[Digital Foundry] PlayStation 4 Pro CUH-7200 Review: the latest, quietest hardware revision

RestEerie · Nov 7, 2018

am i one of the fortunate launch ps4 pro owners that got a quiet (relative) unit?

My Launch OG PS4 sounds like a jetpack when it's playing gfx intensive games but my launch pro is adequately quiet. It's not totally 'noiseless' but the fan noise will take some effort and me going all the way next to the console to hear the sound.

gebler · Nov 7, 2018

BGA said:
Not a fan of the slight heat increase over the 7100 model. I'll keep my God of War PS4 Pro then.

thomasjast said:
That's not how heat works. Heat is a byproduct of wattage vs. efficiency. The new one uses less power, so there is not "more" heat, as that would be impossible. And hotter exhaust means it's leaving the machine, which is a good thing. As for temperature of the chassis, what does that matter? It's not a living being, it doesn't need to be comfortable.

It probably doesn't more generate more heat, but BGA could still be on to something: One way of reducing the noise could be to adjust the fan speed curve so that the fan is running a bit slower in typical scenarios. Removing the same amount of heat using less airflow would make the exhaust hotter, as observed for the new model, but also make the steady state temperature of the APU somewhat higher. That could be a legitimate concern if it affects the life expectancy negatively. But I guess it's not necessarily so, given that newly produced APUs could very well be more tolerant of high temperatures as a benefit of improvements to the manufacturing process over time.

K' Dash · Nov 7, 2018

I have the GOW Pro and have to play with headphones, the thing is not only loud, it's hot as all hell too.

PLASTICA-MAN · Nov 7, 2018

For those who still didn't get a PS4 Pro. just wait a little. There is already a base PS4 Pro with this design including a 2 TB HDD in Japan. If you can't wait, get the 500 million edition which offers a socle and PS Camera, that is if you can find it but this model is CUH 7100 and not 7200. So better wait for the 2 TB version then.

LuigiV · Nov 7, 2018

Dynamite Cop said:
Doesn't seem like a big enough difference for me to replace my launch Pro.

Keep in mind the the decibel scale is logarithmic and a reduction of 3dB means an approximate halving of the sound power being measured. The 7200's 5-6dB reduction over the launch model is actually pretty big.

Dantendo · Nov 7, 2018

I traded my Pro to downgrade to a slim and money towards an Xbox One X because of how annoyingly loud the fans would get.

I'd be back in for a quiet version.

mrglcs · Nov 8, 2018

My launch pro is so loud while playing RDR2 that my girlfriend has to turn up her tablet volume to the max to properly understand something.

If I play without headphones the fan noise is almost unbearable. It was also really bad with Spidey and good old Kratos.

Might have to get this new model and sell my abomination on eBay.

SilverX · Nov 8, 2018

Does the Gamestop Pro day sale with the extra trade in credit for consoles allow it to go towards the purchase of the RDR2 PS4 Pro bundle?

M1chl · Nov 8, 2018

LuigiV said:
Keep in mind the the decibel scale is logarithmic and a reduction of 3dB means an approximate halving of the sound power being measured. The 7200's 5-6dB reduction over the launch model is actually pretty big.

True that, people needs to understand that dB is on a logarithmic scale (not linear) so basically not going to deep into this topic, 3 dB less means half the noise or sound, obviously harmonic frequencies plays the role and everyone hearing is different, but cut the "sound pressure" by more than twice is really something.

BubblegumNemesis · Nov 8, 2018

The fact that it is still louder than the X1X show me that Sony is not really serious about this being a premium product. I hope next gen they decide to follow this road as well like MS. I am a sucker for premium consoles.

Gamer17 · Nov 8, 2018

if PS5 is 2020 then i will upgrade my launch pro to one of these. anyway of knowing the CUH number when u order online?

potentialtodisplease · Nov 8, 2018

BubblegumNemesis said:
The fact that it is still louder than the X1X show me that Sony is not really serious about this being a premium product. I hope next gen they decide to follow this road as well like MS. I am a sucker for premium consoles.

We can all hope, but the bigger they get it becomes more doubtful. Microsoft is selling to a much smaller audience, and Sony is really risk averse these days. I hope it is better though. At least a better and larger fan ffs.

Serious Sam · Nov 8, 2018

Gamer17 said:
if PS5 is 2020 then i will upgrade my launch pro to one of these. anyway of knowing the CUH number when u order online?

Depends on where you are ordering from I suppose. If I order online from my local online hardware shop I can just write them an email and ask.

potentialtodisplease · Nov 8, 2018

M1chl said:
True that, people needs to understand that dB is on a logarithmic scale (not linear) so basically not going to deep into this topic, 3 dB less means half the noise or sound, obviously harmonic frequencies plays the role and everyone hearing is different, but cut the "sound pressure" by more than twice is really something.

