How to Overclock RAM: A Comprehensive Guide

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-13 00:26

This will provide performance gains without any investment.

What characteristics determine the speed of RAM

The speed of the computer depends on the amount of RAM. And how quickly it allows itself to write and read data, these characteristics will show.

Effective data transmission frequency

Memory speed depends on the number of data transfers that can be performed in one second. The higher this characteristic, the faster the memory works.

Formally, speed is measured in gigatransfers (GT / s) or megatransfers (MT / s). One transfer - one data transfer operation, megatransfer - one million such operations, gigatransfer - one billion.

But almost always the speed is indicated in megahertz or gigahertz - the manufacturers decided that it would be more understandable for buyers. If your memory strip is marked, for example, with the DDR4-2133 marking, then its data transfer rate is 2,133 MT / s or 2,133 MHz.

But the effective data transfer rate of DDR memory is twice its clock frequency. Actually, DDR is a double data rate, twice the data transfer rate.

In such modules, data is transmitted twice for each cycle: the pulse is read both on the signal edge and on its fall, that is, one cycle is two operations. Thus, the real frequency at which the DDR-2666 memory works is 1,333 MT / s or 1,333 MHz.

If you have installed memory sticks with different frequencies, then the system will work at the lowest of them. Of course, the motherboard must support this frequency.

Timings

CAS Timings (Column Access Strobe) are delays in the process of working memory. They show how many clock cycles the memory module needs to access the data bits. The lower the timings, the better.

Basically, memory is a rectangular table that consists of cells in rows and columns. To access the data, you need to find the correct row, open it, and refer to a cell in a specific column.

Typically, timings are written in this format: 15-17-17-39. These are four different parameters:

• Actually, CAS Latency is the signal delay between sending the column address to memory and the beginning of data transfer. Reflects the time it takes to read the first bit from an open string.
• RAS to CAS Delay - the minimum number of clock cycles between opening a memory row and accessing its columns. In fact, this is the time to open a string and read the first bit from it.
• RAS Precharge Time - the minimum number of ticks between the issuance of the precharge command (line closing) and the opening of the next line. Reflects the time until the first bit of memory is read from cells with an invalid open string. In this case, the wrong line must be closed, and the desired one must be opened.
• DRAM Cycle Time tRAS / tRC - the ratio of the time interval during which the row is open for data transfer to the time during which the full cycle of opening and updating the row is completed. This parameter reflects the speed of the entire memory chip.

If the RAM has a high clock speed and high timings, it may work slower than the variant with a lower frequency, but also with lower timings. You can divide the clock speed by CAS Latency (the first number in the timing line) and figure out how many instructions per second the memory is capable of executing. This will allow you to assess how fast it is.

Voltage

You can see many different parameters in the RAM documentation: controller voltage (SOC), memory training at system startup (DRAM Boot), reference voltage source (Vref), and so on. First of all, SOC is important for overclocking. It depends on the memory class - Intel® XMP ‑ Ready is considered the norm: Extreme Memory Profiles for Intel® Core ™ Processors, DDR2 DIMM / SODIMM such values:

• DDR2 - 1.8V;
• DDR3 - 1.5V;
• DDR4 - 1.2 V.

There are also peak voltage values for each memory class, which should not be exceeded during overclocking:

• DDR2 - 2.3V;
• DDR3 - 1.8V;
• DDR4 - 1.5V.

Increasing the frequency of the RAM will require an increased voltage. But the higher it is, the greater the risk of premature module failure.

Rank

Random access memory is one-, two- and four-rank. The rank is the number of arrays of memory chips soldered on one module. The width of one array (bank), as a rule, is equal to 64 bits, in systems with ECC (error correction code) - 72 bits.

Peer-to-peer modules (single rank) usually include 4 or 8 chips on one bar. Double rank - 16 such chips. Quad rank - 32 chips, and this format is quite rare.

Usually this indicator is marked with a letter in the name: S (single) - peer-to-peer, D (double) - two-rank, Q (quad) - four-rank.

Peer-to-peer chips are generally cheaper and have more potential for overclocking. Dual-rank modules initially work with higher performance, but the gain during overclocking will be less.

Can any RAM be overclocked?

It depends primarily on the motherboard. If it supports overclocking (overclocking), then, most likely, there will be no problems with overclocking the memory.

Motherboards based on chipsets B350, B450, B550, X370, X470, X570 for AMD processors support overclocking, but not for A320. On this page you can check if your model has overclocking capability.

