Degree Of Difficulty To Upgrade?

Hello,

A late family member left this rather massive machine to me, and I'm wondering if I can (relatively easily) upgrade the processor (and perhaps add another 4Gigs of RAM), please?

hp Envy: 17m-ce0013dx
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8565U CPU @ 1.80GHz 1.99 GHz
Installed RAM: 12.0 GB (11.8 GB usable)

Thx in advance!

 

Here is the page of specs https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06296498
Here is a page of RAM upgrades https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/hp---compaq/envy-17m-ce0013dx#memory
The computer has a 4GB and an 8GB stick. Maximum RAM is 32 GB. Remove the 4GB stick and replace it with an 8GB stick. It is the 8th item on the above page, priced at $19.99.

Sorry I don't know anything about a CPU upgrade.
I suspect it is not possible based on another Envy model

Source: https://www.hp.com/th-en/shop/tech-takes/post/how-to-upgrade-your-laptop

 

You didn't say what you plan to use this laptop so I will just assume general computing use and not serious hard-core gaming or CAD/CAE tasks.

The i7-8565U CPU uses a FCBGA1528 socket. Technically, it is not a socket at all. The BGA stands for "ball grid array" and that means the CPU is "surface mounted" and is soldered directly to the motherboard. This is unlike other CPUs that are mounted in a socket that is soldered to the board. In other words, the CPU cannot be upgraded.

They do this for many reasons. Yes, money is always a factor. Fewer parts means lower costs. But there are many other reasons too that are particularly advantageous when it comes to laptops where there is the constant consumer demand for "lighter" and "thinner". Fewer parts cuts weight. No socket between the CPU and board means a thinner laptop. But of major significance is ruggedness. A CPU directly soldered to the motherboard is not going to get jostled loose during transport.

"IF" that laptop came with a hard drive, you "might" see some performance gains by bumping up the RAM to 16GB on some tasks. But frankly, 12GB is already a BIG chunk of RAM. It is likely any gains would be marginal at best, and the vast majority of the time you would not see any performance gains at all! Again, 12GB is already a BIG chunk of RAM.

And to the hard drive point, you don't have one. According to those specs, you have a very fast PCIe NVMe SSD. This means "IF" the system needs to temporarily swap data with the Page File (and with 12GB, that would not be a frequent necessity), it would do so very quickly - compared to having the PF on a ssslllooowwww hard drive.

Understand, the slowest SSD will run circles around even the fastest hard drive - but you have a fast SSD!

So, I am saying IMO, it would not be worth putting any money into this system. You can't upgrade the CPU, you already have lots of RAM and it already has a very fast SSD. The only other thing one might want to upgrade is the graphics solution but yours is integrated - it cannot be upgraded either.

So I say, clean it up. If you are comfortable opening up the case, do so and blast the interior clean of heat trapping dust with filtered compressed air or a can of compressed dusting gas. Note those cans do NOT contain "air". It is gas - hazardous gas. Do it outside or at least in a well ventilated area.

If not comfortable opening it up (and NO shame in that), at least remove all the access covers and try to blast out those cavities and all the fan vents as best as possible. Or consider taking it to a professional for thorough cleaning. Sadly, all laptops are inherently challenged to keep the innards properly cooled.

Then, make sure the OS and your security is fully updated. Run Windows Disk Cleanup (or CCleaner if already installed) to clean out the clutter. Look in Control Panel > Programs and Feature and uninstall any downloaded/installed programs the previous owner installed you don't want. Delete any files they may have not removed from their Documents and Downloads folder. Try to ensure you have, as a bare minimum, 30GB of free disk space. This will allow Windows and your applications to operate freely and optimally.

Then enjoy your laptop. Yes, a 17 in laptop is massive compared to today's typical 14-15" laptops. But, unless you need to frequently lug it around the country and through airports, etc., you may grow to appreciate the bigger display. I know my 70+ year old eyes would.

 

With an i7 8th Gen, you might well be able to run Win 11, meaning it will still be supported for more than another 2 years (or so.) You may be able to replace the NVMe SSD memory with either faster memory, or larger capacity, if that is desired. You MIGHT even be able to add a SATA SSD of 480 GB, fir storage, taking some of the "strain" off the NVMe memory.
BTW, most "laptop" computers use processors that can't (easily) be upgraded; they are usually soldered in, with the thought a soldered processor will be more stable and physically reliable than a processor inserted in a socket, which could get dislodged through rough handling.