software

I put a Hot Rail on a cheap strat-copy. It sounds properly but a little bit noisy (when using high gain of course) than the stock 500T on my Gibson X-plorer pro when using the same setup (amp, cable, etc.). It's acceptable but I just wonder if I can further bring down the noise by upgrading other electronic devices inside the strat, e.g. pots, jack and wires. Which one should I try first? Or is the Hot Rail born to be more noisy than Gibson 500T?

my guess is that if its noisy then you might want to check all your ground connections.

is it dead quiet clean and only noisy with lots of distortion?

Thanks!
It's noisy only when with a lot of distortion. In fact, it's not a serious problem. It's quieter than most cheap guitars. It's just not as quiet as my Gibson. I'm sure there's no wiring problems. I had replaced the stock 5-way switch with ernie ball's and there's a notable improvement on the clarity of sound. That's why I wanna know which part should I upgrade next.
More input is still welcome!