HP 14 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, 14" Full HD Display, Windows 10 Home, Thin and Portable, Micro-Edge and Anti-Glare Screen, Long Battery Life (14- fq1021nr, 2021)

Okay, this one doesn't seem to have an in-depth review, so I'll try. Before we begin, be aware that the processor in this device performs better with dual-channel RAM (ie, two sticks). This device will only came with one 8GB stick. The overall performance of the chip, especially in terms of graphics, will be greatly improved by adding another stick. This is an easy upgrade even for a beginner and I will give some instructions on how to do it at the end enclose. But let's talk about the laptop first. The Ryzen 5500u processor included here is fast enough for whatever you want to do. It'll browse your spreadsheets, surf the web, watch movies, and more. It can even play some games! But not all games. It will handles less demanding or older titles with ease, and can even play some of today's more demanding titles if you're willing to dial down the settings. But if you're really looking for a mobile gaming device that can play the latest games with the effects cranked up, you need to go for a $1000+ gaming laptop with a dedicated graphics card and a lot more storage. The included 8GB of RAM is more than enough to handle day-to-day tasks like web browsing, office work, and light photo/video editing, but as mentioned above, you'll need to upgrade to 16GB if you're making the most of the device or gaming want to play. The 256GB SSD should be enough for most users. Who actually stores stuff on their actual computer these days? Unless you put a lot of games on there, in which case it fills up quickly. The screen is good for this price point. It's an IPS display so viewing angles are great and it's plenty bright with crisp colors. No complaints here. Battery life is good but not great, certainly good enough for the price point They pay. The keyboard is a laptop keyboard. It's not great, but it will do. I wrote this whole review with it and it was comfortable enough. The speakers are laptop speakers. They suck. They're good enough for a YouTube Watch video, but don't rely on it for watching a movie or playing music. It has Bluetooth, so just grab your favorite speaker and use that instead. Your ears will thank you. Build quality is only average, as with most laptops in this price range. As the saying goes in the laptop world, "Performance, build quality, price. Pick two." And HP has chosen performance and price here. That's not to say that the build quality is poor, but the all-plastic chassis just doesn't feel as sturdy as a more expensive machine with an aluminum chassis. That being said, almost no laptop survives a long drop, a wrong foot, or a soak in the bathtub. Why is your laptop laying on it the floor?HOW DOES IT GET IN THE BATHTUB!?Better watch your stuff dude.So don't worry too much here.It's more than strong enough to commute to work or school in a laptop bag. Overall this is a good laptop for the price and I'd recommend it, but you should really get the second stick of RAM I told you about. It's not that heavy, I promise. All you need is a small one Phillips screwdriver and a credit/gift card, you don't mind if you get a little spanked.Oh, and an 8GB DDR4 3200MHz LAPTOP RAM stick.Make sure it's a laptop stick and not a desktop one stick. The desktop stick does not fit. I used this stick and it works great: https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-DDR4-Laptop-Memory-CT8G4SFRA32A/dp/B08C4Z69LN/ref=sr_1_4?crid=5MM4PVV45REW&dchild=1&keywords =ddr4+laptop+ram+ 8gb&qid=1623993425&sprefix=ddr4+lap%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-4First turn the laptop on its back. Can you see the rubber pads? Pull them off go fast. Slow and steady. Set them aside. Now you can see the screws hidden underneath. Now take out all the screws. Set them aside so you can remember where they go. Next, look behind the screen hinge and find the gap where the silver plastic meets the white plastic as shown in the very helpful pictures I've kindly provided. Insert your plastic card and snap it in Plastic tabs up to the hinges. Now turn the machine over and look at the next picture. See the arrows? Take your plastic card and wedge it in the gap between the top plate and the side plate. Apply downward pressure until the tab snaps releases and pops down. From here you can slowly run the card over the entire edge of the laptop, releasing each plastic tab until the entire panel is removed. Now that you can see all the guts of the computer, you won't be touching anything. You'll google "how to install laptop ram" and watch a video because it takes about ten seconds and is next to impossible to screw up , but you'll feel a lot more confident when you first see someone doing it. Just put the bottom plate back in place, reinsert the screws, reinsert the rubber pads and turn the machine on.Congratulations!You are now a computer surgeon and your laptop has reached its final form. You can tell this story for years at parties to impress members of the opposite sex. So enjoy your updated computer. You deserve it.