Why I think the SONY PS3 Backwards compatibles overheat

[oldgamerz]

I just have a couple theories on why the old SONY PS3's overheat and how I personally think to help keep them cool

1: Most people play PS2 games in HDMI in which I think is a main issue with the melting of some of the circuitry on some of the older models, my suggestion is to play PS2 games in AV mode with AV cables(aka) PS1 PSone and PS2 hookups only to reduce internal heat build up. After all when the PS2 came out their was not an HDMI hook up.

2: You should get a fan for them, they are rare but find able

3: The PS3 backwards compatibles need more heat sink chips in the circuitry in order to keep the machine from over heating on the insides.

4: It might be time to clean your system.

[oldgamerz]

agian what I highly recommend along with. if you donn't have a CRT some flatscreens have AV hookups Yellow Red and White cords

[jlouis500]

im not big on tech but u may be on to something here ill be switching to my other cables to test your theory

[Nickkchilla]

I just have a couple theories on why the old SONY PS3's overheat and how I personally think to help keep them cool

1: Most people play PS2 games in HDMI in which I think is a main issue with the melting of some of the circuitry on some of the older models, my suggestion is to play PS2 games in AV mode with AV cables(aka) PS1 PSone and PS2 hookups only to reduce internal heat build up. After all when the PS2 came out their was not an HDMI hook up.

2: You should get a fan for them, they are rare but find able

3: The PS3 backwards compatibles need more heat sink chips in the circuitry in order to keep the machine from over heating on the insides.

4: It might be time to clean your system.

The PlayStation 3 has been around for years. There isn't much of a need to theorize what's already been confirmed about the hardware forever ago.

1. Video output has nothing to do with the "melting circuitry" of the system.

One of the primary contributors to the original model PS3's absurd temperatures were the "ZSSR5391A" model and "APS-226" model power supplies. These power supplies were found in launch model PS3s, and were later replaced with the "APS-231" model power supply, which consumes significantly less power and thus runs much cooler. The "APS-231" can replace any of the two older power supplies with no technical issues. It is highly recommended if you want a cooler running system.

2. As far as a fan goes for the system, I'm hoping you're not referring to an external fan.

There were some PS3 owners who purchased Nyko brand external fans that were powered by the USB slots of the original model PS3. According to these users, the power draw from those fans only produced a greater amount of heat, and supposedly increased console temperatures by a fair amount.

The fan you should look to replace is the PS3's internal one. There are two models: a 15-Bladed fan and a 19-Bladed fan. The 15-Bladed fan is known for having a poor design and circulates hot air back into the heat sink. The 19-Bladed fan corrects this design issue and is much quieter in comparison. The fans are not rare or difficult to find. You can easily purchase one for about $20 on eBay.

3. You're correct on this somewhat, assuming I've deciphered this correctly. There is no "Heat Sink Chip" though.

Both the GPU and CPU of the original model PS3 came with standard factory thermal paste underneath both heat sinks, and produce quite a bit of heat. The majority of repair tech gurus recommend replacing the stock thermal paste with Arctic Silver 5 or some equivalent, and even the heat sinks with more durable ones. There's also the matter of the poor lead-free solder used to attach the GPU and CPU to the motherboard, which many recommend replacing with lead solder to avoid the Yellow Light of Death.

If you're feeling particularly nuts and want further preventative overheating, you can follow the example of a few people who water-cooled their PS3s instead, but let's not get into that.

4. Yeah. I think any time is a good time to clean your system. 

A little long winded, but I couldn't help but correct some of the misconceptions here as I own a backwards compatible PS3 which is still fully functional to this date. I've done nearly all of the above to the system (minus the water-cooling), and have zero issues with it. I'm sure it'll die someday as all electronics do, but the thing's been with me for 9+ years so I plan to squeeze as much life out of it as I can.

[dashv]

I have a launch model PS3 Fat that I bought from a tournament gamer 3 years ago.

First thing I did was tear it down and rebuild it testing some of the commonly recommended tune ups.

https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,5183.0.html

Short version is I learned 2 things:

No noticeable difference by adding a new fan with more blades.

Replacement power supply does not really help and can in fact can cause problems.

The power supplies for later models put out less heat and power because the rest of the system was also redesigned to use less power.

If you use the power supply from a different model PS3 you will most likely burn it out, or have issues when using 3 or more USB ports and the media card slots (only available on the launch model).

