UMPCs with 2 GB of RAM: an update on the updates

Q1p_bios_2_gb

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.

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