PS4 Fan Noise

I recently bought tlou ps4 bundle, and I think the fan is pretty loud. It's not 360 loud or anything, but coming from the silent Xbox one it was definitely noticeable.
 
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?

My new white console is far louder than my launch model. Within 30 secs of loading TLOU in game it's rocking around 70db. As for Destiny, I never heard my fans during the beta, but now it's around 60db.

Game no longer have stock in the company so I have to go through Sony for a replacement if I want to keep a white console.
 
Opened my brand new PS4 tonight, downloaded the P.T. demo, played for about ten minutes (like, this is literally the first game I've played on it), and then this thing fucking ROARS. Like twice as loud as my PS3 Fat ever did. It literally sounds like a hand-vacuum cleaner. Surely this isn't something Sony intended 'for the gamers', or did I get a shit one?
 
Opened my brand new PS4 tonight, downloaded the P.T. demo, played for about ten minutes (like, this is literally the first game I've played on it), and then this thing fucking ROARS. Like twice as loud as my PS3 Fat ever did. It literally sounds like a hand-vacuum cleaner. Surely this isn't something Sony intended 'for the gamers', or did I get a shit one?
Do a dB test from the rear end of your console and we'll be able to tell it's broken or not. Noise is very subjective.

From what I recall, my PS4 did become audible during my 20 minutes with PT. But nothing close to Killzone Shadow Fall at unlocked fps.
 
Opened my brand new PS4 tonight, downloaded the P.T. demo, played for about ten minutes (like, this is literally the first game I've played on it), and then this thing fucking ROARS. Like twice as loud as my PS3 Fat ever did. It literally sounds like a hand-vacuum cleaner. Surely this isn't something Sony intended 'for the gamers', or did I get a shit one?

Going from personal experience, you got a bad one.

Get it swapped at the store. Do this as many times as it takes to get a good one. Trust me, it's worth it.
 
I didn't buy it from a store unfortunately, I bought it from an e-retailer, so serial-trading isn't going to be convenient. Either way, surely I'm better off sending it to Sony?

After my PS4 tried going to the moon, I turned it off, opened a window and let some cool air in, and it behaved better, but still much, much louder than either my 360 S or my PS3 slim in the same conditions (a media unit with adequate front ventilation). I'm going to see how the machine deals with my weekend haul of Ground Zeroes and Tomb Raider, then make a call. People I've spoken to and reports online suggest it shouldn't be this bad, but we'll see.

Do a dB test from the rear end of your console and we'll be able to tell it's broken or not. Noise is very subjective.

I'll do this, but it still sounds unreasonably loud to me. I have to crank up my stereo to drown it out. None of my other consoles are close to making as much noise.
 
Loud fan is not a negative.

It is actually a positive. Atleast it is working as intended.

Any fan that kicks up to 60%+ will be loud.

Should hear my PC with its 3x 120mm fans and 2x 200mm fans going along with the CPU and GPU fans.
 
OK so it seems our friend PS4 really doesn't like being boxed in on its right side. I moved it over to the left in the media unit it's housed in (since the PSU is on the right and seemed to be outputting most heat on the right) and it barely complains. It's a night and day difference compared to the jet engine shenanigans I was enduring earlier this week. Anyone with screaming PS4s might want to try the same.
 
The only time I can hear the fan on my PS4 is if I'm standing right next to it and even then it's damn quiet.

I'm actually impressed with how cool/quiet it is.
 
Got my PS4 returned from Sony today. What the fuck? Not a word on what they've done. Don't know if they've repaired the one I sent back or if they just swapped it. Neither do I know if they tested the one they sent back if they swapped it. Still makes a lot of noise while playing Shadow Fall, but most of the whining is gone it seems. Pretty much only the sound of a lot of air being moved out from it. Definite improvement if that doesn't change after more extensive tests.

On a plus side I got an extra Dualshock 4 for free. Did not send any peripherals in at all and I got the whole cable package and a brand new controller back. Big gain.

Will have to contact them and see if they have any record of what exactly they did.
Still kinda eager to getting some good thermal pads and changing both those and the thermal paste in it.
 
Mine only bothers me when I first turn the system on with a disc in the drive. Horrible humming/tapping noise which sounds like a fan hitting a wire and catching it. When the disc stops spinning super fast the sound goes away and the machine is near silent.
 
