Finally, you can upgrade the memory yourself again.
A new standard for memory is on its way. Here is the replaceable module card with memory chips on it. The module card is attached – again – to a replaceable socket.
Camera iFixit
Modern notebook PCs may be thin and light, but the “slender obsession” has also made it impossible to upgrade the memory in many of them after purchase.
The reason is that the PC manufacturers save a lot of space by soldering the memory to the motherboard, rather than using independent memory modules as before. Soldered memory also uses less power, which provides increased battery life.
Unfortunately, this has led to many people feeling pressured to buy a more expensive machine, with more memory than they need there and then, to reduce the chance that low memory will make it obsolete more quickly.
Now the rescue for your wallet and the environment can be here.
Exchangeable module board
A new standard called LPCAMM2 Check Switch LPCAMM2 Low-Power Compression-Attached Memory Controller.makes it super easy to upgrade memory even in razor-thin laptops. This is reported by iFixit.
The standard uses the same energy-efficient «LP Check Switch LP“Low Power”» memory chips that today’s slimmest notebooks do, just attached to a replaceable module card rather than soldered directly to the motherboard.
The module board without heat spreader. On the left is the memory controller, on the right the two memory modules.
Camera iFixit
The module board itself is again placed in a kind of socket, which ensures communication with the main board and the processor. The socket will make it impossible to insert the wrong type of memory module.
It is also replaceable, which increases the chance that you will have access to higher speeds and greater capacity on the memory chips as this becomes available.
Takes 10 minutes
The process of replacing the module board with one that has more capacity or faster memory chips in it should only take about ten minutes. It just requires you to remove the back plate of the machine, disconnect the battery and loosen three screws.
See how the new standard works here:
Already in use
Often we would be quite skeptical of such new standards, as their success depends on enough large manufacturers pledging support.
Now we are at the point where the first manufacturer has already adopted the LPCAMM2 standard, and it is therefore the world’s largest PC manufacturer, Lenovo, with their Thinkpad P1.
Of memory manufacturers, both Micron and Samsung, as the largest, as well as Adata, are ready with LPCAMM2 modules. Then we can hope that more PC manufacturers than Lenovo seize the opportunity to give us more upgrade-friendly laptops.
PS: If thoughts now go to Apple, and their MacBooks with 8GB of soldered-on memory, there is little chance that they will embrace the new memory standard. Apple uses “Unified memory”, which is soldered directly to the system chip for maximum speed and space saving.
Would you like to be able to upgrade the memory on your laptop?
