PS5 Coil Whine - What Is It and Can I Fix It?

Panajev2001a said:
See, that is what I am feeling too. The issue is very annoying to those it occurs for, but so far it is a small manufacturing defect affecting a smal percentage of units of a product that sold millions (you could easily have hundreds of people with this problem and still no grounds for a class action lawsuit).

Spamming threads to ensure this is always on the front page sometimes just scream of Influencer Tactics 101, keep bad issue always visible and make sure people talk about it. Effective too as even people arguing against it/upset by it are still bumping the thread and keeping it alive.
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Sounds like it might be an issue for only a small percentage of people that bought it. Unfortunately if the console sold millions at launch that small percentage can still be a sizable amount of units.

There are surely some people that will make the issue seem worse than it is (like RROD pt 2). But there are probably some out there that are genuinely suffering it. I think they should complain about it to Sony and hopefully this will improve things in the future for others who buy it.
 
lyra-ixi said:
coil whine can not be fixed. basically all electricals have it to some extent. the reason it's noticeable in GPUs is because there is so much current/voltage/load going through it. there are ways to reduce it but it will never go away completely.

to get rid of it would require completely changing the way we make electronics or maybe even change physics itself lol
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Most peoples series X's are amazing in comparison with regards to acoustics. If you can hear it from seated position is a problem IMO (and far worse than fan noise under load).
 
lyra-ixi said:
coil whine can not be fixed. basically all electricals have it to some extent. the reason it's noticeable in GPUs is because there is so much current/voltage/load going through it. there are ways to reduce it but it will never go away completely.

to get rid of it would require completely changing the way we make electronics or maybe even change physics itself lol
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You can make them unnoticeable for the general population tho. That already works, as only some electronics whine and other not.

Yes, thw physics behind are the same, but the results are different. I'm super sensitive to it.
 
ReBurn said:
Usually they're used because they are cost effective with long life and are good at stabilizing power flow in AC current applications due to being reliably linear in their frequency and voltage responses.

The buzz isn't a defect like a lot of people believe. The vibration is normal and the sound is just a result of the vibration. It can be annoying, though.
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Oh I know it's not defective thing, I am just observing. I wrote in that initial thread about this thing multiple time, that it's not a defect : )
 
Panajev2001a said:
DynamiteSheriff! I think we may need a coil whine OT as they are multiplying without really much new stuff.
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CatLady CatLady indeed the XSX is very quiet, but the volume of the air pushed by the large fan does make noise. If you get closer to the console you definitely hear that that quite clearly.

I can say that despite sometimes hearing the famous rattling (fan hitting the plastic label inside its compartment? That thing maybe) both have been very quiet for me. Neither of them is anywhere near the old PS4 or PS4 Pro.

XSX is quieter than PS5, but PS5 is now for me in the "quiet enough" band where being quieter has diminishing returns. Also, XSX is very quiet but not dead silent once the fan picks up (trying to keep the console free from dust, but I am not saying I have an Intel like Clean Room here :LOL:... still the noise I hear is all coming from above the console and it is not the fan making it... it is the air moving through the grill and being pushed out... it moves a lot of air, it is impressive).
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As I said I can't hear anything from my Series X unless I put my ear against it and even then it's extremely faint.

OR

Maybe I'm going deaf because when I had a PS4 I had no complaints about noise. Mine bore no resemblance to a harrier jet everyone talks about, it was as quiet as my OG X One, you could barely hear anything from it. It was a slim model were they quieter than other models, was I just lucky or am I going deaf? 🤣

Off Topic: " (trying to keep the console free from dust, but I am not saying I have an Intel like Clean Room here"
Any suggestions in keeping it clean? LA is a damn smog and dustbowl and I worry a lot garbage is going to get into my Series X from that open grill at the top down the road.
 
GametimeUK said:
The fucking thumbnails for YouTube videos kill me. 🤣

It's the cringiest stuff I've ever seen and that's coming from someone who recently read his old fanboy posts from when he was a member of N4G in 2009. (Not to mention my sexy no look stare for my avatar on here).
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Not sure why all the blokes pose like they're climaxing whilst something is tickling their prostate.
 
My neighbour also has a PS5 and I can always hear the coil whine when it's on. When I turn my PS5 on at the same time the frequencies clash and produce the brown note...

The whole block is sitting on the toilet at the same time.
 
