FAQ - Upgraded XBox
What are the main advantages of the enhanced Xbox?
--(1) Faster. (2) Better sound. (3) Allows to play multiple multimedia formats.
Is it legal to buy and sell the modified Xbox and other consoles?
--Yes. It's similar to car dealers who sell modified cars such as repainting and installing additional equipment. All Xboxes sold are modified original Microsoft products. They were purchased from Microsoft or their authorized dealers.
However, the souped up console does offer additional features and capabilities. The user may only play legal Xbox games, DVD movies, and music CDs on the enhanced Xbox. Using illegal copies of games, movies, and/or music media titles is prohibited by the license of the enhanced Xbox and such usage is against the law.
Does Microsoft offer any warranty for the enhanced Xbox?
--No. Any modification has voided the original Microsoft warranty. However, Gamestron offers matching 90-day limited warranty against any manufacturer defects. The unit will be repaired or replaced within the warranty period. Such warranty does not cover physical damage, defacing or other problems caused by user error.
What does a faster Xbox do for me?
--No more hesitation in the video play. Original Xbox shows video hesitation between plays or screens due to data loading. The enhanced Xbox shows very smooth video play without such glitches.
--Faster response time. Once in "Turbo" mode, your Xbox will significantly enhance your play skills. More siginificantly, it allows you to do many tricks you were not able to do with the lower speed.
Do you wholesell your products to resellers?
--Yes, we do. Please send an email to sales@gamestron.com together with a copy of your resale certificate. We'll email you back with a price list for resellers.
What should I do if I decide to keep my old Xbox instead of sending it in as a trade-in?
--You'll loose the chance to receive the up-to-$200 refund. Most used Xbox is worth much less than $200 on the open market.
Will this Xbox work with all the Xbox games out on the market and all to come?
--The DreamX can run all the Xbox games, many of them can be quite exciting or enjoyable due to the accelerated speed and improved S-Video/5.1 Audio . However, some of them (around 20%) may be "Too fast to play with" at 1480 MHz.
Will it work with DVD’s and how does it work if no adapter is needed?
--Using the "Media Key" can play the DVD without the DVD adapter. (You'll need to install the XBMP--Xbox Media Player v.2.4).
Are the graphics really that noticeably upgraded with this faster processor?
--The graphic in many games becomes noticeably improved by faster processor (1400 MHz VS. 733MHz) and more memory (128 MB VS. 64 MB).
Can you do hard drive upgrade? What's the maximum hard drive size?
--Yes, we sell new or renewed Xboxes with larger hard drives. We also offer services to upgrade the hard drive for a customer's Xbox. The maximum hard drive size is currently 200GB. Hard drive upgrade requires mods and access to the Bios.
Do you offer an Xbox with more memory?
--Yes. We now offer new and renewed Xboxes with upto 128MB memory.
I would not want to do the mod myself. Can you supply a Xboxes that are pre-modded?
--Yes. Most of our products are pre-modded. What you receive will be turn-key products out of the box. You do not need to do any further tweaking or modding to the box.
I was wondering if you had tried "Gentoox" on one of these FT-X2 machines? If so, how well does it run?
--We will release a "test report list" of the Xbox games on the DreamX. However, we will not comment on specific games at this time.
I'm very interested in ordering an XBOX from you and doing the trade-in option. I was curious what your criteria was for a $200 XBOX? I have a new condition 1.1 w/ X2 Pro Chip and Thompson drive, no scratches or cracks and looks as good as it did when it came out of the box. I'm checking to be sure I'd be getting the $200 for a setup like this and not a $50 sad day.
--We use "common sense" in making such judgments. We check both the inside and outside of the box and have three techs giving ratings and use the average as an objective way of evaluating the conditions. We will email or contact you with the evaluation results before making the final decision. If necessary, we will send you pictures to justify the evaluation. Most Xboxes quality for the $200 full rebate.
Is the external bios is flash upgradeable or if the existing bios in the external box is compatible with non-Microsoft dashboards?
--Yes, it's flashable; besides, it's compatible with the non-MS dashboard --- such as the EvolutionX. Check www.xbox-scene.com and our FAQ for more info.
Do your DreamX Xbox systems come with a dashboard on the mod chip as well as the bios? What type of bios does the mod chip have?
--You may use the EvoX dashboard with our "Media Key"--(you may treat it as the modchip, although our target is more on the media center part).
Is the enhanced Xbox modded out, so I can play my backups?
