Console Technician Unveils Innovative PS5 Pro Heatsink Design — Machined Grooves Believed to Prevent Solder Paste Leakage

Sony has made an intriguing tweak in the cooling design of its new PlayStation 5 Pro, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. The folks at TronicsFix, a well-known YouTube channel for console repairs, recently highlighted this change. They discovered that the heatsink in the PS5 Pro isn’t just your standard smooth finish; instead, it sports a unique rectangular spiral pattern.

In an insightful video, TronicsFix suggests that this deliberate design choice is aimed at minimizing dry spots and oxidation on the heatsink, which can happen when liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) moves around. The pattern also slightly increases the contact surface area, enhancing thermal efficiency.

Anyone who’s worked with liquid metal knows it tends to pool and is much more mobile than traditional thermal pastes. This mobility is why systems that use liquid metal often include seals around the heatsink to prevent this conductive material from leaking out and potentially causing harm to other components.

A key observation from TronicsFix is that the movement of the liquid metal is more pronounced in vertical PS5 setups. With Steve from TronicsFix having repaired a fair share of PS5 consoles, his insights likely hit close to home.

Interestingly, Sony’s decision to add these spiral grooves contrasts with typical cooling strategies where smooth surfaces are preferred. Overclockers often go to great lengths to polish their processors and heatsinks to achieve optimal flatness. However, the advent of liquid metal TIM has shifted these norms. Undoubtedly, Sony has conducted comparisons between this new heatsink design and a traditional smooth one, concluding that the benefits were significant enough to warrant this update.

With the PS5 Pro boasting a more powerful GPU, these heatsink grooves are likely a strategic move to ward off thermal throttling issues.

Although Sony unveiled the PS5 Pro back in early September, it became available to consumers just this month. As enthusiasts and experts continue to take apart the new model to understand its intricacies, most technical specifics were unveiled during a live stream by Mark Cerny, the lead architect.

If you’re eager to dive deeper into gaming tech and updates, stay tuned for more detailed reviews and insights straight from Tom’s Hardware.