I'm having trouble expanding my RAM from 16GB to 32GB. I've got two 8GB sticks of Corsair Vengeance already, and I just bought another two 8GB sticks. However, whenever I try to add in the new RAM, my computer fails to start, showing errors on the motherboard. Interestingly, when I manage to play games, I often get blue screens. I've tested all the RAM sticks, and each one works fine on its own. The thing is, the old sticks have a version of 4.32, while the new ones are at 8.35, but aside from this version difference, they are identical, all running at 3200 MHz. I've tried different motherboard slots, and they all work, but it seems any combination of adding more than two sticks leads to problems, especially during memory-intensive tasks. I know mixing RAM sets can be tricky, but I thought it might work. Is there any way to resolve this? Just to clarify, I'm using a Ryzen 5 5600X, an RTX 3070, and an ASROCK B450M micro ATX board.
4 Answers
Running four sticks of RAM can be tricky, especially with DDR4. Sometimes it can work, but it's often hit or miss. Have you enabled XMP or DOCP in your BIOS? That might help stabilize things if the memory chips don't match perfectly.
In general, Ryzen systems can benefit from having four sticks of RAM, but compatibility can vary. If you're still having issues, consider selling your old 2x8GB set and getting a matched 2x16GB kit instead for the best performance.
That's a good point. Should I just disable XMP entirely or set it manually to 3000 MHz?
Make sure you're placing the RAM in the correct slots, like Slot 1 and 3 for one pair, and Slot 2 and 4 for the other. Also, it wouldn't hurt to check if there’s a BIOS update for your motherboard that might help with compatibility.
I updated the BIOS already, and yes, they are in the right slots!
You might want to try running the RAM at a lower frequency, like 3000 or even 2944 MHz. Sometimes lowering the speed can resolve stability issues when using multiple sticks.
I haven't enabled it yet, but I've heard that running at 1.5V might help stabilize it.