Console thermal design and resulting noise

[SlimJim]

Before there was some speculation (maybe even on this board) that the Xbox One would be super quit because of the big enclosure and the mid-low end specifications (memory type, cpu, etc). I even read somewhere that the fan would probably not kick in until under heavy load.. Also the PSU is external.
I see this as pure speculation: I mean the first Xbox 360 was big as well, external powersupply even, and we all know how that went.

The PS4 however, uses advanced memory types which are known to have higher power requirements, the GPU is much more advanced, and can even be stuffed with extra compute commands, resulting in a much higher utilisation, and thus, potential heat output.
The PS4 is much, much smaller, and it also has the powersupply inside the casing.

Going by the general consensus, the PS4 should create a lot of noise. While the Xbox One will be passive cooled to whisper quit.

this is why the following report was quite interesting:
http://www.psu.com/a021340/PS4-as-quiet-as-a-mouse-and-as-powerful-as-a-lion-says-Ripstone-

Do we have any reports about actual Xbox One noise output? Especially after the recently announced overclock of both the CPU and the GPU

 

[AlphaWolf]

the GPU is much more advanced, and can even be stuffed with extra compute commands, resulting in a much higher utilisation, and thus, potential heat output.

lolwut?

 

[SlimJim]

lolwut?

somebody compared it to using "furmark" on a PC GPU which will put it at near 100% utilisation. Don't shoot the messenger though!

 

[Ceger]

Is this a legitimate discussion or a prop to passively pass biased "capability" speculations aside from fans and venting?

Anyways, I'd imagine that since MS experienced RROD with the 360 and that they spent significant amounts of time and money around this issue in terms of X1 development and that all eyewitness accounts support that the X1 is quiet and cooled, that perhaps it is.

Not sure much has been discussed, shown nor eyewitnessed for the PS4 as we are still waiting to get that info. I wouldn't take the bit of recent bad press of PS4 with red LEDs or freezing performance to be a final verdict indicator either as stuff happens and without that larger context which I described previously leaves us not knowing much.

 

[Grall]

Going by the general consensus, the PS4 should create a lot of noise. While the Xbox One will be passive cooled to whisper quit.

Why "should" PS4 generate a lot of noise? Its hardware specs are no less middle-of-the-road than xbone's. According to Sony, thermal output of PS4 is less than the current PS3 Slim they're selling now, and considering silicon process improvements and the fact PS4 is a single-chip solution versus discrete CPU and GPU (not counting the I/O southbridge obviously, of which PS3 has one also), and also that the jaguar CPU cores in PS4 are very frugal compared to Cell which was a power-gulping monster, that's not hard to believe.

"General consensus" is often reached by people who really don't have that much of a clue, sadly, usually and even less basis in reality, and then spread around as fact on web forums.

Do we have any reports about actual Xbox One noise output?

It should be so quiet that noise is not any concern, except for the optical drive which will be difficult to make all that quiet for practical reasons (relatively fast rate of spin, and often slightly unbalanced discs cause a fair amount of racket which is hard to guard against.) Of course, games install to HDD in both new consoles, so optical drive noise is only an issue during the installation phase, which is relatively short in the big scheme of things.

 

[AlNom]

Wait until both consoles are released.