CAMM, the recent format for laptop RAM, has been formally adopted as a JEDEC standard.

Now officially known as CAMM2, its adoption by JEDEC suggests we're likely to see increased use of it in future generations of laptops, replacing the older SO-DIMM format used for over 20 years.

Dell developed and introduced CAMM, a proprietary technology, with its Precision 7670 laptop.

The main advantage of CAMM over SO-DIMM lies in its thin design, which Dell claims is a 57% thinner than SO-DIMM.

CAMM2 new RAM standard

CAMM2 and DELL

Dell also stated that they could push the 6,400MHz limit for the DDR5 memory SO-DIMM and “achieve even higher clock speeds.

However, the patented nature of CAMM made it less advantageous than SO-DIMM in relation to updates, since only Dell manufactured CAMM memory.

On the other hand, the RAM memory SO-DIMMs can be obtained from a wide variety of companies.

CAMM2 solves this problem by following the standards established by JEDEC, the organization that sets the specifications for types of memory such as GDDR6, HBM3 and DDR5.

CAMM2 specifications They cover two versions: one for DDR5 and one for LPDDR5(X).

CAMM2 new RAM standard

CAMM2 new RAM standard using LPDDR5(X) memory

It is relevant to mention that CAMM2 will allow the use of unsoldered LPDDR5(X) memory and may also discourage the use of soldered DDR5 RAM.

However, both variants have different pin patterns, which eliminates the possibility of using one variant in a motherboard designed for the other class of RAM.

Another advantage of CAMM2 is that multiple memory modules are not required to enable dual-channel memory.

A single CAMM2 module can be configured with two memory channels, providing expanded memory bandwidth for both the CPU as for integrated graphics to improve performance.

SO-DIMM memory can only be provided in one channel per module. However, it has been mentioned that single-channel CAMM2 memory modules are also planned.

CAMM2 new RAM standard

Although CAMM2s will probably be considerably more expensive than SO-DIMMs at first due to their novelty, they look set to become the new standard for laptops and other portable devices.

The transition from SO-DIMM to CAMM2 is likely to take some time, and both standards can be expected to coexist for noticeably long periods of time.

CAMM2 new RAM standard – Video by : Linus Tech Tips