PS3 overheating...

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GlockPants

GlockPants

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GlockPants
With the release of Spec 2.0 I thought it was a good a time as any to do the B-spec 24 hour nurburgring event. With the suspend option, I still had an option to play other games and just come back later.

Anyway, I started last night and only went for about 2 hours until I decided to suspend the race. Game saved fine, cool. Turn off PS3 and go to bed (PS3 runs loud and is in my bedroom, so I didn't want it on).

So when I wake up around 8:30am, I continue the race and go about my day. I get home at 2:00pm or so and check the progress of the race. 7 hours in, about 20 laps ahead (in the X2010) then my PS3 turns off, beeps 3 times and the red indicator light is flashing. 🤬

Looked online and sure enough, this is caused by overheating. First time it has ever happened. I ran the 24 hr le mans fine a few months ago and that was in a room with far worse air circulation. My bedroom is currently about 70 F (~20 C), dark and a ceiling fan on the highest setting.

Has this happened to any of you? Very irritating, though at least I wasn't too far into the race. And the game still resumes at the old save point.

After I let my PS3 cool off for a while, I'm going to back up my data and retry but only run a few hours at a time.
 
GlockPants
With the release of Spec 2.0 I thought it was a good a time as any to do the B-spec 24 hour nurburgring event. With the suspend option, I still had an option to play other games and just come back later.

Anyway, I started last night and only went for about 2 hours until I decided to suspend the race. Game saved fine, cool. Turn off PS3 and go to bed (PS3 runs loud and is in my bedroom, so I didn't want it on).

So when I wake up around 8:30am, I continue the race and go about my day. I get home at 2:00pm or so and check the progress of the race. 7 hours in, about 20 laps ahead (in the X2010) then my PS3 turns off, beeps 3 times and the red indicator light is flashing. 🤬

Looked online and sure enough, this is caused by overheating. First time it has ever happened. I ran the 24 hr le mans fine a few months ago and that was in a room with far worse air circulation. My bedroom is currently about 70 F (~20 C), dark and a ceiling fan on the highest setting.

Has this happened to any of you? Very irritating, though at least I wasn't too far into the race. And the game still resumes at the old save point.

After I let my PS3 cool off for a while, I'm going to back up my data and retry but only run a few hours at a time.
Click to expand...

I hope you can turn it on again...
 
That happened me about 2 years ago on my old 60GB PS3. I took him 3 times is service and after third red light of dead I decided to give my old ps3 and buy new Slim model. Of course I give 100 euros extra for new PS3. I lost all save game data from prologue and start game from beginning :\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVXzN7jCcRA
 
tribolik
I hope you can turn it on again...
Click to expand...

I can. Tried to restart right after it happened and as soon as the race resumed it happened again. I didn't let it cool down then though.

After a minute or two, I turned my PS3 back on and just let it sit for a few minutes and see if anything happened. So far so good.
 
off topic but how can you save during an endurance race? I was doing the 30km Grand Valley and I didn't have an option to suspend the race.
 
oh and my advice to all of you. Back up your saved data to an external HD. MY HD got ruined last time I killed a PS3. Had to start all the way over on GT5
 
XxCMPUNKxX30
off topic but how can you save during an endurance race? I was doing the 30km Grand Valley and I didn't have an option to suspend the race.
Click to expand...

The Spec 2.0 update added this feature...Kinda surprised you didn't hear this already. But yeah, just go into the pits and it is an option in the tire/fuel window.
 
JoeH187
I killed two fat 60gb PS3's, now on my first slim and all is good
Click to expand...

Hope this doesn't happen. Mine is a 80GB fat and never had problems until now.

Would be nice having a new slim PS3, but I don't have the means to shell out that much money atm. I hope it lasts until December.
 
I use my cooling fan I brought for my laptop as it runs off USB port so works great on the playstation for a bit of extra cooling!
 
Tried back up my PS3 and it overheated again. So I have a tower fan blowing directly at it, turned the A/C down to 60 F (~15.5 C) and have a bag of ice resting against the PS3...Hope this works.:nervous:
 
GlockPants
Tried back up my PS3 and it overheated again. So I have a tower fan blowing directly at it, turned the A/C down to 60 F (~15.5 C) and have a bag of ice resting against the PS3...Hope this works.:nervous:
Click to expand...
DON'T REST THE BAG OF ICE AGAINST IT!!! CONDENSTAION MAY GET IN THE PS3 AND SCREW THE ELECTRONICS!!!

Anyway, do you have it in a cramped space, like in one of those drawers under the TV? Poor ventilation may be the problem. Either way, buy a laptop fan and you should be fine.
 
ParkourVeyron
DON'T REST THE BAG OF ICE AGAINST IT!!! CONDENSTAION MAY GET IN THE PS3 AND SCREW THE ELECTRONICS!!!

Anyway, do you have it in a cramped space, like in one of those drawers under the TV? Poor ventilation may be the problem. Either way, buy a laptop fan and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

Noted. and no, the only way ventilation could be any better is if it was floating in air.
 
PS3s can be filled with dust, lint, and hair. Even tar if you smoke in the house.

But PS3s, especially the fat ones, have exceptional cooling. I run mine in a home at 84 degrees and usually don't turn it off for weeks at a time since I Fold@Home.

