Hey folks! I'm working with a pretty solid rig: an RTX 4080 and an Intel Core i5-13600K, all housed on an Asus ROG STRIX Z790-H GAMING WIFI motherboard. Right now, I've got 32GB of CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM (2x16GB) running at 6400MHz CL32. I'm looking to boost my RAM—can I add two more 16GB sticks of the same model to run in a 4-channel setup for a total of 64GB? Or alternatively, could I just swap in 2x32GB sticks at the same speed to bump it up to 96GB without issues? Thanks for any help!
3 Answers
It's generally not a great idea to use four sticks of DDR5 memory together, especially right now. It can lead to stability issues. My suggestion would be to upgrade to new RAM and sell the old sticks instead of trying to force four to work together.
Can you add more RAM? Sure, but don't expect consistent success with four sticks at 6400MHz. DDR5 is still tricky, and while Intel's RAM controller is decent, you're probably better off with just two sticks to consistently hit those speeds. However, if gaming performance isn't a big deal for you, adding two more sticks and adjusting some settings might work out fine for non-gaming tasks.
Interesting! I heard Asus lists compatible kits for my setup, so I might try that if I go for 4 sticks. Thanks for the info!
Just to clarify, the number of channels doesn't always match the slots. Your motherboard supports dual-channel architecture with two slots per channel, so there's really no way to achieve true 4-channel support. Adding two more sticks might work, but whether they'll run at 6400MHz depends on your motherboard's capabilities and you might need to tweak timings to get optimal speeds. I've got 2x16 and 2x32GB running together fine, so it's certainly possible!
Alright, I think I'll look into selling my current RAM and getting something new. Thanks for the advice!