There is a new PlayStation 5 model on the market – a CFI-1100 series unit, which replaces the release model CFI-1000. I’ve shared early impressions of this machine and found that in all practical cases there isn’t any meaningful difference between the old and new PS5.However, regarding the how Sony has delivered this new version of the PlayStation 5, ultimately, if there’s any real difference between them, especially in terms of long-term implications. Crucially, if cooling components have been the subject of cost reduction strategies, will machines run hotter, and if so, to what extent does that really matter?
To evaluate the PlayStation 5 in all its aspects, I spent some time designing a series of performance tests for the console, comparing the new CFI-1100 model to the transmitter. This turns out to be more challenging than you might think, because fundamentally one of the biggest successes of the new wave of consoles is that gaming performance is often excellent. Getting meaningful numbers is an example of isolating repeatable situations in a series of games where we can unlock frame rates, or cause persistent drops below 60 frames per second. In theory, this kind of testing should be completely redundant – since the whole point of a console is that all machines should behave in exactly the same way.Having said that, it occurred to me that the PlayStation 5 does have a boost clock and it’s implemented as Sony describes it should To ensure consistent results from one machine to another, this has never been fully tested.At the same time, some users mistakenly believe that the boost clock is similar to a PC implementation, which Do Adjust frequency based on temperature – so why not test it and fix the whole problem once and for all?
The second dimension of testing comes down to the hardware makeup of the machine itself, and after my initial report, Steve Burke of Gamers Nexus contacted me to find a machine for him to test. Gamers Nexus is known for the quality of its in-depth hardware analysis, and no one is more thorough in hardware testing than this, so I was happy to send my device to me – Steve quickly stripped it down to its barebones. The comprehensiveness of this work is such that even though other hardware reports have emerged since the original controversial Austin Evans video, Gamers Nexus’ results are the most extensive and detailed. I mean, Steve even created a “Frankenconsole” PS5 to compare temperatures on the same board, using original and improved cooling components, eliminating potential differences caused by silicon draws (no two chips leave the production line completely identical). Along the way, we also learned more about the changes Sony made to the machine’s internals.
For end users, though, the differences between the old and new PlayStation 5s are minimal to say the least. The new machine is indeed about 300g lighter, but the physical size remains the same, and it is still a big guy. However, the quality of life has improved slightly, and yes, it’s the now infamous new screw for the bracket. This allows the stand to be easily installed by hand without the need for a screwdriver. If it encourages users to install the stand, that’s a good thing. In the Gamers Nexus testing, adding a stand provided some additional cooling, although removing the side panel entirely would also be beneficial.
Inside, the embedded video below the Gamers Nexus should tell you everything you need to know about the performance of the new cooler, but perhaps the biggest takeaway is that Sony has not only replaced the cooling components, but also tweaked the motherboard itself and chassis. The takeaways from a few days of testing are relatively simple: voltage regulator temperatures have improved, memory temperatures are better in some ways but worse than others (but still only a few degrees different overall), and the main The processor is probably fine a few degrees higher, and there’s no evidence that’s anything to worry about, assuming you’re putting the PS5 in a well-ventilated area. As with any modern gaming hardware, enclosing a console in something like a media cabinet is basically a really bad idea, which is why I felt compelled to do some testing of this in my gameplay analysis of the new machine .
Elsewhere, the new PlayStation 5 has similar characteristics to the old one.I’m curious to know that the fan temperature is determined by the power drawn by the processor, and no
In terms of gameplay testing, I’ve tried to be as thorough as possible here, choosing a range of games where we could reliably track and repeat performance drops from one PlayStation to the next. The only measurable difference I can find comes down to the fact that one of my PS5 release models is running beta firmware, while my CFI-1100 machine is using retail firmware. With the beta firmware unit removed, the new PS5 behaves almost identically to my other released PS5s. As of yesterday, all PlayStation 5 consoles have been updated to the latest system software and all differences are gone. While analyzing the boost clocks and testing the console’s running heat to get close to PS5 performance, I isolated Godfall, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, Resident Evil Village, Control, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales we can Duplicated area game rendering drops below 60 frames per second.
After several runs to determine the stability of these scenarios on the same machine (some areas of some titles vary from run to run), I then compared with the CFI-1100. The end result was that the CFI-1100 performed exactly as we expected – for those concerned that the boost clock might drop in the heat, I also put the new PS5 in a media cabinet with very little airflow to run it with the console Consumed over 200W for two hours, then benchmarked it again and found no difference, although the console itself felt very warm to the touch when I took it out of the cabinet and was actually hot on the rear exhaust. The PS5 will continue to play until a certain maximum temperature is reached, then it will shut itself off – but based on my testing, it doesn’t gradually slow down like a PC CPU or GPU.
So in the end, I hope this test will solve the new PlayStation 5’s problems once and for all, and most importantly, I can confidently stick to my initial test results. Yes, the cooler design in the new PlayStation 5 has been simplified in some ways, and yes, the internal temperature results show that while it’s cooler in some cases, the machine will run hotter in others. The core question of whether the new PS5 is better or worse than the launch model can be answered by saying they are basically the same, of course in terms of end-user experience. I’ve had a few people ask if they should actively seek to buy older consoles, but in the end, new machines are fine, which is good news considering how difficult it is to buy any PS5 — not to mention the release that may have reached the end of its production run ‘s model.
