In cooperation with Kingston MSI announced the world’s first desktop motherboard to support CAMM2 memory. The new memory form factor was previously reported only as format for laptops. Although the new memory is best suited for them, JEDEC’s CAMM2 standard also supports desktop PCs. The new board will be unveiled at Computex 2024 in early June.
The MSI Z790 Project Zero Plus board has a black and silver finish. The leaked photo shows that the DDR5 DIMM slots to the right of the CPU socket have been replaced by a single CAMM2 module secured with four screws.
This layout opens up new possibilities for installing cooling systems for the processor and the RAM itself. Traditional modules often interfere with the processor cooler, and the SO-DIMM form factor also limits the possibilities for cooling RAM. CAMM2 also has the potential to become especially relevant for building compact computers.
CAMM2 is a new memory standard that is set to replace SO-DIMM, which has dominated the market for decades. CAMM2 combines dual-channel memory configuration and 128-bit bus support in a single module. In laptops, this memory takes up 65% less space, as you can see, and in desktops, the space savings can be even greater.
The standard supports not only DDR5 memory modules, but also works with faster LPDDR5X memory modules. The latest CAMM2 LPDDR5X modules have a speed of 7500 MT/s and will be able to operate even faster in the future.
The Kingston Fury Impact CAMM2 module used with MSI’s new motherboard is DDR5 only. However, it is expected that Kingston will apply the XMP profile to the module, which could potentially improve performance.
Sources: Tom`s Hardware, VideoCardz