Clicking noise on new Mac Mini

I got a new Mac Mini last month and noticed it makes a clicking noise quite frequently. It just started to really bug me, so I looked into it and found this site:
http://mymacfixes.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-do-i-stop-clicking-noise-from-hard.ht ml
which says:
On Macs, this is often found in replacement drives for the MacBook and the Mac Mini. Apple modifies the firmware of drives it supplies to avoid this problem, but no one does that for the speedier, larger replacements. Upgraders get more -- or less -- than they bargained for.
How can you tell for sure if your drive is affected? Download a shareware program like smartctl orVolitans Software's Smart Utility and look for the load cycle count. Hard drives are rated for only a few hundred thousand of those. If your drive has gone through thousands or hundreds of thousands in a short time, you're in trouble.
So, I downloaded Volitans Software Smart Utility and see that within the past 10 minutes the Load Cycle Count has a Raw Value that seems pretty high. 15 minutes ago it was 32257 and now it isof 32286... which sounds like about the correct number of clicks that I have heard coming out of this stupid thing.
I noticed above it says "On Macs, this is often found in replacement drives for the MacBook and the Mac Mini" ... hmm, replacement drives? Interesting! I flipped the Mac Mini over to install new RAM after 2 weeks and that is when I noticed 2 big scuffs on the bottom of it. How did they get there? I couldn't believe I had been that rough with it since I was being VERY careful with it. That seemed very strange to me, but now I think it makes sense. I think they gave me a machine with a replacement drive that was poorly upgraded (and scuffed up in the process).
If I take it in to the Apple Store, will they deny there's a problem (o me it seems pretty obvious there is one)?
Or will they do the right thing and transfer my info to a new machine?

PS - before you reply suggesting I take it back to be on the safe side (which makes sense) can any of you with a relatively new Mac Mini download the trial software above and let me know what your Load Cycle Count is? You just have click the "show all" button under attributes and then find the Raw Value in the right column.
If you can't do that, then could you please make it very quiet in your place and listen for clicking. If your machine clicks a few times every 15-30 seconds or so then either your Mac Mini is screwed up, too, or it's just what Mac Minis do.
Thanks.

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We can help narrow down the cause. What operating system are you using on your new Mac Mini?
If you are running the Mountain Lion OS, you can download the latest driver here. An important note is that the current print queue must be deleted before installing the new driver. This will ensure proper communication.
If this doesn't work or you need further assistance, please contact us here.
Did this answer your question? Please click the Accept as Solution button so that others may find the answer as well.

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