HP has done a splendid job with the launch of the HP 15-ef1020nr. This model, featuring a modern AMD CPU, 256 GB of SSD, and 8 GB of RAM has managed to quickly position itself as one of the best student laptops in the market. However, its use is not limited to the academic field, with many regular users and business users getting themselves this model to carry on with their computing needs.
Having said that, while 8 GB of RAM is the standard these days - in 2021- on most mid-range laptops, it's not necessarily going to be enough for the most productive users. Specifically, those who rely heavily on multitasking to get through their day. Fortunately for us, HP didn't solder the memory onto the laptop, leaving the ability to upgrade the RAM of the HP 15-ef1020nr down the line up to the user.
Today, I'm going to walk you through this very easy upgrade so that you can easily perform it at home and don't need to take your laptop to a specialist that will charge you an arm and a leg for a service that will take all of 5 minutes and substantially increase your laptop's life span and performance.
How to Install More RAM on the HP 15-ef1020nr
How much memory can I upgrade to? What type of memory do I need?
Before we start with the RAM upgrade at hand you're going to need to know a couple of basics. First off, you need to know how much RAM your laptop will support. In this specific case, the HP 15-ef1020nr supports up to 32 GB worth of RAM, 16 GB maximum on each of its two available slots. Much like the recently examined HP 15-ef2025nr RAM Upgrade.
Since you're coming from a laptop with 8 GB of RAM you will probably want to upgrade to 16 GB, by using two compatible 8 GB modules of RAM. That's what we would advise most of our readers.
However, if you're planning to use the laptop not only for intensive multitasking but will also make some serious use of photoshop and video editing, you could also consider upgrading to a full 32 GB with two 16 GB modules. Having said that, we wouldn't necessarily recommend this laptop at all for that kind of activity, being it wise that you look at models with dedicated graphics if that's the main usage you're going to give your laptop.
Finally, not all RAM modules are compatible with the HP 15-ef1020nr. For this model specifically, you're going to need to use a DDR4 PC4-25600 3200MHz Non-ECC SODIMM memory module, being it highly recommended that you swap out the internal memory and use two identical units to make sure you take advantage of the dual-channel RAM. However, this is ultimately your decision.
HP 15-ef1020nr RAM Upgrade in 5 simple steps
Step 1: Before getting your hands on a screwdriver, make sure the laptop at hand is turned off and disconnected from the power source. Hibernating and turned off are not the same thing, it needs to be turned off so as to avoid any uncomfortable electrical discharge you could otherwise experience.
Once that's out of the way place the laptop upside down and remove the two adhesive rubber bands located on the top half and lower half of the laptop. Make sure your hands are clean as you do this to not get any dirt into the adhesive part of the rubber bands. Also, be careful as you'll want to insert them back into place once you've finished the RAM Upgrade.
Now go ahead and use your screwdriver to remove all 8 screws attaching the bottom cover to the laptop chassis. Six of them were hiding under the rubber bands.
Finally, once the screws have been removed you're going to grab a prying tool of some sort - such as this one -, like a guitar pick, plastic fork, or debit card, and start opening up the laptop like so:
Step 2: Once you have removed the bottom case you'll be able to easily notice the two RAM slots. One of them contains the 8 GB of onboard RAM and the one next to it is empty. Excuse the quality of the picture.
Step 3: If you're going to upgrade both slots as recommended then you should remove the onboard RAM. To do so simply pull outwards on the latches located on the sides of the RAM slot that features a memory module.
By pulling outwards the module will be released at a 45-degree angle and you can then retrieve it at the same angle. I emphasize this because if you pull upwards you could damage the DIMMs. Therefore simply pull the RAM outwards at a 45-degree angle.
Step 4: Now that the onboard RAM has been removed, it's time for you to go ahead and insert the two RAM modules you've bought to expand the multitasking capabilities of the HP 15-ef1020nr as well as enhance overall productivity.
To do this simply insert the RAM modules at the same 45-degree angle at which the onboard RAM was released. You're going to insert the RAM in such a fashion that the notch on the module and the notch on the DIMMs in the slot align perfectly like so:
Step 5: Now that you've inserted the RAM modules onto the slots all the way in, in a fashion that you can no longer see the DIMMs, you're going to press down on the modules with slight force. At that point you will hear a clicking sound, that's going to be the sound of the latches of the slots clutching to the new RAM modules.
And that's it. Now you can simply place the bottom cover back in its place, re-insert the screws you previously removed and turn the laptop on. You'll notice it will take a few more seconds than normal for your laptop to boot up. That's to be expected as that's the time the BIOS takes to scan the new memory units and integrate them into the system. From then onwards you don't need to do anything further. You have successfully upgraded the RAM on the HP 15-ef1020nr.
In the event that you wanted to confirm that the RAM had been properly integrated you can do so by heading over to "Device Specifications" where, under the line "Installed RAM" you'll be able to see the new amount of RAM on your notebook. Quick and easy as promised.