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My HP 15-AB292NR Laptop - i7-6700HQ - upgrading to an SSD - an absolute must!

I'm upgrading my HP i7-6700HQ model 15-AB292NR (purchased 2016) with a new SSD (solid state drive), a 1TB Crucial BX500 3D NAND SATA 2.5 drive purchased for $100 from Amazon.

Specs of the HP 15t Model 15-Ab292NR
  • Processor - Intel i7-6700HQ
  • Ram - 8 GB
  • HDD - 1 TB
  • GPU - Intel Graphics 530
  • 15.6" IPS Screen
  • DVD Writer
  • 802.11AC
  • OS - Windows 10 Home
  • Battery Model - ki04 (KI04) 
HQ for H = High Quality and Q = Quad-Core.  It's a step below the unlocked K version, but otherwise is fairly decent.

    Why Upgrade the i7?
    The HP i7 has been my main Window OS machine as I still need it for certain functions and recently I've been using it daily as I'm stuck at home.

    Normally, I spend most of my time on my Linux laptop (HP i3-4010u) that has always been faster than even an i7 running Win10; crazy how that works!  But being that I need to spend more time on Win10, It'll boost the speed by switching to an SSD.

    Does SSD improve speed?  No, but it reduces load times.
    To clarify, the CPU and RAM determines the speed of a PC.  Where an SSD helps is reduce wait times for things to load.  Quite a bit of the bottleneck that we view as 'speed' is the HDD cranking away on a queue of requests from the CPU.

    An SSD reduces the queue time.  What took 1 minute to load, takes 20 seconds with an SSD.  For most people this would appear to make the PC run 'faster' and yes, load times have been reduced.

    For most, this is nuance...if they have Microsoft Word open in 1 second vs. 5 seconds...that means the PC is faster.  If you measure speed that way, then yes an SSD boosts speed.

    Upgrade Windows! Default is Build 1511 // EOL End-Of-Life 2017
    If you decide to upgrade the hard drive (or do a factory restore), remember to upgrade Windows 10.  The default is build 1511 that was EOL (End of Life) in 2017.  The more current build is 1909 (November 2019).

    You may encounter problems like I did and you can fix that by downloading the Microsoft Update Assistant.

    Final Thoughts
    Install was straight forward and I relied on a Youtube video to help guide me.  Overall, I'm satisfied and happy with the SSD upgrade.  Things are a bit snappier and certain features like a full virus scan or initial boot times are lightning quick.

    While, I debated on opting for a smaller 500 GB SSD for half the price ($50) and swinging the savings to snag an 8 GB RAM upgrade, 1 TB is a better long term choice as I can easily stay below the 70% max utilization.  From what I've researched online, most people recommend keeping at least 30% free space on a SSD to avoid speed degradation.  With a 1TB that means I have at least 600-700 GB of capacity.

    NOTE: I also purchased an external HDD case to convert the original 1 TB HDD into an external HDD.  A good deal for $10.  After a few weeks, I'll format the old 1 TB and use it as backup storage.

    Update 8/27/20 -- Disable Defrag!
    Didn't realize Windows 10 has a default setting that defrags the HDD every week.  Defrag is generally pointless for an SSD and can actually shorten its life.

    If you have an SSD the consider disabling the auto defrag.  Defrag makes sense on an older mechanical HDD where defrag reduces mechanical latency, thus boosting efficiency.  But that's irrelevant on an SSD that has no moving mechanical parts.

    Update 5/14/2023 - This baby still running

    The SSD is an absolute must have upgrade for any laptop still running old school magnetic drives.  There is just no reason to run an old magnetic drive as SSD's are even cheaper.  I'm finding it has breathed new life into my now 7 year old HP laptop.


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