Solving the Noisy Fan Problem on PS4

I mentioned in my recent review of Spider-Man that my PS4 was running really loud whenever I was playing the game. First I thought it was just because a new game like Spider-Man was too demanding for my old PS4. Then when I experienced the same thing whatever game I was playing I started to consider it might be something else. I decided to open it up to see if it's just a dusty fan that is causing the problem.

My PS4 is now 5 years old and I have no warranty left. I play almost every day and the console works fine except for the loud fan noises. The noise interferes with gameplay since it's so loud you have to wear headphones to hear what's going on in the game. Subtitles help but they're far from the solution. 

There are several tutorials online on how to open up and clean your PS4 and it wasn't even that difficult for a novice like me. Before you open it up though, I should warn you to proceed at your own risk. If you still have warranty left it might not be such a good idea. However, if you decide to open it up and clean it, here is how I did it. (I have the oldest PS4 model so opening up a PS4 Pro or Slim might be different)

The two most important things you're going to need is a TR9 Torx security screwdriver and something to blow the dust out. Compressed air in a can or an air pump works fine.

You can get a torx security bit at a hardware store. For example here. I got this pack for only 3 euros.

The security bits looks like regular torx but it has a small whole at the end and therefore a regular torx won't work.

I used an air pump I had at home instead of buying compressed air in a can. It works fine and it will never run out of air. Before I begun I unplugged the console and pressed the power button to secure that there is no power left in it.

For the first step I didn't need any tools. The top of the PS4 which has this glossy finish will just slide off if you pull it to the side.

Under the top cover is the hard drive and here I found some dust but not that much. I blew away the dust and wiped off the inside of the cover with a cloth and then put it back together.

Then I turned it upside down and removed the four screws that are located on the back of the PS4.

The screws are hidden behind four stickers so that you know you shouldn't be tampering with them, unless you know what you're doing of course.

When the screws were removed I took off the back cover which needed a little "pop" for it to come loose. There are no wires or anything here so this bit was not difficult either. With the cover removed I saw immediately why my PS4 has been so loud. Dust was everywhere.

The fan was absolutely covered in dust and when I started to blow air in there there was so much of it I had to go outside to blow out the rest.

I blew air directly into the fan from every angle and on other parts that needed cleaning until no more dust came out. then I carefully cleaned the fan of the remaining dust and put it back together.

I plugged in all the cables and turned it on and voilá, it still works. I tried playing Spider-Man again and the loud noise was gone. You can still hear the fan spinning of course, but it went from roaring like a tiger to purring like a kitten.

So, if you'r experiencing loud fan noises and you own an older PS4 without warranty left this could be your fix. But like I said, proceed at your own risk.