Sony Shows Off PlayStation 5 Internals in the Latest Teardown Video

[AleksandarK]

Sony has decided to post a teardown video of its latest, upcoming PlayStation 5 console. The video shows how to disassemble the console and what is inside it. The new console features a different design from the previous generation, and thus a different internal layout. What is perhaps the most exciting thing shown in the video is the new cooling solution Sony implements. The new design uses some pretty interesting solutions that combine good airflow generated by 120 mm wide, 45 mm thick blower fan cooling the vapor chamber heatsink. Under the heatsink, the silicon company has made is running at high clocks and is said to generate a lot of heat, so to manage it, the console uses liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) instead of regular thermal paste for heat transfer. Combined with good airflow and good heatsink, heat management shouldn't be a problem on this console.


You can check out the teardown video below:

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[DemonicRyzen666]

"Awaits the B*$*@#$^ about blower fan for cooler "......

 

[Vayra86]

Gonna be interesting how loud this one gets.

The earlier vanilla Playstations weren't pretty in that regard.... PS3... holy shit

 

[Calmmo]

Dunno, looks way better than the PS4 Pro's cooling.
Still doesn't look like a quiet solution tho.

 

[Anymal]

Seems similar to my teardown of 1994 SNES

 

[Fleurious]

Liquid metal should help with temps but isn’t there a concern about that stuff drying/oxidizing after a couple years?

 

[ShurikN]

Dunno, looks way better than the PS4 Pro's cooling.
Still doesn't look like a quiet solution tho.

With a 120*45 blower fan, it doesnt need to run at high speeds to achieve high airflow. Also the heatsink itself in ginormous compared to PS4 Pro. People are already reporting the console is ultra cool 'n' quiet while running a game.

PS5 Has "No Noticeable Fan Noise"

PlayStation 5 not only runs extremely quiet but its improved ventilation system ensures that the next-generation console remains cool as well. This is

segmentnext.com

According to hands-on impressions by Japanese publications Dengeki Online and 4Gamer earlier today, the “quietness of the [PS5] fans” was shocking. Sony Interactive Entertainment allowed both publications to play Godfall and Astro’s Playroom for nearly two hours in a studio where the intense overhead lighting made the room temperature “feel quite hot.” However, there was “no noticeable fan noise” coming from PS5 at the end of the session and the body of the next-generation console itself felt cool to the touch as well.

My biggest take away from this is the kick ass cooling and the SSD, as in if it dies, say goodbye to the console.

 

[Deleted member 185088]

Liquid metal should help with temps but isn’t there a concern about that stuff drying/oxidizing after a couple years?

Wonder how it'll hold after some time, fortunately GT isn't coming till next year so I have some time to see how reliable the PS5 is.

 

[Arkz]

Latest Teardown Video
?
Latest?
There hasnt been a previous PS5 teardown though?

 

[Calmmo]

Liquid metal should help with temps but isn’t there a concern about that stuff drying/oxidizing after a couple years?

Yeah, that part is kinda worrisome longterm, and this thing is likely intended to last 7-10 years.

With a 120*45 blower fan, it doesnt need to run at high speeds to achieve high airflow. Also the heatsink itself in ginormous compared to PS4 Pro. People are already reporting the console is ultra cool 'n' quiet while running a game.

PS5 Has "No Noticeable Fan Noise"

PlayStation 5 not only runs extremely quiet but its improved ventilation system ensures that the next-generation console remains cool as well. This is

segmentnext.com

We'll see once real users get their hands on them for sure. Hard to trust sony after the noisy mess that was the PS4pro. (mine included)

 

[theonek]

very complex cooling radiator, wonder what TDP will have this APU?

 

[Zareek]

Impressive how easy that looks to disassemble versus some modern consoles. That heatsink is an absolute beast.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Their custom SSD is using Toshiba/Kioxia NAND flash, with what appears to be a DRAM buffer from Samsung.
The GDDR6 seems to be from Samsung.
It looks like it only has an eight phase VRM design, which seems a bit anemic for the CPU+GPU.
The M.2 slot is nice, but I don't understand the logic behind support for 30, 42 and even 60mm cards. I guess 110mm support might be useful if you want to install a server grade SSD.
Massive heatsink and a long heatpipe that runs the length and breadth of the top EMI shielding.
Tiny air intakes and the "dust traps" are really weird.
The PCB seems to use a couple of metal blades to connect to the PSU.
The placement of the CR2032 battery is going to make it impossible to replace, piss poor engineering, much like our Japanese rice cooker that no longer displays the time when unplugged.
I count seven heatpipes, there might be more in that heatsink. It's simply gianourmous.
I guess we'll be seeing third party side plates for it in no time at all.
Very old fashioned Ethernet PCB design, no-one really uses external magnetics these days, it's built into the port.
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module seems to be USB or SDIO based.
There also seem to be some kind of a "chipset" on the board.
Fan grills seem cheaply made and like they block a lot of air unnecessarily.
The stand is overly complex.

 

[Chrispy_]

With a 120*45 blower fan, it doesnt need to run at high speeds to achieve high airflow. Also the heatsink itself in ginormous compared to PS4 Pro.

Yep, that's a lot of airflow at reasonable RPMs, and the surface area on that heatsink is pretty big. Unlike a single-sided blower GPU in a PC case, this blower gets direct access to cold outside air and has way more space to breathe both in and out.

VRMs also get a whole massive plate (with a heatpipe) in addition to the main heatsink that he removes at the 4:07 mark. I can't tell if it's actively cooled or just taking advantage of the massive surface area.

