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PS4's noise level measured by German IT magazine

Yasae

Banned
Not used to sones, so let's everybody use that wiki reference.

9SyuxOi.jpg
 

Replicant

Member
Kind of matters how old the systems are, too. All hardware eventually collects dust inside and get louder over time. My CPU fan was so quiet I couldn't hear it operating, even under full load, when I first bought it. Now it sounds like a jet engine.

LOL yeah no. My Phat PS3 is still quiet because unlike my filthy brother's, I NEVER let it gather dust. My brother's PS3 was already dead 2 years ago and he had to buy slim 1 to replace it. Meanwhile, mine is still going on.
 

Ploid 3.0

Member
What about temperature though? Especially in a small compartment.

I'm betting the reason this thing is able to run so quiet and maybe cool is because it's laptop like technology. Sony has a good amount of experience with laptops so I'm hoping it doesn't second as a room heater like my PS fat.
 

big_z

Member
How are you getting this number?

A quick google says that even though you can't straight up convert sones to db, 0.9 is in the realm of 28.2 db and 0.8 is about 27.2. How you get to 37db is beyond me.

Edit: 2.1 is close to 37db, but that's PS3. Maybe that's how you got confused?

I used this calculator. For some reason the sub 1sone calculator uses the wrong equation on apple devices.

I rechecked and the ps4 is 28.5db, not jet loud like originally thought. That said The ps4 is louder than a 360 slim with a disc in the drive on the Xbox menu. Loud enough you'll be able to hear it during low noise parts of movies from 10-15 feet away. Hopefully the noise is from smooth flow and not shitty fan bearing/sleeves like the original Xbox.

So ya ps4 isn't quiet but it won't sound like the garbage that was the original 360/ps3. I think for most people it will be fine.
 
According to the magazine, a "slight noise" is audible from 40cm (= 15.75 inches) distance.

After 60 minutes of operation
PS3: 2.1 sone
PS4: 0.83 sone

That's impressive. As I'm typing this my fat ps3 has been on for about 2 hours in the XMB and it's pretty loud. I'm guessing that's where the 2.1 sone comes from. So 0.83 sone is very quiet, basically as loud as my PS3 1 minute after I turn it on
 
Pretty good, I have a launch PS3 and I always thought there were 3 levels of fan speed. Played GTAV and discovered....the fourth fan speed. Shit sounded like a fucking mic was plugged directly to the engine of a Busa revving at 11K RPMs.
 

jiggles

Banned
Why would a CAV drive be switching speeds at all?

Actually, I think I've fucked up here by operating under the assumption that regular CD/DVD drives were CAV when they're CLV too. Muh bad, I don't know where I got that from.
 
Considering I don't hear anything from my 80gig phat I think I'll be happy with the PS4. Turned my 360 on for the first time in a while to finally check out Halo 4 ($10 on Amazon woot) Damn thing sounds like a weed whacker... My gf who's used to me playing on PS3 was like, WTF is that?
 

ElTorro

I wanted to dominate the living room. Then I took an ESRAM in the knee.
Seems pretty pointless to measure sound just when idling. Could have at least measured it when playing a bluray over time, if not a game.

Maybe the system software on those debug units can't play Blu-Rays. They also couldn't test a game since they most probably just don't have one.
 
My ps3 60GB phat was completely inaudible (even up close) when it was new.

Now the bearings on the fan are worn and I can hear it.

Wonder how new their ps3 is.

I remember my 360 on day one, sounded like a fucking hairdryer...
 

spwolf

Member
My ps3 60GB phat was completely inaudible (even up close) when it was new.

Now the bearings on the fan are worn and I can hear it.

Wonder how new their ps3 is.

I remember my 360 on day one, sounded like a fucking hairdryer...

are you sure it is not dust blocking fan from working? Because thats what happens when all these people say theirs is loud.
 

Taker34

Banned
are you sure it is not dust blocking fan from working? Because thats what happens when all these people say theirs is loud.

The original Xbox 360 is loud as shit. Some of my friends still have an oldschool 360 and I'm always worried they could explode. I'm not used to this noise-level, owning a 360 slim myself.

Edit: Saw your tag, nvm.
 

Vizzeh

Banned
Maybe the system software on those debug units can't play Blu-Rays. They also couldn't test a game since they most probably just don't have one.

