• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

I think my PS4 is louder than before

NickatNite said:
If its past warranty open it up and clean the fan. Simple and easy, just unscrew the 4 screws.

I've had my PS4 since FEB 14, I clean the fan last month and it made a big difference.

I followed this guide http://imgur.com/gallery/UGxHR
Click to expand...

i did this and it didnt do anything... it wasnt too dusty to begin with (id like to think i keep my stuff pretty clean) but still pretty loud.

Witcher 3 - During Gameplay its loud / Going into Menus and Maps It goes Whisper Quiet
Assassins Creed Unity - Gameplay is Quiet / Menus and maps ramps up to loud.
MGSV - Gameplay Loud / Menus Quiet

Its weird to me that some games its quiet during gameplay but loud in menus... and in others its loud in gameplay and quiet in menus.
 
It's honestly not a difficult tear down as long as you are OK with voiding your warranty. Replacing the thermal paste was the best decision for me. Mine was loud enough to actively deter me from using it.
 
NickatNite said:
If its past warranty open it up and clean the fan. Simple and easy, just unscrew the 4 screws.

I've had my PS4 since FEB 14, I clean the fan last month and it made a big difference.

I followed this guide http://imgur.com/gallery/UGxHR
Click to expand...

I might try this, though every ps4 i've had has been the same loudness so i don't think fan dust is the problem. I started using headphones for serious gaming time and just let PS4 be PS4 during rocket league, the loudest of leagues. I have to buy a Torx screwdriver though :/
 
DeepEnigma said:
It is also hyperbole on how loud people say it is. Shit is no where near 360 levels, and not even in the same galaxy as Phat PS3 models. People using 'jet engine' clearly forget or never owned those launch units.
Click to expand...

I don't know about that before I took mine apart and cleaned out all the dust you could hear it over whatever game I was playing. Either had to have the volume waayy up or use my headset to drown out the sounds. I can safely say my PS4 was far louder than my 360 ever was and they both were launch units.
 
This is the mating season for PS4. Male PS4 has to draw attention from female PS4 by making noice. That's the way they reproduce.
 
Kenzodielocke said:
Clean the back and the sides, might help.
Click to expand...

Dust is not a big problem with the PS4 design. I opened it up and there was no dust inside after a year. Some versions simply use louder fans or have other things going on (thermal paste, different revision, whatever...). The difference in noise can be big when comparing different PS4s

What I want to say ... There is not much you can do. I tried different thermal paste, I have the "quiet" Nidec fan and I still think the PS4 is very audible. Deal with it or get another one and hope for the best.
 
BennyBlanco said:
Buying a new ps4 right now would be madness
Click to expand...

I know, cause of the PS4K, but that color tho. I have the UC4 DS4, so I guess I will just get a larger HDD, and do a cleaning.

Medicated said:
I don't know about that before I took mine apart and cleaned out all the dust you could hear it over whatever game I was playing. Either had to have the volume waayy up or use my headset to drown out the sounds. I can safely say my PS4 was far louder than my 360 ever was and they both were launch units.
Click to expand...

That is very interesting, since my experience is different. But then again, I guess it is all room temp, dust build up, thermal application from the fab, etc., all playing roles.

I can't even game on my OG Phat PS3, when I really want to, because it is overdrive loud whine that is annoying. Reflowed and all.

Taking my PS4 apart though and doing this with the HDD upgrade this Friday. It is louder than launch, but still not 360/PS3 levels for me.
 
Mine's really loud when booting up a game but very quiet once I'm actually playing. It may have gotten slightly less quiet over the last year so I should probably try to clean out the dust though.

But it's still basically silent compared to my fucking jet engine PS3. God damn watching movies on that thing was awful.
 
As a few others said, reapplying thermal paste is the way to go. I got a launch PS4 and the last few weeks it was getting incredibly loud, so I pulled up a video on the disassembly of the PS4 (a lot easier than I expected it to be) and replaced the crusty thermal paste that Sony originally applied. Definitely give that a shot if cleaning out the vents didn't work for you!
 
