PS3 - [Guide] Buyer's guide for PS3 in 2024 (2024)

So you want to get into the PS3 scene for the first time? Or maybe you had a PS3 in the past and feeling nostalgic? Do you want to buy a PS3 with the intention of modding it? Then this is the guide for you. I'll give you a few tips so you can decide before you buy.

Q: Should I buy a PS3 with the intention of modding it?
A: There are many threads regarding whether or not to mod the PS3, so you can search for them, but in short the mod doesn't remove any features. The only downside is that the console / account can be banned if you're caught on PSN with a modded system. The risks can be minimized (but not completely eliminated) by following safety guidelines.
Either way, even if you don't plan to immediately mod your system, you should probably consider the possibility of wishing to do so in the future when you buy.

Q: Which types of mods are available?
A: There are two types of mods. Custom Firmware (CFW) and Homebrew Enabler (HEN). CFW gives you complete control over the system. HEN gives you most (but not all) features of CFW, and is good enough for most users. Still, if you're buying a console it might be worth it to buy a model capable of full CFW.
The main advantages of CFW that would interest regular users are:
1. Is completely untethered, i.e., you don't need to run it every time you reboot. That said, even with the tethered HEN, enabling it is just a matter of clicking an icon in XMB, so that's not a big issue.
2. QA flagging - This allows you to downgrade your firmware should you wish to do so. On models that don't support CFW, system updates are a one way street. That said, HEN is fully supported on the latest firmware version as of the time of writing this (4.91) and it's very unlikely that's going to change in the future. The only changes made by Sony in the past few years were BD encryption key updates in order to support new Blu-Ray movies, which doesn't affect modding.
3. ERK dumping - Allows you to export the HDD's encryption key to a file. This means that if your PS3 ever dies on you, you can connect its HDD to a computer and read its contents, salvaging your save-games etc.
4. Allows you to play PS2 ISOs on non-BC models. HEN requires you to package PS2 games in a specific format in order to play them, which is a minor headache.
When it comes to playing homebrew and backups though, HEN is more than enough.
The only advantage of HEN is that CFW is only compatible with certain PS3 models (see further below), while HEN supports every PS3 model.

Q: Should I consider backwards compatibility?
A: Backwards compatibility (BC) with PlayStation 2 is the only reason to ever consider buying an original fat PS3. Even then, not all fat PS3s are BC. Only the launch and 2nd gen models are:
CECHA / CECHB - Are the launch models, and have full hardware based backwards compatibility, i.e., they have the PS2 CPU and GPU on board. Since they effectively have a PS2 built into them, virtually all games work perfectly. Note that the CECHB, which was the budget model, has no Wi-Fi support, so if that's an issue, the CECHA is a better option. The HDD size of the CECHB was also pathetcally small (20GB) but at this point even the CECHA's 60GB HDD is small. Fortunately replacing the HDD on the PS3 is very easy.
CECHC / CECHE - 2nd gen models. The are "half-BC" - they still have the PS2 GPU chip but the CPU is software emulated. They are compatible with most PS2 titles, but some titles will have issues.
Note that out of all of the BC models, CECHC is the only one released in the Europe (PAL) region. CECHA, CECHB and CECHE are all Japan / USA (NTSC) regions. If you plan on modding your console though it's not a big issue because CFW allows you to change the console region.
And just to satisfy your curiosity - CECHD was never released. According to some sources it was supposed to be the budget no Wi-Fi version of the CECHC but was scraped due to the CECHB's unpopularity.
All other models are not officially backwards compatible. Officially they can only play certain "PS2 Classics" titles sold on the PS3 store using a dedicated software emulator. On modded systems, that emulator can also be used for other PS2 titles, but your mileage may vary.
Note that everything said in this paragraph is only related to backwards compatibility with PS2. If you're mainly looking for PS1 compatibility, the good news is that every PS3 model is backwards compatible with PS1, no exceptions.

See Also

Is it still worth buying a PS3 in 2024? - 33rd SquarePlayStation Plus-Spielekatalog für August 2024PlayStation Plus Game Catalog Additions for August 2024 Revealed - IGNUntil Dawn, rebuilt and enhanced for PS5 and PC, launches October 4

Q: So why not buy a backwards-compatible model?
A: Because the BC models are the least PS3 reliable models. They have the first gen 90nm CPU and GPU, and if not carefully and routinely maintained they will eventually break.
Actually no fat model (BC or not) is very reliable, so there's no reason whatsoever to buy a non-BC fat model.
The only good news is that when it comes to modding, all fat models are compatible with CFW, so no need to worry about that - but most slim models are also compatible - and are way more reliable.
If you wish to play PS2 games you might just get a real PS2. Also PC emulators, such as PCSX2, are already at virtually perfect compatibility, so that's also an option.