Got my PS4 returned from Sony today. What the fuck? Not a word on what they've done. Don't know if they've repaired the one I sent back or if they just swapped it. Neither do I know if they tested the one they sent back if they swapped it. Still makes a lot of noise while playing Shadow Fall, but most of the whining is gone it seems. Pretty much only the sound of a lot of air being moved out from it. Definite improvement if that doesn't change after more extensive tests.

On a plus side I got an extra Dualshock 4 for free. Did not send any peripherals in at all and I got the whole cable package and a brand new controller back. Big gain.

Will have to contact them and see if they have any record of what exactly they did.
Still kinda eager to getting some good thermal pads and changing both those and the thermal paste in it.

I received 2 in the mail this month (first one they sent me died w/in 24 hours) and I'm pretty sure they send you a different refurbished unit. I haven't compared the serial numbers, but the second one had a few more scratches on it than the first unit they sent.
 
I noticed that my Fan is getting noisy when I play Metro. He gets realy realy loud after playing 15 minutes and after a few minutes all the noise is gone!
 
My new white console is far louder than my launch model. Within 30 secs of loading TLOU in game it's rocking around 70db. As for Destiny, I never heard my fans during the beta, but now it's around 60db.

Game no longer have stock in the company so I have to go through Sony for a replacement if I want to keep a white console.

its funny for me only time I ever hear the fan in Destiny on PS4 is when I open up XMB while in game. my PS4s been really good like that quiet as a mouse
 
I received 2 in the mail this month (first one they sent me died w/in 24 hours) and I'm pretty sure they send you a different refurbished unit. I haven't compared the serial numbers, but the second one had a few more scratches on it than the first unit they sent.

Just checked the serial number on this one. Not the same one I sent them.
Doubt they even bothered to test it.
 
My new white console is far louder than my launch model. Within 30 secs of loading TLOU in game it's rocking around 70db. As for Destiny, I never heard my fans during the beta, but now it's around 60db.

Game no longer have stock in the company so I have to go through Sony for a replacement if I want to keep a white console.

I have a launch PS4, and I just had it sitting in the Driveclub menu for awhile to see if I could connect to the servers. I used a Radio Shack sound meter set to A Weighting and holding it about an inch or two away from the console, I got a pretty consistent reading of 54db. This read the same all around the console. To me, I can hear it from where I sit, but just barely and I would not describe it as loud or a roar.

I closed Driveclub and left it in the main menu. There is a difference in the fan for sure and I would describe it as practically silent at this point. This reads as 50-51db on my meter (I thought it would be lower).

The fan seems to kick in a little more anytime a scene involves light, like the light shining though a tree on Killzone or the title screen of The Last of Us. Besides that it always sounds about the same to me. I'll test those two scenarios later.
 
I did some testing as well. Resting my phone on rear right corner of the PS4.

For background. I had a PS3 Phatty that was Jet Turbine Engine mode most of the time. I had a PS3 slim after my phatty decided to YLOD and couldnt believe how 'whisper' quiet it is even after marathon game sessions. It just doesnt break a sweat. The PS4 in comparison I find no where near as loud as the phatty but definately louder than the slim.

PS4 switched off: 36DB (<- normal room noise)
PS4 Standby: 40DB
PS4 Standby and downloading: 46DB
PS4 UI no disc: 46DB
PS4 UI with Disc spinning: 50DB
PS4 Diable3 - New Tristram: 48DB
PS4 UI while Diablo3 running: 54DB
PS4 back to Diablo3 after UI: 48DB
PS4 Diablo3 after 20 mins: 53DB
PS4 DIablo3 after 90 mins: 54DB

in comparison the PS3 Slim measures 47DB at all times.

The 47DB of the PS3 Slim to the 54DB of the PS4 in numbers doesnt seem much but the sound just seems so much louder.

