PS3 Death (1 Viewer)

[Aaron Silverman]

So my trusty ol' 60GB PS3 has suffered catastrophic hardware failure. Here are my options:


Send it to Sony to be fixed or replaced with a refurbed 60GB for $129 + tax.

Send it to Sony to be replaced with a refurbed 120GB for $99 + tax.


I have a bunch of old PS1 and PS2 games, but frankly, at this point I should probably just sell them all off.


Sell it (looks like $75-$100 is the going rate for a broken 60GB) and replace it with a new model. Looks like I could get a 320GB Move bundle for $341 and no tax. I'm semi-interested in getting Move -- at that price I'd do it if I decide to get a new system. (I have an Eye already, so if I just got it separately I wouldn't need that.)


Suggestions? Are the 120GB and 320GB models significantly quieter/ cooler than the 60GB?

 

[Patrick Sun]

According to my officemate, the newer 320GB model is very quiet, much moreso than his original 60GB model.

 

[Walter Kittel]

They are physically smaller and generate less heat. Without measurements, noise is a little more subjective, but I'd be comfortable saying the slim is quieter.

My first PS3 was purchased in the early spring of '08 and the laser pick up (I think) started acting flaky about a month before the slim was introduced. Replaced the PS3 on a service plan at Best Buy and then swapped it for a slim when they were released.


Unless you just have to have PS1 / PS2 game support, I'd suggest a purchase of a slim. Newer design, less power consumption / heat generation, and (probably) improved reliability. The slim is not a fingerprint magnet like the original PS3 - if that matters.


- Walter.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Thanks for the comments. I'm kind of leaning toward getting a slim of some sort. A lot of those old games have good memories or live in Always-Wanted-to-Get-Around-to-That-Ville, but realistically I'm not likely to ever play them much. (The only exceptions are a few older Guitar Heros and Karaoke Revolutions, but I can live without them.)


The refurbs from Sony only come with a 90-day warranty. On the other hand, buying a new system would involve the hassle of selling the old one.


Anyone in South Florida want to buy a broken 60 GB? (I'll cut ya a great deal on a collection of PS1/ PS2 classics. )

 

[Morgan Jolley]

It should be noted that the PS1 games will still play on any model PS3. Supposedly, they're working on PS2 games being playable through emulation (like PS1 games are now). I believe it's the number 1 most requested feature according to some PlayStation blog post by one of the SCEA guys.


So don't sell all of your old games just yet.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Really? Wait. Don't tempt me!


I went around the house on a scavenger hunt. Eyeballing them, I have about 75(!) PS1/PS2 games that are unlikely to get played. Maybe I can offer the whole bunch along with the busted console on Craigslist. . .

 

[Bryan^H]

Just a note. The PS3 Slim does not have an optical output.

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Originally Posted by Bryan^H

Just a note. The PS3 Slim does not have an optical output.

Uh, yes it does. /shrug

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Good grief! That would be a dealbreaker. Eventually I should upgrade to an HDMI receiver, but I have no desire to do so at the moment (especially considering the need to pay for repairing or replacing my PS3).


According to Amazon's listing, the latest models have optical audio outputs. Was there an earlier model that lacked it?

 

[Sam Posten]

Not that I know of. Not sure where that misinformation comes from...


There are a few threads where users are complaining they can't get optical out but that seems like user error more than the console's fault...

 

[Morgan Jolley]

GameStop just announced a thing where you can buy a refurbished slim PS3 with a 500 GB HDD installed and it comes with a media remote and a 2-to-4 USB dongle and a 1 year warranty for $400. Might want to look into that if you're in the market.

 

[Bryan^H]

Sorry for the bad info. Apparently my friend has gone blind. He picked up a PS3 last week and called me the other day saying that the Slim has no Optical output. Being a very tech savvy person that he is, I am puzzled at his oversight. So it is official. EVERY PS3 has an optical output.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Morgan, that's not bad, but since I have a bluetooth remote and a powered USB hub (the official Rock Band hub, no less!), the 320GB with Move bundle for $350 is still the prime contender.


Off we go:


http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/309741/60gb-ps3-in-need-of-repair-79-ps1-and-ps2-games-accessories-500-south-florida-pickup#

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Dang. . .Amazon raised the Move bundle back up to $400.

 

[Richard_T]

After many years of gaming pleasure my FIRST generation 13 Gig PS3 finally gave it up last night. I tried to power it up and all I got was a flashing yellow light and it would not turn on. Other than swapping out the hard drive for a 250 Gig unit I've never done anything to it.


Does anyone know if there is a market for these units even if they no longer work? I would think the backwards compatibility would make someone want to buy it and fix themselves. Does anyone know what it might be worth? I'd love to see it get a new home.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

13GB? You mean 20GB? There does seem to be a market for them, albeit not as much as there was. Check completed eBay auctions.

 

[Richard_T]

Sorry Aaron, 20 GB. I will give that a try I guess and see what happens.

 

[spshultz]

Our old 80GB died about 2-3 months ago. It would power on for a split second then beep 3 times and flash the red/yellow light. I did some searching and found out that it's a problem with the motherboard or more specifically a heat caused issue that affects the internal solder runs in the motherboard.


My son and I pulled it completely apart the first time and cleaned everything as it was really dusty. That didn't work.

We then pulled it apart again and applied some new thermal paste to the CPU's. That didn't work.


We pulled it apart for a third time but this time followed a youtube video on "reflowing" your PS3 motherboard. Basically you take a heat gun and heat up specific parts of the motherboard (front side and back side) for about 20 seconds letting it cool down for about 15 minutes each. We cleaned and reapplied new thermal paste to the CPU's and put it all back together. Booya! It worked like a champ. So far it's still working. However, I'm not sure how long it will last.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Interesting. I've heard of that method, but supposedly it's only temporary. I hope it lasts! I don't want to remove that Warranty sticker as long as the option of sending it to Sony is still open.

 

[chris_clem]

Originally Posted by Aaron Silverman .