3 sticks of ram New comments cannot be posted. There's really no downsides besides making memory overclocking very difficult. Mar 13, 2022 · Per @geofelt (Post #5) run memtest just as a double check for all of the RAM sticks. I bought two additional RAM sticks (Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB) and installed them, but I'm asking myself, what about the functioning stick? The accurate answer for this (For anyone who's looking for info on this topic) Is that the first set of 8GB sticks will run in Dual Channel with no problems (If you install them in the correct slots) until it surpasses the threshold and starts utilizing more than 16GB, the third ram will then run in Single channel for the remaining space. Mar 14, 2015 · I don't think any ASUS representative will tell you that 3 sticks are okay, because there are limitations. That will give 2-channel performance in that 8GB of memory space. Flex mode automatically enables when non-uniform memory layouts are installed. •If your applications require a lot of memory, then 3 sticks will perform better than 2 sticks. The myth that more RAM sticks result in reduced performance stems from an incomplete understanding of how memory modules work. The speed and cl is all the same and was wondering if it would be able to read the extra 8gb. Jul 26, 2022 · Single stick RAM is a lot worse. 3. Also, just pair them correctly, to run in dual channel - so 8GB sticks in 1 and 3, 16GB sticks in 2 and 4. Oct 8, 2020 · Hello. Mar 12, 2023 · If your motherboard has four RAM slots, you can definitely use three sticks of 8GB RAM. Since 1 slot left over for features upgrade of another 8 gb ram. I’m looking to purchase more. Maybe 16 more gigs . e. Is that a thing. I work with design software (indesign, illustrator, photoshop, premiere), so the yes you can run 3 sticks. When I put two of them in different channels, I get 8Gb of ram. •If your applications use less RAM amount than the density of your 2 RAM sticks, then remove the 3rd stick! May 31, 2020 · Right now I have 2 x 4gb 1333 mhz ram. Second of all. Tou essentially cut bandwidth in half with a single RAM stick because boards are constructed so that the CPU cann communicate with both channels at the same time. The first two sticks should go into the recommended sockets for 2 sticks - usually the red sockets on ROG boards, but you don't say which exact model. When you run an odd number of RAM sticks, it usually drops your system out of dual channel mode, which can slow things down. . With 3 modules you don't get dual channel mode. You can potentially use the first and third slots as well ( A1 + B1 ), although the added space between the CPU and the memory slots tends to aid airflow, which is why we recommend A2 + B2 . May need to adjust ram settings manually. It's about requirements and trade offs. Also, at some point install the RAM stick left out (when the Powershell cmdlet was first run) in place of the RAM stick that is shown as being in ChannelA-DIMM0 . Mar 5, 2024 · If you regularly exceed the RAM for two DIMMs versus three DIMMs, then you should see lower memory bandwidth on applications running only that single channel after you've filled the other two primary DIMMs for the respective memory controllers. Like 2 x 4gb = 8gb, 1 x 8 gb so total 16 gb ram. Apr 21, 2025 · Is It Okay to Use 3 Sticks of RAM? A Comprehensive Guide. It either operates in single channel mode or in flex mode (part in dual, part in single channel mode). Mar 14, 2021 · trying out what came in my cyberpowerpc prebuilt with my 2x8gb kit. Does not matter, and you can mix and match makes- because it is fairly generic ram, with generic timing and speeds. It will go in whats called "flex mode" where it will run one kit in dual channel and the extra stick in single channel, it will prioritize the dual channel portion. For best results, stick with an even number of identical sticks, like 2x16GB or 4x16GB. The bandwidth is better than a single stick of RAM, but it is still quite limited in comparison to 4 sticks of RAM. I borrowed a set of 4 4GB Ram sticks from an not used build at work (Kingston) and the computer boots fine with all 4 slots full. so, i have 2x8 3200mhz ddr4 corsair ram, can i put 1 more ram with 8 GB ddr4? the ram is different from the other 2. motherboard ddr4 usually have 2 or 4 slots ram so first thing first you need to look inside if you have an empty slot to put it Dec 21, 2020 · Hi, I'm trying to get 12Gb out of my 3x4Gb Corsair Vengeance ram sticks. In my PC I had two Corsair Vengeance 16GB RAM sticks, but after a few problems (PC restarting