Microsoft's quality control on X-Box 360 units is crap. If they cared about the consumer at all then this problem would have been solved a year ago. If it's not the RRoD it's the disc drives..... Microsoft want's to make money off their software licensing fees. A good plan, but if you don't have any working units to buy software for, it's kinda counter productive.
If I sound like a PS3/Wii fanboy, than you are correct. I am, but not by choice. 3 different hardware malfunctions in 2 years is totally unacceptable. My last unit died 4 days after Project Gotham 4 came out - October 8th.
My suggestion: when your 360 breaks down on you, just buy another non Microsoft console. Sure Mass Effect will kick ass, but I'll live.....and so can you.