Gamers Nexus is testing the cooler in the new Playstation 5

Earlier this summer, Sony introduced a new review of the Playstation 5 gaming console, in which the only obvious difference on paper was the 300g weight reduction. However, it didn’t take long before Youtube profiler Austin Evans got her hands on the new version of the console and was able to link the weight loss to the fact that the built-in heat sink had been significantly reduced. Based on temperature measurements from the console’s exhaust, Evans also concluded that the new version was much hotter than the original.

However, power supply expert Aris Mpitziopoulos dismissed the idea that a miniature cooling solution would result in poor cooling performance, posting on his Youtube channel Hardware Busters a test with more accurate measurements from inside the console. Here, instead, a conclusion was made in a completely different direction, since the measurements showed that the system circuit of the new revision with a slim radiator turned out to be much cooler than the old – despite the similar power output and sound level.

Now a third player enters the game in the form of Gamers Nexus, in association with digital foundry Released an in-depth test on two versions of Playstation 5. Digital Foundry is here for performance tests, as they can say that the measured performance is identical between the two versions of the game console. Their copy of the new Playstation 5 was sent across the Atlantic to Gamers Nexus for demolition and temperature measurements.

As soon as Steve Burke and his employees received the new modified version of Playstation 5, they, like others who disassembled the console, discovered that the main heat sink of the new cooler is noticeably smaller than its predecessor. Interestingly, however, there are also obvious differences in the contact surfaces with voltage regulation (VRM) and memory circuits, the latter being significantly improved compared to the older revision of the controller.

When Gamers Nexus displays temperature measurements, they stress that they would have preferred additional data points from copies of the two, as there may be differences from the factory, for example, how the liquid metal between the system circuit and the radiator is applied. With this firework, Youtube channel numbers show that the system circuit is about 5°C warmer in the new version than the old one.

As for the other components, the scenario is the other way around. The new audit memory circuits here are between 3 and 4 degrees Celsius cooler than the old version. The same also applies to the VRM part, which deals with voltage regulation, being about 2°C cooler under load with the new coolant.

To rule out externalities and essentially test for differences between the two coolers, Gamers Nexus also opted to build a “Franken Controller,” reusing a single-model circuit board and just spinning the cooler itself. In this test scenario, the difference between the two coolants decreases, with the system circuit now warmer than 4°C with the new coolant. Moreover, the memories and the VRM part stay cooler with the latest revision of the cooling solution.

There is also no reason to worry about high noise levels in high temperatures. Gamers Nexus measurements show that the game console fan is not controlled based on system circuit temperature, but instead, its actual power output. The fan speed is kept at a low level until the power output reaches 100W, then the speed remains constant all the way up to the maximum output which is about 200W.

The gist of the Gamers Nexus and Digital Foundry tests is that as a consumer you don’t have to worry about what version of Playstation 5 you get. The difference in performance of the cooling solution between the two models is very small, and nothing the end user will notice in the lost performance or high noise level.

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