Looking to buy a PS3 (modded)

[Divineheresy88]

Hey everyone!

I'm in the market for a modded PS3. Saw a couple of sellers on ETSY and 1 on ebay but i'm looking for reccomendations. Looking for a cooling mod if possible, 1tb or more storage, cleaned and repasted/padded.

If anyone knows any modders/sellers i'd greatly appreciate your suggestions!

 

[SylverReZ]

It's not impossible to find a stock PS3 for cheap and mod it yourself, usually modded consoles tend to sell for high prices, unless you get a good deal somewhere.

 

[Divineheresy88]

It's not impossible to find a stock PS3 for cheap and mod it yourself, usually modded consoles tend to sell for high prices, unless you get a good deal somewhere.

I'm not incredibly tech savvy and money isn't too much of an issue so long as the quality of work is there.

 

[SylverReZ]

eBay has always been the go-to place for modded consoles mostly.

 

[Divineheresy88]

eBay has always been the go-to place for modded consoles mostly.

I checked there already and there's one person who's selling a ps3 slim with a fan mod but nothing more. I'm looking for that plus more. That's why I came on here to ask if there's anything else that someone may know about.

 

[SylverReZ]

You tried others like Facebook Marketplace?

 

[Divineheresy88]

You tried others like Facebook Marketplace?

Yeah, nothing really of note in my area (as well as looking on craigslist).

 

[SylverReZ]

Your only option would be to pick up a stock PS3 and a 1TB drive to install it in. Installing custom firmware is super easy, there are readily available guides out there.

 

[Divineheresy88]

Your only option would be to pick up a stock PS3 and a 1TB drive to install it in. Installing custom firmware is super easy, there are readily available guides out there.

Gotcha, thanks!

 

[SylverReZ]

You're welcome bud.

 

[Haizum74]

As Divine says, go down the 'stock PS3 and mod it yourself' route is a more viable option as there are plenty of stock PS3's just wainting to be modded, that way you can tinker to your hearts content.
Also, as mentioned, ebay and FB Marketplace are the better options too. If there are none already done then, DIY is the way to go.

 

[Marc_LFD]

Hacking a PS3 is relatively easy, no, I'd even say it's extremely easy just by following Mr. Mario's video tutorial, for example.

Last year I downloaded a ton of PS3 arcade/retail games and renamed the licenses (rap files) similar to the installable file, but I had forgotten the name of the license file cannot be changed (or it's not recognized). I've done all Arcade/PS1/PS2 titles (PS2 is just a few, like DoA2 which honestly looks like shit compared to DC and Xbox, but still fun to play) and got Retail ones left.

 

[godreborn]

Hacking a PS3 is relatively easy, no, I'd even say it's extremely easy just by following Mr. Mario's video tutorial, for example.

Last year I downloaded a ton of PS3 arcade/retail games and renamed the licenses (rap files) similar to the installable file, but I had forgotten the name of the license file cannot be changed (or it's not recognized). I've done all Arcade/PS1/PS2 titles (PS2 is just a few, like DoA2 which honestly looks like shit compared to DC and Xbox, but still fun to play) and got Retail ones left.

you can get the content id from the param.sfo. all raps/rifs are named after their content id.

 

[Marc_LFD]

you can get the content id from the param.sfo. all raps/rifs are named after their content id.

Yep, have/had renamed them to their Content ID. I just didn't know that fact, but should have been obvious.

Oh, well, no big deal.

 

[Hayato213]

Probably best to buy a stock PS3 and open it to clean it yourself, and then mod it yourself, that what is what I did when I bought a phat PS3, I gotten two controllers and about six games for like 70 dollars so it was really a bargain, just don't buy it from like DKOldies etc.

 

[godreborn]

Yep, have/had renamed them to their Content ID. I just didn't know that fact, but should have been obvious.

Oh, well, no big deal.

you can also get the rap key through dropping the rap into a hex editor. it's only 16 bytes, all of them are. so, you could make your own rap file or store them that way. that's how a lot of uploaders were sharing raps, to prevent upload sites from simply removing them, when you could just post content id and rap key on a webpage, then someone could create one from that, and it would work.

 

[P_H_I]

I would recommend getting a PS3 Slim model, specifically any of these models

SLIM VS PHAT
Couple reasons:
-Maintaining a PS3 PHAT is a big task, but the Slim models are significantly less susceptible to hardware failures. Older model PS3s have a hardware fault in their processors/ GPUs. You can keep them alive by improving the cooling, fan modding, or a crazy chip swap, but these solutions are either intensive, loud, or expensive. In comparison the Slim will more or less work and be quieter.
-You can't get native PS1 or any PS2 emulation, but you also end up spending like $130 less at least. People who are selling these older, compatible models know what they are worth and will charge you heavily for it, and when you buy one of these models you still gotta improve the cooling or else risk broiling your new $300 machine.
-If you DO still want native PS1 or PS2 gameplay, consider buying a PS2 Fat model with component. A PS2 Fat, a modded memory card, and a 1tb hard drive (along with a PS3 Slim) is a lot cheaper than just a PS3 Fat BEFORE you improve the thing.

I only recommend Phat models for the ultimate enthusiast who wants an all-in-one dream machine and is willing to work for it. If you wanna just play PS3 games as good as possible in Native hardware, there's nothing wrong with sticking with the much easier to maintain Slim.

OK I GOT THE PS3, NOW WHAT
I won't go into installing CFW on the system, but generally it's very easy. DO NOT CONNECT YOUR PSN TO A MODDED PS3. Can you play with your PSN on a modded PS3 without getting banned? Potentially. You'll likely never get caught if you follow explicit instructions. But it isn't worth it, have a burner account just for the PS3.

Buy a cheap Sata SSD for your PS3. The year is 2023 and your UI should look sexy as hell. You can get away with smaller numbers, iirc I got either 128 or 256gb in mine. Game installs are pretty small for physical games, and digital games are much smaller than PS4 titles. At most, a 1TB SSD is more than plenty.

SSDs are nice cause it makes the XMB menu look and feel really slick vs laggier HDD menus. The Slim can't fit 7200 RPM HDDs either, so SSDs really are the defacto option when your alternative is a sad 5400 RPM HDD

PHOENIX THIS IS TOO MUCH JUST GIMMIE THE TL;DR
(I'm a badass I want it all, fuck the money fuck the time spent)
Get an original model PS3, do a frankenstein mod, upgrade the cooling, get a 2TB SSD

(I want to play PS3, PS2, and PS1 games without destroying my bank)
Get a PS3 Slim with a 256GB SSD, and a PS2 Fat with a 256GB 7200 RPM drive/ modded memory card/ HDD adapter

(I just wanna play PS3 games man, maybe the occasional PS1 disc, hell even a weird ass emulated PS2 game via CFW)
Get a PS3 Slim with a 256GB SSD


Regardless of what you choose, I hope it works out for you