DeepEnigma said:
That is very interesting, since my experience is different. But then again, I guess it is all room temp, dust build up, thermal application from the fab, etc., all playing roles.

I can't even game on my OG Phat PS3, when I really want to, because it is overdrive loud whine that is annoying. Reflowed and all.

Taking my PS4 apart though and doing this with the HDD upgrade this Friday. It is louder than launch, but still not 360/PS3 levels for me.
Click to expand...


Yeah I did the same a month or two back and the difference is amazing, it basically went back down to launch day level of sound. If you can try and take out the power supply as well since mine had tons of dust locked in under that.

And I think mine might have be extra loud due to dog/cat hair getting mixed in with all the dust I cleaned out of mine. No matter how much I cleaned and vacuumed having long haired animals kinda screws up your electronics.
 
Lys Skygge said:
I noticed mine getting louder over the past couple weeks. Since my PS4 is out of warranty I decided to take it apart and clean the insides. I was surprised at the amount of dust. After the cleaning my PS4 had been as quiet as a mouse.
Click to expand...
Same. Fans haven't kicked in to overdrive since.
 
wow, the replies have been very divisive so it seems there's no consensus.

Still, thanks for sharing your experiences guys and gals.

BTW that Batman tutorial was neat. Does anybody have a tutorial for changing the thermal paste? kudos even if it doesn't include Batman.
 
I post in all these "loud ps4" threads (started one myself).

I had a launch ps4 and it got crazy loud with most games. I changed the paste a couple of times but after a month or two it would crank back up. You need to pull both top and bottom covers off the console and vacuum all the edges.

Here is where it gets interesting - I changed out the model fan the launch console came with and replaced it with the Nidec brand fan (big thanks to a Gaffer for finding out the difference in fan models) that the revision had - it was $15 on eBay. Next - I applied Artic Silve MX paste (ALOT - I would get laughed at by any PC builder) and put a 20x20x1 copper shim on the APU pasted up the other side of the copper shim and closed it all up (the shim increases heat sink pressure to the APU). I done it about a month and a half ago - smooth sailing since. Not kidding or exaggerating. In my other post - I link to the copper shims on Amazon - they cost $8 for 20 shims.

That thread title is "jet engine loud ps4". I'd link but I'm on my phone. Hope this helps.
 
My launch PS4 was always whisper quiet until a few weeks ago I decided to blow out the vents with some compressed air. Ever since it has gotten noticeably louder. Going to open it up one of these days and vac it out.
 
Medicated said:
Yeah I did the same a month or two back and the difference is amazing, it basically went back down to launch day level of sound. If you can try and take out the power supply as well since mine had tons of dust locked in under that.

And I think mine might have be extra loud due to dog/cat hair getting mixed in with all the dust I cleaned out of mine. No matter how much I cleaned and vacuumed having long haired animals kinda screws up your electronics.
Click to expand...

I am holding off on the UC4 PS4, and waiting on the PS4K announcement. My launch unit is still running great. I have the controller which I enjoy and that works for me.

I just ordered the HGST 7200rpm 1TB drive from Best Buy which had it on sale for $60. Had $45 in rewards I applied, so I only paid $15 out of pocket for it, and it should arrive this Friday when I am doing the 'spring cleaning' on it.

I also have kitties and a pup, so good call. Even though I dust everyday, have hardwood floors, you still control what's on the inside. Thanks for the tips/feedback everyone.
 
I took out half a cat worth of dust/fur last week from the fan. Took about 25 q-tips to scoop it all out. It's like a different machine now. Much quieter.
 
vin-buc said:
I post in all these "loud ps4" threads (started one myself).

I had a launch ps4 and it got crazy loud with most games. I changed the paste a couple of times but after a month or two it would crank back up. You need to pull both top and bottom covers off the console and vacuum all the edges.

