Is 48 gb’s of ram ok?

[EafMelody]

2x8gb 3600mhz and 2x16gb 3600mhz
Is this ok for games and the health of the pc?

[GOD RAYS ON ULTRA™]

Początkowo opublikowane przez WedooPlays:

2x8gb 3600mhz and 2x16gb 3600mhz
Is this ok for games and the health of the pc?

No, it's not okay for games. Computer games rely on stability. Without stability, there's no gaming.

It looks like you're using ddr4, which on many systems, only runs in dual channel (unless you have a threadripper or something like that).

In many cases a reliable dual channel setup will be represented using matching dimms, not mixed dimms. Mixed dimms means mixed manufacturing process, mixed tolerances for voltage and frequency, mixed silicon batches that have their own quality and tolerances. It's never a good idea on a gaming PC.

I wouldn't even treat an office PC like that. I mean if you're a gamer on PC, then show some discipline. Because I can tell you right now it's the little things that matter the most. Unfortunately the little things are also overlooked.

Use the 16g x 2 kit and don't even install the old RAM. Unfortunately it doesn't belong in your PC anymore because you are a gamer!

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Początkowo opublikowane przez WOKEISM (banned 17 times):

Początkowo opublikowane przez WedooPlays:

2x8gb 3600mhz and 2x16gb 3600mhz
Is this ok for games and the health of the pc?

No, it's not okay for games. Computer games rely on stability. Without stability, there's no gaming.

It looks like you're using ddr4, which on many systems, only runs in dual channel (unless you have a threadripper or something like that).

In many cases a reliable dual channel setup will be represented using matching dimms, not mixed dimms. Mixed dimms means mixed manufacturing process, mixed tolerances for voltage and frequency, mixed silicon batches that have their own quality and tolerances. It's never a good idea on a gaming PC.

I wouldn't even treat an office PC like that. I mean if you're a gamer on PC, then show some discipline. Because I can tell you right now it's the little things that matter the most. Unfortunately the little things are also overlooked.

Use the 16g x 2 kit and don't even install the old RAM. Unfortunately it doesn't belong in your PC anymore because you are a gamer!

Again I'm not sure you and some others even understand Dual Channel.
Dual does not mean "must only populate 2 dimm slots"

Dual Channel has an A and B channel; A1, A2, B1, B2 if it's Four Dimm Slots.
So Dual Channel can work perfectly fine with 2x 8GB + 2x 16GB

However they "might" need to be installed a certain way, depending on the Motherboard.
Such as:

Slot #1 = 8GB
Slot #2 = 16GB
Slot #3 = 8GB
Slot #4 = 16GB

*Slot #1 being closest to the CPU; but the Motherboard asking you to use Slots #2 & 4 if only populating 2 slots. This says that Slot #2 and 4 are what are considered the default or primary slots. So it makes sense to install the larger sized RAM into Slots #2 and 4 if populating all 4 slots this way.

[Tonepoet]

We can diffuse the argument even more easily than that. There are 24 gigabyte sticks of R.A.M. in both D.I.M.M.[www.crucial.com] and S.O.D.I.M.M.[www.amazon.com] formfactors, so there's no reason you couldn't just have a 24x2 configuration to reach 48.

This basically leaves no room for 48 gigabytes of R.A.M. to be disadvantaged just because it's 48 gigs, except maybe on price, but truth be told Crucial's 24 gig sticks don't seem to be too terribly priced compared to more typical 16 gig sticks anyway.

You'd prefer to choose the amount of R.A.M. based on what you need, and then invest the savings, if any, in higher clock-speed and/or tighter latency though (if possible).

Edit: Looks like the title is in error though. 2x8 is 16.

