@@Z0MBIEKILLER5 This isn't the same video. There is part of another video that I made a while back that's in this video because I'm comparing the console in that video to the same refurbished console from Microsoft. I thought it would be better to use actual footage of the GameStop Series X and compare it directly to the one from Microsoft than to just not show footage of the internals of the GameStop Xbox
@@Tronicsfix You should've pointed this in video. I was like "Wait a minute! I've already seen this 'complaints' about mint-colored thermal paste. Am I getting crazy?"
could you do another video about cleaning the ps5? and now on a never cleaned ps5 see if its changed a lot with your older video? a lot of people have that the ps5 just crashes. thx in advance
I worked for a Microsoft refurbish service for a while, it's another company that does it for Microsoft and we had all the original stickers and parts so we could replace everything.We have also always replaced all the thermal pastes so they all always look brand new.
Yeah I bought a retail "brand" new and thee backplate has spudule marks and doesn't quite line up proper And you can tell . It works I haven't had any issues but it does kinda irritate me cause when I put a skin you'll see thee gap alot easier.
Honestly I’d be surprised if Microsoft doesn’t just change out the outer shell with a factory new one if it has enough wear. You can’t beat a factory refurbished.
@@volundrfrey896 dont underestimte the pricing of a well produced piece of plastic.. but, yeah sure , cheapesr part nonetheless, and way easier to source than some of the chips..
I would buy refurbished but im a guy who likes to keep the box and also i rather play $30 more bucks for something i know is brand new instead of taking a risk
I'm a fan of factory refurbished devices. Microsoft has a similar policy to Apple where you get 14 days to return a product for any reason. There's a half decent chance that you can get a brand new device at a steep discount. Because open-box returns can no longer be sold as new, they have to be sold as refurbished, even if the device never left its original box. Other times a device just needed cosmetic repairs because it was scuffed during shipping, but is otherwise brand new.
Factory refurbs can be cool, but only if I’m getting a decent discount. Usually they come with a reduced warranty period, and you don’t get that brand new unboxing experience. A lot of the time with consoles, you usually get a free 1-3 month XBL gold/game pass code/PS Plus code, or a freebie or something. Plus I’m really picky about my controllers, so if there’s even the slightest hint of stick drift/button sticking, chipped plastic or w/e, I have to buy a new controller. I did buy a factory refurbed gaming laptop 4 years ago from Razer, and it turned out to be a brand new laptop, just open box. I got a $200 discount so definitely worth.
With Apple and Microsoft, it's possible that their refurbished devices are new but didn't pass QC the first time around. Apple gives you the same 1 year warranty as a new device at MSRP and you can still add AppleCare. So your getting a reasonable discount on what is basically a new device.
Officially refurbished consoles and controllers from MS & Nintendo are very high quality. In fact unless you look very hard (even inside) it’s difficult to tell you’re not receiving a new or like new item period.
Sometimes or most of the time Microsoft puts new products as referbuished just to keep the sales going, they are imaculate at their referbuishing/warranty fixing their products aswell. best in the game imo
Really cause all it took for me was holding my finger on the seam and feeling an airgap(PC builder I know what's up with airflow) as soon as I shone a light and could see the marks Instabtly knew they are selling refurbs as new .
I got my Series X day 1 directly from Microsoft. Have not seen any issues or repairs needed thus far. There's always a high chance that getting it from them will guarantee a working console. As long as you use it correctly.
I bought my PS4 refurbished from Sony and it looked brand new. I would trust the OEM to have much higher quality standards. You never know what was living inside a used console...
They probably swap the board in the refurbish process but have a team to take those boards and swap the ports. If a pad is ripped then they'll probably recycle it.
From my experience back years ago with refurb items and bigger companies like Mircosoft is that they dont do minor repairs like an HDMI repair, they just replace the whole board instead since its easier for them which is why everything may look new in the refurb microsoft one.
I have a buddy that works for Microsoft and he said that Microsoft term for "Refurbished" is pretty loose. Aparently they called them refurbished even if the last customer returned it right after they got it.
That's because viewers of previous videos would complain about the proper amount of thermal paste used in repairs, so now any amount he uses is the "perfect amount" to poke at them for complaining. At least he still shows the paste application, many people don't show it anymore since viewers complained so much about it.
I came to the comments to say the exact thing. One definitely had more than the other when he said each had the perfect amount. Then I read DCookStaVideos comment and that made a lot of sense.
The Microsoft console, the thermal paste was fine. But if you look at the time 9:40 on the Gamestop console thermal paste applied vs 11:20 Microsoft console thermal paste applied, there is a lot more on the Gamestop console vs the Microsoft console. So how are both the perfect amount, when there is more on the Gamestop console?
This is quite the question....I thought it to be a bit pretentious at first to even comment to compare, but now I want answers and feel lied to all this time
I understand what you are saying & I agree that he used different amounts on both but that is just a line he says every time, its kinda like his catchphrase, so whilst yes they are both not the same its just what he says, I get why it can be confusing though!
