Your PS3 is failing. Reapplying TIM is only going to be a short term solution. The only permanent fix is to re-ball/re-flow the solder under the main series of chips on the board (CPU and GPU). This can be done with a heat gun or a REALLY hot oven and some careful planning and preparing. Otherwise it WILL continue to get worse... much worse actually. Eventually the thing will give you the YLOD.
You got 2 solutions here:
Get a new PS3 (recommended as they are so cheap. Just get the cheapest one). To transfer your saved data, get an external hard drive and format it to FAT32, then use the backup utility on the PS3 and backup your stuff to it. As long as you have been applying all the latest firmware updates to your PS3, that should be there (it was added in FW update 3.0).
From there, you can put the new drive into your NEW PS3 and it may ask you to reformat the drive. If it does, you now have your data on your external. Once the format is complete, run all the latest fw updates (just go over to system/settings and have it look for updates). Then use the transfer utility again and restore the data to the PS3.
The second option is to attempt to reflow the solder under the chips with a heat gun or an oven.Don't just stick the PS3 in the oven. If you do, I am going to come to your house and personally beat you senseless.
Heat gun method- take the ENTIRE PS3 apart and remove the logic board/mother board from it. Afterward, use aluminum foil to protect all the plastic bits on the board. Just crunch it around them and you should be fine.
Now, evenly heat the board, both front and back with the heat gun on low. Keep the heat gun moving and have it about 6 inches from the board. Just keep getting it evenly heated to the point is is rather hot to the touch.
Now set it down on the table and start focusing on the CPU and GPU. Keep the heat gun about 3 inches from the chips and put it on high. Keep the heat gun moving. Keep doing this for about 2-3 minutes. DO NOT TOUCH THE CHIPS. The solder will be soft. If you do, you are screwed. Done, zip, zero, nada. You can cause the chips to shift. Now you gotta completely remove them, clean the solder off, apply new solder onto each of the TINY bads on the board and reflow the chip back on it. Have fun doing that. You have been warned.
Let the board cool for about 2 hours.
The second method is the again, cover on the plastic bits pretty good with aluminum foil, then take a cookie sheet out. Put 4 decent sized balls (about 1-2 inches thick) and make pillars out of them. You are going to use these to support the board from all 4 corners. Carefully place the PS3 onto the balls/pillars and make sure that the GPU and CPU are facing UP, now DOWN like a bunch of these idiots say around the web. The reason for this, is if the solder gets hot enough, it will let loose and the chips will just fall right off the board. Place it into the oven that has been pre-heated to 400 degrees. Make sure you have it on the middle rack. Leave it in there for about 5-10 minutes ( do about 8). Carefuly take it out and let it cool for about 2 hours.
Put the PS3 back together and pray.
I use to fix PS3s and 360s as a side job (charged 150 per system. Once made 1000 bucks on the side :D ).
Edited by Lord Xeb - 9/26/12 at 9:00pm
