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[Golgo 13]

Not trying to be a dick here -- I've genuinely always wondered this.

What in gods name are you people doing that you can ever hear a console? Are you Buddhist monks living in a lakeside sanctuary? Do you play in a room with 7 sleeping newborn babies with the sound on your TV turned all the way down?

I have NEVER, ever heard a console make significant noise in my 35 years of playing video games. Well I mean, there's noise, a very slight humming sound when games boot up, but other than that, why do people bitch so god damn much about "console noise"? People even get really extreme and say really weird shit like "my PS4 sounds like a jet engine in my living room!" Or "I'd love my PS4 Pro if it didn't sound like a fucking hair dryer on full blast!" (Real quote from someone here, not kidding).

My question is, who in the hell are these people and where are they getting their consoles? And why are they playing in such quiet rooms without headphones and expecting their electronics to be whisper quiet?

 

[blame space]

i mean everything else they have under their TV doesn't make any noise.. it's not ridiculous

 

[thekonamicode]

You must not have owned a Dreamcast ...

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

I just played Bloodborne and it sounded like it was melting fr

 

[_Clash_]

bro, loud consoles are annoying

 

[KZXcellent]

I run an AC Unit and a PC in my room so I have no hope of hearing my consoles. Guess other people have really quiet households.

 

[GravityInsanity]

 

[-Mutsukki-]

Man your PS4 must be a thousand meters away if you can't hear it. Or you're one of the lucky few

You must not have owned a Dreamcast ...

Also this. But I gotta admit that Dreamcast's loudness was almost... soothing. PS4's is worrying, it's like the console is going to explode at any moment

 

[jwhit28]

My only time to play is usually late at night. So either I play on a smaller bedroom TV, or I have to use headphones because turning the livingroom TV up loud enough to drown out a PS4 annoys everyone.

 

[thekonamicode]

I just played Bloodborne and it sounded like it was melting fr

That's just all your insight.

 

[Apath]

My PS4 does sounds like a jet engine/hair dryer. When I play Uncharted, I have to basically blast the TV in order for it to be heard over the console. I should not have to wear headphones because the console is so loud.

So, congrats on yours not being loud? I hope you understand that just because yours is quiet does not mean everyone's is.

 

[Papercuts]

I dunno. Maybe I sit closeish to my consoles but even with headphones I can hear the PS4 on certain games where the fans are always kicking in overdrive.

Most commonly stands out during menus or slower cutscenes when there is a lack of sound and the room is filled with the whirring.

 

[Blablurn]

Mine has become really loud and its annoying. But I also blame the dust my console is collect on the inside here in China. I started using headphones for my games.

China totally destroyed my machine haha. i tried to open it, but this revision (the MGSV one) is tighter than the original PS4. Can't make it to the fan.

 

[Bl@de]

Maybe because it's annoying?

 

[Daingurse]

Because it's fucking annoying.

 

[Glass Shark]

My house is not that quiet and I could still hear my PS4 very noticeably even when sitting across the room from it. Just because you haven't experienced something personally doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

 

[RPGam3r]

Sit right next to my Pro and can barely tell it is on. I think if these people actually put a hairdryer next to there console and blasted it they would see the difference.

 

[Glass Shark]

Sit right next to my Pro and can barely tell it is on. I think if these people actually put a hairdryer next to there console and blasted it they would see the difference.

Some PS4s are loud, some aren't. This is well known. Again, just because yours is fine doesn't mean everyone's is.

 

[Corpekata]

People have different setups, experiences and thresholds for this stuff?

Whodathunk.

My nieces watch Youtube on my PS4 a lot and the noise is typically very clearly audible when they're just watching that sort of stuff, and it's annoying. If I'm playing a big loud blockbuster, it can override the noise, but even those have low and quiet moments that are pierced by the whirr of a machine.

I mean, there's a reason why noise cancelling and whatnot is a small industry in the PC gaming space. Because it can get on people's nerves, especially in downtimes.

 

[120v]

It makes me a little uneasy. Like it's about to blow up or something

That said I sort of don't care when all's said and done

 

[supernormal]

I think the people that are complaining are not complaining about normal level fan noise that is pretty much inaudible during gameplay. Some PS4s (like mine) get loud enough that people in other rooms in my house get up to knock on my door and ask wtf is that sound. I would say that it can realistically get about 70% as loud as a hair drier.

 

[aravuus]

I usually sit very close to my consoles (< 1m) and it's distracting as fuck

Maybe because it's annoying?

Because it's fucking annoying.

Lol. Yeah.

 

[orochi91]

It's distracting, that's why.

My old PS4 would get loud and I'd be able to hear it through my headphones whenever the games' audio would quite down.

Loud fan noise clearly means the CPU is under significant thermal stress, and that's concerning since I'd constantly be wondering if my hardware is gonna either melt or blow the fuck up, lol

Changing the thermal paste helped immensely though.

 

[N° 2048]

Not everyone has the luxury to live in a giant space. I live in a tiny box aka a "studio apartment" and my console is very close to me when playing.

It's annoying. Can't always have headphones either.

 

[Mass Effect]

Dude, sometimes these consoles get really loud. And often it's not the users' fault as much as you're trying to imply it is.

The original Xbox 360s could get pretty damn loud. And sometimes when my PS4 installs games from the disc it will get loud. Like when I installed The Last of Us, it was pretty bad.

 

[Daingurse]

You must not have owned a Dreamcast ...

Hahaha, hell yeah. I got a Dreamcast and that motherfucker is loud. That disk drive is crazy.

