PlayStation 3 (Fat Model)

This page covers the original "Fat" PlayStation 3 models. For information on models other than what's listed here, see PlayStation 3 Slim or PlayStation 3 Super Slim.
Models[edit | edit source]
There are 12 different models of the original PlayStation 3. At the end of each model number is a two digit suffix that indicates the region that the model was made for. The tables below give a brief overview of every fat retail PS3 ever released alongside applicable regions and their suffixes.
Model # | PS2 Compatibility? | Original HDD Size | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
CECH-Axx | Yes; EE+GS & RDRAM hardware included. | 60gb | Launch NTSC model. Not released in PAL regions |
CECH-Bxx | Yes; EE+GS & RDRAM hardware included. | 20gb | Launch NTSC model. Not released in PAL regions. |
CECH-Cxx | Yes; GS hardware included. EE & RDRAM emulated via software. | 60gb | Launch PAL model. |
CECH-Exx | Yes; GS hardware included. EE & RDRAM emulated via software. | 80gb | NTSC version of the CECH-Cxx model. The only other difference is HDD size. |
CECH-Gxx | No | 40gb | First model to use NOR flash memory to store firmware. |
CECH-Hxx | No | 40gb | |
CECH-Jxx | No | 40gb | |
CECH-Kxx | No | 80gb | |
CECH-Lxx | No | 80gb | |
CECH-Mxx | No | 80gb | |
CECH-Pxx | No | 160gb | |
CECH-Qxx | No | 160gb | Last model of the fat PS3 lineup. |
Region | Suffix | Example |
---|---|---|
Japan | 00 | CECH-A00 |
USA / Canada | 01 | CECH-A01 |
Oceania | 02 | CECH-C02 |
United Kingdom / Ireland | 03 | CECH-C03 |
Europe / Middle East / Africa | 04 | CECH-C04 |
Korea | 05 | CECH-E05 |
Southeast Asia | 06 | CECH-A06 |
Taiwan | 07 | CECH-A07 |
Russia / Ukraine / India | 08 | CECH-C08 |
Latin America | 11 | CECH-E11 |
Hong Kong | 12 | CECH-A12 |
Diagnosing the YLOD (Yellow Light of Death)[edit | edit source]
All fat PS3s can suffer from the Yellow Light of Death. Unfortunately, a YLOD doesn't really tell much, other than a failure in the hardware initialization phase has occurred. This can mean anything from a dead GPU to a dead capacitor supplying power to the southbridge. To really know for a fact where in the hardware_init phase it failed, you'll need to solder a UART connection to the system controller (syscon). For now, follow the documents included in this repository here
General Issues[edit | edit source]
Problem | Solution |
---|---|
Applications won't launch, can't update the console |
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PS3 freezes on boot, laggy XMB, games/apps freeze, longer than usual load times |
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Loud fan or Overheating |
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RLOD (Red Light of Death) |
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YLOD, bad color after a few minutes /lines | this could be a multitude of problems, bad gpu, bad solder balls on gpu, but the easiest and first step should be replacing the NEC capacitors on the back of the gpu with 470uF 6.3v TANTALUM capacitors 4 in place of each NEC capacitor removed |