Notebook (Laptop) Upgrade FAQ

[laptoptamiri]

Thats very useful. Thanks for your post. You can also find some articles about this in 8different language.

laptop repair

[JohnHPNU]

I read the summary list at the beginning of this board. I am interested in a hard drive upgrade. There was a warning regarding new hard drives.

"Do not use a SATA to IDE connector converter to attempt to install a SATA disk where an IDE/EIDE was intended to be used. Use only what the laptop's chip set and on board connectors are capable of."

I would like to know how to find out about what my options are.

I have the dv8305us (p/n EZ579UA) and I have looked over the specifications but I don't see this type of info regarding the hard drive(s). Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[erico]

Hi,

---

@JohnHPNU wrote:

I read the summary list at the beginning of this board. I am interested in a hard drive upgrade. There was a warning regarding new hard drives.

"Do not use a SATA to IDE connector converter to attempt to install a SATA disk where an IDE/EIDE was intended to be used. Use only what the laptop's chip set and on board connectors are capable of."

I would like to know how to find out about what my options are.

I have the dv8305us (p/n EZ579UA) and I have looked over the specifications but I don't see this type of info regarding the hard drive(s). Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

---

There are two ways to find out. 

1) Remove the hard disk and look at the interface.

2)Google search for dv8305us hard drive. All of th review sites state that there is a SATA hard disk installed.

Since you are going to replace the drive anyway, I suggest that you verify it by removing the hdd. See the Maintenence and service manual for the removal procedure. It is pretty simple to remove a hard disk. You will need a jewelers philips screwdriver to do this

regards,
erico

[michaeltibbsjr]

I downloaded and installed SiSoft Sandra on my HP Pavillion Zv5034US Laptop, it came as a Northwood 2.66 Ghz Pentium 4 with 400 Mhz FSB, and 512 MB of PC2700 SODIMM ram. After running Sandra, I discovered, the mobo supported 800 FSB, and PC3200 ram. I upgraded my processor to a Prescott 3.2 Ghz Pentium 4 w/ Hyperthreading and  800 Mhz FSB, and 2 GB of GSkill 

---

@erico wrote:

 Hp Compaq Laptop/Notebook Upgrade FAQ

I decided to share this information with any and all forum members who find themselves a bit lost in

understanding what upgrades are possible. I will try to update this FAQ periodically. I also detailed the difficulty level on a few specific upgrade

projects. Kudos to forum members CherylG, Bob_Headrick, RasterBlaster, Huffer , CharlesHP and WendyM for their thoughtful suggestions and input on this project.

This information is generic. That is simply because of the great number of HP laptop models available and the range of laptop motherboard generations owned by forum members.

Any upgrades you decide to attempt are done at your own risk.

Table of Contents

1. Can I upgrade the processor in my laptop

2. Can I upgrade the memory in my laptop?

3. Can I upgrade the video card in my laptop?

4. Can I upgrade the network card in my laptop?

5. Can I upgrade the LCD display in my laptop to a larger one?

6. Can I upgrade the 2.5” hard disk in my laptop?

7. Will the HP recovery cds work after I upgrade my hard disk?

8. Can I upgrade the on-board Wireless card in my laptop?

9. Can I upgrade/replace the motherboard in my laptop?

10. Can I add a TV Tuner card to my  laptop?

11. Can I add more USB ports to my  laptop?

12. Where can I find detailed specification information and replacement procedures for my HP Laptop/Notebook?

13. Can I find guides and  videos that cover the repair/replacement steps involved in what I want to upgrade or replace?

14. The onboard network port or onboard wireless  adapter no longer works. My laptop is out of warranty. What can I do about it?

1. Can I upgrade the processor in my laptop?

For notebooks the answer is perhaps.

 Some notebooks have embedded processors. They are not plug and play. They are soldered onto the system board. An update would require swapping out the system board for one in your series with a better processor.

For most laptops the answer is yes.

