Sony’s invested heavily into the PlayStation 5’s cooling solution, which fuses an enormous heatsink with liquid metal and one ginormous fan to keep the console running efficiently. Speaking with 4Gamer.net, as translated by ResetEra user orzkare, PlayStation’s Yasuhiro Otori revealed that optimisations will occur post-launch as well – with the system’s fan able to be adjusted with firmware updates.
“Various games will be released in the future, and data on the APU’s (Accelerated Processing Unit) behaviour in each game will be collected,” Otori revealed. “We have a plan to optimise the fan control based on this data.” Further context from 4Gamer.net adds: “PS5 has three temperature sensors on the main board to control the fan speed based on the internal temperature of the APU and the highest temperature of the three temperature sensors. These fan control parameters will also be updated via online updates.”
So, in theory, Sony can turn the fans down depending on how the majority of titles perform – or even increase them if the system starts running hot under certain conditions. It seems like a lot of thought has been put into the PS5’s hardware design, and while the average consumer will probably never notice the changes to the fans, it’s neat that the platform holder is committed to monitoring the system’s performance and making adjustments over time.
[source 4gamer.net, via resetera.com]
Comments 65
Nice intelligent design. I wonder if they could adjust it on a per game basis.
Or they could add a feature that allows us to ruin the fan in silent mode if temps allow like in PC
So does this means that they can kill your console whatever they feel like, must be hard to be a beta tester
@GKO900 That's a cynical way of looking at things. Alternatively they can extend the life of your console by making adjustments based on vast amounts of real-world usage data.
@get2sammyb judging from every post ive seen them make, im going out on a limb to say cynical is the only way they look at this console in general.
Considering tests I’ve seen place the PS5 as running hotter than the Xbox (although that could change when more people get theirs), this is a good way to strike a balance between heat and noise. It’s a very PC approach that probably should have been looked at last-gen too.
Considering the amount of effort that's gone into the hardware I think we're pretty lucky the console is coming in at the price it is.
@graysoncharles
It took them two years to perfect the lm solution. I’m sure they took transportation into account. It’s not like lm is unheard of in consumer devices either.
@nessisonett where did you read that budy do you have a link please?? Thanks.
@get2sammyb 😕-I wonder(assume) that it's based off the recommended Average operating temperature parameters(in lab temperature Ranges), that ALL electronic devices recommend, and THEN what the temperature is running on a game by game basis?
I only mention this because data collection with "Outside real world temps"(customer based averages) running those games could vary wildly if not within that (Recommended) range, (Not knowing what the Range will be) but example I keep my house at 66°F ambient room temperature in the summer, my 2 other friends keep their temps at different ranges like one's 72°F on average and the more bill conscious friend at 80°F average, would produce different results on the same game by game basis.
So I would venture to guess it would be the former(Lab based recommended Op Temps) then testing different games within that Full range of Temps (Probably and safely going with the HIGHEST end of the recommended Range, then making the adjustment for the fan.)
EDITED: adjustment for the fan...lol.
Hmm so does that mean in some games it’ll scream like a jet taking off, again, and in others it’ll be silent?
@GKO900 I don’t think it’s their goal to sell more consoles, which probably don’t generate that much profit on themselves, to one person, but to have as many people as possible in their ecosystem.
@S1ayeR74 I doubt it, I'd guess the maximum fan speed will be set such that it'll be incapable of getting that loud, and developers will just have to optimise their code to keep it within thermal limits, else fail certification.
Of course given the maximum power limits shared between CPU and GPU it may be simply incapable of hitting these thermal limits
That right there is amazing hardware design.
Wait a minute isn’t that what my pro does? Silent when playing Binding of Isaac, but loud as a jet for Last of Us 2?
No different than a PC. You monitor the temps and adjust accordingly to how much of a temperature change the PC has with varying workloads.
Used to either go into the Bios or have knobs on the case for each fan. Nowadays you can adjust the speed based on what temperature it reaches with a program.
@graysoncharles 😕-That link doesn't actually mention that the firmware updates to the fan speed are because of the subject of heat issues in this actual article?
