Can i overclock ddr4 RAM past its rated X.M.P. profile??

[aiucaiu]

Okay this may seem like a kind of stupid question and i am VERY certain the answer is "yes" but just to be sure i will ask, can i overclock ddr4 memory past its XMP profile. I'm specifically talking about the Corsair dominator platinum that is rated at 2400mhz if i can manually OC that to 3000 or 3200mhz etc. without having to pay more for the ram with 3200mhz rated speed?

[PCGuy_5960]

You can manually OC it, but it is not very easy....

[aiucaiu]

Just now, PCGuy_5960 said:

You can manually OC it, but it is not very easy....

So if i just plot in 3200mhz it will probably not work and i will probably have to mess around with the BCLK???

[Naeaes]

As the case is for all overclocking, you're going to have to find out for yourself. Nothing prevents you from manually entering the settings but whether or not it will be stable, time will tell.

[PCGuy_5960]

Just now, SpeedyDucky said:

So if i just plot in 3200mhz it will probably not work and i will probably have to mess around with the BCLK???

And RAM voltages AFAIK... If you want someone to help you overclock your RAM, @MageTank should be able to help you

[aiucaiu]

39 minutes ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

And RAM voltages AFAIK... If you want someone to help you overclock your RAM, @MageTank should be able to help you

Okay thanks

[JoostinOnline]

6 hours ago, SpeedyDucky said:

So if i just plot in 3200mhz it will probably not work and i will probably have to mess around with the BCLK???

Don't touch the base clock.  That will mess with your entire system.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

8 hours ago, SpeedyDucky said:

So if i just plot in 3200mhz it will probably not work and i will probably have to mess around with the BCLK???

Not with the BCLK, but with the timings. The XMP, or any other default setting, contains information not only on the frequency, but also in all the other parameters (ram viltage, CAS latency, and a myriad other timings). Higher frequencies are harder to sustain with tight timings and low voltages. Manually overclocking will require you to find a stable combination of those. 

You can try your luck with just touching the frequency or the basic timings a bit, but most likely you won't get too far by that (or the kit would probably have been rated higher to begin with). A more complex tweaking may let you get some extra performance, but as always worth OC, some luck is involved. 

[aiucaiu]

3 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Not with the BCLK, but with the timings. The XMP, or any other default setting, contains information not only on the frequency, but also in all the other parameters (ram viltage, CAS latency, and a myriad other timings). Higher frequencies are harder to sustain with tight timings and low voltages. Manually overclocking will require you to find a stable combination of those. 

You can try your luck with just touching the frequency or the basic timings a bit, but most likely you won't get too far by that (or the kit would probably have been rated higher to begin with). A more complex tweaking may let you get some extra performance, but as always worth OC, some luck is involved. 

Okay so higher frequency RAM is cherry picked silicon lottery winners?? And then i will probably just buy a 3000mhz kit and just try to overclock to 3200++ just because i like to tinker with stuff

[SpaceGhostC2C]

7 hours ago, SpeedyDucky said:

Okay so higher frequency RAM is cherry picked silicon lottery winners?? And then i will probably just buy a 3000mhz kit and just try to overclock to 3200++ just because i like to tinker with stuff

Sometimes, yes. But other times it's just a different tuning of the same silicon: they may pack the same sticks as lower frequency, lower latency kits, and as higher frequency, higher latency kits. If you ignore timings, you may come to the mistaken conclusion that the higher frequency kit is faster, when they are actually the same speed all things considered. Higher frequency alone doesn't mean better performance unless timings don't get much worse (unless you are using Ryzen and higher frequency is important for the CPU itself, in which case I would recommend Wendell's guide to manually overclocking RAM for Ryzen).