PS4 Fan Noise

Mine is louder than I like, but I wouldn't call it a problem. Normal audio levels in-game make it basically inaudible. It's the loudest of the new systems, but that's only because the new systems are really quiet.
 
OK, so some initial testing - I d/l a free app on my wifes iPhone 4S and placed the phone the correct way round in the middle of the matt-black section on the top around 1 inch from the very back:

~30db off
~40db on in menu
~48db during TLoU peaking at 50db

No 'jet engines' but fairly loud and I wonder if removing the PS4 from the cabinet has helped, but I guess that's not the point, I don't want my PS4 on top of my cabinet on display I want it hidden away (but I leave the cabinet doors open during play).

I need to play a bit longer on different levels...does anyone remember a particulary noisey section? Either way I don't think ~48db is acceptable (and I know I've had it noisier).

Anyone else tried something like this?

After playing anything for a few minutes (games, netflix, hulu, etc) mine goes above 80db. My phone is in the same position and distance as what you described. I suspect I should get a new one. =/
 
are there any confirmed paterns like the launch batches are noisy?

i dont know if i should call sony to have mine replaced. i mean, if there are quiet ones , even in tlou and killzone, then i want one. i payed 400 bucks for the console.
 
I've had 2 ps4s since launch. My destiny ps4 is definitely more quiet than the used ps4 I bought from cowboom. The used one is not loud to the point you think there is something wrong but it is noticeable. While the white ps4 is silent as hell. More silent than my super slim ps3 actually. Only the disc drive is making noise, at times im not even sure if the fan is turned on or not.
 
Is this normal?
Probably should use headhones.
Ignore the general air exhaust sound being amplified by my mic.

What I'm wondering about is the ugly ticking/rattling noise I hear. I can only hear it when I put my ear next to the exhaust. So it's no where near the level of those kinectless xbox one's and such.
 
After playing anything for a few minutes (games, netflix, hulu, etc) mine goes above 80db. My phone is in the same position and distance as what you described. I suspect I should get a new one. =/

So the off level is ~30db and switching on in menu ~40db? I think those readings would confirm your device is recording correctly, but 80db is pretty loud - I mean REALLY loud like hair dryer!?
 
My launch ps4 was getting pretty loud (or I started noticing it more) pretty much all the time in game, during game menus etc. No slowdown or change in noise level once it reached a certain point. Also while playing Tomb Raider: DE the fan kept getting louder and louder. Lara was just standing around near a camp fire, not in a menu, not doing anything.

I never tried to do any real measurements. For some reason going through my receiver the ps4 audio comes out much louder than anything else (ps3 output is quieter which is funny). If I were to turn up the volume I could surely "drown it out" but if I had the tv on a reasonable volume (as to prevent bothering the whole apt building) then the fan noise was easily audible at all times over the sounds from TLOU, Diablo 3, etc.

I sent it in recently (received by them on Friday) so I'm just waiting to see what happens. The damn service status online check doesn't work so I'm trying to be patient instead of contacting them constantly.

Hopefully when I get it back (or a new one I'm hoping) it will be resolved.
 
My launch ps4 was getting pretty loud (or I started noticing it more) pretty much all the time in game, during game menus etc. No slowdown or change in noise level once it reached a certain point. Also while playing Tomb Raider: DE the fan kept getting louder and louder. Lara was just standing around near a camp fire, not in a menu, not doing anything.

See this is what I find really odd. I don't recall thinking the PS4 was noisy however now I do, as such surely things are getting worse and where will it end? But not only that, as you say...in TLoU I when the fans ramp up there's nothing really going on...and I can stand still and the fans keep going, why does that happen? Surely when you're not moving the gfx card is working less so should be quieter?
 
Yeah, its similar for me when playing tlou.

The fan is noisy literally all the time. Even in the menu when nothing is happening it doesn't slow down.

Think I will contact Sony soon.
 
Yeah, its similar for me when playing tlou.

The fan is noisy literally all the time. Even in the menu when nothing is happening it doesn't slow down.

Think I will contact Sony soon.

Mine actually kicks up if I pause it in TLOU. Also kicks up if you go to the PS Dashboard whilst a game is running. I wouldn't say it's worth calling Sony over, I think this is just how the console is. I got mine earlier this year, my housemate got his 3-4 weeks ago and it's exactly the same noise levels. Different games do different things, Destiny for example has been super quiet for me even when playing for hours upon hours.