You posting that is an assumption (Not a DIRECT IMPLICATION) that (Sony) is doing firmware fan adjustments for that reason in that article, so why post it? Why? Because of it referencing heat issues and then associating the two together as the reason for it?😕 That doesn't mean that's why their(Sony) is doing this Specific fan adjustment via firmware update, it could be that it's an "Extra Measure" to making it cooler AFTER Already Fully addressing the cooling issues in the first place, we don't know? But that article doesn't shine a light on it either way? The Only true way without debating it, is when we(gaming community) all get our hands on Both of the Next Gen systems.✌
@theheadofabroom Lol if you think Sony will force its system performance to be reduced on the name of fan noise levels.
Having had a look at the article I can't see any testing going on, it's pure speculation based on incomplete information.
Can't wait for both consoles to be out and this kind of crud to stop!
@Kidfried There are now several media outlets who have done rigid tests(not as in depth as digital foundry does but was still actual real world testing with baselines and a controlled scenario)on the XSX. According to all outlets it runs significantly cooler than the Xbox One, Xbox One X, PS4, and PS4 Pro. If people have PS5's they still aren't allowed to say anything about them.
That's cool (no pun intended). Still makes me glad I'm waiting until next year. Should have it fairly optimized by then I would think. I imagine it's a constantly evolving process but I'd feel better if they had a year's worth of data under their belt.
@graysoncharles 😕-I'm confused? I didn't imply that you made that article? "I did imply that you posted it(the link), and Then asked why". Because it had "No Direct bearing" on this forum posting (by Sammy) of the Firmware updates on the Fan Speed on a game by game basis?
The only thing someone can glean from your linked article, is conjecture based on "actual or possible heat issues" at any given time with the PS5, NOT that they(Sony) were implementing (these specific) firmware updates to the fan to eliminate any heat issues in your article. Again we could assume(make a guess) that, but they didn't actually mention a thing about the Firmware update on the fans and because of that, be the source for Sammy's article. I mean I can't speak for him, but maybe you can, but that article has no direct bearing on this discussion other than talking(Implying) about heat issues on the PS5.✌
Edited:(the link)
@nessisonett hotter in what way, if it’s the temperature coming out of the vents wouldn’t that just imply that the PS4 is better at getting the heat away from the components?
Just so long as each patch comes with a voice sample of Richard O'Brien shouting "can we start the fans please", then I'm all for it
@Insightful users like you are annoying as heck... leading the way where? raw power?... At the end of the day, games will do the talking, not the console specs (or internal cooling solution).
So far the "more powerful" console hasn't really showed me anything worth of being called that.
Right now the most next-gen titles I have seem are Demon's Souls Remake (launch title, 2020) and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (launch window, 2021), both games coming to the PS5 and not to the "most powerful" console.
@Kidfried Nope, as far as I know they still haven't let anyone who doesn't work at Sony even touch the PS5. Based on it's specs it should produce as much heat as the PS4 Pro although it could perhaps be a tad hotter or cooler depending on how it actually runs.
Isn't software controlled fan speeds and thresholds the norm? For like 15+ years? Only PlayStation had those weird hardware fixed sensor/fan controllers that needed hardware revising to change the thresholds...
@graysoncharles pretty sure their lm compound is different
@Kidfried Even though the XSX has a larger power supply than it's predecessors it uses less power watt-for-watt. It's cooling solution(vapor chamber, large interior maximizing airflow, chimney design) is without a doubt the most robust ever put into a console.
@graysoncharles
These are just estimates based on chip power and speed, and doesn’t take into account cooling tech. Meaning it’s worthless click bait.
@NateGoesLive Okay, but really though. I have a PS4 Slim and it's remarkably quiet 90% of the time... except for for TLoU 2. Oh my gosh, I have no idea how the console doesn't just burst into flames while playing that game. Hahaha!
@rpg2000 Amen to that!
@nessisonett There were no test done, it was an estimation. Calculated by comparing SoC die size and fan sizes. Those estimations very well may be correct depends on the maths.