 

[windwhirl]

Perhaps it's just me, but why would Sony post a teardown video of their next console? It doesn't seem like something they would do.

That aside, seeing the internals was quite interesting.

 

[mtcn77]

Yeah, that part is kinda worrisome longterm, and this thing is likely intended to last 7-10 years.

Suppose they replaced it - what would they substitute for it? Curing pastes need maintenance as liquid metal is, in contrary to pastes, nonevaporative. It tends to engrain itself across the heat flow however an engineer would work it out better than any 3rd party.

Perhaps it's just me, but why would Sony post a teardown video of their next console?

This guy has a knack for that. It has been the third disassembly. He is getting more eloquent each time, he doesn't even feel too formal this time. He only used the screwdriver in older presentations.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Perhaps it's just me, but why would Sony post a teardown video of their next console? It doesn't seem like something they would do.

That aside, seeing the internals was quite interesting.

Because Microsoft did it first, of sorts?

 

[windwhirl]

This guy has a knack for that. It has been the third disassembly. He is getting more eloquent each time, he doesn't even feel too formal this time. He only used the screwdriver in older presentations.

Ah, so this isn't Sony's first time doing this kind of presentation, then?

Because Microsoft did it first, of sorts?

OK, but still... it just doesn't feel like the kind of product where I would feel like it's really important to show potential customers what it looks like inside... specially since the console would probably end up covered in warnings about the warranty being void and null if the user disassembles it.

It looks like it only has an eight phase VRM design, which seems a bit anemic for the CPU+GPU.

They must be really confident in keeping the power requirements under control. Either the whole thing doesn't consume as much energy as we are speculating or there will be some really aggressive power policy at work. If nothing else, overclocking is not expected...

The placement of the CR2032 battery is going to make it impossible to replace

I still haven't felt the need to replace the one in my older rig that it's been around about 5 years and still going... And for that matter, aren't there rechargeable variants?

There also seem to be some kind of a "chipset" on the board.

Maybe a secondary processor of some kind? The PS4 had an ARM one...

 

[mtcn77]

Ah, so this isn't Sony's first time doing this kind of presentation, then?

I just watch it for his clocksmith charisma.
Have you tried presenting stuff, it is not for the faint of heart. The level of rigor that goes into gamersnexus kind of journalism is an orchestrated round the clock job. It mesmerises me since I tried and failed.

 

[Animalpak]

Like the PS3... Too much metal and plastic... It costs alot to produce.

Too big, and they will release an updated version more little and efficent than this one for sure.

 

[Chomiq]

At least they don't need no stupid proprietary expansion slots to upgrade the storage. Just get a PCI-E 4.0 NVMe and plug it straight in. They even left enough space for a heatsink.

 

[Jism]

Wonder how it'll hold after some time, fortunately GT isn't coming till next year so I have some time to see how reliable the PS5 is.

They said they put 2 years of R&D into that sollution, so i assume they know what they are doing.

This helps in a overall more quiet system, but the small fin stack on the heatsink however is bound to catch dust.

 

[TheLostSwede]

OK, but still... it just doesn't feel like the kind of product where I would feel like it's really important to show potential customers what it looks like inside... specially since the console would probably end up covered in warnings about the warranty being void and null if the user disassembles it.

They must be really confident in keeping the power requirements under control. Either the whole thing doesn't consume as much energy as we are speculating or there will be some really aggressive power policy at work. If nothing else, overclocking is not expected...

I still haven't felt the need to replace the one in my older rig that it's been around about 5 years and still going... And for that matter, aren't there rechargeable variants?

Maybe a secondary processor of some kind? The PS4 had an ARM one...

Obviously not, but hey, this seems to be the way things are done now...

Well, the PSU is "only" 350W, so that's a lot less than your average PC. It's also an SoC, so in some ways it's more like one of AMD's notebook CPUs and they can obviously run with an even smaller power supply. That said, something like the Asus Zhephyrus G14 appears to have a very similar VRM.

It's not about feeling the need, it's about it being impossible to replace when the time comes. Obviously some people will replace their old console at some point and forget about it, but a lot of people seem to collect these things. My older cousin has all of his Sony consoles tucked away and a silly thing like this, means you will have issues in the future. Yes, there are rechargeable batteries in the CR2032 form factor, but they're expensive in comparison and I have never seen them used in any commercial consumer devices. Note that the rechargeable ones have about a third or a quarter of the capacity though, so they're not always a great replacement.

Could be something similar, i.e. a low power SoC that hopefully is a bit more advanced than in the past, so it can handles downloads will the rest of the console is in sleep mode.

 

[Durvelle27]

At least they don't need no stupid proprietary expansion slots to upgrade the storage. Just get a PCI-E 4.0 NVMe and plug it straight in. They even left enough space for a heatsink.

You missed the part where it has to be certified by playstation to work.

Plus if you actually looks at retailers a good PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe at 1TB cost around $200 USD. The Xbox 1TB Expansion is $219 which is close in price. Plus Microsoft already stated that there will be more available options after launch beside seagate.

 

[silentbogo]

I'm not sure what surprised me more: Sony making a serviceable console in 2020, or Sony making a teardown of the abovementioned console on YT...
That blower looks almost as big as on my kitchen exhaust. A good sign that it'll run cool and at low RPM.

Maybe a secondary processor of some kind? The PS4 had an ARM one...

That's their "custom" NVME controller. Not sure whether it's so big because it's "custom", or because they rebadged one of the older enterprise NVME controllers.