Mac mini (late 2012) HDD ticking/clicking noises

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Mac mini (late 2012) HDD ticking/clicking noises

Hey everybody,

So I picked up one of the new i7 Mac minis with the 1TB HDD and I have noticed sort of an annoying issue. I hear quiet ticking noises coming from the HDD which seem to occur randomly and I have noticed this happening when the HDD is idle. I was just wondering if anybody else had noticed this. Just as a test, close all your apps and go close to the mac mini and see if you can listen for the clicking/ticking noises. I want to see if others are having this issue before I take it in to get it exchanged.

Mac mini, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), Intel Core i7 (late 2012)

Posted on Oct 27, 2012 9:17 PM

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Answer 1

Benedikt

Level 1

10 points

Oct 28, 2012 8:36 AM in response to V M1

I had a similar problem a few years ago, turned out to be operational noise and the drive is still working fine until now. See my original thread.

Have you checked the SMART status in Disk Utility?

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Answer 2

V M1 Author

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Oct 28, 2012 8:58 AM in response to Benedikt

Thanks for your response. The SMART status says verified and I downloaded a SMART utility that reports the disk is in perfect health. Of course, I take this with a grain of salt. I'm going to get it exchanged at the Apple store anyways just to see if the new one has this noise and I will post an update.

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Answer 3

Benedikt

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Oct 28, 2012 10:08 AM in response to V M1

Yes, please post an update after the exchange as I'm interested in getting a Mac mini myself.

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Answer 4

V M1 Author

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5 points

Oct 28, 2012 10:19 AM in response to Benedikt

Turns out they are out of stock on the Mac mini at all the Apple stores within reasonable distance of me. The fact that this is happening only when the HDD is idle I think the noise comes from the head parking itself. Seems to be operational noise and if so, it's alright. It's quiet enough that I can barely hear it, it's just annoying.

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Answer 5

V M1 Author

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Oct 29, 2012 6:13 PM in response to V M1

Does anybody have information regarding Hitachi hard drives and operational noise? I'd be interested to know.

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Answer 6

Laxman25

Level 4

2,361 points

Oct 29, 2012 9:10 PM in response to V M1

I just received mine today and set it up. That's weird...mine is silent as can be. Can't even hear it.

First Mac mini, just had MacBooks, so I don't know if that happens sometimes or not. Just chiming in to say mine doesn't do that at all, no noise. I'd for sure get it checked. A ticking sound doesn't sound normal to me at all.

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Answer 7

Benedikt

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10 points

Oct 30, 2012 1:36 AM in response to Laxman25

That could be because Apple might be using HDDs from different manufacturers. Maybe it's also model-related (500 GB vs. 1 TB vs. 1 TB/FD). What HDD do you have?

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Answer 8

V M1 Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 30, 2012 5:06 AM in response to Laxman25

Which model of the new Mac mini do you have? The i5 with the 500GB HDD or the i7 with the 1TB HDD? If you go into "About this mac" and go into your system profile, what is the model of your HDD?

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Answer 9

Laxman25

Level 4

2,361 points

Oct 30, 2012 6:18 AM in response to Benedikt

I7 1tb. No fusion drive. Just the stock 799$ one.

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Answer 10

Laxman25

Level 4

2,361 points

Oct 30, 2012 6:22 AM in response to V M1

I'll listen more closely when I get home, but I was sitting about 6-8 feet away from it. Setting it up(accounts etc) and a little web surfing. No tick. I couldn't even hear anything besides booting up.

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Answer 11

Laxman25

Level 4

2,361 points

Oct 30, 2012 6:34 AM in response to V M1

I am pretty computer savvy when it comes to doing things and software. My hardware expertise is mid range, so I'm no expert. Plus this being my first Mac mini. My MacBooks never ticked either. A few other threads I have read say it could be the fan hitting the housing too... Like I said, for the money you invested....I would just take it in for a quick peek at apple. Worst case scenario is they swap it for a new one :)

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Answer 12

V M1 Author

Level 1

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Oct 30, 2012 7:03 AM in response to Laxman25

Yeah it's weird. I am sitting a couple feet away from it since it sits on my desk and I hear intermittent clicks from it which aren't very loud but they are louder than the regular HDD noise as the head is moving across the platters.If it is normal noise I can definitely live with it but if there is a chance that there might be a defect, I don't want to move my data to the drive, only to have it fail on me. As mentioned before, it only seems to happen when the HDD is idling.

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Answer 13

V M1 Author

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5 points

Oct 30, 2012 7:05 AM in response to Laxman25

Definitely swapping for a new one since it's still under the return policy, not worth having them fiddle around in it when I can just get a new one. The problem is that they are out of stock everywhere around me.

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Answer 14

Laxman25

Level 4

2,361 points

Oct 30, 2012 8:15 AM in response to V M1

Yeah, but I'd go check it out. They could have a few for these instances, you never know. It could be not an issue, but why risk the investment you made? Smart choice taking it in, I would. I haven't done much with mine. I just setup my accounts, and iTunes library etc.. So I haven't tried much more than that yet, but mine is quiet.

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Answer 15

Laxman25

Level 4

2,361 points

Oct 30, 2012 8:17 AM in response to V M1

Defects do happen. I never had any issues till I bought an AirPort Extreme. It was dropping connection every 5 minutes. Hours of trouble shooting for nothing. Swapped it out and the new works perfect. Sorry to hear it :(

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