Best way to clean out a PS5? Mine keeps overheating

[SolVanderlyn]

Well, I can say I never had this problem with a console before.

For most games, it's not much of an issue. But Octopath 2 and recently the XVI demo just overheat the system entirely, so I've realized it's time to get the dust out. I vacuumed the vents, but it's still overheating.

Anyone else ever have this issue? What's the best way to do it? Canned air?

 

[platocplx]

How well is the fan spinning? Can you see if there is dust caked on it?

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

Have you taken the face plate off? It's easy to do. Mine overheated once (during Fortnite of all things) and I took the face place off and used some canned air all up in there and it hasn't happened again since.

This is also the first time this has ever happened to me with a console though. Definitely a bit concerning.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

IIRC the thing is engineered to redirect some dust into the space beneath the "top" console plate. It's not fancy enough to get ALL of the dust there but that might be a big area of airflow blockage if you've never cleaned it before.

"Top" being the plate that would be on top if you were to situate your PS5 horizontally -- should be the left plate if you keep your PS5 vertical.

EDIT: I WAS WRONG the blower fan and the "dust catchers" are in the bottom plate (same plate that would have the disc drive slot if you have a disc drive on your PS5). Hit that blower fan and clean out the small grooves in the casing (which are meant to accumulate dust and keep the flow channels more open).

 

[barbarash22]

I have the same problem.
Also Octopath 2 and FF XVI.

If I remember correctly you have to take the faceplates off and there are even holes somewhere, especially made for the dust to get sucked out by the vaccum.
I haven't done this yet though.

 

[bitcloudrzr]

Personally, I just use a vacuum on reverse and blow out dust with a narrow nozzle, and without taking the plates off monthly. What I would suggest is here, but scroll down to the "How To Clean PS5 Without Taking Off The Warranty Sticker" part:

How To Clean Your PS5 [The Right Way!] - Alvaro Trigo's Blog

Learn how to Clean the PS5 from dust from the inside and the outside. Clean your PS5 fan to get the maximum out of your PS5.

alvarotrigo.com

 

[Dark Knight]

How to Clean Your PS5 Safely - 3 Stages

👉 iFixit Coupon Code: https://ifixit.com/tronicsfix 👉 iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit: Amazon (paid link) https://geni.us/XSeAlIHow to Clean Your PS5 Safely - 3 ...

youtu.be

I've been using this video guide since I got my PS5. I only ever get through stage two though, so I can't speak to the lengthier process... however I've been telling myself that I will do stage 3 before XVI comes out to really make sure it's not going to overheat.

In general I recommend cleaning out the PS5 at least once every 5-6 months. And more often than that if you live in a hot climate or your house has lots of pet dander/fur or dust.

 

[joffocakes]

Yeah mine crashed all the time (several dozen occasions) with God of War Ragnarok and I thought it was an issue with the game but it turned out it had just been a long time since I'd played a native PS5 game (since launch with Demon's Souls) and dust had collected.

After taking off the side panels and cleaning it I've had no issues until Street Fighter 6, which has crashed four times now. I'll clean it out again next week but it's a shame that's even a thing that has to be done.

 

[bitcloudrzr]

Yeah mine crashed all the time (several dozen occasions) with God of War Ragnarok and I thought it was an issue with the game but it turned out it had just been a long time since I'd played a native PS5 game (since launch with Demon's Souls) and dust had collected.

After taking off the side panels and cleaning it I've had no issues until Street Fighter 6, which has crashed four times now. I'll clean it out again next week but it's a shame that's even a thing that has to be done.

Click to shrink...

How long has it been since the previous time you cleaned it? I would recommend once a month and more specifically, if you got something high powered to blow out the vents that are all around the system.

 

[taco543]

How to Clean Your PS5 Safely - 3 Stages

👉 iFixit Coupon Code: https://ifixit.com/tronicsfix 👉 iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit: Amazon (paid link) https://geni.us/XSeAlIHow to Clean Your PS5 Safely - 3 ...

youtu.be

I've been using this video guide since I got my PS5. I only ever get through stage two though, so I can't speak to the lengthier process... however I've been telling myself that I will do stage 3 before XVI comes out to really make sure it's not going to overheat.

In general I recommend cleaning out the PS5 at least once every 5-6 months. And more often than that if you live in a hot climate or your house has lots of pet dander/fur or dust.

