anyone else have a loud PS3?

stealth rhino

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
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65
This thread isn't to bash the PlayStation 3. I have both the PS3 and a 360 and love both systems as a good deal of you do.

However, I've had my PS3 for about 3 months now, and the fan noise is unbearable. Not in the "wow, that's fairly inconvenient" sense, more like "scare the cats and wake the baby in the next room" sense.

When it first started, it took about two hours of gameplay to get the fans to kick in, but never to the level it does now. Then about a month ago, I fed the machine it's first DVD. The wife and I laid in bed and enjoyed an upscaled version of "30 Days of Night" until about a half hour in when what sounded like a choir of hair dryers kicked in.

Since that night, I've only been able to play games from about 10 to 20 minutes before the noise kicks in. I regularly play with headphones on so it's no big deal to me, but the wife can hear it over the TV in the next room.

I placed a web ticket request for a warranty replacement/repair on Saturday and am awaiting a response. Not a big deal, I anticipated this due to the holiday.

I'm just telling my story to see if any of you had the same problem, and to see how good Sony was at rectifying the situation. I google searched "PS3 fan noise warranty" and it seems like any product that customer service seems fairly hit-and-miss... it looks like American customers have had a higher success rate at getting the problem solved vrs European owners.

*edit* from searches I've done, it looks like either a faulty fan (15 vrs 19 blade, etc.) or most likely something with the thermostat. The problem is while the fans sound like it kicks immediately in to the highest settings it doesn't seem to be generating that much heat.
 
What version of the PS3 do you have? I know my 40 gig doesn't make much noise, but my buddy's 60 gig is noisy as hell. And those boys at Sony will pretty much "fix" anything so long as it's in warranty. =)
 
What version of the PS3 do you have? I know my 40 gig doesn't make much noise, but my buddy's 60 gig is noisy as hell. And those boys at Sony will pretty much "fix" anything so long as it's in warranty. =)


40 gig. It seems like a fairly common problem with two Euro lots and less concentrated over here. I heard mostly good things about the US customer service, so my fingers are crossed.
 
I can barely hear my ps3 when its on, its a pleasure to use compared to my xbox 360 which sounds like a jet engine when playing games/DVDs. The xbox 360 is louder than my PC which has 4x80mm and 1x120m fans, and thats one of the new xbox 360's with HDMI!
 
I can barely hear my ps3 when its on, its a pleasure to use compared to my xbox 360 which sounds like a jet engine when playing games/DVDs. The xbox 360 is louder than my PC which has 4x80mm and 1x120m fans, and thats one of the new xbox 360's with HDMI!

I have pretty much the opposite experience that everyone else has, I have a pre-HDMI 360 that is generates far less noise than my PC and my PS3, and that's just due to the shitty DVD drive. I better check to make sure the fans are on next time I fire it up...
 
How long have you had it?

Mine got fairly dusty after about 3 months or so and I noticed the fan kicking on more. After spraying it out with compressed air, it appeared to go back to normal.

Also supposedly the PS3 runs cooler laying down, I just don't really have the proper place to lay it down. It's either on it's side by itself not influenced by heat from other devices, or on top of my DVR box which can get a tad warm.
 
How long have you had it?

Mine got fairly dusty after about 3 months or so and I noticed the fan kicking on more. After spraying it out with compressed air, it appeared to go back to normal.

Also supposedly the PS3 runs cooler laying down, I just don't really have the proper place to lay it down. It's either on it's side by itself not influenced by heat from other devices, or on top of my DVR box which can get a tad warm.

I'm at about the 3 month mark as well. I've vaccumed it out once using our IT guy's "shop vac" but will give the compressed air a shot.

When the noise started, the system was laying horizontally, about two feet from the wall behind it and about three feet away from the TV. Since then, I've placed it in all kinds of combinations of positions and distances away from electronic devices or anything that will impede air flow, to no avail.
 
Most 60GB PS3s are just as quiet as the new 40GB ones. For instance mine (60GB) even after movie marathons or long gameplay sessions is still quieter than my PC, which has a Corsair PSU and three Noctua fans for a total of about 24db. If it's not quiet, there's something wrong, that's all there is to it.

I have pretty much the opposite experience that everyone else has, I have a pre-HDMI 360 that is generates far less noise than my PC and my PS3, and that's just due to the shitty DVD drive. I better check to make sure the fans are on next time I fire it up...

