"Best" PS2 model?

[mikejmoffitt]

Supposedly, this is the only slim model that has the PS1 CPU on-board (apart from the SCPH-70001), with later models resorting to emulation for PS1 games, as well as being the only slim to have separate EE + GS chips.

Eh, is this confirmed? Or is this community hearsay?

[AndehX]

the SCPH-70000 series is probably the best. It can also be modded to support SATA hard drives, which none of the other slims can do.

[FinalBaton]

I remember Voultar vouching for one particular fat PS2 for having the best build quality, but I don't remember which one it is. I've seen other modders vouch for the same model too.

[citrus3000psi]

the SCPH-70000 series is probably the best. It can also be modded to support SATA hard drives, which none of the other slims can do.

Yeah but requires some work. Not direct drop in.

The best fat ps2 goes to a V7 or 3900x.

Pros
Solid laser, i-link support, perfect software compatibility, hard drive support

Cons
Noisy, no built in IR sensor, large

Best Slim is 7000x

Pros
Solid laser, perfect software compatibility, quiet, built in IR, small

Cons
No easy harddrive solution, I-link impossible

[ZellSF]

I like my SCPH-5000x. It's quieter than the other fat PS2s I've heard and HDD compatibility is a must have for the PS2 IMO.

[FBX]

I've got a 30001 and a slim 70012. The 30001 I bought only needed a lens head cleaning and has been working flawlessly ever since. I really like it. The 70012 works fine too, but I don't like how hot it gets. When I feel the bottom of the unit after running for a while, it's very warm (almost hot) to the touch.

[tjstogy]

Heresy or Hearsay?

Supposedly, this is the only slim model that has the PS1 CPU on-board (apart from the SCPH-70001), with later models resorting to emulation for PS1 games, as well as being the only slim to have separate EE + GS chips.

Eh, is this confirmed? Or is this community heresy?

[tjstogy]

Good to know, thanks. What's noisy- the fan or the optical drive? If it's the optical drive that's noisy, I wonder if there's a way to easily disable it for exclusive use with the hard drive....

The best fat ps2 goes to a V7 or 3900x.

Pros
Solid laser, i-link support, perfect software compatibility, hard drive support

Cons
Noisy, no built in IR sensor, large

[mikejmoffitt]

Heresy or Hearsay?

Whoops, yeah.

Supposedly, this is the only slim model that has the PS1 CPU on-board (apart from the SCPH-70001), with later models resorting to emulation for PS1 games, as well as being the only slim to have separate EE + GS chips.

Eh, is this confirmed? Or is this community heresy?

Well, it's confirmed by Voultar, who told the MLiG guys that the 7000X slims are essentially "perfect PS2s in miniature". Later models removed/replaced the PS1 chip which is why the SCPH-7500X and later models are incompatible with certain PS1 and PS2 games.

The bit about separate EE/GS chips and unified EE/GS chips is taken from Wikipedia, so it could be false, but it lines up with everything else we know.

All that tells us is that there's no discrete PS1 chipset. Do we have reason to believe the chipset isn't integrated into a later revision of the PS2 chipset? Remember that PS2 games used the PS1 chispet for I/O and some other small tasks; it didn't just sit there dormant when PS1 games weren't being played.

[Joelepain]

I started a kind of similar thread some time ago.
Maybe you can find some useful information in it.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=57674

[FinalBaton]

Ah yes, that's it. The 3900x. thanks citrus3000psi!

[tjstogy]

So what's the quietest fat ps2 which accepts hard drives?

[tongshadow]

Any Fat model from 39xxx to 50xxx is fine, and they have the most features and support hard drives.

Dont worry about the laser, they're cheap and easy to replace nowadays.

Try to find a hard modded model that has either the Matrix chip or Thunder Pro, they have nice features like DEV1 and DEV2 modes (memory card and HDD respectively). With this you can easily manage and transfer files between them and an USB pendrive. It's way easier and more " professional" compared to things like Free MCboot.

