PlayStation 5 Pro Reportedly Fixes PS5 Design Flaw

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Summary

  • The PS5 utilizes a liquid metal interface between the heatsink and chip for enhanced thermal conductivity, but potential leakages in vertically-oriented consoles pose a major reliability risk.
  • A new teardown of the PS5 Pro reveals that the console’s heatsink design has been tweaked compared to the base PS5, likely in an effort to mitigate liquid metal leakages.
  • Liquid metal issues haven’t affected PS5 owners on a widespread scale, but Sony is clearly committed to identifying and addressing possible risks to ensure long-term reliability.

As a long-time gaming enthusiast who has seen the rise and fall of many consoles, I must say that the latest revelation about the PlayStation 5 Pro is quite intriguing. Having gone through the turmoil of the Xbox 360’s Red Ring of Death and other hardware failures in my past, it’s heartening to see Sony taking proactive steps to ensure the longevity of their products. The fact that they are addressing potential design flaws even before widespread issues occur is a testament to their commitment towards providing top-notch gaming experiences for us, the players.

The liquid metal leakage issue may have been a minor blip on the radar for some, but as someone who has had to part ways with consoles due to hardware failures, I appreciate Sony’s efforts in mitigating this risk. The design tweaks on the PS5 Pro’s heatsink are a clear indication that they are not only listening to their customers but also actively working to improve their products based on our experiences.

Lastly, let me leave you with a little joke to lighten the mood: “I used to worry about my PlayStation 3 overheating. But then I realized, it’s just showing its love for gaming!

A current examination of the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro indicates that this new model might have addressed a potential design issue found in the regular PlayStation 5. This problem is said to potentially make a PS5 completely non-functional, although the console generally hasn’t faced widespread malfunctions. However, it appears Sony has made subtle adjustments to ensure such an incident doesn’t occur on the PlayStation 5 Pro.

Due to the high clock speed of the PS5’s GPU at 2.23GHz, Sony decided to employ liquid metal instead of traditional thermal paste on the console’s chip for cooling purposes. This switch offers superior heat conduction towards the heatsink compared to thermal paste. However, it comes with a significant risk: if the liquid metal escapes its container, it can instantly short-circuit the motherboard and render the system unusable. In early 2023, there were reports suggesting that this issue might arise in PS5 units kept vertically for extended periods, causing alarm among owners.

Fortunately, any confusion about potential issues with the PS5’s liquid metal interface was resolved later on. It seems that this problem could only arise in used consoles that have undergone previous disassembly for repairs. As for new and sealed PS5s, they present a minimal risk of encountering this issue. Interestingly, it appears that Sony has taken steps to minimize liquid metal leaks within the PS5 Pro’s internal components, enhancing its design where possible. A recent teardown comparison video by YouTube channel How-FixIT revealed that the heatsink block in the PS5 Pro features surface ridges, which are likely intended to evenly distribute the liquid metal over the chip in the newer console.

PS5 Pro Features Optimized Heatsink Design That Can Prevent Potential Liquid Metal Spillage

It’s thought that the ridges on the heatsink reduce the chance of liquid metal accumulating at the bottom of the chip in the PS5 Pro, which could negatively affect its cooling performance. In contrast, the PS5 Slim’s heatsink has a flat contact area, suggesting that Sony has addressed the liquid metal issues with the PS5 Pro. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the only subtle change Sony made to the PS5 Pro; prior to its release, it was found that Sony incorporated an accessible bay for the PS5 Pro’s CMOS battery, making it simple for owners to swap out the part if it stops working correctly.

So far, there haven’t been widespread reports of liquid metal leaks from PS5 units. Many users have even questioned whether such issues exist at all. However, changes in the cooling system (heatsink) design on the rumored PS5 Pro suggest that Sony is vigilantly monitoring potential sources of hardware problems and making necessary adjustments to prevent failures. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are built with great care, making it highly unlikely that they will experience problems as notorious as the Xbox 360’s Red Ring of Death.

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2025-01-01 21:14