My MacBook Pro is making an odd noise

Question

My MacBook Pro is making an odd noise

It's a sort of popping sound that happens whenever I have it on my lap, or sometimes even just tapping around the trackpad or clicking it. I managed to record it holding my phone around the space bar and top right of the trackpad. It's slowly gotten progressively more common if my computer isn't on a totally flat and still surface.

Here's a link to the audio clip in my dropbox

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p5cw0qbqy14z1nu/Clickies.m4a

Is it bad? Should I take it in?

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Nov 19, 2013 9:45 PM

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Answer 1

steve359

Level 6

17,169 points

Nov 19, 2013 9:57 PM in response to malcolmsanger

Notebook does not equal laptop.

HDs have spinning platters and a read/write head floating .0003 inches off the platters. When motion threatens to land the read/write head on the platters, the drive may begin a shutdown procedure.

Best used on flat hard surface with room to breathe and no motion for the system when the platters spin.

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Answer 2

Nov 19, 2013 9:55 PM in response to malcolmsanger

sudden motion sensor (SMS), utterly normal.

Take it off your lap and put it on a flat surface. Its there to protect the armature heads of the HD from impacting the platters.

Normal, dont use it on a moving lap, etc.

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