@Insightful Worth noting that neither are out yet, and stating either is outright superior in any category without weeks of testing across various games and scenarios is a good way to broadcast biased fanboyism to the world 🌍🎮😂
@RicksReflection The excessive amount of (parenthesis) and "quote marks" used makes it very hard (difficult) to "read" (understand) what you've written.
@God_of_Nowt Don't thank me, thank Mumsie. She made it all possible
@Insightful To bad you have no next generation games.
@zekepliskin I've already had a few tries at getting him to format his posts better, as they set off some cognitive issues for me making his posts all but impossible to read. I even linked him to the formatting guide and suggested using italics, bold, bullets if he wanted to emphasise parts of a post. Now he's just on the ignore list. I generally unignore people after a week, but he's still at it and even worse. His absence only adds to the experience of these comment sections 😉
Edit: having temporarily unignored him again to remind myself how that thread appears to other users, I see his excuse is that he posts from his Android phone. So do I, I am just considerate of other readers, and try to make my point in a way that's easy to digest so people are more likely to understand and engage.
@deathaxe I was mostly joking with my comment and I agree with you Xbox 360 was a piece of garbage of a console and everyone that I know had the red ring of the death including myself
@RicksReflection Congratulations on having one of the most disproportionately butthurt reactions I've ever seen to anything on the Internet, ever, and prompting a genuine LMAO reaction. 😂😭🤣
You obviously do care at least a little what I think despite your protestations to the contrary otherwise you wouldn't have pushed back in such a wounded emo fashion.
@theheadofabroom This is a fair and considered reaction, I respect that. 👏👍🏻
I post from a phone too; that's not an excuse for ignoring basic grammar etc. Still, to each his own eh!
@zekepliskin 😕-Ok let me get this straight, I'm minding my own business and all of a sudden I have you correcting me like a little child would be corrected, and I should eat your out of nowhere Sh*t attitude for telling me how I should write in forums and not be a little miffed about it, and then you want to say that I over reacted and I'm booty hurt...Lmao. Your a funny little man.😂🤣
😂-I don't know where your from but if you tried that Sh*t in a face to face situation, there would be more than just words exchanged, your a flaming coward and Pu**y for even starting this Sh*t first in a forum in the first place. Bye,Bye🐱 keep trolling!
@graysoncharles i think they may covered it for my opinion i think they using something different its like that but a sort of altanative
@God_of_Nowt Thanks chap! Well, thank @RicksReflection really as he inadvertently name checked it, but yeah it's a great piece, as are Come To Daddy, Milkman, Windowlicker and several others 👍🏻
@graysoncharles I'm sure Sony have thought this through. Apparently they have been working on the Liquid Metal solution for a few years now.
@zekepliskin do I want to take him back off the ignore list to see what prompted your reaction? I have to admit it's pretty funny to watch one side and imagine the other, but obviously that's not a position from which to add anything meaningful to a discussion.
Aaaw I remember fans like that! I used to think it would always be sufficient to keep a CPU cool - after I used it for my Intel Pentium III PC back in the day. It's nice to see things have come so far in the console world....
@Insightful Ok you are a troll Xbox fanboy, however I will reply to you. It's correct that the PS4 Pro (and the base console) are loud, I can't deny a fact but I game with headphones on and I do not hear the console at all. My son has a surround system and he can't hear the console fans whenever he is playing a game. It is really not an annoyance unless you wanna make it one by keep bringing the subject again and again. I also have an Xbox One by the way that I unfortunately never play, because it has no exclusives that I am interested in. It all comes back to games. The winner of this gen was Sony thanks to their catalog of exclusives. The winner of next gen. will be judged on the same rules.
@Kidfried
I saw some 'test' ( not including the PS5 of course because well, nobody has it)) where the guy runs a game for like 18mn and then checks the temp from where the warm air is coming. I wouldnt take it too seriously even though it seems correct and makes complete sense considering the next gen consoles should have better design.
I personally think the PS5 airflow is way better than the SeX airflow that is supposedly taking air underneath where the non removable stand is, and some quite small vents at the back.
PS5 has air pulled by the fan from two large vents and pushed on each sides of the single motherboard with a lot of space inside with the warm air at the back instead of the top for SeX.
