8GB 1866 vs 12GB 1600

[Lepton87]

I've got 2 sticks of 4GB 1866MHz CL9 made by Corsair and right now only those sticks are installed. I also have 2 sticks of memory with a capacity of 2GB each made by Patriot which are 1600MHz CL9. Exact model is PSD34G1600KH. Would having 4GB+2GB in each channel work fine? Is it even worth it to drop the speed for that capacity increase assuming that it would work?

 

[tortillasoup]

You have to figure out how severely memory bound you are. Obviously if you're using 10GB of memory on a regular basis you'll want that memory, otherwise stick with the 8gb configuration. If the controller runs in dual channel mode, it may get kicked back into single channel mode if you start mixing and matching.

 

[Lepton87]

Aside from chrome with tabs opened from a week back I don't think I have ever used all of my memory. Games are the most memory hungry programs I use, is there any game that benefits from more than 8GB of system memory?

 

[Blue_Max]

If the controller runs in dual channel mode, it may get kicked back into single channel mode if you start mixing and matching.

Intel hasn't worked that way since the late Core2Duo days - the system is now smart enough to run in hybrid mode which is dual wherever possible.

eg: 12GB = 4+4+4 or 8+4 sticks... the system would run in dual channel (lowest RAM speed for all) for 4+4 of that, then the remaining 4GB would be in single.

...not that single vs dual-channel makes a huge difference in the Intel world.


AMD still requires nearly-perfectly-matched or bust and single-channel is more crippling.

 

[tweakboy]

Go for 12GB kit.

gl

 

[tweakboy]

Then you just lower the Mhz and go for low CL times. gl

 

[john3850]

With a even number of memory in each bank and your timing set manually you should end up with dual channel.
Intel flex mode works best when you have a uneven amount of memory in one bank.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Unless you are benchmarking, running in dual channel versus single mode and /or 1866 or 1600 speeds makes zero real world difference. We are talking about nano seconds. In other words, if you have a need for more than 8 GB of ram, install the other sticks. You will lose nothing.

 

[Lepton87]

With a even number of memory in each bank and your timing set manually you should end up with duel channel.
Intel flex mode works best when you have a uneven amount of memory in one bank.

Yes, that would be 6GB in each channel. About that timing set manually I was hoping that my DDR1600 would work just fine with 1866 timings especially since both are CL9. I might up the voltage to 1.55V to ensure stability, I don't want to mess to much with memory timings. It's one thing I never particularly liked about overclocking.

 

[tweakboy]

True,

but for me, my last project used 34GB of RAM.