the thermal paste connects the processors with the coolingsystem(heatpipes,fans,..) - in high-end electronics like pcs or current gen consoles it's very essential, because the heat won't be conducted away properly if there is sth wrong with the paste

i do maintenance on my consoles but only if the warranty is void or expired. cause if it isnt why not just send it for repair (unless it's worth it i renew my warranty)? anyways my bro original 60gb full BC ps3 bricked and sony replaced it with a new original 60 full BC ps3

LOL, theres 8 pixies in teh cEll.

I should probably open my launch 20gig and give it a good cleaning and check on the paste. The machine is stable so far, but man, the dust I have to vacuum out of the vents is crazy sometimes.

Any recommendations for paste, or can I just use what I use in my PCs?

I have done this to a few 360's and it really does make a HUGE difference to the system, I would recommend it ONLY if your warranty has expired, you will be amazed at the amount of dust on the heatsinks and cooling fans!

As I mentioned earlier, I wouldn't recommend AS5 for PS3's, the following is a good example of what you're best looking at.

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/heatsinkacc/ac-mx-2

It's non electrical conductive and is extremely durable. As it doesn't cure it will not sag like other thermal pastes either.

The heatsink presses upward so it cannot sag downwards .  The reason it sags when vertical is simply gravity doing its work on the paste when it softens under heat, this cannot happen horizontally. 

By changing the standard paste you do immediately improve the transfer of heat, the downside is the paste you've used isn't as durable and will need replacing frequently by comparison.  Every time you replace the paste on a PS3 you flex the board and risk damaging any potential weak solder balls on the GPU and CPU.  This is why if you do change the thermal paste I recommend you use MX-2 or similar compound that will not denature and will provide consistant performance long term.  AS5 does not do this!

@ slowmo )

well, I'm informed about that and I used the MX-2 (can't believe some people are still using the outdated AS5 .. )

and the heat sink does press it up yes, but it only covers an area as big as the chips, so it can still sag at the edges (and it will do so - I saw it when I opened my PS3)

The best thing i was advised to do was keep my system dust free and my the area my ps3 is in...

Just let you know in order to place the drive since you're out of warranty it will cost $150 to have it fixed. It sucks that you have to go through this. I'm up to my 3rd PS3.