--Yes, with the "Media Key" installed, it's already "modded", you can use the "legal" back-ups on it.
With the enhanced Xbox you can not play Xbox live, correct?
--Basically, the DreamX-733 can play the MS-Xlive!, but the DreamX-1480 cannot. However, we'll announce the FiendTech FT-P3X/733 kit for the power users using the DreamX-1480 to play with the X-Live!.
I heard that some people run Linux over there Xboxes can you do this with same your enhanced Xbox?
--Sure you can use the DreamX-1480 w/128MB to run the Linux. However, after you flashed it with the Linux BIOS, you lose the Xbox gaming capability. It's up to you.
What kind of performance are we looking at here? If I take Splinter Cell for example, how many percent will the average framerate increase to, 120% ~ 130% or am I way off, too high or too low?
--Generally, it runs faster; however the actual scale depends on the actual Xbox games.
I don't know if it's possible, but how about increasing performance even further beyond that of an Enhanced Xbox? For example, 1.4GHz with Pentium III. Can it be done?
--Yes, we've successfully upgraded it to P3--1.4GHz (512KB Cache, FSB-133 MHz), with 128 MB DDR Memory and 200 GB HDD. It's great for the deep-pockets. However, we fear the price might be too high for the general public. (The CPU alone costs more than 2 hundred bucks)!
--I don't know too much about console game programming, but I think the games are programmed much more around the GPU (graphic chip), not the CPU. It seems to me that upgrading the GPU should give much more performance than a upgrading the CPU (of course upgrading both is optimal). If it can be done, are there any plans for it?
It really depends on the type of Xbox games. For the flight simulator or grand-prix, CPU dominates these types of games; yet for first person shooting and RPG, the GPU is king. We have done some nVidia VGA overclocking for the DreamX in the lab. Its performance is impressive. However, we need to add an HSF and thermal compound. We cannot justify the added cost with the performance gain at this time.
I was looking at your site and was curious what dashboard do you use? Is it easy to use and is it possible to backup your current games with it? Is it hard to backup them up? Or do you include a tutorial or something?
--We suggest using the EvolutionX dash-board. The tutorial can be downloaded at : www.xbox-scene.com.
Can it be connected to a switch hub (RJ45 cable) to my home PC network? I would like to play movies (avi, mpg, other vid formats..) off of my PC network using the DreamX, is this possible?
--Yes, it's possible. Furthermore, using the MS WLAN adapter can get yourself in the wireless LAN smoothly.
Is it possible to copy the image of XBox games onto the DreamX's harddrive and then transfer the image over my home pc network to one of my PC's?
--yes.
I was just curious, on your 128MB of RAM Xbox motherboards (Part # X-MB-128), when a Xbox motherboard is traded in, is the RAM upgraded on the board traded in or a new board. If it's a new board..whatever version board is it, because I have a v1.0 Xbox and would much rather keep my original
motherboard.
--It'll be a new board. So if you have the rev. 1.0, please specified it beforehand. (It's the AT-power supply specification --- Not the ATX PSU).
I wanted to know if you could upgrade my xbox's CPU and Ram. Ive already got a 120gig hardrive, executer chip etc upgrade. I was just after more Ram and CPU power.
It can be arranged; however, it will require you shipping your box to us.
I was wondering if the FriendTech enhanced Xbox comes with the original Tompson Drive or a drive that can
read more used formats (CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-R/DVD-RW). If it does come with the original Tompson drive do you
plan to offer an option to switch out the IDE drive like the option for upgraded hard drives anytime soon?
--It depends. We'l send back the new unit with whatever CD-ROM as is.
Will you be offering a PAL version of the enhanced Xbox ? (I live in New Zealand which uses the PAL TV standard and 220V 50Hz power).
--Yes, it's available. Just specified the PAL pecification beforehand. The shipping may take slightly longer due to a limited quantity in stock for the PAL version.
Will your Xbox work in multiple countries such as England, Sweden, and Singapore? Will the US units work in these countries?
--With the "Marco vision" set to "OFF", there'll be no difference. (The DreamX is "Marco Vision OFF" as default).
does any software come on the 1.4 with 128 ram xbox, like evolution x, because I want to order one to save all my games on the hard drive but i'm not very good at all this high tech stuff to install it myself.
No, due to the legal concern, we only provide the finished H/W platform. No software been pre-installed.
Can I get a Western Digital 200 MB w 8 MB Cache buffer for the upgraded hard-drive? Would I be able to use all 200GB?
