AMD Extended Profiles for Overclocking, or AMD EXPO, enables ubiquitous memory overclocking profiles for AMD platforms supporting DDR5 memory.
AMD introduced the EXPO technology with the introduction of the Ryzen 7000 Raphael processors on August 29, 2022.
Its purpose is to allow memory vendors to program higher-than-JEDEC-performance profiles onto the SPD of the memory sticks. The user can then enable these settings with a single option in the BIOS. The result is that customers can unleash their full memory performance with essentially the click of a single button.
This is not the first time AMD has ventured into high-performance memory specification. In 2012, AMD had AMD Memory Profile, or AMP, for DDR3 memory. Some of you may also remember AMD releasing their own Radeon memory sticks!
Initially, the standard was not supposed to be named EXPO but RAMP. RAMP stood for Ryzen Accelerated Memory Profile. Unfortunately, trademark issues may have prevented AMD from using that name.
AMD Extended Profiles for Overclocking has 5 main sections: one section for the general EXPO information, two sections for two EXPO profiles, a section for CRC, and a user profile section. Each EXPO profile has two sections: one with mandatory parameters and one with optional parameters.
The general EXPO section has a couple of configurable fields:
- EXPO Identification Bytes
- EXPO Version
- EXPO Profile DIMM Configuration (which profiles are active and how many DIMMs per channel are supported)
- EXPO Optional Block support: if either profile has the optional parameters unlocked.
The EXPO Profile mandatory section includes the following parameters:
- Voltage: VDD, VDDQ, VPP
- DDR Data Rate: tCKAVG
- DDR SPD Timings: tAA, tRCD, tRP, tRAS, tRC, tWR, tRFC1, tRFC2, tRFCsb
The EXPO Profile optional section includes the following parameters:
- DDR non-SPD Timings: tRRD_L, tCCD_L, tCCD_L_WR, tCCD_L_WR2, tFAW, tWTR_L, tWTR_L_WTR, tWTR_S, tRTP
At the moment of writing, it appears that AMD Extended Profiles for Overclocking is a self-certification program where memory vendors can claim EXPO readiness. The EXPO specification outlines a minimum stability requirement of running memtest and 3DMark for eight hours. Additionally, a 50-cycle reboot test should be performed to ensure ACPI state transition stability.
It is expected that further test and validation requirements will be added in the future.
Since the Extended Profiles for Overclocking validation method is still quite rudimentary, it is expected that, initially, there will be some stability-related challenges. A lot will depend on the willingness of the motherboard and memory vendors to perform extensive compatibility and validation testing. While we should expect issues to iron out over time, be aware that you may have to accept the early adopter price when purchasing AM5 Raphael at launch.
EXPO for DDR5 RDIMM
With the launch of Threadripper 7000 and Threadripper Pro 7000 Storm Peak processors on October 19, 2023, AMD expanded the EXPO technology to RDIMM (Registered DIMM) memory. This enables easy high-speed memory for the TRX50 and WRX90 platforms.
AMD Extended Profiles for Overclocking in SkatterBencher Guides
We use AMD Extended Profiles for Overclocking in the following SkatterBencher guides:
- SkatterBencher #60: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Overclocked to 5400 MHz (link)
- SkatterBencher #58: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D Overclocked to 5789 MHz (link)
- SkatterBencher #56: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D Overclocked to 5900 MHz (link)
- SkatterBencher #55: AMD Radeon Graphics (Ryzen 7000) Overclocked to 3100 MHz (link)
- SkatterBencher #54: AMD Ryzen 9 7900 Overclocked to 5616 MHz (link)
- SkatterBencher #48: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Overclocked to 5544 MHz (link)
- SkatterBencher #47: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Overclocked to 5750 MHz (link)
- SkatterBencher #46: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Overclocked to 5900 MHz (link)
- SkatterBencher #45: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Overclocked to 5950 MHz (link)