Click to shrink...

This is the one I used, and mine hasnt overheated since.

 

[OgTheEnigma]

It seems crazy Octopath 2 is causing issues. It must be running at an internally unlocked framerate.

 

[Musubi]

I just got a USB powered dust cleaner and blew out the insides with that. Even with not taking the full case apart you can blow out the majority of the built up dust with one of those.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I'm glad it's not just me experiencing the issue. Especially that it's not just me with Octopath 2, which made me seriously consider if there was something wrong with my system - certainly doesn't seem like the game to make it bite the dust (pun intended).

I guess I should go buy some canned air. Man, taking the faceplates off is a drag. Minor inconvenience if they just pop off, but still. Shame this is the first console I ever had to do that with

 

[Gvon]

Thankfully I've never had it overheat.

I strip the plastic panels, grills, and take out the fan every few months. I vacuum the dust catcher, wipe the fan and grills and it's done.

 

[AIan]

Vacuum the little pockets after you've taken the face plates off, as well as the fan and vent regions. Use a bit of condensed air to push out some of the deeper dust in the fan/vents. And more importantly, hold your PS5 on a clean, flat surface. I recommend getting a slightly elevated table and setting your PS5 on that. Definitely do not leave your PS5 on a carpet or rug, I did that and had to clean it after 3 months...

 

[JCal]

How to Clean Your PS5 Safely - 3 Stages

👉 iFixit Coupon Code: https://ifixit.com/tronicsfix 👉 iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit: Amazon (paid link) https://geni.us/XSeAlIHow to Clean Your PS5 Safely - 3 ...

youtu.be

I've been using this video guide since I got my PS5. I only ever get through stage two though, so I can't speak to the lengthier process... however I've been telling myself that I will do stage 3 before XVI comes out to really make sure it's not going to overheat.

In general I recommend cleaning out the PS5 at least once every 5-6 months. And more often than that if you live in a hot climate or your house has lots of pet dander/fur or dust.

Click to shrink...

Yup. I've been doing Stage 2 cleaning once a year. Imo, people should really start getting comfortable going that far with these consoles. The process looks intimidating, but it's not so invasive. Couple pieces of plastic, some screws, and fan removal.

I regret not doing this type of thing for my PS3 and my PS4 (base model). My PS3 Slim is a workhorse, but my PS4 did indeed overheat. I likely could have done something about that had I gone in.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

Please tell me I'm being overly paranoid trying to take my side-panels off.
I try the method I see people doing in the videos and the fuckers won't budge. Afraid to apply a lot more pressure because I don't want to break the damn things (I have a tendency to underestimate my own strength and break things fairly easily 😞).

But yeah. I really need to clean this thing…

 

[bitcloudrzr]

I guess I should go buy some canned air. Man, taking the faceplates off is a drag. Minor inconvenience if they just pop off, but still. Shame this is the first console I ever had to do that with

Click to shrink...

Make sure that after you clean out the dust catchers, clean the around the vents and the fan.

 

[Dark Knight]

Please tell me I'm being overly paranoid trying to take my side-panels off.
I try the method I see people doing in the videos and the fuckers won't budge. Afraid to apply a lot more pressure because I don't want to break the damn things (I have a tendency to underestimate my own strength and break things fairly easily 😞).

But yeah. I really need to clean this thing…

Click to shrink...

If you've never done it before it def takes some getting used to. It's probably possible to break them if you're doing it wrong but they're designed to come off the way you've likely been seeing in videos. It just takes the right leverage in the right spot and it should pop out with a little effort.

 

[barbarash22]

So i just cleaned my PS5.

Most importantly you have to remove the fan (you don't have to unplug it, just lay it a little to the side carefully - the cable is flexible enough) and vaccum the then visible cooling fins of the cpu copper cooler.
Half of my fins were blocked with dust.

 

[barbarash22]

Please tell me I'm being overly paranoid trying to take my side-panels off.
I try the method I see people doing in the videos and the fuckers won't budge. Afraid to apply a lot more pressure because I don't want to break the damn things (I have a tendency to underestimate my own strength and break things fairly easily 😞).

But yeah. I really need to clean this thing…

Click to shrink...