+10 dB is the level of twice the perceived volume or twice as loud (loudness) in psychoacoustics.

So yeah that is a huge improvement.

MAX PAYMENT · Nov 8, 2018

I wonder what the easiest way to trade in my current one to get the one would be.
I have a 2tb installed, no clue where the original HD is.

Dynamite Cop · Nov 8, 2018

LuigiV said:
Keep in mind the the decibel scale is logarithmic and a reduction of 3dB means an approximate halving of the sound power being measured. The 7200's 5-6dB reduction over the launch model is actually pretty big.

Honestly, I'm making excuses for myself to put off the eventual long data transfer or redownload process of games :(

Your explanation does make sense. Maybe I'll treat myself to a new, quieter Pro in a few months.

Hesemonni · Nov 8, 2018

Anybody seen a teardown of the CUH-72XX model yet?

Gamer17 · Nov 8, 2018

Dynamite Cop said:
Honestly, I'm making excuses for myself to put off the eventual long data transfer or redownload process of games :(

Your explanation does make sense. Maybe I'll treat myself to a new, quieter Pro in a few months.

Yea i ll wait till Feb. If they don't announce ps5 by feb2019 I m buying this

henhowc · Nov 9, 2018

The ign headline for this...

Putty · Nov 9, 2018

My launch Pro sounds like an F-15, but i've learnt to live with it.

Asakusa15 · Nov 9, 2018

That's it then. I'm going to sell my CUH-70xx labeled airplane. I barely played any PlayStation games after upgrading to Pro because the noise was unbearable, even with headphones on.

rudds · Nov 9, 2018

Alright, taking my launch Pro and launch regular PS4 to GameStop tonight to swap for the Red Dead bundle. Are they sticklers about HDMI and USB cables, or is console, controller and power enough for the trade-in?

-2B- · Nov 9, 2018

I hate the fan on mine. I'm not spending $400 again to rebuy a quieter one. It should have never shipped with a fan that loud.

Kyoufu · Nov 9, 2018

henhowc said:
The ign headline for this...

lol, nobody announces small revisions.

criteriondog · Nov 9, 2018

How do you know which Pro/bundle has the better fan/is more quiet? Asking for a friend.
I got the 500 million LE, and that thing is so quiet compared to my brother's launch pro which constantly overheats and is loud af.

JaseC64 · Nov 10, 2018

I recently got the new Red2 revision from GS.

Big issue is it seems this model has coil whine described here: https://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/PS4-Support/PS4-Pro-buzzing-noise/m-p/24708910

The video posted on that forum with the Example is what mine sounds like. I thought my system was broken at first.

Dude what the fuck!? Anyone here have this? Should I return mine? I have 30 days if I'm doing that from gs in store policy. Can someone give some suggestions? Damn I'm so pissed.

cakely · Nov 10, 2018

Got my new pro. I backed up my old pro, swapped the SSD from the old pro to the new and then restored. It took 1 hr, 45 minutes to back up 300GB and the same amount of time to restore. This was significantly faster than the backup from the OG PS4, which took more than eight hours to backup a few years ago. I confirmed that PT still runs after all these years of backups and restores.

So far impressions are good. The old pro was so loud I'm pretty sure it was defective. The new one is practically inaudible. I'll report when I get back into playing God of War, which was the loudest game, previously.

SpokkX · Nov 10, 2018

Kyoufu said:
lol, nobody announces small revisions.

Well I just got a new rdr pro and the difference is immense

My previous launch model was unbearbly loud and this what I would even call silent (not quite X level though)

Anthony Hopkins · Nov 10, 2018

Luckily for me my 2017 pro is no louder then then my matte PS4 og.

Kyoufu · Nov 10, 2018

SpokkX said:
Well I just got a new rdr pro and the difference is immense

My previous launch model was unbearbly loud and this what I would even call silent (not quite X level though)

Give it a few months and it'll probably get louder like the rest of them :p

DeaDPooL_jlp · Nov 10, 2018

I have the new one as well. Ran it through the usual suspects to see how it responds. Fans still get spinning during GoW but I can only hear it if I'm literally a couple inches away from it. Normal gaming distance I would have no idea it's even on which is a huge difference from my last Pro.

krg · Nov 10, 2018

Kyoufu said:
lol, nobody announces small revisions.

pretty sure they don't do it because that would mean acknowledging that most previous models were "defective".

chaosaeon · Nov 10, 2018

I hope I don't have to replace mine, it's started making repeated sounds like it's trying to read a disc (even sounds like it's attempting to eject it once) and then says discs are unrecognizable. Wish I didn't have a launch one.

ty_hot · Nov 10, 2018

My OG PS4's HDD is probably dying so I was thinking about trading it in for a Pro if a deal appears here in Spain (not likely though...). Would be great to get a quiet Pro.

