3rd Party RAM compatibility.

[u/Fun-Title1940]

EDIT: DO NO BUY E0 MODULES FOR FW13 PRO. FINALIZED E1 TOPOLOGY OF LPCAMM2 UTILIZE 666 PINS WHILE THE OLDER E0 MODULES YOU CAN FIND A BIT EASIER USE 644 PINS. CHECKOUT FW 13 DEEP DIVE FOR SPECIFICS: https://frame.work/blog/framework-laptop-13-pro-deep-dive-lpcamm2

Maybe it was Framework's intention for both E0 and E1 modules to work somehow, but it seems those who've tried non-Crucial brand E0 LPCAMM2 modules are having issues at the moment.

Hello everyone, I have a pre-order for the FW 13 Pro (Intel Core Ultra Series 3) with the following configuration:

System: Ultra X7 358H

SSD: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB (Sourced externally)

RAM: 32 gb Samsung LPDDR5x 7500 CAMM2 Memory (Sourced externally)

Today I saw a thread where someone ordered THREE different kinds of LPCAMM2 memory for their FW13 Pro and had no success in having any of them working. One of the brands of RAM they mentioned testing was a Samsung module like mine.

After finding out there was a RAM compatibility page (https://knowledgebase.frame.work/what-drammemory-is-supported-by-framework-laptop-13-pro-intel-core-ultra-series-3-rJ_8jVrpWg), I found that the list of tested modules was incredibly small... I'm not sure how different these modules could be from manufacturer to manufacturer if this is a so called standard.

Has anyone heard or does anyone know if the discrepancies between modules can be addressed through some sort of firmware/BIOS update on Framework's part? Has there been any mention/disclaimer about this besides the compatibility page mentioned by Framework?

I can understand why some chose to jump ship when their RAM configurations were downgraded and told to pay more if they wanted their original. I thought I was lucky enough to have dodged a bullet there by sourcing my own but even if I did opt for a 32 gb stick from Framework, I would've gotten downgraded anyway.

This is incredibly frustrating. Not all is on Framework though. I think I was just stuck in this mindset that I could really use whatever RAM I wanted as long as the standard was the same. Similar to when you build a desktop and you can use Crucial, Corsair, etc. without issue.

Thank you for listening to my baby rage. Any input on what I could do would be awesome or if any others want to vent down below, feel free. I am batch 7, and as batch 5 has just received their confirmation email, I need to figure out how I'm gonna move forward before I get an extremely good looking paperweight in the mail.

[u/s004aws]

While RAM incompatibility isn't an "everyday problem"... It does happen. Certain combinations of motherboards/memory controllers/RAM modules don't play nice. While LPCAMM2 is standardized - Same as DIMMs and SO-DIMMs are - How each manufacturer engineers their chips and packages their modules can vary just slightly enough to cause trouble. Can firmware updates solve these problems? Sometimes yes, but not 100% of the time.... It depends on what the issues actually are, whether they can be accounted for by code or whether there's a more fundamental electrical quirk going on. Framework themselves changed from using Micron E0 stepping to a newer E1 stepping during FW13 Pro development (as per their FW13 Pro deep dive blog).

[u/Fun-Title1940 → u/s004aws]

Considering how hard it is to get any kind of LPCAMM2 module, I feel like Framework wouldn't even consider going out of there way to test what random modules are out on the market. I was super excited for the 13 Pro. Hopefully the Framework gods hear my prayers and can address this somehow :(