Leaker Claims No Liquid Metal Cooling for PlayStation 5 Refresh

[T0@st]

PlayStation 5-related rumors have been flowing over the past week—Zuby_Tech was reportedly the main source responsible for leaking out Project Q footage, but the tipster has turned to his attention to an alleged new version of the host system. Yesterday's tweet makes reference to a refreshed PlayStation 5 model—the "CFI-1300 series"—with a revised 5 nm APU. The late-2020 launch model (CFI-1200) sported a 7 nm chipset, while 2022's die shrink granted the CFI-1202 series with a 6 nm SoC.

The tipster thinks that Sony will be dropping the PS5's liquid metal cooling system for its next iteration, thanks to a central 5 nm part offering greater efficiency and reduced thermal output. Previous reports have predicted that this refreshed "modular model" is marked for a late 2023 release window. Sony has been running a summer price reduction campaign—could this marketing incentive be clearing the way—i.e selling off older stock—in anticipation of the refreshed model's arrival? "CFI-1300" should not be confused with the heavily rumored PlayStation 5 Pro variant—Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has reiterated multiple times that this major hardware upgrade is still a long way off from launching.



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[BorisDG]

I don't think this is even possible to go to 5nm. It's completely different node and needs total re-engineering of the silicon. Meanwhile 7->6nm or 5->4nm is like a downport.

 

[TheDeeGee]

I wonder how this will work then.

I know people tried regular paste on the current PS5 and it overheats within minutes of gaming.

 

[LabRat 891]

I wonder how this will work then.

I know people tried regular paste on the current PS5 and it overheats within minutes of gaming.

Maybe, they'll just solder the heatsink on? Ya know, for the ultimate "warranty void if seal broken".
If the thermal density is just as high, trying to replace the broken soldered-pad with TIM will not go well.

 

[Space Lynx]

this would be a dumb mistake, Sony is going downhill pretty fast though these days...

 

[trsttte]

Maybe, they'll just solder the heatsink on? Ya know, for the ultimate "warranty void if seal broken".
If the thermal density is just as high, trying to replace the broken soldered-pad with TIM will not go well.

That would need to be done by AMD at the factory.

We don't know how thermal dense is the new chip, how much power it will require (being N5 certainly less than current version), if they'll change to a new architecture (zen3 or zen4 for example) or what changes they might do to the cooler and overall design of the console. It's very premature to jump to any conclusions

 

[BorisDG]

That would need to be done by AMD at the factory.

We don't know how thermal dense is the new chip, how much power it will require (being N5 certainly less than current version), if they'll change to a new architecture (zen3 or zen4 for example) or what changes they might do to the cooler and overall design of the console. It's very premature to jump to any conclusions

They can't change the architecture to Zen 3/4. Even with Pro I don't think it's quite possible.

 

[tommo1982]

I don't think this is even possible to go to 5nm. It's completely different node and needs total re-engineering of the silicon. Meanwhile 7->6nm or 5->4nm is like a downport.

It's totally possible. It's very expensive though. AMD wouldn't have any incentive to shrink node size for an outdated hardware, unless Sony requested it.

 

[BorisDG]

It's totally possible. It's very expensive though. AMD wouldn't have any incentive to shrink node size for an outdated hardware, unless Sony requested it.

That's why I said they need to re-engineer the entire SoC. It's not stright forward like 7nm to 6nm and 5nm to 4nm, because they are both optical shrink.

 

[LabRat 891]

I don't think this is even possible to go to 5nm. It's completely different node and needs total re-engineering of the silicon. Meanwhile 7->6nm or 5->4nm is like a downport.

They can't change the architecture to Zen 3/4. Even with Pro I don't think it's quite possible.

That's why I said they need to re-engineer the entire SoC. It's not stright forward like 7nm to 6nm and 5nm to 4nm, because they are both optical shrink.

AFAIK, (x86-64 APU-based) Consoles are not 'built' so bare metal any more. I'd bet the move up to RDNA 3.0 and Zen4 would be nearly seamless.
I could see some 'work' needed to deal with any 'tricks, etc.' RDNA 2.0/Zen2-specific, but that's about it. Basically, Sony'll just need an updated I/O and Graphics Driver.

I'd laugh if Sony is just integrating a Phoenix-derivative APU. Considering how far-and-wide I've seen devices using APUs from that lineup, I'd bet the yields are fantastic. Note: Sony has been adamant that the APU in the PS5 is 'very custom' but I've not ever seen a detailed overview and x-ray comparisons.

 

[trsttte]

They can't change the architecture to Zen 3/4. Even with Pro I don't think it's quite possible.

Of course they can, it's the basic advantage of being x86, it's easy to support. I think it's more likely than zen2 being backported to N5 just to support Sony. Now graphics it's a different story, going from RDNA2.0 to RDNA3.0 could involve some more driver work.

Or maybe they just port everything to the lower node, they did with ps4 moving from 28nm to 16nm, the change from the current N6 (already upgraded from the launch N7 version) to N5 or N4 would already give them access to better efficiency and higher clocks.

 

[mrnagant]

I don't think this is even possible to go to 5nm. It's completely different node and needs total re-engineering of the silicon. Meanwhile 7->6nm or 5->4nm is like a downport.

So, is that different than say the PS3 going from 90nm -> 65nm -> 45nm and the PS4 going from 28nm -> 16nm? As far as what they do, it'll be interesting. If it is the same system, as in just a base PS5, I imagine just a complete die shrink and nothing more.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

AMD can do node shrinks without changing the design. 2000 Series Zen and the RX590 were basically that. There ends up being empty die space, which can actually aid in cooling.

The AMD Radeon RX 590 Review, feat. XFX & PowerColor: Polaris Returns (Again)

www.anandtech.com

 

[Lycanwolfen]

I miss the black PS series. But I wish Sony would get on the backwards idea again. I mean I really hate having to own a PS2, PS3, PS4 and then a PS5. With the technology we have today and you cannot make a PS5 or PS6 with full backward playback with all PS games supported is beyond me. I mean I can run all my PS2 PS3 and some PS4 on a emu on a PC and the PS5 is even faster than my PC.

 

[AsRock]

this would be a dumb mistake, Sony is going downhill pretty fast though these days...

IMO SONY's been going down hill for about 26 years now. And as seen as this is not fact it means absolutely nothing.

Same ol shit some one venting idea's \ thought's and people over reacting.

I guess we will know sooner or later, not as if i care about any consoles anyways so.

 

[Ruru]

I miss the black PS series. But I wish Sony would get on the backwards idea again. I mean I really hate having to own a PS2, PS3, PS4 and then a PS5. With the technology we have today and you cannot make a PS5 or PS6 with full backward playback with all PS games supported is beyond me. I mean I can run all my PS2 PS3 and some PS4 on a emu on a PC and the PS5 is even faster than my PC.

Just get third party covers? Totally agree on that backwards compatibility thing. Sucks to have PS2 and PS3 separately on my shelf.

But isn't PS5 backwards compatible with PS4?

 

[T1beriu]

I wonder how this will work then.

I know people tried regular paste on the current PS5 and it overheats within minutes of gaming.

A 5nm chip would use just 60-70% of the power so no liquid metal is needed.

 

[Chomiq]

But isn't PS5 backwards compatible with PS4?

Yes it is.

Also:

Darkplates are a thing, this is how my PS5 looks. Dbrand also offer translucent variants now: