Rumor: New PlayStation 3s Making Whining Noise

Apparently, a small number of new PS3 come with an unexpected bonus: a high-pitched whine. (That file links to the sound in question, but make sure you have the volume turned up fairly high if you want to hear it.) According to this thread in the Sony forums, the problem can be pinned down to units with one of a few serial numbers. Feel free to read the entire thread for yourself, but here's basically what you need to know:

I think it's safe to say that if you're buying a new PS3, try to ask for a unit that does not have a serial number that starts with CE133212XXX or CE133190XXX. It's possible that it will be a defective unit. Of course this doesn't mean that all units with those serial numbers are defective, but the defective units appear to be in that range. Best to be safe than sorry.

Maybe they're just whining because they haven't had a good new game in a while. I know that's usually my reaction to gamelessness.

New PS3 systems may include a bonus high-pitched whine [Ars Technica]