What Is DDR5 Memory Training?

If you’ve just put together a new computer system, and it’s taking forever to actually boot, don’t panic! While you may have forgotten to plug something in, if it’s a DDR5-powered computer you may just be encountering memory training.

What Does Memory Training Do?

DDR5 “training” is a type of memory calibration. It’s a way for your motherboard and CPU memory controller to figure out how to get the most out of your RAM without causing instability.

DDR5 has a lot of complex under the hood improvements over DDR4, and there are an infinite combination of components possible in a given PC, so training lets the computer pick the right voltage, frequency, timing and other tunable specs for those specific memory modules. After all, there can be differences between otherwise identical RAM modules, which is one of the reasons they are usually sold in pairs that were manufactured sequentially.

Only Some RAM Is Affected for Now

Memory training isn’t exclusive to DDR5 memory, it also happens with DDR4. It’s also not a long process with all DDR5. It’s mostly high-performance DDR5 with special high-performance profiles such as XMP and EXPO that require extensive training before the right optimal settings are found. Also, if you have a lot of memory modules in the system, that can affect things as well.

Don’t Worry if Your New PC Takes a Long Time to Boot

If you’ve just built a new computer, or you’ve upgraded or moved the RAM around, then you may encounter a situation where the computer turns on, but doesn’t give the beep that signifies the POST (Power-On Self-Test) has been completed. At the same time, there’s no POST error on screen, motherboard error code (some motherboards have a little LCD screen), and there’s no beep error codes.

To veteran PC builders, this might seem like a situation where the motherboard isn’t getting power, but before you turn the computer off and start looking for the issue, wait a few minutes to see if it’s not just memory training. If that is the case, the computer will eventually start as normal, and you won’t have the same issue on the next reboot.

According to Crucial, memory training can take as long as 15 minutes. So don’t be too quick to reboot or turn off the PC and rummage around. If it still doesn’t POST after 20 minutes, then it makes sense to power it down and double-check your work to ensure it’s all put together correctly.

Memory Training Is Nothing to Worry About

While memory training can give you a mini heart attack if you’re not expecting it, it’s a great feature for PC builders. It means you can get a similar level of memory tuning without being the type of PC performance enthusiast who spends days testing different memory timings and losing sleep over RAM latency.

For a once-off, mostly automated process, it’s worth the minor inconvenience, as long as you know that it’s likely to happen. Of course, if you want to, you can still learn about memory timing, and there’s nothing wrong with RAM overclocking as a hobby.

However, just like with modern CPUs, performance tuning is now largely automatic. This means that overclocking is dead for all but the most hardcore enthusiasts who want to squeeze that last one percent from their system. Good news for the rest of us!