I'm looking to upgrade my system to a total of 48GB RAM by combining two 8GB sticks and two 16GB sticks. They're all from the same brand, with matching speeds and timings, but I'm wondering if this mix might hurt my performance. Also, should I install the same capacities in specific slots like 1/3 and 2/4, or does it not really matter?
5 Answers
Mixing RAM sticks can be tricky, even if they are all the same brand and specs. Using four sticks in total puts more strain on the memory controller, which might lead to performance issues. If you can help it, I’d recommend sticking with just the 16GB sticks unless you really need the extra capacity. Also, it’s worth testing them to see how they perform together on XMP settings.
I’d advise against it honestly. Mixing different specs can lead to headaches and instability. Stick with JEDEC approved settings if you want more reliability.
Honestly, if you've got the sticks, just give it a shot! Sometimes they work fine together, and you'll know for sure after testing. But be prepared that performance might not be as smooth as with a matched set.
As long as you can maintain the timings and settings, performance should be fairly close. You might not hit the highest overclock, especially if XMP becomes unstable. But if you are hitting a capacity limit, this extra RAM could be helpful.
You could try running them with XMP settings, but it’s likely you might not get the best performance. If you’re not running into memory limits, there really isn't much point in going over 32GB.
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