The limitation is that the replacement processor must be of the same socket

type and within the range of listed processors the laptop is sold with by HP. If

the processor is not within the CPU option list, it is quite likely that the

BIOS has no support for it. It will probably not be recognized by the

motherboard as valid during the BIOS POST.

FYI... doing this will void your warranty.

Tools and materials required.

Laptop manual (HP laptop support web page)

Laptop assembly guide(HP laptop support web page)

New Laptop CPU (see above limitation)

Small Phillips screwdriver(Jeweler's)

Thermal compound (use a high quality brand)

Anti-Static wristband

Small container for the screws (they are very small and easy to lose)

Lots of patience. 🙂

1. Turn off the laptop and unplug it. Remove the battery, CD/DVD optical drives

and the hard drive. The hard drive is usually located in a slot on one side of

the laptop. Remove the screw that holds the cover in place, then pull out the

hard drive sled.

2. Turn the laptop over and remove the screws on the bottom that hold the

keyboard in place. Flip the laptop over, open it, then lift the keyboard up and

out. Carefully unplug the flexible ribbon cable that connects the keyboard to

the motherboard.

3. Remove the screws that hold the keyboard bezel and palm rest in place. Some

of the screws may be covered with round stickers or rubber plugs. Carefully lift

the bezel and palm rest up and out.

4. Unplug the heat-sink fan. Remove the screws that hold the heat-sink in place,

then carefully remove it from the laptop. Release or unscrew the mechanism that

holds the original processor in place, then remove it from the laptop.

Thoroughly clean the base of the heatsink with alcohol (70%) and a paper towel.

5. Install the new processor. CPUs are static voltage sensitive components, so

use an anti-static wristband. Handle the CPU only by its edges. Make sure it is securely attached and properly aligned in the CPU housing. Apply a thin layer of thermal compound( Arctic Silver / Ceramique or better) on the processor, then replace the heat-sink and fan. Replace the screws, then plug the fan back in.

6. Test the new processor. Connect the keyboard to the motherboard temporarily.

Plug the laptop back in, ( battery uninstalled) restart it, then follow the

instructions in your owner's manual to enter your system's BIOS ( usually F10).

The new CPU should now be recognized by the BIOS. Turn off the laptop, unplug

it, then remove the keyboard.

7. Reassemble the laptop by following your diagrams and the HP assembly guide

found in your laptop's support web page. Replace the round stickers or rubber

plugs to complete the upgrade.

2. Can I upgrade the memory in my laptop?

Yes, but only within the limitations of your notebook's motherboard chipset and

tables in the ROM file for your  BIOS.

HP custom Notebook BIOS does not allow modification of the primary and secondary

memory timings or memory module voltage setting. That puts a severe limit on

which particular memory modules will operate in your laptop. Go to a major

memory manufacturer website and use their utility (PNY memory configurator,

Crucial's Memory Advisor and Kingston's Memory Tools) to find out which memory

is guaranteed to work in your laptop.

If your desire is for the upgrade to work on the first start after you install

the new memory modules,there are a few rules of thumb you should follow.

1 ) The bus speed of the new modules should be the highest speed that the

specifications of your notebook state. Do not mix modules of different bus

speeds. Mixing bus speeds results in defaulting to lowest speed and a possibly

non operational memory module configuration.

2 ) Don't mix memory modules from different manufacturers. The module memory

chips, timings, bus speed and voltage requirements must be identical for optimal results

3 ) The memory modules must be configured the same. (either single sided or double sided)

4 ) The memory modules must be the same size (256 MB / 512 MB /1 GB or 2 GB) for optimal results.  2

and 4GB modules will not operate in all laptops. Check HP's stated maximum

memory in the specifications for your product in the HP laptop specific support

page.

There are exceptions for this rule of thumb. Laptops with AMD chip sets are sold

with different size modules installed. ( 1 x 1GB and one 2GB memory stick)

5 ) On some older laptops it will be required that you go in to the BIOS on

start up (normally it is the F10 key) and set the amount of newly installed

memory to the new actual value. Newer laptops will generally auto configure the

installed RAM.

