Is it possible to change/upgrade ram from 3GB? - Sony Xperia X Performance Questions & Answers

The phone is still the beast, the only thing it lacks is more RAM. Is it possible to change/upgrade the hardware? Has anyone done that?

I'm new to this phone but I'll say no anyway.
To do that you'd have to disassemble it, remove the RAM chip and replace it with a bigger one. That involves soldering and probably (if you want a high chance of success) surface mount equipment to do it. That equipment would cost you at least ten times the cost of buying a newer phone.
If you managed to do that successfully I've got no idea the rest of the board would recognise the extra RAM or even boot.
Also where would you buy a single surface mount RAM chip?
That's probably your first problem to work out.
I'm guessing you've asked this as you've added RAM to an old PC or laptop in the past, phones are not like that. If they were the phone would be too big and wouldn't sell!

Related

Chip Upgrade

Is it possible to put the newer MSM7201A (the one in the new touch diamond), into a tilt's chip location and have it speed things up a bit? (528 vs 400 Mhz).
no as the chip is intergrated into the motherbaord.
Sure, with a very steady hand go on & solder it in, LOL
Not a problem
I have access to both the needed equipment, and a clean room to do it in. So that doesnt worry me, i really meant, what is neccesary to do so other than place the new chip. Will the software immediately recognize the difference? Or will it be a pain to make it work?
Blunt reply.
If you have to ask you don't have the skills to do it.
hah
I do it all the time for my PhD work. Really the physical work is not an issue at all.
Out of curiosity, where would you get the replacement MSM7201A chip? Assuming you are capable of replacing the CPU on a motherboard the size of the phone then you would also be capable of determining from the spec. sheet the similarity between the two and likelihood of utter catastrophic failure.
Personally I have no idea how feasible it is (sorry), but I would love to see someone potentially ruin their phone trying to be proven wrong
ladytoast said:
Out of curiosity, where would you get the replacement MSM7201A chip? Assuming you are capable of replacing the CPU on a motherboard the size of the phone then you would also be capable of determining from the spec. sheet the similarity between the two and likelihood of utter catastrophic failure.
Personally I have no idea how feasible it is (sorry), but I would love to see someone potentially ruin their phone trying to be proven wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL exactly. You're going to have to buy a phone that has the MSM7101A chip in it already. Then your going to take the chip out of a perfectly good phone that is not even out yet mind you and then place it in the Kaiser. LOL. I just don't know why you would actually want to do this.

shifts snapvue ram upgrading

Hi, i admired shift for his design and there are no such device on market as shift. It is big dissapointed snapvue ram hw. But there is a chance to upgrade it. it will be great step to improve shift. I found some parametrs of shifts flash-ram cip. There is 1Gb flash/ 512 Mb ram chip from samsung K5E1G13ACM-D075. It is 137FBGA package, size 11.5x13x1.2. power by 1.8v flash/1.8v dram. Htc kaiser has KAL009001M-D1YY. It can be chance to replece by this. I found some another equivalent to replace. It it K5E2G1GACM-D060. It is 2Gb/1Gb flash/ram cip, same voltage, 137FBGA, only size is little different 12x14x1.2, but i dont know if it is only cover size, maybe pin size is same. But i know upgrading ram isnt only replace chip, it needs reprogram same other parts and it may do a few peolpe like mamaich with htc univerzal. Do it with our shifts?
ftoz said:
Hi, i admired shift for his design and there are no such device on market as shift. It is big dissapointed snapvue ram hw. But there is a chance to upgrade it. it will be great step to improve shift. I found some parametrs of shifts flash-ram cip. There is 1Gb flash/ 512 Mb ram chip from samsung K5E1G13ACM-D075. It is 137FBGA package, size 11.5x13x1.2. power by 1.8v flash/1.8v dram. Htc kaiser has KAL009001M-D1YY. It can be chance to replece by this. I found some another equivalent to replace. It it K5E2G1GACM-D060. It is 2Gb/1Gb flash/ram cip, same voltage, 137FBGA, only size is little different 12x14x1.2, but i dont know if it is only cover size, maybe pin size is same. But i know upgrading ram isnt only replace chip, it needs reprogram same other parts and it may do a few peolpe like mamaich with htc univerzal. Do it with our shifts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't even bother looking into it. The memory chips are soldered on by robots and you ought to have a d*mn steady hand a some top of the line equipment to replace it. Also, as you said, you have to reprogram parts of the ROM in order to have WM recognize the new memory.
You are right, soldering by hand is impossible. But look at on htc univerzal ram upgrade. It is possible in almost country in the world. I asked the man, who replace memory for univerzal in our republic and he said, that is possible and they have soldering machine. Only thing is choose right memory chip and maybe some stick pins on the mobo. Everithing else is software solution and i hope that software low hackers help us.
hmm, good Idea, but to expensive? maybe the better way is to find a solution for SD Card Slot enabling within WM side. Or: re-soldering the SD Card slot to WM Side..
So you have much more free Space for enabling additional Software

