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PCE2000/Times2Tech iPAQ Ram Upgrade
Review
By Chris De Herrera,
Copyright 2001
Version 1.00 Revised 10/15/2001
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Introduction
I've got an original iPAQ 3630 Pocket PC with 32 MB of ram. I ran into Leonard from PCE2000 and Mack from Times2Tech at the Pocket PC Summit. I explained to them that I had not upgraded my iPAQ because I needed it to write about the Pocket PC 2002 operating system. They offered to take my iPAQ overnight and upgrade it to 128 MB of ram, replace the eject mechanism and clean the screen! I'm sure you'll find their turnaround to be very quick once they get your iPAQ for an upgrade.
| PCE2000
/ Times2Tech
iPAQ Upgrade Pricing
$349 - 128 MB RAM Upgrade |
What was Done
The iPAQ Pocket PCs can now support 64 MB of internal ram with the introduction of the iPAQ 3670. They upgraded my unit to 128 MB of ram which makes the internal ram larger than any of the Pocket PC 2002 systems being sold so far. They also replaced the plastic stylus eject mechanism with a metal one. The metal eject mechanism comes with a lifetime warranty. They also noticed that my iPAQ had some dust (just a few pieces, I'm happy to say). So they cleaned it and sealed it while they had my iPAQ apart. I've listed the pricing for these services on the right so you can get an idea of how much it will cost you to upgrade.
How the Ram Is Organized
As I indicated before, the Pocket PC and Pocket PC 2002 operating system only knows about 64 MB of ram. So how did I use the additional 64 MB of internal ram? Well Mack from Times2Tech has written a driver to use the additional 64 MB of ram as a storage card. You can install programs and store files in the Times2Tech drive just like a real storage card. You can rename the Times2Tech drive using their utility as well as increase the buffers for maximum performance. The Times2Tech drive is not compressed so it won't hold as much data as the internal ram. However it does offer the fastest file transfer on a Pocket PC I've seen yet. So if you want to see videos run without skipping, try using the Times2Tech ram drive.
Conclusion
Overall, I was really impressed with Leonard and Mack. They both did a great job upgrading my iPAQ on such short notice. I really appreciate their assistance in this so I could continue to present information about the Pocket PC 2002 at the Pocket PC summit with my iPAQ. Just for the record, Leonard and Mack are partners in offering the ram upgrade. So if you got to either of them for the upgrade, you'll get the same great service. So if you want the best features of the additional ram of the Pocket PC 2002, consider a ram upgrade. It works GREAT! There's a 256 MB ram upgrade that they are testing to see how well it works. Who knows what the price will be but I bet it won't be cheap since the ram chips are hard to come by. BTW, you'll have to ask Dale Coffing from Pocket PC Passion how he likes his 256 MB ram upgrade!
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