What are my upgrade options for my Pavilion 15-cs3001 (model 8PL08EA) - the manual is too generic

[AmirCO]

2020 July I bought the HP pavilion 15-cs3001 (model 8PL08EA), mainly because of the Nvidia GTX1050 3GB GPU.

I want:

1. upgrade RAM (currently  Samsung 37587E07 M471A2K43CB1-CTD 16384 MB)

2. upgrade HD (currently INTEL SSDPEKNW512G8H HPS0 476.94 GB)

3. to learn if there is any possibility to connect two external monitors ( 1 HDMI output and the 3 USB slots marked for data).

I would like to know before I open the cover:

What is the limit for upgrading RAM and HD ?

a. Do I have two sodimm slots that can take 16 or 32 each one?

b. Do I have a vacant place for an extra 2.5" SATA drive
c. Can I replace the M.2 drive with 2TB one or only 1TB?

Thank you very much for any wisdom you have concerning one or more of the questions

I appriciate it 🙂

Amir

I  

[Huffer]

There is space for a 2.5 inch drive in addition to the 512 gig NVME M.2 you currently have. You would need these additional parts to make a 2.5 inch SSD work:

(3) Hard drive brackets L19469-001
(4) Hard drive cable L23889-001

Perhaps easier and even ultimately cheaper to just install a larger capacity NVME M.2 if you really need that much space.

Your laptop has two memory slots and right now you have a single 16 gb module. You can add another DDR4-2666 So-DIMM to have 32 gigs total. 

The only Manual posted for your model actually covers slightly earlier versions so some of the info is off but the layouts are accurate. 

Service Manual 

You should try to duplicate the current memory module as with one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PC4-21300-2666MHZ-SODIMM-laptop/dp/B07F6N8L3S/ref=asc_df_B07F6N8L3S/?... 

If you want to install a larger NVME M.2 the only limit is what you can buy in the market. 2 TB will be fine and I have seen 4 TBs but very expensive. 

As far as multiple monitors, your USB-C ports are data only so they provide no video signal. You would have to use a DisplayLink type port replicator to use the USB ports to drive one or more monitors. Like this although lots of possible options:

https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?cri...

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

[AmirCO]

Thank you Huffer so much for putting all the information here for me.

your answer is helpful and inaccurate. I want clarity before I upgrade

I'll start with the attempt to connect two monitors, and then address the 15-cs3001nj inside architecture

Multiple external monitors

1. Please clarify: Are you saying I cannot connect a display cable directly to my USB port (3.0, I think), but I can connect a docking station that will be able to transfer another external display (except the existing HDMI output) through the USB port?
If it's possible, these are great news.

I provided photos of the 3 USB ports I have.

Which port is able to connect a docking station with a display port?

bonus question: What is the limit of external monitors? is it 1,2 or 3? (I know there is no SLI support for the Nvidia GTX10503GB I have)

Disappointment from HP support
I posted my questions here only after I got some contradictory and wrong information from HP support.

I first went to the HP manual, and found it to be generic to the point of uselessness. Then, I made a phone call with HP support with a list of questions. I was put on hold and never heard a human again.

Eventually I conducted a long WhatsApp chat with the official support, and got a lot of advice, and I found out it was misleading information

so far, all failed to deliver accurate, relevant information.

How do I know?

I opened my HP cover and discovered for myself... 

The HP WhatsApp support told me I can open the cover without voiding the warranty, so now I know more and can share it here with you:

What I found Inside my HP pavilion 15-cs3001nj  (photos attached) 

I must say I was very surprised to see a motherboard architecture different than some 15-cs3XX photos I searched on the web.

My motherboard is MB: G7EL DAG7ELMBACO REV C

I didn't find a space for a 2.5" drive.
I found two RAM slots  (and still need to know if it can take 2X16GB or even 2X32GB So-DIMM (just because it was mentioned on the Crucial website)

Interim conclusions
irrelevant: The HP WhatsApp support told me there is a 1TB limit for the M.2 drive, but couldn't tell me why.

irrelevant: More than that, they told me I have only one RAM slot, hence became unreliable for my model.

Huffer, relevant to your reply: Since I cannot find a 2.5" drive I think your information is inaccurate to my model (or the space is hiding in a place I cannot see, photos attached).

further research

Unfortunately, the support couldn't provide me with the specs or manual to the motherboard model I provided them.

Is there a wisdom here where can I get a manual of this CS3001-nj motherboard -  G7EL DAG7ELMBACO REV C ?

