Should I use different sized RAMs of same speed and same brand?

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My PC currently have 1 Zion DDR3 2GB 1333 RAM. I want to put another 4 GB Zion DDR3 1333 RAM in order to expand my RAM memory to 6GB. Can it be a problem? Or should I use 2*2GB DDR3 1333 RAM?

I want my PC to run mid-specs games in normal quality and to run heavy software like Android Studio, Chrome, Photoshop, etc.

Current PC Specs:

  • Motherboard: DH55TC (dual-channel DDR3 1333/1066 MHz memory support)

  • Intel Core i3 540 @ 3.07 GHz

  • RAM: 2.00GB (1.86GB usable)

Shuvam Shah

Posted 2017-08-10T09:25:28.760

Reputation: 111

Answers

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The DH55TC manual specifies two independent memory channels with interleaved mode support with two DIMM sockets per each.

It further states :

  • Support for non-ECC, unbuffered, single-sided or double-sided DIMMs with x8 organization
  • 16 GB maximum total system memory (with 2 Gb memory technology)
  • Minimum total system memory: 1 GB using 1 Gb x8 module
  • Serial Presence Detect
  • DDR3 1333 MHz and DDR3 1066 MHz SDRAM DIMMs

Better verify that your memory sticks obey the above criteria.

There is just one gray point in the above, which is that with the mentioned "2 Gb memory technology" and 4 DIMMs, the maximum RAM is no more that 8 GB, while the stated maximum is 16 GB. The two numbers conflict with each other.

As there is a small doubt as to whether your motherboard can accept 4 GB sticks, I would counsel to only buy such sticks only if you can ask for a refund if they don't work.

When in doubt, and to be absolutely sure, I would suggest to download and run the Crucial System Scanner and see what it says about memory upgrades and possible configurations. In my experience this tool is absolutely trustworthy.

As another advice, position the two larger sticks in different channels and on the same DIMM (best both on DIMM 0). The smaller stick can be positioned anywhere else, but be prepared if the motherboard will reject a non-symmetrical configuration (which the manual says nothing about).

harrymc

Posted 2017-08-10T09:25:28.760

Reputation: 306 093