We often get questions about overclocking DDR4 memory. In order to increase the performance of your ram, you have to look for many factors. First, you must know about your system configurations before you do any overclocking stuff. After reading this article it would be easier for you to speed up your DDR4 ram by doing simple tweaks.
Ram modules are locked at default frequencies as set by manufacturers. So get most out of them, you have to overclock them using the right method. By overclocking your ram, you will see a huge difference in performance while playing games or multitasking.
Overclocking DDR4 Ram in Your PC
Follow the procedure below:
Install CPU-Z First
This is one of the best PC software to learn about your system specifications. Once you install it, go to the memory tab and note the DRAM frequency and timings. After this go to the SDP tab and view the timing tables. These are the XMP settings that your system BIOS uses. Note the timings on a seperate paper.
To calculate your ram speed, you should double the DRAM frequency that you see on CPU-Z. For example, if the DRAM frequency is 1600MHz, then your ram speed would be 3200MHz.
Enter in BIOS
So now you can head into your BIOS for configuring your ram. Once you are into your BIOS, head to the Advanced Tab. Now the settings might be different depending upon your motherboard brand. We are using Asus TUF X299 Mark 2 mobo while writing this article.
If you have the same motherboard, you will see an option called “Ai Tweaker”. Once you select you will an option called “Ai Overclock Tuner”. This menu will have options like Auto, XMP, and Manual to select from.
Auto, XMP, and Manual Tuning of DDR4 Ram
If you have never overclocked your ram before, then we highly recommend you to select “Auto” to avoid any harm to your ram.
The other two options XMP and Manual are a bit technical. By selecting the XMP settings you will double the DRAM frequency which might make your system unstable if done wrong. So once you select XMP, restart you computer and run any stress test to see if really works out well for you, otherwise go back to auto settings.
Once you are confident enough with XMP settings, you can play with the manual tweaks without any problem. But like we’ve said earlier, you must make sure that your system stays stable on XMP settings after running stress test.
When it comes to overclocking your ram manually, you should set increase the voltage slowly and gradually. It is better to increase infraction rather than in numbers or you will fry your ram. You can also change the ram timings in this method, but we will never recommend you to do that.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Overclocking Your Ram
If you have overclocked your CPU, then most probably you will be able to overclock your ram as well. You can tweak with the voltage, timings, and frequency to increase the performance of your ram.
Before doing any changes to your DDR memory, make sure you know the current timings and frequency of your ram. One way we’ve discussed above is through using CPU-Z. Another way is to open your “Task Manager” in Windows and head over to the “Performance” Tab. Note the clock speed of your ram.
It is wise to look at (Ras & Cas, Ras to Cas Delay, CAS Latency) before doing any overclocking procedure. You will find these reading on your current ram stick.
Lastly, make sure your motherboard comes with overclocking feature. Old motherboards do not support this feature, so you should check the specs of your motherboard if it supports overclocking or not.
Best Techniques to Overclock Your DDR4 Ram
Well, there aren’t any unique software to install and overclock your ram. Most of this work can be done in BIOS by accessing two techniques, XMP or Manual. There is an option of Auto overclocking in some modern gaming motherboards as well.
Our favourite method is XMP, which is safe for overclocking DDR4 ram modules. But if you know more about ram timing and frequency stuff, you can overclock your DDR4 ram to a higher speed using the Manual technique. Moreover, custom overclocking is the safest way to boost your DDR4 stick.
Risks Involved in Overclocking Ram
Risk is almost at every corner when you push the limits of your hardware. In most cases you might experience BSOD (Blue Screen of Death), Restarting PC, or Freezing. This means that your ram frequency is not matching and you need to change it.
Make sure you set the frequency of ram between factory and rated speed for stable results. Try lowering the voltage to see improved performance.
Verdict
Overclocking your ram makes a huge difference in your gaming performance. No matter if you buy a low budget ram or an expensive one, as far as those sticks support overclocking, you can break the limits. After overclocking your memory, you can run several benchmarks to compare your performance before and after.
Some people think that they will fry their ram if they overclock it. Well, there is nothing to worry about as far as you do it in a right way. Just set the clock speed less than or equal to the rated speed and the voltage at 1.5v. If you instability, try lowering the voltage in small fractions until you see stable performance.
If you own an expensive DDR4 ram, then you should overclock it rightaway to enjoy higher clock speed. Let us know if this guide helped you by any means in the comment section.
