Question 4x32 vs 4x48 RAM for stability?

[PatrickPowers]

Hello!

I'm putting together a new editing PC and have received a few comments over on the PC builders reddit regarding the relative stability of various RAM kits. I need at least 128GB, which means a kit of 4 sticks. Is there any reason 4x48 would be more stable than 4x128? And is this even a realistic issue to be thinking about?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Colif]

how do you get 48gb? They don't sell sets with that amount in them, there aren't any 12gb sticks AFAIK.

more unmatched sticks you put together more chance you get errors.
Better to stick to 32gb sticks if you have to mix sets.

 

[USAFRet]

Hello!

I'm putting together a new editing PC and have received a few comments over on the PC builders reddit regarding the relative stability of various RAM kits. I need at least 128GB, which means a kit of 4 sticks. Is there any reason 4x48 would be more stable than 4x128? And is this even a realistic issue to be thinking about?

Thanks for any input!

128GB = 4x 32GB.

 

[kanewolf]

how do you get 48gb? They don't sell sets with that amount in them, there aren't any 12gb sticks AFAIK.

more unmatched sticks you put together more chance you get errors.
Better to stick to 32gb sets if you have to mix sets.

There are supposed to be 48GB DIMMs in DDR5 -- https://www.corsair.com/newsroom/pr...-launches-new-48gb-96gb-and-192gb-memory-kits Not sure what the availability is ...

 

[--SID--]

how do you get 48gb? They don't sell sets with that amount in them, there aren't any 12gb sticks AFAIK.

@PatrickPowers is talking about 48GB sticks like https://www.gskill.com/product/165/377/1684287813/F5-6400J3239F48GX2-RS5K

 

[USAFRet]

@PatrickPowers is talking about 48GB sticks like https://www.gskill.com/product/165/377/1684287813/F5-6400J3239F48GX2-RS5K

And then a motherboard that can take 192GB.

 

[Colif]

G Skill have them too.
Kingston do as well
Teamgroup sell 24gb sticks as well... I forgot that DDR5 allows so much more now.

 

[Colif]

And then a motherboard that can take 196GB.

think you need workstation boards from Intel or Threadripper from AMD to get more than 128gb right now.

 

[USAFRet]

think you need workstation boards from Intel or Threadripper from AMD to get more than 128gb right now.

Exactly.

 

[Eximo]

B760 Prime supports 4x48GB, even on the QVL, but I would track down the kits rather than getting JEDEC sticks for maximum stability.

CORSAIR

CMH192GX5M4B5200C38

I assume it is similar with AMD boards, just check the QVL for the board you are looking at getting and see what they have actually tested.

 

[Colif]

bargain price of $1000 locally for that set.

https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr5/cp2k48g56c46u5 is slightly cheaper

need to confirm motherbaord can use ram before buying any.

 

[35below0]

Is there any reason 4x48 would be more stable than 4x32?

No difference. It's the same. And safe.
RAM vendors guarantee that what they sell in a kit works at stated speed and that it's stable. Everyone makes mistakes but their failure rate is very low.

Stability issues can result from mixing kits, for example a 2x16 + 2x16 for 64 total. Or doing any other kind of mixing and matching.

And is this even a realistic issue to be thinking about?

Thanks for any input!

Yeah it's an important consideration.

Here's something else you may not know. When you go up in module memory size, usually the speed drops and latency gets higher. Low latency is important in gaming, so if that's not a concern then ignore latency.
Speed affects everyone but getting both lots of gigabythes and high speed can only be done at a huge price.

Something else that you need to know. Memory speeds above JEDEC are de facto a form of overclocking. This is not unstable because memory vendors will guarantee speeds. But unless you need speed (and you probably don't) stick to JEDEC speed. Depending on motherboard, this will be 4800Mhz or 5200Mhz.
Those kits are also cheaper.

Best to check the motherboard QVL and try to buy those kits.

G Skill have them too.
Kingston do as well
Teamgroup sell 24gb sticks as well... I forgot that DDR5 allows so much more now.

G.Skill do not have any 128Gb kits. DDR4 yes, but no DDR5. I can't see them. You sure?
I see 2x48 kits max.

 

[Colif]

G.Skill do not have any 128Gb kits. DDR4 yes, but no DDR5. I can't see them. You sure?
I see 2x48 kits max.

i was mistakenly looking at 48gb sets, not sticks. But my last link from crucial is 2 x 48gb

 

[Eximo]

128/192 is a tall order for DDR5 with four slots. Just have to balance the price between paying for an expensive memory kit or moving to Threadripper or Intel HEDT and getting quad/hex memory and using 16 and 24GB sticks in 6 or 8 or 12 slots.

 

[PatrickPowers]

Thanks all for the comments! SO, is DDR5 just more unstable than DDR4? And what does 'unstable' even mean? Will they, like, burn out or something?

I really appreciate the lively discussion here. Right now, I'm planning to get this 128GB set: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/HK...-gb-ddr5-5600-cl40-memory-cmk128gx5m4b5600c40

 

[35below0]

I don't know why you bring up unstable. RAM is not unstable, the problem is RAM is sold in kits, or packs of sticks that work together. Mixing kits is using incompatible RAM and as a result, the sytem may be unstable or ever refuse to boot.
But you have to deliberately do something you're not supposed to do (mix RAM kits) for this to happen.

If you remove a cooler from a CPU, it will also be unstable but only because you did something you're not supposed to do.

To your question, DDR5 or DDR4 or DDR3 are all sold in kits. Usually 2 sticks to a kit but sometimes 4. 2sticks run faster than 4 but not more stable. They are all stable. The only exception is mixing sticks from different kits. That may even work but it's not something that should be done.

The reason DDR4 is prefered for your case is because you want 128Gb. There aren't that many DDR5 4x48Gb or 4x32Gb kits, and the ones out there cost a ton of money. DDR4 kits are cheaper and more numerous.

DDR5 is a little bit faster but a) a lot more expensive, and b) not so much faster when shopping 128Gb kits.

I really appreciate the lively discussion here. Right now, I'm planning to get this 128GB set: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/HK...-gb-ddr5-5600-cl40-memory-cmk128gx5m4b5600c40

What motherboard are you planning to use this kit in? If it's not compatible with your motherboard, you'll have to send it back.

Also, there's a reason that kit costs around $450 and other kits are nearer to $700-1000. It's not because it's better.


Take my advice, and buy a 2x64Gb kit of DDR4 or DDR5 RAM, preferably DDR4. Use a DDR4 z690/z790 motherboard that lists your chosen 2x64Gb kit on it's QVL. If the motherboard manufacturer doesn't list it on the QVL, then check with the memory vendor. If it's not listed, don't buy it because it may be incompatible.
If you buy it anyway, it's a complete shot in the dark.