The WD 200GB w/8MB cache is more stable than the other 200GB, so it's the only one verified model by FriendTech R&D. However, it requires the new revision of the "Media Key" or "Mod-Chip". The current DreamX Media-Key only supports up to 120GB. The 200GB "Media Key" version is only available for special order. BTW, you'll also need the latest EvoX BIOS to run with the 200GB HD.
Does the Dream X include the ATA 100 MOD?
http://www.llamma.com/xbox/Mods/ata_100_mod.htm
http://www.llamma.com/xbox/ShoppingCart/ATA100.htm
Not yet. We still use the original ATA-33 IDE cable inside because we ship it with the standard 8GB HD. However, it's an future option for the DreamX user when they do upgrade their HD, the mentioned ATA-100 cable can be used at ATA-66/100 and even 133, FYI.
For this 1.4GHz/128MB replacement board. Does it come with a switch to slow down the processor speed or would i need to build that?
It comes with the switch cable to tweak the CPU Hi/Low speed.
I needed to make sure that this MOTHERBOARD will work in my XBOX 1.0 (MEXICO), because I KNOW the 1.3-1.5 series XBOXes have a DIFFERENT POWER CABLE to the MOTHERBOARD… will the power cable in my XBOX 1.0 fit in this motherboard?
--Well, you're talking about the AT and ATX power supply specification, and your version needs the AT power connector/cable. It needs you to specify beforehand.
My Xbox have a X2 Pro with a 120 Gs HD, I have Evox running and Linux (Xebian linux, but it not as default, I can start it from the evox menu as the other programs). After reading a lot through your site is not stil clear what BIOS do you use, so my question is if I can still keep the evox BIOS that I have now when I buy one of your motherboards? I want to have the CPU and memory upgrade, and I want to keep my MS-dashboard, Evox Dashboard and Linux (actually Linux is running inside Evox so it really doesn’t count).
Can I do it? Basically I just want the same system I have now, with a CPU/Memory upgrade. Is that possible?
--Our DreamX BIOS (Media-Key) already supports the Linux and EvoX Dashboard. So you basically have the "same" features/functions as your current one.
Is the bios flashed with your own bios or is it one already out there, if so which one? I take it its just flashed, no dashboard (with the FT-X2)
Yes, it's just flashed, no dashboard. We suggest the EvoX version to our FriendTech DreamX users.
Can I send you my mobo and have you upgrade the memory?
--No. Currently we do not offer the service to upgrade individual boards. All such board-level upgrades are done in the factory overseas. The logistics and shipping cost would prevent us from sending individual boards to overseas,
upgrading them, and then sending them back.
Can you upgrade the Xbox memory to 256MB or 128DDR?
--Sorry, but no.
Is there anyway that I can buy just the Xbox 1.4GHz chip separately?
--No, we don't sell just the chip. We only sell the upgraded Xbox or the motherboard. You can actually purchase the CPU from places such as www.directron.com, but it's almost impossible for an individual to replace the CPU on an Xbox mobo.
How much would it cost for you to upgrade my current motherboard with the 128MB of ram and new processor? I have a 1.1 MB, and I was wanting to keep it.
--Sorry we do not offer such an upgrade. We only offer the sales of pre-modded motherboard, which you can use to replace your existing board.
how do I place an order from Sweden (PAL/230V/50Hz) while I can't order it online at this time?
--Our ordering system currently does not allow online ordering from other countries at this time. We shall add other countries soon - before the 2/14/04 releasing date for the upgraded Xbox. However, we do not accept international credit cards. All international orders with the exception of Candian orders must be prepaid with wire-transfer.
I currently own a v1.1 motherboard - will the replacement board be a v1.1 or is that to be decided depending on what stock you have at the time?
--We do not know the version at this time.
If I decide to trade my motherboard in I understand I will get a replacement and not the same board upgraded, is that correct?
--Yes, you'll receive a replacement motherboard.
I currently have a 100% working motherboard that has an X2Pro attached to it. If I decide to trade my motherboard in I understand I will get a replacement and not the same board upgraded, is that correct? Does that mean that I should remove the Pin Header that is installed on the LPC (and the D0 Cable) or can you do that for me?
--We suggest that you do this yourself.
As part of the MOD service, do you install EvoX and other utils on the XBOX HD? I'm new at all of this and I'd rather just turn on my modded XBOX and start copying files. I want to worry about learning LINUX later - I want this as easy as possible please! I'm especially interested in installing MAME-X on the modded XBOX. Can you do this for me?
