New model PS5 teardown video highlights potentially less effective heatsink

After Sony announced third-party SSD support and reports of a new PS5 SKU on the way, we now have new details on the not-so upgraded PlayStation 5. After the new SKU was spotted in Australia and elsewhere, select folks have now got their hands on the new PlayStation 5 model to tear the thing up and find out what’s really going inside. A few minor changes were made to the stand base and the like, but it was the drop in overall weight most gamers were interested in. We now know how Sony managed to bring the heft down, but it might not be the upgrade you were hoping for. 

Not-so upgraded PlayStation 5?

As per a recent teardown video from YouTuber user Austin Evans, it now appears as though the reduction in overall weight on Sony’s flagship gaming console is specifically due to a new heatsink and might very well point at the upgraded PlayStation 5 not being much of an enhancement at all. 

While it’s still unclear why Sony might have made this change, according to Evans, the entire 300 gram or 0.6 pound weight reduction is because of this new and much smaller heatsink unit. But the question remains, if the overall unit is the same, then why is Sony using a new heatsink this earlier on in the PS5 lifecycle without even making an official announcement?

Well, it could be a number of factors, including the overall manufacturing cost, but one thing Evans is sure about is that the new heatsink isn’t even as effective as the original. Evans is clocking a 3 to 5 degree increase in rear exhaust temperatures. As some of noted, this could be due to some natural differences during the manufacturing process, but Evans seems to think it results in a worse console overall anyway:

I don’t think there’s any argument that this is a worse console, at least for thermals and for cooling… As far as I’m concerned I’d rather have a launch PS5.

9to5Toys’ Take

Needless to say, at least for now, this might very well mean the launch configuration remains the more desirable of the two. It might also mean Sony is, in some way or other, testing out the smaller heatsink to prep for a smaller overall footprint in a future iteration of PlayStation 5. The PS5 is indeed the largest console in even mildly recent history, and we know that the cooling system in the original configuration is among the most expensive component for it to produce. Here’s to hoping the new heatsink doesn’t actually give gamers any serious issues, but only time will tell at this point. 

Source: The Verge

Subscribe to the 9to5Toys YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!