Now the chip itself should logically be hotter in the PS5 I guess (before any cooling) but there is no real test on those. It's all clickbait speculation for those 'tests' regarding the chips and calling it PS5 is hotter yadi yadi.
@thefourfoldroot I recon this is where its going at.. adjusting fan speed and everything else with particular AAA game
Let's just hope the firmware update doesn't brick the console because unless it has 32mb bios chips 2x 16mb like a pc and it can switch or be switched to the back up. I mean I've not seen a firmware update brick a console yet but I have a pc that had no back up chip and RMA to Asus is a no no because it never came back did my board and it was insured the parcel. All I got back was £30 from royal mail because Asus denied recieving it
@Nakatomi_Uk
Oopsie Daisies.
If you had sent it Royal Mail Special Delivery, you would have been good up to a minimum of £500.
I am 'one ginormous Fan'...of PlayStation Sounds cool I really hope it's quiet tho because my original PS4 can get quite loud sometimes :-/
What if developers won't make game inventory so "hot"??? 😂.... seriously everytime I open inventory in some game, my ps4 pro runs it's fan to maximum. ... maybe that's why I'm stopping to use inv and open it only in self defense...
The source is such an interesting interview. What a shame PushSquare only focuses on the fan and even only part of it.
Would have deserved multi articles in the DualSense coverage like.
@JJ2 you're not wrong. Some great details on the TIM, heatsink and em shields
@theheadofabroom
A lot of info, at least half a dozen articles worth haha
It's also nice to have a feel of the history, how the console was designed and such. Like DF was right when saying its cost effective but also what I thought and that DF missed is its simply easier for cooling with the design they went with, I.e. more effective.
The weird part is PushSquare often complain that Sony isnt communicating but then dont relay all this info.
Prepare for YLOD 2.0 !
@Turbodream why? This all seems pretty thoughtfully engineered.
@theheadofabroom This is basically beta testing their cooling system with consumers. They should have already tested the PS5 heating in all conditions before the launch.
Also, it runs the risk of breaking consoles with a faulty patch. It's a very low risk but still very real.
Sony could also potentially makes your console more prone to overheating or just slower, etc just before launching the PS6, just like Apple do with their products ( they introduce updates that slow down their old products to the point of being unusable). It seems like Sony is trying to emulate Apple with their latest PS4 update.
I imagine a not so far future where Sony spy on everyone and when they ban someone for having a potty mouth they not only block access to the account/games but remotely install an "update" that fry their PS5 🤯
@Turbodream you're joking right? Or do you actually think this is the sort of thing that happens?
The first post is serious. Planned obsolescence is a thing. Look it up. Also Sony already do unethical things like putting rootkits into their music cds. That ***** can and has ruined several pcs.
The second one is a cynical projection into a possible future. You know banning consumers from enjoying the product they paid for is already something that happens quite often. Companies already try to brick your consoles with updates if you tamper with it (like running homebrew apps). Not a big stretch to imagine they decide to apply this to online behavior next. Just need a new TOS (terms of service) and maybe a bit of PR and a lot of morons will lap it up as a good "moderation" tool.
@deathaxe
I had 4 xbox 360s that red ringed at launch and later i learned they were doomed to fail out of the factory until they changed the design for the slim but i had 4 free controllers since i sent each one back.
For ps3 i had the yellow light of death. And also the launch ps3 that got hotter than a george foremen grill that you could eggs on top of.
Then my ps4 just became a large paper weight when it bricked due to one of the firmware updates screwing it up.
I never had problems with xbox one or the ps4 pro so i think as time advances so does the hardware.
Some people still so scared of launch units but i think its gotten better over the years.
@Turbodream thats the day i stop being a sony pony and move my money to the pc. I know you cant get banned for having a potty mouth and they just use mature language filters so foul words come out as BLAM! Sony should just use that so we can swear freely as we want. Banning you for voice chat is a new low. Why not ban game developers as well you know for how many F bombs voice actor for barret said during his role in Final Fantasy 7 Remake? Sony is just trying to make themselves kid friendly to appease the soccer moms yet they still allow games that have surprised mechanics that promote gambling. Punishing consumer base instead of game companies wow...
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