--What type of MOD services are you referring to? Generally, we can install EvoX for you.
Do you install a mod disable/enable switch at the front of the XBOX?
--Again, it depends on what type of "mod" you are referring to.
My XBOX DVD is one of the problem Thompson units. Although I haven't had any problems yet, how much do you charge to replace the XBOX DVD with a good one (Samsung?).
--Yes, although it may take some time to locate the Samsung drives.
I’m living in Germany and I don’t know anything about Pal and MHz-Stuff of the TV. The Question is, if it is able to just connect the Upgraded XBox to my TV and play right away? And can I use all the games I buy here? To cut a long story short: Do I have to mind about hardware, software or controlers etc. or is there anything I have to change in the settings?
--Yes, you can play it right away if you purchase the premodded box. You don't have to adjust any settings. You have a "Normal and Turbo" switch to allow you to toggle between the normal speed and turbo speed. Under normal speed, you can play all games the same way you did before. At the "Turbo" mode, most of the games shall be faster; some games may feel the same.
Do I just have to transfer the money to „your“ bank-account and the job is done? Is there any insurance on the shipped item? (I mean, while the XBox is on its way to Germany).
--Once the order and shipping is paid through wire-transfer, the order will be shipped. All shipping includes insurance.
I was wondering if I could just order the V1.0 AT formfactor motherboard, without the rest of the xbox.
--Sorry, no we do not offer that option.
Is there any chance of a upgrade to the gpu.
--No, we currently do not offer the GPU upgrade.
After reading you faq, i'm still wondering if there is a 'modchip'-like Device included in that offer, or is just the onboard TSOP flashed with the alternate bios? How will bios-upgrade work?
--The "Media-Key" is basically a "Modchip." It's already included in the DreamX. With the media-key installed, it adds the Add-On Card BIOS functions as found in the PC "SCSI card" etc.
Will i even have to desolder the old mod-chip from py prev. mobo and move it to the new one (as i'm not interested in the trade-in program)?
--No. It's not needed at all. The spirit of the "Trade-In Upgrade" means "box swapping". You can remove the modchip if you like to keep it.
What else needs to be modified get that mainboard to work in my xbox?
--You need to open the box, replace the motherboard, reconnect the connectors, and put the box back together.
I came across your work at Gamestron.com and I was amazed at your work. Being in the electrical engineering field myself and being a big fan of reverse engineering and modification of my own XBOX, I was hoping that you had the time to answer a few questions for me. A number of friends of mine plus myself are interested in obtaining some new consoles. I came across FriendTech's PDF Manual on the DreamX and saw the "Media Key" being plugged into the back of the Console. Does this key contain the memory banks for the upgradeable BIOS? My Xecuter 2.2 Pro has an LPT Port to flash new a new BIOS, and it has 4 dip switches for four 256K Memory banks for different BIOSes. How does the "Media Key" work and how do you upgrade the BIOS? The Xecuter Mods can be "switched off" to be able to connect to XB-Live, as you probably already know, One must only lock the HD and restore the originally MS BIOS to be able to connect to XB-Live! without being blacklisted. Can the DreamX be switched back to make it look like an un-modified console?
--Yes - on the DreamX/733. No - on the DreamX 1480. Additional FAQs shall be added to FriendTech's web site regarding this subject.
BTW, the FT-P3X/733 can help the DreamX-1480 play the X-Live, but it's only for the R&D purpose, not for re-sale.
The FriendTech manual shows a cool A/V cable that has an Optical connection on it to hook up digital sound. Is that included with your console? Your site also states that your consoles support a maximum of 200 GB HD space. I thought that the XBOX uses FAT32 Format. So does this mean each partition can only have a max on 137 GB? So you will have two fairly large partitions?
--The current "Media key" (External) supports up to 137GB HDD. The next revision "media key", which shall be converted to an internal device based on Gamestron.com's suggestion, supports up to 200GB HDD.
What BIOS do you ship on the consoles? Is it a custom BIOS to match your Media Key or is it a legal Cromwell? I have looked through a lot of FAQs online and talked with some people on IRC Clients and these were the remaining questions I had.
--It's the original BIOS.
The BIOS or the Media Key received most of the questions. I noticed that people keeping referring to BIOS while you keeping referring to Media Key. Are they the same thing?
--The "Media Key" just like the "Modchip." It is only the LPC-Bus BIOS, not the real main BIOS.
About the trade in service, do i have to iunclde all cables and controller or is it just the system you want?