When people complain about the 360's noise, it's not from the fans; it's from the DVD drive itself. My falcon mobo 360's fans are actually not very noisy at all. The ironic part is that the now dead HD-DVD add-on was actually acceptably quiet whereas the actual DVD drive is distracting during gameplay unless you like blasting your eardrums into deafness every single minute you play. This does not vary from model to model, and unless you have delta fans in your PC and defective parts in your PS3, then I seriously doubt your 360 is even remotely as quiet, let alone quieter.
 
I just got a 40gb PS3 this Saturday and the noise difference bewtween it and my Xbox 360 I had was night and day. My 360 when playing was louder than my PC. This PS3 just hums.
 
I'm at about the 3 month mark as well. I've vaccumed it out once using our IT guy's "shop vac" but will give the compressed air a shot.

When the noise started, the system was laying horizontally, about two feet from the wall behind it and about three feet away from the TV. Since then, I've placed it in all kinds of combinations of positions and distances away from electronic devices or anything that will impede air flow, to no avail.

Try this as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhU4_Rm0GQU&feature=related
 
just got my response back from customer service, they're sending me a box to ship it for repairs.

now to get over the "receipt" hurdle. I ordered the system through a loan program my company has through Dell, so I don't have a proper receipt. I'm sending anything approximating one (confirmation email to our purchaser, which has an itemized list and a grand total of everything but no individual item prices as well as a copy of the shipping contents...anything).

I'm also sending an email to IT/HR to see if they have a 'true' receipt to send along just in case.
 
The PS3 should be quieter than a Wii which is quieter than a 360.

The initial startup for the PS3 may have some fan noise, but should be inaudible once going. The drive on it should be louder than the fan. My PS3 is the 60GB model and I've had it since launch. Quiet little bugger, just needs more games than the occasional big release.
 
The PS3 fan's always louder than my PC at idle but it doesn't get annoying unless ambient room temp is past ~90F while playing games (SoCal weather...).
 
i have a 60gb that sounds like a air plane! my 360 is loud but its just the sound of the cd drive spinning, more of a low pitch windy sound.
 
Yeah my PS3 seems have gotten louder or maybe I just notice it more now. Either way its still quieter then the 360 dvd drive.
 
I can barely hear my ps3 when its on, its a pleasure to use compared to my xbox 360 which sounds like a jet engine when playing games/DVDs. The xbox 360 is louder than my PC which has 4x80mm and 1x120m fans, and thats one of the new xbox 360's with HDMI!

+1

if it didn't have lights on it i wouldn't even know my PS3 was on during use. my 360 on the other hand is loud as a mutha f'er

there maybe something not right inside your PS3, might want to get it looked at.
 
My PS3 is silent except for when it initially spools a disk.
 
My PS3 is pretty much silent until about an hour of playing, at which time it gets to be about as loud as my 360.
 
I should have been keeping up with the updates just in case someone stumbles across this thread with the same problem.

Was planning on using my Seagate USB external hard drive to back up the system only to have it take a dump on me just prior (while moving some files around on my laptop). So I reformatted my 30gb ipod and used that, worked fine. Not looking forward to going thru itunes again and checking off songs that I don't want transferred when I go to put music back on it...

Got my coffin in the mail Friday 05/30, sent the PS3 to Texas using the next day UPS label provided on Monday 06/02. Received confirmation last night (Wed 06/04) saying they sent a replacement system via three day shipping.

Will provide updates upon receiving package.
 
I have an 80 GB and I've had it for about 6 months now. It's been pretty much silent until.....I played GTA4. I didn't notice at first I guess because my speakers were very loud but once I stopped playing, the PS3 sounded like a leafblower for about 5 minutes then went back to normal. It's had never done this before with any other games or Blueray movies.

I'm getting worried!
 
This thread isn't to bash the PlayStation 3. I have both the PS3 and a 360 and love both systems as a good deal of you do.

However, I've had my PS3 for about 3 months now, and the fan noise is unbearable. Not in the "wow, that's fairly inconvenient" sense, more like "scare the cats and wake the baby in the next room" sense.

When it first started, it took about two hours of gameplay to get the fans to kick in, but never to the level it does now. Then about a month ago, I fed the machine it's first DVD. The wife and I laid in bed and enjoyed an upscaled version of "30 Days of Night" until about a half hour in when what sounded like a choir of hair dryers kicked in.