Noise levels are different for different people because of room sizes, air conditions, and individual perception etc. The PS4 seems to have a very granular 'step up' in levels.
 
Mine is an open space in a well ventilated area. And it is loud as fuck. For some reason some games obviously cause the fans to kick in hard (killzone/Watchdogs) but not jet engine, but some don't really seem to activate it unless I hit a certain point so infamous:SS will be fine for about 20 mins, then it starts spinning out and goes all the way to max.
 
Well I did some checking some of you guy's post about the system fan noise seems to be at correct levels based on what was posted at euro gamer

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-hardware-test-playstation-4


That's the thing. Sony themselves doesn't even have any thresholds for the noise levels since it's supposed to be quiet at all times. So they told me. I've seen readings in similar threads elsewhere which were much lower than the ones reported here and the ones from this article.
 
I'm putting my PS4 back in the cabinet and getting readings from there, I don't see why I should have to have the console out of the cabinet due to this 'issue'.

I'd REALLY like to see some figures from the 'whisper quiet' camp so we can get a gauge on 'best case' scenario.
 
I'm putting my PS4 back in the cabinet and getting readings from there, I don't see why I should have to have the console out of the cabinet due to this 'issue'.

I'd REALLY like to see some figures from the 'whisper quiet' camp so we can get a gauge on 'best case' scenario.

edit: OK - redid this test with an actual dB meter for my phone. I get a steady 50 in my 'silent' room (fans off, PC off, just me), through the entire boot cycle of the PS4 and starting Destiny (all the way through character select). If anyone wants more specifics, please let me know
 
edit: OK - redid this test with an actual dB meter for my phone. I get a steady 50 in my 'silent' room (fans off, PC off, just me), through the entire boot cycle of the PS4 and starting Destiny (all the way through character select). If anyone wants more specifics, please let me know

ok, so a reading of 50db - how do you think it sounded?
 
I'm putting my PS4 back in the cabinet and getting readings from there, I don't see why I should have to have the console out of the cabinet due to this 'issue'.

I'd REALLY like to see some figures from the 'whisper quiet' camp so we can get a gauge on 'best case' scenario.[/QUOTE

Accordig to a swedish gaming community there have been several reports of ~30-40dB after hours of playing Killzone.
 
My ps4 is super quiet. It caught me by surprise that people are saying theirs are loud. My ps3 on the other sounded like a jet engine at times.
 
Mine is in a basically open space and basically silent. I thought it was broken it was so quiet.

I thought the same thing. My launch day PS4 was extremely loud and I thought thats just how it was supposed to sound, until my disk tray broke and I returned it for the glacier white version which is dead silent.
 
I wish people would state what games they have tested when claiming their PS4 to be dead silent.

Did you run taxing games such as KZ Shadow Fall and Infamous at 60 fps for more than 5 minutes?
 
playing Destiny for hours and hours and ps4 is quiet as fuck...can't believe it.

sometimes playing other games the fan can be loud though, nothing too bothersome but it is weird
 
playing Destiny for hours and hours and ps4 is quiet as fuck...can't believe it.

sometimes playing other games the fan can be loud though, nothing too bothersome but it is weird
It's simple, bro. Destiny doesn't make your PS4 work. Take a game like KZ Shadow Fall. The developer did all they could to buff that game with particles, lighting, shadows and whatnot. That's a totally different beast than Destiny. Destiny is even locked at 30 fps meaning that it wont stress your console close to what a game with unlocked fps such as Killzone, Ground Zeroes or Infamous Second Son. Killzone Shadow Fall makes my PS4 very audible if I run without the fps lock. But if I switch it on, it's almost dead silent. It's THAT big of a difference.

This is why people should state what games they play when claiming the console to be silent. Destiny doesn't really give an indication of anything. Neither does FIFA or most other multiplatform games.
 
It's simple, bro. Destiny doesn't make your PS4 work. Take a game like KZ Shadow Fall. The developer did all they could to buff that game with particles, lighting, shadows and whatnot. That's a totally different beast than Destiny. Destiny is even locked at 30 fps meaning that it wont stress your console close to what a game with unlocked fps such as Killzone, Ground Zeroes or Infamous Second Son. Killzone Shadow Fall makes my PS4 very audible if I run without the fps lock. But if I switch it on, it's almost dead silent. It's THAT big of a difference.

