I Bought a "Refurbished" Xbox Series X From GameStop - And Found Something Interesting
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
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I Bought a "Refurbished" Xbox Series X From GameStop - And Found Something Interesting - I paid $459 for this "refurbished" Xbox Series X. Buying refurbished game consoles can be hit and miss when it comes to how well they've been refurbished so I wanted to see how GameStop did with this Xbox Series X and what was actually "refurbished."
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"Cleaned"= wiped the outside with a damp paper towel. "Tested"= plugged it in and it didn't blow up, so it's good. "Guaranteed"= we guarantee that we did the other two things.
Lol, hilarious!
WOW! 8% off compared to a brand new one! What a great value! I mean the sanded/scratched outer case, lazy thermal paste job, dirty controller, lack of flux clean up and smudged thermal putty would be a shoulder shrug if the discount was say 20-25% off but when it's 8%? That's unacceptable. That thing should basically be pristine for such a lame discount.
I'm always surprised at what they charge for stuff like this but if people are buying them then I can't really blame them.
This is also the company that charges 55 for a used game and 60 for a new one lol.
Just buy a new one at this point, or a second hand console for like 30% off but from a distributor that offers a invoice and warranty at least 1 year.
The alternative would be buying Used or New for scalper prices.
Sad thing is.... the poor sap that sold it to Gamestop probably only got $12.50 in store credit.
Gamestop Employee here...
Haven't watched the video yet but all "Refurbished" means is that someone brought in a "defective" (broken) console and we sent it off to our warehouses for it to be fixed (kind of like you fix a car after it comes *just* shy of being totaled in a wreck) and packaged in a pretty way.
We only really test three things when taking in the console. 1) Does it power up and connect to the TV? 2) Can it read a game disk? 3) Does it connect to the internet? If It does all three of those things we will give roughly half the selling value of your console. If it fails one or more of those checks then we mark it as defective, give you like fourty bucks for your console and ship it off to the warehouses. They do magic things and we get to tout how well packaged these "Refurbished" consoles are and keep as quiet as possible about the original state of the console.
Interesting. Thanks for commenting!
Always baffles me when I see a difficult part of the job done well (HDMI port replacement) and not the simple stuff like thermal paste replacement or flux cleanup.
That old flux just shows how little the tech cares about doing a good job. It probably not going to matter, and probably not going to be seen, but it's just lazy.
It definitely won't affect the functionality but it is nice when it's all clean.
@@Tronicsfix flux it drives me nuts when the board is still sticky after clean up.
You're right just like not cleaning the old thermal paste. Whoever did it doesn't care. But from what I've read the workers in these refab facilities are so poorly treated and paid that I don't blame the guy for not caring.
Yeah, a few seconds with a toothbrush and they can't even be bothered. Then again, I never get too harsh because I have no idea what their working conditions are like. Maybe it's an amazon like environment where they have to fix a certain number in a day and it's just barely doable so every second counts. Perhaps there are incentives for more stuff you fix? That's always a good way to encourage sloppy work.
Minimun wage workers with a daily quota of fixes...they wont care about details or fails after their warranty expires
I like how they gave you a Xbox Series S controller with the Xbox Series X console so they basically gave your the Oreo Cookie option.
Ha, ha!
That edition is reserved for the PS5 🤣
@@redfirefox3568 I guess Game Stop didn't want the PS 5 to feel like it's the only Oreo cookie console.
They should start including a service log of "what they fixed" when selling refurbed items, not everyone is knowledgable of what to look for :P
This! 100 percent. Tell me what was fixed because sometimes if it was a major fix I might wanna take it back.
@@LitGaming999 lol thats why they don't tell you
@@retroman-- what I'm saying is that some thing that might be a deal breaker for me might not be for someone else. But full disclosure would be nice.
@@LitGaming999 Im with you 100%
That blue thermal putty reminded me of when I had to fix my xbox one x and one of the issues was overheating. The putty was cracking so I replaced the putty with thermal pads directly onto the chips, and I think it was an improvement to the heat dissipation. But yes, I did apply the perfect amount of thermal paste.
As long as you applied the perfect amount of thermal paste!
@@Tronicsfix lol
@@Tronicsfix perfect reply. i love your content btw one day i hope to own my own pc shop where i sell prebuilds of my own
@@tyronenelson9124 it doesn't, but it does help with the transfer of heat to the heat sink, and if its old enough it won't transfer the heat properly and cause the system to overheat.
