There can be significant differences in the price-asked for a PS3 from various online retailers in addition to the fact that certain retailers will have access to bundles, packages, and deals that others won’t, certain coupons will be available for certain retailers that may or may not make a difference for you, you really just have to shop around, and remember: Google is your friend.

Let us show you where to buy a PS3 Online. Wondering if you should buy a PS3 from a store or online retailers? Read our article about why online is better. Why You Should Buy a PS3 Online. Now, the way I’ve broken this down is instead of actually ranking various sites and retailers I’ve just put together a list of the ones that I feel are worthy of being here and then given you as much information about them as I could garner through various PS3 forums and friends I have that own PS3s in addition to my own personal experience. All of the PS3′s listed on this page are, to the best of my knowledge, currently in stock (if you see an error here, or a link to a product that’s out of stock LEAVE A COMMENT, please).

Amazon.com

You can’t go wrong with Amazon–their customer service is excellent, their shipping times are excellent, their reputation for honoring warranties is excellent, and their deals and packages are often impossible to beat because they’re exclusive to Amazon. Current deals being offered by Amazon.com for the PS3 console include:

PlayStation 3 160GB System

This new 160GB model is the latest version of the PS3 and the current, by far, bestseller on Amazon and everywhere else as well, this is THE most popular version currently being sold. Amazon is retailing the NEW version of it for $292.99, however used/refurbished versions of it may be available for far less (I see several on there available now for around $245-$280).

As with previous models, the PlayStation 3 160GB system features an IBM “Cell” processor and a co-developed NVIDIA graphics processor that together allow the system to perform two trillion calculations per second. Yet the 160GB system manages to improve on this with its 45nm version of the processor, which although running at the same 60+nm speed as previous PS3 versions, uses less energy. This makes the unit’s smaller size and quieter fan possible. Along with the traditional

allows you to save games as well as download content from The Internet. Unlike The some other models of The PlayStation 3, The 160GB system does not offer backwards compatibility.

320 GB Playstation 3 Move Bundle: $399.99 (includes Move motion system, video demo below)–Available NOW through this link, in stock and shipping immediately

The PlayStation Move 320 GB console bundle is the ultimate way for players to discover the extreme power, versatility and sensitivity of both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Move motion controlled gaming system. The bundle consists of a slim designed PlayStation 3 console, with the massive 320 GB hard drive configuration, a DualShock 3 wireless controller, a PlayStation Eye camera peripheral, a PlayStation Move motion controller and a copy of the PlayStation Move game, Sports Champions. Together these components provide all the pieces necessary to fully experience the advanced motion controlled gaming only possible with the Move system, as well as the wider world of digital entertainment available with the PlayStation 3.

Check out this kick-ass demo of the new Playstation Move system:

250 GB PlayStation 3 Console: $326.02 – In Stock and Shipping Immediately (get it while you can, they haven’t had these in stock in over 2 months!)

The fourth generation of hardware released for the PlayStation 3 entertainment platform, the PlayStation 3 250GB system is the next stage in the evolution of Sony’s console gaming powerhouse. Loaded with a mix of multimedia features and functions available on earlier PlayStation 3 models, as well as a series of new advancements and refinements, the PlayStation 3 250GB system is destined to push the envelope in the realm of Next-Generation entertainment. What’s in The Box:

-New slimmer and lighter PS3 system with a 250 GB HDD, Internet-ready built-in Wi-Fi, 2 USB ports and HDMI + Bravia Synch output for 1080p resolution and connectivity between other Sony HDMI products.

-Dualshock 3 wireless controller.

-AC power cord, AV cable and USB cable.

-Free PlayStation Network membership.

• There’s no good reason not to. Unless you need one as a birthday present for someone who’s birthday is tomorrow (and even then there’s overnight shipping) and you can actually find one available locally, there just isn’t a good reason to prefer buying one over the counter, and there’s usually a lot of good reasons not to do that (keep reading).
• You’ll tend to get better deals and better bundles online.
• You generally will not pay tax if you order online, whereas you definitely will unless you live in a state without sales tax (there are 5: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon)–this will almost always make a big difference in the price: if you’re paying $300 for a PS3 (that’s about the minimum you’ll get a new one for right at this moment) plus a 5% sales tax (relatively low–it’s higher than this in most states) that’s an additional $15 you’re paying that you wouldn’t have if you would’ve ordered online. But, I hear you saying, “you’ll pay for shipping and that will end up negating the money you would’ve saved by not paying tax!”: probably not. A lot of places, like Amazon, offer free shipping.
• As I previously mentioned, you often won’t pay for shipping by ordering online.
• You won’t have warranties and other crap you don’t want pushed on you by sales people.
• You’ll be able to use coupons (keep checking back here, I’m going to post any I can find, but also use Google) that you wouldn’t have been able to use in a store anywhere because coupon codes are typically online-only.

