Exclusive picture of the PS4 power supply unit

[BajiRav]

...and I opened this thread expecting to finally see the insides of PS4! :/

[the better twin]

So one person would prefer it.  The rest of my point still stands.  75 million Xbox 360s says the external PSU isn't something people care about.

Not to be pedantic, but quoting sales figures doesnt exactly prove your point that people dont care about the external PSU. 

[BajiRav]

Honestly - I wouldn't mind if Xbox came with internal PSU or external. I would rather have them use a universal power supply that I can plug anywhere on the earth. It blows my mind why Microsoft still keeps using "region locked" PSUs. I am probably an "edge case" but even $20 mobile phone charger is better than Xbox 360 in that regard.

[Julius Caro]

So is it confirmed that the PS4 will be like the pS3 and NOT have an external PSU?

[JonnyLH]

Well this isn't a clear dig is it? How childish console forums have become. Not like internal PSU's don't create an extra engineering effort which could become problematic in the future considering APU's kick out tons of heat.

 

Like said prior, I came in here expecting some internals.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Because an external removes heat elements and thus fan noise from the console. If it breaks it's easier to replace. The console would be bigger with it, and it can be easily hidden.

There is no evidence to suggest that the PS4 will be any louder because of the inclusion of an internal PSU. In fact, the X360?despite its external PSU?was actually louder than the PS3. As for breaking, the X360 had major issues with reliability and resulted in Microsoft having to write off over $1 billion - the PS3 was the more reliable console. The points you make sound logical at face value but the reality is that there are so many other factors as to render the difference meaningless. Therefore the inconvenience of the external PSU becomes the most important factor.

[dead.cell]

I don't care too much about the size of the devices. I just want to know how the heat will handle given both consoles are quite a bit different in size...

 

I understand that its a joke, it must would've been more relevant in, maybe, 2005 when we maybe weren't sure if people cared about this. 75 million 360's later and this joke just becomes a lame attempt at humor because its pretty clear its a nonissue and has been for a long time. Its not really something that needs to be brought up in any capacity.

Are you the joke police now? Seriously? Jesus...

 

If you have your own opinon and you don't care, fine. Other people are not you though, as Hawkman clearly demonstrated. We all have preferences, we just don't always choose to buy or not buy something because of those preferences. Hell, I've hated power bricks since Nintendo introduced them to me.

 

...and I opened this thread expecting to finally see the insides of PS4! :/

Me too, I'm rather disappointed as well... :/

[HawkMan]

Um....

Umm what, if you put it inside you have to have room for it. The fact the PS4 is smaller is kind of irrelevant since it's a different console with a similar but still very different APU design.

[HawkMan]

There is no evidence to suggest that the PS4 will be any louder because of the inclusion of an internal PSU. In fact, the X360?despite its external PSU?was actually louder than the PS3. As for breaking, the X360 had major issues with reliability and resulted in Microsoft having to write off over $1 billion - the PS3 was the more reliable console. The points you make sound logical at face value but the reality is that there are so many other factors as to render the difference meaningless. Therefore the inconvenience of the external PSU becomes the most important factor.

The DVD drive in the 360 was louder, the fans on the PS3 was louder than the 360 fans.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I don't care too much about the size of the devices. I just want to know how the heat will handle given both consoles are quite a bit different in size...

 

Are you the joke police now? Seriously? Jesus...

 

If you have your own opinon and you don't care, fine. Other people are not you though, as Hawkman clearly demonstrated. We all have preferences, we just don't always choose to buy or not buy something because of those preferences. Hell, I've hated power bricks since Nintendo introduced them to me.

 

Me too, I'm rather disappointed as well... :/

 

I don't think any more than 0.005% of the gaming population would seriously not buy a console because of a power brick. Those that do probably have other issues combined with not liking a power brick. That however doesn't mean you DO like it, you can still own it and hate it. I got rid of most of my external PC hard drives due to annoying power bricks a few months ago, finally ponnied up for a 2TB internal drive.

[trooper11]

Wow, just wow.

 

A joke twitter post and we get 3 pages of arguing about how terrible or awesome an external power supply is leading to arguing about how terrible or awesome the X1 is designed compared to the ps4.  A lot of people need to get a grip.

 

Personally, I really don't care.  As long as the console is reliable, I'm good.  If the X1 runs as quietly as is claimed, then that may explain why they went with a larger case and moved the power supply externally again.  Since we have no comparisons with the PS4 yet, we have no idea how it stacks up.

