One brave Asus ROG Ally owner has shown that with enough skill and patience you can double the unit’s memory from 16GB to 32GB all while increasing its speed too. Why would you want to do this? Well, some games benefit from more memory plus the faster memory speed helps boost graphics speed too, as devices like this don’t have separate VRAM but instead rely on main system memory.
The Asus ROG Ally is among the most popular Windows-based gaming handhelds, with it following in the footsteps of the wildly popular Linux-based Steam Deck and competing with the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go.
With its AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor (with integrated graphics), 7-inch 1080p screen, and 16GB of 6,400MHz LPDDR5 memory, it’s already a much more powerful unit than the Steam Deck and matches the Legion Go for processor specs. However, for those users that just want more, this Asus ROG Ally memory mod could be an option, if you’re feeling brave.
This mod was performed by YouTuber SlickBuys Mods and Repairs, with them showing the newly installed memory being recognized by the system and working properly. However, somewhat frustratingly, they didn’t do any before and after benchmarks, so it’s not clear if there’s any real-world performance increase by switching from 16 to 32GB and from 6400MHz memory to 7,500MHz memory – a 17% increase.
To perform the mod, they had to completely disassemble the handheld to access the motherboard. They then needed to heat up the memory chips to melt the solder underneath them, using a precision hot air gun. Once removed, the solder joints need to be cleaned up, with any existing solder removed, and the surface generally made nice and fresh. Then it’s time to place the new memory chips into place and heat them again to melt the pre-installed solder balls. A BIOS reflash is also required – using a tool available for $10 via Aliexpress.
It’s clearly a fiddly process with plenty of potential for slip-ups, though no particularly specialist equipment is required. Still, without knowing quite what the performance gains might be, we’d be inclined to ask a professional to do it, rather than take the risk, given this is a $699 gaming handheld. SlickBuys Mods and Repairs suggests some possible repair shops in various places round the world that might be able to perform the upgrade for you.
Would you be tempted by such an Asus ROG Ally mod? If not, you might want to wait for the Lenovo Legion Go to at least get 7,500MHz memory in your gaming handheld, without any modification required. Otherwise, the Steam Deck OLED is currently our top choice for gaming handhelds, thanks to its great screen, much-improved battery life, and vast list of compatible games.