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With prices rising, securing a modern console isn’t dirt cheap even if the golden age of owning that system is nearly over. You can choose a more affordable competitor, or stick with the current one and buy it used. For the PlayStation 5 in particular, you’ll want to dip into the used market, but be careful about which model you buy. One of the early launch models, the CFI-1100/1000, has had potential issues with liquid metal leaking, which can make repairs costly or force you to replace the model entirely.
Eventually, newer models eliminated these issues when Sony quietly revised the liquid metal encasing and used an updated heatsink to improve the layout. Of course, when you’re shopping the pre-owned market, it is tough to pinpoint what the console has been through and how severe those issues were. Sometimes, it is just the PlayStation 5 overheating, with loud fans indicating the console is dealing with high temperatures (by cooling it down). But any owner knows that abrupt shutdowns due to heat are par for the course, as this built-in safety mechanism prevents long-term damage. However, that also makes it problematic, since liquid metal leaks in the CFI-1100/1000 model can cause the same operational issues. That’s why you might want to avoid the headache and buy a different used PlayStation 5 model altogether.
The more favorable used PlayStation 5 consoles to buy
Thankfully, it’s been quite some years since the PlayStation 5 was released. That means other models are available on the used market. Essentially, any slim PlayStation 5 model, like the CFI-2100, CFI-2200, and the 2025 Slim CFI-2116 B01Y, is safe to buy. Hobbyists have inspected these models through hardware teardowns to see whether the company made design changes. So any of the new slim digital and disc models should be fine; just be aware of the earliest PlayStation 5 Slim, CFI-2016, since it used a design similar to the launch (fat) models.
Additionally, if you’re in the market for a used PlayStation 5 Pro (be aware of the nasty price scaling), note whether the seller includes the disc drive expansion so you don’t pay a premium for what you’d otherwise get by waiting and buying it new and separately. Sony didn’t include it with the console, but it may be worth getting if you plan to watch Blu-rays or want to take advantage of discs before the company phases them out.
