The Ol' "Should I Add or Replace My RAM?" Question

Lamrdeus on 27/12/2015 - 20:13
Last edited 27/12/2015 - 21:20

So I built my machine in 09. It was a reasonable machine then but its getting dated so I want to upgrade it a bit. I'm leaving the country in a year, so don't want to spend money on a new machine.

Here is what I have:

i7 920
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P (has 6 dimms)
Kingston 6gb(2gb*3) DDR3 1600 ram

Now I do video editing and simple graphics, but I have good workflows and don't need anything too crazy. I was thinking of getting a total of about 16GB Ram.

Now my question is, do I just go for some good DDR3 8x2 Ram and replace the other 3 sticks? OR should I find a way to ADD to the other 3 sticks? Perhaps I can get 16gb+the old 6 and have 22 in total?

I did some research and found out that If I just add to it I have to stick to the same voltage (is that the 1600?) the old ones will slow down the new ones…So is that not worth it then? It sounds pretty complicated and I was just hoping for some custom advice on my particular situation.

Thanks so much!

EDIT: Oh and if I'm replacing the old RAM, then perhaps I should try and go cheaper by doing a 4x4 config?

Computing

Comments

  • elusive on 27/12/2015 - 21:09
    +4

    Simple answer: go for more RAM if it costs the same.

    Ok, a few things.

    • i7-920. Specs: http://ark.intel.com/products/37147/Intel-Core-i7-920-Proces…

      Note:

      DDR3 800/1066

      How DDR3 works is there's the "DDR name" and the actual frequency. The "DDR name", e.g. DDR3 800, is double the actual frequency (400 MHz), hence the dual data rate (DDR). DDR3 1066 is 533 MHz. DDR3 1600 is 667 MHz (give or take).

      You can check what rate your current RAM is running at with a program like CPU-Z. RAM will run at the slowest rate out of: all installed RAM modules, the max the CPU supports, and the max the motherboard supports. Some overclocking motherboards will let you go higher than the CPU supports by default. Some motherboards handle that automatically. Don't worry too much about it.

    • Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P. Specs: http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=29…

      You'll see it supports:

      DDR3 2100+/1333/1066/800

      (they incorrectly state MHz there, but whatever)

      It's actually a bit odd that they explicitly include 2100+. Again, no biggie. Do note that both your CPU and motherboard have a limit of 24 GB total.

    • Kingston 6gb(2gb*3) DDR3 1600 ram

      This is probably running at 1066 (533 MHz) already. Check with CPU-Z.

      Most RAM sold these days is 1600 at a minimum, so you can just get that to be safe.

    • Voltage

      Desktop DDR3 is almost always 1.5 V. Your CPU and motherboard don't support 1.35 V. Either get 1.5 V RAM or 1.35 V/1.5 V dual-voltage RAM.

    So, adding more memory. What will happen?

    Well, it looks like you're currently running in triple-channel, which gives you a lot more memory throughput. You can keep triple-channel if you add another three matched sticks in the right slots. Or you can convert to dual-channel. Or you can just ignore boost and go for more RAM in single-channel.

    Honestly, the best course of action varies. If you find yourself running out of RAM? More RAM helps far more than the boost from simultaneous channel access. Swapping to disk is orders of magnitude slower. If you're well within how much RAM you have? You might find the slight boost will help. Personally, I'd go for more RAM always, but I struggle to work within 8 GB on my primary machines, so I'm a bit of an outlier.

    Edit: Video editing? MORE RAM MORE RAM

    • amrdeus on 27/12/2015 - 21:32

      Ok, so the answer is add to what I already have…and from what you say it sounds like my best option is to get 3x Sticks To keep the whole "3" thing going.

      Do these new sticks have to be anything specific to match the others? Or can it be anything since its on another color of the MB? Or do I have to get the same Brand and also 1600?

      So your suggestion would be to get 3x8GB for a total of 30gb RAM?

      Thanks so much! You're helping me so freaking much!

      • elusive on 27/12/2015 - 22:36
        +1

        The problem you'll run into is that your motherboard and CPU only support 24 GB max anyway. So 30 GB simply isn't happening.

        Normally when you try to use dual/triple-channel you'll want what's known as a "matched set". That's when they sell them all in one pack. Prevents any issues from timing differences, etc.. Optimal would be to have everything as one set, but you can also mix two sets together and it'll usually work as long as each matched set is spread across the channels evenly. Triple tends to cost a bit more simply because it's rare.

        Again, personally I wouldn't worry too much about keeping dual/triple-channel. It'll increase your max RAM throughput, yes, but most people are constrained by lack of RAM, not the speed of RAM. Easiest thing to do is just buy the cheapest RAM you can find (>= DDR3 1066, desktop 1.5V make sure it's not laptop SO-DIMM) and just stick it in without regard to channels.

        On the other hand, you're leaving in a year. You don't want to spend too much money. It might not even be worth upgrading just for a year, but if you want to then your best bet is just to grab something cheap. Even adding a single 8 GB stick in would more than double what you currently have. If you want to go "all out", look for 16 GB (2x 8 GB). Or maybe 12 GB (3x 4 GB) if you can find it cheaper, but that's unlikely barring a clearance sale.

        Unfortunately, you seem to have missed all the Amazon RAM deals by about a month :\

        • peteru on 28/12/2015 - 16:41
          +1

          most people are constrained by lack of RAM, not the speed of RAM

          True, but in the case of video editing you are very likely to be I/O bound. Assuming you somehow solve your disk I/O bottleneck, the next place to gain improvements is RAM bandwidth and capacity. I'd say that a 3x 4GB upgrade to give the OP 6+12GB RAM is about right.

        • amrdeus on 28/12/2015 - 19:11

          Thanks so much guys! I've decided on 3x4gb.

          http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Atech-4GB-DIMM-DDR3-Desktop-PC3-1…

          My mobo apparently needs "1.5V" would these work?

  • ganymede on 27/12/2015 - 23:01
    +2

    From Gigabyte'w wesbsite:

    6 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 24 GB of system memory (Note 1)

    I am quite sure your MB can only support upto 4GB of RAM per channel, meaning you can't use 8GB stick in it.

  • RobMel on 27/12/2015 - 23:45
    +1

    Consider ssd drive,at least boot n app. For video editing data may be cheaper on a conventional drive.

    • amrdeus on 29/12/2015 - 08:26

      Thanks that was my first step and its on its way!

  • oscargamer on 28/12/2015 - 08:58
    +1

    as above, get some more RAM but also get an SSD for the scratch disk for your editing

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