I would very strongly advise against using sandpaper inside any cartridge-based system as it can leave some sand residue in the connections, which would in term wear out the contacts on the games faster.

Dommage :/ Au prix qu’Apple demande, le travail devrait pourtant être bien fait… Content que vous ayez pu régler votre problème, un changement de pâte thermique est toujours une bonne idée :)

Yes B S, the temps will be lower. Apple is known to put only a tiny amount or bad quality thermal paste on their machines, so even is a Mac is brand new, temperatures will be better if the thermal paste is replaced. I have replaced thermal paste on numerous computers and have never regretted it :)

Hey, it works ! I think that the sounds were probably coming off the cardboard box the board was placed on.

I too have a different model of Playstation 3 fat, but I am doing the repair anyways ! I am currently waiting for the board to cool down, and I am hearing some weird tiny crackling noises... I hope that it will be fine even if it's making these !

Are these DDR3 SODIMMs ?

You could also, if you feel confident in your skills, desolder the old button and replace it with a standard 4-pin pushbutton. Resolder the new one, and it should work.