Different amounts of RAM together?

[Comessy]

I need to upgrade my Ram, but I need to know if I can put a 4gb stick with a 8gb stick?

 

More specifically these 2 kits

 

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX51493

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX51492

[gazabi]

It will work but they won't run in dual channel, it is just a very minuscule performance decrease. You won't feel a change. 

[Comessy]

It will work but they won't run in dual channel, it is just a very minuscule performance decrease. You won't feel a change. 

Performance decrease?

 

How do you mean?

[gazabi]

Performance decrease?

 

How do you mean?

You'll get higher performance in benchmarks but not in real life situations like gaming. It isn't enough of a performance difference to be a bottleneck in your system.

[Mindstab Thrull]

He means that if you are able to run in dual channel configuration, you get a slight performance benefit. To do that you want two sticks of memory with the same specs; a dual-channel kit is two sticks of memory (for example, two 4GB sticks, 8GB combined) that are the exact same type and will work together in dual channel mode. Mixing and matching means you don't get dual-channel benefits but it doesn't make your computer run worse than having only one slot filled.

[Agazed]

As soon as they hear performance decrease they get all worried. The decrease doesn't amount to really any real life situation at all.