Media Server Reviews

Remember the buzz shortly after the launch of the Microsoft Xbox 360 last year regarding concerns of the super-powered system overheating amid all of that heavy bit-lifting? Nyko has stepped up and done something about it.

Their Intercooler 360 "high-efficiency snap-on cooling device" is a three-fan array that attaches to the rear exhaust of the console. It is designed to reduce heat, potentially extending the life of your $300/$400 investment—and quite possible improving your system's performance along the way, making you a better player and bringing you all of the accompanying glory. By Nyko's reported testing, their additional air circulation can make as much as a 10-degree difference, which would be a dramatic change throughout the entire console and the gaming unit's heat-hating circuitry.

Installation was remarkably simple, as the Intercooler 360 gently pops over the back panel of the Xbox 360, lining up with the vents and the proprietary power jack, regardless of whether we stand the console vertically or lay it horizontally. The Intercooler 360 draws its power from the Xbox 360, in turn providing a jack for Microsoft's massive wired brick of an AC adapter to plug in, and on out to the electrical outlet. The compact design is also ideal for guys like me who squeeze a 360 into a crowded entertainment center. It engages automatically when the Xbox 360 powers up and off again at shutdown, but also features its own independent power switch, should you wish to turn the fans off while the console is on. Why? Well, it does generate a good deal of whirring/whooshing over and above that from the 360's internal fans, and DVD watching, for example, might be compromised by the noise levels, unless the movie in question is loud all the way through. It's not a big problem for gaming, I suppose, and a the product could prove to be a true boon for those of us who play hard and play long.

$20
Nyko.com

(888) 444-NYKO (6956)