For systems with Intel processors, motherboards based on X- and Z-series chipsets are suitable for overclocking. Models from the lines of W-, Q-, B- and H-series do not support overclocking. You can check the data on your motherboard here.

Samsung's RAM is said to provide the highest boost when overclocked. The performance gains for Hynix and Micron chips will be smaller.

Let's emphasize: we are talking about chips. Some brands, such as Kingston or Crucial, may release memory on Samsung, Hynix or Micron chips.

The only question is why you need to overclock your memory. If you want to speed up surfing the Internet in this way, you are unlikely to achieve noticeable results. But to increase FPS in games, to speed up photo processing in Adobe Lightroom and video in Adobe AfterEffects or Premiere, overclocking is justified - you can “squeeze out” a 15–20% increase in performance.

Note also that in AMD Ryzen processors, the frequency of the RAM is related to the frequency of the internal bus, which connects the two blocks of cores. Therefore, for AMD-based systems, overclocking directly affects the performance of the CPU.

But in any case, the manufacturer's warranty does not apply to the memory, the parameters of which you have changed. So any overclocking you do at your own peril and risk.

How to prepare for RAM overclocking

To get things done and not harm your computer, follow these steps.

Clean your computer

Any overclocking leads to an increase in the temperature of the components. In order for the cooling system to effectively cope with this, carry out a general cleaning inside the system unit or laptop. On this page you will find instructions for a laptop, with a PC everything will be even easier: the components are in sight, it is easier to disassemble the system unit.

Install the software

These utilities will tell you about the characteristics of your system and help you test it after overclocking. You will definitely need a program for determining memory parameters and a benchmark for tests. We recommend the following software options:

• Thaiphoon Burner is perhaps the most popular utility for determining memory parameters among overclockers. Price - from $ 26 per year.
• CPU-Z is a small freeware program that will help you to clarify the characteristics of memory and the system as a whole.
• Aida64 - also shows system parameters and includes benchmarks for testing. The official site has paid options and free demos.
• DRAM Calculator for Ryzen is a free utility that will help you set the optimal RAM overclocking parameters for systems based on AMD Ryzen. The software also includes a memory benchmark that is suitable for systems based on Intel processors.
• Prime95 is a free benchmark for testing system stability: it loads both CPU and RAM well. When using, you need to choose the Blend option to achieve a significant memory load.
• MemTest86 is a benchmark where you can find more data and algorithms to check. For the program to work, you need a USB flash drive - you will write a disk image with tests to it. Then you need to boot the computer from a flash drive (set boot from USB to BIOS / UEFI) and run the tests. The free version is enough to overclock the RAM.

Find the latest BIOS / UEFI for your motherboard

Update your motherboard software before overclocking. You can download the latest BIOS / UEFI from the manufacturer's website.

As a rule, new versions work more stable, they have fewer bugs and risk factors. Besides, old firmwares of some motherboard models may not support memory overclocking, while newer ones already include this function.

How to overclock RAM in BIOS

Overclocking in BIOS is the most versatile way. It requires a lot of effort and time, since the parameters have to be selected manually. Sometimes it can take a day or two to achieve optimal performance. But it always works - of course, if your motherboard supports overclocking. The main thing is not to increase the voltage above the peak values and not to ignore errors in the system stability tests.

Determine the characteristics of RAM

In Thaiphoon Burner, click Read and select the desired memory module. The characteristics are shown separately for each of them.

In the CPU-Z, this data is presented in the SPD tab. At the top - the type of memory, its frequency, rank, information about the manufacturer and release date. At the bottom - timings.

The same information is in Aida64: in the item "Motherboard" - SPD:

Evaluate memory performance in a benchmark

Run the benchmark to assess the speed of the modules before overclocking. For example, in the Tests section of Aida64, the options are Read from Memory, Write to Memory, Copy to Memory, and Memory Delay. Wait until the end of each test and save the results - write down or take screenshots.

Increase voltage and frequency

Raise the operating voltage of the memory modules. For the most common DDR4 standard today, 1.2 V is considered the norm, and 1.5 V is the peak, which means that overclocking can be carried out within 1, 35-1, 45 V.

We also recommend increasing the controller voltage (VCORE SOC for AMD, VCCSA for Intel) if the motherboard does not do this automatically. The parameter must be within 1.05-1.1 V.

You can also increase VCCIO by 0.05–0.1 V. The additional voltage can make the system more stable.

