Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

snapdragonx

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 31, 2012
141
1
Hi guys,

I got my new late 2013 iMac the other day, and I've noticed a clicking sound that alternates from the left to the right of the iMac. Kind of sounds like the static shock you can get from a car door.

Aside from being a bit annoying, it's also a bit worrying. Is this a known issue? I can't seem to find any information about it.

Thanks in advance.
 
Realize that there is a tiny window of 19 or 21 days from date of shipment that you can return this unit for a full refund, no questions asked.

Waste no time.

Call Apple immediately and get the issue resolved immediately or send this unit back.

The clicking could be any number of culprits, most qualifying as manufacturing defect.

/my $0.02
 
My 2012 27" iMac did this for a couple of weeks. Seemed to be coming from the edges of the screen. I think its the new tape holding the screen on during curing. Quiet as a mouse after a week or two.
 
My 2012 27" iMac did this for a couple of weeks. Seemed to be coming from the edges of the screen. I think its the new tape holding the screen on during curing. Quiet as a mouse after a week or two.

Thanks for that.. makes me feel a bit better.

I'm in no rush to return it, I'll wait and see if it fixes itself. If not, I have the 1 year warranty to fall back on.
 
I have the Late 2012 model and I found the same as SinbadtheSailor.

Its been mentioned quite a bit on various forums that this is usually the cause of the noise, although theres never been an official announcement from Apple.

If the issue is still there after 6 weeks, then perhaps contact Apple about it. But if its the bonding tape, you should notice has time goes on that the noise becomes less and less, to the point where you no longer hear it.
 
Thanks guys. If anything it seems to be getting worse.. but I'll give it a few weeks before I call Apple.
 
Mine clicked quietly a bit, or as another person put it - sounded like dripping water. Seemed to occur mostly during temperature changes (the minutes following boot up, playing a game, or encoding a video) so I assume it's just the parts settling down after thermal expansion. In any case, There have been no problems and I don't notice it any more.
- No, I don't know if it's gone or if I just got used to it :)
 
The iMac I got last year (late 2012 27") had the same issue and it was there for a few weeks. I almost called AppleCare but I heard that it'll eventually go away. Mine was in the top left corner and sounded like some kind of feint static, just as you mentioned. I still don't know exactly what it was but from my experience it eventually went away. As somebody else said, I noticed that mine happened during temperature changes - mainly if it was put to sleep or turned off.
 
Hi guys,

I got my new late 2013 iMac the other day, and I've noticed a clicking sound that alternates from the left to the right of the iMac. Kind of sounds like the static shock you can get from a car door.

Aside from being a bit annoying, it's also a bit worrying. Is this a known issue? I can't seem to find any information about it.

Thanks in advance.

I believe this is the coating put on the screen. It is due to the heat of the computer making it expand that is the crackling noise. Increase your brightness to above 4-5 bars for a week or two and your good to go.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.