Brand-specific RAM module for laptops?

PC and electronics manufacturer Dell got the attention of techies when word came up that it is working on a proprietary DDR5-class RAM module for laptops recently.

Named “Compression Attached Memory Module” or CAMM, the module is said to be thinner, lighter and smaller than current standards, and is likely to replace the traditional two-slot design with a single module option, which means that it takes up less physical space in a laptop’s chassis.

The module was first brought up by the iGPU Extremist account on Twitter, where it got mixed reactions from those who came by the post. Some found the said brand-specific RAM module as innovative, but others saw it as inhibitive, given that it would mean that upgrading a laptop with the standard would mean that one would have to get RAM modules from Dell since it is brand-specific.

The current standard runs by a “universal approach,” wherein the RAM slots of various brands are the same, and that there are different vendors of RAM chips whose products are compatible with the standard.

Apart from CAMM, Dell is also believed to be working on a proprietary standard for graphics processing units or GPUs called “The Dell Graphics Form Factor” or DGFF. Word of both CAMM and DGFF have brought up online discussions on the pros and cons of brand-specific upgrade components for laptops and PCs.