The first batch of upgraded Xbox 360 consoles, codenamed ‘Jasper’, is now believed to be arriving in shops. These are packing a smaller, cooler GPU which reduces noise levels and improves reliability. It also consumes less power, and the newest models are sporting a smaller power supply, now at 150W.
Although Microsoft doesn’t like to shout about it, there have been quite a few revisions to the console’s innards – and for very good reasons. Jasper’s predecessor, Falcon is believed to have sorted out many of the Red Ring of Death issues by including a 65nm CPU that produces less heat, making the system more immune to the catastrophic overheating issues that plagued many launch consoles.
Jasper has dropped the GPU down to 65nm as well – or so we believe; no one’s gone at it with a tiny tape measure quite yet.
The new Jasper unit also comes with 256MB of onboard flash memory, which holds the NXE dashboard update so that it doesn’t have to be loaded from the hard disc or memory card. In theory that’ll also mean a slightly smoother load time.
Now that launch console’s are starting to get outside even their extended warranty period, you might be considering an upgrade. If so, the early signs are good – current owners report that the system is running much quieter. That coupled with the new game install option could mean we can finally stop likening the console to a fog horn.
Jasper units are fairly easy to identify – their power supplies are marked as 150W instead of the usual 175W.