The Backup/Restore utility on the PS3 will only completely restore everything itself, including musics, videos, photos, accounts, downloaded games, game saves and even protected game saves. Now, on a different unit, such as your new PS3 Slim, the Backup/Restore utility will restore only the music, photos, and videos–it won’t transfer anything else over. Your accounts will be there but they won’t be valid so you won’t be able to use them. You’ll need to

re-create your same accounts on the new Slim, which will then register you with PSN so you can download all your old games and synch trophies. Now, you’ll have to manually copy your game saves over and with protected game saves, you’re not allowed to copy anything over because those can only be used on the original machine.

]]> http://wheretobuyps3.com/can-you-backup-your-old-ps3-to-your-new-slim/feed/ 1 http://wheretobuyps3.com/ps3-to-psp-remote-play-how-to/ http://wheretobuyps3.com/ps3-to-psp-remote-play-how-to/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:55:42 +0000 admin http://wheretobuyps3.com/?p=25 Continue reading]]>

Sony’s PS3 has what’s called a “Remote Play” feature, which will allow you to use a PSP to access via a wireless connection photos, videos, music, and other files that you have saved on your PS3 or external flash drives and optical media attached to the PS3 (note that this won’t work on the old 20GB PS3 because it doesn’t have WiFi).





Regrettably, Sony does not supply any actual documentation or instructions on how to go about doing this and hooking both to each other isn’t exactly user friendly. Here’s what to do:

Also, you might be interested in this thread over at the official PS3 forums that contains a constantly updated list of games that do and don’t work with

remote play. Also, you need to make sure that you’ve got the latest firmware updates for both the PSP and the PS3, as the few people on the forums who have been experiencing trouble setting up remote play usually then find out it was caused by needing a firmware update for either their PS3 or PSP or both.

Also, there’s a number of other things besides playing games that you can do with remote play, including:

• Message all of your PSN friends from your PS3’s buddy list.
• If you start a new chat just by yourself, the PLAYSTATION Eye adds security camera functionality so you can check out your room, plus you can now hear sound (listen in) via remote play video chat.
• Access media streamed from your computer–this includes live TV streamed to your PSP if you have the right gear.
• Download and install demos remotely from your PSP from the Playstation store–you can add funds to your wallet and purchase full games and downloadable content as well.
• Browse the web.

it download the PDF and go by that while using the videos to help you along. Here’s the PDF: Gilksy’s YLOD Repair Guide. I’ll put the videos first. To give credit where credit is due, this fix is thanks to ColinJester aka “Gilksy” of PS3-Hacks.com and Gilsky1 on YouTube:

Part 1



Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Written Instructions (same as PDF but without pics–this is just to skim over to see what equipment you’ll need and whether or not you’ll actually want to do this as opposed to sending it in to Sony)

You will need:

1.) Heat gun (temperature controlled preferably).
2.) Isopropyl alcohol (acquire from chemist).
3.) Vacuum cleaner or compressed air blower.
4.) Phillips screw driver.
5.) Flat blade screw driver or slotted torx bit.

Instructions

1. Remove warranty sticker and rubber foot that’s positioned above hard drive bay.
This will invalidate any warranty.

2. Using a small flat blade screw driver or slotted torx bit, unscrew cover plate screw.

3. Slide cover plate towards the left until it stops and lift off.

4. Remove all Phillips screws marked noting size and position.

5. Hinge case towards you until disengaged and then tilt towards the left. See below.

6. Remove ribbon cable by carefully lifting black part of connector (locking tab).

7. Lift/tilt blue ray drive towards the right whilst disconnecting power cable and the large ribbon (lift tab) underneath.

8. Remove 5 screws and the earth wire screw on psu, and unplug connector plug.

Before removal of psu unplug small bnc connector (black wire) and remove tape on side of psu, now lift off psu.

9. Now remove the wide ribbon from connector (lift tab) unscrew the four screws on the Bluetooth board and remove.

10. Remove hard drive cover.

11. Unscrew blue hard drive screw and disengage hard drive by sliding towards gap in the bay.

12. Remove hard drive, see below.

13. Unscrew 4 screws holding the bracket, on/off and eject control panel. Remove small ribbon (lift tab) and remove control panel.

14. Unscrew 8 screws.

15. Lift enclosure out of plastic base, see below.

16. Now unclip black rear panel and remove.

17. Unscrew 4 screws and remove sprung brackets, see below.

18. Lift of metal cover plate whilst allowing ribbons to pass through gaps in plate without damage, see below. (Taking note where heat sink rubbers are positioned).

19. Supporting fan assembly turn board over, remove fan power connector and fan.

20. Remove 2 screws holding plate to hard drive connector and unplug battery connector.
Now remove plate.

21. Clean off old heat sink compound from the 2 mainprocessors using Isopropyl alcohol making sure all traces of the old heat sink compound has gone.

