Sony has stolen the headlines lately
for how the PlayStation 5 uses a cooling method
that's pretty different from what we've seen in consoles.
And while people have modified their consoles
to be liquid cooled, similar to what you'd see on a PC,
we're not talking about putting the CPU under a water block.
Instead, Sony has replaced
the traditional thermal interface material
with liquid metal.
Sounds like something out of a James Cameron movie,
but what exactly is it?
And is it actually better
than your typical goopy thermal paste?
Liquid metal is actually a eutectic alloy
of three different metals, gallium, indium, and tin.
The word eutectic means that it has a melting point lower
than any of the three metals do on their own.
Pretty cool.
The kind of liquid metal used for chip cooling
doesn't solidify until you lower the temperature
down to negative 19 degrees Celsius,
or negative two Fahrenheit for you Yankees out there.
So unless you're taking your PS5 outside
during wintertime on the Canadian prairies,
it stays liquid under normal conditions.
But liquid metal isn't something that Sony just invented.
It's actually been around for a while,
and it's had a small niche in the PC enthusiast space,
with some enthusiasts and over-clockers
favoring it over thermal paste.
And it can be very effective,
regardless of whether you're using it
on top of the integrated heat spreader,
or going a step further and delidding your chip,
replacing the stock thermal integration material
with liquid metal.
Liquid metal works better
because it's a more effective conductor of heat.
In contrast to thermal paste,
which usually has some metal combined with some gas,
the thermal paste does a better job of heating it,
silicone, liquid metal is, well, all metal.
But why exactly did Sony decide to go with liquid metal
when plain old thermal paste is cheaper, more common,
and seems to be good enough in most cases?
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Okay, Sony, why liquid metal now?
The PlayStation 5 has power approaching
that of an upper mid-range PC,
which is not something we've been able to say
about previous consoles.
This means that there's a heck of a lot of computing muscle
packed into a relatively small,
small area with the CPU and GPU residing on the same chip.
And as you might've guessed, it generates a lot of heat.
Even so, Sony could have used thermal paste,
which is cheaper per unit than liquid metal.
But not only did Sony go with liquid metal
to cool off that high performance SOC more efficiently,
but it also helps to keep the PS5 quieter.
Had Sony used regular thermal paste,
it would have needed to spend more money
on higher performing heat sinks and fans,
which would have both made the system louder
and driven up the cost.
So even though liquid metal is pricier,
it still saves money for Sony in aggregate,
since they don't have to spend as much money
on the rest of the cooling system.
But what about for you, the home PC enthusiast?
Is liquid metal a good idea for you?
If you just need a single tube of the stuff,
it's not much more expensive than regular old thermal paste,
so why not go out and get some?
Well, the big knock on is that because it's liquid,
it flows much more easily than thermal paste,
meaning it's easy to spill.
And it's high connectivity means
it can easily cause a ShortCircuit
if you get it anywhere on your system
other than on top of your CPU.
This is the same reason that some people
opt for ceramic thermal paste
over regular metal-based thermal paste.
Your system might run a few degrees warmer,
but there's no risk of a short,
a risk that just gets larger with liquid metal.
So if you do decide to go this route,
start with a small amount and be very careful when applying.
Also, many liquid metals should not come in contact
with aluminum coolers, as this can cause degradation.
But if you take the appropriate precautions,
it can make your home rig pretty cool.
Ha, see what I did there?
So thanks for watching, guys.
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