Soldered RAM failure rates aren't worth worrying about.

They’re essentially the same as socketed RAM over five years. Both are below 1% for normal use.

The nasty reputation soldered RAM has comes from a few edge cases: cheap laptops with bad cooling (solder joints crack), or physical damage. But for a well-built machine, you’re not going to see more failures. Socketed RAM can actually fail more often due to poor contact, dust, or user error when swapping sticks.

The real tradeoff isn’t reliability—it’s repairability and upgradeability. Soldered RAM means you’re stuck with what you bought. If that matters to you, buy socketed. But don’t avoid soldered because you’re scared it’ll die faster. It won’t.