It is highly recommended that you purchase memory only from a major memory maker

(HP,Kingston,Crucial,Corsair,OCZ,Geil...etc) that is guaranteed by them to work in your laptop.

Generic no-name brands are a bit of a gamble. You could roll a seven or snake eyes.

3. Can I upgrade the video card in my laptop?

Generally speaking,no.

it is not possible due to the platform design of the majority of consumer laptop

motherboards. That means you are generally stuck with the video chip integrated

into your notebook's motherboard chip-set. So that means that most laptops do

not have a video card.

There are a few notable exceptions in the premium notebook price range.

Some laptops that use Mobile PCI module (MXM) for a video output solution do

allow that flexibility. Technically adept super users have the ability and

knowledge to take advantage of it. Some MXM Type II or higher modules are

upgradeable. MXM is an open standard for laptop graphics that was developed by

NVIDIA. ATI was acquired by AMD a few years ago. ATI brand Radeon MXM modules

are available.

HP HDX Entertainment Series notebooks and some DV9500T notebooks use MXM and can

be upgraded. This is not a novice task. It requires a bit of research on your

part to ensure compatibility!

Be forewarned that there does exist a problem with the MXM standard. There is

not exactly a single standard. Laptop makers have in some instances modified the

standard dimensions of MXM modules to ensure that they will fit into their

laptop enclosures. They are used in some laptops, but are specifically

physically configured for a specific laptop. This is a rather expensive and very

difficult upgrade project for most people to tackle.

4. Can I upgrade the internal network card in my laptop?

No. The internal network is an integral part of the motherboard. External

network cards can be purchased with strict regard to the external interfaces

present in your laptop.

5. Can I upgrade the LCD display screen in my laptop to a larger one?

No. The LCD display is specific to the laptop case. It cannot be changed without

changing the case.

6. Can I upgrade the 2.5” hard disk in my laptop?

Yes.

An SSD hard drive is a great option for laptops with SATA2 hard drive interfaces.

Using an SSD disk as your system will provide amazingly short boot times, shutdown times and read/write accesses

When enough of these are on the market  the price will make them an attractive option to anyone wishing to upgrade their laptop. OCZ and Intel are currently the top brands. 

Use brands such as Fujitsu,Hitachi, Toshiba, Samsung and Western Digital for

best results. Seagate hard disks have been known to be on problematic. (that is

from my own experience and also reported in many posts here in the forum)

Generally speaking, a replacement IDE/EIDE hard disk can't be larger than 120

GB.

Laptops with the SATA hard drive interface often have issues with drives larger

than 320GB.

500GB and 1TB SATA hard disks have been reported as working here in forum posts.

If your IDE/EIDE hard drive is 5400 rpm and you are considering upgrading to a

7200 hard disk, your new hard drive will generate more heat. 7200rpm hard disks

have been found to be sometimes incompatible replacements for a 5400rpm hard

drives.

SATA hard disks are generally more easily upgraded compared to installing

IDE/EIDE hard disks. Do not use a SATA to IDE connector converter to attempt to

install a SATA disk where an IDE/EIDE was intended to be used. Use only what the

laptop's chip set and on board connectors are capable of.

The simplest method of installing when upgrading to a larger drive is through

the use of partition cloning software. Acronis True Image Home software is a

good example. The newest version of Acronis is reported to be the best. 

Kudos to Huffer for links to freeware disk cloning utilities.

7. Will my HP recovery cds work after I upgrade the hard disk?

Generally speaking, Yes.

8. Can I upgrade the on-board Wireless card in my laptop?

With some laptops this is a possibility. It depends on whether a daughtercard or

mini-PCIe adapter is part of the OEM optional configuration. Upgrading to a type

listed as an option in the parts list for your specific laptop is viable as it

is known to be compatible with your laptop.

