Any help really appreciated, please -RAM upgrade 16 to 32Gb, SSD upgrade, Processor upgrade i9

[Buildenthusiast]

Hi all, I'm looking to upgrade my HP laptop completely, as it was a present from my late father. I was hoping you could offer your recommendations on the possible RAM upgrade to 2 x 16GB, SSD upgrade, and Processor upgrade to an i9 if supported. I have attached the complete system specs below, most of which are probably not necessary. I would appreciate help from anyone with the knowledge to assist me, please

          System Information Report

General       

                Operating System        Microsoft Windows 11 Pro

                Central Processor        12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1260P

Storage       

                Total Memory        15.7 GB

                Free Memory        6.9 GB

                Total Hard disk        475.7 GB

                Free Hard disk        329.9 GB

Operating System       

                OS Name        Microsoft Windows 11 Pro

                OS Version        10.0.26200

                Maximum Size        4095 MB

                Current Size        198 MB

                Status        OK

Central Processor       

                CPU Name        12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1260P

                Number of Logical Processors        16

                Code Name        N/A

                Manufacturer        GenuineIntel

                Current Clock Speed        2100 Mhz

                Max Clock Speed        2100 Mhz

                Voltage        1V

                External Clock        100 Mhz      

                CPU ID        Intel64 Family 6 Model 154 Stepping 3

                Socket Designation        U3E1

                L1 Cache        192 KB

                L1 Cache        128 KB

                L2 Cache        5120 KB

                L3 Cache        18432 KB

                L1 Cache        256 KB

                L1 Cache        512 KB

                L2 Cache        4096 KB

                L3 Cache        18432 KB

Motherboard       

                Model        8A2E

                Manufacturer        HP  

                BIOS Name        F.35

                BIOS Vendor        Insyde

                SMBIOS Version        F.35

                BIOS Date        04/08/2025

BIOS Features       

                PCI is supported        Yes

                BIOS is Upgradable (Flash)        Yes

                BIOS shadowing is allowed        Yes

                Boot from CD is supported        Yes

                Selectable Boot is supported        Yes

                EDD (Enhanced Disk Drive) Specification is supported        Yes

                Int 13h - Japanese Floppy for NEC 9800 1.2mb (3.5, 1k Bytes/Sector, 360 RPM) is supported        Yes

                Int 13h - Japanese Floppy for Toshiba 1.2mb (3.5, 360 RPM) is supported        Yes

                Int 13h - 5.25 / 360 KB Floppy Services are supported        Yes

                Int 13h - 5.25 /1.2MB Floppy Services are supported        Yes

                Int 13h - 3.5 / 720 KB Floppy Services are supported        Yes

                Int 13h - 3.5 / 2.88 MB Floppy Services are supported        Yes

                Int 9h, 8042 Keyboard services are supported        Yes

                Int 10h, CGA/Mono Video Services are supported        Yes

                ACPI supported        Yes

                USB Legacy is supported        Yes

Memory Resource       

                Total Memory        15.7 GB

                Used Memory        8.8 GB

                Free Memory        6.9 GB

                Memory Usage        56%

Physical Memory       

                Memory Bank        BANK 0

                Description        Physical Memory 0

                Device Locator        Bottom - Slot 1 (left)

                Capacity        8.0 GB

                Speed        3200 Mhz

                Manufacturer        Micron Technology

                Data Width        64 bit

                Memory Type        Unknown

                Form Factor        SODIMM

Physical Memory       

                Memory Bank        BANK 0

                Description        Physical Memory 1

                Device Locator        Bottom - Slot 2 (right)

                Capacity        8.0 GB

                Speed        3200 Mhz

                Manufacturer        Micron Technology

                Data Width        64 bit

                Memory Type        Unknown

                Form Factor        SODIMM

Disk Drives       

                Name        SAMSUNG MZVL4512HBLU-00BH1

                Media Type        Fixed hard disk media

                Capability        476.9 GB

                Interface Type        SCSI

                Partitions        3

                Total Cylinders        62260

                Total Heads        255

                Total Sectors        1000206900

                Total Tracks        15876300

                Tracks Per Cylinder        255

                Bytes Per Sector        512

                Sectors Per Track        63

[TzortzisG · Accepted solution]

Hello Buildenthusiast.

Documentation for this system is as follows: MANUAL and Specifications sheet. There is a slight discrepancy between the two documents, since the specs sheet lists 4800 DDR5 memory running at 3200 speed. The specs sheet is wrong. Here is a PDF datasheet of an almost identical to yours system with the 1260P CPU and two 8GB modules -they are DDR4 as seen in the data you've posted yourself: 17-cr0503na. Since this is a DDR4 system, you can upgrade to a maximum of 64GBs by using 2x32GB modules. Also read this very interesting 2023 discussion about max RAM on this system, because the user has provided info proving that these systems can support the slightly faster Kingston Fury cl20 modules with the 20-22-22 timings: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/Max-RAM/td-p/8656396. I've used these on my Tiger/Alder Lake Probooks and they give the system a bit of an edge. However, some HP systems don't like fast timings and refuse to boot. I'd also recommend going straight for the 2x32GB kit by Crucial or the 64GB Kingstons for two reasons. DDR4 memory is being replaced by DDR5 and the major RAM manufacturers have decided to stop production of the older type, so you should get it while you can. Also, DDR4 prices seem to be going up and if you ever decide you need the full 64GBs you'll probably have to pay more......for lower quality chips.

Concerning the i9 you want to install, unfortunately the 1260p uses BGA1744 to connect to the motherboard. Generally speaking, if you have a modern laptop the CPU cannot be upgraded.

