It is not a novelty that from time to time at SONY they surprise us with a new version of their most current PlayStation console. And no, we are not referring to the Slim or Lite models that appear over time, but to minor changes from one year to the next. And it is that the version for this year is the PS5 version 1200. Which brings with it some interesting changes. Is it better or worse than previous reviews?
If you can ever get your hands on the complete breakdown of a video game console, you will be surprised by the number of pieces that exist, in some cases reaching hundreds of them. Therefore, once a system has been completed, engineers will spend years studying what to reduce in order to have a system with the same performance at lower costs. Which is a trend in any product that has a long life in years on the market.
What has changed in the PS5 version 1200?
First of all, we must clarify that it is not a system that is neither more powerful nor less powerful than the previous two. However, we cannot rule out that the collaboration with AMD has given a much fresher chip. Especially for the knowledge accumulated by Lisa Su in recent years. The more energy-efficient versions of its chips in PCs are testament to that. In any case, what must have improved is the performance per watt, since the latest revision of the chip emits less heat and uses a smaller heatsink . To all this it must be clarified that we are not facing a version under a more advanced node.
And how do we know this? Well, due to the fact that the original PS5 playing Astro Play Room gave 217 W of consumption and has been reduced to 201 W. Although we cannot rule out the use of new GDDR6 memory chips, which, although they are not faster, consume less data transfer than those of the first batch.
As for the temperatures, the 1100 model had increased the air that was expelled by an additional 10º . So it didn’t cool as efficiently as the initial model. Well, the PS5 version 1200, despite having an even smaller heatsink, cuts the original model by 1 °C in temperature.
New plate and less weight
In general, the PS5 version 1200 has lost 200 grams in the process compared to the 1100 , but the heatsink, the main chip is not the only change in the process. Specifically, since the initial model in late 2020, the PS5 has lost a pound of weight since its launch . Although the most important change that has helped this is precisely the fact that the new model has a new motherboard on which the components are soldered.
One complaint we had was how massive the console board was and the huge gap between the main chip and the RAM. Well, as you can see in the image above, SONY has cut the size of the plate in the PS5 version 1200.
Although we have to say that we expected a new board for a new industrial design and not a conservation of the 2020 classic. And to finish we have the fact that the expansion bay of the NVMe SSD has also been renewed , since they have changed the PCB by a piece of metal, which appears to be aluminum and could serve to dissipate heat.
That is, the new PS5 is better in design, but does it justify the price increase? From our point of view, no, and equally this would have happened sooner or later, since since the first PlayStation it is something that has been a trend at SONY.