I'm contemplating whether to upgrade my PC's RAM. I currently have 16 GB of DDR4 RAM running at 2133 MHz, but I also have an additional 16 GB kit available that runs at 3200 MHz. My CPU and motherboard can support the higher speed, but I'm unsure if mixing these two different speeds will negatively affect performance or if it's even a worthwhile upgrade. Should I replace the slower RAM with the faster one?
2 Answers
Are you trying to mix the RAM or just replace the old ones? It's not ideal to use different RAM kits together, but it can be done. Just know that if you mix them, they will run at the speed of the slowest kit, which is 2133 MHz in your case. You might also need to adjust the timings in the BIOS for better stability.
Thanks for the tip! I'll look into the BIOS settings.
You can't really run RAM at different speeds. If you use both sets, the faster 3200 MHz RAM will have to run at the lower 2133 MHz speed, unless you decide to overclock. You may gain a slight boost, but it won't be much—maybe up to 2400 MHz at best. If you're thinking about swapping them out completely, then definitely go for the 3200 MHz kit instead!
Yeah, tweaking the timings can help if you decide to go that route. Just be cautious with it!