Sony’s latest PlayStation 5 Pro has quietly introduced a fascinating change in its heatsink design. The popular YouTube channel TronicsFix, known for console repairs, recently unearthed that the PS5 Pro’s heatsink diverges from the usual glossy-smooth finish by incorporating a rectangular spiral surface detail.
In a YouTube video titled “The PS5 Pro Upgrade No One Is Talking About,” TronicsFix delves into this design alteration. They suggest that the purpose behind these spiraled details may be to mitigate dry spots and surface oxidation – issues typically caused by liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) spreading unevenly across the heatsink. Furthermore, this intricate pattern might enhance the heatsink’s contact surface area, albeit slightly.
If you’ve ever dealt with applying liquid metal, you’ll understand the challenge of preventing it from pooling or sliding to unwanted areas, unlike traditional thermal pastes. To counteract this, systems equipped with liquid metal use seals or barriers around the heatsink to ensure this conductive substance doesn’t escape and potentially damage other components.
TronicsFix also proposes that the movement of liquid metal over time could be more pronounced in PlayStation consoles that are positioned vertically. Having fixed and optimized many PS5s as well as other consoles, Steve from TronicsFix seems to have an ear to the ground on this issue.
Sony’s decision to implement these rectangular spiral ‘grooves’ on the heatsink, which interfaces directly with the AMD APU, might seem unorthodox when contrasted with conventional cooling methodologies. Enthusiastic overclockers and tuners usually prefer their processor surfaces and heatsinks to be polished and flat for maximum efficiency. However, the introduction of liquid metal technology has changed those standards. It stands to reason that Sony conducted thorough comparisons between this new heatsink design and a traditional mirror-smooth one, concluding that the former offers significant thermal advantages worth adopting.
Considering the PS5 Pro’s enhanced processing capabilities, especially with its more robust GPU, these heatsink grooves are likely one of the solutions to prevent thermal throttling.
The PS5 Pro was formally introduced to the public in early September, but it has only recently hit the shelves for consumers. Enthusiasts and experts continue to peel back the layers of its new design, but most technical specifics were unveiled by lead architect Mark Cerny during a live-streamed launch event.
