[SOLVED] 2 8gb stick vs 2 16gb sticks ram?

[samsquantch88]

I have a Lenovo Legion T730 prebuilt and was debating if i should get 2 8gb sticks of ram or add one more 16gb stick to my already owned one that came with the system?


will the 2 16gb sticks be a better choice? My MOBO has only has 2 slots.

 

[clutchc]

More RAM is always better. But sometimes un-macthed sticks in dual channel mode do not play nice together. If possible, try to find an exact make/model match to the one you have now. As an alternative, try to find another stick with the same specs as the one you have now.
But if you're happy with 16GB of RAM now, it might be safer to just swap it out for 2 x 8GB and gain the ~10% bump in throughput.

I've mixed RAM in dual channel and had mixed results. Some ran fine, others had problems.

 

[geofelt]

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.
This is more difficult when more sticks are involved.
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