Since that night, I've only been able to play games from about 10 to 20 minutes before the noise kicks in. I regularly play with headphones on so it's no big deal to me, but the wife can hear it over the TV in the next room.

I placed a web ticket request for a warranty replacement/repair on Saturday and am awaiting a response. Not a big deal, I anticipated this due to the holiday.

I'm just telling my story to see if any of you had the same problem, and to see how good Sony was at rectifying the situation. I google searched "PS3 fan noise warranty" and it seems like any product that customer service seems fairly hit-and-miss... it looks like American customers have had a higher success rate at getting the problem solved vrs European owners.

*edit* from searches I've done, it looks like either a faulty fan (15 vrs 19 blade, etc.) or most likely something with the thermostat. The problem is while the fans sound like it kicks immediately in to the highest settings it doesn't seem to be generating that much heat.

I feel your pain. Every 360 I've owned so far sounds like a hoover, but my friend's ps3 is whisper quiet.
 
Update:

Got my refurbished unit from Sony on Tuesday (06/10). Would have gotten it sooner had UPS not made a mistake.

That night I put in a Blu Ray, hit play and waited... no jet engine noise even after an hour.

Yesterday I played about two hours of NFS:pS and another two of GTA IV... still whisper quiet and seemed to pull/push a good deal of air through the system.

So what did we learn today? If you think your PS3 is too loud, it most likely is. If it's still under warranty and can live without it for a week or two, by all means request service.

I'll put the system through its paces as soon as I wrap up my Paragon Solidier run-thru on ME and rest up for MGS4.
 
My 60GB turns up to full speed when I'm playing PS2 games but when I put in MGS4 last night, even after 2 hours it wasn't anywhere close to the PS2 games...weird.
 
I have the 60gb version and it does get a bit loud but then quiet again. It is no where as loud as my pc (which has 4 120 cm fan) and xbox 360.

Make sure it is a vented area. Also, you might want to clean the it.(check of see if there is any dust near the intake/exhaust fan )
 
My 40gb is very quite, can barely hear it... then again I usually have the tv loud.... lets face, it if you're playing a game and it's not loud, what's the point?
 
PS3s are loud at load. Watching movies, playing games...most people who say different are deaf.
Worst assumption ever as they're really not.

I switch between my game (after playing for 2 hours) and the Yankee game and when my cable volume is on mute, you can't hear any noise from the PS3.
 
Thanks Mr. Mike. My PS3 is less than a year old so it should still be under warranty, but I don't know whether or not I still have the receipt, I got it as a present last november :( do I need a receipt?
 
Just bought a used PS3 40gig off eBay and its silent. Same as other people, I couldnt tell if it was on without the lights glowing on the front. Sheer joy compared to my 360's jet engine blowers.

Is yours well vented? Mine is in an open space where airflow is great and the fans never spin up high.
 
My 60GB turns up to full speed when I'm playing PS2 games but when I put in MGS4 last night, even after 2 hours it wasn't anywhere close to the PS2 games...weird.

Mine does the exact same thing. Playing Persona 3 last night, my PS3 was just as loud as my 360. But with all my PS3 games, it's somewhere between the Wii and 360.
 
My 60GB gets pretty loud--almost as load as my X360 used to get. It's picky though, sometimes it gets loud within 15 mins (any type of media), other times it takes a few hours.
 
The 60gb has the hardware emulation right? Interesting.

Well, it's not emulation if it's hardware, but yes, basically. I think what's going on is the temperature sensor for the fans is located right next to the Emotion Engine, so when it gets fired up while playing a PS2 game, the sensor goes, "whoa, it's hot in here" and turns the fan up.
 
Well, it's not emulation if it's hardware, but yes, basically. I think what's going on is the temperature sensor for the fans is located right next to the Emotion Engine, so when it gets fired up while playing a PS2 game, the sensor goes, "whoa, it's hot in here" and turns the fan up.

Err... yeah hardware. Whatever. lol. Just curious how do you know that's where the sensor is?
 
Worst assumption ever as they're really not.

I switch between my game (after playing for 2 hours) and the Yankee game and when my cable volume is on mute, you can't hear any noise from the PS3.

Well, maybe I'll have to check into an RMA then. You and Mike seem to think otherwise. There have been countless threads based off the loudness of the PS3. For me, I literally have to turn up the sounds to hear over the PS3. Of course, my PS3 is laying flat in an armoire, so that could cause issues. Maybe standing it upright will help dissipate the hot air better..?
 
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