Question Expanding RAM to 32 GB, existing modules no longer available

[Frogger9000]

Hello! I have an aging computer I thought to give a final upgrade and pass on to one of my kids. I want to expand the RAM with an additional 2x8 GB and upgrade the GPU ( GTX 970) , but the RAM I once bought is no longer available. I am able to find chips from other brands with the same speed and latency timings, but wondering what I should go for in order to get the best compatibility. As I understand it, Crucial uses chips produced by Micron, and ideally another brand should use Micron chips as well?

Motherboard: Asus ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Ram: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 2x8GB
3000 MHz (PC4-24000)
CL15 (15-16-16)

EAN 0649528778833
MPN BLT2C8G4D30AETA

Any suggestions would be very welcome.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

wondering what I should go for in order to get the best compatibility.

the only way to ensure absolute compatibility is to purchase packaged kits.

even getting the exact same make & model does not ensure any type of compatibility whatsoever.
if the separately packaged modules do happen to boot and function together it may still lead to some data corruption or inconsistencies in the future.

 

[geofelt]

To answer your question, buy a 32gb ram kit that is explicitly supported by the motherboard ram qvl list

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/MAXIMUS_VIII_EXTREME_ASSEMBLY/6L_Memory_QVL.pdf?model=MAXIMUS%20VIII%20HERO%20ALPHA

Or by the ram vendor for your motherboard.

Ram must be matched for proper operation.
If you buy an additional 2 x 8gb, it may not run properly.
Usually, intel is quite tolerant if the new ram is sufficiently similar to the existing.
You can usually get it to run by increasing the ram voltage in the bios above the stated spec.

In any case verify proper operation.
Run memtest86 or memtest86+
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.

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.



Do you really need 32gb?
No game needs more than 16gb to run. If the kids are multitasking then that might change.
When under full load, look at task manager/resource monitor/memory tab/hard fault page rate column.
If you see much more than zero hard faults per second, only then is more ram useful.