I'm using an i3 10100F and planning to upgrade with a used 3070, plus I want to install 32GB of RAM for Blender. I've been considering using 4 sticks of 8GB because it's about 30% cheaper than going for 2 sticks of 16GB. Will my i3 10100F be able to handle 4 sticks, or does it depend primarily on the motherboard? If it does depend on the motherboard, what models should I be looking into?
4 Answers
It really comes down to what your motherboard can handle. Some smaller boards, especially ITX or some mATX ones, might only have 2 slots. But if you have a full-sized board, you could potentially load it up with 128GB if you wanted to!
It definitely depends on your motherboard! If it has 4 RAM slots, you can go with 4 sticks of 8GB. Typically, chipsets like B460, B560, H470, H570, Z490, or Z590 support this setup. Just double-check your motherboard's specifications to be sure.
You're right, it's mostly about the motherboard. If you want to use 4 sticks, make sure you get one designed for it. That being said, going for 2x16GB might be a better plan. If you ever want to upgrade later, mixing RAM sizes can cause issues, so if you start with 4x8GB, you'll need to replace everything when you want more.
Generally, two 16GB sticks will perform better than four 8GB ones because dual channel mode allows for faster data traffic. Just stick to the same type of memory for the best performance. Instead of worrying too much about the number of slots, focus on finding a motherboard that suits your overall needs like built-in Wi-Fi, RAID support, and other features you think are important.
Did you not read the description?
Good reference pointers!