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Help me decide: PS3 Slim or Fat

N

Net

Golden Member
refurbished PS3 40GB from microcenter $199

or

PS3 Slim 160GB

main uses will be watching movies (Netflix streaming, Blu-ray and DVD)
next use will be playing god of war I, II, III

main concerns (if they are problems or not?): sound during blu-rays (as well as DVD and streaming) and heat. Netflix interface.
 
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I can't speak on the 40 gig version, but my Slim is very quiet when watching Blu-ray. Just make sure you don't place i on top of any equipment that is giving off heat. I had mine on top of my DVR which was always on.....bad idea. Give it some space and the fans will stay nice and quiet for you.
 
The only reason I think you'd want to go with a Fat over a Slim is if you're getting the 100% backwards compatible or ~80% backwards compatible model and you want to be able to play PS2 games. Other than that, I don't see any reason to go fat over slim.
 
Slim all the way.

I had the fat ps3 and it's much louder and runs hotter than the Slim. So much such that I'm always afraid if I forget to turn it off, it'll burn out or overheat some other components in my cabinet (open cabinet). That's not to say the Slim runs cool either cause it doesn't, it still runs a bit hot and a bit loud compared to other components but it's a huge step up compared to the fat ps3.
 
how is the Fat loud? mine is very quiet and i'm 2 feet away from it but then again i don't sit with the sound off in a dead quiet room like some weirdo either.
 
Slim. Even if you have the room, the fat consoles really are huge. And at best you have the 80% partial PS2 compatibility, and really I doubt you'll miss it. I know I don't.
 
gorcorps said:
Slim. Even if you have the room, the fat consoles really are huge. And at best you have the 80% partial PS2 compatibility, and really I doubt you'll miss it. I know I don't.
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The 60gb have a near 100% compatibility. Its just the 80gb that has the issue.

If its a choice between the 40gb and the Slim, definitely get the Slim. has the same features but runs cooler and quieter. Also supports HD audio bitstreaming, which IIRC the 49gb does not.
 
I have a 40gb. It's very quiet. In fact, I never hear it, unless I put my ear next to the BD drive while it's accessing the disc.


gorcorps said:
Slim. Even if you have the room, the fat consoles really are huge. And at best you have the 80% partial PS2 compatibility, and really I doubt you'll miss it. I know I don't.
Click to expand...

That's a bit of an exaggeration. Sure the slims are smaller, but not by too much.
 
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Right now at Amazon you can get the Slim for $299 with $25 game credit, Uncharted 2, Pixeljunk Shooter, Karate Kid blu-ray, and a full 1-year warranty instead of 30 or 90 days. (ASIN: B0047ZC19W)

Repairs on out-of-warranty PS3s cost $149 so that 40GB could end up costing you much more than the +$75 (counting the game credit) for the 160GB.
 
System_Mechanic said:
how is the Fat loud? mine is very quiet and i'm 2 feet away from it but then again i don't sit with the sound off in a dead quiet room like some weirdo either.
Click to expand...

Or maybe your ears are already half-deaf. I have damage to my ear drums and I can still hear the damn fans over almost anything playing.

I used to sit 5 ft away. Even playing games with background music and combat sounds, you could hear the fans whirring. It's noticeably loud when watching a movie or playing a game with long stretches of silence or conversation. If you're stalking someone and trying to hear their footsteps, you have to double the volume just to hear anything. Especially jarring is when your game switches to a cut scene and there are no explosions or music to drown out the sound of your fans spinning.

I finally gave up and stuck the PS3 in another room with extra long cables.
 
Sahakiel said:
Or maybe your ears are already half-deaf. I have damage to my ear drums and I can still hear the damn fans over almost anything playing.

I used to sit 5 ft away. Even playing games with background music and combat sounds, you could hear the fans whirring. It's noticeably loud when watching a movie or playing a game with long stretches of silence or conversation. If you're stalking someone and trying to hear their footsteps, you have to double the volume just to hear anything. Especially jarring is when your game switches to a cut scene and there are no explosions or music to drown out the sound of your fans spinning.

I finally gave up and stuck the PS3 in another room with extra long cables.
Click to expand...

Which model of the fat did you have? Sony made some pretty big internal changes between the fats. The 60/20gb were different from the 40/80gb models. The 40 was always quieter than the older models.

I can't say for sure, as I never had a 60gb PS3, but it couldn't be louder than an older 360.
 
My 40GB fat stopped reading discs after just over a year. My slim is still going strong but I've had it less than 6 months.
 
My launch 60 phat is LOUD, I'm not going to lie. My 250GB slim is nice and quiet tho.

I would probably go slim and a PS2 on the side if you need it.
 
thanks for the info guys.

I went with the black friday PS3 160GB slim bundle that amazon posted.
 
fatpat268 said:
Which model of the fat did you have? Sony made some pretty big internal changes between the fats. The 60/20gb were different from the 40/80gb models. The 40 was always quieter than the older models.

I can't say for sure, as I never had a 60gb PS3, but it couldn't be louder than an older 360.
Click to expand...

I have the 80GB fat with BC. Still running *knock on wood*.
 
fatpat268 said:
Which model of the fat did you have? Sony made some pretty big internal changes between the fats. The 60/20gb were different from the 40/80gb models. The 40 was always quieter than the older models.

I can't say for sure, as I never had a 60gb PS3, but it couldn't be louder than an older 360.
Click to expand...

I have a 60GB PS3 and a first gen XBox 360 Elite, and I can tell you the 360 is WAAAAAAY louder than the PS3. The PS3 is actually pretty dang quiet, but not as quiet as my 360 Slim. The thing is super quiet!
 
I'd get the slim. The only fat versions I would buy are the older versions with PS2 BC, and even then I probably wouldn't as they are an older revision which run hotter.

The catch about the sound is if your console (360/PS3) is in a place with limited airflow, the cooling fans will speed up to help compensate increasing noise. That goes for both consoles.
 
System_Mechanic said:
how is the Fat loud? mine is very quiet and i'm 2 feet away from it but then again i don't sit with the sound off in a dead quiet room like some weirdo either.
Click to expand...

It's loud. The only thing I can think of that might be different between mine and yours is that I put mine in the middle shelf of my cabinet, no doors, it's an open cabinet and that you put yours on a free standing platform. But while in the cabinet, I can hear mine from 6 feet away with light to medium music/tv noise. It's annoying as hell. I have the Slim now and it's a lot more quiet but after it runs for a few hours (guess the fans kick in high) it too is a bit loud.
 
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