PlayStation 5 Professional console — essentially the most progressive PlayStation console thus far — elevates gaming experiences to the following degree with options like upgraded GPU, superior ray tracing, and PlayStation Spectral Tremendous Decision (PSSR) – an AI-driven upscaling that delivers tremendous sharp picture readability with excessive framerate gameplay. At present we’re offering a better have a look at the console’s inside structure, as Sony Interactive Leisure engineers Shinya Tsuchida, PS5 Professional Mechanical Design Lead and Shinya Hiromitsu, PS5 Professional Electrical Design Lead, present a deep-dive into the console’s progressive know-how and design philosophy.
*On this article, we consult with the PlayStation 5 mannequin launched in 2020 because the “authentic PS5,” the PS5 launched in 2023 because the “present PS5,” and the PS5 Professional launched in 2024 because the “PS5 Professional.”
*Don’t do this at residence. Threat of fires, and publicity to electrical shock or different accidents. Disassembling your console will invalidate your producer’s assure.
Identify: Shinya Tsuchida (PS5 Professional Mechanical Design Lead) (Proper of photograph)
Identify: Shinya Hiromitsu (PS5 Professional Electrical Design Lead) (Left of photograph)
An exterior design that includes three distinct horizontal traces
Tsuchida: Earlier than we start the teardown, I’ll begin by going over the PS5 Professional’s exterior design. PS5 Professional is a excessive performing console, so it requires extra air to chill it down. The distinctive three slits are new airflow paths that weren’t current within the authentic PS5, or the present PS5. This design was conceived via intensive discussions between the engineers and designers, and we consult with them as ‘blades’ throughout the engineering crew. The slits improve airflow whereas additionally appearing as a design ingredient.
Exterior design comparability between the unique PS5 (left), the present PS5 (heart) and PS5 Professional (proper). PS5 Professional is barely smaller in measurement in comparison with the unique PS5.
Whereas the look of the PS5 Professional is per the remainder of the PS5 household of merchandise, it options three distinct blades that contribute to improved air flow.
‘Louvers’ between the primary unit and canopy assist to make the console quieter
Tsuchida: Contained in the PS5 Professional, there’s a construction referred to as a “louver” that sits between the primary unit and canopy, which seems like a collection of slats or fins. Whereas it’s a part of the design, it additionally prevents among the fan noise from escaping the console in the direction of the entrance course. Since most customers will play video games whereas going through the entrance of the console, we deliberately designed the system to make it more durable for gamers to listen to the fan.
Rear modifications for extra environment friendly airflow
Tsuchida: Subsequent, let’s check out the again of the console. We place significance on the categories and association of the enter/output ports. For the reason that energy button is one thing everybody makes use of, there’s been a shared understanding amongst our successive design groups that it’s higher to have it positioned on the backside fairly than the highest when the console is positioned vertically. Alternatively, the positions of the HDMI, LAN, and USB ports are positioned barely increased in comparison with the present PS5. It is because the PS5 Professional’s mainboard includes a high-density circuit design, and the port placement has been adjusted to accommodate the change.
The vent (exhaust vent) floor can be bigger in comparison with different PS5 fashions, and air is taken in and exhausted from the rear and backside surfaces. The dimensions of the consumption and exhaust vents is essential for higher air flow, and we knew from preliminary analysis that they wanted to be bigger than the present PS5, so we selected the scale after discussing with the design crew.
The teardown begins
Tsuchida: Let’s begin the teardown. On the highest facet, similar to in earlier PS5 fashions, a mud catcher is offered for cleansing functions. On the underside facet, there’s an M.2 SSD slot, a disc drive connector, and a hatch for inserting a coin cell battery.
Tsuchida:The screw holding the battery is deliberately designed to remain connected to the battery cowl, stopping it from being misplaced or by accident swallowed—a considerate security characteristic.
A brand new fan that quietly will increase air circulation
Tsuchida: After disconnecting the fan cables, we are able to now take away the blades and inside shell. I’m additionally eradicating the fan itself. Like I discussed earlier, the PS5 Professional requires extra air for cooling, and the fan is designed to generate airflow extra effectively. The general measurement of the fan is bigger than the present PS5 mannequin’s as properly.
Comparability of the PS5 Professional’s fan (left) and the present PS5 mannequin’s fan (proper)
Tsuchida: The 2 followers have the identical variety of blades, however our groups re-designed the blade form for additional optimization. If you happen to look carefully, you possibly can see that there are even smaller blades in between every blade. Usually talking, if a fan has good airflow effectivity, it’s thought-about higher and better performing. Nevertheless, we designed our followers to be greater than that — we needed our followers to supply extra air “quietly.” It might be usually acceptable for followers to be louder so long as it’s creating extra airflow, however this isn’t the case for recreation consoles as it may disrupt the gameplay expertise. I believe this particular design philosophy is exclusive to PlayStation consoles.
Screws to suppress electromagnetic noise
Tsuchida: Now let’s take away the steel defend positioned additional inside the cupboard. The defend is secured to the mainboard with a lot of screws—and there’s a cause for that. Most elements on the mainboard generate electromagnetic noise. Since this noise can intervene with close by digital units, similar to smartphones, and doubtlessly disrupt their operation, we should suppress the quantity of electromagnetic emissions to be stored beneath a sure threshold. The screws securing the defend are strategically positioned to cut back electromagnetic interference.
