Question about adding ram

[ron2368]

I currently have a single 4gb Gskill 10600 and I need more memory. My lowest choice costs are adding a single 4gb or 8 gb. The products have the same gskill product number F3-10600CL9S- GBNT. Will this be OK? ( I have a Gigabyte B75 board.) thanks

 

[alzan]

I currently have a single 4gb Gskill 10600 and I need more memory. My lowest choice costs are adding a single 4gb or 8 gb. The products have the same gskill product number F3-10600CL9S- GBNT. Will this be OK? ( I have a Gigabyte B75 board.) thanks

There's RAM info for your board under the "Specs" tab in this link: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3928#sp

When you are ordering/buying the second stick, match it to your current stick(s) speed. If you get a larger capacity stick, put that stick in your DIMM slot 0 (or DIMM slot 1) and put your original stick in the next ordered slot.

Note: the board supports Dual Channel memory; if the sticks are mismatched on speed or capacity you may not get dual channel speed or functionality.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

There's RAM info for your board under the "Specs" tab in this link: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3928#sp

When you are ordering/buying the second stick, match it to your current stick(s) speed. If you get a larger capacity stick, put that stick in your DIMM slot 0 (or DIMM slot 1) and put your original stick in the next ordered slot.

Note: the board supports Dual Channel memory; if the sticks are mismatched on speed or capacity you may not get dual channel speed or functionality.

Well, he said that the G.SKILL model code was identical. That should be sufficient if the modules are the same size -- for dual-channel operation.

I built my sig-rig in mid 2011, with a set of 2x4GB G.SKILL GBRL 1600's. I bought another set of GBRL's just about a year later.

There is a variation in the SPD listings for this or that speed in comparison of the two kits, but the stock latencies and voltage are the same at the stock speed. I was able to run both kits together as "dual-channel" at 1866 with identical looser timings.

Usually they say that a dual-channel "kit" is a "matched set." This may or may not be true, but if the specs and latencies are the same, they should work at stock speed settings in dual-channel mode.

 

[ron2368]

I probably would go with the 8gb stick, so I will have a 4 and an 8 of the same prod #. As long as it boots up I am happy.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I probably would go with the 8gb stick, so I will have a 4 and an 8 of the same prod #. As long as it boots up I am happy.

Well . . . by some measures, that doesn't make a lot of sense.

You should take advantage of dual-channel mode and get a matching 4GB stick to the one you have. Otherwise, get a dual-channel 2x8GB kit. Or -- get a single 4GB module in the same model and a kit of the same model as a 2x4GB kit.

Your system should run in single-channel mode with mismatched RAM -- different sizes, even if the same voltage and timing specs. There's a consensus that the performance loss going from dual to single-channel isn't very significant.

I just tend to be more of a purist in these things.

One more point. You can deploy two different RAM "sizes" in dual channel mode if the first set of [dual channel] slots are filled with a pair of identical size, and the second pair of slots is filled with an a pair identical to themselves, but different than those in the first set of slots.

So you could -- for instance -- have an option to buy two 8GB modules and one 4GB module, provided they are of the same manufacture, run at the same spec voltage and the spec speed with the same timings.

 

[ron2368]

My board only has 2 slots. If 16gb was half the price I would get it , no second thought. I have no memory issues but a program I use gives me a 50% memory load warning when I have it loaded with workspaces. I could live with getting another 4 but what are the chances it would work dual channel?

 

[Carson Dyle]

Why _wouldn't_ it work dual channel?

Install the matching 4GB stick. It's cheaper, isn't it? And if you have no actual memory problems now, then doubling your RAM will surely be more than enough.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

My board only has 2 slots. If 16gb was half the price I would get it , no second thought. I have no memory issues but a program I use gives me a 50% memory load warning when I have it loaded with workspaces. I could live with getting another 4 but what are the chances it would work dual channel?

I guess I'd want to know more about the motherboard: mATX? ITX? Assume Intel CPU? What model; what socket?

You can check your mobo manual. I'm betting the two slots work as dual-channel.

Like I said -- single-channel mode doesn't have a terrible effect on performance. But Carson Dyle says it all. Since I'm operating in the dark as I speculate about your motherboard, I'd say check the mobo manual. But -- two slots -- yes, it works in dual-channel with the right pair of modules -- or the right modules in the pair.

 

[ron2368]

MB is GA-B75M-HD3, it supports dual and XMP. I just was not sure if buying an unmatched stick, even though it has the same product number was 100% going to work dual channel.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

MB is GA-B75M-HD3, it supports dual and XMP. I just was not sure if buying an unmatched stick, even though it has the same product number was 100% going to work dual channel.

It definitely won't if the new stick is of a different size. It MIGHT if the voltage and latency specs overlap at the desired speed.

Point of it -- you'll get "more capacity" with the unmatched sticks, but lose the dual-channel operation.

I went from 8GB to 16GB kits about a year ago. I didn't really need it, nice as it is. NOW it's only especially nice, because it most definitely supports increased "RAPID" feature of my Samsung SSD and second version of the Sammy Magician software. But a single 8GB kit MAY have worked just as well for that feature -- a feature that most of us SSD hot-dawgs never really contemplated, even as we purchased our first Sammies.

If you're happy with single-channel mode, you could conceivably buy the 8GB module now and replace the 4GB module later with the same model. But really -- from two different perspectives -- it is not a crucial cost-benefit issue. [no brand-name-pun intended.]

First, the price on single memory modules might be comparable to five Mexican drive-thru dinners.

Second, by the time you really think you "need" 16GB, it still won't be a matter of "need" unless you're doing some very specialized things with your system -- in which 8GB might still fill the bill, anyway.

But you're looking for opinions. My own opinion: get an identical module to the one you have, or simply replace it with a 2x8 kit. But the 2x8 kit is more than a lot of folks will need -- which means more than they will effectively use.