M$ probably also have a reflow machine with the correct board temperatures and a part holder to reflow and replace common faulty chips and parts like that hdmi, so it is aligned by eye but then placed by machine. That's what we used to use when I worked at a Sony authorised mobile repair center The machine would have templates for the correct amount of heat and times to heat the board andthe parts holder would have a digital alignment tool with documentation about what to align on screen with the cross hairs. Then it'd beep when the Han interaction needed to be done to manual start the part lowering and placement process, and start the reflow/change heating temperatures to reflow solder. This is the cheaper option as it's semi automated but accurate so each chip or hdmi connector that is replaced would be perfectly aligned and potentially as good or better then manufacture
Not to excuse poor work or shady practices by Gamestop, but the company that does Gamestop's refurbs surely has their techs under super tight time constraints and have quotas to meet. Cleaning off the old thermal paste takes up a few valuable minutes. An interesting video might be to try to repair things within a time limit. 5 Nintendo DSs within 90 minutes, or whatever would be a reasonably challenging timeframe, for instance. Could be a cool livestream too.
And that's what bring poor quality with companies forcing the time on tech's, tech's should have time to analyze all the issues and get the fix done properly rather than leaving issues for later on. Repairing stuff is not suppose to be a time race 🤦
@@myst5585 Sure, but the reality is there's going to be a time limit on just about any job you can think of. Repair shops don't have infinite time to work on things. If you're doing it for yourself or your own enjoyment, sure, but shops have to turn stuff around fast or else they go out of business.
When people think fixing loads of items in quick sucsecion is better than taking there time making sure each product is repaired and in top quality almost like new ... then wonder when no one buys there refurbished products 🤔 🙄 can't all be like this guy tho who's one of the best techs I have ever seen tronicsfix
@@sledzeppelin sure it would be nice to have (insert your favorite system) my console repaired by tomorrow but it does not matter this is something to be patient for. I’d rather wait one month for my console to be fixed and no issues ever as opposed to one day for my console to be fixed only to come across *one more problem.* GameStop was never really for the gamers
There is something very satisfying about you and your channel that is completely different from similar channels. I'm watching it to learn new procedures how to fix these devices, but also just to relax in b3d before sleep haha. I want to say thank you and please keep it up.
Did i just Re-Watch your GameStop refurbished video from months ago?, i just realized when you mentioned the thermal paste in 7:15, not a problem for me but i thought it was new/recently bought
I liked this video, but it was a bit easy to see that one of the consoles definitely had the incorrect amount of thermal paste... Microsoft 11:23 Gamestop 9:41
i was rooting for microsoft for this one since obviously they are the manafacturer and can use oem parts, but after seeing the price it made me a bit skeptical and made me lean more towards the gamestop one, but that one doesn't look as clean as the microsoft one so im stuck between the two
@@TriforceOfCourage97 yea in the US idk why anyone would get the refurbished for over $450. As of this moment I see the brand new is available at Best Buy and Microsoft.
Yea, I mean, I just looked on the MS website right now, and the refurbished is $470 and the 3 month gamepass bundle is optional (as noted in the video). Honestly, though, why WOULDN'T you be getting Game Pass.
My dad purchased a Refurbished Xbox One from GameStop (at the time it was EB Games, since I live in Canada) in 2014. It still works. The console has a loud fan (which only is loud when launching a game, but it goes away after about 10 seconds), but other than that, works fine. Just a little slower because of the older internals.
I don't know how you can improve even more, every time that you apply the perfect amount of thermal paste is better than the last one. I wonder how can that is even possible...
hay steve. all through I appreciate knowing how each vendor did on refurbishing these consuls, I was a little disappointed that you didn't turn them on to see if they even work. the e-bay one had the HDMI port replaced. yes it looked good but it would still be interesting to see if it worked. also, what about the controllers. do they have stick drift, do they even work. I know you like to keep your videos on the shorter side but as a fellow technician I couldn't help wondering about these things.
I guess you can be 100% sure they'll work, why wouldn't they, they are certified refurbished with warranty and definitely someone did test the consoles after the repair and before putting them on for sale
I agree. While I understand why it was done and the internal component view was great I would have liked to see them both running just to see if anything was noticeable with the console or controller while in operation.
@@Mo-uk7pv Microsoft and Gamestop are not random craigslist or eBay sellers and again, there's an invoice and warranty. Every console comes with a one year warranty (two in Europe) with just with the serial number in the back so relax, the least they do before listing it is to test it, you are just beeing over-suspicious.
@@Tronicsfix A quick montage of "Turn on, fiddling with sticks on the controller app, 'yep, no issues'" would have been sufficient and satisfying, I think! But yea, I always appreciate that not everyone in the audience is looking for seeing every detail.
Honestly, I argue that you put on too much thermal paste. It's only meant to fill in imperfections. You nailed it on the second one, half the amount you put on first one though and I am happy.
I buy new stuff all the time. Usually so I can tear it down for a video. I usually don't buy new for myself but I do usually buy new when I'm buying for my wife or my son.
i remember my older brother bringing our original gamecube to camp and it getting damaged somehow and starting to freeze and corrupt our memory cards. in following years he brought my beloved silver gamecube to camp because his was damaged and unreliable, and he came back with it faulty as well. i had good luck in following years buying a refurbished black gamecube from gamestop for cheap. it worked flawlessly. we still have all three of them to this day
just a waste it will squeeze out the sides when the heatsink is put back on, you only need a pea-sized amount he's put on about 3 times as much on the gamestop one lol
A friend of mine got a series s from Amazon renewed and it actually came in the Microsoft refurbished box! Meaning it was actually refurbished by the manufacturer!
