Hi everyone, you are on HowFixit. In this video, I will test the effectiveness
of thermal paste and liquid metal on PS4 Pro. I chose the first revision, it is the hottest
and noisiest of all PlayStation 4 Pro models. Before testing the thermal paste, the game console
was completely cleaned. In this video, I do not show the detailed process of disassembling and
cleaning the PS4 Pro, there is a separate video on my channel, I left the link in the description.
To measure the heating temperature of the PS4 Pro, I will use two sensors: the white sensor I'll
connect directly to the heatsink, and the black sensor will measure the temperature of the air
blown out of the game console's cooling system. To fix the temperature sensor to the heatsink, I use a special adhesive tape that
is resistant to high temperatures. Now we have a directly connected sensor to the
heatsink, let's move on to applying thermal paste. For the test, I chose the most popular Arctic
MX-4 thermal paste. If you are interested in more detailed tests of different thermal pastes,
I left a link to the video in the description. Let's fix the temperature in the room - almost
30℃, and inside the PS4 housing, the temperature is similar. Now I place the black sensor in
the vent grille on the game console housing. Also, I put my smartphone on the PS4
Pro housing near the vent grille to measure the noise level of the fan.
Let's start the test and launch the game. I chose Tom Clancy's The Division 2 to test
the game console. The run time is 20 minutes, I think this is enough to determine
the average temperature of the PS4 Pro. PS4 Pro Thermal Paste Test Result:
Heatsink temperature – 60℃ (140°F) Air temperature – 52℃ (125°F)
Fan noise – 53.7dB So, once again I'm disassembling the game
console but now for applying liquid metal. The process of applying liquid metal is more
complicated than using thermal paste. It consists of two steps: preparation of the APU chip and
application of liquid metal to the surface of the processor. The PS4 Pro processor has SMD
components that must be isolated from accidental contact with liquid metal, otherwise, if liquid
metal gets on the SMD component, a short circuit will occur, which will damage the processor.
The whole process of disassembling and applying liquid metal to the PS4 Pro is also in a separate
video - I left the link in the description below. So, now we have liquid metal, let's assemble
the console and proceed to the test. The duration of the game and other
test conditions remain the same. PS4 Pro Liquid Metal Test Result:
Heatsink temperature – 64℃ (147°F) Air temperature – 56℃ (133°F)
Fan noise – 48.1dB Compared to thermal paste, the liquid metal
improved the heat transfer from the APU to the heatsink by 4℃, resulting in a lower
fan speed and the PS4 Pro is less noisy. According to the test results, liquid
metal is better than thermal paste for the PS4 Pro of the first revision. For more
info check out the links in the description. I hope this video was useful for you, if you
have some ideas for other tests with game consoles - you can write them in the comments.
You were on howfixit and see you next time.
