NZXT, the gaming PC company, has officially changed its warranty in a way that could affect a lot of gamers and PC enthusiasts. The new version of the warranty allows users to enable XMP, or Extreme Memory Profiles.
The technology lets users change the memory settings on their PCs to get "higher than standard memory speeds." XMP is an easier method of RAM overclocking, and NZXT acknowledges that manual methods are a "headache." RAM and memory speeds can be a big issue for some players, from grappling with performance issues to allocating more RAM for Minecraft mods. And those who buy high-end gaming PCs are likely to be even more aware of their hardware limitations and how to get around them.
Previously, enabling XMP would void the warranty and was seen as a detrimental practice by NZXT. The company points out that XMP carries a "risk of hardware failure and higher temperatures," which is something that most PC users want to avoid. However, some people want to take their computers to the next level and will take certain risks to do so, and NZXT wants to allow users the freedom to make that choice. PC gamers have always enjoyed more freedom in tinkering with their devices than console users, and now they're getting even more.
The change comes in response to criticism from NZXT customers, many of whom probably wanted to enable XMP and still be able to make warranty claims. NZXT underlined its commitment to serving its community and to improve the user experience. The company has a bunch of helpful articles on its blog and recently participated in a T-shirt fundraiser for COVID, proving its commitment to the people buying its products.
After making it clear that there are risks involved, NZXT offers information and contact information for its CS team for users who want to enable XMP. However, NZXT's very own E-Series offers digital voltage and temperature monitoring. If people want to spend money on a PC with more safeguards, that might save them from the potential downside of using XMP. After all, many gamers going into their motherboard BIOS to change up settings are more likely to know what they want out of a PC and spend more money on a better one.
In the past, NZXT let users make warranty claims by contacting customer service even if those users overclocked, so it makes sense that a technology for automatic overclocking would be allowed too. The company also announced it is testing out PC builds with XMP pre-enabled but has no guarantees on what it calls a "complicated risk." In the meantime, users can check out innovative products on the company website like the Kraken X53 liquid cooler.
Source: NZXT Blog