Overclocking means increasing the speed of a component so you get better performance out of it. However, this increased speed can also come with some risks that are worth knowing about.
Some users are hesitant to overclock their RAM, for example, because of the thought that it would somehow damage their RAM or computer in general. Is there any merit to this? Can you damage your RAM or other components if you overclock the RAM?
In general, overclocking RAM isn’t dangerous and shouldn’t damage the RAM or computer as long as you take the proper precautions. You should check out the maximum recommended voltage for your DDR type if you overclock manually. You can also use XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) if possible to adjust timers and voltage automatically.
As you can tell, there’s a bit of information that goes into this. Let’s go over it in detail below to make sure that you have all the information you need before deciding if you want to overclock your RAM or not.
How Does Overclocking the RAM Work?
So, how does overclocking the RAM actually work? For example, when overclocking the GPU, you would typically download software like MSI Afterburner and go from there, but it’s not quite the same when overclocking RAM.
The goal when overclocking RAM is to get it to work faster. If it’s faster than it currently is, it will provide the CPU with needed information more quickly, thus potentially increasing the performance of your computer.
Before you do any changes to your RAM, you should establish a baseline performance. Do this in any benchmarking software, for example, Memtest86 or MaxxMEM2. After running a benchmark, write things down so you can compare them later.
Furthermore, you should download and install CPU-Z which will give you information about the timings and speed of your RAM, and HWiNFO for watching the temperature of your RAM. Run both of these programs and note the results for later comparison.
When overclocking RAM, you typically do this from the BIOS/UEFI menu before you boot to Windows. This can be done in a number of ways. You can either set the timings, voltages, and frequencies manually in the BIOS or if your RAM is compatible with XMP (or DOCP depending on your hardware), you can use that.
XMP/DOCP
I’d recommend using XMP if you’re new to overclocking, as it configures the memory profile for you. This way, you won’t have to tinker too much yourself and at the same time, you can see if you get any improved performance for the overclock effort.
If you want to do this, you need to first go into your BIOS, this is usually done by clicking a hotkey during boot. Common buttons for this hotkey are DEL, F12, F10, or F1 but it depends on what motherboard you have.
After this, find XMP. Where these settings are available depends largely on what motherboard you have since they have different menus. For example, in Gigabyte motherboards, you’ll have to go to the section called M.I.T while MSI motherboards usually let you go to a section called OC.
XMP usually comes with two different profiles: one profile for stability, and one for performance. Choose one that’s good for you, and then save & quit from the BIOS menu.
Run the benchmark program, CPU-Z, and HWiNFO again to compare results. You’re done! If you want to tinker with timers, speed, and voltage yourself, you can choose to do that instead, if you have a motherboard that allows it.
Manual Overclock
Here, it’s important that you don’t set your voltages too high. As I said before, check what the max recommended voltage is for your RAM before your start to fiddle with any settings. In general, you shouldn’t go over 1.4v.
Overclocking your RAM manually involves navigating to the memory frequency list in your BIOS, then very slowly bumping the speed up. Do this one step at a time, don’t skip between speeds. This goes for the timings as well (find them sequenced at the back of your RAM stick).
Here, lower the first four numbers by 1 in the BIOS. Reboot after applying and then check if your system is stable. Sometimes, this will be enough to provide a performance boost, however, you’ll probably going to have to increase the voltage as well if you want to increase performance by a good margin.
Before doing this, check your specific RAM kit for what voltage they are rated at. For example, many DDR4 RAM kits are rated at 1.35v. This means that they can run at 1.35v without issue (not that that’s the default voltage).
Raise your voltage very slowly and reboot in between bumps and see if your system is stable (this is, after increasing speed and lowering timings).
That’s the gist of how to overclock your RAM manually. If you want a comprehensive video guide on how to do it, I strongly recommend this resource.
Does Overclocking Shorten the Life of Your RAM?
A thing that users sometimes worry about when it comes to overclocking their components is that it will shorten the lifespan of that component. Does this apply to RAM? Let’s get into it.
Like with any components (GPU, CPU, and so forth), overclocking your RAM will reduce its lifespan. However, if you do it in a proper manner, that reduction will be in large part negligible because it’s more likely that you’ll have swapped components by the time that the RAM dies.
This goes especially if you have RAM sticks that are meant to be overclocked and are not doing anything out of the ordinary (increasing the voltage way too much, hardwiring timings, et cetera).
So, the shortening of a RAM stick’s life isn’t necessarily the most prominent issue that can occur when overclocking. Two things are more prominent: 1. Too much voltage. This can not only damage the RAM sticks but other components, which is one of the reasons you should be careful. 2. Overclocking RAM can cause system instability in some cases where users aren’t correctly overclocking their RAM.
To sum up: Your RAM will be outdated and inadequate before it fails if you overclock properly, but two things that are more common are system instability and damage to components due to too much voltage.
How Much Can You Overclock Your RAM Safely?
How much you can overclock your RAM without doing any damage or having system instability largely depends on your components and if you have approached the procedure with the right things in mind.
If you get system instability, you can simply lower the settings you increased. The key is not increasing the voltage, as I have mentioned before.
If you plan on using XMP, you’re completely fine. It won’t increase your voltage by a large margin. When manually overclocking, take the proper precautions depending on your hardware, and you’ll be okay. It’s hard to say exactly how much you can overclock any given RAM since the variance is too big.
Does Overclocking RAM Void Warranty?
Whether or not overclocking memory voids warranty unfortunately depends. Companies have different warranties for their products, some will void your warranty, and some won’t.
Overclocking the RAM will void the warranty of your other components, according to Intel and AMD. CPUs, for example, have assigned RAM speeds which they are compatible with, and if you manage to damage the CPU when having assigned a higher speed to your RAM, then your CPU warranty will be voided.
As for the RAM’s warranty, that can get voided if you destroy something in the stick by pumping the voltage too high manually. A lot of RAM sticks are meant to be used with XMP, and if you do that, the warranty won’t be voided.
Can You Undo an Overclocked RAM?
Yes, you can undo an overclocked RAM. If you used an XMP profile, simply turn it off in the BIOS the same way you turned it on initially.
If you overclocked the RAM manually, reverse the changes you made. This goes for both speed and timing. Make sure that you also decrease the voltage if you undo the RAM overclock.
If you’ve done some sort of mistake while overclocking the RAM and your PC is unable to boot at all, you can take some steps to make it start again.
Unplug the power to your PC, and then remove all RAM sticks except for one. Now, try to boot the PC. If possible, go into BIOS and reset the RAM settings. After this, simply replug your other RAM sticks again.
If your motherboard supports BIOS flashback, you can try that. You will need to reinstall your BIOS from a thumb drive, which will reset your BIOS and in turn the settings for your overclocked RAM sticks.