Checkpoint: Refitting PS3 Edition Part I

I’ve owned my 60GB PlayStation 3 with its hardware based PS2 compatibility for just over three years now. As of late, I’ve noticed that the fan gets quite loud and I’m a bit worried about the console’s longevity with all that heat it’s expelling.

So I decided to look up PlayStation 3 disassembly guides and found this thread on the official PlayStation forums which detailed three tips to get these older PS3 consoles running cooler:

1. Replace the original ZSSR5391A or the APS-226 power supply with the cooler running APS-231 from the PlayStation 3 40GB model
   • To run cooler while still supplying enough power for the 90 nm Cell and RSX
2. Replace the 15 blade fan with the 19 blade version found in the original launch PlayStation 3 60GB models
   • To move more air and a bit quieter
3. Replacing the thermal paste with Arctic Silver 5 or equivalent.
   • To improve heat dissipation

I already have Arctic Silver 5, but I had to order the fan and the power supply from eBay. None of the parts I was ordering were going to be new, so I tried to keep costs as low as possible.

I managed to find a power supply for $32.01 after shipping and handling. It should arrive in a week or two if it follows previous shipping times from Hong Kong. As for the fan? I’m not having much luck. The cheapest I could get is $26 or so shipped to me. But, if I ship it to the U.S. and have it brought over to me, I could get it for about $20 or so. It also means that I’ll get the fan in mid-September since the people bringing it over the border won’t be making a trip until then.

I’m not sure which path I’ll take with the fan, but I am looking forward to this little project. I’ve seen tear downs already, but I’d like to disassemble my own. I’ve already disassembled an Xbox 360 after a RROD. I want things to be different for the PS3, so I would like to disassemble a PS3 before a YLOD happens.