So, I have a launch model 60GB PS3, it's running Rebug.
Lately, the fan has been becoming constantly loud, and since it was pretty old, I figured the thermal paste must be history, so I opened it up to replace it.
WOW, the thermal paste really was on it's last legs. The stuff had become a dry chalk-power-like substance. So I used Arcticlean and a microfiber cloth to remove all the paste, and applied a pea-sized ball of Arctic MX-4 to both the CPU and GPU. I tried to tighten the heatsink back on as evenly as I could, but I did make one small mistake at one point where I screwed some parts in the wrong order and had to loosen the screws on the heatsink to fit it back in right, not sure if that ruined it or not. (Or if I wasn't supposed to use Arcticlean OR if MX-4 is not a good one to use on the PS3).
Regardless, when all was said and done and I reconnected it, I noticed NO difference whatsoever.
It still kicks the fan into high often, loud enough to be heard during gameplay and actually be pretty distracting. Even when I am just idling in the menu without any game running it eventually happens.
It has been a few months but I haven't used my PS3 in those months, mainly because I am worried it will break if I do, and I just want to fix it already now.
I keep my PS3 vertical, and on the "bottom" of it's top-half, it's hot to the touch. Not "burn your hands" not, but not just a little warm either. Is that normal? (Said bottom part never seems to reassemble right either, either not sure if I missed a notch to put it in somewhere or if it broke, but one side seems to easily try to come off).
I installed Control Fan Utility 1.9.4, and played a few minutes of a graphics-intensive game, then booted it to see what it would tell me.
The CPU was listed at 74C, and was in yellow and blinking, it immediately turned my fan up higher when it booted until the CPU temperature became green and stopped blinking.
My CPU (RSX?) was listed as 69C and was green.
Are these temperatures normal? If so, why does the fan keep going so high when it didn't before, and why does the fan utility seem to think the CPU is too hot? If not, any idea if any of the materials I used to clean it or the grease I applied was no good? Or if having to lift the heatsink for a second could have ruined it?
I don't want this thing to overheat and break on me if I did something wrong with the thermal grease, it would be hard to find another good 60GB model that is hackable and transfer everything to it, especially my PSN games since due to it running CFW I can't connect to PSN anymore to activate them on a new system.
Lately, the fan has been becoming constantly loud, and since it was pretty old, I figured the thermal paste must be history, so I opened it up to replace it.
WOW, the thermal paste really was on it's last legs. The stuff had become a dry chalk-power-like substance. So I used Arcticlean and a microfiber cloth to remove all the paste, and applied a pea-sized ball of Arctic MX-4 to both the CPU and GPU. I tried to tighten the heatsink back on as evenly as I could, but I did make one small mistake at one point where I screwed some parts in the wrong order and had to loosen the screws on the heatsink to fit it back in right, not sure if that ruined it or not. (Or if I wasn't supposed to use Arcticlean OR if MX-4 is not a good one to use on the PS3).
Regardless, when all was said and done and I reconnected it, I noticed NO difference whatsoever.
It still kicks the fan into high often, loud enough to be heard during gameplay and actually be pretty distracting. Even when I am just idling in the menu without any game running it eventually happens.
It has been a few months but I haven't used my PS3 in those months, mainly because I am worried it will break if I do, and I just want to fix it already now.
I keep my PS3 vertical, and on the "bottom" of it's top-half, it's hot to the touch. Not "burn your hands" not, but not just a little warm either. Is that normal? (Said bottom part never seems to reassemble right either, either not sure if I missed a notch to put it in somewhere or if it broke, but one side seems to easily try to come off).
I installed Control Fan Utility 1.9.4, and played a few minutes of a graphics-intensive game, then booted it to see what it would tell me.
The CPU was listed at 74C, and was in yellow and blinking, it immediately turned my fan up higher when it booted until the CPU temperature became green and stopped blinking.
My CPU (RSX?) was listed as 69C and was green.
Are these temperatures normal? If so, why does the fan keep going so high when it didn't before, and why does the fan utility seem to think the CPU is too hot? If not, any idea if any of the materials I used to clean it or the grease I applied was no good? Or if having to lift the heatsink for a second could have ruined it?
I don't want this thing to overheat and break on me if I did something wrong with the thermal grease, it would be hard to find another good 60GB model that is hackable and transfer everything to it, especially my PSN games since due to it running CFW I can't connect to PSN anymore to activate them on a new system.