Question Can I run 4 sticks of 8GB at 3600mhz on an MSI B550M Mortar Max WiFi board and a Ryzen 5 5600X CPU ?

[RookieMistake]

I have read a couple of things about ram but I cannot seem to understand it fully.

My mobo is msi b550m mortar max wifi paired with ryzen 5 5600x.

I bought trident z neo 2x8 3600mhz CL18 kits (F4-3600C18D-16GTZN). And im planning to buy another pair.

Can i run 4 sticks at 3600mhz with my motherboard?

I’ve also read that 3600mhz is better with ryzen 5000 series because its fclk is around 1800mhz.

If I can’t run 4 of my sticks at 3600mhz, would it be better to just buy 4 sticks of 3200mhz on CL16?

TLDR : Is it 4 sticks of 3600mhz CL18 OR 4 sticks of 3200mhz CL16 on msi b550m mortar max wifi motherboard and ryzen 5 5600x??

 

[XxDarkMario20xX]

Do not mix and match your ram even if there the same brand because manufacturer makes them in pairs so they can work toghther. I would return this if you bought it and go with 2x16gb

 

[punkncat]

It would really depend on the VRM of the motherboard, among other factors. It is not unusual for the speed for 4X to be less than the possible speed for 2X.

There is a chart somewhere around that shows the actual speed difference in 'faster speed/higher or lower latency'.

Also, as @XxDarkMario20xX has pointed out, Ryzen can be quite finicky about mixing sets.

 

[Zerk2012]

If you need 32GB then sell yours and buy a 2X16gb set.

 

[BlaUno]

This is what your mobo says (look under specifications > detail)

4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB 1

• Supports DDR4 1866/ 2133/ 2400/ 2667/ 2800/ 2933/ 3000/ 3066/ 3200 MHz by JEDEC
• Supports DDR4 2667/ 2800/ 2933/ 3000/ 3066/ 3200/ 3466/ 3600/ 3733/ 3866/ 4000/ 4133/ 4266/ 4400+ MHz by A-XMP OC MODE
  • 1DPC 1R max speed 4400 MHZ
  • 1DPC 2R max speed 3733 MHZ
  • 2DPC 1R max speed 3866 MHZ
  • 2DPC 2R max speed 3466 MHZ

So, if the sticks are dual rank (2R), you might need to lower the speed.

EDIT: Just to clarify, "1DPC" vs "2DPC" translates as "One... vs. Two Dimms Per Channel", respectively

 

[RookieMistake]

Do not mix and match your ram even if there the same brand because manufacturer makes them in pairs so they can work toghther. I would return this if you bought it and go with 2x16gb

I forgot to state that I wanted 4 sticks. Is there any way I can solve this? If I wanted 4 sticks of trident z, what should I do? Is there a package that is 4x8gb?

 

[RookieMistake]

It would really depend on the VRM of the motherboard, among other factors. It is not unusual for the speed for 4X to be less than the possible speed for 2X.

There is a chart somewhere around that shows the actual speed difference in 'faster speed/higher or lower latency'.

Also, as @XxDarkMario20xX has pointed out, Ryzen can be quite finicky about mixing sets.

If I buy 2x8 3600mhz trident z neo cl18 and then another 2x8 3600mhz trident z neo cl18. Its still risky to match them?

 

[RookieMistake]

This is what your mobo says (look under specifications > detail)


So, if the sticks are dual rank (2R), you might need to lower the speed.

EDIT: Just to clarify, "1DPC" vs "2DPC" translates as "One... vs. Two Dimms Per Channel", respectively

so ill follow the 2DPC 2R? Which is 3466mhz? Sorry im a total newbie at this.

 

[XxDarkMario20xX]

Mixing ram sets is a risk and people highly don’t recommend it. You need to buy full set in order to safe like 16gb x2 set. There chance your comp won’t like it when mixing ram even if you buy same make and brand

 

[ilukey77]

Mixing ram sets is a risk and people highly don’t recommend it. You need to buy full set in order to safe like 16gb x2 set. There chance your comp won’t like it when mixing ram even if you buy same make and brand

I had a set of gskill neo rgb ddr4 cl 16 3600 2x8gb slapped in to a msi mag x570 tomahawk wifi added another identical set no issues ..
I think the old never mix RAM advice is more aimed to people actually mixing different brands and speeds!!

