Cooling electronic devices has never been an easy task for tech companies. It is something Sony has also struggled with over the past few years with PlayStation. Almost everyone who owned a PS4 noticed the extremely loud fan noise whenever they launched a game. A new patent from Sony confirms that they have countered this issue with a newer and possibly better cooling solution in the upcoming PS5.
With the release date drawing closer and closer more details about the upcoming PS5 are popping up. One of the major sources for leaks and speculations are patents. Sony has published various patents after the announcement of this new console. Previous patents from the company mentioned ideas like more that one GPUs for increased performance a method used for quite some time on the PC side.
There is also a player identification system for improved video recorded content. The most recent patent however is about the cooling solution intended for the device. Sony has answered to the woes of PS4 players complaining about the noise and overheating issues.
The majority of the past consoles relied on air cooling and we all know that air cooling can get LOUD. This patent confirms that sony will not completely rely on fans to cool down the console this time. They have borrowed another cooling solution used mostly in high-end smartphones. This time they will use liquid metal to transfer the heat generated by the powerful hardware inside.
Liquid Cooling:
The liquid metal in the discussion here will be used as a thermal compound in the device. In the past, a thermal compound is used between the silicon dye and the heatsink to improve thermal contact between the devices. Sony will now use liquid metal for this purpose because of its better thermal conductivity and improves durability. A lot of PC coolers also use this solution and we have results supporting that this method significantly improves cooling.
Sony will use an “ultraviolet cured resin” to seal the liquid metal inside the PS5. It will not leak anywhere else in the system even with high temperatures. The metal used in this cooling system has a low melting point and once the console heats up it will only then melt and act as a buffer for heat transfer. Sony believes that with improved thermal conductivity they can significantly decrease fan noise.
Keeping aside all the good things about liquid metal. This new innovation does come with some problems. First of installing a liquid metal cooling system is a complex process and it will definitely affect the repair cost of this console. Similarly, we have no idea about the longevity of this thermal compound it could last 5 years or it could last one.
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Another important aspect to factor in is the price impact of this system. Sony has still not talked about the expected price of any of the two PS5 variants. A solution like this will surely cost more than simple ones and well have to wait until the holiday season to see the exact price impact. Portability and Shipping Issues of the device will also increase with this. Surely liquids and electronics don’t quite mix very well.
Sony PS5 is launching holiday 2020 and well be sharing more details as they come up.