Xbox Series X is whisper-quiet. Your move, PS5

(Image credit: Microsoft)

last updated 26 October 2020

With less than a month to go until the launch of the Xbox Series X and PS5, the competition between Microsoft and Sony is heating up considerably.

Now that the new Xbox is in the hands of the press, everyone is delving into the features of the console, and one of the more important aspects of the next-gen hardware is the thermal and noise benchmarks – and the Xbox Series X is giving the PS5 a run for its money in that department.

Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter conducted thorough noise and thermal tests on Microsoft's console, measuring its heat output and noise levels with thermal cameras and noise meters.

This is one of the first in-depth looks at the Xbox Series X's refined vapour chamber cooling solution, first seen in the Xbox One X. Leadbetter used Gears of War 5 to test both metrics, running the latest patch designed to enhance the game’s graphical fidelity.

The console’s peak temperature was found to be 62 degrees at its large exhaust port, which Leadbetter observes is "hotter than any console" he's previously tested. As he says, that's not surprising given it's the most powerful console he's tested.

But the biggest and most exciting takeaway is the hardware's noise level, which is so quiet that Leadbetter writes:

"Series X is quiet to the point where breaking out the noise meter is a pointless exercise because the console's acoustics merge into the background noise of my living room and office."

While these findings are great news for Microsoft, Sony has kept performance data about its cooling solution under wraps.

Sony’s Yasuhiro Ootori delved into the PS5's cooling system and the decision behind it earlier this week.

The company has stated that it should provide performance relative to a vapour chamber, but this remains to be seen.

This lack of data is all the more concerning given the horrendous noise and temperature levels produced by the PS4, so Sony has a lot of ground to cover in order to match Microsoft’s Xbox One X, let alone the Series X.