So if no games or bluerays, Sony actively give the units to these computer dudes, knowing they will strip them down to find flaws or indeed, positive newsworthy articles in their design? If thats the case I wonder why they cannot mention its sata controller type yet, perhaps there are just certain restrictions.
 

ElTorro

I wanted to dominate the living room. Then I took an ESRAM in the knee.
So if no games or bluerays, Sony actively give the units to these computer dudes, knowing they will strip them down to find flaws or indeed, positive newsworthy articles in their design? If thats the case I wonder why they cannot mention its sata controller type yet, perhaps there are just certain restrictions.

I guess that Sony is already giving out debug units to journalists as preparation for the launch game reviews in a few weeks. AFAIK, journalists do reviews on such units because they allow them to run unsigned pre-release versions of games. That would also explain why the magazine does not want to tear down the unit. They still need it.
 
I'm not sure if it was discussed, but when we suppose that the PS4 has to radiate as much heat as the PS3 slim, we can assume the same noise level.
I suppose you can hear the PS4, but it will be pretty bearable.
More important is the fact, that the console will run cool while in the menu and especially downloading things in the suspend/standby mode.
 

Number45

Member
I'm not sure if it was discussed, but when we suppose that the PS4 has to radiate as much heat as the PS3 slim, we can assume the same noise level.
I suppose you can hear the PS4, but it will be pretty bearable.
More important is the fact, that the console will run cool while in the menu and especially downloading things in the suspend/standby mode.
There's a thread for specific noise levels somewhere.

EDIT: well this is that thread. Move along, nothing to see here.
 

DBT85

Member
I'm not sure if it was discussed, but when we suppose that the PS4 has to radiate as much heat as the PS3 slim, we can assume the same noise level.
I suppose you can hear the PS4, but it will be pretty bearable.
More important is the fact, that the console will run cool while in the menu and especially downloading things in the suspend/standby mode.

That assumption can't be made. Fan noise levels are not dictated by how much heat they have to shift, they are determined by the quality and size of the fan, the internal layout, the heatsink design and the the speed of the fan.

The PS3 still has two distinct chips to cool, the Cell and the RSX, the PS4 has just the APU to cool, it's all in one location, which means the heatsink configuration should be more efficient as it's only got to spread heat from one point.

Also the PS4 has better power gating than the PS3 did so consumption and therefore heat is going to be lower for some similar actions.

One other question I do have, on the PS3, what chip decodes BluRays, is it the Cell? On the PS4 will it be the video decoder/encoder chip? What effect will that have on heat output?
 

ElTorro

I wanted to dominate the living room. Then I took an ESRAM in the knee.
If they measured 28 dB from 40 centimeters... isn't noise level usually measured at 1 meter?

On the photo (see OP) they also have a microphone directly in front of the console.
 

Chumpion

Member
On the photo (see OP) they also have a microphone directly in front of the console.

Sooo... we have no idea then? But if the idle noise is 28 dB @ 40 cm then it's promising, as that is only 20 dB @ 1 m.

(Technically, sone is defined at 1 kHz, but that is fine in this case, as the fan noise is likely unobtrusive in nature)

EDIT: Actually, I think the conversion to 20 dB is valid only in anechoic conditions... in an ordinary room, the proportion of reflected noise would increase with distance. But the number @ 1 m would still be quite low.
 

StaSeb

Member
I do not know how the retail-form-factor will perform, but I have witnessed some of the PS4-devkits (these big silver cases) after some hours if heavy gaming. The were audible but not overly loud and had a pleasent wooshing sound to them. Most of the noise seemed to be airflow without any fan-whining. Clearly a lot better than a fat-PS3 under full load. The sound reminded me of 120mm-fans in modern PCs.

If the retail-design performs like that, I am a happy man.
 

gruenel

Member
I do not know how the retail-form-factor will perform, but I have witnessed some of the PS4-devkits (these big silver cases) after some hours if heavy gaming. The were audible but not overly loud and had a pleasent wooshing sound to them. Most of the noise seemed to be airflow without any fan-whining. Clearly a lot better than a fat-PS3 under full load. The sound reminded me of 120mm-fans in modern PCs.

If the retail-design performs like that, I am a happy man.

That sounds very reassuring, thanks!
 

Tevious

Member
I wonder how hot it gets. I kept my PS3 80GB B/C model in the cabinet shelf space of my TV stand and it would heat up fast and sound like a jet engine. This didn't happen with the Wii. So I had to make two holes into the back of the cabinet and install little USB fans to push all that hot air out.

