XMP 3.0 Memory - What To Know
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2022-05-05
·
847 words · ~4 min read
0:00
Overclocking computer components
0:02
has gone from exclusively the domain of enthusiasts
0:05
to something anyone can do with a couple of mouse clicks.
0:08
And this has been especially true for RAM,
0:10
thanks to Intel's Extreme Memory Profiles,
0:12
better known as XMP.
0:16
But XMP hasn't seen a significant update since 2007.
0:20
So the powers that be decided it was time
0:22
to finally give us one with the new XMP 3.0
0:26
due out with the release of DDR5 memory.
0:29
To understand why XMP 3.0 is a big deal,
0:32
it'll help to give you a quick primer
0:34
on what XMP is to begin with.
0:36
So you know how when you buy RAM,
0:38
it has a speed and a set of timings listed on it?
0:41
Well, if you've ever plugged a new stick of memory
0:43
into your motherboard,
0:44
you might've seen that it defaults to a much lower speed.
0:48
This is because each generation of DDR RAM
0:51
has a default speed that's set by an industry body
0:53
called JEDEC, or JEDEC, or JEDEC, JEDEC.
0:58
I'm on three hours of sleep, Andy.
1:01
To ensure stability and compatibility.
1:03
This is the speed your RAM will run at
1:05
unless you change your settings.
1:07
XMP was devised partially as a way to allow users
1:10
to quickly set their RAM to the advertised speed instead.
1:13
RAM that supports XMP has a very small amount
1:16
of internal storage that contains XMP profiles
1:19
from the factory with one of them
1:21
matching the advertised speeds and timings.
1:23
To set it, you simply need to find the XMP setting
1:26
in your BIOS, often on the front page,
1:28
and the system will automatically apply
1:30
those settings for you.
1:31
Although it's overclocking in the sense that XMP
1:33
makes the RAM run faster than the base JEDEC specification,
1:37
you shouldn't have stability issues
1:39
since the modules themselves are designed
1:41
to run at the speed printed on the label.
1:43
Although XMP is an Intel technology,
1:45
it's also been implemented on AMD motherboards
1:47
as AMP, DOCP, or EOCP.
1:50
So if you have a CPU from Team Red,
1:53
look for one of these settings in your BIOS instead,
1:55
and you should see an option to enable the correct speeds.
1:58
But how exactly does XMP 3.0 improve upon this?
2:02
We'll tell you right after we thank Secret Lab
2:05
for sponsoring this video.
2:06
Secret Lab chairs are engineered
2:07
to keep you incredibly comfortable
2:09
for long hours at work and play.
2:11
Their new Titan Evo 2022 chair has four-way lumbar support,
2:15
ultra comfortable lines of different seat materials,
2:18
and more.
2:19
All chairs come with up to a five-year extended warranty
2:21
and a 49-day return policy.
2:23
Head to the link in the description
2:24
and check out Secret Lab today.
2:27
So XMP 3.0,
2:28
is supported by Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs,
2:31
which also support the aforementioned DDR5.
2:34
XMP 3.0 will improve on the existing XMP scheme
2:37
in a few ways.
2:38
First, it'll raise the number of profiles
2:40
you'll get from the factory from two to three,
2:43
so it'll be easier to tweak your modules
2:45
to determine which profile gives you the best blend
2:47
of stability and performance for any given application.
2:50
Mm, blend it up.
2:53
Give me some froth.
2:55
Not only that,
2:55
but the additional onboard storage dedicated to XMP
2:58
will allow for two more XMP profiles
3:01
that you can customize.
3:02
So if you're more of an enthusiast overclocker
3:04
who wants to do additional tweaking
3:06
to get the most performance possible out of your RAM kit,
3:09
XMP 3.0 will make it easier to save profiles
3:12
you've tested on your own,
3:13
and you'll even be able to rename them to avoid confusion.
3:16
Wow, technology.
3:18
But aside from making the overclocking experience
3:19
more convenient,
3:21
XMP 3.0's new features could also result
3:23
in real performance benefits.
3:25
Alder Lake CPUs have something called Dynamic Memory, which,
3:26
as you can see here, is the best way to get the most performance
3:27
out of your RAM kit.
3:29
Where the system can detect
3:30
if the application you're currently using
3:32
could benefit from boosted RAM speeds
3:34
and adjust them accordingly.
3:35
And if you're running an AMD CPU,
3:37
vendors could offer XMP profiles
3:38
tuned more specifically for Ryzen,
3:40
as these CPUs are notorious
3:42
for being more sensitive to RAM speeds
3:44
than their counterparts from Intel.
3:46
Of course, XMP 3.0 is only going to be available
3:49
for Intel platforms to start,
3:50
but we'd expect it to appear on AMD platforms
3:53
once Zen 4 is released sometime in 2022.
3:57
Don't go too crazy tweaking your overclock,
3:59
as there's nothing extreme about frying your motherboard.
4:03
Guys, thanks for watching this video.
4:04
That was very extreme of you.
4:06
Now give me the extreme likes up,
4:08
the extreme dislike if you extremely hate this video.
4:12
Check out our other ones.
4:13
Comment below with video suggestions,
4:15
and don't forget to subscribe and follow Tech Quick.
4:18
Yeah, let's go.
4:20
I'm going to shred some gnar, yeah.
4:23
Hit the lip.