Enabling AMD EXPO? Not so fast! – You might want to know this
Round in circles
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AMD EXPO, the acronym for Extended Profiles for Overclocking, serves as AMD’s counterpart to Intel XMP. It facilitates impressive memory overclocking speeds, particularly when used alongside the newest AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPUs. The technology was released along with AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series CPUs.
EXPO and other automatic overclocking ram measures like XMP and D.OC.P are fundamentally flawed, and we’re going to explain why in this article.
AMD EXPO voids your warranty
Indeed, it may come as a surprise, but utilizing AMD EXPO, the very tool AMD encourages users to employ for optimal system performance, actually voids the CPU warranty, not the expected memory or motherboard warranty. Why does this happen?
Enabling EXPO triggers an increase in CPU SOC and CPU VDDIO/MC voltages to accommodate the adjusted memory frequency. Since these alterations are considered “non-standard,” they are classified as overclocking, resulting in the voiding of the CPU warranty. Fortunately, there is a workaround available if you encounter any CPU or motherboard issues.
Why does AMD EXPO void your CPU warranty?
To safeguard its CPU warranty, AMD must take precautions against users subjecting their CPUs to unsafe voltages and then demanding replacements when issues arise. However, we believe that EXPO should be included in the warranty coverage since it is necessary for achieving the rated speeds of DDR5 EXPO-rated memory.
Comparatively, it’s akin to purchasing a car: you can freely roll it anywhere, but if you fuel it up and drive, the warranty becomes void. AMD should consider revising this warranty clause as it appears excessive to a significant portion of the PC community. Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, there exists a solution to circumvent the warranty void predicament.
How to avoid an EXPO warranty void.
Resolving this issue is relatively straightforward. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to return your motherboard after damaging your CPU, it is advisable not to disclose that you had enabled EXPO. Instead, it is recommended to omit this information and, if possible, clear your CMOS to restore all BIOS settings to their default state. This can be easily accomplished by removing the BIOS battery for a few minutes.
Final Word
In conclusion, while AMD EXPO serves as AMD’s alternative to Intel XMP and enables impressive memory overclocking speeds when used with the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPUs, it comes with a significant drawback.
