Prevent the PS3 YLOD Yellow Light of Death (5 of 7)

[chineboy359]

Question: Is there are some excess thermal paste that are on the side of the GPU and CPU chip on the mother board, do i clean that off as well? Also I have the 40GB FAT CECHH01 and then Heat sink are different from the older FAT PS3 heatsink, should there be some thermal paste between the 2 separated Heat sinks? Cause the 40 GB FAT CECHH heat sink is 2 spearated sillver heatsinks.

[fixmyplaystation]

@chineboy359 Clean off all white thermal compound.

[chineboy359]

@fixmyplaystation so when i reapply the artic silver 5, only the gpu and CPU chips along with the respective 2 heatsink TOP (not the between the 2 heatsink side should have the thermal paste correct?

[fixmyplaystation]

@chineboy359 DO NOT paste the heatsink blocks. ONLY paste the surface of the CPU and GPU. A thin layer is the key.

[sasrob28]

as the ps3 chips are big i just apply a very thin layer of arctic so you can still make out cell/rsx writing then place a drop in the center then let the heatsink spread it.

[alienkid]

My arctic silver was extremely hard to spread with the card, I had to turn the card and kinda push it with the edge of the card instead of spreading it with the smooth side.

[fixmyplaystation]

@alienkid Sometimes it's thicker than usual.

[mudantos2]

isn't it better to apply the paste in the center of the cpu and gpu and just put the heatsink back on and let it spread by "itself" ?

[fixmyplaystation]

@mudantos2 In 2010, Arctic Silver told me to use the "spread technique". In the summer of 2011, they changed their tune and suggested the "smoosh technique" that you mention. The key to success is full, thin coverage.

[kmacho14]

Have you heard of a Manhattan paste? Is that good? Thanks

[fixmyplaystation]

@kmacho14 I've heard of a Manhattan cocktail. :) No, haven't heard of the paste.

[kmacho14]

@fixmyplaystation LOL That's the one I found in the store. It doesn't seem like a good one. I better take a look on amazon...

[GTAfear]

@kmacho14 Hey, I've bought Manhattan paste and I was wondering... Did you use this paste? And why do you think it's not good? I'm planning on doing this in the next few days and want to make sure I use a good paste....

[fixmyplaystation]

@GTAfear Never heard of it. We recommend Arctic Silver 5.

[LABADI10]

wts the name of the thermal compound ?

and if i couldnt find one , is there any material i can use intead ?

thanks for answering :D

[fixmyplaystation]

@LABADI10 We now suggest using Arctic Silver 5. Or you can try the Dynex brand from Best Buy. Don't use cheap $3 compound.

[Ryowatanabe200]

I found this wayyyy to late.....:s is there like a final solution, one that makes you 100% it wont happen again?

[fixmyplaystation]

@Ryowatanabe200 100%? Buy a new PS3 and get a 10 year warranty.

[Ryowatanabe200]

@fixmyplaystation hahahaha that seems like a good one. thanks for the reply tho. :)

[blazednsleepy]

Yup spreading the paste will only create bubbles of air and not the let the paste do its full job.

Put a dab in the middle and the let pressure from the Chips and heatsink spread it evenly.

[fixmyplaystation]

@blazednsleepy 1 year ago (when this video was made) Arctic Silver Co. told us to use the spreading technique. This summer they told us they now prefer the squish technique.

[liquidus2172]

@fixmyplaystation lol, so what's gona be? haven't they decided yet??

[fixmyplaystation]

@liquidus2172 They said use the squish technique this summer. Call them yourself.

[HenryTomasino1]

Just want to say that spreading thermal paste is a bad idea. I know this is a dual heatsync but in order to keep pockets from forming it is best to spread through pressure of reapplying the heat sync. Having air pockets can raise temperatures nearly 10c, in extreme cases. The only time you should spread the paste is if you are tinting your processor.

[tngco0ki3]

does the antec formula 5 silver thermal compound work

[HenryTomasino1]

@tngco0ki3 Sure.

