Purchase RAM separately?

[rwoody]

I want to purchase this RAM because it fits my color scheme, but I want 4x8GB sticks, so I was thinking of buying two of these at the same time.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104471

I've heard that it's better to buy RAM in kits (for compatibility and testing reasons) but this RAM is not sold in sets of 4. Would it be okay to purchase two separate sets of two?

 

[Luminary]

We can't guarantee they will work together, because only RAM bought in the same pack has been tested at the factories to perform together.

That said, you're buying the exact same make & model of RAM, so chances are in your favor that if you install all the new RAM together at the same time that they will work. Again that is not a guarantee, but the odds are good that it should work.

If there is no other RAM that will fit your color scheme you might as well give it a shot. At worst you would have to return one of the 16GB packs because they aren't compatible.

Great RAM choice by the way, they recieved a glowing review from Overclockers.com: http://www.overclockers.com/kingston-hyperx-fury-ddr3-1866-2x4gb-memory-kit-review/

 

[Chicano]

It's OK to buy separate RAM kits as long as they are the same model... but why do you need 32GB?... 8GB is standard and 16GB is overkill... so why 32GB?.

And depending on your system socket, it may be better to buy 2133Mhz RAM. 6th generation Intel mobos use 2133Mhz RAM standard... 1866Mhz may not be supported. For 5th and 4th generation 1866Mhz RAM is standard.

 

[rwoody]

It's OK to buy separate RAM kits as long as they are the same model... but why do you need 32GB?... 8GB is standard and 16GB is overkill... so why 32GB?.

And depending on your system socket, it may be better to buy 2133Mhz RAM. 6th generation Intel mobos use 2133Mhz RAM standard... 1866Mhz may not be supported. For 5th and 4th generation 1866Mhz RAM is standard.

I want 32GB because I'm building a gaming/3D modeling PC and I don't want to mess with it down the road. The next upgrade I will likely do will put me somewhere around the 7th or 8th generation intel CPU, so I'll need a new motherboard and RAM (DDR4) anyway. At $160 for 32GB it's pretty cheap in my opinion, so why not? I know it's a bit overkill, but it's one less thing I need to worry about later. Im running a Z97 board, so compatibility isn't a concern.

 

[Tradesman1]

As Luminary said there is no guarantees when mixing sets of DRAM, you can pull sticks right off the assembly line and they might or might not play - this is why manufacturers test sticks together before packaging to ensure they play nice. Also why 4 stick sets often cost more than getting two sets of 2 sticks of the same model, it takes more testing to find 4 that will play together nice, more on this in my Fiction article, item 6, here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ddr-dram-myths,4155.html

We see people all the time here that have bought two sets of the same to save a few bucks and have troubles galore

 

[rwoody]

So, if it's a bad idea to buy two pairs separately, what about the people that intentionally start out with only 2 dimms and add two more later? Do those people just get screwed?

 

[Luminary]

So, if it's a bad idea to buy two pairs separately, what about the people that intentionally start out with only 2 dimms and add two more later? Do those people just get screwed?

No, I had that exact situation in one of my cases and the mixed RAM I added is working fine.

If you search the forums for 'Mixed RAM' you'll see plenty of reports of successful mixings. You'll also see plenty of failures. Because of this we always recommend folks looking to upgrade RAM to purchase a single pack to help avoid the chance of their investment not working out.

As both Tradesman and I are trying to stress , there is no way we can guarantee that using mixed modules will work in your partiucular system, it really does vary on a case-by-case basis.

Like I said above, if you really love those modules go ahead and try it out. Worst that could happen is that they don't work together and you'll have to return one pair.

 

[rwoody]

Okay, thanks for the feedback everyone! Much appreciated!

 

[Luminary]

You're most welcome.