How you applied the paste matters more. Did you do an x, pea in center, spiral... 😆
$459 for an used XBOX SERIE X? And they call this "a great value"????? 🤣😂
It was a great value............for them
@@gokublack8342 agreed !!! 😄
That perfect amount of thermopaste sound effect is really pissing me off. Otherwise the video is as good as always! ;-)
Im gonna take a guess that the interesting thing you found was they didn’t use the perfect amount of thermal paste? 🤣
Lol
@@Tronicsfix pls stop it with the perfect amount of thermal paste it is getting really annoying
@@thomasdesloovere4200 I mean it belongs to TF but this music attachment is a little bit to much
@@GigaTronic501 I've kind of said the same, I hope it's not the new normal now.
Gotta be honest, I sometimes use your videos to fall asleep to (and I do love them! Gave me the confidence to tear a whole CRT apart to clean it!) but I think I about jumped out of my skin each time those horn effects went off. Please tell me that's not a new normal @_@
Agree. Not a fan as someone who watches them to unwind
i hate the air horn fx
Why and how is this a thing?! For bragging rights in the electronics repair business? Because if so, that's just stupid!
@@Mechanisttm There's nothing wrong with trying something new, but those fx aren't it for this kind of content imo. It's not gonna make me unsub, but it is gonna make my watching while unwinding difficult
agreed, no air horn, Please!
Another excellent video, I was shocked with the lack of care taken with the thermal paste and flux cleanup. Then again, I shouldn't have been surprised given they sold you a series X for very little discount and with a series s controller no less, lol.
the sound effects are slightly annoying, great video though
Maybe he's got a different video editor now? Maybe.
I would replace the coil with the broken ferrite. A compromised core could result in excessive heating and possible early saturation, especially if it's in a sync buck application.
Man I love watching these videos. There's something so relaxing about watching electronic repair.
And something deeply infuriating about actually repairing electronics 🤣
Got mine refurbished directly from Microsoft for only $10 more. It’s basically brand new
That white controller came with the series S, which is white. Controller matches console in the new gen. Small detail but it shows in workmanship
I love that iFixit will replace any damaged bits for free. bought a driver kit a few years ago and they still replace bits.
iFixit is awesome!
@@Tronicsfix Yes, but so are their prices 😒 You don't pay for your iFixit tools. So, it is easy for you to say they are awesome.
I repair Two way radios professionally. Boards this big are so much more fun to work.
Love to see you working on console, I'm a mechanic and seeing you using T8 torx on Electronic system amaze me, we use to have T20, T30 on car even T60, by the way Hello from France, love your Channel
Great video sir. I have the iFixit tool kit also. I love it. I bought it when I started taking your soldiering class Steve. It’s helped me more time than I can count. I have the smaller tool kit it came with splougers and 2 sets of tweezers and a few other things. What I’m trying to say is I definitely recommend their tools they work and are amazing. Btw I can’t wait until we get another class or 2
So glad you're liking those tools. They are some of the best out there. Glad you've taken the courses. I'm considering adding more but just haven't had the time yet.
I bought the manta bit set like 2 months ago and i have to say that the quality is excellent, it has everything i need, i was able to remove every screw with it (besides one that was smashed with a hammer) and i also like that you can download repair guides for free.
@@Tronicsfix I’m glad you are considering doing more. I know you are busy. Thank you so much for everything sir.
Hey tronics ! Big fan and keep up the videos ! Love watching them on lunch 😂 but question, what do you do with all the parts and other consoles you fixed ? Do you have like a room where you stuff all your extra parts/consoles ?
That "perfect amount of paste" trumpet sound and pitch down voice really annoys, since you started using it in your videos I was like "why?" hehe btw, I love your videos
I just noticed congrats on 1 mill man, man you have come so far and you inspired me to fix things too so thank you😁❤
They should have replaced the coil you weren’t concerned about. If I am not mistaken it looks like the coil is used to filter something. Coils are heavily affected by their shells because it determines the self-inductance of a coil. You can see how a coil reacts to a damaged housing on a oscilloscope.
He always makes the thermal paste comment, I like how he acknowledges it with the effects on the screen. Videos are great and entertaining as always.
