My early, fat PS3 died, thoughts?

[Sporin]

2 nights ago I had it downloading 2 demos and set to shut itself down when it was done came down the next morning and the machine had the blinking red light. No luck since. It tries to start up, fan spools for a second, then a blink of yellow light, then shut down and blinking red light. I've tried a hundred different combinations of restarts and holding buttons etc., all the tricks the Googles could provide. No luck.

It's got my copy of Madden 13 in it which my son and I play all the time. I don't have any data saves, no game files, nothing. It had been freezing occasionally lately, and restarting itself, I should have been more proactive.

I really don't have a spare $250 laying around (plus replacing my #1 game) so I'm looking at repairs.

Anyone try these guys? http://www.gophermods.com/index.php?...ct_detail&p=37

[Sporin]

One more thing, we are cable cutters so we used our PS3 to stream netflix and hulu, therefore, it's running all the damn time. We are using our Roku now for that (formerly it was on our other tv) and I think even if I get the PS3 repaired I might get Apple TV ($100) for downstairs to save wear and tear on the PS3 (plus it's other nice features since we are all-Apple anyway).

I tried to keep it vacuumed out and such but we have dogs so I'm sure the dust just caught up with it, especially with our increased usage since getting rid of the cable a while back.

[MeineFolks'wagen]

I haven't used that place specifically, but PS3/Xbox repair places are generally a dime a dozen anymore. Look around on Craigslist or other sites for local businesses that do the repairs. If it's nothing major (i.e. having to replace hardware), the repairs are usually only around $50 - $60 or so. If the system powers up, the second it does, hit the eject button and you should be able to get your game disc out (assuming the system stays on long enough). If not, any repair place can get it out when they crack the system open to fix it. I'm in the same boat - my 360 (my 3rd) took a dump and I don't have the money to replace it and I just traded my PS3 for a PC. I've got an internet ready TV, so I can still watch Netflix even though my systems are dead.

For what it's worth

[SchrickVR6]

Go with someone who actually gives a warranty for their work. http://www.rsolpc.com/

[AXIS]

Did you try the hair dryer trick?

[SOAR]

Are you good at fixing things? If you are confident, I'd try fixing it yourself. I'm the same as you, I use my PS3 as a dedicated streaming device, and it gets a workout. I've replaced the BD laser twice, and the fan once.

Rebuilding the BD drive the first time was quite the adventure.

I was going to say that your fan probably died, that's a pretty common one, and it does a fail safe shutdown like that if the fan stops working. But if you can hear the fan spool, it's obviously not the issue.

[quinntendopower1]

you could also try that old school "hold the eject button" while powering on and the fan will try to eliminate dust

the best thing i ever did with the ps3, is put a flat piece of 1/4 inch aluminum under it. it sucks a TON of heat out of the system. i'm on my slim from 09 and it hasn't given any fuss or been showing signs of going bad anytime soon.

[Sporin]

you could also try that old school "hold the eject button" while powering on and the fan will try to eliminate dust
.

Tried it. Didn't work.

Finally got some money coming in so its going off to Gophermods first thing bent week.

[heimbachae]

good luck man. if you have it running 24/7 you may want to invest in some liquid/air cooling set up. get a roku box for 60 bucks and save yourself some cash on the electric bill. that way ps3 for games, roku for everything streaming.

[Sporin]

good luck man. if you have it running 24/7 you may want to invest in some liquid/air cooling set up. get a roku box for 60 bucks and save yourself some cash on the electric bill. that way ps3 for games, roku for everything streaming.

That's the plan, going to get an Apple TV (using a basic Roku now but it is for the upstairs TV) so that the PS3 is used only for games and DVD's and we can use the Apple TV for all the streaming we do (the vast majority of the PS3's running time). Should extend the life of the (hopefully repaired) PS3.

-Dave

[heimbachae]

I have two appletvs but I never know who gets butthurt around here when I mention apple. their power usage compared to the ps3 is like a 1/10!!!!

[Sporin]

I have two appletvs but I never know who gets butthurt around here when I mention apple. their power usage compared to the ps3 is like a 1/10!!!!

Yeah, I know how that goes around here.

We have iPods, iPhones, and Mac laptops so Apple TV is a perfect fit for us. I've played around with one and I like the interface better then the Roku we have (which will go back up to our other tv). I can fix my PS3 and buy the Apple TV to take the streaming traffic off of it for less then just a new PS3 would cost me.

[heimbachae]

well get a slim not super slim. the new new ps3s are cheap.

[Sporin]

well get a slim not super slim. the new new ps3s are cheap.

I've considered a new PS3... my wife actually suggested it, thinking why mess with a repair that might fail soon again anyway.

