HP9580 : Ubuntu + Pan Newsreader @ 8,5mb/s Down = Freeze X and Firefox
 

Hey all,

I have bin having this strange problem with my HP Pavilion 9580 lately.
I am new to the "usenet on linux" world, but heard that Pan was a good choice for newsgroups.The problem is, is that when I am downloading with Pan, my laptop freezes up frequently. Especially Firefox or Opera; they both freeze when I am downloading.

Does anyone have the same problem?

System Stats:
CPU average is about 60 - 80%
Memory < 25%,
Swap 1.3%
Network 8,5mb/s down and ~300k up

Is there a known bug in Pan that crashes other processes?

Could my harddisk be the bottleneck in this case since it is the original 4200rpm laptop disc?
And if so, is there a performance tweak that I could use to speed the process up or is a new harddisk the only option?

Greetz,