bit-tech Shopping: Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Months

Strengths: HDMILots of game titlesIncredible graphicsXBOX LiveXBOX Marketplace120 GB hard drive

Weaknesses: DVD Drive still loud

Summary: I debated whether to buy XBOX360 or PS3. Both consoles are solid, but a larger game library and Xbox marketplace gave the edge to XBOX. I'm very happy with it.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 4

Strengths: Bigger HD, black

Weaknesses: Pricier compared to the other models

Summary: There's not much left to be said about the Xbox360, a system thats cemented itself as a platform with many a good games to playWhat is important is to decide which model is most important for you. The Elite comes with a bigger HD at 120GB so you can store a lot of media on it. It also has the nice black finish. Now that all 360s have an HDMI port, that bullet point does not stand out as much.In the end, the 360 is a great system and if you need the HD space and/or like a system in black, go for this now.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 5

Strengths: 120 GB hard drive, hdmi included.

Weaknesses: not actually black, more gray.

Summary: The Xbox 360 elite is a great system. It fixes many problems the first one had, with a new motherboard (zephyr) and additional heat sinks (to combat the 3ROD). It also includes a huge hard drive (120 GB) and an hdmi cable in the box. With the 360, you get access to many original Xbox games through backwards compatibility. Also, the Xbox Live marketplace is a great way to get demos and trailers for upcoming games. Overall, great system.

Rating: 8

Time with product:

Strengths: Sleek look, 120 GB hard drive is great for lots of demos and videos, HDMI output

Weaknesses: Expensive

Summary: I was looking into buying an Xbox 360 at the beginning of this year and I heard the rumors of the new black system with HDMI coming out soon, so I waited. It turns out that was the Elite and came with a 120 GB hard drive to boot (100 GB more than the standard Xbox 360). The downside was that, at the time, this system cost $80 more. However, for both the HDMI and the 100GB of extra space I thought it was worth it. I was also hoping that this new model may have fixed the reliability issues of the 360. It turns out I bought it too soon on that account as only the most recent models (produced in June or July of 2007 and later) of both the regular and Elite models have the more reliable system design. Right now the price difference between the regular and Elite 360 is a little higher ($100), and HDMI output is included on both models. The difference basically comes down to the color and the 100 GB of extra hard drive space. You do get an HDMI cable with the Elite and not the regular though and that is worth at least $10 by itself. Personally, I love having the 120 GB hard drive. I already have mine half full with demos and videos. Certainly you can get by with the 20 GB HD, but it is nice not to have to worry about space all the time. Overall, I would say if you have the money, go for the Elite as the extra space is nice. You also get the HDMI cable. At this point, Microsoft has made some minor changes to the 360 design that is supposed to increase reliability (but the success of that remains to be seen) so you really can't go wrong with either model. Just be sure to get one with a hard drive (so skip the "Arcade Bundle" which lacks a hard drive).

Rating: 6

Time with product: 3

Strengths: 120gb hard drive. Not three rings of death yet

Weaknesses: well...

Summary: I lost my launch Xbox360 with three red rings, so I bought this elite. it works fine and it has an extra heatsink so it seems to be ok now, but who know? Anyway I have played many game for about three months without three rings, hope works well. FYI, I bought an extended warranty for two more years from Microsoft. Believe me, you need it!