(PS3 and PS4 units are out in the open with plenty of breathing space)
 
For fuck sake Sony. Three times I've exchanged my PS4 directly from the retailer and one time I've sent it in to Sony themselves just to have to wait a month to get it back. Only to find out that the extreme noise during gameplay have not been resolved. Called their support to find out what they did with the one I sent in since they told me that I would be informed of exactly what they'd done when I got it back, but behold. They had no clue at all what their service department had done to it. I got a new unit back with another serial number so clearly they exchanged it for another one, but did they bother to even test it? Highly doubt it. They even found it strange that I said that they told me I would be informed of what they had done. Even though they said so on the phone when I sent it in and the fact that it's written on the instructions sheet I got of how to pack the unit before I sent it in.

Really irritating since none of now all five units I've had has met the standard which they are promising us. It SHOULD. Note SHOULD be quieter than a PS3 even while playing games no matter which title. Quieter than a PS3 slim that is and those bad boys if working correctly doesn't break 40dB under heavy load even after a few hours. The PS4s I've had now have all been louder than a PS3 Phat. Like I said to the support worker when I called last time I for one wont stand for it. Of course he tried to make it into a subjective matter, but like I told him noise is only subjective as long as you're discussing whether or not something is loud. When you compare two sources of noise and you can clearly come to the conclusion that object A is louder than B it's as objective as it gets. Especially when you use a scientific instrument called a decibel meter.

He ran around his office asking around of how it should be. He even tested out the units they had at his office and compared them all. Apparently all the PS4s they had were louder than all the PS3s they had and he himself after asking around confirmed that it SHOULD be quieter than a PS3. Problem is that he could not for his life guarantee that if I'd send this one in it would get better even though it has to be since they are promising us this standard. They apparently repair a shit load of units all the time and they all go through a standard test no matter what type of issue exists on the ones we send in.

I finally got him to start looking for info regarding what had happened with the one I sent in and the one they sent back to me. They are going to email me that info as soon as they have it. Been waiting a couple of days now. Waiting for that information before I break the warranty and exchange the thermal paste myself. Might as well change the thermal pads too. Problem is if he can't guarantee anything what the fuck do we need them for? He was willing to write a more demanding note to the service department about it NOT being up to their set standards, but he could still not guarantee anything.
I really don't want to wait another month just to find out that the same crap happens again. I.E. I get yet another console which haven't been properly tested.

I had to spend ~$550 just to be welcomed by unbearable noise while playing games on a game console. Not to mention exchange it, send it in for repairs and be left waiting for a month. All for nothing. Someone sue their asses. I take this pretty seriously since I want to enjoy playing games. I can't when it's so loud. Every single unit I've had has gone past ~50dB just like that. Not ok and it's certainly not even close to being as quiet as a PS3. Have had at least five of those and all of them have been really quiet at all times.

There. Had to get that out.
 
My Wii U is louder than my PS4. Only time I have heard it is disc games. You can hear the drive spin louder than the fan.

You mean the PS4 or Wii U?
The noise issue I'm talking about is not due to a disc spinning by the way.
It's the fans. Long after the disc have stopped spinning.
 
After I sent my launch one off I got it back and it was virtually silent, not as quiet as my newer one, which stays completely silent, but a massive improvement.
 
After I sent my launch one off I got it back and it was virtually silent, not as quiet as my newer one, which stays completely silent, but a massive improvement.

What does it take to get one of those?
What's the serial/model number one the ones you have that are completely silent?
Were you informed of what they did on the one you sent back in?
 
My ps4 is quite loud on its vertical stand. I've never tried it horizontal. I have my Xbox one in the same enclosure and it remains extremely quiet through games and media.
 
I think this thread should start listing only the quiet ones. That is the ones that stays really quiet at all times no matter which titles are being played.

What we need to know:
  • Model/serial number of the unit
  • Titles being played (Preferably the more demanding titles such as Killzone, Infamous, Metal Gear Solid, The Last of Us)
  • Duration of gameplay
  • Preferably decibel measurements
  • If it's been sent back to Sony and if you know what was done to it
 
For fuck sake Sony. Three times I've exchanged my PS4 directly from the retailer and one time I've sent it in to Sony themselves just to have to wait a month to get it back. Only to find out that the extreme noise during gameplay have not been resolved. Called their support to find out what they did with the one I sent in since they told me that I would be informed of exactly what they'd done when I got it back, but behold. They had no clue at all what their service department had done to it. I got a new unit back with another serial number so clearly they exchanged it for another one, but did they bother to even test it? Highly doubt it. They even found it strange that I said that they told me I would be informed of what they had done. Even though they said so on the phone when I sent it in and the fact that it's written on the instructions sheet I got of how to pack the unit before I sent it in.

