Question RAM Comaptibility with mobo - quick question

[davidbenpark]

So I was doing my due diligence in checking the RAM product support for the mobo I want to buy.

If the exact, exact RAM part no. isn't there, does that mean you should avoid that pairing? Or if there's an almost identical set supported, is it safe to assume it'll work?

I don't quite know how these lists come about and how final the list is.

Mobo is: ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI
RAM is: KF556C40BBAK2-64

Page for checking support:

https://rog.asus.com/uk/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-b650e-f-gaming-wifi-model/helpdesk_qvl_memory/

Thanks in advance

 

[zinkles]

If the exact, exact RAM part no. isn't there, does that mean you should avoid that pairing? Or if there's an almost identical set supported, is it safe to assume it'll work?

Its called a QVL list, and those have been tested by the mobo manufacturer, so they guarantee it will work. They can't go about testing all the kits of RAM available, so obviously they will only include some of them. If there is matching identical (same speed, timings, etc) RAM to already existing QVL, it's safe to assume it works with the mobo.

 

[davidbenpark]

Its called a QVL list, and those have been tested by the mobo manufacturer, so they guarantee it will work. They can't go about testing all the kits of RAM available, so obviously they will only include some of them. If there is matching identical (same speed, timings, etc) RAM to already existing QVL, it's safe to assume it works with the mobo.

Great answer. It's good to know the background to it, and I can definitely use this info to proceed.

One other thing I just realised is I need to check for EXPO compatibility as I intend to use Ryzen CPU, which I hadn't done already. This particular model of RAM doesn't have EXPO support, so it's not right for my use anyway.

Thank you

 

[geofelt]

As above, the QVL list is ram that has been tested and found to work.

Ryzen is very sensitive to ram compatibility.
Not all ram with the same specs are the same internally and one should not assume that they will work.
Go to the Kingston web site and access their ram configurator for your mobo and processor.
If the exact kit shows up on their list, you are good to go.
Any issues and you will get support from the ram maker.

And, there are likely bios updates available for your motherboard that address ram compatibility.
On a new build, I will update the bios to currency.
After that, I won't touch bios updates unless it fixes a problem that impacts me.