[jodirt2k7]

Does anyone known if thermal pads can be reused

[Jaliya48]

I'll be using Innovation Cooling's IC Diamond 7. How long do you think these thermal pastes last? Do I need to re apply this paste after a number of years? (including AS5 & other 'high performance' pastes).

Then there's MX-4 whose manufacturer says it will last 8 years, is this possible?

[fixmyplaystation]

@Jaliya48 I'd replace the paste after 2 years.

[HenryTomasino1]

@Jaliya48 2 years is a short time. AS5 looses very little conductance over 3 years, at 5 years you should change it. MX4 should be changed every 4-8 years. TX-2 & 3 need to be changed every 4 years and TX-4 every 4-6 years.

[fixmyplaystation]

@ghostman91383 We recommend repasting after 3 years for fat PS3s and after 2 years for slims.

[vatossan]

fanniK!!! i should a saw this before.i thought it only happened to 360s;about the lights of death.i got it yesturday.FAANNIK!!! if i do this can it resolve my problem?

[fixmyplaystation]

@vatossan No, this is to PREVENT the ylod.  You'll need reball repair.

[vatossan]

@fixmyplaystation good to know,thank u sir.how much will a reball cost? on a local area.and where can i find a reball service?

[fixmyplaystation]

@vatossan Current price is 149.95 including return shipping. Good luck finding a local company with the equipment and expertise to reball safely.

[faztclix]

YLOD come on for me when playing games through blueray. Playing demos and full games from the hard drive never has this issue.

Did this a while ago, took my time cleaning everything, including the fan. Heated the motherboard,graphics card and CPU. restarted PS3, which booted up like usual, stuck a gamedisc in (GT5) few mins late, YLOD happened again, running out of ideas!

My PS3 is the fat version 60GB. Two USB ports at the front. Any more advice?? cheers!

[kosmasmoiras]

i must use a hair drier ??? because i saw some people doing it



[fixmyplaystation]

@kosmasmoiras They're trying to FIX it. This is a PREVENTion video.

[HaRdCoreDgk]

ok so apparently the top of my gpu broke off when i took off the heat sink... What should i do? i can see the corners were where it was glued of but should i use glue?.. also in the middle i see a blue chip.. should i put artic silver there and attach the top again and put artic silver there too so it makes contact with the heat sink??? PLEASE HELP

[fixmyplaystation]

@HaRdCoreDgk That's the metal heat spreader. It rarely comes off... usually only if the PS3 has been opened before. Clean the graphics chip in the middle and the underside of the heat spreader to remove the old gray thermal compound. Put a small dab of Arctic Silver on the center chip ONLY, then replace the heat spreader. It might be a juggling act to reassemble the system, but take your time.

[HaRdCoreDgk]

@fixmyplaystation thanks for the reply! and ok ill clean it, but what about the corners? theres hardened white stuff that doesnt come off. Do i leave that alone? Will the artic silver be enough to hold the metal heat spreader and the GPU together? And after i replace the metal heat spreader i put artic silver on that so itmakes contact with the heatsink like normal correct? Thanks, just trying to be sure.

[fixmyplaystation]

@HaRdCoreDgk Use a plastic tool to scrape off all old paste, then use alcohol to wipe away all residue. We don't recommend removing the heat spreader, but yes Arctic Silver should be enough. ONLY put AS5 on the central chip.

[BlacksmithBL]

Will i damage my CPU and GPU if i use silicone thermal paste???

[fixmyplaystation]

@BlacksmithBL We recommend Arctic Silver 5.

[AquaCS1]

Im planning to do this with my PS3. I found Arctic Silver thermal compound 5 with 3.5 grams whould it be fine and enough to put that paste insted yours in video??Thanks

[fixmyplaystation]

@AquaCS1 Yes, but follow my other Arctic Silver application video.

[psilos3284]

where i can find the arctic silver application video

[fixmyplaystation]

YouTube apparently won't allow me to link even to other YouTube videos, so go to my channel page and look for "Arctic Silver Proper Application"

[axo619]

why do some ps3 ylod fix it videos have them using a heat gun on the motherboard and on the cpu and other stuff?

[fixmyplaystation]

@axo619 Those are "reflow repair" videos. They are melting the cracked solder that holds the RSX graphics processor to the motherboard. ONLY the RSX chip should be heated.