This is why people should state what games they play when claiming the console to be silent. Destiny doesn't really give an indication of anything. Neither does FIFA or most other multiplatform games.

yeah, we know Destiny is around 40% off where it should be ;)

seriously tho Destiny is fairly quiet (and IMO as loud as the PS4 should get)...but I agree with Mogwai, coming into the thread with 'my PS4 is noisy/quiet' means jack without further details...what games, disk or digital, what readings? most people have access to a phone with some sort of db app so they can compare menu level with ingame surely?
 
See this is what I find really odd. I don't recall thinking the PS4 was noisy however now I do, as such surely things are getting worse and where will it end? But not only that, as you say...in TLoU I when the fans ramp up there's nothing really going on...and I can stand still and the fans keep going, why does that happen? Surely when you're not moving the gfx card is working less so should be quieter?

Yeah, its similar for me when playing tlou.

The fan is noisy literally all the time. Even in the menu when nothing is happening it doesn't slow down.

Think I will contact Sony soon.

I would absolutely think that the fan would spin down during the match breaks while you were waiting in the lobby. The only reason it wouldn't is if the system is too hot and it's taking too long to cool down.

I guess it all depends on Sony. Are they actually going to test my console? Will they just put it in a "to be repaired bin" and ship me a new one? Time will tell.

I can say for certain that know the conditions I was gaming in so I can easily recreate the scenario and see how the returned/new console performs.
 
I find the system much more loud when playing disk based games than downloadable games. I bought the digital download version of destiny and the fans never go beyond the middle speed, even leaving it on the Destiny start screen over 24 hours.

There's clearly 3 fan speeds, completely silent, slightly noisy, and insanely loud that I experience at various times during use, but the insanely loud mode very very rarely happens, and silent mode only happens during the first 5 minutes of use.

It's open air, and I actually use some chair feet pads to keep it slightly elevated off my receiver to keep it a bit more cool, and that seems to work pretty well.
 
playing Destiny for hours and hours and ps4 is quiet as fuck...can't believe it.

sometimes playing other games the fan can be loud though, nothing too bothersome but it is weird

Dat Destiny parity, G. Doesn't require a lot of horsepower....TLOU or KZ may get it a little louder....sometimes BF4.
 
I find the system much more loud when playing disk based games than downloadable games. I bought the digital download version of destiny and the fans never go beyond the middle speed, even leaving it on the Destiny start screen over 24 hours.

I thought all games installed and ran from the hard drive, the physical only requiring the disk for verification. So it shouldn't really matter.

If you do think it matters TLOU was physical while Diablo 3 was digital and they both had the same consistent level of fan noise.

Sidenote: just saw an email stating my system should arrive on Thurs.
 
I thought all games installed and ran from the hard drive, the physical only requiring the disk for verification. So it shouldn't really matter.

If you do think it matters TLOU was physical while Diablo 3 was digital and they both had the same consistent level of fan noise.

Sidenote: just saw an email stating my system should arrive on Thurs.

Yeah, they do a disc check and them stop spinning when it's fully installed. Destiny just isn't pushing the system as hard as other games.
 
I would absolutely think that the fan would spin down during the match breaks while you were waiting in the lobby. The only reason it wouldn't is if the system is too hot and it's taking too long to cool down.

And that's my point. The assumption is the fan increases with the tempreture of the unit. The fan should be aiming to bring the temp down which in turn should slow the fan down.

When nothing is happening on screen the fans should almost instantly start dropping if the fan is doing it's job well enough.

So the assumption is either that 'temps are fine until jet engine kicks in' or the fans just aren't doing their job well enough (but just keeping it under control). The problem is there's just too much assumption going on and I'd like some straight info on what is 'normal'.
 
My system, or whatever they're sending me back should be here tomorrow so I'll be able to test it again that night and report back my findings.
 
Did you turn the tv Audio off? Honest question.

Fair question. Yes, playing with the speakers muted, nothing else going on in the room, windows open, not even warm in the room, and 5+ inches of space on all sides of the console. Here's a pic... the phone is resting 4-5 inches behind the console. I'll contact sony and see if they think it's replacement worthy.

kg1atBB.jpg


edit: not quite 80db like I mentioned, but pretty close.
 
Fair question. Yes, playing with the speakers muted, nothing else going on in the room, windows open, not even warm in the room, and 5+ inches of space on all sides of the console. Here's a pic... the phone is resting 4-5 inches behind the console. I'll contact sony and see if they think it's replacement worthy.

kg1atBB.jpg


edit: not quite 80db like I mentioned, but pretty close.

Oh for f*ck sake. No no no. Don't ask if they think a replacement is in order. You're entitled to one. You bought a product for a lot of money which clearly doesn't function as promised. They speak highly of the cooling system and noise levels of the PS4. Sony claims it's quieter than a PS3 Slim during full load and as such it has to be. A PS3 slim functioning normally gives away about 40dB max after a few hours of GTAV or The Last of Us. At least in my experience. I've been inside and around quite a few. (Sounds a bit weird reading that sentence...) So that's about what you should be reading from a PS4. A real decibel meter would be preferable though.

Only time noise levels are subjective is when you think something is quiet or loud. If you compare one thing with another you can objectively draw a conclusion that one of the two is louder than the other. Measuring noise levels with a decibel meter is as scientific as it gets. Compare the readings with what they say the PS4 is supposed to be quieter than and you got the deal sealed.
 
Got Sony to send a courier tomorrow to pick up my PS4 for being too loud and not at all as quiet as they promise and claim it should be. Guess I'll be waiting about a month before I get it or a new one back. I'll be sure to report back as soon as I have it and some readings from it.
 
Fair question. Yes, playing with the speakers muted, nothing else going on in the room, windows open, not even warm in the room, and 5+ inches of space on all sides of the console. Here's a pic... the phone is resting 4-5 inches behind the console. I'll contact sony and see if they think it's replacement worthy.

kg1atBB.jpg


edit: not quite 80db like I mentioned, but pretty close.
I thought mine was loud. If I hold my phone behind the fans but not directly blowing into it it's about 59 but nothing like that.
 
'interestingly' having put the PS4 back in the cabinet it seems to have calmed down (not silent - just acceptable)...I'll have to see how things go, I guess there's still a month or so until I'm out of warranty
 
When I play TLOU it sounds pretty fucking loud. Not jet-engine-OG-360 loud, but a bit annoying. Towerfall etc though it's quiet.

Gotta love dat Gen 1 hardware.
Yesterday was the first day I noticed the PS4 fan, and it was while playing TLOUR. The other times, even when playing Infamous or MGS V or Killzone, it was really quiet.

Scared the hell out of me, BTW.
 
I wish people would state what games they have tested when claiming their PS4 to be dead silent.

Did you run taxing games such as KZ Shadow Fall and Infamous at 60 fps for more than 5 minutes?

Most TLOU... but its in open space same with PS3,X360.
 
My PS4 at his loudest goes up to 53db. And it's with the phone just behind the back vents. At 1m50 it's at 35/40db max and it's while playing games.
I can hear it but for me it's quieter than my old fat PS3 so that's very cool. I'm not a native english speaker, but if whisper quiet means it's at whisper level i can say it's exactly that. People reporting more than 60db should examine this though, maybe contact Sony too.
 
My PS4 at his loudest goes up to 53db. And it's with the phone just behind the back vents. At 1m50 it's at 35/40db max and it's while playing games.
I can hear it but for me it's quieter than my old fat PS3 so that's very cool. I'm not a native english speaker, but if whisper quiet means it's at whisper level i can say it's exactly that. People reporting more than 60db should examine this though, maybe contact Sony too.
What games? It's pretty damn important.
 
So they sent me a new/different PS4 and it's exactly the same. I did some measurements with my phone and it didn't seem to break 45db. Tested with TLOU MP and Diablo3.
 
I thought mine was sounding "loud", runs at around 53-55db (calibration was 45db when everything was turned off). Even played a little TLOU:R. Is being above 50db a cause for concern? I keep my PS4 in a well ventilated, open area. Just seeing if this is the standard, or a potential issue.

EDIT: Seems mine is normal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWb4XDHv3Ic. Guess my concerns were after long game sessions.
 
I can hardly hear my PS4 ever. It's pretty much silent. I can hear it faintly when playing TLOU but nothing that would make me worry in any way.

Sounds like you need a replacement.
 
I can hardly hear my PS4 ever. It's pretty much silent. I can hear it faintly when playing TLOU but nothing that would make me worry in any way.

Sounds like you need a replacement.

How loud is your TV? Have you tested this with the TV/Sound System on mute or on low volume?

If your TV is just downing out the fan because it's so loud that doesn't really mean anything.
 
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