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Original 60GB PS3 heatsink with five heatpipes  (Source: DailyTech)
Third-generation PlayStation 3 fan and heatsink lighten console load

The evolution of console hardware is a part of its natural lifecycle. The PlayStation 3, however, has seen a rather accelerated level of change as compared to other consoles.

Within its first year on the market, the PS3 has seen no less than four different hardware configurations. The main differentiator to the consumer is hard drive side, but inside the black plastic casing are many changes that affect wireless connectivity, USB ports and PS2 backwards compatibility. With all those different factors, Sony engineers have had multiple occasions to revise its technology inside the console.

Besides just simplifying or removing circuitry, Sony quickly shifted from a 90nm manufacture process for its Cell Broadband Engine processor to a cooler running and more economical 65nm chip size. This in turn made the system demand less power, which in turn generates less heat and lowers the cooling requirements.

Now according to Japan publication Tech-On, the Furukawa Electric company showcased at the Techno-Frontier 2008 exhibition its third-generation work on the PlayStation 3’s fan and heatsink system.

The first two iterations of PS3 cooling had a massive heatsink cool both the RSX graphics chip and Cell CPU, but the latest model offers separate cooling for each chip. The heatpipes used in the original models have also been completely eliminated without endangering the operation of the PS3.

These changes actually simplify the design, allowing for a noticeable weight savings – the latest cooling apparatus weighs 350g, or half of the original launch cooler.

Such revisions are a part of the reason why Sony was able to halve the manufacture costs of its PlayStation 3 during 2007. Estimates from earlier this year peg the costs to make each console at around $400 – a far cry from the original $840 estimate set during the console’s launch in 2006.



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Probably a factor but
By FITCamaro on 4/30/2008 9:52:53 AM , Rating: 4
quote:
Such revisions are a part of the reason why Sony was able to halve the manufacture costs of its PlayStation 3 during 2007


I would say the better yields on Cell and the lowering cost of the blue laser diode are the bigger factors than 65nm and a reduced size of the cooling system. When the PS3 was first released, yields on the Cell chip were terrible. And the laser diodes were in short supply. Now production has ramped up on both.

Regardless, its good to know since by the end of the year I'll have a PS3. Likely Christmas.




RE: Probably a factor but
By therealnickdanger on 4/30/2008 9:58:55 AM , Rating: 2
Since I don't need one for BD-playback, I have very little incentive to buy one at the moment. The only two games I must own this year are Ninja Gaiden 2, Fable 2, and Vigilante 8 Arcade - all on 360. The other games I'm interested in are multi-platform.

We'll see...

Back on topic, hopefully Microsoft gets their arse in gear and improves the power consumption / noise of the 360. Isn't the GPU shrink coming this fall?


RE: Probably a factor but
By FITCamaro on 4/30/2008 10:11:11 AM , Rating: 5
Thats 3 games. ;)

As far as noise of the 360, I don't have a problem with it. The only game that I've even noticed the console while playing was Mass Effect due to the constant disc access. GTA IV doesn't seem to suffer this problem though and its even more intensive (to me) than Mass Effect.


RE: Probably a factor but
By GlassHouse69 on 4/30/2008 10:23:52 AM , Rating: 2
the noise is absolutely horrendous.

kiddie crap x3


RE: Probably a factor but
By Locutus465 on 4/30/2008 10:36:46 AM , Rating: 2
Which generation do you own? I agree that earlier models will be fiarly noisy, but I have the latest HDMI premium design and fraknly it's far from being my loudest CE device. You'll never hear that thing while playing a game/watching a TV show or x-box live video.


RE: Probably a factor but
By therealnickdanger on 4/30/2008 11:46:09 AM , Rating: 2
I was referring to the relative noise of the 360 to the PS3. The newer 360s are very quiet unless there is a lot of disc-thrashing.

quote:
Thats 3 games. ;)

1+1+1=2 in my world! :P


RE: Probably a factor but
By homerdog on 4/30/2008 12:15:33 PM , Rating: 3
My 360 is loud as f**k, and it's one of the newfangled 65nm HDMI models.


