Monday, April 18th 2022
Dell Will Have Custom DDR5 Memory Module for its Upcoming Laptops
A leak with details about upcoming Dell notebooks has revealed that Dell's upcoming notebooks with DDR5 memory will feature a custom memory module that Dell calls CAMM, or Compression Attached Memory Module. The CAMM can support up to 128 GB RAM according to the leak and initial modules will support memory speeds of 4800 MHz. It's unclear if notebooks with CAMM support will have soldered down memory as well, but what is clear is that Dell is not looking at using traditional SO-DIMM type modules.
The first notebooks from Dell to feature the new module appears to be the Precision 7-series, which will also feature an Intel 55 W Alder Lake-HX series CPU, a choice of an NVIDIA RTX A5000 GPU or Intel Arc DG2 based graphics with a 90 W TDP, as well as up to 12 TB of NVMe storage over PCIe 4.0. Apparently Dell has developed what it calls DGFF or Dell Graphics Form Factor for these laptops, which suggests that they'll feature some kind of modular graphics solution. Considering that at least some models in Precision 7-series will sport 16-inch displays, there should be plenty of space for a GPU module, although it'll be interesting to see exactly what Dell is bringing to the table that's new here.
Sources:
@Emerald_x86, via Videocardz
The first notebooks from Dell to feature the new module appears to be the Precision 7-series, which will also feature an Intel 55 W Alder Lake-HX series CPU, a choice of an NVIDIA RTX A5000 GPU or Intel Arc DG2 based graphics with a 90 W TDP, as well as up to 12 TB of NVMe storage over PCIe 4.0. Apparently Dell has developed what it calls DGFF or Dell Graphics Form Factor for these laptops, which suggests that they'll feature some kind of modular graphics solution. Considering that at least some models in Precision 7-series will sport 16-inch displays, there should be plenty of space for a GPU module, although it'll be interesting to see exactly what Dell is bringing to the table that's new here.
76 Comments on Dell Will Have Custom DDR5 Memory Module for its Upcoming Laptops
It's better than soldered RAM I guess, but only barely. What's the benefit to end users? Oh right, of course....
One thing that bugged me immensely with laptops from the last 2-3 years - Dell being as guilty as the others - is that even if money was no object, a thin&light laptop rarely came with more than 16GB RAM. That's frankly ridiculous since you can build a 64GB machine with just two DIMMS for no additional cost/GB. At the very least, if Dell could stop selling i7 and dGPU laptops with only 8GB that would be nice. What's the point of a fast CPU that you can't do anything with, anyhow?!
That wallpaper though...
Even gaming laptops don't need more than 16-GB of RAM, 32-GB in rare cases.
IMO upgradability will become a thing of the past.
Yes, ram, soldered too, shame on you Lenovo! I have no idea how can she survive on 4GB of ram for so long, its actually kind of impressive.
It even runs fluid.
Windows has gotten better RAM management back with Windows 8.
Well and Linux will run it even better. Of course, that is, until you compile or render complex things.
As to the topic:
The whole industry will shift towards more proprietary formfactors and technology.
On one hand that is good, because then you can fit more power in a smaller,better looking formfactor, with better energy efficiency.
On the other hand tough, you won't be able to upgrade your stuff, wich could (most people do not upgrade) mean more waste.
Also note that repairability does get affected by this, but as long as they do not artificial limit replacing parts in firmware or software (crackable tough,but makes it harder without any positives for the consumer) i still don't hate it.
I'm a strong believer in right to repair. But on the same note you have to admit that most people simply do not care about that. They use it until it is out of warranty and if it dies, then buy a new one.
In any case, dell kind of shot themselves in the foot with this move. Custom dimms means you can only buy them from dell, making for poor or lack of availability in some parts of the world as well as arbitrary pricing. As if I needed another reason to stay away from dell notebooks...
Dell is taking a page out of Apple's book: if you want more RAM we'll be happy to install it for you for the low, low price of $50 (price of RAM not included).
It's par for the course, I guess. The Dell I liked that allowed you to actually configure a laptop is long gone now.
I upgraded someone's Lenovo a couple of years ago, as it was only sold with 4 GB of RAM, so I plugged in another 4 GB, as well as swapped out the mechanical drive for an SSD.
I would also guess a fair amount of business notebooks are being upgraded over the lifespan, if possible, as it's a cheap way to get more life out of an older notebook.
Thin and lights aren't exclusively for use on the go, they're usually someone's main computer and they need to be able to do everything.
At the same time Dell also make Mini PCs which can run on SODIMMs depending on the model.
Id be down for getting something like an Intel NUC just to use for basic stuff like web surfing and media streaming when i dont need all the horsepower of a 1080Ti and 8600k.
Throwaway culture is a cancer upon both our society and our enviroment. My current laptop, for instance, in .7 inches thick and it supports SODIMMS. you dont need to make things "fat" (and seriously, if a laptops being 5 pounds instead of 4 is a major issue then muild some arm muscle FFS) you just have to have an intelligent design from the get go.
Another way to seeing this is another way to avoid the Right to Repair, Warranties, and RMA costs by encouraging the throwaway culture. Dell/HP/Lenovo have been doing this to home PCs as well, allowing very limited upgrades. Its just a matter of time before those home PCs will also have these custom sized modules.
Want 8GB RAM? Sure, but you also have to spend up for the i5 model.
16GB RAM? That's only available on the i7 models.
So we're forced to buy an i7 at twice the price of an i3 just to get more RAM, even if all the laptop is ever going to do is run 800 chrome tabs and a frickin' Celeron would be just fine...
People buy cheap laptops with insufficient RAM in it and add it themselves all the time. They wouldn't, if they didn't have to, but the reason there are so many guides for all the bajillions of laptops on the market is because people do watch those videos enough for the vloggers to keep making them.