The Sony PlayStation 5 gaming console is a lot more powerful than its predecessor. However, all that power under the hood needs some serious cooling. A modder has been able to liquid-cool the console, and in the process not only brought the temperatures down but also ensured the "PS5 Slim" remained quiet under pressure.
The majority of the Sony PS5’s thickness can be attributed to extra-large heatsinks. The system is meticulously designed and painstakingly optimized to keep the system"s various components from overheating. Strip away the cooling, and the PS5 would cease to function very quickly. However, without the beefy heatsinks, the PS5"s motherboard is actually quite thin.
Matt from DIY Perks recently dismantled his Sony PlayStation 5 console. Strangely, the primary goal was to reduce the footprint of the console. Hence, the modder set about replacing the factory-fitted air-cooling system with a custom-built water-cooling rig.
As the rather detailed video reveals, the heavily modified and liquid-cooled Sony PS5 received a custom three-layer water block made from copper to keep everything cool. Although the contraption lacks the sophistication and polish that Sony offers, the water-cooling is surprisingly effective.
Matt coated the SoC with liquid metal and used the original bracket to hold the main heatsink plate in place. He placed spacers and thermal glue on the cooling plate to help remove heat from secondary chips, as they get warm too.
The Voltage Regulator Modules (VRMs) that Sony installed inside the PS5 are exceptionally powerful and need a capable cooling system too. To cool the VRMs, Matt modified the PS5"s original heat pipe to connect it to a secondary liquid channel forming a composite cooling stack. He swapped out the internal Power Supply Unit (PSU) for an external power brick, which also powered the water-cooling system’s radiator and pump.
Needless to mention, the temperatures inside the water-cooled Sony PS5 are far better than the standard air-cooled version. Moreover, the end result was a powerful gaming console that measured just 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) thick. That"s thinner than even the NVIDIA Shield.