In PlayStation 5, Sony used liquid metal in the cooling system to ensure maximum performance without overheating at peak loads. However, this technology proved to be vulnerable: liquid metal leaks over time, forming dry spots on key components, which leads to failures and overheating.
Although Sony has made improvements in the PlayStation 5 Pro and some later models of the base console (for example, CFI-2100 and CFI-2116) - added ribs and grooves on the radiator to fix the material - the problems persist.
Service technician and modder Modyfikator89 disassembled a PS5 Slim model CFI-2016 less than 1.5 years old, which had been standing vertically since purchase. Dried and oxidized residues of liquid metal are visible on the APU core, gathered in a lump and lost thermal conductivity. The reason is not the position of the console, but the quality of application and degradation from time and temperature.