I can still hear the coil whine while driving to work. Some say it's ringing in the ears, but I know it's the PS5. That's on fucking Sony with their shitty award winning single player games.
 
Almanac said:
I can still hear the coil whine while driving to work. Some say it's ringing in the ears, but I know it's the PS5. That's on fucking Sony with their shitty award winning single player games.
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I know your post is probably sarcasm but when I played for a few hours on my first ps5 that I had the longest I'd have a ringing in my ears afterwards. Probably because of the white noise in the background for hours at a time. Might be coincidental but never had it on my PS4/Pro or Series X.
 
CatLady said:
As I said I can't hear anything from my Series X unless I put my ear against it and even then it's extremely faint.

OR

Maybe I'm going deaf because when I had a PS4 I had no complaints about noise. Mine bore no resemblance to a harrier jet everyone talks about, it was as quiet as my OG X One, you could barely hear anything from it. It was a slim model were they quieter than other models, was I just lucky or am I going deaf? 🤣

Off Topic: " (trying to keep the console free from dust, but I am not saying I have an Intel like Clean Room here"
Any suggestions in keeping it clean? LA is a damn smog and dustbowl and I worry a lot garbage is going to get into my Series X from that open grill at the top down the road.
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I have the same fear as my X is sitting upright and... gasp... on the floor (engineered wood hard floor not carpet)... I mostly try to pass a broom/vacuum often especially in areas near the front door/shoe rack where there may be dust or where the dog goes (fur) and near the cabinet (consoles and peripherals as well as an A/V Receiver == lots of cables).
I try to swipe the console for dust regularly, but yeah dust is such a nasty enemy for electronics: every once in a while you may want to disconnect the unit and vacuum it directly.

If you are really really worried about dust, then turn your console off when you stop playing it and protect it with a cover made of a material that will not bring all the dust up in the air if you lift the cover up.
 
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Panajev2001a said:
I have the same fear as my X is sitting upright and... gasp... on the floor (engineered wood hard floor not carpet)... I mostly try to pass a broom/vacuum often especially in areas near the front door/shoe rack where there may be dust or where the dog goes (fur) and near the cabinet (consoles and peripherals as well as an A/V Receiver == lots of cables).
I try to swipe the console for dust regularly, but yeah dust is such a nasty enemy for electronics: every once in a while you may want to disconnect the unit and vacuum it directly.

If you are really really worried about dust, then it off when you stop playing it and cover it with a cover made of a material that will not bring all the dust up in the air if you lift the cover up.
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Ok that's genius, something so simple yet so brilliant. Ashamed I didn't think of it myself. Thank you!
 
lyra-ixi said:
coil whine can not be fixed. basically all electricals have it to some extent. the reason it's noticeable in GPUs is because there is so much current/voltage/load going through it. there are ways to reduce it but it will never go away completely.

to get rid of it would require completely changing the way we make electronics or maybe even change physics itself lol
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Mine does not have Coild Whine, neither does my Pc but my Ps5 is clearly louder than my Laptop but my laptop does not make any noise unless i push it hard with 8K videos or something like that, the spin goes crazy for some seconds or minutes.

Ps5 spin also goes crazy every hour or so for some seconds too.

I guess i got lucky with my Pc, Console and even my Smartphone which has gone flawless from almost 3 straight years 🤣
 
Hostile_18 said:
I know your post is probably sarcasm but when I played for a few hours on my first ps5 that I had the longest I'd have a ringing in my ears afterwards. Probably because of the white noise in the background for hours at a time. Might be coincidental but never had it on my PS4/Pro or Series X.
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I don't think the console will give you tinnitus. If it did I'm pretty sure there would be a warning about it damaging your hearing.

If you do find it causing ringing in your ears often that could lead to permanent ear damage. Even though the sound isn't loud the vibration that produces can damage your ears. Basically your console can he a health hazard to you if it really is that bad.
 
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MasterCornholio said:
I don't think the console will give you tinnitus. If it did I'm pretty sure there would be a warning about it damaging your hearing.

If you do find it causing ringing in your ears often that could lead to permanent ear damage. Even though the sound isn't loud the vibration that produces can damage your ears. Basically your console can he a health hazard to you if it really is that bad.
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Could of been coincidental but wasnt keen on continuing to find out. My second replacement is at home awaiting me to test it. I'm so apprehensive.. I'm mentally preparing myself for it so I'm not disappointed 😂.
 