[Dutchgamer1982]

In general yes.. you can mix diffrent ram speeds... BUT.. all of them will only operate as the slowest one of them..

and also yes.. you can mix different ram sizes.. BUT it will cause delays... (nor so much instability as make your system slower..)
and it mixes the worst of both..

say you have one stick with cas 24 4800 mhz
and one stick with cas 12 2400 mhz
(both effectively equally fast as REAL ramspeed is mhz / CL)

but put them in the same system together.. they will run at cas 24 2400mhz.. or only at HALVE speed...

Now the effect of having 2 disparried sticks..
if you have a stick of 16gb in 1 slot and 8gb in the second.. the system is slowed...

namely your cpu will not adapt and send data to 1 or 2 lanes..
meaning if it sees 2 lanes occupied it will send the SAME amount of data to both lanes.. before sending the next package...

so if your systrem NEEDS 24gb of ram to fully run but only has 16gb.. it means basicly a line is forming... 16gb is send on it's way and 8gb has to wait for the next bus.

BUT if you than add an 8gb stick besides it.. the system will send instead 12gb of traffic to both sticks.. meaning 4gb is still waiting for the next buss so your delay of 1 cycle has not been solved. but it also has not added exttra delay..

still if your cpu has a data package of under 16gb to send.. than both get 8gb and adding the unevenly matched stick still boosts speed,.

in most cases you add ram cause your sustem needs more... and thats where things are not helped... say you needed 48gb ram and only had 1 16gb stick...

before it ment 3 busses or 3 cycles to do that with your 16gb stick
with 8gb alongside it both get adressed 24gb.. which means stick 16gb is done in 1.5 cycle.. but the 8gb one needs still 3 cycles so the whole progress is as if you had not added anything at all..

now as for adding sticks to lane 3 and 4...

first what if we compare adding a second 16gb stick to our original 16gb stick.. vs adding 2 8gb sticks so 3 sticks..

what you must know is data takes time to travel TROUGH a ramstick... basicly one path goes m1, m2, other m3, m4
-> this is why you stick your 2 sticks in 1 and 3.. and not in 1 and 2.. for if you did 1 and 2.. it be like a 1 lane road... with one lane not used..


using the extra slot,.. will LENGTEN a road... so if you use m1 and m3 thats 2 short lanes
but if you use m1 and m2 thats 1 long lane (which is slower cause all the traffic has to travel over 1 lane thats also longer)
LIKEWISE if you use all 4 slots.. all data has to travel over 2 longer lanes... making it take longer
-> still it also means the traffic is spread out more.. so lenghtening the road STILL helps solving conjestion if a short road not fits all the traffic)

ok what now..
if you use your 16gb stick in m1, an 8gb stick in m3 and another 8gb stick in m4
vs an 16gb stick in m1 and another 16gb stick in m3
this means both roads canm handle equal amount of traffic (which is good).. but one road is twice as long..

basicly what it does is it adds the CL of the 8gb sticks up

say your 16gb stick waas 3000mhz cl15 and you get 2 8gb sticks of that same speed.
if be as if you added an 16gb 3000mhz cl30 stick..
as that one processes data half speed... that slows things down
ofcourse

still it has not the problem with one road able to handle more traffic than the other.. so it will run vastly faster than having one memory lane have acces to 16gb and one to 8gb...


now what if you did what OP did.
the already HAD 8gb +8gb and ADDED 16gbx2

so their confic is 16gb m1 8gb m2 16gb m3 8gb m4

there would be no issue with the difference as both paths have equal amount of data..
and it would not make the system slower than if they used 4x16gb.. provided all sticks have the same mhz and CL..

sure it IS slighly slower than 2x16gb without those 8gb sticks.. but if your system demands more than 32gb regualirly... than having those 2 8gb sticks around too.. will actually speed things up.
if however your system does NOT utilise more than 32GB or your old 8gb sticks run at a different mhz/cl than your new 16gb sticks.. than you best pull them out.

ofcourse it goes without saying that tossing all of it and go 2x32gb or 2x24gb in a system.. will be faster... but budgetwise thats not always the path you want to go.

