Overclocking the Crucial Pro Overclocking Edition DDR5-6400 CL32 32GB Memory Kit
The easiest way to overclock on the Intel platform is to simply change the frequency divider in the BIOS. To achieve the best overclock we try to stay with the timings that the XMP profile recommends. If we run into any issues we will bump up the voltage to see if we can get our system to boot and become stable.
The XMP profile puts this kit at 6400 MHz and it essentially would not budge from there. Changing the frequency with a voltage bump did allow us to boot into Windows, but it was unstable (BSOD once logged in). Loosening the timings also did get us anywhere, which was a bit disappointing.
Final Thoughts on the Crucial Pro Overclocking Edition DDR5-6400 CL32 32GB Memory Kit
If you are looking for a pretty sleek memory kit that is going to run at its Intel XMP or AMD EXPO timings this memory is going to be a solid choice. Running at the default speed of 6400 MHz with timings of 32-40-40-103 at 1.35V I did not run into any issues with this memory. I was a bit disappointed that I really couldn’t push this memory past that. And that is why again I wonder why Crucial is calling this their “Pro Overclocking” memory. At 6400 MHz is not necessarily crazy fast especially considering it is the JEDEC speed of the Intel Z890 platform.
This new 6400 MHz kit with pretty tight timings does come with a new heatspreader, which is a nice upgrade over the all solid heatspreaders that we did saw on the 6000 MHz version of the memory. The issue that I have is that both memory kits are called “Pro Overclocking”, but obviously they are different since you have solid heatspreaders on that kit and different ones here. Typically we see a brand come out with a memory line where all the kits look the same and you can pick different speeds depending on your needs. Here we have two “Pro Overclocking” kits that physically look different. It is just confusing to the end consumer really.
As I mentioned these kits offer both AMD EXPO and Intel XMP profiles (2 each) so you are easily able to enable to profile and get going right away. The second profile is 6000 MHz with more loose timings if you do happen to have any issues with the first profile.
It is a tough thing to even mention price right now with the global memory shortage. Crucial has this kit listed on their website for $299, but the only place I was able to find it in stock was at B&H for $347.99. It really is hard to recommend memory right now given what is going on, but when prices and availability get back to normal this will be a solid kit if you are looking to run it at stock speeds. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Crucial Pro Overclocking Edition DDR5-6400 CL32 32GB Memory Kit an 8 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Has both XMP and EXPO profiles
– New heatspreader design
– Available in both white and black colors
– Solid overall performance
Cons:
– No real overclocking headroom
– Still no RGB option
– Updated heatspreader only available on the 6400 MHz kit (confusing for the customer)
– Current price and availability (not Crucial’s fault)
I didn’t see any mention of the height, which is apparently 35mm based on the Amazon listing. This is essential for those of us who refuse to use watercooling and need to know that we would have to raise the front fan on our Noctua D15 G2 3mm when using these dimms.