What are XMP profiles and how do I use them?
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XMP or Extreme Memory Profiles, is an Intel technology that allows you to change multiple memory settings by simply selecting a different profile, taking advantage of higher than standard memory speeds. If you’ve ever wanted to overclock your memory but didn’t want to fiddle with frequency, voltage and timings, this is the way to do it.
How does XMP memory work?
When you power on your computer, it conducts a power-on self-test. Part of this process includes automatically configuring installed hardware, including your memory.
Your computer needs to know the model of your RAM as well as which timings and frequency to set. Your BIOS will use a small chip on your RAM modules called an SPD (serial presence detect) chip to set memory timing and frequencies properly. XMP is an extension of SPD which provides higher frequencies and tighter timings for your memory to run at. It also corrects for the extra voltage required which provides a stable overclock with the click of a button.
XMP profiles essentially allow high-performance RAM, which run above industry DDR specifications, to be appropriately set up for your system.
How do I enable XMP?
XMP profiles can be accessed from within the BIOS on supported motherboards. These profiles may provide different levels of overclocking, which can all be checked via the BIOS.
There are two major versions of XMP in use today, and which one you can use depends on your memory and platform:
- XMP 2.0: This is common for DDR4 memory. It offers two XMP profiles as standard.
- XMP: 3.0: This was launched alongside DDR5 memory. It offers up to three XMP profiles as standard and a further two customisable user profiles.
To enabled XMP, simply select one of the profiles, save your settings and reboot.
You can confirm your new overclock using a program such as CPU-Z.
What if I don’t turn on XMP?
All high-performance RAM uses XMP profiles, because they all run above standard DDR industry specifications. If you don’t enable XMP, they will run at your system’s standard specifications that are dependent on the CPU you have. That is to say, you won’t take advantage of the higher clock speeds that your RAM may have.
In most circumstances, this will be fine. Your system will simply run to spec, and you can rest easy knowing everything is nice and stable. However, XMP allows your system to set motherboard and CPU parameters correctly, to allow higher frequency RAM modules, that are designed to run beyond usual specifications.
Failing XMP and AMP, you could always find out the XMP profile speeds and feeds for your RAM and enable them manually in your BIOS.
Why are there multiple XMP profiles?
XMP supported modules contain two or three factory set memory profiles, depending on which version of XMP you have available.
That’ll be either XMP 2.0 or XMP 3.0.
The first profile usually contains enthusiast settings; these allow your memory to run at the rated speed advertised on the box. These settings enable only a modest overclock and are also the most stable. The second profile often contains more extreme settings that offer a much higher level of performance. The third profile is usually similarly set up for more extreme memory, too.
It’s worth noting that these XMP profiles are set by the manufacturer, so may differ between memory sticks. XMP 3.0 also offers two user-configurable profiles for your own fine-tuning.
Is XMP stable?
Any time overclocking is involved, there is a risk of instability. With XMP the configurations included are thoroughly tested for the specific memory you are using, however. The timings, voltage and frequency are set to compliment each other and mitigate much of the instability that can creep up with a manual overclock.
No automatic configuration can account for outside factors, though, such as a CPU overclock.
This is something to keep in mind if you experience any instability.
Similarly, if you’re mixing and matching RAM sticks from different sets, you may be limited in which XMP profiles are stable. Usually the top speed of the worst set of RAM sticks is your best bet for stable operation, but you may still be able to push speeds and latency further if required.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| XMP 1.0 | XMP 2.0 | XMP 3.0 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory Technology | DDR3 | DDR4 | DDR5 |
| Vendor profiles (static) | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Rewritable profiles | None | None | 2 |
| Descriptive profile names | No | No | Yes |
| CRC Checksum | No | No | Yes |
| On Module voltage control | No | No | Yes |
| Total bytes allocated to XMP | 78 | 102 | 384 |
What are the differences between XMP 2.
0 and XMP 3.0?
XMP 3.0 offers more profiles than XMP 2.0, for greater fine tuning of your memory’s speeds and latency. It’s been introduce alongside new DDR5 memory, and is able to offer three factory set XMP profiles out of the box and two user configurable profiles if you prefer to go it alone. These profiles can also be renamed.
XMP 3.0 also comes with support for more standardised voltage control through DDR5’s integrated voltage regulator.
Perhaps the most exciting feature to arrive alongside XMP 3.0 is Intel’s Dynamic Memory Boost Technology. This automatically switches between JEDEC standard and XMP memory profiles for preferred performance and efficiency at any given time. This is an Intel platform feature, however, so AMD chips won’t be able to utilise it even with XMP memory installed.
(Image credit: AMD)
Do AMD compatible motherboards support XMP?
