A revised version of the PlayStation 5 quietly went on sale in Australia last week. While initial reports suggested that it only includes trivial changes such as a different screw design and slightly lower weight, a YouTuber has shared a teardown that reveals significant differences in the new console versus the original.
As demonstrated by tech YouTuber Austin Evans, the new PS5 revision (CFI-11XX numbering scheme) features some notable changes to its cooling components. These include the fan, which has received an updated design, as well as a revised heat sink. The latter is by far the most significant change, as it’s considerably smaller than the version in the original PS5.
The discovery has raised concerns as to whether the new PS5 model’s cooling performance might be worse than the original version. Evans did measure higher exhaust temps in the new console, but more testing is required, as that’s a useless way of determining the actual temperature of internal components. The new PS5 might simply be more efficient at blowing out heat.
“I would guess what’s happened is Sony, now that they’ve got almost a year of PS5 data and they’ve spent more time testing, have determined that while, yes, this is going to run a little bit hotter, that’s probably fine and it won’t negatively impact thing that much,” Evans theorized.
“I don’t think there’s any argument that this is a worse console, at least for thermals and the cooling,” he continued. “Maybe they’ve changed some Wi-Fi stuff, maybe as we dig deeper into this we’ll find more quirks and features, but as far as I’m concerned I would rather have a launch PS5.”
As Evans noted, the revised PS5 also seems to include small changes to its Wi-Fi antennas. PS5 users have consistently complained about wireless connectivity issues, but it isn’t clear whether these changes might be helpful in addressing those.
So I got my hands on one of the updated CFI-1100B model PS5s. Full video (https://t.co/jCmJ1QuT2a) just went live but…
— Austin Evans (@austinnotduncan) August 28, 2021
🔥 Rear exhaust temps are 3-5C higher
⚖️ Weighs 0.3 KG or 0.6 LBS less
🪨 Heatsink is SIGNIFICANTLY smaller
💨 Has a slightly redesigned fan
🔩 Upgraded stand pic.twitter.com/RYnLijakk6
Source: Austin Evans