I'm currently using a MAG x670e Tomahawk WiFi motherboard with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and I have 32GB of RAM (two 16GB sticks from GSkill). A friend offered me an additional kit of the same RAM (another two 16GB sticks of GSkill). I've heard that using four sticks of DDR5 RAM together can cause issues, but I've come across mixed opinions about it. I primarily use my PC for work and play some single-player games, typically aiming for at least 60 FPS. Would adding this extra 32GB of RAM be compatible with my PC?
5 Answers
For AMD boards, using four sticks often locks the frequency at 3600MHz, regardless of the actual rated speeds of the RAM. However, many people have successfully run four 16GB sticks at higher speeds. If they’re single rank, you might be able to maintain speeds around 6000MHz, but if they’re dual rank, you might see lower speeds like 4800 or 5200MHz.
True, I've also had success running my 4x16GB setup close to 6000MHz. It really varies by the modules and configuration.
If you need more RAM, you might want to consider selling your friend's kit for about $225 each and looking into a 2x24GB kit or spending a bit more on a 2x32GB kit. Running four 16GB sticks could limit your speed to around 4800MHz, which isn't ideal for performance.
It all depends on how much your friend is charging for the RAM. If it’s a reasonable price, I'd say go for it! RAM prices are pretty high right now, and having 32GB is definitely useful for both work and gaming.
Honestly, some people think that adding more sticks can reduce speeds while others say it’s not much of an issue. So, it really depends. Do you *need* more than 32GB for your tasks? If your business tools require it, more total RAM might be more beneficial than having faster speeds. Worst case, you can always switch back to just two sticks if you don’t like the performance! (But I don’t actually recommend removing them mid-game, that’s risky!)
Why not just give it a shot? Every RAM chip can behave differently. If they’re the same specs, you might not hit the advertised speeds, but you could potentially reach around 5000MHz. Just be aware that if they're single rank, the chances might be better for it to work smoothly.
That's a bit of an oversimplification. I've built multiple PCs with 4x16GB sticks running stable at 6400MHz after a BIOS update. It really depends on how you configure everything, especially the BIOS.