For those that haven’t been following the story, PS5s contain a liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) between the console’s processor and heat sink to improve its cooling performance. This liquid metal is an alloy of gallium and indium, and it is a much better material to use than conventional paste-style TIMs that most people are familiar with from their computer hardware, which are typically composed of aluminum oxide, boron nitride or zinc oxide.

During a disassembly video of the PlayStation 5 last year, third-party repair technician TheCod3r discovered something quite alarming: the liquid metal that covers the CPU was leaking out onto the surrounding motherboard and exposing its components to potential short circuiting. This was a major concern, since liquid metal is electrically conductive and can cause permanent damage to the console.

The issue was discovered by many users on PlayStation France’s Facebook page, and even though Sony has not commented yet, it is believed that the company is looking into ways to improve the console’s cooling capabilities. Until then, many users and repair technicians are recommending that PS5 owners keep their consoles horizontal to prevent any leaks of the liquid metal.

However, this doesn’t mean that the consoles are inherently prone to this vertical faceplant. While it is certainly worrying that liquid metal might leak out, the fact remains that PS5s are already two years old and still have a rate of failure that is very close to that of other consumer electronics, and that would probably be just as likely in a horizontal position as in a vertical one. Ps5 Thermal Paste