Proper way to apply thermal paste to the 90nm RSX (Reality Synthesizer)?

We all know the correct way for the Cell Broadband Engine, which is a small line in the center of the IHS.

But i still can't find reliable info on application of thermal paste on the RSX.

There is 4 Graphics memory chips on each corner and the actual GPU in the center. I have read that spreading paste all across is the best way for the RSX. But i always prefer to let the heatsink spread the paste to avoid air bubbles.
With the heat of the RSX paste all around the IHS wouldn't be so bad as it needs all the help it can get, but i'm little worried about air pockets. I'm thinking 4 dots each corner and a larger dot in center?

I purchased some MX-4 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121265112023
And also some cheap thermal paste so i can do a spread test and see how well it spreads.

What do you think is the best application for the RSX?

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much, it won't make much difference. When I did mine, I smeared a very thin layer across the IHS with my finger to make sure it was spread evenly. I doubt the RAM chips produce that much heat for it to matter.

I would be more concerned about the paste under the IHS than air bubbles tbh.

 

Not a good idea i use to do that but the oil from your skin doesn't aid in thermal conduction

The paste under the IHS has already been replaced. I'm just doing it my way incase the company didn't do it properly. Although i run at fan gear 1 at XMB for around 10 minutes then fan gear 2 for XMB and games Fan gear 3 does come up with PS2 games sometimes. But what worries me is that it doesn't like to come down from gear 3.

And the application is crucial when it comes to the launch console.

 

Out of interest, have you replaced the fan? I swapped mine for a 19 blade version and the fan generally only reaches level 2 in games. Also, have you replaced the paste under the south bridge? It's the one thing I haven't done and I'm wondering whether to bother or not.

A finger might not be the best, but I had never used thermal paste before so I had no idea how much to put on otherwise. I was more concerned about getting a really thin layer and covering the whole heat spreader for maximum contact area.

As for the RSX, if you use a line for the cell, I would just do the same for that. The super slim has no heat spreader or paste on the RAM, so I would guess they are only used to hold the IHS rather than actually needing cooling themselves.

 

Yeah i have a 19 blade fan. Hmm never though of the paste under south bridge. Any articles or info on that procedure?
I have also purchased replacement thermal pads so that should help

Also would rather be safe then sorry with the GRAM.

 

I think it was ps3hax where I read about the south bridge. It is supposedly the same procedure as the cell, but the silicon is much softer.

 

Found a thread on ps3hax regarding south bridge http://www.ps3hax.net/showthread.php?t=71660&page=3

Do you think super glue would be okay to hold down IHS?

As shown on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlhlcJ9lLZc#t=719

 

I just pop standard white thermal grease and flatten it with an expired credit card until I get a 1mm thick layer of thermal paste on both cell and rsx chips.

No need for fancy crap like AS. Runs like a champ.

If you leave "bubbles" in the thermal paste or it dries up and "cracks" you might have overheat events where the console might sound like a jet engine as it accelerates the fan to reduce the temperatures inside.

 

You are over thinking it. Don't put too much, and don't glob it. Just make a small straight dab, the heat plate will flatten it.

 

Depending on how you do it, it might still not work right. If you put too much thermal paste for example it will be too thick and the GPU will overheat, even if a lot escape to the corners...

 

I use the credit card method for things like Xbox 360 where there is no cap on the chips and the dies are small.

For things with a large cap like PC cpus I usually just drop a small round blob dead in the center of the chip and flatten it by applying the heatsink on it.
I think it is the best method as shown by several tests. It is quick, does a good job and prevents air bubbles.
I use about a grain of rice size glob for an intel cpu. Taking the HS off afterward showed a good distrubution with this method.

 

Yea, definitely don't over do it.

I've opened up 100s of PS3s and I can tell you Sony was not careful at all when applying the "tooth paste" of thermal paste they put on the CPU and GPU. In most cases, most people are over thinking the applying thermal paste. It's not going to make a drastic difference, no matter which method you choose. I like the apply a straight line in the middle about the width of a pinky finger nail. Every time I close the heat sink on it, it makes a near perfect oval covering 85% of the GPU and CPU, but does not overflow.

 

The proper way would probably be to use the self-stick sheets of material. However, you'd probably get on best with paste by using a template of the correct shape and thickness, applying a line one end and using a spatula to spread it evenly.

 

I'm probably going to do a small line in the centre of IHS. I Have ordered Pulse Thermal Pads and will do an all around thermal pad replacement. As-well as paste under south bridge IHS. Got some Thermal Adhesive for the IHS also.

 

After replacing a few thermal pads, paste under south bridge and RSX/CBE things are running more hot at lower fan RPM which is great. I couldn't do all of the thermal pads as i purchased 3mm pads which is too big, but most of them was fine anyway the ones that was brittle i replaced. (cutting thermal pads in half is damn near impossible)

I have a question about the PS3 fan gears. Someone on a forum i visited stated fan gear 1 at XMB and fan gear 2 on movies/games on his 60gb. I'm not too sure how the fan gears work. Is the boot up fan gear 0, as it's silent?

If that's correct then i'm running fan gear 1 for approximately 7 minutes then 2 on XMB then 3 for games/movies/cdplayback thereafter. Thing is my PS3 doesn't like to go down gears once it has risen.

Thanks.

 

There's no such thing as "fan gears". Fan speed is linear not "stepped up". It depends on the temperature on the chips for most of it.

The idea is design the cooling system so the temperature stays constant independently of software loads so it doesn't break too fast from thermal stress.

So I suppose that in the end it boils down to how efficiently heat is passing from the chip IHS to the heatsink assembly.

 

I disagree, there is certainly gears or it is stepped up in stages. I hear a sudden jump from gear two to three and visa versa, it doesn't just slowly crawl up.

 

The fan speed definitely has set levels. You can actually buy devices to increase the fan speed, either upping the base speed or adding a set amount to the normal fan level set by the console.

The PS4 on the other hand is linear.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation

Read that and then come back to discuss.

That's how the PS3 control the fan speed.

If there's "levels" on the behavior of the fan it's a artefact of the programming on the system controller chip but still the control is linear.
There's no such thing as "gears". There's no gear box into a PS3. (lol)

If you observe the fan behavior on the PS3 with some form of thermal monitoring you will notice that it responds immediately to temperature increases on the CELL BE chip (that's the part of the PS3 which runs hotter).

And every time you start something that has heavy processing, as the PS2 emulator for example which has all IOP and sub system (sound, CD/DVD hardware and I/O) stuff emulated on CELL even on the systems with EE+GS chip the fans will certainly speed up to catch the temperature increase.

The temperature on the GPU and CELL are not related to what you're running at the time directly but to what EACH CHIP is doing on the program that is being run at the time. For the PS2 emulator, the RSX usage is very low but CELL usage is high and that's how you get the fans to speed up.

 

No one said anything about how it is done, just that the PS3 sets the fan speed at set levels. Which it does.

Interesting info though, thanks.