Will Four Mixed 8GB DDR4 Sticks Work Together in a New Motherboard?
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MellowPine47!
I currently have two 8GB XPG DDR4-3200 sticks. My brother also gave me two additional 8GB sticks: one HyperX DDR4-2666 and one Maxsun DDR4-2666. My current motherboard only has two RAM slots, but I'm planning to upgrade to a motherboard with four slots for a new CPU build. The mixed memory works in my current setup, and I'm wondering whether all four 8GB sticks will work together as a 32GB configuration. I understand they'll probably run at the slower 2666 speed, but I'm mainly concerned that the system might fail to boot. Has anyone used a similar combination, and is there anything I should do in the BIOS if problems occur?
Answers
They’ll most likely boot, since the standard JEDEC settings are intended to provide basic compatibility. The brands themselves aren’t the most important factor; the memory chips, timings, voltage, and module layout can vary between sticks. If the default settings work, you can try enabling a suitable profile or manually tuning the memory, but test stability carefully with all four installed.
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It’s worth trying since you already own the memory, but a matched 2x16GB kit would usually be more predictable and could be easier to run at its rated speed. With mixed sticks, stability matters more than the advertised speed, so run a memory test for several passes after assembling the new system.
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In theory, the system should run all four modules at the speed and timings of the slowest stick, likely 2666 MT/s. If it doesn’t boot or becomes unstable, enter the BIOS and manually lower the memory speed, loosen the timings, or disable XMP/DOCP. Four mixed modules can be more demanding on the memory controller than a matched kit.
MapleRune22: That makes sense. I’ll start with the default settings and reduce the speed manually if necessary.
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MellowPine47!: Thanks, that clears up my concern. I’ll make sure to test everything properly after the upgrade.