Upgrading my RAM

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pfolsgrofb

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So I want to Upgrade my RAM in my system from 8gb to 16gb.

As of right now, I can't remember what brand of RAM I have, but its 8gb. (2 4gb sticks)

My other pc specs are:
i5 4690k 3.5 ghz (Not OC)
Stock PC cooler
Asus z97-a 3.1 usb mobo
Gigabyte GTX 970 GPU
650 watt seasonic 80 plus gold PSU

Now I already know I'm going to get somebody to tell me for just gaming I don't need 16 gb of RAM. And while I know that, there are some games that are uping their suggested RAM to 16gb. AND also, having more than I need is better than not having enough. So my real question here, Should I opt for getting 2 more 4gb sticks, or should I swap out the 2 4gb sticks I have now for 2 8gb sticks and then that way have two more slots available? When I upgrade the RAM, do I have to do anything special other than plugging the new cards in? Or is that it?

Also does brand even matter when it comes to ram? I don't care about color.
 
Solution
MeanMachine41


MBs have an official supported frequency rating and anything over that is considered an OC.
It will depend on the strength of your CPUs IMC (Integrated Memory Controller) as to the success of your OC.
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MeanMachine41

MeanMachine41

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16GB is a good choice as an upgrade as 8GB is insufficient for some apps and games. however, choose a single kit of DIMMs and do not try to add extra to what you have. Keep them for spares as mixing DIMMs is a no no. Even of the same specification.
Go to your MB support site and choose a 16GB kit from the QVL that have been tested in accordance with your MB.

 
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Shaun o

Shaun o

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At the moment you have 2 x 4Gb memory sticks in the motherboard.

First of all you need to look at the motherboard you have.

If it has four memory slots for ram population.
And you want 16 GB simply take out one stick of memory.

Where on a sticker of it, it will tell you the brand, the model number of the memory kit.
The speed the memory can work at, and the memory timing values as well as the voltage required to run them is needed Pfolsgrofb.

That way you can get another kit of 2 x 4Gb memory that will match the existing memory kit you have in your system to avoid any memory conflict problems so it`s 100 stable and compatible.

Or you can go down the route of spending more money, replacing the existing memory configuration of your system with a faster set of ram sticks and a new kit of 2 x 8 Gb memory modules.
But first check what the maximum speed of memory modules your Asus z97-a motherboard will run and accept.

The only reason why I would do this, is if I wanted to leave room to add even more memory than 16 GB where buying a 2 x 8 Gb memory kit would free up two of the memory slots of the motherboard. As it is likely the total amount of ram the board can run is about 32Gb to 64 Gb as a maximum total.

Depending on how long I was going to keep the system, and what I was doing with it or running types of software on it that required large amounts of memory above 16 Gb, and not just playing games.

Here is the link to your motherboard, for the specs.
Maximum memory it will take, and the maximum speed of ram modules it can run with the motherboard you have pfolsgrofb.

https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/Z97A/specifications/

 
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pfolsgrofb

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Okay thanks guys. Yeah I already knew the new memory had to be the exact same as the old memory. I also knew the mobo would support up to 32 gb, thats plenty. You guys seem to be suggesting I just buy 2 8gb sticks. I think thats what I'll do. Probably wait till we're closer to Christmas as thats when the best RAM deals are.
 
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pfolsgrofb

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Shaun O

I went to the link you posted and what's the highest speed of ram I can install on my board? All of them have OC next to them except the last two. If I'm not over clocking does it matter?
 
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MeanMachine41

MeanMachine41

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May 8, 2014
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MBs have an official supported frequency rating and anything over that is considered an OC.
It will depend on the strength of your CPUs IMC (Integrated Memory Controller) as to the success of your OC.
 
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