HP 15-DA0073WM, Anyone know why HP claims it has 8GB RAM standard when it actually sells with 4GB?

[WryThot]

Question was originally posted by Adam Destroyer but can not longer be directly replied to.   I have the 15 da00073wm HP Mist which I purchased from Walmart.  The wm on the end of the model number seems to indicate it was sold by Walmart.  It came with 4 GB Ram which I upgraded to 8 GB.  It sported Windows 10 and is upgradeable to Windows 11.  It has a touchscreen and and additional amount of optane memory which speeds loading.  I think it is not much of a speculative jump to assume that just why some documentation lists it as have 8 GB Ram and other documentation, 4 GB Ram is that marketing was trying to find the best price for selling this I7 Intel computer, so sometimes it was released with less ram, i. e. 4 GB.  The keyboard sticker on mine clearly indicates 4 GB ram.  I don't think any other explanation is plausible..  The computer runs fine but can run hot if you don't allow it extra room for venting on the bottom.   If you block vents sitting it in your lap, it is going to get uncomfortable.  HP obviously tried to reduce weight of this laptop.   You had better resist dropping it much or the bottom case will crack.  And if you change the battery, don't lose any bottom case screws because not only can you not get a screw kit from HP, you can't find that length of screws anywhere this side of Ebay where someone stripped them from a computer.  You can hunt for them there by part number from the Service and Maintenance Manual.  HP sent a popup message offering no assurance they would even repair the model any longer.  I bent the power port connection and replaced the port myself only to have the touchscreen ability vanish and received the suggesting I do a clean install.  I am giving that a miss because I lack confidence that will restore touch, given I had seen an old posting where someone tried it and such failed.  I can live with that.   Finally, you may have to scramble a bit to find replacement batteries that have the HP logo.   Other replacements vary wildly in cost and some are accompanied by very bad user review experiences.  It is pretty obvious that either these batteries vary in quality or some have been badly treated.    And it you think the contradictions about Ram are mystifying, wait until you dive into just how long the battery charge is supposed to last (Some say 10.5 hours, others about 8 hours.  And I have no idea what the reference to 2 hours discharge relates to.  I see wildly contradictory information on how to make the battery last and even how to "condition" the battery initially.  My best guess at the moment is to recharge it when it is down to 20 percent if you want to greatly extend the number of charging/discharging cycles the battery can do.   Any other advice is up in the air.   Note that the rubber strips on the bottom are of two different thicknesses and seem terribly difficult to get back on when you change the battery.  The laptop WILL run without a battery  if you leave one out and use AC.   But leaving batteries out will NOT preserve the battery forever.  Chemistry continues in or out.  Lastly,  don't count on an Intel Utility Updater for this HP regarding drivers.  HP modifies some of those AFTER Intel has   Hope this is helpful to someone.

[banhien · Accepted solution]

@WryThot 

Its specs

          https://support.hp.com/au-en/document/c06057185

Yes, it is from Walmart line  that why it model is ending with wm. I should have  8 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB). Why only 4GB I don't know. You should talk to Walmart earlier.

For battery, I won't believe your machine can run over 5Hrs from day 1 with 3-cell, 41 Wh Li-ion unless just turning on machine go do nothing.

Regards.

[WryThot]

I think you are right regarding the longevity of battery life being closer to 5 hours than the purported 10.5 hours ;in some ads.

Well, its battery life if a far cry from the 10.5 hours once heralded.   I suspect internal heat has added to depreciation of the battery, but I claim no expertise.   I am unlikely to become an expert considering the amount of contradictory and paradoxical information circulating about "conditioning" a battery and extending its life and calibrating a battery.

And it is not difficult to find ads of the 15-00073wm being sold wit 8 GB ram.   I have no idea why the model was also advertised with 4 GB ram other than an adjustment made to sell it cheaper at Walmart with 4 GB.   It is not like they forgot the ram.   Even the HP laptop sticker on it is clearly labeled 4 GB ram.  But I consider it  unusual for them to sell the same model with two different amounts of ram and even that ram being a variation.

No wonder that sometimes call it a notebook rather than a laptop.  In you lap with the vents blocked, it grows hot enough to fry you , eh, bacon. 

But it is a good performer.  Just don't deprive it of circulation.  I sometimes sit mine on 5 lb. weights to allow better venting.  Perhaps I ought to have gotten a model with noisier fans.

[WryThot]

BH, you have opened my eyes about 3 cell batteries.   I'll try not the shed a tear about 5 hour performance.   And I notice the the L11119-855 battery seems to come in several variations.  One has an mAh of 3400, another 3600.   Some are 1c1 batteries.  Others, 2C2.   These abbreviations seem to stand for how long they can hold a charge, the higher the MAh, the better, the lower the number around the c, the better.  I understand little of it, other than better or worse.    The prices vary a lot when it comes to replacements.  It is almost let the buyer beware.  It looks like currently a 3600 mAh replacement might cost about $50.  I've seen prices over $109 for the L1119-855.   And prices under $20.   With that wide a swing, I say go for a seller that has a great record and allows returns.   Beats me how some advertise 5 year warranties on cheap batteries.  They must count on your machine dying before 5 years is up.

Pardon my rambling.  I'm just trying to get as much info out about the laptop i have as sort of payback for all the info I see posted.    As the the genuine HP sticker saying 4 GB Ram on my machine, it definitely does, irrespective of specs elsewhere.   And it refers to an HP touchscreen there with an icon and tiny print --in spite of the insistence of my device proclaiming touch is unavailable.   I am wondering if I killed the touchscreen wiping it off with those wipes for glasses.  I have seen admonitions to not clean it other than with water, a warning read far too late.  

Thanks for the info about the 3 cell battery.