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PS4 Fan Noise

R

Red Chocobo

Banned
My first PS4 was pretty loud playing Ground Zeroes and TLOU. The fan would ramp up quite quickly and sound like my PS3. I figured that it was normal after reading internet comments.

I used to laugh at people who claimed that their PS4's were "wisper quiet". I thought they were just Sony apologists.

Out of curiosity, I decided to trade my noisy-fan PS4 in and get a new one........ Holy shit, it turns out that "whisper quiet" PS4's DO actually exist o_O It's so much quieter than my first one, it's crazy to think that I was actually going to put up with the first one.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
I'll have to pop into Game and see it they care...TBH I don't think it's right but I can see them being a pain even though technically in the first year I'm entitled to a replacement/refund I can see them saying 'it's normal' :(
 
B

BruiserBear

Banned
Red Chocobo said:
My first PS4 was pretty loud playing Ground Zeroes and TLOU. The fan would ramp up quite quickly and sound like my PS3. I figured that it was normal after reading internet comments.

I used to laugh at people who claimed that their PS4's were "wisper quiet". I thought they were just Sony apologists.

Out of curiosity, I decided to trade my noisy-fan PS4 in and get a new one........ Holy shit, it turns out that "whisper quiet" PS4's DO actually exist o_O It's so much quieter than my first one, it's crazy to think that I was actually going to put up with the first one.
Click to expand...

So are you sure you tested this newer one in the same environment and with the same games pushing it hard? Because those things seem to play a big part in how loud mine gets. I relocated my PS4 to a room that was warmer one day, and it got a lot louder than it normally does.
 
D

Dalek

Member
Mine was whisper quiet, until I played The Last Of Us. Now it's loud on EVERY game-even ones I played previously that were quiet. It's like The Last of Us was so powerful it broke the dam and now it's just on full blast all the time.
 
R

Red Chocobo

Banned
BruiserBear said:
So are you sure you tested this newer one in the same environment and with the same games pushing it hard?
Click to expand...

I put it in the exact same spot on my table and played the exact same games for the exact length of time. The replacement PS4 is FAR quieter.

I knew there was something wrong. There was no way Sony would let the PS4 be as loud as a PS3. Glad I took the gamble and traded.
 
L

lt519

Member
Raider1874 said:
I worry about this all the time. As you can see i don't have a tonne of room. I have put the Ps4 sideways so the back vent is free but the right side of console is right against wall. The fans don't sound too loud or anything but I do think it gets hot at times.

Not sure how else I can have it.

Click to expand...

It can't handle Pure Pool physics and graphics, sorry.

Nah mine has plenty of ventilation and sounds like a helicopter sometimes.
 
S

Superflat

Member
Dalek said:
Mine was whisper quiet, until I played The Last Of Us. Now it's loud on EVERY game-even ones I played previously that were quiet. It's like The Last of Us was so powerful it broke the dam and now it's just on full blast all the time.
Click to expand...

In every "PS4 fan noise thread" I update by saying that my PS4 barely makes any noise whatsoever (and it still is beautifully quiet), but I'm always pretty apprehensive of this happening to me at some point.

Despite spending like 40+ hours with TLOU, it didn't manage to bust my PS4's cooling system thankfully, but who knows what game will make my system go full blast? As long as it's not as loud as my old mini-jet turbine PS3, it'll be okay I guess. If not, I can always game with headphones.
 
R

Relix

he's Virgin Tight™
Hmm, so mine is like a jet sometimes. Of course temps are high here (80F+ generally), but its noisy as heck.

Its still under the year but I doubt Amazon can do anything for me right now, right?
 
D

Danneee

Member
I only ever hear my PS4 when the disc spins up for install or, like this summer, when the console had been in the sun for a while and the PS4 was pretty hot.
 
A

Atolm

Member
Mine is only loud while playing FFXIV. It can get fairly annoying.

With other games like TLoU, Metro Redux and such, the fan is somewhate audible but not annoying.
 
K

knerl

Member
Vestax said:
Links not working?
Click to expand...

They keep removing "*****************" from the URL's.
Google "Sony’s SVP Gives New Info on the PS4′s Noise Level"
There's two articles on ***************** with plenty of info from the main engineer that designed many aspects of the PS4.

Ok. Have NeoGaf banned dual shockers or something?
 
M

MedIC86

Member
I've put my new white in a media center cabinet and made a lot of noise. then i put it on top were it has absolutly no obstruction in airflow and noise was mostly gone.
 
K

knerl

Member
Mogwai said:
Graphic intensive games = the PS4 has to work harder = heat generation increase = fan speeds up to cool down the hardware = noise increases

It's that simple. The fan still runs in standby mode as the PSU inside the console is providing power.
Click to expand...

If the thermal paste is properly applied and the heatsinks are all properly connected it shouldn't get so hot that the fans need to increase their speeds so much that it generates so much noise. Add a possibly bad fan to the mix as well and there are a lot of things that affect the outcome. Needless to say even under full load the cooling solution should be enough to keep it cool AND quiet.

