Watch the PS4 be taken apart part by part:

It goes without saying, but if you take apart your PS4 down to the individual hardware, it's going to void your warranty. Certain things like changing the hard drive won't, but a full tear down will.

Steps to tear down your PS4:

1. Remove the seals that cover the screws
2. Remove torx security screws that are securing the case
3. Remove the Power Supply
4. Remove the Optical Drive
5. Lift up panels to remove the mother board
6. Heat Sink - Not removable
7. Remove Fan

Additional Info:

• There is no adhesive making taking it apart and putting it back together easy
• The cover is easy to remove giving you easy access to replace the hard drive. An SSD is easily installed by following the proper instructions.
• Fan cleaning will require taking the whole damn thing apart.
• Mid-cover is sharp, be careful.

Taking Apart The PS4 Slim

Check out the video if you want to see it happen in real-time:

If you'd like a text version of the process, you're in luck! We've got the only one you'll find on this side of the internet right here:

• Start by flipping the console over and turning it around. Beside the ports is a screw covered by a warrant sticker. Remove that sticker. Underneath is a security torque screw (a T8, but a T9 will work as well), so you'll need a specialized tool to remove it.
• Pop the hard drive panel off the back of the system beside this screw. There will be another screw within that holds the hard drive in place. Once it's out, you can pull the hard drive out from the side.
• With the PS4 Slim lying face down, you can start to pull off the case at each of the back corners. Then, the casing will slide back and up.
• Now you'll see the system's insides, but first, flip it back over and pull on the front corners and the side to get the top panel off.
• The cover on the power supply underneath has T8 security torques you'll need to remove to access the power supply. From there, use a phillips scredriver to take out the four screws surrounding the remaining cover.
• There's a Phillips screw on the opposite side near the edge holding the power supply in place. Remove this and the power supply will come free. You'll need to use pliers to disconnect the WiFi adapter, and the power supply itself.
• On the top side, there's a screw with an arrow pointing to it. Remove that, and then remove all of the black screws from the plate on the bottom side. Using your pliers, you'll need to disconnect the WiFi cable that runs across the plate over the motherboard.
• Next, remove the ribbon cables running from the disc drive to the motherboard. They can be pulled out, except for the large one, which has a clip you'll need to disengage.There will also a cable and two screws on the front and back that will need to be taken care of before the metal plate comes off. Make sure the thermal pads on the plate stay on or remain on the motherboard.
• On the motherboard, remove the two screens on the grey piece in the center, and one screw on the side of the motherboard. Using your pliers, remove the cable on the side of the motherboard near the back of the system. The motherboard should come free now.
• The bottom plate beneath the motherboard has several screws, along with a few towards the back of the system. Once this plate comes out, you can flip it over and see the cooling system.

From here, you can continue pulling out pieces like the disc drive if you'd like, but at this point we are past the point of simply cleaning or maintaining the inside. That being said, if you're disc is stuck, this is the point where you can remove and access the disc drive.

Next up, the PS4 Pro!

Taking Apart The PS4 Pro

Check out the video above for a quick breakdown, and join us for the text version of the process below:

• Start by popping off the hard drive cover on the upper left corner of the system's backside. Only a single Phillips screw here. You'll need to remove a few more screens before the hard drive is free from the caddy shackles.
• You'll need to remove the warranty stickers at this point to go any further. Beneath these, you'll find the security torque screws, which will require a special tool.
• Once you've pulled this panel up and slid it off, you'll have a view of the motherboard's backside protected by a large metal plate.
• Flip the system over and pop off the panel. No warranty stickers here just yet. From here, you can remove the power supply if you like and clean the fan without the need to void the warranty (assuming you haven't opened the opposite side.
• With the power supply removed, you can flip the system back over and get to work removing the covering on the motherboard.
• You'll notice the X-shaped bracket beneath the CPU shielding. Taking the motherboard out reveals that the thermal management include a a copper heat sink and pads for six chips on the motherboard.
• From here, you'll need to remove the next metal plate that holds the heat pipe. Beneath that you'll find the fan and optical drive.

As always, with these tear downs, it's important to keep track of your screws and carefully disconnect any wires or cables using pliers. Taking it apart it's too hard, but putting it back together can be challenging, depending on how well you kept track of everything.

Why Would I Take Apart My Console?

Taking apart the PS4 to the point described above should only be done if the console is outside of its warranty. If you change out the hard drive it's no harm, no foul. If you take it apart to the point where nothing's left inside, then you've broken your warranty.

The most obvious reason for taking apart your PS4 is to replace the hard drive (see the link below for our guide on how to do this). There are other reasons though. For example, if the system is running really loud, you may consider opening it up to dust out the fans and the internals.

You may have heard that you can use a vacuum cleaner to remove dust inside the system, but this is a really bad idea! I say that because a vacuum cleaner had the potential to create static electricity, which is a death sentence for the internals of an electronic device. If static electricity touches the motherboard, the GPU, or the CPU, then your console is toast.

If you're feeling advanced, you can also replace the thermal gel on your console's GPU. after removing it using a torx #8 security, a small phillips head screwdriver, and of course the thermal compound. The best one to use is Arctic MX-4 Thermal Compound. Clean off the old thermal gel using rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip before you apply a pea-sized amount of the thermal gel.

Remember the old yellow light of death on the PS3? This was an issue most commonly associated with bad thermal gel, so replacing the one on your PS4 isn't a bad idea after a few years.

How to install an SSD (solid state drive) into your PS4

How to I Take Apart the Controller?

While we've focused on taking you console apart, I think it's worth mentioning that the controller comes apart as well. There are multiple reasons why you would do this ranging from simple cleaning, to replacing the battery since it is internal and will eventually lose a charge. Follow these steps to get the controller open:

• Use a Phillips Screwdriver to remove the four screws on the back of the controller (do not force them, you'll strip the threads and ruin the screws)
• Turn the controller over and facing toward you. Using a plastic opening tool, pinch the left shoulder and wedge open the crack on the front of the left grip. Do the same for the right shoulder
• Turn the controller away from you and use your plastic tool to open the splittings near the share and options buttons on the backside by the light bar.
• Be careful not to lose the 2 trigger springs or the 1 grey reset button extension when opening this portion.
• Careful detach the motherboard ribbon to detach the bottom and top halves of the controller.

At this point you will have the controller full opened and the battery will be exposed. If you need to change the battery out, do so by using blunt forceps to gently unplug the battery from the motherboard. At this point you can take it out and replace it. Now we'll dive a little deeper to full disassemble it:

• Remove the battery and the single Phillips screw found beneath the battery.
• Carefully detach the touchpad ribbon connected to the motherboard.
• Dislodge the motherboard assembly from the front cover, carefully, and make sure you don't tilt it upside down as the buttons may fall out.
• Once you've finished this final step, you should have the controller in three parts: motherboard assembly, front cover, and rear cover.

With this knowledge you can replace parts as needed or mod the outer casing as you see fit. Have fun!

Want to share your experience? Post your tips and techniques below!

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