Here is where it gets interesting - I changed out the model fan the launch console came with and replaced it with the Nidec brand fan (big thanks to a Gaffer for finding out the difference in fan models) that the revision had - it was $15 on eBay. Next - I applied Artic Silve MX paste (ALOT - I would get laughed at by any PC builder) and put a 20x20x1 copper shim on the APU pasted up the other side of the copper shim and closed it all up (the shim increases heat sink pressure to the APU). I done it about a month and a half ago - smooth sailing since. Not kidding or exaggerating. In my other post - I link to the copper shims on Amazon - they cost $8 for 20 shims.

That thread title is "jet engine loud ps4". I'd link but I'm on my phone. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I just went back and looked for your posts and found them. I might actually try the fan and the copper shim you mentioned.

Here's the post if anyone else is interested.

vin-buc said:
I just wanted to put my updates in this thread. I bought the Nidec fan and replaced it. However I did something else - I put a copper shim on top of the APU. I also put ALOT of thermal paste Arctic MX (I mean alot - on both sides of the shim). My ps4 makes no noise for 3 days now and i've been on Blops3 hard since Friday - nothing but a ever so slight, gentle whirl that you really can't hear. Blops3 would make my ps4 scream. I'm not kidding - it's fixed.

The copper shim does 2 things:

1. draws heat away from the APU (like the copper pipes attached to the heat sink)
2. More importantly - it creates the seal between the APU and the metal shell that holds the heat sink. I believe that there was a small space between the heat sink and the APU - thus the recommendations for using the coin under the bracket. Use the copper shims. This is what I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OUJQWPE/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Click to expand...
 
Fancy Clown said:
But it's still basically silent compared to my fucking jet engine PS3. God damn watching movies on that thing was awful.
Click to expand...

Yeah, still have a Phat 60GB PS3 and just on idle, and its unbearably loud next to my HTPC and Wii U. Big reason I'm looking forward to PS4k, hopefully the noise level won't be too bad.
 
Mine has been pretty loud for a year. Some games tax it and the fans are quite loud.

It bugs me but I know I will eventually upgrade.

But when I hear the sound I often worry about it nonetheless. Stupid OCD.
 
The PS4 fans are designed to go at variable speeds to facilitate the current heat level in the console. If your fans are fucking going ham even when you are on the dashboard or something then yeah you have a problem. The fans being loud in general isn't that much of an oddity. There are a lot of games that really put stress on the PS4 and the fans are just ramping up to meet the heat dissipation needs.
 
Demoskinos said:
The PS4 fans are designed to go at variable speeds to facilitate the current heat level in the console. If your fans are fucking going ham even when you are on the dashboard or something then yeah you have a problem. The fans being loud in general isn't that much of an oddity. There are a lot of games that really put stress on the PS4 and the fans are just ramping up to meet the heat dissipation needs.
Click to expand...

That's comforting.
 
pixelbox said:
With the recent update, I feel the PS4 regulates temperature differently. Maybe it's handles the OS differently which causes the PS4 to work harder. Either way, what my PS4 does when it gets an intensive game is speed up the fan for about a minute or 2 then normalizes. Been that way since 2.0.
Click to expand...
This.. i have noticed it since 3.5 but weirdly 3.5 beta it was quiet still lol
 
Iva Demilcol said:
I bought a PS4 about a year ago so I could play Bloodborne, I remember that at the time while playing Blodborne the console was probably not so loud, or maybe the volume of the TV was so high I didn't notice it, after all I remember that someone asked me what the f*** I was doing because of the loud screams of Vicar Amelia and I just said: "oh, that? don't worry I'm just killing a monster".

I bought the Japanese version of Dark Souls III and I noticed the sound for the first time I guess: it's noticeable louder, and it happened again with the demo of Ni-Oh. I've been playing on the XB1 for quite some time so I don't know if I just forgot the sound that my ps4 made originally.

