Mixing RAM question

MOH

I've got a build which currently has a pair of 4GB sticks (Crucial DDR3-1600, CL9)

I've now got a pair of 8GB sticks (Crucial DDR3-1600, CL11).

I was going to replace the existing ones and flog the old ones (or dump them if nobody wants them).

It's just struck me I could just keep them and have 24GB of RAM I'll never use.
Is there any downside to mixing them?
(It's also just struck me I could have just bought another 2x4GB pair, but I clearly haven't thought this through).

Mobo is a H97M Pro4 that supports up to 32.

minitrue

As long as you can get your board to run them properly in dual-channel mode (and I think it should) then there is no downside here. If the new sticks were faster than the old ones you would slow them down but your new sticks are slower (CL11 Vs CL9) so they should all run at DDR3-1600 CL11.

As for "never use" you could be surprised, things cache so whatever memory you have will be used but it really depends on your usage if it provides any significant benefit.

Coyler

Just make sure you pair them properly. According to the manual the pairs are A1/B1 and A2/B2. You can put the two 8GB sticks in the first and third channel. The two 4GB in the second and fourth. Won't break anything if you get this wrong but it ensures the best performance.

Your mobo will just default to the lowest common denominator of your RAM speed but to be honest you won't really notice.

That all said I doubt you'd notice the difference between 16 and 24 GB unless there is something specific you are doing. But it's either use them or toss them in your WEEE pile.

MOH

Cheers for the replies. Turns out to have been a bit of a moot point.
Put the new sticks in, wouldn't boot. Checked about five times they were seated properly, no joy.

Eventually worked out by process of elimination that the B2 slot was the problem, anything in there and it would just keep spinning up for a second and shutting down again.

Fairly sure I originally had the first two in A2/B2, but I remember having issues a couple of years ago when I'd opened it up to clean it and it wouldn't boot afterwards. Eventually gave up and swapped to A1/B1. Assumed at the time they just weren't properly seated before I switched them, but looks now like it's a dodgy socket on the mobo.

So much for my 24GB dreams of running VMs inside VMs, but at least my 16GB is working OK

Skerries

they should be in A1/A2

MOH

Skerries wrote: »

they should be in A1/A2

Fairly sure it's A1/B1 and A2/B2? They're even colour coded that way.

Though maybe we're saying the same thing and it's just the way the slots are numbered.