We need to sticky this question.

I never use my 360 without turning on my floor fan which is pointed directly at it. My 360 is in an entertainment center with an open back and I monitor the heat while it's on.

The 360 heat issues are overblown assuming you don't get a defective unit and make sure it is in a relatively open space for proper ventilation. I have a stock launch day 360 that has been on for 10 days straight before (Dead Rising Survival achievement). It barely gets warm. I live in a climate where it gets very hot in the summer too.

I used to think the heating issue was more of an isolated situation too.

That is until mine bought the farm almost 11 months later. I got the 360 in March and it played fine until last week when the 3 rings came a knockin. I'm extremely careful with my equipment (I keep things forever) and had it in an open space with less than regular use (a few hours every few days).

So my concern is w/ the longevity of these units. Is it that some are just defective or is the 360 just poorly designed and dying out - some quicker (or longer) than others?

As heating seems to be the issue, I certainly am interested in a good working solution (or maybe even requirement?) that might keep my second one up and running. B/C as of right now, I'm crossing my fingers that the second one will last and hopefully everyone else's continue to run smoothly (ie the problem is fixed). Otherwise this product mortality rate is extremely frustrating.

The lifespan of any individual 360 is different. There are plenty of people, the silent majority, who have had working 360s from as far back as Day 1, so there's nothing inherently wrong with the design.

Thus you're either cooling a unit that's built like a tank, which will likely never have a problem, so a fan's unnecessary.

Or you've got a lemon that'll die even with a fan.

Or you've got something in the middle... a problem unit that a fan might extend the life of. Of course, you might be extending it until it's out of the warranty period, which is when it could then finally keel over.

I say, let nature take it's intended course (the 360 alone as was engineered). If you've got a problem unit, it'll reveal its true nature relatively quickly, unlike some previous consoles, and you can get it resolved.

I'm not sure about the 360 itself, but last I checked CompUSA charges a 10-12% restocking fee. That's why I quit shopping there.

Oh okay then I'm not missing out on anything. For some reason I thought they had an unlimited return policy.

Costco is the one that most people agree has a great return policy, although its rumored they may be changing that (?)

Yep Cosco is the one I was thinking of. We don't have one of those around here either. The closest one is in Indy.