Sony has quietly made an intriguing update to the PlayStation 5 Pro with a fresh twist in its heatsink design. The discovery was brought to light by TronicsFix, a well-known YouTube channel for console repairs. Unlike its predecessors, the PS5 Pro’s heatsink isn’t smooth to the touch; it features an interesting rectangular spiral pattern.
TronicsFix speculates that this carefully crafted design helps to minimize dry spots and surface oxidation, issues often caused by the movement of liquid metal thermal interface material across the heatsink. This design tweak is also thought to slightly expand the contact surface area, enhancing the overall cooling efficiency.
If you’ve ever worked with liquid metal, you’ll know it has a tendency to pool. Unlike traditional thermal pastes, it can easily spread to unwanted areas. That’s why systems using liquid metal heatsinks typically include a seal or barrier to prevent this conductive material from leaking out and potentially harming other components.
Further observations by TronicsFix suggest that the liquid metal’s tendency to migrate might be more pronounced in PlayStations used in a vertical position. Given his extensive experience with repairing and fine-tuning numerous PS5 units (among other consoles), TronicsFix’s insights are likely close to reality.
Sony’s addition of these spiral grooves on the heatsink, which interfaces with the AMD APU, is intriguing. It bucks some traditional cooling methods. Expert overclockers often strive for a perfectly smooth, flat surface. However, the advent of liquid metal has shifted these traditional approaches. It’s likely that Sony evaluated this new pattern against a polished heatsink and found it beneficial for thermal management.
With the PS5 Pro’s increased computing capabilities—most notably its more powerful GPU—these heatsink grooves appear to be a strategic move to combat thermal throttling and maintain performance.
The PS5 Pro was officially revealed early in September, but consumers only began to get their hands on it this month. While enthusiasts and experts are still delving into the console’s new design secrets, most technical information was shared by lead architect Mark Cerny during the product’s launch livestream.
