So while I am not trying to really debate whether the past Intercoolers were good or bad I will say this...

I have used Intercoolers since the first models - yes the ones that allegedly killed so many 360's.

This will be a review of the new models as well as drawing a couple brief comparisons to previous models. Since I own a PS3 and 360 - I will write a little bit about my experiences with both models of Intercoolers.

I want to start by answering the question of "Why is an Intercooler needed?"

Quite simply with any and all electronic components - no matter how well made, the cooler you can run the device, the better it will perform. This is not debatable as anyone who is PC Tech oriented knows. It is just a fact of electronics - all electronics. I have used all types of cooling systems in my PC's over the years - including Air as well as Water Cooling (as well as some not so successful attempts at PC refrigeration).

Anyway the same goes for consoles - no matter how cool or stable the console is - the cooler you can run it the better. Period.

Some may argue that extra cooling is not necessary for the consoles - especially the PS3. This is a faulty logic as the fact is the cooler the better.

So I will start with the 360 versions:

As I said I had the original (plastic internal connector) Intercooler for my 360 and it worked without any issues for the 6 months or so that I used it. However when all of the meltdown issues that other users reported, began to occur it did make me very nervous. Also the fact that it drew directly from the main power source of the 360 made me nervous as well. However I never experienced any issues that other users have reported.

When the updated version the Intercooler EX was released - I was ecstatic and rushed out to get one. While the EX still uses pass through power it corrected the issue that was causing the meltdowns with the early model. The way that Nyko did this was to replace the inner sleeve where the power cord connect - changing from plastic to metal. Once they did this it eliminated the meltdown issue. However there was still the issue of pass through power which had me nervous - though again I never personally experienced an issue with it.

When I upgraded my console to the Falcon chip model (175w) it made me even more nervous using the Intercooler EX as now there was so much less power being fed the console that I was concerned there may not be enough "headroom" in the power stream to support the EX without causing other issues for the 360 itself. I even shopped around for a while for a 203w PSU from the first 360's. From what I had read the Falcon could use either PSU - so my thinking was that if I used a 203w PSU with a console only requiring 175w, then I should have more than enough headroom to run the power pass through with no worry whatsoever. Unfortunately the price for the 203w PSU's is around $100 and while I could afford it I didn't find enough value in experimenting with doing that to justify the cost. So I continued to use the Intercooler EX with the 175w PSU.

I used the EX for roughly 6 to 9 months without a single issue.

Intercooler TS (360):

So the NEW Intercooler TS models were released recently and I couldn't be happier. First off they use an independent power supply so there is no concern of drawing power away from the 360 or causing the meltdown issue. The TS model is aesthetically more pleasing in my opinion as well. It is physically smaller than it's predecessors. I do have a 360 Elite (black) and the TS is a clear plastic over white color - so it doesn't match color wise, but that's fine by me. The best feature of all is the Temperature Sensor that is built in to the unit. The new TS will rev up or down with the fans depending on how much cooling the 360 needs. This is a nice feature. Also overall the new TS model is substantially quieter than either the original Intercooler or the EX iteration.

Overall I would give the Intercooler TS a 10/10 for an add on cooling solution. There really is nothing I see as a potential issue in regards to this model. So if you need extra cooling - or if like me you just want extra cooling because you know it's better for the hardware (especially during those 12+ hour gaming sessions) - then I whole heartedly recommend the Nyko Intercooler TS for the 360. It is far superior to any other add on cooling solution currently available for the 360 - and Nyko has addressed every issue of the previous models as well as added the amazing new Temperature Sensing feature.

So...

Nyko Intercooler TS (360): 10 / 10

Now...

The PS3 Intercooler by Nyko.

First the previous version of the Nyko Intercooler PS3 did a sufficient job of cooling the console down. Unlike the 360 model the PS3 model had a control knob to allow the user to manually adjust the fan speed so that depending on what you were doing at any given time you could balance the cooling to noise ratio by speeding up or slowing down the fans. The unit came in two pieces - a piece for the side and a piece for the back. This unit performed well and served me well for over a year on my 60gb launch PS3.