Game stop used to be my shop for games, but when we moved, I switched to a better local store, and have had no issues with what they sell. Game stop has sent me defective things in the past.
This video threw me off because of you using previous footage of the GameStop refurb from your other video, but other than that, still cool to see the different processes and potential differences.
Seems like the Microsoft one was a return from someone who didn’t want it for whatever reason. It’s pretty much brand new, including the box (not packaging)
the lack of a visible screw doesnt mean the controller was not taken apart. since this is an official OEM refurb, MS has all the stickers and components to bring the console and accessories to near new levels including replacing the housing plastics. This is usually the benefit of buying a OEM refurb.
I was going to say the same thing people are so fast to jump to conclusions to find something wrong with anything.. instead of actually taking the time to watch a listen 🤔
Is this the same Gamestop Series X you had in your video on May 27? All the defects and issues on the mainboard look absolutely identical. Seems you even reused the footage and voice-over. That said: Considering the MS refurbished only costs $10 more than the Gamestop one, I'd definitely go with MS.
1:32 Well, since it was refurbished by the original manufacturer, I think it's a safe bet they have more warranty stickers they could use to replace the original one if they did need to open the controller to refurbish it. EDIT: I was impatient with posting my comment, and saw you mentioned exactly this possibility later in the video 😅
Odd is this a repost, I remember watching this video a few weeks ago? 🤔 🤷 Doesn't have all the flashy animations you've recently started using, but either way awesome video bud.
I got a refurb from Microsoft and it’s like brand new. Plus if something is wrong ya still get that warranty for a year so no big deal. It was the only way I could get one due to the stock and I got to save like $50 than buying it brand new.
I used to work as technical adviser for Microsoft Xbox Latin America, and when they repair a console, they replace the components, they do not repair it. By the way, most of the Microsoft consoles are repaired in Mexico, and then they are sent back to the USA.
Awesome video . I bought a ps4 from someone that bought it from GameStop and I took it apart to clean the fan and they put rivets instead of screws holding the top plate down . Now that seems really not right to me and doesn’t make any sense. But just wanted to share that .
Love your videos, however i have a quetion, so now the recent batches of xbox series controllers have defective dpads where the dpads feel very mushy instead of the tactile, or need a lot of force to push down, it is most common on the forza horizon 5 version controller which i have, however im afraid to open the controller myself to investigate the situation so can you please do a video on a fix,thanks!
Yea, we have the Forza pad and it definately "feels" different to the pad that came with the console. From memory, particularly up/left (or is it up/right?).
Over the years, I have ordered tons of Refer Microsoft stuff... Never an issue, always looked brand new.. If I was going down this road, no question I would selected the Microsoft one over Gamestop....
I'm shocked, maybe i shouldn't be, that someone at Gamestop had the technical ability to work on the hdmi port, but couldn't be bothered to apply thermal paste correctly.
I would love to see some PS3 backwards compatible consoles being fixed I am a big fan of that model @ Generation and I see so many on eBay that are for sale but broken and if someone doesn't do something they're going to disappeared for ever. Please fix some playstation 3 systems and possibly some Xbox 360s as well
If u watched him fixed this and everything else, then the ps3 and xbox 360 are just like everything else lol, it's a ps3 and xbox 360, I don't see anybody rushing to buy that ancient junk 🤣
@@cormaro13 you're sorta wrong. many older consoles do have market even today and original with lil revitalising are generally better than remakes to play old games
@@dalekcat still a very low market, especially with the newest consoles out and being able to play all those games on a PC... so yea u can play around with that old tech or update yourself and get a computer like everyone else and run them, it's not hard I have ps1 and ps2 emulator
I have bought a refurb series X for -469 Eur and then got the ms complete warranty for 49 EUR. Paid a total of 519 for the full waaranty of 3 years. It was also delivered 2 days late so i got a refund of 45 EUR. So it was worth it much more than the new one. Also it looked brand new. The controller two.
I fully respect your work and everything, do not get me wrong, but your definition of "perfect amount of thermal paste" is far away of perfect. I really hate to see paste spread all around chip. There should be just u tiny layer to make contact with heat sink, and, maybe I am wrong but you put too much paste... As somebody below in comments mentioned, you can make a video with glass and applying TP, that will be interesting :)
Uses the whole tube of thermal paste thats the perfect amount of thermal paste there's a reason he doesn't show the spread after because it's way too much
I have two Series X, first I bought new, and the second bought refurbished through Microsoft. The refurbished looked brand new, original packaging and everything.
I would never trust gamestop to refurb anything but a controller or accessory. Given they can't even remove old paste and put new really bothers me as a pc enthusiast.
I bought a refurbished Xbox series X that came from Microsoft last year when they were impossible to find.I couldn't tell anything had been done to it?It was marked grade B?Whatever that meant?But it has worked flawlessly.Refurbished items aren't a bad way to go as whatever issue they have had has been fixed as opposed to a New one where there could be a potential unknown problem?I'll usually get refurbished to save money and get a extended warranty with the money saved for piece of mind in high priced items especially when you see How common things can go bad with these things.
Tronics first let me say that I LOVE your channel Sir. It’s super informative and entertaining. I was wondering if there’s any chance at all that you may be willing to fix my OG ps3 on the channel? It, my launch PS5 and TV were all zapped by lightning. Sony fixed my PS5 as it was under warranty. My 4 was disconnected thankfully but, I’d really like my OG 3 back to life to complete my Quintfecta again. Lmk and thank you again.
