I just picked up a prebuilt HP M01 with a Ryzen 5300G, and it comes with 8GB of RAM. I have another 8GB stick from a Dell prebuilt that I'm considering using. Both sticks are DDR4-3200AA, but one is by SK Hynix and the other by Kingston. I'm curious whether mixing these brands will cause any performance issues, or if it will work just like a matched pair. I could buy a matching stick, but I'm hesitant to spend the extra cash if I don't have to.
2 Answers
Mixing different RAM sticks can be hit or miss. While I wouldn't advise it generally, it sometimes works. The key things to check are the speed and timings. If they don't match, your system will default to the slower RAM, which can affect performance. So, if you can, try to keep them close in specs.
Most of the time, you can mix RAM sticks and have them work just fine, especially with DDR4. As long as the speeds aren't wildly different, you'll usually be okay. Just keep in mind that performance might take a slight hit. I've got RAM from different brands running together without issues before, so it’s often about luck. However, if you were dealing with DDR5, I'd say don't do it because matching becomes a lot trickier.
Got it! So as long as they’re similar in speed and JEDEC profile, I should be fine. I might just stick with what I have for now to save some money. Thanks!