How To Get A Reliable Xbox360

Ever since the RRoD reared it's ugly heads savy gamers have been finding ways to identify the newer,more reliable versions of the Xbox360.But what about the rest of us?The majority of people don't spend their time obsessing over lot numbers and current ratings.So for those people I write this blog.Let me just point out that many people/sites have already beat this to death.There are tons of articles circulating the web that go into far greater detail than I'm about to.So if you want that kind of depth then a quick Google search will give you what you need.
With that said here is a summary of how to easily identify the different types of Xbox360.
So far there are 4 versions (generations) of the Xbox360 hardware, they are as follows:

•  Xenon - 1st gen: These were the first Xbox360 boards,they had a 90nm cpu,90nm gpu,203w power supply and were very prone to RRoD.If your machine has HDMI then you do not have Xenon.
• Zephyr - 2nd gen: These have HDMI but still have 90nm cpu,90nm gpu and 203w power supply that causes RRoD.
• Falcon - 3rd gen: This is where things start looking up.These have a 65nm cpu,90nm gpu and a 175w power supply.These are not immune to RRoD but they are far more reliable than the previous two versions.
• Opus - 3.1 gen: This is a Falcon board made to fit in a Xenon case.As far as I know you can't buy these at retail as they are only in repaired/refurbished machines.This version has the 65nm cpu,90nm gpu and 175w power supply buck lacks an HDMI port.
  
• Jasper - 4th gen: The Holy Grail of Xbox360's.These have a 65nm cpu,65nm gpu and a 150w power supply.These are expected to pretty much end the RRoD problem as they put off far less heat than any of the previous versions.

There a number of ways to go about indentifying which version you have,but the easiest seems to be through the current rating.There is a small label on the back of the machine down next to where the power supply plugs in.It can also be seen through a hole in the box of new unopened machines so you can see what your getting before you pay for it.
It should read like this: ---12V DC ,12.1A ;5Vsb ,1A  The " 12.1A " is what we're looking for.Here are the current ratings for the different versions:

•  16.5A - Xenon/Zephyr
•  14.2A - Falcon/Jasper (usually Falcon)
•  12.1A - Jasper - only the Jasper will have this current rating

The Jasper is the easiest to identify as it is the only machine with a 12.1A rating.If you are in the market for an Xbox360 then this is the machine you want.Feel free to add to this in the comments section below.I hope this helps someone in making the best purchasing decision they can.