What's better / safer

[allangr]

I am looking at putting 16GB of memory on a P8Z68-V PRO Motherboard.

I quess the first issue is that none of the QVLs for that board actually list 16GB, they list 8GB. Am I correct in assuming that if 8GB of memory is qualified for that board, then 16GB of the same memory should be OK?

2nd issue... if I want 16GB of memory, is it better to buy a 16GB kit ( 4 x 4GB ) or can you buy 2 - 8GB kits ( 2 x 4GB ) and hope to match them? How likely is it that the 2 kits will be compatible?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If doing photo / video editing, rendering, huge number crunching, I'd go ahead as planned. If ya benefit from more memory, you'll also benefit from fater memory.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226274
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226270

If gaming, I'd stop at 8GB. Filling all 4 slots oft results in the need to relax RAM timings and / or speed when OC'ing.

My concern about the 8Gb modules is the limited choices available.

 

[o1die]

My 2 8gb kits of gskill work fine together. Newegg sold them for $30 the other day if they have any left.

 

[xtreme5]

1. yes you should be fine with ti fit 16gb that board supports upto 32gb.so no worries.
2.buy 2x8 kit buy them in same manufacturer it is good combination.

 

[inzone]

The QVL is not a complete list of all the memory that will work in the MB. What they do is test a good amount of ram from different manufacturers to give a list of the ones they have tried and an example of what will work. I have yet to put in ram that doesn't work. If the board says the maximum amount is 32gb and you look in the QVL and you don't see 32gb tested that doesn't mean you can't put it , it just means they didn't test that amount. As long as you stay within the recomended speeds and settings you should be ok. Buying one kit is always the best way to go because the memory manufacturer has tested that set as a set and verified that they all work together , some will even go so far as to say that the set was made to be put in as a set. But you can put two sets in together as long as they as the same size , speed and timings.

 

[allangr]

The QVL is not a complete list of all the memory that will work in the MB. What they do is test a good amount of ram from different manufacturers to give a list of the ones they have tried and an example of what will work. I have yet to put in ram that doesn't work. If the board says the maximum amount is 32gb and you look in the QVL and you don't see 32gb tested that doesn't mean you can't put it , it just means they didn't test that amount. As long as you stay within the recomended speeds and settings you should be ok. Buying one kit is always the best way to go because the memory manufacturer has tested that set as a set and verified that they all work together , some will even go so far as to say that the set was made to be put in as a set. But you can put two sets in together as long as they as the same size , speed and timings.

Thanks. I found a kit of Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit for $89.99, so I think I will go for that.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX31394

The reason I was asking about the kits was I was reading on newegg that people were having problems matching kits of GSkill. In fact I just found this response on newegg from the Manufacturer responded to a customer:

Dear Customer

If you need 16GB, you should purchase a 16GB kit. This 8GB kit is only guaranteed to operate 8GB on a single system. You can try to match with another kit, but we can not guarantee it since they were not tested in that configuration out of factory. So if you choose to purchase multiple kits, then you should know that you are taking a chance for this type of problem.

The only solutions are to try two new kits, or exchange for a 16GB kit. There is no tweaking or help we can offer that would stabilize your system. With a 16GB kit, you should have no issues as they are pre-matched and guaranteed to work together. For all further questions or issues, please feel free to contact us directly.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

 

[allangr]

Best answer selected by allangr.