+the snack that smiles back Before you attempt to diagnose the cause of the clicking, I suggest that you simply contact EVGA and request an RMA. The card just released on January of 2015, therefore it's still covered by the 3 year EVGA warranty. I'd hate for your actions to invalidate the warranty. EVGA is great at doing advanced crossship RMA's if you provide them with a credit card number to simply put a hold on the amount.
Path of least resistance is the easiest way.
EVGA customer support
(888) 880-3842