First of all, thank you JWSpeed for doing all of your testing and pulling your Halo 3 console apart. Also, thank you for the great pictures!

Now for the good stuff...

How to find a 65nm console without opening the box (175W PSU):
This is the easiest and best way to see if you have a 65nm (Falcon) console without opening the box. All you need to do is look at the information label (lot #, team label) on the side of the box and look at the power information.

If the label says 175W, then the console is a Falcon console. If the label says 203W, then use one of the other two methods to see if the console is Falcon.

175W Falcon Label:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x127/MRCUR/175w.jpg

175W Falcon PSU Label:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x127/MRCUR/new360brick.jpg

If you find a 175W console, you 100% have a Falcon console. The new 175W PSU will NOT work with old (90nm) console. The plug that goes into the console has been changed to all plastic, and has a different layout then the old plug. There are already multiple revisions of the 175W PSUs, but there is no difference between them.


How to see if you have a 65nm (Falcon) console (HEATSINK INSPECTION):

First, get a flashlight that is very bright. Then put your console upside down (HD side down). You should be looking at an black or grey piece of plastic which is the bottom vent. Shine the flashlight directly into the bottom of the console (it works best to sit the flashlight on the plastic).

Then move the flashlight to the right side of the plastic. When you look inside of the console directly below the light, you will see a large white piece of plastic. This is the airflow shroud. You can see this highlighted in this picture: http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x127/MRCUR/S8000516-2.jpg

Next, move the flashlight to the left a bit and look into the console again. You are looking for the large silver square that is directly in front of the airflow shroud. This piece will tell you whether or not you have a 65nm console.

Here are pictures of the 90nm CPU Heatsink and the 65nm CPU Heatsink. (Notice that there is no heatpipe on the new 65nm CPU heatsink.)

How to see if you have a 65nm (Falcon) console (INDUCTOR INSPECTION):
This test looks at components on the board rather than the heatsinks and can more definitively tell you whether or not you have the Falcon motherboard (picture courtesy of JWSpeed). The number and orientation (horizontal or vertical) of inductor rings near the CPU heatsink can tell you what version of the motherboard you have.

Here is a comparison shot of the three boards which Microsoft has manufactured so far. Note the removal of one of the inductor rings from Zephyr to Falcon. Also, one can note the removal of three of the black capacitors from both launch to Zephyr, and then again from Zephyr to Falcon. Both of these changes are indications of which motherboard you have, but the capacitors are much harder to see without opening the case, so for all intents and purposes, counting the number of inductors should suffice.

All you will need to count your inductor rings are hands and a good flashlight.

1. Remove your Hard Disk Drive from the top of your console and set aside so as to not damage it.
2. Place the console vertical and upside-down on a flat surface, so the bottom grill of the console is visible.
3. Put your flashlight directly up against the console's bottom grill and look for the 2 or 3 inductor rings (which appear as a small ring wrapped in bare copper wire).

Two rings laying flat: Congratulations! You have a Falcon board.
Three rings laying flat: This is a Zephyr motherboard.
Three rings standing up: This is a launch motherboard.

Again, here is the comparison shot of the 3 board types and how the inductors are oriented on each. Also, I wouldn't read into the color of the inductors too much. Chances are, the colors will change occasionally as prices from different suppliers fluctuate and MS goes from one to the next for the best deal. We will probably see different colors on the same board versions, and therefore they serve no purpose for identifying board types.

How to find a Falcon model 360 in stores

Based on the info in this thread, A Falcon model Xbox 360 MUST BE:

1. Lot #0734 (Halo 3) or later (all SKUs)
   
2. Manufactured on or after 8/24/07(An HDMI Premium manufactured on 8/19 has been reported as 65nm.)
   
3. Team FDOU (Other teams may be Falcon as well, but none have been reported)

Please note that getting a Falcon console is not guaranteed even if everything matches the above information. Only some new consoles are Falcon, and no Falcon refurb consoles have been reported.

How to find Lot and Team info:
There is a white sticker on the side of the box with the lot # and team. In order to find the manufacturing date without opening the box, there is a flap on the side of the box that allows you to peek inside and see the manufacturing date on the console itself.

If you find a console that is Falcon, please post the console type (Halo 3, Elite, Premium, Arcade), manufacture date, lot number, team, new or old CPU heatsink, number of inductors, and first 3 digits of serial number.

(Thanks I omg h4x I for posting the how to find info. Thanks DunkelSchatten for keeping track of all the Falcon consoles. Thanks Fancy ketchups for the inductor test. Thanks to everyone who posted pictures of the new 175W PSUs. And thank you Boid for editing this thread.)

---

65nm Information

WOOT!

so JWSpeed got

lot #0734, hopefully this will be the easiest way to tell if you got falcon console.  I forgot if JWSpeed got pro or elite?