The real problem is that the PS3's cooling will not work when the PS3 is full of dust. The PS3 is very easy to open up. Unplug it, open the unit, and dust it very carefully. Make sure the metal heat exchangers are clean.

Do this before you have heating problems. Do it with your other electronics, too, such as laptops. You don't need to go all the way to a reflow. Just get to where the blu ray drive is removed, and clean everything out, then put it together. It's super easy. Youtube has a few guides.

PS3s are extremely reliable, but they aren't invincible. Clogged up with dirt, they will overheat. I have never seen one overheat unless this was the case or if the PS3 simply had no room to ventilate. It makes very little difference if the room is 70 degrees or 85. If you clean it, and make sure there's plenty of air around it, it will be fine.
 
MM1000
PS3s can be filled with dust, lint, and hair...
Click to expand...

Cleaned out my PS3 earlier this year, but I only really cleaned out what I could get to with the cover removed. Was pretty clean considering that it was the first time I had done it. I may need to dig a little deeper next time, but I don't really feel comfortable doing that.
 
GlockPants
Cleaned out my PS3 earlier this year, but I only really cleaned out what I could get to with the cover removed. Was pretty clean considering that it was the first time I had done it. I may need to dig a little deeper next time, but I don't really feel comfortable doing that.
Click to expand...

I understand why you may feel apprehensive. I suggest watching youtube vids of dissassembly and if you're not comfortable, perhaps get someone to help.

When my PS3 starts cranking up the fan a lot, I take it apart and dust it out completely. The area under the blu ray drive and around the processors (graphics and cell), and of course the airflow generally. I've only done this twice (I have an original PS3 from day 1) and it's made an enormous difference. It goes from medium to high fan level to absolutely no audible fan at all. And the blu ray loads faster. No exaggeration. A hot blu-ray drive seems to actually load slower.

I have no carpet in my house, so all my stuff gets dusty pretty fast.

You might buy some compressed air and try that, but I personally think tearing the system down is really worthwhile.
 
I read somewhere a year ago that standing the PS3 on it's end instead of flat improves the cooling, If you look at the design of the cooling vents (60g fatty) you'll see that this allows better ventilation as the heat has a more direct escape route, I've left mine on for over a week like this with no problems whatsoever.
 
BlacqueJacques
On the way to entering the pits the option to suspend appears (apparently); yet to try it myself.
Click to expand...

That is correct, once the game has saved it prompts you to exit the game. When you next start the game, after the GT5 logo, the last race you were on automatically loads up with your car entering the pits
 
MM1000
You might buy some compressed air and try that, but I personally think tearing the system down is really worthwhile.
Click to expand...

Not a fan of compressed air, i think it just loosens the dust inside the machine, rather than ejecting it. Once a month i use my vacuum nozzle and run it along the vents, removing any dust that has accumulated.

I work in IT, when we were rebuilding PC's (or reformatting them) I used to do this on an exposed motherboard that was choked with dust :)
 
Thanks for the advice guys.👍

I'll work on de-dusting my PS3 tomorrow. I was able to successfully back up my HDD and game saves and ran a little GT5 to see if anything would happen. Ran ok for a little while, then the fan kicked on pretty loud so I saved and turned it off.

Hopefully cleaning it out fixes it.
 
it could be that the heat dissipating glue that connects the gpu to the board is on its way out... sounds drastic, but this happened to my mate. Started off coming on loud every now and then, then only in graphically demanding games, then constantly, until the system wouldn't even boot up to the xmb before powering down. He took it to a local PC/COnsole repair shop. Was a relatively simple fix apparently. cost him £40 to get it repaired, and had it back within 48 hours.

Sorry if i sounded like the harbinger of doom... just passing some info on that may be helpful ;)
 
robertmac_33
it could be that the heat dissipating glue that connects the gpu to the board is on its way out... sounds drastic, but this happened to my mate. Started off coming on loud every now and then, then only in graphically demanding games, then constantly, until the system wouldn't even boot up to the xmb before powering down. He took it to a local PC/COnsole repair shop. Was a relatively simple fix apparently. cost him £40 to get it repaired, and had it back within 48 hours.

Sorry if i sounded like the harbinger of doom... just passing some info on that may be helpful ;)
Click to expand...

Nothing crazy about this.

You can just replace that thermal paste with Arctic Silver, but make sure you google how to 'haze' so you do it properly. It's getting to the point where being able to take apart electronics and clean them is just another basic skill folks should have in today's modern world.

Also I agree that compressed air is not a great solution. Better than nothing. I do not believe in using a vacuum cleaner, but I have no basis for saying that other than my intuition about static.

Oh, and I also have my PS3 vertical like a chimney. I have no idea if it helps, but it just looks like it would (and it looks a lot cooler that way).
 
Make sure your ps3 doesn't have dust clogging the vents. You should clean your ps3 vents every month or so...


My ps3 happens to collect a lot of dust around the vent's.....i have to clean them every month.....
 
king4951
I read somewhere a year ago that standing the PS3 on it's end instead of flat improves the cooling, If you look at the design of the cooling vents (60g fatty) you'll see that this allows better ventilation as the heat has a more direct escape route, I've left mine on for over a week like this with no problems whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Yes if you can stand it up! It helps alot. Like someone else said compressed air works great too. PS3 are dust magnets. I use the air once a week. I've never even turned off my PS3 and it's be fine, Good Luck.
 

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