xbox 360: is 4GB enough?

[Chasseur]

I’m looking to buy the new Xbox 360 and use it only as an extender. The 4GB version is 199$, while the 250GB console is 299$.

Are there any advantages of getting the 250GB if I use it only as an extender?

[Mike Garcen]

depends what you plan on using it for. I have a big HD, so I like putting a copy of hte games on there to speedup startup and loading time, but that’s not really necessary. also, i don’t download anything else from it.

if all you use it for is saving games, then 4gb is more than enough.

[valkyrie]

[quote=”Chasseur”]Are there any advantages of getting the 250GB if I use it only as an extender?[/quote]

If your only use is as a Media Center Extender, then there are no benefits to getting the 250GB.  The 250GB HDD will make more noise, generate more heat and use more power.  I have an XBox360 Arcade that I use as an extender and it has only a 2GB flash drive plugged in the back.  As an extender only, that is more than enough.  The 4GB is more than you need, and should you ever change your mind, it’s easy to add a USB flash drive or HDD later.  Go for the 4GB. 

-Valkyrie-MT

[Meester.Rip]

I just bought the 250Gb to replace my old Arcade. The arcade was so freaking loud it drove me nuts. Some game require the HDD to play and if you plan on using it for an media extender I assume you might want to take advantage of other forms of media in the future, e.g. Zune downloads or whatever else might come out. I don’t think the HDD has added any noise. My box sounds the same at startup as it does when playing Halo Reach off the HDD.

Here is the 4Gb issue,
http://www.geek.com/articles/games/halo-reach-co-op-not-available-for-4gb-xbox-360-owners-20100915/

If you go with th 4Gb you can save ten bucks by going to Dell.
http://www.fatwallet.com/best-deals/xbox-360-4gb-slim-arcade-console/

[Chasseur]

I didn’t know I could add an external drive later. That’s great. I’ll get the 4GB.

I need the remote too. Does it work only with the xbox 360 Universal remote?

[robinhoody]

I was considering getting one for my xbox too.  looks like they are only 20$ so not too bad

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360universalremote/

Edit:  scratch that I found it for 15 on newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16874103022

[Mike Garcen]

that remote works great with the 360, and it’ll even control your TV’s volume and power buttons. Great for use in a bedroom environment where a Harmony is overkill withjust the TV & Xbox

[robinhoody]

Nice, I have too many remotes

[jennyfur]

I sold my xbox remote to a friend and got a harmony. But like others have said, a harmony would be overkill if you’re not controlling anything but the xbox and TV. I’m late to the party, but also agree that the 4gb xbox is all you need if you’re using it primarily as an extender. You can attach a typical USB flash drive for additional space. I’ve got a new 250gb xbox, and I recall barely even filling my old 20gb up so it’s gonna have a ton of unused space.

Yep, just checked… using 37gb right now and a good amount of that is demos I don’t even recall downloading and have no interest in playing. Seriously, how do I have 21 demos? LOL

[mikinho]

Copying the games onto the hard drive is nice but otherwise a hard drive is wasted for me.  My son on the other hand has 200GB full which I don’t understand considering he only got it a few months ago.

[Chasseur]

I just bought the 4GB console, and tried it. The extender seems to work great.

One problem: Lag.
I do have some lagging when watching live tv (or recorded tv) thru the xbox. Not big lags, but small and often. Am I connected via the ethernet port.

[Chasseur]

Humm.. I changed my xbox config from 1080i to 720p, and now the lag is gone. Not really sure why…

[mikinho]

What network switch (or router) do you have?  What type of network wiring?  What network card do you have in your HTPC?  Have you enabled flow control in the transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) directions on your network card?  See [url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929707]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929707[/url]

I’m asking about your networking gear since many consumer level gigabit switches are not designed to deal with high bandwidth usage between mixed speed clients.  i.e. a Gigabit network card on your HTPC and the Fast Ethernet card on the XBox 360.

[Chasseur]

My htpc uses an onboard network card. It’s connected to my router, which is 100Mbps. (Dlink DIR-628). My xbox is connected to my router too.

[mikinho]

Definitely find out what NIC you have installed, I’m willing to guess Realtek or Atheros, and install the latest manufacturer drivers for them.  Windows Update drivers for both companies will either introduce performance issues or limit your feature set.

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