======
T

[Dutchgamer1982]

TLDR version :

mismatching ram sticks will NOT cause unstability issues
nor is using all 4 slots a problem at all.

but it can make your system ever slightly slower than had you opted for a different configuration.
this delay is however INSIGNIFICANT if the alternative is not having enough memory for your systems demand.. better mismatching sticks and enough...

still as most people have overkill amounts of ram these days anyway... and as many people add ram to improve their systems speed.. yeah.. best to avoid mismaatching..

of ALL the configurations of mismacthed sticks.. having 16+8 in each lane... is likely the most ok variant to use.. provided their CL and mhz speeds match up.
I see no reason why it should run slower than a normal 4x16 setup..

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Dutchgamer1982:

TLDR version :

mismatching ram sticks will NOT cause unstability issues
nor is using all 4 slots a problem at all.

but it can make your system ever slightly slower than had you opted for a different configuration.
this delay is however INSIGNIFICANT if the alternative is not having enough memory for your systems demand.. better mismatching sticks and enough...

still as most people have overkill amounts of ram these days anyway... and as many people add ram to improve their systems speed.. yeah.. best to avoid mismaatching..

of ALL the configurations of mismacthed sticks.. having 16+8 in each lane... is likely the most ok variant to use.. provided their CL and mhz speeds match up.
I see no reason why it should run slower than a normal 4x16 setup..

Yes it "can"

Not all Boards would allow certain speeds when all 4 Slots are populated, regardless of what the brand maker tells you or not. Overall, with the OP using 2x 8GB + 2x 16GB all @ 3600Mhz, all you can do is try and see. If there is a problem then can try running them all @ 3200.

[Tonepoet]

Sorry, the heat must be getting to me. I misunderstood the question in my earlier post and said something mostly irrelevant.

Don't run 8x2 and 16x2. First, you lose some of the advantages of dual channel mode. You can still take advantage of some with Flex or Ganged mode on Intel and A.M.D. platforms respectively[www.makeuseof.com], but not all of them and only up to the capacity of the smaller sticks.

As of November 2023, the most demanding games are suggested to also only actually use 22 gigabytes of R.A.M.[primetechsupport.com]. I don't think games have gotten much more demanding in the intervening months since then, so we're looking at you wasting half of the total capacity, and half of it would be running as if it is single channel R.A.M.

I'd suggest either buy 2 more 8 gig sticks of the same R.A.M. you already have, or buy 2 16 gig sticks and uninstall the 8 gig sticks and put them aside in an antistatic bag because you probably won't use all 48 gigs anytime soon. If a time comes when you do need the full 48 gigs, you can reinstall the 8 gig sticks. Having known working spare components outside of your system can also be useful for troubleshooting. You can rule out faulty R.A.M. and can make-do until replacement parts arrive.

It won't hurt your computer to have it all installed though.

[nobleberry]

most of motherboards are designed to run identical ram sticks in all slots. going from 32 to 48 gb won't do much if you just play videogames, so unless you compile large codebase, like unreal engine from source code, just sell or gift your old 2x8 ram sticks and be happy on 32gb ram

[_I_]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Tonepoet:

Sorry, the heat must be getting to me. I misunderstood the question in my earlier post and said something mostly irrelevant.

Don't run 8x2 and 16x2. First, you lose some of the advantages of dual channel mode. You can still take advantage of some with Flex or Ganged mode on Intel and A.M.D. platforms respectively[www.makeuseof.com], but not all of them and only up to the capacity of the smaller sticks.

As of November 2023, the most demanding games are suggested to also only actually use 22 gigabytes of R.A.M.[primetechsupport.com]. I don't think games have gotten much more demanding in the intervening months since then, so we're looking at you wasting half of the total capacity, and half of it would be running as if it is single channel R.A.M.