out of the blue and not clearing memory properly) and some troubleshooting I found out one of these sticks is done. Sep 17, 2024 · Here are the Cons of 2 Sticks of RAM. The results can be seen in this graph: I'm building my first PC and my friend sold me RAM. Might not boot with 4 sticks, and will perform worse with 4 sticks if you have faster than stock speed RAM to start with. However, it's worth considering the implications. Its about, memory ranks, how the ram channels are electrically connected to the CPU, capacity requirements and performance requirements. a lot of older board that run ddr 3 can have 6 ram slot (triple channel) so yes 3 ram sticks were common but there is no ddr 3 2400 as far as I am aware off more likely is a ddr 4 that your brother have. I tested the same PC configuration with singl Mar 12, 2023 · If your motherboard has four RAM slots, you can definitely use three sticks of 8GB RAM. I currently only have 1 stick of 8gb ddr4 ram. 3 sticks would be asymmetrical, which is referred to as Flex Mode. If you have a specific Keyboard/Mouse/AnyPart that is doing something strange, include the model number i. A RAM stick can be single sided (8 chips on one side, other side is blank = single rank) or dual sided (16 chips, 8 on each side, literally the same as two sticks slapped together into one = dual rank). I was thinking of buying the exact same kit on Amazon (2x 16gb sticks) so that the memory speed and voltage is the same, but would there be something wrong if I use 3 of the RAM slots instead of all 4 (until my replacement comes?). Yes, you can install an odd number of RAM modules. This answers the questions of using 3 RAM slots out of 4 . Only thing is we don’t know if you will operate at X speed because some motherboards are setup to achieve X speed with only 2 ram slots being used I believe. I am curious if I could rock 3 sticks of ram. Even if three sticks might put your PC in single channel mode, the extra memory can make video editing 10-12% faster. Run Powershell again so we can see if that RAM stick is somehow different than the other three. May 4, 2019 · So I've heard you can use 3 sticks of ram on your motherboard, but I've also heard it could decrease performance because you have to use one stick in single channel mode. Order matters though, the middle-right slot should be the empty one or else it may not post. First, make sure that your motherboard supports running multiple sticks of RAM. The third stick is Jul 21, 2020 · 3 sticks of ram I currently have 16GB of ram (2x8 3200 MHz), I often hit 16000 MB of usage which is like 97. Assuming you have four slots, one of which would remain vacant, this would mean you have 16 GB running dual-channel and the additional 8 GB running in single-channel. I'm planning to upgrade another 8 gb but I really don't want to add 2 x 4 gb ram since i new few slots for features upgrad. My motherboard is a Gigabyte B450M DS3H. I am confident that at least >90Gb of RAM were used ~2 weeks ago when I checked with Windows task manager indicating that all 4 sticks seem to have been in use. I had 2 questions: I mean, 3 sticks would work, but it's not an ideal configuration, because only two of those sticks would be in dual channel, and the third stick would be single channel, so technically a bit slower. My question is, how bad is it to use 3 sticks ram. Second chip won't work in any slots. I tried both sticks in all 4 ram slots one by one, 1st chip worked in all 4 slots. Oct 4, 2021 · Next option is 4x8GB configuration. Please help. One of the sticks doesn't work, so am I able to use 3 sticks or am I stuck shelving one? The MOBO I'm using is an ASUS PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4. To get a completely smooth experience I'm about to get 16 gb of ram I have 2×4gb sticks of ram (8gb) And I'm about to get another stick of 8gb ram So all together I'll have 16gb of ram Will it work out with 3 sticks of ram instead of 4 or 2? My specs: Xfx rx570 4gb I7 3770 8gb ram Dec 29, 2020 · Can I pair up the stick of ram from the old set that was working with the two new sticks? Considering they are on different speeds and from different manufacturers. Dec 16, 2021 · When I put any single stick of ram (8gb or 16gb) in ram slot #3 (B1) since A1 is blocked bye AIO cooler piping, ram speed wont go over 2133mhz. Since there are multiple slots (usually four or two) it is fairly simple to add Jul 14, 2021 · My computer has 16 GB of memory with 2x8 sticks. 