RE: Probably a factor but
By SilentSin on 4/30/2008 3:21:41 PM , Rating: 3
Same here. Far louder than my PC that I make no attempt to make quiet, and it does actually get distracting when trying to watch movies. Even if the movies are digital content without any need for disc access, those fans are going nuts.

I've heard a PS3 side-by-side and the difference is huge. On top of that the PS3 has the power supply internal so it's cooling that as well and doesn't seem to have any problems.

Microsoft hardware has failed to impress me past their initial sidewinder controllers from more than 10 years ago.


RE: Probably a factor but
By Locutus465 on 4/30/2008 5:02:08 PM , Rating: 2
Wow... Not sure what's up with your 360's but mine is very quiet... I'm not saying a PS3 wouldn't nessesarly be quieter, I don't know since I don't know anyone that owns one. But I absolutly can't complain about noise from my 360, even with my sound system turned down low it very easily over powers any fan noise coming from my 360...

My PC at boot is quieter but then again it's in a mid tower case, the CPU HSF is a thermal take design with a 96mm fan that blows air directly into the PSU's fan on the bottom of the unit and my video card is a dual bay Radeon HD 3870 which is considerbly quieter than my old geforce 7800GT. Additionally all my case fans are 100mm. Under a lot of strain my desktop gets quiet a bit louder than my 360 will, though since getting the "after market" HSF for my CPU that has changed quiet a bit for the better.


RE: Probably a factor but
By Reclaimer77 on 4/30/2008 7:06:18 PM , Rating: 1
PS3 owners forget they don't have a game console, but instead a DVD player.

Repeat after me, DVD players are quiet. Game consoles are not.

360 is working as intended.


RE: Probably a factor but
By leexgx on 4/30/2008 8:45:57 PM , Rating: 2
PS3 is an games console, just it has BR as well has more cpu power then an xbox 360 (7 cpus)

Xbox is way to noisy before you even start playing games or do something that needs to use the dvd drive in it, new ones are better but thay need to get the GPU croe downsized as well and stop cuting back on cooling inside (as thay did when thay lowered the cpu core size so fans need to work harder agane)

the only time my PS3 kicks into some noise is when i do Folding@home on it, even then it sounds just above an Xbox idleing type of noise but i have the 90mn ps3 the new 65nm ones are very quite even under F@H load


RE: Probably a factor but
By FITCamaro on 5/1/2008 9:17:30 AM , Rating: 2
The PS3 does not have 7 CPUs. Stop living in Sony marketing land. It has 1 CPU with 7 SPEs (6 used in games). SPEs are a form of register. They cannot make decisions about what to do. Only be given a task and execute it. They do not have branch prediction. They are not anything like an actual CPU. They could not run a computer on their own.


RE: Probably a factor but
By BZDTemp on 4/30/2008 8:54:23 PM , Rating: 2
LOL in that case the 360 is one loud DVD player :-)

I find my self having to turn up the volume in games to drown out the 360 noise and that is with racing games where there is constant engine noise :-(

The PS3 is simply a much nicer piece of kit than the 360. Better plastic quality, the slot in thing is cool, buttons are nice... only thing not better than the 360 is the controller which is a bit small to me.


RE: Probably a factor but
By B3an on 4/30/2008 11:49:40 PM , Rating: 2
I just got a 360 Elite today, and its hardly any less quiet than my other 360 that i got on launch day. It's still too noisy, the main problem is the DVD drive noise. My PC is more quiet than both.

Theres no denying the 360 is noisy, magical ones dont exist that are more quiet than others, they are all the same. Anyone who says otherwise seriously needs a hearing check, or is a massive fanboi.


RE: Probably a factor but
By Locutus465 on 5/1/2008 12:21:28 AM , Rating: 2
That's what's kind of getting me.... Maybe I just got lucky as heck but my 360 is actually extreamly silent... After reading some posts this morning I picked up the harmony over lunch and booted up the 360 just to see how loud it was... I couldn't tell it was on at all durring the boot sequence (noise wise). After it was on for a bit with me browsing tabs I could just barely hear the fans if I really listened for it. The second you start playing a game or anything you simply woudln't hear the little guy.


RE: Probably a factor but
By ajfink on 4/30/2008 10:33:35 AM , Rating: 2
I'm in this camp - I've never noticed my Xbox 360's noise. To be fair, I've never used it in an entirely silent room, so take that with a grain of salt.


