My collection journey began when I moved to New York in 2016 and got my hands on an old but excellently preserved PlayStation 3 (CHECHA001). I specifically chose this model for its backward compatibility with PS1 and PS2 games, as well as its hassle-free HDMI output. I didn’t want to deal with the complexities or expenses of upscalers, so having a PlayStation that could play games from three generations while easily connecting to a modern TV was the obvious choice.
Once the package arrived, I recalled reading numerous articles about the almost inevitable “red light of death” with this earliest model of the PlayStation 3, largely due to overheating. To prevent this, I decided to change the thermal paste before giving it a permanent spot on my media console shelf.
I headed to the nearest RadioShack (yes, it was still around back then) and picked up a tube of Arctic Silver thermal paste. Although I wasn’t thrilled about tearing apart my PS3, I knew it was necessary. Armed with a screwdriver and a couple of YouTube tutorials, I began the process.
A funny discovery during the disassembly was realizing that the black plastic shell of the console is actually semi-transparent—you can see through it. The size of the cooling fan was also impressive; it’s a real beast.
I carefully removed all the components and the heatsink, finally reaching the legendary Cell Processor and GPU. With a bit of isopropyl alcohol and a paper towel, I cleaned off the old, dried-up thermal paste, revealing the shiny surface of the chips. I then applied a small drop of the new thermal paste, worrying whether it was too much or too little, and reattached the heatsink. Afterward, I reassembled the rest of the system.
Looking back, I’d rate the complexity of this project about a 4 out of 10. The internal layout of the console was well-designed, with the optical drive connecting directly to the main board without any cables. The most daunting part was probably removing the heatsink, but overall, it wasn’t too bad.
Now, as I write this in 2024, I’m happy to say that my beloved PlayStation 3 is still going strong and remains one of the most cherished consoles in my collection.