PS5 making a lot of noise: fan, whine or rattling

A PS5 makes a lot of noise when the fan suddenly sounds like a vacuum cleaner, when you hear a high whine or when something rattles. A new PS5 is fairly quiet, but after a few years you often hear clearly more. At Blue Apple in Amsterdam, noise is often the first complaint before a console starts overheating. This article explains which sound means what and what to do about it.

Blue Apple repairs PlayStation consoles in Amsterdam. If you hear a noise and smell something burning, switch the console off immediately and read the section at the end.

Which noise do you hear?

• Loud blowing or humming from the fan: the console is getting warm and the fan speeds up. Often dust or a poor spot.
• A high whine or buzz that changes with the picture: this is called coil whine. Coils on the motherboard or in the power supply vibrate under heavy load, for example in menus with a very high frame rate. Annoying, but usually not harmful.
• Ticking, grinding or rattling from the fan: a worn bearing, or something touching the blades, such as a loose cable or a piece of plastic.
• Rattling or clicking with a disc: the disc drive. See PS5 not reading discs.
• Rattling when you lift the console: a loose screw, for example from the stand, or a loose part inside.

Step 1: placement and dust

1. Give the PS5 space all round, especially at the back, and do not put it in a closed cabinet.
2. Do not put it on a rug or carpet.
3. Carefully vacuum the vents and, on the original model, the dust catchers under the side panels. See cleaning your PS5.

Step 2: software and games

• Update the system software.
• If it mainly happens in menus or in one game, cap the frame rate in the game settings if possible. That reduces coil whine and heat.
• Switch the PS5 off completely instead of rest mode when you are not using it, if it is noisy there too.

Step 3: the stand and side panels

A loose screw in the stand or a side panel that does not click in properly can vibrate along. Check that the stand is firmly attached and the panels are fully clicked in. That sometimes fixes a rattle straight away.

When should you have it checked?

• The fan ticks or grinds, even when the console is cool.
• The fan runs at full speed right after switching on.
• You get a warning that the PS5 is too hot. Read PS5 overheating.
• The noise started after a fall or after moving it.
• You smell something burning: switch it off at once and unplug it.

What not to do

• Do not stop the fan with a finger or stick while it is spinning.
• Do not open the console to reach the fan if you have never done it; inside there is liquid metal on the chip.
• Do not spray oil or lubricant into the fan.

What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam

We first listen to where the noise comes from: fan, power supply, drive or something loose. Then we clean the console, check the fan for play and wear and secure loose parts. If the fan is worn, you hear beforehand what is needed. See PS5 cleaning, PS5 diagnosis or PlayStation repair in Amsterdam.

Frequently asked questions

Is coil whine a defect?

Usually not. It happens in a lot of electronics and is not harmful. If it suddenly gets much worse, have it checked.

Is the PS5 Slim quieter?

The Slim has a smaller cooler, but is also fairly quiet in normal use. The Slim gets louder with dust too.

Can you fit a quieter fan?

We use a fan that suits the console, so the cooling works the way Sony intended.