I kind of recall some people saying their PS4 were quite loud, although since I can sometimes be a monster not capable to feel empathy for some fellow gaffers, I hadn't payed attention to that issue; I don't think the sound the ps4 makes is super high but as I said it's noticeable. Before anyone asks, the console is not confined in a small place nor is it placed on a material that may impede heat dissipation.

I don't have experience adding that paste to help to dissipate heat to my own electronic devices so I'm afraid I could potentially ruin my console in the process if I try.

So, what do you think, GAF?

a) is my ps4 about to die?
b) should I use that as an excuse to buy a PS4K (or whatever it's going to be called?)
c) should I try to open it myself add some paste and potentially ruin it in the process?
d) is it normal that the console makes some noise while playing Dark Souls III and Ni-Oh?
e) Should I be more sympathetic towards other GAF members?
f) Should I stop asking so many questions?
Click to expand...

The stock ps4 paste is shitty concrete and the design of the ps4s cooling is a shit show...crack that baby open...clean out the vents and clear the fan blades and apply some arctic silver to it.

Dissasembly is not very hard and you will notice the difference....if you want to have a completely cool and silent ps4 look at doing some external fan mods.

I have an external 3000rpm fan sitting above a cut out above the system fan and on the other side of the ps4 i have 2×1500 rpm 120m fans cooling the rear of the mainboard where the ram chips are.....all fans are silent and my ps4 is now on par with my xbox one for being silent.....the last of us...the division all run absolutley silent...the fans all up costed about 50 bucks and you can wire all three to one usb plug and run from the usb port.

Check out youtube using ps4 fan mods as your search.
 
My launch unit seems about the same since I first got it.

It kicks in high on certain games like Last of Us and Uncharted, but not others. It's not super loud I'd say about 45-55 DBA, but it could be quieter as you can hear it over games, and yeah I don't blast the sound because I have to consider others I live with.

I vacuum around my consoles/ wipe them down once a week to once a month so hopefully it doesn't get much dust in it, perhaps that's why it hasn't gotten any louder.

Will be getting a Neo anyway, hopefully it's it a quieter machine.
 
Demoskinos said:
The PS4 fans are designed to go at variable speeds to facilitate the current heat level in the console. If your fans are fucking going ham even when you are on the dashboard or something then yeah you have a problem. The fans being loud in general isn't that much of an oddity. There are a lot of games that really put stress on the PS4 and the fans are just ramping up to meet the heat dissipation needs.
Click to expand...

I think I should've clarified it but the fan works harder when I play games (particularly those two I mentioned). I don't recall the ps4 doing that level of noise while playing bloodborne nor when I'm on the dashboard.

captainraincoat said:
The stock ps4 paste is shitty concrete and the design of the ps4s cooling is a shit show...crack that baby open...clean out the vents and clear the fan blades and apply some arctic silver to it.

Dissasembly is not very hard and you will notice the difference....if you want to have a completely cool and silent ps4 look at doing some external fan mods.

I have an external 3000rpm fan sitting above a cut out above the system fan and on the other side of the ps4 i have 2×1500 rpm 120m fans cooling the rear of the mainboard where the ram chips are.....all fans are silent and my ps4 is now on par with my xbox one for being silent.....the last of us...the division all run absolutley silent...the fans all up costed about 50 bucks and you can wire all three to one usb plug and run from the usb port.

Check out youtube using ps4 fan mods as your search.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments. I think I need some time to decide if I'm going for it (I mean changing the paste, etc) but all your replies have been very helpful.
 
Just opened mine up a few mins ago to clean the dust out. Only a little came out, but the console is way quiet now. Firelink shrine was like running a hairdryer.
 
I'll see if it helps at all, i'm skeptical since all the PS4's i've had have been noisy, but here's what i saw after opening it up:

IxH1xNG.jpg
Click to expand...

Not a huge amount of dust, but quite noticeable, and i do clean the outside of my ps4 regularly, vacuum the outside every once in awhile, and keep it in an open area.
 
