Question Trying to get XMP stable on AM5 Mobo

[jimbo_7]

Hi there, (posting specs to start)
MOBO: GIGABYTE - B650 AORUS ELITE AX
CPU: Ryzen 5 7600X
RAM: CORSAIR - VENGEANCE 32GB 6400MHz PC5-51200 DDR5 C32 DIMM

I was trying to enable EXPO in my bios, but I only had the option to enable XMP1, and I dug around on Gigabyte's website and think that its just because my ram isn't "EXPO compatible" on this mobo. I also was under the impression that I could use XMP even on AMD, and although it did boot, it was extremely unstable and crashed multiple times. Is there a (hopefully easy) way to manually configure XMP so that it runs stable? Doesn't have to be at full 6400mhz, but any improvement would be nice.

Thanks!

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hi there, (posting specs to start)
MOBO: GIGABYTE - B650 AORUS ELITE AX
CPU: Ryzen 5 7600X
RAM: CORSAIR - VENGEANCE 32GB 6400MHz PC5-51200 DDR5 C32 DIMM

I was trying to enable EXPO in my bios, but I only had the option to enable XMP1, and I dug around on Gigabyte's website and think that its just because my ram isn't "EXPO compatible" on this mobo. I also was under the impression that I could use XMP even on AMD, and although it did boot, it was extremely unstable and crashed multiple times. Is there a (hopefully easy) way to manually configure XMP so that it runs stable? Doesn't have to be at full 6400mhz, but any improvement would be nice.

Thanks!

Hey there,
So typically there's a QVL for each mobo and compatible list of DIMMs that are tested to work with said mobo.

However, you should check what bios you are running (CPU-z) and make sure it's up to date. The latest one will have optimizations for ram compatibility.

Be sure to clear CMOS after the bios update to ensure it takes correctly, then try XMP again.

Of course you could also try setting the ram up manually using it's xmp settings. You dial those in, in the bios.



Let us know how that goes.

 

[Zerk2012]

Hi there, (posting specs to start)
MOBO: GIGABYTE - B650 AORUS ELITE AX
CPU: Ryzen 5 7600X
RAM: CORSAIR - VENGEANCE 32GB 6400MHz PC5-51200 DDR5 C32 DIMM

I was trying to enable EXPO in my bios, but I only had the option to enable XMP1, and I dug around on Gigabyte's website and think that its just because my ram isn't "EXPO compatible" on this mobo. I also was under the impression that I could use XMP even on AMD, and although it did boot, it was extremely unstable and crashed multiple times. Is there a (hopefully easy) way to manually configure XMP so that it runs stable? Doesn't have to be at full 6400mhz, but any improvement would be nice.

Thanks!

Set XMP then manually change the speed to 6000 and see if that is stable.

 

[Misgar]

Most RAM comes with XMP and not EXPO. XMP and EXPO timings may be subtly different at the same speed, to cope with different characteristics of Intel and AMD processors.

You could try the following:-
Disable XMP and boot the PC at stock DDR5 speed.

Use a test utility to "interrogate" the SPD values on the DIMMs and make a copy of all the timings at the normal and XMP settings. You may be faced with multiple settings to note down.

I use AIDA64 to read out the SPD contents, but other utilities exist.

At each frequency, you'll see a large sequence of timing values, separated by hyphens "-". These are the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary timings, starting CL-RCD-RF-RAS.

N.B. You need to multiply the Aida Memory Timings "frequency" above by 2, to arrive at the DDR (Double Data Rate) speed. Hence 2400MHz in Aida64 equals 4800MHz DDR, a standard DDR5 speed.

A simple BIOS pulls the fastest XMP value out of SPD (in your case 6400MT/s) and if that doesn't work, tough luck. You don't get the option to choose a different (slower) XMP setting.

A more sophisticated BIOS allows you to choose from a number of different XMP speeds.

If you're lucky, your Gigabyte BIOS may allow you select a lower XMP speed, e.g. 6200, 6000, 5800, 5600, 5400, 5200, 5000, 4800MT/s.

Start at a fairly low speed, e.g. 5000MT/s and if it's 100% stable, work your way up through the list. Run a stress test at each frequency.

Sometimes you can invoke an XMP setting in the BIOS and manually relax the Primary timings to make the overclock more stable. The first one to try is CL (CAS). If the value of CL at 6400MT/s is 40, try increasing it to 42.

The idea is to retain most of the XMP values, but "slow down" (relax) some of the more critical timings. Hence you'd move from 40-40-40-77 to 42-40-40-77 at 6400MT/s.

Switching from standard memory profiles to XMP increases the DDR5 RAM voltage from 1.20V to 1.35, 1.40 or 1.45V. Higher voltages are required for higher overclock speeds. The more voltage, the warmer things get. You'll notice the XMP timings are "tighter" than the standard timings at the same speed.

If you're really unlucky, you'll have to manually program a whole slew of memory timings (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary) for each DIMM into the BIOS. These timings must match the memory speed you choose. You'll also have to manually increase the memory voltage to 1.35V or possibly higher if you choose XMP timings. Do NOT exceed 1.50V on DDR5.

How far you get overclocking your memory depends on the Sllicon Lottery and how adept you are at (manual) tweaking. There are numerous overclocking guides available online. You should regard 6400MT/s as a target to aim at, not a cast iron guarantee out-of-the-box.

On a final note, I run my 2 x 32GB (64GB RAM) on my 7950X at 4800MT/s for stability. My apps don't benefit from faster RAM by more than a few percent.

 

[Devious121]

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