Mixing up ram

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qqme

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Good day folks hoping you can help me a bit.

I'm currently using one stick of Patriot signature 4gb ddr3 1600mhz ram in my pc. I've had my pc for 3 years now and it's still running smoothly however whilst in game I've noticed the ram usage shoot up to 90%.
I was thinking of adding another 4gb stick of ram.
Could I add any brand of ram to my pc as long as it's ddr3 1600mhz.
or should I just get an 8gb stick of ram and remove the current ram in my pc.

Thanks in advance
 
Dual channel is about 17% faster than single channel, so I would think that getting another 4gb chip would be the fastest option.

The only reason to get a 8gb chip is if you plan to add another one at a later stage.

sauce
 
qqme said:
Good day folks hoping you can help me a bit.

I'm currently using one stick of Patriot signature 4gb ddr3 1600mhz ram in my pc. I've had my pc for 3 years now and it's still running smoothly however whilst in game I've noticed the ram usage shoot up to 90%.
I was thinking of adding another 4gb stick of ram.
Could I add any brand of ram to my pc as long as it's ddr3 1600mhz.
or should I just get an 8gb stick of ram and remove the current ram in my pc.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Actually you can even add 1333mhz RAM, but your fast stick will run slow.

Just get this:
http://www.wootware.co.za/kingston-...hz-cl10-1-5v-240pin-black-desktop-memory.html
 
Try to get the same ram.
Mixing and matching is not a recipe for a stable computer.

I'd recommend sell the 4G and buy 2 x 8G's or 2 x 4G sticks.

If you do buy something different to pair with the current ram, make sure that the CAS speeds are identical, as well as the clock speed.
I don't recommend that route though, despite all the people above saying its fine (generally its not).
 
Look at your motherboard manual and you will find the recommended ram by the manufacturer. Mixing ram sometimes results in problems with some motherboards, usually with windows crashing. They sold in pairs so rather get 2 sticks of the same brand and the fastest your motherboard can handle as per the manual to get the best performance and no hassles.
 
Stay away from Patriot. They are dodgy at the least. Kingston, ADATA and Transcend are far better.
 
Find out if your motherboard supports dual channel. If it does then you can put in a different brand/speed/size sticks.
 
T-Man said:
Find out if your motherboard supports dual channel. If it does then you can put in a different brand/speed/size sticks.
Click to expand...

What?

Dual channel has nothing to do with supporting multiple brands.
 
Read up on the motherboard manual and found the list of tested ram modules I'll consider looking at those. What's funny is that the motherboard states it's support up to 1600mhz ram however in the list it says it supports certain ddr3 1866 ram.
 
Last edited:
I think I'll just go the safe route and get a pair of identical 4gb ram modules.

thanks guys
 
in December i has this same question.
I had Adata 4gb 800mhz ddr3-1600, then managed to get a Adata 8gb 800mhz ddr3-1600 .
A few days later a friend gave me Kingston 8gb 888mhz ddr3 1776. he said to just put it in . seeing he is a tech i did. and no issues to date.
he said most boards today are of high quality and would run different ram. it just clocks down to the slowest speed which in my case is 800mhz. i am running assetto corsa and some other online games with no issues. 20gb is overboard but i had it. will take out the Kingston when my sons pc is built.
 
qqme said:
Read up on the motherboard manual and found the list of tested ram modules I'll consider looking at those. What's funny is that the motherboard states it's support up to 1600mhz ram however in the list it says it supports certain ddr3 1866 ram.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it supports higher clock speeds, it will just clock down to the lowest clock speed RAM stick.
 
As the other members suggested, use preferably the same type of ram(size, make, etc) in a dual channel setup. Otherwise buy one 8GB DIMM of a different make with same speed and just use that one along with the other 4GB.
 
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