PS3 Cooling Products/Ideas

[Magewarrior182]

PS3 over heating/freezing issues start popping up later in the systems life, for the fatties at least. My slim so far has not needed help cooling itself but my BC PS3 wont do much with out freezing so it is currently in the shop. My second gen PS3 has started freezing on a few games at random times and it does get pretty hot.

So I am always on the look out for cooling products that dont require cracking open the system. The stuff for the slim is fairly easy to find at any electronics store or game store now, but the fatties cooling accessories are getting harder to find. I have used several over the years that I was happy with though I can not find them anymore.

The best are the ones that use an external power source instead of the system itself (either via usb or power plug) as they do not force the system to create more heat to power the fans.

The other thing I noticed is most of the products you will find are more focused on pulling heat OUT of the system via the back ports. Though thats all well and good if your internal fan is weak/old and doesnt push out much air at all, in most cases it will hurt your system fan more than help because it forces the fan to spin faster than it normally does.

So the best ones I have found help by forcing cooler air INTO the system via the huge side vents or the smaller front vents. Below are a few products I recently stumbled across for cooling your PS3 system, most for the fatty but a couple with work for either.

End Air Vent Fans

Unfortunately it does not say which way this system moves the air though I think either way would be ok in this spot as there are no fans inside the system near where it attaches.

Pros - Speed control, Still looks pretty, affordable

Cons - System USB power, Adds almost an inch to overall system footprint, no on/off switch, takes a usb port

Front Cool Air Flow Vent Fans

This one I can vouch for as I have one. It works wonders! Instantly your system will be blowing out cooler air!

Pros - On/Off switch for on demand cooling, affordable, quiet, has USB on the front for other accessories.

Cons - USB power, bright LED on the bottom signifying fans are on

Front Cool Air Vent Fans 2

Seems to be the same as above just cheaper.

Slim Lower Cool Air Flow Fans

Haven't personally tried this one, but it is only for the BC model PS3s as they are the ones that have the vents that this one requires. Unless of course you want to add them to your system haha.

Pros - slim form factor, sub MB cool air flow

Cons - usb power, takes up usb port, only compatible with BC PS3

Rear Hot Air Removal Fans

This is exactly the type of fan you want to stay away from UNLESS your internal system fan wont do the job anymore. Though this one only has 2 mini fans and they dont seem to be turbo so it might not cause that big of a problem. I have used some rear fans in the past but I made sure that they used external power and had speed control so they wouldn't put added stress on the system in any way like using power or trying to move air faster than the system normally would. Sadly I can't find the type I had anymore as the ones I had died. Also the ones I had didn't have an on/off or speed switch, they used a sensor that would regulate it, or tried to anyways haha. I had to add the controls myself.

Pros - on/off switch, Not turbo fans, doesn't cover any ports

Cons - uses system power, doesn't match standard PS3 shells, PS3 fatty only, stresses system fan(possibly)

Here are some tips for keeping your system cooler with out added fans.

- Keep system OUT of enclosed spaces, set it on top of the entertainment center instead of in it.

- Give your PS3 "stilts", or extended feet haha. I folded over a couple pieces of cardboard and slid them under my systems (including slim) to give the bottom vents more room to move air. In my case they now have about a 1/4" space under the system. Just make sure you don't cover the vents with the feet.

- Another cheap way to giver your system more breathing room is a kitchen rubber coated wire rack LIKE THIS works perfectly.

- Further away from the floor you can set it up the better. Hair and dust bunnies are bad juju for internals of electronics. They gum stuff up and can store static. They will also collect extra dust

- Blowing out your system with a can of compressed air on a regular basis will work wonders. Just slide the little straw into any/all vents and away the dust goes! Also the little slot for swapping the HDD is perfect access to blow out more dust with out voiding your warranty.

Just thought I'd share as summer is upon us and heat management is always important.

Anyways, thats about all I can think of right now for tips to keep your system cool short of opening it up and modifying stuffs

[Elliot]

All valid advice. Cheapest thing to do is to stick it near an open window, assuming you live in a cold country. Aside from that, heat dissipation by fans, cooling racks, etc. is all good.

[Magewarrior182]

thanks

only reason i dont like open windows is because of excess dirt and pollen.

[FurryMcMemes]

Here's another tip, perform maintenance on your PS3 ever 2 weeks at the longest. Defragmenting and performing system cleanup helps keep you PS3 running smoothly. To access these features of your PS3 press and hold the power button down until it beeps THREE times, it will turn on and then off. Now press and hold the power button until it beeps FOUR times, you'll hear a rapid double beep, and take your finger of the power button. The screen you see, after you plug in your controller, is a maintenance screen. Here you can restart your PS3, Restore the default settings (this just means it restores the settings like display, system, and power saver to their factory default values.), Restore File System (system cleanup for junk files and registry.), Rebuild Database (defragmentation), Restore PS3 (WARNING!!! This will delete ALL data on the Hard Drive and you will lose all of your saved data. Do not perform this action unless you need to!!!), and System Update (An override if you can't update your PS3 like normal for some reason.)

Your focus is the Restore File System and Rebuild Database, these will clean up, repair, and reorganize the system, game, music, etc. files on your PS3's Hard Drive. Select either of them, the screen will go black and then it will display the familiar screen asking if you wish to use the HDMI. For the purpose of maintenance, since you have to repeat the process just say no and it will display in 480p. The Restore File System function will tell you the HDD is corrupted and has to be repaired, don't worry about it because it actually means nothing. Once done repeat the process and do the opposite function, if you did Restore File System first which the majority of people would do first because of it's position on the list, then you'd be doing Rebuild Database.

Depending on how old your PS3 is you may have to do this several more times, 5-10 at the most, but for newer PS3s it will take 1 or two tries. I recommend doing this once every two weeks as well as using canned compressed air as Magewarrior182 has said. DO NOT USE AN AIR COMPRESSOR!!! While more powerful than a can of air it can potentially damage the sensitive parts of you PS3, or unplug a cable! If you REALLY want to get the dust out I recommend a low powered UPRIGHT vacuum cleaner. I have a Dyson Upright Vacuum but I feel it may have too much power so I don't recommend using a high quality vacuum such as a Dyson but if you have a high powered/high quality vacuum cleaner and it doesn't harm your PS3 let me know. I did this every two weeks and my FAT PS3, manufactured in 2007 lasted until a couple months ago when the Blu-Ray died on me. So basically only the Blu-Ray gave me trouble in the end.

[A12]

The key to longevity of an PS3 is, Placement, not re-placement.

Simply placing the PS3 in a correctly ventilated setting, will optimize lifespan.

Re-placing air flow methods have never been proven effective.