2 sticks of RAM are not suitable for heavy-duty applications and high-end games. I’m using ripjaws 5 ddr4 ram 8gb sticks at 3200 mg at cl16. What type of RAM you choose (DDR4 RAM or the newer DDR5 RAM) will depend on your computer’s motherboard, which also dictates how many slots are available for plugging in the RAM. Thanks First of all, OP was asking about three sticks of RAM vs two. You may get compatibility issues this way. TLDR i have 3 sticks of corsair vengeance ddr5 5600mhz, i know the RAM instability problems with DDR5(especially with ryzen) so i wanted to know if running 3 sticks is a good idea Locked post. The thing is that right now I have 3 sticks of 4gb each. I want to know if it's better to have 2x4gb (bc of dual-channel) or just put the other stick and have 12gb. If you need 48GB RAM, it's still an ok solution, but if 32GB is enough, I'd just replace the broken stick with the same one. Keep in pairs and good look. But when I put a single stick in A2 or B2 it uses the full 3600mhz and runs in singe channel which is supposed to do. i was planning to upgrade my ram and adding 1 more but found an offer that's basically two for the price of one and was wondering if using 3 ram sticks would actually be beneficial or will it throttle the ram speed. In other words any memory usage beyond the initial 16 GB (assuming that Ive been running that 32gb ram stick alone for about 6-7 months and had no issues with it at all like the speed was perfectly fine and it didnt hurt my pc at all Reply Berkabitz the apple m1 furry (*>ω<) 💕🏳️‍⚧️ • This generally means placing one stick of RAM in slot two (A2) and the second stick in slot four (B2). Single-Channel If I stick the third DIMM slot in the third slot, the current two slots (2 and 4) still have dual channel memory and 5600 mhz speed? (speed enabled in XMP) I don't mind the third slot being slower, because only 10-15% of my projects requiere above 64 RAM memory. With only a single memory module, that is impossible. Your first two 16GB sticks will be used prior to the single channel 8GB stick. Gaming PCs will also gain additional RAM by having a dedicated video graphics card. Understanding Memory Channels: The Key to Performance; The Impact of Three Sticks: Dual-Channel vs. Dec 27, 2023 · Basically two Sticks of RAM will work as DUAL CHANNEL MEMORY while the 3rd stick will only work as a SINGLE CHANNEL MEMORY thus you will get a slight increase in performance with 3 sticks installed over having 2 sticks installed. My question is, if ram usage stays under 8gb (assuming there are 2x4gb sticks running in dual channel and one 4gb stick Jan 18, 2023 · I am looking to buy my third stick of 8GB of RAM (for the moment, will buy the 4th one soon) and I would like to know if it will affect my overall performance. I would have 24gb of ram with 3 sticks I have a pc with 1x 16gb ddr5 5200mhz ram. It will cut ton of RAM performance but it will work almost certainly. so do i run 2 of them in dual channel mode and the other one is kinda by it self? Unless those are some really trash IC's and they can't even run CL16. One of my ram sticks broke so I bought another identical set. That is normal. Here are the specs: MB: AsRock B450 Pro4 CPU: Ryzen 5 5600 GPU: ASUS TUF RX 6800 XT RAM: 2x 8GB Kingston Fury 3600MHz CL17 (working at CL18 apparently) -> the third stick will be the same Apr 7, 2014 · If the mobo supports flex mode it will run the two sticks in dual channel and the odd third stick in single channel mode, if it doesn't support flex mode then all 3 sticks will run in single channel mode, which will be a slight performance hit that you prob won't notice w/ 12 GB Yeah you can put the 3 ram sticks in and your pc will operate with 24 gbs of ram. Basically the first two ram sticks are in dual channel and the 3rd is in blended mode, it’s like blended memory TLDR: good if all same, bad if different (sometimes ) Dec 30, 2023 · Generally, using 3 RAM sticks instead of 2 leads to, both, some performance gains and some losses, depending of your use cases. Sep 11, 2018 · You may not notice much improvement from 3 sticks to 4 sticks of ram. Apr 1, 2025 · Adding a third RAM stick could boost gaming by up to 15% and multitasking by 20%. Nov 15, 2021 · As this third stick works as a single-channel then of course it provides less efficiency than the previous 2 sticks of RAM and thus gives a slight performance increase to your PC. But if you're doing CPU intensive work that doesn't need a lot of RAM, then adding a thirds stick could lead to 10%-20% drops in performance. Because most mainstream platforms use dual channel configurations. Different RAM sizes can be used together. Could I have 24 gigs of ram, and if so which dim slots. Also if I