Question Upgrading RAM help

[ibrsbk]

Hello,

Because of my current needs I am urgently considering upgrading my RAM. I plan to jump from 8GB to 16GB, but since my setup is already quite old (jan. 2016), I am struggling discerning which supported RAM model would be the proper one.

My setup is:

MSI Z170A GAMING M5 (MS-7977)
Intel Core i7-6700K (Skylake; Socket 1151 LGA)
Kingston HyperX Savage DDR4 2800Mhz PC4-22400 8GB CL14 (according to BIOS, its part number is "KHX2800C14D4/8GX", but I found no info with that reference and I ended up figuring out my RAM is actually "HX428C14SB/8" )

After some research, I concluded my best option was to acquire the very same RAM model (to avoid any compatibility problems and to exploit the max performance of each RAM module). So my initial idea was about getting another HX428C14SB/8 module and running both of them in dualchannel mode. However, HX428C14SB/8 is no longer sold, and I had no success finding any secondhand deals on eBay either. Would any 8GB DDR4 module with same specs just work? As far as I know, whichever RAM model I intend to buy should appear in the compatibility list , and that's really conditioning.

Which one should I get? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[cdrkf]

Hello,

Because of my current needs I am urgently considering upgrading my RAM. I plan to jump from 8GB to 16GB, but since my setup is already quite old (jan. 2016), I am struggling discerning which supported RAM model would be the proper one.

My setup is:

MSI Z170A GAMING M5 (MS-7977)
Intel Core i7-6700K (Skylake; Socket 1151 LGA)
Kingston HyperX Savage DDR4 2800Mhz PC4-22400 8GB CL14 (according to BIOS, its part number is "KHX2800C14D4/8GX", but I found no info with that reference and I ended up figuring out my RAM is actually "HX428C14SB/8" )

After some research, I concluded my best option was to acquire the very same RAM model (to avoid any compatibility problems and to exploit the max performance of each RAM module). So my initial idea was about getting another HX428C14SB/8 module and running both of them in dualchannel mode. However, HX428C14SB/8 is no longer sold, and I had no success finding any secondhand deals on eBay either. Would any 8GB DDR4 module with same specs just work? As far as I know, whichever RAM model I intend to buy should appear in the compatibility list , and that's really conditioning.

Which one should I get? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

If you buy a different module, it will probably work although you might struggle to get it to run at the full stated speed.

Your best options is to try and get a module that is as close to the spec of your current module as possible, i.e. another 2800 mhz CL14 module, that gives you the best chance of the two modules playing nicely together. There is always the risk though that the machine might refuse to boot with the two together, or it might work but at reduced speed (default DDR4 spec is 2133 or 2400 mhz). Then again it might work fine - Intel cpu's are usually fairly flexible when it comes to ram support (much less fussy than Ryzen cpu's) - and 2800 isn't that high of a speed.

 

[ibrsbk]

If you buy a different module, it will probably work although you might struggle to get it to run at the full stated speed.

Your best options is to try and get a module that is as close to the spec of your current module as possible, i.e. another 2800 mhz CL14 module, that gives you the best chance of the two modules playing nicely together. There is always the risk though that the machine might refuse to boot with the two together, or it might work but at reduced speed (default DDR4 spec is 2133 or 2400 mhz). Then again it might work fine - Intel cpu's are usually fairly flexible when it comes to ram support (much less fussy than Ryzen cpu's) - and 2800 isn't that high of a speed.

Thank you for your response.

Another option I realised is that I can buy 2x8GB compatible modules and sell the current one. I found out the CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 is compatible with my mobo and it is available on Amazon.

 

[cdrkf]

Thank you for your response.

Another option I realised is that I can buy 2x8GB compatible modules and sell the current one. I found out the CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 is compatible with my mobo and it is available on Amazon.

Yeah buying a matched pair is the safest option.