So...it sounds like we're STILL waiting. These STILL don't necessarily have 65nm, and STILL aren't necessarily a reasonable level of noise.
How the HELL are we supposed to know which model to buy to get 65nm AND a quiet drive? I don't want to invest in a friggin FOURTH 360 until I know for a fact it has a quiet drive (so I can ENJOY IT) and 65nm (so there's less of a chance of RRoDing it).
[quote name='Apossum']just traded my last-year Premium for a new Elite (lot 0725.) My model doesn't have the 65nm that I know of, but it has the new heatsink, what appear to be new fans, and a much, much quieter DVD drive. The thing is practically silent and it's also worth noting that after an hour, it was not nearly as hot as the older systems (or the PS3 for that matter.)
I think all the new systems will be quiet like this, as they all seem to have the same insides now (aside from the HDD.)[/QUOTE]
No, as far as we no, it's still a lottery as to what drive you get. People have reported getting new systems that are super loud.
[quote name='io']Well, dammit, that pisses me off as my Elite (one of the first ones - lot 711, manufactured 3-14-07) is noisy as all hell (DVD drive, not the fans). I find it nearly unplayable at times (like when I have to have the sound low because everyone else is sleeping). What kind of drives do these things have now? Supposedly mine had a newer Hitachi drive that was supposed to be quieter than before. For all I know it IS quieter than they were before, but it is definitely nowhere close to "quiet". For what it's worth, this system never seems to get that hot either, though...[/QUOTE]
What's crazy is it actually might be quieter, and still be insanely loud. All three of mine so far have been easily several times louder than my PC (I don't know what drives any of mine have had, but I assume they can't have been Ben-Q, because I think all three were manufactered before they started using those).