Question Question on RAM?

[kwikvinny]

I currently have 2 sticks of corsair vengeance pro 16gb of ddr4, 3.2ghz ,25600 and 2 sticks of 8gb trident gskillz ddr4 , 3200mhz.

Is this plenty for a gaming pc with a i9 7900x processor and Samsung 970 eco plus 1tb ssd m.2, asus geforce gtx geforce 1080 oc edition rog strix 8gb. Corsair h115i v2 liquid cooler.Asus x299 MKII TUF atx.

Is there anything else I should upgrade to speed it up?

 

[Darkbreeze]

So you have 32GB of DDR3 3200mhz, in two different sets, and they are working together at the correct speed and timings, IN dual channel?

If so, then yes, you have about 16GB more than you really "need" for any kind of gaming. There are reputedly one or two games coming out that CAN in some cases use more than 16GB total when the demands of the rest of the system are taken into account, but 16GB is generally MORE than enough for any gaming system right now. That does not mean that having more isn't ok too. It's fine. Good in fact. Even if it's only 16GB you have, it's still fine.

I don't see any mention of power supply, and since that is always the MOST important component in any build, that might be something you want to look at upgrading to a high quality model if you don't already have something that IS high quality AND is not more than five years old.

What is the EXACT model or series of your current power supply?

Are your games installed on that 1TB SSD along with your OS? If so, a separate SSD for ONLY the games might be a good idea as well.

 

[Encryption+]

If everything is working properly and set up as Darkbreeze described above, then yes you have enough RAM for any current games. If you want more RAM that's fine too and can only make your build better. There's no such thing as too much RAM as long as your motherboard can support it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Actually, the more memory (Meaning, the number of DIMMs used) you have installed the more stress there is on the memory controller and the hotter the CPU will tend to run as you are effectively increasing the amount of power that is run through the CPU every time you add another stick.

Mostly, that is not a problem on HEDT platforms though, but it certainly CAN be for consumer dual channel platforms where four DIMMs are present. If you can GET the same amount of memory capacity using only two sticks rather than four, that is generally preferred. For HEDT platforms, it still applies if we start talking about four DIMMs versus six or eight. That's not to say they can't work that way, it is merely something to consider.

 

[kwikvinny]

So you have 32GB of DDR3 3200mhz, in two different sets, and they are working together at the correct speed and timings, IN dual channel?

If so, then yes, you have about 16GB more than you really "need" for any kind of gaming. There are reputedly one or two games coming out that CAN in some cases use more than 16GB total when the demands of the rest of the system are taken into account, but 16GB is generally MORE than enough for any gaming system right now. That does not mean that having more isn't ok too. It's fine. Good in fact. Even if it's only 16GB you have, it's still fine.

I don't see any mention of power supply, and since that is always the MOST important component in any build, that might be something you want to look at upgrading to a high quality model if you don't already have something that IS high quality AND is not more than five years old.

What is the EXACT model or series of your current power supply?

Are your games installed on that 1TB SSD along with your OS? If so, a separate SSD for ONLY the games might be a good idea as well.

I actually have (2) 16gb sticks=32gb and (2) 8gb=16gb so in total its 48gb. But 2 different name brands as described above. All I did was physically install them and it's working but could they not be working right? I don't know about the timing and all that I haven't checked. I did a benchmark test on the ram and it says its working ok.

Power supply: corsair RM850 watt power supply.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Run CPU-Z. Look at the Memory tab. See if it shows "dual". If so, and if the speed and timings are correct for the slowest of the two kits, meaning whichever kit has the highest CAS latency specification, then it's probably fine. It wouldn't hurt to run Memtest86 for 4 full passes just to make sure. It will take several hours to complete.

Memtest86​

Go to the Passmark software website and download the USB Memtest86 free version. You can do the optical disk version too if for some reason you cannot use a bootable USB flash drive.

Create bootable media using the downloaded Memtest86 (NOT Memtest86+, that is a different, older version and is outdated). Once you have done that, go into your BIOS and configure the system to boot to the USB drive that contains the Memtest86 USB media or the optical drive if using that option.

Click here to download Memtest86 USB package​

Create a bootable USB Flash drive:

1. Download the Windows MemTest86 USB image.

2. Right click on the downloaded file and select the "Extract to Here" option. This places the USB image and imaging tool into the current folder.

