mix and matching ram

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MeSaMyOuNoOb

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Jan 3, 2016
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Recently i built a gaming pc which has one stick of ddr4 8gb 2400mhz and i wanted to know if i could mix and match as i want to buy another stick of ram but its 2666mhz and a different brand. the one i have at the moment is crucial the one i want to buy is HyperX. can i mix and match these 2 or do i have to buy the exact one?
 
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clarkjd

Getting unmatched ram to work is problematical at best, impossible at worst. And I'm talking the same brand, speed, and timings of ram! (especially if purchased at different times!) If you could get just any two sticks of ram to work together, they wouldn't need matched kits. Manufacturers won't even guarantee their own unmatched ram to work together! They sell matched kits for a reason.

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clarkjd

clarkjd

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Dec 7, 2005
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Getting unmatched ram to work is problematical at best, impossible at worst. And I'm talking the same brand, speed, and timings of ram! (especially if purchased at different times!) If you could get just any two sticks of ram to work together, they wouldn't need matched kits. Manufacturers won't even guarantee their own unmatched ram to work together! They sell matched kits for a reason.

 
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S

shmoochie

Commendable
May 10, 2018
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You can, but they are not guaranteed to work together, and sometimes you have to tweak the settings of one stick to get it to run. The only sticks that are guaranteed to work together are ones that come packaged together, and that includes memory of the same brand and timings. Also, if they do work, they will both run at the lower speed so 2400mhz. It's honestly not worth the headache.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
The internal workings are designed for the capacity of the kit.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards, can be very sensitive to this.
Ryzen is particularly picky about ram.
That is why ram vendors will NOT support ram that is not bought in one kit.

If you do buy more disparate sticks, they must be the same speed, voltage and cas numbers.
Even then your chances of working are less than 100%

What is your plan "B" if the new stick/s do not work?

Sometimes increasing the ram voltage in the bios will make things work.

If you want 16gb, my suggestion is to buy a 2 x 8gb kit that matches your current specs.
Then, try adding in your old 8gb,
If it works, good; you now have extra ram.
If not, sell the old ram or keep it as a spare.



 
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