Hey duders

Having recently made the switch to a 4K TV, I'm increasingly tempted by the idea of supplementing that with a PS4 Pro. I've had the OG PS4 since launch, and that unit has now become ridiculously noisy to the point that I need to do something about it.

I have two choices:

i) Open up the existing PS4, clean it out and replace the thermal paste and hope this fixes it (but this means it's more difficult to sell to a store)

ii) Don't open it up and trade it in for a PS4 Pro, which will cost me a couple of hundred quid overall

Have you made the jump from a base PS4 to a Pro with a 4K TV? Was it worth it? Do enough games take advantage of the upscaling and processing power, or would I be better just trying to quieten down my existing unit?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

JS

Just a heads up that I have a new ps4 pro and It's pretty loud when playing stuff like Horizon. So if sound is your main driver beware. I don't know if that's typical but maybe more people in this thread can speak to that.

I've never found the sound to be too bad on the PS4 Pro, but i may be that i'm just not sensitive to that, it's never really bothered me for any console. I will say this: the regular OG PS4 is a perfectly fine machine, especially with HDR. If you're playing indie 2D games that don't push the hardware, it's obviously going to be everything that you need.

But if you're playing a lot of the high-end AAA titles that really push the limits, then I would say it's worth it. If you're going to be spending 40 hours in Far Cry or God of War or whatever, and you already have a 4K TV, then yeah, I would make that experience as good as possible. You do notice a difference.

@hayt Thanks, that's good to know. Seems to be unit by unit maybe? I've seen some similar complaints but also lots of people saying it's fine.

@gkhan Mainly big titles. I have my eye on God of War, and I'll be in for The Last of Us 2, Red Dead 2 etc. So thanks, that's good to know.

@johnnyspectre: Then yeah, if you're planning on playing games like that and can swing it financially, I would go for the pro.

As an original ps4 owner with a 4k hdr tv i find it a mixed bag. Games like i justice 2 look amazing in 1080p with hdr whilr games like uncharted 4 just look washed out with hdr enabled(probably needs more options for hdr for tvs that aren't top of the line) but looks great standard. I find that 1080p upscaled looks fine on my sony tv and the lack of 60fps options doesn't leave much reason to upgrade. As long as performance doesnt suffer a 30 fps 4k(checker board) upgrade doesn't really appeal to me. I also game on pc and can get 4k games at 30 and most 1440p games at 60, so to me the upgrade on ps4 is not worth it as 4k 30 is worse than 1080 60 imo and a sharper 30 isnt worth another 200-400$.

Just figured i would give a different view, also my ps4 is a launch and it only gets loud on graphic intense games. I dont think any amount of thermal paste will change that, unless you mod it with some water cooling or something(not sure if that exists for consoles lol)

I am also tempted to get ps4 pro as I have a 4K tv but I am still waiting on a slim pro version that has a 4K blu ray player in it as I don’t have space for three box’s including my sky box.

Really depends on your specific situation. If you have a good amount of disposable income, I'd say go for it just to have a newer console with a bit more power and hopefully improved cooling over the one you have now. Especially if you are interested in the graphical powerhouse games like God of War, and are the kind of person that visits video game websites--you'd probably appreciate the upgrade more than most.

That said, I have a Pro and 4K TV, and honestly I've never felt wowed by 4K or HDR. Nice to have, sure, but if money is any kind of issue, I'd probably just recommend busting out the ole compressed air can and going to work.

I can't speak on the Pro since I still have a Slim but I have an Xbox One X and that has absolutely been worth it. I imagine the Pro is just a worse version of that so it should still be better than the Slim. I'd upgrade if I was having issues with my PS4 Slim tbh.

Hard to say. Everyone is different.

I, personally, would say absolutely if you're playing the newest stuff. I'm not a graphics or framerate snob really, but I definitely notice a sharper image with the increased resolution on such a big screen. But everything varies with the type and style of game. For example, Ni No Kuni 2 I actually set to 1080p because the lower resolution wasn't very noticeable but the erratic framerate at the higher resolution definitely was. Something like Horizon Zero Dawn which has a lot foliage and detailed/realistic environments, the increased resolution is very noticeable. I like having options to play things the way I like to play them. Also, HDR isn't that big of a deal to me. I think it can make games or movies look worse a lot of the time but to each their own. Again: options.

Other people seem to be more fickle about things. Like you mention fan noise. Only noise I ever notice from my systems are the disc read, but I've always got some kind of white noise in my room, whether its the A/C, a fan, my PC and all it's fans, other systems, wind outside etc. So I could see someone who is concerned about those sort of things being disappointed that any new system isn't the best thing since sliced bread.

If you've got the money then why not? Do you not play many games? If you even have to ask then maybe you shouldn't? No idea. If your PS4 is broken (which it sounds like its not) then it would be silly not to get a Pro. If you sell your regular one and get a Pro (I sold privately because HAH those trade in values) then its not a bad deal.

I'm also increasingly thinking about it. I think I've made a couple of threads on this now? Eh, but yeah I was going to make a similar thread just yesterday (again). The only thing holding me back now is the thought that they might release a new generation of console sooner rather than later. I don't want to make a purchase that I'll soon regret. The only game now that makes me want a Pro is maybe God of War, otherwise, I have been thinking about a One X than a Pro. If your base PS4 is running loud with all games, that's not a good thing (I'd try vacuuming it out at least). My games run loud only on games that are pushing the system, like Uncharted 4. If I were you and had enough money to say that I could get the console and still have a bunch left over, I'd definitely get it. I don't like going under a certain amount of money. Also, since you have a 4K, I'd look into getting it calibrated (for free mind you).

I have done the jump, but my route to it was a little messy.

I had a launch PS4 and some cheap 42” Philips HDTV ’till upgrading to Pro in early 2017. I didn’t get to test HZD on a normal PS4 since I sold it to buy a Pro, so couldn’t do any comparisons then.

I got a 55” LG 4K in July, but that time around I sold my old tv away, so no real comparisons to do then either!

While the current combination does make some games look spectacular, I think I might’ve been impressed even with a regular PS4 when I got a bigger tv. As for other things besides graphics, it hasn’t really been that hot. Snake Pass and Hellblade are maybe the only two games I can think of, where the framerate option delivered a steady 60FPS experience.

But I’m glad I have it now for God of War. That thing better make my eyeballs pop out of their sockets. I’m sure it will also make the fans sound loud occasionally, though it has never bothered me so much that it would’ve become annoying.

Lots of good advice here - thank you everyone for taking the time to respond.

Think I'll go for it. I'd like to see stuff like God of War, TLOU2, RDR2 and Death Stranding running at their best, so it sounds like a Pro is a good option for that, even if it doesn't necessarily 100% do away with the fan noise problem (and for those saying they aren't bothered, bear in mind that my base PS4 sounds like a jet).

Thanks again!

@johnnyspectre: I think it’s absolutely worth the upgrade. I actually got a Pro before getting a 4KTV and I was very glad to have the Pro when I got the TV. I will say though, the Pro is loud and it has been from minute one. It’s fine most of the time but occasionally some games make the fans go crazy. It’s a stark contrast to the Xbox One X which barely makes any noise.