I'm trying to figure out the best RAM configuration for my boyfriend's and my builds. We both have DDR4 setups, but his motherboard has only two slots while mine has four. Currently, he has two matching 8GB sticks installed, and I have three 16GB sticks—two of them are G.Skill Ripjaw V, and the third is a random 16GB stick from a prebuilt PC. I'm considering swapping his 8GB sticks with one of my unmatched 16GB sticks to give him more capacity. I've heard it's better to have matching sticks for performance, but is this a good move? Should I do something different?
3 Answers
Make sure to check the speeds of your RAM, as well! You could be limiting your performance if the original RAM is slower than the G.Skill sticks. It's usually better to have two 16GB sticks in dual-channel instead of mixing with 8GB, so consider that if you decide to upgrade his setup.
If your RAM speeds differ, it could also be holding back performance.
Definitely keep the two matching 8GB sticks in his motherboard, since they will perform better in dual-channel. If you're not utilizing the full potential of your 16GB sticks, you could think about selling the random one or maybe finding another 16GB stick that matches the others. That way you can both game without a hitch!
With DDR4, running in single channel can really drag down performance if you're just using one stick. Since he has two 8GB sticks right now, that's a solid 16GB in dual-channel which is typically better for gaming. It might be worth considering buying a matching 16GB stick for his setup instead of mixing and matching, just to maximize performance.
I found out that my original stick is 2666, but the G.Skill ones are 2400, which is odd. Thanks for the heads up!