Changing the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 processor?

Hi all,
I wonder if there is any possibility to change the prosessor of the X2 for a faster one. If there is somewhere a processor that has the same pin-layout, same size than the one on the x2, then why wouldn't it be possible to unsolder it and swap to an faster one..?
Sorry if this question is stupid, but i have no idea about mobilephone processors... On computers you can swap processors if they fit in the socket, and consume the same amount of power etc..
I'm not so much more a mobilephone processor expert but I doubt it's that easy. In mobilephones those components have to work together I guess. That means some hardware probably needs that qualcomm to work.
Also, I could imagine theres a problem with the heat of faster processor - or is that nonsense?
hertell said:
Hi all,
I wonder if there is any possibility to change the prosessor of the X2 for a faster one. If there is somewhere a processor that has the same pin-layout, same size than the one on the x2, then why wouldn't it be possible to unsolder it and swap to an faster one..?
Sorry if this question is stupid, but i have no idea about mobilephone processors... On computers you can swap processors if they fit in the socket, and consume the same amount of power etc..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a great question; I also wish it were possible. But mobile phone processors have various complexities such as a separate processor for various functions like phone or graphics. The only possibility would be to go from one Qualcomm to another, but even then, aren't mobile phone processors tiny? The soldering itself might be close to impossible.
ring-bearer said:
It's a great question; I also wish it were possible. But mobile phone processors have various complexities such as a separate processor for various functions like phone or graphics. The only possibility would be to go from one Qualcomm to another, but even then, aren't mobile phone processors tiny? The soldering itself might be close to impossible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it would just be the case of soldering, then i'll find someone who would do the job for me Afcourse the aspect of heat etc could be an issue..
Any other thoughts from anyone who knows about these kind of processors?
If the CPU itself is pin compatible, the issue is only the soldering. Mostly.
TAMHAN said:
If the CPU itself is pin compatible, the issue is only the soldering. Mostly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds great! Now is there anyone who knows if there is a processor that would fit in the same pin-layout as the current x2-processor? For example the Qualcomms Snapdragon-processor?
unlikely that its even the same size let alone the same number of pins.. and even if it was of identical size and layout then theres the voltages to consider. i doubt the x2 was constructed by hand. quite often chips are placed and soldered by machine. would require an expert of considerable skill to remove and then solder in a new chip perfectly.
finally theres the problem of finding a processor to put in.... not like you can buy them in pcworld! if you wanted a snapdragon cpu you would have to buy a snapdragon phone to use as a donor. very expensive way to upgrade a phone.
Ur going to kill ur phone mate, u must be ridicusly precise if u decide to do that . .
Not possible! .. this is not a desktop! (or a laptop) with an changeble socket
apart from the soldering out a smd cpu with tons of legs then
if the new faster cpu didn't use 100% the same wm driver it would require a new rom and the the device would not work with any rom but the one custom made for the newer cpu

