HP 15-da0011cy — Can’t Open Case + Need RAM & HDD Upgrade Confirmation

[Effervesc3nt]

Hi! I have an HP 15-da0011cy laptop that I’d like to upgrade with more RAM and an SSD. My goal is to make it run more smoothly for school (pursuing CIT degree) and basic multitasking. I’ve run into some challenges trying to open the case and confirm the internal upgrade options.

My family member, who has a tech background, already:

Removed all visible screws, including 4 hidden ones under the rubber foot

Removed the optical drive

Still couldn’t get the case to open! it seems like it may still be latched or held by clips? 

We don’t want to force anything or risk damage. Does anyone know the proper disassembly order or have a service guide for this model?

I’d also like to verify these upgrade specs before buying parts:

RAM:

8GB DDR4-2400 currently installed

Can it be upgraded to 16GB total?

Does this model have 1 or 2 RAM slots? (Need to confirm before buying a second stick)

Storage:

Currently using a 1TB HDD with 16GB Intel Optane cache

Is this a standard 2.5” SATA interface? Or something else?

Can I replace the HDD with a 2.5” SATA SSD like a Crucial MX500?

• If I remove or disable Intel Optane, will I need to change BIOS settings (e.g., switch from RAID to AHCI)? 

I've tried to confirm this online elsewhere but info is unclear! 

Thanks for your time - I want to upgrade ASAP since I will also be taking summer classes. 

[banhien]

@Effervesc3nt 

From Crucial

            https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/hp/hp-15-da0011cy

1. RAM: You can upgrade RAM to 32GB (2x16GB).

2. SSD:  Your machine does NOT support dual storage therefore you can use 2TB of 2.5" Crucial MX500.

Regards

[Paul_Tikkanen]

@Effervesc3nt 

You can remove the 16 GB M.2 Optane memory and install a M.2 NVMe SSD in its place and use the 1 TB mechanical hard drive for storage or remove it altogether.

A suggested 1 TB NVMe SSD:

Amazon.com: Crucial P3 1TB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD, up to 3500MB/s - CT1000P3SSD8 : Electroni...

Note that in the 15-da0xxx model series the M.2 slot is only PCie Gen 3 x2 which means that a NVMe SSD will run at approximately half of its advertised read/write speeds.

So in the case of the above drive that would be approximately 1750 MBPS read/1500 MBPS write.

This would still be approximately 3x faster than a SATA M.2 or 2.5" SSD.

If you use the 1 TB mechanical hard drive for storage, you have to remove Windows from the drive.

The model series does support dual drive configurations.

See chapter 1, page 3 of the service manual:

HP 15 Laptop PC Maintenance and Service Guide

Regarding the removal of the Intel Optane memory.

Before removing the M.2 Optane, you have to disable it in the Intel RST software.

I do not believe that your notebook has a BIOS setting to disable/enable Intel Optane.

See this link for more info regarding Intel Optane:

HP Desktop PCs - Install and use Intel Optane | HP® Support

Regarding the bottom cover removal:

If you have followed the guidance in chapter 6 of the manual you can also watch these service videos for how to remove the bottom cover and other related components:

Note that there are screws that have to be removed under both of the rubber foot strips.

Replace the Optical Drive | HP Notebook 15, HP 250 and 255 G7 Notebook PC | HP

Replace the Base Enclosure | HP Notebook 15, HP 250 and 255 G7 Notebook PC | HP

Replace the Primary Storage Drive Assembly | HP Notebook 15, HP 250 and 255 G7 Notebook PC | HP

Replace the Solid State Drive | HP Notebook 15, HP 250 and 255 G7 Notebook PC | HP