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[Xbox-Scene]

C4EVA XTREME Benq V1.1 Multispeed Posted by Iriez | November 7 21:27 EST | News Category: Xbox360

A quick update for the VAD 6038 ixtreme firmware.. (v1.1)  Multi-speed version allows for selecting what speed you wish your drive to operate at (2x-12x) Note: Users who do not know what to choose, 12x is 'fast' (noisy) 2x is 'slow' (quiet). Non-stealth version also included within this release. Official Site: n/a (by commodore4eva) Download: n/a (May be illegal under EULA/DMCA) News-Source: xbins.org

[Toddler]

For those who don't know, it bears explaining that there are actually four firmware versions in this package (12x/8x/5x/2x speeds), just choose whichever you prefer.  The 12x is identical to what was formerly "fast" and 2x is what was "quiet" in the previous release.  Obviously 8x and 5x fall somewhere in between.

Samsungs don't have as many speed capabilities (hence the "fast" and "quiet" versions), and I think Hitachis can't be modified at all.  So BenQ owners win yet again, with more options to choose from to suit your needs and preferences.

Here are my personal observations.

The simple testing I did was to see how long it took from clicking "Resume Saved Game" in Halo 3 until the game actually loaded. Here's what I found:

12x: Load time was 27 seconds, drive rotation noise was loud and constant, seek noise was mildly noticable.
8x: Load time was 29 seconds, drive rotation noise was slightly noticable, seek noise was mildly noticable.
5x: Load time was 30 seconds, drive rotation noise was completely silent, seek noise was nearly silent.
2x: Load time was 36 seconds, drive rotation noise was completely silent, seek noise was the loudest of all.

Based on the results, 5x was my sweet spot.  Reads were fast, seek noise was a whisper and spin noise was silent.  The 8x setting was much quieter than 12x, but still somewhat noticable.

With that said, every drive is different, and there is enough variance in hardware that while 5x might be my sweet spot, it may not be for everyone.  I just can't imagine any reason to go below 5x because it is every bit as quiet as 2x and the seek is actually quieter, at least on my drive (and others have reported the same).  I also can't imagine any reason to go with 12x because the speed isn't appreciably faster, whereas the noise level is definitely intrusive.

If you are reluctant to try anything other than 12x because you think it is the "right" speed, keep in mind that the drive is meant to throttle down to slower speeds as needed.  The max speed is 12x, but it's not always reading at 12x.  And slower speeds often mean less wear-and-tear on the drive, as well as helping to read less-than-perfect media.

I should also mention that I played 5 minutes of Gears of War and an entire level of Halo 3 with the 2x firmware and had no problems.

This post has been edited by Toddler: Nov 8 2007, 04:11 AM

[dvsone]

Amazing work by C4eva, and nice post Toddler. A silent drive would be awesome. Benq owners are lucky.

[halo_kingslayer]

What is the speed of the stock drive/fw?

[Lush]

default "stock" speed is 12x...

Its official... The Benq now has the best hacked firmware....

[halo_kingslayer]

I chose to go with 12x but I dont remember the drive being so loud when it was stock as it is now.

Either way no biggie, thanks a lot C4EVA keep up the great work!

[hebda600]

Wow! C4EVA. Your giving us too many options. Keep up the great work

Does the faster(12X) speed give some backups lag? I noticed playing Medal of Honor Airborne some maps were a bit choppy.

Thanks

[lord^infamous]

Very nice feature! I've always wanted this for my samsung.

[halo_kingslayer]

Ive had no lag at all using 12x its not excessively noisy its just kind of a whir. Its not that much of annoyance to me.

[phoenixdigital]

Is there a way to swap a hitachi for a benq? I would love to silence my 360...

I just bought a new xbox360 in australia 2 weeks ago and it was manufactured in sept 2006... I was hoping that we would be getting these newer benq units but it appears we still have a crapload of old stock still in the country...

I am hoping to mod it soon but am going to wait too see what the fallout of the fall update is with regards to firmware mods (pardon the pun)... Hopefully it comes pretty soon.....

It better have xvid too.... TVersity is a very clunky way to watch xvids in my opinion...

[pinkerton]

Wont changing the default speed of the drive make it detectable by MS?
Or is this still a feature of the Ixtreme firmware?

[Rockman]

QUOTE(pinkerton @ Nov 8 2007, 05:01 AM)

Wont changing the default speed of the drive make it detectable by MS?
Or is this still a feature of the Ixtreme firmware?

That's what I want to know. Also I've noticed some people say that using a lower speed on the drive via firmware hack can damage the laser overtime. Is this true? I thought it would be the other way around? Anyways I hope it will be safe because I love this new FW. 360 is super quiet now and  no longer sounds like a jet engine ready for take off.

[Carlitosbaby]

QUOTE(pinkerton @ Nov 8 2007, 06:01 AM)

Wont changing the default speed of the drive make it detectable by MS?
Or is this still a feature of the Ixtreme firmware?

The 360 slows it self down anyways to 8x or 5x with original software so I doubt they will check as if you have an original with sctarhes original firmware will slow it down so microsoft would be banning anyone who has a scracthed disc.

[Toddler]

QUOTE(Rockman @ Nov 8 2007, 04:31 AM)

That's what I want to know. Also I've noticed some people say that using a lower speed on the drive via firmware hack can damage the laser overtime. Is this true?

Who said that?  If anything, it's exactly the opposite, as you thought.

[DeMoN_DARREN]

Toddler - I love you

You helped out big time last night for my BenQ flashing and you come out with this wicked post - Will be playing around to see which works best for me