Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Hey guys... I am mostly still a lurker on the site, although my recent purchase of the Touch Pro (Sprint) and its less limited RAM has amped up my PPCGeeks usage slightly. As a result, I have never really been a Custom ROM guy (never tried one... will maybe try one if Tpro 2 gets ported right). I recently came across a video here that shows up the snapiness of custom roms. In order to compare I simply reproduced those same efforts on my stock sprint rom with my PPCGeeks tweaks. I was pretty much able to reproduce the same "snapiness" running up to 14 programs at the same time.

So my question is this: HONESTLY. How much of a difference in performance is there between the Custom Roms and a tweaked Sprint stock rom (I heard Verizon sucks). Do people on here exaggerate the difference slightly?

What are the real benefits of the Custom Roms that stock sprint rom users can't enjoy?

Disclaimer: This is not a slight to the custom rom builders at all. I constantly check your threads and am very impressed with the work and effort you guys put into these builds and supporting them. Kudos to you guys!

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Why not have a customized stock rom? Check out my rom thread.

RSTG Sprint Stock Custom Rom - Tweaked & Loaded w/uc v1.7.24 Updated

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Just took a look at it. Neat stuff. But I am a hard sell as far as unlocking. The only thing I can think of that could truly push me is a Touch Pro 2 Port to make me feel like I have a new phone.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

You probably already have if you have been lurking around the site for a bit but I would check out the tweaks in this thread http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=44583 they don't require any unlocking and will help to optimize your phone, while keeping it stock.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Correct. I have already done many of the tweaks myself. Thanks though. Good looking out!

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

All locking/unlocking and flashing is reversible. You have nothing to lose but time.

Try Juicy 5. You'll be blown away by the snappiness.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Wow... this is a loaded question. The truth is the custom ROM is a thing of beauty if it's the right one for you. I built several of my own for the Mogul, and it was soooo much smoother and faster than the stock ROM from Sprint ever was. The biggest plus has always been eliminating the apps that you don't need. That will free up space and resources. I will say that I am still on the stock Sprint ROM on my TP. It's very fast and, using some of the tweaks that are stickied in the Upgrades thread, I have no issues whatsoever. Eventually, though, I will want to build one myself, or load someone else's, that has everything I want already packaged nice and neat, preferably with a bow on it. I am nowhere near the superGeek that I want to be with these phones, but it seems that most of the things you can do wth a custom ROM you can also do by manually installing the various CAB files and registry tweaks. Along with upgrading your radio when one is released, these apps, CAB's and tweaks make our phones the best thing around. One thing you can only get from a custom ROM that you can't get from installing various apps and tweaks yourself are the updated builds of the OS. Updates to the WM OS build, along with updates to WM 6.1, WM 6.5 and eventually WM7 can't be done without loading the ROM.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

That would appear to be close to reality as XBMod and the NRG team are working feverishly on making a ROM and Manila based on the TouchPro2.

And as far as your original question yes there can be a remarkable difference in performance by flashing a custom rom but you will find yourself flashing quite a few until you find one you like.

My suggestion is go through your device and find the features you really can't live without and try to find a rom with all of them.
Then just find the cabs and install what your missing.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

I've heard such great things about MightMikes ROM that I'm considering switching from my Stock ROM. For the first coupe of months the Stock ROM with the tweaks worked absolutely great. But recently I'm starting experience some random problems here and there like my alarm not ringing at all or it freezing when I take it off the charger. My text messages tab also takes a second or two to load, but that may be because I have over 3,000 texts in the database. If the problems get any worse I'll probably wind up flashing it over a weekend. It's already unlocked since I upgraded the radio to Telus a little while back too.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

For the time I had my Mogul, I stayed stock all the way. I was afraid of doing anything more than installing and uninstalling apps. I think I would have stuck with it longer (yeah right!) if I had flashed a custom ROM.

I have flashed a couple of extremely different ones so far and I have been pleased with both. A clean ROM (Y4J 5.0 now WELCOME BACK) gives you so much freedom, I almost didn't know what to do with it all. A L-O-A-D-E-D ROM (KK 1.8...still rocking it and loving it) has so many apps...I don't know what to do with.

Bottom line is preference and usability. One thing for sure is the with custom ROM's you can have actual dialog with the person responsible for the ROM for NO KIDDING TECHNICAL SUPPORT. Dealing with Sprint and their stock ROM, you might get some kid sitting in front of a database regurgitating back to you what HTC/Microsoft recommends as the "fix." Good luck if your "problem" is not a common one...because you'll probably find yourself back here OR XDA for help.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

As much as you might be able to tweak a stock rom, you can't change the SYS if you never flash it. Some builds of Windows are just inherently faster. In certain cases, it makes a HUGE difference. If you actually benchmark / compare file read/write speeds, as well as taking in account the 'snappiness' of the ROM.

I second the recommendation to go try Juicy 5; you will never turn back :) Plus, it saves you time if you don't have to apply the tweaks yourself.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

I have to agree with you on the support issue. Just browsing the Custom ROM threads you get a sense of the commitment and purpose these guys have to their builds. They seem genuinely intent on just making sure everyone is satisfied and their quality is high. Pretty impressed there... That is one thing that would factor into me eventually getting the costom ROM.

