diff --git a/contrib/platform/mellanox/optimized b/contrib/platform/mellanox/optimized
index ba13e4a9ce..50ed50c04a 100644
--- a/contrib/platform/mellanox/optimized
+++ b/contrib/platform/mellanox/optimized
@@ -1,12 +1,5 @@
-enable_mem_debug=no
-enable_mem_profile=no
-enable_debug=no
-enable_memchecker=no
-enable_picky=no
 enable_mca_no_build=coll-ml
-with_mpi_param_check=no
-enable_heterogeneous=no
-enable_ft_thread=no
+enable_debug_symbols=yes
 enable_orterun_prefix_by_default=yes
 with_verbs=yes
 with_devel_headers=yes
@@ -16,10 +9,6 @@ enable_oshmem_fortran=yes
 mellanox_autodetect=${mellanox_autodetect:="no"}
 mellanox_debug=${mellanox_debug:="no"}
 
-if [ "$mellanox_debug" == "yes" ]; then
-    enable_debug_symbols=yes
-    enable_debug=yes
-fi
 
 if [ "$mellanox_autodetect" == "yes" ]; then
 
@@ -51,7 +40,25 @@ if [ "$mellanox_autodetect" == "yes" ]; then
 
 fi
 
-CXXFLAGS="-O3 -g"
-CCASFLAGS="-O3 -g"
-FCFLAGS="-O3 -g"
-CFLAGS="-O3 -g"
+if [ "$mellanox_debug" == "yes" ]; then
+    enable_debug=yes
+    enable_memchecker=yes
+    with_valgrind=yes
+    CXXFLAGS="-O0 -g"
+    CCASFLAGS="-O0 -g"
+    FCFLAGS="-O0 -g"
+    CFLAGS="-O0 -g"
+else
+    enable_debug=no
+    enable_mem_debug=no
+    enable_mem_profile=no
+    enable_memchecker=no
+    enable_picky=no
+    enable_heterogeneous=no
+    enable_ft_thread=no
+    with_mpi_param_check=no
+    CXXFLAGS="-O3 -g"
+    CCASFLAGS="-O3 -g"
+    FCFLAGS="-O3 -g"
+    CFLAGS="-O3 -g"
+fi