Then increase the memory frequency gradually. For Ryzen, a lot depends on the processor architecture. So, in systems with chips based on the Zen microarchitecture, the RAM can be overclocked to 3,466 MHz Overclocking statistics for Zen systems, on Zen + - up to 3,533 MHz. Overclocking statistics for Zen + systems, on Zen2 - up to 3,800 MHz. Overclocking statistics for Zen2 systems. Zen3, which went on sale in November from AMD reveals its new Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 processors, including the ‘world’s best gaming CPU’, is expected to overclock memory to 4,000 MHz and beyond.

You can determine the approximate values in the DRAM Calculator for Ryzen for AMD-based systems. You need to specify the microarchitecture (Zen, Zen +, Zen2, Zen3), the type of memory chip, the rank (1 or 2), the number of modules and the chipset of the motherboard.

As a reminder, the memory characteristics are described in detail in Thaiphoon Burner. Find processor and motherboard families in CPU-Z or Aida64.

After you have set the basic system parameters in the DRAM Calculator for Ryzen, press R ‑ XMP for it to perform the basic calculations. Then define the desired settings for Calculate Safe, Calculate Fast, or Calculate Extreme.

For Intel, there are no analogues of the DRAM Calculator for Ryzen yet. But if you use any means that facilitate the selection of parameters, write about them in the comments.

The developers of the DRAM Calculator for Ryzen invite users to share overclocking results and collect statistics in tables:

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We do not recommend immediately increasing the frequency of the RAM above the values supported by the processor. See this page for Intel processor specifications.

On the AMD website, you can also find information about a specific chipset model.

Restart your computer and check the result

First of all, run the benchmark and see if the results increase. If not, return the previous values - you probably reached the maximum memory frequency. If the numbers increase, run a system stability test, for example from the DRAM Calculator for Ryzen.

If there are no errors in the test, you can start more fundamental tests. A couple of hours in Prime95 or other memory-demanding benchmarks should suffice. Only if during a long stress test you have not caught a BSOD ("blue screen of death") or other errors, you can proceed to the next stage of overclocking. Otherwise, return the previous values.

Repeat

Increase the frequency of your RAM while your computer is stable. If it does not start after a reboot, return the previous values of the parameters that you changed.

Reduce timings

When you have reached the maximum possible values of the frequency of operation of the RAM, reduce the base timings (the first four values) by one and test the system again. It is worth stopping when you stop seeing performance gains or when the computer cannot work stably.

How to overclock RAM using the XMP profile

The XMP ‑ profile (eXtreme Memory Profile) is the manufacturer's specified settings for overclocking RAM. In fact, this is "approved overclocking": the power will be higher than with the original factory settings, and the risks of disabling the system are minimal.

This is perhaps the easiest way to overclock. If, of course, XMP profiles are available for your PC.

Check if the system supports XMP profiles

Go to BIOS / UEFI and go to the memory settings page. If there is an item like Memory Profile and XMP profile options are available, then your system supports this feature. In the profile itself, you can see the specific values / u200b / u200bof the parameters of the RAM.

Evaluate memory performance in a benchmark

Open DRAM Calculator for Ryzen, launch Membench and select the appropriate test. We recommend Easy if you have up to 8GB of RAM, and Memtest if you have more.

You can also run benchmarks in Aida64 or other benchmarks.

Apply XMP ‑ profile

Switch the configuration in BIOS / UEFI from standard to the desired XMP ‑ profile. Apply the settings and reboot the system.

On some boards, profiles are enabled differently. For example, in BIOS / UEFI of ASUS motherboards, they can be activated in the AI Tweaker section. In BIOS / UEFI of MSI gaming motherboards, this item is moved to the main page or to the Extreme Tweaker tab.

Evaluate the result

Run the benchmark again and see the growth. Then run the system stability test (Prime95 and others) - for at least two hours, and preferably for 12-24 hours.

If everything went well, use this profile or try the next one. Then compare the results and choose the one that gives you the best performance.

If the system does not start, experiment with a different profile or return to factory settings. Usually, the first option slightly improves system performance, while the second and subsequent ones provide more extreme overclocking.

How to overclock RAM with AMD Ryzen Master

AMD Ryzen Master is a comprehensive overclocking utility for AMD Ryzen processor-based systems. Overclocking here is similar to overclocking memory in the BIOS. But the interface is more universal and there is a ready-made benchmark for tests.

In the Memory Control section, you can set the required performance parameters. When choosing settings, we recommend that you proceed from the values given by the DRAM Calculator for Ryzen.

When finished, save the profile and then click Apply & Test. The built-in benchmark will help you check the stability and productivity of the system.