Working with a 2070 XC Ultra, After going through these posts and some other videos of the clicking noise (mine was making the same noise at first as the video on page one). Went with the recommendation to keep the fans spinning, so set at %55 and was good for a few days. Then the clicking came back and wouldn't go away regardless of fan speed. Based on the info that some people were getting new fans and still clicking I followed the loose wire theory. Looked carefully at where the fans were crossing paths with the fan wires and sure enough I could see a small wear spot. When the card is mounted to the mobo, the fan wire has enough slack to hang down into the fan and contact it. This fan wire has a few L-shaped metal brackets and some zip ties that should be holding it to the frame. From what I could tell they needed to either add another zip tie, bracket, or tighten their wire management so that the fan wire is taut against the frame. I think this explains why some people that RMA are good(they lucked out with a taut fan wire on their new card), people that get new fans have the same problem(the wire still hangs down), and at higher fan speeds the fan skips over the wire fast enough to minimize the click. My recommendation? Probably send it back for a new one and hope you get one with no slack in the fan wires. You could add a zip tie in the center and taut that wire up to the frame at your own risk I suppose.

Third rtx 2080 here and still have this issue. This was my second RMA and i'm tired about sending back those cards for no improvements. I will make a custom fan curve to try and minimize the issue…

My 2070 XC Gaming is dead quiet starting its fans.   I don't really hear them at all until they hit >50% RPM in my Corsair Obsidian 550D case.
 
 
post merge edit Title Cool GTX  (was: EVGA RTX XC / XC_ULTRA FAN CLICKING WHEN FAN SPIN UP)

I have it on my RTX 2070 XC Ultra. It clicks every time the fans start. It's an odd sound too, not really a click so much. There is an initial click, but there is also a noise that follows it. It's almost like a lurching sound.
 
If this is intended behavior and is a result of the fan design then I don't really mind it as it only occurs once each time I place a load on the card. I'm just concerned that this could result in a long term fan related issue.
 
So far it hasn't been much of an issue because the card idles well below the point where the fans turn on. Idle temps are from 33-37 degrees Celsius, usually towards the higher end.
 
Someone in another thread said that when the card is mounted to the PC case and inverted it causes the fan wire to hang down and contact the fans. I haven't bothered to take mine out of the case to try and confirm this yet. I need to benchmark it first and make sure it doesn't artifact & die. Apparently he set his fans to 55% and the clicking went away, but then a few days later he noticed noises again and when checking the card there was a mark on one of the fan wires that was contacting the fan blades when the card is inverted.
 
The past two GPU's I've owned, an MSI GTX 460 and an EVGA GTX 970 SSC2 have both had a fan start to fail and make awful noise in less than a year. So I'm hoping... finally... that I can get a card that doesn't eventually make horrible screeching noises when under load.
 
post merge edit Title Cool GTX  (was: EVGA RTX XC / XC_ULTRA FAN CLICKING WHEN FAN SPIN UP)

Merging threads
 
Temp Lock for Cleanup - post merge
 
unlocking

Anyone else can confirm not to have this clicking issue?
I ordered a new XC and will take it apart and see if i can find the mentioned cable and if so do a Guide to fix it.
If i take the card apart and not damage anything it would be still covered under warranty right?

Yes please @EVGA adress this Issue this clicking is driving me nuts. Let us know about it and find a way to fix this!!! Please

good thinking Flonkam. Maybe @EVGA can shed some more light on this?

I also have clicking fans on my RTX 2080 XC Ultra. The problem are the fans not any cables. When the fans start spinning they sound like an old floppy disk  I spend a lot of money and  now i have a bad early adopter product just like the burning GTX 1080's.....

A few more thoughts:
 
I watched the video again, and it does not appear to me that the noise is occurring when the fan(s) stop, or at least consistently. I don't believe that rules out the obstructing wire theory, though, because when the air pressure pushes the wire away, it could take a matter of seconds for it to "ease" back into position due to the stiffness of the wires.
 