Hostile_18 said:
Could of been coincidental but wasnt keen on continuing to find out. My second replacement is at home awaiting me to test it. I'm so apprehensive.. I'm mentally preparing myself for it so I'm not disappointed 😂.
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Well you shouldn't use the console at all if it produces ringing in your ears. I have to wear hearing production in my job alot and I take yearly hearing tests. If the ringing becomes common it could be a sign that your inner ear is getting damaged due to the vibrations.

Just to be clear I'm actually not joking.
 
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Hostile_18 said:
Could of been coincidental but wasnt keen on continuing to find out. My second replacement is at home awaiting me to test it. I'm so apprehensive.. I'm mentally preparing myself for it so I'm not disappointed 😂.
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You had a run of launch bad luck but this one is going to be silent and perfect and you're going love it and love playing all the games you've been dying to play on it. Your poor Series X is going to be lonely and neglected now. I told you before the 3rd time is the charm. ;)
 
CatLady said:
You had a run of launch bad luck but this one is going to be silent and perfect and you're going love it and love playing all the games you've been dying to play on it. Your poor Series X is going to be lonely and neglected now. I told you before the 3rd time is the charm. ;)
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I just finished Fallen Order last night.. this must be destiny!

I'll be back for Silent Hill The Room 4k 60 though oh and a little known game called The Medium. 😉
 
Kindof not suprised it has coil whine based on those images - complete absense of any stabilising gunk in there.

The solution is 'white stuff' aka RTV Silicone putty or caulk - you'll find in in most commercially produced electric power supplies where it has a number of purposes, one of which is damping and absorbing vibrations...

Unfortunately PC-MC lovers their glass case and likes to show off their expensive GPU etc - which means no unsightly gunk for them - result - forums full of people complaining about coil whine .. looks like Sony took a page out of the same book, despite the fact you can't seen the things.. dunno why..

[also odd that the guy in the video doesn't just, you know, replace the capacitor .. ???]
 
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M1chl said:
I build some switching power supply back in the day, if I would not loose part of my memory last year, I would know the specifics, but I have there just normal elektrolythics capacitor, which creates that switching.
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They have subtly different characteristics to electrolytics - there's a diagram of applications here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_capacitor#Electrical_characteristics

I this case I don't know why they use them - .. quote :

Film capacitors are physically larger and more expensive than aluminum electrolytic capacitors (e-caps), but have much higher surge and pulse load capabilities.
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Possibly having higher surge/pulse ratings lets sony make a smaller PSU than if they just used electrolytics - but I'm just guessing ..
 
I think....ppl will find anything to complain about. It's like saying my water isnt wet enough.
 
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Panajev2001a said:
See, that is what I am feeling too. The issue is very annoying to those it occurs for, but so far it is a small manufacturing defect affecting a smal percentage of units of a product that sold millions (you could easily have hundreds of people with this problem and still no grounds for a class action lawsuit).

Spamming threads to ensure this is always on the front page sometimes just scream of Influencer Tactics 101, keep bad issue always visible and make sure people talk about it. Effective too as even people arguing against it/upset by it are still bumping the thread and keeping it alive.
Click to expand...

And when I say my PS5 is dead silent I'm called a liar. It's pretty funny, calling others lying for saying they have perfect consoles and yet wanna believe that coil whines and other problems are actually "common" instead of rarity. All my friends I know that have PS5's have zero issues in my country.

While I still believe that some have this problem, same with XSX as well smoking and CD eject problems, those are minorities.
 
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Ps5ProFoSho said:
wkjmBqB.jpg
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Oh boy are you wrong or what, I own no Xbox and will likely never do, I play on PC instead and am a PS fan boy if any thing but if you knew your shit you'd know there are no wide spread reports on of Coil Whine on the XSX. See that wasn't so hard.
 
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Bo_Hazem said:
And when I say my PS5 is dead silent I'm called a liar. It's pretty funny, calling others lying for saying they have perfect consoles and yet wanna believe that coil whines and other problems are actually "common" instead of rarity. All my friends I know that have PS5's have zero issues in my country.

While I still believe that some have this problem, same with XSX as well smoking and CD eject problems, those are minorities.
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Sony clearly source the same components from different manufacturers, as is the case with 3 different fan types so it's no stretch of imagination to assume the PSU could have as well, perhaps you and your friend or most in you country have batches with better components. Also when listening for Coil Whine, have you tried jumping in and out from the dashboard into a game and move the camera around? Just idling on the dashboard makes no sound from mine.
 