9. Can I upgrade/replace the motherboard in my laptop?

The only upgrade possible is with a motherboard that was designed by HP for the

laptop series that your laptop part number/ model number falls under. Replacing

the motherboard can be done, but requires a motherboard designed for your laptop

housing. On the Support page for your laptop on the left side you will find a

link to HP parts to obtain the correct part number. This job requires a high

level of technical competence and steady hands. For most consumers, this is best

left to an HP approved repair shop or HP Repair Center.

10. Can I add a TV Tuner card to my  laptop?

If your laptop has Vista Premium as an OS then you should be able to add a compatible external TV Tuner card.

There are different interface types available. (Notebook Expresscard/54, USB) Read reviews on the product and search on the web to find out how other notebook owners have or have not had success with particular brands or models. 

11. Can I add more USB ports to my  laptop?

Yes

Use a powered hub if you want to extend the number of usb ports via an existing usb port. Your laptop chipset is designed to only supply a specific amount of current to each port ( in µA) so going beyond the specification is not a great idea in terms of your motherboard's chipset longevity. There are different USB adapter interface types available. (Expresscard/54, Cardbus, PCMIA)

12. Where can I find detailed specification information and replacement procedures for my HP Laptop/Notebook? 

For most HP models in the product support page for your product there is a link to an HP Official maintenance and Service manual.  For example, for dv6500/dv6600/dv6700, the Maintenance and Service Manual is here: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01295877.pdf. This guide include topics like "illustrated part catalog", "removal and replacement procedures" plus topics like "backup and recovery". 

13. Can I find guides and  videos that cover the repair/replacement steps involved in what I want to upgrade or replace?

HP provides repair videos called "Customer Self-Repair Steps (videos/animations)" for some models, which show the repair/replacement steps visually, for many seeing is much easier than reading. For example, repair videos for 2730p are here:http://h20464.www2.hp.com/resultsCSR.htm?prodSeriesId=3784558&MEID=8DBDFA0F-12B4-4D62-B348-FDC4E4DAB...

More videos and guides can be found by searching for them on the web. YouTube or Insidemylaptop.com  are also good sources for visual and written information. 

14. The onboard network port or onboard wireless  adapter no longer works. My laptop is out of warranty. What can I do about it?

You will find posts here in the forum about the very same problem. Read through the solutions that have worked for members and try them yourself. 

If the solutions don't work in your case read the following.

You can purchase an external wired or wireless network card that plugs in to an available interface port on your laptop. Each laptop type has different interfaces so check your notebook's specifications to see what you can use. There are different types available (USB ,PCMIA, ExpressCard/54). Be certain that you purchase cards that are for the OS that you have installed. That will help you when you notice that they come with drivers for your OS.

---

PC3200 SODIMM ram, also upgraded the HD to a fast Western Digital 160 GB. And then connected it to a 19 inch Vizio HD TV/Monitor.

It plays 1080p HD content in full screen. But I still can't play COD 4 or BF2 due to the ATI 9100 IGP video limitations, but I'm hopeful an external solution is forthcoming.

Now I'm saving up for a PATA SSD.

[JohnHPNU]

In regards to my question about the hard drive in the dv8305us, you recommended the following:

"There are two ways to find out. 

1) Remove the hard disk and look at the interface.

2)Google search for dv8305us hard drive. All of th review sites state that there is a SATA hard disk installed.

Since you are going to replace the drive anyway, I suggest that you verify it by removing the hdd. See the Maintenence and service manual for the removal procedure. It is pretty simple to remove a hard disk. You will need a jewelers philips screwdriver to do this

regards,
erico"

So simple, why didn't I think of taking it out. I hadn't! DOOOHHH! I took out my drive. It is a Hitachi Deskstar 80gB and it is an ATA/IDE type of drive. I suppose one skilled enough in hardware would have been able to tell that just by looking at the connector in the unoccupied bay, but I am not that sharp. Well, now I know and the 160gB IDE WD Scorpio Blue I bought today ought to work. Thanks!

