Put down or stand PS5: Which is right?

Those who buy the PlayStation 5 have to make some important decisions. On the one hand, you have to choose between the Digital Edition (449.99 Euros at Amazon) and the Disc Edition (533.61 Euros at Amazon). While the former comes without a drive and only with an SSD, you can not only play games on classic physical media with the latter. On top of that, this model allows you to play movies and series on BluRays. Another important decision is the right controller. Those who opt for the DualSense have been spoiled for choice between different color variations for quite some time. E-sports fans might even want to reach for a premium controller like the Scuf Reflex Pro (test). Away from these important decisions, you’ll still need to determine whether you want to put the PS5 down or stand it up. In the first few months after the launch of Sony’s current home console, the choice of positioning tended to fall into the “jacket like pants” category. After all, the Japanese tech company said that both were possible without any problems. However, for the sake of your console, you should prefer one variant.

Putting down or putting down thePS5: Both are possible

Let’s not kid ourselves – the PlayStation 5 is anything but a lightweight. At market launch, the coveted piece of consumer electronics weighed a whopping 3.9 kg. In its most current version, it has already become considerably slimmer at 3.6 kg. However, a comparison with the PS4 makes it clear that Sony has equipped its current home console with a lot of technology. The standard version of the previous generation weighs just 2.76 kg. That corresponds to almost one kilogram less weight. Despite its high weight, it still has the option of being placed on its side. If you put the PS5 on its stand, it reminds you a bit of a monolith. The curved forms conceal the fact that it’s quite a large case.

When you take the PlayStation 5 out of its packaging for the first time, you also get to see the handy circular stand. You can hook it onto the side of the console. In this case, you can lay the PS5 down. If you prefer to put it on its side, you can simply screw the stand to the bottom. Whether you place the PS5 horizontally or vertically is still a matter of taste many months after the market launch in 2020. Many chose the vertical version to simply save space. After all, it takes up a lot of space on the sideboard with its width of 39 cm. But in the meantime, the tech world seems to agree that you should place the console in a very specific orientation.

Putting down or standing upPS5: Warning from repair shops

The hint that it doesn’t matter if you place the PS5 lying down or standing up has been revised by the people who need to know. Thus, resistance arose among repair shops for repairs of the PlayStation 5 against this misinformation, which in time could be read even on renowned Internet portals for technology. The technicians literally warned owners of Sony’s home console not to store the PS5 vertically. Their warning was based on the collected data of their PS5 repair history. Thus, many consoles that stood upright showed the same defect. According to the technical experts, the problem was caused by a crucial error from the manufacturer Sony. This concerns the cooling of the system.

Put down or put downPS5: Liquid metal as cause for defect

The manufacturer’s crucial design flaw is in the PS5’s CPU cooling. Sony no longer used classic thermal paste, which was still used in the previous console generations. Instead, they used so-called liquid metal, which is mainly known from PC hardware until now. This can simply be attributed to the chipset’s high performance. Since Sony relies on overclocking the CPU, there is a correspondingly high heat development. In order to better absorb this and prevent hardware damage, the Japanese tech company used liquid metal in its development. In itself, this step is of course progressive and praiseworthy. However, the manufacturer doesn’t seem to have thought through all points during the conception.

Putting down or putting down thePS5: Improper workmanship as a cause

If you use liquid metal for cooling, you also have to seal it appropriately. Only then can you avoid damage to the rest of the hardware. Usually, it’s the hardware’s own weight that ensures that the coolant doesn’t leak out in the first place. However, if the console stands upright, this can cause problems with the PS5. The above-mentioned workshops say that liquid metal leaked due to a faulty seal. This partly slipped or even porous seal then becomes a problem when the PS5 is stored upright. After all, in this case you can no longer rely on its own weight and corresponding pressure on the coolant.

That this problem exists with upright stocked models of the PS5, meanwhile confirmed many workshops. After all, it could be seen on affected consoles that the liquid metal leaked out of the CPU’s bracket. Subsequently, the liquid often dripped onto other components and caused immense damage in some cases. But even if the liquid metal does not damage the rest of the hardware, there can be serious consequences. If the coolant leaks, it is missing where it is needed. The consequence can be that the chipset is no longer cooled sufficiently. This can damage or even destroy the processor.

Put down or put down the PS5: Repair possible in many cases

Liquid metal has a property that should by no means be underestimated. Not only does it provide extraordinarily good cooling. On top of that, it conducts electricity very well. Of course, this can prove to be a big problem in the interior of a game console. If liquid metal drips onto an open circuit board or other hardware elements, it can cause serious damage. Sometimes it can even lead to short circuits, which ultimately also poses a risk for the user. What is really annoying is that this problem can not only occur in models that have already been used in a vertical position for a longer time. Even with a brand-new PS5, you have to live with the risk that liquid metal has already leaked out. However, you will already notice this when you turn the device on for the first time.

After all, an affected game console cannot even be started adequately. Then the warranty takes effect and you can claim for a new console. But what does it actually look like when the warranty has already expired? This is the case for some owners of a console that has been on the market for almost three years. There is at least one piece of good news here. For example, devices with the problem of leaking liquid metal can usually be repaired quite well. This is at least the case when professionals are at work. They use cotton swabs, for example, to remove the coolant from the affected hardware as carefully as possible. If this succeeds, you don’t have to worry about a short circuit with serious consequences for the console hardware.

Conclusion: Place PS5 horizontally!

Those who have used their PlayStation 5 vertically for many months usually do not have to worry much about the fact that a defect has already occurred. After all, the seal is reliable on the majority of consoles. However, if you want to enjoy Sony’s popular home console for a long time, you should definitely think about playing it safe and using the PS5 horizontally. In this position, even a damaged or slipped seal cannot cause any damage due to leaking liquid metal. If you decide to buy a PlayStation 5 now, you should put it down directly if possible. That way, the risk of a corresponding defect goes towards zero. It is questionable how Sony will deal with the PS5 problem in the future. What is certain is that it is not possible to get rid of the liquid metal due to the CPU overclocking. Thus, the company will probably have to make sure that the seals are processed better in the future.