The new PS5 model has apparently removed the disc drive internet connection requirement and has received a cooling system upgrade.
According to early reports via Zuby_Tech and Modyfikator89 on Twitter/X, PlayStation have apparently removed the PS5 internet connection requirement for pairing a disc drive and incorporated am all-new cooling system with the console’s new CFI-2100/2116 model.
On previous PS5 models that support a modular disc drive, adding a new drive required an internet connection when using it for the first time. This no longer appears to be the case on the new CFI-2100/2116 model, as seen below.
Furthermore, the new PS5 model features the PS5 Pro’s cooling system. This is a major step for the console’s longevity and stability, as it gets rid of concerns regarding thermal degradation issues. For the uninitiated, Sony Interactive Entertainment hardware engineers introduced grooves to the PS5 Pro SoC heatsink in order create a capillary effect that allows the liquid metal to remain in place and spread evenly across the chip. The grooves prevent liquid metal leakage during assembly and over long-term use. The metal leak issue affected the original PS5 and Slim CFI-2016 models from 2023.
Back in September, a teardown of the PS5’s CFI-2100/2116 model revealed that it ships with an 825GB SSD, a downgrade from the 1 TB drive offered in the prior Slim revision. This effectively reduces usable storage space by more than a quarter, a notable setback in an era where digital game libraries continue to grow in size. Buyers in Europe have noted that the new Digital Edition model, the CFI-2116, retains the same retail price as the 1TB version it replaces. At 2,400 grams, the 2100/2116 model is about 156 grams lighter than its immediate predecessor, a weight reduction achieved by reworking the cooling system and replacing some of the heavy steel shielding with thinner stamped metal.
