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 the default and then increasing the frequency until the system loses stability, in this case the JEDEC SPD of 3200 MT/s. After finding that limit, I switched to a manual tweak for the maximum frequency and worked on the lowest-possible timings as a bonus. Voltage modification from stock is allowed. After all, this is overclocking!

This 3200 MT/s kit from Lexar is a good starting point for Ryzen builds, with 3600–4000 MT/s being optimal due to Infinity Fabric limitations. For those unaware, AMD Ryzen CPUs can in many applications benefit substantially from being in a synchronized 1:1 ratio with the system memory and Infinity Fabric.

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 said, 3733–4000 MT/s is the ideal target range since it negates the need to play around with VCCSA/IO voltages and is for the most part plug and play. Switch to an 11th Generation Intel Core processor and things change with the introduction of the memory controller Gear ratio similar to what AMD has implemented. Once you surpass the memory controller's ability to stay in a synchronous 1:1 mode, most motherboards will automatically switch to the 2:1 ratio. If all else fails, you can manually set this in the BIOS.

For the 11th Generation i9-11900K used in this test system, the 1:1 ratio stops at a measly 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.


On the Intel Core i9-11900K, I was able to achieve 1800 MHz (DDR4-3600), a good result for a high-capacity kit considering the type of product.


For AMD, I was able to achieve 1700 MHz stable with the Lexar Desktop Memory DDR-3200 on my MSI MEG B550 Unify-X. I was able to lower the CAS to 18 after raising the voltage to 1.35 V. Setting the voltage any higher caused errors during stability tests.


I consider 100–200 MHz pretty good since the Lexar Desktop Memory DDR4-3200 is not binned particularly high in the first place. I do not suggest buying this kit for its overclocking abilities because you are more likely to have issues creep up with unbranded, unknown ICs. Temperatures can have a large impact on stability as well, and since the Lexar Desktop Memory needs 1.35 V for an overclock, using it outside of its certified speed and operational voltage just isn't a good idea.