How important is XMP support with RAM?

I read the Tom's Hardware article comparing 6GB DDR2 3-channel kits and what I got out of it was that the best value was the Mushkin DDR3 1600Mhz RAM which was rated a close #3 in overclocking performance yet only costs about $150, about half of the top performer (Kingston HyperX). But the Mushkin memory does not support XMP. Now, my current system is over 5 years old and I'm just learning the newest stuff, but how important is XMP? I do intend to overclock my new system, but it's not going to be hardcore. But will XMP save me a lot of headaches trying to get the memory timings correct? Is XMP just something in the BIOS that reads a chip on the RAM and the chip tells the BIOS all of the timings to achieve a certain speed? Any help appreciated. Thanks.

Neal

XMP can set your DRAM data rate, basic timings and memory bus voltage via 2-3 switches in BIOS. It still requires you to choose an XMP profile however, and it's nothing more than an "automatic overclocking" tool.

If you can read the specifactions of the module, you can easily set it up manually in BIOS.

XMP is Ram OC'ing for noobs. People who really want to push their systems to get the most performance don't use it. Its more of a guaranteed setting that the ram will overclock to, that is the way I think of it anyway.

Exactly. Its saved on the SPD chip. I'm pretty sure it won't work though if you overclock the CPU, since the way it sets those settings is just by adjusting the DRAM Multiplier. If you change the BCLK or FSB to achieve a higher CPU clock speed, then the computed ram speed will be off using those settings and it probably won't work correctly, you will BSOD. XMP is for noobs; people with enough money to afford EE processors (meaning they can OC their CPU's without changing the BCLK/FSB); or people not interested in overclocking their CPU.

Some modules have multiple XMP profiles and you have to choose the one you want. So it's just a matter of enabling XMP and choosing a profile.

No. Setting XMP doesn't work when the RAM has no XMP.

Your RAM isn't made to work with your processor. If you set it "right", it will burn out its memory controller. It's atually complete and utter trash, requiring 1.90V to run at DDR3-1600? It must be made from heat-tolerant DDR3-1066 or something, since DDR3 is suppose to run at 1.50V.