M17x-R2 Very strange sound coming from left side of laptop?

Hey guys, yeah so just a short while ago i updated my bios followed by an update to the graphics card drivers. I was just about to get started on installing the new VBIOS, when i could faintly hear a strange sound coming from what was the left side of my lappy.

I put my ear closer and it sounded like a slight rattling (maybe like a fan), or a very fast clicking (I am aware of the sound HD's usually make before they die, this didn't seem like that). To describe it more, it almost sounded like a light grinding. I admitedley thought at first it was my HD, but i can't be sure. But i did a restart and now it's gone completely and hasn't come back in the last hour or so.

So has anyone else heard this? Does anyone have any ideas of what it could be and if it's anything to worry about? Finally do you think it's my Hard Drive dying? Even though my diagnostic tool says they are ok.

Note: Did notice a couple of unknown devices in the device list called 'base system device'. Bit of research leads me to believe that these belong to the media card readers. I'm not sure if that has much to do with anything, but i didn't see them before i updated.

I love my laptop, and just don't want any unexpected hardware failures down the track you know..

 

I've gotten strange noises like that if I booted my system and the keyboard wasn't level or flat. I think the GPU/CPU fan gets unbalanced and hits its frame and the bearings whine or something.

It never seemed to cause an issue and would go away as soon as i rebooted with teh system flat (sometimes went away just by moving the system flat, but not always).

 

Just started getting the same noise...sounds like a fan. When I tip the laptop the sound becomes more pronounced. It sounds reminiscent of the baseball card in the bicycle spokes trick.

 

Early spring cleaning!

 

Yeah man it sounds very much like that.
Also, while we are on the topic of sounds.. If u put your ear close to your keyboard, do you also hear a humming sound? I think it's normal but i'll check since i havnt really noticed it until now.

 

I had that sound, it was my GPU fan. I had Dell replace both just in case.