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XMP 1 and XMP 2 difference

jrrog1975
Level 7
I just upgraded from a Z270 to Z390 using the XI Code. I moved the G.Skill RAM from my other system. On the Z170 I only had 1 XMP option. On this new board I see 2. What's the difference and which one should I choose?
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20 REPLIES 20

Zammin
Level 9
I ran into this last night. Using G Skill ram as well, 3200mhz C16 Trident Z RGB. XMP 1 is the same as XMP on last gen in that it changes the 4 main timings, clock speed and voltage. The motherboard basically handles the rest. XMP 2 changes the above and a whole tonne of other RAM settings (on my system at least) and in my case it made my system very unstable. Games kept crashing and stuttering. XMP 1 seems to work fine.

Korth
Level 14
They're just pre-programmed SPD profiles. Use whichever one runs faster if you like (unless one profile doesn't run stable). If you've manually configured your memory timings then the factory preset SPD/XMP/etc profiles would be ignored anyhow.
"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others." - Douglas Adams

[/Korth]

Silent_Scone
Super Moderator
XMP I is the validated board profile that you will have seen on past generations. Every time a board is validated, this profile is the one used by the memory vendor and ASUS. On Z390, there is now the option to use the DIMM profile which is XMP II. These settings are not validated, so mileage will vary depending on the kit and CPU.

XMP I - Board optimised timings

XMP II - Default XMP timings

Often, XMP II timings will be slightly looser depending on the memory kit. If you check within the UEFI or memtweakit, you'll see a difference in memory subsets.
13900KS / 8000 CAS36 / ROG APEX Z790 / ROG TUF RTX 4090

Silent Scone@ASUS wrote:


XMP I is the validated board profile that you will have seen on past generations. Every time a board is validated, this profile is the one used by the memory vendor and ASUS. On Z390, there is now the option to use the DIMM profile which is XMP II. These settings are not validated, so mileage will vary depending on the kit and CPU.

XMP I - Board optimised timings

XMP II - Default XMP timings

Often, XMP II timings will be slightly looser depending on the memory kit. If you check within the UEFI or memtweakit, you'll see a difference in memory subsets..


That's very good to know! I've tried both on my hero xi and they both have the same speed and timings. With that said is there a preferred profile, am I risking anything using say xmp 2 in terms of stability maybe?

Rcmorr09 wrote:
That's very good to know! I've tried both on my hero xi and they both have the same speed and timings. With that said is there a preferred profile, am I risking anything using say xmp 2 in terms of stability maybe?



Same primaries, but subs will often be tighter on the ASUS profile. You can try both and check for instability.
13900KS / 8000 CAS36 / ROG APEX Z790 / ROG TUF RTX 4090

Silent Scone@ASUS wrote:
Same primaries, but subs will often be tighter on the ASUS profile. You can try both and check for instability.


Last question, I chose ram that had been tested on the motherboard, the list that's available was that tested on xmp 1 or 2? Thanks for the answers!

Rcmorr09 wrote:
Last question, I chose ram that had been tested on the motherboard, the list that's available was that tested on xmp 1 or 2? Thanks for the answers!


What the board applies at default is XMP I, and those are the settings that are validated.


Korth wrote:
@ASUS ... lol I wish ASUS gave us a little more documentation about stuff like this ... so we'd actually know the features exist.

I mean meaningful documentation which actually tells the end user what features are there, what they do, what changing them will do.
Not uninformative nonsense like "Enable/Disable setting = enables or disables setting in BIOS" lol.

I don't feel it should be the consumer's responsibility to have to constantly monitor and report to support forums to basically read stuff unanswered in the user manual.





Hi Korth, it is in the manual.

76921
13900KS / 8000 CAS36 / ROG APEX Z790 / ROG TUF RTX 4090

Silent Scone@ASUS wrote:
Hi Korth, it is in the manual.

Ah, I was wrong in this instance, sorry for the accusation, my apologies. And thanx for the response. I still maintain that ASUS generally provides awfully inadequate documentation, but that's something which has already been said elsewhere.
"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others." - Douglas Adams

[/Korth]

Korth wrote:
Ah, I was wrong in this instance, sorry for the accusation, my apologies. And thanx for the response. I still maintain that ASUS generally provides awfully inadequate documentation, but that's something which has already been said elsewhere.


Agreed, it would be nice if any available in depth info was available when using the BIOS itself. Still waiting on a single hint of information about the very extensive memory training parameters menu that was added several BIOS revisions ago, I assume the Training Profile toggle affects whether anything modified in that sub-menu is actually used, but have not gotten a straight answer and I do not see a noticeable difference in how the RAM trains between boots.