I mentioned in the other thread but just used my third PS5 today and it has no coil whine. So even if you are susceptible to it like I am theres still hope. All PS5s are not built equally.

Playing without coil whine is SOOOO much better. It really shouldn't be a lottery but it is.
 
JeloSWE said:
You are basically sayin, because I don't have a problem no one else should. That's a very immature and naive way of reasoning.
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Unreasonable Sony fanboys take a complaint against Sony as a slight on their honour. Don't waste your time trying to convince them. The issue is real and all level headed people know that 😊.
 
I wonder what happens if you cover with the part that makes a coil whine sound with wax from a wax gun.... will it not function? because it still should.

Sorry, I do not know th correct word to use for it in English.
 
JeloSWE said:
Sony clearly source the same components from different manufacturers, as is the case with 3 different fan types so it's no stretch of imagination to assume the PSU could have as well, perhaps you and your friend or most in you country have batches with better components. Also when listening for Coil Whine, have you tried jumping in and out from the dashboard into a game and move the camera around? Just idling on the dashboard makes no sound from mine.
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Yeah mostly had to put my ears right on top of it to hear the fan. But definitely no whine at all. And yes, it's probably a lottery of parts, as even DDR4 DRAM some get Samsung and some get another company which probably one gave problems with rest mode. I play with a headset, so even if there is sound it won't bother me, but checked without the headset and no volume on and AC turned off and no sound.

We got the second batch, so maybe that's another reason? (1st was USA and some other countries).
 
Hostile_18 said:
I mentioned in the other thread but just used my third PS5 today and it has no coil whine. So even if you are susceptible to it like I am theres still hope. All PS5s are not built equally.

Playing without coil whine is SOOOO much better. It really shouldn't be a lottery but it is.
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Damn, nice dude. Happy for you. Now if I could get my hands on a silent one as well, haha.
 
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Is it more of a thing if you use rest mode? Or would I notice it if mine suffered from it regardless?

I don't use rest mode / instant on whatever it's called.
 
I have a small amount in one console when playing dark souls and zero in the other

my only guess as to why this is an issue on ps5 and not xsx is that they pack some sort of insulation goop on components which may cut down interference
 
Ovek said:
The coil whine will be coming from the motherboard not the PSU. The likely culprit will be the cpu vrm and there will be no fixing it.
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I was thinking about this PS5 coil whine and I kept relating it to the Xbox 360 slim external PSU that whines horribly. I have about 6 of them and they all whine.

I'm not a Sony console owner but I really hope they can find a fix as I am sure people find it wholly unacceptable. It's ironic that Sony market their audio solution yet this issue has slipped through testing.
 
JeloSWE said:
Oh boy are you wrong or what, I own no Xbox and will likely never do, I play on PC instead and am a PS fan boy if any thing but if you knew your shit you'd know there are no wide spread reports on of Coil Whine on the XSX. See that wasn't so hard.
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Suuure "PS Fanboy". You're first statement sure sounds like it. And this conversation has nothing to do with "knowing your shit", because no one really knows what and why is happening. Some say it's a sticker, others say it's the gpu, on and on.
TbvIbDe.jpg
 
Ps5ProFoSho said:
Suuure "PS Fanboy". You're first statement sure sounds like it. And this conversation has nothing to do with "knowing your shit", because no one really knows what and why is happening. Some say it's a sticker, others say it's the gpu, on and on.
TbvIbDe.jpg
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Please educate your self, here is the cause of the coil whine:


In regards to fanboyism, I'm not a fan of Xbox, that's for sure, it has no exclusive games that interest me and those that are interesting I play on my PC instead, but it's a pretty nice piece of hardware. How does that make me a Xbox fanboy, what are you 9 years old?
 
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JeloSWE said:
Please educate your self, here is the cause of the coil whine:


In regards to fanboyism, I'm not a fan of Xbox, that's for sure, it has no exclusive games that interest me and those that are interesting I play on my PC instead, but it's a pretty nice piece of hardware. How does that make me a Xbox fanboy, what are you 9 years old?
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OMG. Are you a hacker? I am 9. What else do you know?
You're completely full of 💩 is what YOU are. First you say "I'm a PS Fanboy if anything" then you say you play non-exclusives on PC. But overall you keep sucking that Xbox 🍆 like it's gonna pay you money. This was just a joke until you apparently got a major anal rash about it.
And I already watched the video. It is hardly educating.
 
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