Almost 10 years ago I bought a gen1 Xbox one factory refurbished, and still working just fine. I’ll never doubt about getting a new refurbished console from Microsoft
It’s not required to buy 3 months. After you add the Xbox to the cart before adding the 3 months click on the cart and it will let you check out with just the system
Just for the poor thermal paste aplication in the gamestop one to me is not worth buying, mixing to pastes and not cleaning the old one is very unprofessional, why a technician that has the hability to fix an hdmi port in that thick board and do that pretty good job would do such a poor job in terms of thermal paste?
It's actually better for GameStop not to have the warranty stickers on the systems as far as my home state, Massachusetts, is concerned as warranty stickers here are actually illegal.
I own a Microsoft refurbished Series S and it definately looks and feels brand new on the outside! had a refurbished One X before and that was the same.
Wanna see more reviews of "refurbished" game consoles? Check out my playlist: ua-cam.com/video/aJCn_kBNsio/v-deo.html
Why u post the same video?
@@Z0MBIEKILLER5 This isn't the same video. There is part of another video that I made a while back that's in this video because I'm comparing the console in that video to the same refurbished console from Microsoft. I thought it would be better to use actual footage of the GameStop Series X and compare it directly to the one from Microsoft than to just not show footage of the internals of the GameStop Xbox
Can you try taking apart the heatsink after the thermal paste to prove it really is the perfect amount next time?
@@Tronicsfix You should've pointed this in video. I was like "Wait a minute! I've already seen this 'complaints' about mint-colored thermal paste. Am I getting crazy?"
could you do another video about cleaning the ps5? and now on a never cleaned ps5 see if its changed a lot with your older video? a lot of people have that the ps5 just crashes. thx in advance
I worked for a Microsoft refurbish service for a while, it's another company that does it for Microsoft and we had all the original stickers and parts so we could replace everything.We have also always replaced all the thermal pastes so they all always look brand new.
Thanks so much for commenting. This is good to know. I'd love to see that repair shop! Any chance you know the name of the place?
Yeah I bought a retail "brand" new and thee backplate has spudule marks and doesn't quite line up proper And you can tell . It works I haven't had any issues but it does kinda irritate me cause when I put a skin you'll see thee gap alot easier.
@@findantu could have been brand new with a manufacturing defect. Could have also been some mistake if bought it online from a third party seller
Bist du aus Deutschland? Falls ja in welcher Stadt war deine Firma? 🧐
Did you get a lot that came through with a plastic burning smell? Mines smelled like that since day one
Honestly I’d be surprised if Microsoft doesn’t just change out the outer shell with a factory new one if it has enough wear. You can’t beat a factory refurbished.
Indeed i tought the same.. i think they could replace everything..
This. It's just crappy plastic so doesn't really cost them anything as the manufacturer.
@@volundrfrey896 dont underestimte the pricing of a well produced piece of plastic.. but, yeah sure , cheapesr part nonetheless, and way easier to source than some of the chips..
I would buy refurbished but im a guy who likes to keep the box and also i rather play $30 more bucks for something i know is brand new instead of taking a risk
@@christiansantamaria7233 Needs to be at minimum 20% for me to even consider it
I'm a fan of factory refurbished devices. Microsoft has a similar policy to Apple where you get 14 days to return a product for any reason. There's a half decent chance that you can get a brand new device at a steep discount. Because open-box returns can no longer be sold as new, they have to be sold as refurbished, even if the device never left its original box. Other times a device just needed cosmetic repairs because it was scuffed during shipping, but is otherwise brand new.
Factory refurbs can be cool, but only if I’m getting a decent discount. Usually they come with a reduced warranty period, and you don’t get that brand new unboxing experience. A lot of the time with consoles, you usually get a free 1-3 month XBL gold/game pass code/PS Plus code, or a freebie or something. Plus I’m really picky about my controllers, so if there’s even the slightest hint of stick drift/button sticking, chipped plastic or w/e, I have to buy a new controller.
I did buy a factory refurbed gaming laptop 4 years ago from Razer, and it turned out to be a brand new laptop, just open box. I got a $200 discount so definitely worth.
But here it was more expensive than a new one. Even accounting those 3 months of game pass you are better buying it new
My Xbox series X that I got from GameStop came with one year of Game Pass. And the factory warranty.
With Apple and Microsoft, it's possible that their refurbished devices are new but didn't pass QC the first time around. Apple gives you the same 1 year warranty as a new device at MSRP and you can still add AppleCare. So your getting a reasonable discount on what is basically a new device.
Every time I see a Series X disassemble I’m always impressed by the design of the internals
For real. Even before considering the games, game pass, or anything else, they sold me on the internal design.
It’s not a PC 😂 that’s how you know ur games are bad if you pay attention to the internals
@@guccii_daddyy what
@@guccii_daddyy huh
@@guccii_daddyy hey shitass, your PC most likely has a window to see the inside components. By your logic, your games are trash
I rather trust Microsoft since they made the console and know how to fix them plus Microsoft doesn’t use sandpaper
Agreed!
I cant get over it how stupid it is to use sandpaper on the devices......
Officially refurbished consoles and controllers from MS & Nintendo are very high quality. In fact unless you look very hard (even inside) it’s difficult to tell you’re not receiving a new or like new item period.
That was definitely my experience with the one in this video.
This video and comments by a few people have put me at ease about buying MS refurbs If they become available before I can get a new one anywhere
Sometimes or most of the time Microsoft puts new products as referbuished just to keep the sales going, they are imaculate at their referbuishing/warranty fixing their products aswell. best in the game imo
Really cause all it took for me was holding my finger on the seam and feeling an airgap(PC builder I know what's up with airflow) as soon as I shone a light and could see the marks Instabtly knew they are selling refurbs as new .
What is with GameStop always sanding something? It might just be a bad habit. I rather have it with scratches on it then have it look unfinished.
I got my Series X day 1 directly from Microsoft. Have not seen any issues or repairs needed thus far. There's always a high chance that getting it from them will guarantee a working console. As long as you use it correctly.
I've been impressed with the refurbished products I've gotten from them.
It’s always going to be a working console…did you drink lead paint when you were an infant?
I imagine with the MS one, any damaged areas were just replaced with a fresh board / component, so there won't be any repairs to 'see'.
I bought my PS4 refurbished from Sony and it looked brand new. I would trust the OEM to have much higher quality standards. You never know what was living inside a used console...
will never forget how GameStop butchered Xbox 360 motherboards and called them “refurbished”
Microsoft could have printed a new label for that pad, it could be a refurbished pad, like a stick drift return with an OEM repair
Yes, that's true
@@Tronicsfix I noticed you said that after you looked at the consoles,
That's my fault for commenting before the end of the video
Microsoft would just replace the entire board, I doubt they would solder on new ports
Probably true.
They probably swap the board in the refurbish process but have a team to take those boards and swap the ports. If a pad is ripped then they'll probably recycle it.
From my experience back years ago with refurb items and bigger companies like Mircosoft is that they dont do minor repairs like an HDMI repair, they just replace the whole board instead since its easier for them which is why everything may look new in the refurb microsoft one.
Yikes that's wasteful. Good to know
When I did Dell field repairs they did board swaps to speed repairs but the boards did get refurbished they did that at a different facility.
I have a buddy that works for Microsoft and he said that Microsoft term for "Refurbished" is pretty loose. Aparently they called them refurbished even if the last customer returned it right after they got it.
The amount of thermal paste on the MS refurb was just fine. Not sure what the obsession with "the perfect amount" is.
That's because viewers of previous videos would complain about the proper amount of thermal paste used in repairs, so now any amount he uses is the "perfect amount" to poke at them for complaining. At least he still shows the paste application, many people don't show it anymore since viewers complained so much about it.
Agreed. And he put far less thermal paste on the factory refurb then he did the GameStop unit.
I came to the comments to say the exact thing. One definitely had more than the other when he said each had the perfect amount. Then I read DCookStaVideos comment and that made a lot of sense.
I'm so glad I bought my refurbished through Microsoft after watching this! Thank you for the vid!
Is it still working ok ?
@@jacobthornton7854They’re not answering you
The Microsoft console, the thermal paste was fine. But if you look at the time 9:40 on the Gamestop console thermal paste applied vs 11:20 Microsoft console thermal paste applied, there is a lot more on the Gamestop console vs the Microsoft console. So how are both the perfect amount, when there is more on the Gamestop console?
I noticed that too. It was a significant difference.
I think he changes his perfect amount each time.. lol
This is quite the question....I thought it to be a bit pretentious at first to even comment to compare, but now I want answers and feel lied to all this time
I understand what you are saying & I agree that he used different amounts on both but that is just a line he says every time, its kinda like his catchphrase, so whilst yes they are both not the same its just what he says, I get why it can be confusing though!
Honestly he put way too much on the Gamestop one lol. The Microsoft one was a much better amount.
M$ probably also have a reflow machine with the correct board temperatures and a part holder to reflow and replace common faulty chips and parts like that hdmi, so it is aligned by eye but then placed by machine.
That's what we used to use when I worked at a Sony authorised mobile repair center
The machine would have templates for the correct amount of heat and times to heat the board andthe parts holder would have a digital alignment tool with documentation about what to align on screen with the cross hairs. Then it'd beep when the Han interaction needed to be done to manual start the part lowering and placement process, and start the reflow/change heating temperatures to reflow solder.
This is the cheaper option as it's semi automated but accurate so each chip or hdmi connector that is replaced would be perfectly aligned and potentially as good or better then manufacture
Not to excuse poor work or shady practices by Gamestop, but the company that does Gamestop's refurbs surely has their techs under super tight time constraints and have quotas to meet. Cleaning off the old thermal paste takes up a few valuable minutes. An interesting video might be to try to repair things within a time limit. 5 Nintendo DSs within 90 minutes, or whatever would be a reasonably challenging timeframe, for instance. Could be a cool livestream too.
And that's what bring poor quality with companies forcing the time on tech's, tech's should have time to analyze all the issues and get the fix done properly rather than leaving issues for later on. Repairing stuff is not suppose to be a time race 🤦
@@myst5585 Sure, but the reality is there's going to be a time limit on just about any job you can think of. Repair shops don't have infinite time to work on things. If you're doing it for yourself or your own enjoyment, sure, but shops have to turn stuff around fast or else they go out of business.
