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LPCAMM2 is a modular, repairable, upgradeable memory standard for laptops

ifixit.com

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Re: LPCAMM2 is a modular, repairable, upgradeable memory standard for laptops

#61

Post by wmf »

zokier wrote: post #51

I wonder if this will bring a new widely available high-performance connector to the wider market. SO-DIMM connectors have been occasionally repurposed to other uses, most notably by Raspberry Pi Compute Models 1-3 among other similar SOM/COM boards. RPi CM4 switched to 2x 100pin mezzanine connectors; maybe some future module could use CAMM connectors, I'd imagine they are capable enough

The compression connector looks flimsier than a mezzanine so it should probably be a last resort for multi-gigahertz single-ended signaling.

Re: LPCAMM2 is a modular, repairable, upgradeable memory standard for laptops

#63

Post by nrp »

nwah1 wrote: post #33
farmdve wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are very obscure, or perhaps I mean to say niche laptop manufacturers. We need this standard for all of them, HP, Lenovo, Acer etc.

Framework open sources most of their schematics, if I understand correctly. So it should be possible for others to use the same standard, if they wanted to. (they don't want to)

Published here: https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay

Re: LPCAMM2 is a modular, repairable, upgradeable memory standard for laptops

#64

Post by cesarb »

drivingmenuts wrote: post #46
orev wrote: post #14

I’m glad they explained why RAM has become soldered to the board recently. It’s easy to be cynical and assume they were doing it for profit motive purposes (which might be a nice side effect), but it’s good to know that there’s also a technical reason to solder it. Even better to know that it’s been recognized and a solution is being worked on.

The problem is getting manufacturers to implement the new RAM standard. While the justifications given are great for the consumer, I didn't see any reason for a manufacturer to sign on. They are going to lose money when people buy new RAM, rather than a whole new laptop. While processor speeds and size haven't plateaued yet, it's going to take a while to develop significant new speed upgrades and in the meantime, the…

> While the justifications given are great for the consumer, I didn't see any reason for a manufacturer to sign on. [...] So, why should they relenquish that to the user?

It makes sense that the first ones to use this new standard would be Dell and Lenovo. They both have "business" lines of computers, which usually offer on-site repairs (they send the parts and a technician to your office) for a somewhat long time (often 3 or 5 years). To them, it's a cost advantage to make these computers easier to repair. Having the memory (which is a part which not rarely fails) in a separate module means they don't have to replace and refurbish the whole logic board, and having it easy to remove and replace means less time used by the on-site technician (replacing the main logic board or the chassis often means dismantling nearly everything until it can be removed).

Re: LPCAMM2 is a modular, repairable, upgradeable memory standard for laptops

#67

Post by tombert »

orev wrote: post #14

I’m glad they explained why RAM has become soldered to the board recently. It’s easy to be cynical and assume they were doing it for profit motive purposes (which might be a nice side effect), but it’s good to know that there’s also a technical reason to solder it. Even better to know that it’s been recognized and a solution is being worked on.

Yeah, I was actually surprised to learn there was a reason other than "Apple wants you to buy a new Macbook or overspec your current one". It's annoying, but at least there's a plausible reason to why they do it.

Re: LPCAMM2 is a modular, repairable, upgradeable memory standard for laptops

#68

Post by universa1 »

OJFord wrote: post #52
doublextremevil wrote: post #13

Cant wait to see this in a framework laptop

For the presumed improvement to battery life? Because Fw already uses SO-DIMMs.

That's also nice, but the memory speed is also higher, Ddr5-7266 vs 5600 iirc. The resulting higher bandwidth translates more or less directly into more performance for the iGPU.

Re: LPCAMM2 is a modular, repairable, upgradeable memory standard for laptops

#69

Post by sspiff »

cjk2 wrote: post #3
mmastrac wrote: post #2

Ugh, finally. And it's not just a repurposed desktop memory standard either! The overall space requirements look to be similar to the BGA that you'd normally solder on (perhaps 2-3x as thick?). I'm sure they can reduce that overhead going forward. I love the disclosure at the bottom: Full Disclosure: iFixit has prior business relationships with both Micron and Lenovo, and we are hopelessly biased in favor of repairab…

Yeah they even gloss over Lenovo's crappy soldered on the motherboard USB-C connectors which is always the weak point on modern thinkpads. Well that and Digital River (Lenovo's distributor) carries absolutely no spare parts at all for any Lenovos in Europe, and if they do they only rarely turn up, so you can't replace any replaceable bits because you can't get any.

Digital River is shit at everything. From spare parts, to delivery and tracking, to customer communications, to warranty claims. Every single interaction with them is a nightmare. It is the single reason I prefer to buy Lenovo from resellers rather than directly.

Re: LPCAMM2 is a modular, repairable, upgradeable memory standard for laptops

#70

Post by yencabulator »

Night_Thastus wrote: post #26
farmdve wrote: post #9

Remember that Haswell laptops were the last to feature socketed CPUs. RAM is nice to upgrade, for sure. As well as an SSD, but CPUs are still a must. I would even suggest upgradeable GPUs but I don't think the money is there for the manufacturers. Why allow you to upgrade when you can buy a whole new laptop?

On a laptop it's not very practical. Because you can't swap the motherboard, your options for CPUs are going to be quite limited. Generally, only higher-tier CPUs of that same generation - which draw more power and require more cooling. Generally a laptop is built designed to provide a specific budget of power to the CPU and has a limited amount of cooling. Even if you could swap out the CPU, it wouldn't work properl…

> On a laptop it's not very practical.

> Because you can't swap the motherboard,

https://frame.work/ has entered the chat.

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