 

[RookieMistake]

I had a set of gskill neo rgb ddr4 cl 16 3600 2x8gb slapped in to a msi mag x570 tomahawk wifi added another identical set no issues ..
I think the old never mix RAM advice is more aimed to people actually mixing different brands and speeds!!

Thank you. It got me really confused cause i will just be buying the same ram module with the same speed, size, cas latency and timings. Ill get it from the same shop too. I guess ill just go with it. *fingerscrossed. Will update what happens.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I forgot to state that I wanted 4 sticks. Is there any way I can solve this? If I wanted 4 sticks of trident z, what should I do? Is there a package that is 4x8gb?

Why do you insist on using 4 modules?
2 module configuration is much safer in sense of avoiding potential ram compatibility issues.
With 4 modules you get lower max frequency.

i will just be buying the same ram module with the same speed, size, cas latency and timings. Ill get it from the same shop too. I guess ill just go with it. *fingerscrossed. Will update what happens.

Separately bought ram modules (from different ram kits) are not tested for working together.
It might work fine, may have issues or refuse to work altogether.

 

[ilukey77]

Thank you. It got me really confused cause i will just be buying the same ram module with the same speed, size, cas latency and timings. Ill get it from the same shop too. I guess ill just go with it. *fingerscrossed. Will update what happens.

np
you wont have a problem cl 16 3600 is very good for AMD ( amd usually favors timings over speed ) the best of the best is 3600 cl14 but its expensive and super rare..

even with my limited knowledge of ram i would say there isnt any massive gains using 2 sticks over 4 sticks or vice versa and timings probably between cl 16 and cl 14 dont yield massive gains either..
I do tend to use 32gb as my go to ram all the time ..
I usually use M-atx or itx boards now so 2 sticks of 16gb cl 30 6000 for my main and 3600 cl 16 for my other AMD systems

 

[ilukey77]

Why do you insist on using 4 modules?
2 module configuration is much safer in sense of avoiding potential ram compatibility issues.
With 4 modules you get lower max frequency.

Separately bought ram modules (from different ram kits) are not tested for working together.
It might work fine, may have issues or refuse to work altogether.

i never had issues with my gskill ddr4 neo rgb 3600 cl16 originally i bought the 2x8gb kit about 6 months later bought another identical set worked fine no issues ..

didnt think it made any difference as long as the ram is identical timings , speed and gb ( i figured using the same brand was a no brainer )

That said i have been using boards with only 2 ram slots for a long time now so ive only ever needed 2 x16gb kits !!

 

[SkyNetRising]

i never had issues with my gskill ddr4 neo rgb 3600 cl16 originally i bought the 2x8gb kit about 6 months later bought another identical set worked fine no issues.

You got lucky.
A lot of people are having issues with 4 ram module configurations.
Either stability issues or modules refusing to work at XMP/DOCP frequencies.

 

[Misgar]

Some motherboards used in overclocking contests with Liquid Nitrogen or Helium have only two DIMM sockets. These motherboards are designed by overclocking experts for the highest possible RAM speeds (over 8,000MHz) to improve chances of winning contests.

The reason is simple. Four DIMM sockets add more capacitance and delays to the memory bus, which can reduce maximum overclock frequencies, even when only one or two DIMMs are used in a contest.

Translating extreme overclocking down to normal PC use is similar to technology transfer from Formula 1 to normal cars. What's good for winning races can help improve the performance of your car (or computer).

If you want to extract the highest memory clock rates out of your motherboard, fit two DIMMs with fast timings. Four DIMMs increase bus capacitance and place additional load on the memory controllers.

Yes, I upgraded a 3800X with a second pair of non-matching 2x16GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance to give a total of 64GB, but I didn't clock them faster than 3,000MHz (which is their maximum XMP rating). When I bought the first pair, 3,600MHz+ DDR4 was too expensive.