It's 2014. I'm surprised that so many of you seem to think it's acceptable with a loud PS4 while playing intensive games.
We have extremely efficient cooling solutions for very small form factors in this day and age. So good in fact that even more powerful systems in about as small sizes keep whisper quiet during heavy gaming. Not talking about water cooling here either.
 
8

8cloud8

Neo Member
C.Dark.DN said:
My white doesn't seem too loud.

I was hearing a clicking noise when I put my ear up to it tho?
Click to expand...
Clicker-Last-of-Us-Art-by_thomas-wievegg-2.jpg
 
T

ThomasAnderson

Member
Running all my games from disc, mine is very quiet. I have to put my ear right next to it to hear the fan blowing. It's about as loud as holding a laptop next to your ear and hearing the fan.
 
B

binaryrevolt

Member
Sounds like another quality control issue. I play extended gaming sessions that can last 4-6 hours at times, and I have never heard any noise from my console. The only audible noise is from the drive but that is pretty minor and only happens while installing. Otherwise, you would be hard pressed to tell that it was even on if the light wasn't giving it away.

Most of these are assembled by Foxxcon, correct? If so, I am not surprised there are consoles of various quality out there.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
Are there like batch numbers or anything that maybe we could put something together? I mean, I know noise levels are subjective (when we're talking opinions on what is noisy), but its odd that some are saying they need to put their ear next to it - I mean I'm 8 foot away and it's clear as anything.

BTW, I just propped the PS4 up with 2 game cases on each end (so now the bottom of the PS4 is around the thickness of a case off the desk) and it seems quieter (I'd have to do more testing but it was certainly loud and now just audiable)
 
K

knerl

Member
Got my 4th PS4 today. Definitely better than the other ones.
Testing out Killzone for 30 min still made the fan give away a whining noise, but only a rather faint one. Not at all as irritating and headache inducing as the last one. Instead I mostly just hear a lot of air being pushed out from it which is ok.

Still not all that satisfied. Where's the one you have to put your ear next to to hear it while playing The Last of Us at 60fps? Going to open this one up and properly apply some good thermal paste. Could probably expect a reduction of noise levels with ~10dB.
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
I got mine last night and it is about as loud as my PS3 slim when playing a game. Which is not really loud, but you can certainly hear it. I assume that is normal.
 
E

EagleEyes

Member
ironcreed said:
I got mine last night and it is about as loud as my PS3 slim when playing a game. Which is not really loud, but you can certainly hear it. I assume that is normal.
Click to expand...
Depends on the game you are playing. something like Destiny isn't too bad but stick in something like TLoU or Killzone and the fan goes crazy loud to the point my wife even notices it lol.
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
EagleEyes said:
Depends on the game you are playing. something like Destiny isn't too bad but stick in something like TLoU or Killzone and the fan goes crazy loud to the point my wife even notices it lol.
Click to expand...

I have only played the P.T. demo and inFAMOUS: Second Son and the fan noise was about the same on both. Not jet engine loud that could be heard over the game or anything like that, but definitely audible. Like I said, it seems about as loud as the PS3 super slim, which I never had any issues with.
 
shotgunshine

shotgunshine

Member
So far I haven't had any problems with a loud fan. *knock on wood* I live in Texas, so it's always hot here. I have a window AC and a fan going whenever i'm in my room, so I wouldn't really be able to tell if my PS4 was loud. Seeing all these posts made me wonder about the fan though, so I played TLOU for about an hour, turned off my AC and fan to see if it was going to be loud and it wasn't. Maybe the room temperature has something to do with it?
 
paolo11

paolo11

Member
Kinda off topic. Is this also normal for PS3 consoles? The fans are quiet when on idle but when playing games, the fans kick in a little bit like a soft humming sound.
 
T

Timmay

Banned
ironcreed said:
I got mine last night and it is about as loud as my PS3 slim when playing a game. Which is not really loud, but you can certainly hear it. I assume that is normal.
Click to expand...

I've now owned two PS4s (launch and white) and they're both identical. Both exactly as you described. It's normal.
 
V

Vestax

Banned
knerl said:
They keep removing "*****************" from the URL's.
Google "Sony’s SVP Gives New Info on the PS4′s Noise Level"
There's two articles on ***************** with plenty of info from the main engineer that designed many aspects of the PS4.

Ok. Have NeoGaf banned dual shockers or something?
Click to expand...

I see. Thanks.
 
Y

yamo

Member
My PS4 is really loud. The perceived noise level is easily twice of my fat PS3.

I have it on the top of my entertainment center whit open air on all sides and it's pretty cool in the apartment (~20C). Right now it stand vertically but I used to have it horizontally and there has been no change in noise level. No real difference playing from disc or digital.
Even if crank up my surround system really high, I can still here the fan working through all game sound and music.

