Question RAM upgrade 2x8 or 2x16 ?

[pyfreak7401]

Hi all. I recently upgraded my pc and went with a 5700x3d / 4070TiS combo and i already have F4-3600C16D-16GTZNC(2x8) from my old build. Now, i need to reach 32gb(also for work related reasons) and i don't know if i should add two more sticks of the same kit or go with the same specks but 2x16.

Will there be any XMP/stability issues with 4 sticks compared to 2? I read that generaly 2 sticks are preferred. Are there any pros/cons in general ?

Edit: Thank you all for your insights. I have decided to go with a new pair of 2x16 and sell the old ones.

 

[CountMike]

Hi all. I recently upgraded my pc and went with a 5700x3d / 4070TiS combo and i already have F4-3600C16D-16GTZNC(2x8) from my old build. Now, i need to reach 32gb(also for work related reasons) and i don't know if i should add two more sticks of the same kit or go with the same specks but 2x16.

Will there be any XMP/stability issues with 4 sticks compared to 2? I read that generaly 2 sticks are preferred. Are there any pros/cons in general ?

Stability is not an issue using 4 sticks but may not reach higher speeds because of IMC overload. Adding more sticks can also be problematic, so yes, you would be better off replacing with 2x16GB.

 

[Moonstick2]

Basically even if you buy the exact same make and type of RAM, the differences between two sticks, even though tiny, can be such that instabilities can occur when running them together at high speed, which is why RAM is so often bought and sold in pairs - the pairs have been pre-tested to work nicely together. That's why if somebody has e.g. 1 stick of 16 GB RAM, it's always best for performance to replace it with a 2 x 16 GB pair than buy an extra 1 stick of 16 GB, even if it's the same model number bought from the same place.

Going up to 4 sticks as in your case, it's the same problem: two separately bought pairs are unlikely to play as well together. 4-stick sets are more expensive I think (due to the extra costs of finding 4 sticks that play nicely together), so there's rarely a compelling reason to buy 4 sticks unless you need a very large amount of memory.

So yes, go to 2 x 16 GB and sell the 2 x 8 GB.

 

[triplex1]

If you get 2 more sticks, you won't have a problem even if they have different chips from the ones you have.
Because the cl16 are not b-die the chips will be samsung or hynix and by putting them in positions 1-3 and 2-4 you are fine.
The only problem you will have is that you will work in single and not in dual, where you will be slow and somewhere else you will be fast, so I would say to get 2x16 because their price is low at the moment.
From the computer I'm writing at this moment, I have 4x8 cl15 Ripjaws (pc2 in my signature but it's b-die)