What is XMP/EXPO? Extreme Memory Profile, or XMP is basically overclocking for your RAM, XMP is the Intel version, and EXPO is the AMD version, for the purposes of this guide they are essentially the same. Overclocking is a way to tune your hardware beyond factory settings to the edge of what it's capable of to maximize performance. XMP/EXPO are essentially factory recommended overclocking and the default profiles shouldn't be much of an issue. Configuration can be tricky, as hardware setups vary wildly. The default profiles cover MOST 'safe' setups but you can still get crashes and instability even with the defaults. XMP/EXPO are both enabled and configured through your BIOS configuration tool, it will look something like the image below. What are the benefits? Car go vroom! You get a faster system with faster clock speeds. What are the drawbacks? Much like tuning the engine on your car, if you know what you're doing you can get a lot more out of your engine than the 'safe' factory settings. And much like the engine in a car, if you mess it up you can light it on fire. There are safeguards in place in modern systems to help prevent this, but there IS always a risk when you start messing with voltages. Overclocking, when not done right, tends to lead to more instability and crashes. In an SC context you'll generally see something like a memory access error xC0000005 (may be displayed as 3221225477, same error). This is not a problem with XMP/EXPO itself, but rather a problem in the interaction between SC and your specific setup. So should I disable it? In short - both yes and no. If you're getting memory access errors and frequent crashes, disabling XMP/EXPO is a troubleshooting step to validate the root cause. If disabling these fixes it, you can go through and reconfigure all the bits and bobs, but you really either need to already know what you're doing, or go to a hardware forum for advice or you will cause more problems. If someone tells you to disable XMP to fix a SC crash, it's a step in troubleshooting, not the final solution. If you do not mind a slight drop in performance and do not want the hassle of fiddling with settings, you can leave it off. If you are savvy enough to re-configure it, go wild! Have fun! TLDR? XMP/EXPO grant extra speed at the cost of safety, much like driving your car above the speed limit you'll probably be fine most of the time, but when/if you do hit some tight corners or a poorly maintained road you are more likely to crash at those speeds. The primary purpose of this guide is to validate disabling XMP/EXPO as a troubleshooting step to diagnose game crashes, not to educate on what CAS latency and the like is. If you want to mess with it you REALLY should learn more about it. Some handy guides to learn more about XMP below. You really need to do some research on your specific motherboards BIOS for details on how to modify XMP/EXPO as it can vary a LOT: https://www.pcgamer.com/what-are-xmp-profiles-and-how-do-i-use-them/ https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/how-to-enable-xmp-to-improve-ram-speeds TenPoundFortyTwo has a great guide on how to set it up properly as well specifically for SC