MSI Project Zero Supporting CAMM2 Memory at Computex

It is rare for Computex announcements to come out before the show begins.  Most companies opt to do day 0 press releases to ensure that everyone in attendance knows where to go to see the exciting things.  However, MSI broke the silence early with their announcement that they would have a new Project Zero motherboard on display in conjunction with Kingston.

Now, if you have been living under a rock CAMM2 memory is a new form factor designed for ultra portable computers.  The memory module is extremely small and resembles a M.2 drive if you look at it from the side while spinning around hopping on one foot and talking to your extended family about why the color blue should be a cat.

There was much discussion before and during the show about the benefits of CAMM2 memory and I’m not sure we should really care that much.  It may overclock well, it may suck for overclocking, it may provide more room for extra lights and oled screens or it may just be a waste of effort.  The point is, there is nothing stopping anyone from doing this and MSI has some ideas to share.

First thing you will notice is that the memory module is quite small and will sit flat on the PCB.  There are four screws that hold the memory module down and will interface a backplate on the reverse side of the PCB.

Across the top MSI has provided a metal heatspreader, that not only cools the module but provides a seamless blend with the other decorations on the board.

What I found most impressive is the standalone waterblock for the CAMM2 memory implementation.  DDR5 doesn’t get that hot so adding something like this would be nice to see but a bit overkill.

There were a number of other features on display including a new type of PCI Express card latch.  Typically, these are simply a button you press to release the latch so you can remove the card.  Well. If you have ever used one, you will find that they are less than ideal to use with no positive indication they are working.

Well, with this latch, you press the button once and the latch opens, press it again and it will close.

MSI also added some very unique rocking style latches to the M.2 drives making installation and removal of the drives extremely easy.  These latches are also used for the corresponding heatsink covers that slide into a set of groves on the motherboard and simply snap down in place.

Not the most ergonomic way to install the plates but, can easily be done with one hand.

During CES we got to see the new MSI Expert video cards.  These cards featured an all metal heatsink shroud and a very clean design.  For Computex they have started to experiment more with the Expert series including a self contained AIO watercooling unit.

It does make the card a monster but removes the need to remote mount a radiator and finally allows you to physically install a watercooled graphics card into smaller form factor builds.