So I got a PS2 2-3 months ago, and have been really enjoying it, but I've noticed some quirky behavior. Its annoying, and to an extent worrisome, however for the most part I've been able to play games on it just fine.

The behaviors I've noticed are:

Getting hung on sounds - That is, sometimes a sound effect will continually loop even when the object causing said sound is no longer in range, or indeed even in the current area. For example: sounds of jet turbines or whatever will continually loop in Armored Core 2 even when I go back to the menu or start a new mission. I've only noticed this happening with Armored Core 2 and Eternal Ring so it may be something to do with how From Software codes their games.

Playing seamlessly, then needing to take a huge loading break right in the middle of action. For example, I played Metal Gear Solid just fine, got to the sequence after you first meet Meryl where you have to blow away the guards. The first two times, the guards killed me, so I continued, crawled under the bed to get the ration, was standing up... and suddenly the game pauses and a "loading" icon appears in the corner. The PS2 makes a lot of noise for anywhere from thirty seconds to five minutes, then the game resumes as normal.

Something like this has happened at least once in every PS2 game I've put in, and its always during something normal where you don't expect huge loading times, such as opening an item inventory in King's Field IV or Eternal Ring or sometimes when I'm just running around in Shadow of the Colossus. With some of these games, it happens only once or twice throughout the whole time I'm playing the game, while with others it seems to happen at least once every time I turn the game on.

Shadow of the Colossus' graphics seem kind of glitchy - This could just be the game, but I'll notice that, instead of being seamless, objects in the distance will just "pop in." Also, the brightness is inconsistent. I'll be in a dimly-lit cave, and the next second there's sunlight everywhere. One instance happened just now which I'm sure was a glitch, when the wall and floor textures of the space I was in simply disappeared (I could still see distant objects just fine). Either Wander found some really good mushrooms, or...

Now that I've described the symptoms, here's the specs of the console:

PS2, slimline in the SPCH-75000X line. It has a Matrix Infinity modchip.

And here's the games and their condition:

Armored Core 2 - been through at least one buffer.

Eternal Ring - Almost brand-new, been cleaned with a soft cloth.

King's Field: The Ancient City - Buffered once.

Metal Gear Solid - (Okay, so its actually a PS1 game, but still). Version from the collection. Seems basically brand-new.

(I haven't tested MGS2 yet)

Shadow of the Colossus - Game seemed almost-new when I bought it (note that its the original, not the Greatest Hits release), but I've noticed a ring appearing near the outer edge, and this ring seems to be getting bigger.

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So there's the facts as they stand, now: should I just get a new PS2 (and try to find a non-modchip way to play my imports, which I do have a collection of), or are all these things normal and I shouldn't worry about it?

Thanks in advance.