upgrading a dv2000

[CalamiysCurse]

Hi! I found this perfectly functional computer from the thrift store I work at, and thought it would be fun to upgrade for personal and school use, as it's almost the exact kind I used for games when I was young, however it is currently running very slowly. I have upgraded to windows 10 and ordered 2 sticks of 1 gb ram(I've heard that some models can't handle any more than that, so I'm playing it safe for now), but am unsure of where to go from there. Could anyone offer tips on what to do to upgrade the hard drive, and if my laptop can handle more ram?
Thank you in advance!
- Chris

[Raj_05 · Accepted solution]

Hi @CalamiysCurse,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

That sounds like a great project! The HP Pavilion dv2000 series, while dated, can indeed be upgraded to run more efficiently for personal and light school use. Let's break down the key upgrades.

RAM Upgrade:

• The dv2000 series typically supports a maximum of 2GB or 4GB of RAM, depending on the specific model and motherboard version. Since you already ordered 2 x 1GB sticks, this is a safe choice for now.
• You can check your laptop's exact model number (usually written under the battery or on the back panel) to confirm whether it can handle 4GB of RAM. If so, upgrading to 2 x 2GB DDR2 RAM would be ideal for Windows 10.

Hard Drive Upgrade:

Upgrading the hard drive to an SSD will make a huge difference in performance. Here’s what you can do:

• Replace the old HDD with a 2.5-inch SATA SSD. Most dv2000 models use SATA, so a 250GB or 500GB SSD would offer faster boot times and smoother performance.
  • Installation: You'll need to open the hard drive compartment, remove the old hard drive, and replace it with the SSD. After that, reinstall Windows 10 on the new drive.
  • You can use software like Macrium Reflect or EaseUS ToDo Backup to clone your existing system if you don’t want to reinstall everything from scratch.

Graphics and CPU:

The dv2000 series has integrated graphics (Intel or NVIDIA) and a relatively weak CPU by today's standards. Unfortunately, upgrading the CPU or graphics card isn't practical since they are soldered to the motherboard.

Battery:

• Consider checking the battery health. If it’s worn out, replacing it with a new battery can help improve portability.

General Tips:

• Thermal Paste: If you’re comfortable opening up the laptop, you might want to replace the thermal paste on the CPU to improve cooling.
• Cleaning: Dust out the vents and fan for better cooling performance.

Software Tweaks:

• Disable unnecessary startup programs and background services to optimize Windows 10 for speed. Tools like CCleaner or the built-in Task Manager can help with this.

With these upgrades, your HP Pavilion dv2000 should be running much smoother! The SSD and RAM upgrade will make the most noticeable improvements.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support 

[CalamiysCurse]

Thank you! This is all very helpful! However, I couldn't find anything exact about the model when I looked it up. If you know how, is it ok if you check the ram limit for a model hstnn-w20c? if you need any other info, I found the previously mentioned model in the battery slot, but there's another sticker next to the hard drive with more info that I'll be happy to provide!
Thank you again!

- Chris