u/thisisilalang

Just some internal hardware I photographed last month. I did a total teardown of this thing, upgraded both the thermal paste and the thermal pads, retorqued every screw, dusted everything off, you get the point.

It is pretty remarkable when you realize that this console only has 8 GB of shared RAM and a 2012-era APU. It constantly has to A) handle memory allocation across a unified pool (the equivalent of juggling forty balls 30 feet in the air with your bare hands, without a single mistake), B) calculate all the game logic and C) render everything to your screen, all while D) remaining relevant to this day and E) staying capable of playing modern titles at impressive fidelity for its age.

Figured I'd take some time today to write descriptions for each photo, so here you go! 🤓

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📷 1 — Semi-custom AMD APU, specifically the CXD90043GB variant. Fabricated on a 16 nm process node, this single die tightly integrates an 8-core AMD Jaguar CPU and a Radeon-based graphics engine. You can also spot the SAD-003 motherboard model number printed nearby, representing the refined, shrunk-down layout used for the Slim series. Packing this much performance into such a tight footprint dropped the console's maximum power draw to just 165 W.

📷 2 — Flipping to Side B of the motherboard reveals a cluster of Samsung GDDR5 RAM chips. The system utilizes 8 GB of unified memory connected via a wide 256-bit bus, serving as both system memory and VRAM simultaneously. This was nothing short of a masterstroke: eliminating traditional latency bottlenecks between separate system and graphics memory pools.

📷 3 — Sweeping geometry of the SAD-003 motherboard’s power planes and ground traces.

The thick, exposed orange copper bands act as heavy-duty electrical highways to deliver stable current across the board. By optimizing the pathway layers directly into the PCB substrate, this design minimized electromagnetic interference without relying on bulky external shielding.

📷 4 — A look inside the internal power supply module, where heavy-duty passive electronics handle primary high-voltage filtration. The twin black Rubycon 450 V 47 μF (microfarad) capacitors are rated for high-temperature stability to clean up incoming AC mains voltage. They are rated for 105 °C, to be exact, which is well above the boiling point of water.

Next to them sits a robust blue film capacitor and a heavy toroidal inductor coil acting as a line filter to suppress electrical noise.

📷 5 — Manufacturing stamp for the Delta ADP-160CR AAA power supply module. This fully integrated universal power brick outputs a clean 12 V DC rail to drive the system hardware. Compared to the massive power blocks found in the original launch model (popularly known as the "Fat" variant), this 165 W unit is a testament to how far Sony optimized efficiency. It tucks seamlessly alongside the optical drive and cooling fan inside the console's lean chassis.

📷 6 — Still the PSU, just the underside.

This tight close-up showcases the SMD (surface-mount device) components populated on the power supply's green PCB substrate. Dozens of miniature resistors, ceramic capacitors, and switching diodes are packed into a geometric labyrinth to manage safety and regulation loops. It has never been so exciting to see crisp solder fillets and microscopic circuit paths!

📷 7 — The control side of the power board. Specialized integrated circuits, including the prominent DNP012AH controller chip, manage power state transitions and protection circuits. This web of solder traces and tiny passives ensures the console handles sudden power drops or standby low-power states flawlessly. It's basically an intricate logic layout responsible for system standby and voltage regulation.

📷 8 — Wrapping up with the exterior!

This is the classic matte-textured top cover featuring the iconic glossy, recessed PlayStation emblem. Thankfully, this durable, fine-grain plastic texture was introduced on the Slim to replace the scratch-prone glossy accents of the original launch model.

Also, fun fact: beyond aesthetics, the shell's interlocking top and bottom panels act as a critical part of the acoustic ducting, forcing intake air precisely over the internal heatsink fins.

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Yeah. That's it for today, folks!

I'm just so happy that my country finally unblocked Reddit after 11 years. And yes, I actually work as an electronic technician who just happens to love writing and photography, so pardon the long-ass caption nobody asked for. But if you do enjoy it, an upvote or a comment would be greatly appreciated! 🫡

Greetings from Indonesia, and game on!

Just want to show off one of the best games on the Nintendo DS.

​It is also one of only eleven games rated M for Mature (by the ESRB) available on the platform—which, mathematically speaking, makes up about 0.3379% of all physical retail NDS games catalogued globally (3,255 titles).

​If you haven't already played it, I implore you to do so. Consider this your sign. It's one of the most, if not the most, engaging experiences you can have on a dual-screen handheld with 4 MB of RAM from two decades ago. Undisputed proof that Rockstar has always been the GOAT.

Just started playing Control for the first time, this past week. What an intriguing game (to say the least)!

All captured in-game on PS4 Slim, with no further editing whatsoever.

Also, no spoilers, but does the Oldest House get even weirder than this? 😆