Question 128 or 192 GB?

[SuperChuchu]

I'm building a new system with the following specs:

- i9 14900 KF
- ROG STRIX Z790-E GAMING WIFI II
- 3 M.2 SSDs, 4 TB each

As for RAM, I have two choices, per the motherboard's HCL:

For 128 GB: Kingston FURY Beast Black 128GB (4x32GB) KF552C40BBK4-128
For 192 GB: Corsair CMK192GX5M4B5200C38

I need as much RAM as possible because I work with orchestral sampled libraries, which load thousands of audio files into RAM, and just one instrument in one track can take up to 6 GB of RAM, and it grows pretty fast. So ideally, I would get the 192 GB, but I read about some people having problems with 192 GB. So obviously I don't want to get more RAM if it's going to make my system unstable. It's not a absolute necessity, it's just that two years ago I bought a Mac Studio with 64 GB of RAM, thinking that 64 GB was more than I could ever need, then I started working with these libraries and very quickly realized that 64 wasn't enough.

Now, 128 GB seem to me that it's a humongous amount of RAM, but I don't want to make the same mistake I made back then, to think it's more than I will ever need, and then realize it's not really that much. But at the same time, I don't want to get more RAM if I'm going to start having crashes.

So, if anyone here has 192 GB of RAM, how stable is it? Is it as stable as 128, less or more?

 

[LinuxDevice]

I can't vouch for one brand or model of memory over another. I will tell you though that all of that RAM should be purchased as a single kit. Do not purchase multiple packages which "look" like they have the same spec. Most of the problems occur when you mix two separate packages.

For example, two sticks in one package will match. Four sticks in one package will match. Two packages of two sticks each is a big gamble. The bigger the RAM, the more the gamble.

There are more timings in RAM than those you see on the package. When you buy in a single package, then what you get are all timings being matched. I have no idea if you can purchase either model in the amount you want in a single package. You might get lucky though, sometimes separately packaged RAM of the same spec does work.

When that RAM cannot be matched, you can add stability in a couple of ways, none of which are particularly acceptable. One is to stop using the XMP speeds and throttle back to a much slower speed. Another way is to disable dual channel or quad channel, and treat it as a single channel for much lower bandwidth.

 

[Lutfij]

I'd get the Corsair kit. Just make sure you're on the latest BIOS version prior to dropping in the ram into the slots. If you have POST issues, try with two sticks of ram in slots A2 and B2.

 

[SuperChuchu]

I can't vouch for one brand or model of memory over another. I will tell you though that all of that RAM should be purchased as a single kit. Do not purchase multiple packages which "look" like they have the same spec. Most of the problems occur when you mix two separate packages.

For example, two sticks in one package will match. Four sticks in one package will match. Two packages of two sticks each is a big gamble. The bigger the RAM, the more the gamble.

There are more timings in RAM than those you see on the package. When you buy in a single package, then what you get are all timings being matched. I have no idea if you can purchase either model in the amount you want in a single package. You might get lucky though, sometimes separately packaged RAM of the same spec does work.

When that RAM cannot be matched, you can add stability in a couple of ways, none of which are particularly acceptable. One is to stop using the XMP speeds and throttle back to a much slower speed. Another way is to disable dual channel or quad channel, and treat it as a single channel for much lower bandwidth.

Thanks, but I already knew all this. I wasn't asking about mixing sticks, I was asking if 192 GB is generally considered to be more unstable than 128 GB, when both are four sticks in the same pack, and are listed in the HCL.

 

[geofelt]

The 192gb corsair kit is on the motherboard ram qvl list.
If you have ANY stability issues, Corsair should fix/replace it.
To test
Run memtest86+
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.
You can download it here:

Memtest86+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

Memtest86+ is an advanced, free, open-source, stand-alone memory tester for 32- and 64-bit computers (UEFI & BIOS supported)

memtest.org

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

Running several more passes will sometimes uncover an issue, but it takes more time.
Probably not worth it unless you really suspect a ram issue.

 

[SuperChuchu]

The 192gb corsair kit is on the motherboard ram qvl list.
If you have ANY stability issues, Corsair should fix/replace it.
To test
Run memtest86+
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.
You can download it here:

Memtest86+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

Memtest86+ is an advanced, free, open-source, stand-alone memory tester for 32- and 64-bit computers (UEFI & BIOS supported)

memtest.org

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

Running several more passes will sometimes uncover an issue, but it takes more time.
Probably not worth it unless you really suspect a ram issue.

Thanks, actually this motherboard comes with Memtest86 in the BIOS. It takes forever, like 16 hours for 128 GB, so I assume 192 would be close to a whole day. But I know it's necessary.

 

[geofelt]

Normally, a ram defect shows up in the first few minutes of the test.

 

[Bob.B]

I'm building a new system with the following specs:

- i9 14900 KF
- ROG STRIX Z790-E GAMING WIFI II
- 3 M.2 SSDs, 4 TB each

As for RAM, I have two choices, per the motherboard's HCL:

For 128 GB: Kingston FURY Beast Black 128GB (4x32GB) KF552C40BBK4-128
For 192 GB: Corsair CMK192GX5M4B5200C38

I need as much RAM as possible because I work with orchestral sampled libraries, which load thousands of audio files into RAM, and just one instrument in one track can take up to 6 GB of RAM, and it grows pretty fast. So ideally, I would get the 192 GB, but I read about some people having problems with 192 GB. So obviously I don't want to get more RAM if it's going to make my system unstable. It's not a absolute necessity, it's just that two years ago I bought a Mac Studio with 64 GB of RAM, thinking that 64 GB was more than I could ever need, then I started working with these libraries and very quickly realized that 64 wasn't enough.

Now, 128 GB seem to me that it's a humongous amount of RAM, but I don't want to make the same mistake I made back then, to think it's more than I will ever need, and then realize it's not really that much. But at the same time, I don't want to get more RAM if I'm going to start having crashes.

So, if anyone here has 192 GB of RAM, how stable is it? Is it as stable as 128, less or more?

If the ram is on the qvl I'll assume that it works.
You might find the corsair to be a little faster.....cl38.
Get a set and test.