* Forgot the storage section:

This 2023 review of this series by the Austrians at Notebookcheck shows that there is only one slot for storage.

Page 2 of the MANUAL talks about PCIe 4.0 SSDs installed in this series. However, the review above has the 17-cr0079ng hosting a 1TB PCIe 3.0 Samsung drive. Usually HP doesn't use slower drives on its systems, depending on availability it might install a faster one that will just work at the lower speed. I can't find any concrete evidence about whether this is a coincidence or the 17-cr0000 series is actually limited to PCIe gen3.0 speeds. In any case, Crucial has some good drives with guaranteed compatibility on its page for this product....

The Official HP Removing & Replacing Parts youtube video, together with the manual can provide the necessary guidance to perform the desired upgrades.

[Buildenthusiast]

Hi TzortzisG,

Thank you with a tipped hat for the information and in-depth quality of your answer to my question above. I have read it over several times, following the links you've provided, even the link for my own system user manual, and I've also taken the time to read through it. Also, the release date for this laptop product code was in 2022, and the corresponding date is when my late father bought the laptop for me.

C:\Windows\System32>wmic memphysical get maxcapacityEx
MaxCapacityEx
67108864 / 1,048,576= 64

I also followed your advice on the link provided to another question's post and can confirm that my motherboard can support 64GB. However, after reading your reply to that post, I may upgrade to 32GB instead, but more is better, no? Reading the supporting documents, it seems clear that the CPU cannot be upgraded at all, it's by all accounts soldered to the motherboard and would require a complete motherboard replacement, which is starting to get more expensive where a new laptop would be a more viable option.

The SSD certainly needs to be upgraded at only 512GB, but I'm dubious how to transfer the date to the new drive from the old one with only one SSD NVMe M.2 slot and the confidence to make a sound copy.

TzortzisG thank you again for your contribution, knowledge and in-depth research, not only to my post but many other posts where I have learned a great deal, you give clear advice and favourable options and recommendations

[TzortzisG]

I'm glad you found the info helpful.

32GB is fine. I think 16GB is also fine. Some might even argue that 8GB -with some small compromises- is OK. But if someone is going to go to the trouble of upgrading, why not just max out and get it over with. Around 2019 I started upgrading my 6th and 7th gen Intel laptops to 2x16GB (from 4GB and 8GB which were what HP equipped its systems at the time). 32GBs was considered overkill at the time, but I just wanted to upgrade and never have to concern myself with the RAM again. Well, recently I found out that they can be upgraded to 2x32GB memory, and now I've purchased the higher capacity modules, installed them on the machines, and have a lot of 16GB DDR4 RAM that is worthless to me.

About the RAM speed questions. DDR4 speed fluctuates all the time. It will go to the highest frequency and timings when the system (CPU) is under load. See this thread: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-Notebooks/DRAM-Frequency-crashing/td-p/9034167.

Changing soldered-on components is not impossible. I've talked to repair techs that replace soldered RAM when it fails, and the work plus the money it costs is not worth it. Replacing a failing BGA processor with an identical one might be possible. Putting on a different one will-almost certainly- not work. Motherboards (at least brand new ones) tend to cost about x1.5 the price of the laptop. I have -at least on one of my systems- replaced a dead mobo with one I harvested from a cheap refurb that cost roughly around 100 quid.

On your final question, you're obviously talking about cloning the original SSD. That is one way of doing things. I'm not really a fan of cloning. You will have to buy a m.2 to USB adapter no matter how you upgrade storage, to be able to access the old data. Usually the new drive will offer some kind of free cloning software. Personally I prefer clean installs. Intel 11th Gen (and up) systems require a workaround to reinstall Windows. See this official HP document: HP PCs - No drives can be found during Win11 or Win10 installation (Intel 11th Gen). There is also another way of getting an OS on the new drive, and that's by using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool. The Drivers page for your system mentions HP Cloud Recovery, so I'm pretty sure there is support for it.

If you don't feel comfortable doing the upgrades yourself, you can always let a professional do it for you. You can buy the new parts yourself, and take the machine to an appropriate service center. Usually they don't charge a lot, and peace of mind is more important than the money....

[Buildenthusiast]

TzortzisG, I have nominated you for the Expert Programme, but now, looking at your profile, I see that you possibly already hold that status. It was just my way of saying thank you for your time and effort with the detailed replies that take time and the know-how to start with, which is shared for free. People like you make forums such as this a gold mine for enthusiasts like myself.

I upgraded my HP ENVY 17.3-inch Laptop PC 17-cr0000 to the maximum amount of RAM for my system, 64GB Crucial DDR4 3200, and also upgraded from the original HP 500GB SSD to the Crucial T710 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe 2280 M.2 SSD costing around £217ish on Amazon, which was actually cheaper than advertised on the Crucial website,  the Crucial 2*32GB sticks were around £280 again bought from Amazon, which took around 12 days to arrive. and, of course, had to buy an M2 SSD enclosure and cloning software. I went with EaseUS disk clonig sotware which cloned the old SSD and transfered with no issues even with FootLocker enabled, twas a dream

I performed all the upgrades myself, which were not difficult at all. I've read a lot on the internet about systems not rebooting, bluescreens, blackscreens of death but I luckaly had found no issues at all. I'm around £500odd quid out of pocket but there is a massive difference in the overall system and I'm soo pleased with results.

Now I'm thinking motherboard...but looks to be nearon impossible with only a downgrade to an I3 CPU from an I7 12th Gen?

Anyways, thanks again for all your help, advice, and information provided throughout this post TzortzisG

Peace fella