RAM

[Samantha Seblos]

I was planning to upgrade my RAM for my PC and I'm having some confusions on it since they say that it depends on my board. My current RAM right now is 8.00GB while I'm planning to upgrade it to 16GB.

This is my processor :  Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400F CPU @ 2.90GHz, 2904 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s). 

[RONOTHAN##]

We're gonna need a few more specifics. What is your current motherboard and what is your current RAM configuration (1x8GB, 2x4GB, 4x2GB, 1x4GB + 2x2GB, etc.) and current RAM speed? 

 

Odds are you just need to buy another 8GB stick, but that's not necessarily the case

[mariushm]

Computer motherboards that work with your processor can have  2 or 4  memory slots. 

Memory sticks are available in 4 GB , 8 GB or higher sizes. 

 

Worst case scenario, your motherboard has only 2 memory slots and you already have 2 x 4 GB memory sticks installed, which means  you would have to replace those two sticks with two bigger capacity sticks. 

IF you have a single 8 GB stick, it would be best to add a second 8 GB stick, with technical specifications as close as possible to your current memory stick. 

If you have 4 memory slots and two slots are already used with two 4 GB sticks, then you could install just a single 8 GB stick, but it would be better to keep them multiple of two, so either take out the 2 x 4 GB and install 2 x 8 GB sticks, or add 2 x 4 GB / 2 x 8 GB sticks to your configuration. 

 

So, it's important to figure out what motherboard you have and how many ram sticks you have installed. A simple to use software for that would be CPU-Z (freeware) or Aida64 (trial version, but more detailed).

Alternatively, you could just open the side panel of the case and look on the motherboard to see how many ram sticks you have installed and what motherboard model you have (the model number is usually printed in an easy to read place) 

 

[Samantha Seblos]

1 hour ago, RONOTHAN## said:

We're gonna need a few more specifics. What is your current motherboard and what is your current RAM configuration (1x8GB, 2x4GB, 4x2GB, 1x4GB + 2x2GB, etc.) and current RAM speed? 

 

Odds are you just need to buy another 8GB stick, but that's not necessarily the case

B460M PRO (MS-7C88) This is my motherboard model

 

[Samantha Seblos]

55 minutes ago, mariushm said:

Computer motherboards that work with your processor can have  2 or 4  memory slots. 

Memory sticks are available in 4 GB , 8 GB or higher sizes. 

 

Worst case scenario, your motherboard has only 2 memory slots and you already have 2 x 4 GB memory sticks installed, which means  you would have to replace those two sticks with two bigger capacity sticks. 

IF you have a single 8 GB stick, it would be best to add a second 8 GB stick, with technical specifications as close as possible to your current memory stick. 

If you have 4 memory slots and two slots are already used with two 4 GB sticks, then you could install just a single 8 GB stick, but it would be better to keep them multiple of two, so either take out the 2 x 4 GB and install 2 x 8 GB sticks, or add 2 x 4 GB / 2 x 8 GB sticks to your configuration. 

 

So, it's important to figure out what motherboard you have and how many ram sticks you have installed. A simple to use software for that would be CPU-Z (freeware) or Aida64 (trial version, but more detailed).

Alternatively, you could just open the side panel of the case and look on the motherboard to see how many ram sticks you have installed and what motherboard model you have (the model number is usually printed in an easy to read place) 

 

B460M PRO (MS-7C88) this is my motherboard model 

I have seen on through my motherboard that there is only one stick and pone space to be put if I was not mistaken. 

 

[mariushm]

19 minutes ago, Samantha Seblos said:

B460M PRO (MS-7C88) this is my motherboard model 

I have seen on through my motherboard that there is only one stick and pone space to be put if I was not mistaken. 

That's correct, good job.  The memory and SPD tabs in CPU-Z (see picture below) will give you more details about the memory stick currently installed. You basically need to buy a memory stick with equal or better specifications - the motherboard will look at both memory sticks and will run both at the parameters supported by both memory sticks (so if your new memory stick is faster, the motherboard will slow it down to work as fast as the older stick)

 

Judging strictly by the looks (plain green stick, no heatsinks on it), I would suspect it's a 8 GB memory stick designed to work at 2400 Mhz or 2666 Mhz. 

 

The chipset (B460) on the motherboard will probably limit any memory stick to maximum 2666 Mhz or 2933 Mhz, so while you could buy memory sticks running at higher frequencies, it would be pointless (as in waste of money) because they'll be automatically configured to run at a lower frequency.

But at the same time, the ram manufacturers fine tuned the manufacturing process so well, and there's much higher demand for higher frequency ram sticks, so it's often cheaper to just get higher frequency ram sticks and use them at lower frequencies (it's perfectly safe, normal, to use them like that) 

 

If you're in US, these sticks should probably work just fine : 

 

G-Skill Aegis 8 GB 3200 Mhz CL 16 : https://pcpartpicker.com/product/yz6qqs/gskill-aegis-8-gb-1-x-8-gb-ddr4-3200-memory-f4-3200c16s-8gis

G-Skill Aegis 8 GB 3000 Mhz CL16  : https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XJYWGX/gskill-aegis-8gb-1-x-8gb-ddr4-3000-memory-f4-3000c16s-8gisb

Same price, pick the 3200 Mhz if it's in stock, otherwise the 3000 Mhz version is also fine.

Both  will also run at 2933 Mhz, 2666 Mhz, and lower frequencies, and at 30$ it's cheap.

 

Patriot Viper Steel 3000 Mhz CL16 : https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XHc48d/patriot-viper-steel-8-gb-1-x-8-gb-ddr4-3000-cl16-memory-pvs48g300c6

Should also be fine at around $32 

 

 

19 minutes ago, Samantha Seblos said: