I am thinking of buying a PS2 which one Fat or Slim?

[Greenslade]

I am thinking of buying a PS2 after watching videos on youtube. Should i buy a FAT one or a small one?People seem to say the Fat one is the one to go for,I saw a video on YouTube the guy said that his Slim modal scratched his discs.And i understand the Fat ones rum hotter.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Are you going to be running ROMs or disks?

Phat PS2 is great for ISOs. It can host an internal HDD or SSD to hold ISOs.

Slim PS2 is better for disks. Disk scratching is not a common problem. Phat PS2s, OTOH, developed constant problems with their disk trays over the years, especially with blue disks.

I had a phat PS2 with HDD, it was great not needing the disks.

 

[Dr. Dro]

SCPH-10000 fat PS2s have a PCMCIA slot. These were not released outside of Japan and are relatively difficult to find.
SCPH-3000x and -5000x fat PS2s have an HDD bay, the 5000x dropped the i.Link port for local multiplayer.
SCPH-7000x series slim PS2s have no expandable storage, and use an external AC supply
SCPH-9000x series slim PS2s have an embedded power supply, and few modchips work with them if you intend to use one

If you want the most functional and moddable PS2 (for FreeMCBoot or modchips), you want either an SCPH-39000 (NTSC-J), SCPH-39001 (NTSC-U/C) or SCPH-39004 (PAL).

Wikipedia article is good explaining pros and cons, but if you want the most versatile model it's the 39000 series fat.

PlayStation 2 models - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Greenslade]

Are you going to be running ROMs or disks?

Phat PS2 is great for ISOs. It can host an internal HDD or SSD to hold ISOs.

Slim PS2 is better for disks. Disk scratching is not a common problem. Phat PS2s, OTOH, developed constant problems with their disk trays over the years, especially with blue disks.

I had a phat PS2 with HDD, it was great not needing the disks.

Disks they are so cheap.Yes i have seen the videos with HDD.I also noticed people saying about the disk trays and blue disks in paticulery.This slim one looks good
Silver Slim modal SCPH-70003 Fully working condition Power cabal,AV, storage . Controller. As you can see it looks in good condition and it is a very good price £20.

 

[Dr. Dro]

I mean, at that price, it's an acceptable gamble. It's a bit dinged, but if the laser is good, then this will work to play most retail DVD games (original media, of course). Any 90000 series if you're looking for a Slim? They should be a little more robust.

 

[Greenslade]

I mean, at that price, it's an acceptable gamble. It's a bit dinged, but if the laser is good, then this will work to play most retail DVD games (original media, of course). Any 90000 series if you're looking for a Slim? They should be a little more robust.

I was going to get this one but I see it is missing a bit at the back. where the HDD bit goes in. This one is from a shop it has been tested working £35.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

I was going to get this one but I see it is missing a bit at the back. where the HDD bit goes in. This one is from a shop it has been tested working £35.View attachment 292115View attachment 292112View attachment 292111View attachment 292110

It's just missing the HDD tray and bracket. Stone age gamer has one for $15 that allows for 2.5" sata drives. Of course, these phat ones are known to develop dvd drive issues over time.

2.5" HDD SATA Kit Bracket for PlayStation 2 - Humble Bazooka

stoneagegamer.com

 

[Greenslade]

It's just missing the HDD tray and bracket. Stone age gamer has one for $15 that allows for 2.5" sata drives. Of course, these phat ones are known to develop dvd drive issues over time.

2.5" HDD SATA Kit Bracket for PlayStation 2 - Humble Bazooka

stoneagegamer.com

Someone on Gumtree was selling one of them for £5. What do you think should I take a chance on that silver Slim it is a very good price at £20. Of course, it is like everything thing else over time, we all wear out over time.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Yeah that second PS2 will definitely take some work to get it sharp, but it can be done. In my opinion it's worth refurbishing it and installing an HDD so you can load more games at will on it.

If you want a console which will not need too much maintenance and will last you a while longer you should consider increasing your budget a bit and buying a console in near mint condition.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Someone on Gumtree was selling one of them for £5. What do you think should I take a chance on that silver Slim it is a very good price at £20. Of course, it is like everything thing else over time, we all wear out over time.

If you are playing from disks get the slim. If you are playing from HDD get the phat.

 

[Greenslade]

Yeah that second PS2 will definitely take some work to get it sharp, but it can be done. In my opinion it's worth refurbishing it and installing an HDD so you can load more games at will on it.

If you want a console which will not need too much maintenance and will last you a while longer you should consider increasing your budget a bit and buying a console in near mint condition.

When you say refurbish, do you mean take ps2 apart?

If you are playing from disks get the slim. If you are playing from HDD get the phat.

Which is the best Fat version to buy 3900 or 5000 I take it the 5000 is. newer. And the Slim one is 7000 or 7500?

 

[Dr. Dro]

When you say refurbish, do you mean take ps2 apart?


Which is the best Fat version to buy 3900 or 5000 I take it the 5000 is. newer. And the Slim one is 7000 or 7500?

Yes, take them apart, you'll certainly need to clean all the dust and grime, replace the thermal paste and pads, etc.

As for the best unit, the 39000 unit is what you should be looking for if you want access to every feature that the PS2 had. The 50000 is newer but it had some corners cut already.

The best Slim is the 90000 series.

 

[Greenslade]

Yes, take them apart, you'll certainly need to clean all the dust and grime, replace the thermal paste and pads, etc.

As for the best unit, the 39000 unit is what you should be looking for if you want access to every feature that the PS2 had. The 50000 is newer but it had some corners cut already.

The best Slim is the 90000 series.

Unfortunately, the 9000 series I see on eBay are for Jap Discs only. What about the 7500 ?or -7900? The guy who has the one I showed on here , has a black one for the same price but 7500 the silver one is 7000. The 9000 series are all Sony Playstation 2 Slim Black (Japanese) NTSC-J Console Only Ps2 SCPH-90000This Japanese console also will NOT play pal(UK/European) games.
I think I will take a punt on the £20 7500 Slim one. Besides I have a PS3.

 

[Bones]

Are you going to be running ROMs or disks?

Phat PS2 is great for ISOs. It can host an internal HDD or SSD to hold ISOs.

Slim PS2 is better for disks. Disk scratching is not a common problem. Phat PS2s, OTOH, developed constant problems with their disk trays over the years, especially with blue disks.

I had a phat PS2 with HDD, it was great not needing the disks.

If that's in reference to problems reading the discs that just means the laser is old and needs replacement - That's because if you use it, the laser at some point WILL get weak and stop reading discs so well if at all.

Had that happen to mine a few years ago and did the job myself - Wasn't that hard to do and now it reads everything I load into it.
I also went ahead and bought a spare laser for later too if I ever need another one.
Nothing you can do about it except replace it when it goes bad.

BTW slim PS2's run hotter and can also have problems with the disc drive ribbon cable coming loose and getting destroyed which usually lunches the entire disc drive too.
There is a part of it that's more or less glued or stickied in place to keep this from happening but you don't have a chance of that in a standard (Phat) PS2 - The disc drive design is different and I can take some pics of the slims I have here that happened to and the results of it if you'd like.
Said results so far has all been 100% dead/unuseable PS2 slims from it.

 

[Greenslade]

If that's in reference to problems reading the discs that just means the laser is old and needs replacement - That's because if you use it, the laser at some point WILL get weak and stop reading discs so well if at all.

Had that happen to mine a few years ago and did the job myself - Wasn't that hard to do and now it reads everything I load into it.
I also went ahead and bought a spare laser for later too if I ever need another one.
Nothing you can do about it except replace it when it goes bad.

BTW slim PS2's run hotter and can also have problems with the disc drive ribbon cable coming loose and getting destroyed which usually lunches the entire disc drive too.
There is a part of it that's more or less glued or stickied in place to keep this from happening but you don't have a chance of that in a standard (Phat) PS2 - The disc drive design is different and I can take some pics of the slims I have here that happened to and the results of it if you'd like.
Said results so far has all been 100% dead/unuseable PS2 slims from it.

Do you agree with Dr. Dro that I should go for the older version of the Fatif so why? I would prefer the newer version, what do I lose, the link is taken out instead you can use it with a remote which sounds good to me. But what would I lose if I went for the newer version? It would be nice if I picked up a really cheap PS2 at my local market. Even if it did not work I could take it to pieces and if i messed it up it would not matter. And give me an idea to do it on one that I did not want to muck up If you get what I mean. As it would be a big job for me to do it. I have just asked the question on Reddit and this is the answer someone gave *If you can get one go for the SCPH-500xx series I have heard these are the best in the series. Sony changed the fans in this series and they are much quieter. That seems a good enough reason for me to go for that. I don't need the I Link anyway.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

If that's in reference to problems reading the discs that just means the laser is old and needs replacement - That's because if you use it, the laser at some point WILL get weak and stop reading discs so well if at all.

Had that happen to mine a few years ago and did the job myself - Wasn't that hard to do and now it reads everything I load into it.
I also went ahead and bought a spare laser for later too if I ever need another one.
Nothing you can do about it except replace it when it goes bad.

BTW slim PS2's run hotter and can also have problems with the disc drive ribbon cable coming loose and getting destroyed which usually lunches the entire disc drive too.
There is a part of it that's more or less glued or stickied in place to keep this from happening but you don't have a chance of that in a standard (Phat) PS2 - The disc drive design is different and I can take some pics of the slims I have here that happened to and the results of it if you'd like.
Said results so far has all been 100% dead/unuseable PS2 slims from it.

Every Phat I owned over the years developed issues with the spindle holding onto the disks, not the laser itself. I went through 5 phats in an 8 year span that developed those issues.

I've ever only owned one slim, the 9000 series slim, which I still own and still works wonders. ranted I've mostly moved to emulation today, but I'd trust a slim over a phat.

 

[Greenslade]

Cons: 50000
Does not have an i-link port
Can have a problem where the laser coil burns up when playing discs, removing access to the disc drive and the HDD. This is more likely to happen when viewing burned discs. It is speculated that this was a deliberate anti-piracy move from Sony.
I don't intend to play burned disks on there.
Cons: 39000
No, I link
Loud fan
Cannot play CD/DVD-RW discs
Needs IR dongle to use DVD remote, power on/off, and eject functions of remote not supported.
Pros for 39000
Quote
*In my view however, the 3900x is superior if you plan to use a modchip for full compatibility (PS1+PS2 games). It is simply more reliable than having to deal with possible laser problems, or "fixes" during the modchip install.
I can play PS1 disks on my PS3 it is just a shame it can't play PS2 games.If it did I would not need to buy a PS2 modal.

Every Phat I owned over the years developed issues with the spindle holding onto the disks, not the laser itself. I went through 5 phats in an 8 year span that developed those issues.

I've ever only owned one slim, the 9000 series slim, which I still own and still works wonders. ranted I've mostly moved to emulation today, but I'd trust a slim over a phat.

It is all getting confusing for me. If I could get a 9000 I would but they're not made for UK Pal. Back to the Slim is it worth me taking a chance on the 7500 Slim TheinsanegamerN
at just £20 with all I need apart from the adapter for me to play it on my HDMI monitor which costs less than five pounds. I notice it is not a Sony controller no problem for me though. 7500 fully working.

 

[Bones]

Do you agree with Dr. Dro that I should go for the older version of the Fatif so why? I would prefer the newer version, what do I lose, the link is taken out instead you can use it with a remote which sounds good to me. But what would I lose if I went for the newer version? It would be nice if I picked up a really cheap PS2 at my local market. Even if it did not work I could take it to pieces and if i messed it up it would not matter. And give me an idea to do it on one that I did not want to muck up If you get what I mean. As it would be a big job for me to do it. I have just asked the question on Reddit and this is the answer someone gave *If you can get one go for the SCPH-500xx series I have heard these are the best in the series. Sony changed the fans in this series and they are much quieter. That seems a good enough reason for me to go for that. I don't need the I Link anyway.

I do agree because a slim doesn't have the room for airflow so a slim runs hotter. Even if you replace the fan with something of more CFM there still has to be room for the air to go through by volume so it's removes heat.
Being quiet is fine but at the same time if the unit is running hot and shutting down you won't hear too much from it anyway, esp if it dies.

Now - If the one you're considering is cheap go for it regardless as long as it works in the first place.

Every Phat I owned over the years developed issues with the spindle holding onto the disks, not the laser itself. I went through 5 phats in an 8 year span that developed those issues.

I've ever only owned one slim, the 9000 series slim, which I still own and still works wonders. ranted I've mostly moved to emulation today, but I'd trust a slim over a phat.

I've never really heard of the spindle itself being prone to giving problems with a PS2 Fat - At least it being a commonly seen issue but I also woudn't doubt it either.
I mean things do wear out if you use them.
That has to be a motor problem with it since the spindle is attached to a little drive motor, making the discs spin for it to work.