Really irritating since none of now all five units I've had has met the standard which they are promising us. It SHOULD. Note SHOULD be quieter than a PS3 even while playing games no matter which title. Quieter than a PS3 slim that is and those bad boys if working correctly doesn't break 40dB under heavy load even after a few hours. The PS4s I've had now have all been louder than a PS3 Phat. Like I said to the support worker when I called last time I for one wont stand for it. Of course he tried to make it into a subjective matter, but like I told him noise is only subjective as long as you're discussing whether or not something is loud. When you compare two sources of noise and you can clearly come to the conclusion that object A is louder than B it's as objective as it gets. Especially when you use a scientific instrument called a decibel meter.

He ran around his office asking around of how it should be. He even tested out the units they had at his office and compared them all. Apparently all the PS4s they had were louder than all the PS3s they had and he himself after asking around confirmed that it SHOULD be quieter than a PS3. Problem is that he could not for his life guarantee that if I'd send this one in it would get better even though it has to be since they are promising us this standard. They apparently repair a shit load of units all the time and they all go through a standard test no matter what type of issue exists on the ones we send in.

I finally got him to start looking for info regarding what had happened with the one I sent in and the one they sent back to me. They are going to email me that info as soon as they have it. Been waiting a couple of days now. Waiting for that information before I break the warranty and exchange the thermal paste myself. Might as well change the thermal pads too. Problem is if he can't guarantee anything what the fuck do we need them for? He was willing to write a more demanding note to the service department about it NOT being up to their set standards, but he could still not guarantee anything.
I really don't want to wait another month just to find out that the same crap happens again. I.E. I get yet another console which haven't been properly tested.

I had to spend ~$550 just to be welcomed by unbearable noise while playing games on a game console. Not to mention exchange it, send it in for repairs and be left waiting for a month. All for nothing. Someone sue their asses. I take this pretty seriously since I want to enjoy playing games. I can't when it's so loud. Every single unit I've had has gone past ~50dB just like that. Not ok and it's certainly not even close to being as quiet as a PS3. Have had at least five of those and all of them have been really quiet at all times.

There. Had to get that out.
After reading this I'm wondering how this person can stand using the toilet. Or run a bath. His dish washer must drive him insane! Machines make noise. I have been exposed to bunches of PS4s that make noise. All of them are pretty consistent. The more taxing the process, the more loud the fan gets. You'll notice this phenomenon with cars, air conditioners, just about anything mechanical. If after 4 times a product doesn't meet your specifications you need to realize that it's not the product. It's you. They can't redesign it to meet your specs. If after sending it back four times it's not up to snuff you either have to accept it or not use it if it bothers you that bad. Hell. See if you can get a refund. Getting seriously bent isn't going to do you any good.
 
After reading this I'm wondering how this person can stand using the toilet. Or run a bath. His dish washer must drive him insane! Machines make noise. I have been exposed to bunches of PS4s that make noise. All of them are pretty consistent. The more taxing the process, the more loud the fan gets. You'll notice this phenomenon with cars, air conditioners, just about anything mechanical. If after 4 times a product doesn't meet your specifications you need to realize that it's not the product. It's you. They can't redesign it to meet your specs. If after sending it back four times it's not up to snuff you either have to accept it or not use it if it bothers you that bad. Hell. See if you can get a refund. Getting seriously bent isn't going to do you any good.

Are you dumb? If it's not meeting the same noise levels as a product it's supposed to be quieter than it's the product. I know exactly how it works when it comes to heat, cooling and noise. Been building computers for well over twelve years.

You realize it's only one part that's moving inside the PS4 to actively keep it cool?
The sound level of a PS4 is supposed to be lower than that of a PS3 when under full load. Full load means maximum amount of heat it can generate. It it's not met something is wrong. I'm not asking them to redesign it I'm demanding that the standard they themselves have set is met. BIG DIFFERENCE.

EDIT:
I hope for your own sake that you understand that some units do have a worse build quality than others?
They don't all come from the same factory, not all of them gets the same quality control and not all of them have identical components.
 