 

[Backfoggen]

Xbox One showed consoles didn't have to be jets. Mine still doesn't change it's noise output one bit after booting up a game, 3 years later.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

It makes me a little uneasy. Like it's about to blow up or something

That said I sort of don't care when all's said and done

Yeah. That's the thing that worries me the most when consoles or my PC are getting that loud. During the day I can crank the volume up and at night I can use headphones to drown out any noise, but what's worrying to me when the fans are constantly working at full speed is that the device may be on the verge of overheating. Getting the volume down is a secondary concern to making sure that things are adequately cooled.

 

[Hugh Swank]

i mean everything else they have under their TV doesn't make any noise.. it's not ridiculous

This ^

If I'm playing a game or watching a movie, I want to hear the sound of the content I'm viewing / playing, not the equipment.

 

[Kilau]

I think if that was just the design of the system and it was loud it would be one thing but some people have quiet systems and others don't. So that is a cause for concern.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

My old 360 makes so much noise I hear it over the TV and its distracting as hell.

 

[Yazzees]

PS3 superslim is a fucking turntable playing any game with a lot of streaming like GTA5 or Uncharted 2.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

PC: silent
TV: silent
Laptop: silent
PS4: legit loud to the point I'll wear headphones even though I much prefer not to, not just audible

I'm not sure where you live that you're surrounded by cacaphonous noise that would interfere with the sound of your game anyway, but I'd hazard a guess that its not the norm

 

[gogojira]

My PS4 is loud as fuck and I can hear it over my headphones. I don't have silence in my house, my system is just loud. I don't hear my Xbox One or Wii U.

 

[Agnostic Priest]

My PS4 is super loud, it is very distracting. While playing the last of us, the fan was so loud I had to put the subtitles on. I didnt want to increase the volume any more, it was loud enough and I'd wake up my kids.


That shouldn't happen. I would rather have my ps4 be double the size and not be so loud.

 

[H3rTz DoNuT]

I must be really lucky cause my PS4 is super quiet.

 

[TransTrender]

Years ago I had an AMD/ATI 4870X2 about 2 feet away in my PC tower and it sounded like a Boeing 747 doing a break stand takeoff. Since then I changed to water cooling and such.

My PS4 sounds like a Boeing 747 doing a break stand takeoff over 12 feet away. Much further away but equally as loud. Non-linear math. This shit sucks because there aren't any good aftermarket cooling solutions.

No pets in the house.
It's on the top level of a wooden entertainment center that's 18 feet long and 2 feet deep. There's plenty of airflow. Nothing on top, nothing behind but a wall that's about a foot away. I also keep my house pretty damn clean.

 

[VariantX]

Consoles don't have to be silent, but they damn sure shouldn't be loud enough to compete with the television. I have a noisy PS4 that's loud enough to be heard across the room and into the hallway while nearly blow dryer loud, my best friends PS4, nearly silent. It doesn't bother me much when gaming since im using headphones, but it grates when I'm trying to watch netflix, twitch, or youtube. I'm trading mine in for a pro tomorrow and hopefully I'll come out a winner on the sound lottery then.

 

[Golgo 13]

My PS4 does sounds like a jet engine/hair dryer. When I play Uncharted, I have to basically blast the TV in order for it to be heard over the console. I should not have to wear headphones because the console is so loud.

So, congrats on yours not being loud? I hope you understand that just because yours is quiet does not mean everyone's is.

Maybe I'm just lucky? Or I just have the TV up or headphones on? It's never even occurred to me. I even sit usually like 3 feet max away from my consoles when I play. I don't have some crazy sound system or anything, just shitty TV speakers like most people.

Although my poor PS3 is obsessed and turns itself on in the middle of the night sometimes, but the only thing I ever hear is the initial BEEEP of the console creepily turning on out of nowhere

 

[three_muffins]

My ps4 is not lout at all but since i use a laptop cooler i do not hear a thing at all. Best thing ever.

 

[Telephone Man]

The PS4's controller having a headphone jack is easily its best feature.

I no longer have to worry about this kind of stuff.

 

[Samanosuke Akechi]

My launch ps4 sounded exactly like a hairdryer when playing killzone shadowfall, the last of us remastered, and a few other games.

I had a slim PS3 and it occasionally vibrated loudly when installing certain games.

My Dreamcast was loud obviously.

But I have to hand it to Microsoft. Both my launch One and one S have been amazing in the sound department and I hardly ever hear them. A wonderful machine.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Because when it's loud enough to be heard over your game and just general life noise it's fucking distracting?

 

[TransTrender]

Although my poor PS3 is obsessed and turns itself on in the middle of the night sometimes, but the only thing I ever hear is the initial BEEEP of the console creepily turning on out of nowhere

Do you live in a densely populated area like a high rise condo/apartment, multi family housing, or something with narrow streets? Could be random Bluetooth congestion that's turning it on.

 

[GooWop]

Same here OP. I've never had a console where the noise of it bothered me one bit, though I see a lot of people bring it up on Gaf. Being On an enthusiast forum I just attributed it to that fact.

The only noise I ever looked for honestly was anything sounding broken mechanically or my system eating a disc, other then that I was unbothered.

 

[Mobius and pet octopus]

That is how I get my hair cut

 

[Beerman462]

I have been gaming in the living room for the last 2 years. My wife was also in the living room watching TV.

When I game on my 6600K/1070 OC no complaints.

When I play my PS4, my wife asks what's making the noise.

The PS4 is loud if you're not wearing head phones, a decent distance away, or drowning it out with sound.

 

[toastyToast]

I've gotta play my PS4 on double the volume of what I usually run it at. I had an 8800GT and that little fucker was loud. I'm pretty sure my PS4 is louder

 

[Raging Spaniard]

Empathy, how does it work?

 

[privitsan02]

Trust me OP, the sounds that my launch PS4 makes, I can hear it from 3 rooms away when playing something like Uncharted 4. It's bad and almost scary because it sounds like its going to blow soon.

This is the first console that I've owned that's this loud.