News Dell's Proprietary DDR5 Module Locks Out User Upgrades

[zipspyder]

Bad reporting? It does not lock out upgrades in this case. First off, you can buy additional CAMM modules directly from Dell. Second, they are selling a SODIMM interposer so you can use 2× SODIMM modules in place of the CAMM module if you like.

Sounds pricey and totally unnecessary.

 

[drtweak]

Has everyone here complaining about dell not seen what Apple has done? XD

I mean you either get thicker laptops and having SoDIMM or you get thin laptops with ZERO upgradability. We all know when new Tech comes out it is $$$$$. Get 16/32GB now, then upgrade later when its cheaper? If we are lucky dell will allow 3rd parties to make it. RAM is one thing we normally don't buy from dell. We usually buy next to barebones on dell PC's and upgrade after unless it is a non standard client of ours then we get everything through dell. Otherwise RAM/SSD's we always by after market because the parts we put in usually have 5+ year warranties on them vs the 1-3 years you get with dell.

yea it sucks and people are made because it is proprietary, but sadly it is what it is. Again at least you can upgrade it.

 

[hotaru.hino]

The only thing I would see this locking out users of upgrading RAM is if somehow the RAM had a magic key that the system board looks for, much like how Apple ties the SSD to the system so you can't swap SSDs.

A proprietary formfactor doesn't necessarily lock users out. Anyone with enough patience to reverse engineer the thing (which frankly, wouldn't be hard for anyone involved in RAM module manufacturing) would be able to make clones relatively easily.

 

[Eidigean]

Screw Dell & creating another Proprietary Standard.

There needs to be laws / regulations preventing companies from making "Proprietary Standards".

Technologies evolve. While SODIMMs have 64-bit busses, newer tech like stacks of HBM have 4x256-bit (1024-bit) busses. The next generation of memory must be soldered directly to the processor. SODIMM is probably on its last generation. User-upgradable memory in fast devices is fading. Servers need quantity over speed, and will likely perpetuate DIMMs, but not fast consumer products. Don't expect LGA sockets for RAM with thousands of pins.

 

[chalabam]

This is an old tradition of Dell, IBM (when it made PCs), HP, and other manufacturers, even on desktop PCs
I had seen plenty of motherboards from them with absurd connectors that make impossible to use industry standard hardware.

But to add insult to injury, is not even possible to find the specifications, and know beforehand.
This particular laptop has a manual where the memory module is drawn as a standard sodimm module.

 

[chalabam]

LOL..no.
Some 60Mb of cache already causes so many problems and so much increase in price, just imagine that for 8Gb...let alone the space required.
Look at a 8Gb ram stick, all of these chips would have to fit on a CPU die.

To be fair, those chips have a lot of plastic making them bulkier than they should be.
But that kind of integration has been done before. Remember the Pentium II, which was a cartouche with processor, cache and other stuff

 

[TerryLaze]

To be fair, those chips have a lot of plastic making them bulkier than they should be.
But that kind of integration has been done before. Remember the Pentium II, which was a cartouche with processor, cache and other stuff

The cores that would have the cache on top of them would be the smaller of these two rectangles, not really much space to put a lot of ram there.

 

[InvalidError]

The cores that would have the cache on top of them would be the smaller of these two rectangles, not really much space to put a lot of ram there.

On-package system memory on CPUs/GPUs with a dedicated IOD would most likely get stacked on the IOD to avoid NUMA issues, interference with other stuff that may get stacked on CCDs such as extra cache, increasing the thermal resistance to the IHS of a high-power die, etc., not CCDs. If AMD's 7000-series IGP is integrated in the IOD, stacked memory on the IOD would also give the IGP access to all the memory bandwidth it can possibly use..

Also keep in mind that I was talking 6+ years into the future. DRAM density will likely at least double in the meantime, far more than that if it goes multi-layered like NAND, meaning 16-64GB of RAM will be able to squeeze into many more places than it does today.

 

[jtimouri]

There needs to be laws / regulations preventing companies from making "Proprietary Standards".
[/QUOTE]

1. There is no shortage of competitors if you don't want proprietary standards.
2. Commercial workstation laptops typically do not get "upgraded" by the first purchaser. If they need proprietary parts that will be reflected in the future used prices, i.e. they will be a bit lower. But in a corporate setting there would be a regular program of depreciation of tools and then disposal, not upgrading.
3. If you want more laws preventing companies from doing things then you would prefer living in a Soviet style environment in which the government knows best what people or companies want and mandates what is produced. Well known to lead to mediocre results, let alone the unpleasant restrictions on freedom. Sounds logical and efficient on paper though, and that is part of the seductive effort to push aside the illogical market. Supposedly to "help the consumer" but actually to build power over others.

 

[10tacle]

I've been needing to upgrade my old 6-series Intel based HP laptop for some time that I got from work. Both Dell and HP, my two long-time go-tos for both work and personal use laptops, appear to have tightened the grip on any aftermarket upgrades like memory and CPU to extend laptop life. It seems all that can be upgraded is the drive (and I wonder when one day they'll solder that M.2 SSD onboard too as a "cost effective" solution). I have several 2010s era HP and Dell business class carcassed laptops laying around that can't be upgraded due to soldered motherboard hardware. But that's a moot point when Windows shuts out older CPUs from their latest OS. If anything, this all just makes repurposing older laptops for modern use useless and just increase landfills of waste. Yeah these things wind up in landfills, not just in recycle facilities. I wonder if they, and Bill Gates, even thought of things like that.

 

[Sippincider]

There needs to be laws / regulations preventing companies from making "Proprietary Standards".

That'd torpedo a certain fruit company's entire business model!

 

[Chung Leong]

Btw, for those who don't know, DEll precision are workstation laptops. They are not intended for home users.

I imagine any upgrade would be performed by Dell certified personnel. Companies generally don't want their employees go popping open company laptops.

 

[passivecool]

The first work computer i bought myself was a dell. The best thing about it was, that it inspired and motivated me to learn to DIY. It is possible to get ok deals if you are in the know, but dell long ago butted the customer from the ends to the means.

 

[artk2219]

I imagine any upgrade would be performed by Dell certified personnel. Companies generally don't want their employees go popping open company laptops.

Surprisingly thats not usually the case, the Latitude, Optiplex, and Precision lines are typically meant to be field serviceable, and they usually publish service manuals for them, thats something i wish every company would take to heart.

Latitude 5421 Service Manual | Dell Deutschland

www.dell.com

https://www.dell.com/support/manual...3ae169-a824-4f1d-832e-585b176f6faf&lang=en-us

https://www.dell.com/support/manual...uid=guid-9ccd6d90-c1d1-427f-9e77-d4f83f3ad2b6

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

That'd torpedo a certain fruit company's entire business model!

And nothing of value would be lost.

 

[zparihar]

Well, I guess I won't be recommending Dell to users anymore.