The “Red Ring of Death”, words that strike fear in to the hearts of Xbox 360 owners is a condition that describes when three flashing red lights light up the front of an Xbox 360 indicating hardware failure. In an attempt to help alleviate the high failure rates of the Xbox 360, Lian Li a Taiwanese company has launched the PC-XB01.

The PC-XB01 is a chassis replacement for the Xbox 360, designed to alleviate heating issues from hot components and also reduces noise from vibrating optical drives a fact of life from the original case design. As per a Lian Li press release the PC-XB01 is 160 x 250 x 415mm (W, D, H), giving lots of space for generous airflow. The 120mm (1500RPM) rear fan draws off the heat from inside the case effectively and silently, while the ODD region is encased in stylized foam to reduce noise experienced from spinning disks in standard units.

All the Xbox 360 ports are hidden behind stylish dust covers and the ODD bay also has a spring loaded dust cover for aesthetic appeal and convenience. The unit can be placed horizontally or vertically depending on your needs and the water cooling pipe holes are an option to use should you be inclined to do so. The case is designed to fit the entire Xbox 360 internals similar to the original, with the power transformer attaching from the outside.

The debate may revolve around whether voiding your warranty, and denying yourself a guaranteed replacement Xbox 360, to place your console's hardware in a new case is worth the risk. One variable in favor of the PC-XB01 may be noise reduction as I found the Xbox 360 optical drive to be quite loud from personal experience. If your primary goals are a quieter system less likely to overheat, or you just want a nicer case for your Xbox 360 then the PC-XB01 may be a legitimate option.