Reply 49460 of 56699, by pentiumspeed
Trashbytes wrote on 2023-06-07, 02:36:BitWrangler wrote on 2023-06-06, 23:04:Yah, that's what has been said, it WAS liquid metal type stuff, phase change, but it's pumping itself out over time and leaving it dry.
Gallium based LM like the Thermal Grizzly stuff does this with desktop CPUs but it can take a good number of years, its odd that the PS5 and Xbox Series X would be suffering from it so soon. Not sure what the older consoles would have used but perhaps an earlier version of LM which isnt Gallium based.
Either way changing the TIM isnt too difficult .. getting into the consoles is the hard part... so many stupid security screws and shitty plastic tabs.
Hi there, I work at repair shop for a living and I go through at least 100 to 120 consoles in period of 5 years including my specialty on repairing cell phone and notebooks. Just did a HDMI port replacement on a PS5 digital edition today.
Totally false on Microsoft xbox one and xbox series using liquid metal. Microsoft only use phase change TIM. All of them used phase change TIM and TIM is hard consistancy, hard as cold butter. In other words the TIM film, and too thick, is already installed on the heatsink at heatsink manufacture and is shipped to the assembly shop where xbox consoles are put together. On first power on, TIM melts where silicon die is and excessive amount squeezes out and re-solidify. The key word on EXCESSIVE and solid. The TIM is solidly built up on heatsink and the APU package. Yes, package. Not just little. Even heatsink at the most hottest point, it is not hot enough to remelt rest of the TIM wedge. The die area eventually pumps out and air bubbles gets in between die and the heatsink due to this wedge keeping heatsink and die seperated. Happens as early as one year of use. I see this all the time when xbox one and xbox series comes in for cleaning or HDMI replacement.
If Microsoft used less TIM, then this is not a issue. Sony used soft, consistency of soft cheese when cold, of TIM of correct amount that only squeezes out a little around the die and performed better, this is only used in all PS4 models.
phase change TIM is defined as what I had mentioned in this link:
https://www.laird.com/products/thermal-interf … ls/phase-change
Partially true on dry spot of PS5 liquid metal, depends on orientation of the console. But the reality is if CPU die and heatsink pad is contaminated with anything or sticky stuff from the adhesive seal, which is a pressure sensitive adhesive not glue, every one that does had contamination on the surfaces causes liquid metal to recede. I had to clean both surfaces and rub liquid back onto them to wet them.
Cheers,
Great Northern aka Canada.
