How Do I Know if My RAM Overclock is stable/safe? – 3 Steps To Find Out

How Do I Know if My RAM Overclock is stable/safe? | cpugpunerds.com

Have you overclocked your RAM and now wondering, How do I know if my RAM overclocks are stable/safe? Overclocking RAM means you’re pushing it to run at a higher speed than its official rated speed. It can result in better performance in certain applications or games. 

But because you’re running the RAM outside of its officially supported speeds. There is always the potential for stability issues or damage to the hardware. So in this article, we’ll show you some methods on How to know if my RAM overclocks are stable/safe.

How Do I Know if My RAM Overclock is stable/safe?

The best way to test for stability and safety is to run a series of benchmarking tests and see if your system crashes, produces any errors, or the RAM hertz fluctuates. If it’s stable, then benchmark results will be fine. On the other hand, if you encounter any problems, likely, your overclock isn’t stable.

1. RAM Hertz

Unstable RAM hertz is the key feature indicating that your overclocked RAM isn’t stable and safe to further use. You can use CPU-Z to see the hertz. 

2. Perform the Benchmark Test

There are a few different benchmarking tools to test your system’s stability. One popular option is 3DMarkGeek benchmarks, and Geekbench 4, which is free from the Windows Store. You can also test RAM individually using software like Memtest86+.

Here is how you can ren the test on Geekbench marks:

  • Download the Geekbench marks from the given link and install the application on your computer. 
  • Open the application and select the GPU. Now you have to run the benchmark test. It will take 2 to 3 minutes to display the results. 
  • If you face the RAM error in the test, your RAM isn’t overclocked properly and is unstable. 

How Do I Know if My RAM Overclock is stable/safe?

3. Stabilized Overclocking Check

  • MSI Afterburner is another free overclocking application that can be used to increase hertz. 
  • It will ensure the stable overclocking of your RAM. 

How Do I Know if My RAM Overclock is stable/safe? | cpugpunerds.com

  • You can adjust the hertz and voltage according to your RAM. 
  • After adjusting, restart your PC and recheck the RAM using MSIAfter. If you see any RAM’s hertz changed, it means the RAM is unstable.  

How to Fix Unstable RAM Overclocking?

You can only fix unstable RAM overclocking by finding the issue. There may be hardware or software issues that cause the instability of RAM overclocking. After running the RAM tests, you can determine whether your hardware or overclocking software is causing instability. 

1. Software Issue

Using a non-branded application to overclock your RAM will cause serious issues like hertz fluctuation, unstable voltage, or heat issues. During the overclocking process, you must manually adjust these features using applications like MSI Afterburner. 

If the application you are using can’t handle the adjustments like voltage regulations, it may damage the hardware. In addition, it will lead to unsafe overclocking. 

2. Hardware Issues 

Besides software, hardware is the second major issue that causes unstable overclocking. If your PC case doesn’t have a well-aerated environment and lacks the ventilation fans, your RAM will face the temperature issue. It will lead to unstable frequency fluctuations, and it is unsafe to further use the RAM. 

Here is how you can fix the unstable RAM issue:

1. Change the XMP Profile

XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) enables your RAM to perform overclocking. If your RAM does not have an XMP profile, then you won’t be able to overclock it. If you are using the 64bit Windows and overclocked using 32bit XMP settings, your RAM won’t show stable overclocking. To resolve this issue:

  • Go to your system’s BIOS and access the “Advanced Options.”
  • Now navigate to Overclocking section and find the XMP option. 
  • Open the file and change the XMP profile (32 or 64-bit). 

How Do I Know if My RAM Overclock is stable/safe? | cpugpunerds.com

2. Stabilize The Voltage

RAM needs a stable voltage to be overclocked. If you increase the hertz, you will need to increase the voltage. Therefore, voltage adjustment is very crucial for stable overclocking. You can adjust the voltage by using the overclocking software or the BIOS setup. 

  • Press F2, F9, or Del to open the BIOS setup of your computer. 
  • Go to “Advanced settings” and navigate to the Memory clock. 
  • Write custom voltage after increasing the frequency. 

How Do I Know if My RAM Overclock is stable/safe? | cpugpunerds.com

To match the voltage with frequency, you can use DRAM Calculator from Rhy. When a RAM module is working on high frequencies, stability is difficult to maintain. To maintain this stability, the RAM timings (Latency) also increase. This increase in latency decreases the performance and potential. 

3. Proper Cooling and Ventilation

Proper cooling and ventilation is the key factor during overclocking of any hardware, including CPU, GPU, or RAM. Heat is the major problem causing element during overclocking. 

