I want to upgrade the laptop to enhance the performance HP Pavillion Gaming Laptop 15-dk5xxx

[Abi_25]

Hi, I want to upgrade my Laptop to enhance the performance. 

Current Conf: HP Pavillion Gaming Laptop 15-dk5xxx , 16 GB RAM, 4GB graphics card, 512 SSD

Right now, while rendering 4k videos out in video editing app, it closes automatically,  Also color grading and rendering out is very difficult for 1080p quality itself.

Should I be updating the RAM to 32 GB  or should i update the graphics card further or should i be doing both to have better performance, or i need to upgrade the ssd to 1TB.

Kindly suggest.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Abi_25 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Good question 👍 and thanks for sharing your specs clearly. Let’s break it down for your HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15-dk5xxx:

Current config:

CPU: Intel Core i5/i7 (10th or 11th gen, depending on your variant)

GPU: 4GB dedicated graphics (likely NVIDIA GTX 1650/1650 Ti or RTX 3050 depending on exact model)

RAM: 16GB DDR4

Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

Performance bottlenecks in video editing (4K & heavy color grading):

CPU – Handles encoding/decoding, effects, and multitasking. Mid-range Intel CPUs in this model will struggle with 4K workflows.

GPU (VRAM) – Color grading and effects (Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, After Effects) are GPU-intensive. 4GB VRAM is minimum for 1080p, but for smooth 4K editing, you really want 6–8GB VRAM.

RAM – 16GB is fine for 1080p editing, but for 4K editing and color grading, 32GB makes a noticeable difference (less crashing, smoother previews).

SSD – Your 512GB SSD is fine for speed, but if your media/cache/projects fill it up, it will throttle performance. Having a 1TB SSD (or an additional external SSD) is helpful for storage, but won’t directly speed up rendering.

Upgrade Recommendations:

RAM → 32GB DDR4 (Dual Channel)

This will reduce crashes and improve multitasking during 4K editing.

Biggest upgrade you can do inside this laptop.

GPU Upgrade?

Unfortunately, GPU is soldered on gaming laptops like the Pavilion 15-dk. You can’t replace/upgrade it.

If your editing app relies heavily on GPU (DaVinci Resolve, Premiere with Lumetri), the 4GB VRAM will remain your biggest limitation.

SSD → 1TB NVMe SSD (Optional)

Will not directly increase rendering speed, but helps a lot with media cache, scratch disks, and project storage.

You can also keep your 512GB SSD and add a second NVMe/SATA drive (if your model has the second slot).

Upgrading to 32GB RAM + 1TB SSD will give you more stability, faster media handling, and fewer crashes.

But for smooth 4K editing with heavy effects/color grading, your GPU (4GB VRAM) will still bottleneck.

Long-term, if you’re serious about 4K video editing, you’d need a laptop/PC with RTX 3060/3070+ (6–8GB VRAM) or an M-series MacBook (Final Cut/DaVinci run super efficiently there).

Recommended upgrade path for your current Pavilion:

Upgrade to 32GB DDR4 RAM.

Add/replace SSD with 1TB NVMe for project storage.

Use proxy workflow in Premiere/Resolve for 4K editing → edit in 1080p proxies, then export in 4K (this will make your current setup much smoother).

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye