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New PS3 internals should make the hardware profitable

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DVDBack23 @ Apr 27, 2010 04:49 | 17 comments

PlayStation University is reporting today that Sony's latest PlayStation 3 hardware updates should help the console finally become profitable without the aid of software sales.

The new motherboard of the Slim units have an improved RSX GPU, one that uses about 15 percent less power, and almost completely eliminates the possibility of the 'yellow light of death'.

There has not been a breakdown completed yet of the new hardware, but the original Slim PS3 was said to bring the console to almost breakeven in terms of profitability so the new GPU should likely make the hardware profitable for the first time since the console's launch in 2006.

The new RSX GPU is 40nm, an update from the larger, less efficient 65nm version seen in all past models.

Adding to the efficiency, the new Slim unit features two 128MB XDR RAM chips instead of four 64MB chips, a new cooling assembly, as well as a lighter power supply.

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Comments

Comment by: Josipher (Apr 27, 2010 04:56)

any improvement on perfornamce?

mods go home

Comment by: joshuabr1 (Apr 27, 2010 05:52)

Spam removed

Comment by: bmlshane (Apr 27, 2010 06:40)

But will the price drop as well? Making it cheaper would possibly increase sales, especially if YROD is eliminated.

warlock

Comment by: KillerBug (Apr 27, 2010 08:42)

Originally posted by Josipher:
any improvement on perfornamce?

No, even if it was faster (the new chips could run faster if they wanted them to), they would not increase the speed...for fear of making all those consoles they already have on the market obsolite. The CPU has already been shrunken, and they did not increase the clock then.

"the new Slim unit features two 128MB XDR RAM chips instead of four 64MB chips, a new cooling assembly, as well as a lighter power supply."
-I wonder if that means they have fixed the memory cooling so that the units don't brick themselves during firmware updates.

"Making it cheaper would possibly increase sales, especially if YROD is eliminated."
-I agree that a lower price would help sales in this economy, but I doubt most buyers have ever heard of the YLOD...so I doubt that fear of it is preventing a whole lot of sales.

Comment by: Josipher (Apr 27, 2010 09:57)

Originally posted by bmlshane:
But will the price drop as well? Making it cheaper would possibly increase sales, especially if YROD is eliminated.

if its going to turn profit for the first time in 4 years theyre going to wait a bit before lowering the price again dude..

mods go home

Comment by: chenqinzz (Apr 27, 2010 12:10)

Spam removed

Comment by: Oner (Apr 27, 2010 13:38)

Originally posted by KillerBug:
"the new Slim unit features two 128MB XDR RAM chips instead of four 64MB chips, a new cooling assembly, as well as a lighter power supply."

-I wonder if that means they have fixed the memory cooling so that the units don't brick themselves during firmware updates.

@ KB ~ Could you post a source(s) for that comment please? Because I have never heard anything like that where the cooling of memory relates to firmware brick-ages.

@ DVDBack ~ It's actually been confirmed that the RSX has been shrunk to 40nm NOT 45nm! And it is rumored that the Cell will be down to 32nm this year or even sooner (maybe that explains the shortages of late?).

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Comment by: trident77 (Apr 27, 2010 13:45)

what is the point in sony now saying their new ps3 slim has newer and better hardware after thousands of people are still stuck with the yellow light problem and dud harddrives and still having to pay sony 160 euro to get the older ps3 fixed. i just compleated installing a new hdd on this older model ps3 and the hdd works perfect now and i could update the firmware at last. my personal opinion on this sony ps3 and the slim models is don't purchase one. sony are cheap bastards and i wouldn't give them another cent in any case. the way they look after their customers is a crime stay away from this company.one more thing if games from your discs play glitchy and you cannot do a full format on your ps3 or you cannot update to new firmware and you get error code 8001002f after trying a full format then you will need to purchase a new hard drive the best hdd you should get is sata* ATA 5400 rpm laptop hdd. (do not get oem one or parallel as parallel is not supported) western digital 2.5 inch 160gb or higher and that will fix all your problems. do not give sony 160 euro to fix your gaming system. a new hard drive will only cost you around 40 - 46 euro. so you will save a ton of money doing it yourself.

