
Sony’s range of PlayStation 4 hardware is so loud it could be considered a public disturbance. We’re all praying to the hardware gods that it’s come up with a solution to keep its next-gen console quiet, then, and a patent from 2018 hints at what the device’s cooling system may look like. It’s worth mentioning that the PlayStation 5 isn’t referenced explicitly in the documentation, and plans are always subject to change.
Nevertheless, the abstract explains roughly how the cooling solution will operate: “A heatsink is disposed on a lower surface of a circuit board. The circuit board has through holes that penetrate the circuit board in an area where an integrated circuit apparatus is disposed. Heat conduction paths are provided in the through holes. The heat conduction paths connect the integrated circuit apparatus and the heatsink. This structure allows for disposition of a component different from the heatsink on the same side as the integrated circuit apparatus, thus ensuring a higher degree of freedom in a component layout.”
Speaking as part of his PS5 presentation earlier in the year, architect Mark Cerny explained that the unique design of Sony’s next-gen system will help to prevent it from turning into a hairdryer. He also mentioned as part of an interview with Digital Foundry that we’ll get to see the console’s cooling solution as part of a teardown in the near future.
For now, Reddit user nemesis_scale has prepared some renders which show how the patented heatsink could look in physical form. They’re not to scale, but should give you a better idea of what the Japanese giant has in mind here:


With competitor Microsoft promising whisper quiet performance for Xbox Series X, we’re hoping Sony has a decent solution to this problem, as the PS4 range is so loud it’s attracted ridicule in recent weeks.
[source appft.uspto.gov, via reddit.com]
Comments 69
I really hope to get something quiet this time. Ps4 fan is so annoying.
you know i keep hearing people going on about the PS4 fan and i have a day one launch model PS4 and it's not that loud at all the only time it ever hit a loud noise was playing Star Wars Battlefront 2, my PS3 slim is louder than my PS4 is, in fact my desktop air purifier makes more noise than my PS4 does
maybe people just aint keeping their PS4 clean and ventilated
"Cool runnings"
I see what you did there.
@TheNewButler Yeah, I think it's going to be a big box, too.
@Arugula Dude, it's not an urban legend. I can personally testify that my PS4 Pro would go so loud, I could hear it two rooms across! I would get stressed by the noise, thinking that if I don't shut it down, it would overheat and get damaged.
I had to open it, replace the thermal pads and its thermal pads with superior ones, and while more tolerable, it's by no means a quiet piece of machinery.
Really hyped to see what Cerny did with the PS5 to prevent overheating issues. This huge heatsink makes me feel better about the console. Safety and functionality first, design and wow! factor second.
PS4 Pro can be unbelievably loud. You don’t notice until you turn it off sometimes. I clean dust out of mine several times a year (case off, clean fan).
Big reason I love the Switch.
@Arugula Doing your best Chris Ray Gun impression I see. That is because you have a slim version. OG models of base and pro versions are renowned for being loud. Of course not everyone's console is like this, it all depends on stuff like how clean it is, where it is positioned etc.
@TheNewButler i have noticed that most people talking about it are PS4 Pro users so perhaps it's an issue with that affects model
but as for the PS4 i also have it out in the open with nothing near it, i also have it on stilts (so to speak) so it gets plenty of air underneath it too, the underside can generate a lot of heat and putting it on a shelf can cause even more heat as the shelf retains the heat and passes it back into the console so it helps to have a gap between the console and the shelf
@Arugula He co hosts the Sacred Symbols podcast. Every episode his literally says he is baffled over something or other, hence why I've referenced him a couple of times!
@TheNewButler Cerny actually explains why Horizon gets really loud on the map screen on his "road to ps5" video.
"Power consumption varies a LOT from game to game. When I play God of War on my PS4 Pro, I know the power consumption is high, just by the fan noise. But power isn't simply about engine quality. It's about the minutiae of what's being displayed and how.
