Elite Bastards posted a review on the Microsoft Xbox 360

There were reports of Xbox 360s freezing up and crashing almost from the moment people took their new consoles home the day of the November 22nd North American launch. Since then, most crashing issues have been traced back to what is believed to be a bad batch of power supply units from one of several suppliers. Also, there are reports of overheating. The 360 runs very loud and very hot! You should treat it more like a powerful gaming PC in terms of cooling characteristics. Don't cram it into an unventilated entertainment center! And don't stack other hot electronics components such as receivers underneath or on top of the 360! Based on our own anecdotal observations, you should put the 360 somewhere with at least 18 inches of clearance behind the console which is open to the rest of the room (not enclosed), and keep at least 2 inches of clearance on either side of the console. Furthermore, you should keep the power supply unit at least 6 inches from other heat-generating devices (including the 360). Do NOT put the power supply unit right on top of the 360. If you are one of those people who have crashing issues, reports are that MS has been very responsive to these issues and call to 1-800-MY-XBOX will get you a box overnighted to you where you send MS your 360, and in 3-6 business days they will overnight the fixed console to you with a replacement power supply.

Microsoft Xbox 360