Over the course of the current console generation, the original PS5 has gone through at least two silent hardware revisions, both resulting in less weight. Of the two updates, the first one even came with a different cooling system, featuring a smaller heatsink that, interestingly, provided better cooling. The colloquially named Slim model also got an update of its own late last year, improving its cooling system. More recently, it got another silent revision, changing up the cooling system once again.
As before, this comes courtesy of console technician @Modyficator89 on X, who shared teardown images of the PS5 Slim that came as part of the Marvel’s Wolverine Limited Edition Bundle, as well as related findings. Among other changes, the console now features a new EDM-051 motherboard layout, which leads to simpler and easier repairs. This includes “a newer, lower-cost and more optimised HDMI retimer implementation”, as well as a layout that makes the CR2032 CMOS battery more easily replaceable.
But more importantly, this hardware revision also comes with changes to the cooling system of the PS5 Slim. @Modyficator89 says that the revised cooling system has a “PS5 Pro-style liquid-metal interface”. What this means is that the liquid-metal containment exposes less surface area directly to the liquid metal, which in turn “should help keep it better controlled around the processor”. Also part of the new cooling system is “a noticeably different heatsink construction / material compared to earlier Slim revisions”, which likely means more efficient heat dissipation.
It’s interesting to see that, in both updates of the PS5 Slim, the changes made to the cooling system make it resemble the system used in the Pro version of the console more and more. This may be PlayStation’s attempts at shrinking the better cooling system down to the smaller Slim form factor. Also, weight isn’t mentioned in either update, suggesting that the Slim model itself is the culmination of all the weight loss tech that the company could apply to the original console.
(Source: @Modyficator89 / X)