When people think fixing loads of items in quick sucsecion is better than taking there time making sure each product is repaired and in top quality almost like new ... then wonder when no one buys there refurbished products 🤔 🙄 can't all be like this guy tho who's one of the best techs I have ever seen tronicsfix
Gamestops only customer is tronics hah
@@sledzeppelin sure it would be nice to have (insert your favorite system) my console repaired by tomorrow but it does not matter this is something to be patient for. I’d rather wait one month for my console to be fixed and no issues ever as opposed to one day for my console to be fixed only to come across *one more problem.* GameStop was never really for the gamers
There is something very satisfying about you and your channel that is completely different from similar channels. I'm watching it to learn new procedures how to fix these devices, but also just to relax in b3d before sleep haha. I want to say thank you and please keep it up.
Did i just Re-Watch your GameStop refurbished video from months ago?, i just realized when you mentioned the thermal paste in 7:15, not a problem for me but i thought it was new/recently bought
I liked this video, but it was a bit easy to see that one of the consoles definitely had the incorrect amount of thermal paste...
Microsoft 11:23
Gamestop 9:41
i was rooting for microsoft for this one since obviously they are the manafacturer and can use oem parts, but after seeing the price it made me a bit skeptical and made me lean more towards the gamestop one, but that one doesn't look as clean as the microsoft one so im stuck between the two
yea, the cost is 499 NEW, why would you pay over that for something that was broken and then fixed?
@@TriforceOfCourage97 yea in the US idk why anyone would get the refurbished for over $450. As of this moment I see the brand new is available at Best Buy and Microsoft.
Yea, I mean, I just looked on the MS website right now, and the refurbished is $470 and the 3 month gamepass bundle is optional (as noted in the video). Honestly, though, why WOULDN'T you be getting Game Pass.
@@TriforceOfCourage97 where the hell do you get it for 500$ new,it's 900€$ where i live
@@RomanBasarabean no man everywhere its 500€
Big fan of this channel. Man you're very generous giving GameStop one a B- I don't think I would have lol.
Weird how the 'perfect' amount of thermal paste is different from one console to the next.
Lol, whatever!
Because thermal paste application is like flowers, all uniques and all perfects.
He does a realtime spatial analysis and adjusts the amount slightly based on the individual surface contours of each chip.
Perfection is the process, not exactly the final result 😜
@@sledzeppelin Lol, ya, this!
My dad purchased a Refurbished Xbox One from GameStop (at the time it was EB Games, since I live in Canada) in 2014. It still works. The console has a loud fan (which only is loud when launching a game, but it goes away after about 10 seconds), but other than that, works fine. Just a little slower because of the older internals.
You can’t really compare the company that existed at that time with the company today. Not really a fair thing to do
@@anonymousamerican4580 I'm aware of that. Just sharing me and my family's experience with it. That's all
Ahh! 30 minute squad SHOUT OUT!
Steve, this girl loves the work you do and I’ve learned so much!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching
I don't know how you can improve even more, every time that you apply the perfect amount of thermal paste is better than the last one. I wonder how can that is even possible...
hay steve. all through I appreciate knowing how each vendor did on refurbishing these consuls, I was a little disappointed that you didn't turn them on to see if they even work. the e-bay one had the HDMI port replaced. yes it looked good but it would still be interesting to see if it worked. also, what about the controllers. do they have stick drift, do they even work. I know you like to keep your videos on the shorter side but as a fellow technician I couldn't help wondering about these things.
Noted. Thanks for the comment. It’s tough to make a thorough video while keeping the retention up.
I guess you can be 100% sure they'll work, why wouldn't they, they are certified refurbished with warranty and definitely someone did test the consoles after the repair and before putting them on for sale
I agree. While I understand why it was done and the internal component view was great I would have liked to see them both running just to see if anything was noticeable with the console or controller while in operation.
@@Mo-uk7pv Microsoft and Gamestop are not random craigslist or eBay sellers and again, there's an invoice and warranty. Every console comes with a one year warranty (two in Europe) with just with the serial number in the back so relax, the least they do before listing it is to test it, you are just beeing over-suspicious.
@@Tronicsfix A quick montage of "Turn on, fiddling with sticks on the controller app, 'yep, no issues'" would have been sufficient and satisfying, I think! But yea, I always appreciate that not everyone in the audience is looking for seeing every detail.
I would expect as a consumer that going with manufacturer would allow for replacement of parts like the casing.
When are the new consoles going to sell for retail price? What a crazy time to be alive.
Yes, agreed. It's crazy how much they still go for.
Get walmart plus and you can get one
video just relesed how did you commend 1 day ago
@@AlmostBrokeLbs Members or whatever get acces quicker
@@vasownedv1548 ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Honestly, I argue that you put on too much thermal paste. It's only meant to fill in imperfections. You nailed it on the second one, half the amount you put on first one though and I am happy.
I wonder if Steve ever buys his electronics new. Nice video by the way love your channel.
I buy new stuff all the time. Usually so I can tear it down for a video. I usually don't buy new for myself but I do usually buy new when I'm buying for my wife or my son.
