Upgrading RAM, can I keep using old sticks?

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Twisted14

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Dec 30, 2014
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Hi guys,

I'm finally planning on upgrading to 8gb of RAM, I was thinking about buying this 8gb kit (2x4gb) here:
http://www.centrecom.com.au/kingston-kvr13n9s8k28-8gb-2x4gb-1333mhz-ddr3

I already have 4gb of Kingston with the model number: KVR1333D3N9K2/4G, I was hoping to find another exactly the same but it's just impossible (bought this kit ~5 years ago so it's not surprising).

But I was just wondering if I could perhaps keep the 4gb kit I already have in there to make it 12gb in total? I feel like it would be a bit of a shame to get rid of my old sticks. But if not then I'm okay with holding on to them as backups.

Thanks in advance for any replies and advice.
 
Solution
volcanoscout
You can always try it and see if it works. If it's incompatible, just pull the old sticks. If you do, install the new sticks in A1 and A3, and the old ones in A2 and A4. Use CPU-Z to verify they're running at the proper 1333 MHz. As the new ones are CAS 8 (CL8) and the old ones are 9, it will probably default to 9, but I doubt you'd notice the difference.
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volcanoscout

volcanoscout

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You can always try it and see if it works. If it's incompatible, just pull the old sticks. If you do, install the new sticks in A1 and A3, and the old ones in A2 and A4. Use CPU-Z to verify they're running at the proper 1333 MHz. As the new ones are CAS 8 (CL8) and the old ones are 9, it will probably default to 9, but I doubt you'd notice the difference.
 
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Twisted14

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Excellent point, might as well try it out. Also thanks for mentioning the positioning in the DIMM slots, forgot to ask that. Are you sure that the new sticks are CL8? The site says CL9 doesn't it?

I also don't know what that even means, so I doubt I'm enough of an enthusiast to notice any difference if there's one :p
 
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volcanoscout

volcanoscout

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From Wikipedia:
"Column Address Strobe (CAS) latency, or CL, is the delay time between the moment a memory controller tells the memory module to access a particular memory column on a RAM module, and the moment the data from the given array location is available on the module's output pins. In general, the lower the CL, the better."

I assumed 8 from the model number, but reading further into the description, apparently you can set the latency from 6 through 9, which is pretty slick.
 
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volcanoscout

volcanoscout

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If it won't boot, try reversing the pair order (i.e. switch the old to A1/A3, etc). Putting a 2GB stick over a 4GB in a bank probably isn't ideal, but trying it won't hurt anything. If that doesn't work either, pull the old and use just the new ones in A2/A4 and crank the CAS down to 6.

Good luck! Let us know how it works out.
 
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Twisted14

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Ok a finally got around to getting the RAM a couple of days ago and yesterday I tried putting the old ones in and everything worked (well at first it didn't but I believe I didn't push one of the sticks in properly which meant my PC wouldn't boot). So right now I have 12gb of RAM at 1333mhz. As far as I can tell, everything is okay.

Opened the SPD tab in CPU-Z and selected each slot and all the values in every category under the timings table are exactly the same, which I guess is what we want right?

So yeah thanks for the advice volcanoscout, I appreciate it.
 
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Twisted14

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Yeah I ran with the 8gb for a day and everything seemed a lot better. Opened up heaps of tabs and some programs, no slowdown or crashes. Battlefield 4 runs quite well now, without the horrible stuttering issues it had before and it didn't crash at all.

I had started considering building a new PC, but this basic upgrade has really made everything feel fresh again, I can postpone that full upgrade for a while I think. An SSD in the near future though is probably a good idea.
 
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volcanoscout

volcanoscout

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Yeah, DRAM and an SSD are two of the fastest, easiest ways to breathe new life into a tired system. It's like putting running shoes on when you've been running barefoot - you don't actually run all that much faster (that would take upgrading CPU, mobo, and GPU) but the shoes certainly allow you to reduce the pain level:)
 
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