Just curious if anyone has tried this or cracked open a ps3 before. I understand that this is a very drastic measure for some people to get a quieter ps3 but just curious if anyone has done this before. Could this possibly be the difference between a loud/quiet ps3.. the thermal paste not being applied evenly?

Well just curious if anyone's done this. I don't think I'll bother messing with it for now while it's under warranty.. but this could be a real solution..

Well i did it on my launch Xbox 360 a few months ago and its much quieter. So with that said you "could" try it on your ps3 but its not nearly as noise prone as other systems.

That's why I'm curious to hear if anyone has actually done this. I think the ps3 is clearly a step above the x360 in terms of quality, etc. so I'm not surprised it had a big effect on a 360. My brother has a 360 and it definetly sounds like a jet engine while playing games.. Fortunately the ps3 is fairly quiet.. but if it could keep the fan from kicking up one notch and make it practically inaudible it would be worth it to me..

A little OT, but is the new 80GB version quieter than the 60? Any advantages of the 80 over the 60?

i'd like to know as well. i purchased mine in December after the November launch and my fan kicks on when watching DVD's, BDR, or playing games.

when playing movies its not noticeable until there's a quiet scene, but it's still annoying. during gameplay i dont really care since i'm busy doing something else, like playing the game. =)

i've never cracked open my PS3 before, but i'll be hitting the 1yr warranty shortly so i might give it a try.

i've never cracked open my PS3 before, but i'll be hitting the 1yr warranty shortly so i might give it a try.

Ya, I haven't felt the need to tinker with it yet because I honestly don't use it THAT much, since I so far only use it for movies (disappointed so far w/ the games). I'm thinking as people have their consoles for longer more people will be inclined to crack it open and perhaps try applying some arctic silver (efficient thermal paste) instead of the factory gunk. Well, at least the people who feel their ps3 is noisy might try this.

I did take a look online and disassembly seems pretty easy and straightforward. Anyone familiar w/ building a pc shouldn't have much trouble it seems. I'm sure removing the factory paste and applying some arctic silver will definetly help, but the obvious question is how much... Given the fact that the ps3 has a very nice heatsink, the results could be substantial..

Is there any way to monitor the CPU temp short of placing a sensor on the die itself? Just wondering if any monitoring tools are compatible w the cell processor and linux/etc.? It would be interesting to note at what temp the fan speed kicks up a notch.

Put it in another room. I put mine in a closet just because of the noise and it is perfect now.

Well i did it on my launch Xbox 360 a few months ago and its much quieter. So with that said you "could" try it on your ps3 but its not nearly as noise prone as other systems.

Hmm I never thought of doing that to my 360, sounds like a good idea, my 360 howls like a banshee, makes late night playing impossible without resorting to noise blocking headphones.

As far as for the PS3, best to check what paste they use for it for a starter. I know the 360 uses "standard" silcion heatsink paste, there is a chance the PS3 uses something of better quality already.

Maybe ADRman, who has a waterlogged PS3 could find out for us :)

I also did the thermal paste on my 360 and the fan never goes over the low setting now. The 360 use some funky heat transfer pads on 1 chip and some pase with a odd little metal square on the outher . I saw a tear down of the PS3 MUCH more complicated setup. Let it dry for a week and see what you get.

Ya the ps3 heatsink and design is very nice.. Here's a picture of the paste on top of the cell and nvidia chips:

http://www.therealps3grill.com/DSCF0455.jpg

It looks like plain silicone paste to me.. I'll probably hold off and wait till it's out of its warranty in case anything fails on it. The disassembly honestly doesn't look too bad (like most other consoles) so it's definetly worth a try. Of course this is likely overkill for 99% of the people out there but if you're anal like me then it could be worth a shot. Sometimes when assembling these machines they may not put enough paste, or the heatsink may not be contacting the chips properly which can result in higher chip temps and higher fan speeds..

I put mine in a closet just because of the noise and it is perfect now.

You want to make sure that closet has some good airflow, or is kept a little cool.......otherwise, it would be like putting a crying baby in another room and closing the door. You may not hear it, but it will still be happening!

Another suggestion I have heard is to run the PS3 in a vertical position, with the right hand side at the top. Apparently the heat has a path of less resitance and with the fans, it help the heat get out quicker.

Also, make sure the PS3 is not in a fully enclosed component cabinet.

You might can even consider a small USB fan!


To the OP......if you try new or high quality thermal paste, let us know if it helps any! You might also post this in the home theater gaming - playstation forum and see if anyone there has done it!

Artic Silver thermal paste. Done.

Those thermal pads...........not very conductive at transfering heat.

On the same note. How good is the Fan, Is it a Ball bearing fan? If not, would replacing the fan with a better quality BB fan reduce noise?

