“Time is the fire in which we all burn.”

I had no real reason for the above quote  from Star Trek Generations, but I guess the fire bit has something to do with heat, and heat is what the Antec X-1 Cooler looks to prevent. So I guess the heat from my Xbox One is Malcolm McDowell and the X-1 Cooler is Patrick Stewart? Look, I just watched the film again so it’s fresh in my mind as I write this and if I can shoehorn in a Star Trek reference you know I will. So, why on earth would someone need to snag the Antec X-1 Cooler? Call me old school, but all I ever needed for my consoles to run well was a non-frayed power cord, a bottle of alcohol and Q-Tips for dirty carts, and the occasional lite dusting. Dating myself aside, ever since the Xbox 360 dropped and took over the world a nasty problem arose with the console. In an effort to get units out the door quickly, Microsoft cut some corners and consumers were left dealing with the red ring of death. My 360 suffered such a fate, and being just out of warranty lead me over to team Playstation 3.

This RROD issue wasn’t all bad, at least not for inventive companies like Antec. In the wake of overheating consoles a new market was born. A market that sold us devices that claimed to cool our overburdened workhorses and prevent downtime from your extended Halo sessions. With a new generation upon us the need for cooling seems to not be as big a deal, mostly because of the better manufacturing processes that gaming companies learned to implement after #RRODGate. (Ed Note: That hashtag was never a thing as Twitter wasn’t around, but feel free to run with it) Still, with gaming consoles becoming all-in-one machines and being used for much more than gaming –playing video games is secondary on the Xbox One I have here at home– heat is a concern and will reduce any piece of technologies lifespan, especially when turned on for long periods.

So what is the X-1 Cooler and does it really help? The X-1 Cooler by Antec is a black piece of plastic with a built-in fan and vents that helps move hot air away from your Xbox One. The X-1 looks very sleek and fits perfectly on top of your Xbox One, so much so that it looks like it’s a natural part of the machine. The underside fan works well and is nearly silent, even when you’re sitting right up by the system. All the X-1 requires is a USB connection to the rear of the Xbox One to power itself, and Antec have provided one in the box. The top of the X-1 is also a huge improvement over the standard top that the Xbox One has. Instead of a high-gloss finish that collects finger prints like I used to collect Pogs –I collected “A LOT “of Pogs– the X-1 has a rubberized top that’s the perfect place to keep a controller, or in my case a Funko PoP figure of Jim Raynor.  You can also see the current temperature of your console as the X-1 has a built-in dual temperature display on the top on the unit. One sensor reads the ambient temperature while the other reads the temperature of the air leaving the console. I know consoles get hot, but it’s pretty shocking to see some of the high heat numbers that the X-1 was telling me it was recording.

Aesthetically the whole unit looks great, but it isn’t quite perfect. The X-1 looks great from all angles and sits smoothly on the Xbox One, but it sometimes has problems staying in place. Call it a bit of OCD on my part, but every time I grab my controller, or bump the console, the X-1 seems shifts out-of-place. The underside could use some extra stoppers/rubber, but I think this is a sacrifice that Antec had to make so as to keep the unit as flush as possible with the console. It’s not a huge complaint, but it’s one that just sort of annoyed me from time to time. One good thing to note is that the X-1 is a “set it and forget it” piece of kit and you won’t have to worry about the fan running 24/7. The X-1 Cooler features and automatic on/off function that switches itself on and off depending on the temperature it’s reading. Antec claims the unit can bring down the overall temperature of your Xbox One by 30% which is a pretty impressive number, but our tests didn’t quite hit that mark, although it did bring it down a good amount. Of course this all depends on where and how you have your console set up.

If you have your Xbox One elevated off the floor/carpet and not stuck in a stuffy, closed off entertainment center, odds are you aren’t going to need something like the X-1 Cooler. If on the other hand you keep your Xbox One on the floor of your bedroom, or alongside other heat-producing electronics, picking up an X-1 Cooler isn’t a bad investment at $30. It’s the kind of thing that you buy, set up, and then forget about; at least until you knock it out of position. With its clean look and seamless integration the Antec X-1 Cooler is a great choice to anyone worried about heat and what it might do to their console.

Technical Specs

 *A review unit was provided by the manufacturer *

About Author

J. Luis

J. Luis is the current Editor-In-Chief here at GAMbIT. With a background in investigative journalism his work encompasses the pop-culture spectrum here, but he also works in the political spectrum for other organizations.

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