Ex-Psych · Nov 10, 2018

Man I want to buy a pro and replace my OG ps4 in Jan 2019 but I'm afraid of a surprise ps5 announcement.

flipswitch · Nov 11, 2018

Is the model number displayed on the box?

NovumVeritas · Nov 11, 2018

flipswitch said:
Is the model number displayed on the box?

Yes mostly on the bottom right of the box.

flipswitch · Nov 11, 2018

Ok thanks.

breakfuss · Nov 11, 2018

I don't mean to dispute any of their findings but both my OG and Pro were initially quiet machines. It wasn't until down the road that they revealed their true vacuum cleaner nature.

famikon · Nov 11, 2018

henhowc said:
The ign headline for this...

so they noticed that only now ? :) Are they really "journalists"?

I mean, here's a video from September

+ thread on this forum (which was also created in September) – https://www.resetera.com/threads/ps4-pro-gets-a-new-revision-cuh-72xx.71139/

StealthWraith · Nov 11, 2018

complete crap shoot with the new 7200 model on my 2nd will be on 3rd soon both 7200s i have do have the nidec fan though, but the disk drive is the problem now, 1st one thuds 2nd one chirps

my OG 7000 pro would get loud but the disk drive doesnt not have these weird noises

ScribeofGeadhain · Nov 11, 2018

No you can get this via standalone (I did)—just read the SKU on the bottom of the box.

StealthWraith · Nov 11, 2018

just finished opening up the 3rd rdr2 pro, first one that had a delta fan so there still using them, the disk drive clunks as bad as the first and it does have the chirping that my 2nd one has didnt test the 1st one for chirping before returning

will end up keeping the 2nd rdr2 pro that has the nidec fan and not as bad of a thud

will upload some vids of the diskdrive noise comparison tomorrow, my OG 7000 doesnt not have as bad of a clunk as these 7200s and has no chirping

MAX PAYMENT · Nov 11, 2018

StealthWraith said:
just finished opening up the 3rd rdr2 pro, first one that had a delta fan so there still using them, the disk drive clunks as bad as the first and it does have the chirping that my 2nd one has didnt test the 1st one for chirping before returning

will end up keeping the 2nd rdr2 pro that has the nidec fan and not as bad of a thud

will upload some vids of the diskdrive noise comparison tomorrow, my OG 7000 doesnt not have as bad of a clunk as these 7200s and has no chirping

Wait. So there are good and bad models of the rdr edition?

ABK281 · Nov 11, 2018

My Pro that I bought in late 2017 sounds like a jet engine when playing pretty much any game. Every aspect of using it is also way slower than it used to be on my original Ps4. Either the Ps4 UI has gotten way slower, or this thing has a failing hard drive or some other issue with it.

I don't know what the real issue with it is, but I do know that the console is a real piece of shit. It's lucky its the only way to play a bunch of games that I'm interested in.

NYSports1 · Nov 11, 2018

Sony is loving this, how can you guys go and sell or trade a perfectly fine ps4 pro that you paid 400 for 2 years ago or less and lose money on trading or selling and spending more for the same console just because DF claims it is quiter....So now the PRO just caused you over 600

Things like this will lead to Sony doing the same nonsense next gen to get people to double dip

JaseC64 · Nov 11, 2018

StealthWraith said:
just finished opening up the 3rd rdr2 pro, first one that had a delta fan so there still using them, the disk drive clunks as bad as the first and it does have the chirping that my 2nd one has didnt test the 1st one for chirping before returning

will end up keeping the 2nd rdr2 pro that has the nidec fan and not as bad of a thud

will upload some vids of the diskdrive noise comparison tomorrow, my OG 7000 doesnt not have as bad of a clunk as these 7200s and has no chirping

Are you sure it's not the coil whine described in the link I posted?

I cam hear it as soon as I boot fortnite. It's not the disk drive rattling, trust me.

MAX PAYMENT said:
Wait. So there are good and bad models of the rdr edition?

It seems the red2 pros have a huge issue with coil whine. I thought my ps4 pro was broken but looking online, it's def coil whine. Not sure if I want to return it to gs. Feel like a dick but hate this.

MAX PAYMENT · Nov 12, 2018

JaseC64 said:
Are you sure it's not the coil whine described in the link I posted?

I cam hear it as soon as I boot fortnite. It's not the disk drive rattling, trust me.

It seems the red2 pros have a huge issue with coil whine. I thought my ps4 pro was broken but looking online, it's def coil whine. Not sure if I want to return it to gs. Feel like a dick but hate this.

Well that answers it. It's worth keeping my launch pro over fighting the bs to get a good one.

Savinowned · Nov 12, 2018

So, what are the odds that I'll be able to find one of these revisions on a Black Friday sale? Something tells me I'll probably only get some older version.

toastybanana · Nov 12, 2018

Edit: Oops.

[Digital Foundry] PlayStation 4 Pro CUH-7200 Review: the latest, quietest hardware revision

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