Adding additional RAM

[Havel]

I've been running into an issue playing games such and GTA V and Blops 3 where i've been running out of RAM. I've been wanting to add more ram to my system to compensate but im not sure how to go about it. If it's possible i'd love to just throw more of the same RAM sticks i have into it but im not sure if its capable of running in quad channel or even with just 3 sticks. If my only option is to just buy a new set then ohh well just let me know

Build:
CPU i7-4820K
RAM 8Gb corsair vengeance ddr3 dual channel (Part number  CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 )
Mother Board ASUS X79 Sabertooth 
GPU GTX 1070
Storage 120Gb SSD + 2Tb HDD

[vanished]

it should be capable of doing quad channel, but regardless you could just add 2 more of what you have if you can find it

[Havel]

Just now, Ryan_Vickers said:

it should be capable of doing quad channel, but regardless you could just add 2 more of what you have if you can find it

So even though its a dual channel set out of the box it should be able to run quad channel with the same exact sticks then??

[vanished]

Just now, bdphxdude said:

So even though its a dual channel set out of the box it should be able to run quad channel with the same exact sticks then??

Yeah, for sure.  What affects if you can run dual or quad channel or not is your CPU and motherboard, not the sticks themselves.

[James09]

Best would be to check the MB RAM QVL and check to see if the module(s) you are buying are listed there. Sticks that are not listed would likely work but sticking different channels with different sticks might cause problems even if they look like they are from the same brand and model. Sometimes they update the part number because they changed something. Happens more often than you think, especially if you bought the ram a few years ago. 

[Havel]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Yeah, for sure.  What affects if you can run dual or quad channel or not is your CPU and motherboard, not the sticks themselves.

Never knew that, i know the MOBO can without a doubt handle more ram in quad channel and even though the CPU is showing its age i think it can definitely handle it

[vanished]

5 minutes ago, bdphxdude said:

Never knew that, i know the MOBO and without a doubt handle more ram in quad channel and even though the CPU is showing its age i think it can definitely handle it

Yes, it can.  If you check the ARK page for your CPU, you'll see 

 

 

One additional thing I will say, in case I didn't make it clear in my first post, is that regardless of how many channels you can support, if there's room, you can always add more sticks.  For example, consider most mainstream Intel boards, such as Z270, that has room for 4 sticks of RAM but only runs in (up to) dual channel.

 

Edit: Actually now that I think about it, it's possible that X299 has some weirdness with regard to this so I can't say one way or the other for certain, but this is true for everything else I'm aware of  

Edited September 14, 2017 by Ryan_Vickers

[Havel]

1 minute ago, James09 said:

Best would be to check the MB RAM QVL and check to see if the module(s) you are buying are listed there. Sticks that are not listed would likely work but sticking different channels with different sticks might cause problems even if they look like they are from the same brand and model. Sometimes they update the part number because they changed something. Happens more often than you think, especially if you bought the ram a few years ago. 

First question, 'MB RAM QVL'  what exactly is that??

[James09]

Sorry, Motherboard RAM Qualified Vendor List.

 

You would find that on your motherboard manufacturers website near where you find drivers. Usually under memory support or compatibility something like that. 

[vanished]

9 minutes ago, James09 said:

Sorry, Motherboard RAM Qualified Vendor List.

 

You would find that on your motherboard manufacturers website near where you find drivers. Usually under memory support or compatibility something like that. 

True, I suppose it never hurts to check and make sure the RAM is verified to work properly (especially with Ryzen), but (with perhaps the exception of Ryzen) these days you can pretty much grab any RAM and it will work on any system.  Plus, he already has working RAM so more of the same shouldn't cause problems.

[James09]

Since your motherboard is a little dated, the list probably also hasn't been updated in a while. Just because it's not on the list doesn't mean that the sticks you want to buy won't work, you just won't be assured of compatibility. But for 100% compatibility, all the ram modules need to be on that list. 

 

If, neither the old nor the new modules are on the list, you can still run a few passes if MemTest to check compatibility and stability that way. 

 

Also recommend you get something at the same speed as your current modules. Some manufacturers models, like the HyperX Fury modules span multiple speeds so just keep that in mind when purchasing. Model number is the only sure way to determine speed rating. 

[James09]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

True, I suppose it never hurts to check and make sure the RAM is verified to work properly (especially with Ryzen), but (with perhaps the exception of Ryzen) these days you can pretty much grab any RAM and it will work on any system.  Plus, he already has working RAM so more of the same shouldn't cause problems.

What you said is true too but I tend to give suggestions with disclaimers attached so that if it doesn't work as planned they know why. Also some of the lesser known manufacturers are more likely to have compatibility issues. At least from my own personal experience. 

[Cyracus]

that exact kit appears to be gone from everywhere except ebay https://www.ebay.com/p/Corsair-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8-Random-Access-Memory/151802871  

[James09]

@bdphxdude ouch I didnt see that in your post. Cas 8 ram while good are pretty hard to find nowadays. You will more than likely end up finding CAS9 or higher ram nowadays. In which case either, your Corsair RAM will lower itself to CAS9 speeds or you might end up with some compatibility issues and need to do some manual tinkering. CAS being the latency of the RAM and a lower number = better performance.