# Can I use two different brands of RAM in my motherboard?



## Multitudinous (Jan 17, 2015)

Okay so recently a stick of mine had died, the other 4GB stick works just fine. But I want to upgrade my RAM so I am not maxxing out on the 4GB mark. So I find a stick of Kingston ValueRAM 8GBs at the exact same speed and timings as my PNY Optima 4GB stick. Would I be able to run this in dual channel since both modules are the same the only difference is the capacity and the brand? I do not want to buy the same brand of RAM after my past experience and I know Kingston is a pretty good brand. If this works, it should give me 12GBs of DDR3 1333MHZ RAM. I don't run a lot of resource intensive programs, I am mainly a gamer. If this works it will save me some money as oppose to buying 16GBs of Corsair Vengeance RAM.

I do not do heavy workloads so 1333MHZ with timings of 9-9-9-24 is plenty for me.


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

Technically yes you can....as long as the MHZ/timings and voltages are identical.


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## Multitudinous (Jan 17, 2015)

So capacity doesn't matter in dual channel?


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

It does but not as much as many believe. If two different capacity DIMMs are installed, the smaller capacity DIMM and an equivalent portion of the larger should operate in dual channel mode. The remainder of the larger DIMM will operate in single channel.

In any case, dual vs single channel makes almost no difference even in synthetic benchmarks, so don't sweat it. At the end of the day, density and frequency matters, not channeling. And more memory trumps all.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

You may want to take a few minutes and learn about memory if you have questions as well:

All you need to know about RAM | Tech Support Forum


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

You didn't say what motherboard you have. This is important because not all motherboards (their chipsets actually) will support 8Gb memory modules. So you need to verify that before wasting your time and money. 

If your computer was self or custom built, determine your motherboard brand and model number then visit the motherboard's website for the QVL (qualified vendors list) for compatible RAM. There are too many RAM makers and models for motherboard makers to test them all so don't have to buy listed RAM (like you do with CPUs) but you must buy RAM with the same specifications as listed RAM. If you don't see any 8Gb modules listed, your board probably does not support them. 

If your computer was factory built, visit the makers webpage for the system specifications. The RAM wizards noted in Masterchief's articles should tell if 8Gb modules are supported too. And note if use the Crucial Memory Finder and buy from them, they guaranty compatibility. 

You said you like Kingston (and I've used them a lot too), they have their *Kingston* Memory Search (manual data entry only) tool too. 

As far as mismatched RAM, note the newer your board, the newer the memory controller it will have. And the latest controllers are much better than making dissimilar RAM work together.



> In any case, dual vs single channel makes almost no difference even in synthetic benchmarks, so don't sweat it. At the end of the day, density and frequency matters, not channeling. And more memory trumps all.


 I couldn't agree more. There was a lot of hype about dual channel doubling performance when it started dominating the market but real world results didn't match the marketing hype. It was a great technology 20+ years ago, but not with today's systems. For sure, quantity makes the biggest difference.


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## Multitudinous (Jan 17, 2015)

I have a Gigabyte GA-Z97X UD7 TH(Btw I recommend no one buy that motherboard it is a piece of garbage even though it is pretty expensive), Anyways, so as long as the sticks are the same in speed, voltage, and timings I can run them in dual channel? Keep in mind I have One PNY 4GB stick and One Kingston ValueRAM 8GB stick.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Regardless of speed and voltage, they should run in dual channel. 

However, using mixed sets of memory will often give unpredictable results. In fact, there are times when certain combinations of motherboard and memory, simply will not play nice together. There is no way to predict the results without trying it out. It is for this reason, and not channeling that you should always try to use matched pairs of memory.


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

> I have a Gigabyte GA-Z97X UD7 TH(Btw I recommend no one buy that motherboard it is a piece of garbage even though it is pretty expensive)


Oh? We recently did two builds with that same board (Rev 1.0) and had no problems. Why don't you like it?



> Anyways, so as long as the sticks are the same in speed, voltage, and timings I can run them in dual channel? Keep in mind I have One PNY 4GB stick and One Kingston ValueRAM 8GB stick.


Did you check your manual? Note on page 16, Section 1-4, next to the big yellow triangle with the big red exclamation mark, it clearly says (my *bold underline* added),


> Read the following guidelines before you begin to install the memory:
> • Make sure that the motherboard supports the memory. It is recommended that memory of the same *capacity*, brand, speed, and chips be used.(Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest supported memory speeds and memory modules.)


In the boards that I have seen where you can mix capacities and still run in dual-channel (with the lower capacity) this is clearly indicated in the manual. So with this (and most) motherboards, using a 4Gb and 8Gb together will force the board to run in single channel mode. 

But, that is still 12Gb of RAM. That is a LOT of RAM and as gcavan notes, "_And more memory trumps all._"


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## Multitudinous (Jan 17, 2015)

Bill_Bright said:


> Oh? We recently did two builds with that same board (Rev 1.0) and had no problems. Why don't you like it?
> 
> Did you check your manual? Note on page 16, Section 1-4, next to the big yellow triangle with the big red exclamation mark, it clearly says (my *bold underline* added),
> 
> ...


Eh, could have just had a glitch. When the new BIOs comes out I am going to flash it to see if it will fix the issues I have been having with the Board's UEFI.

On a different note, I am fine as long as it won't screw up the performance. If the 4GB and the 8GBs don't work together I will just take the PNY RAM and throw it away because it's garbage anyway.


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