I'd suggest either buy 2 more 8 gig sticks of the same R.A.M. you already have, or buy 2 16 gig sticks and uninstall the 8 gig sticks and put them aside in an antistatic bag because you probably won't use all 48 gigs anytime soon. If a time comes when you do need the full 48 gigs, you can reinstall the 8 gig sticks. Having known working spare components outside of your system can also be useful for troubleshooting. You can rule out faulty R.A.M. and can make-do until replacement parts arrive.

It won't hurt your computer to have it all installed though.

this is wrong again
as long s the 2x 8g dimms are in their paired channels, they will be in dual ch mode
same when adding the 2x16g dimms
all together will be in dual channel mode

[AD]

Początkowo opublikowane przez WedooPlays:

2x8gb 3600mhz and 2x16gb 3600mhz
Is this ok for games and the health of the pc?

What do you need the RAM for? I think 32 gb is absolutely sufficient right now, but if you're into more demanding tasks like computational physics or excessive amount of virtual machines then more might be needed.

As for if you will loose speed or not due to dual channel stuff... listen to the others, I don't know enough for that. But 48 gb will be enough, you just probably won't need that much. Only advantage I see is future proofing.

EDIT:

I just remember that youtuber with 64 gb ram who managed to make Astroneer take over 50 gb ram by blowing up a planet (literally). So I guess if you want to do enough shenanigans than 48 gb or more could be good. For "normal" gameplay I don't think that's the case.

[Dutchgamer1982]

I have a system with 128gb (8x16gb) quad channel ddr4 since 2016.

and I have plenty of games that managed to suck up beteeb 60-70gb of ram
(some have memory leaks where diring a 7h session how much ram they use keeps increasing having plenty to spare means no crashes and no hitting a wall of lag and having to reboot.

I have not ever had a load that used much more than 70gb ram

it is why today for builda I put 64gb ram in any midrande or high end build.

only in budgetsystems of 800-1200 euro I still put 32gb

so I disagree that you wont use that much ram..
but 128gb I admit was overkill than and most likely still is.

so 32 to 48gb is wiggle room in 98% of cases 32gb will be enough.. but in a few cases having a little more can help.
the most likely you can more programs at once or render a little better (kerbal space program uses ram per part used.. wile 10-20 parts is plenty for a rockey.. if you build 1500 parts mafness like me.. that is a strain for your system;)

if you just reboot games with memleaks more often.. and dont drive ganes to their limita 32 will do..

[_I_]

Początkowo opublikowane przez AD:

Początkowo opublikowane przez WedooPlays:

2x8gb 3600mhz and 2x16gb 3600mhz
Is this ok for games and the health of the pc?

What do you need the RAM for? I think 32 gb is absolutely sufficient right now, but if you're into more demanding tasks like computational physics or excessive amount of virtual machines then more might be needed.

As for if you will loose speed or not due to dual channel stuff... listen to the others, I don't know enough for that. But 48 gb will be enough, you just probably won't need that much. Only advantage I see is future proofing.

EDIT:

I just remember that youtuber with 64 gb ram who managed to make Astroneer take over 50 gb ram by blowing up a planet (literally). So I guess if you want to do enough shenanigans than 48 gb or more could be good. For "normal" gameplay I don't think that's the case.

it does not make any difference as long as you have more ram than you need
too much does not hurt at all, as long as its running at its rated speed/timings

[nullable]

Ah yes the over exaggerated RAM FUD will persist forever. If it's not the perfect configuration then it's too risky to even think about, and that reasoning must be right because a bunch of know nothing purists have been repeating it for decades.

Yes yes, there's always some imperceptible, barely defined, edge case risk for anything less than perfection. And in case insignificant risk isn't enough to scare people away, well that's why unqualified exaggeration exists.

[andreasaspenberg575]

it depends on wether you are playing a ram heavy game, like for example final fantasy 15. final fantasy 15 might need more ram in places. i once experienced it use 17 gigabytes in a battle. that it is with an rtx 2080 ti. if you are not running something like that, you are fine.

[_I_]

what if you decide to run all the games you own at the same time?