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Question from Michael: I have a Toshiba laptop that runs a bit on the hot side. It always has, ever since I first took it out of the box.
I guess it’s just a “hot” computer because the fan runs as it should and there are no air obstructions that I can find.
I’d love to replace the existing 500 GB hard drive with a 1TB SSD, but I’m afraid it will cause the laptop to overheat. Do you think there’s a chance that it might?
Rick’s answer: I think replacing the hard drive with an SSD is a great idea Michael, and right now is the perfect time to do it because the prices of SSDs have dropped to a level that’s pretty close to amazing.
As a matter of fact, several 1TB SSDs that would make perfect high-speed replacements for your laptop’s hard drive are currently selling for around $100 online and at many local retail stores.
But to answer your question, the answer is almost certainly no simply because most solid state drives tend to actually run cooler and consume less energy than traditional hard drives.
In short, although there are no guarantees, installing an SSD in place of the hard disk will probably make your laptop run a little cooler than it does right now.
My recommendation would be to go ahead and purchase a 1TB SSD, clone the contents of the hard drive onto it and then swap out the hard drive for the SSD.
And by the way, while you’re shopping for the SSD I recommend that you also spend a few bucks for an inexpensive external USB hard drive enclosure.
Use that enclosure to turn your existing hard drive into an external USB hard drive after the upgrade has been completed and you’ll have an instant backup of everything that’s currently on your laptop’s hard drive!
I hope this helps, Michael. Good luck!
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