XMP vs EXPO vs ??

Grumbledook · 3 Sep 2023 at 16:11

I'm just doing some research into a potential upgrade later this year and when it comes to RAM I see there are some labeled for Intel XMP and some for AMD EXPO and some that don't mention either.

Do I need to be worried about compatibility at all? Historically since buying an 8MB stick of RAM back in the 90s I've never had to worry beyond making sure you buy the correct ram for the slots on your motherboard.

With DDR5 though it looks like there are three different options on top of speed and CL timings.

Grumbledook · 4 Sep 2023 at 12:21

Thanks both.

Will the ram run out of the box at the speed and timing listed, or do you need to use a profile to hit them?

Or do the profiles boost them beyond the listed speed and timings?

Grumbledook · 4 Sep 2023 at 14:08

One last question, I see there is DDR5 listed at 5600 6000 and 6400 as well, would that be their default or is that boosted up from 4800 5200 with the profile?

Presumably faster memory will come out in time as well as I think I saw 7000 mentioned some places yeterday.

Grumbledook · 4 Sep 2023 at 15:43

Ah, I was looking at this G.Skill 6000 CL30 2x32GB. https://www.gskill.com/product/165/396/1691400033/F5-6000J3040G32GX2-FX5

I've just gone to the specs and see that the default speed is listed at 4800 @ 1.1v and that it's the EXPO tested speed which is 6000 @ 1.4v.

I'd have totally missed that, thanks muchly to both of you.

I'll look closer before I buy then, I'm guessing different brands will advertise in different ways.