Is the Xbox Series X Quiet?


Last week, a loyal reader of this website posted a comment on one of our older Xbox Series X articles asking a very interesting question.

They wanted to know how loud or quiet the Xbox Series X is.

To answer their question, the team at Career Gamers got a sound level meter and measured the level of sound produced by the Xbox Series X while it was running.

This is what we found out.

Is the Xbox Series X quiet? Yes, the Xbox Series X is extremely quiet. On a sound level meter, the noise level of the Xbox Series X reads between 22 and 38 decibels. I recorded noise levels of about 22 decibels when using the Xbox Series X dashboard. When playing a game, the Series X is louder recording sound levels from 26dB to 38 dB.

I know these numbers may not make sense to you, so let me give you a practical example of how quiet the Xbox Series X is. 

As I write this article, one of my colleagues has his headphones hugging his ears while playing Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on the Xbox Series X across the room.

I can hear the clock on the wall ticking, but I can barely hear any sound from the next-gen console. 

I have had to move almost 12 inches to the Xbox Series X to hear a sound.

Now that you know that the Xbox Series X is extremely quiet, read on to find out what makes the Series X noise levels so low, how its noise levels compare to other consoles, and why some Xbox Series X consoles have a noise problem.

Why is the Xbox Series X so quiet?

You’re probably used to your game console revving up.

This is something you’ll say goodbye to with the Xbox Series X, because the console is whisper quiet, even when running a demanding game.

I can attribute the extreme silence of the Xbox Series X to the console using a solid-state drive (SSD) instead of a hard disk drive (HDD)

SSD uses less power, is faster and quieter than HDD.

The Xbox Series X case also helps soundproof the console.

How does the noise level of the Xbox Series X compare to that of the Xbox Series S and PS5?

Since I started testing and reviewing the Xbox Series X, it has been difficult to hear it.

At times, I have had to put my ears on top of the console’s fan to confirm it’s working.

A friend of mine was worried his Xbox Series X wasn’t working when he first put it on because it didn’t make a sound.

The quietness of the Xbox Series X is a good thing because it means the massive fan at the top of the Series X is cooling the system silently.

But how does the Xbox Series X noise level compare to its sibling, the Xbox Series S or the PS5?

Let’s find out.

As I mentioned at the start, the Xbox Series X noise levels are between 22 and 38 decibels, which again is shockingly silent. 

I had an Xbox One and I could hear the console’s fan even when it was sitting idle. 

So the quietness of the Xbox Series X is a welcome improvement.

The Xbox Series S, which was released at the same time as the Xbox Series X, is also not a loud console.

Again, the sound levels of the Xbox Series S will depend on the action you’re performing on the console.

On average, however, during our Xbox Series S sound test, the noise levels were around 26dB and 40db when on the console’s dashboard or playing a game.

The sound level of the PS5 was on average around 30dB and 42dB, which makes the console louder than the Xbox Series X and S.

The noise levels on the PS5 are, however, a significant improvement from the PS4 Pro

The PS4 Pro has sound levels close to 50dB. For example, when playing God of War on the console, noise levels were between 44 and 48 dB.

The loud noise made by the PS4 Pro has made many gamers joke that the console’s sound levels are like that of a jet engine.

Overall, what I can say is the Xbox Series X and S and the PS5 are inaudible from a distance greater than 20 inches.

Note, however, over the coming months and years, your Xbox Series X will probably gather dust and other debris in the fan system.

This could make the noise levels increase.

Why do some Xbox Series X consoles have a noise problem?

The only time the Xbox Series X can get loud is when you use its disc drive.

When loading a disc, the console will make a not-so-loud buzzing noise, then go whisper-quiet after it has read the disc.

However, some Xbox Series X owners say that when using the console’s disc drive, it becomes extremely loud and doesn’t stop.

One gamer tweeted “My new Xbox has now turned into a mechanical machine gun or a metronome… brilliant start to next-gen! Had no issues with Xbox at all before.” 

I have attributed the noise produced to a faulty disc drive.

From what I have gathered from research online, changing the position of your console could sort out the noise issue.

So, for example, if you have placed your consoles vertically, lay it down and try loading a disc to see if the Xbox Series X quiets down.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, get in touch with the Xbox support team, or take your Xbox Series X to your local game store for advice on how to deal with the noise in your disc drive.

Nick Sinclair

Nick Sinclair, a gaming aficionado since the Commodore 64 era, studied Creative Computer Games Design in university before founding his own gaming company. Discovering a passion for content creation, Nick now helps gamers squeeze every drop of fun out of their favorite gaming hardware

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