Tweaking for Speed

With testing out of the way, I endeavored to see if these sticks have any headroom. For Intel, I kept the same procedure I have been using, leaving all settings at their XMP defaults and then increasing the frequency until the system loses stability. After finding that limit, I manually tweaked for the maximum frequency. Voltage modification from stock is allowed. After all, this is overclocking!

A good starting point for Ryzen Zen 3 based builds is 3600–4000 MT/s, as it is optimal because of the Infinity Fabric limitations. For those unaware, AMD Ryzen CPUs can in some applications benefit substantially from a synchronized 1:1 ratio with the system memory and Infinity Fabric. This extends to the Ryzen 3000 series as well, though with it topping off around 1900 MHz instead to keep 1:1 ratio intact. This is a bit lower compared to the Ryzen 5000 series, but still preferred over the 2:1 ratio configuration.

On the Intel side of things, 8th to 10th Generation Intel Core processors are going to benefit the most from the highest-possible frequency with the lowest timings. That being said, 3733–4000 MT/s is the ideal target range since there is no need to play around with VCCSA/IO voltages, and it is mostly plug and play. Switch to an 11th Gen Intel Core processor and things change given the introduction of the memory controller Gear ratio similar to what AMD has done. Once you surpass the memory controller's ability to stay in synchronous 1:1 mode, most motherboards will automatically switch to 2:1 ratio. If all else fails, you can manually set this in the BIOS.

For the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900K used in this test system, 1:1 ratio stops at a messy DDR4 3600. No matter the VCCSA/IO voltage or memory kit I use, this is the limit for this CPU. Any higher and I must switch to 2:1. Some have reported upwards of 4000 MT/s 1:1 support, but I am not one of the lucky few.

With the release of Intel's 12th Gen Intel Core processors, not much has changed from the fundamentals introduced in the previous 11th generation. However, the biggest change here is the i9-12900K CPU. With a bit of IMC voltage tuning, it can reach 4000 MT/s while keeping the 1:1 ratio to the memory controller. Updating the BIOS to the newest one available is important as stability issues are still being ironed out.

The addlink addGame Spider X4 RGB DDR4-3600 XMP profile of 3600 MT/s is great for Intel and AMD alike. Not only is this ideal for the AMD Ryzen 3000 and 5000 series, it benefits Intel 11th and 12th Gen as well. This is all owing to the 1:1 ratio being achievable on both platforms without diving into the BIOS settings or voltages. Most motherboards should have no issues with the provided XMP profile. If you are unlucky and have a weak CPU memory controller or low-end motherboard, manually changing the Command Rate from 1T to 2T may solve any lingering problems.

Intel Results

With the Intel Core i9-11900K, I was able to achieve 2000 MHz with all other XMP settings at their default, which is great. It shows that addlink binned this kit well, and it has some headroom. Unfortunately, this memory overclock is less appealing because the break from 1:1 ratio causes an increase in latency. The next stop is what I believe to the be the motherboard's limit, reaching upwards of 4800 MT/s. Above 4800 MT/s requires an unhealthy amount of voltage into the IMC, which is unrelated to the memory kit itself.

AMD Results

For AMD, this is now the second kit I have that can reach 5100 MT/s and pass stability tests with 1.6 V. Both are Hynix DJR based. Because the AMD test system consists of a Ryzen 7 5800X, the best configuration is actually DDR4-4000 with a FCLK of 2000 MHz instead of the highest-possible frequency. Not all Zen 3-based CPUs can achieve this, though. A fallback of 1900 MHz is acceptable as well. Leaving it at the default XMP timings, it was easy to accomplish this overclock. Not much effort was put into lowering the primary timings on my part. A CAS value of 14 is reserved for Samsung B-Die. Slightly more voltage and CL16 may be possible. However, that is nearing the lowest value of what Hynix DJR can achieve.