Need Xbox 360 elite advice

[frank]

Firstly I know nowt about games consoles.

I'm considering purchasing a second hand Xbox 360 elite from somewhere, Ebay, local paper or wherever so when the grandkids come to stay over they can bring some of their games and play them. My tv has 1080i HDMI ports, I'm told I'd be better getting the Elite version.
I Was looking through Gumtree (I know it can be dodgy there) just to get a idea of second hand prices and came across one ad saying it couldn't be used online cos the set was banned. I assume some one did something illegal, does this mean it can NEVER be used online again by a new owner?
What would get a user banned from their online services?

Also I am seeing some big differences in prices for the same sized Xbox elite, am I missing something out? As I said above I do not know much about them as I don't play games so I'd appreciate any tips on what to watch out for ie; dodgy boxes etc.

 

[Snipet]

Console Ban:
If the console has been banned from xbox live (the online section) then this is a permanent ban on the actual serial number of the console as well as the users account on that machine (stops him making a new account and doing it again, and hurts him on reselling to)
As for the why, it could be anything from changing him gamerscore (not important) to actually hacking a game or his account to get items that should be paid for for free (Fairly serious).

What One:
In all honesty what one you go for would make so little difference, its not worth worrying about. The only thing i would say, is go for the new styling of xbox and not the old. The old ones did have a horrible tendency to 'Red Ring of Death' (Completely knacker the inside workings) with no reason or misuse. This has been completely fixed with the new model and I would say 99.99% of machines would run for years with no problem what so ever. The new ones also come with a wireless internet receiver built in, and have HDMI support as standard. I've had the new model since the release date and have had no problems at all.
For reference these are the old style:

And this is the new:

Price Wise:
If you go for the 250gb one, which has the gloss black look to the console. I would pay a max of £170-180 brand new, or £120-130 for a used.
If you go for the 4gb on, which has the matte black look to the console. I would pay a max of £120-130 brand new, or £80-90 for a used one.

My View:
As you've said you dont really play games, you may think that the 4gb will be plenty. Unfortunatly with games these days and the ammount of information they store in save files, the files can be anywhere upto 100-150mb each. Now if you think you have 3-4 saves per game that space goes very quickly.
I would'nt worry about getting new either, the consoles are well made nowadays and do work through alot of abuse. You'll more than likely never need any warranty. But possibly do stay away from Ebay for ones, just incase.

My Personal Pick:
I would think that a good condition used 250gb console would be your best option. Fast console, good build quality, and would suit all your needs.
Look around the £130 mark, and you should be able to pick one up fairly easily, and it may even come with a spare controller or some games to.

 

[frank]

Thanks Gareth for the detailed info and pics. The newer version would look better under the tv. I'll probably just bite the bullet and go for the 250gb slim one when the wife is not paying attention
Can I ask a couple more questions, I see most pics have the xbox standing on it's end, can this also lie flat as well?

Lastly my grandson said he could probably use his Xbox Live profile from his own Xbox at home and use it on mine when he stays over, would the difference in IP numbers not get these machines into hot water with Msoft?

 

[Snipet]

Yeah the console can lie flat without any problems, that is actually how I have mine as it doesn't quite fit when stood on end.
As for the your grandsons profile, microsoft pay no heed to what IP address the profile is coming from at all. He could use his profile in all of his mates consoles and then come to you on the same day for weeks on end and it would make no difference.

 

[frank]

Great stuff, I think that is all the info I need, Just need to do a bit shopping now.
Thanks for the help Gareth

 

[gblades]

The older Xbox does have hdmi support but buying second hand is a bit risky on the older models. Some people may sell an old one when it starts to become unreliable so if you buy second hand it may work initially and then fail.

So it's worth paying the extra for a new one. Having a profile on multiple xboxes is something microsoft don't mind and something they even actively support as the recent update included cloud save game storage so you can play a game on one console and when you save it's uploaded over the Internet and then you can go to a different console and continue.

 

[odd jim]

HDMI support isn't that important anyway as you
can also use component for HD, as per the first xbox 360s.