[Ashura]

Is there any place left to find these modded though? (Or someone who still mods them?) I've been poking around for the last three months and it feels like a needle in a haystack.

[AndehX]

PS2's are not fun to mod. The mod chip is easily the most complicated and time consuming mod for any console. The hard drive mod for the 7000X is also pretty difficult too.

[Star1]

I modded mine this summer, so yes
I'm sure you can find someone who does this on order, but as a warning, my thread on installing a mod chip was deleted by the mods...

Edit, I did have a lot of fun doing it, it worked on the first attempt, but if I was to do it again, I'd do a lot of things differently.
It definitely was time consuming though.

[citrus3000psi]

Is there any place left to find these modded though? (Or someone who still mods them?) I've been poking around for the last three months and it feels like a needle in a haystack.

I do them from time to time.

[Ashura]

Is there any place left to find these modded though? (Or someone who still mods them?) I've been poking around for the last three months and it feels like a needle in a haystack.

I do them from time to time.

How much do you charge/what are your rates? Feel free to PM me so as not to clutter the thread! Note, I need to find a slim before I can hit 'go.'

[Lawfer]

Try to find a hard modded model that has either the Matrix chip or Thunder Pro, they have nice features like DEV1 and DEV2 modes (memory card and HDD respectively). With this you can easily manage and transfer files between them and an USB pendrive. It's way easier and more " professional" compared to things like Free MCboot.

Is there any hardmod that let's you hardwire 480p as the default resolution (rather than relying on GSM)?

[Voultar]

Supposedly, this is the only slim model that has the PS1 CPU on-board (apart from the SCPH-70001), with later models resorting to emulation for PS1 games, as well as being the only slim to have separate EE + GS chips.

Eh, is this confirmed? Or is this community heresy?

Well, it's confirmed by Voultar, who told the MLiG guys that the 7000X slims are essentially "perfect PS2s in miniature". Later models removed/replaced the PS1 chip which is why the SCPH-7500X and later models are incompatible with certain PS1 and PS2 games.

The bit about separate EE/GS chips and unified EE/GS chips is taken from Wikipedia, so it could be false, but it lines up with everything else we know.

All that tells us is that there's no discrete PS1 chipset. Do we have reason to believe the chipset isn't integrated into a later revision of the PS2 chipset? Remember that PS2 games used the PS1 chispet for I/O and some other small tasks; it didn't just sit there dormant when PS1 games weren't being played.

An IBM ASIC replaced the R3000 post 7000X PS2 Slim models. DECKARD lacks the ability to execute MIPs instructions. As a result, not only did PS1 compatibility suffer, but PS2, as well.

If you're after a PS2 hard-mod and care about PS1 backups, find a V10 (SCPH-5000X).

If you have an SCPH-3000X and want a stable laser, grab a KHS-400C and install it. Load up PSLENSCHANGER to write the KHS-400C firmware into the NVRAM with the proper algo's for the MECHACON and it'll be super solid.

All phat models prior to the V9/V10 can't support PS1 backups with anti-mod technology. They can be patched, though.

I talked about this a few years ago here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=56010

[bobrocks95]

Hey cool, I have a 39001, good to hear that they have good build quality.

Hopefully it lasts long enough for me to get over the fact that 95% of the library runs in 480i...

[FBX]

Hey cool, I have a 39001, good to hear that they have good build quality.

Hopefully it lasts long enough for me to get over the fact that 95% of the library runs in 480i...

My snowboard is in a 480p game for the PS2, so there's at least that

Some of my earliest CGI work: http://www.merqurycity.com/ssx_forum/kn ... php?id=123


-FBX

[bobrocks95]

Hey cool, I have a 39001, good to hear that they have good build quality.

Hopefully it lasts long enough for me to get over the fact that 95% of the library runs in 480i...

My snowboard is in a 480p game for the PS2, so there's at least that

Some of my earliest CGI work: http://www.merqurycity.com/ssx_forum/kn ... php?id=123


-FBX

Yeah, I've seen that before, cool stuff! Back when EA seemed to actually care about their fans...

