2GB of RAM in a UMPC? The answer is...

...it depends! Let me explain: at the same time I was wondering if 2 GB of RAM would work in a UMPC, several others in the Origami Project forums were considering it as well. I decided to order a 2 GB SODIMM and Daniel (aka: ThoughtFix) stopped at his local Fry's to do the same. We have different Q1 models and he also has an eo v7110, so we figured to both give it a shot.

I had some e-mail conversation with Dan late last night and his preliminary results were negative in both the Samsung Q1B and the eo7110. Upon boot-up, the eo only reported 1 GB of RAM in Windows and in the BIOS, even though 2 GB were installed. For the Q1B, it wouldn't even boot up to the BIOS. I know that Dan is looking into his BIOS version on the Q1B, just to make sure he has the most recent, which he said is version 03EA. I'm sure he'll update us here or on his site with his progress.

Meanwhile, I can tell you that my 2 GB SODIMM just arrived 30 minutes ago, so I've performed the surgery on just a single cup of coffee this morning. Oh, the risks I take.....long story short: the BIOS and Windows Vista show 2 GB of RAM available on Samantha, my Samsung Q1P!

At this point, I'm only reporting the preliminary information that the transplant has worked. I haven't had a chance to do any benchmarking and we need to make sure that Samantha's body doesn't reject the new module. ;) I'll be working on some tests over the next day or two, so stay tuned.

I do want to share the process I took. Figuring the BIOS was the limiting factor here, I booted up into my BIOS on the Q1P to check my BIOS version. I actually didn't have the most recent version, so I upgraded from v. 02MA TO 20MA, which you can find on Samsung's support site. After upgrading the BIOS and rebooting, I went into the BIOS again to verify the version and it was correct. As I went to exit the BIOS, I was asked to save my configuration changes, even though I didn't change anything. I chose yes, figuring that this had something to do with the new BIOS. It might not have been necessary to do this, but I did it and booted into Vista.

Next up, I shut down Vista completely, removed the battery and unplugged the unit. I then removed the six screws from the back casing: if you're not sure where they are, my original Q1 RAM upgrade from last June will come in handy; we're essentially following the same process only using the 2 GB module in lieu of the 1 GB. Once the new module is in place, just close the unit back up and insert the screws that you originally removed.

I plugged the unit in, replaced the battery and powered back up. I didn't allow the unit to fully boot: I went right back into the BIOS as that's the first indicator to see if the memory is recognized. Sure enough, the BIOS showed the full 2 GB.

Again when exiting the BIOS, I was asked to save my configuration changes and again, I chose to figuring the 'change' was the new memory amount. Vista then booted up noticably quicker than normal and that point, I knew I was home free.

Does this mean you should rush out and try to upgrade your UMPC to 2 GB? Unless you're a Samsung Q1P owner that can't wait for my benchmarks, I'd say no but of course, it's up to you. As always, any upgrades you do are your responsibility, so no whining to me if you hose something up. ;) Still, this looks very promising and initial impressions are that the machine is responding faster. I've just rebuilt this machine and have some more apps to install as well as some optimization tweaks, but so far, so good.

I have to give another shout-out to Upgrade Computer Memory as Chad was very responsive to my e-mailed questions on this upgrade. He also assured me that UCM would take the memory back within 30 days and refund my money if it didn't work. We have no affiliation with UCM, but I can tell you that they were very helpful. If you want to hit your local Fry's or search for a cheaper price online, that's completely your prerogative. Thanks also to Dan for volunteering to be a guinea pig along side me. I'm hoping that after he upgrades his Q1B BIOS to the most current version, this will work for him as well!

OK, time to get a second cup of coffee and plan some tests...

Quick update: putting the unit in Sleep mode now takes about 2 to 3 seconds; previously it was around 5. Waking up from Sleep is < one second; darn near instant! Makes sense since Sleep mode puts the current computer state & data into RAM.

Comments

[Ctitanic]

Well, that's a real good news! I have the same BIOS in my celeron so I'll probably give it a shot.

[Tax Man]

Very interesting! Any chance this works on the original Q1 too?

