Should I Go for 2 or 4 RAM Sticks for My New Gaming PC?
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TechWhiz99
I'm currently building a new PC and I got 2 free 8GB DDR5 RAM sticks with my motherboard. I'm aiming for a total of 36GB RAM. Should I buy 2 more 8GB sticks, or would it be better to sell the ones I got for some cash and invest in 2x16GB sticks instead? I've heard mixed opinions about whether using 2 sticks is superior to using 4 sticks, especially for gaming. I mainly play a mix of esports titles and larger open-world games, so I want to make the best choice for performance.
Answers
I'd suggest ditching the 8GB sticks you got with the motherboard. They usually have lower bandwidth compared to a 16GB stick, especially with DDR5. Plus, getting all four sticks to run above 5200MHz can be a real headache, especially if they’re from different kits.
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Just stick to 2 sticks. Mixing different RAM sticks can lead to boot issues, which is something you want to avoid at all costs.
TechWhiz99: Yeah, I won't mix them. I'll just sell the free ones and upgrade to the 2x16GBs.
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For DDR5, 2 sticks are usually the safer bet. They’ll run stable at the higher speeds (like 6000MHz) unless there’s something wrong with the RAM. Four sticks can work, but it might not be as stable, especially if you mix and match with different sets.
TechWhiz99: Okay, I'm convinced. I’ll sell the free sticks and get the 2x16GB for a better setup.
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If you’re going the 4 sticks route, be prepared to run at lower speeds, like 4800 or 5200MHz, which isn’t ideal for performance in games.
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If you get 4 sticks of DDR5, you're risking instability. They might not run well, or worse, your system could crash. It's more reliable to stick with 2 sticks, especially for gaming where you need that stability.
TechWhiz99: Got it, that makes sense!
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TechWhiz99: Okay, that's what I thought. Just wanted to get some confirmation.