Bit confused on possible RAM upgrade, also second HDD possible?

[GreenFeline]

I'm planning to upgrade the RAM in my 690-0013w, but I'm a bit unclear on the maximum RAM it can use. The specs seem to have two pieces of conflicting information under the Memory upgrade header, so I'm hoping someone here who is more familiar with the way HP works can clarify this for me. The specs say "Supports 4 GB and 8 GB DDR4 UDIMMs" but seems to contradict that a few lines later with "Supports up to 32 GB (unbuffered) on 64-bit computers." The first is pretty clear, but since this motherboard has only two RAM slots, the second would make no sense... I mean, 2 x 8 GB = 16 GB, not 32 GB, you know? So, do you think I should get two 8 GB sticks for a total of 16 GB, or two 16 GB sticks for a total of 32 GB? I'm leaning toward the 16 total but I'd like a second opinion.

On to the HDD question... My question here is, can I add a second HDD to this PC? Right now it has a 1 TB HDD and a DVD drive. There's an M2 slot for an SSD, but I'm not planning to use that. I would rather have a second HDD for more storage space as opposed to an SSD for speed; I'm thinking something like a 2 or 4 TB Western Digital Black HDD. There's a free, unused SATA connector on the motherboard, I think I could plug a second HDD into that, correct? The Upgrade and Servicing guide seems to bear this out, it shows mounting two HDDs but I'm unclear if it actually means that or it's just trying to show that an HDD can be in two positions.

Thanks.

[old_geekster]

@GreenFeline , welcome to the Community.

The memory sections are very confusing!  The fact is you will have to use 2x16 GB to create the maximum amount of memory, 32 GB.  You can use 4 GB or 8 GB modules for the other configurations.  Here is the memory that is recommended by Crucial Memory.  They do show the 32 GB maximum using 2x16 GB.  The maximum speed of the memory is DDR4-2400.  This means that the memory has been overclocked from the basic DDR4-2133 to DDR4-2400 in the BIOS/UEFI.  You will have to contact Crucial's Tech Support to find out why they are recommending higher speeds.  This doesn't make sense to me.

I would like to suggest that you consider using a M.2, SSD.  The system performance increase is considerable with a M.2.  They don't cost that much more.  You can use your current 1 TB HDD for storage.  I will never have another computer without a SSD boot drive.  The "key M" means that you can use a NVMe, M.2.  Here is an example.  Here is a HP Knowledge Base article to tell you how to make the transition from the HDD to an SSD.

If you look at my Custom build in my Signature, you will see that I have a M.2, SSD for my boot drive and a standard SSD for my storage drive.

If you decide to go with the HDD, you can use the spare SATA port on the motherboard.  You will have to have a SATA power connector on the PSU or use a "Y" splitter to provide power to it.

Please click the Thumbs up + button if I have helped you and click Accept as Solution if your problem is solved.

[GreenFeline]

Yeah, the memory bits of the specs are totally confusing. It says the max speed is DDR4-2400, but the original RAM in the machine is a Samsung DDR4-2666, I went into the UEFI this morning and it says the memory is clocked at 2666. So I guess it is overclocked to that? That may be why Crucial is recommending higher speeds... though some of their recommendations are much higher speed than even that.

I'm leaning towards getting 2400 for the new RAM though, as I know very, very little about overclocking.  I've no idea how I would set the speed to 2666. I've read that it is done in UEFI, but haven't looked for instructions on that. Though I was planning to buy from Newegg and most of the 32 GB DDR4 on there seems to be 2666... meh, it's a good thing I'm not in a hurry and have time to research this stuff.

Good to have that confirmed about the HDD, thanks. The SATA power connector does have a second, open spot, so that aspect is good to go at least. I just have to remember to get a SATA cable to connect to the motherboard, since most of the HDDs I'm looking at don't include one. Yeah, I'm torn on getting a SSD or HDD. Storage is more important to me than speed at this point as I'm down to around ~130 GB of free space, but the speed is still a very attractive selling point.

[old_geekster]

@GreenFeline

There are many reasons why the specifications can vary, but the most likely is, HP uses the same motherboard in many of their models.  They limit the availability of components to create different price-points.  They most likely installed an incorrect board in your computer.  Of course, this would completely mess with the specifications.  You got a better deal than you anticipated!! 😉

I hear what you are saying about needing storage, but keep in mind the performance boost that you will receive with a SSD.

Good luck!