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2024 is an interesting year for Windows laptops. From new performance improvements and AI features and better battery life, we’re seeing improvements on all fronts.
Now, Micron and Lenovo have debuted a new kind of laptop RAM: LPCAMM2. It’s set to deliver some big performance and power efficiency upgrades, making the memory type a must-have in new laptops.
What Is LPCAMM2?
LPCAMM2 stands for Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module 2 and is a derivative of Dell’s Compression Attached Memory Module (CAMM). However, it is quite different from Dell’s initial CAMM idea in 2023.
The idea was to replace the almost 20-year-old SO-DIMM standard, which occupies a lot of space on the motherboard and is rather power-hungry. LPDDR5X fixes the shortcomings of SO-DIMM, but it requires soldering as close to the CPU as possible for efficiency, leaving the upgradability issue unaddressed. LPCAMM2 is the best of both worlds, as you get fast memory that’s both power-efficient and swappable.
LPCAMM2 has two mounting standards:
Depending on what manufacturers use, we might be looking at new RAM sockets for LPCAMM2 memory. At the time of writing, Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix have announced LPCAMM2 modules. Out of the three, Micron’s modules are the only ones to hit the market, featured in theLenovo ThinkPad P1announced in April 2024.
How Does LPCAMM2 Compare to LPDDR5?
Now for the interesting part. As mentioned above, LPCAMM2 promises performance and power efficiency benefits over LPDDR5 and other SO-DIMM-type memory modules.
Usually Up to 6,500 Mbps
Up to 8,533 Mbps
Up to 64GB
Available in 16, 32, and 64GB modules
Power Efficiency
Lower power consumption compared to DDR5
Up to 60% lower power consumption compared to LPDDR5
Smaller than DDR5 modules
Up to 60% smaller than LPDDR5
Upgradability
Soldered to motherboard
Overall, you can expect a 1.3x improvement in data transfer speeds when using LPCAMM2 memory. Another thing to keep in mind is that LPCAMM2 utilizes LPDDR5x memory.
It’s great news in terms of power consumption, too, which can only benefit laptop users:
Power efficiency not only helps increase battery life but also keeps thermals under check. This means that laptop manufacturers don’t need beefy heatsinks and giant fans to keep high-performance machines cool, resulting in a thinner, lighter machine.
Last but not least, LPCAMM2 also has a significantly smaller footprint compared to LPDDR5. Since the size of the module itself is finalized according to the standard adopted by the JEDEC, the new modules are up to 60 percent smaller. The smaller mounting area, combined with LPCAMM2’s dual-channel structure, means one module can be used instead of two SO-DIMMs.
The aforementioned numbers enable laptop manufacturers to make thinner and lighter laptops. Alternatively, they could indicate that 14-inch and similar Windows laptops can also have bigger batteries at the expense of a little more weight. Given the high expected battery life figures, I’d say that’s a worthwhile sacrifice.
These power efficiency numbers are crucial on multiple fronts. Combined with the power efficiency of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X, Intel’s Lunar Lake, or AMD’s new Ryzen AI CPUs, and a better-optimized version of Windows, the new LPCAMM2 memory could mean we see laptops that can compete with and even beat MacBooks when it comes to performance and battery life while maintaining a thin and light form factor.
Why I’ll Be Buying a Laptop With LPCAMM2 Memory
LPCAMM2 has yet to see wider industry adoption, and currently, only one laptop (Lenovo’s ThinkPad P1) uses the new memory standard. However, there’s a good chance we’ll soon see LPCAMM2 modules paired with the new SoC CPUs from Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD.
Remember, LPCAMM2 will be faster, more power efficient, and swappable, so even getting a lower amount of RAM can pay off if you pick a laptop that supports the standard. If you’re in the market for a new laptop and don’t mind waiting for a while, I strongly recommend holding back your purchase until more options with the newer CPUs and, hopefully, LPCAMM2 laptops start launching.
While we don’t know the pricing details yet, the ThinkPad P1 has already hit the market with a price tag of roughly $2,000. While that’s not cheap by any measure, it’s only a matter of time before the technology trickles down to more affordable devices. A $1,500 or so high-performance laptop with a dedicated GPU and LPCAMM2 will deliver much better value than currently available similarly priced laptops. So, if you can, you should be on the lookout for LPCAMM2 for your next laptop.
