i agree its hard to tell without the control arm at ride height with the cars weight on it. the only time i ever had a noise like that it was the end link broke and was banging on something when the control arm would compress and then it would bang again when it would decompress. if its not that i would go with struts, mounts and ball joints just because more than likely need them anyway and maybe in the course of taking things apart you will find it.

I was going thru the same routine that you are. I was getting ready to change out the struts. One step is to remove the sway bar link. After that, I went to remove the ball joint stud nut. When I applied torque to the nut, the strut moved sideways about 1/8 inch! The sway bar is so stiff that it is very hard to "shake the wheel" unless you unload the control arm from the sway bar.

I had a knocking, or clunk, while turning, and the only thing that was told to me was broke was the front strut. Would wobble while moving stopping and turning.