Can any one explain XMP to me?

Kimmy · 2 Sep 2010 at 17:52

Can any one explain XMP to me?

I know it stands for Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP). But what exactly is it.

My new motherboard (Asus P6X58D-E) supports XMP, but the RAM I bought isn’t XMP (doesn't mention it anywhere). Does it make any difference? I’m about to build this computer over the weekend and I’m not sure if I bought the wrong RAM modules.

I’ve just read through the manual for the mobo and it says that XMP can be disabled in the BIOS. What difference will it make to my new build?

Cheers.

ThomasTheTankEngine · 2 Sep 2010 at 22:06

It's basically just automatic overclocking for your ram.

If your memory supports it, you enable it in the bios, and it makes the ram run at 1600mhz instead of 1333mhz, and it adjusts the timings and such so that it's stable at that speed.

If your memory doesn't support it, then the option in the bios will be grayed out and you won't be able to enable it.

Broken Hope · 2 Sep 2010 at 22:12

Yeah, it automatically sets the timings, voltage, uncore frequency etc.

Kimmy · 2 Sep 2010 at 23:04

Thanks for the replies.

I understand now. At first, I thought it would cause a compatibility issue.

I’m not into overclocking, so it makes no difference to me.

Cheers.