The SO-DIMM format in RAM memory halves the size of a “normal” module. This format has been on the market for years, specifically almost 25 years available. Now, the JEDEC body, which is in charge of the RAM standard, has developed a new, more “compact” format.
New RAM for thinner laptops
It may be that this format sounds a bit familiar to you, since there is a laptop that uses it. The Dell Precision 7670 uses a CAMM package for its DDR5 memory. Although at the moment the design is based on the v0.5 specification and according to JEDEC, v1.0 will arrive this year, which has already been approved by some 20 companies.
This format allows you to reduce the thickness of RAM modules in half, approximately. Additionally, this format allows reduce weight a little from the laptop. It also allows you to double the capacity of your laptop’s RAM memory in less space.
One of the aspects that stands out on the part of the manufacturers is the working frequency of the RAM. Such a system should make it possible to achieve higher working frequencies. Currently, DDR5 in the SO-DIMM format has a frequency cap of 6400 MHz, which could be exceeded with CAMM.
Like everything, it has its negative aspects. At the moment, it seems that this new format it will make it more difficult to repair or expand the capacity of a laptop. We might also find that these modules are more expensive than a SO-DIMM RAM kit or more difficult to find on the market.
Perhaps most positively, CAMM adoption is set to be quite slow. According to JEDEC, your mass deployment I wouldn’t make it to DDR6 standardfor which it lacks a lot of time.
It is also indicated that it could be used for other memory variants, such as LPDDR and GDDR. We are still lucky and in the future we see graphics cards in laptops with modular memory that we can expand.
It will lead to a price increase
Although the most bloody aspect is repairability and the ability to increase the amount of system RAM, there are other issues. The most important would have to do with the manufacturing costs of these modules.
The new CAMM system is more expensive to produce than the current SO-DIMM format, so it will mean a price increase in laptops. Possibly over time the price will normalize, but this process will take a long time.
Initially, it is not ruled out that it is intended for high-end laptops. Thus, it would be reserved for high-performance laptops and gaming systems, among others. Mass adoption would mean a significant cost reduction in the long run, but it is difficult to determine at this time.
The truth is that laptop manufacturers have been having difficulties repairing their equipment for a long time. Soldering the RAM memory or the SSD is a common practice to generate obsolescence, when with a simple update we could continue using the same laptop for a few more years.
