Steps 1–27: Teardown
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PlayStation 3 Slim Teardown
Introduction
A first look inside Sony's dramatically redesigned, cooler, sleeker PlayStation 3 Slim! Also check out our PS3 Slim teardown video on YouTube!
Teardown
Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions.
Featured Guide
This guide has been found to be exceptionally cool by the iFixit staff.
Paginated Single Page Steps
Step 1
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Teardown
It's here! We got our dirty hands on a PS3 Slim a full day before it was set to arrive in the mail!
The box, just like the unit, is, well, slimmer.
Did you know you can post your own teardown on iFixit? Share what's inside your gadgets! Take apart an old cell phone, microwave, or toy robot.
Our free online editor makes it super-easy to publish step-by-step teardowns.
We host everything for free, and make it easy for you to have high-resolution photos, professional layout, and full-screen slideshows like ours!
Step 2
Along with the PS3 Slim you get:
Sixaxis DualShock 3 controller
RCA Cables
USB Cable
Power Cord
QuickStart Guide and Instruction Manual
Welcome to PS3 and PS Network Blu-ray Disc
One of those "Guide to Video Game Ratings" guides that nobody gives a [redacted] about.
Step 3
On the front left we have two USB ports, a hard drive indicator light, and a Wi-Fi indicator light.
Front right yields a slot-loading Blu-ray drive, power button, and eject button.
The back has a LAN connection, HDMI port, digital audio-out, multi-connector (RCA or component video) and a new type of power plug.
Owners of the current-gen PS3s will notice an absence of the rear manual power switch. All your powering needs are now served by the front power button.
Step 4
Now that we've dispensed with the pleasantries, let's get into the meat of the subject, so to speak.
We start with the hard drive first.
A blue Phillips screw is hidden beneath "the blue Phillips screw cover," as we call it. Remove this screw.
You can view this blue Phillips screw in all its glory if you'd like.
Next, remove the hard drive cover.
Step 5
The drive enclosure has a metal pull tab attached to it. Pull on it to release the drive from the bay.
The 120 GB Toshiba drive, in all its glory. We have a feeling that it's going to be super-easy to upgrade this drive to 500GB...
Step 6
Remove the three T8 security Torx screws on the underside of the PS3 slim.
What's that, you say? Security screws? Yes, that's right. These screws have a pin in the center of them that prevents an ordinary Torx screwdriver from working. These screwdrivers are widely available, just not quite as easy to come by as a normal Torx.
Sony did this to prevent people like us from taking it apart.
Those three T8 security Torx screws seem to be the only non-Phillips head fasteners on the entire device.
This seems a little spiteful-- hardware hacking is a fine American tradition. No worries, we'll make sure it's easy for you to get these screwdrivers.
Step 7
De-warranty-izing and de-tabbing on the underside of the Slim ensues...
If you haven't seen them already, check out our dozens of teardowns, ripping apart everything from a cappuccino machine to an iPhone 3GS.
Step 8
Seven Phillips screws need to be removed from the bottom.
Interestingly enough, the rubber pad on the front-right corner of the PS3 has no screw hidden underneath it. Imagine our surprise when we removed it!
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Hello,
just a question for us importers,
This is a US bought PS3 slim 120gb, right?
Im asking to make sure that my PSU will also support 220v.
thanks.
iFixit Staff
Yes, and it will run on 220V.
Ok, I can finally say that a ps3 slim, bought in the US (says on the cover that it only supports 110v), is working on 220v.
I plugged it just now and it works!
thanks to you guys.
enjoy
No modchip now success. this machine will be a flop unless someone finds a means to mod it.
Thx for the precise answer, I had the same exact question and was wondering if the claims of a universal supply were for some other version of the PS3 slim. Arguably it would be sort of crazy for Sony to produce many different power supplies when a universal one would just work.
Why would someone want to mod a console ? To help out piracy?
Hi, I am from Fiji Islands. We use 240v here. My relative is getting the PS3 Slim for me from USA. So the PS3 slim will work here in Fiji with no problems rite??? or do i need a step up transformer to be sure?? thanks alot !!
Does the power unit above is same with the one inside the new PS3 sold in Japan? I plan to buy one in Tokyo and bring it home. My country uses 220v. Thank you for your help!
Do you know anything about the cracking noise that a lot of the slims are making? Many people say it's just the noise of the plastic heating up and expanding after you turn it on. Could this "expanding" cause something inside the ps3 to crack or break?
I answer this myself. The unit I bought in Japan works just fine, Though at the back of the unit it is written 110v only!
Cara acabei de ligar meu play3 de marca americana que marca 120v no console, numa rede 220v,fiquei com muito medo mas tomei coragem e pluguei na tomada,ta funcionando com sucesso.Só que ele esquenta um pouco,mas acho que isso é normal.Vcs me ajudaram muito,posso dizer concerteza que o play 3 slim é bivolt!!!obrigado