Sony’s new PlayStation 5 Pro has slipped into the market with a subtle yet fascinating tweak to its heatsink design. The folks over at TronicsFix, a popular console repair channel on YouTube, recently uncovered that the PS5 Pro’s heatsink isn’t quite as smooth as one might expect. Instead, it boasts a unique rectangular spiral pattern.
TronicsFix suggests that this meticulously crafted surface texture was intentionally created to tackle two primary issues: preventing dry spots and mitigating surface oxidation, both of which can occur when liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) wanders across the heatsink. They also believe this design slightly amplifies the contact area.
If you’ve dabbled with liquid metal before, you’d know it has a tendency to pool and flow more than traditional thermal paste. This makes containment crucial, hence why systems using liquid metal employ seals to keep it in check, preventing it from damaging other components.
The channel’s analysis goes further by linking the movement of liquid metal over time with PS5 consoles that are used upright. Given TronicsFix’s vast experience with PlayStation systems, their insights likely reflect real-world scenarios accurately.
Sony’s choice to incorporate these spiral “grooves” where the heatsink meets the AMD APU is intriguing because it deviates from the usual cooling methods. Traditionally, those keen on boosting performance might invest time in polishing the processor and heatsink to a mirror finish. But with liquid metal entering the scene, Sony’s redesign suggests it’s an effective strategy following rigorous A/B testing against a polished heatsink counterpart.
As the PS5 Pro packs more power, especially with its upgraded GPU, these grooves seem to be one of several strategic changes aimed at warding off thermal throttling.
Although the PS5 Pro officially launched to consumers just recently, having been announced in early September, the dissection and exploration by enthusiasts is still ongoing. We owe much of what we know about its inner workings to Mark Cerny, the lead architect, who shared key details during a launch livestream.
