If you’re using an AMD Ryzen processor, you’ve probably heard about the term A-XMP – a technology advertised to boost the performance of your system memory. A-XMP works the same way Intel’s XMP do, which lets you load optimized memory overclocking profiles via BIOS or your OS directly.
As we already know, the higher the RAM bus, the better the computer performance. So how does the RAM bus affect the performance of Ryzen and especially the current latest Ryzen 3000 series? We will continue to learn more in this article.
What is A-XMP
In the first and second generation of AMD Ryzen, it was pretty hard to reach 3200Mhz RAM bus. But it is not the case with the latest Ryzen processors.
Ryzen 3000 was based on Zen 2 architecture with a completely new CPU design.
The components inside the CPU are divided into several blocks, also known as chiplets, each chiplet contains the actual 7nm-based processor core and 14nm-based I/O processor. These chipslets will then be connected by Infinity Fabric bridges that helps reduce data transfer latency between RAM and CPU.
A-XMP effect in system performance
The machine in this article will use AMD Ryzen 5 3600X CPU and Wraith Spire cooler, Asus Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi Mainboard , GSkill Sniper X 16GB 3400Mhz memory and Radeon RX 5700 graphics card to see if there is any the difference between the default RAM settings and after RAM overclocking with A-XMP. The mainboard runs on AGESA 1.0.0.3ABBA BIOS version.
A-XMP Benchmarks
In CPU-Z, we see that there’s a slightly increase in CPU speed.
With Cinebench R15, overall system performance is increased by a small margin. You would not see difference performing daily tasks.
We’ve also tested with Cinebech R20, which uses a more complex and up-to-date test suite, but the result is the same.
In the render test using VRay, A-XMP also doesn’t bring too much performance into the mix.
We’ve conducted a few more tests using 3DMark, Corona Benchmark, PCMark 10 and AIDA64. Here’s the results :
| A-XMP disabled | A-XMP enabled | |
|---|---|---|
| Corona Benchmark | 3.171.890 Rays/second | 3.447.890 Rays/second |
| 3DMark FireStrike | 20314 | 20352 |
| 3DMark FireStrike Extreme | 10647 | 10699 |
| 3DMark FireStrike Ultra | 5787 | 5797 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 7814 | 7912 |
| PCMark 10 | 5857 | 6090 |
Overall, benchmarks show a tiny improvements in system performance. As per AIDA64 tests, we can see significant memory speed increase in place.
We can conclude that A-XMP does improve memory speed, which is very nice, but the increase does not have major impact to overall system performance.
A-XMP Gaming Performance
We’ve also played a few game titles with and without A-XMP enabled to see if it improves the FPS and graphics performance along with memory speed. Turns out, A-XMP does help.
| A-XMP disabled | A-XMP enabled | |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (High settings, Quad HD resolution) | 63 FPS avg. | 71 FPS avg. |
| Strange Brigade (Ultra settings, Quad HD resolution) | 108 FPS avg. | 109 FPS avg. |
| Far Cry 5 (Ultra settings, Quad HD resolution) | 85 FPS avg. | 91 FPS avg. |
| Borderlands 3 (High settings, Quad HD resolution) | 58.45 FPS avg. | 61.24 FPS avg. |
| Gear 5 (Ultra settings, Quad HD resolution) GPU/CPU Framerate | 73.7/247.4 FPS | 74.5/318.4 FPS |
| Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (Ultra settings, Quad HD resolution) | 54FPS avg. | 59 FPS avg. |
| Battlefield V (High settings, Quad HD resolution) | 92.134 FPS avg. | 95.306 FPS avg. |
Conclusion : Should I enable A-XMP?
At 3400MHz RAM speed and A-XMP enabled, the system is optimized for performance and produce higher results than with the default settings.
Depending on the application, the system performance difference may vary, but A-XMP does it job as advertised.
Through the above test we have seen the advantages A-XMP RAM overclocking brought to the table on Ryzen 3000 series CPU system.
If you already own a computer with AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPUs or are planning to buy one of them, do not forget to choose a high-speed RAM kit to achieve maximum performance.
