PS5 Could Die Early from Liquid Metal Leak, Claims Path of Titans Dev
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Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5) uses liquid metal as a thermal interface material between the processor and the heatsink. This material improves heat transfer and ensures optimal contact, but because it conducts electricity, it must be carefully confined. If it touches other components such as the Printed Circuit Board (PCB), it can cause irreversible damage.
Matthew Cassells, founder of Alderon Games, revealed a major flaw in the PS5 during a podcast with Moore’s Law Is Dead. He discovered that when the console is placed vertically, the liquid metal used for cooling may leak downward. This leakage results in dry spots on the Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), where the metal no longer contacts the heatsink, which significantly reduces cooling efficiency.
Critical Flaw Discovered in PS5’s Cooling System
As a result, the APU may overheat, leading the console to shut down automatically. Matthew had this problem and tried to fix it by cleaning the console, but it didn’t help.
Additionally, Sony has attempted to fix the problem with a redesign in the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro models. These newer consoles feature ridges around the APU and heatsink to prevent liquid metal leakage. However, it is still too early to determine whether this design change effectively resolves the issue.
It’s important to note that not all consoles are affected in the same way. The leakage does not always drain in the same pattern around the APU, meaning that the severity of the overheating issue varies from console to console. As a result, the impact can be more or less severe depending on where the liquid metal leaks.
Given the large number of potentially affected consoles, offering a free repair program may not be economically feasible for Sony. In the future, the company could face a class-action lawsuit over this defect, which could lead to significant financial consequences.
In other news, the ‘Mass Damage & Consumer Foundation’ in the Netherlands has filed a class action lawsuit against Sony. The lawsuit accuses Sony of artificially inflating PlayStation Store prices by exploiting its dominant position in the digital game sales market.
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