PS5 Cooling Fans Louder In Some Units and Quieter In Others

Not all PS5 consoles seem to have been created equally, as a new report that the fan makes Sony’s latest hardware sound louder or quieter in some models compared to other models. This is particularly remarkable considering the talk in the lead up to the launch about how almost quiet the new platform should be.

In the months leading up to the PS5’s release, Sony boasted of the console’s supposedly whisper-quiet nature. Such a feat was supposedly accomplished thanks to the 120mm by 45mm double-sided fan that prevents the huge powerhouse from overheating, alongside its comically large liquid metal heatsink. However, not every part of Sony’s cooling solution seems to work as expected, and some PS5s have components that make them run louder than those of the luckier ones.

In terms of how different console models sound, the French publication Les Numériques claims to have noticed a couple of key differences. A Les Numériques writer couldn’t help but be impressed with how little they heard the PS5 fan after spending three weeks with a review unit. However, upon acquiring a launch unit, the same writer heard the sound of the fan immediately.

Further internal inspection apparently revealed that the fans inside the two models mentioned above were in fact, very different from each other. The two fan models that players end up with at random are below, with the left being the quieter of the two (and the one shown in the official PS5 teardown video from Sony) and the right running far less quietly.

According to Les Numériques, as compared to the launch edition, there are distinct variances between the shape and density of the fan blades of the review unit. Thus, Sony seems to have used two different fan models to accomplish the same aim, though the results vary somewhat. Additional research has shown that in-game noise from the test version of PS5 clocks in at about 39 decibels; on the other hand, the launch console emits a sound that climbs to 43 dB.

Although this is not too much of a sound difference, it definitely seems to indicate that the fan model does have a noticeable impact. Five computers in total were tested by Les Numériques. In two of them, the quieter fan resides, while the other three are fitted with the slightly louder model.

Again this is not generally a cause for alarm, but it should be remembered that certain users might have obtained a PS5 whose fan inherently runs a tad louder than others. This, coupled with recent news of loud fan noise caused by loose labels suggests that the hardware would need a few refinements before Sony promised it.

Interestingly, through post-launch updates, Sony previously stated that firmware changes to the fan are possible, and said improvements would be based on collected player data. This should give unfortunate noisy PS5 owners hope that the manufacturer of the console will put their fans in the future more in line with their quiet counterparts.