Time for changes

Well It can sound stupid, but nowadays mobile phone are like the old macs, you get what you buy and you stay with it.
why there is no company which think like IBM did long time ago
make a phone without cpu (but a slot for it - let me choose which one to buy) without gpu (let me choose which one to buy, I know there isn't much choice, but anyway) without ram (I'll buy it myself for my needs) without operating system, I'll choose which to buy and install.
this idea is definetly will bring some good prices and interesting things
just a screen with case and motherbord
This would probably be impossible, or very very expensive. Letting the user change the CPU (SoC) means a standard socket, every manufacturer has it's own.
Second, Allowing the user to create a phone would be very hard, as you need some way of assembling it without causing any damage, no company will give warranity for such a device.
Also, you can't just put any OS you want. Though here at XDA there are those capable of it, you need a bootloader, and it will be just to much work for a single piece of hardware.
this might be possible on tablets, which are bigger, but also there, it's far too complicated.
Also, can you buy a notebook without a CPU and all the rest? Full hardware customization is only available in desktop computers.
But doing such a thing would be absulutely AWESOME
astar26 said:
This would probably be impossible, or very very expensive. Letting the user change the CPU (SoC) means a standard socket, every manufacturer has it's own.
Second, Allowing the user to create a phone would be very hard, as you need some way of assembling it without causing any damage, no company will give warranity for such a device.
Also, you can't just put any OS you want. Though here at XDA there are those capable of it, you need a bootloader, and it will be just to much work for a single piece of hardware.
this might be possible on tablets, which are bigger, but also there, it's far too complicated.
Also, can you buy a notebook without a CPU and all the rest? Full hardware customization is only available in desktop computers.
But doing such a thing would be absulutely AWESOME
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who cares about the warranty........ I have been building my own computers since 1989 and I have never had a single problem doing it. And I also think this would be an AWESOME idea as well........... but I want it with a 5" screen (kinda blind from age)
mrfarnhigh said:
Well It can sound stupid, but nowadays mobile phone are like the old macs, you get what you buy and you stay with it.
why there is no company which think like IBM did long time ago
make a phone without cpu (but a slot for it - let me choose which one to buy) without gpu (let me choose which one to buy, I know there isn't much choice, but anyway) without ram (I'll buy it myself for my needs) without operating system, I'll choose which to buy and install.
this idea is definetly will bring some good prices and interesting things
just a screen with case and motherbord
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A novel idea, and most certainly intriguing as a thought exercise, but nearly impossible as a practical exercise.
Mostly because you'll need to lug a brick around the size of an obese kid's lunchbox.
And what percentage of the mobile market would actually want to do this? lol
I really cant see anybody putting the time, effort and most importantly, money, into making this possible.
Closest I've ever found to this would be synapse http://synapse-phones.com/order.php
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Tyrian89 said:
Closest I've ever found to this would be synapse http://synapse-phones.com/order.php
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looks sweet, but not upgradeable after purchase (at least not without sending back for upgrading).
It's sort of a step in the right direction though.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
I'd rather have phones release where I can choose the OS without a ton of hassle. Then I can play with all the various phone OS's.
I'd really like to see virtualization like VMWare come to the phone. Then we could try newer, older, different, PhoneOS's without having to reflash anything.
-J
astar26 said:
This would probably be impossible, imposible is only for those who don't try/want!
or very very expensive. It will bring a lot more marketing, PC are cheaper than Mac.
Letting the user change the CPU (SoC) means a standard socket, every manufacturer has it's own. they will make standtarts.
Second, Allowing the user to create a phone would be very hard,You can go to computer shop and buy full build desktop, with the parts you ordered
as you need some way of assembling it without causing any damage, no company will give warranity for such a device. If you buy intel's, amd's cpu and put it in your computer the warrnty isn't ending.
Also, you can't just put any OS you want.on a pc you can install anything from windows, linux to mac (hack) Though here at XDA there are those capable of it, you need a bootloader, and it will be just to much work for a single piece of hardware. some shops will have what to do and they will have a job to do rather then just +300$ to each phone
this might be possible on tablets, which are bigger, but also there, it's far too complicated.simcards aren't complicated? I guess it would be the same
Also, can you buy a notebook without a CPU and all the rest? Full hardware customization is only available in desktop computers.the answer is yes, you can buy your same laptop model from 1.8ghz up to 3.0ghz, but it will be same buttons, same screen, same motherboard. you can take the ram out and upgrade it anytime you want. (and its not that hard)
But doing such a thing would be absulutely AWESOMEI would agree with you on that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
conantroutman said:
And what percentage of the mobile market would actually want to do this? lol same as pcs vs mac
I really cant see anybody putting the time, effort and most importantly, money, into making this possible.I guess it would be much cheaper than today
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it comes to market it will only lower prices on phones
mrfarnhigh said:
When it comes to market it will only lower prices on phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got some points there, but when I mean warranity on PCs, I mean prebuilded PCs, such as Dells etc. You can always build your own (I did it a few times). but with a phone, the cmponents are much much smaller.
I know you can install all OSes on a computer, but there must be a bootloader to be able to boot all of them.
Once there will be a device like that, I'm surely going to buy it.

