I'm building a PC this weekend for demanding DaVinci Resolve, Fusion, and Unreal Engine work. The system will use a Ryzen 9 9900X and an RTX 5070 Ti, with a total budget of about ₹300,000. I know I'll eventually want 64GB of memory, but I can only afford 32GB initially and expect to upgrade in roughly 6–8 months.
I'm considering either buying one 32GB DDR5 module now and adding another 32GB module later, or buying a 2x16GB kit now—possibly DDR5-6000 CL30—and adding two more 16GB modules in the future. The first option means running in a less optimal memory configuration temporarily, while the second could make it harder for the AM5 memory controller to run four modules at 6000 MT/s with EXPO enabled.
Which route is more sensible for this build? Is the temporary bandwidth loss from using one 32GB module relatively minor, and would four 16GB modules likely require a significant speed reduction later?
3 Answers
When you buy the second module, matching the original brand is less important than matching the specifications. Try to use the same capacity, speed, timings—such as CL30—and voltage. Even then, separate modules are not guaranteed to work exactly like a factory-matched kit, so testing stability after the upgrade is a good idea.
I’d lean toward buying one 32GB module now and adding another later. DDR5 loses some bandwidth in single-channel mode, but the practical penalty is generally less severe than it was with older DDR4 systems. Once you add the second module, you’ll have the cleaner 2x32GB configuration for 64GB.
That seems like the safer upgrade path for this situation, especially since the second 32GB module should arrive within several months.
Using four DDR5 modules on AM5 can be more demanding on the memory controller, and running four sticks at DDR5-6000 with EXPO is not guaranteed. You may need to lower the memory speed or adjust settings. Starting with 1x32GB avoids committing to a four-module setup and leaves you with two slots available for a straightforward 2x32GB upgrade.
The closer the memory specifications are, the better, but the memory controller and motherboard still determine whether the rated EXPO settings will work reliably.