The YLOD Thread! What is it and how to avoid it when playing GT5.

[Nuck81]

don't bother with Sony. just fix it yourself. it's not hard.
if you send it back to Sony, all they are going to do is charge you $150 and send you out a refurb.

as mentioned in previous posts, go to youtube and search for ps3 ylod fix by gilksy.

one thing I'd recommend is to use flux.

I had to fix mine twice(60gb unit). first time didn't use flux, lasted about a month.
hopefully this time around it runs a little longer being fluxed.

if I could get few more months out of it, I'd be happy.
hate to loose the card reader and extra usbs... they are so handy.

anyway, the fix should last you, at the very least, until you can back up your saves and get your disc out(if it's stuck in the unit).

I just did a full system HDD back up last week. Would that include my game saves or are they separately tied to the game system?

If they are included then I'll just go get a Slim. I won't have lost anything out of GT5 but the new seasonal events and a bunch of cars I bought the last few days...

 

[Mainspring]

I just did a full system HDD back up last week. Would that include my game saves or are they separately tied to the game system?

If they are included then I'll just go get a Slim. I won't have lost anything out of GT5 but the new seasonal events and a bunch of cars I bought the last few days...

if you did a full system back up, you should be fine.

good luck with your new slim!

 

[mlowther]

might be worth mentioning that if you are doing b-spec marathon sessions - it might be a good idea if you are going to leave it alone to have it on the telemetry data screen so its not rendering full screen races.

 

[Nuck81]

if you did a full system back up, you should be fine.

good luck with your new slim!

Thanks a lot for helping me, you've just given me a huge relief.

Another question. Last week I had just bought a 500 gig HDD. And I plan on using it again. Will everything just be there when I put it in the new Slim?

Maybe I won't even have to restore...

 

[Mainspring]

Thanks a lot for helping me, you've just given me a huge relief.

Another question. Last week I had just bought a 500 gig HDD. And I plan on using it again. Will everything just be there when I put it in the new Slim?

Maybe I won't even have to restore...

your game saves should be ok, the ones that are not locked to the system.

other stuff... far as I know if you try to stick a HDD from a different unit to the new one it will ask you to reformat.

copy your game saves from the backed up files and load it to the new unit.

you're most likely going to have to reload whatever else(psn games, music, vids, ect) again.

unless of course you can get your old unit up and running and do a system transfer. (won't transfer whatever files that are locked to the old system though)

 

[cornel]

My ps3 have been on since the GT5 was released in nov 2010.
Maybe a few minutes downtime, but that's all.

It's a fat 40gb...

 

[Tvensky]

My ps3 have been on since the GT5 was released in nov 2010.
Maybe a few minutes downtime, but that's all.

It's a fat 40gb...

you are lucky and got good verion of PS3! 👍

at this time all my friends with same PS3 as me, are dying with YLODs.. Im the only one survivor for now.. we all buyed it at same time same store, when it was released.. so someday near future I will get YLOD, got my GT5 save data backup every week... 👍

 

[BeerBro]

might be worth mentioning that if you are doing b-spec marathon sessions - it might be a good idea if you are going to leave it alone to have it on the telemetry data screen so its not rendering full screen races.

if i know i won't be looking at the screen a lot, i even put my ps3 to output only 480p, the system runs a lot cooler.

 

[sumbrownkid]

I don't get why people put a fan to blow cool air into the PS3 vents...where the hot air is being expelled from the PS3's internal fans. That's putting even more stress on the PS3's fans.

 

[Nuck81]

So I haven't gotten to play yet, but everything is transferred over.


While I don't know for sure, it APPEARS that all of my game saves have been transferred over, yet none of the game installs or updates have. Which is exactly the opposite of what I anticipated. Of course they are probably appearing on the console yet can't be used. I guess we shall see.

I'll update again as soon as I know for sure, this may be a help to someone that has to go through the same process in the future...

HUGE EDITmy game save made it through!!! I lost a little progress and some cars but I'm still level 30!!! Damn do I feel better....

 

[Snakebitten]

Read quite a bit of this thread. Very informative. Thanks. I have a slim I bought about 2 1/2 - 3 yrs ago. I've had GT5 on since the Saturday following the release date. I had it horizontal at first and it was very hot on the rear right underbelly. I've since had it vertical and put a little doorway fan by it. I just bought an Intercooler Slim fan from Gamestop that I will try when I get home.

Is my slim ylod proof from the factory since it's upgraded from the fatties? I did the fan thing as I have my stereo and av equipment in a closet. I did this way before reading this thread just to keep the unit cool seems like I might have saved my ps3 since I left it on so long.

 

[dc16a2]

My ps3 have been on since the GT5 was released in nov 2010.
Maybe a few minutes downtime, but that's all.

