Question Can two RAM sticks work in slots 1 & 3 instead of slots 2 & 4 ?

[worstalentscout]

hi, so normally for using two sticks of RAM - they are put in slots 2 & 4 (counting from left of the CPU)..........

what if either slot 2 or slot 4 is damaged ?...............can i put the RAM in slots 1 & 3 ?

or do i have to sell off both RAM sticks and then get one stick of a larger capacity ?

many thanks indeed..............

 

[kerberos_20]

you can use any sticks in all slots, but sticks at 1+3 usually offer lower ram clock capabilities (depends on motherboard price)

 

[Bob.B]

hi, so normally for using two sticks of RAM - they are put in slots 2 & 4 (counting from left of the CPU)..........

what if either slot 2 or slot 4 is damaged ?...............can i put the RAM in slots 1 & 3 ?

or do i have to sell off both RAM sticks and then get one stick of a larger capacity ?

many thanks indeed..............

Try it.......see what the results are.

 

[geofelt]

What is the make/model of your motherboard?
The user manual will identify a preferred pair of slots to use.
But, normally the other pair will work just fine.

What is the make/model of your ram? Is it a single kit?
You normally want to have a matched pair of ram for best dual channel performance.
Mismatched ram can have some issues.

 

[worstalentscout]

you can use any sticks in all slots, but sticks at 1+3 usually offer lower ram clock capabilities (depends on motherboard price)

that's good to hear since RAM slots might malfunction over time..........i was thinking i might have to sell off 2 x 8GB RAM sticks and replace them with 1 x 16GB RAM stick........many thanks !

Try it.......see what the results are.

i'll do that next week..........pray for me !...........LOL

What is the make/model of your motherboard?
The user manual will identify a preferred pair of slots to use.
But, normally the other pair will work just fine.

What is the make/model of your ram? Is it a single kit?
You normally want to have a matched pair of ram for best dual channel performance.
Mismatched ram can have some issues.

i'm using ASRock B450M Steel Legend.................i don't play games at all so using ''normal'' Crucial RAM (3200mhz)...........

 

[geofelt]

A single 16gb stick will not operate as fast as 2 x 8gb.
This is particularly hurtful for ryzen which needs fast ram.

Test your ram one stick at a time in each slot.
Take a known good stick to test in each slot to verify that the slots are good.
If you find a defective stick, most ram kits will have a lifetime replacement warranty.

Run memtest86 or memtest86+ to test.
They boot from a usb stick and do not use windows.
You can download them here:

MemTest86 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

MemTest86 is the original self booting memory testing software for x86 and ARM computers. Supporting both BIOS and UEFI, with options to boot from USB.

www.memtest86.com

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)

www.memtest.org

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

 

[worstalentscout]

A single 16gb stick will not operate as fast as 2 x 8gb.
This is particularly hurtful for ryzen which needs fast ram.

Test your ram one stick at a time in each slot.
Take a known good stick to test in each slot to verify that the slots are good.
If you find a defective stick, most ram kits will have a lifetime replacement warranty.

Run memtest86 or memtest86+ to test.
They boot from a usb stick and do not use windows.
You can download them here:

MemTest86 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

MemTest86 is the original self booting memory testing software for x86 and ARM computers. Supporting both BIOS and UEFI, with options to boot from USB.

www.memtest86.com

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)

www.memtest.org

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

many thanks for the info...............i don't even need the test though...............when i had both RAM inserted, the pc will get blue screens very quickly............

i'm down to 1 piece of 8GB RAM now and the slowdown was initially shocking to me...........i had to put my cpu to high performance to compensate a bit.........

will try to get a replacement RAM in the next week or 2 since under warranty.......