ASUS decided to join the portable console trend with the launch of the ROG Allya 7-inch device that hides inside a AMD Z1 Extreme processor with which to offer great performance with which to play almost everything that exists on PC. The problem with the console (and its counterparts) is that the battery life could be better, so the youtuber Zac Builds He has gotten to work and has decided to install one with a larger capacity to be able to play much more.
How to improve the battery of the ROG Ally very cleverly
Dissatisfied with the autonomy offered by the standard console, our protagonist decided to put an end to his problem, and to do so Replaced the original battery with one of greater capacity. But what battery would be compatible with the device? The solution was found in a battery for an ASUS gaming laptopwhich uses the same voltage and even has the same connection connector.
But because the battery was physically larger than the console itself, he was forced to disassemble the plastic chassis that gives it its shape and remove the four cells that make up the battery in total. Thus, he could fold the four cells to overlap them and shape a more compact and not so elongated set.
Fit the impossible
Told this way it seems easy, but obviously it is not. The main problem with this modification is that the new battery does not physically fit inside the console, so the solution is none other than cut the back casing and add an extra hump so that it can accommodate the new battery. To all this, we must add the use of a new, longer cable that allows the battery to be connected to the console board.
With the help of a 3D printer, he designed a back cover that would hide the battery from the outside, and after installing the necessary screws to hold it, the result was just as expected.
More memory and better cooling
Taking advantage of the fact that the console was passing through the operating room table, Zac also took the opportunity to increase the console’s memory with a new 1 TB SSD, and modified the cooling system by adding new heatsinks to the main heatsink. This was possible thanks to the cavity left by the new battery.
The results
After tearing up the console and spending dozens of hours working on mods, what improvements exactly have been made with this mod? For a start, cooling has improved dramaticallydropping from the 85 degrees that were reached playing Cyberpunk at no less than a stable 59 degrees. Unfortunately, this temperature improvement has not implied a jump in performance, since the FPS rate rose from 63 FPS to 65 FPS. But not satisfied with this, he decided to install a custom BIOS to modify CPU values and energy management to achieve a consumption of 54W and thus reach 67 FPS, which was not too surprising either.
And the battery? How much autonomy does the console now have? This was probably the most surprising result, since the Ally with this modification managed to offer double the autonomy. At 25W (Turbo), the console went from the traditional hour and a half to a surprising 3 hours of use, while at 10W, the 3 or 4 hours it usually offers It happened after 6-8 hours of use.
The only problem to take into account is that at first it used a compatible battery from a brand that makes batteries for ASUS laptops, and this model ended up giving problems in a few days. The solution, apparently, is to use an original battery, the price of which is $150 (compared to $85 for the compatible one).
In short, the modification is worth it, however, given its complexity and the total breakdown of the console’s aesthetics, it will not be a recommended task for any user.
Fountain: Zac Builds – AllyMods