AMD Takes On Intel’s XMP With Ryzen Accelerated Memory Profiles On AM5

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Intel’s Extreme Memory Profiles, known simply as Intel XMP, have been a marketing advantage for Intel for many years, combining the company’s high-end processors with high-performance RAM geared toward players. While AMD supports XMP on Ryzen processors, the company plans to advance its own brand standard when DDR5 support arrives with its next-gen socket, AM5. This isn’t the first time AMD has done this (more on that later), but AMD’s Ryzen brand is now in a much more competitive position than it was in the past, so its chances of success this time around are probably higher than them. have never been.

Wccftech spotted “news” for this upcoming program in a list of new features in the HWINFO software program, which mentioned “Added preliminary support for AMD RAMP”. To go to the software releases page now shows that this particular line of text is missing. Instead, the software maker left a vague line saying it would add: “Improved support for future AMD AM5 platforms.” This line was there before too and hasn’t been removed, perhaps because it doesn’t reveal anything particularly interesting. Despite deleting the offending phrase, the author of the software confirmed the news on the IT Basic Forum, making it very clear that RAMP is AMD’s answer to Intel’s XMP technology.

For the uninitiated, Intel’s XMP allows memory manufacturers to test their memory on specific platforms and determine the ideal settings for maximum performance. These settings are then stored on the EEPROM of a compatible USB drive and activated by enabling XMP in a motherboard’s BIOS, allowing for one-click overclocking. Currently, only Intel’s Alder Lake platform supports DDR5 memory, with AMD’s current AM4 platform only allowing DDR4. However, that will all change when AMD rolls out its new AM5 socket later this year with Zen 4, and the timing could work in AMD’s favor as there is currently a DDR5 chip shortage that is preventing mass adoption of the memory technology. nascent.

Adopting memory profiles for AMD platforms for DDR5 will theoretically allow the company to bridge the speed gap with Intel, as its XMP technology can enable very high clock speeds for system memory. As an example of differential, DDR5 dongles can go up to 6000MHz, whereas current DDR4 dongles tend to run around 3200-4000MHz, depending on memory and platform. DDR5 could eventually reach frequencies like 8400 MHz or more, but we don’t expect to see anything that fast this year.

Interestingly, during AMD’s keynote at CES, the company didn’t mention this innovation at all, spending the presentation discussing its upcoming V-Cache processor, mobile lineup, and sharing some details about the new AM5 socket. AMD has already dabbled in this area with X-AMP and simply AMP, which stood for AMD Memory Profile, but neither technology has ever caught on like Intel’s XMP. However, with AMD’s newfound market dominance, at least among DIY enthusiasts, it certainly has a much better chance of succeeding this time around due to both the market and the mindshare it has acquired with its Zen processors in recent years. That is, assuming it is implemented and actually stable at launch, which is always a question when new technology is introduced on a brand new platform.

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