Laptop upgrade: WD black drive with AMD A8 APU?

Barney6262 · Dec 3, 2014

Hi,
I have had this laptop for about 4 years now. It is running very slow now and I need it to function faster. It is having very slow loading times. I currently run webroot and have scanned for viruses, I have also used CCleaner to try and speed things up but to no avail.

My question is: Will an AMD A8 APU be able to support the WD black. Also, will the 7200 rpm drive give a considerable improvement to the 5400rpm drive I have now with the A8?

Also, if I was to replace the hard drive I assume I would need to re-install the OS. This wouldn't be an issue but I don't have the disk or the code as it didn't come with the laptop so will I have to buy a new OS or can I get it transferred over somehow?

Thanks.

Lucias OKeefe · Dec 3, 2014

Sure, maybe a little performance boost. But nothing like an SSD. Not worth the cost unless your current drive is failing.

Barney6262 · Dec 3, 2014

Lucias OKeefe :

The SSD is about £100 more than the hard drive. This would be a waste as I don't plan to use the laptop for more than a few months. At the moment though it is nearly unusable with its 'laggyness' so it would be worth the £40 to get it working. I also suspect something is seriously wrong as it really should be faster than this, I wonder if a fresh OS install will fix the slowness as well?

Also, the thing is idling at 68 celcius! I might have to repaste it or something...
http://puu.sh/dffmp/dc0aa09441.png

Lucias OKeefe · Dec 3, 2014

A fresh install can never really hurt. Is there antivirus and such on the laptop?

Barney6262 · Dec 3, 2014

Lucias OKeefe :

I only have Webroot and I know that does not cause slow downs. I have scanned and cleaned the computer with webroot and CCleaner.

SuperSoph_WD · Dec 4, 2014

Hey there, Barney!

Yes, you shouldn't face any compatibility issues using this CPU with the WD Black.
Indeed, the 7200 RPM should improve the performance of your current 5400 RPM laptop HDD.
You can clone the OS from your old drive to the new WD Black, using Acronis True Image WD Edition:
http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp?swid=119

But you should know that a fresh install is recommended, because all the dump, temp, redundant system files will get cloned as well, which would decrease the performance of the new HDD.
Since your laptop is so slow, I'd definitely do the latter and perform a clean install.

Hope this was helpful!

SuperSoph_WD

Barney6262 · Dec 4, 2014

SuperSoph_WD :

Hi, thanks for the reply.
I have already tried a system migration on my main desktop with 'Paragon migration tools' which just broke everything and I nearly lost all my data...
I will probably go for a new install as i only have a few programs anyway and setting stuff back up won't be an issue.
Turns out my laptop has a sticker on the bottom with the Windows 7 activation key on it. If I was to install the new hard drive and put an install disk that I used for my desktop into the Disk drive would I be able to use the code on the bottom of the laptop to reactivate the OS without any issues? or would I have to contact MC to get the OS transferred over?

SuperSoph_WD · Dec 5, 2014

Barney6262 :

Hi again, Barney!

Yes, you should be able to install re-install the OS on the laptop on a new HDD with the same product key, that's written on the bottom sticker. The OS communicates with the motherboard, so changing the storage device shouldn't cause you trouble. You just need the OS installation disk for Windows 7.
However, if you do face an issue with the product key and the activation, then you can contact MS for support or use the phone automated system to activate it.

Hope this helped!

SuperSoph_WD

Barney6262 · Dec 6, 2014

Hi again...
So i just recieved my new WD black hard drive, installed windows 7 with no problems but I am now unable to connect the laptop to the internet... I am missing the drivers but I don't know where to find the drivers needed... Any ideas?

SuperSoph_WD · Dec 8, 2014

Hi again!

Glad everything is working smoothly with the drive.
As for the drivers, you should be able to find those on your laptop's manufacturer website.
You just need to type in your laptop model number and find all the drivers you need for Windows 7.

Good luck and happy computing!

SuperSoph_WD

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Laptop upgrade: WD black drive with AMD A8 APU?

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