Upgrade my laptop's RAM & SSD

[julieaen]

My laptop has been in use for almost 5 years, and its operational speed has significantly decreased.

Recently, I checked the hard drive and found its health to be at 0%. I'm considering taking this opportunity to upgrade both the memory and the hard drive, but I'm unsure about the maximum capacity and speed supported by the motherboard.

Therefore, I would like to inquire about the supported memory capacity (zzGB) and speed (DDRz-yyyy) for the HP 856A motherboard. Additionally, I would like to know the supported hard drive capacity (zzzGB) and speed (PCIe z.0 xz).

[BeemerBiker]

Here is a nicely done disassembly imagery of HP 15-CS series

https://www.insidemylaptop.com/how-to-disassemble-hp-pavilion-15-cs-series-laptop/

Note that a 2.5 inch mechanical HDD is used but there is a slot, empty, where an M.2 type SDD could go.

That 2.5in HDD can be replaced with an SSD of same 2.5in size.  

You might be able to add an M.2 but I do not know if it can be NVME or SATA-3. 

According to Crucial the NVME will work

https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/hp-compaq/pavilion-15-cs1101tx

Looking around, 

2.5in 2tb from western digital

and

NVME from WD of 2tb

[julieaen]

Oh, thank you very much! I've been unable to find detailed specs and technical standards from the official documents, so I really appreciate your help!

Based on your response, it seems this model has two drive slots, one for M.2 and another for 2.5". However, my model comes pre-installed with an M.2 NVMe 256GB, so it looks like I can only add a 2.5" SSD, right?

Also, I'm still curious about the speed specifications for STORAGE (DDRx & PCIe). Otherwise, I'd end up with a frustrating loss if I invest in a new product but can't fully enjoy its powerful features.

[BeemerBiker · Accepted solution]

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@julieaen wrote:

Oh, thank you very much! I've been unable to find detailed specs and technical standards from the official documents, so I really appreciate your help!

Based on your response, it seems this model has two drive slots, one for M.2 and another for 2.5". However, my model comes pre-installed with an M.2 NVMe 256GB, so it looks like I can only add a 2.5" SSD, right?

Also, I'm still curious about the speed specifications for STORAGE (DDRx & PCIe). Otherwise, I'd end up with a frustrating loss if I invest in a new product but can't fully enjoy its powerful features.

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You could clone your 256gb to a 2TB you want

If you get a SanDisk or Western Digital NVME then you can download their cloning software which is Acronis licensed. Possibly other vendors have or can recommend free cloning software. I use Acronis.

You will need an NVME adapter like this so you can clone your old NVME to the new one. Be sure to hold on to the old NVME for a few weeks in case the new one fails.

Make sure is it "M+B"
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=usb3+to+nvme+m.2+adapter

If you get a 2tb or larger you will need a heat sink if you do not have one.  Just be aware the more you add the more electricity the battery has to supply.  

If you add a 2.5inch SSD you could do some neat things such as installing Ubuntu on the 2.5 and doing  a dual boot.