PS3 gets cooled-down, dumbed-up

We've seen plenty of unnecessary mods in the past, but this latest creation from PlayStation.com forum member Dragonpower certainly ranks among the more superfluous, with it boasting just enough excess to make up for its lack of common sense. Apparently, Dragonpower found that his PS3 just wasn't cool enough for his taste, so he got drilling and strung some tubes filled with liquid coolant through the console, with a couple of extra fans thrown in for good measure. That seems to have resulted in a temperature of just 32ºC (or 90ºF) under a heavy load, with the console itself said to be "almost dead silent." Dragonpower apparently still sees more room for "improvement," however, as he says this mod is still in progress.

[Via Joystiq]

[paul.davis @ Oct 11th 2007 2:05PM]

WOW... THAT BE OVERKILL M8TEY!

[Kelmer @ Oct 11th 2007 2:18PM]

Umm...it's about as useless as all the other forms of extreme cooling people use, and no dumber.

PS: My PS3 sounds like a jet plane. I'm in the market for some silent cooling if anyone has any suggestions and I'm a bit scared of any Pelican or MadCatz coolers. Yes, I know it's not the PS3's fault, because I was dumb enough to put it into a cabinet with only a couple of feet of space on each side, but I didn't have a choice in the matter. I will be building some kind of fan assembly into my cabinet in the near future probably unless someone comes up with a better cooling solution. Oh and if I close the front doors on the cabinet in about 5 minutes the PS3 goes insane, starts beeping and tells me its going to shut down.

[Andir3.0 @ Oct 11th 2007 5:03PM]

You can NOT have the console in an enclosed space. Get some ventilation on the cabinet ASAP if you must keep it inside.

[roger_huston @ Oct 11th 2007 6:06PM]

Personally, I haven't found many good games on ANY console recently including Wii, PS3 and 360. Seems like most games have lost something recently. Of course, I really like sports games but ever since EA dialed in their latest generation, I have been in the dark.

I too have been looking for PS3 cooling solutions. There seem to be some good ones on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=blended&field-keywords=ps3%20cooling%20fan&results-process=default&dispatch=search/ref=pd_sl_aw_tops-1_blended_38770736_2&results-process=default

I would like it silent, but like Kelmer, I have it in a cabinate too.

Of course, even if you do not play games, it is still the best Blu-ray player out and for me, its DVD upscaling is fantastic. In fact, in my opinion upscaling regular DVD's makes me wonder why we even need Blu-Ray or HD DVD in the first place.

- Roger

[azayzel @ Oct 11th 2007 7:42PM]

This is just plain "I'm bored and have nothing better to do wtih my life than make useless mods." There is no friggin reason to install water-cooling in a PS3. I've had mine since they came out and it hasn't heated up at all... and I've been running Folding@Home on it for the past 7 months, 24/7!

As to the "mine sounds like a jet plane," maybe you should return yours, mine is so silent you wouldn't even know it was turned on. Perhaps you've got yourself a bad box or you're keeping it enclosed in a confined space? Mine sits on on the bottom of my TV stand next to the DVD player and X-Box, wide open.

[Shane @ Oct 12th 2007 9:14AM]

Looks like something from the Borg...
We are Sony...You will be assimilated...Resistance is futile...

[blade417 @ Oct 11th 2007 2:09PM]

I wonder if they make tubes and things like that for people with heartburn who don't like to take medicine.

[dataminer49er @ Oct 11th 2007 2:13PM]

It ain't cold unless there is frost forming on the case.

[Duane Roberts @ Oct 11th 2007 2:14PM]

Given the current state of the video game hardware market, that looks more like a life support system...

[dj-kenpo @ Oct 11th 2007 2:19PM]

you know, I'm always the guy that tells people making fun of others for actually doing something, opposed to sitting on their asses, to shut up. but in this one case, I gotta agree. this is silly.

[easymac30 @ Oct 11th 2007 2:24PM]

What???slash??

No liquid nitrogen????????!?!?!?oneslash

FOR SHAME!!!!!oneone

[dataminer49er @ Oct 11th 2007 2:44PM]

Let's not play around here. A liquid helium system could drop it to around -269.9 K or -945.22 ºF.

[Alex @ Oct 11th 2007 2:49PM]

-269K? That be below absolute zero, a temperature that iirc is theoretically unreachable!!! Amazing progress physicians have made it seems...
PS: I do know you meant -269.9°C or O°K, just poking fun here...

[Shoaib @ Oct 11th 2007 3:05PM]

@ Alex, physicians? don't you mean chemists or physicists

[dataminer49er @ Oct 11th 2007 3:34PM]

whoops... that is a little off isn't it ;)

[Bruce @ Oct 11th 2007 4:18PM]

Data and Alex, your both idiots. First off data, your WRONG! Liquid Helium is not at -945.22 ºF. Or -269.9 K as you so claim. Unless if somehow between your post and mine, we've somehow managed to break the known laws of physics. And if we could somehow get a temperature that's colder than absolute zero, why have'nt we deleveloped faster than light technology. I mean "trans-warp" drive (if your a trekie) should be a cake walk.

