How To Make Your PS4 Quiet: A Quick and Easy Guide

The PlayStation 4 is an amazing gaming console and one of SONY’s most successful products. However, it’s not without its share of flaws, and one of the most common complaints about the console is just how loud the fan can get - “vacuum cleaner” and “jet engine” are only some of the terms that have been used to describe it.

If you’re wondering how to make your PS4 quiet, look no further: In this article, we’ll suggest several things you can do to deal with a noisy fan and make your gaming experience more enjoyable.

Why Is My PlayStation So Loud?

Before we get to the potential solutions, let’s take a look at the problem itself and what its underlying causes might be.

Overheating

The most obvious and likely answer could be that the console is overheating due to a heavy gaming load. Naturally, the better-looking the game, the more demanding it is on the hardware, and it’s easy to forget that the PlayStation 4 is almost a decade old at this point.

Therefore, if you notice that your console only gets unusually loud when you’re playing newer, more demanding games, chances are the increased workload is the main reason for the loud fan noise. This is much more likely to be a problem with the PlayStation 4 Slim, as opposed to the more powerful (and bulkier) PlayStation 4 Pro.

However, in most cases, it’s highly unlikely that the console is overheating due to load alone, so here are a few more factors to keep in mind.

Limited Airflow

PlayStation 4 consoles use open-air cooling, which means they need good airflow to function correctly and at maximum efficiency. If your PS4 fan is loud, it might be because it’s forced to spin faster due to limited airflow, leading to a buildup of hot air around the device.

Dust Buildup

Another unfortunate truth about any open-air cooler is that it will inevitably accumulate dust in the heat sink. If you’ve been using your PlayStation 4 regularly for over a year or two and it has never been cleaned, chances are it has gathered enough dust to noticeably inhibit the system’s cooling efficiency, both in terms of airflow and heat dissipation.

Degraded Thermal Paste

Thermal paste is a thermally conductive compound often used in cooling systems to maximize heat dissipation by creating a contact surface between a heat-generating component and heat sink, improving heat transfer and eliminating air pockets. Thermal paste degrades after several years, but it might need replacing.

Faulty Fan

Another possibility might be that the cooling fan itself is broken. This commonly happens due to its bearing getting worn out with time, but it can also happen due to a manufacturing defect or physical damage. If your console has gotten significantly louder seemingly overnight, chances are a broken fan is to blame.

How To Make Your PS4 Quieter

Now that we’ve gone over some of the most common reasons your PS4 might be overheating and running unusually loud, it’s time to take a look at what you can do to fix the issue.

Let the Console Cool Off

In some cases, the easiest and simplest way to avoid excessive noise is to give the device a bit of breathing room to cool off.

Of course, this is only a solution if the console starts getting hot after a relatively long gaming session. After all, you can’t be taking breaks every 20 minutes just because the noise levels get distracting so quickly.

Therefore, if the noise only becomes a problem by the time you’re ready for a break anyway, the solution could be as simple as turning off the game and letting the PS4 cool down. However, if that’s not the case, you can look into one of the solutions listed below.

Ensure the Console Has Good Airflow

If you’re wondering how to make your PS4 quieter without taking it apart, the first step would be to ensure that the device has good airflow. As mentioned above, the PS4 uses an open-air cooler, so proper airflow is a must if you wish to avoid overheating and high noise levels.

The first and most common mistake to avoid is placing your console in a tight, enclosed space, such as a closed cabinet. This is a surefire way to inhibit airflow and put extra strain on the console’s fan, forcing it to spin faster and generate more noise.

Make sure the console sits in an open, well-ventilated area. Ideally, there shouldn’t be any clutter around it, so leave about four inches of free space on either side of the device for optimal airflow. Furthermore, try switching your PS4 from a horizontal to a vertical position or vice versa, as it might also help with the problem.

Clean the Console

If setting up the PS4 in an optimal spot with good airflow hasn’t fixed the issue, and you’ve been using the console regularly for upward of two years, it has most likely accumulated a significant amount of dust that’s impeding airflow inside the case.

But fret not, cleaning a PS4 doesn’t necessarily involve taking it apart. You can use a can of compressed air, so it won’t be any more complicated than cleaning a keyboard! While holding the compressed air can upright, use it to blow all the dust out of the vents on both sides of the console.

You can also use an air compressor or handheld vacuum cleaner, but always exercise caution and never use a full-sized vacuum cleaner, as you could damage some of the finer internal components.

If that doesn’t fix the issue, the next logical step would be to open the console up and clean it more thoroughly. However, the PS4 was not designed to allow the average user to disassemble it easily, so if you think your console needs a more thorough cleaning, it might be a good idea to take it to a professional.

Furthermore, keep in mind that you should clean your console roughly every six months to prevent dust buildup. You can also use a dust cover to slow down the speed at which dust accumulates inside the console.

What To Do If Your PS4 Is Still Loud

If you’ve done all of the above and your console is still running loud and hot, have no fear, as there are still a couple of things you could do to resolve the problem.

Move the Console Away from the TV

The old proverb applies in this situation: “out of sight, out of mind.” Or, rather, “out of earshot, out of mind.” If you find that your PS4 fan is too loud, you can simply move the console to a spot where you won’t hear it and get a longer HDMI cable to connect it to your TV.

While this is by no means a long-term solution, it’s perfectly viable if all you need to do is make sure your PS4 is usable for a while longer before you get your hands on a new console. However, also keep in mind that this solution might cause more input lag for your controller, as the Bluetooth signal would have to travel a longer distance, potentially through walls.

Get an External Cooler

Sometimes, the console’s cooling system might simply need a boost. Fortunately, there is a number of third-party external coolers you can buy.

You can find everything from a simple device with additional fans that attaches to the rear of the console, to a multi-functional cooling stand that also doubles as a charging station and USB hub. Best of all, they don’t cost a lot either.

Take Your PS4 to a Professional

As mentioned above, the PlayStation 4 wasn’t designed to be easily disassembled by its user, so if you think your PS4 needs more cleaning than you can achieve at home, or you might be dealing with a faulty cooling fan, the best thing to do is to have the device looked at by a console repair professional.

Simply removing the plastic cover is one thing, but if the cooling fan or thermal paste need replacing, or the console has severe dust buildup after years of not being cleaned, this is the best way to get the issue sorted.

Before you do this, however, check your warranty information. If your warranty is still valid, keep in mind that removing the warranty sticker on the console to open it up will void the policy, so weigh the pros and cons of that first.

Get a New Console

Hardware doesn’t last forever, so if you’ve had your console for a while and don’t want to go through the hassle or incur the extra expense that would come with taking it to a repair shop, then it might be time to think about replacing the device.

After all, the PlayStation 4 is nearing its 10th birthday, and many next-gen games aren’t compatible with its platform. It might finally be time to retire the old console rather than putting money towards repairing it.

Conclusion

That would be our guide on how to make your PS4 more quiet! Hopefully, you’ve found it useful and it helped you resolve the issue of excessive fan noise.

On the other hand, if you’re ready to shelve your old PlayStation 4 in favor of a new console, you might also want to keep in mind that cloud gaming is growing rapidly, and you might not even have to invest in a powerful physical device. Consider that option before you set aside the cash for a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X.