Good Thermal Paste Plus lapped heatsink.. That should drop at least 5c

[QUOTE=RScottyL;11598032]You want to make sure that closet has some good airflow, or is kept a little cool.......otherwise, it would be like putting a crying baby in another room and closing the door. You may not hear it, but it will still be happening!

QUOTE]



Good point. My closet has plenty of airflow being that it is a big walk in, but definately a good thing to consider. If you can make this work though it is so much better.:)

I've never heard a peep out of mine (60GB from December 06). Is this thing cabinet installled or something?

btw

if you really are feeling giddy,

water cooling ;)

as quiet as it will get.

well here's someone's website on taking apart the PS3. the heatsink and fan combo are a force to be reckoned with, its half of your PS3!!!!!

i'm starting to doubt that changing the thermal paste will do anything considering how massive the cooling system is on our PS3's. i'll just have to accept the noise for now unless someone can prove me otherwise =T

http://www.therealps3grill.com/disassemble.htm

i'm starting to doubt that changing the thermal paste will do anything [/url]

It doesn't. This was tried months ago in the other "PS3 is loud" threads. What we need is an external fan controller/bus that can connect to the header on the PS3's fan.

I must be lucky.

I have a 20 gig model that was bought Jan 5th 2007 as well as a 60 gig one that was bought end of July and they are both silent. Good luck if yours is loud and yoru trying to quiet it down.

Some just must run hotter then others so the fan runs faster to keep it cool. I wouldnt think paste would drop the temp enough to make too much of a diffrence.

A little OT, but is the new 80GB version quieter than the 60? Any advantages of the 80 over the 60?

No, the 80 is no more quiet. I got it partially for that possibility and ended up with a freight train the first time. From the otehr feedback I got from a bunch of people, the 80's were just as likely or more to have bad units that ended up with excessive fan noise as the previous models. I replcaed it and it is much quieter, but only becuase I was forced to reconfigure my setup to leave it out in the open and not in a well ventillated AV cabinet. And still, it is the noisiest game or DVD player I have had (but I do not own a 360 which I know is supposed to be worse)...

I wouldnt think paste would drop the temp enough to make too much of a diffrence.

It can!

If the original paste is of "lower quality", or if there is not sufficient "even" coverage on the chip......then it can affect how much heat is conducted and transferred.

I feel that mine is real picky to ambient temps. It just started getting cooler around here at night (Pittsburgh) and the PS3 has run quieter on the cooler nights. I have it out in the open and a window right behind it that is always at least cracked. Over the summer it would run fairly loud. But still could only be heard in quiet parts of a movie or if you were listening real hard for it. Couple of night ago it was nice an cool at night and it didn't kick above the 2nd (I guess) fan level for about 2 hours of gaming. I only think the noise bugs me because I found out that people have quieter ones. If I wouldn't have known that I would have just assumed it as normal. I got mine in Dec 06. I'm not returning it over this. It doesn't really bother me to much. I am interested to see though if it is a result of manufacturing.

Sony has a good warranty. Why mess with it?

It can!

If the original paste is of "lower quality", or if there is not sufficient "even" coverage on the chip......then it can affect how much heat is conducted and transferred.


I might be missing something but paste or not, the same heat is in the device and the fan will go the same speed to get it out. The chip isnt overheating so better paste or heat sink contact will just take more heat off the chip but the end result is the exact same heat is in the box needing to get out. It seems like it wouldnt make a bit of diffrence for fan speed.

Anyone else agree or am I really far off. ( I dont know where the temp is being taken though. If it is actual CPU temp then mayb eit might help, otherwise I wouldnt think so)

i've seen a few pics of opened up PS3's and the thermal paste is put on there pretty well. If Sony had the thought to put a heatsink/fan of that magnitiude in the PS3, then i'm sure they'd make sure that the paste was put on there well. thermal paste goes for cents for the gallon. Sony won't save any money by using a lower quality paste.

the Xbox problem was that it looked like the QC on the paste was low so there was poor contact between the chip and the sink. the PS3 doesn't appear to have this problem.

i wouldn't really trust a fan controller because when the fan really needs to be on high, i don't want to manually keep the fan low because of noise. i'll deal with the noise by putting up the stereo =)

Just curious if anyone has tried this or cracked open a ps3 before. I understand that this is a very drastic measure for some people to get a quieter ps3 but just curious if anyone has done this before. Could this possibly be the difference between a loud/quiet ps3.. the thermal paste not being applied evenly?

Well just curious if anyone's done this. I don't think I'll bother messing with it for now while it's under warranty.. but this could be a real solution..

The PS3 is dead quiet by default.
If yours is loud, you got a bad one. Contact Sony and ask them to fix it.

My PS3 noise only really kicked up during the Spring and Summer.

