Looks like one batch of PS3's has a very annoying fault. Even more annoying, Sony does not accept that anything is wrong with them - no repairs coming:

 http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6865 

Fingers crossed that YOU don't have one!

“Thinking it was just a defective unit, I returned it and got another one. Once that one was all setup, the exact same thing happened, so yesterday I returned that system to get a third unit thinking maybe the other two were part of a bad batch. Unfortunately for me, the third one is making the exact same noise.”

 ...

“My system does the exact same thing.  Even without a disk, even when it's not connected to a TV or stereo, it still makes the sound.  I can hear it from like 5 metres away and it's very annoying,” also wrote Batmaniac. “The system itself remains extremely quiet until about five minutes of being on, at which point it becomes very hot and the noise occurs.”

The poster continues, “EB Games wouldn't let me exchange it for a new one, not even the day after I bought it ... I then proceeded to call Sony and tell them of the situation, I sent it in to be repaired and they sent it back to me saying that nothing was wrong with it.”

At least its extremely isolated, and isn't killing the system. Be nice if Sony just fixed them though. 

ha, be nice if sony just had high quality products like nintendo has had over the years. seriously, with how jacked up and in a way poorly done the ps3 is, and with its predessosor being one of the biggest replaced systems, due to being faulty, ever, your lucky it doesnt explode when it heats up. you can cook eggs on those things. kind of like the amazing ps2 mini (or whatever codename they gave it) yea, that was a great investment. just a pathetic way to make a few bucks. try playing gta for an hour or 2 on those, BOOM! yea, when nintendo made the DS lite is was because they had a HANDHELD that was big and ugly. and its slightly better thant he reg. DS, but not actually different (ie, different harddrive or whatever microsoft keeps fuck'n around with there 20 versions of the 360).

Yea Nintendo never made anything jacked up lol or maybe your to young to remember having to blow in every game you owned to get that shit to work.Anyway the PS3 really doesn't get that hot or at least mine doesn't.I realy can't Understand why EB will not take the system back exspecially the day after you got it.I really haven't heard any other complaints of noise or overheating...unless you are not giving it enough air to "breathe" Ist of all you do have it on a stand right not on carpet and the other cause could be a confined or "closed space" like a cabnet or drawer.Your PS3 should get warm only at the bottom right really (laying horizontaly)  and really my fan is so quiet you can't hear it at all.Lastly is just a question is it always 5 minutes after you turn it on or after the first time it starts making the noise it just makes the noise from then on it just keeps making the noise? If it takes 5 minutes every time then the likelyhood is you just are not giving it enough air supply and need to put it out in the "open"

This isn't any reason to start saying all the PS3s are going to EXPLODE!

But I do agree that even if a few PS3s mess up, I think it's stupid that Sony doesn't fix them...if it's only a few, what's the big deal?  Make your customers happy dammit!

since when has Sony ever been about making their customers happy?

I thought Microsoft was the only one who let their customers down, but so does Playstation apparently

You can say what you want about Nintendo, but even a game with a bug will be changed with a complete new game. I think if the WII would have this problem, Nintendo would have called the consoles back for sure and gave the buyers a new one.

LOL

.. its the fan coolin it, If i have the heater on it makes the noise.

 how can they fix it if thers nothing wrong with it ? thank god these idiots did not get a 360, those mofos get loud when they get hot.

At least the consoles *still* work, and its limited to a small-ish batch of units. Might be some issue that fixes itself over time.

MS is the only company that has really let people down with quality. The stories about the 360 border on ridiculous - no matter of goodwill and service can sort those out. 

PS - never had a Nintendo console or game *ever* flunk out on me - apart from some of my really old (and not very well taken care of) carts for the N64. On my third PS2 (all laser/read head issues) I gave up with the system. At one point I waited (no joke!) 9 months to get my repaired console back.

That's what I was thinking, I mean if it's only one batch it can't be to many to fix, if this news gets out of hand this will be some more of that bad Sony press! You all know Nintendo fixed my Wii and the reason it was messed up was because it got knocked off of a high stand and the eject stopped working, they payed for all my shipping, transfered my system memory into a new Wii, and I got it back in 14 days.

yes, but it did always work. and how many people who had NES back then still have theres today and have it work just as well? everyone most likly. i dont know anyone whos SNES or NES break, they still work, you just might have to blow in them or even bang em up a little, but once you get them they work fine and dont stop.