Have 2 PS2 Slim70012, need help deciding b/w the better one.

[potato_control]

So I was found 2 ps2 slims for cheap and they both happen to slims that have full ps1 back compatibility because they have all the same chips as a ps2 fat (only 70012 & 70001 in the US). I opened them up to clean them and realized one motherboard revision has the GPU and CPU as separate chips and one has them both on one chip. So I'm wondering which one should I keep. I'm planning on re-selling the one I don't want. Which one is better, is there any advantage or disadvantage b/w them? The 2 motherboards I have are both from 70012 slims, mobo GH-035-71 & GH-032-12.

[NewSchoolBoxer]

This is news to me. So PS2 the next Saturn where same model number can have different hardware. I mean, every PS2 has full compatibility with PS1 right? A few games have issues and only certain PS2 fat models have the iLink port.

Going with SNES logic, the 2 chip version is better since combining into 1 chip was a cost cutting move, on top of other cost cutting moves, and has some game-specific graphical and audio glitches. I know 1 chip has slightly sharper video but I'm not aware of anyone claiming that for PS2 models. I'd sell the combined EE + GS then if you don't notice any video or audio differences.

[Ed Oscuro]

Yes, I think all PS2s have BC. This was back in the days when Sony was saying that they wanted "to keep the format going forever" with backwards compatibility, back before they hit a brick wall with the PS3's design troubles and density scaling / cost...

Three things come to mind.

The first is that some PS2 slimlines were recalled due to a power transformer that can overheat. Unfortunately I don't have more detail to hand but it is mentioned in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStati ... se_designs
Second, I recall Fudoh mentioning that some slimline PS2s may show more noise in the RGB output. I didn't notice this when hooked up to a XRGB2, so your mileage may vary.
Finally, the big issue with all slims is probably down to the laser module dying, on which I have only seen anecdotal evidence, but repair folks definitely have their favorites here. (I don't know which, off the top of my head.)

I like all my slims, but I would give the nod to the 770XX or 790XX as I am a fan of separate power bricks. But I've got a Japanese 900XX and it works fine too.

TBH, I like to hoard all the PS2s I can find because they aren't getting any easier to find.

[Dochartaigh]

To play devil's advocate: I never, ever, even look at any slim models, only the phat models (and the one with the firewire port for 2-player/2-monitor i.link light gun games).

I want to be able to format a $25 HDD with a couple clicks and pop it into a $10 network adapter, then be able to play any PS2 game from the HDD itself without wearing the laser out. Phat PS2's go by me for maybe $40 on OfferUp/LetGo.

[Ed Oscuro]

That is a very fair argument. Personally, I hated the fan noise from a the fat, but I may not have found one of the good ones yet.

[RocketBelt]

That is a very fair argument. Personally, I hated the fan noise from a the fat, but I may not have found one of the good ones yet.

The fan in the fat v9 onwards is quiet. You can swap in the fan assembly from a v9 into a v7 and presumably earlier models.

[fernan1234]

This is old knowledge on the internet but fairly recent to me and was quite a revelation: an IDE 40 pin to 44 pin adapter(*1) + 44 pin to SD card adapter(*2) is an amazing solution to replace HDDs while also getting rid of the loud fan noise that kicks in for those drives in particular. They work much faster than mechanical drives also, and cheaper than SSDs (which also don't fit snug in the bay without aid). Another plus is that with an SD card extension ribbon you can have easy access to the PS2 "HDD" without removing the network adapter for faster game management.

*1: with the right size, orientation, and power adapter for an unmodded PS2 network adapter
*2: can be the only part needed when using a SATA modded or third party network adapter

[Ed Oscuro]

That is a very fair argument. Personally, I hated the fan noise from a the fat, but I may not have found one of the good ones yet.

The fan in the fat v9 onwards is quiet. You can swap in the fan assembly from a v9 into a v7 and presumably earlier models.

The way things go, my problem has been that fans are in shorter supply than systems. A couple years ago I did a little bit of looking around to see if there are new OEM fans that are appropriate replacments but didn't have much luck. Then again it shouldn't be too hard to find something that's more or less appropriate, especially with space freed up in the 5.25" bay using ferman's SD card trick.

[Dochartaigh]

That is a very fair argument. Personally, I hated the fan noise from a the fat, but I may not have found one of the good ones yet.

You know what's funny? I didn't even know my PS2 had a fan as I never notice it... and I have one in my main setup and 2x others in my dual-screen i.link light gun setup and never noticed it in any of them. Maybe I got lucky... (or my old mans hearing is working for me lol).

[nmalinoski]

To play devil's advocate: I never, ever, even look at any slim models, only the phat models (and the one with the firewire port for 2-player/2-monitor i.link light gun games).

Don't forget 6-player Gran Turismo 3.