Memory configuration (noob question)

[Kimmaz]

Hello, I have 3 ram "kits" of 2 sticks each. But can only use 4 sticks of ram. 4 of the sticks are 4gb 1600mhz, and 2 sticks of 8gb 1866mhz. 

 

in what arrangement should I install them?

Should i put one "kit" into one channel, and the other "kit" in the other channel, or one of each in the channels?

[Jurrunio]

Do you have anything else that can use 2 of these sticks? otherwise I'd just put an 8GB stick and a 4GB stick into each memory channel. In other words, it will be 8GB - 4GB - 8GB - 4GB.

 

Basically, make sure each channel has the same amount of memory.

[Windows7ge]

To minimize the likelihood of issues you'd want to populate the channels with matching sticks so A1 & B1 of one type then A2 & B2 of another. If you plan to enable XMP I don't know how well that will go for you. You may have to run them at a slower speed.

[HoneyBadger84]

Use the 4 sticks of 4GB to ensure the motherboard is happy. 16GB is more than enough unless you're doing rendering or the like. For gaming it's plenty. I would not mix the RAM. So either do the 2x8GB or 4x4GB configuration. 

[Kimmaz]

2 minutes ago, HoneyBadger84 said:

I would not mix the RAM. So either do the 2x8GB or 4x4GB configuration. 

It is 3 different brands of ram sticks. Its kingston hyperX, Ballistix Elite and I cant remember what brand I have already.

9 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

I'd just put an 8GB stick and a 4GB stick into each memory channel.

Thanks Ill try that.

I found a dvd burner and a few 1tb drives in addition to the extra ram while doing some housework. I was planning to clean my computer today, and figured id upgrade the ram and put some more storage into it while i have the case open. its better than leaving it on a shelf. 

[HoneyBadger84]

52 minutes ago, Kimmaz said:

It is 3 different brands of ram sticks. Its kingston hyperX, Ballistix Elite and I cant remember what brand I have already.

Thanks Ill try that.

I found a dvd burner and a few 1tb drives in addition to the extra ram while doing some housework. I was planning to clean my computer today, and figured id upgrade the ram and put some more storage into it while i have the case open. its better than leaving it on a shelf. 

Even so it's more likely to "just work" if you do the 4x4GB configuration. Either that or just run 2x8GB. I would not mix the 4GB and 8GB DIMMs, unless you really nerd all that RAM and are willing to fiddle with it to get settings they're happy with. Just enabling XMP with 2 unmatched different sized sets will very likely not work right.