PlayStation 3 Intercooler

by Nyko

• Not compatible with 40 GB version of PS3
• Increases air flow and reduces heat throughout the PlayStation 3
• Clip-on assembly for easy installation
• Unique patent pending design

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000KIPDZO
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 4.8 x 3.8 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: May 7, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,502 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #14 in Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Accessories > Cables & Adapters > Adapters
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Product Features * Not compatible with 40 GB version of PS3 * Increases air flow and reduces heat throughout the PlayStation 3 * Clip-on assembly for easy installation * Unique patent pending design

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

160 of 174 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Intercooler not so cool! June 5, 2007

By Kenny Gardner

Fun: 3.0 out of 5 stars   

1. It does not steal power from the PS3. It plugs into the PS3's power receptacle and the Power Cord plugs into it. The AC power "passes thru" to the PS3.

2. It moves the PS3's power switch to the front of the unit for easy access. Which you'll need, see below.

3. It is loud.

4. It can be difficult to attach to the PS3. You must be careful not to break it or the air slots on the PS3. It snaps into place and you are warned to be careful when doing so as it is very easy to break things.

5. It doesn't turn off when you put the PS3 in standby mode - pretty lame. So, when you put your PS3 to sleep for the night (standby mode) the fans on this thing continue to run. That is why they moved the power switch up front. You have to power it, and the PS3, off to turn the fans off.

6. I couldn't live with the extra noise and the inconvenience of having to get up and manually turn the PS3 off in order to turn the fans off. So, I took mine off and it is now sitting in the closet, unused.

Good design for the fans, but bad implementation (having to manually turn it off). If you use this system, you can say goodbye to using your controller or your Blue Ray controller to turn the system on/off.

There have been no official reports of the PS3 overheating so until that happens, why waste money, as I did, on fans which may or may not be needed.

Save your money and buy a game instead.

87 of 97 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money! June 7, 2007

By Matthew J. Rygelski

Fun: 1.0 out of 5 stars   

In theory this should be a good product, right? Here's the setup: One big fan on the back, two tiny fans on the top, and two really really tiny fans also on the top, and finally variable speed control. But wait, why does it have its own power switch? This switch acts like a "master" switch so every time you want to switch the PS3 on or off, you have to walk over to the console and flip this new switch (oops, make sure your PS3 is properly shutdown first and the hard drive is done writing because it is essentially like ripping out the electric cord). Yes, the switch is a dumb design when they should have just made that switch only control the fans and pass-through the power to the PS3 so it can use its own power control software. But that doesn't matter, its not like you could forget to turn it off. This device makes some noise and a lot of it. Remember the general rule: the smaller the fan the more noisy it seems to be. Fine, I'll compromise a little noise for saving the PS3 from all that evil heat... no, this thing doesn't pull heat out fast enough (oh yeah, that's because these loud small fans are too small!) In summary, save your money and avoid this seriously stylish piece of junk. Great idea, it's too bad someone didn't test a prototype first.

70 of 78 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars A terribly noisy way to solve a problem that may not even exist July 30, 2007

By bixodoido

Fun: 1.0 out of 5 stars   

The idea behind this product, and the implication that doubtless drives many people to purchase it, is that you need an external means of cooling your PS3. You buy something like this because you want to protect your very expensive investment, but that's assuming there's a problem with the console overheating in the first place. I don't believe that's the case--I've seen these things played for hours at a time without a cooler, and most of the consoles on display at local retailers, which are on for many hours, are not cooled externally.

Besides being (probably) unneccessary, however, the Intercooler is poorly designed. The thing is bulky, though maybe that can't be avoided. It's terribly loud as well--loud enough that you may not be able to use it on a PS3 if you're playing it late at night with the sound muted so you don't wake up the family. There is a dial to adjust the fan speeds, but even on the minimum this thing sounds like some kind of mutated hairdryer.

It has it's own on/off switch, which also acts as a master switch for the PS3. If you switch off the intercooler the console goes off as well, which could be a major issue if a game is saving or something. Sleep mode for the PS3 works only if the Intercooler is still on (and roaring), and you can forget about turning the PS3's power off from your controller.

Bottom line--this is a pretty poor product. Don't let the fear of a PS3 meltdown drive you to get ripped off by one of these things--just leave the console in a well-ventilated area and let the system cool itself off the way it was designed to do.

57 of 63 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Keep your PS3 Cool! January 13, 2008

By Buckaroo Banzi

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

After reading the previous bad reviews, I had to say something. As an Electrical Engineer and someone who does electrical circuit and mechanical design, this is not a bad product. I knew before I even hooked it up that it would add an additional level of noise! It's something that I've learned to tune out and doesn't really bother me. What many don't realize is that heat is a semiconductors worse enemy. Just because the PS3 doesn't warn you, it doesn't mean that an accelerated degradation of the internal components is not taking place. The nice thing about the unit is that I can allow it to run a few minutes after shutting the system down. This prevents the internal temperature from rising due to residue heat once the PS3 is powered down.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars After 3 weeks it's dead... AND IT WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY August 19, 2007

By Dave from Seattle

Fun: 1.0 out of 5 stars   

I bought this thing and the first two things I noticed were:

-Its WAY too loud.
-I can't leave the PS3 in standby mode.

Then after 3 weeks I hear this HORRENDOUS noise coming from the PS3. The large fan on the cooler was making noise like a bearing was going out.

Suffice to say, don't waste your money.

EDIT - Talked to Sony Repair about these things based on what I had heard at my local Gamestop. DO NOT USE THIS DEVICE.. The use of it will void your warranty on your PS3. They apparently draw too much current and cause the power connectors in the PS3 to burn up.