Clicking on restart.

Joshua Brown

New Member
But only on a soft restart. If I cold boot, it does not click.

https://soundcloud.com/joshua-brown-330/clicking-computer-only-when-i

At first I thought it was a fan, but why would a fan make noise only when soft-restarting? Of course it wouldn't.

Someone suggested perhaps it's my drive dying. Said it was the "unmistakable" sound of HDD failure. But I have an SSD. I have two external USB mechanical drives but they are not the source of the clicking.

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps it is the PSU? It's really the only other thing in the PC with moving parts, aside from the AIO liquid cooler.
 

Laquer Head

Well-Known Member
Fans can make all kinds of silly noises. I would certainly put your ear close to any case fans you have and see if its a bearing that might going, dust bunny build-up..etc

The cooler could also make noises from the pump..etc

What about fans on your gpu if you have one?

Basically saying there could be multiple things causing clicking and you should systematically go through one-by-one and see what is doing it.
 

Joshua Brown

New Member
That was my thought. But here's the thing - it only makes the clicking sound after a soft reset. If I shut down and power on manually, it doesn't make the sound. We've tested this theory extensively and it is 100% consistent.

How could a fan make a clicking nose based upon how the computer is started/reset?

The first question must be: What is the difference between a reset and a shutdown that could create clicking conditions?
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
Well it doesn't sound like the click of death, the tone is just off and its too quick. Plus if it was the click of death, I doubt your OS would even boot up. Is the case open when you are listening to the sound? It can't be that hard to track down source of noise.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Your fan speeds might get reset/changed when you do a soft reset. Agreed though, open the case and look and listen. Only you can find the true source.
 
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