According to in-depth testing from HardwareBusters, it appears that the new cooler that ships in the PlayStation 5 actually performs better than the original, adding yet more controversy to what has become an ongoing saga. We've previously reported about the new revision of the PlayStation 5 console that hit the market with a smaller and lighter heatsink. The heatsink was originally tested by a popular YouTube channel that theorized that the cooler didn't work as well as the larger cooler found on the original system, but follow-up anecdotal testing showed no difference in real-world performance. Now even more detailed testing has been posted, with the results suggesting that the new PS5 revision actually runs cooler.
HardwareBusters (via Igor's Lab) tested the launch-day PS5 against the new PS5 revision and contends that, despite the smaller cooling solution, the newer model actually cools the system better. The testing included measurements of external temperatures, exhaust temps, and SoC/VRAM/VRM temperature sensors under gaming load. The short version: The new PS5 model showed no serious regressions, and in fact, is actually better.
For the SoC itself, the newer PS5 revision was more than 10C cooler, with temps dropping from 51.15C with the original model to 40.08C with the newer revision.
Despite the cooler SoC, there were a few regressions with other components. The new memory (VRAM) temps have climber by around 8C, from the original 40.88C to 48.20C. The VRM power delivery modules also saw a temp increase, where the new PS5 model runs at 46.32C compared to the older one at 44.97C.
It's noteworthy that HardwareBusters is following up with more in-depth testing with various sensor placements, but the outlet says that its expanded test results simply underline that the new cooler is better than the old revision.
All those regressions combined make up for the hotter exhaust temperatures, and the results indicate that the new PS5 exhaust temps are equal to 41.11C, where the launch-day model measured 39.85C. And lastly, the new PlayStation 5 revision had a mere 1-decibel increase in noise compared to the older model, again showing no serious change.
It is important to note that these are not very significant changes and users should not worry about the well-being of their PS5 console regardless of whether they have a newer or older revision at hand. It is just a part of the console lifetime where Sony updates the design to cut costs and fixes various issues.