HP ENVY x360 Laptop 15T - SSD Upgrade In the Furture

[PapaBear512]

Planning to buy the ENVY X360 Laptop for college student.

1.   What is max DRAM and configuration (number of modules, density per module, module specs, etc.)?

2.   If SSD needs to be upgraded in the future, how can this be done?  Laptop comes with Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64.  Is their a recovery tool to copy to larger SSD? 

[Huffer]

To answer these questions we need to know exactly which model laptop you are asking about. You need a service manual and without the exact model we do not know what manual to refer to for answers to your questions. 

[PapaBear512]

For reference, here is link to the laptop of interest

https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-envy-x360-laptop-15t-5qn41av-1/

[Huffer]

5QN41AV_1 is the Product Number 15t-cn1xxx is the model series and here is the Service Manual:

Manual

It supports either DDR4-2400 or DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM modules and the Manual says 16 gigs is the max (2 x 8 gb) but it will handle 2 x 16 = 32 gigs just fine. Start on p. 29 of the Manual for instructions to remove the rear cover. Be careful of the rubber feet. 16 gigs is all the memory most users need and you can get there by adding another 8 gig module and this would work fine:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Notebook-Memory-M471A1K43CB1-CRC-DDR4-2400/dp/B06XPWJJPL/ref=sr_1_18?...

 The model you ask about comes with a 256 gig M.2 SSD of the "gumstick" form factor which can be replaced  with a larger capacity M.2 SSD of the PCie/NVME variety. With an adapter sled and cable you can add a regular 2.5 inch hard drive or SSD for extra storage as an alternative. A backup and recovery app will be installed and one of the things it can do is to make a factory restore USB disk you can use to restore the original factory image to a new, larger M.2 SSD or there are just many ways to make images and clone the existing installation to a new hard drive or SSD. Happy to help more specifically if you wish. Windows 10 is now a free and easy download and you need no Key Code to reinstall even onto a new storage disk. 

Shield for memory and SSD circled in red

The 2 memory module slots and the slot for the M.2 "gumstick" SSD are under the metal shield circled in red in the above picture. 

This laptop is a very good choice for a student. It's not good for gaming but perfectly good even very very good for academic/office type work and even content creation. It will be very fast and as shown above it is easily upgraded if necessary and the current price is a very good deal. The FHD screen is a feature you rarely see in that price range and makes the laptop really so much more useable. 

Post back with any more questions and please accept as solution if this is the info you needed. 

[PapaBear512]

Great feedback.  Few more questions.

1. Looks like laptop comes with 2 memory slots, correct?

2. Does model that is advertised come with a  single 8GB module, so 1 slot is open?

3. If so, if I add another 8GB module, do the modules need to match (brand, performance, etc.)?

4. Should I update BIOS before installing?

5. How much SSD storage is available after Windows, etc. is installed?

6. As for SSD upgrade, is USB recovery enough or will I need a network connection and download Windows 10 Home 64 and proceed from there?  Please explain procedure you would use.

[Huffer]

1 + 2. Yes two slots and one will be unoccupied and the other has an 8 gig module in it. 

3. Modules need not be identical but they need to have the same characteristics. The one I linked for you will work fine and will run dual channel. 

4. Brand new laptop should have the latest BIOS. BIOS upgrade is a good idea before any major hardware change but not mandatory. 

5. On a 256 gig SSD you will have maybe 160 gigs available and free out of the box because it has the recovery and system partitions and Windows and the installed apps use up some storage. 

6. The USB recovery disk made from the HP app will restore the laptop to the exact same state as out of the box. No OS install needed; the OS is included. I'm a pretty sophisticated technician so I tend not to use the recovery disk which is a kind of failsafe get your computer up and running easily kind of thing and I tend to either clone the prior installation using something like Macrium Reflect Free, restore from a backup, or I just do a clean install. Remember I have a pretty complete set of external drives and adapters and I am one of those people who actually always keeps a current backup of his computer just in case something goes wrong. If you are immediately upgrading a new laptop the usb recovery disk is just fine and is very easy and foolproof and gives you the same exact setup as when you opened the box. Recovery partition, HP utility apps, etc. 

Post back with any more questions and please accept as solution if this is the info you needed. 

[ayoung5555]

Hello. I just bought the same laptop and I am also looking at adding an additional hard drive. Would the one below fit in and be compatible with it?

https://www.newegg.com/seagate-barracuda-1tb-st1000lm048/p/N82E16822179108?item=N82E16822179108

If not, could you link to one with the same capacity that would work? 

I also read on another page I may need a bracket and/or adapter. Are those necessary and where can I buy those if they are not included with the HDD?

[Huffer]

They are not included if you buy a model with just an M.2. All laid out in the Manual I posted above and those parts have proven elusive to actually find. Start your own thread if you wish to get into details.