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Help RAM Upgrade?

northtower

Lurker
Dec 12, 2012
4
0
Ok, so I'm sure we all know by now that the 512MB in the D3 sucks. I ran across a similar question, and it was supposedly moved to the Droid3 thread, but I couldn't locate it. So, does anybody know how to physically upgrade the RAM in these things? I know it would void my warranty, but I have this phone another 4 months until I'll be upgrading to the SG Note 2, and it's driving me crazy. I really am willing to get my hands on the innards, as much as I doubt there's anything I can actually do. Thanks in advance.
 
I do not. I have not seen a description of the individual chips on the logic board for the D3, nor whether it's possible to replace the RAM chips at all. My guess is that it's not possible.

Here is a thread that shows you how to disassemble the D3, if you really want to try: http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid-3/530813-motorola-droid-3-screen-repair-guide.html

Frankly, I get by just fine on 512 MB RAM. I have only two widgets on my home screens (only one of which fetches data), I'm used ADW EX as my launcher rather than the Blur launcher, and I've rooted and debloated the stock ROM. (I also occasionally run the custom ROM Minimoto, which is probably as light as the Droid 3 can get.) I'm planning on another 8-10 months on the D3 myself (I have 4 phones on a family plan, with one upgrade available now, and another in June, and two more in August.) I think that I'll make it until next fall myself.
 
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Ok, thanks for the info. I Just use it ALOT and have tried to slim down the apps. I'm rooted, but really nervous about the whole Rom flash and nandroid recovery thing. I have a lot to lose if it goes wrong and some of the forums are confusing. Especially when a senior user doesn't support it any more because of bad links.
 
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I understand that you may be reluctant to modify your D3, but it's not hard and it makes a huge difference when you run the right ROM. Much better battery life and way smoother and more responsive.

At the moment, the best combo (IMHO) is to install Safestrap then minimoto.

Safestrap preserves your stock (rooted) system and lets you install new ROMS in what the author calls slots. This gives you a "dual boot" sort of function. Very slick.

SO...
Take the plunge. (once you are rooted)
Install Safestrap
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1872206

Then install minimoto (currently vers 1.7)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1978304

You will think you have a new phone!
 
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^ Unicorn is right! I finally rooted and ROM'd my phone, some 19 months after I got it. :eek: Minimoto is definitely much snappier than the stock ROM and my free RAM is now well above 100 MB whereas it was below 50 MB with the stock RAM, which made my phone crawl excruciatingly slow. Sometimes it'd literally take a full minute to make a phone call! I'd hit dial multiple times and then 2 or 3 of them would appear after about a minute. Now, the dialer is responsive.
 
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Late to the party I know but yes, it is physically possible to install a 1gb memory IC IF and this is a big if, you can find a 1gb IC with identical timings across the board ( not likely but possible ).

Secondly, once you've used your $1,000 - $3,000 Infrared rework station to carefully remove the 512mb IC, then clean the old solder away, reball the new 1gb IC then reflow it onto the board ( piece of cake with said rework station actually ). This is where the fun part comes in. While the phone will then boot and work properly it will have no clue it has 1gb available ram and not 512mb so you get to either program the phone yourself or have someone else do it ( either a huuuuuuge favor from a friend or n endeavor that could buy you a couple dozen Droid 4's ).

Once you have done the above though, you'll have been better off paying a few more bucks for a Droid 4 which is an improvement over the D3 in every way and already has 1gb ram so enjoy your project.

Tbh, if I still worked for the company I did till 2008, we had a nice IR rework station and many suppliers for IC's and various other chips. I would have gladly tinkered with things like this but in 08' I was still using Windows based phones and it wasn't till 2009 I got my first android device.

I did however increase the vram on a few desktop video cards for shits n giggles and the results after all the work and modifying the bios was varied from OMFGWTFXORWOW! to meh. At the end of the day it will always come down to what you do with the device and what app's you run.

Like the above people mentioned, it's better to run a stripped down rom than it is to try and undertake a task like this unless you or someone you know has access to an IR rework station and has suppliers for IC's that you will need. It would actually be easier to replace the NAND module with a 32 - 64gb IC than it would be to replace a memory IC as the NAND module would require a lot less work on the software end to get working than a memory IC.
 
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