# PC clicking noise (you know, when it's saving something)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-clicking-noise-you-know-when-its-saving-something/94200>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 19, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-clicking-noise-you-know-when-its-saving-something/94200 "2001-11-19T14:36:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sirjamesp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@sirjamesp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirjamesp)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-clicking-noise-you-know-when-its-saving-something/94200/1 "2001-11-19T14:36:19Z")

</div>

That rapid “crk crk crk crk crk” noise computers make when thinking, saving, opening etc. - is it a functional (i.e. mechanical) noise, or just something to let us know the computer is working?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-clicking-noise-you-know-when-its-saving-something/94200/2 "2001-11-19T14:47:54Z")

</div>

Mechanical. It’s the hard drive heads moving across the platter.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-clicking-noise-you-know-when-its-saving-something/94200/3 "2001-11-19T14:47:57Z")

</div>

i would think you are referring to the hard drive. It is the mechanical parts of the drive moving around in there.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![geepee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ebca7d/32.png) [@geepee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geepee)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-clicking-noise-you-know-when-its-saving-something/94200/4 "2001-11-19T14:52:45Z")

</div>

Normal unless one day when your HDD gets old it goes clunk  
clunk and thats time to backup and replace the drive , but soon to be obselete i recall somebody made a 4gb solid state drive dunno where i saw it though said will be in home PCs by 2003

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-clicking-noise-you-know-when-its-saving-something/94200/5 "2001-11-19T15:00:18Z")

</div>

geepee please please use fullstops and don’t run on sentences you’re driving me mad

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-clicking-noise-you-know-when-its-saving-something/94200/6 "2001-11-19T20:00:23Z")

</div>

Solid state drives (made by M-systems and many other folks) are hiddeously expensive compared to their mechanical counterparts. You are not likely to see them for home use any time in the forseeable future.

However, they are really fast, really small, and don’t make those annoying noises!

They are also good for things like industrial computers, where vibration, heat, dust, etc. would cause nasty things to happen to a mechanical drive.

By the way geepee, if the drive goes clunk clunk, then chances are you aren’t going to be able to get a backup off of it. You need to make regular backups BEFORE the drive goes clunk clunk.