What is more crazy is that he uses too much Thermal paste. 😳 always.
Using two different thermal interfaces is a bad idea. They could have different chemicals that may interact in a bad way, or if they don't mix well it will create air bubbles and massively ruin it's heat transfer ability and at worst create a hotspot on the IHS that can eventually ruin silicon if it just so happens to be underneath it.
Not just this but, all carbon/silicon thermal paste are a lot of microscopic balls to transfer more heat, depending on the formula they heave diferent density and one will do worse than another causing a thermal bottleneck.
Also don't forget that two types of thermal paste might have different thermal conductivity, so that might lower the heat transfer to the radiator.
Awesome work, so detail oriented and comprehensive explanations. Happy subscriber here.👍
Putting new compound on top of the old is extremely bad practice. They sell this thing at an almost new price but can't take the 15 minutes to clean off the old thermal paste.
Love the video, I've been watching the channel for several months and always have a great time with the repairs. Other than that I think that the editon got a little weird, love the transition but the sound of it seems a little loud, on the other hand, the meme of the thermal paste won't get old so I liked that detail. (sorry for my english, seen this from Argentina)
Great video thank you for all the information and really educational.
I just received one of the iFixit toolkits. Thank you for the great tip Steve 😊
Been watching for years. I love the new transitions the sounds that come with them...no so much. Hopefully they are not here to stay. Any keep up the great content!
Great video, love the work you do. Have you ever done any repairs on Ubiquiti network switches?
4:40, 7:23, 9:18 yikes, stop scaring me like that lol.
The thermal paste application on top of old thermal paste is probably the way things are done in order to speed up the process and get them out the door. By the time any of it goes bad the system is far out of the warranty so there's less no incentive for them to do the job properly unless warranty is say 3 years.
Sloppy job. Always have to remove the old thermal paste. That causes issues with new thermal paste spreading correctly.
Ya, I've seen this a lot of times. Guess some people think it takes too long to do it right.
@@Tronicsfix that or they’re in it to make a quick buck. Sadly, I don’t see GS as a company interest in anything more than making money hand over fist, even if it means their customers getting the short end of the stick. It’s been their model for years now.
Your thermal compound fixation is turning into an obsession!!!
Love the vid! Not a big fan of the new animations though, it sounds really bad through my cheap headphones 😁
Loved the video sadly I missed the notification yesterday but you will always make my Fridays better loved the video keep it up 😀
Great video. That thermal paste is bad because putting new thermal paste over old makes it dry out faster then you think.
Honestly the best part was the ifixit sponsor bit 3:07 to 4:02 . thumbs up
That controller had actually been opened, if you look in the bottom left corner they peeled back the sticker 👀 it doesn't surprise me Gamestop half assed the repasting, but good to see it finally has the perfect amount
I didn't notice that. I'll have to look closer. They at least did a good job of putting it back.
@@Tronicsfix yeah it looks like whoever took it apart at least cared about what it looked like to the human eye, always a nice thing to see
You also did not remove the solder paste that was left near the hdmi connector, you would have cleaned it with isopropyl alcohol
OMG dude, I just realized that you're over 1M subs! I can't wait for "they sent me a broken gold play button, can I fix it?"
always amazed how gross these used things get from game stop... microsoft once sent me a "new" controller full of coffee stains i called them they let me keep it and sent me a new one.
It’s rather stunning how little an organization like Gamestop cares about quality and customer satisfaction. Sure, there are those who work in the stores, etc., THEY may care, but overall, the general Gamestop warehouse & refurb experience is a massive letdown and cautionary tale. If they cared more like Apple, for example, and truly refurbished products, they would be the “go to” instead of the circus act to be amused by.
Their website is horrid, and one should have the option of ordering complete used games, or loose, not just “luck of the draw”. Additionally, loose and complete games should have different price points- and not just $0.99 in between. Busted cases should always be replaced with quality OEM cases of similar case color too. I understand they don’t want to fool around with duplicating Game art (copyright and licensing and all), but give a better experience. No wonder they’re in the toilet.
