UMPCs with 2 GB of RAM: an update on the updates
Looks like quite a few folks have the upgrade bug: I’ve seen a flurry of activity on the Origami Project forums ever since I upgraded my Samsung Q1P UMPC to use 2 Gigabytes of memory. Thanks to the forum members and my testing partner Dan, we’ve got a number of updates to provide, telling you what works and what doesn’t so far. There’s good news for some and not so good news for others….
Devices that have successfully recognized the 2 GB SODIMM includethe 900 MHz Celeron Samsung Q1, the 1 GHz Pentium Samsung Q1P and the900 MHz Celeron Asus R2H. We should note that folks are only seeing 2GB on the Asus, which also has 256 MB of RAM on board; while one wouldhope for 2.25 GB in the Asus, it looks like that’s not a possibility atthe moment. Also: each of these devices has the most currentlyavailable BIOS, something to keep in mind if you plan an upgrade.
Sowhat’s not working? Unfortunately, none of the VIA-basedfirst-generation UMPCs are recognizing the RAM. Dan double-checked withthe AMTEK folks and was told that it’s not supported due to a hardwarelimitation. That means no luck for the Samsung Q1B, the Tablet Kiosk eov7110 or any similar derivatives. While unfortunate, I don’t think theOEMs should catch too much flak for this. Remember the original Origamiconcept: the device is meant to be a companion PC. While some of ushave pushed the limits and use our UMPCs as full-time computingdevices, we are using these devices for uses greater than what theywere intended for.
I want to see someone try to upgrade the Q1 Ultra. I suspect it will work just fine though considering it’s Intel based. Frankly, that one should come with 2GB since they’re foisting Vista on people buying it. Well, aside from the one XP model…
Any battery life specs yet? Do you notice your battery being chewed up faster?!
Mike, why would the battery be chewed up faster? Put a different way: if I swap a 40 GB hard drive with a 60 GB hard drive and the drives had the exact same power requirements, read/write speeds, etc….would you expect a hit on battery life when all you’ve done is changed the capacity?
The power difference should be negligible or non-existent. I could be very wrong about that, but logically, I don’t expect any tangible difference which is why the test is low on my priority list….
HD is not RAM. RAM needs electrons all the time or it loses data! HD only needs juice to spin up/down, r/w. Your RAM is *D* RAM, not Flash, right?
Clarify: When you put in that 2GB, did you take out the original 1GB? I thought there was a second slot?
Mike, none of the UMPCs that I know of have a second slot. All RAM swaps have been the removal of a SODIMM and the replacement of another SODIMM. The only minor exception is with the Asus R2H which has 256 MB of RAM soldered on the board to complement its single RAM slot.
You’re correct that RAM needs power all of the time and that’s my point. It’s not a variable amount of power like a HDD would use as it spins up, seeks, etc…. The same amount of power is supplied to the RAM when the machine is in use. It shouldn’t matter what the storage capacity of the RAM is from what I know; it’s always using the same amount of power, i.e.: no effect on battery.
Which 2GB RAM product(s) have been tested with the R2H? Does it matter?
Has anyone attempted a 1.8 100GB HDD upgrade?