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[Rendered Tangent]

So, I was thinking of adding some more RAM, going from 16 to 32, but I'm a little unsure of a few things and Google search isn't giving me any clear cut answers.

I will be getting 2 × 8 to go with the 2 × 8 I already have, so my main question is do they have to be identical brands, speed etc...?

Or, can they be a different make, speed etc...and it'll work fine?

I hope I'm making sense, so I'd appreciate some advice and, perhaps, even some input on best value RAM etc...

Thanks in advance, Gaffers.

 

[GymWolf]

Go with elden ring.

 

[GHG]

So, I was thinking of adding some more RAM, going from 16 to 32, but I'm a little unsure of a few things and Google search isn't giving me any clear cut answers.

I will be getting 2 × 8 to go with the 2 × 8 I already have, so my main question is do they have to be identical brands, speed etc...?

Or, can they be a different make, speed etc...and it'll work fine?

I hope I'm making sense, so I'd appreciate some advice and, perhaps, even some input on best value RAM etc...

Thanks in advance, Gaffers.

Ideally you want to get another set of the exact same ram you already have now, down to the part number.

 

[Kuranghi]

I believe lowest speed and timings will be used so best to match them, I'm not a big RAMMER though so best to wait for advice from the hard(ware)core gents around here.

Go with elden ring.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

So, I was thinking of adding some more RAM, going from 16 to 32, but I'm a little unsure of a few things and Google search isn't giving me any clear cut answers.

I will be getting 2 × 8 to go with the 2 × 8 I already have, so my main question is do they have to be identical brands, speed etc...?

Or, can they be a different make, speed etc...and it'll work fine?

I hope I'm making sense, so I'd appreciate some advice and, perhaps, even some input on best value RAM etc...

Thanks in advance, Gaffers.

Not sure how it works, but mine is 16x2. I've never passed 14GB RAM usage so far but already have 16GB VRAM. Would performance be better with 16x2 vs 8x4? Not sure, something I can't answer but maybe some apps prefer to have things in the same RAM? Not sure.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Best to stay with the exact same parts. Any deviation in design between RAM sticks can have unpredictable results.

 

[GymWolf]

I believe lowest speed and timings will be used so best to match them, I'm not a big RAMMER though so best to wait for advice from the hard(ware)core gents around here.

He knows.

 

[MikeM]

Ill leave this here.

 

[BennyBlanco]

I would advise you to get 2 x 16

 

[Irobot82]

I actually just went through this, tried to save money by buying another 2x8 of the exact same model, but ended up they switch to different ram module maker, so it wouldn't even boot. Returned those and just bought 2x16 kit and was done with it.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Ideally identical. If you cant find identical, dont risk it. Just buy new ones, 2x16 and thats it. Ez peezy.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

Go with elden ring.

Hahahaha...nice one.

 

[Kenpachii]

Get 2x 16.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

I would advise you to get 2 x 16

I am going to.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

Ideally identical. If you cant find identical, dont risk it. Just buy new ones, 2x16 and thats it. Ez peezy.

I thought it might be best, but I wanted to make sure so it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

He knows.

I made a poll about which game to get an Elden Ring won it...that's the nod and a wink.

 

[DragonNCM]

So, I was thinking of adding some more RAM, going from 16 to 32, but I'm a little unsure of a few things and Google search isn't giving me any clear cut answers.

I will be getting 2 × 8 to go with the 2 × 8 I already have, so my main question is do they have to be identical brands, speed etc...?

Or, can they be a different make, speed etc...and it'll work fine?

I hope I'm making sense, so I'd appreciate some advice and, perhaps, even some input on best value RAM etc...

Thanks in advance, Gaffers.

2 X 8 DIMS or 2X16 DIMS so you can get dualchanel benefit .
Get same brand & same spec always.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

Not sure how it works, but mine is 16x2. I've never passed 14GB RAM usage so far but already have 16GB VRAM. Would performance be better with 16x2 vs 8x4? Not sure, something I can't answer but maybe some apps prefer to have things in the same RAM? Not sure.