I've spent probably 4x as much time fiddling with GSM than I have actually playing PS2 games. I finally gave up and moved my PS2 over to my CRT, but I was so burnt out on it that I haven't really done much with it since.

[RocketBelt]

You can use a Fat v7 ps2 fitted with the quiet fan assembly from v9. Best of both worlds.
Fitting the fan assembly from a v9 isn't even a mod, all you need is 15 minutes and a screwdriver.

[citrus3000psi]

Is there any hardmod that let's you hardwire 480p as the default resolution (rather than relying on GSM)?

A matrix chip can force 960i output. Here’s a video of gt4 intro, https://youtu.be/jtJRU019lrc

[BazookaBen]

Whatver you do, get a fat PS2. Putting games on hard drive allows games to load many times faster, and you have no region lock. Newer hard drive loaders have GSM built in, which allows you to force many PS2 games into 480p even though they didn't officially support it.

[tongshadow]

[quote="Lawfer”]

Is there any hardmod that let's you hardwire 480p as the default resolution (rather than relying on GSM)?

A matrix chip can force 960i output. Here’s a video of gt4 intro, https://youtu.be/jtJRU019lrc[/quote][/quote]
Doubt many TVs can handle this out-of-spec resolution though.

[Seraphic]

I am getting my SCPH 39001 cleaned up and modded right now with a Matrix modchip and adding a 1TB HDD for use with OSSC and CII.

[nmalinoski]

Whatver you do, get a fat PS2. Putting games on hard drive allows games to load many times faster, and you have no region lock. Newer hard drive loaders have GSM built in, which allows you to force many PS2 games into 480p even though they didn't officially support it.

I read that the GS runs at a different clock rate on PAL consoles, so NTSC games might run a tiny bit faster or slower. The difference probably wouldn't be noticeable though.

It'll be noticeable on music/rhythm games, when the notes gradually start to drift off-sync.

[Voultar]

Whatver you do, get a fat PS2. Putting games on hard drive allows games to load many times faster, and you have no region lock. Newer hard drive loaders have GSM built in, which allows you to force many PS2 games into 480p even though they didn't officially support it.

I read that the GS runs at a different clock rate on PAL consoles, so NTSC games might run a tiny bit faster or slower. The difference probably wouldn't be noticeable though.

Well, it's confirmed by Voultar, who told the MLiG guys that the 7000X slims are essentially "perfect PS2s in miniature". Later models removed/replaced the PS1 chip which is why the SCPH-7500X and later models are incompatible with certain PS1 and PS2 games.

The bit about separate EE/GS chips and unified EE/GS chips is taken from Wikipedia, so it could be false, but it lines up with everything else we know.

All that tells us is that there's no discrete PS1 chipset. Do we have reason to believe the chipset isn't integrated into a later revision of the PS2 chipset? Remember that PS2 games used the PS1 chispet for I/O and some other small tasks; it didn't just sit there dormant when PS1 games weren't being played.

An IBM ASIC replaced the R3000 post 7000X PS2 Slim models. DECKARD lacks the ability to execute MIPs instructions. As a result, not only did PS1 compatibility suffer, but PS2, as well.

If you're after a PS2 hard-mod and care about PS1 backups, find a V10 (SCPH-5000X).

If you have an SCPH-3000X and want a stable laser, grab a KHS-400C and install it. Load up PSLENSCHANGER to write the KHS-400C firmware into the NVRAM with the proper algo's for the MECHACON and it'll be super solid.

All phat models prior to the V9/V10 can't support PS1 backups with anti-mod technology. They can be patched, though.

I talked about this a few years ago here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=56010

Thanks, Voultar, some interesting stuff there.

Is it true that the R3000 is unused for PS1 games on 700XX models? How are they for reliability?

No, that's internet mythology. The R3KA is exercised just the same as it is on phat systems.

The V12 (7000X) and V9/10 (5000X) are electrically identical.