AMD has an alternative to XMP 3.0 for high-speed DDR5 memory

In the weeks leading up to and during Computex, there have been many briefings, keynotes and presentations. In one presentation, MSI appears to have confirmed AMD EXPO, a new feature coming to the AM5 platform to offer improved memory speeds and compete with Intel's XMP 3.0. 

The MSI presentation slide, shared by Andreas Schilling, shows how the Raphael platform compares against Vermeer by giving a brief rundown of their specifications. We already knew about the RDNA2 graphics and PCIe 5.0 connectivity, but contrary to the information shared by AMD, MSI states the platform will feature 28x PCIe 5.0 lanes. That could be a mistake, or the 24x PCIe lanes AMD mentions are available, suggesting the other four are used to connect the CPU to the chipset.

When MSI says Raphael/ Ryzen 7000 will support 28 PCIe 5.0 lanes and AMD says 24, does that mean they are using four lanes to connect the chipset(s)? pic.twitter.com/hVYKwWn9xf

— Andreas Schilling 🇺🇦 (@aschilling) May 23, 2022

The slide also shows the new AMD platform will support HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.0 and USB-C with DP 2.0. While the TDP for Raphael processors (Ryzen 7000) is listed as up to 170W, as Paul Alcorn explains, the 170W value is for PPT, not TDP. So, assuming the PPT/TDP ratio is 1.35, the standard for AMD chips, the maximum TDP of these CPUs should be 125W, 20W more than the Ryzen 5000 series.

Lastly, MSI also mentioned the rumoured AMD EXPO (Extended Profiles for Overclocking) technology, an alternative to Intel XMP 3.0. Unfortunately, no additional details were shared about how the tech works, but at least we have some kind of confirmation that it exists.

KitGuru says: Will AMD EXPO be the same as XMP 3.0, or will it bring new features to the table?

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