You just have to understand how they are attached, then its easy (if you want to be extra careful find a video/picture where you see the backside of a sidepanel and how the holding pins look).
The holding pins are at an angle, not straight.
So don't forcefully pull away from the chassis.
You just have to pull the front panel a little away in the PS Logo area then slide the cover towards the bottom with a little force (the bottom being the bottom when the PS5 stands upright).
So mainly slide in the right direction with a little force and not pull too much.

Edit:
Here you see the holding pins:

 

[bitcloudrzr]

So i just cleaned my PS5.

Most importantly you have to remove the fan (you don't have to unplug it, just lay it a little to the side carefully - the cable is flexible enough) and vaccum the then visible cooling fins of the cpu copper cooler.
Half of my fins were blocked with dust.

Click to shrink...

From personal experience, if you are dusting with something powerful enough and regularly (monthly), you should not have to go so far as to removing the fan.

 

[barbarash22]

From personal experience, if you are dusting with something powerful enough and regularly (monthly), you should not have to go so far as to removing the fan.

Click to shrink...

I will do this from now on.
I had my PS5 since launch an rarely vaccumed around the air intake.

 

[barbarash22]

Especially that it's not just me with Octopath 2, which made me seriously consider if there was something wrong with my system - certainly doesn't seem like the game to make it bite the dust (pun intended).

Click to shrink...

Depth of field camera effects can be surprisingly power hungry.

 

[PLASTICA-MAN]

So i just cleaned my PS5.

Most importantly you have to remove the fan (you don't have to unplug it, just lay it a little to the side carefully - the cable is flexible enough) and vaccum the then visible cooling fins of the cpu copper cooler.
Half of my fins were blocked with dust.

Click to shrink...

I do the same once a year.

 

[Tailzo]

I have cleaned my controllers, but never the ps5 itself. Somehow I haven't had any trouble yet, and I've had it for a year and a half? I guess I should start doing this.

 

[Kuro]

Just be careful with using a normal vacuum on electronics. They can cause static discharge and damage components. Some people get lucky and it never happens to them but its still a possibility. You can get anti-static dusters like a DataVac if you want to avoid such a thing.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

If you've never done it before it def takes some getting used to. It's probably possible to break them if you're doing it wrong but they're designed to come off the way you've likely been seeing in videos. It just takes the right leverage in the right spot and it should pop out with a little effort.

Click to shrink...

You just have to understand how they are attached, then its easy (if you want to be extra careful find a video/picture where you see the backside of a sidepanel and how the holding pins look).
The holding pins are at an angle, not straight.
So don't forcefully pull away from the chassis.
You just have to pull the front panel a little away in the PS Logo area then slide the cover towards the bottom with a little force (the bottom being the bottom when the PS5 stands upright).
So mainly slide in the right direction with a little force and not pull too much.

Edit:
Here you see the holding pins:

Click to shrink...

Thank you both so much!

 

[NightShift]

From personal experience, if you are dusting with something powerful enough and regularly (monthly), you should not have to go so far as to removing the fan.

Click to shrink...

Weird to say that when the fan is far more easy to remove than the side plates and still won't void the warranty. There's no reason not to do that extra step to make sure it's clean.

 

[bitcloudrzr]

Weird to say that when the fan is far more easy to remove than the side plates and still won't void the warranty. There's no reason not to do that extra step to make sure it's clean.

Click to shrink...

I do not remove the side plates at all when cleaning.

 

[NightShift]

I do not remove the side plates at all when cleaning.

Click to shrink...

Please don't tell me you just shove a regular ass vacuum against the vents.

 

[bitcloudrzr]

Please don't tell me you just shove a regular ass vacuum against the vents.

Click to shrink...

LOL pretty much, I use a narrow nozzle and it seems to take out a significant amount of dust. Confirmed recently when I opened it and there was barely any dust on the fan or dust catchers. I have been using this method since the PS3 and has been working without issue.

 

[TylerPickstock]

LOL pretty much, I use a narrow nozzle and it seems to take out a significant amount of dust. Confirmed recently when I opened it and there was barely any dust on the fan or dust catchers. I have been using this method since the PS3 and has been working without issue.

Click to shrink...

Your pfp is the face I'm giving your comment rn...

 

[bitcloudrzr]

Your pfp is the face I'm giving your comment rn...

Click to shrink...

 

[ArchStanton]

Anyone have a good electronics vacuum they recommend?