2. I wish to know for sure what SoDimm to buy (limited to 16 or maybe I can go even with 32, so I'll have either 2X16GB or 16GB+32GB, all the way to 2X32GB). I am double checking because of information I found on Crucial website

3. I wish to know is there a motherboard limit to my M.2 NVMe Upgrade capacity?

(Huffer you answered "no limit", and again I am double checking on the provided answer - because the HP WhatsApp support said it's limited to 1TB)

And again, thank you very much for the support given so far, and it would be fabulous to have some more clarity for the upgrade.

Here are some photos of my specific model:

HP pavilion sc3001-nj model 8PL08EA#ABT motherboard DAG7ELMBACO REVCHP pavilion sc3001-nj model 8PL08EA#ABT RAM SAMSUNG 16GB MODEL STNAA1001937587E07HP pavilion sc3001-nj model 8PL08EA#ABT under the batteryHP pavilion sc3001-nj model 8PL08EA#ABT 2 USB ports rightHP pavilion sc3001-nj model 8PL08EA#ABT USB-C port left

[Huffer]

Nothing inaccurate in my answer but a few things I am not 100% sure about and clarity may not be possible. HP does not issue motherboard Manuals. The Manual I linked is the only one there is and has its limitations as I noted. If you ask questions from multiple sources and keep going until they all agree you will never get anywhere. All I can point to is my numbers and history here and tell you I actually do upgrades like this pretty frequently and I am pretty sure the people you chat with on HP Social Media cannot say the same thing. If Crucial is willing to sell you 2 x 32 gigs of memory based on your exact model they will guarantee to refund your money if it does not work or presumably send you smaller modules plus a refund. So I say go for it. The processor I know can handle 64 gigs of memory and the only issue is whether HP has configured the motherboard to allow it and Crucial would likely know. I will guarantee there is no capacity limit on the M.2 slot. A 2.5 inch drive connects to the motherboard in a small zif connector at the upper right corner of the space provided. That's why you need a cable to connect to the SATA ports and then clip into the zif cable. The way you shot the picture you are blocking where the zif connector is located. Any one of the USB ports you have can drive external monitors through a DisplayLink enabled dock. DisplayLink is a little chip inside the dock that acts as a video converter for usb. Drivers are native to Windows 7 and higher. 

I have seen 2 port DisplayLink docks and you could have a monitor from HDMI and also the two from the dock. SLI has got nothing to do with this. That's multiple video cards on one motherboard, connected together. Not really a laptop thing. Happy to discuss further if you wish. 

[AmirCO]

Thanks again Huffer.

Maybe I misunderstood you, and I hope I didn't offend you, but I couldn't find any space for 2.5" drive.

Correct me please if I'm wrong, but I'm looking for an inner space that can fit a 2.5" size disk. 
One of the photos I uploaded didn't go through, so I'm trying to put it again, and see if it helps. Can you  find it in the photo?
All the rest of the information you provided is great.

And all my other information came from official HP support after I have given them my serial number, so I thought it should be reliable. That was my mistake 🙂

Here is the photo (please tell me what area to look for the 2.5" space, or confirm that there is none):

[Huffer]

Yes, you have one of the models with a 4-cell battery. The 4 cell occupies the space where the hard drive would go. Only models with the 3-cell battery have a 2.5 bay. Compare pages 37 and 38 of the Manual I posted. The cable and caddy are hard to find, anyway and a large capacity NVME is still the way to go. 

[AmirCO]

Thanks Huffer for taking the time and the patience to answer my replies. Obviously you are an expert. I have no further questions. 
I do believe we agree that your first reply began with information for a model different than mine, hence it was both helpful and inaccurate.
I see how HP's lack of documentation and reference hinders your sencere efforts to help.

Even when the exact model is given ( 15-cs3001nj model 8PL08EA#ABT ) There is no reference to know my HP Pavilion's specific architecture without checking for myself under the cover.  

I totally agree with you that enlarging my NVMe is a better solution. I just had a 2.5" drive at home, and anyway anything is faster than the two external 2TB HDD I use right now.

I do believe human communication is a miracle. I celebrate it when it works. So without trying to annoy I just want to clear a misunderstanding shown in your reply here, please notice I referred to a chronology of trying to get help, and not a parallel attempt to orchestrate an agreement. I started with the manual, saw no relevant information, continued to an HP phone call that left me with no answers, then moved to an official WhatsApp service that I learned to take with a grain of salt, and then ended up going to the intelligence of the community, ending with a realization I need to lift the cover and see by myself.

Now I just need to find a friend with a docking station to do an actual check before I purchase one, but I'm certainly buying the SoDIMM and the NVMe drive, and I'm set.
You have been most helpful and responsive.
Thanks again and have a lovely weekend 🙂
Amir