22. Clean both touch plates on bottom of fan/heat sink assembly with Isopropyl alcohol until all traces of the old heat sink compound has gone.

23. Now using a vacuum cleaner or compressed air blower get rid of all dust build up in the case and on all component parts of the ps3 (pay special attention to the fan assembly and heat sink fins(MUST BE CLEAR OF DUST).

24. Typical example of dust build up.

Ps3 case (dusty).
Heat sink plates before
heat sink compound removed (dusty).

25. Once cleaned you should now have a nice pile of bits that looks something like this, see below.
Now for the tricky bit!

26. Check the top metal cover plate (underside) for burn-in marks, as you can see below this ps3 got very hot before it yloded!

27. Place the ps3 mother board on a flat heat resistive surface (kitchen work top or melamine shelf will be fine).

28. Turn heat gun on and set temperature to 350 deg and the fan speed to low (to high and it will move the surface mount bits).Allow gun to get up to temperature before continuing!

29. Using a circular motion hold heat gun over areas outlined below (keep heat gun an inch above
board/components at all times).

30. CPU side first.

31. After 15 to 20 seconds move onto the next area.

32. Once all marked areas have been heated/reflowed on the mother board LEAVE for at least 10 to 15 minutes to cool. (DO NOT MOVE MOTHER BOARD WHILE COOLING).

33. A popping noise may be heard during cooling, don’t worry this is normal.

34. NON CPU side.

35. After 10 to 15 seconds move onto the next area.

36. Once all marked areas have been heated/reflowed on the mother board LEAVE for at least 10 to 15 minutes to cool. (DO NOT MOVE MOTHER BOARD WHILE COOLING).

37. A popping noise may be heard during cooling don’t worry this is normal. Heat sink compound still on in this picture, remove before reflowing. Heat sink rubber pads still on in this picture remove
before reflowing also hold ribbons out of way while reflowing

Congratulations!!

You have just repaired you’re yloded ps3 mother board.

38. Now its time to apply new heat sink compound to the 2 processors, when doing this its always best to follow the manufacturers instructions but I believe the process is the same with all types (please check instructions that come with paste), before continuing

39. The paste I am using is called AKASA 450 it’s a silver based compound with a thermal conductivity of 9.24w/m deg c and an operating range of 0 to 200 deg c. You can buy it from most pc shops but I get mine from my local Maplin ( I have been told that there is a better compound on the market called arctic silver but I haven’t tried it as yet so the choice is yours).

40. Use syringe supplied and dispense a small worm of compound from top to bottom on the left hand side of processor chip, now using credit card supplied spread compound evenly and thinly over processor face (to much is bad and not enough is also bad) the ideal amount is when you can almost see through the paste.

41. Now repeat on the other processor.

42. See below.
NOW IT IS TIME TO REASEMBLE THE PS3.
RETRACE YOUR STEP IN REVERSE TO REBUILD
MAKING SURE ALL RIBBON CABLES HAVE BEEN
FULLY INSTERTED INTO CONNECTORS AND LOCKED
DOWN IE. (TABS).

Plan A

1. First, note that the headset must be at least a Bluetooth 1.2 compliant headset because older versions won’t have a profile that the PS3 recognizes. Now, put your headset into pairing mode (refer to the instructions that came with it if you don’t know how to do this).
2. Next, go into the CrossMediaBar (XMB) menu on the PS3, go to “Accessories Settings” and press “X”.
3. Go to “Register Bluetooth Device”. Press “X”.
4. A screen should come up for this, press “X”.
5. Now it should ask you if you want to start scanning, press “X”.
6. It should find your headset, press “X”.
7. It will now ask you for the pass key, which is almost always (unless you’ve changed it) four zeros: “0000″. That should end the registration process, but we’re not done yet.
8. Navigate back to “Accessory Settings” and select “Audio Device Settings”, press “X”.
9. Set the “Mic Level” to 5, and both “Input Device” and “Output Device” to your Bluetooth headset if wasn’t already set that way.

Note that you might have to go through this setup twice, depending on what type of headset you have. The Sony headset only needed to go through it once, but my friend’s Plantronics headset needed to be done twice–no clue why, but it did (don’t give up! haha).

Plan B

1. First of all, the headset must be fully charged as most of you know by now. You know this because the red circle on the headset is fully on and not blinking (which means it’s still charging).
2. Once your headset is fully charged, connect the USB cable directly to the headset before you connect the other end to your PS3. When you connect the cable to the PS3 you should see the headset’s green power light come on for about 2 to 3 seconds. Alright, now it’s paired.
3. Next, go to settings, then accessory settings, and then “Manage Bluetooth Devices”: you should be able to see your headset there. Another way of checking is go to settings, then accessory settings, then audio device settings: talk into the mic, if you can hear yourself, then everything is set and you’re ready to go.