Console Technician Unveils Unique PS5 Pro Heatsink Design — Grooves Aim to Prevent Solder Paste Leakage

Sony has quietly revamped the PlayStation 5 Pro’s heatsink design, which hasn’t gone unnoticed thanks to the eagle-eyed folks at TronicsFix, a well-regarded console repair YouTube channel. This new heatsink makes an intriguing shift from the norm with its unique rectangular spiral texture, contrary to the typical glossy smoothness you might expect.

In a detailed teardown, TronicsFix shared their insights on this new design. They suggest that this specifically engineered surface helps address issues like dry spots and surface oxidation caused by the liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) migrating across the heatsink. Additionally, this pattern seems to slightly boost the contact surface area between the heatsink and components.

If you’ve ever dealt with applying liquid metal, you likely know how tricky it can be. It tends to pool and isn’t as easy to control as traditional thermal pastes, which can create challenges. Because of its fluid nature, systems designed for liquid metal use typically incorporate a seal or barrier around the heatsink to prevent any unwanted spread that could potentially harm other system parts.

Steve from TronicsFix also points out that the issue of liquid metal movement could be worsened in PS5s that are used in a vertical position. Given his extensive experience fixing and fine-tuning numerous PS5 units, his observations carry considerable weight.

Sony’s decision to incorporate these rectangular grooves in the heatsink that interfaces with the AMD APU is intriguing as it bucks traditional cooling methods. Generally, extreme overclockers and tuning fans aim to finely polish the processor surface and ensure the heatsink is perfectly flat, but the advent of liquid metal technology has changed the game. It’s highly likely that Sony conducted extensive tests comparing this newly textured heatsink with a traditional smooth one and concluded this alteration offered significant thermal advantages.

Considering the PS5 Pro’s beefed-up processing power—especially the enhanced GPU—these heatsink grooves likely play a crucial role in preventing thermal throttling.

The PS5 Pro made its grand debut back in early September, but it only hit the store shelves more recently. As enthusiasts and experts continue to dissect the new design, more and more details are coming to light. Nonetheless, most of the technical specifics were shared by Mark Cerny, the lead architect, during a live stream at the launch event.