Are you dumb? If it's not meeting the same noise levels as a product it's supposed to be quieter than it's the product. I know exactly how it works when it comes to heat, cooling and noise. Been building computers for well over twelve years.

You realize it's only one part that's moving inside the PS4 to actively keep it cool?
The sound level of a PS4 is supposed to be lower than that of a PS3 when under full load. Full load means maximum amount of heat it can generate. It it's not met something is wrong. I'm not asking them to redesign it I'm demanding that the standard they themselves have set is met. BIG DIFFERENCE.
I stand corrected. Send it back again. I'm sure it'll be fixed this time.
 
My PS4 is generally pretty quiet. Quieter than my PS3 for sure. The only times I can really hear the fan is when I start it up but it goes back down after a minute or so.
 
I have said this in the other thread and i will say it here, if you have a really loud PS4 and you don't live in a furnace then return your PS4 as soon as you can. i recently got the destiny bundle and its much much much quieter than my launch PS4 back home. it's almost the difference between the original launch PS3 and the PS3 slim for me. it's not just the noise, it's also much cooler to touch.
 
Worked for others. If you don't have anything to contribute with don't write.

Noise levels are subjective and can be greatly influenced by your surroundings. For instance the ambient noise of living in a city or a furnace running can be enough to make the system sound quiet to some.
Reality is the Ps4 is not quieter than the ps3, that's Sony pr bullshit that's driving some people into OCD. It's a loud ass console and there's nothing that will change it. If it bothers you that much get rid of it and wait for a redesign or game on other platforms.
 
What does it take to get one of those?
What's the serial/model number one the ones you have that are completely silent?
Were you informed of what they did on the one you sent back in?

Not sure what model new one is, I assume they reapplied thermal paste as I could smell it burning in for the first week I got it back.
 
I wonder if this is normal? I posted it in another thread (PSN thread) because I didn't see or think about this one. But I actually have some more information about it now.


Every night at 3 AM EST, my ps4's fan will turn on for less than a second and then go off. The ps4 is completely turned off (the power cord is connected though of course. But yeah, fan just comes on for less than a second and then turns off, every night at 3AM like clockwork.

Maybe it's checking to see if there's an update or something?
 
Noise levels are subjective and can be greatly influenced by your surroundings. For instance the ambient noise of living in a city or a furnace running can be enough to make the system sound quiet to some.
Reality is the Ps4 is not quieter than the ps3, that's Sony pr bullshit that's driving some people into OCD. It's a loud ass console and there's nothing that will change it. If it bothers you that much get rid of it and wait for a redesign or game on other platforms.

Once again. It's highly objective when you measure the noise levels with a decibel meter under exactly the same ambient conditions, work load and duration of the test. Stop saying it's a subjective matter when it's purely about a comparison between two different types of products. It's only subjective when you talk about whether or not something is loud.
When you're talking about whether or not something is LOUDER than something else it's not subjective anymore. Not when you're measuring the decibel levels of the two. So no. It is not subjective at all in this case. It's a direct comparison between PS4 and PS3. There's nothing there in terms of opinions. One IS louder than the other.
 
Mine only bothers me when I first turn the system on with a disc in the drive. Horrible humming/tapping noise which sounds like a fan hitting a wire and catching it. When the disc stops spinning super fast the sound goes away and the machine is near silent.

mine too. its quieter than my launch model but it makes this awful noise with a click like every ten seconds then it stops when the disk stops spinning. sounds god awful.

ps4 reminds me of a Lada with a ferrari engine in it lol the hardware feels so flimsy and clicky etc "unstable" lol
 
I opened my PS4 up last night. Changed the thermal paste and man what a difference.
They used far too much thermal paste before and probably a cheap brand too. Cleaned it off with some chemically clean gasoline and added a pea sized dot of Arctic's MX-2. Playing Infamous First Light never goes beyond the faint sound of air being pushed out from the unit now. Will have to take some more tests and report my decibel readings as well.
Wondering what works best for the APU. A dot of thermal paste in the middle letting it spread from the pressure of the heatsink or if I spread it around in an equally thin layer all over it. Going to get some better thermal pads for the memory chips as well.
 
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