Can you mix and match ram

Talking about this, when building or purchasing your computer, looking out for its specs is essential. This includes checking every single part that is used in it including the memory, processor, GPU, and even motherboard. While you might keep a check over most of the things, the RAM is something that most users forget. Random-access memory or also commonly known just as RAM is a form of computer memory.

This is one of the most important parts of your computer system which directly affects its performance. Considering this, any issues with the part can cause problems with your system. In some cases, the computer might even stop working completely. Getting to what the memory does, RAM stores all the working data from your computer on it. All the applications being used store their temporary data on the device allowing you to browse through them without any issues.

However, once the RAM starts running out of memory, you will notice that the speed of your system starts to get slow. Your computer can even get stuck if it is out of memory which is why the RAM is so important. Considering this, you should carefully select a good pair of RAMs for your computer with lots of capacity and frequency speeds.

Getting to installing RAM on your system. One question that many people have is if they can mix and match different RAM sticks. Although, when you get into the details then the answer can vary.

However, a motherboard that still uses DDR2 channels has a dual channel in them. This means that you will have to use the same stick in both slots for your RAM to work. Considering this, trying to mix and match RAMs on those devices will not work. Although, there are some things that you should keep in mind when doing so.

The first thing is that even these motherboards sometimes contain dual channels. Two out of the 4 slots in most motherboards will be painted with a specific color.

These show that the slots are running on dual-channel mode. You might also be able to switch off this feature from the bios settings. But one better option is to simply use the alternate channel instead for your other stick. This should help you in easily booting up your system without any issues. These dual channels are made so that you can install matching pairs of RAMs into the two slots which can drastically improve the performance of your system.

In fact, your operating system and your software should be using up every little bit of RAM available. Freeing up RAM with one of those booster programs does nothing. If anything, it might actually slow down your system since "freeing up" means you are removing certain computations from the RAM's memory.

RAM isn't the same as your hard drive. RAM auto-manages the data it holds, adjusting to hold frequently accessed data. That's not to say constantly filling your RAM is a good thing. If you constantly fill your RAM, it can lead to other speed issues. Most modern operating systems use what is known as a paging file, also referred to as virtual memory. Your computer will begin pushing some data from the super-fast RAM into the much slower regular memory.

Virtual memory is really useful as it stops your computer from slowing to a crawl. However, if you frequently run out of RAM, it's usually a sign that it's time to purchase some higher-capacity RAM modules. Back to the RAM clearing speed-boost myth. Don't use RAM boosting or memory cleaning software. They don't work. At best, they're just a nuisance and a time-waste. At worst, you could introduce adware or scamware to your computer.

The final myth is that you must always use an equal number of RAM sticks. Like the first section on different sizes, you don't have to use two or four or six RAM sticks. You can also use three sticks of RAM if you want, but as above, it can come at the cost of overall performance. If you have two matching 8GB RAM sticks, they will run in dual-channel mode, providing the most efficient and effective system performance. Great, right? So, while you have a larger capacity, your overall performance may drop.

You'll find a lot of debate online regarding using an equal number of RAM sticks. You don't have to use an equal number, but it can harm your overall system performance if you decide not to. But don't worry, we have excellent guides to explain the differences.

The iPhone's base architecture is much different from Android. That's why you won't find Apple talking about how much RAM its iPhones have, while they're still as fast as the best Android phones. In any case, I don't recommend it. If you're buying new RAM, you're probably going to make your life a lot easier by buying the exact same model as you currently have in your machine. That said, if you absolutely have to mix them, here are some general guidelines.

You want to make sure each stick has the same CAS latency, timings, and voltage. While you can tweak these settings in the BIOS to make the two sticks match we briefly showed you how when we discussed overclocking your processor , I don't know why you'd want to.

You'd have to spend quite a bit of time messing around with it all, and probably underclock at least one of your DIMMs in the process—and there's no guarantee it would work even then. Really, it's a lot more trouble than it's worth.