 

If people can put up with the original Xbox design, I think the X1 will do just fine in that department. 

[MightyJordan]

Wow, just wow.

 

A joke twitter post and we get 3 pages of arguing about how terrible or awesome an external power supply is leading to arguing about how terrible or awesome the X1 is designed compared to the ps4.  A lot of people need to get a grip.

And this is why I'm not as active on the Gamers' Hangout nowadays. (Y)

[theyarecomingforyou]

The DVD drive in the 360 was louder, the fans on the PS3 was louder than the 360 fans.

Here are the numbers I was basing my assessment off:

 

PlayStation 3:

28,7dB ? Blu-Ray-movie

35,8dB ? DVD-movie

35,8dB ? Playing games

23,5dB ? Doing nothing

 

Xbox 360:

38,1dB ? HD-DVD -movie

35,7dB ? DVD-movie

44dB ? Playing games

36,0dB ? Doing nothing

 

These are based on the original models, so the numbers likely aren't representative of later revisions. As you can see, the Xbox 360 is significantly louder despite the external PSU. Most discussions online state that the X360 is clearly louder than the PS3, so it's not like it's close.

 

If an external PSU doesn't improve the noise profile or reliability of a console then it can only be considered an inconvenience. Therefore your preference is illogical.

[trooper11]

 

These are based on the original models, so the numbers likely aren't representative of later revisions. As you can see, the Xbox 360 is significantly louder despite the external PSU. Most discussions online state that the X360 is clearly louder than the PS3, so it's not like it's close.

 

If an external PSU doesn't improve the noise profile or reliability of a console then it can only be considered an inconvenience. Therefore your preference is illogical.

 

 

How is that evidence that an external power supply doesn't help sound wise?

 

All you proved with those numbers is that the 360 as a whole was louder than the ps3 early on.  Your ignoring the fact that the fans were louder and the dvd drive was louder on the 360 vs the ps3.  I remember how loud the first gen 360 was.  I also know its so much better now.

 

Its pretty hard to prove your points anyway since its two systems with different configurations.  If you have two identical system, one with an external power supply and one internal, then maybe you could compare it.  Frankly, I don't know if it helps sound wise or not.  Logically, if the power supply is internal, one would think that means the system requires more cooling and therefor more sound potential.  Certainly in a pc, that is the case.  A pc with an external power supply can run quieter then one with it internal.  Its not about the power supply itself, but the heat it produces and how you deal with that heat. 

 

My thinking is that MS wants to eliminate as much heat from their consoles as possible and allow them to isolate the power supply in case of a failure.  Its much easier to get a replacement external power supply than an internal one.  It would be one of the most likely parts to fail in any system next to the hard drive or disc drive.

[coresx]

My Xbox 360 Slim power brick was actually louder than the 360 itself. It does have a fan which people forget. Not loud but annoyingly just there.

 

I got another slim and that was perfectly quiet, including the power brick. Luck of the draw.

[Skiver Veteran]

Am I the only one who waited for the image to load? :blush:

I was going as far as manually typing the URL into another browser window trying to figure out why it wasn't loaded before i realised!

[theyarecomingforyou]

How is that evidence that an external power supply doesn't help sound wise?

 

All you proved with those numbers is that the 360 as a whole was louder than the ps3 early on.  Your ignoring the fact that the fans were louder and the dvd drive was louder on the 360 vs the ps3.  I remember how loud the first gen 360 was.  I also know its so much better now.

I'm not disputing that having an external PSU can theoretically lower the noise profile of a console; I'm simply stating that in the real world there are too many variables for it to matter. Therefore if there is no tangible benefit to having an external PSU then it is an inconvenience.

 

My thinking is that MS wants to eliminate as much heat from their consoles as possible and allow them to isolate the power supply in case of a failure.  Its much easier to get a replacement external power supply than an internal one.  It would be one of the most likely parts to fail in any system next to the hard drive or disc drive.

And I can understand that logic. However, the PS4 is smaller than the X1 and has an internal PSU, in addition to widespread reports that it is more powerful. If the PS4 also carries on the legacy of being quieter and more reliable?something we have no way of knowing at the moment?then the external PSU of the X1 can only be considered a disadvantage.

 

A theoretical advantage is irrelevant if it doesn't lead to any real-world advantage.