The rig has since been replaced by a 7950X, but this time I installed 2x32GB DDR5 RAM for the required 64GB. I decided that two DIMMs should be more stable than four DIMMs., but if you want to experiment with four unmatched modules, by all means give it a go.

Expecting modern (fast) DIMMs to automatically work at maximum rated XMP out of the box, especially with 4 DIMMs, could lead to disappointment. Maximum XMP frequency is not guaranteed. It's a target you have to aim at.

If normal computing and stress testing cause BSODs, just lower the XMP/EXPO RAM overclock until the system is rock solid.

 

[CelicaGT]

You got lucky.
A lot of people are having issues with 4 ram module configurations.
Either stability issues or modules refusing to work at XMP/DOCP frequencies.

I expect it seems like many are having issues, as no one will make a post telling us how great it worked. The posts we see here represent a tiny, almost insignificant percentage of users. My experience, of course anecdotal has been one of zero issues running 4 sticks of DDR3, DDR4. Typically 2 identical kits containing 2 sticks each. I've done this close to a dozen times, including on a laptop. XMP worked fine on all. Tight timings as well. Everything just worked. Now, I'm not going to sit here and RECOMMEND people do this, at least not without the typical YMMV warning. But I think it's safe to say the majority of users will not have an issue. DDR4 especially is old hat, proven and reliable. Now DDR5 otoh....

 

[Misgar]

I have two unmatched 2x16GB DDR4 kits (total 64GB) running at max XMP on a 3800X system, but an old 2600X system failed to run at XMP 3000 with just 2x8GB until I relaxed the CL (CAS) setting from 20 to 24.

The people who frequent this site are often "noobs" asking for advice, or people experiencing instability problems. If your system is working fine, you're less likely to post the results, than someone asking for help.

It's quite possible that mixing unmatched sets of RAM will work happily in many systems, but for people who don't find it easy to return RAM for a refund, caution may be the best option. Buying incompatible RAM can be an expensive mistake if you can't send it back.

 

[Dragos Manea]

I had a set of gskill neo rgb ddr4 cl 16 3600 2x8gb slapped in to a msi mag x570 tomahawk wifi added another identical set no issues ..
I think the old never mix RAM advice is more aimed to people actually mixing different brands and speeds!!

Usually mixing sets for some peoples means that can put any stick in any slot, in my experience 95% of the cases worked without any issues in 5% of the cases had to interchange set dimm slot. Usually you must mark the first set of 2 with 1 or A whatever and the second set of 2 with 2 or B, then keep them paired on the same dual channel, remember desktop CPUs have only 2 channel even if it has 4 dimms, so you must pair on the channel the set for asus is like this, 1 set of 2 on A1 and B1 and the second set of 2 on A2 and B2, this way they will work in dual channel how they were guaranteed by the manufacturer, you need set of 4 sticks with CPUs which has 4 channel like X99 platform (i7 6950x), amd threadripper and so on, there you need set of 4, but for consumer dual channel you can easilly get away with 2 sets of 2. I even mixed different capacities (2x4 with 2x8 on same motherboard) and they worked flawlessly with dual channel active.

 

[Misgar]

Hmm. That's a very big single paragraph. My eyes crossed over part way down and I gave up.

 

[Nighthawk117]

I forgot to state that I wanted 4 sticks. Is there any way I can solve this? If I wanted 4 sticks of trident z, what should I do? Is there a package that is 4x8gb?

It can be hit or miss whether 4 sticks will run at 3600Mhz. Is there a reason why you want 4 sticks, is it because it looks nicer?

 

[Dragos Manea]

It can be hit or miss whether 4 sticks will run at 3600Mhz. Is there a reason why you want 4 sticks, is it because it looks nicer?

It is for quad channel, X99, X299 and TR4 platform which supports quad channel, this is where you really need a 4 stick set, lets not get into disccusion for xeon 8 channel and so on.

 

[Nighthawk117]

It is for quad channel, X99, X299 and TR4 platform which supports quad channel, this is where you really need a 4 stick set, lets not get into disccusion for xeon 8 channel and so on.

I misread it, I was wondering why they wanted 4 sticks on a dual channel board but it's because they've already got 2. I just wouldn't have opted for 4x3600Mhz on Ryzen.