--The "Trade-In" means whole system (original Xbox) AND the cables/controllers. If you just send in the Xbox console without the full cable/controllers, the rebate will be deducted accordingly.
How do you flash the media key, is it through FTP or what, and what would i need to do this?
--Don't worry, please. Nothing needs to be done by the end-user. The "Media Key" will be flashed before we ship it out.
You can flash it if you want to; however you assume all the risk and void all warranty.
I read that the most gb's a xbox will hold was 137gb which you could buy a 160 and then it would just only use 137 but with the new cpu does it allow bigger hdd's?
--Our specification is up to 137GB for now. However, we've done the 200 GB upgrade successfully, so we'll add this new specification to the DreamX-733 and DreamX-1480 (Free) as soon as we can port it into the production.
Would it be possible to have the dreamx shipped without the skin if i wanted to?
--No, it's the standard feature. However, you may tremove the skin by yourself , it's possible and easy.
Is there any possible way to play with the 1.4ghz model on xb live?
--No. Even we can make it, Microsoft will shut down the door --- because in the online game case, you'll beat everybody else with 1.48 GHz speed. Note: We've developed the special FT-P3X/733 CPU module that can be used in the DreamX-1480 for X-Live! (It provides the original P3-733 CPU), FYI. It'slike the hacker's R&D tool.
Is the mod chip upgradable? How?
--Yes, but it’s not necessary. The end-user does not need to upgrade it to use the DreamX.
Is it possible to replace the MEdia-key chip (is it the right name?) by a X-Ecuter 2?
--Yes, but you'll lose our warranty service. In fact, our Media-Key can do the X-Ecuter job.
is it possible to know which Xbox version (1.0 -> 1.5) will the enhanced xbox be? and with which DVD drive (Samsung..?)?
--No, it depends on the original specifications of the Xbox console that we use to upgrade. The actual specs may change from batch to batch.
I was wondering if you will stock Pal, 240volt DreamX?
--Not at this time; but highly likely later on. Now we want to focus on the US NTSC version. The European version will be next.
Also is this fully moded? can I use Linux, WMP, relax, and ftp's like webdrive etc?
--Yes, it is fully modded. However, you'll need the Linux BIOS to run the Linux, which will require extra work on your part unless you pay Gamestron.com to do it.
I wish to know if it is possible to buy a 1.4 Xbox Motherboard, with Executer2 mod.
--No, not at this time.
Since this is a motherboard replacement, does it matter what xbox version I currently have? i.e. V1.0 or V1.5. If not, do I have to get a usb daughter card in order to make it work with my V1.5 if you ship me a V1.0 motherboard?
--We basically treat the "Trade-In" based on the SYSTEM-LEVEL. In this sense, no matter what your mainboard version is, we'll make it work flawlessly. No need to get the extra USB type board/adapter at all. Just plug-N-Play!
Is the Xbox Mainboard w/ 128MB and 1.4GHz premodded with a modchip that I can flash a bios onto? Or do I still have to install a modchip to install the appropriate software for dashboard upgrades?
--Yes, once the Media-Key installed, you may treat it as fully pre-modded. However, you'll need to install the EvolutionX Dashboard by yourself, as with every other modchip. No need to buy an extra modchip for the DreamX-733 and DreamX-1480.
The description of the Xbox Mainboard w/ 128MB and 1.4GHz insinuates that a optical digital output and s-video output capability is built into the motherboard. Is what I'm understanding correct?
--Yes, these S-Video for Video-Upgrade and Optical SPDIF port for
Audio-Upgrade (Dolby 5.1/AC3 Surround Sound) features are the standard
specifications for both DreamX-733 and DreamX-1480. However, it's through
the special cable to expand these functions, not built-in onto the
mainboard.
"Specs: Modifcation on geuine Microsoft Xbox main board with CPU changed from Intel PIII 733MHz to Intel Celeron 1400MHz. Memory upgraded from 64MB to 128MB. S-Video and A/V video. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with optical fiber audio port." If so, is component video supported? Or does it still use the HDTV kit for this capability?
--We will provide two cables to support the component video output. One is the HDTV cable that Microsoft offers, the other one is our customized component with optical audio cable, the latter will be "gold-coated" to meet the highest conductiveness request on the Xbox.
More questions?
--Send it to sales@gamestron.com.
Notes: (1) We are receiving many inquiries every day. We'll post most questions and answers here. If you emailed us and didn't receive an reply yet, please check to see if your questions have been answered above. Thank you. (2) Please always visit our web site for the most updated information.
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