It's a fat 40gb...

you are lucky and got good verion of PS3! 👍

at this time all my friends with same PS3 as me, are dying with YLODs.. Im the only one survivor for now.. we all buyed it at same time same store, when it was released.. so someday near future I will get YLOD, got my GT5 save data backup every week... 👍

Mine has been on since late November as well, with perhaps a day or two of downtime.

I was also on for about 3 months straight when GTA4 came out.

The OP is being too dramatic with the "only have it on for 2-3 hours at a time" stuff =)

I also have the fat 40GB.

 

[vaneyk]

Good post, I've got to correct you on this one. Im a network admin by trade so I know a little bit about electronics maintenance.

3. Dust off your PS3 in a couple different methods. I use a can of compressed air that's $10 to get the dust off from the inside, you gotta be careful though, or you'll blow one of the components out of place. I hear some people use a vacuum which I really don't recommend (a friend called static hides in the hose and jumps in screwing up your PS3 like a blind kid having a hissy fit over dominoes), and some use car wax on a PS3, which only works on the outside of the PS3 if you have a glossy fat one, don't frieking put wax on the motherboard.

NEVER use compressed air on electronics you care about. It is for keyboards. Why not? It causes condensation (WATER) which is bad. Also It blows the dust into your PS3, also bad.

TURN OFF THE PS3 and use your vacuum with the narrow/pointy nozzle. It does a good job.

Also, I hear people are taking apart their PS3s and replacing the Thermal compound on the heatsink. I think it is probably overkill but never the less, people say it can ease heat related lock ups...

 

[spiker]

This thread should be stickied. Good work.

 

[GreatServant]

I suffered the YLOD last week Damn, all my Christmas holidays ruined
I took the PS3 to a third party store, the repair is going to cost 99€ and I should have it back by next week. For sure, the first thing I'm going to do is to back up my game saves, how in the world didn't I do it before, just in case.....
The guy at the shop told me they repair PS3 that have suffered a YLOD replacing that crappy tin with a mix of tin and lead, so I guess I should be safe for quite a while.
Anyways, I should have expected this to happen, becasue since I bought it (in July '08, 40GB fatty) it had never really been in a well ventilated place, and had always had other electronic devices under or over it. But that's over for sure, as well
And that's about my experience. I just can't wait for next week, when I can finally crank GT5 up again

Lucky you that can have lead mixed into the solder. I think that could be the best way to fix or avoiding the problem from happening. I talked to the guy who is fixing my PS3 with YLOD. He is very kind and tell me the cause of the problem in detail.

In his opinion, the situation is very difficult to deal with and completely fix the YLOD problem is tough. Re-boarding the GPU with lead solder and adding better support to the GPU area (the current design of the board is giving too much pressure onto the middle of the GPU when the board is being heat up). But he haven't try this yet, so not sure how good it will be. The heat gun fix will not last long no matter what, it might not work at all depend on how bad is the solder falling apart.

 

[GreatServant]

So I haven't gotten to play yet, but everything is transferred over.


While I don't know for sure, it APPEARS that all of my game saves have been transferred over, yet none of the game installs or updates have. Which is exactly the opposite of what I anticipated. Of course they are probably appearing on the console yet can't be used. I guess we shall see.

I'll update again as soon as I know for sure, this may be a help to someone that has to go through the same process in the future...

HUGE EDITmy game save made it through!!! I lost a little progress and some cars but I'm still level 30!!! Damn do I feel better....

If you have done a FULL system backup, every single thing on your disk should be copy over, and when you do a system restore, it will restore every thing including PSN games and updates. The system should be exactly the same as the point when you do the backup. I have done this before when switching the hdd to a bigger one, so am very sure. But this is when you have done a FULL backup, I think you might have just done a game save backup or some thing like that, I remember there was different options when backing up the system, but cannot recall what they are.

 

[GreatServant]

Good post, I've got to correct you on this one. Im a network admin by trade so I know a little bit about electronics maintenance.



NEVER use compressed air on electronics you care about. It is for keyboards. Why not? It causes condensation (WATER) which is bad. Also It blows the dust into your PS3, also bad.

TURN OFF THE PS3 and use your vacuum with the narrow/pointy nozzle. It does a good job.

Also, I hear people are taking apart their PS3s and replacing the Thermal compound on the heatsink. I think it is probably overkill but never the less, people say it can ease heat related lock ups...

I used vacuum all the time to clear up my laptop or PS3 or other electronics stuffs, never had problem by far. And can't think of any thing could go bad, just make sure it is power off.

 

[zk523]

Im going to look into doing a mod which will see the power supply unit become external. I have been playing the pse without the top cover one and the heat generated by the PSU with in minutes is phenominal.

Will take temps of the internal of the case before and after use.

Hopefully those who havent experienced this problem yet could benefit from this mod if it reduces case/operating temps. Maybe even future mods will see internal fans seated in the space where the once internal PSU was, drawing in cool air in while the factory fan expells hot air.

