Hard drive recently replaced, CPU now runs VERY high

TheDoc1 · 11 Jun 2013

This is my first time posting but I always go here for help. I recently installed a new 500GB HGST hard drive because my factory drive failed. For the first few days everything was working fine but now after about 25 minutes of use any program that I run as a user will take make my laptop run VERY slow, to the point where I have to shut it down and wait ten minute before use. I cannot determine if this could be a problem related to the hard drive I placed in the laptop or if it is a software issue. The programs that usually slow my laptop are video watching (happens very fast) and long term use. Additionally when my laptop slows it is very warm to the touch, so could this be an overheating issue?

I am running windows 7 home premium 64bit, an intel i3 processor @ 3.13 Gz, 4GB of ram, and the new hard drive, an: HGST Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Notebook Hard Driv. My antivirus is Microsoft security essentials.

Thank you for any help you can give!!!

linnemeyerhere · 11 Jun 2013

Welcome Doc1,
Was the original hard drive a 7200 rpm drive or 5400 rpm? The higher rpm will run hotter and use more power. The other aspect that comes to mind is when was the last time you blew the lappy out with air. When you replaced the drive how accessible was the rest of the laptops guts? Some are wide open making cleaning a snap and others are hidden so you'll need to blast air from the intake and watch for dust out the exhaust. I would get in the habit of doing this at least twice a year and or if left on or dusty/animal dander present then more often.

TheDoc1 · 11 Jun 2013

The original hard drive was a 7200 RPM as well so I'm not sure if it is the hard drive... But I have not tried the air trick. With my hp everything is pretty concealed. Only the HD and the RAM are accessible and they cover everything else with plastic. So do I spray canned air into one of the ports that lead into the fan and watch what comes out?

linnemeyerhere · 11 Jun 2013

Yes, with the lappy running you can take a single sheet of toilet paper and find which port is intake and exhaust. Then with the lappy turned off I like to take a strong vacuum and hold it to the exhaust port and with the other hand then take your compressed air and in short intense blasts shoot air into the intake port.

TheDoc1 · 11 Jun 2013

Words cannot describe the amount of dust that came out of my laptop (3 years old). Thank you so much for the help I feel like this may solve my problem.

linnemeyerhere · 11 Jun 2013

Computers are wonderful room air cleaners and if powerful enough also room heaters ! lol

linnemeyerhere · 11 Jun 2013

I love my laptop stand, a cheap and effective way to support the laptop and prop the screen up for use with a wireless keyboard and mouse, this also helps with airflow and cooling but it's what it does for ergonomics that can't be described.

Amazon.com: 3M Vertical Notebook Riser (LX550): Office Products

TheDoc1 · 11 Jun 2013

You have definitely saved my laptop. i just ran a video for an hour and zero problems. Thank you for all of the help. it makes me wonder if this is what caused my hard drive PCB to overheat. And I will look into that stand. It could be very helpful

linnemeyerhere · 11 Jun 2013

So glad that helped. Heat is a common issue and if you want to really look into something cool then take the new hard drive out and place it in a external usb enclosure then add a SSD to your laptop. Speed, battery life and heat are all major improvements but it's how booting and closing down plus opening and closing program speeds improve. Lastly max your ram out to what ever the mobo can handle. Ram is cheap and go with matching sticks of 1333 mhz or possibly try 1600 mhz @ 2 x 4gb's or 2 x 8gb's if possible and that i3 (same as I use) will run like a mad dog !

TheDoc1 · 12 Jun 2013

So if I install an SSD would it be ok to only place say a 120GB or even smaller in (im on a budget) and then just constantly have my other drive as a USB storage? That might be a good idea actually