Good stuff man looking for the next one
Very interesting video, thanks for your work.
i remember my older brother bringing our original gamecube to camp and it getting damaged somehow and starting to freeze and corrupt our memory cards. in following years he brought my beloved silver gamecube to camp because his was damaged and unreliable, and he came back with it faulty as well.
i had good luck in following years buying a refurbished black gamecube from gamestop for cheap. it worked flawlessly. we still have all three of them to this day
Great video again, but why you put more thermal past at Gamestop console then to the Microsoft console?
The main thing is to make sure there is enough thermal paste. There was more than enough on both of these.
just a waste it will squeeze out the sides when the heatsink is put back on, you only need a pea-sized amount he's put on about 3 times as much on the gamestop one lol
Congrats on 1m subs! It’s been a while but wassup
Hey thanks!
Hey np
Neat! I'd assume Microsoft has replacement parts for everything. Scratch in the case? Replace it! Nice look!
I like your videos
A friend of mine got a series s from Amazon renewed and it actually came in the Microsoft refurbished box! Meaning it was actually refurbished by the manufacturer!
Game stop used to be my shop for games, but when we moved, I switched to a better local store, and have had no issues with what they sell. Game stop has sent me defective things in the past.
Yes, I love supporting local businesses
This video threw me off because of you using previous footage of the GameStop refurb from your other video, but other than that, still cool to see the different processes and potential differences.
I bought my Series X refurbished from Microsoft. The money I saved I put toward their extended warranty. So far so good.
Smart move the warranty one
Seems like the Microsoft one was a return from someone who didn’t want it for whatever reason. It’s pretty much brand new, including the box (not packaging)
the lack of a visible screw doesnt mean the controller was not taken apart. since this is an official OEM refurb, MS has all the stickers and components to bring the console and accessories to near new levels including replacing the housing plastics. This is usually the benefit of buying a OEM refurb.
He mentions that if you watch the entire video…
I was going to say the same thing people are so fast to jump to conclusions to find something wrong with anything.. instead of actually taking the time to watch a listen 🤔
Is this the same Gamestop Series X you had in your video on May 27? All the defects and issues on the mainboard look absolutely identical. Seems you even reused the footage and voice-over.
That said: Considering the MS refurbished only costs $10 more than the Gamestop one, I'd definitely go with MS.
He refurbished the video. :)
That was a good teardown. great info.
Thanx for sharing your knowledge with us. Learn something new every episode
My pleasure. Thanks for watching!
1:32 Well, since it was refurbished by the original manufacturer, I think it's a safe bet they have more warranty stickers they could use to replace the original one if they did need to open the controller to refurbish it.
EDIT: I was impatient with posting my comment, and saw you mentioned exactly this possibility later in the video 😅
@@juansalas2882 Neat, I didn't know about that, thanks for sharing!
@@juansalas2882 Oh interesting. Good to know!
I wish I could do this for a living. I love these kind of videos. What do I need to study to do this for a living?
I got mine refurbished from Microsoft last July and it still works great
Odd is this a repost, I remember watching this video a few weeks ago? 🤔 🤷 Doesn't have all the flashy animations you've recently started using, but either way awesome video bud.
I got a refurb from Microsoft and it’s like brand new. Plus if something is wrong ya still get that warranty for a year so no big deal. It was the only way I could get one due to the stock and I got to save like $50 than buying it brand new.
I used to work as technical adviser for Microsoft Xbox Latin America, and when they repair a console, they replace the components, they do not repair it. By the way, most of the Microsoft consoles are repaired in Mexico, and then they are sent back to the USA.
Could you recommend more budget friendly equipment? Specifically a soldering iron kit.
Awesome video . I bought a ps4 from someone that bought it from GameStop and I took it apart to clean the fan and they put rivets instead of screws holding the top plate down . Now that seems really not right to me and doesn’t make any sense. But just wanted to share that .
Some PS4's were made with those plastic rivets. The updated PS4 Slim models had those.
@@Tronicsfix Really why would Sony do that ? So the only way to remove them is to drill them out correct or snap them off ?
@@THEZONEXP Yep. I'm assuming they did it to save costs. Large companies don't care about repairability
@@Tronicsfix I see and understand now .
Love your videos, however i have a quetion, so now the recent batches of xbox series controllers have defective dpads where the dpads feel very mushy instead of the tactile, or need a lot of force to push down, it is most common on the forza horizon 5 version controller which i have, however im afraid to open the controller myself to investigate the situation so can you please do a video on a fix,thanks!
Hmmm, maybe. I haven't heard about that. I'll have to look into it.
Yea, we have the Forza pad and it definately "feels" different to the pad that came with the console. From memory, particularly up/left (or is it up/right?).
@@peteanderson2533 yes up right precisely
my brother works at microsoft and he gifted me a refurbished console directly from microsoft. so seeing you make a video on this is super cool!
Shocker Gamestop cuts corners with thermal paste, lmfao.
Kinda dumb they make you buy 3 month gamepass. Especially when you can buy the new console for $30 more,
and get for first month of gamepass for $1.
Over the years, I have ordered tons of Refer Microsoft stuff... Never an issue, always looked brand new.. If I was going down this road, no question I would selected the Microsoft one over Gamestop....
I'm shocked, maybe i shouldn't be, that someone at Gamestop had the technical ability to work on the hdmi port, but couldn't be bothered to apply thermal paste correctly.
Please make a video on a comparison of a refurbished Nintendo Switch from Nintendo and a refurbished Nintendo Switch from Game Stop.