But more to the point, I can not think of any reason for such a motor to be making such a noise which, again, sounds exactly like a fan blade hitting an obstruction. I can't be the only person who has heard that sound before. It's just not possible for the motor to make that sound according to my understanding, and this is where someone with specific knowledge could absolutely rule it out.
 
tox1c90 has experience with stepper motors, but fans such as these do not use steppers: they are the wrong type of motor for this application. These motors alter speed by sending power in spurts of varying length, exactly the same process a keyboard user employs to turn a vehicle in a racing game. By repeatedly hitting the "left" or "right" key, but varying how long you hold it down each time, you can keep the tires at a specific angle. It's literally pulse-width modulation that is being utilized in that case, just as with these motors.
 

Pixelhomie
The problem are the fans not any cables.

May I ask what process you used to determine this? I know that something like this can be difficult to be sure about, and I'm not suggesting that anyone disassemble his card, but I would again urge anyone who hears this sound to remove his card and inspect it as thoroughly as possible, to at least determine whether it looks like there are wires that appear to run very close to the fan blades.
 
P.S. I'm not encouraging anyone to do this, but for the sake of argument, the motors could positively be ruled out by removing the fans but keeping them plugged in to the card. If the sound is still made when it is clear that there is no obstruction, then it is the motor. Remember: not all fans make this noise, which is simply another piece of evidence that supports an obstruction rather than the motors and/or their control parameters.

Flonkam
A few more thoughts:
 
I watched the video again, and it does not appear to me that the noise is occurring when the fan(s) stop, or at least consistently. I don't believe that rules out the obstructing wire theory, though, because when the air pressure pushes the wire away, it could take a matter of seconds for it to "ease" back into position due to the stiffness of the wires.
 
But more to the point, I can not think of any reason for such a motor to be making such a noise which, again, sounds exactly like a fan blade hitting an obstruction. I can't be the only person who has heard that sound before. It's just not possible for the motor to make that sound according to my understanding, and this is where someone with specific knowledge could absolutely rule it out.
 
tox1c90 has experience with stepper motors, but fans such as these do not use steppers: they are the wrong type of motor for this application. These motors alter speed by sending power in spurts of varying length, exactly the same process a keyboard user employs to turn a vehicle in a racing game. By repeatedly hitting the "left" or "right" key, but varying how long you hold it down each time, you can keep the tires at a specific angle. It's literally pulse-width modulation that is being utilized in that case, just as with these motors.
 

Pixelhomie
The problem are the fans not any cables.

May I ask what process you used to determine this? I know that something like this can be difficult to be sure about, and I'm not suggesting that anyone disassemble his card, but I would again urge anyone who hears this sound to remove his card and inspect it as thoroughly as possible, to at least determine whether it looks like there are wires that appear to run very close to the fan blades.
 
P.S. I'm not encouraging anyone to do this, but for the sake of argument, the motors could positively be ruled out by removing the fans but keeping them plugged in to the card. If the sound is still made when it is clear that there is no obstruction, then it is the motor. Remember: not all fans make this noise, which is simply another piece of evidence that supports an obstruction rather than the motors and/or their control parameters.

People here have already reported that they got a new card from EVGA after RMA with the same clicking fans. My card is vertical mounted with a riser cable, it is not possible that the fan wires hang down and hitting the fan blades. I checked this twice. 
People are complaining about this problem for two months now and there is no response yet from EVGA. This is a shame because were are not talking about a 250€ GPU, the 2080 Series from EVGA starts at 859€ in Europe and for this price i can expect a well build product.

Flonkam, it's not hitting wires. The GPU shroud is see through, it's beyond obvious it's not hitting wires.

Could it be possible to upgrade the fans to aftermarket? or are the non-standard and custom design for the card? 

Its been a rough start for the 20series thats for sure!  Failing cards, fan problems, extreme coil whine (me) etc..

..i'm also experiencing loud coil whines but i only play games with my headset on so i dont usually mind.
It definitely has much more coil whine than their previous pascal lineups