[SOLVED] question about buying RAM

[Ryan0710]

I have 4x4gb sticks of ram for 16 gb in all. One of the sticks is not functional anymore. When looking online to replace it, there is a 2x4gb pack and i can just keep the spare, but theres a 1x8gb stick of the same ram i use which is cheaper. can i use that 8gb stick along with the other 3 4gb sticks already in my pc? That would make 20gb of ram instead of 16. or does it need to be a 4gb stick like the others? thank you

 

[kanewolf]

I have 4x4gb sticks of ram for 16 gb in all. One of the sticks is not functional anymore. When looking online to replace it, there is a 2x4gb pack and i can just keep the spare, but theres a 1x8gb stick of the same ram i use which is cheaper. can i use that 8gb stick along with the other 3 4gb sticks already in my pc? That would make 20gb of ram instead of 16. or does it need to be a 4gb stick like the others? thank you

Is this DDR3 or DDR4 ?? What motherboard are we talking about ?

 

[Colif]

are the 4 x 4gb sticks all part of a set? Did they all get sold together?
If yes, then replacing that other stick becomes complicated. Sticks sold in sets are tested to make sure they work together, trying to add a non tested 4th stick into mix can cause errors and make PC act weird.

It can get expensive to replace a 4th stick like that. You might need to buy all new ram just to make it work again.

 

[SamirD]

With ddr3, you might get away with the 8gb module in the mix. But ideally you can just get a replacement 4gb module of the same specs.

Keep in mind that most memory has a lifetime warranty so you can take advantage of that and get an exact replacement for free.

 

[Colif]

Do Ram makers let you RMA one stick out of a set? I would have thought they expect entire set back to replace them?

 

[kanewolf]

Do Ram makers let you RMA one stick out of a set? I would have thought they expect entire set back to replace them?

My experience is the whole set has to go back, to be replaced by another one.

 

[Colif]

Only time i didn't have to return an item from rma was when Razer had me show I had cut the power cable off one of their Keyboards by taking a photo of it. Basically destroying it.

Would be nice if you could send ram back 1 stick at a time and still use PC but its never that easy

 

[Ryan0710]

Is this DDR3 or DDR4 ?? What motherboard are we talking about ?

ddr4. i had 2 packs of these https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-8gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820231886
and one stick has been defective for awhile now, but now i want to fill the spot because i no longer have 16gb. So if i got an 8gb stick instead of a 4gb stick, would it still work fine or should i just get a 4gb stick.
mobo is asus b250m-a pro its working fine right now with only 12 gb of ram, but i want atleast 16gb, but if i got an 8gb stick id have 20 gb... so im not sure if thats a better thing to buy because its cheaper and more memory than a 4gb stick... all have same speeds and are same model etc

 

[Colif]

what i would do is run memtest86 on each of your ram stick that is broken and see if it causes any errors. It creates a bootable USB. boot off it and check ram stick.

If the stick is bad, Gskill will likely accept a fail on memtest as a good enough reason to RMA the ram set.

I would send both sticks back and get new ones for free. No need to mess with an 8gb stick then. running 2 non identical sticks together can lead to problems.

You might only have 8gb for a while but its sure cheaper

 

[SamirD]

ddr4. i had 2 packs of these https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-8gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820231886

With ddr4, I wouldn't try that at all.

 

[moseo]

If your Ram stick isn't working, here's a good place to sell ram


Good luck!

 

[SamirD]

If your Ram stick isn't working, here's a good place to sell ram


Good luck!

I would recommend the classifies here instead:

Classifieds

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