Hey everyone! I've got a 2 TB HDD that I use mostly for storage and installing large games. I bought it new, but I'm starting to hear a ticking noise whenever I launch a game stored on it. The ticking seems to match the movements I make in the game, which has got me a little worried. Should I be concerned about this noise? Besides switching to an SSD (which I've heard can fail prematurely), what are my options?
4 Answers
You really should back up all your personal data from that HDD. Sounds like it might be dying. That ticking can indicate the 'click of death' which means it could fail at any moment. Better safe than sorry!
It's funny you mention you're using an M.2 SSD for booting but are scared to get another SSD. Just buy from reputable brands. Don't go for cheap unknown brands, they can lead to failures.
I buy from eBay or Amazon, so I thought I was safe there. What's this Temu talk about?
Honestly, if you're still using an HDD for most of your gaming in 2025, you might want to rethink that. SSDs are much more reliable nowadays, and if yours are failing, you might just be getting bad ones. I've got SSDs that are over 10 years old and still running perfectly!
So should I just ditch the HDD entirely and go for a second SSD or stick with another drive?
You should definitely be worried. That ticking noise is a sign that your drive could be degrading or failing. Move your data off it as soon as you can! There's no point risking your data over an old HDD.
Is there any particular reason you believe SSDs are failing that quickly? Sounds odd to me.