How to Safely Overclock RAM?

You can safely overclock a RAM by using the system BIOS or any reputed software like MSI Afterburner or Intel XTU. Any other method used to overclock your RAM may damage it permanently. We will discuss both methods one by one. 

Overclocking your RAM can be a great way to boost your system’s performance. However, if you don’t do it right, you can end up with an unstable system. Here are the steps to safely overclock your RAM:

  • First, calculate the voltage required by your RAM to overclock. You can use DRAM Calculator for this purpose. The maximum voltage for an overclocked 1.5v doesn’t exceed them. 

How Do I Know if My RAM Overclock is stable/safe? | cpugpunerds.com

  • Download the MSI Afterburner from the link and install it. 
  • Run the application as administrator. 
  • Go to the home page of the application. You will see three bars for overclocking. 
  • Increase the “Memory Clock (MHz)” to overclock your RAM. 
  • After increasing the RAM frequency, increase the voltage according to your calculations.

Will unstable RAM Overclock cause damage?

Yes, an unstable RAM overclocks damage your RAM. The instability of RAM depends on many factors, including temperature, voltage, and RAM type. If you are overclocking your RAM and it becomes unstable, it may cause damage to your system. 

This is why it is important to be careful when you are overclocking and ensure that you know what you are doing.

1. Extreme Overclocking

Overclocking your RAM to the extreme can damage it. When you overclock your RAM, you are changing the voltage and frequency. If you change these too much, it can cause damage to your RAM. Therefore, you should only overclock your RAM within its limits.

2. Temperature

One of the biggest factors that can cause damage to your RAM is temperature. When you overclock your RAM, it produces more heat. If this heat is not properly dissipated, it can cause overheating, which leads to RAM damage. So make sure you have good cooling for your system before overclocking the RAM. 

3. Unstable Voltage

Another factor that can cause damage to your RAM is voltage. When you overclock your RAM, you change the voltage that it is running at. These are the ideal voltage for RAM within a frequency limit. If you change the voltage too much, it can cause damage to your RAM.

You should only increase the voltage if you are having stability issues. If you are unsure, it is always best to leave it in the default settings.

5 Best RAM Overclocking Software for Stable and Safe Overclocking :

Choosing the best application for overclocking is a tough decision to make as there is a lot of RAM overclocking software available in the market. But we have compiled a list of the 5 best RAM overclocking software for you.

1. MSI Afterburner

MSI Afterburner is a widely used RAM overclocking software that supports almost all types of RAMs. It has a simple yet effective GUI that even a new user can use without any issue. It is free to download and is very easy to use. You just need to slide the scrollers to adjust the frequency to overclock RAM. 

2. Intel XTU

The safest and most reliable (Intel XTU) Windows-based application allows you to overclock your RAM under safe parameters. It is another free-to-use application with an easy and user-friendly interface. You just have to navigate to the cache and increase the RAM hertz and voltages. 

Intel has designed XTU according to users’ needs; that’s why you don’t have to clock through BIOS setup anymore. Instead, it allows the BIOS access directly from the software interface. 

3. AMD Ryzen Master

If you are a gamer and want to push your hardware off limits, then AMD Ryzen Master is just for you. It’s one of the best applications to overclock your CPU, GPU, and RAM. The best thing about this application is that it indicates hardware temperature during overclocking. So, you can safely overclock your RAM. 

4. MemSet

MemSet is another very effective RAM overclocking software known for its stability. It is a bit difficult to use compared to MSI Afterburner, but once you get the hang of it, it is very easy to use. It also comes with many features that are used to fine-tune your RAM. 

The application is also free to use application with a user-friendly interface. You have to open CPUZ while overclocking your RAM through MemSet. Now change the refresh cycle time or performance level of your RAM. See the changes in the hertz on CPUZ. Clock RAM to the safe limit. 

5. EVGA Precision X

EVGA Precision X is also called gamer choice due to its super easy and fast overclocking feature. It is free to use application that gives you complete control over overclocking. In addition, it gives you the real-time wattage and voltage monitor, so you may note the exact volts required by your RAM during overclocking. 

If you have a temperature issue during RAM overclocking, its custom fan control allows you to control fan speed according to the rising temperature. It also helps during CPU and GPU overclocking. 

Conclusion

If you want to overclock your RAM stable and use safe methods, you can use the best applications of the BIOS setup method. Overclocking RAM is easy and simple if done under proper conditions with precautions. We hope that this article helped you understand everything about RAM overclocking and guided you to choose the best RAM overclocking software. 

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