(RUMOR) Liquid Metal Gate? PS5s (+ other devices) Using Liquid Metal Might Be Suffering A Dry Spot Problem

Has your PS5 randomly shut down while gaming over the past 12-24 months?

  • Yes

    Votes: 11 5.5%

  • No

    Votes: 185 92.5%

  • Not Sure

    Votes: 4 2.0%
  • Total voters
    200
  • Poll closed .
Had an OG PS5 that I sold and now a PS5 Pro and never faced this issue at all.

I place my consoles horizontally though.
 
Want to note that my experience may have been anecdotal as well. But every time I'd place my launch PS5 vertically, within 2-3 weeks of regular use, the system would shut down within the hour of gameplay. It would happen so much that I had to time it. I vacuumed the light dust it had collected, cleaned my area and would still get the same results. Ever since placing the console horizontally, it has never shut down on me. So there's that. 🤷
 
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thicc_girls_are_teh_best said:
Well we've got a community of PS5 owners here, so I wanted to see how many users might have ran into this type of issue.

You're right that a shutdown could be caused by things other than liquid metal leaking, but I hope those answering the poll make the assumption the question is in relation to them thinking their problem (if they have one) may be due to a liquid metal leakage.
Click to expand...
Wouldnt it just be easier to have a poll that asks if anyone has had to have their PS5 fixed due to a liquid metal issue? Or would that be pointless because its likely 1 or 2 people max?
 
ReBurn said:
Dry spots in the liquid metal on PS5's isn't a rumor. There's a lot of video on the repair YouTube channels that show it is a thing that happens and with liquid metal remaining liquid gravity is going to pull it downward. The rumor may be that it's a big problem, but it isn't something I've seen a PS5 die from on the repair channels. But the dry spots definitely happen.
Click to expand...
3 or 4 videos of it happening versus 10's of millions of PS5 sold?
 
I'd say with any consumer electronics defects are bound to happen. I'm curious how these affected consoles are being stored, and if they are in a well-ventilated area. A lot of the Xbox 360 and PS3 issues came to gamers putting a VCR or cable box on top of the console, causing it to overheat. They always specify not to place objects on top of the console and to keep around 15cm of clearance around the console.
 
Gripsx said:
I fixed a few Phat Ps5 and liquid metal has been an issue, its pretty well known in the repair shop and pawnshop world
Click to expand...

So you'd say this has the makings of a legit issue?

I've got mine vertical since I got it, maybe time to change that.


GHG said:
Funny that this should pop back up now.

What convenient timing.
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Joe Pesci Goodfellas GIF
 
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midnightAI said:
3 or 4 videos of it happening versus 10's of millions of PS5 sold?
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No need to be defensive. I've seen more than 3 or 4. I've seen dozens. But the dry spot is never the reason the console doesn't work. I've only ever seen one where cleaning off the oxidation and reapplying liquid metal was needed to fix an overheating problem and that's because the console had been dropped and it did something to how the heat sink adhered to the motherboard . PS5's seem to usually die because people break the hdmi port or fry the hdmi chip because they don't know how to plug in a cable properly.

Liquid metal dry spots can also also an issue in PC's where the CPU and cooler are vertically oriented. Gravity and air will always be a thing.
 
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ReBurn said:
No need to be defensive. I've seen more than 3 or 4. I've seen dozens. But the dry spot is never the reason the console doesn't work. I've only ever seen one where cleaning off the oxidation and reapplying liquid metal was needed to fix an overheating problem and that's because the console had been dropped and it did something to how the heat sink adhered to the motherboard . PS5's seem to usually die because people break the hdmi port or fry the hdmi chip because they don't know how to plug in a cable properly.

Liquid metal dry spots can also also an issue in PC's where the CPU and cooler are vertically oriented. Gravity and air will always be a thing.
Click to expand...
I'm not being defensive, I'm just saying (currently) its being overblown, even dozens is small, the dev in the OP says it should be affecting millions of consoles (3%) but that does not appear to be the case as that would certainly make the news.
 
midnightAI said:
Wouldnt it just be easier to have a poll that asks if anyone has had to have their PS5 fixed due to a liquid metal issue? Or would that be pointless because its likely 1 or 2 people max?
Click to expand...

Well going by the poll results and posts ITT, it probably would've been pointless because it's only been maybe 5-6 people who've even mentioned having an issue with their PS5. And 2/3 of those might not be due to a liquid metal issue.

But yeah, I've reading the responses and, in general, it looks like this isn't a major issue. I don't know what that game dev who was interviewed might've done with their code, or if they had the bad luck of their game being played by a bunch of people who just happened to have faulty systems (which could've ended up that way because of their own negligence). I thought it an interesting situation to look into, but I'd say the responses here are a good sampling that the problem isn't widespread and likely well within the typical margin of hardware defects (IIRC that's something like 1-2% of all systems out there).

Some of the more detailed responses have been educational though, in understanding a bit more how any type of leakage could happen. It seems that, most likely, the dev in question might just need to recheck their game code and see if something there is causing an excess power draw.

adamsapple said:
Click to expand...


Typical of WCCF Tech, an overly dramatic title. From the sound of the interview, it's systems shutting down and, going by responses ITT (as a sampling), it's not a widespread issue.

This might at most only be affecting 1% of PS5s, or even just a fraction of 1%. But maybe some reputable researchers can investigate the situation more in-depth.

Gripsx said:
I fixed a few Phat Ps5 and liquid metal has been an issue, its pretty well known in the repair shop and pawnshop world
Click to expand...

How many fat PS5s have you fixed in total and what percentage would you say had an issue related to liquid metal leakage?
 
thicc_girls_are_teh_best said:
----------

EDIT: The devs HAVE reached out to SIE/Cerny, and they are aware of the problem. Affects early/launch models much more than slim models, but some of those are affected too. Also appears to be a much less frequent problem for systems in horizontal position.
Click to expand...

