Ram and More ram

[LeedleLeeFTW]

I have 4gb of ram currently and would like to increase capacity...thing is I only have 2 ram slots. So for gaming should I get another 4gb or should get an 8gb stick so I can upgrade to 16gb later. AND if I do get the 8gb will it affect my overall speed

 

[LeedleLeeFTW]

I have hyper X DDR3 fury ram at 1600mhz

 

[geofelt]

Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
That is why ram vendors will NOT support ram that is not bought in one kit.

For games, 8gb is enough.
If you think you might ever want 16gb, buy a 2 x 8gb kit and sell your 4gb or keep it as a spare.

I might buy a single 8gb stick that matches your 4gb stick as to voltage, cas and speed.
You will be assured of the 8gb you want. Then try adding your old 4gb stick. If it works, you will have 12gb, 8 of which will be running in dual channel mode.

If it does not work, well... that is why ram should be bought in kits.

 

[why_wolf]

Your RAM will always run at whatever stick has the lowest speeds. So if you mix and match a high speed stick will slow down to match a bargain basement stick. However RAM is very particular when running in dual channel mode, which is why it is always recommended to buy them in kits as opposed to single sticks. Very slight differences can make two otherwise compatible and working sticks refuse to operate with each other.

Personally I would suggest saving up and buying a kit at either 8 or 16 GB as opposed to buying a single stick of 8 and then maybe getting another 8 stick later on (you won't save any money buying them individually either).

Expanded your total capacity will not speed up your system unless you were using more RAM than was available and the computer was offloading to the hard drive to compensate.