My desktop computer started making a loud grinding or clicking noise from inside the case. It still works but the noise is getting worse. Should I be worried?
A grinding or clicking noise from inside a computer is always worth investigating because it usually means a mechanical component is failing. The two most likely sources are the hard drive or a fan. If the noise is a rhythmic clicking that sounds like a metronome, that is very likely a failing hard drive. The read/write head is struggling to position itself. This is an urgent situation because the drive could fail completely at any time, taking your data with it. Back up everything immediately to an external drive or cloud storage, then replace the hard drive with an SSD. If the noise is more of a grinding, buzzing, or rattling, it is probably a fan. Open the case and visually identify which fan is making the noise. It could be the CPU cooler fan, a case fan, the power supply fan, or the GPU fan. You can briefly (for just a second) stop each fan with your finger to identify which one is the culprit. Replacement fans cost $8-20 and are easy to install. Do not ignore this noise because a failed fan leads to overheating, which damages components that are much more expensive to replace.
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