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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →CRAM could make compressed memory much faster, but current Steam Deck owners should not expect to gain it through a SteamOS update. The implementation presented at Linux Plumbers Conference relies on specialized hardware that the current Deck reportedly lacks—and its published performance figures are memory benchmarks, not proof of faster games.
What is CRAM?
CRAM, short for Compressed RAM, is a Linux compressed-memory service presented by Meta engineer Gregory Price at the Linux Plumbers Conference in Prague on 5 October 2026. The session described a tested implementation, mm/cram.c, that uses hardware to offload compression. The conference session description says it was tested for page-cache correctness with most in-tree filesystems.
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The design aims to make compressed data behave more like directly usable memory. The conference description says CRAM can retain page-table mappings and page-cache presence, and allow access at byte or cacheline granularity without a software decompression step on read. In contrast, the presentation describes zram and zswap as requiring software decompression on their read path.
How CRAM compares with zram and zswap
| Aspect | CRAM as presented | zram and zswap as characterized in the presentation |
|---|---|---|
| Where compression happens | Specialized hardware offloads compression. | Software-based compression. |
| Reading compressed data | Data can remain mapped and be accessed at byte or cacheline granularity without a software decompression step on read. | The presentation describes a software decompression step on the read path. |
| Hardware dependency | Requires specialized hardware for the described implementation. | The cited sources do not give a directly comparable hardware requirement. |
| Reported evidence | Conference abstract reports near-native DRAM performance under TAOBench and FIO; Notebookcheck reports selected memory-operation results. | The cited materials do not provide a directly comparable benchmark table across all workloads. |
These differences describe the implementations and claims in the cited materials; they do not establish that CRAM is the best choice for every system or workload.
#1 Best Overall
- 1TB NVMe SSD
- 1280 x 800 HDR OLED display with premium anti-glare etched glass, 7.4" Diagonal display size up to 90Hz refresh rate
- Wi-Fi 6E
- 50Whr battery; 3-12 hours of gameplay (content-dependent)
- Carrying case with removable liner
What the performance figures do—and do not—show
Notebookcheck reported that CRAM was up to 452 times faster than ZRAM in read-only memory operations, and 5.4 times faster with a workload containing 20% writes. It also reported that read-only performance approached uncompressed RAM. These are ratios from specialized memory tests reported in 2026, not game benchmarks. The Notebookcheck report does not provide enough experimental setup detail in the cited material to independently reproduce those exact ratios.
The Linux Plumbers Conference abstract separately says the implementation achieved near-native DRAM performance under TAOBench and FIO. That is a claim in the session description, not evidence of higher frame rates, shorter game load times, less stutter, or lower memory use on a Steam Deck. The figures should not be read as meaning games run hundreds of times faster.
Rank #2
- International (UK) Version
- 7.4” diagonal, HDR OLED, 1280 x 800 x RGB, up to 90Hz Refresh rate, High performance touch, <0.1 ms Response time, 1,000 nits peak brightness (HDR), 600 nits (SDR)
- SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
- 512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels), microSD UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
- 6 nm AMD APU, CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32
Why a SteamOS update cannot add CRAM to today’s Deck
The barrier is hardware, not a missing SteamOS setting. Notebookcheck reports that current Steam Deck hardware lacks the specialized hardware used by the described CRAM implementation. Since the approach depends on hardware-offloaded compression, installing a software update alone would not supply that capability.
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Neither the conference description nor the Notebookcheck report establishes that a future Steam Deck will include the required hardware, that a consumer memory device implementing it is available, or when CRAM might become generally available in Linux. A future handheld could adopt compatible hardware, but that possibility is not a product announcement or guarantee.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Valve is entering the gaming console marketplace with the new Steam Deck, a console geared towards PC gamers. The Steam Deck can be docked to a monitor, and used as a PC, or docked to a TV.
- Players can play a huge variety of games at any time with the comfort of a console and the freedom of a PC. Not anti-glare screen.
- Like the name suggests, the Steam Deck will include upgraded 1TB storage, and will include a carrying case. A micro SD slot will also enable expanded storage.
- Valve partnered with AMD to create a specialized APU optimized for handheld gaming, and Valve says the chip will deliver performance to run AAA gaming titles.
- The Steam Deck is outfitted with a 7-inch touchscreen, and two trackpads under the control sticks that allow gamers to operate games never designed outside of mouse and keyboard capabilities.
What Deck owners should take away
- CRAM is a hardware-dependent memory approach, not a utility or toggle that current owners can enable.
- Its reported speedups concern memory operations; the cited sources do not show a benefit in any Steam Deck game.
- The implementation and benchmark claims are promising, but broader production availability and future Deck compatibility are not established.
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