Model

14-ax030wm

Type

Notebook/Laptop

Brand

HP

HP Stream Laptops are among the worst Windows Laptops ever be sold... PERIOD! Some models are far worst then others, with almost all of them suffering from the Windows/xGB/eMMC Disease. 😔😠😤 Microsoft Windows it require two definite features that are sorely missed in the Stream Series. First, a clean install of Windows 10 with all updates and no bloatware generally consumes 24GB+ of a computer's storage. And that's with a fair bit of compression! Because of this, users often find storage of 64GB or less highly cumbersome when installing other programs and downloading files, pictures, movies, etc. Most HP Stream laptops have eMMC storage that's "64GB or less", and can fail doing a simple Windows update! And unlike most storage, eMMC is soldered to motherboards and rarely upgradeable. 😔😠😤 Second, HP Stream laptops are woefully low on memory: 4GB on some, 2GB on others. Current versions of Windows require a solid 8GB of RAM (memory) to be "Happy". At 6GB of RAM or less, Windows finds it has to run "extended memory" (also known as "virtual memory" / "page file storage") as the RAM literally runs out of space. The page file system now has to use slower speed storage in place of system memory, slow and performance down and constantly writing and erasing the storage media. Sadly, some HP Stream models have "soldered memory" that is not upgradable or expandable. This means these machines are stuck relying on the slow storage when when booting the system, launching programs, and even opening browser tabs. And here is where the "Windows/xGB/eMMC Disease" comes in. eMMC storage is the slowest form of SSD (Solid State Drive), often with read/write speeds of around 300Mb/s. And being solid state, it can only be written to so many times before parts of it start to fail. The earlier mentioned extended memory / page file system slowly wears the eMMC down to the point of premature failure, or a "disease" if you will. Add to this the limited amount of storage space to begin with, and the computer becomes slower and slower as if it has malware or a virus. Add to this TTD (Thermal Transfer Degradation) we're dust, durt, and dried thermal compounds caused the processor to thermal throttle (run hot and slow down), and these laptops are completely useless! But there is hope! In the case of this HP 14-ax030wm, the system RAM/memory IS upgradable! The original 4GB stick has been upgraded to an 8GB stick, making Microsoft Windows extremely happy! Page File storage is at a minimum unless a number of programs are running, or a large number of browser tabs are open. Boot speeds, program launches, and additional open tabs launch quickly! But unfortunately, the HP 14-ax030wm has only 32GB of eMMC storage that severely limits and cripples this little laptop. But there is a solution! It's extremely easy to run Windows from a simple high speed external USB 3.1 flash drive using the installer known as WinToUSB. Together with Samsung's FIT Plus 128GB flash drive, you'll have read speeds of up to 400Mb/s and write speeds of almost 300Mb/s! Samsung's FIT Plus is short too, only sticking out roughly 3/8 of an inch (10mm) from the side of the laptop. But let's not have that 32GB eMMC SSD go to waste! By dividing it into two 16GB drives, one drive can be used to support the now lesser used system's extended memory / virtual memory / page file system and take the burden off the Samsung FIT Plus while the second 16GB drive can support primary programs using the tool Portable Apps (Chrome, Firefox, Libre Office, etc) leaving more of the Samsung for file storage! There is also the additive advantage of being able to remove the Samsung FIT Plus and making the laptop completely useless without it! It's a great security feature that's not common to other computers. This upgraded HP 14-ax030wm has the following specs: Windows 10 Home 21H2 Intel Celeron N3060 Dual-Core Braswell Processor for Extended Battery Life Intel HD Graphics 400 (12 EUs, 320 - 700 MHz) 8GB 2Rx8 DDR3L-1600 SDRAM (1 x 8GB) Memory Samsung FIT Plus 128GB 3.1 USB Removable Storage Drive 32GB eMMC Onboard Storage (16GB VM / 16GB Portable Apps) 14" HD Display SVA BrightView WLED-Backlit (1366 x 768) Intel 802.11b/g/n/ac (2x2) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 Combo 1x SD Media Card Slot for Additional Storage 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (1x Samsung FIT Plus, 1x USB 3.O Hub / Data Transfer Only) 1x USB 2.0 1x HDMI 1x Headphone/Microphone Combo HP Webcam with integrated Digital Microphone DTS Studio Sound, Dual Speakers 1x USB 3.0 4-Port Hub 45W AC Power Adapter Please let us know if you have any questions!