Compression Attached Memory Module (CAMM) is a memory module form factor which uses a land grid array, and developed at Dell by engineer Tom Schnell as a replacement for DIMMs and SO-DIMMs which use edge connectors and had been in use for about 25 years.[1] The first SO-DIMMs were introduced by JEDEC in 1997.[2][3][4][5]
CAMM was created to overcome technical limitations of traditional slottedDIMM.[6] The CAMM module allows for shorter traces on the motherboard PCB as compared to SO-DIMM, allowing the memory to be run with less power and at higher speeds. The memory module is pressed and held in place against a bar with land grid array pin contacts which connect to the motherboard.
Advantages of CAMM include lower thickness, allows for replaceable LPDDR modules, faster speeds above 6400MT/s, higher capacities up to 128GB per module and higher memory bandwidth. Disadvantages are that it cannot be mounted without tools and uses screws. Systems with CAMM memory already installed cannot be expanded through adding additional CAMM modules in the same way that two DIMMs can be added alongside two existing DIMMs to expand total system memory. Instead, the entire CAMM module must be replaced with one with a higher capacity. So CAMM may be of benefit for laptops and ITX systems.
The total number of interface contact points of CAMM is 616 (44 per row times 14 rows).[7]
History
CAMM2 (top) and LPCAMM2 (bottom) RAM exposed on the Computex 2024CAMM2 RAM attached on the MSI Z790 Project Zero Plus mainboard
In April 2022, Dell launched laptops in the Dell Precision 7000-series that used a custom form factor of CAMM for DDR5 SDRAM.[8]
In June 2023, ADATA demoed an updated design CAMM memory module,[9] which looks different (and more compact) than Dell's 2022 design.
The Compression Attached Memory Module specification was finalised and published by JEDEC as CAMM2 on December 5, 2023.[10]
The first computer, and laptop, to use CAMM2 memory modules is the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 released in April 2024.[11][12][13]
In May 2024, MSI announced the first desktop consumer motherboard with CAMM2 support, the Z790 Project Zero Plus.[14]
At Computex 2025, various companies unveiled CAMM2 products. Chiefly, Gigabyte showed new motherboards,[15] on which various RAM manufacturers demonstrated their new modules: G.Skill demonstrated prototype 5300 MHz (DDR5-10600) kits,[16] Kingston showed 32-128 GB kits from their "Fury Impact" line.[17] TeamGroup also demonstrated 4000 MHz (DDR5-8000) CAMM2 kits.[18]
References
↑ Ung, Gordon (April 28, 2022). "Dell defends CAMM, its controversial new laptop memory". PCWorld. Retrieved April 19, 2023. SO-DIMMs, which were first introduced almost 25 years ago, haven't changed much in all that time besides moving to newer and faster DRAM methods.
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