CAMM2, a new form factor for laptop RAM, offers improved speed and energy efficiency and is arguably the most important memory upgrade in 25 years. Recently adopted by the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, CAMM2 is thinner and faster than the current SO-DIMM standard. It harnesses the benefits of LPDDR5X components but in a modular form, making for easy upgrades.
We’ve started to see the first laptops appearing that use LPCAMM2 memory – Lenovo’s ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 comes with up to 64GB of the new RAM – but they remain a rarity at the moment. You can now buy individual LPCAMM2 memory modules for your future compatible laptop, but as you might expect, they aren’t cheap.
Crucial is selling a 32GB module of LPCAMM2 LPDDR5X-7500 for $174.99 (available now), and a 64GB module for a wallet-draining $329.99 (shipping in the next two weeks). In comparison, the company sells 32GB DDR5-5600 SODIMM modules for $108.99.
Early adopter tax
There are mitigating reasons for the premium, of course. The new memory has a much higher speed than LPDDR5, and it’s available in a 64GB module. It is also new to the market, and as we all know, you pay to be on the cutting edge. Additionally, there’s currently a limited number of laptops that support the new RAM, and lower demand typically results in higher prices.
Thankfully, things should should start to level out as more suppliers bring LPCAMM2 to market. At Computex 2024, BIWIN plans to reveal a number of new products, including DDR5 memory modules with a memory clock driver (CKD) for desktops and, you guessed it, LPCAMM2 modules for laptops. There’s no word on pricing for the new modules yet, but we’ll know more once Computex gets underway.
Plenty of other firms will begin debuting their own LPCAMM2 modules as more compatible laptops arrive on the market, so it shouldn’t be too long before we see the price begin to drop.
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waynewilliams@onmail.com (Wayne Williams)
