G.Skill Ripjaws X + MSI Z97M Gaming 3 compatible?

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Brad123127

Brad123127

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I'm looking to upgrade my RAM from 1x8GB to 2x4GB OR 2x8GB.

OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit
GPU: NVIDIA Gigabyte GTX-970 4GB
CPU: Intel i7-4790k @4.0GHz
PSU: PowerCase 850W
RAM: 1x8GB Samsung PC3-12800 (800MHz) DDR3
Motherboard: MSI Z97M Gaming 3
Hardrive: Western Digital WD Blue 1TB @7200RPM

Would like to confirm if

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/16510/g-skill-ripjaws-x-f3-12800cl9d-8gbxl-2x4gb-ddr3

or

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/27056/g-skill-ripjaws-x-f3-2133c11d-16gxl-16gb-2x8gb-ddr3

would be compatible with an MSI H97M Gaming 3. Also is it worth going from 1x8 to 2x4, or should I spend the extra $60 and go for the 2x8? Thanks.
 
Solution
Rabmac
While I agree that the only way to guarantee two RAM modules will work together is to buy a set of RAM, I think buying another 8GB stick of the exact same module is the best way to go. If you buy from Amazon and they don't work together then you can just send it back and they will refund your money. By doing this you are saving yourself money and there is no risk involved if they don't work.
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Rabmac

Rabmac

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Both these RAMs are compatible with your motherboard but the second one will run at a reduced speed.

As your motherboard supports dual channel it is advised that you run 2 RAM modules instead of 1, just make sure you put them in the correct slots.

On the vast majority of games and applications you won't notice much difference between 8GB and 16GB. My advice would be o get 2x4GB for now and monitor your RAM usage. If you are finding your RAM is regularly maxed out then get another 2x4GB.


 
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Rabmac

Rabmac

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Not sure if you already checked but if you think your RAM could be faulty you should run memtest 86 and that will let you know if there is a problem (personally I don't think your existing RAM is broken).

I checked system requirements for GTA V and Battlefield 4 and they say 8GB of RAM is enough but having your RAM running in dual channel will improve your RAM's performance.

If you already have 1x8GB of RAM and memtest 86 does not show an issue then instead of buying 2x4 GB of RAM, I recommend getting another 1x8GB of RAM (so you have 16GB) that is an exact match for your current RAM. I should add that there is no guarantee that the RAMs will work together but by matching them exactly you give yourself a better chance of success.

Going back to your original problem, it could be your mouse is dying as I had a similar problem when my logitech mouse was dying and I used to get massive freezes and stuttering. I replaced the mouse and problem was fixed. So if you have another mouse lying around or can borrow one then I would try that and see if it helps. If the problem goes away then you need a new mouse, if not go ahead and add another 8GB of RAM.

Your system should handle these games fine as it is a pretty good spec.

 
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whassup

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It is strongly recommended to go with a brand new 2x8GB RAM kit and the G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-2133C11D-16GXL 16GB you mentioned will run fine on your MSI Z97 GAMING motherboard. G.Skill QVL compatibility page : http://www.gskill.com/en/product/f3-2133c11d-16gxl.

Before you go with the memory upgrade try increasing the Page File size on your Windows 8.1 OS. Perhaps you or some others may have set the value too low resulting memory heavy games to crash. If the settings were already in Auto mode then don't bother about changing any settings there. If its manually configured then try setting both minimum and maximum values as 4096 MB and run those games again to see if it crashes or frame drop occur.
 
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Rabmac

Rabmac

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While I agree that the only way to guarantee two RAM modules will work together is to buy a set of RAM, I think buying another 8GB stick of the exact same module is the best way to go. If you buy from Amazon and they don't work together then you can just send it back and they will refund your money. By doing this you are saving yourself money and there is no risk involved if they don't work.
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

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_________________

The above is also true, but then too, you wait for it to arrive 2-5 days, it doesn't work, you have to pay to ship it back, wait another few days for them to get it, possibly have to wait for the refund to get processed or for them to replace the stick and then get the replacement a week 10 days after you mail the one back, and still no guarantees the replacement will play. That's a lot of dead time for a $35/$40 stick of DRAM
 
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Brad123127

Brad123127

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I tried switching mice to an old HP mouse that I had in my drawer, but the only difference was that I couldn't aim properly. I don't have Memtest or any alternative, though Windows Memory Diagnostics said nothing was wrong.

My Page File size was set to auto.

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/27056/g-skill-ripjaws-x-f3-2133c11d-16gxl-16gb-2x8gb-ddr3/
https://www.ramcity.com.au/buy/samsung-8gb-pc3-12800-unbuffered-240-pin-dimm/M378B1G73QH0-CK0?gclid=CNmD78_muswCFVgnvQodd-sIzA

The former is the closest thing I could find to my current RAM, but to be safe, I'll just get the latter. The Samsung RAM is almost exact except it runs at 1600MHz instead my 800. I can't find any that run at only 800MHz.
 
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