I guess I'm undecided since the old PS3 is still sitting on the table.

[heimbachae]

I've considered a new PS3... my wife actually suggested it, thinking why mess with a repair that might fail soon again anyway.

I guess I'm undecided since the old PS3 is still sitting on the table.

only problem is that if you want your data you may have to go with a used fat. I don't know the hard drive differences between the fat, slim and super slim. you shouldn't look any data though if you transfer it over to the new one.

[Sporin]

only problem is that if you want your data you may have to go with a used fat. I don't know the hard drive differences between the fat, slim and super slim. you shouldn't look any data though if you transfer it over to the new one.

I want my disk back more then anything. It's my son and all his LEGO games that would be essentially starting over with gamesaves, I wouldn't personally lose much.

My wife pointed out that we have a bunch of movies and photos on there that we might not have backups of anywhere else so I think we'll shoot for getting this one fixed in the hopes that everything comes back to us as it left data-wise.

[SchrickVR6]

Ok, not to sound like a complete dick, but did you check the link I posted? http://www.rsolpc.com/faq/reball-faq.htm

[Sporin]

Ok, not to sound like a complete dick, but did you check the link I posted? http://www.rsolpc.com/faq/reball-faq.htm

I did, I think I prefer to use Gophermod if I go with a repair instead of replacement. They have a warranty as well. Reviews of both are mixed. Is there some overwhelming reason to choose Rsolpc over Gophermod that I'm not understanding.

[Sporin]

I'm still waffling on repairing it at all. I'd hate to drop a hundred bucks or more (including shipping) and have the drive or the laser crap out the following week. Given the dusty environment (2 dogs) I may just save up the extra dough and buy a brand new one.

Then I can physically tear into my old one to get my Madden game out. Maybe see if my IT buddy can retrieve any data off the hard drive.

[Robstr]

Getting a new one might be the better plan. They've got newer chips that run cooler to begin with.

You should just be able to take the hard disk out. Maybe even just plug it right into a new one. They are readily swappable.

[quinntendopower1]

im getting to the point where my 120 gig needs install shuffles for me to play games anymore.

so many games downloaded and save files that add up.

i know for a fact murphys law will kick in full force if i ever try to upgrade the HD so im trying to avoid it. I just have a bad feeling even though its easy bake oven to do.

[heimbachae]

Getting a new one might be the better plan. They've got newer chips that run cooler to begin with.

You should just be able to take the hard disk out. Maybe even just plug it right into a new one. They are readily swappable.

not a NEW new one though. just get a slim. they are releasing a super slim and ALL the reviews basically say it's a cheap plastic box.

[Sporin]

not a NEW new one though. just get a slim. they are releasing a super slim and ALL the reviews basically say it's a cheap plastic box.

Good tip, thank you!

[VR6 GLX Man]

Not a PS3, but didn't feel like starting another thread. My 360 finnally got the red rings of death, got the thing used back in 2008, I'm thinking of opening it up since I suspect the fan is just bad, not sure though.

[Sporin]

Got it back, took about a week from when they got it from me to having it back in my hands. All fixed!

Got an Apple TV to do my Hulu+/Netflix streaming with now to save the PS3 for as long as possible.

[heimbachae]

good deal. just FYI, friend of mine updated to 4.31 this morning and all of his saves are gone. so beware updating!!!!

[Chacolla]

My original 60GB fat PS3 is also on the fritz recently - kind of breaks my heart. Within minutes of popping in a Blu-Ray or streaming Netflix, the fan kicks on into the highest gear possible. It is so incredibly loud and the PS3 essentially becomes a space heater after 15 minutes.

I'm really not looking forward to dropping $250 on a new PS3. Granted, this thing is like 7 years old now, but I feel like they should last a lot longer than that.

[Manu44]

Open it up and fix it. Its pretty simple. I have done it twice. Now it only has 3 screws holding everything in so its easy to take apart. First time I used a heat gun second time I used a hair dryer. Make sure you remove the old thermal paste, which is crap, and use quality stuff like arctic silver.

[ShavedRabbit]

They are very easy to fix yourself. i have done several of them with a $8 heat gun from harbor freight. I just used some very simple instructions i found online.

At the very least it's worth a try just to retrieve all your save data. if not, you will have to start all your games fresh. You can't just take your hard-drive out and put it in another system.

****Also, Mine runs quite a bit like you said yours does so while i had it apart i upgraded from the 15 blade fan to the 19 blade fan and cut a decent size hole in the bottom right at the fan to help with airflow. Now it is super quiet and I never have any issues with it.

***Nevermind, i just noticed you paid to have it repaired...