If you're building your own PC and have decided to invest in some fast RAM , how do you make sure it performs at its advertised speed? You may not know this, but in reality, RAM will always run at a slower speed than it was designed for, unless you manually adjust its speed or enable Intel XMP to optimize its speed.
Note that this option is not available on every motherboard BIOS , and not every stick of RAM has an XMP profile. Some RAM models are designed to run at standard speeds only. However, if you're building your own gaming rig and buying a RAM system that's advertised as being extremely fast, you should definitely buy something that supports the XMP option.
Why do we need XMP?
Before enabling XMP, it's important to understand how your CPU connects to RAM and why XMP is necessary in the first place.
You see, the CPU in your system is connected to the RAM through the motherboard using sockets. It is through these sockets that data reaches the CPU. Therefore, the motherboard, CPU, and RAM must work together to get data from the RAM to the CPU.
To keep everything running properly, your computer's motherboard uses a small chip that stores the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) . This chip is activated when you turn on your computer. After power is applied, the BIOS performs a power-on self-test (POST). During this test, the motherboard checks the status and initializes the various input/output devices connected to the CPU. During this test, the motherboard decides what frequency the RAM should run at.
To do this, the motherboard communicates with the Serial Presence Detect (SPD), a chip that stores information such as the RAM's frequency, voltage, and timings. The data stored on this SPD is standardized for different RAM technologies such as DDR2, DDR3, and DDR4 by the Joint-Electron-Device-Engineering-Council (JEDEC).
Because of this standardization, DDR4 RAM can run at frequencies ranging from 800 to 1600 MHz with data rates up to 3200 megatransfers per second (MT/s). However, a high-performance RAM stick can reach 5333 MT/s.
This begs the question, how does RAM surpass the JEDEC specification and run at faster frequencies? This is where XMP comes into play.
What is XMP enabled for?
RAM runs at standard speeds set by JEDEC, but you can overclock your RAM manually. XMP uses some RAM to save a speed and timing profile that the RAM can safely run at. Enabling XMP configures the memory to run at the speed and timings it is rated for.
How to enable XMP on memory
Some motherboards do not allow XMP and will not have an option to enable it or will be grayed out when you try to use the feature. In that case, there is nothing you can do, other than upgrading your motherboard to use XMP.
1. Restart your PC or turn it on and access the UEFI/BIOS using the specific key on your motherboard. Typical access keys include Delete, F1, F2, F10, and F12 (yours may be different). Check your motherboard manual or the manufacturer's website for details.
2. Look for the XMP profile toggle. If you see it on your UEFI/BIOS home screen, toggle it to On , then skip to step 6. If not, skip to step 3.
3. If necessary, enable Advanced Mode in your UEFI/BIOS. This is usually done by pressing the F7 key , but again, this button will depend on your motherboard. Typically, that information is located in the bottom right corner.
4. Navigate to the overclocking section in the BIOS. This section may be called AI Tuner, AITweaker, Performance, Extreme Tweaker, Overclock Settings , or something similar.
5. Scroll through the list of options until you find the XMP profile toggle. Turn it to On by pressing the Enter key on it or clicking on it and selecting On from the drop-down menu. Some motherboards, like the one below, require you to Load XMP Profile .
6. Save your BIOS settings and exit. You can do this by selecting the Exit button on your keyboard or mouse and choosing to save your settings. Alternatively, use the traditional F10 key . When prompted, confirm your choice.
How do I know if XMP is enabled?
You can double-check that your XMP profile is enabled by going back into the UEFI/BIOS and making sure the toggle is set to On . Also, check the memory speed in the UEFI/BIOS - it may be on the main screen or overclocking menu - or in the post-boot screen.
You can also use Windows software like CPUZ to confirm your memory speed. If it matches the rated speed given on the memory packaging and label, then your XMP profile is enabled.
If not, rerun the steps to make sure you enabled it correctly. If you are sure you have followed the steps correctly and still are not seeing the expected speeds, you should confirm that your motherboard or processor allows memory overclocking.
See also:
Installing more RAM is the most effective solution to speed up your computer. Even if your computer is new, after only a few years of use, you will have to install more RAM to ensure better speed. In addition, new operating systems also require more memory. When a computer does not have enough RAM, it will exchange data streams with the hard drive, and that is the reason why your system runs slowly.
If an application “consumes” too much of the device's RAM, it will severely reduce the system's multitasking ability, as well as cause lag, seriously affecting the experience.
Micron, one of the world's largest memory manufacturers, has just announced that it will increase prices across its entire product portfolio, including DRAM and NAND flash memory.
These are the top 5 best software for optimizing computer RAM among countless other software with the same function. Overall, they are really good and surprisingly effective. Hopefully you will choose a software that is most suitable and compatible with your computer system.
People often hear about the RAM bus when they hear about upgrading or repairing their computers, but what it is, let's dig deeper through this article!
In the computer, RAM is a part that rarely fails, but many users have encountered an error when the computer boots up, when they hear 3 prolonged beeps. Also, the computer screen does not display. This is a sign that the computer's RAM has failed
Your computer has a lot of graphics-related software such as games or graphics software, after using for a while, it will cause your computer after a period of use with signs of sluggish operation. and your operation is slowed affecting the insole
Copilot Pro integrates Copilot AI directly into Microsoft 365 apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook....
AI art generators like Midjourney can reimagine your photos with different styles, backgrounds, colors, and moods. Follow this guide to create some imaginative self-portraits, seen through the lens of artificial intelligence.
TSMC reportedly began taking orders for 2nm wafers earlier this month, with prices estimated at up to $30,000/wafer.
OpenAI is in talks to acquire Windsurf, the industry's leading AI-powered code editor.
Whether it's impractical design choices or features that no one really asked for, some of these trends need to go away forever.
By default, personal contact information is displayed on your Instagram profile. This can affect your privacy. The following article will guide you on how to hide contact information on Instagram.
The Telegram application will save all devices that log in to the account in a list for us to monitor. And from this list we can check if there are any unauthorized logins.
Legendary World helps players receive a series of diamonds, treasure chests, and high-level character fragments via giftcode
The Google Store has had an interesting history.
Security and privacy issues should always be taken seriously. After all, they are closely related to your life, so you must be very vigilant about malware and other threats.
In this guide, Quantrimang.com will explore some troubleshooting steps to help you resolve the IPv4/IPv6 No Internet Access error and restore your Internet connection.
Surely many people still haven't forgotten the "explosion" scandal on the Nvidia RTX 40-series graphics card line.
Many were really looking forward to seeing what Samsung had in store for the Galaxy S25 series, but after seeing everything the company had to offer, they were left disappointed. There wasn't much to look forward to in this year's upgrade.
This event is extremely rare, but the team hopes to observe more in the future thanks to JWST and other advanced observatories coming online.
Snakes don't dig their own burrows, but that doesn't mean they can't take refuge in burrows created by something else. Here's how to identify and deal with a snake burrow in your yard.
