Sony's new PlayStation 5 revision is running consistently hotter at 3-5 degrees Celsius because it has a significantly reduced heatsink, according to a teardown examination.
Update 17.9.2021: Digital Foundry and Gamers Nexus have conducted
further tests with their conclusion being that "the internal temperature results suggest that while cooler in some cases, the machine can run hotter in others".
An even hotter PS5?
Sony has had its share of problems with overheating and noisy consoles – the worst example probably being PS4 Pro. Mark Cerny, PlayStation's lead system architect, admitted as much when he unveiled PS5's system architecture in March 2020.
The original PlayStation 5 runs mildly hot in an open space but if you try to hide the biggest console in modern history within your furniture, you may see this message appear on-screen. At least we did a couple of months ago after just 30-40 minutes of playtime.
Photo: FlatpanelsHD
A new revision of the PS5 console (CFI-1100B) runs even hotter than the original PS5 (CFI-1015B), according to examinations carried out by YouTuber Austin Evans. He used a thermal camera to measure PS5's exhaust temperature.
- "The new one is running pretty consistently 3-5 degrees warmer, Celsius," said Austin Evans and concluded: "I don't think there's any argument that this is a worse console, at least for thermals and cooling."
However, it could also mean that the new revision is dissipating heat more efficiently – or a combination. More detailed analysis has yet to be published.
Old heatsink (left), new heatsink (right). Photo: Austin Evans
In the new PS5 revision Sony has significantly reduced the size of heatsink used to cool down the power-hungry 7nm AMD chip. The new heatsink weights 300 grams (now 3.54 kg) less than the heatsink in the original PS5, and power consumption during gaming is further up to 230W.
Also read: Report: Xbox Series X/S 'instant on' could cost users $500m in the US alone
Sony recently announced that PS5 is no longer selling at a loss. The new console revision is currently on sale in Australia, Japan, and the US, and might make its way to more regions in the near future.
- Source: Austin Evans