Since I actually "researched" my answer, here's some accurate information.

For Liquid Helium:

At atmospheric pressure, it has a temperature of approximately -452°F (132 degrees colder than the freezing point of liquid nitrogen).

That being said, unless your measurement of the temperature of liquid helium was performed in some exotic location such as 8 A.U. from the sun, I could'nt possibly see how you got that result.

My source, http://www.cryofab.com/html/manual_12.htm

And as for Alex, learn how to spell when your trying to sound smart will ya? physicians? or physicists? Big difference there buddy. *rolls eyes*

As for my opinion for the post itself, I don't care how hot that PS3 gets. As long as it's freaking working!

[Dennis @ Oct 11th 2007 4:32PM]

liquid nitrogen? i'm pretty sure semiconductors don't work at those temperatures....

[sam @ Oct 11th 2007 6:47PM]

@ Bruce

If you're going to call someone an idiot, at least learn the difference between "your" and "you're".

[Spanky @ Oct 11th 2007 2:46PM]

I think it's fantastic. but what about the warranty?

[NHAnimator @ Oct 11th 2007 3:03PM]

I keep my PS3 in the freezer and I can't hear it at all.

[jessy @ Oct 11th 2007 4:59PM]

^^^win

[Chris @ Oct 11th 2007 3:07PM]

you'd think Sony, the owners of playstation.com, would have faster servers and more bandwidth.

[Mike @ Oct 11th 2007 3:16PM]

What does server have to do with ps3?...
Even if you have a fast comp your still limited by your upload speed

[Chris @ Oct 11th 2007 3:17PM]

the forum loaded slow

[tyler @ Oct 11th 2007 3:44PM]

i think its awesome.

dont hate

it shows creativity... its his money not yours.

now we need him to overclock the cell porcessor, and see it true potential.

[mike @ Oct 11th 2007 4:34PM]

You're worried about the Cell's potential? How about the state of games for the PS3? So far, there's been nothing decent that would tear me away from my 360.

It's pretty sad when the only exclusive game that makes me want to buy a PS3 is Ratchet & Clank. (Don't get me wrong, I love Ratchet & Clank.)

[Cupajo @ Oct 11th 2007 3:54PM]

My PS3 is dead silent too. Because I never turn it on. Because there are no decent games for the system.
I bet it would be even dead-silent-er if I put it back in the box and traded it in at Gamestop for something.

[Dualboot @ Oct 11th 2007 4:53PM]

I second this one. My PS3 has been silent ever since I picked up an Xbox360. There is no compelling reason (yet) to buy a PS3 and the Media Extender is pretty cool.

Kudos to Dragonpower for his engineering and patience.

[suv4x4 @ Oct 11th 2007 5:06PM]

Well, finally someone is getting entertainment from his PS3. That's a good thing.

[Qsat @ Oct 11th 2007 5:20PM]

My PS3 is always 10 time cooler than my 360.... but it may be because i use it 10 times less.... i really hope i will use it one day....

[b_a_boone @ Oct 11th 2007 5:28PM]

I think it's a great Ideal, but with the amount of space in the machine, I would coil 1/2 inch tubes on each side of the interior lining of this thing. Not knocking the ideal, just piggy backing off of it.

Unfortunately the lack of games makes my unit stay cool already.

[Frankenstein Black @ Oct 11th 2007 6:24PM]

Did I miss something? When did the PS3 start having heat issues like, um, that other console? Well, tis not bad for a first whack but we all know that only a historical collaboration between Ben Heck (the Plastic Bending Master) and Frank Black (the Water Bending Master) could do it up right! So Ben holla back will ya ;^)...

[Kim @ Oct 11th 2007 8:19PM]

So, tell me again... what did you purchase your PS3 for?

[Vivek @ Oct 11th 2007 7:50PM]

Sad, pathetic....and so on.

[dvmrp @ Oct 11th 2007 10:38PM]

I never feel any *REAL* cooling issue on my PS3. They're just making PS3 looks silly as XBox360.

[BatteryAcid @ Oct 11th 2007 11:41PM]

One of the days someone is gona crak their case due to overcooling it.

[Phil @ Oct 12th 2007 4:48AM]

The Borg have assimilated a PS3!!!!!


Aaaahhhhhhhhh run for your lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[clayrogers @ Oct 12th 2007 1:22PM]

whats the point if you cant overclock it anyways?

[stevew @ Oct 18th 2007 12:48AM]

My PS3 has been running 24/7 since March Folding@home, with a few hours off for Stanford.edu's server trouble and a couple of games of GTHD.

[ucfmat @ Nov 10th 2007 11:56PM]

I keep my PS3 in the store on the shelves...I can't hear it at all.