PS3 NTSC 20GB thermal paste & clean up

[BrooksterMax]

Got an American PS3 20GB model recently, was only interested in a spare controller really This model has the Emotion Engine chip so is great for backwards compatibility. and was only on the market for 1 year before being discontinued.

Also it gives me Blu Ray Region A and DVD Region 1 ability However when playing games the fan was loud........ And we all know the 60GB models which are similar to this overheat and get YLOD.

Time to open her up, clean and get some lovely paste on her!

Here is my air compressor for some serious dust blowing

Lovely all black case only seen on the 20GB

I love the fan on these models, nice and compact

Yuck dirty chips with old crappy paste, good job Sony! icard

The exhaust, heat sink and grill are covered in crud!

Nice clean up with meths

More clean metal!

If any of you have noisy PS3s which have not been cleaned or have old paste, it makes a difference.

No more jet engine noise

Nice easy thing to open, just remember to keep screws in order. This model does not have Wifi so less cables to remove.

 

[slk486]

Just did this recently myself and it does feel like it's less noisy. You're not really adjusting the fan noise as much as adjusting the need for it, so when it gets hot it will sound the same as before (perhaps a bit less, if the fan was really dusty). However, since it also lessens the chance of a ylod, this is definitely recommended

To be fair they all use cheap paste or pads, so that's not a Sony exclusive.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Zetr0]

I have to admit I do want a EE equiped PS3 so I can Jail Break it and use it as my emulation system!

A nice how-to my friend

thanks for sharing!

 

[Retrograde]

Hmm, should I fiddle with my PS3 too, it's offline and unused anyway since I built my HTPC and got my DC up and running again.

Is that rust on the heat pipes? What exactly did you use to clean that crap off... I usually use isopropyl alcohol for electronics cleaning but I've never seen stuff get that nasty, lol

And then just some generic thermal paste?

 

[BrooksterMax]

@slk486, you are right on both counts Microsoft offer the same paste rubbish! Also it only reduces the need for high speed fan as more heat can be transferred out. I never get Level 3 fan now, only Level 1 and 2 which makes such a difference.

@zeets, thanks and I would like to get this running with CFW. Its on 3.72 OFW and I think with some NAND magic can downgrade it. I need to get some kit first and do some research

@retrograde

I used Artic Cooling MX-4 which claims to be good for 8 years after application and is recommended on PS3 forums. It has good transfer properties compared to ordinary paste - it certainly worked for me. A 4g tube is plenty as you only need to put a pea sized piece on the center of each chip.

http://www.squidoo.com/3-tips-for-a-cooler-running-and-greener-ps3-system-models-cecha01-cechg01-

Isopropyl alcohol is fine for cleaning, I used meths as I didn't have isopropyl which is kind of similar. I also just used kitchen towel paper and q-tips to wipe it all off. I forgot to take pics of that stage sorry but just a put a little paste ball in the middle of paste and it spreads out nicely.
http://youtu.be/eytRmdhl4oc

I don't think it was rust on the exhaust pipes but just "discolouration" presumbably because the metal used is cheap and nasty - but it does look like rust on the pics.


Good luck PS3 owners!

 

[Zetr0]

....
@zeets, thanks and I would like to get this running with CFW. Its on 3.72 OFW and I think with some NAND magic can downgrade it. I need to get some kit first and do some research ...

here to help anyway I can =)

 

[slk486]

@slk486, you are right on both counts Microsoft offer the same paste rubbish! Also it only reduces the need for high speed fan as more heat can be transferred out. I never get Level 3 fan now, only Level 1 and 2 which makes such a difference.

Yes, it takes much longer for mine to reach turbine noise also - actually I can't remember having it after doing the paste upgrade (and cleaning it out), though I haven't been gaming in extended periods either.

I's also great fun to take apart and investigate the innards of the PS3. Much simpler to pull apart than other consoles I've encountered *cough* PS2 *cough*.

The cool thing about a tutorial such as this is, it makes doing the work seem a much less daunting task!