RAM Automatic Overclocking

[aljhonology23]

I have Kingston HyperX Fury 4GB 1600 (HX316C10F/4) and in its description, it says "HyperX FURY is available in frequency speeds from 1333MHz to 1866MHz. Reach faster speeds and higher capacities by just installing the memory, no adjustments in BIOS needed."
i want to upgrade my RAM to make it 8GB, but cant find 1600 HyperX Fury anymore, the only available is 1866, can i mix it with the 1866 one since its says it can automatically overclock?
HX318C10F/4 HyperX Fury 4GB 1866Mhz

 

[aquielisunari]

I have Kingston HyperX Fury 4GB 1600 (HX316C10F/4) and in its description, it says "HyperX FURY is available in frequency speeds from 1333MHz to 1866MHz. Reach faster speeds and higher capacities by just installing the memory, no adjustments in BIOS needed."
i want to upgrade my RAM to make it 8GB, but cant find 1600 HyperX Fury anymore, the only available is 1866, can i mix it with the 1866 one since its says it can automatically overclock?
HX318C10F/4 HyperX Fury 4GB 1866Mhz

Maybe. Sometimes mixing old and new RAM, with identical specs. will still result in failure. RAM are sold in kits(2, 4, 6 etc.) for a reason. They are tested together so compatibility is guaranteed. Mixing RAM isn't recommended.

But what about you and your PC. Will it boot and work? Maybe. Assuming you have luck on your side, instead of Murphy, and your PC boots the slower RAM will take the lead. The 1866MHz module will underclock itself to 1600MHz or they may both underclock themselves to the default speed accepted by the board which could be 1066MHz, 1333MHz or some other number. The user can then enter BIOS and manually overclock them if they have the necessary skillz.

There is another number to be aware of. You might have seen CAS or CL or Latency. My modules say CL9. That number(numbers) colloquially are referred to as timings or latency timings. Module with identical speeds(MHz) may still not work because of different timings. In other words the speed of your modules may not be the only issue.

There is also the issue of voltage. My module says 1.5V. I can't mix 1.5V with 1.3V modules.

In short? Maybe. You might look into CMOS reset before your new RAM arrives if you don't know what a CMOS reset is. A CMOS/BIOS reset is recommended when changing RAM.