Question RAM Upgrade for MSI B450 Tomahawk ?

[mavors]

I need to upgrade my RAM from 16gb to 32gb. My question is the following:

1) Do I get another G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory kit i.e. 4x8gb or
2) Do I get 2x16gb G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory, which is listed as compatible on PCPartPicker but not on MSI or G.Skill's QVL? or
3) Do I get 2x16gb listed on MSI or G.Skill's QVL even if it's a lower speed such as G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 CL19 Memory ?

I'm primarily looking for a 2x16gb 3200mhz kit (doesn't have to be G.Skill).

Below is my current build that I need more RAM for:
PCPartPicker part list

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 580 8 GB NITRO+ Video Card
Case: Cooler Master - HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: ADATA XPG CORE Reactor 650 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus - PCE-AC68 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter

Thank you!

 

[Dj0gany]

There isn't a noticeable difference in performance between all 3 options, so I would go for 1) since its the cheapest option.
I mean you could go for 2) or 3) if you plan to upgrade to 64gb or more in the future, but other than that I don't see a valid reason why u should buy a completely new ram kit.
About the QVL, its impossible for manufacturers to test every single ram stick on their motherboard, so just because a certain ram stick isn't tested on a certain motherboard doesn't mean it wont work. In most situation the ram that isn't listed on the motherboards QVL works perfectly fine. Also if you go for 1) at least you have some reassurance that the same new 2x8gb kit will work, as you have a identical one already in your system.

If you don't mind me asking, why are you sure that you need to upgrade to 32gb in the first place?

 

[Dragos Manea]

Ryzen 5 2600x is not working well with 4 dimms of memory, you will have issues, even lower the frequency to 2133 Mhz, i advice working with only 2 dimms not 4. Even with 2 dimms, 2600X is not working well with memory above 2666 Mhz, it seems you got a golden sample.

 

[Bob.B]

I need to upgrade my RAM from 16gb to 32gb. My question is the following:

1) Do I get another G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory kit i.e. 4x8gb or
2) Do I get 2x16gb G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory, which is listed as compatible on PCPartPicker but not on MSI or G.Skill's QVL? or
3) Do I get 2x16gb listed on MSI or G.Skill's QVL even if it's a lower speed such as G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 CL19 Memory ?

I'm primarily looking for a 2x16gb 3200mhz kit (doesn't have to be G.Skill).

Below is my current build that I need more RAM for:
PCPartPicker part list

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 580 8 GB NITRO+ Video Card
Case: Cooler Master - HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: ADATA XPG CORE Reactor 650 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus - PCE-AC68 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter

Thank you!

If you really need 32GB of ram my pick is #2.

 

[Misgar]

Have you managed to get your 2600X running faster than 2,933MHz with your existing 3,200MHz 2x8GB kit?

I've just upgraded an old PC with a 2600X and was debating whether or not to get faster RAM, which is currently 2,666MHz. I doubt I'll see much difference with faster DIMMs, but I could do with more than 2x4GB.

Many people on this forum advise against mixing two kits of RAM when upgrading, even if the old and new pairs have exactly the same part number.

A slightly "safer" option is to buy a matched kit of 4 DIMMs, but you may have to reduce the memory clock rate for stable operation.

Better still, replace the old 2x8GB and buy a new 2x16GB pair. That way you can usually run them faster than 4x8GB. Results may vary.

 

[mavors]

Dj0gany - I am working with large media files (3D Models) that require more than 16gb now. I'm hitting 15gb on loading from what I can see before it crashes. From a price perspective another matching kit 2x8gb and a new kit 2x16gb is the same price.

Misgar - I've been running the G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory kit at 3200MHz since I bought it in 2019 without issue and they still work perfectly fine. SPD for them is 2400MHz. That said your max speed depends on your motherboard though you'll see diminishing returns over 2,933MHz. When I bought the 2x8gb kit above it was the most recommend RAM for the CPU and motherboard I have. Currently they're not worth the price as you can get a 2x16gb kit for the same price at the same speed. I wouldn't recommend buying them.

I've decided to buy a 2x16gb kit listed on the QVL and pay a little more +$30 for $100 total. I specifically got:
Corsair Vengeance RGB RT 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory as it's SPD and tested speed both are at 3200MHz.

 

[Misgar]

@mavors. I doubt I'll see much difference between 2133 and 3200MHz with the 2600 in most applications, but it always feels good to fit faster RAM. I have 64GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR4 and DDR5 in a couple of machines to provide headroom for editing 4K video, but for other apps, most of the RAM lies unused.