MSI built a desktop motherboard that supports CAMM2 memory

Shawn Knight

Shawn Knight

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Forward-looking: JEDEC, the trade organization and standardization body that oversees memory standards in the computer industry, published the CAMM2 memory standard in December 2023. The following month, Micron became the first to announce modules based on the new standard and in April, teamed up with Lenovo on the first laptop to support LPCAMM2 memory. The new spec is generally thought of as a laptop-specific technology, but MSI is here to prove that is simply not true.

The Taiwanese tech firm has partnered with Kingston on what is believed to be the world's first Z790 desktop motherboard to support CAMM2 memory. A teaser shared on X highlights a board sporting a black PCB with silver accents. The usual DDR5 slots have been replaced with a single CAMM2 module – a Kingston Fury Impact DDR5 CAMM2 prototype, we are told.

Dubbed the Z790 Project Zero Plus, the new desktop board is part of the company's Project Zero series, meaning it relocates most of the connectors to the back of the motherboard for better cable management. This, in turn, can lead to improved airflow and aesthetics, so long as your case is designed to support rear connections.

The post was tagged with a Computex 2024 hashtag, so it is safe to assume it'll be on display at the trade show next month in Taipei.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, and whether or not CAMM2 has a future in the desktop PC space. According to Tom's Hardware, the Kingston CAMM2 memory does not use LPDDR5X and is instead limited to JEDEC DDR5 speeds. Should it prove a hit with enthusiasts, perhaps an LPDDR5X version could eventually materialize.

One of the major benefits of the new standard in laptops is in space saving, as LPCAMM2 affords a space-saving advantage of 64 percent over traditional DDR5 SODIMMs. Real estate is not as big of a concern in desktops as it is in laptops, although SFF systems could likely benefit from the compact design.

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MSI built a desktop motherboard that supports CAMM2 memory

 
bviktor said:
It would've helped to explain why I should care about CAMM2 which I only first hear about now.
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Its really exciting on laptops - you know how many laptops these days have soldiered memory, since it is faster, uses less power, and takes up less space than SO-DIMMS? Well CAMM units are nearly as fast & low power as soldiered memory, also fit into slim confines, while still being easy to replace. For desktop use in their current form they are less exciting, but still should allow for higher memory bandwidth, and make it easier to fit in big CPU coolers.
 
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maxxcool7421 said:
Oh you mean the ram thats 2x as much as normal dimms ... fu msi
Click to expand...

This is just the standard chicken & egg problem in tech; parts following new standards won't get cheaper until they ramp up production, but obviously you need someone who is willing to pay the higher prices at first to get that production ramped up. If you don't like the idea of paying more for the new RAM style MSI offers plenty of motherboards still using DIMM RAM.
 
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Dreadcthulhu said:
Its really exciting on laptops - you know how many laptops these days have soldiered memory, since it is faster, uses less power, and takes up less space than SO-DIMMS? Well CAMM units are nearly as fast & low power as soldiered memory, also fit into slim confines, while still being easy to replace. For desktop use in their current form they are less exciting, but still should allow for higher memory bandwidth, and make it easier to fit in big CPU coolers.
Click to expand...
These are good points. For laptops and ultra-mobile there great benefit to be had. For desktops though? Not so much. What MSI is trying to do here remains a mystery.
 
bviktor said:
It would've helped to explain why I should care about CAMM2 which I only first hear about now.
Click to expand...

https://www.techspot.com/news/96668-camm-memory-could-successor-dimm.html

Dell revealed CAMM over a year ago. Most OEMs and JEDEC liked CAMM so they made some slight tweaks and ratified it as 2 official standards (CAMM2, LPCAMM2). (SO)DIMMs are clunky, 90's tech. DIMMs are bulky and suffer speed limitations due to the difficulty in running equal-length traces for them. CAMM addresses these problems and also has the added benefit of always saturating the memory bus (no more single/dual channel confusion). Hopefully it will be implemented quickly and laptop OEMs decide that a CAMM connector is more cost-effective than LPDDR5/6. CAMM2 could also enable desktop motherboards to mount memory on the backside of the motherboard. In fact it may be that DDR6 marks the death of the DIMM.

The only question is, will CAMM2 prevail or will the new trend of on-package DRAM as seen by Apple and now Intel become the standard?

https://www.techspot.com/news/100904-lunar-lake-mx-leak-suggests-intel-serious-about.html
 
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I don't like idea of CAMM2 in desktops. Example if you want upgrade from 32GB to 64GB you need to buy entire new 64GB module instead additional 32GB traditional DDRs.
 
bviktor said:
It would've helped to explain why I should care about CAMM2 which I only first hear about now.
Click to expand...
It also is way more efficient than regular dimm modulars. In laptops they showed how the trace to the cpu is way less than traditional ram and it can compete against the efficiency of arm processors without the ram being built inside the chipset and therefore not replaceable.
 
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r00lz said:
I don't like idea of CAMM2 in desktops. Example if you want upgrade from 32GB to 64GB you need to buy entire new 64GB module instead additional 32GB traditional DDRs.
Click to expand...
Not strictly true.

