Lenovo’s new ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 Workstation laptop is officially the world’s first laptop to feature Micron’s bleeding edge LPCAMM2 memory modules. LPCAMM2 is a new memory type based on CAMM2 that’s 64% smaller than DDR5 SO-DIMMs, and 58% more power efficient thanks to the use of LPDDR5X memory. It also makes it possible to upgrade your laptop’s memory, unlike traditional LPDDR5X solutions.
The ThinkPad P1 is Lenovo’s latest iteration of its ThinkPad branded prosumer laptops. The Gen 7 variant is the only model in the P1 lineup sporting Micron’s LPCAMM2 memory, with a maximum supported capacity of 64GB. While that’s somewhat inferior to SO-DIMM options that can reach higher capacities, with LPCAMM2 the Gen 7 version is the only ThinkPad laptop that has access to LPDDR5X modules operating at 7467 MT/s. The official CAMM2 standard can handle up to 128GB, so the Gen 7’s maximum memory capacity could change in the future.
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The ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 uses a 16-inch chassis with a 16:10 aspect ratio OLED display, powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Meteor Lake CPU. Graphical horsepower comes in the form of Intel integrated graphics and discrete Nvidia GPU options, the latter of which ranges up to the RTX 3000 Ada prosumer laptop GPU.
Micron’s LPCAMM2 supports the all-new CAMM2 JEDEC memory standard for laptop and desktop computers. As previously mentioned, the new standard uses a radically different form factor compared to traditional SO-DIMM memory. This serves two purposes. One is that it enables CAMM2-based memory types to use substantially less real estate. The second is that you can replace the LPCAMM2 module with a higher capacity option, unlike traditional LPDDR5X solutions.
LPCAMM2 utilizes LPDDR5X memory rated at 7,500 MT/s, providing 1.3X more bandwidth than standard JEDEC DDR5 SO-DIMM memory. A single module uses the entire 128-bit memory bus width of the CPU memory controller, meaning a single LPCAMM2 functions as a dual-channel solution. That means only one module is required to reach maximum memory performance.
The new memory format originated from the proprietary CAMM standard that Dell invented. JEDEC later adopted it under the name CAMM2, making it a worldwide memory standard. Since then, Samsung and Micron have built their own CAMM2 concoctions under varying names like LPCAMM2. (‘Normal’ CAMM2 solutions don’t use lower power LPDDR5X memory.)
It’s not surprising that big notebook makers like Lenovo are adopting the new CAMM2 standard. CAMM2’s substantially smaller profile, higher bandwidth, and upgrade potential make it the perfect successor to the SO-DIMM and LPDDR solutions that have dominated the compact computing market for decades.