Before I wrote about all things PC hardware, I enjoyed a sordid, console gaming past. My platform of choice? Sony's curvy white box, the PlayStation 5. Having spent enough time with the console to create an alarmingly accurate mould of the DualSense controller with nothing but my palm prints, I think I'm qualified in saying this: the PS5 is a bit chunky, innit?
While the base version of the PlayStation 5 is a comparatively chunkier 10.4 litres, the slim—with the detachable disc drive that looks kinda like a zit to me—is only about 7 and a half litres. So, yes, you do lose those eye-catchingly swoopey white wings but you do gain back a whole lot of space around your TV.
This isn't Not From Concentrate's first attempt at a tiny PS5 build, but this latest project features support for full size M.2 form factor SSDs, and enjoys a much bigger potential storage capacity for all of your games as a result. Not only that, but this itty bitty take runs even cooler and draws less power than a standard PS5 too.
During Not For Concentrate's own testing, they found the "stock PS5 consistently pulled 230-235 Watts and the temperature averaged 59 degrees Celsius." That is, in a few words, hungry and toasty. After a redesign, the now even smaller tiny PS5's power draw dropped below 220 watts, with its temperature averaging about 50 degrees celsius.
This tiny build's secret weapon is a bigger, 3D printed fan shroud with a "larger intake and deep channels around the fan" to improve air flow. It's so big it had to be printed in four parts and then glued together. Also keeping those temps down is the shroud's "neoprene gasket that presses against the cover panel to prevent recirculation of hot air," plus a whole load of Noctua fans.
For a small fee, you can have a go at building a 6-litre PS5 yourself too; for a little under 11 bucks (or only £8) Not From Concentrate is offering up a digital download that contains a full illustrated guide, plus .STL files for all of those bespoke 3D printed parts, and a hardware list for everything else.
As a recovering Sony acolyte, I'm definitely tempted to give this project a go myself. Its aluminium panels with a Cerakote plus finish are certainly snazzy, but also there's no getting away from the fact it's yet another black box. To be fair, a lot of the best mini PCs also look like that. Still, perhaps there's room for tinkering with the tiny PS5's design to make it even more head-turning. Swoopey white wings, anyone?
1. Best overall:
Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT
2. Best budget:
Minisforum Venus UM790 Pro
3. Best pure gaming:
Asus ROG NUC 970
4. Best compact:
Geekom AX8 Pro
5. Best looking:
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6. Best iGPU for gaming:
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7. Best for AI:
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