Isn't VRAM different to RAM?

I thought VRAM was what you had on GPU and RAM was the other one...or something.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

Ill leave this here.

Thanks, I'll check that out.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

I believe lowest speed and timings will be used so best to match them, I'm not a big RAMMER though so best to wait for advice from the hard(ware)core gents around here.

He's referring to a poll I made and Elden Ring won by a landslide.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

2 X 8 DIMS or 2X16 DIMS so you can get dualchanel benefit .
Get same brand & same spec always.

Thanks for confirming that, I appreciate it.

 

[GHG]

Isn't VRAM different to RAM?

I thought VRAM was what you had on GPU and RAM was the other one...or something.

Yes that's correct. But if you're upgrading you should still make sure you're upgrading what actually needs to be upgraded. If you're hitting the limit of your VRAM in your applications/games then adding system ram will be of little help.

That said, I'd suggest getting 32GB system ram these days anyway.

 

[winjer]

You seem to know very little about memory. So go for a new kit of 2X16GB.
Otherwise, you are bound to hit problems with timings, ranks, etc.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

Isn't VRAM different to RAM?

I thought VRAM was what you had on GPU and RAM was the other one...or something.

Yes, meaning if you had VRAM some apps would opt for it so can't tell. I never needed more than 16GB despite having 32GB and rarely above 10-11GB of RAM usage, but your stuff might be different than mine. Also the most demanding app I use is DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 which is 60%+ GPU-accelerated and can see the VRAM being utilized while at it with like 2-4GB max on the RAM.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

Yes that's correct. But if you're upgrading you should still make sure you're upgrading what actually needs to be upgraded. If you're hitting the limit of your VRAM in your applications/games then adding system ram will be of little help.

That said, I'd suggest getting 32GB system ram these days anyway.

But, I can't upgrade my VRAM without buying a new GPU, can I?

 

[Rendered Tangent]

You seem to know very little about memory. So go for a new kit of 2X16GB.
Otherwise, you are bound to hit problems with timings, ranks, etc.

I don't need to buy a whole set of 2×16 though, surely?

If I buy 2×8 of the exact same make, speed etc...then there shouldn't be a problem, right?

 

[GHG]

But, I can't upgrade my VRAM without buying a new GPU, can I?

No, you can't.

 

[Kuranghi]

He's referring to a poll I made and Elden Ring won by a landslide.

Ah okay, in that case I say play the other game thats not Elden Ring.

 

[winjer]

I don't need to buy a whole set of 2×16 though, surely?

If I buy 2×8 of the exact same make, speed etc...then there shouldn't be a problem, right?

You have to buy the same exact kit. That means, brand, model and the memory chips inside.
But even if you do that, there is the issue of ranks. How many does your current memory has?
If it's single rank, then adding another kit will make it work in 4 ranks. This might bring a bit extra memory bandwidth.
But if you already have a dual rank kit, then with 4 dims, you'll get 8 ranks. Any CPU will have trouble dealing with this, so expect lower speeds, instability.
What is your motherboard? Is it daisy chain topology. T-topology? If it's t-topology then the A1+B1 slots are similar to the A2+B2 slots. If it's daisy chain, then the signal strength on the A2+B2 slots will be significantly better, and the A1+B1 will be significantly worse.
This limits speeds a lot and also stability.

Let me point out that at this moment, we don't even know if we are talking about DDR3, DDR4, DDR5. Nor your CPU, nor your motherboard, nor what memory kit you have now.

 

[Celcius]

Either buy another kit of the exact same RAM you have now, or sell it and buy a new bigger kit with only 2 sticks.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

Ah okay, in that case I say play the other game thats not Elden Ring.