I've had my unit since new and it's never given me such a problem but the thing about the lasers eventually getting weak is what all of them will have to deal with sooner or later. Yours has to have the improved (Stronger) laser but for ones like mine and even older PSX units it's a thing.

I'd still pick up a spare laser if you could because you may need it one day and availability may not be there like it is today.
Get it, stash it somewhere safe and you'll be set.

Mine lasted for almost 20 years, had been acting wonky when I did the fix but got it's replacment plus a spare, dropped it in and it's been all good from that point onward.

 

[Greenslade]

I do agree because a slim doesn't have the room for airflow so a slim runs hotter. Even if you replace the fan with something of more CFM there still has to be room for the air to go through by volume so it's removes heat.
Being quiet is fine but at the same time if the unit is running hot and shutting down you won't hear too much from it anyway, esp if it dies.

Now - If the one you're considering is cheap go for it regardless as long as it works in the first place.


I've never really heard of the spindle itself being prone to giving problems with a PS2 Fat - At least it being a commonly seen issue but I also woudn't doubt it either.
I mean things do wear out if you use them.
That has to be a motor problem with it since the spindle is attached to a little drive motor, making the discs spin for it to work.

I've had my unit since new and it's never given me such a problem but the thing about the lasers eventually getting weak is what all of them will have to deal with sooner or later. Yours has to have the improved (Stronger) laser but for ones like mine and even older PSX units it's a thing.

I'd still pick up a spare laser if you could because you may need it one day and availability may not be there like it is today.
Get it, stash it somewhere safe and you'll be set.

Mine lasted for almost 20 years, had been acting wonky when I did the fix but got it's replacment plus a spare, dropped it in and it's been all good from that point onward.

I have got in touch with the seller and asked him if the clock is showing the correct date and time but he has not got back to me.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I saw a video on YouTube the guy said that his Slim modal scratched his discs

Not likely. It is more likely the user mishandled it.

Even if the drive in that slim model was defective and somehow scratched his discs, one example is not a trend or pattern. If a whole bunch of users with the exact same model number reported scratched disks, then it MIGHT be something to pay attention to.

 

[Greenslade]

Not likely. It is more likely the user mishandled it.

Even if the drive in that slim model was defective and somehow scratched his discs, one example is not a trend or pattern. If a whole bunch of users with the exact same model number reported scratched disks, then it MIGHT be something to pay attention to.

I thought I would try and find the video where the guy was talking about scratching discs on the slim, And came across this apparently there is a problem with it, but the guy gives a quick fix

I do agree with what you say people don't know how to hold CD./DVD discs same with Vynal LP.s .

I do agree because a slim doesn't have the room for airflow so a slim runs hotter. Even if you replace the fan with something of more CFM there still has to be room for the air to go through by volume so it's removes heat.
Being quiet is fine but at the same time if the unit is running hot and shutting down you won't hear too much from it anyway, esp if it dies.

Now - If the one you're considering is cheap go for it regardless as long as it works in the first place.


I've never really heard of the spindle itself being prone to giving problems with a PS2 Fat - At least it being a commonly seen issue but I also woudn't doubt it either.
I mean things do wear out if you use them.
That has to be a motor problem with it since the spindle is attached to a little drive motor, making the discs spin for it to work.

I've had my unit since new and it's never given me such a problem but the thing about the lasers eventually getting weak is what all of them will have to deal with sooner or later. Yours has to have the improved (Stronger) laser but for ones like mine and even older PSX units it's a thing.

I'd still pick up a spare laser if you could because you may need it one day and availability may not be there like it is today.
Get it, stash it somewhere safe and you'll be set.

Mine lasted for almost 20 years, had been acting wonky when I did the fix but got it's replacment plus a spare, dropped it in and it's been all good from that point onward.

I see from this video it is easy to get the case off and do some dusting in there.

It seems like it is a bad design

That is putting me off getting the Slim.