Success! N5 now has 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage!

Hi everyone!
After months and months, and countless hours spent (and a good deal of destroyed Nexus 5 motherboards...) ,I have succeeded in expanding both RAM and storage of a Nexus 5!
The RAM:
I have been thinking about it for quite some time, then I decided to go for it, so I bought a 24Gb LPDDR3 memory chip from Aliexpress and attempted a replacement to my spare Nexus 5. Well, believe it or not, it worked!!! My N5 has 3 GB of RAM, and the difference, with my 242 apps installed, is very evident! It has been hard work, not easy at all, but if there is anyone who has the necessary skill/equipment and is wondering if it can be done, well, the answer is YES!
The memory chip I purchased is the K3QF7F70DM-QGCF.
Replacement requires removing the ePOP memory from the top of the Snapdragon chip, then cleaning carefully the BGA land pads from any resin/glue residue, then re-soldering the new chip. I am not going into details (unless requested) because those who know about BGA reworking know what it is all about and those who don't... Well, don't try it! Anyway, I am available to provide any further explanation.
The Flash:
Then... I could not stop there. RAM is nice, but I was running out of storage space... Plus, it seems it had been done before, even if not many details had been provided... Well, there is all sort of documentation and software one can desire for the Nexus 5... So let's go for it! Let's buy a 64 GB eMMC chip from Aliexpress and let's try to transplant it!
The operation has proven more complex than I could have imagined: I collected 13 (!) dead Nexus 5s so that I could experiment with them, I fixed some of them and then I destroyed them again in the attempt to transplant the chip! The endline is: "Don't try this at home unless you are willing to end up with a broken phone"! And, believe me, it is VERY likely this is going to happen!
But the screenshots speak for themselves:
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1.../AF1QipPtZlfQ4vlWy5W94-_khYiE-WnZXHusHW18PsRu
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1.../AF1QipMCqe-Xn4x5l6PRykQDxyRnVhrbxZqTU0ZGumd4
If anyone is interested (be careful if you want to attempt the mod) I will provide all details of hardware equipment used, how to desolder chips, how to solder the new ones (but if you need to read my instructions then the operation is clearly out of your reach!) and how to flash the new chip with bootloader, recovery, ROM and everything. Just let me know!
Regards!
Hello, can you show in more detail and with screenshots where you soldered the memory. how long did it take you
Did you take any pictures through the process?
Hi guys,
unfortunately I have not taken any pictures, because I had not the slightest confidence in the outcome! However, I can summarize the process with pictures found online:
1- the memory chip (which is on top of the processor) is the one with the red dot on it; you must also remove the metal shield around it, which is fitted with just clips, so a small screwdriver and some care is enough to remove it;
2. you must heat up the chip with a hot air rework station; I also recommend to cover the rest of the board with kapton tape (or, at worst, with some aluminium foil);
3- use a thermocouple if possible; if you don't have it, monitor carefully the melting of the memory chip. Keep in mind you have to remove the memory only, not the entire chip (but the memory chip, being on top, is the first thing to come off);
4- using a needle or a thin razor blade, gently leverage one corner of the chip until you feel it softening and finally coming off;
5- after removing it, you must very carefully clean the pads from any glue left on them (yes, the memory is also glued!). The pads are not too delicate, however exert maximum care, you do not want to rip any of them off; I personally used the scalpel tip of my soldering iron to clean and level the pads;
6- use isopropyl alcohol, acetone and some sandpaper or a pencil rubber to clean the pads from any dirt and oxidation; you must end with some very clean pads, as in the picture (of course pads will not be gold but silver);