Yes. You’ll find most AM4, Ryzen-compatible motherboards offer full compatibility for XMP.
However, you may still find reference to AMD’s sister technology AMP, or X-AMP, on occasion.
AMP stands for AMD Memory Profile, and though it’s been around for a long time now it has never quite reached a level of market saturation that Intel’s XMP has. It is essentially one and the same with XMP in practice, however—with a compatible memory kit, it makes it easy to enable faster memory profiles. Some motherboard manufacturers also took this into their own hands with DOCP and EOCP, which essentially turn XMP on for AMD boards using memory SPD settings. You don’t often see these in use anymore, though, and you’d be hard-pressed to find memory with AMP-specific speeds nowadays.
XMP rules the roost, and memory will be marketed with XMP compatibility. Though AMD might have a plan in mind to weaken Intel’s grip on the memory speed standard.
There have been rumours of RAMP, or Ryzen Accelerated Memory Profile, which would be AMD’s answer to XMP 3.0. This is likely to also be compatible with XMP 3.
0, as AMP is today with XMP, so should work much in the the same way with DDR5 memory kits already available. Though this has not yet been confirmed, it’s expected with the shift to AM5.
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Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog from his hometown in Wales in 2017. From there, he graduated to professionally breaking things as hardware writer at PCGamesN, where he would later win command of the kit cupboard as hardware editor. Nowadays, as senior hardware editor at PC Gamer, he spends his days reporting on the latest developments in the technology and gaming industry. When he’s not writing about GPUs and CPUs, however, you’ll find him trying to get as far away from the modern world as possible by wild camping.
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How to enable XMP to speed up RAM
Have you ever wondered what XMP means and does? Have you read about memory modules that support XMP? Or maybe you heard a friend talking about RAM SPD, JEDEC, overclocking and XMP? Read on if you want to know more about XMP, what it is, and how to use XMP profiles on your computer. In this guide, we explain everything, including how to check if your RAM is XMP compatible and how to increase memory speed for free by selecting the fastest XMP profile available in your computer’s UEFI or BIOS:
What is RAM SPD?
During production, each RAM module is configured to run at a certain speed, which is the result of its default frequency and timings. When you turn on your computer, the first thing that happens is a boot test, also called POST (Power On Self Test). This is a series of basic hardware tests performed according to the UEFI or BIOS instructions of the computer. Among other checks, the RAM is also initialized and tested. The initial speed of the RAM modules — frequency, timings, voltage — are set according to their SPD values. SPD (Serial Presence Detect) is a chip installed on each memory module. This lets your motherboard know that RAM is present and also tells it what settings to use to access the RAM. . The JEDEC and XMP memory profiles are extensions of SPD. Read on to find out more about what they mean and what they do:
What is JEDEC?
Starting with DDR3 RAM, memory settings, including frequency, timings and voltage, are stored in modules in accordance with standard JEDEC (name derived from Joint Electronic Devices Technical Council ). When you install a DDR3, DDR4, or DDR5 memory module in a computer, its motherboard automatically enables the default JEDEC profile for it, allowing the RAM to run at its default speed. For example, a DDR4-3000 module will default to 3000 MHz, while DDR-5200 RAM will run at 5200 MHz. However, besides JEDEC, some if not most RAM kits these days also support XMP profiles. «What’s this?» You can ask.
What is XMP?
XMP, short for Extreme Memory Profile , is another memory standard originally created by Intel for DDR3 RAM. It is a set of extended frequencies and timings that the RAM module can use to improve performance. While JEDEC memory profiles provide excellent compatibility (all manufacturers use them), XMP profiles allow RAM modules to run at higher frequencies and lower timings. And they also compensate for the amount of additional stress required. RAM modules that support XMP have already been tested by their manufacturers and are guaranteed to work flawlessly at the speeds stored in their XMP profiles.
If you like, you can think of XMP profiles as memory overclock settings that are already tuned, tested, and stored directly in RAM modules. All you need to do to make your RAM run faster is enable the fastest XMP profile available for it. It is quite simple, as you will see later in this article. However, you should keep in mind that in order to be able to use XMP RAM, both your motherboard and CPU (processor) must be able to use your RAM at XMP frequency and timings.
How to enable XMP for your RAM to increase its speed
Now that you know what XMP is, you might want to know how to enable it on your computer motherboard to increase the speed of your RAM. After all, most of us wouldn’t turn down a free productivity boost, right? Here’s how to select XMP profiles and enable them:
XMP profiles are enabled and selected in your motherboard’s BIOS or UEFI. This means that you first need to access your computer’s firmware. This can usually be done by pressing the 9 key0019 Del, Esc or F2 immediately after starting the computer. However, the required steps vary depending on the motherboard manufacturer.
