The future CAMM memory standard for portable PCs will not only allow the development of potentially thinner frames, but will also provide higher speeds. On the other hand, it will be necessary to wait for DDR6 before hoping to see this standard replace the traditional SO-DIMM format.
Thinner, denser and faster: the future removable memory of our portable PCs called CAMM is full of promise. Originally developed by the American manufacturer Dell, which has already deployed it in certain machines, the CAMM memory format has just been dubbed by JEDEC, the organization in charge of memory standards. Far from wanting to develop a closed format, Dell has indeed opened its work to an open standard. Who is called to replace our good old current bars called SO-DIMM.
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And it was time, some would say, since the Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module » or SO-DIMM accuses its 25 years of age. A quarter of a century represents an eternity in the world of tech: from heat dissipation to memory density, including thickness and bandwidth, SO-DIMMs have flaws. That the CAMM format could all fix.
No more plugging, hello compression
When comparing the schematics and the first CAMM memory modules produced, what stands out compared to traditional memory modules is the absence of the small connection tabs that are plugged into the slots. The answer to this absence is in the acronym of the CAMM standard: Compression Attached Memory Moduleor Modulated memory attached by compression.
In the CAMM format, all memory modules are on the same side of the carrier (the PCB). And on the back, a golden band appears: these are the connectors. The installation of the module is no longer done by plugging, but, like the processors of our tower PCs, by compression. Two screws placed on the other side of its hundreds of contact points ensuring its maintenance. The fact that all the memory modules are on one side also has another advantage: greater thinness, going up to 57% compared to the thickest SO-DIMMs.
A mechanical design that improves electronic speed
Besides improved bandwidth, the very design of CAMM memory has a major advantage over SO-DIMM. Advantage that we can begin to conceive by looking at (above) the extract from the patent filed by Dell in 2020: the simplification of the information path. Whereas in a dual-sided SO-DIMM design, convolutions of information flow are potential bottlenecks. Far from being anecdotal, the physical distance and the complexity of the routes guiding the information is key in memory latency. Not for current memory, DDR5, but for the next generation, DDR6. And that’s good, the JEDEC has just started validating the certification work of the CAMM standard in due time so that it is ready for DDR 6!
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The physical design of the CAMM format also offers two advantages in terms of durability. On the one hand, the mechanical compression avoids the exposure of the memory contactors to the air. This is particularly important in hot and humid countries. Then, the arrangement on a single face as well as the wide contact surface avoids the stagnation of a hot air zone, the contactor also serving as a heat dissipation zone.
More dense and configurable modules
For the time being, we do not have the exact technical details of the CAMM’s maximum theoretical speed… which makes sense, since the standard is at version 0.5 and will only be published in the coming months. Nevertheless, the type of contactor by compression would make it possible to offer a bandwidth “four times higher than DDR5 4800”, as a Dell engineer explained to PC World.
In addition to this increased bandwidth, the CAMM format will also make it possible to increase the density per bar to 128 GB per module. By the way, don’t be frightened by the large dimensions of the first CAMM copies produced by Dell: this is the maximum size of the format. Dell having developed it for its professional machines needing a large volume of RAM (Dell Precision 7770). More compact modules can be designed based on the same connector.
A standard geared towards DDR6
As quite rightly does notice our colleague from Minimachines“ the golden age of CAMM will not be that of DDR5 “. And for good reason: the standard is not yet in version 1.0 and DDR5 is already in laptops in SO-DIMM format. While there is no doubt that some are trying it – or continuing for certain types of machines like Dell, which has already deployed it – the CAMM standard only really makes sense for DDR6. And only for the most powerful machines (gaming, workstations), since ultraportable PCs use memory modules soldered to the motherboard.
While DDR5 is barely arriving on some platforms (AMD’s Ryzen 7000 for example), DDR6 will not arrive until much later. According to Samsung, which is one of the main producers of RAM in the world with its compatriot and competitor SK Hynix, the first designs of DDR6 should be finalized in 2024 with commercial use expected at least from 2025. Doubling the official bandwidth of 6400 Mbit/s to 12,800 Mbit/s (JEDEC standard), DDR6 in CAMM format will therefore not be in our machines for two to three good years. But it will hopefully contribute to an improvement in performance. An improvement that is increasingly needed, as memory access proves to be one of the biggest bottlenecks in modern computing.
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