clicking/popping

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Level 1

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clicking/popping

I have my iMac for about two months now and from the beginning there have been clicking and popping sounds coming from it. There's no pattern to the sounds and it is not particularly frequent, however they're always there. I'm thinking it may be a heating issue - the body expanding/contracting as the computer warms and cools - but I'm not sure. The sound doesn't seem to originate from any one particular area of the computer. Any thoughts would be appreciated. - Shane

24" 3.06 Aluminum iMac 3.06, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Nov 28, 2008 3:57 PM

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Answer 1

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,727 points

Nov 29, 2008 7:50 AM in response to sjdewalt

My only thought is that it should be absolutely quiet. My Intel iMac will be three years old in JAN 2009. It is completely quiet.

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Answer 2

Nov 29, 2008 11:13 AM in response to sjdewalt

Hi Shane,

No Mac should be making clicking or popping sounds period. And the body doesn't expand. This is an issue that should be brought to Apple's attention. Since your iMac is under the one year warranty, I would most definitely take it in for service, especially since this has been happening since you purchased it.

Carolyn 🙂

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Answer 3

Maggot

Level 2

251 points

Nov 30, 2008 10:36 AM in response to Carolyn Samit

Be that as it may, Carolyn, a cursory search of "popping" sound on this forum will reveal that Shane is far from alone here. My iMac also experiences this, although (I think) it's only when I have the external speakers on.

As with the OP's experience, there is no discernible rhyme or reason. But this has been fairly widely reported, and has been a recurring issue since, I believe, 10.4.

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Answer 4

Nov 30, 2008 1:40 PM in response to Maggot

Shane,

Take it in---force them to deal with it. I have heard of many such issues with many 2008 Imacs. Mine for instance, makes a tell tale beep, every hour or so. I'm bringing mine in on Monday.

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Answer 5

Nov 30, 2008 2:06 PM in response to sjdewalt

The popping won't be the case as the casing is a full aluminium stock. aluminium when machined is structurally stable. I have heard of these instances before and I have to say I'm going through a similar issue.

Another issue to note is when the mac is powered off in a quiet room. an imac such as mine develops a high frequency hissing from the power pack built into the iMac. this shouldn't happen at all.

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Answer 6

sjdewalt Author

Level 1

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Dec 1, 2008 11:52 AM in response to The Blind mac tech

Wow, I can't believe so many people are having similar issues. I'll be calling my local Apple store. Thanks for the thoughts and feedback everyone!

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Answer 7

sjdewalt Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 10, 2008 10:55 AM in response to sjdewalt

So it's been a few weeks since I posted this topic. I called Apple about the problem and they just told me to take it in to a store - they couldn't make a diagnosis over the phone. Unfortunately I really haven't had the time to pack the computer up yet.

Now I have noticed that I'm sometimes able to replicate the popping sound when tilting the monitor either up or down. This leads me to believe that at least some of the sounds I'm hearing are related to the casing/stand. However there's still a sharp click that I'm not able to duplicate. I was wondering if anyone that responded to the original posting had his/her iMac inspected or if anyone new has a similar issue or suggestion. Thanks again for any feedback - Shane

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Answer 8

macwerks

Level 1

50 points

Dec 15, 2008 8:59 PM in response to sjdewalt

Same symptoms here. I can't replicate the sound by tilting the monitor. I can, however, evoke it by putting the computer to sleep.

I live in a remote area and am not inclined to drive several hundred miles to deliver and then again to pick up my turrett's-stricken iMac.

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Answer 9

Dec 16, 2008 10:10 AM in response to macwerks

I've been having some similar noise issues on an iMac that is approx 2 years old. WIth starting up, shutting down or putting the mac to sleep - at the end of the process I hear a "thud" sound. And now I've noticed in forwarding or reversing web pages in Safari I hear a click for each page change. I too have external speakers attached. I haven't tried it without the ex speakers.

Message was edited by: buymywings

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Answer 10

sjdewalt Author

Level 1

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Dec 17, 2008 3:24 PM in response to sjdewalt

OK, I think I'm finally closing in on the source of the sound. It seems to be coming from the left side (when facing the front of the iMac). Does anyone know if this is the side holding the hard drive? While the sound is still pretty infrequent, last night it did it twice back to back - really made me paranoid. As much as I hate the idea of having to pack this computer up, I think I'm left with no choice. Guess I'm off to the Apple store... 😟 Shane

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Answer 11

Dec 18, 2008 12:38 PM in response to sjdewalt

Please post as soon as you find out something... I've had this for a couple months on my iMac (oops, I see I'm in the wrong iMac section, I have a G5 bought in 2004) and put it down to expansion and contraction because it's about 50 degrees in my studio and I'm using the computer alot.

It seems to be coming from the left back side.

I've had the logic board replaced and the power supply replaced twice due to the sleep>death issues. I hope this is not connected to that.

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Answer 12

ycheng

Level 1

0 points

Jan 25, 2009 10:32 PM in response to sjdewalt

The same issue with my Macbook Pro with Mac OS X 10.5.6 right now. I do wish apple would FIX this. At least, my cheap PC did not have a problem like this. 😟

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Answer 13

malnobu

Level 1

0 points

Jan 26, 2009 9:50 PM in response to sjdewalt

I just installed Western Digital WD Scorpio 250GB hard drive on my Powerbook yesterday and having the problem with intermittent clicking/popping sound(it is soft but very annoying). I searched the manufacture's web site and I found this.

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/stdadp.php?p_faqid=1414&p_created=1138984716&p_sid=2BX1Ut9i&p_lva=&%20psp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9NSZwX3Byb2RzPTAmcF9jY XRzPTAmcF9wdj0mcF9

What kind of hard drive in your iMac?

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Answer 14

Feb 3, 2009 4:46 AM in response to gillian holroyd

Same with my 24" iMac (two months old) faulty happened from new - I just haven't got round to taking it back to the reseller. It only comes on sometimes when its gone to sleep if I leave it on overnight. A very faint popping / bubbling sound from the back left hand side of the screen.

Thats where the HD is located so I assumed it to be some sort of heating issue - I installed "iStats Menu" to check the internal temperatures and fan functionality (all were / are good) running at about 33 degrees and the fans working too.

I read this thread and called the dealer. It's going in for repair end of next week.

Has anyone had issues where Apple couldn't replicate the fault or with it still persisting after repair ?

Ste.

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