[Ctitanic]

Which one did you buy?
This one?
http://upgradecomputermemory.com/ram.cfm/memorytypes/DDR2-667-PC2-5300-Memory/DDR2-667-PC2-5300-Laptop--Notebook-Memory/2GB-DDR2-667-SODIMM-p-n-AM46130-AM46130.html

[Kevin C. Tofel]

Bill, I can't say for sure if this will work on the Q1 since I sold Sammy, but I'm sure folks will give it a try. I see Frank is already itching to do the upgrade. ;)

Frank, no I didn't get the one you pointed out. I got this one: http://upgradecomputermemory.com/ram.cfm/memorytypes/DDR2-533-PC2-4200-Memory/DDR2-533-PC2-4200-Laptop--Notebook-Memory/2GB-DDR2-533-SODIMM-AM46140.html

I see that I'm 'getting the shaft' as the early adapter because the price is now almost $35 lower than earlier this week. :( OK, just award me the official "UMPC Upgrader of the Year" and I'll eat the $35. ;)

[gonzalo]

What about the Q1P with Win XP??

[Kevin C. Tofel]

Gonazalo, although I haven't tested it, I expect it would work. We know that XP is perfectly capable of seeing more than 1GB of memory and the BIOS upgrade for the Q1 says it's for XP & Vista. My guess is that the BIOS would recognize it for sure and therefore XP would as well. Strictly an educated guess of course.

[Ctitanic]

Kevin, I'm taking the hit for the Q1 Celeron. I just placed an order. I have the same BIOS as you have so I think that it should work.

[Gonzalo]

Thanks, i'm going to Fry's tomorrow and we'll see what happens.

[G. Scott]

Any chance this will work on the OQO as well?

[Mike Cane]

What about the hit on the battery?!

[Anton P. Nym]

I'm definitely following this thread with interest. If Frank can get his Q1 running 2GB, I'll be sorely tempted to try the same on mine; the performance boost will definitely be worth the cost, and since my wee one will be off-warranty soon anyway...

-- Steve

[Ross Wirth]

Now, if we could just get James to take the plunge on the P1610... =D

[Alex]

Does anyone know what updates are in the new bios version? There is no list of changes on the Samsung website.

[James Kendrick]

ROss Wirth, I have searched all around and there are no 2 GB microDIMMs available for purchase. The P1610 does not use the same SODIMM memory that the Q1 uses so I can't try it. Rest assured I will try it when I can find a 2 GB microDIMM.

[Andrew Forde]

I'm with you James - as soon as I can firstly find one and secondly it is realistically priced then my P1610 will also be upgraded.

Hopefully something will turn up sometime soon and I haven't got sell my family to afford it! :)

[Addic]

Hi Kevin,

You mention you are conducting some vista opimisations. Could you tell me what if any software are you using for the options and do you use a registry cleaner on the Q1P?

[Christian]

I just upgraded my Q1P w/ a 2 GB sodimm stick from fry's! I ended up buying a Patriot 2GB PC2-4200 533 MHz Sodimm if anyone was curious

[ThoughtFix]

In case people want the direct link to my analysis:
http://www.ultramobilegeek.com/2007/05/umpc-2gb-sodimm-experiments.html

There we go.

[Douglass Carmichael]

Any more Q1 reports?

[Notinthoseshoes]

2GB works fine on the Q1 running XP. I picked up a used stick (same as Kevin installed) from eBay here in Australia. Going in and out of standby is quicker, other operations feel quicker but this could just be me subconsciously justifying the expense of the upgrade.

[Ctitanic]

The Original Q1 with Celeron supports 2 GB of RAM!

http://ultramobilepc-tips.blogspot.com/2007/05/original-q1-supports-2-gb-of-ram.html

[Kelvin Yong]

Hey Kevin, just got my eo i7210 back from Hugo for repair... And I'm wondering if whether i7210 is able to cope with 2GB ram or not. And also, how do you tell the BIOS version?

I noticed that TabletKiosk has beta BIOS and VISTA driver, the BIOS.rar has the current XP and beta Vista bios, I want to know whether the "current XP" is the same in my unit now.

[Kevin C. Tofel]

Kelvin, since the eo 7210 is based on the Pentium M, I suspect it could handle the RAM upgrade. However I don't have an eo, I can't tell you exactly how to get into the BIOS, but the user manual should tell you how. Once in the BIOS, the version number should be readily available.

[Hugo Ortega]

HI Kelvin,

Kevin is right about getting into the BIOS and checking which you have although it will not be labeled Current XP, it will be something alphanumeric. At this stage I have confirmed that the people who bought these as of two weeks ago, or back, are on the XP Current BIOS. So an upgrade to the Vista one is very achievable.

As far as the RAM is concerned Kevin is right (again) in that there is no reason why your device would not accept the new RAM, especially since the RAM slot is 667MHz, and so is the new RAM available.

Hope this helps Kelvin…

[Kelvin Yong]

Awesome thanks guys. May look into getting a piece of 2GB SoDIMM to try and see. Cheers.