Amid RAM Crunch, AMD EXPO Now Supports Chinese Memory, CUDIMM

AMD has launched its latest memory profile update, laying the groundwork for future Zen 6 releases and improving support for alternative memory suppliers amid the RAM crunch.

As VideoCardz reports, EXPO 1.2 offers tentative support for new CUDIMM memory standards, though full support will not be available until the next generation.

AMD’s EXPO profiles provide a streamlined pathway to memory overclocking. You buy a kit with a pre-made memory speed and timings profile, enable it, and boom: You’ve got faster memory. However, with newer CUDIMM memory standards that use a Client Clock Driver to stabilize higher memory frequencies, AMD has only offered support for CUDIMM sticks in “Bypass mode,” which disables the onboard clock-tuner and prevents them from running at higher speeds.

That doesn’t change with this update, but support is improving, and AMD may be set to fully enable it with Zen 6. It’s possible that support has improved so that Bypass Mode is enabled by default to improve compatibility, but it’s not entirely clear from the AMD release.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

A number of these latest claims come from AMD overclocking tool developer 1Usmus, who famously made the AMD clock tuner for memory tuning. In their breakdown, they highlight that EXPO 1.2 also supports three Chinese memory brands: RAMXEED, Rui Xuan, and Fujitsu Synaptics. Although these are unlikely to solve the global memory crisis on their own, they may help alleviate supply issues in certain markets. It’s possible this list is even longer, but AMD hasn’t published a full list of vendor support or the official EXPO 1.2 specifications.

(Credit: Asus)

Elsewhere in the update, AMD also added support for tREFI, tRRDS, tWR, ULL Enable, and VDDP voltage adjustments. That won’t mean much to most gamers or even most PC enthusiasts, but for memory-tuning wizards like 1usmus, more levers to pull in overclocking and timing adjustments may make more capable memory overclocks possible in the future.

The first motherboard manufacturers have started adopting the new AGESA 1.3.0.1 BIOS, which includes support for new memory manufacturers and standards. The beta BIOS update is available on Asus’s x870E and x870 boards. B850 support is reportedly coming soon.

This official release from AMD and its partners follows recent EXPO 1.2 support appearing in changelogs for popular software tools like HWiNFO at the end of last year.

About Our Expert

Jon Martindale

Contributor

---

Experience

Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He’s written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he’s a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas. 

Jon covers the latest PC components, as well as how-to guides on everything from how to take a screenshot to how to set up your cryptocurrency wallet. He particularly enjoys the battles between the top tech giants in CPUs and GPUs, and tries his best not to take sides.

Jon’s gaming PC is built around the iconic 7950X3D CPU, with a 7900XTX backing it up. That’s all the power he needs to play lightweight indie and casual games, as well as more demanding sim titles like Kerbal Space Program. He uses a pair of Jabra Active 8 earbuds and a SteelSeries Arctis Pro wireless headset, and types all day on a Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard.

Read Full Bio