I'm putting together a budget AM4 system using mostly inexpensive second-hand parts. I accidentally bought a Corsair memory kit with 2×4GB sticks instead of 2×8GB. I can cheaply purchase two more 4GB sticks, giving me 16GB in a 4×4GB configuration, and my motherboard supports four DIMMs. Are there meaningful drawbacks beyond having less room for future upgrades? Would it be better to sell the current kit and buy 2×8GB instead?
2 Answers
Four DDR4 sticks should work perfectly well on AM4. Ideally, use modules with the same speed, timings, and voltage. The main potential downside is slightly less overclocking headroom compared with two sticks, but that generally won’t matter at normal settings.
The system will normally run all the memory at the settings supported by the slowest or least capable stick. Four modules can make very high memory speeds less reliable, especially if the kits are mixed. Around 3200 MT/s is usually straightforward on compatible Ryzen systems, while speeds such as 3800 may require more tuning.
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