7- spread some gel flux on the pads and place the new chip on them, carefully aligning it with the processor underneath (careful about pin 1!);
8- heat up the chip again with the hot air gun; look at it from the side, until you see the balls melting and the whole chip settling down in the correct position;
9- remove hot air and let it cool nice and slow;
10- enjoy!
Please note that the process is extremely risky and complex; if you need to read the above steps, probably you should not attempt it; but if you succeed, results are worth the effort! The whole process took about 1-1.5 hours (I do not know exactly).
Next step will be to upgrade storage space (someone has already done it, if I remember correctly)!
If only i had rework station. I have broken display connector. 8 or 9 pins came off. I need to solder them and i do not have equipment. What is the cheapest hot air rework station i can get?
make youtube video, you will be a legend, really, my phone was stolen while leaving work, xiaomi mi6 6gb ram (powerful) and unfortunately I had to buy a lg g2, do you think you can add more ram to g6 ?, I'm very used to the speed of my once loved mi6: /, do the process please, it would be great!
matusala said:
If only i had rework station. I have broken display connector. 8 or 9 pins came off. I need to solder them and i do not have equipment. What is the cheapest hot air rework station i can get?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not recommend hot air on that connector. It is very prone to desoldering, but your best bet would be a very thin soldering tip, like the Weller LT1S, for example.
As for a cheap hot air reworl station, this is a pretty standard one:
https://it.aliexpress.com/item/220V...a0-4569-8e61-9b85979280bd&transAbTest=ae803_5
or even cheaper:
https://it.aliexpress.com/item/High...a0-4569-8e61-9b85979280bd&transAbTest=ae803_5
you will have to build your own stand, because it is impractical to hold it in your hand (you will need both at a certain point!). I attached it to a desktop spring loaded lamp, "Pixar style" to be clear.
dgm_mixtoon said:
make youtube video, you will be a legend, really, my phone was stolen while leaving work, xiaomi mi6 6gb ram (powerful) and unfortunately I had to buy a lg g2, do you think you can add more ram to g6 ?, I'm very used to the speed of my once loved mi6: /, do the process please, it would be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have ordered a new 4 GB memory chip, this time I will make a video when I attempt the mod!
can you please clarify to which device you would like to add RAM?
how about geekbench result?
JackyGundam said:
how about geekbench result?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope this works:
https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12973897
https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/compute/3984170
ilciumbia said:
I have ordered a new 4 GB memory chip, this time I will make a video when I attempt the mod!
can you please clarify to which device you would like to add RAM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazing! :fingers-crossed:Waiting for that!:good:
The new Snapdragon 801 has just arrived (yes, I am attempting to transplant that, too!), while the memory chip should come in any day now... Please stay tuned for some wild modifications! ?
ilciumbia said:
The new Snapdragon 801 has just arrived (yes, I am attempting to transplant that, too!), while the memory chip should come in any day now... Please stay tuned for some wild modifications! ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pls, if that works, make a video
Of course! Memory chip coming in next Tuesday!
Inviato dal mio Nexus 5 utilizzando Tapatalk
ilciumbia said:
The new Snapdragon 801 has just arrived (yes, I am attempting to transplant that, too!), while the memory chip should come in any day now... Please stay tuned for some wild modifications!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be awesome if it worked, really awesome. But I don't think it will work right of the bat. A different processor will most probably need an update in the kernel code to accommodate for that hardware change. I think that this hardware change is significant enough to require an change in the kernel source. Same goes for upgrading the internal storage.
