I recently purchased a set of 2x16GB DDR4 RAM from eBay, but one of the sticks turned out to be faulty. The seller gave me a partial refund and let me keep both sticks, but now I'm stuck because I can't find a single 16GB stick of the same kind. I'm considering buying another pair to have a total of 3x16GB. Would this setup work well, or is it better to sell the working stick and buy a new matched pair?
6 Answers
Using 3 sticks is fine for most people. The first two will work in dual-channel mode, while the extra stick will operate in single-channel, which is okay for general use. DDR4 technology is pretty stable now, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Alternatively, selling it might help you save some cash!
In my opinion, running 3 sticks doesn’t make much sense unless you actually need more than 32GB of RAM. If you're not maxing out that capacity, you're likely to face more issues than benefits by mixing sticks.
I totally get your struggle, but if the configuration works for you, it's okay to consider the third stick as a backup for overflow. Just treat it as if you have 32GB normally, with the extra 16GB for when you might need it.
I’d just sell the extra stick if I were you. Might be the simplest solution!
Honestly, I would recommend just buying another single stick from a different brand with matching speed and latency. DDR4 has matured enough that using non-matched sticks usually doesn't create problems anymore with most systems.
Running 3 or 4 sticks often isn't as stable and can be slower compared to just 2 sticks. With 3 sticks, you're in what's called 'Flex' mode, where the first 32GB operates in dual-channel and the last 16GB runs in single-channel. While this isn't a huge issue, it can lead to unexpected performance drops when using more than 32GB. Unless you really need the extra RAM, I'd suggest selling the third stick and sticking with the 2 sticks you have.
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