Memory upgrade precursor to a bigger upgrade

[mottaman]

I currently have a 2.5 year old settup with 6gb (3x2gb) of memory on a triple channel mobo, but it has been running pretty slow recently with certain applications. I was thinking of using the other 3 slots of memory that have been vacant since purchase to bump it up to 12gb, but I am also planning on doing a complete overhaul in about 7 months.

If i buy a set of 4 can i use 3 of them in my current build and then just use all 4 in my future settup or does it have to be bought as a set of 3.

My thinking is that i can buy the 4, but i just want to confirm

followup question, i want good, but not break the bank, so tier 2 or 3 would probably suffice. I am just tired of seeing my memory bar full while things barely load when i have a a bunch of tabs open on chrome + a game + a movie and whatever else running.

 

[blazorthon]

You can buy a quad channel (4 module) kit and run three of them in triple channel. Of course the modules need to be more or less identical to get the greatest chance of working with your current modules.

Mixing RAM kits tends to not work but you might be fine if you use another set of the same kit or a similar kit.

Mixing RAM kits is recommended by most of the experts because of problems associated with it, most of the time being incompatibilities between the kits you're trying to mix.

You would need to have another 3x2GB kit with the same timings, frequencies, voltages, and a few other things. This probably won't be a problem because most modules of a certain capacity tend to have the same number of chips on each module but you probably need to have the same number of chips on each module of your current kit and the new kit.

 

[geofelt]

If you currently have a triple channel kit, it is likely for a X58 motherboard. Much X58 ram was 1.65v which is the maximum you can use on a sandy bridge cpu before you cause irreversable damage to the chip

Sandy bridge wants 1.5v ram.

It is possible to get things to work, but Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
Although, I think the problem has lessened with the newer Intel chipsets. Still,
it is safer to get what you need in one kit.

Still, if you get a 16gb(4x4gb) kit of 1.5v ram that is compatible with each motherboard, go ahead and use it all. On the triple channel mobo, the unmatched stick will operate in single channel mode if the motherboard permits.