[quote name='H.Cornerstone']And even so, if your PS3 starts running too hot to the point that it's dangerous to the system, it will automatically shut down just like your computer would.[/quote]
That, and the computer shutdown point, are cutoff points that are there to prevent permanent damage. While both the PS3 and PCs can run in hot temperatures, doing so constantly and for long hours will reduce the life of components, especially fragile parts like the hard drive.