51qK1C-adTL.jpeg


Good thing that model had 4 USB ports.
 

wizzbang

Banned
I hate to state the obvious but I'd really like to see these figures in a game which thrashes it a bit, assuming the OS / firmware / chips are coded and designed well, sitting at the menu is likely to do sweet fuck all for GPU / CPU load. Especially on a chip designed to be a low power one (the AMD chip in the PS4)

I'm all for a quiet PS4 and I hope it happens but until someone sits with a controller, volume off obviously and thrashes the system with a thorough game for at least a couple of hours, this isn't reliable data.

FWIW my PS3 slim is fairly quiet, but in summer, in a naughty dog game it can ramp up to at least slightly annoying levels. (I'm a single player gamer, I like my story to be immersive, so in quiet scenes hearing the whirr isn't good. MP gamers don't care - it's bam bam bam all afternoon)


Fingers crossed in the next 8 weeks someone else does a good test of this.
 

GameSeeker

Member
There is no way ps4 is quieter than x1.
, x1 being bigger with a bigger lower rpm fan and a smaller gpu.

You state that like it's a fact, but we have no data to support such a conclusion.

It may or may not be true. Let's wait 5 weeks and see what the technical measurements are from the various websites who do that sort of thing.
 
Who cares.. seriously. I'm a PC gamer first and foremost, but I have a PS3 and it is silent compared to a gaming PC. These things need air movement so they don't overheat. Who cares if a console has audible fan noise under high load. You won't be getting water cooling in a console anytime soon.

Probably the most ridiculous complaint about consoles ever.
 

Cipherr

Member
Doesnt matter to me much. When I build my PC's I end up with super quiet fans and components most times, but its just because those tend to also be some of the most effective components overall. If I could trade good airflow for a little more noise, I would do it in a heartbeat.

The low level of noise doesn't bother me at all.
 

HTupolev

Member
And XBO is probably even quieter. Going to feel weird not being slammed with console noises this next gen.

With my 360, I have to contend with a jet engine and a disc drive that sounds like a food processor.
 

Lady Gaia

Member
There is no way ps4 is quieter than x1.
, x1 being bigger with a bigger lower rpm fan and a smaller gpu.

Honestly, nobody knows at this point. The idea that a larger case and a larger fan automatically make for better cooling is absurd, though. If that were the case, you'd be better off with a bare motherboard in a room with a ceiling fan. Thermal management requires careful control over airflow, and big spaces don't actually help in that regard.
 

FINALBOSS

Banned
Really glad it's quiet but I had no doubts about that.

I also really couldn't give 2 farts if it's loud under heavy gaming load because I have speakers about an inch from my ears.
 
Explains why my PC is so quiet... oh wait.

If you had large heatsinks (can fit much larger ones in a bigger case) and a big low rpm fan that is designed with good quality quiet bearings and the fan itself is quiet then your pc would be really quiet.

Most people have incredibly shitty low quality cheap coolers in their pc (stock intel fans, low quality amd reference blowers, cheap sleeve bearing fans, small heatsinks)

If all you have in your pc are high quality fans that run at 300 rpm on idle and 500-700 rpm under load then you cannot hear it.

xbone could be quieter (and stay quieter), it all depends if they bother putting in a big heatsink and a high quality fan.
Which is highly unlikely for either sony or ms to do, they'll go with some cheap sleeve bearing fan that cuts the production cost by 50 cents so they can save some millions for their bottom line.

I remember how the xbox 360 usb cover was held on with a paper clip(that broke off the very first time I opened it), or how my ps3 fan got worn within 1-2000 hours of use.

You don't even get a half decent fan if you buy a 400 dollar gpu directly from nvidia or amd.
If you bought a 7970ghz reference model a year ago for 550 euros, it would make 55+ decibels of screaming noise.
If you installed a bigger heatsink with way bigger surface area and 1-2 high quality 120-90mm fans and set them to 500rpm with a fan profile then it would make less than 35db of noise (and remember decibels don't present a linear scale, 60db is exponentially much louder than 50, not 20 percent louder)
 

synce

Member
Very useful. Sometimes I spend hours just looking at the XMB, and now it's even quieter?

...No seriously are these people aware that consoles like the 360 are only so loud because of the disc drive?
 
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