I regret ignoring this BIOS setting for years — this tweak changed everything

Do you ever have the nagging feeling that your PC is not fairly proper? Like, there’s something holding it again from its full efficiency, however you may’t fairly put your finger on what it’s?

For a yr or so after constructing my PC, I had that feeling. Though it booted reliably, video games ran effectively sufficient, and day-to-day work by no means felt painful, I all the time had a faint sense that one thing wasn’t fairly proper, particularly after I in contrast efficiency to related methods on-line.

It seems I used to be proper. One thing was holding my PC efficiency again, nevertheless it wasn’t what I anticipated. No less than, it wasn’t the entire story. I attempted adjusting BIOS settings, tweaking XMP/EXPO profiles, and twiddling with something that might be fiddled with. However in actuality, the repair for my issues was far easier than I might have imagined.

I purchased RAM that seemed high-quality on paper

However you may’t put paper in a RAM slot

I initially purchased two units of the HyperX FURY Black 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 equipment. (I constructed this PC in mid-2020 in case you had been questioning why it is not DDR5, which solely launched in mid-2020).

On the time, it was precisely the form of RAM most individuals could be completely joyful to drop right into a mid-range PC construct. The pace was smart, the timings had been high-quality, the model was respected, and it ran with out apparent crashes. There was no purpose to suspect it might be the supply of ongoing efficiency weirdness.

However from the beginning, one thing felt off. XMP was inconsistent, reminiscence behaviour was unpredictable, and I spent far too lengthy poking round BIOS settings attempting to get issues to behave correctly. I attempted totally different profiles, adjusted settings manually, and satisfied myself that possibly this was simply what operating Ryzen methods was like in case you weren’t a hardcore tweaker. It by no means absolutely broke, which is a part of why I ignored it for thus lengthy—nevertheless it additionally by no means felt fairly proper.

I might made a significant mistake when shopping for my RAM

A small however painful error

What I didn’t perceive on the time was how a lot motherboard compatibility truly issues relating to reminiscence. Most individuals assume that if the specs match—DDR4, right pace, first rate timings—then every thing else is simply advertising.

However that is not truly the case, and I might principally ignored RAM and motherboard compatibility. Motherboards sometimes have what’s often known as a Certified Vendor Listing (QVL), and I might uncared for to essentially think about it when shopping for my reminiscence. On nearer inspection, the HyperX reminiscence equipment I might purchased wasn’t on the QVL for the MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus motherboard.

Now, that does not imply the RAM will not work. As I discovered, my pc booted, video games loaded, and I might get on with my life. However what I discovered was that at instances, it would not register all of my reminiscence, and when it did, it would not permit the reminiscence to run at its rated speeds.

I purchased formally supported RAM and made some BIOS tweaks

The whole lot clicked into place

As soon as I noticed what I might executed incorrect, I changed the reminiscence with two Kingston FURY Beast 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3600 CL17 kits that my motherboard formally helps.

And, sure, the distinction was speedy.

One of many greatest adjustments was that I observed Home windows instantly registered all the RAM correctly, which was an incredible begin. Then, I opened the BIOS on my PC and enabled the correct EXPO profile for the memory, and noticed the clock pace soar from 3200MHz to 3600MHz. Tiny soar, however fully secure, and the pace the reminiscence is rated for.

However the true distinction was in how my system felt. These small stutters, little pauses, and so forth had been all gone. Basic responsiveness improved, minimal body charges in video games had been extra constant, and the complete PC felt smoother beneath load. A few of that comes from the small soar in pace from 3200MHz to 3600MHz, however most of it got here from one thing extra essential—every thing was lastly behaving because it ought to have been all alongside.

Associated

How to Enable XMP Profiles and Overclock Your RAM

Do you know you may modify XMP settings to squeeze extra efficiency out of your system reminiscence?

Examine your reminiscence profiles

There are another BIOS tweaks that’ll increase your efficiency

So, enabling memory profiles on your motherboard is only one method to increase your system efficiency—there are a couple of different BIOS tweaks you need to think about to squeeze some further clock cycles and frames per second from what you’ve got already purchased.

As you’ve got in all probability gathered, some settings will not apply to your system or can solely be accessed with sure {hardware}, resembling Resizable BAR. Others have totally different names however do the identical factor, like Intel’s XMP and AMD’s EXPO, each of which tweak and optimize your reminiscence profile.

Both manner, I’ve one last piece of recommendation: make a BIOS update USB earlier than you begin making any adjustments. It is saved me on a couple of event, and it will prevent, too.

Associated

I thought my CPU was maxed out until I tweaked these BIOS settings

A number of BIOS tweaks made my PC really feel model new with out a {hardware} improve.

I discovered my lesson, nevertheless it positive took some time

On the finish of the day, this can be a user-error. I did not take sufficient time to analysis my {hardware} correctly, and it value me efficiency, time, and energy in the long term.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a scenario that brought on any lasting injury to my {hardware}, and I offered the opposite reminiscence for across the value I purchased it. If solely I might stored it, I might have made one other mortgage fee on my home.