I am very tempted to upgrade the radio though... what are the overall benefits of that?

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

If you search the threads on the upgrades forum you'll find a thousand answers, but in a nutshell it improves battery life and can increase your signal strength and data speeds. It did all of the above for me, especially the battery life. As an added bonus, the battery heat issue has dramatically improved for me. I'm on the Sprint 1.11.00F radio and it's superior to the stock radio.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Funny you should mention the radio...I JUST flashed Sprint 1.11 last night...and already I have more bars all along my normal commute. I have more bars at the office, AND (hope its not a placebo effect) I have what seems to be a faster data connection. Flashing the radio does NOT hard reset your phone, but you will have to unlock your phone. SOOOOO....if you already have to unlock your phone...you might as well try out the sweet ROMs out there...cuz everyones doing it...and if everyones doing it...it can't be bad for you...HAHAHA besides...you can always go back to the stock Sprint ROM...and relock your phone like it all never happened.:headbang:

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

It's not a placebo effect. I'm on my 4th TP and this is the first one I flashed the new radio to. The differences are very evident. My wife has my old (3rd) TP and her radio hasn't been updated. My battery, data and signal strenth issues are all improved, while her TP still has them.

Kinda' makes me sound like an a-hole for not flashing hers, huh?

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Here's my thoughts for whatever it's worth:

I just got into these expensive phones just recently (past four months or so). I didn't even know what custom roms were. I tried it on my pro and I found it to be better.

Generally companies have to have product that can be set for the various consumer levels and also for the corporate level. I believe microsoft has this issue (not gonna get into that).

What happens is then sometimes the product might get bogged down with certain functions that might have absolutely no use to us. I believe that this custom rom thing that has taken ahold of many of the people on the forums is a way to cut out all that crap that we don't need, add performance where we need it (and possibly lose it where we don't), and potentionally add some app or whatever that we need.

Hopefully I explained my thoughts well (didn't want to go on forever).

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

lol

Is there a manual on how to upgrade the radio? Searched and couldn't really find one.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

If you download the file, it's in RAR format, which is really just another type of compression, like a ZIP file. It took me a day to figure out, but I had to put the downloaded file on my phone, I used PocketRAR to extract the files from the phone to my microSDcard, then put the extracted files back on my PC. From there, I ran the RUU to flash the new radio and everything was fine. Windows will extract a ZIP file but not a RAR file. You can buy software that will do it, but pocketRAR is free, although the downside is it only works on the phone, not the PC.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Never mind ... found it. Wish me luck!

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

WinRAR has a trial version that will do that on my PC. I am good there. Thanks!

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

I have a Sprint TP, I tried tweaking the stock but still wasn't satisfied. So I started flashing some rom's that are out there and there has been an improvement. I like RSTouyGuys rom for the TP. I finally got brave and read his tutorials and I used GC's kitchen and made a rom there using a PP of 8-I have 384.55MB of internal storage and 234.17MB in programs. And the rom is snappy and allows me to do what I need. So it is also a matter of preference on what you are looking to do. Happy Modding!!!

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Guess I must be doing something wrong. I keep getting "This Update Utility cannot be used for you PDA Phone. Please check your update utility"

I did the hard-spl to 0.37.CMONEX

Then got the Sprint Radio from here...

Then uncompressed to desktop and ran the ROMUpdateUtility.exe

I am guessing the RUU bundled in with the radio doesn't work with my phone? But why? And what should I do about it?

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Make sure you downloaded the correct radio first, the Raphael 1.11.00F. As long as you know you're unlocked, you should be fine. Nake sure your battery is at least 50% charged, too. Does it progress at all, or does the message pop up from the beginning?

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Gets to about 5%

I did get the Raphael 1.11.00F.

Maybe I am just a noob and am still locked. How can I confirm I am unlocked?

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons and use the stylus to reset your phone while holding those 2 buttons. OR completely power down your phone, then press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons until the phone powers on in the boot loader screen. It will say it's unlocked at the top of the screen. That means nothing! Verify that it says 0.35.CMONEX. Then your phone is officially unlocked.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Hmmmm. Mine said 0.37.CMONEX. I am going to try the unlock again just for good measure. Thanks dude!

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

BTW, is your screen name an homage to Artie Lange?

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

No its not... have no clue who Artie Lange is actually. Its Jamaican patois dialect for "fire". I am Jamaican.

By the by... can't seem to figure out this 244 error with the radio. Everything I have searched on it points to me having used the wrong unlocker... but I verified I got the right one more than once. I think I am going to go back and relock it and start over.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

I only read half the this thread but I figured I give my 2cents since I have a good idea of whats going on with cooking and been lurking and writing a bit myself. Im on the same boat as you I use the stock roms myself as well and have my own method of customization. So here goes:

All custom roms and stock roms really have no differnce. No one here is skilled or smart anough (no offence) to write a hardware operating system from scratch for a hardware platform they do not know everything about (these phones). What they do is take the stock roms and backwards engineer them. In the long run this is no differnt then me taking a windows install and turning off services I dont need. Yes this does make them faster out of a box.

