Long Boot Time After Enabling Memory OC (XMP) on Alienware Area-51 AAT2265

Summary: An Alienware Area-51 AAT2265 takes a long time to boot to the operating system when the memory overclocking (OC) Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) is enabled through the BIOS or Alienware Command Center (AWCC). ...

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Symptoms

An Alienware Area-51 AAT2265 takes about 2.5 to 5 minutes to boot to the operating system after enabling Memory OC (XMP) through the BIOS or AWCC.

  • Alienware Area-51 AAT2265 with two sticks of 16 GB RAM installed: Takes 2.5 minutes
  • Alienware Area-51 AAT2265 with two sticks of 32 GB RAM installed: Takes 5 minutes

Affected Platforms:

  • Alienware Area-51 AAT2265

Affected Software:

  • Alienware Command Center

How to Enable Memory OC (XMP)

  1. Press F2 when powering on to enter the BIOS.
  2. In the BIOS, select Advanced, then select Performance Options.
  3. Select Overclocking Feature and then select Enable.
  4. With Overclocking Feature enabled, set Memory OC (XMP) to Auto instead of Disabled.

Cause

A reboot is required when changing Memory OC (XMP) settings through the BIOS or AWCC. This reboot may take longer than usual due to memory training, configuration validation, and potential retries if settings are unstable. This is normal and ensures stability.

Resolution

This is expected behavior.

Dell added a reminder message when changing the Memory OC (XMP) setting. This message was added to the BIOS in version 1.1.0 and later.
When Update BIOS with Memory OC(XMP) enabled, it will see long boot time due to memory training.

No POST 2-4 After Forced Shut Down During Long Boot.

The Alienware Area-51 AAT2265 may not POST after if the computer is forced to shut down by holding the power button during the long boot that occurs after changing the Memory OC (XMP) setting. Reset the real-time clock (RTC) if this happens.

To reset the RTC:

  1. Remove the coin-cell battery.
    Note: For information about how to remove the coin-cell battery, refer to Dell Manuals.
  2. Press and hold the power button for more than 25 seconds.

Performing the RTC reset results in BIOS settings being restored to the default values. Both CPU and memory OC settings are also reset to default (disabled). Optionally, reenable the overclocked settings again using the instructions in How to Enable Memory OC (XMP).

Affected Products

Alienware Area-51 AAT2265, Alienware Command Center
Article Properties
Article Number: 000393814
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 04 Mar 2026
Version:  3
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