[SOLVED] Hp 690-0084 suggestions for memory or other upgrades

[JackSwindle]

Hello. I recently purchased an Hp 690-0084 (specs below) I'm looking for suggestions for upgrading to 16GB of ram. So either replacing the 8GB memory that was included, or adding another 8GB to it. I'm open to other upgrades or improvements as well. I do light gaming, LOL, WOW, Overwatch, and a little bit over video editing. I haven't deal with PC hardware in forever, so I was hoping the community could save me hours/days of research. Would a dedicated sound card bring any noticeable improvement? I only thought about it because currently I'm running a 5.1 audio system. I'm having to use the Mic and Input jacks to make this work. Haven't had a chance to see if my USB mic still works correctly. This computer looks fairly limited on upgrades (proprietary MB and PS i think?), and I typically wouldn't buy a pre-built, but the price was great (I think) and I was helping out a neighbor who's being deployed. All in I have $450 for the computer, an LG 29UM69G Monitor, and low end Corsair gaming keyboard and mouse. It's about 4 months old and has less than 100 hours of use. I can keep, or sell it to another neighbor who wants every thing for $500 hahah. If it'll last me 3 or 4 years, I'd be happy.
Thanks!

The Lincs motherboard: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c05991291
The computer: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06267861?jumpid=reg_r1002_usen_c-001_title_r0001

Hardware

Product Number​	5QA71AA​
Product Name​	HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop 690-0084​
Motherboard​	Lincs​
Motherboard Specifications Link​	Motherboard Specifications​
Memory​	8 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB)​
Memory & Storage​	8 GB memory; 1 TB HDD storage; 128 GB SSD storage​
Internal Storage​	1 TB 7200 rpm SATA​
Hard drive (2nd)​	128 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD​
Processor Type​	Intel Core i5​
Processor​	Intel® Core™ i5-8400 (2.8 GHz base frequency, up to 4 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 9 MB cache, 6 cores)​
Processor Family​	8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor​
Processor Speed​	2.8 GHz​
Graphics​	Integrated​
Graphics Card​	Intel® UHD Graphics 630​
Graphics​	Discrete​
Graphics Card​	NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 (3 GB GDDR5 dedicated)​
Ports​	1 USB 3.1 Type-C™; 2 USB 3.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo​
Expansion Slots​	1 PCIe x16; 1 PCIe x1; 2 M.2​
Network Interface​	Integrated 10/100/1000 GbE LAN​
Wireless​	802.11a/b/g/n/ac (1x1) and Bluetooth® 4.2 combo​
Optical Drive​	DVD-Writer​
Memory Card Device​	3-in-1 memory card reader​
Dimensions​	17 x 27.7 x 33.8 cm​
Weight​	5.15 kg​
Power Supply Type​	400 W Platinum efficiency power supply​
Keyboard​	HP USB Wired Black Keyboard with volume control​
Input Devices-Mouse​	HP Wired Black Mouse​

 

[delaro]

Crucial 8GB DDR4-2400 UDIMM

• CT8G4DFD824A $36.99

That should be the 2nd stick you need, you can even add heat spreaders if you wish for $5 each. It's possible to use 2666mhz or better RAM but the $60+ investment won't yield you much of an improvement over the basic RAM without the ability to overclock.

 

[JackSwindle]

Thanks for the suggestion. I found what l think is the same ram that's installed. Amazon has it for $38. It's not exactly the same though. Mine is 8gb 2Rx8 pc4 2666 UB1 -11, The one on amazon is similar: 8GB 1Rx8 pc4 2666 UA2 - 11. I think the 1Rx8 and 2Rx8 refer to the ram on one side, or both sides of the chip? What about the UA2 and UB1. What are those? Would these two work ok with each other?

 

[delaro]

OEM's can be funny with RAM compatibility.

1R represents one Rank and the RAM is on one side.
2R is two Ranks with the RAM being on both sides.

OEM's tend to limit the number of ranks you can use to 6 or 8 depending on the chipset.

So 16G could be like this
2R+2R "Optimal"
2R+1R
1R+1R+1R+1R

You can mix 1RX8 and 2RX8 as long as the voltages are the same but generallly you should avoid that if possible.

As far as UB1 "Pairs" or UA2 "Pairs or Single" those are not important, they refer to how they are sold and who possibly made them. OEM RAM can be supplied by just about anyone.

 

[JackSwindle]

OEM's can be funny with RAM compatibility.

1R represents one Rank and the RAM is on one side.
2R is two Ranks with the RAM being on both sides.

OEM's tend to limit the number of ranks you can use to 6 or 8 depending on the chipset.

So 16G could be like this
2R+2R "Optimal"
2R+1R
1R+1R+1R+1R

You can mix 1RX8 and 2RX8 as long as the voltages are the same but generallly you should avoid that if possible.

As far as UB1 "Pairs" or UA2 "Pairs or Single" those are not important, they refer to how they are sold and who possibly made them. OEM RAM can be supplied by just about anyone.

Thank you for responding. I've tried to do some research, seems Hp's MB Lincs is fairly picky with memory used. I haven't been able to locate another identical memory stick (2Rx8). So I can either buy another similar one (1Rx8) or just order a set of matching Ram and try to sell the one I have. I dont know how to go about finding what ram is compatible. I've only seen Crucial ram that's guaranteed compatible. Most the other manufacturers don't have the MB listed on their site. If there's a much better 16Gb option for around $80, I'd be interested.

 

[delaro]

Yep, OEM memory selection is rather limited since Bios file sizes are something like half what you find on a normal motherboard.

Branded OEM RAM with a heat spreader.

Ballistix Sport LT White 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 UDIMM $70

Basically anything here.

 

[JackSwindle]

Yep, OEM memory selection is rather limited since Bios file sizes are something like half what you find on a normal motherboard.

Branded OEM RAM with a heat spreader.

Ballistix Sport LT White 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 UDIMM $70

Basically anything here.

Perfect, that's exactly what i was looking for. I'm so special, I looked at the Crucial ram page multiple times and somehow missed the "VIEW MORE" between the Memory and SSD's. You'd think they'd make it bigger, it's pretty small on a phone screen . -__- Thanks again.

 

[delaro]

I missed it on my phone too, the site only has a desktop version so it's easy to miss on a small screen.