Why is XMP garbage?

[MandoPanda]

I have heard Linus mention several times that XMP is complete trash. Why is that?

 

Also, what is the alternative to getting your motherboard to use your RAM at full speed?

[Canada EH]

Extreme Memory Profile lets you overclock RAM and compatible DDR3 DDR4 memory to enhance the gaming features built into PCs. Get that extra edge you need to dominate. Load predefined and tested XMP profiles through your computer’s operating system, using BIOS or a specific tuning application.

 

Get more speed out of ram, you need to OC RAM.

[Jurrunio]

3 minutes ago, MandoPanda said:

I have heard Linus mention several times that XMP is complete trash. Why is that?

where? It is kinda trash to those after absolute performance because they are never as aggressive as it could have been, but it's up to the user on to whether use it or not anyway. It doesnt stop you from manually overclocking your memory either.

 

3 minutes ago, MandoPanda said:

Also, what is the alternative to getting your motherboard to use your RAM at full speed?

Manual overclocking

[Mira Yurizaki]

On my last system, I couldn't enable XMP and set the RAM speed to its advertised speed as the system wouldn't boot. So instead I just set the RAM speed directly to the advertised speed without enabling XMP and the system worked. Go figure.

[TrigrH]

Its cos more often than not a lot of systems wont post with the profile enabled, high speed memory compatibility is very difficult for motherboard manufacturers to get right.

[MandoPanda]

1 minute ago, Jurrunio said:

where?

I won't really be able to find it now. It was probably in one of their long form overclocking videos. He mentioned a story about how one of his board partner reps was surprised to hear that Linus didn't like XMP. I'm sure he's mentioned it in some WAN shows too.

[Fasauceome]

I'm in the same boat. Linus was the first one I've heard complain about XMP, I've already been able to use it successfully and it's common advice on the forum.

[MandoPanda]

8 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Manual overclocking

Just typing it into the BOIS manually?

[Jurrunio]

Just now, MandoPanda said:

Just typing it into the BOIS manually?

yes ,just like CPU overclocking. However instead of getting the frequency and voltage right, on memory OC you lock the voltage, and find the best set of frequency and timings to use.

[_Hustler_One_]

For me personally, XMP is not trash, as I dont understand how to manually OC the RAM properly especially the involved timings, etc.. So XMP is a handy tool for me who dont bother to manual OC RAM.

 

My RAM is 2666MHz C16, but I just simply go to BIOS and enable the XMP and set it at 3200MHz with 1.35v on it, and let the XMP choose the other parameters for me.. So I use a pair of 2666 but run at 3200, cheap RAM but run at higher speed.

[Jarsky]

XMP can be trash because a lot of people get unstable clocks that cause their computer to not boot or blue screen. 

This is because the actual supported max frequency is dependant on the memory controller which on modern CPU's is on the CPU die...and the quality can vary for this as much as it does for silicon lottery. 

 

XMP i guess is great for low speeds like 3000Mhz for Ryzen or 3200Mhz for Intel...but once you start hitting 3600, 4000....then the memory starts to become more susceptible to voltages and timings dependant on your CPU's memory controller. On older DDR3 platforms XMP would be a big fail because many memory controllers would get very picky with 2400Mhz speeds.

 

People who do set the XMP will often also overclock CPU and/or GPU, and then when they start getting game crashes and other stability glitches they often forget to troubleshoot the memory timing as a cause for it, because of trusting XMP and not understanding more advanced memory settings like VCCSA & VCCIO and memory controller stability. 

 

In saying that though most DDR3 only came with the "enthusiast" profile, while most DDR4 has 2 XMPP's, one being more conservative so you're more likely to get a stable overclock at a somewhat decent rate.