How to Properly Test Your RAM Overclock

When it comes to gaming you can never have too much RAM, but the more important factor is how good is that RAM, since you can always squeeze better 1% and 0.1% FPS values with tighter timings, faster frequency, etc.

Not all RAM kits are created equally and in some cases, you can squeeze some more performance out of your kit with some overclocking. Overclocking RAM is quite tedious though and is only recommended for experienced PC users since RAM is quite sensitive to values being tweaked. If you are afraid of BSODs, resettings BIOS values, or even resetting the CMOS battery, RAM tweaking might not be for you.

zen timings data

(I jumped from 3600MHz CL16 1800 FCLK to 3600MHz CL16 with tighter timings 1900 FCLK – decent for Micron E-die)

Assuming you have done your research and you have landed on some better main/sub-timings it is time to see if these values are truly stable and can run without your PC screen looking as blue as a smurf.

TestMem5 With Special Configs

The most recommended solution to testing your RAM OC properly is to use TestMem5 with premade configs that will put a lot of strain on your RAM kit and will be able to find instabilities if present after your tweaking.

The most used and recognized config is the Extreme one by anta777 which most tweakers use to test RAM stability. If you pass this test without getting any errors you can be 90% sure (you can never be 100% confident in your RAM OC with only one test) that your RAM is stable.

testmem data

You can also use the Absolut config for TM5 which is also recognized as a decent RAM OC test. These tests usually take about 1 hour for 16GB and double that for 32 GB. Since TM5 and these config files are all free and available online this is the first step you should be taking when testing for RAM stability.

OCCT & Y-Cruncher

To follow up on your TM5 testing you can also use OCCT memory test and y-cruncher (with this config) to confirm that your RAM OC is running properly without any potential errors. As mentioned above it is simply better to use multiple benchmarking software to test for RAM stability because even though TM5 puts the most strain on your RAM other tests might find errors in different places where even the Extreme config in TM5 passed.

Prime95 & Karhu RAM Test

Prime95 large FFTs are also an excellent way to test RAM stability and while Karhu RAM Test is less popular because it is paid software it is still an excellent way to back up your TestMem5 result.

No rule says you shouldn’t run all of these to test your RAM overclock, and honestly, that is probably an amazing idea since if it can pass all of these tests your RAM is definitely stable.

Measuring Improvement

If all of the testing has resulted in success and your RAM OC is indeed stable you might want to know what exactly improved. A quick way to do this is to run AIDA64 (free trial) memory benchmarks with the stock RAM XMP profile and with the overclocked timings/sub-timings applied.

ram benchmarks

This will give you an indication (through synthetic testing) of your improvements. In-game these improvements present themselves as smoother gameplay with better 1% and 0.1% FPS (you may also see better average and max FPS values but those are quite useless measurements).

RAM overclocking is truly the last step you should be taking in your overclocking journey because getting corrupted Windows installs, constant crashing, and resetting BIOS settings are quite a common occurrence during the process unlike with CPU/GPU OC-ing. At the same time, you cannot overlook RAM overclocking because if you want your CPU to perform to its absolute best potential RAM is a key element in that equation.

About The Author

Chris (vile_is_dead)

Custom Windows ISO enjoyer, FPS optimizer, and aim improvement enthusiast. Will disassemble all of his peripherals (and sometimes PC parts) to mod them even if all of them work perfectly fine. Discord/Twitter: vile_is_dead

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Christopher Jackson (Ravetank / Jacksonstrut)
Christopher Jackson (Ravetank / Jacksonstrut)
1 year ago

Nice writeup. I have never tried y cruncher, will give it a go with the supplied config after I finish installing Win. If you like AIDA64 (and who doesn’t?), you can buy a full unlock key for so cheap on G2A.com. I paid $4.00 for a legit key in like 2017-18. I just checked and they have them for $8 atm. I was def concerned I was getting ripped off, but it was totally legit, works right with the AIDA download from the AIDA site (I use the portable, but I don’t think that matters). Also, I was sure it… Read more »

Joshua Nicholson
Joshua Nicholson
9 months ago

Aida64 comes free if you buy an Asus Maximus motherboard too. It’s an OEM tied license that lasts for 3 years. It will be included in the armory crate software/ usb key that’s included with your motherboard.