Do you know if the 65nm chips are, at this time, only on the Halo consoles?

That's all nice an all but I suppose you can't tell besides buying it and shinning a flashlight in there to see. But I guess your chances are better with lot 734 or higher.

those pictures are way blurry.  way!

---

Welcome to you're "Doom"!
XUG
10k

    Damn Lucky me. I just traded my old console in for the Halo 3 console. I haven't had the chance to check it out with a flashlight, but I'm almost certain i have the new 65mn heatsink. Simply because the machine is about 50% more quiet then original premium I had. I think it'd be helpful if those who have the halo 3 console check to see if they too have the heatsink and then post the manufactuer date, to maybe help give a rough estimate of what consoles to look for, for those who'd like to purchase or trade in for a newer Xbox 360. I'll post back once I find out if I have the new 65nm CPU heatsink.

---

Why doesn't Chuck Norris have hair on his balls? Because hair doesn't grow on steel.

Not so lucky me. Mine was manufactered on 7-27-07 and I have the old heatsink. Those who have the halo 3 console should check their console out like said above. I found it best to do it in the dark. Then once you find out if you do or don't have the new heatsink, make a post, and let us know the manufacter's. Maybe we can narrow it down  to what Manufactuer's date to look for.

---

Why doesn't Chuck Norris have hair on his balls? Because hair doesn't grow on steel.

Chuck, you have the old heatsink or the old chip? I thought they started putting in the newer heatsinks a while ago. reason im asking is my premium just broke and i want to get a new console but want to be sure that it has the newest hardware.

Now we need people with lots lower than 734 to test all of theirs to get a bare minimum lot # to look for.. although it looks like 734 is it.

 Moosejuice71 wrote:

Chuck, you have the old heatsink or the old chip? I thought they started putting in the newer heatsinks a while ago. reason im asking is my premium just broke and i want to get a new console but want to be sure that it has the newest hardware.

I don't know I guess the old heatsink. I saw the piece that looks like copper tubing.

---

Why doesn't Chuck Norris have hair on his balls? Because hair doesn't grow on steel.

xbox 360 halo edition.  lot #730.  heatsink with pipe. 

halo edition 360

lot # 732     team cson

heatsink with...........................................................................pipe

Halo 3 360 SE

Lot# 733 Mfg: 8-15-2007 heatsink with pipe....

Halo 3 360: Lot # 733 that has the heatsink w/ heatpipe.

lot 732 manufactue 8/11/07 heatsink with pipe

 Bowery Bum wrote:

Do you know if the 65nm chips are, at this time, only on the Halo consoles?

At this time I really don't know...

---

65nm Information

 Mistah Clutch wrote:

those pictures are way blurry.  way!

I know, but you can still see what you need to.

---

65nm Information

You guys do realize that having copper heatpipes actually help reduce the heat.  Look at all the processor heatsinks in the market, almost all of them have heatpipes, so if you are actually trying to imply that you have a 65nm cpu just because you have a heatsink without a copper heatpipe, think again. 
Lot 732 8-7-2007 w/ copper heatpipe

This was weird. I've got a # 732 Team FDOU and I have no pipe. Went over the box several times with different flashlights but no go. All I see is something that looks like the one in the # 734's. Not a sign of anything "coppery". Am I looking in the wrong place or what's up with that? Could someone post a picture of the side we're supposed to be looking at and point out with a square the area where it should be seen?

Why would I think again? MS has always used a heatpipe with the CPU heatsink, up until now. The only reason MS would remove the heatpipe is because it isn't needed anymore, and that would happen with a 65nm CPU.

Also, the power consumption has gone down about 33% with the 65nm console, which is right in line with how much was expected.

---

65nm Information

 Methadrine wrote:

This was weird. I've got a # 732 Team FDOU and I have no pipe. Went over the box several times with different flashlights but no go. All I see is something that looks like the one in the # 734's. Not a sign of anything "coppery". Am I looking in the wrong place or what's up with that? Could someone post a picture of the side we're supposed to be looking at and point out with a square the area where it should be seen?

Umm, did you look at the pictures?

---

65nm Information

Besides a new heatsync and a "A01" at the end of the CPU on the die what makes this for sure a 65nm chip? What is the definitive proof?

One thing troubles me with all this processor type scuttlebut. The Halo 3 360 that my son has now runs super cool. I mean it doesn't even get warm. The old 360 premium got so hot you could cook breakfast on it. They must have done something more than we know to them. I'd love to see someone crack open one with the copper pipe type heatsink. What if they put the falcon processor on some in conjuncton with the copper pipe type heatsink?  Maybe they did something else to them?  Lets see how they hold up as opposed to the old ones. Has anyone heard of any Elite failures yet?