All 4 ram slots
Posted by EarRevolutionary6316@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 31 comments
I currently have 2x8gb ram and am planning on getting another and filling up all 4 slots but people have said that it’s bad to fill all 4 slots but why?
EarRevolutionary6316@reddit (OP)
So if im running ddr4 with amd im fine?
YearofthegoatUK@reddit
Most likely, compared with DDR5 anyway. I ran 4x8GB 3600cl18 DDR4 on x570 perfectly fine on my previous machine (still is fine in fact, my son has that machine now). Two Corsair 2x8GB kits of the same type, bought around 18 months apart.
EarRevolutionary6316@reddit (OP)
What if it’s 2 different sets? The one I’m planning on buying is a vengeance set and the ones I have currently are some naked green ones
YearofthegoatUK@reddit
Same voltage, speed and CL/main timings? No guarantees of course but probably okay with main common timings set, the others left on auto (not XMP/DOCP/EXPO as they might not match). The closer they match, the better.
In short, you have to run all of them at the lowest common values. A while ago I had some DDR3 2133 and 2400 sticks running okay - just at 2133 not 2400 (old machine for Zwifting in the garage).
Live-Juggernaut-221@reddit
Telling us what the rest of the specs on your system are would be helpful so I understand why you wouldn't do it.
EarRevolutionary6316@reddit (OP)
I’m just gonna assume you want to know my cpu, motherboard, and ram for my cpu I have a Ryzen 5 5600, motherboard is a asrock b550 pro4 and I have no idea what the ram is it’s just 2 naked green sticks
PotatoFarmer44@reddit
AM4 is fine, but some mobos handle 4 sticks better than others. Also, keep in mind that mixing and matching different sticks of ram can cause its own issues(also, the ram will run at the speed of the slowest sticks). I know pricing is really messed up right now, but I'd be looking for a 2x16 kit personally. Also, remember that if you're only gaming, 16gb is more than fine in pretty well every game out there. Hardware Unboxed actually did a video on this recently and found that 16gb is still perfectly acceptable.
EarRevolutionary6316@reddit (OP)
It’s just some of the games like ASA and FH5 are taking up crazy amounts of ram and I like to mod games a lot
wubbadubdub_zzz@reddit
Am4 is fine.
9okm@reddit
Nobody knows!
UpstairsConnection57@reddit
Yes, they do. It ahs to do with the dual channel RAM controller on the AMD AM5 CPUS.
9okm@reddit
You have big brain.
ThunderKats351@reddit
More RAM is always better even if the memory controller can't handle them very well. Worst scenario you would need to slower speed memory to gain stability but still I prefer 32GB over 16GB even if I need to drop speed a bit.
Comrade_Chyrk@reddit
Running 4 ram sticks is less efficient than using 2. You by all means can run 4, but your better off just getting 2 16gb sticks vs 4 8gb ones.
YearofthegoatUK@reddit
Not necessarily true for AM4 - check out Gamers Nexus' testing on that.
1rkella@reddit
You're missing important information, namely the type of RAM and the platform.
TL;DR - DDR5 on the AM5 platform can be unstable, so you may experience issues populating all 4 slots currently.
If you're using AMD on the AM5 platform, the motherboard RAM controllers often struggle to run 4 sticks, and can have stability issues or even refuse to boot. BIOS updates have improved this, but it's simply the least stable platform to use 4 sticks on currently.
Obviously it's possible to run 4 sticks on AM5, otherwise they would never have included all 4 slots, but it's simply not a dependable experience.
This was also true when the AM4 platform came out, but it's now quite stable.
Intel has generally had a better track record with initial RAM stability on new platforms, but they also have supported both DDR4 and DDR5 for longer, and have more mature controllers and BIOS optimizations for them.
UpstairsConnection57@reddit
Most of the problems have been eliminated with motherboard BIOS updates.
1rkella@reddit
The situation is much improved for sure, but it's still not a non-issue at this point.
YearofthegoatUK@reddit
You can definitely run 4 sticks of DDR5 stable. But there'll be compomises on speed and timings. Motherboard topography plays its part in how well this works too.
BigFatCoder@reddit
Install in pairs, usually 4 slots are : A1, A2, B1, B2 and mobo manual say install in A2 and B2. Additional kit go for A1 and B1. I am using 4x16GB since last year.
cakemates@reddit
consumer cpus have 2 memory lanes, as you might guess running 4 stick of ram on 2 memory lanes to keep it short lead to synchronization problems that limit overclock.
VersaceUpholstery@reddit
Currently DDR5 memory controllers are relatively fresh. Specifically for AM5. They can’t handle overclocks that high, and it’s even harder on 4 sticks vs 2 sticks
Anything above 4800mhz is an overclock on DDR5. Anything above 2133mhz is an overclock on DDR4.
It sounds like you may have DDR4, and depending on your ram speed and cpu it’s probably not even something to worry about
Fmeister567@reddit
I will just add with respect to the ddr4 I have used 4 sticks and had no trouble. I would buy the 2x8 if you have ddr 4 but make sure it is returnable if you have trouble. Before the increase it made sense to get 2x16 which went for about 50usd but not now. Thanks
EarRevolutionary6316@reddit (OP)
Yeah I’m just gonna buy it and test it even if it doesn’t work I’ll just resell it
Belzebutt@reddit
Did you ever have two toddlers you had to get dressed and ready for school? Now trying doing that with four, at the same time.
Mnemonicly@reddit
Some guy on YouTube said it
MatthewSWFL229@reddit
Just check with your motherboard and see if it supports all four channels at the same speed and any limitations it has ... The real answer is it's different for everybody ... And that back in the day that used to be a much bigger deal ... But nowadays you just have to check with your motherboard ... Use dxdiag if you are unsure as to your motherboard
Lumpy_Roll158@reddit
Just do it. As long as they’re matched in brand and xmp/expo settings you’re not gonna notice a difference. Worst case scenario you might have to take a small to medium loss on frequencies and timings if the brand switched from sk Hynix to Samsung or vice versa. You’re gonna get a thousand different answers because for every person who’s had issues using all four slots there’s one who can literally slam max performance profiles and be perfectly stable. Worst case scenario your system doesn’t post and you just return the extra kit.
RumbleTheCassette@reddit
Worst case you'll need to run your RAM at a lower speed. Best case it works fine.
lazyhustlermusic@reddit
Depends on the platform and RAM speed.
Significant_Fill6992@reddit
If your running Intel it's fine but am5 struggles with using all 4 especially if they aren't part of the same kit