Keeping the ps3 cool

[Shadowwrath5]

So I have my ps3 in a cubicle in my theater system and after prolonged use Im fearing overheat issues. I cant move it anywhere for I have no room to do so. I was wondering if yall could help me rig some fans the right way to keep it cool enough for 2 to 3 hours of play. Normally I wouldn't care to much but it is the original double backwards compatible ps3 and in pristine condition so I troubles me to think of it breaking. Thank you ahead of time.

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIcq0unqpRA&feature=youtu.be

As you can see I have some room behind it and I can cut a piece out of the back maybe. Usb fans?

 

[Tabris DarkPeace]

Drink four bottles of something.
Use the lids to raise the PS3 unit like feet, to improve the airflow a little.
Keep a 2+ inch gap (width) in the rear of any cabinets you place the unit inside of.
- The full height of the section it is in.

Make sure the unit has 1" to 1.5" inches of space all around it.

 

[getochkn]

Raising the PS3 as suggested above would do nothing. It has no vents underneath it. The rear is the important part as this is where all the airflow happens.

The yellow light of death is your worry, and this happens when the crappy lead-free solder used on the GPU gets too hot, connections break, and then you get a yellow light. For most people this happens when they play for a while, then shut off the system and the next time they try to turn it on, it has a yellow light because the solder got too hot and stayed too hot for a prolonged period.

What I suggest for customers after I fix the yellow light is this. When your done play, return to the XMB dashboard and let the PS3 sit there for 10 mins. This will allow the excess heat inside to vent out, but the system isn't under load from the game anymore, so it isn't generating anymore heat, and this also allows the solder to cool back down at a steady rate and not just play for 5 hours, then shut it off, with the solder extremely hot and no air venting out.

I have fixed over 1000 PS3's from the yellow light, and heat and the GPU solder is 99% of the issue. If you can try and get the PS3 rear near the back of the rack near an opening and do as I suggested, you might be ok. It's still a crap shoot.

If you're extremely adventurous, you could open the system, clean the fan blades off and replace the thermal paste with something like Artic Ceramique. I would do that, but that's me. After taking apart them for years, I can do it easily. There are lots of guides online though.

 

[mauller07]

crack that baby open and replace all the thermal paste on it so it runs a bit cooler and just stick a small desk fan at the back of your cabinet on low to draw cool air over it.

 

[Shadowwrath5]

I have opened a ps3 before though I am not comfortable with that route especially because, believe it or not, its still under warranty. Do you think I should work on blowing air away from the ps3 or through it to cool it down. I.e. a fan in front to blow though or a fan in back to suck outwards? Also thanks for the idea of staying on the xbc i will do that now for sure.

 

[Meoricin]

A fan in the rear, to make sure the hot air it puts out is moved away. A fan to force air into it will just conflict with the PS3's own fan.

 

[ssddx]

first and formost make sure you blow out the ps3 from time to time. too much dust can block airflow and cause overheating.

after playing for extended periods of time going to the main menu and letting the unit cool off is also a good idea.

i would cut the whole rear out of that shelf so the hot air can escape. you can always brace the shelf behind with a strip of wood if it gets unstable. you want the exhaust heat to be able to escape. right now it is less than ideal. you could put a fan in the back to draw air out of this space if you want just dont place it too close to the unit itself.

i would sit the unit up on caps or boards as suggested before. the ps3 may not have any vents underneath but if you can get good airflow around the unit (from a rear cabinet mounted fan) the ambient airflow will help to cool everything down a tad. this isnt an absolute requirement though.

a fan to blow air into the ps3 is a bad idea and you should avoid all of the commercial products which attempt to do this. having a desk fan or other general direction air source blowing towards your cabinet though is not a bad idea. on hot days i set up a desk fan in front of my ps3 while its running to prevent overheating on those 100 degree days.