[coresx]

My thinking is that MS wants to eliminate as much heat from their consoles as possible and allow them to isolate the power supply in case of a failure.  Its much easier to get a replacement external power supply than an internal one.  It would be one of the most likely parts to fail in any system next to the hard drive or disc drive.

 

Sure Microsoft are playing it safe and want a silent console with no issues but I don't buy for a second the PSU failing is the reason. That is a rare occurance at worst and so unlikely in modern electronics with an internal PSU.

[Astra.Xtreme]

If an external PSU doesn't improve the noise profile or reliability of a console then it can only be considered an inconvenience. Therefore your preference is illogical.

Much agreed.  The external PSU is one of the few annoyances I see with the One, but I don't see it as a deal-breaker.

Sony is clearly far superior with hardware design, and that's something that everybody simply needs to accept.

 

People shouldn't be buying a console for it's sweet design aspects though.  :laugh:

[trooper11]

And I can understand that logic. However, the PS4 is smaller than the X1 and has an internal PSU, in addition to widespread reports that it is more powerful. If the PS4 also carries on the legacy of being quieter and more reliable?something we have no way of knowing at the moment?then the external PSU of the X1 can only be considered a disadvantage.

 

A theoretical advantage is irrelevant if it doesn't lead to any real-world advantage.

 

There has to be a logical reason MS makes the power supply external.  I'm not going to believe that they do it just because they can.  Engineers worked on this console and came to the conclusion that an external power supply was necessary. 

 

Again, I still think MS chose to do that in order to remove as much heat from the console as possible, allowing them to use a large fan to move air but at a lower sound profile. 

 

But I'm also not sure how an external power supply is a disadvantage though.  The only negative I can come up with is an aesthetic issue  (i.e. you don't like how it looks), but is there a technical disadvantage?

 

Comparing this to the ps4 as the evidence that an external is not a good idea seems tough considering there are many different variables between the two consoles.  Of course, if you want to assume that Sony has great engineers and MS has poor engineers, then you can just chalk it up to the X1 being poorly engineered.  That's the easy answer I suppose.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Much agreed.  The external PSU is one of the few annoyances I see with the One, but I don't see it as a deal-breaker.

Exactly. Having an external PSU is unlikely to stop anybody from buying the X1, as most of the time you simply stick it behind the console and forget about it. It's largely irrelevant. I was simply objecting to the notion that it could be considered an advantage and I suspect that if the positions were reversed that people would be defending Microsoft's decision to opt for an internal PSU.

[Razorwing]

Neowin really needs a dislike button. 

[trooper11]

Exactly. Having an external PSU is unlikely to stop anybody from buying the X1, as most of the time you simply stick it behind the console and forget about it. It's largely irrelevant. I was simply objecting to the notion that it could be considered an advantage and I suspect that if the positions were reversed that people would be defending Microsoft's decision to opt for an internal PSU.

 

 

I agree, there are people that will simply be negative about the products they don't like while being universally positive about the ones they like.

[HawkMan]

Here are the numbers I was basing my assessment off:

 

PlayStation 3:

28,7dB ? Blu-Ray-movie

35,8dB ? DVD-movie

35,8dB ? Playing games

23,5dB ? Doing nothing

 

Xbox 360:

38,1dB ? HD-DVD -movie

35,7dB ? DVD-movie

44dB ? Playing games

36,0dB ? Doing nothing

 

These are based on the original models, so the numbers likely aren't representative of later revisions. As you can see, the Xbox 360 is significantly louder despite the external PSU. Most discussions online state that the X360 is clearly louder than the PS3, so it's not like it's close.

 

If an external PSU doesn't improve the noise profile or reliability of a console then it can only be considered an inconvenience. Therefore your preference is illogical.

Yes? I already said it was louder, but not because of the fans, because of the ridiculously loud DVD drive on the launch models in particular. The thing spun up like a fricken fighter jet.

When comparing just the fan mouse, by playing non disk games for example the 360 was quieter. There v s in fact quite a few complaints about the loud PS3 fans, though it got mostly ignored in the wash of complaints of the loud 360 DVD drive.

[theyarecomingforyou]

When comparing just the fan mouse, by playing non disk games for example the 360 was quieter. There v s in fact quite a few complaints about the loud PS3 fans, though it got mostly ignored in the wash of complaints of the loud 360 DVD drive.

Yet the numbers posted show the X360 to be louder even when idling.