[SOLVED] MIXING RAMS

[skyzosnop]

Hi,

So I want to buy an rgb ram kit
(G.Skill Trident Z RGB DDR4 3200Mhz PC4-25600 16GB 2x8GB CL16)
and I have a single single ram stick already
(HyperX FURY Memory 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Kit 16GB DDR4 2666MHz)

My motherboard is a gigabyte z390 gaming x, how should I use the rams?

Like dual channel and then the other stick have?

Should I use 1st and 3rd channel for the kit and the other ram stick I already have on the 2nd slot?

And will this cause any instability to my system?

Other specs:
i5 9600k stock
MSI GTX 1660 Ti stock
HyperX FURY Memory 16GB DDR4 2666MHz (single channel, single stick)
Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X

 

[PC Tailor]

Like dual channel and then the other stick have?

It will probably run flex. But the downfall of this is you're still causing one RAM module to share bandwidth. So whilst the difference might be negligible it can sometimes not be so optimal in comparison to just a standard 2 slot setup. And the new RAM will likely downclock to 2666.

Should I use 1st and 3rd channel for the kit and the other ram stick I already have on the 2nd slot?

You'd want to keep the RAM from one pack in one channel as per your motherboard manual.

And will this cause any instability to my system?

No one can really answer this, but quite potentially.

Memory is sold in packs for a reason, and only the memory modules sold in the same pack are guaranteed compatibility. This is because the manufacturing process for the modules change frequently and sometimes substantially. So theoretically you could have 2 of the exact same memory modules, but from 2 different packs, that don't behave well with one another.

This is why manufacturers only guarantee compatibility in the form sold (from the same pack). Making sure that they are the same model, or timings, or latency, is just a way of trying to minimise the risk, not eliminate it.

Not saying it never works, it's just technically a gamble.

 

[geofelt]

Not a great idea.
If it works, and that is a big if, all the ram will operate at 2666 speed.

Unless you need more than 16gb, I would just install the new kit and keep the old as a spare.
If you need 32gb, but a single 2 x 16gb kit.