PS3 Do i need to replace thermal paste after 11 years of use?

M

M4TAD0R

Member
I have my ps3 cech 2501B for more than 11 years and i never had any temperature problems, i was on ofw for 9 years and 2 years on cfw using webman mod (1086 days turn on), my ps3 temp on XMB are CPU 63°C and RSX 67°, FAN 31%, in my city it's 24°C right now. I never replace the thermal paste in my ps3.

Is it necessary to replace it if my ps3 doesn't have problems at all? Are my temps fine? Where can i check others ps3 temperatures? thanks in advance.
 
In theory yes, but it is not trivial task in case of PS3.

Until You start to have heating problems (very high temperatures, not just automatic turning off console of course because sensors detect danger), I wouldn't touch her.

I haven't manual skills for such things, so my perspective is from some noob level. I calculate risk for myself as higher to damage console by me than by temperatures and mostly dried thermal paste.

PS: RSX is high but still fine.
 
It isn't trivial, but it isn't hard by any means. All you do are tearing down the console, cleaning the paste off and adding new and reversing process to rebuild. Anybody familiar with computers should be able to do it very easily. Now if you are talking about delidding and replacing on the IHS yeah that is a fair bit more involved. But I only replaced paste on my 2008 model Phat PS3 and did not delid. I got it on eBay in 2018 console only for $60, had every orifice packed with dust bunnies and over a cup and half of it clogged inside. Somebody kept the poor thing on the floor playing from 2008-2018 so 10 full years. System went from 83c idle temps before I tore it down and refurbished paste. Then something miraculous happened, it idled at 53c and never had any issues with it since then. Although might be due to having the 65nm processor so less thermal heat production maybe but all is well and no need to delid for me. I seriously wished I had documented the process, talk about the most satisfying system refurbish. Still got her running perfectly almost 4 years later.

Anyways, that being said. 11 years I would say it is a good time to change it out. I would never even let an older PC go that long without a change. At the minimum I would do every 6 years or so to keep optimal if using an older PC for many years. Console I would say just good rule of thumb to do it every decade. Depends on how much use it gets and stuff too but yeah, good rule of thumb is every decade. By the way, I use MX-4 thermal paste, some of the best on the market.

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-MX-4-2019-Performance-Durability/dp/B07L9BDY3T

Damn seems it is on sale for $6.10 compared to $9.99 so that seems like a great deal to me. They say they have free shipping too.
 
Berion said:
In theory yes, but it is not trivial task in case of PS3.

Until You start to have heating problems (very high temperatures, not just automatic turning off console of course because sensors detect danger), I wouldn't touch her.

I haven't manual skills for such things, so my perspective is from some noob level. I calculate risk for myself as higher to damage console by me than by temperatures and mostly dried thermal paste.

PS: RSX is high but still fine.
Click to expand...

i have max temperature to 68°C using webman mod, when i play games like tlou after the cutscene and after some time playing, the fan go to +70% and the temperature i belive reach 72°C more or less (because during the cutscene the temperature is lower), but in a normal gameplay in a hot day (30°C) playing mgsv tpp for example with the fan to 43% the temperature stay in 67°C. I don't know how you guys do to check if a temperature is okay or too hot, i always pay attention to the fan speed. In any case which max temperature should i use for webman mod?
 
Anthonyy817 said:
It isn't trivial, but it isn't hard by any means. All you do are tearing down the console, cleaning the paste off and adding new and reversing process to rebuild. Anybody familiar with computers should be able to do it very easily. Now if you are talking about delidding and replacing on the IHS yeah that is a fair bit more involved. But I only replaced paste on my 2008 model Phat PS3 and did not delid. I got it on eBay in 2018 console only for $60, had every orifice packed with dust bunnies and over a cup and half of it clogged inside. Somebody kept the poor thing on the floor playing from 2008-2018 so 10 full years. System went from 83c idle temps before I tore it down and refurbished paste. Then something miraculous happened, it idled at 53c and never had any issues with it since then. Although might be due to having the 65nm processor so less thermal heat production maybe but all is well and no need to delid for me. I seriously wished I had documented the process, talk about the most satisfying system refurbish. Still got her running perfectly almost 4 years later.

Anyways, that being said. 11 years I would say it is a good time to change it out. I would never even let an older PC go that long without a change. At the minimum I would do every 6 years or so to keep optimal if using an older PC for many years. Console I would say just good rule of thumb to do it every decade. Depends on how much use it gets and stuff too but yeah, good rule of thumb is every decade. By the way, I use MX-4 thermal paste, some of the best on the market.

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-MX-4-2019-Performance-Durability/dp/B07L9BDY3T

Damn seems it is on sale for $6.10 compared to $9.99 so that seems like a great deal to me. They say they have free shipping too.
Click to expand...
it is possible to cure two PS3 console with 1x tube or 2x is better ?
also did they have an expiration date on theses ?
 
Lol, don't let the image deceive you on the product page, you really only need to place a pea sized dollop in the middle. Don't forget you have to do it 2x per console so one on Cell and one on RSX but It is enough to do a few machines, and then the shelf life depends on how you store it. I have kept thermal paste in container for years and it never dried out.
 
Anthonyy817 said:
Lol, don't let the image deceive you on the product page, you really only need to place a pea sized dollop in the middle. Don't forget you have to do it 2x per console so one on Cell and one on RSX but It is enough to do a few machines, and then the shelf life depends on how you store it. I have kept thermal paste in container for years and it never dried out.
Click to expand...
if i place the tube inside a little ziploc bag and in a small box (away from U.V.) I assume im okay for at least the next 10 years or so ?
 
I believe so, you should open your PS3 to clean and change the thermal paste, as it may be starting to dry out and has lost a good part of its thermal conduction ability after so long, we can see this in TLOU as you mentioned, high fan speed and high temperature.
I recommend in particular two thermal pastes:
GD900 or Mx 4
I do not recommend the use of electrically conductive pastes, mainly Arctic Silver 5, inferior to the MX-4, in addition to being electrically conductive different from the MX-4, because if it falls on the board, it has a high chance of causing a short on the board and fry your PS3.

on the GD900, I use it on my SS and playing GTA 4 I got temperatures of 53~55°C with a fan fixed at 28%, ambient temperature between 22 and 24°C, in addition to lasting a long time and being cheap but of great quality.
in games like gta 5, tlou, uncharted the temperature didn't go over 65° with the fan at 28% fixed, at 30% it got 62 to 64°C.
 
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