Actually, the Snapdragon 800 and 801 are pretty much the same processor with some very minor differences, so I would expect them to be swappable. The first attempt, however, has proven to be a real disaster due to the fact that all BGAs are glued to the PCB with some strong epoxy and removing them is really hard, because it is difficult to understand if the chip is holding on to the glue or if temperature is not high enough... So you raise it and raise it to the point the PCB gets delaminated... So I am waiting for a new PID and a new thermocouple so that I can monitor the temperature more accurately!
ilciumbia said:
Actually, the Snapdragon 800 and 801 are pretty much the same processor with some very minor differences, so I would expect them to be swappable. The first attempt, however, has proven to be a real disaster due to the fact that all BGAs are glued to the PCB with some strong epoxy and removing them is really hard, because it is difficult to understand if the chip is holding on to the glue or if temperature is not high enough... So you raise it and raise it to the point the PCB gets delaminated... So I am waiting for a new PID and a new thermocouple so that I can monitor the temperature more accurately!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you're true about the processors, I hope you are it will make it much more easier for you . But is the difference between them really worth the effort? As far as I remember, it's just a slight increase in clock speeds (for both CPU and GPU).
I remember I saw someone on Youtube who upgraded the internal storage of their iPhone to 512 GB, he had to create new partition tables for the new storage chip. If my brain doesn't fail me, there's someone here on XDA who also managed to do it for the Nexus 5, he also had to create new partition tables and done some flashing for some stuff that were required to get it to boot. I'll try and find the link maybe it would help you
I'm really interested to see how much further can you push a Nexus 5 before it reaches its limits
Edit: Found it! Check the thread here. It was also featured on XDA news
Ok.
ilciumbia said:
The new Snapdragon 801 has just arrived (yes, I am attempting to transplant that, too!), while the memory chip should come in any day now... Please stay tuned for some wild modifications!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jeezus, maybe 805 and with and it is a mini Nexus 6? xD
Hi all,
here I am back after quite some time, to report results which are disastrous to say the least. In the past week I have collected some malfunctioning Nexus 5 (some with broken switches, other with broken screens, others with broken eMMC chips), fixed some of them and then attempted the mods I had dreamed of, unfortunately so far I have managed to destroy them all, and must conclude that my very first attempt when I successfully swapped the original RAM chip for a 3GB one has been nothing but a lucky event and that my ability to perform such mods has been overestimated.
To summarize what happened so far:
1- attempt to replace the SD800 wirh a SD801 and concurrently mount a 4 GB RAM chip has ended up with a destroyed SD801 and a destroyed RAM chip;
2- 2 attempts to replace a defective eMMC chip on a working SD800 ended up with a non functioning phone;
3- replacement of a defective WiFi/BT chip succeeded, but the subsequent attempt to replace the eMMC chip ended up with a non functioning phone;
4- replacement of RAM chip with a 4 GB one ended up with a fried SD800; unsure about the RAM chip.
I am not giving up though; I am still convinced that it can be done, and that it is only a matter of finding the right way to desolder and then resolder memory chips... I am continuing experiments and collecting cheap damaged Nexus 5 phones. If you have one you can spare...
Here I am, and this time with great news! Finally, after 13 motherboards sacrificed in the name of knowledge, I have succeeded in expanding both RAM and storage of my Nexus 5! See OP and, if interested, I am willing to provide any detail you require!
Regards!

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