quick question in my ignorence

[Acid Panda]

Ive got a gigabyte z170x gaming 3 mobo with 2x4GB sticks of ram. im looking to get more should I

 

a) get more ram so there is 4x4GB for a total of 16GB of ram with dual channel support.

b) sell the ones i have now and get 2x8GB sticks.

 

also would there be a better performance boost if i use more smaller sticks or less higher capacity sticks. MOBO only support dual channel memory (has four slots for ram)

[bellabichon]

I don't think there will be any noticeable performance difference between the two options. If you want more sticks, I would recommend you get the same 2x4gb kit you have already again, to ensure it's all compatible. 

[boey]

Getting another 2 sticks of 4GB RAM would probably be cheaper and not much difference would be seen between 4x4 and 2x8. Make sure you get the exact same sticks as your existing ones, if not they not be compatible. If you can’t find the exact same sticks, then just sell the current ones and get 2 8GB sticks

[MEC-777]

You can mix brands. The important thing is to match the speed and latency (CL values) of the ram. 

 

So if you have 2x4GB of 1600 CL10 ram right now, just make sure you get 2 more sticks of 1600 CL10 ram, regardless of brand. Also watch for the voltage and make sure that matches as well. Most are 1.5v, but some are more/less. 

 

That being said, I was able to match 2x4GB of Kingston Hyper X 1600 1.5v with 2x4GB AData XPGv1 1600 1.6v kits. After making a few tweaks in the bios, they worked fine together at 1600mhz+.