I have a launch 60GB that died on me (MW2) and have been playing on a slim for the last year or so. I reflowed mine, but it only lasted a minute or so...perhaps the Arctic Silver I applied was too thick or something. I was wondering about running it with the case off, in the event I could ever get it to work again. Is the difference in heat drastic with the cover off? I'd assume it is...thats how I run my gaming pc.

 

[HOODFIELD]

I just bought an Intercooler Slim fan from Gamestop that I will try when I get home.

How is the Intercooler Slim working out? I watched a video on YouTube and the device looks like it really does the job. But then I read the reviews on Amazon and there's some mixed feelings on it. I was considering it anybody who bought this device got an opinion?

 

[bSUPERSPORT]

Stop the stupid lectures. Use a hairdryer, no im not a virgin, check youtube.

 

[Claybird]

Blow the dust out every so often with compressed air and keep it a reasonably open space.

 

[daveygtheone]

I fun a small house fan pointed right at my system when I play. Seems to keep the heat down to a minimum.

Have fun with your dust-clogged vents

 

[Corpsey]

So if you want to get all techie and look on the back of your PS3 and if you have one of these models:
CECHA
CECHC
CECHE
CECHB
Congratulations, your PS3 has type-2 diabetes which is not good at all!

So.. these are the bad ones? or..?

 

[pooonsa3264]

So.. these are the bad ones? or..?

Yes they are.

 

[davelis]

man my ps3 YLOD'd on the release day of GT5, which also was my birthday!
called sony up,fax'd em the receipt, and in 5 days i had a replacement, of course free of charge

 

[zanxion]

Generally keep your PS3 covered when not using it. It will have less dust accumulated and last a bit longer.

 

[MadBullBunny]

I find this thread quite misleading in many ways and useless. Their are many professionally YLOD threads down at the playstation forums that you could've easily just gave a link too instead of typing all that up. Most everything you said isn't true and its a BIG NO I MEAN HUGE NO on buying a cooling fan for your ps3! Don't not try to change airflow the system has! It will do more harm then good. I don't suggest a desk fan either, but go ahead. What I do is turn on my ceiling fan and keep the room temperature around 72F.

 

[MadBullBunny]

Ok you know what. I'll just rewrite his thread the correct way.

First thing is that every type of PS3 is prone to YLOD and all as equally at chance. The older models get it more because they have been out much longer then newer models. Not to many people bought the 20gb model and who did does not play it as much so thats why they have less fail rates.

Reasons why is because of heat. The solders crack and loses a good contact and or the power supply goes out. Though their are fixes. You can find videos on how to fix the YLOD yourself if you want to attempt or send it in to get fixed. I don't suggest sony because they are ****holes enough to either give you a refurbished ps3 or the same ps3 with none of your data on it.

Ways to keep your ps3 safe? Well DONT KEEP IT VERTICAL. lol I can't believe he thinks it is better to keep it vertical. Theirs pictures that shows if a ps3 is vertical the thermal paste inside will actually fall between the heatseak and the cpu/gpu. I've read around that you don't want to blow the vents out. It will push dust further into the ps3 and into places you wouldn't want the dust at all. Vacuum them out instead. If you are okay with technology then take the ps3 apart to clean the dust out. You could also upgrade the power supply to a better one. After taking it all apart its important enough to also change the thermal paste. Artic5 thermal paste will do wonders. $12. If you're ballsy enough you could resolder all the soldering joints with better solder. Last like I said before keep the ps3 in a cool room and make sure their is about a foot of space around each side of the ps3. Do not at all keep it confined in a space.

Sources I got all this from you may ask? Me~ a guy with launch 60gb that plays gt5 without the fan kicking into high gear at all. Some people are also just unlucky enough to have a faulty system that will ylod anyways. Though do check over at the playstation forums for even way more information about it all.

 

[Coxis]

First thing is that every type of PS3 is prone to YLOD and all as equally at chance. The older models get it more because they have been out much longer then newer models. .

Not true. Yes, all PS3s are prone to YLOD, that includes both fatties and slims, but the slims do have a lesser chance of being affected. True story.

The reason you hear more reports about fat PS3s getting the YLOD is partly because of what you said, they have been used more, but because the slim's heat dissipation is better AND it doesn't get as hot as the fattie on regular operation. I have both, my original fat 60GB got the YLOD after 3.5 years, fixed it myself and transferred all its data to a new slim.

 

[MadBullBunny]

Not true. Yes, all PS3s are prone to YLOD, that includes both fatties and slims, but the slims do have a lesser chance to be affected. True story.

The reason you hear more reports about fat PS3s getting the YLOD is partly because of what you said, they have been used more, but because the slim's heat dissipation is better AND it doesn't get as hot as the fattie on regular operation. I have both, my original fat 60GB got the YLOD after 3.5 years, fixed it myself and transferred all its data to a new slim.

Slims might be designed better, but that doesn't cut the fact at all that they prone just as much as the other models. As it not always the hardwares fault. Most the time it is a user error and even with it being better hardware, a user still can make it fail just as easy as the older models.