Question How do i know which ram is going to fit my system?

veeljko23

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I plan on getting a h410 mbo and i3 10100f but different models of h410 have different ram support, some support 2666mhz, some 3200 etc. But how can i know what actually limits it? I read that lower limit out of cpu and mbo is the actual limit, and i3 10100f is limited at 2666mhz? Can i use 3200mhz if my motherboard supports it?

And i cant currently get a 2x8 kit so i want to get one stick now and the other one later, but i was told that that wont work properly? even though they would be the same exact model
 

Ralston18

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The starting point is the User Guide/Manual for the motherboard. And look for your specific model h410 motherboard. Details matter.

There should be some listing of all supported components including RAM. Both RAM specs and supported physical combinations. In other words, what slots are to be used.

Most User Guides/Manual also refer back to the manufacturer's website for more up-to-date information. That information is in the form of QVLs (Qualified Vendor's List).

You may find additional information the website's Forums and FAQ's - if any. Pay attention to both what is said and what is "not said".

And you should get a kit. Kits are matched RAM and intended for dual channel use. Purchasing RAM separately may work but may also be problematic.
 

bignastyid

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I plan on getting a h410 mbo and i3 10100f but different models of h410 have different ram support, some support 2666mhz, some 3200 etc. But how can i know what actually limits it? I read that lower limit out of cpu and mbo is the actual limit, and i3 10100f is limited at 2666mhz? Can i use 3200mhz if my motherboard supports it?

And i cant currently get a 2x8 kit so i want to get one stick now and the other one later, but i was told that that wont work properly? even though they would be the same exact model
Ram support on H410 depends on what the cpu supports. Between the 10th and 11th gen cpus the motherboards support there are multiple ram speeds. Since you are going with the 10100f then it supports 2666.

To get ddr 4 3200 support you'd need a 11 gen cpu with native 3200 support or a higher end Z board for XMP support.
 

veeljko23

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Ram support on H410 depends on what the cpu supports. Between the 10th and 11th gen cpus the motherboards support there are multiple ram speeds. Since you are going with the 10100f then it supports 2666.

To get ddr 4 3200 support you'd need a 11 gen cpu with native 3200 support or a higher end Z board for XMP support.
thats what i thought, so with that cpu i cannot go over 2666mhz? Since i was watching a lot of benchmarks i saw that a lot ppl were using 3200mhz and more, is that since they were using a better motherboard?
 

veeljko23

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Ram support on H410 depends on what the cpu supports. Between the 10th and 11th gen cpus the motherboards support there are multiple ram speeds. Since you are going with the 10100f then it supports 2666.

To get ddr 4 3200 support you'd need a 11 gen cpu with native 3200 support or a higher end Z board for XMP support.
also, the motherboard i want to get is asus prime h410m-r and it also supports xmp, waht can i do with it
 

bignastyid

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also, the motherboard i want to get is asus prime h410m-r and it also supports xmp, waht can i do with it
With a 10100F it will still max out at 2666. Most DDR4 has a base speed of 2133(jedec standard) and uses XMP to get get higher speeds. So if you buy some DDR4 2666 when you first start the system the ram will be running at 2133 and you have to turn on XMP to get it to 2666.
 

Inthrutheoutdoor

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NO on the buying 1 stick at a time, you should always buy ram in kits, as you may or may not be able to find an exact matching stick later on, and then would end up having to buy another kit in a matching set anyways....

And even if you put 3200mhz ram into a machine that only supports lower speeds, it will just automatically downclock itself to the maximum speed supported by your mobo and/or cpu, which won't hurt anything, except you wont be reaching the full potential of the 3200 kit...

Right now I am running a 9th gen machine that supposedly only supports up to 2666, but when I bought the ram for it, the 3200 kits were the same price as the 2666 sets, so I went for the 3200, installed them and booted up, nottaneveraproblemo since day 1 !

And FYI, most of my previous 7th, 8th & 9th gen boards & cpus supported XMP to some degree, the only difference was the extent to which it would boost the ram speeds from the default.
 

veeljko23

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NO on the buying 1 stick at a time, you should always buy ram in kits, as you may or may not be able to find an exact matching stick later on, and then would end up having to buy another kit in a matching set anyways....

And even if you put 3200mhz ram into a machine that only supports lower speeds, it will just automatically downclock itself to the maximum speed supported by your mobo and/or cpu, which won't hurt anything, except you wont be reaching the full potential of the 3200 kit...

Right now I am running a 9th gen machine that supposedly only supports up to 2666, but when I bought the ram for it, the 3200 kits were the same price as the 2666 sets, so I went for the 3200, installed them and booted up, nottaneveraproblemo since day 1 !

And FYI, most of my previous 7th, 8th & 9th gen boards & cpus supported XMP to some degree, the only difference was the extent to which it would boost the ram speeds from the default.
I am planning on getting 2 same sticks, just at different time since i sold old pc and i currently cant afford to get a kit
 

bignastyid

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I am planning on getting 2 same sticks, just at different time since i sold old pc and i currently cant afford to get a kit
Ordering the same model does not guarantee compatibility. It may work or it may not.
Things can change. Here's a recent example of my own experience. Bought 2 kits of Gskill ram. Exact same model ordered at the same time, but they did not play well together(cause system instability). Kits worked separately just fine. but the chips were actually from 2 different manufactures. 1 was Samsung and the other was Hynix.
You can get the single stick for now, but when you want to upgrade just plan on buying a kit and replacing the single stick rather than adding to it.