Many PS5 owners complained about loud coil whine issues. There are many coil whine-related questions left unanswered but Sony remains tight-lipped. Without further ado, let’s explore what coil whine is, what causes, and how you can fix it.
What is PS5 coil whine?
As power passes through your PS5’s GPU, the coil vibrates creating an audible buzzing or whistling sound what’s called coil whine. Rest assured, coil whine is not harmful for your PS5 console, and it doesn’t affects its performance or lifespan.
While the PS5 is considerably more silent than its PS4 predecessor, many users find the coil whine very irritating. This is because it gets louder when playing graphically demanding games such as Fortnite, Valhalla, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Demon’s Souls, and so on.
What does PS5 coil whine sound like?
Coil whine can range from a humming, buzzing, or whining sound to a grinding-like sound. It can sound like a low and continuous humming similar to that of a bee. Other PS5 gamers describes coil whine as a very annoying high pitched sound. If you run a damp finger around the rim of a wine glass, the sound is pretty similar to PS5’s coil whine as described by many gamers. Other users describe the noise as being similar to that of a mini generator, or an electric shaver.
The experience is different for every gamer depending on your current console settings and the games you’re playing. Some of you may experience the high-pitched version of it, while others may hear a noise similar to that of an old fridge deep rumble.
According to users, PS5 coil whine is worse and more intrusive than PS4’s fans, or coil whine on a PC GPU.
The buzz is not tinnitus friendly. Unfortunately, your tinnitus may start to mimic it after your turn off the console.
How long does coil whine last on PS5?
PS5 coil whine should stop the moment your close graphically demanding games. But some users complained the whine persists for a couple of minutes even in Rest mode or when they’re on the home page. However, three or four minutes after you exit your game, there should be no audible coil whine anymore.
How do I know if my PS5 has coil whine?
To check if your PS5 has coil whine, go near your console and listen if you can pick up any humming or buzzing sounds. Around 20 percent of PS5 users said coil wine is audible even in Rest Mode, while over 60 percent of them confirmed coil whine gets louder when gaming.
When playing PS5 specific games, the whine can sometimes be around the same volume as the game, some gamers complained. The good news is that this kind of reports are rare.
Is it PS5 coil whine or fan noise?
Coil whine and fan noise are not the same thing. Although PS5 users complained about loud fan noise issues and loud disk drive, fan-related noise takes a few seconds to change depending on the heat level. On the other hand, coil whine stops instantly the moment you exit video demanding games. For example, if you pause your game and go to the main menu, coil whine should stop whereas the fan noise will linger for a few more seconds or minutes.
Indeed, coil whine tends to happen when more power is being drawn, and this is also the moment when typically when fan speeds ramp up.
Do all PS5 consoles have coil whine?
Most PS5 consoles have coil whine and the majority of gamers complained about the noise. Whether you get coil whine or not, it depends on your performance, FPS, and graphics settings, as well as the games you’re running.
Interestingly enough, Sony uses different fan models from two different manufacturers. If you get the louder fan version, the fan may actually hide the coil whine. But if you get the quieter fan version, the coil whine suddenly becomes more noticeable.
Is PS5 coil whine normal?
PS5 consoles have higher clock speed, and the Game Boost mode is enabled by default. Setting your PS5 settings to high performance mode and running a powerful game at a high frame rate, means the console needs more power to meet your needs. Simply put, running graphically-demanding games at a high frame rate forces the PS5 console to suck in more power. More power means more burr.
Sony can’t prevent coil whine, and technically it doesn’t indicate there’s a “problem” or “defect” at all with the hardware. The whine occurs when your console draws in more power and individual components get tuned to the same frequency.
As a matter of fact, coil whining may actually indicate Sony used higher quality components for the PS5. Also, the company can’t possibly test each and very individual console off the production line to detect unusually high levels of coil whine.
What causes PS5 coil whine?
PlayStation 5’s game boost mode could be causing coil whine. Sony already confirmed the game boost mode is always on, and users can’t disable it. Running 120Hz games like Borderland 3 usually causes pretty intense coil whine. The buzz gets pretty loud when running games in 60FPS performance mode as well.
Various actions in the game may also trigger coil whine. For example, when you select the PS logo in game, the sound gets quieter. When you resume the game, the whine gets loud again. When you look to the ground, it’s less noisy but when you look ahead into the game world, the noise gets louder.
Can a bad PSU cause coil whine?
A bad or faulty PSU (power supply unit) could potentially also cause coil whine on your PS5. Many gamers listed faulty PSUs as a possible cause for coil whine, but there’s still no official confirmation thereof. As a quick reminder, PS4 Pro owners previously complained about similar problems.
How can I fix PS5 coil whine?
Will PS5 coil whine go away?
Coil whine can change over time, and the noise may go away. The whine may get quite loud when you launch a game, but after a few minutes, it should blend in with your console’s fan noise. Meanwhile, you can try to move the console further away from you.
The good news is that some users confirmed that, over time, the coil whine and the high-pitched noise got quieter even to the point of being almost inaudible. So, don’t lose hope.
Keep in mind that the noise usually changes depending on what’s on the screen and gets louder when you’re playing on high FPS settings.
How do you fix coil whine on PS5?
- Readjust the position of your stand or console. That could be contributing to the buzz as well. Place your console horizontally, then vertically and check if you notice any differences.
- Disable Performance Mode. Coil whine is louder with Performance mode on. Disable this option and check the results.
- Disable 120 Hz video output. Navigate to Settings, select Screen and Video, and go to Video Output. Turn off 120Hz output.
- Place the console in a well ventilated area. Make sure there’s enough space all around the PS5 so that the console can quickly push out hot air.
PS5 coil whine warranty and replacement
Your PS5 automatically comes with a 1-year warranty that you can use to get the console repaired or replaced by Sony. However, wait a few weeks before you return your console for coil whine, and check see if the humming and buzzing sound changes in any way.
People who sent their PS5 consoles in to Sony said the whole process took about two weeks. The new console seemed to be a bit less noisy but the coil whine was still there. This is because your PS5’s coil whine is normal and it isn’t a defect.
However, many PS5 owners ended up selling their console and sticking with their good old PS4 until Sony fixes the buzz.
Will Sony fix PS5 coil whine?
That’s a question that’s on many players’ lips. Maybe the whine will be less noticeable in the next year units. It’s been a few months since Sony released the PS5, yet the company remains tight-lipped on the coil whine issue. We’ll keep an eye on this matter, and update this post as soon as new information becomes available.
Did you experience loud coil whine issues on your PS5? Can you describe the problem in detail? If you’ve got any additional tips and trick to share with us, feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.
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