Hi there,
I know its probably a long shot, but I thought I’d create this post just in case anyone might be able to help shed any light on this situation or if perhaps anyone else has come across this same problem before.
For a few months now my Mac Pro has been producing a random snapping sound. It can sometimes occur just once or multiple times a day and isn’t triggered by a specific thing. It is a one time “snap” and isn’t like a sequence of snaps in a row if that makes sense. Its not necessarily a loud snap, but I’d consider it louder than HDD clicking. If I had to guess, I think the problem might have started after an internal clean a few months ago with a vacuum cleaner and compressed air (the same way I’ve cleaned this and many other systems throughout my entire life so far, so would be very surprised if this has caused the issue).
The operation of the Mac is as good as its ever been so I can’t see any degradation in performance, increase in random kernel panics (I can’t remember when I had one last) or anything that would clearly suggest there is something actually wrong.
I have completely removed the drive bays (including super drives) and have gone as far as purchasing a brand new SSD to rule out possible signs of HDD failure to no avail. I have tried altering the fan speeds to see if that helps to identify any issues but this has not influenced the snapping sound in any way. I have gutted the PC and cleaned the components from top to bottom to rule out dirt and dust and I could not identify anything on any of the boards that might suggest damage. Besides the replacement SSD mentioned as a means of troubleshooting, there have been no other hardware changes since originally purchasing the Mac in 2012.
For the next step, I’m trying a different power cable plugged into a different outlet for a few days to see if that rules out possible power issues.
Though the next step might involve sticking a microphone in the case to try and locate the snap, I am actually at a loss for what to do next. I’m not 100% sure on this, but the snap appears to emanate from the front of the Mac.
I appreciate any help I can get at this point.
Kind Regards,
Matt
I know its probably a long shot, but I thought I’d create this post just in case anyone might be able to help shed any light on this situation or if perhaps anyone else has come across this same problem before.
For a few months now my Mac Pro has been producing a random snapping sound. It can sometimes occur just once or multiple times a day and isn’t triggered by a specific thing. It is a one time “snap” and isn’t like a sequence of snaps in a row if that makes sense. Its not necessarily a loud snap, but I’d consider it louder than HDD clicking. If I had to guess, I think the problem might have started after an internal clean a few months ago with a vacuum cleaner and compressed air (the same way I’ve cleaned this and many other systems throughout my entire life so far, so would be very surprised if this has caused the issue).
The operation of the Mac is as good as its ever been so I can’t see any degradation in performance, increase in random kernel panics (I can’t remember when I had one last) or anything that would clearly suggest there is something actually wrong.
I have completely removed the drive bays (including super drives) and have gone as far as purchasing a brand new SSD to rule out possible signs of HDD failure to no avail. I have tried altering the fan speeds to see if that helps to identify any issues but this has not influenced the snapping sound in any way. I have gutted the PC and cleaned the components from top to bottom to rule out dirt and dust and I could not identify anything on any of the boards that might suggest damage. Besides the replacement SSD mentioned as a means of troubleshooting, there have been no other hardware changes since originally purchasing the Mac in 2012.
For the next step, I’m trying a different power cable plugged into a different outlet for a few days to see if that rules out possible power issues.
Though the next step might involve sticking a microphone in the case to try and locate the snap, I am actually at a loss for what to do next. I’m not 100% sure on this, but the snap appears to emanate from the front of the Mac.
I appreciate any help I can get at this point.
Kind Regards,
Matt