Sony's PS5 is much quieter than its predecessor, the PS4 Pro. There was some concern that the fan would be just as loud, so loud that the Pro's fan is jokingly referred to as a jet engine, but this simply isn't the case. I've spent two weeks with my PS5 playing various games, sometimes with the console running for several hours at a time. It never once picked up speed.
I recorded several audio clips of each console running idle and running various games. The clips below include around 15 seconds each of the PS4 Pro and PS5 running Days Gone.
Windows Central Audio Samples · PS4 Pro fan vs PS5 fan comparison
The difference is stark, even if you may not think so at first. Turn down the volume on your computer and you may not hear the PS5 fan in that audio clip at all. The same can't be said for the PS4 Pro audio. That audio clip of the PS4 Pro was taken after the console was on for maybe 5 minutes and I had just started up Days Gone.
Sony's engineers pulled off quite the feat. Though the PS5 is a bit too large for my tastes, the fans work as intended. The console is kept cool without the deafening sound of a fan gone rogue. That's efficiency at its best.
I'd imagine with a better microphone and recording setup I'd be able to capture the true audio levels of each. If you're just sitting in your living room, even a few feet away from your console, you won't hear the fan at all, which I mentioned in my PS5 review.
Next-gen is finally here
You can buy a PS5 right now, and it's set to be Sony's most powerful console with a super fast SSD, 3.5GHz CPU, and 10.28 TFLOP GPU.
Leave physical games behind
The PS5 Digital Edition packs in every bit of greatness the standard PS5 does, and does it for just $399. It might not have a disc drive, but the future is heading towards a more digital age every day.
