Upgrading ram on Tablets?

[NerdasaurusRex]

I've recently bought a generic chinese tablet, it says it uses DDR3 ram, I've got a few 1gb DDR3's laying around my room and was wondering if it was possible to do that upgrade? I would try it now but I don't know how to take the case off of this damn thing ._. when I figure it out I'm going to try it and I'll update this thread.

But my question is umm, has anyone here ever upgraded the ram on their tablets? If you have was it difficult? did you have to be a specific type of ram? did it make it any better? Hopefully I get some replies.

 

[SIII groupie]

Generic Chinese? DDR3? I doubt as my S3 still only has DDR2.

Notebook and desktop have different RAM sticks. I suspect tablets also. I suspect maybe even soldered.

I don't know for sure.

 

[NerdasaurusRex]

Generic Chinese? DDR3? I doubt as my S3 still only has DDR2.

Notebook and desktop have different RAM sticks. I suspect tablets also. I suspect maybe even soldered.

I don't know for sure.

I finally figured out how to open the thing up, no DDR3 anywhere haha, I figured it was a bunch of BS that they just threw in there, I guess I go without upgrades to this thing. oh wells.

Also I heard soldered ram chips aren't exactly... replaceable lol. I would assume the failure rate on those are extremely high if anyone actually tried that type of upgrade.

Wanna trade that S3 for a generic $99 chinese tablet? come onnnn you know you want to

 

[mikedt]

Yup soldered RAM is not meant to be replaced or upgraded. Probably find that the board was only designed to take one type of RAM chip anyway, so even if you could get it unsoldered, very doubtful if larger capacity RAM chips would fit or work.

 

[sparkyuiop]

I know this thread is cracking on but it is still relevant I suppose so i will add my two pennies worth!

The installed chip-sets in the device have to be referenced in the firmware by more than just its model / code numbers.

In the case of RAM there is usually a file called 'DDR.ini' which along with the chip-set I.D and size contains the perimeters of the module.

Here is the first few lines of a very long 'DDR.ini' file:
[DDRCount]
Count=6

[0]
ddrName = micron 16x128x2 512M
ddrcRegConfNum = 0x23

ddrcRegAddr[0] = 0x60011000
ddrcRegVal[0] = 0x1370020

So if you were to go and add another RAM chip I would guess the outcome would be one of the following:

1. The RAM would not be referenced in the 'DDR.ini' file so the tablet wouldn't even know it was there.
2. It would know it was there but couldn't understand what it was or how to configure it and it would likely not boot.
3. The 3rd and most likely outcome (even if you had the 'DDR.ini' file from the firmware of the better model, you knew the same RAM chips were used and you managed to re-package the firmware flash and overcome the MD5 hashes!) it will still very likely not be picked up because the manufacturer would not have installed all the other tiny inline SMD components that allow the device to use it!

It is a shame though when so many devices could have been easily ten times better had the manufacturer of doubled / trebled the hardware which would have been an extra cost of about 2% for them.


Thing to remember is though that an extra 2% cost for the manufacturer means a substantially higher one for the end user!

Why? I dunno!

 

[mikedt]

I know this thread is cracking on but it is still relevant I suppose so i will add my two pennies worth!

The installed chip-sets in the device have to be referenced in the firmware by more than just its model / code numbers.

In the case of RAM there is usually a file called 'DDR.ini' which along with the chip-set I.D and size contains the perimeters of the module.

Here is the first few lines of a very long 'DDR.ini' file:
[DDRCount]
Count=6

[0]
ddrName = micron 16x128x2 512M
ddrcRegConfNum = 0x23

ddrcRegAddr[0] = 0x60011000
ddrcRegVal[0] = 0x1370020

So if you were to go and add another RAM chip I would guess the outcome would be one of the following:

1. The RAM would not be referenced in the 'DDR.ini' file so the tablet wouldn't even know it was there.
2. It would know it was there but couldn't understand what it was or how to configure it and it would likely not boot.
3. The 3rd and most likely outcome (even if you had the 'DDR.ini' file from the firmware of the better model, you knew the same RAM chips were used and you managed to re-package the firmware flash and overcome the MD5 hashes!) it will still very likely not be picked up because the manufacturer would not have installed all the other tiny inline SMD components that allow the device to use it!

It is a shame though when so many devices could have been easily ten times better had the manufacturer of doubled / trebled the hardware which would have been an extra cost of about 2% for them.

Thing to remember is though that an extra 2% cost for the manufacturer

But that might be 20c (USD) per device with make. We're making 50,000 logic boards for these things, that's going to cost us $10,000. Nope can't do that. That $10,000 might be their total profit on the whole deal. I know how it works.

means a substantially higher one for the end user!

We don't care about the end user, as long as we shift these things on Ebay or in a Hong Kong tech mall.

Why? I dunno!

Why? I fully understand. MikeDT...the People's Guide on Android in the People's Republic.

