Linux admin needed to find problem with my system

I am running CentOS 5.4 I686 with dual quad core chips and 8 gigs of ram, and Web Host Manager. I am experiencing a high server load intermittently throughout the day (as high as 10 or 12 in some cases and Ram is at 12 to 14%). It is causing problems with ftpd when the load is high. The problem resolves itself if I restart httpd. I think it is something to do with httpd and not the server even though my techs are telling me it is the hard drive. The hard drive is sata and not sas or scsi. I need someone to either confirm the hard drive is the problem or resolve the issue.