An advanced motherboard that achieves heightened gameplay
Tsuchida: As soon as we take away the highest and backside shields, you’ll attain the PS5 Professional’s motherboard. One attribute of PS5 consoles is that they leverage liquid steel with glorious thermal conductivity for the TIM (Thermal Interface Materials) of its predominant processor. Earlier than we get into particulars, I’ll present some rationalization utilizing a board earlier than the liquid steel is utilized.
PS5 Professional’s motherboard is bigger than that of the present PS5. The present PS5 mannequin’s board is curved the place the fan sits, however the PS5 Professional has a bigger board as a result of elevated variety of circuits required to realize PS5 Professional’s enhanced efficiency, which modified the place of the fan. As I discussed earlier, you’ll discover the placement of the enter and output ports on the again of the unit is completely different as properly.
The highest facet of PS5 Professional’s motherboard.
The highest facet of present PS5 mannequin’s motherboard.
Hiromitsu: The SoC (System-on-a-Chip) is the big chip you see on the middle of the board. This chip handles the rendering of high-resolution, high-frame-rate graphics, together with the PlayStation Spectral Tremendous Decision (PSSR), which makes use of AI-enhanced decision for ultra-high-definition gameplay. To maximise the efficiency of the SoC, the ability supply traces have additionally been enhanced in comparison with the present PS5.
As well as, PS5 Professional’s board has extra layers in comparison with the present PS5. If you happen to look carefully on the floor of the present PS5 mannequin’s motherboard, you possibly can see the traces that join the SoC and RAM. Nevertheless, on the PS5 Professional’s board, the traces are barely seen on the floor. It is because the PS5 Professional’s motherboard was designed with extra inside layers, which permits sign traces to be routed extra effectively via the inside layers reaching even quicker reminiscence efficiency.
Now let’s evaluate the again facet of the motherboards. The primary seen distinction is that the variety of RAMs positioned across the SoC has elevated from eight to 9. All PS5 consoles as much as the present PS5 have been geared up with eight chips of high-speed GDDR6 reminiscence, which dealt with high-speed rendering for video games in addition to low-speed processing for the remainder of the OS. Within the PS5 Professional, we added a ninth DDR5 reminiscence which is devoted to the slower processing, whereas the remaining eight GDDR6 recollections deal with all of the high-speed rendering required for gameplay. The GDDR6 RAMs themselves have additionally been improved and are quicker than these geared up on the earlier PS5 fashions as properly.
The again facet of PS5 Professional’s motherboard. A ninth DDR5 reminiscence chip was added to the higher proper nook (circled in pink within the photograph), along with the eight GDDR6 specified by a circle.
The again facet of the present PS5 mannequin’s motherboard.
The progressive use of liquid steel grew to become an integral piece of know-how that has been carried over to successive PS5 fashions.
Tsuchida: Utilizing liquid steel because the TIM within the authentic PS5 was fairly difficult on the time. Since liquid steel has far superior cooling capabilities in comparison with typical TIMs, we adopted it after conducting varied exams to make sure its security.
We spent fairly a while conducting analysis on insulation after we have been designing the unique PS5. The fundamental construction stays the identical within the PS5 Professional, however we made some enhancements by including effective grooves the place the liquid steel is utilized, in order that the cooling impact is extra steady. Once we have been doing analysis for the unique PS5, we anticipated that semiconductors would proceed to advance and change into a lot denser, so we believed liquid steel know-how would change into essential. It seems we have been proper, and it was integral when designing the PS5 Professional.
For extra steady cooling, grooves have been added the place the liquid steel is utilized.
Creating a bigger energy provide unit with increased output
Hiromitsu: That is the ability provide unit. The PS5 Professional outputs about 48W extra in comparison with the present PS5 and can be bigger in measurement. The curved energy provide models are meticulously designed for every PS5 iteration, in order that it suits completely into the chassis. Enjoyable reality, the unit has “Sony Interactive Leisure” engraved close to the underside, so it’s straightforward to inform which facet is the highest or backside. This clearly isn’t instantly seen to the patron, however it’s a small element that signifies the right orientation when the console is positioned vertically.
A wonderfully positioned warmth sink
Tsuchida:The warmth pipes are manufactured from copper. The silver elements of the warmth sink are manufactured from aluminum to dissipate warmth, and the remainder of the grey elements are manufactured from metal.
PS5 Professional’s warmth sink has extra warmth pipes, because the console requires a extra highly effective warmth sink to help its excessive efficiency. The warmth pipes are positioned subsequent to the SoC, and the fins that switch warmth from the warmth pipes are divided into two sections. A warmth sink’s cooling capabilities range enormously relying on its placement, so we put lots of effort into discovering the right format.
Adopting Wi-Fi 7 for even quicker connectivity
Hiromitsu: On the highest facet of the mainboard, you’ll discover the Wi-Fi 7 module. Wi-Fi 7 is a brand new normal launched in 2024, and we selected to undertake it for the PS5 Professional primarily based on its excessive efficiency and future potential.
In the course of the growth of the PS5 Professional, Wi-Fi 7 had not but been formally launched, which made the validation course of fairly difficult. However we have been glad we have been in a position to change into early adopters for a gaming console after we acquired it licensed in time for launch in areas that supported Wi-Fi 7.
The white part seen on the backside proper of the highest facet of the board is the Wi-Fi 7 module. An antenna can be positioned simply beneath it.
And that’s a wrap! We hope you loved getting an inside have a look at the interior structure of the PS5 Professional. Every part works collectively in concord to understand the console’s progressive options, like gorgeous graphics and clean gameplay.