Comment by: DVDBack23 (Apr 27, 2010 14:47)

Originally posted by Oner:

Originally posted by KillerBug:
"the new Slim unit features two 128MB XDR RAM chips instead of four 64MB chips, a new cooling assembly, as well as a lighter power supply."

-I wonder if that means they have fixed the memory cooling so that the units don't brick themselves during firmware updates.
@ KB ~ Could you post a source(s) for that comment please? Because I have never heard anything like that where the cooling of memory relates to firmware brick-ages.

@ DVDBack ~ It's actually been confirmed that the RSX has been shrunk to 40nm NOT 45nm! And it is rumored that the Cell will be down to 32nm this year or even sooner (maybe that explains the shortages of late?).

Oner thanks! The original posting said 45nm, will update now.

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Comment by: DXR88 (Apr 27, 2010 17:01)

im thinking of buying a slim, just dont want to lose OtherOS. My Old 60 GB is falling apart.

Comment by: trident77 (Apr 27, 2010 19:20)

Originally posted by DXR88:
im thinking of buying a slim, just dont want to lose OtherOS. My Old 60 GB is falling apart.

if you want to play any new game or access playstation 3 home online you have to install the new firmware till geohot or someone comes up with new firmware simple as that. if your hard drive on the ps3 is messed up back all your stuff up to a pen drive in file alocation table 32, then just purchase a new hard drive. unfortunatly you will lose linux other operating system but what can you do ? decide to keep the other operating system or update to new firmware and be able to access sony sites. it's a tough call i know but blame sony on that one. there is no other operating system on the new slim by default so you will never have it on the new slim.

Comment by: DXR88 (Apr 27, 2010 23:33)

Originally posted by trident77:

Originally posted by DXR88:
im thinking of buying a slim, just dont want to lose OtherOS. My Old 60 GB is falling apart.
if you want to play any new game or access playstation 3 home online you have to install the new firmware till geohot or someone comes up with new firmware simple as that. if your hard drive on the ps3 is messed up back all your stuff up to a pen drive in file alocation table 32, then just purchase a new hard drive. unfortunatly you will lose linux other operating system but what can you do ? decide to keep the other operating system or update to new firmware and be able to access sony sites. it's a tough call i know but blame sony on that one. there is no other operating system on the new slim by default so you will never have it on the new slim.

The HDD works Fine, its the actual PlayStation that's failing the BD drive is failing. it takes up to 6 cold boots for it to actually work correctly. if i'm playing a game the GPU blacks out and comes back. its a mess

Comment by: mycal54 (Apr 27, 2010 23:46)

can you copy ps3 games

Comment by: DXR88 (Apr 27, 2010 23:47)

Originally posted by mycal54:
can you copy ps3 games

No, but homebrew is possible.

Comment by: xnonsuchx (Apr 28, 2010 03:50)

Originally posted by DXR88:

Originally posted by mycal54:
can you copy ps3 games
No, but homebrew is possible.

It seems the word "homebrew" is being used far more vaguely than it used to be.

Comment by: KillerBug (Apr 28, 2010 08:15)

I don't have any news stories about the memory problem, but I do know that there are memory cooling issues, as I was able to fix my system's full-load crashes just by replacing the memory coolers.

Given this, it is very likely that the stock memory coolers cause memory errors...and a memory error during a firmware flash will brick the system.

In my eyes, this is the most probable reason why every firmware ever released for the PS3 has caused some people to get a bricked system.

Even if I am wrong, and there is some other serious flaw causing all these bricks, the memory is still not cooled enough to operate at full load for very long...so it needs to be fixed.

Comment by: Oner (Apr 28, 2010 13:37)

Originally posted by KillerBug:
I don't have any news stories about the memory problem, but I do know that there are memory cooling issues, as I was able to fix my system's full-load crashes just by replacing the memory coolers.

Given this, it is very likely that the stock memory coolers cause memory errors...and a memory error during a firmware flash will brick the system.

In my eyes, this is the most probable reason why every firmware ever released for the PS3 has caused some people to get a bricked system.

Even if I am wrong, and there is some other serious flaw causing all these bricks, the memory is still not cooled enough to operate at full load for very long...so it needs to be fixed.

Ahh I Gotcha now ~ I can see the/your correlation even if I'm inclined to disagree because YLOD & Bricks of PS3's is varied in how/why it happens because of it's infrequency/inconsistency.

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