RE: Probably a factor but
By jonrem on 4/30/2008 12:00:09 PM , Rating: 2
I used to not notice it with my launch console, then I had a RROD and the refurb unit has been horendous. It sounds like an old dustbuster. It's so bad I cannot use it anymore. Whenever the system launches a game it goes into overdrive and is so loud that it is noticeable no matter how loud my speakers are set. I used to be partial to Microsoft, but I'll be buying GTA4 for PS3.


RE: Probably a factor but
By OxBow on 4/30/2008 10:50:11 AM , Rating: 5
I thought our 360 was noisy, but I figured that it was just part of what you needed to deal with and that the PS3 would be just as noisy.

When the PS3 came home I was amazed by how quiet it is. The only time I ever hear the PS3 is if the cabinet door gets shut and the fan has to ramp up to overcome the oven it's creating. I'm not saying that the PS3 runs cool, it does run quiet, though. If they're actually improving what to my mind was an asset on the sytem, that's great, but I think it worked well before.

As for those who say they can't hear their 360's, they need their hearing checked. Even my son, who is completely deaf in one ear and has partial hearing loss in the other says the 360 is to loud (that doesn't stop him from playing on it). If he can notice the fan noise while involved in a game and distracted by his friends to boot, then you know there is something wrong with the fans design.


RE: Probably a factor but
By Locutus465 on 4/30/2008 11:00:09 AM , Rating: 2
Again, do you have the newer HDMI premium's? The 360 has come a long way in the noise department.


RE: Probably a factor but
By robinthakur on 4/30/2008 11:43:31 AM , Rating: 3
Nah, I've got a newer HDMI revision premium 360 and the noise level is just stupid and varies all the time. Its definitely the disc drive's fault but it's audible even when i've got the sound turned up in game and is akin to those "jet taking off" 52x cd drives you used to be able to get.

What's borderline hilarious is that the noise level on this one is quieter than on my last xbox 360, a launch model which I had to pay to replace due to MS not covering its failure, as it failed out of warranty but didn't RROD. All in all, I like the games for the 360 but it is a very poorly thought out bit of hardware. How long has it been on the market now, and they still haven't got the GPU overheating issue sorted out and quieter drive/noise damping fitted?? Maybe they're saving it for a quiet edition...

Either somebody in this thread is not telling the truth or the quality control on 360's is more variable than ever before. How can anyone think the 360 is quiet compared to a PS3?? I forget the PS3 is even switched on sometimes its so quiet.


RE: Probably a factor but
By Locutus465 on 4/30/2008 12:06:57 PM , Rating: 2
That's odd, my 360 doesn't have very bad optical disc drive noise so perhaps that's a luck of the draw thing... Out of all my devices in that department it's my Samsung BD-P1400 that takes the cake for drive noise. You can hear that thing seeking through almost any amount of volume, fortunetly when it settles into streaming off disc it quiests down considerably.


RE: Probably a factor but
By tomthehand on 4/30/2008 11:03:36 AM , Rating: 3
Agreed. I have an early PS3 and a relatively new 360 Elite, and the 360 is considerably noisier. I'm no Sony fanboy (I find myself playing the 360 much more), and it's not like it matters once you fire up anything with sound, but without a doubt the PS3 is much quieter.


RE: Probably a factor but
By funduck on 4/30/2008 11:47:59 AM , Rating: 2
Iv'e got a 60GB PS3 and I actually find it a little bit loud. Gaming is fine (I can barely hear it actually) but the fan really ramps up when running folding @ home. Far far louder than my computer anyway. I don't have a 360 to compare too but if it's louder than this I wouldn't be too impressed.


RE: Probably a factor but
By tastyratz on 4/30/2008 11:54:05 AM , Rating: 2
Folding at home is a completely different demand however than you will probably ever hit while gaming. F@H is constant full load with complicated operations. Games are made to not peak the system to avoid demanding more than it puts out and creating slowdowns, choppy scenes, etc.

