Most games consoles and computers use thermal paste between the processor and the cooler. The PS5 doesn't. Sony chose liquid metal, which is better at moving heat but much trickier to handle. That choice has led to a lot of worry online, especially about whether standing the console upright makes it leak.
Here's how it actually works, what can go wrong, and what that means for your console.
What liquid metal does
The processor at the heart of the PS5 produces a lot of heat, and that heat has to move into the heatsink so the fan can blow it away. The surfaces of the processor and the heatsink look flat, but at a microscopic level they're rough, and the tiny gaps between them trap air, which is a poor conductor of heat.
A thermal interface material fills those gaps. Usually it's a paste. Liquid metal is an alloy, typically based on gallium, that stays liquid at room temperature. It's far better at conducting heat than paste, which is why Sony used it. It lets a relatively quiet cooler handle a powerful processor.
The catch: it conducts electricity
Liquid metal conducts electricity as well as heat. If it escapes onto the board around the processor, it can short out components and badly damage the console.
Sony designed around this. Around the processor there's a foam seal that holds the liquid metal in place, and the small components nearby are insulated. Sony's engineers have said they spent a long time on this insulation when designing the original PS5. Every PS5 model since has used liquid metal, including the Slim and the Pro.
Does standing a PS5 upright make it leak?
This is the big question. In 2023, reports spread that PS5s stood upright for a long time could have liquid metal leaking out of place. It caused a lot of worry.
The reports that followed pointed mostly to consoles that had already been opened, for example for a clean or a previous repair. That makes sense: once the seal has been disturbed, or the liquid metal has been reapplied carelessly, it's no longer contained the way Sony intended.
For a console that has never been opened, the risk is low, and Sony supports the PS5 both upright and on its side. For the PS5 Pro, Sony added fine grooves where the liquid metal is applied, which its engineers say makes the cooling effect more stable.
Should I stand my PS5 vertically or horizontally?
Whichever suits your space, as long as it's on its stand, stable, and has room around it to breathe. Airflow matters far more to your console's temperature than which way up it is. If your console has been opened before and you're worried, lying it flat does no harm.
Does liquid metal dry out?
It can change over time, but it doesn't happen to every console. Over the years, liquid metal can oxidise and dry out, or gradually spread unevenly across the processor and the heatsink. When that happens, contact between them gets worse, and the console runs hotter.
In practice, dust is a far more common cause of overheating than liquid metal. Most consoles running hot have a heatsink clogged with dust. Some also have liquid metal that has dried or moved, particularly older consoles, and consoles that have been opened before.
Why it's not a DIY job
Plenty of videos show people reapplying liquid metal at home. It's possible, but it's one of the riskier jobs you can do on a PS5:
- It gets everywhere. Liquid metal forms beads that roll, and a single stray bead on the board can cause a short.
- The seal matters. Disturbing or damaging the foam seal around the processor is exactly what makes leaks more likely later.
- Too much is as bad as too little. Excess liquid metal is what escapes.
- It reacts with aluminium. Gallium attacks aluminium, so it mustn't touch the wrong tools or surfaces.
- The old layer has to come off properly. Dried or oxidised liquid metal needs careful cleaning before fresh is applied.
If you open a PS5 to clean the fan and heatsink, you don't have to touch the liquid metal. Many overheating problems are solved by cleaning alone. But if the liquid metal needs attention, it's a job for a steady hand and the right materials.
Replacing liquid metal with thermal paste
Some repairers replace the PS5's liquid metal with ordinary thermal paste, because paste is easier and safer to apply. It removes the leak risk, but paste doesn't conduct heat as well, and the console was designed around liquid metal. I reapply liquid metal, to match how Sony built it. If you're comparing quotes, it's worth asking which a repairer uses.
What the repair involves
A PS5 overheating repair with me is £69 all-in, including parts and tracked return postage, for the original PS5, the Slim or the Pro. I strip the console down and clean the fan, heatsink fins and dust catchers. I check the liquid metal, and where it has dried, oxidised or moved, I clean it off, apply fresh and check the seal. Dried thermal putty is replaced where needed. Then the console runs a demanding game for an hour on my bench before it's posted back. The work is covered by a 12-month warranty.
If your console is overheating and you're not sure why, PS5 overheating: what to check first covers the free checks to try before booking anything.
My recommendation
Don't let the liquid metal worry you on a console that has never been opened. Sony designed it carefully, it's contained, and the PS5 is fine upright or on its side. If your console runs hot, look at dust and airflow first, because that's the usual cause. Liquid metal becomes worth checking on older consoles, consoles that have been opened before, and consoles that still run hot after a clean. When it does need attention, it's worth having it done by someone who knows how to handle it.
The Repair Works is an independent UK repair service, run by me, Paul — 25 years of hands-on repair experience, working by post for customers across the whole country. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony.
