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Can You overclock 3200MHz RAM to 3600MHz? 3200MHz RAM can be overclocked to 3600MHz. Before overclocking 3200MHZ of RAM, check the current RAM speed and find the best frequency for your type of RAM. Some RAM can’t be overclocked and some motherboards are incapable of overclocking. Overclocking your RAM can upgrade your computer's gaming performance and benefit computers that are used as workstations for heavy multitasking. Every program your computer uses stores working data in your RAM before it loads into your CPU’s internal cache and intensive programs go through RAM very quickly. When gaming, improvements in your RAM’s latency can improve frame rates and cut down on stuttering during particularly CPU-intensive areas. Is 3600MHz RAM Worth It? Upgrading to 3600MHz RAM isn’t worth it for most people because little performance improvement will be noticed. This is because for most regular tasks, caches in the CPU can conceal the slower speed of the computer's RAM. That being said, faster RAM is important for PC gamers and PC enthusiasts. RAM overclocking (like overclocking 3200MHz RAM to 3600MHz) helps make full use of these PC users' expensive hardware. People who buy expensive computers and game without overclocking their RAM prevent themselves from seeing what their expensive computers are fully capable of. In general, cheaper RAM can’t really be overclocked much but more expensive RAM is basically built to be overclocked. If your computer and RAM are higher end, overclocking to 3600MHz is definitely worth it. Is Overclocking RAM Safe? Overclocking your RAM is safe as long as the voltage isn’t increased. Overclocking RAM without tinkering with the voltages won’t hurt your hardware; but may crash your computer. Overclocking your RAM is a lot less stressful than overclocking your GPU or CPU. Unlike overclocking RAM, overclocking your CPU requires you to be aware of whether your computer's cooling will be able to handle your overclocked CPU. An overclocked GPU or CPU is also noticeably louder than its stock counterpart and this can be unnerving to some people. RAM doesn’t produce much heat at all even when overclocked so you don’t need to worry about overheating. Even if it’s an unstable overclock, it’ll probably only cause an error when you’re doing stability tests. In that case, all that happens is your RAM is set back to its stock speed. Note: If you’re trying to overclock the RAM in your laptop then you need to make sure you’re able to clear CMOS so that you can reset the BIOS to default settings in case something goes wrong. How to overclock 3200MHz RAM to 3600MHz Calculate optimal RAM timings Through the BIOS settings Calculating your optimal RAM timings. Before overclocking 3200Mhz of RAM, you need to calculate your optimal RAM timings. If you have an AMD Ryzen system then this is easy because you just need to use an app called the “Ryzen DRAM Calculator”. Even if you’re using an Intel system, the Ryzen DRAM Calculator is still a useful tool you can use even if it’s not completely accurate. To use it, just open the Ryzen DRAM Calculator and key in the version of Ryzen you’re using and if you’re using an Intel just key in Ryzen 2 Gen. Next, key in the kind of memory you’re using. Press the “R-XMP” button on the bottom of the app to bring up your XMP profile. Put in your Ryzen version and your memory type again. Next, just calculate your timings by pressing “Calculate SAFE”. The “Compare Timings” option will let you see a comparison between your XMP settings and your calculated timings. The “SAFE” settings are almost guaranteed to work while the “FAST” settings will usually work but may not be as stable as the “SAFE” settings. To make life easier, write down all the settings you need before doing starting. This eliminates the need to keep going in and out of the calculator app. Overclock your RAM using BIOS Off your computer and boot it into the BIOS (or UEFI) screen. You usually need to press a certain key such as the “DEL” key again and again as the PC boots to access your BIOS. Look for the section for memory and load your XMP profile then make sure to choose the correct frequency you need. If you want to keep your timings untouched, you can just change the frequency. Look for the section in your BIOS screen for timing control. Use the settings and numbers you got from the RYZEN DRAM calculator and start keying them in carefully. For Intel users, just key in the primary timings and leave the rest of the settings here on auto. After that, find the voltage control section in your BIOS and enter the recommended DRAM voltage. Don’t put anything crazy high; anything that’s under 1.450V should be safe! Save your settings and get out of BIOS. Your PC should restart and boot up Windows. This means you can move to the next step but if it doesn’t... Your PC doesn’t boot into Windows? If your PC doesn’t boot into windows this means your motherboard didn’t pass its power on self test (or POST for short). You’ll need to wait for a bit for your PC to go into safe mode and return to its last working settings. When that happens, try increasing the memory voltage up by 0.025v increments before reaching the max recommended voltage. If you’re using a Ryzen, then try raising the SOC voltage slightly on Ryzen settings. Ryzen systems, especially earlier ones, are a bit sensitive when it comes to memory overclocking. If your PC didn’t boot into safe mode, don’t panic! Your computer probably doesn’t have the feature and you’re going to need to clear CMOS manually. How you do this varies from PC to PC and you need to consult your user manual (or search online) for the exact steps that you need to take. Making sure your overclock is stable Once you get back into Windows, you need to check and make sure your overclock is stable. The Ryzen DRAM Calculator has a function called “MEMbench” which is used to do this. Use “custom” mode and set the task scope to 400% then choose the “Max RAM” option to test your RAM for errors. Next, choose the “Run” option and give it some time. Testing using the settings above usually takes less than fifteen minutes. Depending on the amount of RAM you’re using, it might be more or less. If you get no errors, then you may want to try pushing your clocks further or test your RAM using the “FAST” settings. When you’re satisfied with your results, you should do an overnight test to make sure your overclock is 100% stable. Set the task scope to an absurdly high value like 110,000% and leave it overnight. When you check back in the morning, if your overclock is stable, there should be no errors. Skipping the overnight test may lead to random blue screens and crashes down the line but that’s the worst that happens. Skip the overnight test at your own risk. Verify your PC’s performance by benchmarking your RAM. Check how good your PC and RAM are performing to make yourself feel like all this hard work was worth it! You can skip this step but benchmarking your PC and RAM after giving them an upgrade is immensely satisfying. It’s one of the best parts about doing things like overclocking your RAM! To benchmark your whole computer including your RAM, download and use User Benchmark to give you a comprehensive overview of how well your computer is performing. You can use tools like Unigine Superposition which is a game specific benchmark test. Take note that the game specific benchmark tests have a higher margin of error than more comprehensive tests and you need to run them multiple times to be completely accurate. 3200MHz RAM VS 3600MHz RAM Faster RAM such as 3600 MHz is only beneficial if you're an avid gamer or use your computer for heavy multitasking. For most regular computer users, 3200 MHz will be the better choice. When you're choosing whether to get 3200MHz or 3600MHz RAM for your computer, decide if you’re a hardcore computer user or a regular computer user. You should choose 3600MHz RAM if you’re a hardcore computer user and you should choose whatever’s cheaper if you’re a regular user. Unless you’re really making use of the difference in performance, you should choose the more cost effective option. Conclusion Overclocking your RAM isn’t the easiest thing to do but it’s definitely not the most difficult. If you’re a PC user who’s pushing their computer to the limit, overclocking your RAM is a worthwhile upgrade. Just make sure to do it carefully and step by step and everything should go just fine! Can you overclock 3000MHz RAM? Read my answer