Question Gigabyte Z97-D3H motherboard compatibility with RAM

[VegaDelalyre]

Hello. I found a good offer for a set of G.Skill F3-12800CL10Q-32GBZL (that is 4x8 GB), but I'm not sure my old Gigabyte Z97-D3H and i7-4790k will accept it. Will this work? Will components be at risk in the long term?

G.Skill doesn't list this RAM as being compatible with that motherboard, but I can't see why, since it's DDR3 and it runs at 1600 MHz. Are they just being cautious?

 

[Misgar]

It's not unusual to find RAM which isn't on the mobo QVL. With DDR3, I'd be happy to buy this kit, boot up at JEDEC default (probably 1333MT/s) then try XMP at 1600MT/s.

Just remember 4 DIMMs can sometimes be harder to overclock than 2 DIMMs, but you're buying a matched set of 4 which should go some way towards reducing any instability problems.

Run Memtest86 at 1600MT/s to check the system is stable.

 

[VegaDelalyre]

Thanks for your (swift!) reply. I also noted that this exact RAM model isn't listed on Pangoly or Gigabyte's Memory Support List. It's compatible with quad-channel, but should support the mobo's dual-channel, as per its specifications. So what gives?

Anyway, the RAM was sold in the meantime, but your advice about XMP and Memtest86 will be useful anyway.