Hard drive noise

[stupendousboi]

Hi, i recently got a macbook pro 13 2.3.
When i first got it it did not make any hard drive noise as far as i could tell.
But now whenever it is quiet i can hear a very small on and off clicking from the right side of the laptop. Is this normal?
Also, in my activity monitor under active processes, the list fluctuates like every other second, is that normal as well?
thank you

 

[Legion93]

The clicking is very common on HDDs, that's why most people adopt to SSDs, they are virtually noiseless, twice as fast, and has less power consumption.

I had the same issue on my MBP that I sold, May I ask when this issue occurs? Does it happen randomly or when exposed to movement? Is it a continuous noise or just a one click sound?

 

[stupendousboi]

Hi, it happens randomly. It's not just one loud click but a succession of small little clicks that can't be heard unless its totally silent.

 

[Legion93]

Hi, it happens randomly. It's not just one loud click but a succession of small little clicks that can't be heard unless its totally silent.

That is absolutely fine, all hard drives make this type of noise due to physical movement within them. They are rotating drives, which means every time the disc spins, sometimes it will encounter noise, all my HDDs have behaved this way and there is nothing to worry about it, it's just the way it works. Especially in a quiet environment, it would be more noticeable. If you are really worried about this issue, replace it with an SSD and it'll be dead silent.

 

[stupendousboi]

you guys are awesome! thanks for all the info. It's my first mac/laptop so I've been freaking out about everything haha.

 

[NickZac]

As said, most of them 'chatter', and some people describe them as a click, some a hum, some a whine, and some say they don't make noise like me because of my hearing abilities. If it gets louder, or changes pitch/frequency that is not normal and then you want to replace it.