Question Mixing different size RAM/Upgrade suggestions ?

[teamrw]

Built my PC in 2014:
i5 4690K
2x4GB 1600 mhz DDR3 RAM
Upgraded to GTX 1660 Super
Asus maximus VII Ranger

Not ready to upgrade my motherboard and CPU just yet so I am looking to simply buy more DDR3 RAM and hope that it will give me some performance boost until l I have money to upgrade.
Currently have lots of microstuttering and I hope to alleviate that with more RAM.
Saw a deal on some used RAM (2x8GB 1333 mhz), and was wondering can I pair it with the 2x4 GB that I'm running now. My current RAM is rated for 1600 mhz but its running at 1333mhz currently for unknown reason.
I know that combining different speed RAM will run all sticks on lower speed but as that's basically what's happening now its not an issue for me.

Any reason this wouldn't be a good idea?

 

[Colif]

it might work, Intel CPU much more likely to run 2 sets that AMD would be.

You might find it better to just replace the 2 x 4gb with the other set. More unmatched sticks you run together, more chance of weird errors happening.

Speed: did you look in bios to see if its running XMP?

are you using ssd or hdd as that will make big difference too

 

[Zerk2012]

Built my PC in 2014:
i5 4690K
2x4GB 1600 mhz DDR3 RAM
Upgraded to GTX 1660 Super
Asus maximus VII Ranger

Not ready to upgrade my motherboard and CPU just yet so I am looking to simply buy more DDR3 RAM and hope that it will give me some performance boost until l I have money to upgrade.
Currently have lots of microstuttering and I hope to alleviate that with more RAM.
Saw a deal on some used RAM (2x8GB 1333 mhz), and was wondering can I pair it with the 2x4 GB that I'm running now. My current RAM is rated for 1600 mhz but its running at 1333mhz currently for unknown reason.
I know that combining different speed RAM will run all sticks on lower speed but as that's basically what's happening now its not an issue for me.

Any reason this wouldn't be a good idea?

Might work and might not work.
Probably better off just removing the 2X4 set and installing the 2X8 set.

 

[teamrw]

it might work, Intel CPU much more likely to run 2 sets that AMD would be.

You might find it better to just replace the 2 x 4gb with the other set. More unmatched sticks you run together, more chance of weird errors happening.

Speed: did you look in bios to see if its running XMP?

are you using ssd or hdd as that will make big difference too

I have a SATA SSD for windows and games and a HDD for everything else. Is this in relation to the RAM speed and XMP? or does it have anything to do with the compatibility of two sets of RAM?

 

[USAFRet]

I have a SATA SSD for windows and games and a HDD for everything else. Is this in relation to the RAM speed and XMP? or does it have anything to do with the compatibility of two sets of RAM?

No.
Your drive(s) have nothing to do with RAM.

Basic suggestion for mixing RAM?
Don't.

 

[Colif]

i only asked about drives as it could be reason for stuttering while CPU waiting for info...

more ram will reduce need for PC to look on ssd or hdd for info.

 

[Karadjgne]

Best speeds for 4th gen intel was 1866MHz Cas8, although cheaper ram was often 1866MHz Cas10. 1866/10 was almost identical to 1600/9, the single most popular ram range. 1600/7 is more expensive and harder to find, and has similar performance to 1866/8.

For DDR3, it's not always just the speeds that count, the speeds are just how fast the ram works at. The timings were also highly important because that's the amount of time it takes for the data to enter and be released by the ram.

Think of it like this. Tall guy opens a door, walks in, crosses the 10ft room in 3 strides, opens the next door and walks out. His strides are slow but long. A Geisha walks into the same room, crosses the floor in 10 strides, walks out. She takes very fast strides, but they are very short. End result is similar amount of actual time for either to cross the room.

So you can have a slow speed ram (stride length) with a lower Cas (amount of strides) and end up with data moving through the ram in the same amount of time (performance) as a higher speed ram with higher timings. The trick to increasing performance is to have higher speed and lower Cas. If that Geisha maintained her actual foot speed, but decreased her 10 strides to 8 strides, she physically crosses the room in less time, faster.

So speed alone isn't always the answer, have to look as to how that speed is used. 1333/5 is very high performance, 1333/10 is miserable cheap slow performance.

Gb size is how many ppl can get through the door and cross the room at the same time. 4Gb is a slim door, ppl wait in line to get through. 32Gb is a garage door, there's wasted space at the doorway because there's not enough ppl to fill the gaps. 8-16Gb is a good double-wide sliding glass door, maybe sometimes a waiting line for large ppl, maybe sometimes a gap if the ppl are skinny.