Hey everyone! I'm considering an upgrade for my RAM and I want to know if it's fine to go from two sticks to three. I'm thinking of adding a third stick that matches the other two I currently have. My setup includes an Intel i7 12700K and a 3070 Ti, and I already have 32GB of RAM. If I add a third stick, it would be 48GB total. What do you all think?
5 Answers
You can definitely add a third stick, but it's a bit tricky. Your system will operate in flex mode, meaning you'll have 16GB running in dual-channel and then 8GB in single-channel. If you're gaming or doing heavy memory tasks, it’s better to go with four sticks instead. For video editing, the extra capacity might be more beneficial than speed, so it could work for you. However, since DDR4 is pretty affordable, I'd recommend just getting another pair instead of a single stick.
Using three sticks might just make things more complicated. You could lose dual-channel support, which would hurt performance overall. It might be better to stick with two or just upgrade to four sticks for better efficiency.
What do you really need more than 32GB of RAM for? I mean, unless you’re doing something heavy like triple the performance, 32GB is usually more than sufficient for most tasks.
Combining different kits can lead to issues, even if they’re the same model. Using an odd number of sticks is one of the worst choices. Just avoid it if you can!
Mixing two sticks with one can disable dual-channel, which isn't ideal for performance. It's generally recommended to use either two or four sticks to maximize memory performance, especially with a setup like your i7 12700K. Try to aim for a matching 2x16GB or 4x16GB kit instead.
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