3. Run the included imageUSB tool, it should already have the image file selected and you just need to choose which connected USB drive to turn into a bootable drive. Note that this will erase all data on the drive.


No memory should ever fail to pass Memtest86 when it is at the default configuration that the system sets it at when you start out or do a clear CMOS by removing the CMOS battery for five minutes.

Best method for testing memory is to first run four passes of Memtest86, all 11 tests, WITH the memory at the default configuration. This should be done BEFORE setting the memory to the XMP profile settings. The paid version has 13 tests but the free version only has tests 1-10 and test 13. So run full passes of all 11 tests. Be sure to download the latest version of Memtest86. Memtest86+ has not been updated in MANY years. It is NO-WISE as good as regular Memtest86 from Passmark software.

If there are ANY errors, at all, then the memory configuration is not stable. Bumping the DRAM voltage up slightly may resolve that OR you may need to make adjustments to the primary timings. There are very few secondary or tertiary timings that should be altered. I can tell you about those if you are trying to tighten your memory timings.

If you cannot pass Memtest86 with the memory at the XMP configuration settings then I would recommend restoring the memory to the default JEDEC SPD of 1333/2133mhz (Depending on your platform and memory type) with everything left on the auto/default configuration and running Memtest86 over again. If it completes the four full passes without error you can try again with the XMP settings but first try bumping the DRAM voltage up once again by whatever small increment the motherboard will allow you to increase it by. If it passes, great, move on to the Prime95 testing.

If it still fails, try once again bumping the voltage if you are still within the maximum allowable voltage for your memory type and test again. If it still fails, you are likely going to need more advanced help with configuring your primary timings and should return the memory to the default configuration until you can sort it out.

If the memory will not pass Memtest86 for four passes when it IS at the stock default non-XMP configuration, even after a minor bump in voltage, then there is likely something physically wrong with one or more of the memory modules and I'd recommend running Memtest on each individual module, separately, to determine which module is causing the issue. If you find a single module that is faulty you should contact the seller or the memory manufacturer and have them replace the memory as a SET. Memory comes matched for a reason as I made clear earlier and if you let them replace only one module rather than the entire set you are back to using unmatched memory which is an open door for problems with incompatible memory.

Be aware that you SHOULD run Memtest86 to test the memory at the default, non-XMP, non-custom profile settings BEFORE ever making any changes to the memory configuration so that you will know if the problem is a setting or is a physical problem with the memory.

 

[EndEffeKt_24]

I would just take the 2x8 sticks out and call it a day. If you are not heavily into video editing or large data compiling and really need more than 32 gb. At the moment you are crippling your ram speed most likely for capacity you never use.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I agree. If you are not running large or multiple VMs, are not doing VERY complex 3D or graphics projects or are not using some other very high end professional type application, there is zero chance you will ever use more than 32GB and it is unlikely you will ever use more than 16GB. And by "ever", I mean at anytime in the foreseeable future until and unless the baseline demand for memory from applications and games shows a marked increase across the board. Certainly not at any point in the next few years, if at all.

 

[kwikvinny]

Im not having any issues at all since i installed the new ram. I first installed the new (2) Corsair Vengeance 16GB sticks of RAM. I didnt notice any issues in fact i actually did notice a increase in speed when opening applications that i commonly use by a decent amount. I then installed my new Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1tb SSD M.2 and i noticed even greater increase in speed doing various tasks and gaming on my PC.

What is the easiest method to find out if its causing any harm having the 2 different types of RAM. Id like to keep all the RAM if i could and if its not causing any issues like decrease in speed or anything like that. If i did have to get rid of some ram id like to get rid of the (2) 8gb Trident Gskillz. The other set of Corsair RAM looks better and is faster according to the specs. I just really would like to know if there is some type of test software to see if the current ram setup is causing issues and could be adjusted which would increase the operating speed significantly. I wouldn't want to simply get rid of RAM just because it may be more then i need but if its causing a big issue thats a different story.

Thank you for your time, help and knowledge

 

[Darkbreeze]

If it is running in dual channel, which you can check as I suggested on the memory tab of CPU-Z and if there is no serious increase in CPU package temperatures that takes it outside the recommended 80°C thermal spec, and if it passes 4 passes of Memtest testing and the windows extended memory diagnostic test, then it is fine. If it doesn't comply with any of those things, then it's a problem. Likely, it's fine, but I'd do those things just to be sure because memory corruption from minute instability is a real issue and is no joke.