If you are about to buy a PS5, and by the way, if you are hoping that the PS5 will be restocked, did you know that a new PS5 model, the CFI-1100, is about to gradually replace the CFI-1000, which has been the standard PS5 model since its launch It is

The CFI-1100 is somewhat lighter and quieter than the original PS5 However, it also has a smaller heatsink, which, depending on where you read about it, is not a major or critical issue

In fact, there is a lot of information and misinformation swirling around about the CFI-1100's smaller heat sink Frankly, it is sometimes difficult to tell the two apart Having read both apocalyptic and optimistic views of the situation, all I can say is that both claims have at least a little merit

A smaller heatsink on the PS5 could have a negative impact on the machine at some point in the future Yes Does that mean that the CFI-1100 is essentially an electrical fire waiting to happen? No

First, it is helpful to understand exactly what a heat sink is in order to understand whether or not the PS5's improved heat sink will be a major problem

What is a computer, and what is a gaming console, if not a highly specialized computer? - A computer generates a great deal of heat, primarily by powering its various components Every component has a temperature threshold that must be exceeded before it will stop working Heat sinks absorb excess heat and usually vent it to the outside of the computer via a fan; in the PS5, the heat sink and fan are located on the back of the device, so if you put your hand behind the console you will feel a blast of hot air

Many factors affect the efficiency of a heat sink, from materials to construction But all else being equal, a larger heat sink can store more heat and thus dissipate more heat So when YouTube reviewer Austin Evans discovered that the CFI-1100's heat sink is 300 grams lighter than the CFI-1000's heat sink, he was understandably concerned

After testing the CFI-1000 and CFI-1100 side-by-side, Evans found that the newer model ran 3 to 5 degrees Celsius hotter He reasoned that over time, this might cause the PS5 components to burn out faster After all, if the new heat sinks are less efficient at dispersing heat, it will probably put a little more stress on the PS5 components each time it is used

As with many technologies, the answer is "it depends" Evans' evidence that the new PS5 will operate at higher temperatures is credible However, it is less certain whether that temperature increase is warranted or could harm the device in the long run

Richard Leadbetter, technology editor at Digital Foundry, also looked at the CF-1100 heatsink and its performance He did not measure exhaust temperatures as Evans did However, he also pointed out something that Evans may have overlooked: exhaust temperature is not a particularly revealing indicator of system performance

"The crux of the controversy surrounding Evans' video stems from his view that the new PS5 is worse than the old PS5 'His argument is that a smaller cooler made of less efficient materials produces a hotter machine,' Leadbetter writes

"While not an outlandish theory when one looks at the reduction in mass and materials, the question of hotter or not cannot be determined simply by measuring the heat output of the exhaust, and even if it gets a few degrees hotter, it may still be within the manufacturer's tolerance range

In other words: exhaust air temperature is not a direct measure of how hot PS5 components get And even if it did, it does not tell us exactly how hot the components of the PS5 will get before they begin to degrade over time Even if individual components become hotter than before, simply getting hotter is not necessarily harmful The only harm would be if the components routinely exceeded their thermal tolerances

According to Leadbetter, there is no evidence that this is happening; the CFI-1100's power consumption appears to be the same as the CFI-1000, and its fans have not suddenly started working overtime to exhaust large amounts of heat In other words: no matter how high the CFI-1100's operating temperature is, it does not appear to be hot enough to adversely affect performance

But Evans never claimed that the CFI-1100 could not operate properly After all, if the device overheats excessively, it will simply shut down However, it is possible that a new PS5 overheating just a little bit could overheat over and over again, over the course of years, and eventually begin to lose performance and even burn out completely Unfortunately, we will not know for sure until we observe the CFI-1000 and CFI-1100 under comparable conditions for the next several years

Of the two analyses, I find Leadbetter's analysis more compelling Measuring exhaust does not necessarily tell us how hot each component gets, nor does it tell us how heat resistant each component is Video game consoles consume a lot of power and people tend to use them for hours on end The idea that Sony knowingly shipped something that could burn out in a few years is not consistent with the way the company has designed video game consoles in the past

Besides, as Leadbetter points out, there is still one very compelling reason to buy the PS5 CFI-1100 model Right now, the market for next-generation consoles is still a duff market, and Sony will probably phase out the CFI-1000 over the next few months If you are lucky enough to find a PS5, there is no opportunity to scrutinize the serial number

In short, the new heatsinks are probably fine, and if you get a CFI-1100 model, it will probably be fine But if you have a major overheating problem a few years down the road, you are not alone in suffering from it