MacBook Pro hard drive low clicking noise ?

[3oti]

so i just bought my 13' macbook pro i5 base model and this noise is really depressing for me because this my first mac and i had a toshiba laptop that makes the exact same noise coming from the hard drive maybe a bet louder but on my macbook pro i could only hear it if i were in a quiet room and it's like a needle scratching on a metal or something like that from the bottom right corner where the hard drive is . i know it's not gonna crash on me because of that noise because i had my toshiba satellite for about two years now with that scratching noise ( smooth clicking ) from the hard drive is that normal for MBP's 2011 ? or should i be concerned

p.s. i don't have an apple store in my country so if there is a serious problem i'm gonna have to fix it on my own .

 

[scottgroovez]

Is it a continuous or intermittent click?

 

[MPB11]

same thing here, and I'd say it is constently intermittent

 

[c7aea]

so i just bought my 13' macbook pro i5 base model and this noise is really depressing for me because this my first mac and i had a toshiba laptop that makes the exact same noise coming from the hard drive maybe a bet louder but on my macbook pro i could only hear it if i were in a quiet room and it's like a needle scratching on a metal or something like that from the bottom right corner where the hard drive is . i know it's not gonna crash on me because of that noise because i had my toshiba satellite for about two years now with that scratching noise ( smooth clicking ) from the hard drive is that normal for MBP's 2011 ? or should i be concerned

p.s. i don't have an apple store in my country so if there is a serious problem i'm gonna have to fix it on my own .

If it was me I would do a complete time machine back up ASAP. Hopefully you already do this. The only time I have had HDDs make clicking noises is before the fail. Sounds like it is powering up then down. As long as you have everything backed up and safe a HDD failure is not all that bad and unfortunately is inevitable. New drives are cheap and easy to replace. Or you could go the SSD route.

EDIT: after rereading your post I think you need to be a little more specific as to the noise. Is it a constant clicking in even intervals? Or is it more random like it is reading writing data? HDDs now are pretty quiet, and a needle scratching on metal noise doesn't seem good. The only noise I can hear from mine is if i put my ear directly on the palm rest, and it is a quiet, normal, non consistent noise.
Maybe you are hearing if your HDD goes into sleep and comes back out?
Apple does not make their own hard drives.

 

[MPB11]

3oti can you post a video of your clicking noise in order to compare if we have the same problem?

 

[Satori]

It is probably nothing to worry about. If it is a short series of clicks (a 'tick, tick, tick' sound) this is fairly common. The click sound is caused by the drive parking its head. There are multiple causes for that, including power management and shock detection. If it is harmless, it will tend to happen when the HDD is idle.

If it is a louder knocking sound... You are more likely to have a problem.

Whichever the case, don't be complacent.... Download a copy of 'SMART reporter' (it's free) which will warn you of impending HDD failure in many cases. Also make sure that you keep everything backed up.

 

[c7aea]

Thats a nice program, I dont see a way for it to check my external drives though. It says my HDD has been running for 22167 hours... Sounds about right.

 

[3oti]

well i can hear the sound actually when the hard drive is reading the data or saving something but it's not a continuous clicking sometimes it's just random even when the computer is doing nothing
and it's not that noticeable unless i was in a quiet room

 

[c7aea]

well i can hear the sound actually when the hard drive is reading the data or saving something but it's not a continuous clicking sometimes it's just random even when the computer is doing nothing
and it's not that noticeable unless i was in a quiet room

Then it is probably normal, your computer is always doing something...
That being said, HDD FAILURE IS INEVITABLE. Its not a question of if, its when. You should always be backing up important data. There is no excuse for anyone now that memory is soo inexpensive, and apple has made it so easy with time machine.