It's counter-intuitive, but processing dense geometry typically consumes more power than processing simple geometry. Which is - I suspect - why Horizon's map screen with its low triangle count makes my PS4 Pro heat up so much."
Words from the wizard himself. Hope this cleared it up a bit.
@get2sammyb
I’m calling it will look very similar to a VCR, a huge rectangle.
While my ps4 pro fan can be little loud when playing god of war (map), it's still on normal level, it's not noticeable when I'm playing with normal tv sound, and I never open my ps4 pro to clean the fan. Maybe because I usually play when my air conditioner is turned on. My ps4 original is silent.
I hope ps5 is more silent and run cooler than ps4 though
My PS4 is pure noise but I always play through headphones so I can hardly hear it. At least it keeps my room toasty on cold winter nights.
Looks like solid gold. PS5 is gonna be $800+ for sure.
It is like a Gaming PC. If you want it to be silent you need to pay a premium.
We wanted less noise - we will pay a bit more.
At last yay meanwhile it's time to break out the thermal paste and thermal pads ready for Ghost of tsushima.
@FullbringIchigo Yeah.
I have a launch PS4 and had it in my TV floor unit. It is just 2 Long pieces of glass suspended on legs so has no back or sides. I always thought it had good ventilation.
Now with my girl working from home and taking over the family room as her home office I moved It to just standing vertical next to the TV in the bedroom. It is not silent. But it has done tons of difference.
Please don't look like a bday cake Please don't look like a bday cake Please don't look like a bday cake Please don't look like a bday cake Please don't look like a bday cake.
Still with this? My PS4 Pro 7215 is very quiet. And clean. Who gives a ***** how loud they are as long as they run well. I'll take a fast powerful machine that's loud over something crippled because babies are sleeping.
Ok I'll play along. My ps4 is so loud it reminds me of last time I climbed into a helicopter. 🙄 (that's sarcasm)
More seriously, this was designed in early 2018. But but.. the internet told me Sony 'overclocked' the GPU in reaction to Ms SeX and therefore had to rethink the whole cooling system 🤔🤔 obviously not.
@TheNewButler
Why?
This looks very compact on the opposite.
It makes me think the console will be smaller than expected
Might be because my Lounge is ice cold but the only time mine kicks in loud is when the vents and fan need a clean other than that the fan barley operates ? I find all this talk very unsettling- I have had a PS4 pro from the day it came out and a standard edition ps4 prior to that
I have a PS4 launch model and it sounds like a jet engine, I even took it apart and cleaned the fan and heat sink and used better thermal paste, still the same. I changed it to a PS4 Pro and still the same sounds like a jet engine, it’s not near anything or enclosed, just bloody loud! That’s one advantage the PS4 Slim has, it’s quiet... I hope the PS5 follows suite.... Sony should be using the Xbox One X as a benchmark like Microsoft are doing with the Series X.
@TheNewButler Oh for sure - if you get a tub you give yourself (and the cooling) more time before the heat in the case becomes a problem.
I always use a Thermaltake Core P1 with a side fan rack for my builds. Even being open air - it did not matter what I did with an EVGA Black Edition it would sound like a hovercraft on load. Especially with RayTracing on.
Gave up and payed a bit more for the XC Ultra and it was night and day. Did not even need the 2 side 120mm to keep it quiet.
Xbox almost did it right with large openings for intake and exhaust of air. That will help with noise what they missed is removable screen dust filters. They collect most of the dust that would have made in inside your case! When dust collects on the heat sink the fans have to spin faster to try and cool it.
@3MonthBeef (shrugs) Cerny's words, not mine.
@TheNewButler
The way I understand is the chip is in the middle like in a sandwich?.
@TheNewButler
Well the scale is misleading so I dont think we can really tell but it seems compact to me.
I care less about noise and more about reliability. As long as the system is kept cool enough for me to keep playing, I will be happy.
The Quiet One gets my bunce simple as.
@OmegaStriver
So, like an Xbox One?