TronicsFix had better luck with what they sent him compared to what I got. The one they sent me had all the corners dented in like it had been dropped on every corner and it had scuff marks on every side. The controller could only be described as a Frankenstein controller that was originally the Daystrike Camo Special Edition but other than the top red camo shell every other part had been changed to something else including the LB+RB buttons which were white. The battery cover didn't even match the back of the controller and it had stick drift. The controller and console had both been opened because the label that covered the screws had holes in them. I played it for a few days before noticing it crashed in every Series X multiplayer game so I had to return it in the end a week ago. I'm stuck with a GameStop gift card again waiting for more stock.
@@leeloodog I've traded in opened consoles to GameStop before and even mentioned it to them and as long as the console works they have no problem taking it in with the warranty sticker removed. Even if it has a bad disc drive they will take it in but you will get less money for it. They get weird about the hard drives in the consoles though, for some reason they won't take in a PS4 that doesn't have the same storage that matches what the console originally came with even if it's higher than what originally came with it.
Nobody does Thermal Paste like TronicsFix does Thermal Paste! Thanks for the awesome video!
Lol!
The thermal paste should always be cleaned up, at least that's what my mentor has taught me. I've been working at an electronic manufacturer for about 2 years and currently one of the top SMT operators.
i paid $350 for a refurbished 360 from gamestop and the xclamps wrere replaced with screws, it had a fan mod, and it was doa
That's crazy!
woah bro thats crazy..... hope you got it refunded after taking it apart?
@@supercomputing942 nooe, had to reflow the gpu and cpu then replace the xclamps myself
@@plebempire darn bro that sucks..... you really dont expect to have to do that after paying such a premium for a 360...
@@plebempire was it a phat
Refurbished form retailers means "USED". I bought a "referb" crossbow from Cabella that was not just STRAIGHT UP USED, but ABUSED. Don't buy 'refurb' from ANYWHERE other than the manufacturer.
I worked at GameStop for many years and it was nearly my career. I can only speak to my store and my time there but we sent back damaged consoles to our HQ where they worked on them. They may have not been consistently great refurb jobs, but they did indeed do work on them. I've never sold a console that came in used and went back out refurb.
Can you clarify about thermal paste on an i7 for instance. Always been taught to use a pea sized amount? Is the xbox an exception?
Less is more sometimes?
Thanks for your informative videos
Nothing like starting a Friday with the perfect amount of thermal paste
I bought that same tool kit (small one) and absolutely love it, everyone should have one.
Man i don't know how you pull it off but once again the Perfect Amount of Thermal Paste !!!!!!!!
Why the hell does GameStop sand everything? Got a couple 360's from them a couple years ago, and both of them looked like total crap. Ended up having to skin them with 3M carbon fiber wrap so they would look better.
Good job tronicsfix. If I did a repair and sanded console I would've repainted it or use another case that is cleaner.
Have they confirmed that they sand down the consoles in the refurbishing process? I would think that they use some cleaner with acetone that "melts" the plastic and then the fibers of whatever they wipe them with shows as lines in the casing.
Yes, I have
@@Tronicsfix why do they do it? Is it to remove scratches/stains?
They should use a dual action polisher with plastic polish after sanding
mixing thermal paste like that can cause a chemical reaction, maybe thats why its discolored or came from a smoking house lol.
Is that actually the case? Asking a genuine question, I always thought all paste should be compatible with each other. Like all it does is form a thermal bond between two metal surfaces or plates.
Not removing old thermal paste can and will most likely reduce themal transfer and make the machine run hotter.
What I saw in breaking down one of those was the XBox logo on the chip and a Master Chief printed on the corner of the mainboard. I build and repair computers and gaming consoles. Started computers back with Fortran & Cobol in the late 1970s.
It's only the perfect amount if it's oozing out of the sides when you press the heatsink down.
Lol, definitely!
I think that might have been your best thermal paste application on this channel yet.
That score was too generous. Snapped a coil casing, put thermal paste over the old stuff, got thermal pad chewing gum sideways. Only thing done decent was the hdmi repair.
What kind of thermal paste do you use?
Far better than expected. I'd give it a B+ for the controller that could have been cleaned a little better and the lazy application of the thermal paste.
What the hell is the point of it being sanded? That's insane!
That was a great video! Very interesting.
Great video, only it seems like too much thermal paste you had put on.
I'd be curious to see what the perfect amount of thermal paste looks like after you've tightened the heatsink down then removed it again. I'd say that the perfect amount of thermal paste should go to the edges of the die but not squeeze out the sides and spill over the edge.
