Just finished changing the thermal paste on my PS3. Differences? It runs quiet at start and then gradually hits the same fan speed it did before the change. I can't tell if it's supposed to be quieter, but the sound isn't annoying enough for me, never was. One major difference is that it's faster. I don't know why; maybe it's just imagination but it loads up games faster for some reason. My photos used to take a bit to show, but now they are almost instant. I was able to put it back together without having any extra screws, but I broke the clip that holds the blu-ray wire to the Motherboard. I was still able to put it back together though, but I'm afraid of creating more damage if I'm to open it again.
My PS3 had plenty of dust bunnies inside, but one major thing I noticed was that the Emulation Engine chip looks burnt around the edges. You know that yellowish color... well that's what I saw and it lies on the area that the thermal pad doesn't cover. Here is a picture showing the location of the burnt marks. (highlighted in yellow)
I'm thinking of buying a new Thermal Pad that covers all of the Emulation Engine. That would mean I would have to open it again and do the 4~5 hour process again. I just don't know where I could get such a thermal pad. Anyone have any comments?
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