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Sony’s new PS4 Pro quietly fixes its noise problems

Sony’s new PS4 Pro quietly fixes its noise problems

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It’s not cooler or more power-efficient, but is it quieter

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The original launch PS4 Pro (pictured) could get very loud under load.
The original launch PS4 Pro (pictured) could get very loud under load.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The PS4 Pro can be loud, especially when running intense games. But these noise issues appear to have finally been fixed with Sony’s latest revision of the console, according to an analysis by Digital Foundry.

From the outside, the new CUH-7200 looks almost identical to the previous models of the PS4 Pro — of which, for those keeping track, there have been two. However, the back the bulky three-prong PC-style power connector has been quietly swapped for the same slim, standard figure-eight cable that Sony and Microsoft both currently use for their PS4 Slim and Xbox One S consoles. Although this change doesn’t appear to have made any significant difference to power draw or heat output — suggesting Sony hasn’t yet shrunk the processor — something about the overall revision has resulted in a significant drop in fan noise from between 50 and 55dB for the original PS4 Pro model to between 44 and 48dB for the updated model.

Without ripping apart one of the consoles for ourselves, it’s difficult to know precisely what’s changed. But if you’re already looking to pick up a PS4 Pro this holiday season, this seems to be the model to go for. Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily easy to get one. Digital Foundry discovered that Sony quietly snuck the new PS4 into the Red Dead Redemption 2 bundle (look out for a CUH-7216B on the front of the packaging if you’re interested in that route), but that means buying a copy of a game you might already own. We imagine this revision will quickly become the default console as retailers run through their old stock.