That's a good idea. Might have to do that.
Shouldn‘t be a used console be considerably cheaper instead of costing the same as a new one?
Great! Very interesting video. Thanks!
Either I'm clairvoyant or I've seen this video before. I remember the little broken chip and the smashed thermal paste.
I would love to see some PS3 backwards compatible consoles being fixed I am a big fan of that model @ Generation and I see so many on eBay that are for sale but broken and if someone doesn't do something they're going to disappeared for ever. Please fix some playstation 3 systems and possibly some Xbox 360s as well
If u watched him fixed this and everything else, then the ps3 and xbox 360 are just like everything else lol, it's a ps3 and xbox 360, I don't see anybody rushing to buy that ancient junk 🤣
@@cormaro13 you're sorta wrong. many older consoles do have market even today and original with lil revitalising are generally better than remakes to play old games
@@dalekcat still a very low market, especially with the newest consoles out and being able to play all those games on a PC... so yea u can play around with that old tech or update yourself and get a computer like everyone else and run them, it's not hard I have ps1 and ps2 emulator
Awesome Video tronicsfix
I have bought a refurb series X for -469 Eur and then got the ms complete warranty for 49 EUR. Paid a total of 519 for the full waaranty of 3 years. It was also delivered 2 days late so i got a refund of 45 EUR. So it was worth it much more than the new one. Also it looked brand new. The controller two.
How about comparing old + new thermal paste against cleaned + new thermal paste, running a temperature test?
I never understand charging $500+ for a USED console completely assinine to me
I fully respect your work and everything, do not get me wrong, but your definition of "perfect amount of thermal paste" is far away of perfect. I really hate to see paste spread all around chip. There should be just u tiny layer to make contact with heat sink, and, maybe I am wrong but you put too much paste... As somebody below in comments mentioned, you can make a video with glass and applying TP, that will be interesting :)
Uses the whole tube of thermal paste thats the perfect amount of thermal paste there's a reason he doesn't show the spread after because it's way too much
I bought a refurbished N64 probably almost 20 years ago now and it's still working great.
Would love to see you open a DKoldies refurbished console!
I bought a switch from GameStop and it like brand new and it’s been half a year and no problems and it was pre owned
That's great to hear! I'm sure a lot of their stuff is great.
I have two Series X, first I bought new, and the second bought refurbished through Microsoft. The refurbished looked brand new, original packaging and everything.
I would never trust gamestop to refurb anything but a controller or accessory. Given they can't even remove old paste and put new really bothers me as a pc enthusiast.
I bought a refurbished Xbox series X that came from Microsoft last year when they were impossible to find.I couldn't tell anything had been done to it?It was marked grade B?Whatever that meant?But it has worked flawlessly.Refurbished items aren't a bad way to go as whatever issue they have had has been fixed as opposed to a New one where there could be a potential unknown problem?I'll usually get refurbished to save money and get a extended warranty with the money saved for piece of mind in high priced items especially when you see How common things can go bad with these things.
Tronics first let me say that I LOVE your channel Sir. It’s super informative and entertaining. I was wondering if there’s any chance at all that you may be willing to fix my OG ps3 on the channel? It, my launch PS5 and TV were all zapped by lightning. Sony fixed my PS5 as it was under warranty. My 4 was disconnected thankfully but, I’d really like my OG 3 back to life to complete my Quintfecta again. Lmk and thank you again.
Almost 10 years ago I bought a gen1 Xbox one factory refurbished, and still working just fine. I’ll never doubt about getting a new refurbished console from Microsoft
I love it when you call people out!!
It’s not required to buy 3 months. After you add the Xbox to the cart before adding the 3 months click on the cart and it will let you check out with just the system
I have a XBOX X refurbished from Microsoft too, looks BRANDNEW.
Nice video 😀👍
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
All the content on this channel related to Xbox Series X are my favorites
I got a switch from GameStop they just threw it in a box loose without anything to keep it from being tossed around..
Hey tronics I wonder where you buy parts to fix ps5 ps4 controllers I’m trying to fix mine but I don’t know where to buy good quality parts
Very nice Man, saludos desde México Guadalajara.jal
Answering the real questions. Interesting, and kind of what I hoped you'd find, that the MS refurbished is in better shape.
steve the sticker on the console has a service date instead of the manufacturing date
Great video!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
I felt that. I have both the Series X and S and I only use black on the X and white on the S 😂
Ha, ha, nice!
Hey I have a question, how much would it cost to have an Xbox one S repaired from liquid damage
Just for the poor thermal paste aplication in the gamestop one to me is not worth buying, mixing to pastes and not cleaning the old one is very unprofessional, why a technician that has the hability to fix an hdmi port in that thick board and do that pretty good job would do such a poor job in terms of thermal paste?
That's what I thought too. They did a good job on the repair only to not do a good job with the thermal paste. Just makes no sense.
Wish the refurbished companies put in what they fixed so that you can make an informed decision and if something goes wrong could be same issue
It's actually better for GameStop not to have the warranty stickers on the systems as far as my home state, Massachusetts, is concerned as warranty stickers here are actually illegal.
Did you test the consoles and controllers for functionality before opening them?
I own a Microsoft refurbished Series S and it definately looks and feels brand new on the outside! had a refurbished One X before and that was the same.