Example 1: You buy a dell laptop it comes loaded with dell software and gadgets you must like will never use. If you use a fresh windows OEM windows disk you get windows and thats it no extra software. These custom roms are alot like a oem disk.

This said as I know was stated in the first few posts by doing your own custom tweaks (registry edits and application modifications) you technicly have a custom rom. The only differnce is if you hard reset your going back to sprints default rom and you have to do all those changes yourself again.

*Some features that make custom roms alittle better*
Leaked radios.... Im sure you have heard people talk about using better radios. These are like anougher rom but its rom for the tranmission unit that i think the most perferred one for the TP saves you a bit of battery life. Alot of custom roms make these easy to get the better radio installed easy since if i remember correctly you have to unlock to flash a radio anyways.

**** MY Solution ****
I have a build cab file that has all my registery tweaks and program modifcations and all my program cabs on my storage card. So I can hard reset to stock rom whenever and whereever I want and still set it back up the way I like without going back to a computer or anything. This is kinda like cooking my own rom but less work.

That said from the work Ive followed No2Chem stuff has come closest to being the most stripped down for performance Ive seen. Which gives you a good base to do your own customization.

I use to run a custom rom on my mogul but with my TP it got more then anough memory and more then anough power where I dont care.

Ok let the flame begin from all the rom chefts.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

I got my TP Wednesday and I flashed to Mighty 4.13 today, I don't know why I waited so long! Although I'm new to the TP, I've flashed a few HTC phones and I've found the sd flash method to be a whole lot more reliable than the pc method. Good luck, baby gorilla! ;)

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Since everyone is making custom rom suggestions and mine was barried deep in a post let me help out a friend and repeat NO2CHEMS rom. He use to be a big player on this board but has moved to his own website now. So Im sure his fame has kinda died down on these boards. He doesnt make roms with features he builds roms that are completely torn down to give you the best performance and most memory.

This to me is a good starting base cuz you can add your own customization on top of this. He has a torn down version of the TP rom and he also has them for the mogul. Give it a google and check it out.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

On the 6700, we flashed to save storage space. The 6800 was all about saving ram. With the TP, it seems to be about snappiness of the system and battery life. I don't have a whole lot of experience, but there's a very noticeable difference in feel between the tweaked stock I ran and the Might 4.13 ROM I'm running now. Now if only someone could build a rom that caused the TP to sprout a couple of hardware buttons.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Lol my tweaks solved snappiness problems.... But your write thats exactly why we flashed back then. Plus battery to mes not a issue I realy use this the way the phone was intended to be used which is like a business phone I dont watch very many videos or surf the web all day on it. Im a student without a laptop so its good for a quick web look up and for keeping on top of emails besides that its just like a normal phone to me. With average use i still ahve 30% by the end of a day.

Only time battery bugs me is when listen to music for long periods of time (on flights) but in my car I have a dock for when im listening to music so i can stay charged.

Maybe Im just use to slow WinMo phones with the TP im more then satisfied with stock... Plus back to my dell analogy I feel like with alot of these roms Im getting program and softwares even TF3D tabs I dont want just because the chefts think its anougher selling point to have a calander in TF3D.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

:violent2:Like BinDinCa said make sure your have the right radio for your phone but also if you are trying to flash a rom make sure you have the right one to. If you have a Sprint phone you will need a CDMA compatible rom. If you try to flash a GSM rom to your phone there is a good chance you will "brick" it.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Yup. I finally got it to go. Thanks!

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

okay, so i have always kinda wussed out of unlocking my phone just for the fact that i dont wanna do anything that could "brick" it. but after reading many many many threads on my own, then comming across this one......i thought that maybe ill give it a try.

so i followed the links and unlocked my phone and got the updated radio all in about 10mins!!!!!!

thanks alot guys, all the info here is very helpful

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

See how useful my thread was? lol

NAh. But I absolutely feel you. After I did the unlock and the radio flash using the RUUs that don't hard reset the phone I am now WAAAYYYYY more comfortable and WAAAAYYYYYY more likely to try a custom ROM. Still like the Sprint stock as is with my tweaks for now... but if that TP 2 port makes it into the real world... watch out.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

:violent2:Hey fiyah, you ought to download GC's 2.1.4 kitchen and play with making your own rom. His kitchen is easy to use. And if you change the pagepool to 8 you will have alot of memory to load extra programs. I did and I love it.

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

I'm with you there. I have been hesitant to unlock and flash since I got my TP back in November (but I also haven't been able to because I am living with my dad who has a mac with no bootcamp and currently my PC is in storage until I can find my own place). After reading threads like these and with the helpful folks on this site and at XDA, I have been gaining more and more confidence that I won't brick my phone and I can GREATLY improve performance!

But I still can't wait for the TP2 port!

Re: Stock Rom vs Custom Rom - Exxagerated?
 

Yush!!! Wha u a say mi youth? just flash a custom rom and big up yourself, u a hear mi!