I have AC and keep the house at 76 degrees, and it would be pretty audible.

But, during the winter, I don't believe I even noticed the noise, and I keep the heating at 68.

I have it horizontal on my media stand.

The PS3 is dead quiet by default.
If yours is loud, you got a bad one. Contact Sony and ask them to fix it.

Maybe it's suppose to be loud by default and your quiet one is broken. Haha jokes on you now. But really any component is gonna have some noise and not be dead quiet. Unless you actually designed it then I apologize oh great one.

It can!

If the original paste is of "lower quality", or if there is not sufficient "even" coverage on the chip......then it can affect how much heat is conducted and transferred.

Of course it can affect the temps. The problem is the new paste doesn't reduce the temps enough to drop the fan speed. Seriously, this has all been tried months ago. The people were left with PS3s that were just as loud as before but with no warranty. There are PS3s with literally two different types of fan inside. People have their PS3s in all sorts of positions, enclosures, open areas and the reports of fan noise persist. Reports of quiet operation persist. The machine just isn't consistent when it comes to fan noise.

My solution for the noise is to fold 24/7. Now I don't even notice the fan any more. My brain considers it ambient noise :)

i wouldn't really trust a fan controller because when the fan really needs to be on high, i don't want to manually keep the fan low because of noise. i'll deal with the noise by putting up the stereo =)

I understand, but I've experimented with my PS3 a bit. I put two towels over it and folded for an hour. You wouldn't believe how fast the fan was spinning and the noise it was making. Yet, it kept folding away. That tells me there's some headroom when it comes to temps. I think when watching a movie a manual fan controller would be nice so I could turn it down for a couple of hours.

Maybe it's suppose to be loud by default and your quiet one is broken. Haha jokes on you now. But really any component is gonna have some noise and not be dead quiet. Unless you actually designed it then I apologize oh great one.

Obviously it's not silent. Nothing that has moving parts is truly silent.

It's maybe 22 dB at 1 meter or something like that, which is a lot quieter than my PCs or my 360.

As far as I know, a large majority of PS3s are similarly quiet.

Obviously it's not silent. Nothing that has moving parts is truly silent.

It's maybe 22 dB at 1 meter or something like that, which is a lot quieter than my PCs or my 360.

As far as I know, a large majority of PS3s are similarly quiet.

Then why in your first post call it "dead quiet"? I think this is where a lot of confusion on this topic comes into play. It is so objective.

Did you actually take that reading because that is a great test to do. I don't have the equipment and don't feel like buying it just for this. I would be real curious to see what everyone gets as a reading from a certain distance.

The PS3 is dead quiet by default.
If yours is loud, you got a bad one. Contact Sony and ask them to fix it.

I'm not clear what your definition of "default" or standard of "dead quiet" is. I've now played around with a couple units we have at work, have had two units myself and put a few at stores through the paces and absolutely none of them is "dead quiet." Or, let me qualify that -- none of them are when turned on. They all start out close to it before they have warmed up or had to spin any disc, etc., then the fans all get progressingly louder. Now they apparently don't get as loud as the XBox 360 and that is nice. And if left out of an enclosed space like an AV cabinent they aren't as loud as my DVR can get or my receiver, which are in the enclosed space. But put the PS3 in the same space and it goes crazy loud. The thing gives off a lot of heat, heat that a fan has to kick in to disipate. A fan will make noise and will never be dead quiet...

I suppose the alternative theory is that every single unit I have encountered is an exception with a problem, but I am skeptical.

And if the solution is that it can't ever be put in an enclosed (but ventilated) space, then Sony's just succeeded in lower the universal standard for a consumer electronics product. If the thing can't do better than a massive high end receiver that can fry an egg on the top in turns of noise, that's nothing to brag about...

Gotta revive that zombie of a thread.

Last year in June, my original PS3 60GB started to become louder. And louder. And louder.

I attributed the problem to dust build-up.

I took the thing apart and cleaned it with Contact Wash cleaner. I reseated the heat sink with Arctic Silver 5 TIM.

After rebuild, the fan is as loud as it was before clean-up.

2 theories:

1) I screwed up with re-attaching the heat sink and it is not in full contact with the chipset packaging.

2) The heat sink assembly warped overtime and it is not in full contact with the chipset packaging.

Either way, my system is probably skirting death.

Gotta revive that zombie of a thread.

Last year in June, my original PS3 60GB started to become louder. And louder. And louder.

I attributed the problem to dust build-up.

I took the thing apart and cleaned it with Contact Wash cleaner. I reseated the heat sink with Arctic Silver 5 TIM.

After rebuild, the fan is as loud as it was before clean-up.

2 theories:

1) I screwed up with re-attaching the heat sink and it is not in full contact with the chipset packaging.

