Possibly a simple HDD query

[Gaz86]

Been having plenty of issues with this Dell 1501 of late and gradually clearing them up, it's around 5 years old now but still fairly quick, my query is though... the HDD is getting VERY hot, to the point I can feel it under the keypad and the fan is triggering higher speeds than normal yet the processor seems very cool, is it on it's last legs? I really don't mind if that's all it is as I want more than 80GB.

on a side note I'm updating the RAM from 2X 512MB to 2X1GB and was wandering wether there was much point in changing its CPU from the AMD Turion 64 to the AMD Turion 64 X2 which is also a 2GB but dual core.

ANy help muchly appreciated.

[kNeo_gHau]

Will you be able to replace the CPU? They're usually soldered on to the motherboard on laptops aren't they, meaning without reballing it's impossible (even then the motherboard might not support it anyway :\)

If you're feeling rich, get a SSD. I got one for my main PC and combined with Windows 7 it's just awesome.
Kingston 64GB SSDNow V-Series SSD Notebook Upgrade KIt 2.5" SATA-II SNV425-S2BN/64GB - Ebuyer
That's the one i got, you can use the external enclosure for any 2.5" sata drive and so just stick you current drive in it for extra storage. Yes i got the laptop version for my desktop because of the cheap external enclosure

Although a SSD is complete overkil for your laptop, when you do replace it or get a desktop you can still just use the SSD in the new machine for extra performance.

Lastly, use Speedfan (Download SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer) if you want to find out the actual running temps of CPU/hard drive etc. It'll also give you a rough break down of the performance of the hard drive

[Collateral]

You can do the above, but it seems alittle diehard to me

I would suggest, backup everything on your harddrive just incase it fails. And have the money ready for when it does. It seems to me that your harddrive is dieing, and the hotter it gets the more risk you have of the solder inside becoming to hot and loosening the componants.

As for the cpu...i would leave that as it is, the CPU is missions to change, you would be better off changing the processor, getting some good thermal glue and away you go :thumbs_up:

Be carfull though, some computers wont hold any more RAM because they are only programed to hold a certain amount. so dont shot yourself in the foot and buy too much

Shame you dont live closer i actually am running my own computer repair and upgrade business, would of helped you out (for the right price of course )

[Gaz86]

that SSD looks a little pricey for just 64GB eek!! I don't wanna take it banger racing lmao

the CPU is definately removable it's a s1 socket and piece of piss to get at (had it apart yesterday taking down numbers and sizes etc)

I should hope it can take extra RAM as it has 2 slots and is a pretty high end Inspiron 1501 (when new)

[kNeo_gHau]

that SSD looks a little pricey for just 64GB eek!! I don't wanna take it banger racing lmao

YouTube - SSDWorld - SSD Vs. HDD using Microsoft applications
YouTube - Asus EEE 901 PC - SSD VS HDD Hard drive boot off
YouTube - SSD vs 7200rpm HD

You get what you pay for

As i said it'll be total overkill for you laptop as it stands now, but no reason it won't go in to the next laptop/PC you get as well for extra performance there (as well as the external enclosure for the current drive as external storage) and will certainly speed a few things up for now anyway

Otherwise just get a new standard laptop hard drive, £40 for 250gb 7200RPM
Seagate ST9250410AS 250GB 2.5" Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache - OEM - Ebuyer

Also did you get speedfan yet? No point in replacing the hard drive just to find out it's the graphics card that's overheating and it's right behind the hard drive (as a random example)

[Jack]

As i said it'll be total overkill for you laptop as it stands now

If he's going banger racing, the solid state nature of an SSD might be an advantage over a conventional hard drive. It would also use less power.

[Gaz86]

another thing I noticed was the HDD was no where near the CPU/fan, so pretty much ruled that out, I'll look into those fans and also shortlist one of those SSDs for my upcoming desktop build.

also from the quotes above I'm assuming people are agreeing the HDD is on it's last legs?

[alex1981]

RAM Memory Upgrade: Dell, Mac, Apple, HP, Compaq. USB drives, flash cards, SSD at Crucial.com do a nice memory tester and can usually advise the maximum amount and so on.

some computers wont hold any more RAM because they are only programed to hold a certain amount

A Dell laptop may have a limit to how much RAM it can take (which will be more than 1GB anyway on the 1501) but certainly won't be "programmed" to take a certain amount. It would not be economically viable for the manufacturer to do that.

The CPU...comes down to if your board will support it. Might be worth taking note of the model number of the board if you can find it and go from there.

The hard drive/overheating. As above, try Speedfan, it may give a clue to what is heating up. Hard drive faulty? Maybe...but more likely that something else is causing it (or that area) to get warm. You could always try something like the Western Digital Disk Test for Windows (google is your friend) which will run regardless of the manufacturer of the drive.

I would also suggest doing the following. Boot into BIOS screen and leave for a while, see how hot it gets (this step as a benchmark of heat only). Turn laptop off etc, take the hard drive out and do the same thing. If it is cooler with the hard drive out, it may be the hard drive overheating (but of course could just be that the hard drive is restricting airflow, rather than causing the problem for example). If there is no difference in heat with the hard drive out, you can rule out the hard drive being the cause.