Clicking sound
 

My computer is going on 1 year old now. I just cleaned most of the dust out of it today. Just before doing so, I noticed a clicking noise of sorts coming from the front fan area (been doing it for a couple days). If the bearings are starting to wear or something, do they make a "clicking" sound? When cleaning it out I forgot about the issue until I turned it on again, otherwise I wouldn't have put everything back to together. I would have unplugged the front fan to see, but now that everything is back together, I don't wanna take it apart again. :P The clicking sound isn't that loud. It is more subtle. What kind of worries me, though, is the fan is right in front of the harddrive. I don't think it could be the harddrive, could it? It is a Western Digital 250GB SATA drive. It's been running fine so far. If I put my ear near the harddrive, the sound does get louder when I move towards the fan. The fan is a Thermaltake 120mm case fan.

I also have that problem only mine does it once in a while

Re: Clicking sound
 

Well, if you do not want to dismantle the whole thing again, just unplug the fan from the motherboard and listen to the hardware's alone. Once the fan off, you will know if it is the fan or other components.

Good Luck!

If it's the fan, try removing it from the PC, then peel the little sticker away from the back to expose the bearing, then add one or maybe two drops (no more!!) of 3in1 or light machine oil to the bearing and then replace the sticker. I've done this on a couple of occaions before now to cure rattly fans as a matter of course- good for the fans lifespan, as they tend to wear more quickly without adequate lubrication.
Just make really sure you don't put too much oil in or you'll end up with it all over the place :down:

If you can feel lots of movement along the axis of the spindle then chances are the fan is borked, but if everything is nice and tight, then a bit of oil can be just the job.

Well, the suspense was killing me, so I just decided to take it apart again and unplug the fan. I turned it on and didn't hear the "clicking" sound. Plugged the fan back in and there it is. I don't mind replacing an $8 fan if it needs it. At least it isn't a $200 harddrive! :doh: :lol:

Thanks for the tip. Removing the fan is far easier said than done. I don't know how I got it in the case let alone how I'm going to get it out. The front of the case was "designed" to have a 120mm in the front, but the internal bays are there. They are not removable, either. I had to use alot of force to get it in there. That is really the only thing I don't like about the case. I thought I was going to break the fan when I was putting it in! I'm sure it will probably get broke coming out. :doh: :damn: :damn: :lol:

Could you post a pic of your computer? You stating that the fan was in front of the internal bays...sounds kind-of weird to me.

I don't have a digital camera so I can't post a pic of my own, but there are some reviews of the case on the net with pics. The case is a MGE Viper.

This pic isn't mine, but you can see where the 120mm goes in the front. In the pic you can see an 80mm fan that comes with the case. I am using that for a spare if the other 80mm ever goes out. There is an 80mm fan attached to the sidepanel. It blows directly onto the video card. I always liked that idea.

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/320/mgeviper2vw.jpg

Here are some reviews of the case with more pics:

http://www.extrememhz.com/mgeviper-p1.shtml

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling...oc.aspx?i=2304

It really is a love it or hate it design. I liked it when I first seen it. I wanted something different, and it is different. :lol:

Some of the photos may be old. Some show a place for two 80mm fans in the back. That was changed to fit one 80mm or one 120mm. I stuck a 120mm in the back as well.

Are you sure the internal cage is not removable? With some cases you have to remove the front panel to gain access to the fixing screws which hold the cage and the fans in place...

I'm sure. :damn: :lol:

From the first website...

So, I proceeded to dismantle the front of the chassis. It is pretty easy to remove which will make sleeving all these cables up much easier in the future. There is a small circuit board located behind the front LCD, and on it there are two items of interest. The first is a jumper used to select either Celsius or Fahrenheit and the second is a pass through for the HDD indicator on the front panel. This caused me some consternation, as MGE has not provided the cable to connect the motherboard header to this panel. You’ll have to scrounge one up or fabricate one in order for that function to work. The Viper actually does have standard Power and HDD lights although they are at the very bottom of the front bezel and almost unnoticeable unless they’re powered on. The red Power indicator is just fine, but the green HDD LED should probably have been red as well.

http://www.extrememhz.com/MGE/VIPER/Big/

As you can see, there are four screw slots in the front.

I'm not sure I follow. What photo are you referring to? The link you gave takes me to a directory of a bunch of photos. As was said in the paragraph you provided, the front panel is easy to remove. The bays, however, are not removable. That's why it is so hard to get the 120mm fan in and even harder to get out. The front panel is held on by six screws. Once you unscrew the screws, there are six little black things that the screws come out of. When taking off the front panel, they can fall out of you're not careful.

Here is the photo that I was talking about...

http://www.extrememhz.com/MGE/VIPER/Big/IMG_3253.JPG

and another that shows the room between the bays with fan...

http://www.extrememhz.com/MGE/VIPER/Big/IMG_3249.JPG

That second pic makes it look like the 120mm will easily slide straight in. Believe me, it won't. :88) I spent too much time trying to fit it in. The only way to get the 120mm fan in is through the side. An 80mm fan up front would be a walk in the park being how small it is. I wanted max airflow, so I went with the 120's.