Performance enthusiast in the PC or computer world first and foremost look at their CPU processor and its functioning capabilities to determine the kind of performance they are going to reap.
In gaming computer or PC configuration or graphic-intensive setups and the graphics card in the GPU is something that they next look at when working overclocking their setup as well.
While overclocking the CPU and GPU will monumentally increase the speed at which your processor its general computing and graphics processing tasks, your performance will be impaired, if your memory module isn’t operating at its maximum capability.
So, this means that even after overclocking your CPU and GPU, there remains a window for further improvement which is directly controlled by how far you’ve overclocked your RAM.
Therefore, it’s apparent that spending some time overclocking your memory module is worth your time in the effort of optimizing your computers or PCs performance. Additionally, the traditionally four setups to follow, when it comes to overclocking any processing or memory module component are to,
1- Check the base value
2- Adjust both clock and frequency parameters slightly
3- Performs a stress test
4- Repeat until the optimum level reached
While the third-party software applications such as CPU-Z work very well in getting a sense of the parameters you are already operating on and tweaking them repeatedly to see how far you can push a bit of good news for an AMD Ryzen users is that 1usums has gone ahead and also created a DRAM calculator that you can use to get a sense of your standard operating values and the best values to overclock your RAM memory module to.
In the layout of the traditional steps, you’ll need to use the DRAM calculator to check your base values and get a sense of your ideal overclocking values and head into your system’s BIOS to make the necessary tweaks and adjustment as well.
Basics of RAM overclocking
There’re few things that you should know going into the RAM overclocking procedures to have a fundamental sense of the parameters that you’ll tweaking and what the base values are expected to be.
Firstly, know that RAM overclocking is slightly more complex as compared to CPU and GPU overclocking, but it’s notably safe as well because you don’t have to fret overheating system and rising temperatures as well. RAMs produce significantly less heat than CPU and GPU units respectively.
Secondly, you may also know that for DDR4 RAM and the like the stock speed of up to 2400MHz that the memory module is stipulated to operate at is actually not the speed at which it runs. However, the actual speed is half of this, because the stipulated amount is double the data rate, which is quite exceptional.
Third, you may go back to the notion of the complexity involved and there’re over two dozen different parameters that you’ll need to adjust to improve your TAMs latency. So, the CAS latency clock cycles will help you do this.
Furthermore, if you’re someone who does not want to get into the nitty-gritty of manually overclocking your RAM memory and many manufacturers have created extreme memory profiles such as Intel’s XMP that you can apply through your system’s BIOS to implement a moderate overclocking that’s safely recommended by the manufacturers.
In addition, if you want o head into this yourself though, then you will have far more customizability and you will be able to push your RAM module beyond the XMP settings.
Using the DRAM Calculator to find the Best parameters
AMD Ryzen users out there are in luck, because 1usmus created a DRAM calculator to tell the user exactly what the ideal values will be your overclocking activity. So, the application isn’t the most fun one to use because it does require a fair amount of playing around to get the best set of values, but we’ll break it down for you to make it simpler.
1- Download and install the AMD Ryzen DRAM calculator and follow the on-screen instruction with administrator privileges until this’s complete. Now launch the app.
2- On the launch screen, you’ll be able to see the detail of the AMD Ryzen memory that you’re running. And, you can check any manufacturer to documentation to identify and confirm its type. So, your operating values will become visible.
3- At the bottom of the window, you’ll find a purple button that says R-XMP, click on this.
4- Type in your AMD Ryzen memory type and version that you’re using and click on the green button at the bottom of the window that reads calculate safe. So, this’ll give you a sense of the safe or secure value to adjust your parameters. These safe or secure parameters will always work very well, once they overclocked, but they’ll not be the maximum that you can overclock your memory module as well.
5- If you also want to push these values push further, then hit the orange button at the bottom that reads Calculate fast. So, these values will overclock your RAM memory further, but you mayn’t always be stable.
6- There’s also a very important option to calculate extreme values at the bottom in the form of the red button, but keep in mind that these values mayn’t necessarily be stable like calculate fast.
7- Once you have gotten your values for whichever setting that you are aiming for and send these screenshots to yourself so that you can open them up on a separate device, while you head into your system BIOS’s to make the tweaks.
Checking stability
After restarting your PC or computer, head back into the DRAM calculator and head under the “membench” tab at the top. Here, you’ll be able to test your RAM memory to see if there’re any errors present.
And, set the mode in this tab to custom and type in 300 for task scope and click on Max RAM and then run to perform the test. Depending on how big your RAM memory module is in storage size, your device will task more and less time to test it three times over.
In addition, if your system survives the stability test unscathed and without any error, then you can head back into your BIOS and also try implementing your fast values calculate by your DRAM calculator. Also, you can repeat the stability test as explained here and go even further if needed or required.
You can also make manual tweaks to the values of the parameters based on your own understanding of the parameters, but this isn’t recommended. So, the DRAM calculator application usually gives you quite decent values to work with to overclock your AMD Ryzen memory module.
Final words
The Ryzen DRAM calculator makes it significantly very easier what’d otherwise have taken immense trial and error as well as a deep understanding of parameter values to accomplish and this application gives you a set of values against your standard values for the XMP, SAFE, FAST, and EXTREME overclocking profiles as well.
Moreover, you can simply head into your BIOS then to implement the values suggested. So, the SAFE values are guaranteed to work, but if you want to go further at risk of running into unstable values, then you can look into implementing the FAST and EXTREME values suggested by the DRAM calculator.
Furthermore, the calculator application also has its own built-in memory checker that allows you to run a test across the module to scan for any errors that may cause it to become unstable.
So, this all in one solution is a great tool for AMD Ryzen users to overclock their memory module without having to get into the intricacies and complexities of memory module parameter as well.
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