can pair the sticks of ram together, will I have two sticks on dual channel and one on single channel, or will all the sticks of ram go into single channel mode? It seems that the 3 RAM sticks are broken but it's just hard to believe that all 3 RAM sticks stopped working simultaneously after a normal PC restart. You won't reap the entire benefit of dual-channeling two 8GB RAM sticks, for example, but there will be a performance increase nonetheless. Wait no more, since all 3 are the same he can do it and gain performance, If the 3rd stick was different and had different Hrz then it “could” hinder performance. Will this cause the pair of ram to no longer work in dual channel mode or would it be the case that only 2 sticks will be running in dual channel and the third will just In this quick video you will learn how much RAM sticks you should use to achieve the best results with your PC. If you really want to do then you can put it in any available slot. There’s also ‘flex mode’ that helps use both single and dual channel setups effectively. In fact, you could pair them asynchronously, leading to dual-channeling. At this moment I have 16gb RAM, DDR4 3200: 8GBx2 in dual channel (slot A2 B2). I was just given a single stick of 16 GB. When asking a question or stating a problem, please add as much detail as possible. Flex mode causes the two identical sticks to function in dual channel mode, but when memory usage increases to the point it uses the 3rd stick, it runs at single channel speeds. Technically 2 sticks or 4 are better configuration regarding how your graphics card addresses ram. So you will retain dual channel speeds up until you use more than 32GB of RAM, where the last 8GB will be slower. Apr 19, 2025 · Yes, you can use 3 slots for RAM if your motherboard and CPU support triple-channel memory, but using 3 slots on a motherboard that only supports dual-channel memory might force all the RAM to run in single-channel mode. Is 3 sticks of RAM better than 2? The decision between using 3 sticks of RAM versus 2 depends on your specific needs and Dec 1, 2023 · 3) Dispelling The Myth: Is 4 Sticks Of RAM Slower Than 2? Contrary to popular belief, having four sticks of RAM is not inherently slower than having two. In fact, using three or four sticks of RAM is a pretty common way to upgrade a computer’s memory. It should work out of the box. Is it worth using 3 or will it negatively effect performance? I’d heard that it was bad to run with only 3. May be necessary to reduce performance settings to improve stability. Thanks One of them broke down and it'll take forever for Corsair to ship me a replacement. Two sticks is not always better. May 23, 2014 · so i have 3x1gb DDR2 memory for this pc im building and im wondering, which slots do i use? If i had 2 sticks then i would run them in dual channel mode, but i have 3. My motherboard has 4 ram slots (A1 A2 B1 B2) I was planning to add 16GB, one single stick, so I have space for a future update. 7% usage so I was considering buying a third stick of 8GB ram stick. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when using multiple sticks of RAM. For PC questions/assistance. Both chips BSOD in any slots. Could I put the 2x8GB sticks together on the first channel and the 1x16 stick on the other, and get all the benefits of dual channel memory but no drawbacks of mixing and matching sticks? Is it ok/possible to occupy 3 out of 4 ram slots? My friend has 2x4gb sticks and I have a spare 8gb. Contact Corsair and they send me 2 new chips. This is all on a b450 tomahawk max. So recently I decided that I needed more than 8gb of RAM to play much better. Using 3 stick might cause your boot screen to beep, or moan that the ram is running half duplex, is uneven or might even show 400mhz instead 800mhz. If I put them in the same channel I get 8Gb but only 4Gb usable If I put two in the same channel and one alone in another I get 12Gb but only 8Gb usable Mar 4, 2019 · Hey , I need help bad. Final option is to set jedec spec like 2666MHz and leave all timings to auto train. 2 sticks of RAM do not offer any performance improvement like four sticks of RAM. May 26, 2025 · Using three sticks can actually hurt your performance if you care about speed. Also, more memory doesn't make a noticeable difference if you don't need more memory. Or, if you're running DDR5, it might not boot at all, because DDR5 is a bitch. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Sorry to be blunt but I've done this myself and not gained anything with odd ram. odasq hakenj aiivo fbgqbpp rmkk zctnkmsb pahcq olsxat egdfu aisyrtc