Computer speed/fan problems in old age

Hi everyone. Puzzling over a persistent issue with my nearly 5-year old Powerbook G4 12" here. It's had a replacement logic board and hard drive 2 years ago just as Apple Care was about to run out, so those elements are fairly new. Specs: 1.5 ghz, OS X 10.5.8, memory 1.25 ghz.
Over the years it's become really SLOW. I'm not sure if this is related, but the fan seems to run almost constantly. Not every waking second, as some people report, but a WHOLE LOT. I take good care of this computer. I've bought it new batteries, kept the software fresh and clean, etc. I finally became frustrated with this persistent sluggishness that definitely wasn't there when it was new, and wiped the disc, and reinstalled OS X from scratch.
To my surprise, it's still just as slow! The OS X Welcome Video lagged a lot when playing. On a fresh install, on a wiped drive. That video has not lagged the first two or three times I reinstalled the OS over the years.
And it's sitting next to me right now, no programs running, cpu at around 11%, and the fan is going full blast. iStatPro reports rear main fan at 5056rpm, with temps at HD: 44°, CPU bottom: 44°, Bat: 32°, GPU: 51° (all in Celsius).
One of my initial instincts was "dust?" Could it be that over time the innards have become all clogged with dust and the fan has to work extra hard (and all the time) to keep the CPU cool enough? Is the CPU clocking down to avoid overheating? Do Apple CPUs do that?

Titaniumdoughnut:
The temperatures you report don't seem excessive, so I'm not sure what's with the fan. Dust is a possibility, but unless you operate in a very dusty environment it would be a bit unusual to have enough dust to affect the functioning of the computer. If you wish you can take the computer apart and wipe the dust off the fan with a clean, lint-free damp cloth. Do not use forced air, whether canned air or any other method, as that may force dust into more critical areas.
I know you have a new HDD, but it might be helpful to check its functioning, anyway. First, select the HDD icon on the desktop and Get Info (Command + I) and note and report the total capacity and available capacity.
Next, download and run SMART Utility 2.0.2
Third, launch the Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor) and check Page ins and Page outs as well as Swap used.
cornelius

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