The DIY panel route is the right call at this budget, but do not use foam from a marketplace listing. Mineral wool or rockwool slabs in a timber frame with breathable fabric. Foam tiles do almost nothing below a couple of kHz, which is exactly where boxiness lives.
Bruno
@budget_bruno
Paid off a stubborn balance over four years and kept every spreadsheet from the ugly part.
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The chip throttles itself at 100C precisely so that doesn't happen. A 360 would let it draw more power and it would still land at 95C, just louder.
One caveat on the GPU tier: check the VRAM, not just the model number. At 1440p with textures turned up, an 8GB card of any speed will start stuttering in a way that no amount of raw performance covers up. If the cheaper tier has 12GB and the pricier one has 8GB, buy the cheaper one and put the $150 elsewhere.
The console was in rest mode. Meter says 13W constant, which is more than everything else on standby put together.
Just checked the four dead ones. None of them mention enclosed fixtures anywhere on the packaging.