Once you have entered your UEFI/BIOS, you will need to find a setting called XMP. Some motherboard manufacturers use the exact term XMP, while others stick with the full name: Extreme Memory Profile . In most cases, at least on newer motherboards, you’ll find it on the first UEFI/BIOS page. In other cases, XMP options may be listed on page Tweaking , on page Advanced or anywhere else in UEFI/BIOS.
For example, on the Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master motherboard, XMP is displayed on the first UEFI page if you choose to use the Easy Mode view.
And you can also find it on the Tweaker page if you enable the Advanced Mode interface. Unlike simple mode where it was simply called XMP , in extended mode memory profiles are listed under their full name: Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) .
To enable the XMP profile for your RAM, click or select and press Enter in the XMP setting. You should then see a list of available XMP profiles.
While you can use any of these, you’ll probably want to pick the fastest one, the one that determines the highest frequency. For example, the Kingston 32 GB DDR5 memory kit we use comes with three XMP profiles, each of which allows you to work at different speeds: 4800, 5600 and 6000 MT/s. To get the best performance out of it, we choose the fastest XMP profile: DDR-6000.
Once you’ve enabled the XMP profile you want to use for your RAM, all that’s left to do is save your settings and exit UEFI/BIOS to restart your computer. Your computer’s memory modules will then operate at the frequency, timings, and voltage specified in the selected XMP profiles. Voila: speed! 🙂
Alternatives to XMP and how to enable XMP on AMD systems
Since XMP was developed by Intel, AMD was not so quick to follow suit and implement it. Their alternative to XMP was called AMP (AMD Memory Profile). In fact, it is practically the same as XMP. However, since Intel XMP was more popular, both people and manufacturers wanted it. As a result, many manufacturers have created proprietary XMP-equivalent technologies that would allow XMP profiles to be read and used on AMD motherboards. Unfortunately, this also means different terms and different parameter names that need to be changed to enable XMP. For example, MSI has A-XMP, ASUS has DOCP (Direct Overclocking Profile), and Gigabyte has EOCP (Advanced Overclocking Profile). These settings should be looked for in the UEFI or BIOS of the motherboard for AMD processors.
Although we don’t have motherboards from all manufacturers, we do have ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero (Wi-Fi). It is designed to work with AMD Ryzen processors, is DDR4 compatible, and can use XMP profiles, but you won’t find them with that name in UEFI. To enable XMP on an ASUS motherboard like this, you need to select one of the available DOCP profiles. And yes, you guessed it: our RAM has two XMP profiles, and they are identical to the two DOCP profiles specified in UEFI. Here’s how to enable the maximum performance RAM profile in EZ Mode UEFI:
And here is where to find the DOCP profiles on your ASUS motherboard if you prefer to use it in UEFI Advanced Mode :
As you can see, enabling XMP is quite simple. The hard part is figuring out which name your motherboard manufacturer has chosen. 🙂
How to check if your RAM supports XMP
Obviously, you can check if your RAM supports XMP by reading its manual or looking at its specifications on its manufacturer’s support website. But both ways are cumbersome, right? The easiest way to find out if you have XMP RAM is to use a small and very popular tool called CPU-Z. Download and run it on your Windows PC and then go to tab SPD. On any (relatively) modern computer using DDR3 or DDR4, SPD Ext. field should be XMP 2.0 .
If you have a really new computer running DDR5, SPD Ext. The field should read XMP 3.0 .
NOTE . The only significant difference between the XMP 2.0 and XMP 3.0 standards currently is that the former can only store two memory profiles, while the latter allows three built-in profiles and two more that can be configured.
How to check if XMP is enabled on your computer
You can check if your computer uses XMP for its RAM by going into its UEFI or BIOS where you can find the XMP profiles and see which one is installed. However, you may not want to go into UEFI/BIOS to do this, or you may know for sure that the settings you make are actually applied in Windows. CPU-Z comes to the rescue again. On tab SPD view timing table to see which XMP memory profiles are available. Then compare their values with the active RAM timings shown on the Memory tab. Active will be the same or identical to those configured in one of the XMP profiles. The appropriate XMP profile is used by your memory. Here is an example of how we will know that our computer’s DDR4 memory is configured to use the XMP-3200 profile:
If you find that your RAM does not use XMP but does support it, why not enable it? Just follow the instructions we showed you earlier to enable XMP from UEFI/BIOS and you will get a free memory upgrade.
Have you enabled XMP on your PC?
As you’ve seen, XMP is quite useful, allowing you to speed up your memory without paying a dime. This is a widely popular RAM standard these days, and most memory modules support it. Have you enabled XMP on your computer? Do you have other questions regarding XMP? Let us know in the comments below.