There is no perfect amount of thermal paste. He made a meme out of it because every application is slightly different and the vast majority of them work just fine, even though people still argue about it for silly reasons
@@rosoboy Sure it's fine unless your using arctic silver thermal paste because it's conductive.
Only you could apply the perfect amount of thermal paste!
Says who? Can you prove it? What evidence do you have?
@@Lively_1185 I say. I am the proof. I am a robot sent from the future that TronicsFix has repaired.
I can confirm that I have the perfect amount of thermal paste.
I feel like the "Perfect amount of thermal paste" is a meme I'm not in on
Curious if the included hdmi cable was the one that comes with the series x?
Now that new consoles have been out for awhile, what do you prefer liquid metal or standard thermal paste ?
I thought I'd seen an application of the right amount of thermal paste before but today I have witnessed true perfection.
You're kind and diplomatic but I think causing incorrect contact with thermal paste with those edge components and weird application of paste on the CPU are deal breakers for me. Esp when it's an extra 5 minutes at most to do a proper job.
I've been in the computer industry a very long time, before that I was huge into modding GPU's and overclocking them for fun.
And that seemed like a huge amount of thermal paste. It's always been a small pea size. Has something changed to where you just put a giant blob?
the perfect amount of thermal paste! 👏
I gotta say the ifixit tools are very nice. I grabbed one and I can't say enough good things about it. and the tray is always handy.
Weird that the x-clamp looks sort of anodized on this one lol. Reminds me of the color titanium goes when anodized at very low voltage.
Thanks 2 u Steve watching all Ur videos I managed 2 fix both of my Xboxes and be4 I did not have a clue
Had another youtuber do a very good video about thermal paste. He used a sheet of clear plex/lexan and showed various amounts of thermal paste being applied and then 'clamped'. My old method was using the large "Pea" size in the middle of the CPU die. Happy to report that method yielded excellent results-full die coverage without slopping over the edges.
This is a direct to dye application not to an IHS that a CPU uses. Using pea method on a CPU with an IHS works perfect. But for direct contact to the dye you want to make sure it's fully covered perfectly
I love this guy, but I think he uses too much Thermal paste. Like twice as much as I would use.
I always enjoy seeing the Series X heatsink design. Basically just a server rack heatsink on steroids. Such cool hardware design.
Great video. Thanks.
Fun fact the people working in the refurb center work in actual cages and are timed on over piece they work on
Just wondering what software you are using to test controllers?
My friend bought a refurbished PS4 controller from Gamestop that actually caught on fire when he went to the bathroom. Luckily it only ruined his couch and didn't burn the whole house down. I wouldn't buy anything used from them. I just don't have any faith in their refurbishing process.
These game stores (in my area anyway) only clean the stuff you bring them with glass cleaners. 🙄
Bought a refurbished ps4 pro 3 days ago, delivered to my house and all was well until 4 hours later after I shut it down for dinner. Went back to play and found out the hard drive is screwed.
Great video sir!
I get more enjoyment unboxing a brand new system in all of its original packaging than I would get from 8% off discount.
Are they actually sanding them, or just using the magic eraser? That really does almost look like it got sanded.
I like the new graphics and transitions. Got a new editor, or have you upped your own game?
OK, I take it back. The horn and slowed down repeat of "Perfect amount of thermal paste" is annoying.
Doesn't the Xbox series X come with a black controller?
I am sorry if it seems I am looking for an issues; do they advertise or mention that the package includes a white controller instead of black?
I may be picking on the non-issue, anyway splendid video as always. Your editing is getting better and fun, especially the text overlays. The video is crisp and condensed. Have a great weekend.
No, they just show that it comes with a controller.
Get a brand new one then if you want a matching controller
@@dukenukeman So thoughtful.
Brand new retail the Series X comes with a black controller, yes. This is a GameStop refurb, though.
Great video Steve as always, looking forward to a potential Raspberry Pi repair or building video. :) PS: Keep it up mate. :)
i see you always use arctic silver as5 thermal paste. where you buy it and how you can be sure if it's fake or not.
I just knew that there was no way you would allow that thermal paste job to stand. 🤣
That HDMI port needed more solder on the anchor points on the sides
they dont clean anything, they literally just check if it turns on, reads a disc then wipe and sell it.
Had no idea the heat sinks were so huge lol