I'm as excited for PS5 as the next guy, but seeing headlines like this just reminds me how badly Sony needs to get on with showing off the console and software. You know things are pretty dry when we're excitedly talking about heat sinks 😂
And this is exactly what happens when you have to seriously jack up clock-speeds upon realizing your main competitor brought significantly more raw silicon to the fight. This unique cooling system is super cool, don't get me wrong, but is going to be uncommonly expensive to fabricate (significantly so). More and more the PS5 and Series X having the same launch price makes more & more sense (likely around $500).
My ps4 has its moments but most of the time its quiet. But I keep it clean it's well ventilated, not on a carpet or squashed on a book case or somewhere silly where it isn't getting air flow.
My ps4 pro is quite loud, because fan noise is over screamed by spinning disc. And if the disc is not balanced, the humming is brutal. Hope Sony will finally make games to fully install to SSD and than it only checks the disc is in and run the game from SSD. Like Diablo 3 on PC.
I still don't get why people say PS4 is loud, i can't hear mine unless i'm playing a disc game (bc of the whining sounds of disc drive). Even my PC is more noisy.
Back on topic, how is this more efficient on cooling than a normal cooler? I mean, it IS a normal cooler, just on the lower side of the MoBo, that can't be better per se...
Will they put another cooler on top? Like a cooler sandwich.
@makina
I saw this link a few days ago. I think it helps to understand.
https://twitter.com/xTHAFINESTx/status/1253387445061726212?s=19
@TrueAssassin86x And pay more for the privilege... good thinking.
@makina Just a guess but maybe it's because their PS4s are noisy... just a thought.
@JJ2 Thank you very much.
That make it clear for me, they are actually doing a cooler sandwich. Sounds like a good idea.
I clean my PS4 out every 2 to 3 months open up the underneth pop out the power supply and blow out all the dust in the heatsink and clean the fan if that annoying dust that looks like chalk off the blades.
Once that's done it silent as hell it was Doom 2016 that started it off for my followed by HZD when using the map or playing it.
I shall watch the ben heck teardown!
@BrettAwesome Yes, but in PS style but it’ll look like a VCR.
The PS4 fan is like that gently beep you ear when you get out of the car. It's there to remember you to turn it off.
Looks like Sony's praying to the hardware gods to keep their system quiet too, because that thing isn't a heat sink, it's a freaking heat Parthenon.
@FullbringIchigo this is what i do with my pro as well. Mine is up ontop of one of those blank dvd cylinders cases things
@Arugula PS4 was revealed in june
@Nickolaidas maybe it needs a cleaning. Mine doesn't go that loud. I can here it once in a while but only for a few minutes
@Agramonte my theatre system must be the reason I don't hear it
Can't wait to get a load of the power cable & eject button
My PS4 Pro is more quiet than my XboxOne X, but I do hoover around the air vents every other day. With obviously dusting and hoovering every day, dust and especially smoke 🚬 will destroy your consoles over time. The PS5 will be a lot easier to cool that's because of it design, and no the PS5 is not overclocked like you would overclock a PC.
Still think MS have started a new trend with their (small) tower type design and I think Sony will follow with something similar..after watching the DF teardown of series X it does seem to cool really efficiently or at least it seems that way on paper so to speak
For me, it was plainly evident how loud mine and my cousins ps4 got. The pro is not as bad but the original ps4 was shocking. Playing game like Fortnite even turned it into a hair dryer. Just make it like a small PC like the Xbox series X I think it looks fantastic.
I must be very lucky. I still use my launch day ps4 and it's never been loud.
I rarely play my PS4 without headphones, so I don't much notice the noise of it all, but my cat loves the heat it produces. Seriously, she camps out near the vents
@TrueAssassin86x Very true... but with the Radeon RX 5700XT, which isn't quite as powerful as the PS5, costing around $400 or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, which is slightly better, costing around $1300 you'll only have to play for between 8 to 26 years to have saved any expenditure you'd have lost on paying for PS+... so, again, good thinking.