Already have...lol.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

You have to buy the same exact kit. That means, brand, model and the memory chips inside.
But even if you do that, there is the issue of ranks. How many does your current memory has?
If it's single rank, then adding another kit will make it work in 4 ranks. This might bring a bit extra memory bandwidth.
But if you already have a dual rank kit, then with 4 dims, you'll get 8 ranks. Any CPU will have trouble dealing with this, so expect lower speeds, instability.
What is your motherboard? Is it daisy chain topology. T-topology? If it's t-topology then the A1+B1 slots are similar to the A2+B2 slots. If it's daisy chain, then the signal strength on the A2+B2 slots will be significantly better, and the A1+B1 will be significantly worse.
This limits speeds a lot and also stability.

Let me point out that at this moment, we don't even know if we are talking about DDR3, DDR4, DDR5. Nor your CPU, nor your motherboard, nor what memory kit you have now.

I'm not at my computer at the moment, but if I remember correctly it has 2×8 GB Hyper Fury X GDDR4 (2600), so that's two sticks and there is space for two more sticks.

They are positioned with a gap in between, so A1 and B1, with A2 and B2 empty (am I understanding the way you used that A B thing correctly?)

I believe that's right.

I have an i5 10400f, I'm not sure of the motherboard... I'd have to look when I get home.

Does this information help?

 

[winjer]

I'm not at my computer at the moment, but if I remember correctly it has 2×8 GB Hyper Fury X GDDR4 (2600), so that's two sticks and there is space for two more sticks.

They are positioned with a gap in between, so A1 and B1, with A2 and B2 empty (am I understanding the way you used that A B thing correctly?)

I believe that's right.

I have an i5 10400f, I'm not sure of the motherboard... I'd have to look when I get home.

Does this information help?

That CPU's memory controller has a speed limit of 2666MT/s. I
If you have a Z490 or B650 motherboard, then you probably can overclock your memory. So this could be a good time to upgrade your memory to 3000 or 3200 MT/s

 

[coffinbirth]

I'm not at my computer at the moment, but if I remember correctly it has 2×8 GB Hyper Fury X GDDR4 (2600), so that's two sticks and there is space for two more sticks.

They are positioned with a gap in between, so A1 and B1, with A2 and B2 empty (am I understanding the way you used that A B thing correctly?)

I believe that's right.

I have an i5 10400f, I'm not sure of the motherboard... I'd have to look when I get home.

Does this information help?

Forget all that and just get a 2x16 kit. FULL STOP. Just pretend the RAM you have is dead. Trying to match RAM after the fact will be problematic and not worth the headache. You can always sell off the sticks you have to offset the cost if that is a concern.

Bonus RAM advice

 

[Kuranghi]

Forget all that and just get a 2x16 kit. FULL STOP. Just pretend the RAM you have is dead. Trying to match RAM after the fact will be problematic and not worth the headache. You can always sell off the sticks you have to offset the cost if that is a concern.

Bonus RAM advice

Thanks cb, it took you to really ram the truth of the reality home. It will save a lot of hassle OP, I 2nd this idea.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

Forget all that and just get a 2x16 kit. FULL STOP. Just pretend the RAM you have is dead. Trying to match RAM after the fact will be problematic and not worth the headache. You can always sell off the sticks you have to offset the cost if that is a concern.

Bonus RAM advice

Ok, I hear you.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

That CPU's memory controller has a speed limit of 2666MT/s. I
If you have a Z490 or B650 motherboard, then you probably can overclock your memory. So this could be a good time to upgrade your memory to 3000 or 3200 MT/s

That's what CB seems to be saying as well so I'll look into that. Cheers.

 

[ACESHIGH]

Are 4x8 setups problematic? Why is everyone recommending 2x16 instead? Future proofing? For a gaming rig is highly unlikely we will need 64 GB down the line.

 

[Kuranghi]

Are 4x8 setups problematic? Why is everyone recommending 2x16 instead? Future proofing? For a gaming rig is highly unlikely we will need 64 GB down the line.

Indeed, 256GB will be the bare minimum by 2030.

 

[names are for friends]

You're probably fine getting whatever chips with the same rated speed & latencies as what you're already using. Maybe you would need to set the frequency and primary timings manually if they're different brands, then run Memtest to make sure all the sticks are working before booting into Windows.

