[SOLVED] Is a-xmp overclocking?

[Andrea Burgio]

I bought 2 corsair lpx ddr4 3600mhz 8gb. When i installed them they ran at 2133mhz, then, since i couldnt find the "enable xmp" in the bios (i got a amd board, so a-xmp), i disabled and enabled back the a-xmp profile and then, for some reason, they started working at 3600mhz. My question is, is it dangerous to overclock (if selecting a a-xmp profile means overclocking) these rams at 3600mhz? or it would be better to overclock them only at 3000mhz? And why sell a 3600mhz ram if to make it run at that frequency we have to overclock it?

 

[zaphod2beeble]

I bought 2 corsair lpx ddr4 3600mhz 8gb. When i installed them they ran at 2133mhz, then, since i couldnt find the "enable xmp" in the bios (i got a amd board, so a-xmp), i disabled and enabled back the a-xmp profile and then, for some reason, they started working at 3600mhz. My question is, is it dangerous to overclock (if selecting a a-xmp profile overclocking) these rams at 3600mhz? or it would be better to overclock them only at 3000mhz? And why sell a 3600mhz ram if to make it run at that frequency we have to overclock it?

Running your RAM at the factory specified speeds (3600 in this case) is not dangerous to RAM afaik, depending on your cpu you may actually run into an issue where running your RAM at a high enough speed will cost performance (sounds counter intuitive but it's true), 3600 seems to be fine on newer Ryzen CPUs and won't cause any bottlenecking.
I'm not sure about the reason as to why memory runs at such slow speeds to begin with but I think it's to ensure the system will run stabley on the first startup. You're only really "overclocking" your RAM once you move past it's factory speed, but your system will rarely benefit from high RAM clock speeds.

So the simple answer is it's fine to run your RAM at factory speeds, and while I think it could technically class as overclocking it's not what you'd think of in the traditional sense.

 

[SkyNetRising]

My question is, is it dangerous to overclock (if selecting a a-xmp profile means overclocking) these rams at 3600mhz?
or it would be better to overclock them only at 3000mhz?

It is not dangerous. The ram is rated for 3600mhz. So it is safe to run it at that speed.
Technically this is overclocking. Kindda..

And why sell a 3600mhz ram if to make it run at that frequency we have to overclock it?

What a weird question. It is meant for overclocking.
Why did you buy 3600mhz ram, if you didn't want to overclock?

 

[Andrea Burgio]

Running your RAM at the factory specified speeds (3600 in this case) is not dangerous to RAM afaik, depending on your cpu you may actually run into an issue where running your RAM at a high enough speed will cost performance (sounds counter intuitive but it's true), 3600 seems to be fine on newer Ryzen CPUs and won't cause any bottlenecking. I'm not sure about the reason as to why memory runs at such slow speeds to begin with but I think it's to ensure the system will run stabley on the first startup. You're only really "overclocking" your RAM once you move past it's factory speed, but your system will rarely benefit from high RAM clock speeds. So the simple answer is it's fine to run your RAM at factory speeds, and while I think it could technically class as overclocking it's not what you'd think of in the traditional sense. Does a 3600mhz frequency with a ryzen 5 3600 works well?

 

[Andrea Burgio]

It is not dangerous. The ram is rated for 3600mhz. So it is safe to run it at that speed.
Technically this is overclocking. Kindda..


What a weird question. It is meant for overclocking.
Why did you buy 3600mhz ram, if you didn't want to overclock?

I just wanted a fast ram, i bought it because it was the same price as a 3200mhz and a 3000mhz ram 🤷‍♂️ but i read on here that overclocking rams can be dangerous and not worth it, thats why im asking

 

[wi5pa]

The ryzen 5 3600 limits ram speed to 3200mhz,
the motherboard probably has capacity to use 4000mhz memory
you bought 3600mhz memory.

If you enable xmp,
the motherboard will then use the ram at its maximum capacity of 3600mhz and also adjust the CPU BCLK automatically to use it at the overclocked speed.

Edit: manual overclocking RAM can cause big issues, but let the motherboard do its thing with XMP and youll be fine.

 

[zaphod2beeble]

Does a 3600mhz frequency with a ryzen 5 3600 works well?

3600 is more than enough for the ryzen 5 3600, and as it's the manufacturers rating for the Memory, as long your system is running stable, there's no issue.

 

[Andrea Burgio]

The ryzen 5 3600 limits ram speed to 3200mhz,
the motherboard probably has capacity to use 4000mhz memory
you bought 3600mhz memory.

If you enable xmp,
the motherboard will then use the ram at its maximum capacity of 3600mhz and also adjust the CPU BCLK automatically to use it at the overclocked speed.

Edit: manual overclocking RAM can cause big issues, but let the motherboard do its thing with XMP and youll be fine.

If the ram has a higher frequency than the cpu, does the system still benefit a little from it? Or should i underclock it to 3200mhz?

 

[SkyNetRising]

If the ram has a higher frequency than the cpu, does the system still benefit a little from it? Or should i underclock it to 3200mhz?

Yes, system can benefit from faster ram.
Leave it at 3600mhz.

 

[Andrea Burgio]

Yes, system can benefit from faster ram.
Leave it at 3600mhz.

Thank you!