A few months ago I was able to sell my 60gb PS3 for a substantial profit to someone. I purchased one of the new 80gb model PS3's and found they had redesigned the rear of the case on the new units. I had two freeze up's on the new 80gb model within the first week. This was very disheartening to say the least. I noticed that on the new models there are no fans whatsoever in the rear of the console - again this was a little nerve racking for a "Cooler Geek" like me. In addition to that I soon discovered the ports had moved to the far left on the back. I attempted to re-attach the original PS3 Intercooler to no avail. Yes it would physically attach but it would completely cover up the HDMI and RJ45 ports - which I wanted to use. This was a little frustrating as anytime there is a physical change or revision to a console the accessories never seem to be compatible.

This is actually what got me researching not only Intercoolers but other cooling solutions as well again. This is what led me to the NEW Intercooler TS models.

Intercooler TS (PS3):

The PS3 version of the TS has many things different from it's 360 counterpart and from it's earlier cousin that it replaces.

First off the TS is now only one piece of hardware instead of the two pieces of the previous model. This was a good thing and the design of the new hardware seemed excellent. It will also work with either the old versions of the PS3 or the new ones without blocking the ports - which was of course a necessity.

One thing about the NEW TS is that because of the way it attaches it will lift the back of the console up slightly when the PS3 is in the horizontal position. The TS is also VERY difficult to attach properly - it took me about 10 minutes of struggling with the piece to get it to properly fit.

The TS still has a manually adjustable knob for the fans though it is now plastic and flush to the units casing instead of a big metal knob sticking up. This is the biggest downfall for this unit unfortunately. When you have the fans on full speed the unit will produce an unacceptable amount of vibration and noise - even if like me you play with headphones on, it will still be audible. It is honestly the worst thing I have ever heard from any cooling solution. It's not the noise level mind you as I don't mind loud fans - it's that it makes a pulsating growling noise every couple of seconds. I returned the first unit I got thinking it must be a defect - though it's not. I believe it's because of how fast the fans are going causes a metal internal bar in the unit (used for attaching the device to the console) to vibrate. There is no way to adjust or rectify this noise without physically breaking the exterior casing of the unit.

Luckily - once you turn the fans down to about half of their speed or less, the noise goes away and the unit sounds much like you would expect. With the fans turned down to half it produces approximately the same amount of noise as the 360 version does. I would have preferred having the fans on full blast to reap the rewards of the extra airflow, however in the end I realize that since the new PS3's have no exhaust fans at the back whatsoever that even at half speed I would be gaining a vast improvement.

And sure enough - my PS3 has quit locking up and just like the 360 - even after 12 hours straight during multiple sessions of gaming it isn't dropping frames or having any issues whatsoever - so the unit is doing what it's supposed to. Just not at the full potential which really is nothing more than an irritation in my mind as even at half speed it is doing an excellent job of sucking hot air out of the console.

Due to the difficult installation and the inability to use the fans at full speed without causing an unacceptable noise (again I am not talking about loud fans - but a grinding noise caused at full speed), I will not be able to rate the unit as highly as the 360 version though. However I would still definitely recommend this unit as an external cooling solution for the PS3 - especially if you have experienced lock ups due to overheating.

So...

Intercooler TS (PS3): 8 / 10

In closing...

All in all - I am very happy with the quality of both of these units. If the PS3 version had allowed full speed of the fans to be used with nothing more than loud fan noise, I would have readily given it a 10 / 10.

I would fully recommend either of these units to anyone who wants to prolong the life of their console, play for longer periods of time without lock ups or is just generally a Cooling Geek like me that knows that the colder the better ALWAYS. If you get one for the PS3 just know ahead of time that you will need to set the manual fan setting at around half speed - and from that point on you will be as happy as a clam with the unit.