While no laptop is completely silent, they can sometimes start making weird noises, which can be disconcerting. While this is not always indicative of a serious problem, it is certainly a sign that your laptop needs attention.
So in this guide, we are going to look at the five most common noises your laptop can make. This will help you determine whether the sound is normal or whether further action is required.
1. A strange clicking sound
Older laptops fitted with a conventional HDD can start emitting a strange clicking sound as they get older. The sound is low pitched and not immediately noticeable, but you will become aware of it over time.
The sound is caused by the HDD read-write actuator resetting itself. There are several reasons why this can happen, including corrupted data, a damaged disk surface or a faulty drive head.
Either way, it is a sign your HDD is on its way out and needs to be replaced. You should look to replace it with an SSD sooner rather than later because it is much easier to retrieve data from a live HDD drive than a dead one.
2. A high pitched whine
A laptop making a high pitched whining noise can usually be attributed to coil whine. This is the sound of your coil vibrating at a high frequency as electricity passes through it. The noise often gets louder under heavy load.
Coil whine is not a serious problem, its just a side effect of some components. The problem is usually only noticeable on high powered laptops with dedicated graphics cards. In most cases, the noise is not indicative of a fault, but if it gets louder over time, it may be a sign your graphics card needs replacing.
3. A loud buzzing noise
A laptop making a loud buzzing noise when you turn it on is one of the most common faults we come across. The sound can be quite disconcerting because its so loud, but its actually not that serious.
Usually, the noise is down to dust becoming trapped in the cooling fan. These fans help to keep your laptop cool so the sound will get louder as the laptop heats up. The problem is easily solved by cleaning out the fans or replacing them with new ones.
4. Strange sounds coming from speakers
Speakers should emit sound, thats what they do. But sometimes laptop speakers can emit a strange hissing noise even when you are not playing anything. This is usually down to defective shielding on the speaker cables.
The problem can usually be fixed by installing new cables. However, on some laptops, the speaker cables are soldered to the system board which can make them difficult to replace. In this case, you will either have to live with the problem or replace the board.
5. A grinding noise
A grinding noise is the most worrying noise your laptop can make. This is the sound of the hard drive read-write head coming into contact with the disc platter. In most cases, this will result in irreparable damage to the disc.
Hard drives dont usually fail like this without warning, however. In most cases, your HDD will start emitting a clicking sound long before a head crash. So if your HDD starts clicking, back up your data and look to get it replaced sooner rather than later.
Laptop not working, get in touch
If your laptop is making a funny noise and you are not sure what to do about it, we can help. Our technicians have years of experience troubleshooting laptop faults and we use the latest tools and equipment to identify problems quickly.
Get in touch today by calling 08 8952 7400 or complete the contact form here and well get back to you at a convenient time.