Another Series X crashing to dashboard (with details and an important question)

Xbox Series Questions
1

I have had this problem for a couple of years now. I’ve tried every suggestion I’ve found online, including a full teardown and replacement of the thermal pads/paste. The interior of the console was pristine, with the only thing unusual being the original thermal paste on the CPU seemed to have melted and spread onto the board on all four sides. I carefully cleaned it off with isopropyl alcohol and replaced it. The problem only occurs in certain games and it doesn’t appear to be heat related. I’ve measured the heat coming out the top of the console, and it can happen while running relatively cool, and not happen at all with games that make the console run hot. Some of the most demanding games run fine, while just about every Bethesda game crashes, among others.

My important question for those who also have been having this problem is: what is your build date? Mine is 20-SEP-2021. I’ve read from others on reddit that many of us have consoles made during the COVID shortages of 2021. I’ve also read that Microsoft was using some non-standard components at that time in order to get consoles produced. I’m suspecting there may be a defect in one of those components, but I have no idea which. I’m hoping someone with expertise and a large following could look into this, although I have little faith that the people who make the content actually read these forums. Perhaps if enough people here have the same problem, it could get someone’s attention.

2

kind like the quality control thingy all over the electronic device, not only Xbox. I saw XBOX and PS5 occasional came in with this issue, with the ratio of less than 3%

3

I’m less concerned about the overall failure rate than I am about the rate of Series Xs built on or around the same build date. The console has run and still runs fine aside from certain specific games crashing. I believe it to be a defect due to a specific part from consoles manufactured at a specific time. I expect every console’s run to have a certain failure rate.

If, for example, it turned out to be an issue with it being an off-brand SSD, there is a potential to be able to clone the defective one and install a new one. I know not every SSD was Western Digital in consoles produced that year. Supply chain issues caused Microsoft to find other parts in order to meet demand at that time as well. It is most likely a single part causing the issue, and if it could be tracked down, it could be fixed. And if it could be tracked down to a manufacturing defect, and the console was never right, and it became a PR issue, Microsoft might decide to fix or replace a certain run of their consoles. It is a little late for that, but fixing it isn’t out of the question.