Playstation 3 Air Flow

Dayvan Cowboy

Recently my PS3 has been making a lot more fan noise than usual, and upon inspecting it just now it seemed to be getting way hotter than it should have been, especially considering it was just playing a DVD.

I was checking around the back and it seemed like air was only being expelled on one side. At first the other side was still, but after tapping it a bit it seemed to start very gently blowing warmer air out. I don't think my back panel looks exactly like this (it's a 40gb model from 2008), but this is an illustration of what's going on:



I'm just wondering if there's a fan that's given up, or gotten stuck or something? Did air ever blow out of the whole vent on the back? It has been getting warmer here, but I don't think it's ever made this much noise before.

Thanks in advance for any help.

EggyToast

My PS3 makes much more noise playing DVDs than Blu-Rays because it upscales DVDs. So it's doing a lot of processing itself, rather than just passing the audio/video through. I think I have the same model as you have, as well. Mine isn't a new thing, though; it's been louder playing DVDs for a while, especially during the summer months.

MichaelLC

My 60GB (and new Slim) runs hotter/louder with a DVD than a game. When there's no disc (even playing downloaded ME 2) it can run for hours significantly cooler.

As long as the ports are clear and air is moving, should be fine. I did get a email from GS saying they were giving $50 extra for traded-in PS3s to members, if you were thinking of trading it in for a Slim.

Dayvan Cowboy

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll try it with a blu-ray or a game later just to see how that goes, but it sounds like I should be okay.

TetraNitroCubane

I have one of the 80 GB PS3 'fat' models, the one they sold with MGS4 on release. I can also confirm that it gets pretty silly-hot and loud when playing a DVD, moreso than when playing a game. There is one exception, though: When playing PS2 games, I've actually had the fans go really loud, and the machine pumps out way more heat than when running a DVD. I've had my PS3 lock up on me because of this, and this was when it was about a week old. I presume it's because of the software emulation that particular model uses for backward compatibility.

Uselesswarrior

I have the 80gb fat MSG4 system as well.

The fans have started getting obnoxiously loud. Anyone have any idea how to quiet them?

I'd pony up the cash for the slim but I don't want to lose backwards compatibility.

Gilder

Dayvan you said it's getting warmer in your area so that's almost certainly the cause of your problem. The PS3 is very sensitive to heat, so if the room is above 78F it's most likely going to kick into second gear for fans. There's 3 levels of fans you should care about. There's very low because the system hasn't been on very long or it's nice and cool, there's louder because it's getting a little hot (and like everybody else I hear this constantly when playing DVDs), and then there's super loud and you should probably turn it off. I only heard my system go that loud once and I was pretty worried. You will notice if it gets that loud. If you never go above that second level though you should be fine.

Here's three things to try if you're worried. First, just get a breeze going in the room. If you can open some windows or have some fans keeping the room a cool 75F you shouldn't overheat. I personally don't play if the room is above 80F, but that's just me. Second, move the system farther from the wall if it's kind of close and also prop it up on something. Like some soup cans or a sturdy pet food bowl. If the system is too close to the wall it'll suck back in the hot air, but the bottom of the system is where all the heat goes. You shouldn't have it sitting flat if you're worried about it getting hot. Finally if you're still worried then stand the system up vertically. This makes sure that the bottom of the system is now the right side of the system and is completely open to cool air. I did this and my fans only kick in during the day and on DVDs now. It's not exactly the prettiest system standing vertically, but I'd rather have it not overheat than look all nice and smooth.

Uselesswarrior

I think it may be my heat sensors or something, because the system doesn't feel hot or even particular warm.

I tried the prop the system up with cat food cans underneath it without any luck.

Gilder

Have you tried vacuuming out the vents? It couldn't hurt. The PS3 manual recommends doing it. Just get a handheld vacuum or use a hose attachment (make sure it's not too strong of course) and just run it over all the vents and clean them out. Even the little grill underneath the front of the fat PS3s can get filled with dust.

Uselesswarrior

I really think there might be something up with the latest Firmware as I've heard a lot of people complaining about the fan noise as of late.

Either that or our PS3s are just getting old and developing noise issues.

Straygatsby

I wonder if this is related to what I've been experiencing. I have the 60g model I think (before the 80 was available but not the PS2 backwards comp one). I've noticed recently (and I think it's a newish problem - the unit itself is a coupla years old now) that the noise when playing a DVD will ratchet up out of nowhere. I'll be 15 minutes into a normal DVD netflix disc and all of a sudden the playstation begins to sound like a jet engine just started inside of it. This only happens on normal DVDs and hasn't always happened.

Just gonna throw that side anecdote out there if it helps weed out possibilities. It doesn't seem to be causing any problems, but its disconcerting.