can you place the Xbox X on it's side

Yes, it can be placed either horizontally or vertically.

You just make sure you place it on a stable surface that is well-ventilated, relatively cool, and away from direct heat sources.

Also do not put other objects on, under, or right next to the console.

It's designed to sit either direction. However, it needs the stand if you place it vertical. Without the stand, not only would the Xbox One X be unstable, it will be blocking part of the console ventilation, leading to overheating and potential console failure.

By all means, place the console vertical if you like, but not without the stand.

Hey Adam

Thank you for taking the time to reply to this thread.

On the Original Xbox One console, the sync button is on the left side of the disc drive on the front of the console. The Xbox One S and the Xbox One X have it place below the power button on the right side of the console.

You can see an clear image of this via
this link.

I hope this helps.

Thanks Derek. What has changed with the Series models that this problem occurs with them, but not the 2 Xbox Ones that worked fine? I can literally place a One S and a Series X side by side and the One S gets 200mbps and the Series X only 20mbps?

I'm probably more likely to migrate to PS than change the router, and I know it's going to be a pain getting the £50 I spent on GPU back! Microsoft really should advise of these issues when selling consoles

Depends on what version of the Xbox you have, the Original Xbox was never designed to be placed vertically.

The S and X models, there's a stand you can purchase specifically designed to allow them to be placed vertically.