Low-power DDR memories, known as LPDDR, were not created to be used in PCs, but in mobile phones. Where limited space and low consumption make sense. However, when we talk about laptops, this type of RAM has been in use for a while. Why not buy a laptop with memory soldered?
One of the commercial phenomena that has been seen the most in recent years is the appearance of ever thinner laptops. This supposes certain decisions regarding the industrial design and their specifications. The first of these and the most obvious is the issue of energy consumption and the temperature reached by these computers. Which means the use of processors at lower frequencies and, therefore, less powerful.
The other point is in the components inside the computer, trying to reduce the height as much as possible and this leads to the use of soldered RAM or LPDDR. That is, memory that is not placed on SO-DIMM modules, but rather its chips end up being soldered to the board. At another level, this can be applied in the case of storage. Let’s not forget that many low-power computers have not only the RAM, but also its storage soldered to the board.
What are the disadvantages of a laptop with soldered memory?
We have to start from the idea that there are certain factors, forms or industrial designs that are not possible using conventional RAM modules. Which means making certain sacrifices in performance and expandability. So on certain types of laptops yes, it is justified to use soldered memory. Either in terms of the type of RAM used or in storage.
The problem comes when we talk about a higher performance laptop. And this is because both Intel and AMD use the same integrated memory controller for an entire family of processors. So some smart manufacturers trick themselves into taking soldered or LPDDR RAM and using it in their laptop. Does it cause performance problems perhaps? Initially no, but it is a botch in the medium or long term. The reason? There will come a time when you will need more RAM and, therefore, you will not be able to expand it. What happens if one of the memory chips soldered to the board fails? well you’re going to lose RAM capacity Y bandwidth.
Our recommendation is that unless you are looking for a laptop where portability and low weight are the most important, run away from those who have welded memory. So on any gaming laptop if you see LPDDR memory in specifications be sure that you will meet one of worse quality than the rest. As for storage, well, both of the same, but in one designed for games or content creation, things change. The reason is none other than these are thick enough to use M.2 slotsin such a way that the life of your PC will not depend on how long its storage lasts and you can replace it when it stops working.
