RAM?

[Jet]

I understand that second batch of Pandora get 256 mb RAM and can load Xubuntu.
But also I read that Xubuntu need 128 mb RAM minimum. How about 512 mb RAM?
And when is the second batch starting?

 

[lulzfish]

ALL batches of Pandoras will have 256MB of RAM until the 'second generation hardware', which is possibly a few years out.
For the foreseeable future, Pandora will have 256MB of RAM, not 128, not 512.

The developer boards had 128, but they are not selling those.

The second batch will start after the first batch is done. :wink:
I think they'll wait a few weeks or months to make sure the bugs are all gone, but once they start 2nd batch production, it will only be a few weeks to produce them all, maybe days.

2nd batch will also be 256MB ram.

 

[craigix]

It is not possible to get 512MB of RAM this small yet, but it will probably become available (at a high price) at the end of the year.

 

[Jet]

That is cool!
How high?

 

[Znirk]

It is not possible to get 512MB of RAM this small yet, but it will probably become available (at a high price) at the end of the year.

That is cool!
How high?

Jet, just to make sure we're talking about the same thing: Craig means that at the end of the year there will be a 512MB memory chip which is small enough to fit in a product like the Pandora. This means that the Pandora couldn't have been designed with 512 MB RAM, because that kind of memory hardware didn't exist when the Pandora was designed. It still doesn't exist right now, when the Pandora's electronics are already in production.

In other words:

ALL batches of Pandoras will have 256MB of RAM [...]
For the foreseeable future, Pandora will have 256MB of RAM, not 128, not 512.
[...]
2nd batch will also be 256MB ram.

 

[Dauric]

Also: The Pandora does not have upgradable RAM like a standard desktop or laptop computer. If you look at the boards...

http://craig.gp2x.de/evolution.jpg

...you'll see that all the components are soldered in place. There's no RAM sticks to replace for more memory.

 

[Jet]

But first XBOX is not supporting of RAM upgrade, but h34r: dark side masters can uppgrade it from 64 mb to 128.
Can I hope that is wiil be?

 

[Skofo]

But first XBOX is not supporting of RAM upgrade, but h34r: dark side masters can uppgrade it from 64 mb to 128.
Can I hope that is wiil be?

You might be able to add more RAM to your Pandora with a clever hack. I doubt it'd be pretty, though.

 

[Dauric]

The first X-Box uses a much older, and larger memory chip.

Because of the size of the components you need specialized equipment and know-how to remove and replace components on the Pandora board. Its not something you'll be able to do with a hand iron and a spool of solder. Even then there's no guarantee that the 512 chip will have the same number of contacts as the 216.

 

[WizardStan]

But first XBOX is not supporting of RAM upgrade, but h34r: dark side masters can uppgrade it from 64 mb to 128.
Can I hope that is wiil be?

No.

 

[Jet]

:lol: Not me! :lol:
I wish to ask, Get Pandora 512 mb RAM in future?

 

[Dauric]

Not until they come out with a hypothetical "Pandora 2" which OpenPandora Ltd. isn't even thinking about right now. Don't ask when there will be one, they're still working on the Pandora 1, and they've already declared that they're not going to even think about a "2" for a few years at least.

 

[Jet]

Cool, Thanks!

 

[WizardStan]

:lol: Not me! :lol:
I wish to ask, Get Pandora 512 mb RAM in future?

Why do you think you'll need this, anyway? The DS and PSP do a lot with only 4 megs of ram. The Xbox, PS2, and Wii do amazing things with very little RAM. You will be surprised at what can be done with 256.

 

[Jet]

PSP have 32 mb of RAM an from PSP-2000 have 64 mb!

 

[Pleng]

PSP have 32 mb of RAM an from PSP-2000 have 64 mb!

Which are 8 and 4 times LESS that the Pandora, respectively.

256 is MORE than plenty.

 

[Jet]

Ok ok. I am not objecting!

 

[Exophase]

Pandora's RAM and NAND is in a package on package format, meaning the IC for it is sitting on top of OMAP3530 as a BGA.. good luck desoldering and replacing that. It's much less realistic than doing the same thing for the memory in an XBox.

 

[lulzfish]

Okay, here's my secret plan to hack more memory onto the Pandora:

Buy an i-RAM RAMdisk kit.
Put 256MB of RAM into it.
Plug it in via USB.

Mount the RAMdisk as swap space.

Now you have 512MB of 'RAM'.

Oh, wait... All Pandora programs are designed to work neatly in 256MB. Now you have unused memory. :/ How inconvenient.

 

[Exophase]

But now you could simultaneously run two programs that both wanted lots of RAM ;p

... really slowly.