How Much Does It Cost to Upgrade Your HP Laptop DDR4 RAM to 12GB or 16GB?
Upgrading your HP laptop#39;s DDR4 RAM from 8GB to 12GB or 16GB can be a valuable investment for enhancing performance. However, the cost of the upgrade can vary depending on several factors. As of August 2023, here are some general price ranges for DDR4 RAM modules:
General Price Ranges for DDR4 RAM Modules
8GB DDR4 RAM module: Approximately 30 to 50 USD. 12GB DDR4 RAM 1x12GB module: Typically not as common, expect around 40 to 70 USD. 16GB DDR4 RAM module: Approximately 50 to 90 USD.If you are looking to upgrade to a total of 16GB, you might want to replace the existing 8GB module with a new 16GB module. The cost for this can vary between 50 to 90 USD, depending on the brand and speed.
Service Costs and Compatibility
It is also important to consider any labor costs if you are not installing the RAM yourself. These costs can typically range from 20 to 50 USD, depending on the service provider. Always ensure that the RAM you purchase is compatible with your laptop model before making a purchase.
One website that can help you determine compatibility is Crucial:
Welcome to the Crucial US Online Store
To ensure compatibility, you should purchase a RAM module with the same voltage and CAS latency as your existing RAM.
Potential Issues and Considerations
While adding a single additional stick of RAM often works fine, it is important to note that this can sometimes cause issues. Most RAM is sold in kits, which means that all the sticks in the kit use the same silicon and memory chips and are tested together to ensure flawless compatibility. If you purchase individual sticks of RAM outside of a tested kit, there is a potential for them not to work well together and to cause instability or even a no-boot scenario.
In cases where your laptop does not have a memory slot, you should check if the memory is soldered directly to the motherboard. If there is no small access panel on the back of your laptop for the memory, it is likely that the memory is soldered onto the motherboard and not removable.
Lastly, keep in mind that an SSD upgrade can often provide more significant performance improvements than a RAM upgrade. Most programs will not use more than 8GB of memory unless you have seen that you are out of memory in Task Manager. In many cases, you may not need the upgrade at all if you are already utilizing your current RAM efficiently.