I have a 60gb ps3 and its the quietest system I have ever owned. I cannot hear my system running during movies and games from more than 2 feet away, I'm overly impressed.
The cooling system on the ps3 now is very much so overkill - there have been tests with the ps3 running stable and fine in a sauna among other odd stress tests. They probably just sized the system appropriately now. I like having the overkill cooling though because it sure doesn't hurt to have :-)

Perhaps if I were tying my ps3 to one of my legs when I ran the marathon I would be concerned of the weight - guess its good it just sits on a shelf.


RE: Probably a factor but
By afkrotch on 4/30/2008 4:47:26 PM , Rating: 2
Turn up the stereo and I don't hear any drive, fan, sirens, jets, A-bombs, etc noise. So all that was a moot point for me.


RE: Probably a factor but
By steven975 on 4/30/2008 11:05:49 AM , Rating: 2
The CPU and GPU have already been shrunk. It appears the GPU is an 80nm "half-node" shrink which requires little design effort. A 65nm GPU (which needs a redesign) should be out later.


RE: Probably a factor but
By deeznuts on 4/30/2008 1:16:52 PM , Rating: 2
I'm looking forward to Fable2, it might make me get a 360. I wanted a 360 for Bioshock and Mass Effect, but both are on or coming to PC. My GF actually has a 360, but I dont' game when I'm over there.

Really, none of the PS3 exclusives float your boat? No Killzone, MGS4, LittleBigPlanet, White Knight Story, Valkyrie Battlefield etc? Oh well


RE: Probably a factor but
By walk2k on 4/30/2008 12:41:23 PM , Rating: 3
The blu-ray diode was around $125 ea. when that original Isupply estimate ($840) was created. By April last year it was down to $8. That's huge.


RE: Probably a factor but
By michal1980 on 4/30/2008 1:39:47 PM , Rating: 2
i have both a near launch ps3 and anear launch 360 (yes it still some how works).

the ps3 has some fan noise, but since the fan is huge its low freq. and blends easly. unless a moive part is near silent you dont hear it.

the launch 360... I dont like to play late at night, for fear it might wake people up. And even with no games just sitting there on its louder then when the ps3 is working.

when it dies I might replace it. hopefully by them the system will be quiter


grammar
By Gul Westfale on 4/30/2008 10:14:36 PM , Rating: 4
"PlayStation 3 Cooling System Evolves Lighter, More Efficient" - that is not even a real sentence.




RE: grammar
By bgm063 on 5/1/2008 12:13:53 AM , Rating: 2
I tell ya. It's not easy being the writer of an article. Only here does the writer get nailed for doing his job.


RE: grammar
By Gul Westfale on 5/1/2008 8:04:46 PM , Rating: 2
I'm not expecting a shakespearen command of the English language here, but as a writer you should at least know how to put a sentence together.


Quieter and Cooler
By grampaw on 4/30/2008 1:52:54 PM , Rating: 2
I bought the original 60GB model when it first came out and then another 40 GB model just recently. I could swear the newer 40 GB model runs both cooler and quieter than the 60 GB model. Must be the new cooling system...

BTW, I upgraded both PS3 HDD from 60GB and 40GB to 320GB mainly because I found a great deal on the 320GB drives, and your grandmother could swap out the drives it's so simple. Getting ready with lots of storage for whatever SONY has coming down the pike.




RE: Quieter and Cooler
By leexgx on 4/30/2008 8:54:44 PM , Rating: 2
40gb ones are the only ones that use 65mn tech
no card reader and only 2 usb ports but its very quite under heavey load F@h, thay allso use the least amount of power as well, and on top of that an smaller cooler all heat goes out the back on that one

on mine the 60gb one it goes out of the top and back and makes an bit more noise when F@H is running still only an little bit louder then an Xbox 360 (xbox not doing any thing)

the 60gb and 80gb ones are still 90mn unless i missed some news about it


RE: Quieter and Cooler
By Gyres01 on 5/1/2008 4:41:11 PM , Rating: 2
Sweet now with all the money that they are saving maybe some BC can be put back in to the PS3 w/o raising costs???


IDC
By Nik00117 on 5/4/2008 2:49:11 AM , Rating: 2
I don't care what it sounds like, i'm not anal like 0.001% of the population over stuff like that.

Although i'm waiting for prices to drop more, I wanna pay around 150 for a console, and then get GTA IV. Hope they do a price drop here comeing up int he next few months.




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