2) The heat sink assembly warped overtime and it is not in full contact with the chipset packaging.

Either way, my system is probably skirting death.

You cannot save your PS3 from the YLOD. It's the lead-free solder. It dries up, cracks and loses contact with the heatsink. You have to re-solder both the GPU and CPU (reball) and then the heatsinks if want to save your PS3.

I've repaired dozens of PS3s and started a mini side business doing it, which is now pretty much dead. People now know it's pointless to try to save their launch day or 'fat' PS3s.

My only advice to you is buy a new Slim PS3 pronto, and move everything over to the new PS3 and deactivate your old one.

My feb 08 80 gig is horrendously loud and always has been. My Jasper is whisper quiet in comparison and even my older 360 is too. As for Sony's warranty and Sony standing behind their systems, do not kid yourself. My laser Died and they couldn't have cared less. I repaired it myself a year ago but I think I would like to swap it for a slim.

GuitarHero,

So you're saying it's pointless to even do what you do for repair? They will still fail eventually?

If you say that about the PS3, you could say that for all electronics nowdays, as they all use lead-free solder.

I don't know enough about the chemical composition of lead free solder to know if it is that they actually dry out, but they what I do know from my soldering experience is that a) it's alot easier to dry joint with lead free b) lead free can't take temperature cycling anywhere as well as lead solder. Both mean that lead free solder if lot less reliable and durable, there is a reason why the miltary still use lead additive in their solder.

I really don't buy the environmental reasons for switching to lead free solder, I think that would weigh in the negative to the greatly lessen lifespan of electronics that use lead free solder, and thus more rubbish.

Planned obsolescence and the capitalist system, you gotta love it.

My 60GB is still running strong BTW and quiet at that.

When I first bought my Slim, the fan would be loud on occasion. I added this fan, http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Mobile-Fan-External-Cooling/dp/B00080G0BK, to the setup and I haven't had any issues with noise.

GuitarHero,

So you're saying it's pointless to even do what you do for repair? They will still fail eventually?

Completely pointless, no. But, you cannot expect your Launch Day (LD) 60GB PS3 to last forever. Eventually, the solder dries out, cracks and no longer works. I 'fixed' mine three times, and after each time I did, it wouldn't last as long before needing to fix it again.

The ONLY reason to get a YLOD PS3 fixed is to get it running just long enough to transfer all data over to a new Slim PS3. That's it!

Anybody claiming they can fix your LD60GBPS3 back to original working condition and have it last longer than 6 or 9 months is lying to you. With the dozens I've fixed, not one has lasted longer than 6 months. I did my PS3 three times before giving up doing it.

In fact, I waited too long to get a Slim PS3 and transfer the data. I did fix it long enough to get the game disc out and back up the game saves to a USB flash drive, though.

So, if you get YLOD, just buy a new Slim PS3, becausing you're going to need to eventually. If you get your YLOD PS3 fixed, do so ONLY to transfer the data over to your new Slim PS3.

You do know if you reball something, as in BGA reballing, you can switch it to a lead solder. You're reflowing them.

You cannot save your PS3 from the YLOD. It's the lead-free solder. It dries up, cracks and loses contact with the heatsink. You have to re-solder both the GPU and CPU (reball) and then the heatsinks if want to save your PS3.

I've repaired dozens of PS3s and started a mini side business doing it, which is now pretty much dead. People now know it's pointless to try to save their launch day or 'fat' PS3s.

My only advice to you is buy a new Slim PS3 pronto, and move everything over to the new PS3 and deactivate your old one.

i have a 40 gig. is my fat going to die from this also? i would hate that; i can't stand the look of the slim. it's so boring.

So you're saying it's pointless to even do what you do for repair? They will still fail eventually?

All electronics will have a 100% failure rate EVENTUALLY. Still, it shouldn't be unreasonable to expect 5-10 years out of something as expensive as a launch PS3, though. Why is there no class action yet? Sony should at least pony up like Microsoft and not charge for their coffin exchange.

You do know if you reball something, as in BGA reballing, you can switch it to a lead solder. You're reflowing them.

Is anyone offering this as a service for OG PS3? I miss my 60GB and the Slim just doesn't do as much... Did one DIY YLOD repair that lasted about a month. I killed with a marathon weekend Blu-ray session after a month of pretty heavy gaming. Then it did it again. :(

Here are a few places that offer reballing, I can't say if they are reputable or not. There should be a few other places that offer reballing solutions too, I just got these from google searching.

http://capitalcircuits.com/console_repair
http://www.gophermods.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=35

EDIT : hmm I just did some reading on another forum about both of these places, neither seems to use leaded solder, because the legalities of it? Best to msg them and inquire.

Here's a couple of videos which detail the reballing procedure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7asS4NmHUw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8bId0BhK_4