[SOLVED] Installing a second dual channel kit in a dual channel system, is it worth it?

[Simrin]

I am having to RMA 2x8gb Gskill memory. To avoid being offline during the rma process I am considering buying an identical kit to the one I am RMA'ing. When the RMA is resolved I will end up with 4x8gb for 32gb but its only a dual channel system.

Is it worth it to invest the money in the extra kit or am I just needing to sit tight and not waste money on a second kit that doesn't really move the needle?

 

[tennis2]

Depends on your usage. In general, 16GB is still fine today. By the time your system gets retired, there's a good chance you'll be wanting 24-32GB.

 

[DeauteratedDog]

You can never have enough cowbell, or memory.
Seriously, 16 GB is enough, but 32 won't be a waste.

 

[Simrin]

I guess I was more wondering will my system really take advantage of 4x8. I know 32gb as 2x16 would be good but since its dual channel only on an AMD 7 2700 I wasn't sure if the extra 16gb really got used efficiently if its 2x(2x8)

 

[tennis2]

(Without going into too much technical detail) it doesn't matter. Still dual channel, still 32GB.

 

[Karadjgne]

Don't bother with 4x sticks on a Ryzen, it's a nightmare to get straight, and most times will not perform as wanted. Ryzens are quite particular about ram, channels and ranks, and may or may not even be stable at XMP rated speeds, if they even work beyond 2133, 2667 or 2933MHz.

If going to buy a replacement kit, I'd not rma as much as return for refund. Or just wait on the turn around. Unless you are absolutely positive the ram is the culprit, it'd be a waste to purchase the additional kit, you'll now own 2 kits of ram, should only use one kit, and still have the underlying issue.

 

[tennis2]

^ That would be the more technical details I was referring to. Haha.

Each Ryzen generation has gotten better with the >2 sticks of RAM situation.

 

[geofelt]

What is wrong with your curent ram?
Does it work at all?
Is there a bios update that might address your ram issue?

If you buy a 2 x 8gb kit for the interim, there is no guarantee that it will work properly with the replacement.
Ram must be in matched kits. Particularly with ryzen which is tightly bound to ram.

If your ram works to some extent, perhaps just one stick works, contact g.skil.
They may have a rma swap option where you pay for a new replacement and continue to use the old ram.
When you return the old ram, you get the purchase credited back.
I was able to do this in the past with Corsair.

Consider if you want/need 32gb.
With either a 2 or 4 stick kit you will still be operating in dual channel mode.
Some tests seem to show that 4 sticks performs marginally better, but I have no idea why that might be.
My inclination would be to buy a 2 x 16gb kit.
2 sticks is usually lower priced than the same ram capacity in a 4 stick kit.

If you want 32gb, I suggest you buy a 2 x 16gb kit now and plan on selling the returned rma 2 x 8 kit or keep it as a spare.

Or, if 16gb will do you, you can take a chance and buy the same kit now and hope that it works with the rma kit when it gets returned. Buy from a place with a good return policy. Expect a 15% restocking charge.
I put the odds of success at perhaps 85%

 

[Calvin7]

Memory manufacturers don't guarantee such configurations to be compatible together.
You can make any combinations you want and do your own compatibility testing with no guarantees.