Sony’s rollout of the PlayStation 5 Pro quietly slipped in an unexpected twist in its heatsink design that’s turning heads. The well-respected console repair YouTube channel, TronicsFix, made an intriguing discovery. The heatsink on this new console isn’t your typical shiny, smooth surface. Instead, it boasts a unique rectangular spiral pattern.
This unconventional design isn’t just for show. TronicsFix suggests that these spirals help reduce those pesky dry spots and prevent surface oxidation, which often occur when the liquid metal thermal interface material starts wandering across the heatsink. Plus, this pattern might just offer a bit more contact surface area.
For anyone who has tackled the task of spreading liquid metal, you know it can be quite finicky, tending to form little pools. Unlike traditional thermal pastes, liquid metal can be troublesome, flowing into areas where it shouldn’t go. That’s why systems meant for liquid metal use a seal around the heatsink to keep everything contained, ensuring this conductive liquid doesn’t wreak havoc on other components.
TronicsFix also highlights an interesting point about the PS5’s vertical orientation. It seems this positioning might intensify the movement of liquid metal over time. With his extensive experience in repairing and tweaking numerous PS5s, TronicsFix’s insights likely echo the realities faced by many users.
The choice to use this rectangular spiral design with the AMD APU seems to buck some conventional wisdom in cooling. Traditionally, extreme overclockers and tech enthusiasts focus on making processor surfaces as polished and flat as possible. However, the advent of liquid metal appears to have changed the standard. Sony probably conducted A/B testing on this new heatsink against a mirror-smooth one and found the new design offers thermal advantages worth adopting.
With the PS5 Pro’s upgraded processing power, especially the beefed-up GPU, these spiral grooves seem to play a crucial role in managing heat and preventing thermal throttling.
Although the PS5 Pro was introduced to the world in early September, it only became available to consumers recently. As enthusiasts and experts continue to delve into its design, we’re getting more insights. Much of what we know came from the lead architect, Mark Cerny, during an unveiling live stream, but there’s undoubtedly more to discover as teardown reviews continue.
