Question RAM Upgrade Questions

asif2005

Reputable
Feb 21, 2016
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I have 16GB DDR3 1600 MHz CL9 RAM (8GBx2) in my computer. The motherboard is MSI Z97 PC Mate that supports up to 32GB. My CPU is i5 4590. I built this dude in 2016 and its still going great. I do very CPU/RAM intensive work and I need to upgrade my RAM from 16GB to 32 GB.

My only issue is that its been almost impossible to find CL9 DDR3 RAM. I can find CL11 easy but I just cannot find two 8gb sticks of CL9 DDR3 RAM that is 1600MHz. I can also find CL9 DDR3 1333 MHz, just not 1600 MHz. My understanding is that I cannot mix CL9 with CL11 otherwise I won't be able enable XMP and all 4 modules will run at 1333 MHz.

Here are my questions:

1. Should I buy a pair of 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz CL11 sticks and mix them with the other two that are CL9? Will I still be able to run them all at 1600MHz with XMP?

2. Should I buy a pair of 8GB DDR3 CL9 1333 MHz and run all 4 sticks at 1333 MHz?

What is the best of the two options? I understand that 32 GB at a bit slower speed will always be better than 16 GB at a bit faster speed but I would appreciate some guidance from the gurus here.

Thanks in advance!!