How can someone sell one like this I would not touch that with a barge pole.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Do you agree with Dr. Dro that I should go for the older version of the Fatif so why? I would prefer the newer version, what do I lose, the link is taken out instead you can use it with a remote which sounds good to me. But what would I lose if I went for the newer version? It would be nice if I picked up a really cheap PS2 at my local market. Even if it did not work I could take it to pieces and if i messed it up it would not matter. And give me an idea to do it on one that I did not want to muck up If you get what I mean. As it would be a big job for me to do it. I have just asked the question on Reddit and this is the answer someone gave *If you can get one go for the SCPH-500xx series I have heard these are the best in the series. Sony changed the fans in this series and they are much quieter. That seems a good enough reason for me to go for that. I don't need the I Link anyway.

Yes, the SCPH-39003/39004, the 5000x series will work fine if you don't mind losing the i.Link port. You probably don't need it, unless you want to run a UT99 lan party (it's the only PS2 game I have that supports it, anyway).

About that hyper dusty PS2 - I would touch that! Very fun project to spend some time on, IMO. The warranty seal in the back is still intact. All it needs is some love, clean it up, replace all of the worn down thermal pads and that PS2 would be probably mechanically perfect. I fixed up a 39001 (US model) that a friend of my brother's dropped by our house because he didn't want it anymore. It was in very similar condition, but it had been opened before and had a very old version of the Thunder modchip on it. I removed the modchip even though I have a latest gen Thunder Pro 2 Gold (which is a Brazilian-made, but the most advanced PS2 modchip around). There was no point, installed an HDD kit and FreeMCBoot and it's just as good to use, if not better than my old modchipped 90001 (especially now that its laser died).

 

[hat]

If you're mostly looking to play PS2 games, you want a fat PS2 with a network adapter. Throw an HDD in there and get FreeHDBoot running. You don't even need a memory card. You can install it from any PC that has IDE. I see you're quite active in the nostalgic hardware thread so I'm sure you have one? Then you can hook the console up to Ethernet and pipe games over the network.

 

[Greenslade]

Yes, the SCPH-39003/39004, the 5000x series will work fine if you don't mind losing the i.Link port. You probably don't need it, unless you want to run a UT99 lan party (it's the only PS2 game I have that supports it, anyway).

About that hyper dusty PS2 - I would touch that! Very fun project to spend some time on, IMO. The warranty seal in the back is still intact. All it needs is some love, clean it up, replace all of the worn down thermal pads and that PS2 would be probably mechanically perfect. I fixed up a 39001 (US model) that a friend of my brother's dropped by our house because he didn't want it anymore. It was in very similar condition, but it had been opened before and had a very old version of the Thunder modchip on it. I removed the modchip even though I have a latest gen Thunder Pro 2 Gold (which is a Brazilian-made, but the most advanced PS2 modchip around). There was no point, installed an HDD kit and FreeMCBoot and it's just as good to use, if not better than my old modchipped 90001 (especially now that its laser died).

Unlike you, it would be very daunting for me to take it apart. I have just seen this. The seller said he had put a new laser in there. I sent him a message asking if it showed the right time and date. Because I did not want to open it up to put a new CMOS battery in there. I am hoping if he went to all that trouble to put a new laser in he would have put a new CMOS battery in there. It looks very cool. It looks like it has been cleaned. The console has been fully refurbished and had a new laser fitted

If you're mostly looking to play PS2 games, you want a fat PS2 with a network adapter. Throw an HDD in there and get FreeHDBoot running. You don't even need a memory card. You can install it from any PC that has IDE. I see you're quite active in the nostalgic hardware thread so I'm sure you have one? Then you can hook the console up to Ethernet and pipe games over the network.

Yes, I have a few, and if you looked in the retro hardware forum you would have seen that I got two retro boards today. I thought they would be more valuable than they are. The Athlon 64 looks promising. But they were only £5 each. If I had more money on me at the time I would have got more.The seller got back to me it is refurbished it looks it to.I put an offer in for it £5 pound less heres hopping he will accept.i will keep my fingers crossed.

 

[hat]

Unlike you, it would be very daunting for me to take it apart. I have just seen this. The seller said he had put a new laser in there. I sent him a message asking if it showed the right time and date. Because I did not want to open it up to put a new CMOS battery in there. I am hoping if he went to all that trouble to put a new laser in he would have put a new CMOS battery in there. It looks very cool. It looks like it has been cleaned. The console has been fully refurbished and had a new laser fitted

That's why myself and others are recommending loading games off the drive. No discs... no worrying about the optical drive, or quality of the discs. You just install the game to the drive and it's there forever, provided the hard drive itself doesn't develop issues. You'll get better loading times and performance, too.