Ideally, you would buy a second kit with the same die type and the same (or better) rated speed & latencies. Kits with identical branding can come with different die types, and guaranteeing a certain type can be difficult, so it's probably not worth it for most people.

Your current sticks are most likely going to be single rank. You could use Taiphoon to identify them.

4x8GB is a perfectly fine arrangement if you aren't a hardcore memory overclocker. You get the benefit of dual rank per channel but you probably lose some overclocking overhead. I run four sticks of B-die. It's fine.

 

[Sanepar]

For a new machine 64gb at least and min 6000mhz

 

[The Cockatrice]

Indeed, 256GB will be the bare minimum by 2030.

Indeed, 256GB will be the bare minimum by 2030.

I think you should go for 1 TB of RAM OP just to be safe.

 

[gooner4life_uk]

So, I was thinking of adding some more RAM, going from 16 to 32, but I'm a little unsure of a few things and Google search isn't giving me any clear cut answers.

I will be getting 2 × 8 to go with the 2 × 8 I already have, so my main question is do they have to be identical brands, speed etc...?

Or, can they be a different make, speed etc...and it'll work fine?

I hope I'm making sense, so I'd appreciate some advice and, perhaps, even some input on best value RAM etc...

Thanks in advance, Gaffers.

Better off getting 2 x 16 sticks and selling your 8gb sticks.

 

[nkarafo]

Any suggestions for latency? I never got this about RAM chips. The faster they get, the more latency they also get. So not really sure how much better new VS older ones can be, if you end up with too much latency, your brand new RAM may be slower in the end? Is there a balance between speed VS CAS you need to keep in mind?

 

[winjer]

Any suggestions for latency? I never got this about RAM chips. The faster they get, the more latency they also get. So not really sure how much better new VS older ones can be, if you end up with too much latency, your brand new RAM may be slower in the end? Is there a balance between speed VS CAS you need to keep in mind?

The CAS latency you see on memory kits is not representative of real world latency.
This is the formula:
Real Latency = CL *2000 / Data rate

This means that, for example, a 3200 CL16 kit, has the same latency as a 6000 CL30 kit. (10 ns)

 

[nkarafo]

The CAS latency you see on memory kits is not representative of real world latency.
This is the formula:
Real Latency = CL *2000 / Data rate

This means that, for example, a 3200 CL16 kit, has the same latency as a 6000 CL30 kit. (10 ns)

So at CL 40 (which is what most DDR5 modules have) a 6000mhz kit has more latency than a pretty standard 3200/16 DDR4 kit. So it's worse in the end?

 

[winjer]

So at CL 40 (which is what most DDR5 modules have) a 6000mhz kit has more latency than a pretty standard 3200/16 DDR4 kit. So it's worse in the end?

6000 CL40 has a latency of 13.33ns
So it's worse, but it's not 3 times worse, as some people interpret the CL value.

 

[octiny]

So, I was thinking of adding some more RAM, going from 16 to 32, but I'm a little unsure of a few things and Google search isn't giving me any clear cut answers.

I will be getting 2 × 8 to go with the 2 × 8 I already have, so my main question is do they have to be identical brands, speed etc...?

Or, can they be a different make, speed etc...and it'll work fine?

I hope I'm making sense, so I'd appreciate some advice and, perhaps, even some input on best value RAM etc...

Thanks in advance, Gaffers.

You want the same exact kit.

Are 4x8 setups problematic? Why is everyone recommending 2x16 instead? Future proofing? For a gaming rig is highly unlikely we will need 64 GB down the line.

They are not besides max OC potential on said ram.

In fact, if you're getting single rank ram it's better to go 4x8 than 2x16gb in terms of performance as your memory will run dual rank even if it's single rank ram, in a 4x8 configuration (or 4x16gb). If it's dual rank ram to begin with it doesn't matter, but 4x8 single rank has benefits over 2x16gb single rank due to the benefits as mentioned, on a 4 ram slot board (not ITX).

And before anyone gets confused I'm not talking about single channel vs dual channel.