherboard labeled “Jasper 1weeks run,” we believe it was one of the earliest systems. So it’s possible to get an October-built Jasper, but November or later is a surer bet.
(3) Check the Power Brick
Near the top of the sticker on the underside of the power brick, you’ll see a listing for “Output DC.” 203W indicates Xenon, 175W means Falcon, and 150W signals Jasper. The 150W bricks fit only the Jaspers, so it’s an excellent indicator, but of course you’d have to open the box to check for this.
(4) The Guaranteed Way
You can also ignore everything above and go with this surefire method: Look in the cutout window on the top of the box. On the far-right edge (or left, if you’ve flipped the box around because you can’t read upside-down) — you may have to use your finger to, uh, make the window a little larger — you’ll see a line above the words “Made in China” that reads “12V – xx,xA; 5V – 1A.” If the “xx,xA” is 12,1A, you’re guaranteed a Jasper. If it’s 14,2A, it’s a Falcon. 16,5A is Xenon.
The Verdict
Interestingly, both the amperage and thermal tests yielded their lowest results when a DVD movie was being played — not when the system sat idle at the NXE Dashboard, as we had expected. We can only hypothesize that one or more of the Xbox 360 CPU’s three cores shuts down during DVD playback, whereas on the Dashboard it stands with all three cores fired-up and ready to go in case you decide to launch a game.
Overall thermal testing showed Jasper temperatures that were 10 to 20 percent cooler than their Xenon counterparts. It’s reasonable to assume that these discrepancies would’ve been even greater had our Xenon unit not already been upgraded by the repair center, but by now most 2005-built systems have probably already been to the repair center anyway, making the real-world implications moot.
Also worth noting is that the air exhausted from a Jasper under full load (i.e., in the middle of an extended gaming session) is noticeably cooler even with a simple, very unscientific hand test. While the shrunken chip sizes are certainly large contributors to this, it’s important to point out that, as you can see from the photos, Microsoft has pulled out all of the stops with Jasper. The heatsinks are larger, and the GPU has its own dedicated heatpipe that is channeled up and away from the confined space underneath the DVD drive. The company is clearly taking steps to end this problem.
Adding it all up — the cooler temperatures, smaller chips, and harder-core cooling solutions — we believe it’s safe to use the Jasper with confidence. It appears to finally be the reliable Xbox 360 we’ve been waiting three years for.
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Kwiq Niss
February 12, 2010 at 6:35pm
My Xephyr (like Xenon, but add HDMI) Elite, build date 2007-08-xx died recently (3 red lites). I had it replaced through warranty, and I just got a replacement 360. The build date is 2010-01-30 (two weeks ago), however it is another Xephyr. The xx,xA is 16.5A. Didn't know they were still making these things, is it possible they just changed the power supply since when sending in a warranty job, you don't send in the brick, and rather than sending a brick, they put in a Xephyr power supply?
DUFFYS FURY
October 09, 2009 at 12:27pm
i have the falcon xbox 360 i guess cause my power brick has the 14.2a on it. idk if thats good or not but i just got it returned to me last week after i got a rrod
iNOXIOUS
September 29, 2009 at 6:51pm
i sent in my xbox around mid may of 2009 for the red ring. i was just wondering if when they fixed if they put in the jasper or not? can someone answer this for me?
Robin
August 21, 2009 at 6:46pm
This messade is to give AA Big Daddy AA some ease of thought. The new Japer is equipped to tell you of a failure but it is unlikely that this will happen, I've put in many 10 hour sessions where temperatures were moniyored just for the hell of it and it never even hiccupped. So....how's that huh?
lordviscius
July 04, 2009 at 12:11pm
lordvee Dude u forgot to mention one thing and that is the Zephyr i have a 360 with hdmi port so what chipset do i have according to your rules i have a xenon but does the xenon have hdmi ?
AA Big Daddy AA
June 09, 2009 at 8:12am
hi there i have an elite which was built on April 2008 sadly it is not a falcon how ever i saw the rrod twice but i just turn off the device and reconnect the electric cable and turn on the device and it worked like nothing happened. i live in Iraq and i bought the console for 650$ in 27/09/2008 now a brand new elite console cost 550$. and in Iraq there are no service center for repairing the device. because of that i consider replacing my console with jasper because if my console show the RROD or the E74 error there will be no where to repair it in Iraq and it will cost the price of brand new one if i send to the states to repair it. so my question is: Is the Jasper have the RROD the same as the previous consoles or not please answer me ASAP
oso13350
April 06, 2009 at 5:59pm
hi i just want to say that we sent in our xbox twice for the red circle of death and both times we got him back it lasted for a while than the same stuff happened and when i called microsoft they said my warranty expired but when i purchased the xbox i got a 3 year warranty so what do i do
Burley
March 22, 2009 at 6:31pm
For the Jasper Motherboard,do you fix the E74 Error the same as other motherboards?
Twindice209
March 21, 2009 at 8:28am
i think its just chance when it comes to electronics. you may get one that never breaks down or you may get one that quits after a year,. ive had mine since the second day they released and only had to replace the dick drive. and that was my fault because i steped on it. Twindice209
Tatts4Life
March 18, 2009 at 9:26am
I keep my console on top of my entertainment center with space all around for ventilation. and I make sure it's dusted at least once a week. But the thing still crapped out. Doesn't matter though I traded in my system and got enough money to get a new arcade unit and a few games.
Gold Contaxt
March 15, 2009 at 2:05pm
Hi, I bought my "Xbox 360 Halo Edition" about 1 1/2 years ago and after reading this I checked my console to see which chip set I have. After looking at the console I discovered that I have a "Xenon". I wanted to state that this is my first 360 and I have never needed a replacement as well as nothing ever going wrong with it, overheating and frezzing included. Personally I think the "360's" may be getting a bad reputation for failure when they shouldnt be. How are you all keeping your consoles, because I always make sure mine is ventilated and in perfect condition. PSN ID: ColorPhoto Gamertag: Gold Contaxt
Tatts4Life
March 14, 2009 at 6:22pm
When I got my Elite back in 2007 the thing only lasted a year when it got the RROD (day before GTA IV came out, I was pissed). They had a quick turn around and gave me a new one. Today one year later that system breaks. They said I was supposed to have a three year warranty and when i check the repair site they say my warranty expires in 2 weeks. So instead of risking sending this in and getting a refurbished older unit I'm gonna keep my hard drive and trade in my system and get a newer system.
xpects the xpctd
March 10, 2009 at 2:03pm
I had to replace my 3rd Xbox recently, and as soon as I read this article in the magazine, i checked my Xbox's number. Right on the money, I got myself a Jasper. I hope it lives up to the standards. So far it does seem cooler and faster, which is nice since my room gets hot in the summer. That'll be the real test.
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