[Which Version of the Original Xbox Is the Best? 1.0, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 or 1.6?]

I modded two OG XBoxes in the last 15 years.  My daughter has one with a pink shell and I have clear. Both 1.6 running Xecutor 2.6 solderless connections, and have only really had to worry about HDD replacement over the years which I'm doing for the first time in five years for both.  I've found data ribbons tend to be fickle, but both units are time tested and I really wouldn't, and cant, find a %100 function Xbox online anywhere.  People are screwing up the TSOP bios or the LAN ports are dead and they never knew it(lower models).  I digress, but the moral of the story here is My 1.6's have lasted me over a decade reliably and I really don't see any reason to replace either one of them.

On 5/30/2019 at 6:38 AM, Magicaldave said:

Glad to see new blood running around the scene!

It’s kind of a personal thing. But here’s how I rank them;

1.0 being the best. That GPU fan is pretty noisy, but can actually be replaced and the additional onboard fan header allows you to get pretty creative since, as you’ve seen, it’s not really necessary. Liquid cooling, extra fans, LEDs, Et cetera can all get jammed in there pretty easy. The 1.0 consoles also have the largest TSOP chips (1Mbit) so have much higher BIOS compatibility, and, if you’re so inclined you can actually install a switch onboard to toggle between BIOSES without a modchip at all. Be careful if you do choose to attempt this as some additional steps need to be taken not to damage the board. The LPC port in this model is fully intact, so if you do need to install a modchip for some reason you can use pretty much any one you can find.

1.1 comes with literally all the above benefits, minus the extra fan header. Power still runs across that portion of the board though, so if you want it can still be used, just slightly harder to do. 

One disadvantage of these early models is that they tend to have the hazardous Foxlink PSUs. Replace ASAP if you have one in a running console.

 

Any console after these is a bit is a bit of a downgrade as they all have 256k TSOP chips at this point I believe. Some of them have Winbond or Sharp TSOP chips and are a bit harder to work with in that regard.

1.2 - 1.4 is pretty much the same and you’re not likely to see many.

1.5 is where things change a wee bit, as there are a couple pins removed from the LPC port and you’re likely to notice the problematic TSOP chips on these.

1.6 is easily the worst in terms of modding as you can only softmod. Modchips can be installed but you also have to rebuild almost of the LPC port in order to even attempt a modchip install. I will however admit that on their own I’ve found 1.6 to be the coolest (temperature wise) and quietest revision console. 

Edit: almost forgot the most important point! EVERY revision console besides 1.6 has leaky clock caps and will kill the board. They NEED TO BE REMOVED from your consoles.

Given that and performance in terms of thermals these could be seen as the ideal revision, as long as you’re not doing much tinkering. Most people who just want to play games will fetch away with a softmod just fine.

DVD drives are kind of all over the place but early consoles used the Thompson’s... they aren’t great. My ideal console would be a TSOP 1.0 with Phillips DVD drive and IND bios. 

I could probably go on but I’ll let you have your thread back haha

 

On 5/30/2019 at 6:38 AM, Magicaldave said:

Glad to see new blood running around the scene!

It’s kind of a personal thing. But here’s how I rank them;

1.0 being the best. That GPU fan is pretty noisy, but can actually be replaced and the additional onboard fan header allows you to get pretty creative since, as you’ve seen, it’s not really necessary. Liquid cooling, extra fans, LEDs, Et cetera can all get jammed in there pretty easy. The 1.0 consoles also have the largest TSOP chips (1Mbit) so have much higher BIOS compatibility, and, if you’re so inclined you can actually install a switch onboard to toggle between BIOSES without a modchip at all. Be careful if you do choose to attempt this as some additional steps need to be taken not to damage the board. The LPC port in this model is fully intact, so if you do need to install a modchip for some reason you can use pretty much any one you can find.

1.1 comes with literally all the above benefits, minus the extra fan header. Power still runs across that portion of the board though, so if you want it can still be used, just slightly harder to do. 

One disadvantage of these early models is that they tend to have the hazardous Foxlink PSUs. Replace ASAP if you have one in a running console.

 

Any console after these is a bit is a bit of a downgrade as they all have 256k TSOP chips at this point I believe. Some of them have Winbond or Sharp TSOP chips and are a bit harder to work with in that regard.

1.2 - 1.4 is pretty much the same and you’re not likely to see many.

1.5 is where things change a wee bit, as there are a couple pins removed from the LPC port and you’re likely to notice the problematic TSOP chips on these.

1.6 is easily the worst in terms of modding as you can only softmod. Modchips can be installed but you also have to rebuild almost of the LPC port in order to even attempt a modchip install. I will however admit that on their own I’ve found 1.6 to be the coolest (temperature wise) and quietest revision console. 

Edit: almost forgot the most important point! EVERY revision console besides 1.6 has leaky clock caps and will kill the board. They NEED TO BE REMOVED from your consoles.

Given that and performance in terms of thermals these could be seen as the ideal revision, as long as you’re not doing much tinkering. Most people who just want to play games will fetch away with a softmod just fine.

DVD drives are kind of all over the place but early consoles used the Thompson’s... they aren’t great. My ideal console would be a TSOP 1.0 with Phillips DVD drive and IND bios. 

I could probably go on but I’ll let you have your thread back haha