Well, count me quite impressed at that level of recall!
I doubt I'd have ever noticed that change.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem connected to what I'm seeing; for good measure, I tried it enabled and disabled, and with the original textures and mine, alternately, and while I DID see a brief tick when opening the inventory with a new texture for the first time, it didn't change the noise issue.
But I appreciate the response and your encyclopedic knowledge!
R-D.