DeepEnigma said:
It is also hyperbole on how loud people say it is. Shit is no where near 360 levels, and not even in the same galaxy as Phat PS3 models. People using 'jet engine' clearly forget or never owned those launch units.
Click to expand...

My PS3 fat is waaaaay less noisy than my PS4. No idea where you're coming from with that "not the same galaxy" comment. The PS3 is a rather silent console to me while the PS4 is definitely closer to the fat 360 than the PS3.
 
So I just opened mine up since the warranty is out and noticed that there was a decent amount of dust build up. Not huge or caked on or anything, but definitely noticeable on the fan and upper casing.

Cleaned the fan thoroughly and wiped the plastic of the casing, turned it on and...

Dead. Fucking. Silent. Holy shit, what a difference.
 
vin-buc said:
Here is where it gets interesting - I changed out the model fan the launch console came with and replaced it with the Nidec brand fan (big thanks to a Gaffer for finding out the difference in fan models) that the revision had - it was $15 on eBay. Next - I applied Artic Silve MX paste (ALOT - I would get laughed at by any PC builder) and put a 20x20x1 copper shim on the APU pasted up the other side of the copper shim and closed it all up (the shim increases heat sink pressure to the APU). I done it about a month and a half ago - smooth sailing since. Not kidding or exaggerating. In my other post - I link to the copper shims on Amazon - they cost $8 for 20 shims.
Click to expand...

i´ve also replaced my delta (default) fan with a nidec fan, and it´s been very quiet so far (3 weeks). i also got the copper shims but haven´t felt the need to put one in yet with the new fan´s low noise levels.

post with pic of fan differences
 
For those in USA/EU/JP super scared of ps4 suddenly being louder: do you realize that weather is warming up due to spring season and your ps4 is having a harder time trying to stay cool, and that's why your fans are louder than they were on, say, January.

Open the window or turn the AC on before running to the store for thermal paste and vacuums, your ps4 is fine.
 
This talk about opening up PS4s and cleaning dust out has me worried about mine, but I'm simply too afraid to even start doing that. I wouldn't know where to start, how to do it, or probably be able to put it back together.

Hopefully there's not much dust in it. I try to dust once a month, and NEVER see clumps around the vents. Just some surface dust.

Chao said:
For those in USA/EU/JP super scared of ps4 suddenly being louder: do you realize that weather is warming up due to spring season and your ps4 is having a harder time trying to stay cool, and that's why your fans are louder than they were on, say, January.

Open the window or turn the AC on before running to the store for thermal paste and vacuums, your ps4 is fine.
Click to expand...

I game in the basement, and it's still quite cool because we're getting cool spring weather. It's a bit chilly down there, actually. So I know this isn't it.

I do notice that it fluctuates depending on the game, and that if I'm not playing an intensive game then it's not nearly as bad. Outside of PES 2016. So hopefully it's nothing bad.
 
If warranty is already expired, open it up, clean dust, and replace the thermal paste on the CPU. You can get a batch of that stuff for like 5$ on Amazon.
 
RoboPlato said:
Mine's gotten a bit louder over time but as long as the fans are working and it's not overheating, I'm not worried.
Click to expand...

Same here. For certain games it seems to get really loud (MGSV, The Witcher 3, for example), and others it is "whisper quiet".

I'm not worried so long as everything is working the way it's supposed to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Metro author Dmitry Glukhovsky says the next game in the series 'will be darker than anything you've seen before'
Opinion Hype 
49
384
Johnny Concrete replied
Jensen Huang: “I think we’ve achieved AGI.”
2 3
129
864
Wandering Leopard replied
I still think Wolverine will eventually be on PC
2 3 4
171
872
Ironman_Bad replied
Just found out my Steam account is worth more than my car. Post your damage (I'll start)
2
98
1K
Dirk Benedict replied
I love when I can sheathe my sword.
36
388
Zacfoldor replied
Top Bottom