The PlayStation 5 Cooling Performance Is No Different Between Vertical And Horizontal Installation

The PlayStation 5 cooling performance will not depend on how the console is placed, according to the console’s mechanical and thermal design team’s head.

Speaking with Japanese publication 4Gamer, Yasuhiro Otori confirmed that there will be no difference in cooling performance between vertical and horizontal installation, as the fan will always work according to the specifications, no matter if the console is placed vertically or horizontally.

From the designer’s point of view, there is no difference in cooling performance between vertical and horizontal installation. I think some people think that the heat dissipation efficiency should be higher in the vertical installation due to the chimney effect. However, in a cooling system with an active fan (electric fan), the chimney effect is at the measurement error level. It works according to the specifications in both horizontal and vertical installation. Personally, I like the vertical placement where the top and bottom of the “PS logo” can be seen correctly (laughs).

Last week, Yasuhiro Otori provided some information on the PlayStation 5 cooling system, on why they went with liquid metal cooling, and on why the console is so big

The reason for trying to use the liquid metal TIM is that the main processor (SoC) has a high operating frequency, but the die is small and the heat density is “very high” (Mr. Otori). In particular, the heat density of SoC during games is “much higher” than that of PS4, he said. That’s because the PS5’s SoC “basically runs at almost full power during games,” he said. Therefore, the value of TDP (Thermal Design Power) and the amount of heat generated during the game are “almost the same”.

The PlayStation 5 console launches in North America and other select territories on November 12th and on November 19th in Europe and the rest of the world.