What to do with a YLOD PS3?

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wildthing2022000

CAGiversary!
Just got the dreaded YLOD on my almost 5 year old fat PS3 (made in June 2008) and I have almost no clue what to do about it. I'm not good with electronics so fixing it myself is not an option and there are no shops nearby that could do it, so that leaves me with a couple of options:

A. Go through Sony and get it fixed for $99.00 + taxes
B. Trade it in at a local Gamestop (currently has +$50 trade-in for consoles but I'm guessing would be a lot lower for a YLOD system) & just get a new slim. I would also give them the cables and a controller if that helps the trade-in value.
C. Wait for a price drop & then trade it in (Trade value would drop also wouldn't it?).

HDD size doesn't really matter since 2 months before it YLOD I put in a larger HDD so I would probably just swap back in the old HDD before trading it in.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Sell it on Craigslist. There's always some DIYer who thinks they know what to do with broken PS3s, rarely are they right (I used to be one of those folks)... but either way give it a shot!
 
Yep, CL/ebay or fixing it yourself are about your only options. IMO you'd be better off getting a new console, as you never know when your "fixed" console could crap out on you again.
 
I had the YLOD a couple years back, what I did was open the system and part each component. FYI the bluray drive is worth about $50 on ebay. I sold the majority of the parts and received about $150 back after ebay fees, YMMV since bluray prices seem to have dropped and I had the original 60GB unit. Your other option is Craigslist, although I'm not sure how much you'll get back.

It's not worth fixing, especially not for $100. You should put that $100 towards a new console, that covers almost half the cost of a new ps3 anyway. Just my two cents.


here's a very good guide I used to disassemble my ps3
http://www.llamma.com/PS3/repair/PS3_disassembly_tutorial.htm
 
[quote name='wildthing2022000']If I were to take it apart and sold the parts on ebay would I need any special packaging or would just a zip-lock bag do the trick? Or would I just be better off just selling the entire thing for parts like I have been seeing in some ebay listings like this one?

This is a good deal for a new one right?

http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Exclus..._1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1367063971&sr=1-1[/QUOTE]

It's easy enough to take apart, but if I were you I'd probably just sell the whole thing like you linked... Less hassle and then you only have to go with one listing.

As for that bundle, it's a pretty good deal as long as you don't already own those games. You might could find one a bit cheaper through AWD, but you might get stuck waiting a while for one to pop.
 
[quote name='Ivajosh']Gamestop doesn't accept broken playstations iirc.[/QUOTE]

You do not rc. They do take them, but charge a refurb fee of about $40. So if a PS3 normally trades in for $100, you would get $60 for it. As long as it has all parts and has not been opened. I traded in a PS3 with a non-working bluray drive.
 
[quote name='wildthing2022000']If I were to take it apart and sold the parts on ebay would I need any special packaging or would just a zip-lock bag do the trick? Or would I just be better off just selling the entire thing for parts like I have been seeing in some ebay listings like this one?

This is a good deal for a new one right?

http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Exclus..._1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1367063971&sr=1-1[/QUOTE]

You don't need any fancy packaging, just make sure the items you're selling are well packed. I used bubble wrap but you can also use packing peanuts or news paper if that's all you have around.

Personally I didn't take the route of selling the entire ps3 because based on the listings (at the time) it wasn't worth it for me. I think you will profit more if you sold each part but if you don't care then yes it is more convenient to sell it as a unit.

The amazon bundle isn't bad since it comes with 2 games. If you wanted, you could easily sell those for $40ish. Though if you can find this bundle, this is a better deal http://www.target.com/p/playstation...283960#prodSlot=medium_1_2&term=playstation+3
 
They are pretty heavy, so I say doorstop.

And FYI Gamestop generally needs all cables and controllers to take a trade in. I saw a lady go apeshit a few days ago because her Wii was missing a nunchuk and she would have to buy a new one or not trade it in.
 
Doing a reflow might fix your YLOD again temporarily, but in order to truly get rid of the YLOD you need to reball that sucker, and a professional reballing service costs around $100 + shipping. Thing is, once you get YLOD.. other things could go awry sooner or later. Such as the BD drive, power supply, etc. I don't think the amount of money/investment you'd make to revive the PS3 would be worth it in the longrun now that it's had the YLOD.

I think selling it as a whole would be much more convenient, for one, you don't have to deal with having to ship multiple pieces. Next, a sealed PS3 that hasn't had their sticker voided is slightly more valuable than one that has already been opened since anyone could've opened it to attempt a fix. I'm sure if you are patient you could perhaps net a little more if you gut the PS3 down, since the blu-ray drive itself goes for $40-50 easily, so in the end it really depends in the amount of time you want to invest in listing the guts for the PS3.

I wouldn't send it to Sony though, since they'll just send you a refurb unit. It'd be much better to wait for a good deal, (Cowboom & AWD). I'd recommend a Slim though and NOT the Super Slim as that one feels cheap as hell & from what I've been told, loud.
 
[quote name='The Dude 419']Not sure if you are interested but this is a very in depth guide to fixing it. Again not sure if you are interested but an option:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Yellow+Light+of+Death+Repair/3654/1

Like japatten said if you want to unload it craigslist is probably your best bet, and that guide makes it look easier than it likely is to fix as well.[/QUOTE]

He stated he's not very good with electronics, I doubt he'd want to venture into something he could very well be in over his head with.

Also, YLOD in my experience is usually tied to cold solder joint production. To really get this done right, you need some pretty sophisticated/specialized tools to properly reflow your board. Using a heat gun can only give you a half-a$$ed job at best because you're relying on the heat distribution coming from the motions you make. Part out the PS3 if you want to go through the hassle, or sell it on craigslist for $60-$75 IMHO.
 
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