Fan noise will be the make or break going forward, not just of PS5 but future versions too and if Sony don't win this battle It will likely spell the beginning of the end of the PlayStation as a piece of hardware. With internet speeds only getting faster it cannot be beyond doubt that the future of gaming is online streaming initiatives like Stadia. After all, no matter how powerful the hardware, who wants the noise of a jet taking off in their room every time they switch their PS on?
RRoD 2...it won't be Xbox Fans It's funny how they forgot how bad the Xbox 360 was made and are now making out SONY will do the same. Er nothing will be as bad as the Xbox 360's were Anyway I really would like it to be quiet because Fan noise does annoy me(the Fat PS2 I hated sometimes) :-/
@FullbringIchigo Same here. My original PS4 only was a bit more noisier when it was playing more high end games. My Pro on the other hand, barely makes any noise that I find noticeable during gaming. Most I'm willing to bet probably don't properly clean their vents out.
@Nickolaidas If that's true, then why does mine not make so much noise? Can you explain that one?
@soulofman5446 If it's properly cleaned to keep dust out of the vents, I'd imagine so.
@InsertUsername You got lucky with the quality/placement of the thermal pads and thermal paste on your pro? Got a later model which had less fan noise while producing more heat (the Read Dead 2 bundle)? Not sure.
I mean, my X-Box One X is quiet as a mouse, yet there are people who state that theirs sounds like a jet engine when playing a demanding title.
@Nickolaidas I can only go by what my friends(most are PS gamers) have said about their day one Pros. They aren't working or paid by Sony, so I don't see a reason for them to lie otherwise. As for myself, I bought mine in late 2017, and haven't heard it make any significant noise that most complain about when playing demanding games. My original PS4 can be a bit noisy but not jet engine level noisy. I don't know man. Maybe some are lucky enough not to experience any real issues? Perhaps those who complain on both ends maybe don't clean theirs from time to time? I mean dust is definitely a serious enemy for electronics.
@InsertUsername When I opened mine after 3 years to change the thermal paste and thermal pads, it didn't have dust in the heatsink at all - well, maybe it had enough dust to block 5-10% of the heatsink, but not like those situations you see on YouTube when the heatsink is 85% blocked by solid dirt to the point it looks like freakin cement.
Anyway, there are enough complaints about the Pro's noise to make one realize it's not Tales from the Backside. Mine would get so loud I could hear it two rooms across. I got stressed just hearing it.
@FullbringIchigo Not sure if you're referencing the PS4 Pro or not. But I have a Pro, have done since it came out.
And the fan on that is ridiculous. When playing intensive graphical games like God Or War, or Horizon it literally sounds like the console may take off and fly away!
My Slim (which i have at my girlfriends house) however is another story, it rarely makes much noise. Or maybe it's i'm so used to my PS4 Pro that I don't notice it as much.
Seriously, i can't overestimate just how loud the pro is, I have to turn the TV volume up to a reasonably high level to a drone out the fan going ham.
I've had a launch PS4 which was quiet, and a Pro since launch. Sure, it gets a bit loud, but it's never loud enough to distract from gaming with the TV at normal volumes; it's only really noticeable when the game goes quiet.
@TrueAssassin86x Thing is, the Series X is not that big. These new consoles are powerfull bits of Kit, I would just rather them be sufficiently cooled.
@TheNewButler
I bet it's smaller and more sleek than the subwoofer SX. Just look at PS4 and XB1 at launch.
I have a launch Pro and a glacier white and I don't notice the fan unless it's been on for a long time and gets ultra hot. Generally I can't hear it, but then again, I keep my systems well ventilated whereas most ppl are clueless about that. You shove you PS4 in a closed shelf and wonder why the fan goes bonkers..
Just as a general FYI, this patent is basically the ability to put the heatsink below the CPU instead of the traditional on top. It seems odd, but perhaps the intent is to have TWO heatsinks, one on top and one on the bottom?
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