Can identical RAM be combined?

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glamdringfh

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Dec 23, 2013
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There is a good chance a second set added later will work, but it is considered 'best practice' to buy all the RAM you want to use in a single set.

Here's an excerpt explaining why from the Tom's Article "The Most Common DDR DRAM Myths Debunked"

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ddr-dram-myths,4155.html

"Even though you are buying two of the exact same sets, there is no guarantee that they will work together. The DRAM that goes into a package has been tested to work together. Manufacturers don’t guarantee mixing or adding one set to another, even when they are the same exact model.

Customers often try this with higher data rate sticks using XMP to set them up. With XMP enabled, the motherboard may read the profile for two sticks of DRAM and set the secondary timings accordingly, but the tRFC timing for two modules may be 226, whereas four sticks require 314. This can be especially hard for most users to troubleshoot/find, as few ever go into the secondary DRAM timings."
 
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Shaun o

Shaun o

Illustrious
Oct 7, 2007
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You just buy the same memory kit if you need more memory.
Of the same brand.
And memory speed.

Most boards only read the settings for the memory off the first two memory slots populated. you always buy a matched pair of the same brand/ model number of the memory and it`s speed rating to avoid problems.
 
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syked3

syked3

Reputable
Jul 7, 2015
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It is possible to combine those two pairs of RAM but I would advise against it as it often results in problems. My advice would be for now use 2x4GB modules then when you can upgrade to 2x8GB modules. 8GB for now is more than enough especially if you are using your PC primarily for gaming. A general rule of thumb is to always buy/use RAM from the same kit.
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
67,883
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As Glamdringfh quoted from my article, No guarantees, it's generally a 50/50 chance with identical sets of DRAM - if they play, it's good, if not might face paying postage to return (or a drive to the store), restocking fees (if they do refunds, some don't) and downtime if the DRAM was 'needed'.. Best is to get a single package of the full amount you want/need
 
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