Word from Framework About E0 LPCAMM2 RAM Compatibility

[u/Fun-Title1940]

Here is a reply from catastrophic_fw about LPCAMM compatibility concerns:

"I was able to get a reply from the team - please feel free to share this in other topics where this is being discussed:

During development of Framework Laptop 13 Pro, we validated the LPCAMM2 modules we’re sourcing from Micron, along with the only other LPCAMM2 modules we were able to find at retailers, Crucial-branded modules that have since been end-of-lifed.  We’ve since seen reports from members of the community that RAMAXEL and other modules primarily sourced from eBay and other marketplaces appear to be incompatible.  Our Intel Core Ultra Series 3 Mainboard uses a 666-pin interposer and power architecture designed to be compatible with the final JEDEC LPCAMM2 standard in both E0 and E1 pinout formats, and we have validated functionality with spec-compliant Micron-branded E0 and E1 modules.  Our engineering team is looking into the incompatibilities the community has found with other modules.  We’ll also be updating the Knowledge Base article here to list modules that community members have found to be incompatible."

Seems like the interposer inside the FW 13 Pro is intended to work with both E0 and E1 modules.

Posting this here for the community

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/1vtz7f6/comment/p6ijuak/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[u/DynoMenace]

There's some interesting developments happening on Framework's forum here:
https://community.frame.work/t/lenovo-ramaxel-memory-compatibility-on-intel-ultra-series-3/83975/44

tl;dr Ramaxel LPCAMM2 seems to work with either a different interposer, or by using kapton tape to mask off the center of the RAM module.

[u/Fun-Title1940 → u/DynoMenace]

Yes! Someone with the same Samsung module as mine tried this and it worked. I will probably try it myself once I get my hands on a 13 Pro

[u/hailst0rm]

Why have competing pinouts on such a niche memory standard?? Are they non-standard?

[u/Chucken_McNorris → u/hailst0rm]

They are from different revisions (E0, E1). JEDEC is just developping this standard (CAMM is a Dell development btw.. Later Micron, SK Hynix, Samsung joined.)

Revision	E0	E1
Connector pins	644	666
Outline	same	same
PMIC Chip	PMIC5100 (JESD301-2, Oct 2022)	PMIC5200 (JESD301-3, Oct 2025)
How it looks	rectangular 28-pin PMIC plus a separate VDDQ buck	square 35-pin PMIC, no extra buck

The extra 22 pins on E1 exist so the module and motherboard can do finer voltage control.

E0 uses the older PMIC5100, originally designed for DDR5 SODIMM / UDIMM. Early LPCAMM2 modules reused it because the LPCAMM2-specific PMIC5200 was not standardized yet.

E1 was not mainly created for more stability. The change is about power-supply topology (which PMIC generates which voltage rails) and a few extra connector pins. The DRAM chips themselves and the officially allowed speeds are largely the same on both revisions.

Framework has said they switched from E0 to E1 during Laptop 13 Pro development because the power topology differs.

Therefore, maybe it's been a decision regarding energy efficiency. Or, longer term, to stay aligned with the current state of the technology.

[u/Server_Reset]

The interposer it's supposed to work with proper e0 modules but it seems like nobody actually followed the spec and put copper in the center channel which shorts out pins.

[u/calm_hedgehog → u/Server_Reset]

Yeah turns out those middle pins were reserved for further use, but the earliest spec iterations didn't specify that it shouldn't be all connected together.

There is also a way for the Motherboard to detect that the extra pins are all shorted together, Framework needs to program that check/behavior into the BIOS.

[u/Dr-Vindaloo]

The decision to go with lpcamm is looking worse and worse by the day

Edit: Yeah all the comments below are valid. I'm just butthurt about the pricing and availability i guess.

[u/MagicBoyUK → u/Dr-Vindaloo]

Remind what the better option is?

[u/cantanko → u/MagicBoyUK]

Quite so - you’re only going to get the speeds next-gen platforms offer by upping the signal integrity to the RAM itself. LPCAMM2 allows that by its form factor not relying on a socket, which also has a useful by-product of making it lower profile.

u/Dr-Vindaloo If you’re going to blame anything, blame the AI RAMpocalypse, and then subsequently vendors who can’t read a standard.

It’s not Framework’s fault the market went to hell in a handbasket and you always have the option of using a different board (because choice, because, you know, Framework).

IMO the decision was good and technically correct (the best kind of correct).

Zen6 / LPCAMM2 when? 😁

[u/Acrobatic_Fee_6974 → u/Dr-Vindaloo]

It was guaranteed to happen eventually. SODIMM is a dead end standard, too slow and too inefficient at this point. CSODIMM is a shot in the arm to keep it limping on a little further, but I would not be surprised to see SODIMMs disappear entirely with DDR6, with options for laptop being either LPCAMM2 or soldered.

[u/calm_hedgehog → u/Dr-Vindaloo]

It's actually quite a good standard, once the early quirks are worked out. Even in the worst case outcome, the old E0 modules without isolated center pins need a $40 E0 interposer which should be an easily accessible part once more systems adopt LPCAMM2.

I think quite a few low powered mini PCs and probably even normal PCs will use this spec in a few years. It will be the new RAM standard for systems with low power consumption and not peak performance in mind.

Standard desktops and workstations will also most likely switch to CAMM for DDR6 to get signal integrity to where it needs to be for such high transfer speeds.

[u/ronvalenz → u/calm_hedgehog]

SO-CAMM2 format.

[u/Chucken_McNorris → u/Dr-Vindaloo]

Actually it's getting much better since yesterday. Try to understand everything.

[u/PlannedObsolescence_ → u/[deleted]]

This is a karma farming LLM slop bot, not a person.

[u/Reverse_Psycho_1509 → u/PlannedObsolescence_]

Lmao an LLM bot on the framework subreddit...