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Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

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Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#41
post #22
post #19

Consoles have design lifetimes, and thermals are part of the computation that helps you figure out if your components are going to last as long as the warranty. Obviously, if you run a chip hot, its service life will be reduced. So companies develop models that tell them how long things like the SOC (main chip with CPU, etc.) will last for a given temperature and use frequency, and whether or not they've got a 1-year…

Hopefully the industry has improved their estimates since the Xbox 360

I can't get a source for this right now, but I remember having a very intriguing conversation about heat issues and the xbox 360 years ago.

I was talking to an old colleague of mine that was an electronics engineer, and apparently, the issue with the xbox 360 was that the heat inside the case made the solder a bit more softer than expected. This would not be an issue for a horizontally positioned xbox 360, but when placed on it's side (which a lot of people did), this caused extremely slow shifting of certain components on the motherboard towards the direction of gravity. After (for most people) a few years, certain components would shift enough to not have proper contact with the board.

I was offered the analogy of the long-standing pitch viscocity experiment - everything is technically a liquid, just to wildly different degrees.

Not sure if this is true though, it was many years ago!

Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#42
post #40

> with rear exhaust temperatures around 3 to 5 degrees higher Is that C or F? I'm going to assume Fahrenheit. Also, is that bad? In other words, did they measure the rest of the unit to see if it was hotter or cooler? Maybe they've directed more heat to the exhaust. Which is the whole point, after all.

Is it even bad ... all it means it more heat is going to out the back which could suggest better thermals.

Yes, higher exhaust temperature is not a direct indicator. For the same airflow, higher exhaust temperature suggests more energy being carried away, which can reduce chip temp, all else being the same. If the airflow was reduced, but the heat pipe improved, it could still be that chip temp stayed the same.

Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#43
post #41
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully the industry has improved their estimates since the Xbox 360

I can't get a source for this right now, but I remember having a very intriguing conversation about heat issues and the xbox 360 years ago. I was talking to an old colleague of mine that was an electronics engineer, and apparently, the issue with the xbox 360 was that the heat inside the case made the solder a bit more softer than expected. This would not be an issue for a horizontally positioned xbox 360, but when p…

> I remember having a very intriguing conversation about heat issues and the xbox 360 years ago

Lucky you. I can barely remember conversations I had in the mid nineteenth century.

Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#44
post #43
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't get a source for this right now, but I remember having a very intriguing conversation about heat issues and the xbox 360 years ago. I was talking to an old colleague of mine that was an electronics engineer, and apparently, the issue with the xbox 360 was that the heat inside the case made the solder a bit more softer than expected. This would not be an issue for a horizontally positioned xbox 360, but when p…

> I remember having a very intriguing conversation about heat issues and the xbox 360 years ago Lucky you. I can barely remember conversations I had in the mid nineteenth century.

1661 is the mid seventeenth century, however that joke was timeless.

Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#45
post #19

Consoles have design lifetimes, and thermals are part of the computation that helps you figure out if your components are going to last as long as the warranty. Obviously, if you run a chip hot, its service life will be reduced. So companies develop models that tell them how long things like the SOC (main chip with CPU, etc.) will last for a given temperature and use frequency, and whether or not they've got a 1-year…

Also, cost saving like this always had been normal with consoles. It goes back at least to PS2. This is just an expected news.

Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#46
post #22
post #19

Consoles have design lifetimes, and thermals are part of the computation that helps you figure out if your components are going to last as long as the warranty. Obviously, if you run a chip hot, its service life will be reduced. So companies develop models that tell them how long things like the SOC (main chip with CPU, etc.) will last for a given temperature and use frequency, and whether or not they've got a 1-year…

Hopefully the industry has improved their estimates since the Xbox 360

The first Xbox One was huge with a big fan. My guess was being absolutely sure the first revision did not have thermal issues, but I never asked.

Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#48
post #41
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully the industry has improved their estimates since the Xbox 360

I can't get a source for this right now, but I remember having a very intriguing conversation about heat issues and the xbox 360 years ago. I was talking to an old colleague of mine that was an electronics engineer, and apparently, the issue with the xbox 360 was that the heat inside the case made the solder a bit more softer than expected. This would not be an issue for a horizontally positioned xbox 360, but when p…

Yes this was absolutely true. I used to repair these systems when they got the dreaded red ring of death. Microsoft used inferior solder, and coupled this with a poorly designed heatsink mounting bracket. The heatsink mounting bracket on the back of the motherboard was bowed by design, and would pull back on the corners of the CPU, while a middle contact point would press up on the center of the CPU socket. Once heated, this caused the motherboard to flex directly under the CPU, and this stress would pop the ball grid array solder points under the CPU.

The trick was to place a stack of nylon bushings at each corner of the CPU, to take up the free space after removing the bracket. This removed the stress from under the CPU and would usually bring the system back to life for another eight months or so.

Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#49
Reminds me of this recent story on Reddit where a Xbox Series X overheats and blows up: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/pdvcct/my_xbox_seri...

I will be skipping this generation. Not that it matters anyway, these consoles are impossible to find and buy, at least this will continue to be the case well into 2022.

Re: Sony’s new PS5 model weighs less because it has a smaller heatsink

#50
post #41
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully the industry has improved their estimates since the Xbox 360

I can't get a source for this right now, but I remember having a very intriguing conversation about heat issues and the xbox 360 years ago. I was talking to an old colleague of mine that was an electronics engineer, and apparently, the issue with the xbox 360 was that the heat inside the case made the solder a bit more softer than expected. This would not be an issue for a horizontally positioned xbox 360, but when p…

I remember seeing repair videos where people would fix it by taping or gluing (can't remember) a penny to the motherboard in a particular spot, so this checks out well enough
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