[kbeam418]

You know how cars have a maintenance schedule? Well our gaming consoles require maintenance too! As an avid gamer and do it your selfer, I'd like to share what I do to all my gaming consoles and computers alike to keep them going.


There are two type of scenarios that will determine when these items will need to be serviced.


Scenario one; System is on for more than four hours straight, if ambient room temperature is above 75 F, and if the system is in a dusty environment.


Scenario two; System is on less than four hours straight, if ambient temperature is 75 F or below, and if the environment is relativity clean.


Please, Please, Please! Do not service your system if you are still in warranty.



The Schedule


For scenario one follow the list below.

• Disassemble your system and clean the dust out of the system every six months.
• Change thermal paste once a year IF you are not using Arctic Silver 5 or similar paste.
• Clean and re-apply grease on disc drive rails every two years.

For scenario two follow the list below;

• Disassemble your system and clean the dust out every year.
• Change thermal paste every two years, four years if non-silicone based paste is used.
• Clean and re-apply grease on disc drive rails every four years.

After ten years has passed I recommended changing the fans out, and if used in scenario one replace power supply capacitors. By doing this our game consoles will last decades without having any major issues. Hope this helps everyone and please ask me if you have any questions.

 

[joeblow]

Hmmm, unless someone has had their unit for almost a decade, I think the average person should not open up there console if there is nothing wrong with it.


I had a launch PS3 for seven years before I traded it to GameStop for a Super Slim at a discounted price. Six months or so before the trade, I read a post somewhere about clearing out interior dust and decided to open it up. I had dust on my shelf (and even on the outside of the console) so I figured there would be an issue. Stupid. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.


As it turned out, the inside of my console was completely spotless. Not a layer of dust anywhere. My unit never had heating problems, so I didn't go further to thermal paste it. However, when trying to put it back together, the ribbon that the PS3 activates to turn on the unit when you press the power button was slightly out of alignment, making it a little tricky to get it to work by touch. More annoying than anything, but I ended up wishing I didn't do it when there truly was nothing to fix.


If I had a overheating problem like some have had, maybe. But preventative maintenance can cause issues for some, and with the PS4 reportedly running cooler than launch PS3s there is even less of a reason to be overly paranoid IMHO.

 

[kbeam418]



Quote:
Originally Posted by joeblow  /t/1524014/game-console-maintenance-schedule#post_24521804


Hmmm, unless someone has had their unit for almost a decade, I think the average person should not open up there console if there is nothing wrong with it.


I had a launch PS3 for seven years before I traded it to GameStop for a Super Slim at a discounted price. Six months or so before the trade, I read a post somewhere about clearing out interior dust and decided to open it up. I had dust on my shelf (and even on the outside of the console) so I figured there would be an issue. Stupid. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.


As it turned out, the inside of my console was completely spotless. Not a layer of dust anywhere. My unit never had heating problems, so I didn't go further to thermal paste it. However, when trying to put it back together, the ribbon that the PS3 activates to turn on the unit when you press the power button was slightly out of alignment, making it a little tricky to get it to work by touch. More annoying than anything, but I ended up wishing I didn't do it when there truly was nothing to fix.


If I had a overheating problem like some have had, maybe. But preventative maintenance can cause issues for some, and with the PS4 reportedly running cooler than launch PS3s there is even less of a reason to be overly paranoid IMHO.

You haven't owned an Xbox 360 obviously, and a PS2. If you don't feel comfortable, or don't know what you're doing, then don't work on your' console. There are many people who have had issues with the PS3, and I still play my PS2 from time to time, I plan on keeping my PS3 and Xbox 360 for a very long time.


I'm not saying to be paranoid, I'm just saying to do regular maintenance if you want a trouble free console for years to come. I'm the same with my car, I change my brake fluid every 50,000 miles along with my transmission fluid, because after changing three brake lines and my last car having transmission issues, I decided changing fluids is worth it.