 

[drgrthum]

I have a joojoo tablet and wanted to upgrade ram and it takes ddr33

 

[bjacks12]

Good luck.

These tablets are not modular like a desktop computer.

 

[drgrthum]

Good luck.

These tablets are not modular like a desktop computer.

why are there upgrade for the joojoo if you can't upgrade it? the ram can be pulled out as well as the the hdd and you can replace them with what..... a larger hdd.... and larger ram. you can still find spots that sell the upgraded parts

 

[Hadron]

The JooJoo was a unique device: a linux (not android) tablet which did actually have upgradable components. The company didn't survive very long, and it was a few years ago, so I think it's understandable if people haven't heard of it.

But AFAIK no Android tablet has upgradable RAM.

 

[mikedt]

I can remember the JooJoo, 2010, it was a debacle. Started development as the CrunchPad, and ended it up in a lot of litigation, some very angry people, and they might have sold less than 100 of the things. It might have been upgradeable, but it was heavy, bulky, and required fan cooling. It was PC x86 architecture and used laptop components, Intel Atom N270 CPU. Could probably have run Windows or desktop Linux on it. Completely different to modern lightweight Android and iOS tablets.

It ran Linux, but it only had a browser, no other installable apps, rather like ChromeOS running on a Chromebook.

 

[Sk1788]

My IRULU Expro x1-8 is ddr3 upgradeable but read

Voids warranty
Will over heat the snapdragon 200© processer quickly
Android won't recognize dual channel ram and .Root.int Is removed bricking device

Be careful bros

 

[mikedt]

This upgrade involve SMT soldering with a toaster oven?

VOIDS WARRANTY!

 

[grenadetrade]

They really should make tablets to be upgradable. It's such a waste of money and resources, nevermind the environmental impact with increasing tech trash. I have a rooted (CM) Nook Hd+ which has a great display and screen size (they couldn't have possibly made money with this at the price they offered it at), but it could use 1 more gig of ram.

 

[lvt]

If you have seen your phone's surprisingly small mainboard with incredible component density you will see why they don't make phones with upgradable parts. Soldering the components to the mainboard helps eliminating a lot of wires and connectors, reducing thickness...

 

[grenadetrade]

If you have seen your phone's surprisingly small mainboard with incredible component density you will see why they don't make phones with upgradable parts. Soldering the components to the mainboard helps eliminating a lot of wires and connectors, reducing thickness...

I mean, i get that, but you also have to consider the fact that switching out components isn't a big enough demand for manufacturers to make it that way. If you can make a phone thinner, bigger, curved, etc, then surely they CAN find a way to build it differently so that components can be swapped. I'd be glad to give up thinness and other aspects of the way the phone is made if it means i can upgrade certain things down the road - because that's more important to me.

But, in the end, it comes down to cost and revenue, weighed against demand. They want you to buy more phones and it's cheaper to make it the way they make it now.

 

[mikedt]

They really should make tablets to be upgradable. It's such a waste of money and resources, nevermind the environmental impact with increasing tech trash. I have a rooted (CM) Nook Hd+ which has a great display and screen size (they couldn't have possibly made money with this at the price they offered it at), but it could use 1 more gig of ram.

Nook tablets, sold as "e-book readers", I believe were sold at below cost, i.e. subsidized, because B&N hoped you'd buy lots of their e-books to read on the thing. So I don't think that RAM expansion was ever a design consideration for them. Same with Amazon Kindle devices.

Games consoles like Xbox and Playstation are sold at a loss, because the companies make their $$$ on the games you buy for them. And internal upgrades like RAM doesn't happen here usually, because it's just not needed if you're just doing what they were designed for, i.e. playing games that you bought

 

[Slug]

If you can make a phone thinner, bigger, curved, etc, then surely they CAN find a way to build it differently so that components can be swapped.

Swapped with what, though? The DDR5 RAM modules in my PC are almost the same length as my phone. Heck, the SIMM sockets are higher than the phone is thick!

Smartphones don't use generic off-the-shelf components, unfortunately.

 

[Hadron]

And designing and mass producing a RAM package and socket that is small enough to fit in the plausible phone/tablet, capable of the speeds required, and reliable enough for an end-user to replace, is a non-trivial assignment (so cost and risk for the company that tries). Don't underestimate the mechanical as well as electronic requirements: remember that one bent pin when inserting it means you throw the RAM away, one broken pin when removing the old one and you throw the motherboard away.

So how much extra are you prepared to pay for it, if they can do it at all (I personally doubt that all of the requirements can be met in a package that the end user could swap)? And how many people will pay a premium for a larger & thicker device with a feature few will use?

You are right that it's about cost vs revenue, but also risk: you can lose a lot of money by taking a gamble on an expensive and difficult to manufacture feature that doesn't become a big seller.

 

[lvt]

Anyway what's the point to upgrade the RAM in a 3G phone when carriers stop exploiting 3G network ?