Been considering to contact Sony for a long time now.
 
K

knerl

Member
yamo said:
My PS4 is really loud. The perceived noise level is easily twice of my fat PS3.

I have it on the top of my entertainment center whit open air on all sides and it's pretty cool in the apartment (~20C). Right now it stand vertically but I used to have it horizontally and there has been no change in noise level. No real difference playing from disc or digital.
Even if crank up my surround system really high, I can still here the fan working through all game sound and music.

Been considering to contact Sony for a long time now.
Click to expand...

Not ok. Do it I say.
 
P

PaNaMa

Banned
Darkgran said:
I have had it for about a week and have noticed that the fan is really loud when playing a game. Should I expect it to be silent or is this normal?

I also had a weird issue in game when it was trying to change resolutions on me.
Click to expand...

I don't find the fan too loud. But I find when I first boot it up, the BD player spins up and the unit is loud and vibrate-y. After 10 or so seconds, she's quiet again for the duration.

I stand mine vertically, due to disc eject problem tho. It's quieter when flat.
 
K

knerl

Member
Superflat said:
In every "PS4 fan noise thread" I update by saying that my PS4 barely makes any noise whatsoever (and it still is beautifully quiet), but I'm always pretty apprehensive of this happening to me at some point.

Despite spending like 40+ hours with TLOU, it didn't manage to bust my PS4's cooling system thankfully, but who knows what game will make my system go full blast? As long as it's not as loud as my old mini-jet turbine PS3, it'll be okay I guess. If not, I can always game with headphones.
Click to expand...

Please record a video of it with something that doesn't have a crappy mic. Use a decent smartphone and record a video of if after letting TLOU being turned on for at least 30 min.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
knerl said:
Got my 4th PS4 today. Definitely better than the other ones.
Testing out Killzone for 30 min still made the fan give away a whining noise, but only a rather faint one. Not at all as irritating and headache inducing as the last one. Instead I mostly just hear a lot of air being pushed out from it which is ok.

Still not all that satisfied. Where's the one you have to put your ear next to to hear it while playing The Last of Us at 60fps? Going to open this one up and properly apply some good thermal paste. Could probably expect a reduction of noise levels with ~10dB.
Click to expand...

be interested to hear how you get on, if Game say no and I can't be bothered to argue then I will probably do this myself too.
 
S

sja_626

Member
I've had 2 PS4s. Not kept out in the open completely but at least 4 inches of space at the back and on both sizes.

Both of them were louder than any other console I've heard, including launch 360, by a fair margin.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
My white one seems much quieter than my launch black one. But I've only played destiny on the white one, and TLoU was what made my other one really loud. Both vertical but my black has a stand and my white doesn't.

I don't agree that standing it vertically without the stand blocks anything - look at the edge that it sits on - the vents are inset so they aren't blocked at all. The stand actually has two large rubber grips to hold it in place. If anything that blocks more air than not using it.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
mrklaw said:
My white one seems much quieter than my launch black one. But I've only played destiny on the white one, and TLoU was what made my other one really loud. Both vertical but my black has a stand and my white doesn't.

I don't agree that standing it vertically without the stand blocks anything - look at the edge that it sits on - the vents are inset so they aren't blocked at all. The stand actually has two large rubber grips to hold it in place. If anything that blocks more air than not using it.
Click to expand...

I'm sure I saw someone had a thermal gun showing that the heat dissipated better horizontally. Either way I totally agree about the stand - the rubber parts (to me) would seem to stop any air getting in - however by the same token I imagine your vents are needing frequent cleaning.

I can hear my PS4 with my headphones on. I will be carrying out a few tests with TLoU at some point (this weekend I hope) so even if I get a swap-out I will be able to compare.

From boot up what's the quickest wat to get to a 'jet engine' part on TLoU? I tend to not take note, initially I thought it was related to the start of levels as it seemed to ramp up when nothing was happening.

FTR I'll be using a DB reader on iPhone 4S and the digital version of TLoU..
 
B

barit

Member
And that´s why you buy the official Sony Headset 2.0 Golden Deluxe Edition. So you can´t hear your PS4 anymore ! Boom
 
K

knerl

Member
goonergaz said:
be interested to hear how you get on, if Game say no and I can't be bothered to argue then I will probably do this myself too.
Click to expand...

Going to contact Sony first and see what they're willing to do about it. I have it on paper like black against white where they're promising me that it's supposed to be quiet at all times and if it's not there's something wrong with it. I linked two screenshots from a conversation I had with them about the issue earlier in the thread. Use that when you're talking to Game. If Game won't give you a new one on the spot you should get a refund and get it somewhere else. Because if it's not quiet at all times the product is NOT working as it should. When you buy something it has to work the way it's been promised to you.

I'll be sure to give you an update on my progress by the way.
I wonder how often Foxconn workers puts lead in the thermal paste......
 
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