ps3 cooling fan ideas - would a laptop chill pad do any good?

[yoda313]

Well summers almost here and my ps3 is already having heating issues. I'm playing read dead redemption a lot and its kicking on a lot and has gone to full blast blower on several occasions. I've had to hurridly find a save point and shut down as quickly as possible.

Mine was bought new several years ago. Its a 40gb fat model.

I have it in a shelf but its an open air shelf. But I do slide it out so the side intake vent is out in the open and the back blower vent has more room.

I'm thinking a chill pad under the ps3 would help since that is where the heat build up starts. I think I saw a diagram of a ps3 open and the blowing fan is under the output jacks but it doesn't seem to have a full port to blow out the air.

Are there any good coolers specifically for the ps3? I know the intercooler ones are suspect. The guy at the gamestop even told me not to buy it last year when I went in with the same issue.

I read online somewhere that playing with it standing up would help ventilate it better. Is that true? I've never played a playstation vertical before - ps2 or ps3.

Suggestions are welcome. I'm not looking at spending more than 50.00 or so (usd). But if this will preserve my ps3 and let me play for more than a half hour at a time in the warm summer months I'll consider higher prices.

Thanks.

[Bodyslide]

I bought a small fan that blows onto ours, spent less than 15.00....Picked one up at Walmart...

[yoda313]

Well this past weekend I did buy a laptop chill pad.

I bought a dual fan targus model.

It seems to do just fine. It is usb powered. I actually plugged it into my ps3 at first and the thing shut down! I thought I fried it! But it turns out it was some self defense mechanism. I unplugged it and waited a bit and it came back to life. (I actually plug it into my xbox 360's usb port while the 360 is off - the 360 does supply usb power while the console is off - i just make sure i unplug the chilpad before starting the xbox)

Its pretty quiet. What I like is it raises the ps3 up off the shelf. I think part of the problem for me is the blower doesn't get much clearance when its directly on the shelf. Lifting it up an inch or so seems to let it blow more freely.

The nice thing about the chill pad is its about the same dimensions as the ps3 itself.

We haven't had any super hot days since I bought it Saturday. But next week its supposed to get back up to 90 so that should be a good test. Hopefully it will keep the base nice and cool and humming a long at a quite, cool clip.

[redwudz]

It's about 104F here right now (3:45PM), but I have a very efficient heat pump AC system that I have set at 80F. Outside temps can reach 117F during the late summer. My uninsulated garage hits 120F at times. Really hard on anything stored there.

A lot of devices can benefit with just a spacer under them to give the exhaust/intake a bit more air flow, along with having them out in the open as opposed to stuck back deep on a narrow shelf. But if your device intakes air on the bottom, then fan setups such as a cooler pad are definitely a good option to improve cooling and component lifespan.

I would also consider blowing out accumulated dust on occasion. I use a zip tie temporarily stuck into the fan blades to keep from over-speeding the fan(s) and damaging the fan bearings. I have an air compressor, but 'canned air' does a fairly good job. I would do this operation outdoors and wear a particle mask, as you don't want to breathe that stuff. (Skin cells, dust mites, lint, animal dander/hair, spores, mold, etc. )

[yoda313]

But if your device intakes air on the bottom, then fan setups such as a cooler pad are definitely a good option to improve cooling and component lifespan.

I believe the ps3 fat that I have has them on the front and sides. Apparantly there are intake vents under the front facia but I don't know if those are actually suck in fans or just passive intake. But the side of the unit has a large grill for air intake.

I think the best thing it will do will keep the base of the ps3 cool. That seems to heat up a lot when it gets hot and humid.

But also I do believe the rear fan blower is getting better output being raised up. It seemed like when it was on the flat surface it wasn't blowing very well.

Next week will be a good test for the chill pad as its gonna be back up near 90 or so again. I don't always have the a/c on so this would help things out while keeping the ps3 better ventilated.