[TheSkylinegts]

doesnt spreading it cause air bubbles? i heard

[fixmyplaystation]

@TheSkylinegts I just called Arctic Silver (10am May 12, 2011) and they said that home users should use the spreading technique. Professionals can apply a rice-grain-sized blob in the center of each processor, remove the heat sink fan, and press both heat sink blocks down perfectly at the same time to achieve coverage.

[danney1234500000]

no its not online i noticed it after i did it its like the performance of my processor went down

[fixmyplaystation]

@danney1234500000 Never seen heat effect the processor.  How many games did you test? 1 isn't enough.

[danney1234500000]

@danney1234500000 i tested 2 games and they were driving games they were grand theft auto 4 and midnight club la but games like call of duty don't lag

[danney1234500000]

i did everything in the video like how you did i bought the same thermal paste you used from best buy my PlayStation is an 80gb the original and its about 4 years old plus my fans were getting louder than usual so i repasted my processors like in the video shown and i noticed after doing it my PlayStation started lagging which was unusual iv never seen it lag until after i did the repasting i was wondering why maybe i didn't do something right but if you could help me out

[fixmyplaystation]

@danney1234500000 I doubt the lagging has to do with the cleaning. You're playing online?

[jakthebomb]

I fix Laptops and Servers all day long, The spread method is wrong. I have found that Core Temps are significantly lower by just putting a Pea sized dot in the center. Also Spread method jobs tend to fail much quicker than dot methods.

[fixmyplaystation]

@jakthebomb Could be, but Sony and Arctic Silver both agree with me.  Also, Slim PS3s might use the pea-size dot method, but they dry out after 12 months instead of 36 like the big PS3s.

[yamahamaniac01]

uh oh... just bought silicone based paste for 12 dollars.... so this wont work?

[fixmyplaystation]

@yamahamaniac01 We recommend $10 Arctic Silver that you can get at Radio Shack, among other places. Or Dynex paste from Best Buy is also acceptable.

[samanator93]

True.....But you are amazing skilled with that thermal paste...Ok. I have a question. I have a 40gb PS3 and i have noticed lately it running a little more loud and warmer. I was thinking of sending it in to you. I have had it for 2+ years now and havent done any maintenance on it. So i would like to get it clean and repasted before the YLOD! How long until return?

[fixmyplaystation]

@samanator93 Check the manufacture date on the bottom. If it's beyond 3 years, it's time for a cleaning. We can have it out the door the day after we receive it... if you call when it arrives.

[samanator93]

bob ross of playstations lol

[fixmyplaystation]

@samanator93 I ain't got no 'fro.

[thekillerwaldo]

Ive also heard that you could simply put a single bead of thermal paste( Like artctic silver 5) on the proccesors and reattach the heatsink without spreading the paste. Is this true? Would it still transfer the heat effectively?

[fixmyplaystation]

@thekillerwaldo Nope. The paste must be evenly spread, so you get 100% contact between the processors' heat spreaders and the heat sink's radiator blocks.

[fixmyplaystation]

@mattnigro Like Arctic Silver's Ceramique. I don't know enough about it to comment.

[fixmyplaystation]

@mattnigro I'm not familiar with MX-2, but if it's metal-based it should be good.

[shinazuka20]

I use a antec formula 5 silver thermal compound its really hard to spread it and i kind of put the same amount like u did.

[fixmyplaystation]

@shinazuka20 Good, as long as it's applied smoothly and thinly.

[shinazuka20]

@fixmyplaystation Its really hard to make it smooth tough T_T and make it thin .. i use credit card to spread it .

[fixmyplaystation]

@shinazuka20 Generally smooth is good. Doesn't have to be perfect.  But the Dynex paste is easier to spread evenly than Arctic Silver.

[shinazuka20]

Is it bad if i put a little bit thick of thermal compound ?

[fixmyplaystation]

@shinazuka20 It's probably best to use a thin layer of compound, because you're only trying to fill in the microscopic imperfections in the surfaces of the processor heat spreaders and the heat sink blocks.

