The Gadgeteer Reviews the iPAQ 4700 128 MB RAM Upgrade

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/pocketpc-techs-ipaq-4700-128mb-upgrade-service-review.html' target='_blank'>http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/pocket...ice-review.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"One of the few disappointments that I have had from the beginning of owning my HP iPAQ hx4700 PDA is the fact that it only came with 64MB internal RAM. While this may sound generous enough, especially when one considers that the iPAQ File Store includes an additional 128MB of ROM storage space, it really isn't...Within just a few days of owning PAQo, as my 4700 was christened, I knew that he was something special. Unlike other PDAs that have quickly come and gone, the screen and form factor of this PDA ensured that it would be my daily driver for a long time. With that in mind, I did what many women will try to do when they are in a relationship with someone that is just slightly less than perfect - I decided to "change him" for the better. Luckily for me, this would not be hard to do."</i><br /><br />Whether it's a man or a Pocket PC, it seems the ladies at The Gadgeteer like to make them better. :lol: Judie had her iPAQ upgrade, and she did some before and after Spb Benchmark tests - the results are interesting in that the new Pocket PC with 128 MB of RAM performs a bit faster at almost everything. This review also points out something that most people don't realize: Pocket PC Techs doesn't just click another 64 MB of RAM into place, they take out the old RAM and install a brand new 128 MB piece of high speed RAM, and that doesn't come cheap. If you're interested in this, you'll be able to <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/discounts.php?action=expand,17531">save 10% off the upgrade price</a> by using the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/subscribe.php">subscriber coupon</a>.

[Jonathan1]

:? I like the notion of upgrading your device with more RAM. I was one of the first people to own a 64MB iPaq back when PPCTechs were doing initial testing. (Thanks Dale. :) )

But now. I don't know. If, more likely when (Gotta pay off my iPod first ;) , I get a 4700 I would have to seriously weigh the pros and cons of voiding the warrantee on the device to gain another 64MB of internal RAM. Very hard decision.

It really makes me wish HP and PPCTechs would team up to have an “official” upgrade for the device.

[Jerry Raia]

I think it needs more RAM. Even with almost everything stored in the internal file store and SD card (perhaps because of a memory leak) I still have to do a soft reset once in a while so I can start Bluetooth.

[BugDude10]

Whether it's a man or a Pocket PC, it seems the ladies at The Gadgeteer like to make them better. :lol:

And, like a PDA, the more RAM the better! (I have no idea what that means.)

[Jerry Raia]

Whether it's a man or a Pocket PC, it seems the ladies at The Gadgeteer like to make them better. :lol:

And, like a PDA, the more RAM the better! (I have no idea what that means.)

Oh yeah you do! :devilboy:

[Mitch D]

:? I like the notion of upgrading your device with more RAM. I was one of the first people to own a 64MB iPaq back when PPCTechs were doing initial testing. (Thanks Dale. :) )

But now. I don't know. If, more likely when (Gotta pay off my iPod first ;) , I get a 4700 I would have to seriously weigh the pros and cons of voiding the warrantee on the device to gain another 64MB of internal RAM. Very hard decision.

It really makes me wish HP and PPCTechs would team up to have an “official” upgrade for the device.

Just makes me wish that HP would listen when customers say "we want more RAM!" :roll:

[jimski]

I think it needs more RAM. Even with almost everything stored in the internal file store and SD card (perhaps because of a memory leak) I still have to do a soft reset once in a while so I can start Bluetooth.

Actually I have upgraded my hx4705 and still have to soft reset (with 55MB available Program Memory) my device almost every time I turn on Bluetooth (and sometimes WiFi). Every other aspect of the upgrade is great, but the soft resetting is frustrating. Something to do with memory allocation. Still need to investigate the cause. I wonder if the new hx2000 series (with 128MB RAM) will have the same problem.

[whydidnt]

Actually I have upgraded my hx4705 and still have to soft reset (with 55MB available Program Memory) my device almost every time I turn on Bluetooth (and sometimes WiFi). Every other aspect of the upgrade is great, but the soft resetting is frustrating. Something to do with memory allocation. Still need to investigate the cause. I wonder if the new hx2000 series (with 128MB RAM) will have the same problem.

I think this has to do with how WM manages Device Driver Memory. There is a fixed area of memory available to all device drivers and it can't be resized. Once it's full, you have to soft reset to free up memory from that space. It doesn't really matter how much free program memory you have. The fix will have to come from MS. They need to either make this Memory space larger, or allow it to be dynamically resized as necessary.