The best (but also scariest) thing you can do is pop off the thermal plates from the CPU/CPU.  thouroughly clean them. Then apply a small amount of high grade thermal paste to them.

Mine is still going strong.

[ronchichio]

My 60gb PS3 is used daily since I got it in 2010.  I put a USB powered oscillating fan behind it to push all the hot air out.  It works perfectly.  One time while cleaning the fan I was playing an mp4 movie from a flash drive and the movie would pause amd stutter, it looked like I was playing a badly scratched DVD.  I put the fan back and it worked perfectly.

[ffxik]

I pretty much did what dashv did with his.  Tore it down to the GPU/CPU cleaned off that atrocious stock thermal compound and applied Arctic Silver 5.  No problems and I've had it for years.  Keeping your system clean and in a well ventilated area are key to success afterwards.

[jce3000gt]

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[dashv]

Is there a way to determine which components your PS3 has without opening it up?  I recently got mine from a buddy who is a professional console repair tech so I assume mine's got a clean bill of heath--but I am paranoid.  LOL

What is your model ? CH blah blah.

Google that and you can figure out what hardware you have inside.

[ignition365]

Hey dash, you want to repair mine for monies?

I only have 1 local shop that offers repairs and I've had them repair it about 5 times and it consistently fails within a month or so.

[jce3000gt]

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[dashv]

Hey dash, you want to repair mine for monies?

I only have 1 local shop that offers repairs and I've had them repair it about 5 times and it consistently fails within a month or so.

From everything I have read most repair methods are only temporary fixes.

The best thing is to avoid the initial failure for as long as you can.

Best way I found for that is to pull the heat sink and thermal plates early. Apply a better thermal compound then reassemble.

Repeat every 2 years.

Unfortunately if it's already failed that many times your best option is to keep it for parts and get a new one.

[ignition365]

Hey dash, you want to repair mine for monies?

I only have 1 local shop that offers repairs and I've had them repair it about 5 times and it consistently fails within a month or so.

From everything I have read most repair methods are only temporary fixes.

The best thing is to avoid the initial failure for as long as you can.

Best way I found for that is to pull the heat sink and thermal plates early. Apply a better thermal compound then reassemble.

Repeat every 2 years.

Unfortunately if it's already failed that many times your best option is to keep it for parts and get a new one.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Definitely not getting another one. 

[Nickkchilla]

I have a launch model PS3 Fat that I bought from a tournament gamer 3 years ago.

First thing I did was tear it down and rebuild it testing some of the commonly recommended tune ups.

https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,5183.0.html

Short version is I learned 2 things:

No noticeable difference by adding a new fan with more blades.

Replacement power supply does not really help and can in fact can cause problems.

The power supplies for later models put out less heat and power because the rest of the system was also redesigned to use less power.

If you use the power supply from a different model PS3 you will most likely burn it out, or have issues when using 3 or more USB ports and the media card slots (only available on the launch model).

The best (but also scariest) thing you can do is pop off the thermal plates from the CPU/CPU.  thouroughly clean them. Then apply a small amount of high grade thermal paste to them.

Mine is still going strong.

Replacement power supply does not really help and can in fact can cause problems.

Debatable. Temperatures dropped about 8-9 degrees on my end. as far as burning it out or utilizing multiple USB ports, I haven't run into any of these problems. That's not to say it couldn't be an issue or doubt your credibility as you've clearly done your homework, but I personally have not experienced this with my own PS3 during the time I've owned it.

No noticeable difference by adding a new fan with more blades.

Dropping a few degrees here and there is fairly noticeable to me. My PS3 also has a temperature monitor attached to it via hardmod. How about yours?

The best (but also scariest) thing you can do is pop off the thermal plates from the CPU/CPU.  thouroughly clean them. Then apply a small amount of high grade thermal paste to them.

Agreed 100%. It's very dangerous to do this though, if you scratch that GPU or CPU... well, I hope you're in the market for another PS3.

Another tip I forgot to mention is if you own a CFW enabled PS3, there's an application you can download called "Control Fan Utility". It does exactly what it says, and allows you to control the fan's speed. I've used this for some time as well, and the system's running at about 63 degrees rather than the usual stock 89 degrees.

Pretty informative stuff. Very nice.

[jce3000gt]

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