Q: So which model is best for modders?
A: Assuming that PS2 BC is not a great concern, it comes down to whether you want full CFW (see above for the advantages of CFW over HEN).
If HEN is enough for you, then you should go with the super-slim CECH-43xx model, which was the latest PS3 model ever released. Even though super-slims look cheaply built, and imho look ugly, they actually use the most reliable components on the inside. The CECH-43xx is the only model guaranteed to have the newest 28nm GPU, which is the most reliable out of all chips. Earlier super-slim models (CECH-40xx and CECH-42xx) can have either the 28nm or 40nm GPUs. Note that the 40nm GPU is considered reliable too so that's not a bad option either, but if you have the choice, go for the 43xx, which is just slightly more reliable.
If you wish to have full CFW support then you should go with a regular slim, but you will need to pick one that supports CFW, since not all of them do.
There are four slim models - CECH-20xx, CECH-21xx, CECH-25xx and CECH-30xx. The 20xx and 21xx support CFW, while the 30xx does not. The 25xx may or may not support CFW, and there's no reliable way of knowing just by looking at it from the outside, however if the seller is willing to let you play with it a bit before buying, there's an easy method to check (see further below).

Q: Which slim is the best for CFW?
A: You should probably avoid the 20xx, since it still has the 65nm GPU, which is considered less reliable, though it's still way more reliable than the fat models. All other slim models use the 40nm GPU, the same as the earlier super-slims, and are considered sufficiently reliable. Also obviously avoid the 30xx, which do not support CFW.
The 21xx and the 25xx both use 65nm CPU and 40nm GPU (same as 30xx and early super-slims), so their reliability is the same as far as those chips are concerned, however the 25xx models have a more reliable Blu-Ray drive (which is important, see further below), so the 25xx is actually the most reliable model if you want CFW - assuming you can verify that the specific 25xx you're buying is indeed CFW compatible, which cannot be determined by looking at it from the outside (the manufacturing date code printed on the bottom might be of help but is not 100% accurate). If the seller does not allow you to touch the unit before buying, better go for a 21xx.
If you're not allowed to touch the unit before buying you should also avoid units which have been repaired in a lab before (doesn't matter whether it's a Sony lab or a 3rd party lab). Sometimes those labs don't really bother actually fixing whatever's wrong with the console and just replace the entire motherboard, so, e.g., you might end up with a case that says 21xx but it's actually 30xx on the inside.

Q: How to determine whether a CECH-25xx is CFW compatible?
A: If you're only looking from the outside, look for the manufacturing date code printed in tiny letter on the bottom. If it says 0C, 0D, or 1A they should be CFW compatible. If it says 1B it's impossible to know by looking. Note that this is not 100% accurate and you should strive to perform the minimum version check before buying.
Checking the minimum firmware version of the console is the only sure way to determine whether the console is CFW compatible or not (and works on both 25xx as well as consoles that have been serviced in the past; see above), but it cannot be done just by looking at it from the outside. The minimum firmware version, as the name says, is the firmware version that the console originally shipped with, which is also the minimum version the console can be downgraded to.
Determining the minimum firmware version is done using a small tool called MinVerChk. It looks like a firmware update file but is not a real firmware update. Put it on a USB disk, connect the disk to the 25xx PS3 you want to check and try to perform a system update via storage (important: make sure there's no PS3 game in the optical disc drive, otherwise it will try to update from the game disc!). The update will fail, and the error message will tell you the minimum firmware version. You do not need to hack the console to run this utility, so many sellers will allow you to use the tool.
In the case of 25xx, the minimum version will be either 3.40, 3.50, 3.56 or 3.60. Only if it says 3.60 then it is not CFW compatible. Everything else means you're good to go.

Q: Does the current firmware version mean anything?
A: A bit. If the current firmware version is 3.55 or below, you can install CFW without any special hacks, just put the CFW on a USB disk and perform a system update via storage like you would with official Sony firmware (OFW). If it's 3.56 or above you will need to run an initial jailbreak. Note that at this point the jailbreak process is very easy, so having a firmware version above 3.55 is not a big issue.
Please note that as of the time of writing this, the latest firmware version is 4.91, and is fully hackable, but if a newer version is released and your console has been updated to it, you should check the forums to verify it's still hackable before buying.
Also note that, while 3.56 fixed the issue that allowed you to install CFW without any hacks, consoles that shipped with 3.56 as the minimum version are still CFW compatible, they just can't be downgraded to 3.55. Only those consoles that shipped with a minimum version of 3.60 or above are incompatible. Version 3.55 doesn't really mean much at this point. The only meaning is if you ever plan to sell your console 2nd (or 3rd) hand - since some online stores don't allow selling modded consoles, some sellers downgrade their CFW compatible consoles to 3.55 so they can be easily remodded by buyers. Other than that, consoles with minimum version of 3.56 are just as good as those with 3.40 or 3.50.

Q: I don't plan on playing physical discs; should I still worry about the Blu-Ray drive?
A: Yes. All fat models, as well as the 20xx and 21xx slim models, had a daughterboard which controlled the Blu-Ray drive. If that daughterboard broke, which wasn't too rare of an occurrence, any attempt to perform a firmware update (even official updates from Sony) would send the console into an update loop, and the only way to unbrick the console would be to replace the daughterboard. Furthermore, the daughterboard is "married" to the console, which means that if you replace it you also need to boot the console into Factory Service Mode to remarry the new daughterboard to the console. There are special "noBD" CFW variants especially for this case but they will not save you if you're already stuck in an update loop. They also break backwards compatibility with both PS1 and PS2 games.
In the 25xx, as well as all later models, that daughterboard no longer exists, as its functionality had been integrated into the motherboard. This is a lot more reliable and on those models there are hardly any issues with the optical drive, and even if it does break it usually does not affect your ability to install updates.