HP Pavillion DV7 1016nr upgrading questions

[JphotoguyVA]

Good Afternoon!

I had a few upgrade questions I was wondering if you could help me out with?

I have a HP Pavillion DV7 1016nr laptop running Windows 7 (64-bit)

I have looked online in the service manual if the CPU can be upgraded. I think the last two CPUs I got were incompatible because they weren't P models (example my OEM is a Intel Duo Core P3750 2.00 ghz) I was wondering if a P8600 2.40 ghz would work? It is listed in the service manual although I am not sure if my motherboard allows my BIOS to read a new CPU chip. I hope so!

My motherboard is a Compal 30F4 99.B6

Also I have read in numerous places with the DV7 models that if the system is a 64-bit system then the RAM is able to upgrade to 8gb ( I was going to install 2 4gb Crucial RAM sticks DDR2) Everything says only 4gb but I don't know if I should by the RAM and try it and see (I can always return it) but figured I would ask these questions to an official HP tech.

Thanks again for all your help!

Jason Anderson

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

According to the parts list for your model at the link below, it came with a P7350 processor.

http://partsurfer.hp.com/Search.aspx?searchText=FF225UA

You can install 2 x 4 GB of memory in there right now.

However, you will find that a 4 GB DDR2 memory module is very expensive nowadays.

No need to upgrade the processor to do that.

If you have tried the T model processors listed in the service manual and they didn't work, I would use one of the Penryn processors with the same specs as yours.

Probably the P9600 would work for you...I would be concerned that the P9700 might run a little too hot, since it is a 28W processor.

https://ark.intel.com/products/codename/26543/Penryn

Comparison of your processor and the P9600...

https://ark.intel.com/compare/37266,36750

[JphotoguyVA]

Hi Paul,

Thank you so much for your prompt reply.

So just to confirm I am able to install 2 4gb RAM in my laptop. Yes it is a bit expensive but I use my laptop to DJ with and I need a bit more memory to keep my application from lagging.

You are correct that the T processor chips did not work on my laptop. But I do have a P8600 2.4ghz chip and think that it will give me a little more of a boost. I don't think I need to go higher than the P8600 since I don't want to run the risk of it getting too hot.

For the CPU upgrade of my laptop, will F2.D bios work? I installed the BIOS driver from HP website according to my product serial # and flashed the BIOS and used the Insyde application that you have for customers to use.

Also one more question. Can you tell me where I can buy thermal pads for my heatsink? The ones that were factory installed were old and crumbling. I have thermal paste in its place but I think thermal pads are what HP recommends and not thermal paste.

Thanks again for all of your help,

Jason

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome, Jason.

Yes, you can install 2 x 4 GB of PC2-6400 memory in your notebook today.

OK, so you have a P8600 you can install now.   That should work fine.

BIOS...F.2D was the latest BIOS revision for your notebook's model series.

Neither of the two BIOS updates show that they added support for newer processors, but I am 99% sure the P8600 will work just fine.

Thermal pads...can't help you with that one.

Those are included when you order the heatsink from HP, so you are going to have to live with the paste.

Check eBay...they have generic thermal pads that you cut to size...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-GPU-CPU-PC-Laptop-High-Quality-Silicone-Paste-Gel-Conductive-Thermal-Pa...

[JphotoguyVA]

Thanks so much for your help, so grateful!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

Please post back and let us know how the processor and memory upgrade went.

[JphotoguyVA]

Hi Paul,

So I installed the P8600 chip this evening and it works great!!! So happy!!!

I've ordered the new RAM and will follow up with this post when I get it.

Thanks!!!

Jason

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Jason.

Glad the processor woked as expected.

Hopefully the memory you bought will work too.

This was the memory I bought years ago for my HP notebooks that used 4 GB of PC2-6400 memory...they are still working great.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220382

[JphotoguyVA]

Hi Paul,

I have some issues going on with my laptop. I hadn't run it much since putting in the P9600 processor and the 8gb of RAM. So yesterday I was using it to mix music with my pioneer mixer. It worked at first and then I started having major issues.

First was programs weren't working and shutting down and then I got the blue screen saying memory management issues .The next thing is the computer will just completely cut off just cold and quick. So I'm not sure if the RAM was too much, I put the 4gb back in but still computer would shut off. It sounded like the computer was running really hard. I'm wondering if the processor is too much and it's overheating and shutting off. Should I try and put the 8600 back in? The 2.44 GHz. 

Thanks again!

Jason

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Jason:

Sounds like a memory issue to me.  But if you removed the 2 x 4 GB and put in the 2 x 2 GB, then I guess you can put the old processor back in.

If the processor was running too hot, you would most likely get a thermal shutdown message on the display, so it might be something else wrong with the processor.