I would rather use Honeywell PTM7950 Phase Change Thermal pad.
 
The liquid metal is a gallium alloy which has a very high surface tension, much higher than water. Gravity is not strong enough to overpower the surface tension and capillary action forces which keep the liquid metal in place.

Gallium will oxidize when interacting with oxygen and copper. It will slowly form an alloy which will give the appearance of dry spots. It should not affect the cooling unless there was a deficiency when applying the liquid metal.
 
Ge Os said:
Oz1ofj1T7I2LAjMq.jpg
Ab22upP6SOjWEDHP.jpg


This unit has been in my store since the launch of the system. We turn it on at 11 am and turn it off at 8 pm (9 pm Fridays and Saturdays).

No issues whatsoever despite being buried in dust for the first year of service.
Click to expand...
You have two different units pictured.
 
thicc_girls_are_teh_best said:
Well going by the poll results and posts ITT, it probably would've been pointless because it's only been maybe 5-6 people who've even mentioned having an issue with their PS5. And 2/3 of those might not be due to a liquid metal issue.

But yeah, I've reading the responses and, in general, it looks like this isn't a major issue. I don't know what that game dev who was interviewed might've done with their code, or if they had the bad luck of their game being played by a bunch of people who just happened to have faulty systems (which could've ended up that way because of their own negligence). I thought it an interesting situation to look into, but I'd say the responses here are a good sampling that the problem isn't widespread and likely well within the typical margin of hardware defects (IIRC that's something like 1-2% of all systems out there).

Some of the more detailed responses have been educational though, in understanding a bit more how any type of leakage could happen. It seems that, most likely, the dev in question might just need to recheck their game code and see if something there is causing an excess power draw.



Typical of WCCF Tech, an overly dramatic title. From the sound of the interview, it's systems shutting down and, going by responses ITT (as a sampling), it's not a widespread issue.

This might at most only be affecting 1% of PS5s, or even just a fraction of 1%. But maybe some reputable researchers can investigate the situation more in-depth.



How many fat PS5s have you fixed in total and what percentage would you say had an issue related to liquid metal leakage?
Click to expand...
For what its worth, I'm sure Sony will be doing their due diligence and investigating/monitoring it just in case there is an issue in the future, but I would think the engineers at Sony would have thought about this before even using liquid metal in the console in the first place.
 
My main issue with all of this is that you could (will) get some people who will open their PS5's up and check for dry spots when they don't have the skill to do so and that will then accelerate getting dry spots because they have disturbed the liquid metal. Basically, people are stupid.
 
midnightAI said:
My main issue with all of this is that you could (will) get some people who will open their PS5's up and check for dry spots when they don't have the skill to do so and that will then accelerate getting dry spots because they have disturbed the liquid metal. Basically, people are stupid.
Click to expand...
Or get that shit all over the main board.

"See! It leaked!"
 
SweetTooth said:
Simply to improve adherence? Its not necessarily because of a fault. I had mine vertical since 2020 .. not a single issue.
Click to expand...
and i believe you. but anecdotal evidence means nothing when you sell millions of a machine. improvements of a specific part do mean something. like when they silently improved the solidity of some parts of the dualsense v2. you only spend money at improving something to reduce problems, to actually lose less money. they are not a charity
 
Skifi28 said:
Yeah, it's an absolute pain to apply manually on your own and the benefits are not usually large enough to justify the pain and risk. Though this has nothing to do with a device that has it pre-applied from the factory.
Click to expand...
Yes, but there is also the risk of leaking and short circuits which applies to both. In general it is a much more unsafe/risky material than good old thermal paste. Tried it once on PC, never again.
 
Physiognomonics said:
and i believe you. but anecdotal evidence means nothing when you sell millions of a machine. improvements of a specific part do mean something. like when they silently improved the solidity of some parts of the dualsense v2. you only spend money at improving something to reduce problems, to actually lose less money. they are not a charity
Click to expand...

Worst case scenario its still within the normal failure rate of electronics.
 
I can see where this could be an issue once the ps5 like 5-6 years old. Which normal wouldn't be a problem for me, cause by then u could get a new one 200 or less. But since they costing so much. I be piss if my start having troubles. But I went from a launch ps5 to a pro. No troubles. More likely will never. But I can see the launch version happening after a few years I'm sure
 
Sony's launch consoles have always felt the most rickety to me going back to the original PS. Every Xbox has been built like a tank. Nintendo's consoles before Switch were solid as rocks. Sony launch consoles creak and bend and flex. PS5 Pro is a bit better, but still flimsy.
 
I have the God of War bundle, using vertical the console since I bought it, and it is whisper silent, and I'd never had any problem with the hardware.

I'm not denying that issues exist, after all is a mass market product and the liquid metal can become dry overtime.
 
midnightAI said:
For what its worth, I'm sure Sony will be doing their due diligence and investigating/monitoring it just in case there is an issue in the future, but I would think the engineers at Sony would have thought about this before even using liquid metal in the console in the first place.
Click to expand...
They are aware of it, it's mentioned in the video.
 
Skifi28 said:
The PS5 has been in a vertical position since launch, no issues here. But I do recall a segment on the pro about improvements to cooling/liquid metal so it's probably far from perfect and Sony has also noticed potential issues.

Edit:
Click to expand...

Are any improvements in the Slim?
 
Had 2 og ps5 from launch with zero issues then got 2 ps5 pro without issues aswell. Still have 1 ps5 og from launch and it still going fine and they all have always been in vertical position.
100% it could happen but it's very very rare I know of no one I know that's had the issue eiva
 
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