Also, the E sees a return to tactile buttons rather than the touch-sensitive Power and Eject buttons on the S models. Microsoft made some presumable cost-saving maneuvers with the E by removing the optical audio-out and one of the USB ports from the S model as well. The one on the left is the "old style" Xbox 360. There were a couple of versions of this, and some early models did not come with HDMI ports. You're only going to buy one of these if you buy used, and I'd be careful. A lot of the early run had issues with overheating and were prone to the "red ring of death."

the most significant differences between an original 360 (2005-2008) and the "S" / slim version (2010) are related to the processor type, power consumption, and heat dissipation, all of which significantly affect the long-term functionality of the system.For the mentioned games you want to play, if you plan on getting the DLC at some point later, then no. Additionally, the Xbox 360 Elite is missing the Kinect and optical audio-out ports present on the S, and it boasts only three USB ports as opposed to five and four on the later iterations. The hard drive is located on the top of the console as opposed to being underneath and more discretely placed inside the console as with the S and E models.

Where as I would like to agree with the state of the hard drive only being able to be replaced by a microsoft xbox hard drive is not factually true. There are programs out there that will take any drive and format it in their special format. I have done this with several xbox units spaning all of their models. Use xbox live and have yet to have any issues.I'm also in the market for a new 360, and I'm going with the 'S' model because I want dolby digital out to my Astros via optical. Can't do that with the 'E'.

Do you plan to get a Xbox One down the road? The E is similar in design to that so I think it looks nicer having them both together. I'd rather buy a brand new system. I've had bad experiences with used systems before so I'd rather not go through that again. The redesigned Jasper motherboard within later Xbox 360 Elite consoles makes for the most reliable Xbox 360 available. The earlier Falcon motherboards, however, are more susceptible to overheating and lead to a much less reliable console gaming experience. And according to this thread ( http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/927749-xbox-360/66730930 ) the fact that the E is newer doesn't make it any more reliable because smaller = cramped components = easier overheating. You need to read more GAF threads if that's the worst advice you've ever read here. I could critique your post just as easily, though instead of sounds like a jet engine (some models of elite aren't actually that bad, the Jasper v4.1 in particular is much quieter than other models) I'd simply say something as out of context such as: 4GB Seriously? you can't even play GTA without extras.GAF, I haven't owned a 360 since I sold my old Pro in 2011, and I miss playing some of the games I own for it. I recently went through the process of choosing one and ended up going with the S. MS claims the E is quieter and runs cooler than the S. In all my research I found that to be bullshit. Perhaps it runs a little cooler, but as far as noise goes they were identical. In other words, both were pretty much silent except when a disc was spinning, and even then it was near silent. The real difference that convinced me to get the S instead was build quality. The E feels and looks cheap. And as others mentioned it's also missing features from the S. So basically MS is saving money when you buy an E model, but you're not. Buy the S.