[l0s0ne9]

I thought u were suppose to heat up the CPU and GPU with a heat gun

[fixmyplaystation]

@l0s0ne9 PREVENT PREVENT PREVENT the YLOD. That's what this video is for.

REPAIR requires a heat gun.

[DAYDAYGOON45]

WHATS DA NAME OF THE STUFF U PUT ON THE CPU AND GPU

[fixmyplaystation]

@DAYDAYGOON45 Thermal paste. We use Dynex brand in this video.

[area220sucks]

do i need the heat gun to do this?

[fixmyplaystation]

@area220sucks No, you can scrape the old thermal paste off with an old credit card or similar plastic scraper. The heat gun is only needed to REPAIR the ylod. This video series shows you how to PREVENT ylod.

[area220sucks]

@fixmyplaystation i failed! i did this and i still get the red flashing light crying out loud i used silver thick paste....i think my ps3 died because of my fans not coming on,i had my ps3 almost 5 years n now is gone(r.i.p) bff

[fixmyplaystation]

@area220sucks PREVENT PREVENT PREVENT! This video shows how to PREVENT the YLOD. Not REPAIR it.

[area220sucks]

@fixmyplaystation yea i knew but i wanted to try it anyways!getting a new one,how long after i get it you think it'll be a good idea to repaste it so it wont die on me b4 its too late

[fixmyplaystation]

@area220sucks Old PS3s need to be repasted every 2-3 years. No one knows about the new slim PS3s yet.

[jasonfootballa1]

hey i have a question how comn udidnt use a heat gun? and so i nead heat sync? and what else can you name the products i need

[fixmyplaystation]

@jasonfootballa1 The title of the video is "PREVENT The YLOD". Not REPAIR.

You need a Torx-10 screwdriver, normal Philips head screwdriver, 00 size Philips head screwdriver, isopropyl alcohol, paper towel, and thermal compound.

[Whisper2771]

Hey do you have the vid showing how to repair the red light?

[fixmyplaystation]

@Whisper2771 We're creating a complete eBook/video that shows every detail of YLOD repair, as well as all other common PS3 repairs. Hope to be done by Jan 1.

[fixmyplaystation]

@enkuerito Great. Thanks for letting us know.

[death020286]

so what thermal paste is better Dynex Thermal Compound or Arctic Silver 5 paste

[fixmyplaystation]

@death020286 Arctic Silver 5 has the best reputation. It comes out of the tube much thicker, so be sure to work it some to make it loosen up and spread thinly and evenly on the processors.

[death020286]

@fixmyplaystation thank you

[enkuerito]

why some people use a heat-gun?? any difference?

[fixmyplaystation]

@enkuerito A heat gun is used for REPAIR, not PREVENTION as we illustrate here.

[enkuerito]

@fixmyplaystation thanks i don have the yellow light yet....i you save me couples dollars in a gun

[fixmyplaystation]

@enkuerito Hope this helps save you some hassle.

[TheGameGuru1000]

I saw another video where the person was using Arctic Silver 5 paste. He said not to spread it, and just left 5 beads of it on each processor, but you say to spread it like the Dynex. Which is right?

[fixmyplaystation]

@TheGameGuru1000 I spoke with a manager at Arctic Silver Inc. in 2009.  He said that the paste needs to be spread very thinly over the processor. I suggest that you call Arctic Silver and see what they tell you.

[TheGameGuru1000]

@fixmyplaystation Much appreciated. One more question, I'm planning on trading in my playstation after I fix it, and getting a new, better one. Do you know any way to transfer save data, trophies, or account information between two systems?

[fixmyplaystation]

@HaydarStyler thermal paste, heat sink paste, cooling grease.

[fixmyplaystation]

@HaydarStyler Dynex brand thermal paste.

[kevykev94590]

hi, how come i seen a video, and the guy was using a heat gun to heat up the cpu and gpu and the whole mother board. Is heating necessary?

[fixmyplaystation]

@kevykev94590 He's REPAIRING an overheated graphics chip. My videos here are for PREVENTING the overheating.  No heat gun needed to clean it. :)

[fixmyplaystation]

@marcbartik Good ears!