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TURN AN OLD XBOX 360 INTO A 1440P GAMING PC

A Ryzen 5 5600X and an RTX 3060 fit inside the shell of an Xbox 360, and Cyberpunk 2077 still averages 54 fps at 1440p.

by Tech By Matt

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Workshop

difficulty
●●●●○
time
a long weekend
license
license not specified
repo
repo 0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

Tech By Matt gutted the Xbox 360 Arcade he bought in 2009 and fitted a full gaming PC inside: a Ryzen 5 5600X, an EVGA RTX 3060 12 GB mounted horizontally, an ITX motherboard, and an HDPlex 400 power board fed by a 330 watt Alienware laptop brick. The whole system draws about 315 watts at most, and the original power button and green LEDs still work. On-screen benchmarks show Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p medium averaging 54 fps, Far Cry 6 at 1440p high 75 fps, and Rainbow Six Siege at 1080p very high 342 fps. The catch: he says himself it runs hot and loud and is not very practical. There are no templates, no build guide, and no measurements — you are watching a video of someone cutting metal and figuring out clearances as they go. If you have an Xbox 360 shell and want to do the same, you will spend most of your time measuring, cutting, and problem-solving fitment. This is a showpiece build for someone who enjoys the challenge and does not mind heat and noise.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Parts list is in the video description, not a structured BOM.
  • —No build guide, no templates, no step-by-step instructions — this is a video walkthrough only.
  • —No CAD files for modifications to the Xbox case.
  • —The builder says himself it runs hot and loud and is not very practical.
  • —This is a one-off custom build, not a repeatable project with support files.
  • —No licence — this is documentation of a personal build, not an open-source release.

Parts to buy

9 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

Can I build this?

Printnothing required
BuyXbox 360 case, Ryzen 5 5600X, RTX 3060 12 GB, ITX motherboard, HDPlex 400 power board, 330 watt Alienware laptop power brick, RAM, storage, cooling
Toolsmetal cutting tools (angle grinder or Dremel), drill, screwdrivers, PC building tools, measuring tools
Skillsintermediate PC building, metal fabrication, measuring and cutting to fit, troubleshooting thermals
Timea long weekend — most of the time is measuring, cutting, and fitting the hardware into a case that was never designed for it
Cost$$$, a full gaming PC: CPU, GPU, motherboard, RAM, SSD and power parts. The video lists the parts but no total price.
SafetyMetal cutting creates sharp edges and dust.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

I Turned My Childhood Xbox into a Gaming PC!

The entire build walkthrough, including parts list in the description, disassembly, cutting, fitting, and benchmarks at 16:40-18:10.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Watch the full video (The only documentation is the video — grab the parts list from the description and take notes on clearances and modifications as you watch.)
  2. 2.Source an Xbox 360 case
  3. 3.Measure and plan your cuts(The metal frame gets cut to fit the ITX board and GPU — measure twice, cut once, and expect to iterate.)
  4. 4.Plan thermals before you build(The builder says it runs hot and loud — if you want this to be practical, you will need better cooling or lower-power components.)

KNOWN ISSUES

  • The builder says himself it runs hot and loud and is not very practical — this is a showpiece, not a daily driver.
  • The GPU is mounted horizontally with a right angle PCIe adapter, and getting a power cable to it was tricky in the tight case.
  • The HDPlex 400 and the 330 watt Alienware brick are specific parts — other power solutions may not fit the same way.
  • The original power button works, but wiring it requires soldering and understanding the motherboard's power pins — this is not plug-and-play.
  • Metal cutting creates sharp edges — deburr everything or you will cut yourself during assembly.

Can I use a different GPU?

Anything that fits the same footprint as the RTX 3060 should work, but you will need to measure clearance yourself — the video does not give dimensions.

Does it run Xbox 360 games?

No — this is a PC build inside an Xbox case, not an Xbox with upgraded hardware.

How hot does it get?

The builder says it runs hot — exact temperatures are not given, but the case was never designed for this much heat.

Can I use the original Xbox power supply?

No. He uses an HDPlex 400 power board inside, fed by a 330 watt Alienware laptop power brick outside the case.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

About 315 watts inside a console shell, and he says it runs hot and loud. What would you change to make it practical for daily use?

CompareeTEAM13h ago

Practical notes from our verification: the parts list is in the video description (not a structured BOM), there is no build guide or template, and the only documentation is the video itself. The builder is honest that it runs hot, loud, and is not very practical — this is a showpiece build, not a daily driver. The single biggest challenge is not the parts, it is measuring and cutting the metal frame to fit your specific hardware, because every ITX board and GPU will have different clearances.

Tech By Matt

Tech By Matt documents custom PC builds and console mods on YouTube. He bought the Xbox 360 Arcade used in this build in 2009, and thirteen years later turned it into a showcase for fitting modern gaming hardware into a retro shell.

Star the project on GitHub

DISCLAIMER

  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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