[ups2525]

I want to upgrade my CPU can you guide me please?

Here is my laptop info and specs:

Hp Pavilion dv6000 series dv6226us

part # RP297UA

     CPU info

name: Intel Pentium 2050

code name: Yonah

package: socket 479 mPGA

technology: 65nm

core vid: 1.213 V

specification: Genuine Intel CPU T2060 @ 1.60GHZ

    mainboard info

manufacturer : Quanta

model: 30BB

chipset: Intel i945GM

southbridge: Intel 8280 1 GHM (ICH7-M/U)

     BIOS

brand: HP

version: F.2D

** I have found a processor that Im interested in,  is it compatible?  If not can you please give me some recommendations.  I have spent hours trying to figure this out so you help and input is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

Type	CPU / Microprocessor
Family	Intel Core Duo
Processor number	T2400
Part number	LF80539GF0342M BX80539T2400
Processor markings	LF80539 T2400 1.83/2M/667
Frequency (GHz)	1.83 / 1
Bus speed (MHz)	667
Clock multiplier	11
Package type	478-pin Micro-FCPGA
Socket type	Socket 479, Socket M (mPGA478M)
CPUID	06E8h
Core stepping	C0
Manufacturing technology (micron)	0.065
L2 cache size (KB)	2
Core voltage (V)	1.1625 - 1.3 / 0.7625 - 1
Case temperature (°C)	100
Thermal Design Power (Watt)	31

[erico]

Hi kixnggls,

---

@kixnggls wrote:

I have been reading the forums for hours, 🙂 although there is a lot of good info, I've been unable to find just the right answers, my question: I have a HP Pavillion dv6736nr Entertainment Notebook PC, it came with Vista home premium 32bit which I have added an extra 2G's of ram to. I want to do a clean install of Windows 7, but do not want to lose the HP perks that are on my notebook (QuickPlay, Lightscribe as well as others), is there a way or place I can order an HP disk with all the correct drivers, and Windows 7?

---

Yours is a Windows 7 upgrade question and should have been posted in the appropriate forum section. This is a hardware upgrade FAQ section. I will ask a Moderator to move your thread for you.

regards,
erico

[erico]

Hi,

Intel Core Duo processor T2250 - 1.73GHz (Merom, 2MB Level-2 cache, 667MHz FSB) 
RoHS: Modified 

 is a guaranteed compatible part. IT is listed as a replacement part in the HP online store for your laptop part number.

The processor speed  is only 10 mhz slower than the one you asked about but is certain to have BIOS support. The processor you queried about may not. You will see quite a performance jump when you replace your  original  Intel Pentium 2050 processor with a Core Duo processor.

Here is a link to the Service and Maintenance manual for the dv6000 series laptop. It will help.

regards,
erico

[erico]

Hi,

---

@JohnHPNU wrote:

In regards to my question about the hard drive in the dv8305us, you recommended the following:

"There are two ways to find out. 

1) Remove the hard disk and look at the interface.

2)Google search for dv8305us hard drive. All of th review sites state that there is a SATA hard disk installed.

Since you are going to replace the drive anyway, I suggest that you verify it by removing the hdd. See the Maintenence and service manual for the removal procedure. It is pretty simple to remove a hard disk. You will need a jewelers philips screwdriver to do this

regards,
erico"

So simple, why didn't I think of taking it out. I hadn't! DOOOHHH! I took out my drive. It is a Hitachi Deskstar 80gB and it is an ATA/IDE type of drive. I suppose one skilled enough in hardware would have been able to tell that just by looking at the connector in the unoccupied bay, but I am not that sharp. Well, now I know and the 160gB IDE WD Scorpio Blue I bought today ought to work. Thanks!

---

Yep... Good choice.  the Scorpio Blue should do just fine. Have fun! 

regards,
erico