One of the possibilities of CAMM is you can mount it on the rear of the motherboard, right behind the CPU to keep the traces as short as possible. In this configuration, you could have two CAMM slots.

Even then, how many people do you know who buy 1 dual-channel kit, and then decide to upgrade in a short enough time span that they are able to get their hands on a second, identical-model kit? Very few, I bet. Seems the more usual trajectory for most folks is to either: A) buy 1x dual-channel kit, then a year or two later decide to upgrade by buying a larger dual channel kit or 2x new dual channel kits; or B) start off with 2x dual channel kits, or a 1x matched kit of 4x sticks.
 
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mbrowne5061 said:
Even then, how many people do you know who buy 1 dual-channel kit, and then decide to upgrade in a short enough time span that they are able to get their hands on a second, identical-model kit?
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Anyone who is building on a budget, can only afford one set at first and then adds the second a few months or a year later. Happens all the time.
mbrowne5061 said:
Very few, I bet.
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You would lose that bet.
mbrowne5061 said:
Seems the more usual trajectory for most folks is to either: A) buy 1x dual-channel kit, then a year or two later decide to upgrade by buying a larger dual channel kit or 2x new dual channel kits; or B) start off with 2x dual channel kits, or a 1x matched kit of 4x sticks.
Click to expand...
And that does happen, but not with everyone and certainly not always.
 
ZedRM said:
Anyone who is building on a budget, can only afford one set at first and then adds the second a few months or a year later. Happens all the time.

You would lose that bet.

And that does happen, but not with everyone and certainly not always.
Click to expand...


I find it increasingly common for people to stick with one kit, especially with how cheap RAM has gotten. It’s also best practice to use as few sticks as possible per channel to alleviate the memory controller.

Either way CAMM2 is likely going to put an end to using multiple modules in one system unless you’re dealing with servers or HEDT.
 
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opckieran said:
I find it increasingly common for people to stick with one kit, especially with how cheap RAM has gotten. It’s also best practice to use as few sticks as possible per channel to alleviate the memory controller.
Click to expand...
Not in the area I live in. People here are constantly installing a second set. Most are upgrading from 8GB or 16GB. Some add a 16GB set but some get a 32GB kit. 40GB & 48GB is getting to be common configs as people are adding 32GB kits to their existing 8GB or 16GB set.

opckieran said:
Either way CAMM2 is likely going to put an end to using multiple modules in one system unless you’re dealing with servers or HEDT.
Click to expand...
Not really. Most people like having options and flexibility. The CAMM standard will likely be good for laptops, but desktops are not going to be well received.
 
ZedRM said:
Not really. Most people like having options and flexibility. The CAMM standard will likely be good for laptops, but desktops are not going to be well received.
Click to expand...

Again, that’s assuming DIMMs even EXIST after DDR5. Desktops are no different in terms of the challenges DIMMs must overcome compared to CAMM2, but since there’s more space on a desktop board, those challenges aren’t nearly as exacerbated as they are on a laptop board. Even if there are DDR6 DIMMs, the form factor will be dead by 2030 (or whenever DDR7 is introduced…)
 
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opckieran said:
Again, that’s assuming DIMMs even EXIST after DDR5.
Click to expand...
Yes, I am presuming that. Why? History is an excellent teacher. What does history teach us?

opckieran said:
Desktops are no different in terms of the challenges DIMMs must overcome compared to CAMM2
Click to expand...
That is completely false. Desktop PC's have lots of space for parts and components, by design. Your suggestion does not hold water.

opckieran said:
Even if there are DDR6 DIMMs, the form factor will be dead by 2030 (or whenever DDR7 is introduced…)
Click to expand...
That's you making illogical assumptions. History says otherwise. The DIMM package for memory works perfectly as is and has for decades. The form-factor of the DIMM doesn't need to change drastically, only adapted for the new technology as progress is made.
 
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ZedRM said:
Yes, I am presuming that. Why? History is an excellent teacher. What does history teach us?


That is completely false. Desktop PC's have lots of space for parts and components, by design. Your suggestion does not hold water.


That's you making illogical assumptions. History says otherwise. The DIMM package for memory works perfectly as is and has for decades. The form-factor of the DIMM doesn't need to change drastically, only adapted for the new technology as progress is made.
Click to expand...

Actually… what history shows us is that technology EVOLVES. That’s why computer monitors don’t weigh 50 pounds anymore, for example. That’s why we don’t use slots for CPUs anymore, for example. And why nowadays we use smartphones to do literally 99% of what we did on laptops 10 years ago plus all the smartphone-exclusive things we really can’t do on laptops without bending over backwards.


But if you want to be delusional and ignore how technology has evolved throughout all of history as well as the more recent concerns of the DIMM form factor posed by the hundreds if not thousands of actual engineers across a dozen manufacturers and standards agencies who are far more engrossed in and actually qualified to comment on the rapidly approaching limitations of the old DIMM form factor than a guy stuck in the past, on a tech forum, then be my guest. Just face it. DIMMs are DONE. They’ve hit their wall. They had a good run. But they’re done. And desktops are not far behind, mark my words. (If you’d actually read my above comment in the first place you’d have seen my caveat for desktops not suffering as much as laptops but still likely to face similar issues down the road).
 
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