XMP profiles can be accessed from the BIOS on supported motherboards. These profiles can provide different levels of overclocking, which can be checked through the BIOS.
There are two main versions of XMP in use today, and which one you can use depends on your memory and platform:
- XMP 2.0: This is common for DDR4 memory. It offers two XMP profiles as standard.
- XMP: 3.0: It was launched alongside DDR5 memory. It offers up to three XMP profiles as standard and two more customizable user profiles.
To enable XMP, simply select one of the profiles, save the settings and reboot. You can confirm the new overclock with a program like CPU-Z.
What if I don’t enable XMP?
All high performance RAM uses XMP profiles as they all operate above industry standard DDR specifications. If you don’t enable XMP, they will work with your system’s default specs, which depend on your processor. That is, you won’t be able to take advantage of the higher clock speeds your RAM might have.
This will be fine in most cases. Your system will simply perform to specifications and you can rest easy knowing that everything is working well and stable. However, XMP allows your system to correctly set the motherboard and CPU parameters to allow the use of higher frequency RAM modules that are rated to operate outside of normal specifications.
In case of XMP and AMP failure, you can always find out the speeds and channels of the XMP profile for your RAM and enable them manually in the BIOS.
Why are there multiple XMP profiles?
XMP-enabled modules contain two or three factory-installed memory profiles, depending on the version of XMP available. It will be either XMP 2.0 or XMP 3.0.
The first profile usually contains settings for enthusiasts; they allow your memory to run at the rated speed listed on the box. These settings provide only modest overclocking and are also the most stable. The second profile often contains more extreme settings that provide a much higher level of performance.
The third profile is usually configured in the same way for more extreme memory.
It is worth noting that these XMP profiles are set by the manufacturer, so they may differ depending on the memory card. XMP 3.0 also offers two user-configurable profiles for fine-tuning.
Is XMP stable?
Every time overclocking is used, there is a risk of instability. However, the included XMP configurations are extensively tested for the specific memory used. Timings, voltages and frequencies are tuned to complement each other and mitigate much of the instability that can come with manual overclocking.
However, no automatic configuration can take into account external factors such as CPU overclocking. This is something to keep in mind if you are experiencing instability.
Similarly, if you mix and match RAM modules from different sets, you may be limited in which XMP profiles are stable. Usually the maximum speed of the worst set of RAM modules is the best choice for stable operation, but you can still increase the speed and latency if necessary.
| HMP 1.0 | XMP 2.0 | HMP 3.0 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory technology | DDR3 | DDR4 | DDR5 |
| Supplier profiles (static) | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Rewritable profiles | Nobody | Nobody | 2 |
| Descriptive profile names | No | No | yes |
| CRC checksum | No | No | yes |
| Voltage monitoring on module | No | No | yes |
| Total bytes allocated for XMP | 78 | 102 | 384 |
What is the difference between XMP 2.0 and XMP 3.0?
XMP 3.0 offers more profiles than XMP 2.0 to fine-tune your memory’s speed and latency. It was introduced alongside the new DDR5 memory and can offer three factory XMP profiles out of the box and two user-configurable profiles if you prefer to work alone. These profiles can also be renamed.
9The 0002 XMP 3.0 also supports more standardized voltage management with a built-in DDR5 voltage regulator.
Perhaps the most exciting feature to come with XMP 3.0 is Intel Dynamic Memory Boost Technology. It automatically switches between JEDEC and XMP memory profiles to provide the preferred performance and efficiency at any given time. However, this is an Intel platform feature, so AMD chips won’t be able to use it even with XMP memory installed.
(Image credit: AMD)
Do AMD compatible motherboards support XMP?
Yes. You will find that most AM4 and Ryzen compatible motherboards are fully XMP compatible. However, you can still occasionally find mention of AMD’s sister technology AMP or X-AMP.
AMP stands for AMD Memory Profile, and although it has been around for a long time, it has never reached the level of market saturation that Intel’s XMP has. However, in practice, it’s pretty much the same with XMP — with a compatible memory kit, you can easily enable faster memory profiles. Some motherboard manufacturers have also taken this into their own hands with DOCP and EOCP, which essentially enable XMP for AMD boards via SPD memory settings. However, you don’t often see them in use anymore, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find AMP-specific speed memory these days.
XMP dominates and memory will be sold with XMP compatibility. Although AMD may have a plan to loosen Intel’s grip on the memory speed standard.
RAMP or Ryzen Accelerated Memory Profile was rumored to be AMD’s answer to XMP 3.0. This will probably also be compatible with XMP 3.0, since AMP works with XMP today, so it should work exactly the same with already available DDR5 memory kits. Although not yet confirmed, this is expected with the transition to AM5.
